Please join his community, his LGBT family and friends in celebrating his life and the impact he had on us all. This service is open to the public and we encourage all to show their support and respect with attendance. We are also asking everyone to bring oragami cranes to the service as a sign of love and hope. Thank you.
EricJames Memorial Service Saturday, January 21st, 1:00pm LampLiter Inn Grand Ballroom 3300 W. Mineral King, Visalia
Visalia Pride Lions Club Offers Student Scholarships
With a goal of serving our community, the Visalia Pride Lions Club proudly announces the establishment of two scholarships of $500 each for graduating high school seniors or transferring community college students who are LGBT or were raised in an LGBT family. Applicants must live in Tulare County, Hanford, or Lemoore. The scholarship must be used at an accredited post-secondary institution including a college or university and trade school. The student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, worked to affect change for the LGBT community and be actively involved in community service. Membership in a Gay-Straight Alliance or college Pride club will be considered, but is not required.
The scholarship deadline is May 1st; the recipients will be notified by the end of May. Presentation of the scholarships will be made during the VPLC’s anniversary luncheon in June.
Grab your leg warmers, blue eye shadow, spandex and whatever else screams the 80's and join us for the Gay Visalia 80's Flashback Skate Party! We have rented Roller Towne and have it all to ourselves for this private party. Admission is only $3.50 per person and that includes your skate rental. We will also provide FREE pizza and drinks, while the amount lasts. If you aren't up for or able to skate, you can always come for the music, dancing, friends and fun!
Please help us spread the word by telling your supportive friends and family. This is a kid and youth friendly event. The Facebook event can be foundHERE. If you have questions, contact me:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
80's Flashback Skate Party Roller Towne, 520 S. Linwood St, Visalia Wednesday, February 22nd 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Come OUT, be yourselves and have some fun.....80's style!!
PFLAG Tulare and Kings Counties is a volunteer group of parents, family and friends of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT). We welcome members of the GLBT community to our meetings and membership. We meet on the third Sunday of each month.
Location:
Family HealthCare Network 305 East Center Street (Corner of Bridge Street) Visalia (Use the courtyard entrance on Bridge. Pedestrian gate is in the alley.)
When you attend this meeting be prepared for an engaging, informative, and entertaining discussion on the topic: "What PFLAG means to me."
We have a number of interesting speakers who will be addressing this important matter, providing insight into, not only what our organization is all about, but also how it has affected their lives. There will be ideas about what our members and those in attendance expect during the year ahead.
Participation from all in attendance is encouraged. It is thought provoking.....so think about it prior to Sunday, January 15.....Why do we attend PFLAG? What does the organization mean to you?
Hope 2012 is a good year with lots of promise for all.
Flier:
Refreshments will be served
PFLAG provides a safe and confidential space place to talk about sexual orientation and gender identity, and works to build a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
There is no cost to attend, and membership is optional.
PFLAG Tulare and Kings Counties is a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status.
The generation that fought so hard to come out of the closet, is now having to go back in - to survive. This documentary will definitely make you think about something you probably never have. It's truly a MUST SEE for every LGBTQ individual or those who have LGBTQ family members.
This isn't okay and quite frankly, scary! Right now they are allowing the showing FREE on the internet but only through January 8th. Please follow the link below to open your eyes to this terrible, yet very real, crisis facing our older community.
May you have a person to catch you if you fall Someone to depend on, in spite of it all May you always find a few reasons to smile And spend your time with those worthwhile Always be caring, gentle and try To never bring a tear to anothers eye And when each new year draws to its end Make sure you've always played the friend Be appreciative and celebrate the people in your life Never take for granted, your friend, partner, husband or wife Life is a wild ride, so hang on tight And always, always do what is right Our opinions may differ, and we might not agree But we mustn't ever lose the kindness of our humanity So, live, laugh, love and hold each other dear I'm wishing you all the very happiest New Year! ~BB
Are you an adult female (lesbian/bisexual) who has been in an abusive same-sex relationship in the past or currently in one?
The study will involve the following:
Interview: interview lasting 60 minutes with information remaining confidential.
Location: Interview will be at a location of your choice, no need to travel.
Time frame: Interviews will be conducted from December 19th – January 30th
Compensation: You will be compensated $15.00 as a gratitude for your participation with your choice of either Starbucks or Target gift card.
To Participate contact Elizabeth Salas at 559-816-7510 or 559-707-5880. Email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If you have any further questions about the study, please contact Dr. Martha Vungkhanching at
(559) 278-8741 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If you are a teen, know a teen, or are a parent or a teacher of youth, please encourage all to participate in the following survey. The knowledge gathered in this survey can make our schools a better, safer place. They have reached out to our local PFLAG of Tulare/Kings Counties in hopes of reaching as many area youth as possible. Please pass this information to anyone you know who could further its success, thank you.
The University of Montana Clinical Psychology Center 1444 Mansfield Ave. Missoula, MT 59812 406.243.2367
PFLAG Tulare & Kings Counties 4125 W Noble Ave. #164 Visalia, CA 93277
Hello PFLAG Tulare-Kings Counties! My name is Nicholas Heck, M.A. and I am a graduate student at The University of Montana working under the mentorship of Dr. Bryan Cochran. I'm recruiting participants to complete an anonymous, online survey. The research project is intended to identify factors that may offset risks related to experiencing victimization at school and developing mental health and substance use problems. The findings of this study could help to improve the educational environment and mental health of adolescents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQQ).
I would appreciate it if you could help me recruit participants for this study, which has been approved by The University of Montana's Institutional Review Board. ... Please consider distributing this information at your next PFLAG meeting and posting information about the study online. We hope to have one of the largest samples of LGBTQQ high school students ever collected!
Youth who are interested can go to the following website http://psychweb.psy.umt.edu/absurveys/highschool to learn more about the study, including the purpose of the study, the benefits and risks, and the incentives for participation. The survey is completely anonymous and participation is completely voluntary. In addition, if you have any questions about the study, please do not hesitate to contact me. My e-mail address is
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. I truly appreciate your help as I recruit participants for this study.
Thank you for your time, /s/ Nicholas Heck, M.A. Doctoral Candidate The University of Montana
PFLAG of Tulare and Kings Counties is having their Annual Chapter Holiday Party! Join them, Sunday, December 18th from 3:00 - 5:00 at the Family Healthcare Network Admin Building located at 305 E. Center Ave.
At our December meeting we will be having our annual holiday party and potluck. We will be having our usual white elephant gift exchange, with a slight variation. Details are as follows.
Gift exchange. Items are limited to: Something you already own Something from the Dollar Store Something that costs $1 or less
Potluck Bring what you signed up for at our November meeting. If you weren't at our November meeting, contact Cathy Brass at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Chapter donation to FoodLink Instead of spending money on gifts for each other, this year we are asking for cash donations to FoodLink Bring cash or a check payable to PFLAG Tulare & Kings Countes or to FoodLink
If you won't be attending the party, you may mail a check to PFLAG, 4125 W Noble Ave, #164, Visalia, CA 93277. If you mail your donation, clearly indicate that it is for FoodLink. If you would rather, you may bring canned food or dry goods to the meeting. Monetary donations are preferred, however, due to FoodLink's great purchasing power.
The Gay Visalia Holiday Toy Drive 2011 has officially ended. I dropped off our collection this afternoon to some very happy social workers. In total, we collected over 100 toys and over $500 in gift cards! I think this was our best year so far and because of that, we will have made a huge impact with some very deserving kids.
I am so happy with how our community really joined in this year. I’ve never had so much participation from so many different groups. First and foremost, I need to thank the Visalia Pride Lions Club. They have helped out officially for two years now and their contribution has been tremendous again. I’d like to thank Melissa, Gay Porterville, for helping coordinate efforts in that area. A special thanks to Monet and the TC Villainz for all the donations they contributed this year. The Sin Cal Derby Vixens even got involved, thanks ladies! My Skittles came through this year, a big thank you to Bree and Shannon. And I can’t forget Gail (Mrs. Claus), thank you so much for all of the gift cards!
Whew, I sure hope I didn’t forget anyone. If I did, please correct me. Again, my heart is super happy with how my community came together for this cause. We definitely will be making some other hearts happy, too. And those are the important ones. Thank you everyone for helping Gay Visalia and our LGBTQ community make the holidays a little brighter for kids who are without families during the holidays. I also can’t pass up the opportunity to mention again that there are 1800 children in foster care just in TulareCounty. If you think you can open your heart and your home to a child in need, please contact Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency, Foster/Adopt Department, for more information. I’m always willing to share my knowledge as well.
Many of us will be away for the holiday weekend, but for those who are around, we suggest El Salvador at 481 West Visalia Road in Farmersville at 12:30 on Sunday, November 27. We have eaten there before and enjoyed the El Salvadorean cuisine. It might make a nice change from turkey leftovers.
Yesterday I was honored to sit on two gender panels at COS. I participated in one and was the moderator for the other. I can’t tell you how much I gained from the discussions and stories. I laughed, I cried, I learned. Most importantly, I realized just how difficult life is for Transgender individuals. I want to publicly thank Jane, Jordan & Jess from Trans-E-Motion for making the trip down and educating all of us by allowing us a glimpse into your lives. To the entire panel; thank you for opening up and sharing your stories, feelings and views. I don’t think there was a student who wasn't moved or didn't walk out of that class without empathy and compassion. We can only hope they take that into the world and help make it a better place.
We sometimes get so caught up in our equality and political struggles to remember that every day people struggle just to feel comfortable with who they are. They struggle to become who they want to be with acceptance and understanding. That Transgender people lack so many more rights and protections than us. They really are a minority within our larger minority. Did you know that 80% of people who identify as transgender are bullied/discriminated against in schools and 90% in the workplace? An even more alarming statistic is over 40% attempt suicide prior to their transition and about 25% complete it.
This experience and story is a great time to remind you all of National Transgender Day of Remembrance happening on Sunday, November 20th. 25 Transgender individuals were murdered in the past year. Please help remember and honor them by attending the only local event being hosted by Trans-E-motion at:
Ted C. Wills Center 770 N. San Pablo Ave. Fresno
Dinner tickets are only $10 and available at the door, which opens at 6:00.
There will also be services and entertainment that are free.
If you or someone you know is struggling with identity or gender please contact Trans-E-Motion for support and resources. Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call them at 559-646-5806. You can also join them on facebook.com/transemotion.
There is now a Two-Spirit and Transgender group forming at the local PFLAG of Tulare & Kings counties monthly meeting. They will come together, discuss and support any gender variance. What a great, safe space to be able to meet and talk openly within a specific group. Family members and allies are also welcome to participate. Please contact Jacqueline McWalter - LMFT, at 559-788-1200 for more information.
The PFLAG meetings are held the third Sunday of every month at:
FamilyHealthcareNetworkAdminBuilding
305 E. Center Street
Located on the corner of Bridge and Center in Visalia
Please attend the next PFLAG of Tulare/Kings Counties meeting on November 20th. The program will include attorney, gay activist and author, Abby Dees.
Remember, our local PFLAG meets the third Sunday of every month and they always have new and exciting guest speakers and topics. It's a great, safe space to meet and mingle with our community and supporters!
The COS Pride Club is having a FREE movie night! Please join them on Thursday, November 10th, at COS, Hospital Rock room #133. They will be watching TransAmerica. Felicity Huffman was great in this role!
Synopsis: Stanley is a perfectly adjusted, conservative trans-sexual who’s about to take the final step to becoming Bree, the woman he always wanted to be - until he finds out that he is the parent of a long-lost 17 year old son. Afraid to tell the rebellious teen-ager the truth, he embarks on a journey with him that will challenge and change both their lives.
On Wednesday, further progression was made for Transgender equality. The IRS has overturned a previous policy in which medical expenses incurred from transitions were not allowed as income tax deductions. They were denied based on not being medically necessary. Well, ask any Transgender person and I’m pretty darn sure they would tell you just how necessary it is. And it seems the IRS has listened, after a lawsuit of course.
You can read the actual Action on Decision HERE. I have to say calling it a disease is rather bothersome to me. The dictionary defines disease as: A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful. Although I am extremely happy for the giant step our federal government has just taken, can we work on our wording people? Now, I’m no expert, perhaps that terminology is 100% medically correct but if so, bleh! This just furthers ignorant people’s ignorance. If we deem this condition a disease, then of course they (those who do not understand or accept Transgender people) feel they can “cure” it. By calling it a disease we are somehow creating a stigma around it. Sorry, I digressed…
Regardless of what the wording is, hooray for our Transgender community. I know at times it feels like all of us are just getting scraps when we should be feasting. But I’ll take the smallest amount of progression over being stagnant any day.
We’ve all seen the signs along roadways and freeways to call 9-1-1 and report drunk drivers. Like myself perhaps you’ve thought, yeah right, that would never work. Well, here is my story…
Honey and I were driving back from Fresno last night about 10:45 pm. We were between Traver and Goshen on the 99. Traffic had slowed, of course I was irritated, but we finally saw why. There was a dark vehicle that was driving slowly. I was annoyed because I couldn’t pass him because of other cars and semi trucks. I then hear honey say, “OMG, he almost just ran someone off of the road”. We watched for about another minute, seeing him continually veer into the other lane. I told her to call 9-1-1, he was clearly drunk. We hesitated calling because at that point, we couldn’t tell anything about the vehicle, not even what it was. But they kept swerving, so I made the call. The dispatcher answered, asked what was going on, and then transferred me to the Highway Patrol office. I told that dispatcher what was going on. At that point I was able to change lanes and see that it was a black truck and honey could see the license plate number. The dispatcher got my info and we ended our call.
As I’m traveling down the freeway, I’m thinking yeah right, like they are really going to catch this guy. Are highway patrol officers like ninjas hiding in the darkness ready to pounce? We are now in Goshen taking the 198 exit to come home. The truck just so happens to be doing the same. We are now directly behind the alleged trashed individual. He now is only going about 52 MPH, uh, it’s 65 dude. My phone rings and it’s the HP. They asked for my location and to stay on the line. Just as we are passing the Holiday Inn, I look in my rear view mirror and oh, hello officer. I change lanes and told the dispatcher that the officer is now directly behind the truck. The dispatcher tells the officer, “they have a visual; you are directly behind the suspect”. The patrol lights immediately go on and the truck pulls over. At first the truck attempted to pull off to the left of the highway. In case you don’t know….there is no left. He then proceeds to go to the right and successfully pulls over. But he couldn’t even park properly, he was completely crooked.
As we continued heading home, the lights in our mirrors, we couldn’t help but feel totally awesome!! It was such a great feeling knowing we could have saved a life tonight, even that drivers own life. That we were a part of what just happened. The moral of this story is, call 9-1-1, it really does work and fast!! From the call to the officer, it was under 5 minutes (maybe they are ninjas!). So, thanks Highway Patrol for your awesome response in keeping the roads that my friends and loved ones travel, safe.
On the flip side, please don’t be the one that people call on. When you drink and drive, you aren’t the only one you are putting in danger. Be smart, get a designated driver and stay safe!
It’s that time of year when I ask for your help. Gay Visalia is once again embarking upon our annual gathering of support for the 2011 Holiday Toy Drive benefiting kids in Tulare County foster care. This year there are currently 1800 kids in the system…an overwhelming and disturbing statistic. These kids may have to spend the holidays without their families, without reason to celebrate and maybe even without gifts to open. With your support, we can try to give these kids a reason to smile.
The Visalia Pride Lions Club is joining the efforts again this year, thanks fellow Lions! New this year to help is Gay Porterville. With the help and support of Melissa and all of Porterville, we can really make a bigger impact this holiday season. What we need from you is simple... If you are out shopping, simply pick up a toy for a boy or girl. The ages range from infant to 18. We like to concentrate more on gifts for ages 12-18 as they are the fewest received by the county. All items need to be new and unwrapped. You can contact me, Melissa (Gay Porterville) or the VPLC on the best way to get the toys to us. I, personally, would be happy to pick things up from you. We also will take cash donations and do the shopping for you, how easy is that?!
If you would like more information or want to buy for a specific child, you can do so by visiting the Tulare County HHSA’s official toy drive WEBSITE. You can search by age, gender, etc. Print out their star and turn that in with your gift. It will go directly to the child you want. I just ask that all toys being donated through our outreach be turned into us so that we can show the amazing support from our community.
Thank you all so much for your support once again of this great opportunity to help bring joy and happiness to children who may not otherwise have a reason to celebrate. Let’s get in the holiday spirit and make this our biggest collection ever!
If your group or organization would like to get involved and help us, please contact me for more information. The more help we have, the more help we do!
