Articles From Our May, 2006 Newsletter
Come join us on Sunday, May 14th for our annual Mother’s Day potluck when we gather together to share pictures and stories about our mothers. There will be no formal meeting, just the all-important sharing of fun and fellowship and, of course, good food.
Bring enough food for your family plus a bit more for those who might come not knowing there was a potluck planned. Our meetings are held at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd. Room 307. Bring loved ones and join us. We’d love to see you.
Heartland Men's Chorus
Don’t forget the next Heartland Men’s Chorus concert which will be held on Saturday, June 10 at 8 pm, and Sunday, June 11th at 4 pm at the Folly Theater.
The Chorus took a poll of it’s public, asking us to choose our favorite songs over 25 years. This concert will include favorites we chose from that poll. This concert should be especially super.....but then, we have come to expect that every time. Please come and enjoy a wonderful evening of music....you won’t be disappointed.
From Our President
Hi, everybody. I'm taking this space and this opportunity to share some exciting news, but I feel I need to share it in the form of a time line so you get the full effect. The year is 2001. It's June and I've been cast in a musical with a community theatre group in Kearney. The cast and crew have been assembled and we are introduced to the directors, the choreographer, the producers, etc. The music director is this tall, lanky guy from Liberty named Jeff. We have great fun and the show is a success, but when it was over, we all go our separate ways. Over the next few years, I run into Jeff and his lovely wife, Sarah a few times, but definitely not often (and usually at Price Chopper).
Now it's the winter of 2003-almost two years later. The local paper had just run the "coming out" story of our family. That's when I heard from Jeff again. He was now in seminary and had seen the article. He called to commend us as a family for the way we'd handled things after we found out that John was gay. We talked about the wonderful gay people in our lives and how sad it is to see parents estranged from their gay children.
Fast forward to April of 2006. I run into Jeff and his children again, this time at the hairdresser’s!! We have a brief moment to chat about his impending ordination and about the church he and his family and friends would soon be starting just west of Liberty. The first point he made was to tell me that it would be O and A (open and affirming) from the start. I was so excited I thought I'd burst. Actually, the two of us created quite a stir in the shop. Well, on top of that, this new congregation, New Song, is going to be a new kind of church whose mission is to seek God, create community, and serve humanity. It’s all about peace and justice where everyone is embraced because everyone (and everything) is created in God’s own image. Isn’t that what the church is supposed to be about, anyway? If you recall my article from last month, I talked about extraordinary people who cross your path in life. Call it a "God thing", karma, kismet, chance, whatever. It's simply exciting to know that there will be a place (north of the river) where diversity will be embraced. Check out newsongkc.org for more information. The website is brand new, so stop by often for more details.
Jamie
Many thanks to all who contributed to the AIDS Walk at our April PFLAG meeting. We raised $91.00.
NEWS FROM NATIONAL PFLAG
Our Vision
We, the parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, celebrate diversity and envision a society that embraces everyone, including those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Only with respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings, individually and collectively. PFLAG welcomes the participation and support of all who share in, and hope to realize this vision.
Our Mission
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
Stay tuned for PFLAG National's 2006 Get Out the Vote initiative! In 2006 communities will see local, state, and federal elections as well as anti-gay amendments at the polls. This is the time to get registered to make sure you voice your opinions at the ballot box.
PFLAG will be launching a 2006 Get Out the Vote campaign that will last from January 2006 all the way up to the November elections. Please bookmark this page so you can keep up to date on what you can do to make sure our voices are heard on November 7th, 2006.
What Can Our Local Chapter Do?
1) House Parties - These formal or informal parties educate and motivate our friends, families, and coworkers to register and vote for gay-friendly tickets at the polls. Invite neighbors, co-workers, friends, family members, people from your place of worship, and other people who have not necessarily heard about all of issues that are of importance for GLBT people in this year's election to hear informative, inspirational, and motivation information that will motivate them to get registered and vote in the best interest of GLBT people.
2) Postcard/Letter-writing Parties - These informal get-togethers get our message out to people in our extended families and networks. You can gather people to write messages to their friends, families, and clients by using address books or other lists. Each participant is encouraged to write at least 10 cards of letters.
3) Phone Bank Parties - Recruit volunteers to call PFLAG members to help them register and remind them to vote.
4) Tabling - Setting up and staffing an information and voter registration table at public events.
5) Exposing Stealth Candidates - Assign a chapter member or several members to watch candidates and ask direct questions at public forums.
(see http://www.pflag.org for more info)
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES