Pride Foundation

GSA Prom Night: Fairy tales do come true!

Princesses of the Pink Prom

As Lady Gaga and Pink tunes rocked the house, high school students from Eugene’s 4J School District danced, danced, danced at the District’s first ever lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer (LGBTQ) and ally party event dubbed “Pink Prom”! With its theme of Fairy Tales Do Come True, dozens of princesses, princes and many a winged creature graced Eugene’s Hilton Hotel and Convention Center at this Pride Foundation sponsored event on Sunday, May 15.

The prom, organized by Churchill High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and their terrific advisor Leslie Prieto, actually had its origins in a conversation Leslie, Amy White of Pride Foundation and I had in January, when we all met for the first time.

Churchill’s GSA came to our attention as the recipient of a $500 prize through Pride Foundation’s Raffle with a Twist, and we scheduled coffee with Leslie, a wonderful woman who has spent her life helping kids overcome challenges. She had just returned from San Francisco, where she had taken eight of her club’s kids to the GSA Network Youth Empowerment Summit. The three of us started brainstorming ideas about projects the kids could undertake, and that Pride Foundation could sponsor. Amy suggested “pink prom” and Leslie’s eyes lit up.  The GSA kids loved the idea, and set to work to make it happen.

Knowing that support from one’s school and community is a game-changer for a young person, especially for LBGTQ youth and allies, the 4J School District senior administration gave the go ahead for the event.  All of us at Pride Foundation applaud their decision, because we know that the presence of supportive staff mitigates many of the negatives queer students often experience at school, as well as contributes to greater academic achievement and higher educational aspirations among those students.

I look forward to the 4J School District Pink Prom event becoming an annual happening, and to it spreading more understanding and acceptance (and fairy dust) throughout Eugene’s high school.

A special thanks goes out to Alan Brown and the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire for helping with planning, decorations and picture taking for Pink Prom!

Wedding bells in Oregon?

Celebrating marriage: Nicole Boeh-Barrett & Katie Boeh on their wedding day (Photo by Tai Power Seeff)

Love. Commitment. Marriage. That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Committed couples – whether gay or straight – hope to marry for similar reasons: to make a public promise to the person they love.

But Oregon still excludes gay and lesbian couples from marriage. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Our friends at Basic Rights Oregon have launched a major advertising campaign to start a new dialogue about the freedom to marry. These ads focus on our shared values of fairness and treating others the way we would want to be treated.

Join Pride Foundation in saying “I Do” to marriage equality – go online to sign the Marriage Matters pledge and watch the ads. Then spread the word to your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and through email.

Already, five states plus the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to join in civil marriage. Why not Oregon? The tide of public opinion is already moving in the direction of marriage equality. Oregon is poised to be the first state in the nation to win freedom to marry by a vote of the people.

The TV ads airing right now will be critical in building support for marriage equality. But they won’t win the campaign all by themselves. You can be a major influence for the people you know. Research shows that just talking to people about why marriage matters to gay and lesbian couples makes them twice as likely to support the freedom to marry. Be the change!

So, sign the pledge to support freedom to marry pledge and share the ads!

You can find out more at http://www.MarriageMattersOregon.org.

100,000 reasons to support same-sex marriage in Oregon

I’ve lived in Oregon all my life – more than 15,700 days total – but I can tell you the exact day I was the proudest of being an Oregonian.

The date was March 2, 2004 – the day it was announced that Multnomah County would grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, starting the next day. Finally, loving couples like Mary Li and Rebecca Kennedy – the first couple to marry – could officially join their lives and families together. More than 3000 licenses were issued.

And I bet you can guess the day I was least proud of being an Oregonian. That was November 2, 2004, when the loathsome Measure 36 won approval – 57% to 43% – and Article 15 of the Oregon Constitution was amended to state:

“It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage.”

But that was 7 years ago, and times are changing. Same-sex couples can legally marry in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. as well as in Canada and Spain. Public opinion is moving our direction, and we are at a tipping point in Oregon.

On March 29 – during the broadcast of GLEE, of course – Basic Rights Oregon (BRO) launched a major statewide educational advertising campaign featuring couples – both gay and straight – who believe everyone should have the right to make a public promise of devotion, loyalty, and constancy to the person they love.

BRO estimates that in order to win marriage at the ballot here in Oregon, 100,000 people who are undecided on the same-sex marriage issue will need to be won over.

If we want to make this happen, we all need to pitch in. And you can help by doing three easy, quick things:

• Watch the just released 30 second tv ad.
• Click on the Facebook, Twitter and Email buttons to share the ad with your personal networks.
• Email [email protected] and let BRO know you’ve shared.

Pride Foundation and its generous donors are proud to have contributed nearly $40,000 to Basic Rights Oregon’s Education Fund, and look forward to standing in support of Oregon in becoming the first state whose citizens vote to make same-sex marriage a reality.

And on that day, I know I will be proudest I’ve ever been to be an Oregonian.

Vampires, emeralds & rabbits, oh my!

Ms. Trai La Trash ravages with her ruby lips at the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire’s Heart of Oregon pageant.

In Karen Petersen’s first full month at Pride Foundation, she goes all over the Oregon map meeting with allies and community leaders. Here’s her latest tour highlighting the work of three great LGBTQ organizations.

It’s hard to believe it’s March already. February certainly flew by, perhaps because of the three great events I attended that demonstrated to me the diversity and vitality of Oregon’s LGBTQ community. You know what they say, “time flies when you’re having fun!”

February’s first event found me in Bend, attending a Human Dignity Coalition party. In case you didn’t already know, HDC is a human rights group dedicated to LGBTQ rights in Central Oregon. Through their coalition building, queer and allied youth program, and community education and organizing, HDC has been promoting and celebrating diversity in Central Oregon since 1992.

The HDC party was bittersweet as we all said good-bye to long-time Executive Director, Jenni Peskin, who, on this evening, handed the mantle over to Bruce Morris. All of us at Pride Foundation welcome Bruce, wish him luck, and look forward to continuing to work along side HDC under his leadership.

Then it was off to Eugene to attend the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire’s Heart of Oregon pageant, where Edward Twist, Starla Knight and Artemis Mordent (and her whip!) were crowned Mr. Miss, and Ms. Heart of Oregon, respectively. For more than 35 years, ISCEE has been been bringing together its members and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively to channel back into charitable and social causes. It’s our community’s version of the Rotary Club but with tiaras and more pageantry!

And if there’s anything I love more than drag queens, it is vampires, so I cannot wait until July when the Emerald Empire Court is throwing the Vampresses Ball – organizers are generously making it a fundraiser for Pride Foundation!  I’ll let you know the date, time and place just as soon as it is confirmed.

My last party of the month also brought yet another first into my life, as I joined Asian Pacific Islander Pride here in Portland for their Lunar New Year celebration.  Never having celebrated Lunar New Year before, I quickly learned that while the holiday is commonly referred to as “Chinese New Year”, in fact, many Asian countries, like Thailand, Vietnam, India and Korea, also celebrate, with this year being the Year of the Rabbit. Pride Foundation is proud to have funded API Pride’s campaign to increase their group’s visibility and membership, and to expand their educational and advocacy mission in our community.

Hope March is just as much fun!

Coffee talk with Eugene LGBTQ leaders

I have to admit that part of what attracted me to this job at Pride Foundation was the travel I’d get to do around my beloved state of Oregon. I knew I’d get to have really great conversations with super-interesting, diverse, smart, community-minded people who are making great things happen. I love a good road trip!

So my first official Pride Foundation road trip took me to Eugene. In two days I experienced more of Eugene than I had in my entire life. First stop, Eugene Coffee Company, where owners Sue and Adelka (great supporters of progressive causes) made me feel like an old friend within 5 minutes of my arrival.

Over delicious coffee and a breakfast cookie (I’m an adult, I can have cookies for breakfast if I want), I met Leslie, Churchill High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor, and a woman who has spent her life helping kids overcome challenges. Leslie shared with us her recent road trip – taking 8 teenagers to the GSA Network Youth Empowerment Summit in San Francisco to participate in youth networking and leadership sessions and events. Yes, Leslie took eight excited high-energy teens to the very gay Castro neighborhood in San Francisco. Brave woman!

Later, I was thrilled to learn from Laura, the youth group coordinator at the local Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays chapter (PFLAG), that the kids she works with are, for the most part, experiencing fewer problems related to coming out now days. And at the end of the day, I met the ladies of Soromundi: Lesbian Chorus of Eugene (more coffee and snacks, of course). For over 20 years, these wonderful women have created one of the strongest support networks for lesbian and bisexual women in the region – in addition to the terrific entertainment they provide.

What I especially enjoyed about this road trip, though, was sharing with so many great people how Pride Foundation can partner with them to accomplish their goals. Through grants, scholarships and leadership development resources, it is Pride Foundation’s mission to connect and strengthen Northwest organizations, leaders, and students who are creating LGBTQ equality.

In Lane County alone, Pride Foundation has awarded more than $40,000 in grants, and almost $16,000 in scholarships, and all of us at Pride Foundation look forward to increasing those numbers in Lane County in the years to come!

Time to hit the road again – off to Bend to meet with more amazing LGBTQ community leaders.

Portland’s LGBTQ and feminist hot spot

Katie and Amber welcome you!

Portland’s LGBTQ community is always growing. Karen Petersen, Pride Foundation’s Regional Development Organizer in Oregon, pays a visit to one of the community institutions that has helped ensure that the community is vibrant and strong for almost 20 years…

I’m very fond of Portland’s In Other Words feminist community center for a variety of reasons – one is that I met one of my heroes, author and sex-advice columnist Dan Savage, there for the first time.

And it was at In Other Words earlier this month that I experienced yet another first – attending a launch party for a new queer, feminist sex magazine, “SALACIOUS.”  The latest creation of Maine activist-artist Katie Diamond, SALACIOUS is dedicated to erotic art and literature, viewed through a queer, feminist, anti-racist lens. Offering porn with high art, comics with erotica, titillation with stunning visuals, SALACIOUS offers a smorgasbord of delights!

Two highlights of the launch party included Amy White (Pride Foundation’s Director of Strategies and Engagement) winning the best raffle prize ever – a hand painted, ceramic dildo – and reuniting with Katie Carter, In Other Word’s Program Coordinator. Katie and I served on Pride Foundation’s community grant review community last year. And speaking of volunteering with Pride Foundation, I’ll be looking for people to review scholarships and grants this year, so if you’re interested in taking part, please email me at [email protected].

Where else would a queer, feminist, anti-racist magazine celebrate its creation but at In Other Words. Located at 14 NE Killingsworth and founded in 1993, In Other Words enriches the community through literature, art, and educational and cultural events.  In their bookstore and lending library, people can find books on feminism, queer and transgender studies, activism/politics, as well as alternative children’s books.

In Other Words also operates a market place where local artists and craftspeople sell their creations, and where musicians, performers, and writers share their amazing talents with the rest of us. In Other Words also provides tangible resources for health and wellness, therapy and counseling, sexual and reproductive help, transgender issues, LGBTQ support and advocacy, birth and parenting, education, housing, activism and social change, and places to contact in crisis situations.

Oregon Diary: Rocking reproductive rights

Prior to joining Pride Foundation as the Regional Development Organizer in Oregon, I worked for a number of years as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW). I loved the days at PPCW when I placed orders for a thousand packets of lubricant to hand out at an event, or delivered 500 condoms to a local leather club, because I’m pretty sure you never get to do that when you work in a large corporate firm.

So it was with great pleasure that I revisited lube and condom land when Amy White, Director of Community Engagement for Pride Foundation, and about 900 pro-choice supporters joined me at PPCW’s annual luncheon event on January 27. Pride Foundation has a long, joyful and success-filled relationship with allied organizations such as Planned Parenthood. Often on the front lines of training and working directly with LGBTQ people and families on public health issues, Planned Parenthood is a bold and historical partner in the movement for equality.

Attended by numerous Oregon leaders like State Treasurer Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Commission Chair Jeff Cogen, the luncheon featured Loretta Ross of SisterSong as keynote speaker. Ms. Ross, who is from Georgia, related her recent experiences with an anti-choice faction erecting billboards in Atlanta. Their campaign accusing Planned Parenthood of waging a genocidal war against African-Americans, because Planned Parenthood is one of the few abortion providers in the southern United States.

With her signature mix of candor, irreverence and humor, Miss Ross stated: “It’s crazy, on its face. But what they were really trying to do was to guilt a whole lot of white people into thinking that if they support abortion rights, they’re racist. They used a racial wedge to split the movement.” To put Oregon-based experiences with anti-choice individuals in perspective, she then added: “Whatever protesters you have here, understand they are just pimples on the ass of time. Down south, they’re our governor.”

Pride Foundation has proudly supported access to sexual and reproductive health care with generous grants to PPCW’s Equal Access Fund, which provides low-income lesbians and trans men with annual exams and cervical cancer screenings they might not otherwise be able to afford.

And I’m really glad that I didn’t have to leave the funny, sex-related experiences behind entirely in my new job with Pride Foundation – stay tuned next week to hear about Amy winning a hand-painted, ceramic dildo last night!

Addressing LGBTQ domestic violence in Oregon

Lupita Mendez facilitates the Bradley Angle LGBTQ Healthy Relationship classes

During the 2010 granting cycle Pride Foundation awarded a grant to Bradley Angle, a domestic violence prevention organization located in Portland, Oregon, for its one-of-a-kind LGBTQ Healthy Relationship classes.

As Board Chair at Bradley Angle, prior to joining Pride Foundation, I experienced for myself how a specific program, personally significant to me, benefited from a Pride Foundation grant – just like so many other grants have benefited important work all over Oregon. As I travel the state and meet donors, volunteers, scholars and grantees,  I look forward to learning more about the impacts all of our grants, because I am sure each story will be as meaningful as the grant to Bradley Angle has been.

The classes that are funded through this grant are open to anyone who self-identifies as LGBTQ, teach participants how to recognize, prevent and interrupt domestic violence, and focuses on learning one’s own values, boundaries and expectations, and how to communicate those to a partner.

Lupita Mendez, winner of the Mariposa Award from Portland Latino Gay Pride for her work facilitating these classes tells me:  

“I think that the LGBTQ community sometimes struggles with how to build healthy relationships. Dominant cultural messages have consistently told LGBTQ folks that their relationships are inherently unhealthy and wrong, and healthy LGBTQ relationship role models can be very hard to find. As a facilitator, it has been so exciting to see so many people graduating the class feeling empowered to be in charge of their own choices, and I can only hope that it will have a ripple effect on others in their communities.”

While domestic violence services can tend to be female-centric, over one-third of the participants in the last two 8-session series of classes were male and/or trans- identified. I’m particularly proud of the fact that, in comparison with other Bradley Angle services, this program is reaching an incredibly high number of those of the male gender. It’s amazing see such an interest among all sexes and genders in creating healthy, communication-filled, loving relationships.

I’m also delighted that participant feedback from the LGBTQ Healthy Relationship classes has been overwhelmingly positive. One participant shared:  “Finding a safe space to interact with other queer survivors who can relate to my story has been very helpful in knowing that I am not alone in my struggle.”

Nineteen total graduates couldn’t agree more, and all of us at Bradley Angle will be working diligently to offer more Healthy Relationship classes to both the LGBTQ and straight communities in the future.

(PDF is a flyer for the Healthy Relationship class)