April, 2020 News (34 Articles with 50,559 total views)
On the cover of the print edition for April, 2020 John Daly King with Mark Hoovler, taken on John's birthday, November 17, 2019. Contributed photo.
This began publication in December 2002 after a hiatus
Category for this issueCalendar & Upcoming Events
Calendar of Local GLBT Events |
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Local and Regional News
Survey for PA 60+ folks re COVID-19 needs and services
Due to these unprecedented and challenging times, the Pennsylvania Council on Aging has decided to conduct a statewide survey in order to assess what the immediate needs and capabilities are of older adults due to COVID-19.
Erie Sisters and Brothers Meetings and Socials Cancelled Until Further Notice
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, all Erie Sisters and Brothers Transgender Support Group monthly meetings and socials are cancelled until further notice. You will be updated with the next event date and time as soon as restrictions are lifted. Please stay safe! If anyone needs to talk, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kara at lakeeriegala@gmail.com or their web site at http://eriesisters.ning.com.. Please note that there are chat rooms at the web site.
PA Commission on LGBTQ Affairs meeting on February 21
The PA Commssion on LGBTQ Affairs met on February 21 at the PSEA Headquarters in Harrisburg. Executive Director Rafael Alvarez Febo gave a report. Febo took over for previous director Todd Snovel, who departed in December for another position.
Erie Gay News Online Only for current issue
We regretfully announce that because of the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses across Pennsylvania, which includes not only many of our distributors, but also the print shop that we use, this issue of Erie Gay News will be published online only. We ask for your help in sharing the PDF of this issue, as well as articles. We will resume publishing in print as soon as it is safe and possible to do so. We thank you for your many years of support!
Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE) Update
Please note that all Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE)-sponsored activities, including the Regional Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) that had been held at Blasco Public Library and also the Queer Youth Art Exhibit which would have been held at Erie Art Gallery, are currently on hold due to COVID-19 concerns.
Drenched Fur postponed
Because of COVID 19, this year's Drenched Fur, originally scheduled for April 2-5, is being postponed. It is our hope that the event will take place in April of 2020, as we are working out details with the hotel and Splash Lagoon as this issue was going to press.
2020 Census info
Important info about the 2020 US Census, including the 9 questions that you will be asked, what's at risk and why it matters, the time line, what questions the US Census willnever ask (so that you can avoid scams.) Please respond! Every person that doesn't respond costs our community on average $2,100 per year for 10 years!
In Memoriam - John Daly King (1937-2020)
John Daly King, age 82, formerly of Erie, passed away Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Pleasant Ridge Manor. He was born in Butler Co., Pennsylvania on November 17, 1937, the son of the late Merton and Elizabeth Daly King.
LGBT Community Survey - Let your voice be heard and enter a drawing to win $50!
Please take part in the 14th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey. For over a decade, this survey has provided free data to help non-profits, universities, and organizations better understand and serve the LGBTQ community. The report will be published on the CMI.info website for free download on approximately June 30. Previous surveys have had over 45,000 participants from 150 countries!
Deadline for April 2020 print edition (issue # 293) of Erie Gay News is Sunday, March 15
For the next print edition of Erie Gay News (issue # 293, cover dated for April 2020), please send in calendar events, news items, and other info for late March 2020 and beyond by Sunday, March 15. We expect that the next print edition will come out on Tuesday, March 24. PLEASE NOTE! This issue will have our Voters Guide for the Pennsylvania Primary Election on April 21.
Entertainment and Travel
Entertainment Notes
While respecting the call for social distancing, check out these titles of LGBTQIA+ interest! Includes films on Netflix and new books released by Amazon.
Pride Journey: New York City - Downtown
I quickly discovered that I couldn't possibly cover all that New York City has to offer in just one article, so I decided to break up my experience into regions. In this piece, I'll talk about all of the incredible sights and attractions available in downtown New York. Well, for the purpose of this article, the area from Times Square and south. This isn't what New Yorkers typically consider as downtown, but this is the region I'll be referring to.
Political, Activism and Legal
New Blood Donation Policy A Step In the Right Direction But Falls Short
April 2, 2020 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced new guidelines for blood donations that change the current one-year deferral for donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) to a three-month deferral.. While a step in the right direction, the new guidance falls short of what many recognize as the optimal policy for enhancing the safety of the blood supply while ensuring it does not discriminate against gay, bisexual and transgender people-a policy based on the conduct of the potential donor rather than the donor's sexual orientation or gender identity.
April 1: National LGBTQ Task Force Joins Hundreds Of Advocacy Organizations For "Everyone Counts" On Census Day
WASHINGTON, DC - On April 1, 2020, the National LGBTQ Task Force, a Census Counts campaign partner organization, is celebrating Census Day by mobilizing LGBTQ people across the country to get counted in the 2020 Census. Starting today, the National LGBTQ Task Force will host a series of educational webinars, host office hours online where people can find answers to their questions, and work with volunteers to make thousands of phone calls to LGBTQ people to make sure they know how to fill out the Census. All of these events, including registration information, can be found on the www.queerthecensus.org website.
HIV-Positive Service Members Targeted by Trump Win Partial Victory
March 27, 2020 - A federal judge has refused the Trump administration's request to remove the Modern Military Association of America from a lawsuit challenging discrimination against HIV-positive service members, meaning a greater number of troops will be protected from discharge now and that all service members with HIV will be protected if the suit succeeds.
2020 US Census Seeks Job Applicants - Apply Online!
The 2020 US Census is seeking census workers! The work is tentatively scheduled to start in May 2020 and the pay ranges from $16hr to $24hr depending on the County you live in. As with the survey, the application is safe, secure and easy to complete. Interested applicants can go to www.2020census.gov/jobs to apply. These opportunities are going fast... so APPLY NOW
Covington Becomes 1st KY City to Ban "Conversion Therapy"
(Covington, KY - March 24, 2020) The large Northern Kentucky city of Covington, population 40,455, became the first city in the state to ban the harmful practice of anti-LGBTQ "Conversion Therapy" on youth under the age of 18 with a unanimous vote of 5-0 tonight. The Children's Home of Northern Kentucky spoke in favor of the ordinance at the meeting, which was largely closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders of Northern Kentucky Fairness and Northern Kentucky Pride advocated for the ordinance and helped provide resources and materials to the Board of Commissioners.
LGBTQ Advocacy Groups Sue Trump's HHS for Refusing to Enforce Anti-Discrimination Rules, Leaving Community Especially Vulnerable Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
New York, NY - March 19, 2020 - Today, three organizations serving vulnerable populations - Family Equality, True Colors United, and SAGE - sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its unlawful November 2019 announcement that it would stop enforcing anti-discrimination protections against federal grantees that deny services to, or otherwise discriminate against, individuals. The administration's unlawful action endangers already vulnerable populations, especially as the country confronts the coronavirus pandemic. Today's lawsuit was filed by Democracy Forward and Lambda Legal.
Victory! North Carolina's Transgender Employees and Family Members to Have Their Day in Court
(New York, NY, March 11, 2020) - A U.S. District Court judge today denied North Carolina state officials' request to dismiss a lawsuit filed last March challenging North Carolina's blanket exclusion of medically necessary transition-related health care from the state's employee health plan. In the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) represent several current and former state employees and their children who were denied coverage under the plan.
Health
Power, Love & Presence
As young people, most of us start off feeling pretty powerful. We have the confidence, naivete and energy of our twenties and are excited about all the sweet, untasted possibilities of life.
Erie Gay News Participates In Open Letter About LGBTQ+ & COVID-19
Erie, PA - March 11, 2020 Erie Gay News joined over 100 other organizations as signatories of a national open letter about coronavirus and the LGBTQ+ communities.
2020 PA LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment
Almost 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians report that their healthcare provider is not at all or slightly competent about LGBTQ+ health issues. The truth is the healthcare system simply was not designed to serve our needs as LGBTQ+ people. For too long, we have remained unseen, unheard, and underserved. As a result, a wide range of health disparities--from tobacco use, to diabetes, to cancer--have developed within our community.
Letters, Columnists and Opinion
The Amazon Trail: Mick's Potato Fertilizer
When I asked for advice about growing potatoes, our friend Mary wrote, "Here is what Mick does: blood meal, green sand, or wood ash, bone meal, a handful of each above item for each potato you plant, mix in wheel barrel with dirt and some peat moss, and steer poop. Love M&M."
Contests
Enter to win 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) C A L M
Enter to win 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) C A L M. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, April 10, and Friday, May 1.
Enter to win The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
Enter to win The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 28.
Enter to win Surrender Hill's A Whole Lot of Freedom CD
Enter to win a copy of Americana duo Surrender Hill's brand new album (A Whole Lot of Freedom)! North Georgia-based Americana duo Surrender Hill (husband and wife team Robin Dean Salmon and Afton Seekins) releases its fourth album, A Whole Lot of Freedom, on April 3, 2020. An Americana/roots-rock record filled with harmonized vocals, electric guitar, and swooning fiddle, A Whole Lot of Freedom was recorded at the couple's newly-constructed home studio in northern Georgia, with contributions from drummer Mathew Crouse (who also appeared on the duo's 2018 album, Tore Down Fences), fiddler Wyatt Espalin, and guest guitarist Jonathan Callicutt. Of the 36 songs originally written for the record, Salmon and Seekins chose 18, turning A Whole Lot of Freedom into their first double-album. The tracks that made the final cut were, by and large, both melodic and mellow, influenced heavily by the arrival of their first child, Wren. The result is an album that's both personal and universal, stocked with character-driven songs and first-person accounts. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, April 3 and Friday, April 24
Enter to win Female Husbands: A Trans History by Dr. Jen Manion
Enter to win Female Husbands: A Trans History by Dr. Jen Manion To enter the contest, fill out the form below between Tuesday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 21
Enter for a chance to win a Dua Lipa 'Future Nostalgia' prize pack!
Enter now for your chance to win a Future Nostalgia prize pack celebrating the release of Future Nostalgia, the new album from global superstar Dua Lipa! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, March 27 and Friday, April 17
Enter to win an exclusive "Broke Boy" phone wallet celebrating the release of Malia Civetz's debut single "Broke Boy"
Enter now for your chance to win a "Broke Boy" phone wallet celebrating the release of "Broke Boy," the debut single from rising songstress and vocal powerhouse, Malia Civetz! Out NOW on Warner Records: https://maliacivetz.lnk.to/BrokeBoy. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, March 24 and Tuesday, April 14.
Enter to win an exclusive Velvet t-shirt celebrating the release of Adam Lambert's new album Velvet
Enter now for your chance to win a Velvet t-shirt celebrating the release of Velvet, the new album from international superstar Adam Lambert! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, March 20, and Friday, April 10.
Enter to win In Full Bloom: Transcending Gender DVD!
Enter to win In Full Bloom: Transcending Gender DVD! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, March 20 and Friday, April 10.
Enter to win of Rory Ni Coleain's SoulShares, the complete collection, from Riverdale Avenue Books!
Enter to win of Rory Ni Coleain's Soul Share, the complete collection, from Riverdale Avenue Books! To enter the contest, fill out the form , between Tuesday, March 17 and Tuesday, April 7.
Enter to win Lauv ~how i'm feeling~
Enter to win Lauv ~how i'm feeling~. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, March 13 and Friday, April 3.
Miscellaneous
Point Foundation Expands Its Community College Scholarship Program For LGBTQ+ Students
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2020 - Point Foundation (Point), the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students of merit, today announced the expansion of its community college scholarship program. Thanks to a new multi-year grant, Point will now offer the next generation of LGBTQ leaders two-years of financial support at community colleges. Applications are now open for the program which also includes targeted one-on-one coaching and leadership development.
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