Articles From Our March, 2006 Newsletter
“THE BOYS OF THE BOARD”
Many who come to our meetings often say that they consider pflag to be an
extension of their own families. Like any family, there are always members
that we know better than others. So, here is your chance to get to know:
Randy (our vice president)
Paul (resource director)
Paul D. (director of support)
David (our secretary)
and
Glenn (our webmaster).
Come hear what makes these “boys” tick—maybe a bit about how they came to PFLAG but mostly what do they do when they aren’t doing PFLAG work........ their day jobs, their pets, their hobbies, their dreams, etc.
Paul (resource director)
Paul D. (director of support)
David (our secretary)
and
Glenn (our webmaster).
Come hear what makes these “boys” tick—maybe a bit about how they came to PFLAG but mostly what do they do when they aren’t doing PFLAG work........ their day jobs, their pets, their hobbies, their dreams, etc.
Editor’s note:
This should really be something. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear what might be included in the “etc.” part of their program.
Don’t miss it. Meeting time...3pm, March 12, at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road.
This should really be something. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear what might be included in the “etc.” part of their program.
Don’t miss it. Meeting time...3pm, March 12, at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road.
Well, the Oscars will have come and gone before we have our next meeting but I
am convinced that it will be an exciting time for all who feel any connection
to a movie called Brokeback Mountain. It has been nominated for eight Academy
Awards and is bound to walk away with most of those. If you have seen this
film then you know the emotional significance of the two shirts worn by the
central characters that were recently put up for auction on ebay. The auction
was to benefit Variety, The Children’s Charity of Southern California. If you
haven’t seen it on the news yet, they sold for a little over $100,000! The
winning bid was placed by gay philanthropist and Hollywood memorabilia
collector, Tom Gregory. He called them (the shirts) “the ruby slippers of our
time”. When a movie comes out that seems to have this much immediate impact,
it makes me wonder what effect it may have in the long run. I watch enough
late night talk shows to realize that this movie has provided comedians with
enough fodder to last for months but even that seems to be fading. Tyra Banks
did a segment on her talk show about gay cowboys and handled it beautifully.
The cast from the movie has been on virtually every show imaginable. I was
watching a televised discussion about the movie when one of the participants
suggested that Brokeback Mountain was simply about condoning extra marital
affairs etc. I think I actually screamed at the T.V. “Did you even see this
movie?” The thought that kept running through my head was that those two boys
should not have been married to women in the first place! I know it’s only a
movie, but I can only imagine the multitudes that have felt compelled by
societal pressure to marry the WRONG people. I hope Tom Gregory is right
about his ruby slipper theory and I pray this movie will enlighten those who
were brave enough to be seen buying a ticket and for those who will be renting
it under cover of darkness.
Jamie
PFLAG Launches New "All Eyes on the Court Project" to Track Decisions,
Communicate Impact of Supreme Court Justices .....
“President Bush promised the American people nominees they could be proud of and this candidate certainly doesn’t meet that promise."
---Jody M. Huckaby, executive director, PFLAG.....
Washington, D.C. – Family members and allies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Americans across the country issued messages of intense concern for the balance of power on the Supreme Court as the U.S. Senate voted 58-42 to approve the confirmation of Samuel Alito. In response, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today announced the launch of a new program to educate Americans in real-world terms of the impact Supreme Court justices and their decisions are having on their everyday lives.
“President Bush promised the American people nominees they could be proud of and this candidate certainly doesn’t meet that promise. The split vote in the Senate demonstrates plainly that this was no consensus nominee but more of a political appointment railroaded through under extreme protest,” said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG’s executive director. “Too many members of the Senate did nothing more than rubber-stamp this nominee. The system failed. And now GLBT Americans and their families and so many others stand to lose out. We need to find new ways to communicate what a critical issue this is to all families.”
PFLAG announced its opposition to the Alito nomination on December 12, citing issues with Alito’s out-of-the-mainstream interpretation of law, particularly in the areas of minority rights and privacy. PFLAG members launched into a nationwide campaign to defeat the nomination, and are now issuing messages of deep disappointment and concern with ..the final.. outcome.
“Why couldn’t our elected leaders give us a candidate who would respect the rights of all families?” said Barbara Johnson, a PFLAG mom from Omaha, NE. “Today I’m more worried than ever about court decisions that may strip rights and freedoms from my son simply because he’s gay.”
“As the proud father of three wonderful daughters, I wanted a judge who would rule with fairness for all of them, not just the two who are straight. I don’t believe that this will happen with Judge Alito,” said Dave Schelbe, co-president of PFLAG-Pittsburgh (PA). “I’ll continue to work to try to educate the public that we need justices who will support all families in their decisions, not just an elite few.”
In response to what appears to be a disconnect between many Americans and an understanding of the tremendous impact Supreme Court decisions have on their everyday lives, PFLAG today announced the launch of its PFLAG All Eyes on the Court Project.
“A recent poll showed that statistically, zero percent of Americans could name all of the justices on the Supreme Court, and few could identify key decisions that probably are impacting their lives today,” said Huckaby. “The All Eyes on the Court Project is going to bring together voices of PFLAG members who can explain how court decisions – and the judges who make them – are playing a major role in all of our lives. We hope that by doing this in family-based, conversational ways, we can turn the tide of disinterest and change the course of the next nomination to come our way.”
“President Bush promised the American people nominees they could be proud of and this candidate certainly doesn’t meet that promise."
---Jody M. Huckaby, executive director, PFLAG.....
Washington, D.C. – Family members and allies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Americans across the country issued messages of intense concern for the balance of power on the Supreme Court as the U.S. Senate voted 58-42 to approve the confirmation of Samuel Alito. In response, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today announced the launch of a new program to educate Americans in real-world terms of the impact Supreme Court justices and their decisions are having on their everyday lives.
“President Bush promised the American people nominees they could be proud of and this candidate certainly doesn’t meet that promise. The split vote in the Senate demonstrates plainly that this was no consensus nominee but more of a political appointment railroaded through under extreme protest,” said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG’s executive director. “Too many members of the Senate did nothing more than rubber-stamp this nominee. The system failed. And now GLBT Americans and their families and so many others stand to lose out. We need to find new ways to communicate what a critical issue this is to all families.”
PFLAG announced its opposition to the Alito nomination on December 12, citing issues with Alito’s out-of-the-mainstream interpretation of law, particularly in the areas of minority rights and privacy. PFLAG members launched into a nationwide campaign to defeat the nomination, and are now issuing messages of deep disappointment and concern with ..the final.. outcome.
“Why couldn’t our elected leaders give us a candidate who would respect the rights of all families?” said Barbara Johnson, a PFLAG mom from Omaha, NE. “Today I’m more worried than ever about court decisions that may strip rights and freedoms from my son simply because he’s gay.”
“As the proud father of three wonderful daughters, I wanted a judge who would rule with fairness for all of them, not just the two who are straight. I don’t believe that this will happen with Judge Alito,” said Dave Schelbe, co-president of PFLAG-Pittsburgh (PA). “I’ll continue to work to try to educate the public that we need justices who will support all families in their decisions, not just an elite few.”
In response to what appears to be a disconnect between many Americans and an understanding of the tremendous impact Supreme Court decisions have on their everyday lives, PFLAG today announced the launch of its PFLAG All Eyes on the Court Project.
“A recent poll showed that statistically, zero percent of Americans could name all of the justices on the Supreme Court, and few could identify key decisions that probably are impacting their lives today,” said Huckaby. “The All Eyes on the Court Project is going to bring together voices of PFLAG members who can explain how court decisions – and the judges who make them – are playing a major role in all of our lives. We hope that by doing this in family-based, conversational ways, we can turn the tide of disinterest and change the course of the next nomination to come our way.”
The foregoing article was taken from the National PFLAG website at www.pflag.org
4007 Central
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 931-0334
Are you in your 20's? Passages also has a group for people 20-29 and if
you're 20 years old you can be in both! We're restarting our 20-Somethings so
drop us an email at
20something@kcpassages.org and we'll give you more information.
Club Queer: Saturday Nights
New Schedule
Wednesday
Drop-in
Join us for a light dinner and a movie or just hangout with friends or make new ones 5:30-9:00
Drop-in
Join us for a light dinner and a movie or just hangout with friends or make new ones 5:30-9:00
Saturday
Club Queer
Check our under-21 dance club every Saturday night from 8:30-1:00am. It's the place to go to dance and hang-out. Only $5 gets you in. As always, Passages is alcohol and drug free and Club Q is only for our youth under 21 (ID required). Come support Passages on Saturday night. Every cent goes to keeping Passages open. 8:30pm-1:00am
Club Queer
Check our under-21 dance club every Saturday night from 8:30-1:00am. It's the place to go to dance and hang-out. Only $5 gets you in. As always, Passages is alcohol and drug free and Club Q is only for our youth under 21 (ID required). Come support Passages on Saturday night. Every cent goes to keeping Passages open. 8:30pm-1:00am
Sunday
Passages Opens 6:00pm
Coffee Talk
Coffee Talk is a moderated group discussion of various relevant youth-chosen topics. 6:30-7:30
The Sunday Program
The Sunday program is the "Main Event" of Passages. The Sunday nights vary from educational to entertaining. Check the calendar to see what's going on this week. 7:30-9:00.
Passages Opens 6:00pm
Coffee Talk
Coffee Talk is a moderated group discussion of various relevant youth-chosen topics. 6:30-7:30
The Sunday Program
The Sunday program is the "Main Event" of Passages. The Sunday nights vary from educational to entertaining. Check the calendar to see what's going on this week. 7:30-9:00.
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES