A local collaboration of trans, genderqueer, and allied community members called the Pacific Northwest Trans and Genderqueer Healthcare Initiative has recently formed with the goal to train medical providers on issues in health care affecting trans and genderqueer folks. Through developing and implementing cultural competency trainings based on direct input from trans and genderqueer communities, the Initiative will provide ongoing educational opportunities for healthcare providers surrounding trans and genderqueer issues and concerns. By providing educational resources to healthcare professionals, the Initiative will assist in the development of trans and genderqueer-affirming clinical spaces, and the sustained dismantling of longstanding barriers to care.

It is imperative for these trainings that the group receive feedback from the greater trans community on what issues need to be prioritized. This is where you come in! If you identify as trans, genderqueer, or gender non-conforming, you’re invited to take this brief anonymous survey http://tiny.cc/transhealthsurvey

While trainings will be locally focused, feel free to distribute widely. Also available are hard copies with self-addressed stamped envelopes for folks with limited internet access. Copies are available in Spanish as well. Please get in touch with tash if you’d like a paper copy: tash at basicirghts dot org (503) 222 6151 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (503) 222 6151      end_of_the_skype_highlighting extension 110.

Tiny link: http://tiny.cc/transhealthsurvey

Original link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22ASA6AUGVE

This summer Basic Rights Oregon will be working hard to win civil marriage for our families and communities and we are jump starting the conversation by talking to voters all over the state.  In order to win marriage equality in Oregon we need to talk to thousands of voters face to face and we need your help.

Join us for upcoming community outreach events this summer and help us put Oregon on the path to marriage equality.  Here are the upcoming events and shifts:

Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival

In celebration of this year’s Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival we are sponsoring two films.  The Mormon Proposition and Out in Silence.  Sign up to win two free tickets to either of the films.  Just fill out the form and we’ll randomly pick a winner on Tuesday, June 1st.   Read below for a description of the films or go to http://www.queerdocfest.org/ 8:

THE MORMON PROPOSITION

Fri, June 4th, 7pm Director Reed Cowan in attendance On June 17, 2008, same-sex couples in California began legally saying “I do” after the state’s Supreme Court ruled firmly on the side of marriage equality.  The victory was short-lived, however, as a well-orchestrated campaign to overturn the ruling was placed on the state’s ballot as Proposition 8.  For many gay Americans, Election Day 2008 was a case of emotional extremes.  The exhilarating spirit of “Yes We Can” was met with the incomprehensible results of Prop 8, where a majority of California voters said, “No You Can’t.” In 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION, director Reed Cowan and co-director Steven Greenstreet, both former Mormons, skillfully investigate and expose the massive role the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints played in the California ballot measure.  Documenting the money trail and the under-the-radar machinations, while weaving in interviews with politicians, historians, church members and those most directly affected by the outcome, Cowan and Greenstreet uncover a secretive, decades-long crusade by the church against LGBT citizens and marriage equality. Narrated by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) – who was also raised Mormon -  8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION is a fascinating exposé on the inner workings of the LDS church and its preoccupation with denying civil rights to gay and lesbian people across the country. 8:  The Mormon Proposition:  Dir Reed Cowan 2009 USA 80 min. Community Partner: Basic Rights Oregon

Out in the Silence

Sun, June 6th, 4:45pm When filmmaker Joe Wilson submitted a same-sex wedding announcement to his hometown newspaper in Oil City, Pa., he had no idea what was in store. A flurry of hateful letters to the editor compelled him to leave the progressive bubble of Washington, D.C., and return to his roots for a firsthand look at what it means to be queer today in rural America. Wilson responds to a desperate plea from the mother of a gay teenager who is forced to drop out of school when teachers turn a blind eye to relentless bullying. Meanwhile, a lesbian couple work to give back to their tight-knit community by renovating a rundown theater—only to be tormented by a right-wing radio host who denounces their “homosexual agenda.” Wilson also confronts an evangelical pastor whose mind slowly opens after seeing the young student stand up for his rights, proving that friendships can come in the most unlikely of places. Fresh on the heels of Mississippi teenager Constance McMillen’s fight to take her girlfriend to the prom, OUT IN THE SILENCE serves as a candid reminder that the nationwide struggle for equality is far from over—and that the next generation of leaders has arrived.  – Jimmy Radosta Out in the Silence: Dirs Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer 2009 USA 57 min. Community Parnters: Rural Organizing Project, Basic Rights Oregon and Portland PFLAG

COMMUNITY VIGIL FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

VIGILIA COMUNITARIA PARA UNA REFORMA COMPRESIVA DE LAS LEYES DE INMIGRACIÓN

Friday, October 23, 2009

viernes 23 octubre de 2009

7:30 to 8:30 pm.
St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

1704 NE 43rd Ave., Portland

This bilingual community service will include songs, prayers, stories, and Scripture reflections, followed by a candlelight procession to the Hollywood MAX station.

Este servicio comunitario bilingüe incluirá cantos, oraciones, comentarios y reflexiones Bíblicas. Después iremos en procesion para la Estación de MAX para una vigilia con velas.

For more information please contact:

Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence

St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

1704 NE 43rd Ave.

Portland, OR 97213-1402

503-284-7141 ext. 314

CAUSA (Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Coalition), the largest Latin@ civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest

Already six states embrace the freedom to marry. Will Oregon be next? How can we win marriage for same-sex couples in Oregon, and how long will it take?

Evan Wolfson is founder and Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, a national gay and non-gay partnership working to win marriage equality across the country. In 2004 TIME magazine named Wolfson one of the “100 most influential people in the world.” Wolfson is the author of “Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People’s Right to Marry”. He wrote the book on marriage, literally.

Monday, November 2

6:00 PM
SEIU Local 49
NOTE – NEW LOCATION! This event will now be at Portland State University – Smith Memorial Student Union in the Vanport Room (#338).
Click here to RSVP

Thanks to co-sponsors PFLAG State Council, Community of Welcoming Congregations, Rural Organizing Project, Equity Foundation and APLG/Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Portland.

Tuesday, November 3

7:00 p.m.
Old Stone Church in Bend
157 NW Franklin Ave.

Light refreshments will be served. Click here to RSVP

Thank you to the following co-sponsors: Unitarian Universalists Fellowship of Central Oregon, ACLU of Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon Education Fund, Human Dignity Advocates of Crook County, GLBTbend.com, PFLAG Central Oregon, Human Dignity Coalition & Spice Trader Records

Wednesday, November 4

6:00pm
Eugene Public Library
100 W 10th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401

Sponsored solely by the Eugene Public Library

A Play about LGBT relationships titled Stop Kiss is coming to Salem. The performance will be a benefit for Polk County Democrats.

The play is called Stop Kiss and the description is as follows:This alternately tender and tense love story highlights the power of love to withstand the demons of hate and prejudice. After a dangerous public “outing,” the deepening friendship between two women grows into a courageous declaration of love

The benefit performance will be held on October 20, at 7:30 at Pentacle Theater, which is set in a lovely woodland just west of Salem. The performances there are excellent, exciting and always something to look forward to. The cost is $20 per ticket and proceeds benefit the Polk County Democrats.

If you are interested in buying tickets, contact Lisanne Pearcy at 503-838-2500 or visit the Polk County Democrats Website here: http://www.polkdems.org/

Register Now for the 2009 Oregon Safe Schools Training
October 23 & 24
Eugene, Oregon

What is the Oregon Safe Schools Training?
At this two-day training, groups from all across Oregon come learn
about how to make their schools and communities a safer place for gay,
straight, bisexual, lesbian, and trans people and their allies. The
goal is to inspire you with new ideas and connect you with the
resources you need to make a difference in your school and community.

The training will give many ideas and support for how to start a
project to make a difference. Plus, any group that submits a report
on the progress of its project is eligible to receive a $150 award!

Whether you want to start a new GLBTQ group at your school, get new
ideas and support for your GSA, or develop a specific project, the
Safe Schools Training is the place for you.

How do I sign up?
To register for the summit, go to
http://www.oregonsafeschools.org/ondemand.html
Participants register as teams, usually from specific schools or
organizations. Each team should ideally include three-to-five people,
with a minimum of one adult and one youth. Please contact us if you
are having trouble finding others in your area to join up with.

We hope to see you in Eugene October 23rd and 24th! For more
information about the 2009 training, please visit
http://www.oregonsafeschools.org or email info@oregonsafeschools.org.

Sponsored by Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition

Co-sponsored by PFLAG Eugene-Springfield and Eugene 4J School District