In this OkEq eNews
At
the Equality Center
New OkEq Program: Camp Fire Teens in Action Intro
Party
Thursday, October 25, 7pm
OkEq is excited to partner with Camp Fire for Teens in Action, a service learning group for
youth in grades 9-12. To learn about this empowering new program for LGBT youth, youth from LGBT families, and allies, come to the Intro Party this
Thursday, October 25. Refreshments will be served!
Teens in Action meetings will be
weekly on Thursdays at 6pm. For more information about Teens in Action, click
here.
Faith in Crisis discussion group
Saturday, October 27, 3pm
OkEq offers a support group for the
LGBT community and their friends, family, and allies experiencing religious/spiritual
crises or questioning
related to sexual orientation and identity. This group, co-led by experienced and trained
group facilitators, provides a safe, confidential environment for sharing questions and
concerns, supporting others, learning from others' experiences, and collaboratively exploring religious/spiritual crises and ways to manage, cope,
grow and heal from such experiences. For more information, click
here.
Gay and Lesbian Oklahomans Outdoors (GLOO)
Saturday, October 27, 7pm
This outdoor group for for LGBT individuals will begin meeting at the Equality Center. For more
information, contact Frankie Stephens or visit their MySpace page.
November Gallery Opening Reception:
Schizo!
Thursday, November 1,
6-9pm
Our November exhibit features artwork by Patrick Uva. Uva comes to Tulsa via New York City
where he studied art at City College of New York. Since moving to his
new home, Patrick has created a prolific collection of new paintings
and sculpture.
His new show
was inspired by the auditory hallucinations he struggles with every
day. Patrick uses vibrant
colors, fabric, dirt, sand and even cigarette ash within the confines
of a skewed geometry to produce art that is at once violent, harmonious,
haunting and joyful.
New OkEq program: Community Needs Assessment forum
Tuesday, November 6,
6pm
OkEq is launching a new initiative to gauge the program and service needs of the LGBT
community. Through the leadership of board member Dr. Chad Johnson, Project Director at
the OU-Tulsa Center of Applied Research for Non-Profit Organizations, OkEq is using an innovative, collaborative approach called Community-Based
Participatory Research. This method allows you, our constituent, to have a voice in shaping the assessment.
To join the conversation, come to the community forum on November 6 at 6pm. For more
information, contact Programs & Development Coordinator Mana Tahaie.
New OkEq Program: Lazy Lama Looks at Buddhist
Meditation
Tuesday, November 13, 6pm
This six-week class, taught by
Jackie Roemer with instructional assistance from Molly Jones, arrives just in time for the holiday season. Lazy Lama offers a delightful introduction
to basic Buddhist concepts.
Author Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama who uniquely combines the
authentic content of traditional Buddhist training with a contemporary
lightness of touch which greatly aids in the process of communicating
it.
Classes will meet Tuesdays starting November 13. For more information about the class and fees,
contact Programs & Development Coordinator Mana Tahaie.
New OkEq Program: Monthly Health Screening Day
Thursday, November 15, 6-9pm
Each month, OkEq's partnership with the Tulsa City-County Health Department will bring health
screenings to the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. In November, nurse practitioner Constance Brown-Phillips will offer free blood pressure and
hemoglobin screenings. Come visit Constance each Thursday and learn about the LGBT Health Clinic at the Tulsa City-County Health Department!
Mark your calendars! In December, come check out your blood pressure and glucose. January's
screening will monitor cholesterol for a $10 fee.
PROMISE
Thursday, November 15, 6pm
PROMISE (Peers Reaching Out Modeling Intervention Strategies for Everyone) is an MSM (men who
have sex with men) outreach
project sponsored by H.O.P.E. Testing will be held at the Equality Center on Thursday,
November 15. For more information, contact Glen Arnold or Adrian Rolle.
Volunteer for OkEq!
Oklahomans for Equality is always looking for smart, dedicated, energetic volunteers to help run
the Equality Center, facilitate programs, and assist and support other OkEq operations. If you have a special skill or would like to donate some time
to OkEq, contact volunteer coordinator Mana Tahaie.
OkEq in the
Community
Brookside BooHaHa parade
Saturday, October 27, 3pm
Come cheer OkEq in our first-ever float in the Brookside BooHaHa parade!
OkEq celebrates a collaboration with
Families First, an
LGBT parents network, in a float themed "There is No Trick to Showing
Respect to All Oklahoma Families -- It Is Always a Treat!" To
participate in the parade, or learn more about Families
First, contact Outreach Coordinator Toby
Jenkins.
OkEq in the Centennial Time Capsule
The Oklahoma Centennial Tulsa Spirit Committee
along with the Junior League of Tulsa and Tulsa Young
Professionals are planning to bury a new time capsule at
Veterans Park in Tulsa on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - and OkEq will be a part of it! If you have ideas for what to include, email us! Deadline is Saturday, October 27.
OkEq Executive Director Justice Waider
in
Tulsa People magazine
Check out this month's Tulsa People for Justice's "In My Opinion" article on LGBT
people in Tulsa, or view it online here!
OkEq at TCC's Diversity Day
OkEq was honored to participate in Tulsa Community College - Southeast Campus's Diversity Day on
Tuesday, October 23 at the invitation of the student government.
Child Care Resource Center centerpiece
OkEq showcased the diversity of Oklahoma families through a
centerpiece for the Child Care Resource Center's Early
Childhood Conference, at the request of the CCRC.
Community Events and
Announcements
Circle Cinema presents For the Bible Tells Me So
November 11 (includes panel discussion), 13 & 15, Circle Cinema, 12 S Lewis Ave
Oklahomans for Equality is partnering with the non-proft Circle Cinema to present For the Bible Tells Me So, a documentary about the tension between
homosexuality and
Biblical scripture. For more information, download the flier or visit the website.
If you are struggling with your faith, visit the Equality Center this Saturday for our Faith in Crisis discussion group.
Bar Church
Saturdays, 5:30, Club 209, 209 N Boulder Ave
Bar Church is..."progressive spirituality, inspirational music, wonderful speakers, meditation & affirmation..." For more information about Bar
Church, visit the Myspace page.
Coming Out in the South
Editors Connie Griffin and David Hooks are seeking submissions for a collection of creative
nonfiction stories
focusing on the distinct nature of "coming out" in the South. For more information, visit their website.
Lutherans for Equality
Heidi Good, the regional coordinator
for Lutherans
Concerned, a pan-Lutheran group working for full inclusion, is looking for Lutherans
interested in advocating for LGBT equality and open and reconciling churches, and getting
involved in the national church politics to move us forward. To learn more, contact Heidi
at hbgood@aol.com or hbgood1@comcast.net.
Advocacy
From HRC: Demand a Trans-inclusive ENDA
Congress will vote Wednesday, October 24, on H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) plans to
offer an amendment to ENDA to add protections based on gender identity.
This amendment is crucial! This is our last chance to get gender identity back into the bill. We
need your help right away to make sure your representative supports the amendment. We've called and emailed, but now we're sending faxes to show we
mean business.
Send an automatic fax to Rep. Sullivan in support of the Baldwin amendment to ENDA, to make sure gender
identity is included in the bill.
There is not a moment to spare - this is your last chance to speak out on behalf of each and every member of the GLBT community. This is a historic
vote. For the first time ever, the House of Representatives is poised to vote on employment protections for the GLBT community. Help us make sure
every member of the GLBT community is included in those protections.
Board Member Kris Wilmes shares his
census story
Kris Wilmes, Second Vice President of the OkEq Board of Directors, recently received a survey
from the US Census Department. He shares his encouraging story about LGBT inclusion:
I started completing the survey, not too interested in doing so, until I realized that I was going to be able to impact LGBT advocacy: the survey
asks for information on every individual that lives in the home being surveyed. Particularly interesting was question requesting the relationship
between "Person 1" and Person 2" in the household. First it asks their gender, then "how is Person 2 related to person 1?" There were many options
(spouse, boarder, roommate) but the one I chose was "unmarried partner."
This was the demographic that I remember being topic of focus from the 2000 Census Survey: the
growing number of same-sex partners in the U.S. I was very excited and proud that I was able to include one more "same-sex coupled household" to the
594,000 in the last census.
Further research showed that in the 2000 Census, if persons of the same sex chose "married or
spouse", they were automatically allocated to the "unmarried partner" category -- thus it really doesn't matter if you try to "make a statement" by
choosing married or spouse. This allocation was driven by laws in place, which could change between now and 2010 (I can dream can't I?).
My hope is that others will be brave enough to include this in a survey if they have the
chance. If city, state and national officials have the hard facts of how many LGBT people are in their communities, then hopefully we can start
seeing legislation that creates equality and protection for these individuals.
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