Are you feeling lonely?

Have you recently become single?

Do you need help talking to family?

Are you coming out?

Are you dealing with Stigma?

Monthly Discussion Group

February 2012 Topic: Alone on Valentine’s Day (February 15th)

Come join us Every Wednesday

(starting February 1, 2012)

From 7pm to 9pm

GLSO Pride Center

389 Waller Ave

Lexington, KY 40504

(859) 253-3233

Develop a new skill and have some fun!

In an effort to expand programming at the GLSO Pride Center, Paul Brown, certified Spanish teacher, will begin offering an Introduction to Spanish class.

This class will be a continuing education class for adults who want to expand their horizons. There will be a strong focus on developing vocabulary and communication skills, instead of grammar. No grades. No stress. Just show up and have fun while learning a new skill with great people.

Classes will be on Saturdays starting March 10th. Classes will take place at 11 a.m. and last about an hour. It’s free, so come out!

March for Freedom and Justice

As Martin Luther King Jr. Day is upon us once again, it is a time for everyone in our community to reflect on the progress that has been made in the fight for civil rights. It is also a time to recognize that while many battles have been won, there are still Americans who are being denied basic civil rights.

Under the leadership of such great people as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement had great successes in the 1960s, with the passage the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. These laws meant that persons of color could not legally be denied employment or public accommodation, the right to vote, or the sale of rental of housing. These laws helped a rainbow of people to join the melting pot that is the United States.

Many people see these successes and feel that the civil rights movement is over. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that persons of color no longer face the major categories of legal discrimination that were overcome in the 1960s, work still must be done to overcome problems such as stereotyping and poverty, which are legacies of a system of legal discrimination that existed for so long.

And yet another community is still fighting for legal recognition of their civil rights. The GLBTQQIA community still faces much of the same types of legal discrimination that the community of color overcame in the 1960s. While the voting rights of our community are not a battle we have to win, in many places our community still encounters discrimination in public accommodations and in housing. GLBTQQIA people still face difficulties in immigrating to the United States, and with a few notable exceptions, most states and the federal government do not recognize the rights of our community to marry.

The GLSO will join Lexington Fairness in the civil rights march on Monday, in celebration of the birth and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We welcome any fair-minded individuals who want to march beside us in solidarity in the continuing fight for the recognition of basic civil rights for the GLBTQQIA community and all people nationwide.

Volunteer Facilitator Needed

GLSO is looking for a volunteer facilitator for the Teen Empowerment Project. We are offering incentives in the form of stipends (gas cards, Kroger cards, etc.). This position is anticipated to be 20 hours a month for five months starting in October 2011. The duties include visiting high schools, recruiting students, working with college students, and helping to design and present material at five Saturday workshops (minimum of 2 hours each).

The goals of the Teen Empowerment Project are to help students develop skills in leadership and to increase the stability of high school Gay Straight Alliances for youth (GSAs). The project will present workshops to engage youth in leadership training, including basic diversity education and suicide prevention. The project will also empower students to reach out to a larger number and broader variety of students. We will develop and publish a resource notebook with programming ideas and discussion guides.

If you are interested, please contact Mary Crone by e-mail by September 29th. We will want to know why you are interested in this position and to discuss any experience you have in working with teenagers. Any experience working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning individuals should also be discussed as cultural competency in this area is crucial. Any questions you have can be answered by Mary so don’t be afraid to ask. Thanks!

Upcoming Meetings

GLSO Board Meetings

December 1
December 15
January 5
January 19

Meetings are held at the GLSO Pride Center on the 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings of the month and start at 6:30 pm. All meetings are open to the public.

Pride Fest Meetings

December 8 (Potluck: 6:30pm, Meeting 7pm)
January 12
February 9

Meetings are held at the GLSO Pride Center on the 2nd Thursday evenings of the month and start at 7 pm. All meetings are open to the public and encourage everyone interested in helping with the 2012 Pride Festival to attend and get involved!

Discussion Group