July, 2022 News (37 Articles with 27,912 total views)

On the cover of the print edition for July, 2022 Enjoying Jamestown Pride on June 11, 2022. Photo by Michael Mahler

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Local and Regional News

Jamestown Pride on June 11

The 2nd Annual Jamestown Pride Festival, presented by Evergreen Health, was a successful follow up, establishing the annual tradition of Pride festivals in Chautauqua County. Kicking off on Friday, June 10th with the Pride Slow Roll and Laced Up Ladies Burlesque at Sneakers Bar, the main festival on June 11th had grown to three blocks of events.
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Ashtabula Pride on June 11

A crowd of over 2,000 people from every age and identity, attended Pride Ashtabula County 2022, held June 11 at the Ashtabula County Fair Grounds in Jefferson, Ohio. Those in attendance were entertained by several acts including Jungle Terry, who captivated the audience with his wildlife show, singer song writer Sue Hagan played her guitar and sang while yoga instructor Leah Hartman lead a Rainbow Yoga class, and Drag Queen Mona Lotz, who hosted the several Drag Shows throughout the day at the grandstand. Guest shopped the 120 vendors who brought hand made goods, jewelry, candles and so much more or pleased their taste buds by eating from the 12 food trucks and stand at the event.  The LGBTQ Coalition of Ashtabula County, Inc stated that the second Saturday in June will be the festival's annual date for all future prides and looks forward to June 10, 2023 at the same location.  Be sure to keep a watch for future events like the annual fundraiser DRAG IN THE NEW YEAR and a Drag pageant in early Spring of 2023.
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NW PA Pride to host their first Pride in Meadville

NW PA Pride has been hosting Happy Hours in Meadville since December 2021 and were approached by a group of Meadville residents to help make an event for the Meadville area. On Saturday, July 23, from 1 pm to 5 pm NW PA Pride will have their first Pride in Meadville. This event will be held on upper Chestnut Street and Diamond Park, and will include a pride walk, street festival, food trucks, and exhibits by local vendors and artists.
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Transgender Icon "Mama Gloria" Has Passed Away at 76

Transgender Icon 'Mama Gloria' Has Passed Away at 76
JUNE 14, 2022 - Chicago transgender icon and activist Gloria Allen, who founded and ran a charm school for homeless trans youth and was the subject of the award-winning documentary "Mama Gloria" and the critically acclaimed play "Charm," has died at the age of 76.
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Erie's LGBTQIA Social Hour at Underdog BBQ on June 8

On June 8, 2022, NW PA Pride was once again proud to partner with Underdog BBQ to prove a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ Community. Underdog offered food and drink specials (both with and without alcohol). We were also happy to be joined by representatives from the Erie Community College sharing the programs they offer. NW PA Pride is excited to continue to partner with local organizations like these to offer these opportunities to our LGBTQ+ Community.
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TransFamily of NW PA at Pride Fest on June 25

In celebration of Pride month, TransFamily NWPA will be attending Erie Pride on June 25. Unfortunately, this means we will not be holding the monthly group meeting at the Crime Victim Center. However, we have our own table and are marching in the parade, so we hope to see you there marching with us! Happy Pride, everyone!
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Greater Erie Alliance for Equality Leadership Announcement

The Board of Directors of the Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE) is very pleased to announce the appointment of a new president of the Board: Cody Empey, formerly treasurer and director of the Finance Committee for six and a half years.
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GEAE Afternoon for Equality on August 21

Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE) is excited to announce its 11th annual Afternoon for Equality will be Sunday, August 21, 2022, at the Erie Yacht Club! Join GEAE at 5 PM as we celebrate moving towards LGBTQ+ equality while enjoying food, wine, beer, and music.
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Deadline for July 2022 print edition (issue #320) of Erie Gay News is Monday, June 13, comes out Tuesday, June 21, and Will be at Pride Fest on June 25!

Deadline for July 2022 print edition (issue #320) of Erie Gay News is Monday, June 13, comes out Tuesday, June 21, and Will be at Pride Fest on June 25!
For the next Erie Gay News (issue # 320, cover-dated for July 2022), please send in online events, news items, and other info for late June 2022 and beyond by Monday, June 13. We expect that the next edition will come out on Tuesday, June 21. This issue will be on display at Pride Fest in Perry Square on June 25! Stop by the Erie Gay News info table at Pride Fest!
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Entertainment and Travel

Local LGBTQ Education Show Gets Spotlight from YouTube

For a 3rd year in a row, Powered By Rainbows is being honored by YouTube as part of their 2022 Pride Celebration. This year, we will share this spotlight with amazing organizations including: them, TED Talks, Time Magazine, BuzzFeed Video, The Try Guys, Insider Magazine, Good Morning America, NowThis News, Huffington Post, and PBS Originals.
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Political, Activism and Legal

National LGBTQ Task Force Reaction to Recent Religion Freedom Scotus Rulings

June 27, 2022 - The following statement can be attributed to Liz Seaton, Policy Director, National LGBTQ Task Force: Upending decades of precedent that protected the religious freedom of students across the country and strongly supported our Democracy in our pluralistic society, today the U.S. Supreme Court took another extreme step to further erode the long-standing church-state separation in the First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise clauses. Six right-wing justices voted as a bloc that public schools can take no action when a public high school football coach, while on duty and responsible for students, kneels and prays at the center of a school event (in this case, a football game).
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Human Rights Campaign Slams Discriminatory FINA Policy Banning Transgender Swimmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 19, 2022 - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, condemned swimming's international governing body, FINA, for its new policy to ban transgender women from participating in swimming competitions. The new policy from FINA, released on Sunday, June 19, 2022, comes at a time when transgender people are under attack in states across the country. It requires that transgender swimmers complete their transition by the age of 12 - an unrealistic and effectively impossible requirement especially as some states, including Alabama and Arkansas, are attempting to ban transgender youth from accessing the very same age-appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care that would allow them to comply with this policy.
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Gov. Wolf Celebrates Pride Month

Gov. Wolf Celebrates Pride Month
Harrisburg, PA - June 22, 2022 - Governor Tom Wolf celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month and the importance of Pennsylvania's diverse, vibrant LGBTQ community. Gov. Wolf shared his support for Pride in a video message to Pennsylvanians. The Pennsylvania Capitol Complex is also lit up with rainbow lights for Pride Month through June 30, 2022.
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Merski hosting Pride Month virtual town hall on June 27

ERIE, June 20 - In honor of Pride Month, state Rep. Bob Merski, D-Erie, is hosting a virtual town hall at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27 to discuss topics of importance to LGBTQIA+ people in Erie. "June is Pride Month, and while it is important to celebrate the achievements and contributions of LGBTQIA+ people, it's equally important to continue talking about the concerns, biases and issues many people still face," Merski said. "Our virtual town hall will be a forum for folks to discuss issues that can impact opportunity and quality of life for LGBTQIA+ residents. Those are issues for our entire Erie community to address, but an open dialog is the first step. I encourage everyone to sign on and be part of that dialog." Those interested in attending the live online Teams event should send their name and email address to Merski's office by emailing RepMerski@pahouse.net or calling (814) 455-6319.
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Campus Pride Awards Mini-Grants For Social Justice To 11 Student Projects This Pride Month

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ leadership development, diversity inclusion, and advocacy within higher education, today announced the awarding of 11 new Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism. Campus Pride launched its social justice mini-grant program in June 2021 as part of the organization’s 20th-anniversary celebrations with an inaugural ten awards. Each grant is worth up to $600.
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DeSantis Administration Moves Toward Denying Health Care to Transgender Floridians; HRC Calls on State Health Officials to Reverse Course on Discriminatation

TALLAHASSEE - June 17, 2022 - The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, bowing to the wishes of the openly discriminatory DeSantis Administration, released proposed rule changes today that would - contrary to all medical best practices - deny gender affirming care to Floridians of all ages who rely on Medicaid. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) - the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization - denounced the transparently political move that seeks to take decisions about best care practices out of the hands of medical professionals and patients.
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Human Rights Campaign Celebrates Anniversary of Bostock v. Clayton; Calls for Passage of Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQ+ People

WASHINGTON - June 15, 2022 -Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which cemented the legal interpretation that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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Federal Appeals Court Says Charter School Students Enjoy Constitutional Rights in Case Involving School Dress Codes

NORTH CAROLINA - June 14, 2022 - A federal appeals court ruled today that a K-8 public charter school is required to comply with constitutional and federal law requirements that apply to traditional public schools in a case involving a uniform policy requiring girls to wear skirts as a condition of attending school. This is the first time a federal appeals court has recognized that charter schools receiving public funds are subject to the same constitutional and civil rights safeguards as traditional public schools. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina, and the law firm Ellis & Winters LLP originally filed this challenge on behalf of three Brunswick County students.
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The Human Rights Campaign Foundation Recognizes 57 Chilean Companies Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion

WASHINGTON - June 14, 2022 - Today, The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with Fundación Iguales, is releasing its fourth annual 'HRC Equidad CL: Global Workplace Equality Program' report. This program is the leading South American benchmarking survey and report recognizing employers in Chile (CL) who have demonstrated a commitment to LGBTQ+ equality by adopting crucial LGBTQ+-inclusive policies and practices for their employees. In 2022, the total number of workplace participants rose to 135, an increase of more than 40% compared to 2021.
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Texas Court Issues Emergency Stop to Gov. Abbott's Anti-Trans Directive to Investigate Families of Transgender Youth

AUSTIN, Texas - June 10, 2022 - The Travis County District Court granted a temporary restraining order on Friday to block the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating PFLAG families who are supporting their transgender children with medically necessary health care, including the three plaintiff families in the case.
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VIDEO: Transgender & Non-Binary People of All Ages Share Why it is So Important to Celebrate Pride Month and #ProtectTransKids

WASHINGTON - June 8, 2022 - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a new video titled "My First Pride." In the video, transgender and non-binary people ages 8-65 years old recount their first experiences at Pride and discuss how it feels to celebrate Pride at a time when the LGBTQ+ community is under attack in statehouses across the country. The video calls on viewers to fight against anti-transgender legislation in the states and help make Pride feel like a real celebration. As eight-year-old Violet says in the video, "trans is gorgeous."
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Lambda Legal Launches New Podcast

(New York) - Lambda Legal launched the first episode of its new podcast today. "Making the Case'' is a short-form interview series featuring Lambda Legal attorneys discussing impactful cases and policy work with host Alex Berg. Listeners will have the opportunity to learn more about the creative strategies, unique challenges, and passion that helped win some of the most significant cases for the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV in recent memory.
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GLAAD Video Interview: Drag Queen Story Hour Board Member Lil Miss Hot Mess Reads from Latest Children's Book, Responds to Hateful Drag Queen Backlash

June 9, 2022 - GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today released an exclusive interview with Lil Miss Hot Mess, a drag queen, children's book author, and board member of Drag Queen Story Hour. Her latest picture book with illustrator Olga de Dios Ruiz, If You're A Drag Queen and You Know It, was published by Running Press Kids, a Hachette Book Group imprint, on May 17th. It is her second children's book, following 2020's The Hips On The Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, SwishBoth books are colorful, fun plays on classic nursery rhymes that encourage kids to sing, dance, move, and express themselves creatively.
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HRC Praises Department of Defense for Reversing Policy on Service Members Living with HIV, Allowing Those With Undetectable Viral Load to Serve, Be Deployed

WASHINGTON - June 8, 2022 - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) - the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization - hailed the decision of the Department of Defense this week to abandon an outdated and discriminatory policy from the 1980s that called for service members to be discharged, deployed or prevented from advancing merely because they were HIV-positive, even if they had an undetectable viral load. The new guidance follows an April ruling by a federal judge striking down the former policy as a result of a pair of lawsuits brought by Lambda Legal on behalf of three service members.
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Victory! Court Rules for Transgender North Carolina State Employees Denied Health Care Coverage

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - June 10, 2022 - Today, a federal judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by counsel Lambda Legal and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) challenging North Carolina's categorical exclusion of gender-affirming health care for transgender state employee health plan participants.
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35 Years Since Its First Panels Were Stitched, the AIDS Memorial Quilt Remains a Powerful Teaching Tool for Health Action, Remembrance and Social Justice

SAN FRANCISCO (June 11 & 12, 2022) - It has been 35 years since the first panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt were stitched together, sparking a national movement for action, justice and remembrance for an epidemic that has claimed over 36 million lives around the world.
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Human Rights Campaign Marks Six Years Since Pulse Nightclub Shooting

WASHINGTON - June 10, 2022 - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) - the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -honors the lives of the 49 people - most of them young, LGBTQ+ and Latinx - killed in the attack at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Sunday's commemoration falls as the United States continues to grapple with the scourge of gun violence, with recent shootings in Buffalo, NY; Uvalde, TX; and Laguna Woods, CA, to name only three. A total of 32 people - most of them people of color - were killed in those events.
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Health

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Launches Pride Guide to Public Health

ALLENTOWN, PA - In light of the recent monkeypox outbreak, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center has created a comprehensive public health guide that educates LGBTQ+ community members about monkeypox, syphilis, and COVID-19.
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5th Annual HIV Awareness Walk

On Saturday May 21, 2022, the Erie County HIV Task Force held the 5th Annual HIV / AIDS Awareness Walk. The Erie County HIV Task Force is a collaboration of local organizations and individuals dedicated to educating, supporting, and advocating for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventing the spread of infection. The HIV / AIDS walk provides a reminder to the local community that making personal health a priority is everyone's right. This year's awareness walk enjoyed a new location as Adagio Health of Erie on Peach Street served as the host site for the Erie High residential are. Participants enjoyed educational materials, refreshments and testing opportunities via the Pa Thrive Partnership mobile unit at the event. Awareness walk attendees also received complimentary gift bags of materials from the task force as well as event sponsors Adagio Health, Central Outreach Wellness Center Erie, Community HealthNet, the Erie County Department of Health, Erie Gay News, Northwest Pennsylvania Pride Alliance, and SafeNet. Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and Public Health Staff were on hand for participants to ask questions and receive additional information regarding COVID-19, and the services of Nicotine Free Northwest PA plus other Erie County HIV Task Force partners. For more information on local services, testing, and free condom, visit the Erie County HIV Task Force at ECHIV.ORG or follow their Twitter account @EriePAHIV and like their Facebook page.
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Infection Risks Increasing for Sexually Active Men

Let's talk about sex. But we need to think beyond the usual bump and grind hazards. Men that are sexually active are being infected at higher rates for various diseases beyond HIV. For example, Erie County in the past year has seen increases in Gonorrhea and Syphilis among the MSM [Men having Sex with Men] residents. However sexually transmitted diseases are not the only things guys are coming into contact with these days. Perhaps you've heard about the monkeypox outbreak that is happening around the world. In May of 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began informing the public of multiple cases of monkeypox - a very rare disease typically associated with international travel or importing animals from outside the US. The cases reported recently [with one case in Pennsylvania] have included 'people who self-identify as men who have sex with men.' While it is not clear how they were exposed, being aware of the potential for exposure and infection is key in making our health a priority. The incubation period for Monkeypox ranges from 7 to 17 days. The illness begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, a general feeling of discomfort, and exhaustion. Typically, within 1 to 3 days after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash of raised fluid-filled bumps, often first on the face but sometimes initially on other parts of the body, lasting 2 to 4 weeks. The CDC recommends JYNNEOSTM (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex), an attenuated live virus vaccine, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of monkeypox. Contact your personal care doctor to set up an appointment for your vaccination. To learn more about Monkeypox and Sex, check out this link/PDF: https://bit.ly/3x5TYDs
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Department of Aging Receives Award for Its Efforts to Improve Services for LGBTQ Older Adults

PHILADELPHIA, PA - June 17, 2022 - The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) has received The Founders' Award for LGBTQ Health Equity from the Elder Initiative at William Way LGBT Community Center for its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in its outreach and service delivery to LGBTQ older adults. The organization presented the award to Secretary Robert Torres during A Cause for Applause - an annual benefit for the Elder Initiative at William Way on June 9.
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Letters, Columnists and Opinion

Allow Older LGBT Individuals to Age Their Way by Passing the Equality Act

May was Older Americans Month. The theme of this year's observance was "Age My Way," a phrase I continue to reflect upon as we find ourselves in the midst of Pride Month celebration activities. For LGBTQ older adults, ageism piles onto the homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and societal rejection that many of the nation's estimated three million LGBTQ people over 50 years old have experienced most of their lives.
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Contests

Enter to win Don't You Dare: Uncovering Lost Love by Gayla Turner

Enter to win Don't You Dare: Uncovering Lost Love by Gayla Turner
Enter to win Don't You Dare: Uncovering Lost Love by Gayla Turner. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, July 8, and Friday, July 29.
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Enter to win Sleepless in San Francisco

Enter to win Sleepless in San Francisco
Enter to win Sleepless in San Francisco by Ryan Field. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, June 28, and Tuesday, July 19.
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Enter to win Funky Dan and the Pixie Dream Girl

Enter to win Funky Dan and the Pixie Dream Girl
Enter to win Funky Dan and the Pixie Dream Girl by Courtney Lanning. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, June 24, and Friday, July 15.
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Enter to win Find Someone to Love

Enter to win Find Someone to Love
Enter to win Find Someone to Love by Divya Sood. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, June 21, and Tuesday, July 12.
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Enter to win Operation Hyacinth - The Story of Forbidden Love

Enter to win Operation Hyacinth - The Story of Forbidden Love
Enter to win Operation Hyacinth - The Story of Forbidden Love by Pawel Kurczab. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, June 17, and Friday, July 8.
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