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Being the "FACE" of the Boulder County LGBT community
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When I was first singing the words, "Don we now our gay apparel...." I had no idea what that word meant. Don, I mean. I probably wasn't quite clear on apparel, either. But gay I knew. It meant happy. Not until seventh grade did I notice boys in the back of choir class snickering at "gay." I suppose I had been too busy trying to figure out if boughs [of holly] really ended in an "el" sound and why was that word in this song??? (My mom was a nurse and we kids learned the proper names of bodily structures and functions early on.)
But I digress.
'Tweens are probably still snickering about the lyrics in Deck the Halls, but not like they used to. Nowadays the creation of safe zones, no-name-calling weeks, and other policies to promote equality and respect are making headlines-and better yet, making headway in helping to eliminate the use of "gay" as a slur.
We do have a ways to go, but baby, we've come a long way. I'm happy about that. In fact, I'm downright gay about it!
And we will keep on moving forward. Why am I sure about that? Because this progress is a result of the work that we as a community and we at Out Boulder are doing every day. When folks ask me about what Out Boulder does, I keep in mind the role I think the organization serves: we strive to be the "FACE" of the Boulder County LGBT community. Where the 'A' is for Advocate (like, for better school environments) and the 'E' is for Educate (like, in talking about the experience of being gay to audiences in schools, workplaces, etc). When community members want to work together to make things happen, we 'F', Facilitate. That's what we do.
What about the "c", you ask? That's for Celebrate! And now is the season to be celebrating life and community and connection. Working to make the world a better place is a noble thing to do. But let's not forget that we need to take time to celebrate all that we believe is holy-in ourselves, our culture, our religion, our friends, and all that is good in the world already. So don you now your gay apparel-and Happy Holidays!
Laura Edwards,
Out Boulder 2012 Board President
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Out Boulder Happy Hour TONIGHT!- Dec. 21
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In the bitter cold, what better place to Happy Hour than The Bitter Bar! Wednesday, Dec., 21st from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. join us at Boulder's place to not be seen and together let's wrap up the year's Happy Hours in style. Bitter Bar has a splendid array of cocktails, mocktails, and fab American fare, perhaps that cutie you saw last week at Martini's will be there too.
Suggested donation is $5.00, don't let this be the reason why you don't join us, all are welcome!
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: The NEW! Happy Hour, now with Community Partners
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For our spotlight feature this week we chose to feature the tradition of the Happy Hour. We are big fans of Happy Hour, in particular our monthly Happy Hour on the third Wednesday of the month. Out Boulder's Happy Hour gives us a chance to connect with you and provides a space to connect with each other.
We've also heard from you many ideas on how to make it better and this brings us to the reason for the spotlight this week. Starting with January 2012, Out Boulder's Happy Hour will see a few changes in order to better serve the needs of our communities. The Happy Hour will continue to be scheduled on the third week of the month, and it will always be on a weekday, however the day of the week will rotate to allow more opportunities to attend for those that work evenings.
Our home base will continue to be Hapa Sushi, however we will go on epicurean adventures throughout Boulder and East County. All of our hosts will provide a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for us to enjoy. Our Happy Hours will also become more reflective of the mission of Out Boulder and will serve to connect the LGBTQ communities to other local groups and organizations that share a commitment to cultivating equality, respect and well-being for the people of Boulder County.
Our January Happy Hour partner in Boulder will be the group Frontrunners. Frontrunners is a LGBTQ and Allied running and walking group for people of all ages and athletic ability. Come and meet this group of great people and find out how you can get involved, perhaps Frontrunners will help you keep your New Year's resolution to get in shape. Frontrunners/Out Boulder Happy Hour will be held at the St. Julien Hotel, on Thursday January 19th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
For our East County Happy Hour in January, we will partner with the organization Intercambio. Intercambio is a public benefit organization focusing on creating a more accepting, integrated community in which all members, regardless of national origin, feel comfortable and can effectively contribute. Intercambio/Out Boulder Happy Hour will be on Thursday, January 12th at Indian Peaks Bar & Grill in Lafayette from 4:00 to 6:00PM.
Suggested donation for Happy Hour is $5.00, donations received will be shared evenly between organizations.
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Trans and Genderqueer Support Group (Young Adult) - Dec. 21
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 Boulder Trans and Genderqueer Support is expanding! We are thrilled to introduce an additional support meeting, every other Wednesday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., specifically for the younger generation of Trans and Genderqueer people. Though not age restrictive, expect a majority of 20 and 30 somethings to attend this group. This new group will run bi-weekly on opposite Wednesdays from our existing Transgender and Genderqueer Support Group.
Boulder Trans and Genderqueer Support offers support group meetings and social fun for people who identify as transgender and/or identify anywhere within the gender variant spectrum/sphere/torus. Our meetings emphasize respect for peoples' experience in all types of gender variant identities, including the mtf spectrum, ftm spectrum, genderqueer, third gender, two-spirit, genderfluid, intersesex, and of course anyone questioning/deciphering their gender identity. The groups are welcoming to gender variant people of color and persons with disabilities. Please come if you want support in your experience, you want to hear from others about their experience, or maybe you just want to spend time in a group of people that is accepting of you as you are.
The meetings are facilitated by a peer, and every person attending will be given a chance to share so that no one person dominates the discussion. Everything shared in the meeting will be kept confidential, and it will not be assumed that the name/pronoun you use in the meeting is the same as the name/pronoun you use outside of the meeting. There is a non-gendered bathroom at Out Boulder, which you can use to change your clothes upon arrival if you would like.
Also feel free to bring any clothing that you would like to get rid of that you are no longer using - it might be perfect for someone else who is in need of clothing.
If you have questions, please contact Mauricio Shoup at mshoup@outboulder.org or 303-499-5777. |
Keeping Families Together: LGBT Latino Forum - Jan. 12th in Longmont.
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 PFLAG of Boulder County and
Out Boulder are happy to announce our next collaboration in Longmont.
On January 12th, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, join us for the second LGBT Latino Forum for a lively discussion on Keeping Families Together. This panel continues and expands our dialogue of the intersections of the LGBTQ and Latino experiences in Boulder County.
For this occasion we will gather at the Longmont YMCA, 9th Ave.& Lashley,in the Meeker Room.
With our moderator,Daniel Escalante, one of the best regarded in the state of Colorado and our panelists, Ray Rodriguez and his mother, Jennie Rodriguez, Out Boulder's Mauricio Shoup and a member of our LGBTQ/Latino youth, this community forum promises to deliver an engaging conversation.
This event is free and refreshments will be served. Open to all community members. For additional information, email info@pflagboulder.org
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Volunteer at the Pridehouse! - Dec. 28
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We could really use your help on Wednesday, December 28th, from 10 a.m. - 12 noon, for our end-of-year cleaning and filing extravaganza! If you have some time to spare, or you simply want to get away from the Holiday Madness, come hang out with us at the Pridehouse, 2132 14th Street in Boulder.
A couple of your hours, your presence and willingness to help us get organized for the new year will certainly help to set a tone for all of us in the coming year.
With your help 2012 could be the best organized year ever! ( for us!)
Questions? Contact Jen at jspolnik@outboulder.org or 303.499.5777. |
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Gay & Bi Men's Literature Group: Geography of the Heart - Jan. 17
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Our Men's Book Club is up and running!
Our first meeting was a success, thanks to Andrew for holding space for us. We chatted a bit about different books, picked our first two, and decided on our next meeting date.
Our first book selected is Geography of the Heart, by Fenton Johnson. The book is available through Amazon from $4.00, including shipping. Our next monthly meeting will be on January 7th from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Pride House. We will discuss the book, and from there we'll venture out to do some fun socializing.
To join the group, get more literate and make some new friends is easy, simply get the book, read it, and come to our next meeting.
We encourage you to also work on acquiring the second book that we will read so you have the entire month to read it before our February Meeting. The book is titled Grief by Andrew Holleran.
If you have any questions, please email mshoup@outboulder.org
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Housing Available for Families Who Qualify
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The Family Self-Sufficiency Program of Boulder County Housing and Human Services has opened its waitlist for families that qualify for a 3 bedroom unit, and we are able to accept applications from larger families only. Families of 5 or more members are eligible to apply at this time.
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Jan
Pride House Office Hours & Holiday Hours
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 The Pride House office will be closed December 26-January 2.
The following are the Pride House's regular office hours. If you need to visit us outside of these hours please contact jspolnik@outboulder.org for an appointment. Hope to see you soon!
M, T, F - 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
W - 12 - 4 p.m.
Th or Weekends - by appointment
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Some of the events, views and opinions expressed in the eNewsletter are solely those of their authors and/or organizations, and do not necessarily reflect an endorsement by Out Boulder. We encourage you to contact the event sponsor for more information.
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