HOT on the Street featuring Rebecca Ungerman >>

TU RESULTS hosts Botswonan HIV advocate Cindy Kelemi >>

High Art >>

In this OkEq eNews

• Special Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Transitions 
• Weekly Activities
• Ongoing Programs

 
Mana Tahaie Promoted to OkEq Deputy Director
It is with great pleasure that I announce that our Programs and Development Associate, Mana Tahaie, has been promoted to Deputy Director of Oklahomans for Equality. Mana is one of the most gifted, dynamic and amazing individuals with whom I've ever had the privilege to work. Her talents have helped shape our organization, grow our programming, and build important relationships throughout the community. She has made a tremendous impact on every project she has touched and I am thrilled to elevate her to the true position she holds within our family. Mana, on behalf of all at OkEq, I thank you for all you have shared and will continue to share with us.
 

Justice Waidner

Executive Director, Oklahomans for Equality 

HOT on the Street at Club 209

Saturday, March 15, 9pm, Club 209, 209 S Brady

Put on your OkEq t-shirt and come on out March 15th to help us kick off OkEq's new Health Outreach Team, HOT on the Street! We'll be heading to Club 209 to talk about OkEq, HIV and other health issues -- as well as have some fun of course! Tulsa icon and songstress Rebecca Ungerman and the Frank Brown Trio will keep us all entertained. Our AmeriCorps team member Blakely Adams will have all the information you need, so if you have any questions, please contact her at americorps@okeq.org.

Research Study for Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Women

A lesbian research team lead by Dawn Szymanski, Ph.D. is conducting a study on lesbian or bisexual women's experiences related to gender and sexual orientation. The online survey asks about experiences related to being a woman and a lesbian/bisexual person, connections to the LGB and feminist communities, ways of dealing with stressful events, and psychological well-being. All participants will be given the chance to win a $75 online gift certificate to Amazon. If you are a woman who is at least 18 years old and has experienced same-sex attraction, please click here to participate in this anonymous, 30-minute research study.

State of the Movement
Matt Foreman, outgoing Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, delivered his State of the Movement speech at the Creating Change conference. Read it here. 

 
Community Needs Assessment Public Forum
Thursday,  February 28, 7pm, Conference Room
At this month's public forum, we'll wrap up the survey and discuss data collection strategies of the upcoming survey of the LGBT community's program and service needs. Come join the discussion to make this a truly community-based effort -- we want to hear your voice. Even if you haven't participated before, we welcome your input!

Oklahoma Deaf Spectrum
Friday, February 29, Starbucks in Utica Square
Our deaf LGBT group meets at Starbucks for its monthly meeting, to host a baby shower for new ODS assistant chair Brandie Jo Mitchell. For more information about ODS or this month's meeting, contact chair Ethan Sexton.

TU RESULTS Hosts African HIV/AIDS Speaker
Monday, March 3, 7pm, University of Tulsa ACAC Gallery
TU RESULTS, a student anti-poverty advocacy organization, hosts Cindy Kelemi, National Treatment Literacy Coordinator of Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA). For more information, contact Greg Medders.

First Thursdays art gallery opening reception: "Now and Zen"
Thursday, March 6, 6-9pm, gallery and conference room
This month's gallery features pottery by Merry Schepers and paintings by Shawn Wilson. Visit monthly opening to meet the artists and get first pick of their work. For more on the gallery, visit our website.

Sexual Identity and Spirituality Conference

Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
Central Oklahoma faith communities and organizations proclaiming that homosexuality is neither sickness nor sin will host a two-day Sexual Identity & Spirituality Conference. The conference includes keynote speaker Dr. Deborah Appler, professor of Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) at Moravian College, as well as workshops on a wide range of topics including scripture, various spiritual and interfaith perspectives on sexuality, and relationship issues for families and couples. Registration is $15; some scholarship money is available. Registration and complete conference details are available on the PFLAG website.

Brokeback Mountain screening and lecture

Film: Friday, April 4, 6:30pm, Sue Welch Hall

Lecture: Saturday, April 5, Sue Welch Hall

Eric Patterson, associate professor of American studies and American literature at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, will speak about his new book, On Brokeback Mountain: Meditations about Masculinity, Fear, and Love in the Story and the Film. We will host a special Center Cinema to screen Brokeback Mountain the evening before the lecture.

Workshop: Heroes and the Boogie Man

Friday, April 18, 8:30-11:30am or 1-4pm, University of Phoenix, 10810 E 45th St
Anyone who has/was/is been molested as a child, assaulted by bullies, wet the bed, confused about your sexuality, a victim of physical, mental, or emotional abuse, spiritually challenged, and/or lost on an endless road to nowhere...this workshop is your prescription to defeating the boogie man.  Join Carlos Michael, author of Baltimore Monday: A Celebration of Life Beyond Sexual Abuse as he shares his incredible journey and how he found his hero and defeated the boogie man. Pre-register at www.carlosmichaelbooks.com. Seating is limited, cost is $20 if you mention OkEq. 

Passed: Dr. Dan Plunkett

From Janice Nicklas, Project Director of the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership:

It is with great sadness that we learned about the death of Dr. Dan Plunkett over the weekend.  Dr. Plunkett stepped forward early in Tulsa's effort to get organized to fight AIDS and added his name to the list of physicians who felt people living with HIV/AIDS needed to be treated with compassion and dignity.  He helped us broaden our network of care, and not only served on the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership (TCAP) Advisory Council since its formation in 1993, but also supported our local fundraising for the National AIDS Fund Challenge Grant every year.  We are grateful for his efforts and will miss his wise counsel and courage in helping us develop medical care and prescription drug treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS and many others who were facing difficult and challenging health problems.  

 
HOPE HIV Testing
Monday - Thursday: 6-8pm, Saturday: 4-7pm, Health Testing Center
Free, anonymous HIV testing with results in 20 minutes for MSM (men who have sex with men) and high-risk individuals. Also available by appointment by emailing AmeriCorps member Blakely Adams.
 

L Word Tuesdays
Tuesdays, 7pm, Sue Welch Hall
Excited about the new season of The L Word? So are we! Join us each Tuesday for the latest episode.

 
Gender Outreach

Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Conference Room

A support and social group for transgender individuals.


Center Cinema: High Art

Fridays, 7pm, Sue Welch Hall
This week's film is High Art. Center Cinema takes place each Friday at 7pm and is free and open to the public. For a complete listing of films, visit our website.

Tulsa Unity String Orchestra Rehearsal
Thursdays, 6pm, Wellness Center
The Tulsa Unity String Orchestra, an all-volunteer ensemble,  practices in the wellness center and performs at OkEq and area events. For more information contact conductor Adrian Rogers at (918) 813-2470. 
 

Faith in Crisis
Second and fourth Saturdays, 3-4:30pm, Conference Room
A support group for those experiencing religious/spiritual crises related to sexual orientation and identity, Faith in Crisis 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 on the group and its facilitators, visit our website.

 
Game Night @ the Center

Saturdays, 6:30pm, Sue Welch Hall

New game each week. No need to RSVP, just drop in! 

 
Tulsa Pride 2008 Planning
Mondays, 7pm, Event Center
The Pride Committee meets each week to plan what promises to be the best Tulsa Pride event in history. We need your voice and energy on the Pride Committee! To volunteer your time, join us at our weekly planning meetings or email. For more information, visit the official Pride 2008 website.

Inside Out ACA
Mondays, 7pm
The Inside Out group of ACA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, is a twelve-step, twelve tradition program of men and women who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes.

Equality Center Gallery: Oils and fine drawings by Jessica Newman
February's exhibit spotlights young artist Jessica Newman, whose work is themed around the human body and uses pencil, watercolors, oil paints, and charcoal.

Pride Store

Our Pride Store features a selection of LGBT-themed merchandise and our hip Louis and Cluck-designed OkEq t-shirts!

Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library
Our lending library has thousands of LGBT-related books in dozens of genres, including fiction and non-fiction, as well as many free magazines like the Advocate, Gay Parents and the Ozark Star.  

 
Logo Network
We feature the Logo Network, the first and only 24-hour LGBT television channel, on the big screen in Sue Welch Hall. For programming information, visit the LOGO website. 
 

David Bohnett CyberCenter
Nine high-speed-internet-connected computers and a network printer available to the public. The Equality Center also provides free wireless internet!
 

Relay Videophone for the Deaf
The Equality Center is fortunate to feature a broadband video relay service for the deaf in the David Bohnett CyberCenter. Ours is the only publicly-accessible videophone available after 5pm in the city of Tulsa. For more information on the phone, visit our website.

 
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, check out our website.