Articles From Our February, 2007 Newsletter
At PFLAG, we stress the importance of support, education and advocacy.
Each month we try to provide a program that will help us along the way--this journey of learning about the many aspects of diversity.
Our program this month will feature two speakers who had been scheduled for our January meeting which was cancelled because of weather! Donny Robinson from the Good Samaritan Project and Maria Reyes of the Guadalupe Center will be speaking to us about the difficulties that LGBT folks often face within the African American and Hispanic communities. We are sure that you'll find it to be enlightening.
So come and join us on the 11th of February at 3:00 pm. We will meet at our usual location, Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd., Room 307, Prairie Village, KS.
You won’t want to miss the program....nor the food and fellowship. We always have a great time together.
Well….is anyone else going through withdrawals? I can’t remember ever
having to cancel a meeting because of the weather. I apologize for the late
cancellation last month and ask that in the future, if you are in doubt,
call a board member or check the website (pflagkc.org).
We will get it posted in plenty of time. Our guest speakers were gracious
enough to simply postpone their presentation….you won’t want to miss it.
It just dawned on my “lightening fast mind” that most of the real “work” we
do as a group happens when we aren’t together. We come together to gain the
strength and education we need to be effective within our families and our
communities. When George Turner was last here, he asked us to do some
homework—for some it was an easy assignment—for others daunting. The topic:
“Coming Out”.
The assignment: To take some steps to that end. The best part of this
assignment is that there is no grade, no sliding scale, no deadline. We can
take the tools he gave us and press on. However, if you have taken up the
challenge, we want to hear about it. Come prepared to share!
One of the great things about being a part of Kansas City’s lgbt community,
is the way we’ve learned to help each other—to draw from the strength of
other organizations. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just want to
help keep it in motion. To that end, PFLAG is always looking for
opportunities to share what we do best. George has asked me to come and
speak to a class he is teaching at Park University. He also asked if I knew
someone who would be willing to sit on the panel to speak about what it’s
like to be transgender —that was easy. PFLAG will be helping with a workshop
about what it means to be an ally at the GSA summit being held for high
school students at UMKC. The Family Conservancy has also asked that we speak
to their social workers—I asked Maria Williams from GLSEN to join me on that
panel. These opportunities are a great way to get exposure as an
organization, but it also communicates the many resources that are available
and our willingness to work together.
Can’t wait to see you all.
Jamie
ATTENTION, PLEASE.........
OUR APRIL PFLAG MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THE THIRD SUNDAY, APRIL 15, INSTEAD
OF THE SECOND SUNDAY, WHICH IS EASTER SUNDAY.
DON’T FORGET!!!! THE THIRD SUNDAY, SAME TIME, SAME PLACE....VILLAGE
PRESBYTERIAN CH., 3 PM. ROOM 307.
Also, if the weather looks bad around any meeting, check our website to see
if our meeting has been cancelled or not. If the church has cancelled
services we will NOT be having our meeting.
Out Front Conference
Country Club Congregational Church will be hosting the Out Front
conference February 9-11, 2007. The meeting is sponsored by The Center for
Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry and the UCC Coalition for
LGBT Concerns.
Presenters will include Jimmy Creech, keynote speaker, a former United
Methodist Minister who was censured for performing same sex union
ceremonies. Dr. Robert (Bob) Minor will present The Bible and Homosexuality.
Several workshops will also be taking place on Saturday: Making a
Congregation Welcoming to LGBT people, youth groups and LGBT; Trans issues
and Faith communities; Media skills, and a strategy session for local
leaders: Next Steps in Organizing in Kansas City.
For further information, please see
ucccoalition.org. FESTIVITIES WILL START AT 6:30PM FRIDAY
$55 for registration after February 2
$20 for low income
Saturday lunch included
For more information call 816-523-4813 REGISTER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Support American Airlines
American Airlines has been a strong supporter of PFLAG for many years by
providing round-trip airline tickets for staff, particularly those in the
Field & Policy Department.
The amount of donated tickets from American Airlines directly correlates to
the number of PFLAG members who purchase flights. This means that the more
you fly with American Airlines, the more donated tickets PFLAG will receive
allowing our staff to travel more. When booking travel, please consider
using American Airlines. You'll find that their pricing is very reasonable.
For PFLAG to get credit for a flight, you must enter the PFLAG Business
ExtrAA Account Number (either on www.AA.com
or booking on the phone). That number is 527590
When booking on www.AA.com,
follow these instructions:
* Step One - choose your travel dates
* Step Two - choose the flights that best meet your needs
* Step Three - login (if you have an AAdvantage Number and a
password, key it in. If not, click continue without logging in)
* Step four - confirm your itinerary
* Step five - complete PASSENGER DETAILS
* Step SIX - important -key in the Business ExtrAA Account
Number (527590 [see below]).
American Airlines is critical to PFLAG and we hope you will support them in
return. *Remember, you must book with the Business ExtrAA Account Number
(527590) for PFLAG to get credit. Many thanks!
Judy Shepard
Judy Shepard (Mother of Matthew Shepard) is coming to Liberty, MO. She will be speaking at William Jewell College on Monday, February 26th at 7:30 pm in Gano Chapel.
Heartland Men’s Chorus in the Community
HMC members will be busy with community outreach in the coming months, and
we invite you to join us at these special events:
The HMC ambassadors will perform at Country Club Congregational UCC in
Brookside at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 9, as part of the OutFront Kansas
City: Building LGBT Faith Alliances conference.
The ambassadors will join with the Concert Choir and orchestra at Grace
United Methodist Church for a presentation of Mozart's Requiem at 7:00 pm on
Friday, April 6. The program will be the church's Good Friday observance,
and is open to the public.
The ambassadors will team up with the Men's Glee Club and Wind Ensemble of
Kansas University to present Randall Thompson's Testament of Freedom at 7:30
pm on Friday, April 13 at KU's Lied Center in Lawrence. This program will be
Joe Nadeau's final recital as he works toward completion of his D.M.A.
Tickets are available at the Lied Center's website.
ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The April PFLAG meeting will take place on the THIRD Sunday, April 15,
instead of the second Sunday, which is Easter Sunday.
Don’t forget!!!! April 15th for the April meeting.....same time, same
location ...Village Presbyterian church, 3pm.
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES