A Message to the Out In The Silence Campaign from Morgan Slusher, Professor of Psychology and Rainbow Club Faculty Advisor at the Essex Campus of the Community College of Baltimore County:
I’m happy to report that since last year's screening of "Out In The Silence," the Office of Multicultural Affairs here at the Community College of Baltimore County has become much more intensively active in addressing LGBT concerns and has now established a committee on LGBT issues that has attracted considerable interest among allies. As a result of this, for the first time, CCBC is now “officially” recognizing October as LGBT History Month and putting together a calendar of related events.
Since we had such a success with our showing of “Out in the Silence” last year, we'll be hosting public screenings again this year on each of CCBC's three campuses! Thanks again for producing such a powerful film!
The awards, a $1,500 Grand Prize Award, $750 Impact Award, and $500 New Group Award, will highlight and honor courageous young people who are on the front lines in one of the most important civil and human rights struggles of our time: ending bullying & discrimination and achieving dignity, respect, inclusion, fairness and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The award competition was announced by the Out In The Silence Campaign this past June, and in no time, more than 100 student, youth and ally groups, coast-to-coast and beyond, registered to participate by holding free public events throughout the month of October, which marks LGBT History Month, Ally Week and National Coming Out Day. The events included a wide range of activities - from film screenings, town hall forums and information fairs to art exhibitions, spoken word and original musical performances.
The shortlist of contenders includes:
Naugatuck Valley Community College Gay-Straight Alliance - Waterbury, CT
Queer Action at Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, VA
Hammond High School Gay Straight Alliance - Columbia, MD
Oregon Student Equal Rights Alliance - statewide
Community College of Baltimore County Rainbow Club & Honors Program - Essex, MD
Equality Club, Arapahoe Community College - Littleton, CO
Ringling College of Art & Design Gay Straight Alliance - Sarasota, FL
West Chester University's LGBTQA Services - West Chester, PA
Farrington High School Gay Straight Alliance - Honolulu, HI
St. Xavier University Alliance - Chicago, IL
Broward College Gay Straight Alliance, Safe Zone Team & Student Success - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aragon High School Gay Straight Alliance - San Mateo, CA
Blackburn College Common Ground - Carlinville, IL
Winners will be announced in The Huffington Post on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011.
On May 2, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the Pennsylvania General Assembly's "No. 1 Conservative," introduced House Bill 1434, a Constitutional Amendment to Protect Marriage Between ‘One Man and One Woman’ in the state.
Not only would such a measure NOT 'protect' marriage, it would cause real harm to real people by denying fundamental rights and protections to families comprised of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people -- excluding them from the institutions of marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Such mean-spirited, politically-motivated attacks also stir up irrational fears and hatred of their targets, putting LGBT people at-risk of losing jobs, housing, access to higher education, personal safety, and sometimes their very lives.
We believe that a vast majority of Pennsylvanians have a more welcoming and inclusive view of their LGBT families, friends, and neighbors, even in the conservative districts of the Marriage 'Protection' Amendment's 37 co-sponsors.
That's why we want to hold very public OUT IN THE SILENCE town-hall screening events in these co-sponsors' very communities, helping to bring people of good will there together to effectively express their support.
And we need your help!
If you live, or care about what's happening, in one of these legislative districts, we want to work with you on an event to raise visibility and help build the local movement for change.
Please check out the list of target legislative districts below and be in touch with us to get involved: QwavesJoe@yahoo.com
Thanks
If Not Us, Who? And If Not Now, When?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Penna. Marriage Protection Amendment (HB 1434) Co-Sponsors
Daryl Metcalfe (R) – Butler County / Cranberry Township
Scott Boyd (R) – Lancaster County – Lampeter
Stephen Barrar (R) - Chester / Delaware County - Boothwyn
Michele Brooks (R) – Crawford / Lawrence / Mercer County – Greenville & Meadville
Martin Causer (R) – Cameron / McKean / Potter County – Bradford & Coudersport
Jim Christiana (R) – Beaver County – Monaca & Aliquippa
Paul Clymer (R) – Bucks County – Perkasie
Jim Cox (R) – Berks County – Sinking Spring
Tom Creighton (R) – Lancaster County – Manheim & Denver
Matt Gabler (R) – Clearfield / Elk County – DuBois & St. Marys
Mark Gillen (R) – Berks County – Reading
R. Ted Harhai (D) – Fayette / Westmoreland County – Monessen
Doyle Heffley (R) – Carbon County – Lehighton
Dick Hess (R) – Bedford / Fulton / Huntingdon County – Bedford
David Hickernell (R) – Dauphin / Lancaster County – Elizabethtown & Columbia
Scott Hutchinson (R) – Butler / Venango County – Oil City
Rob W Kauffman (R) – Cumberland/Franklin County – Chambersburg & Shippensburg
Fred Keller (R) – Snyder / Union County – Mifflinburg
Mark Keller (R) – Franklin / Perry County – New Bloomfield & Chambersburg
Jerry Knowles (R) – Berks / Schuykill County – Tamaqua
Timothy Krieger (R) – Westmoreland County – Greensburg & Youngwood
John Lawrence (R) – Chester County – West Grove
Jim Marshall (R) – Beaver County – Beaver Falls
Carl Walker Metzgar (R) – Bedford / Somerset County – Somerset & Hyndman
David Millard (R) – Columbia County – Berwick & Bloomsburg
T. Mark Mustio (R) – Allegheny County – Moon Township
Donna Oberlander (R) – Armstrong / Clarion County – Clarion & Numine
Jeffrey Pyle (R) – Armstrong / Indiana County – Ford City, Apollo, & Home
The OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is hitting the road this month to help support the efforts of courageous young activists organizing to bring attention to and help overcome anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination on their campuses and in their communities.
With support from the Columbia Foundation, the OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is launching a major initiative to help raise visibility and connect, inspire and mobilize LGBT people and Allies in small towns and rural communities across California.
In partnership with state and local groups, the Campaign will conduct town hall-style events in public libraries, churches, schools, colleges and universities, community centers, and local theaters aimed at garnering the media and other forms of public attention necessary to help build bridges across the religious and political divides that have harmed families, friends and communities for far too long.
If you have ideas to contribute or would like to be involved, please contact OITS Campaign Director, Joe Wilson -- Email: QwavesJoe@yahoo.com
At the heart of the OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is a dedication to the idea that small acts of LGBT visibility in places where they are rare and unexpected help to raise awareness and open-up dialogue in profound new ways and create ripple effects and opportunities to organize for change that go far and wide.
"If you asked me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I Came To Live Out Loud" - Emile Zola -
THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING, LIVING, ACTING OUT IN THE SILENCE WITH US!
In 2006, human rights activist Joe Wilson published an announcement of his wedding to his same-sex partner in his small hometown of Oil City, Pennsylvania. That one act sparked a whirlwind of controversy, and it led Wilson back home in an effort to chronicle and understand his home's relationship to homosexuality, inclusion and equality.
Now a filmmaker, Wilson joins the studio to talk about Out in the Silence, the widely acclaimed documentary that grew from his experiences. He shares the story behind the movie, its impact on his hometown and his hopes that it will strengthen Arizona's efforts to heal community divides.
Arizona will host several screenings of the film, sponsored by the Pima County Public Library System, ACLU of Arizona, Wingspan Anti-Violence Project, The Amancio Project, and the Yuma High School GSA. Screenings are scheduled for:
Feb. 22, 7:30pm - The Loft Cinema - Tucson
Feb. 23, 6:30pm – Arivaca Old School - Arivaca
Feb. 24, 6:00pm - Yuma County Main Library - Yuma
Feb. 25, 1:00pm - Salazar-Ajo Library - Ajo
In addition to the film's hopeful and entertaining stories, and dynamic post-screening discussions with filmmaker Joe Wilson and local organizers, the Arizona events will feature performances by special guest Namoli Brennet, a Tucson-based transgender musician. (Brennet's music is a major feature of the film's soundtrack.)
Puts Spotlight on Efforts to Heal Community Divides
As Arizonans grapple with the effects of last month's tragic shooting spree in Tucson, an amazing coalition of groups has organized a series of exciting OUT IN THE SILENCE screening events to help bring people together AND to rock their socks off! In addition to the film's hopeful and entertaining stories and dynamic post-screening discussions, the events will feature special performances by hauntingly inspirational Tucson-based musician, and OITS soundtrack contributor, NAMOLI BRENNET!
Sponsoring organizations include the Pima County Library System, ACLU of Arizona, Wingspan Anti-Violence Project, The Amancio Project, and the Yuma High School GSA. ==================================================================
ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS The OITS Campaign will be out on the road in many other spots as well ...
With support from the Columbia Foundation, the OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is launching a major initiative to help raise awareness and connect, inspire and mobilize LGBT people and allies in small towns and rural communities across California.
In partnership with state and local groups, the Campaign will conduct town hall-style events in public libraries, churches, schools, colleges and universities, community centers, and local theaters aimed at garnering the media and other forms of public attention necessary to help build bridges across the religious and political divides that have harmed families, friends and communities for far too long.
If you or your organization have ideas to contribute or would like to be involved, please contact OITS Campaign Director, Joe Wilson -- Email: QwavesJoe@yahoo.com
The age-old quote from Margaret Mead may be a bit overused, but it sure applies here:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
At the heart of the OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign is a dedication to the idea that small acts of LGBT visibility in places where they are rare and unexpected help to raise awareness and open-up dialogue in profound new ways and create ripple effects and opportunities to organize for change that go far and wide.
To help us continue building the movement for justice, equality, and human rights for all, particularly out in small towns and rural communities, please get involved.
This has been a remarkable 'five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes' for the OUT IN THE SILENCE Campaign. While the struggling young artists and musicians of RENT measured their years in sunsets, midnights, cups of coffee, laughter and strife, we'll remember 2010 for the thousands of miles traveled, small towns visited, friends made, and hearts and minds changed.
Here are a few of our 'moments so dear' ...
ADDRESSING TEEN BULLYING
Seth Walsh, a gentle thirteen-year old boy living in the rural Kern River Valley of central California, was one of at least a half dozen LGBT teens who took their own lives this year because of homophobic harassment and bullying. In response to this tragic epidemic, OITS made a special effort to support youth by: - Holding "End the Silence" events at nearly 200 high schools in 31 states in collaboration with the GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) National Day of Silence
- Making the film and resources available at no-charge to all interested schools
- Facilitating the formation of new gay-straight alliance groups in small towns and rural communities across the country
- Promoting safe school and anti-bullying policies and legislation at the local, state and federal levels
These efforts have had real impact, including in Seth's home town where an OITS screening coordinated by courageous local residents catalyzed the formation of a new Kern River Valley community group that is now working with school authorities and town officials to forcibly address school bullying, harassment and discrimination.
BUILDING THE MOVEMENT THROUGH GRASSROOTS OUTREACH
At the heart of the OITS Campaign is our dedication to the idea that small acts of LGBT visibility in places where they are rare and unexpected help to raise awareness and open-up dialogue in profound new ways and create ripple effects and opportunities to organize for change that go far and wide. In 2010, this included: - More than 300 community events in public libraries, town halls, church basements, book shops, colleges, and universities
- Groundbreaking rural tours across Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Pennsylvania
- Partnerships with over 50 organizations including chapters of the ACLU, Equality Federation, PFLAG, and GLSEN, in addition to Equality Partners of Western PA, Community Safe Zone Project of the Persad Center, Rural Organizing Project, Community of Welcoming Congregations, Freedom To Marry, and dozens of local human dignity groups across the country
- Support for efforts to enact local non-discrimination policies and other activities to make communities more welcoming and inclusive. One of many highlights was a proclamation by the Mayor and City Council that Sept. 13 is OUT IN THE SILENCE Day in Oil City, the beautiful small Pennsylvania town where OITS started and where the stories in the film take place.
CRITICAL RECOGNITION
We were honored and humbled by several kudos from the film and television world this year, including: - Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid Atlantic Chapter - Premiere at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln Center followed by screenings at the Tribeca Doc Series, Outfest, Frameline and more than 50 other festivals around the world - Festival awards including special jury prize for Bravery in Storytelling from Nashville, Social Significance from South Dakota, and Best Documentary from Outtakes New Zealand - Rave reviews in the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Village Voice, Variety, Advocate, Christianity Today, and dozens of local newspapers - PBS broadcast to over 80% of the national market
WHY WE'VE GOT TO KEEP WORKING TO MAKE IT BETTER
In a recent Newsweek article, It Gets Better Project founder Dan Savage declared that "the culture war is over" and that LGBT people have now achieved full acceptance in the U.S. Apparently Dan has never visited Coudersport, PA, where local fundamentalist ministers and Tea Party activists threatened to defund the public library and fire the librarian simply for hosting a screening of OITS. When those efforts failed, they held their own "Bible Believing Christian Response to OITS" a month later in the same library, expressing their violent views toward LGBT people quite clearly.
Such attacks are still all-too-common. The good news in this case is that the blatant hatred and hostility inspired other local residents, with the help of Equality Partners of Western Pennsylvania, to form a community group that is working with town authorities and mainstream church members to move Couderpsort toward becoming a more welcoming and inclusive community for all.
Such stories, which are still happening in communities across the country, are why we must continue our efforts to make it better for everyone, everywhere, now!
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
As 2010 comes to a close, we're making even bigger plans for 2011. Already in the works are rural tours in Arizona, Maine, Maryland and California, legislative efforts around employment nondiscrimination, safe schools, and marriage equality, and a dynamic new outreach effort with LGBT youth.
None of this work is possible without your support.
