Category Archives: Uncategorized

Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce their September meeting for Coming Out Day

“Supporting Our LGBT Children: What Can Families Do?”

Tuesday, September 9th, 2014
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW
Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW

As National Coming Out Day approaches, please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to welcome Dr. Caitlin Ryan from the Family Acceptance Project. She will be discussing strategies and best practices in supporting loved ones who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

Meeting Agenda: The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour is dedicated to our September program.

About Our Guest:

Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW is a clinical social worker who has worked on LGBT health and mental health for nearly 40 years and whose work has shaped policy and practice for LGBT children and youth. She directs the Family Acceptance Project at SF State University – the first research, education, intervention and policy project – to help ethnically and religiously diverse families to support their LGBT children. Dr. Ryan and her team have developed a new research-based family model of wellness, prevention and care to prevent health risks like suicide, substance abuse, homelessness and HIV and to promote well-being for LGBT children and adolescents in the context of their families, cultures and faith communities. Her work has been recognized by the major health professional associations and by many community groups.

Help keep PFLAG vibrant, Get Involved

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Ron Indra

PFLAG

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce their October meeting

“Know Your Rights: An Update On What Every Parent Should Know About Safe Schools For LGBTIQ/Ally Youth”

Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

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Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to hear Ron Indra, Director of the Safe Schools Project, update PFLAG on California state laws that protect & support all students, including LGBTIQ/Ally students. All welcome!

The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour is dedicated to our October program.

Some of the California laws that protect youth include:

▪      California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act – AB 537
▪      Seth’s Law – AB 9
▪      California Gender Non-Discrimination Act – AB 887
▪      California FAIR Education Act – SB 48
▪      California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Act – SB71
▪      School Success and Opportunity Act – AB 1266
▪      & more….

 

About Ron Indra

Ron Indra has lived in Santa Cruz for the past 38 years and has degrees in Political Theory, Philosophy and a JD. He has been teaching for 31 years at Harbor High School and has been nominated as an “Educator of the Year” in California. Ron has been active in the teacher’s union for the past 25 years. In support of students, he founded the GSA at Harbor High 10 years ago and received the “Ally to Queer Youth” award by the Queer Youth Task Force of Santa Cruz County. He is a member of the SCCS Task Force on LGBT issues and helped implement AB537 in his District. Currently, he is the AB 537 officer on his campus. He has been honored at Santa Cruz Gay Pride twice for his work with LGBTQI youth in the schools of Santa Cruz County. Ron serves as the director the Safe Schools Project and the Middle Schools Project of Santa Cruz County and serves as a consultant to Santa Cruz City Schools, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the University of California at Santa Cruz. Ron can be reach at ron.indra@QYTF.org

 

Help keep PFLAG vibrant, Get Involved

 

You Have A Home In PFLAG

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at Peace United Church of Christ (formerly First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz. Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.com, www.pflagscc.org or call (831) 427-4016.

 

Jeff Sheng

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce
“Out In Sports”
with guest speaker Jeff Sheng from the “Fearless” Project

Tuesday, February 11, 2014
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to hear about Jeff Sheng’s “Fearless” Project. The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour will be dedicated to our February guest speaker.

About Jeff Sheng and the “Fearless” Project

Since 2003, California-based artist and activist Jeff Sheng has photographed over 180 “out” athletes on high school and college sports teams around the United States. Called the “Fearless” project, the series has been exhibited at almost 100 different venues including high school and college campuses, corporations, and sporting events, such as ESPN headquarters, Nike World Headquarters, the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games. The “Fearless” project has been featured on ABC World News Tonight, the NY Times, ESPN.com, and the Huffington Post. On Feb. 11, Jeff will present and speak more about the series and talk about the issue of creating an LGBT-inclusive environment in sports, particularly in our schools.

For more information about the project, please visit www.fearlessproject.org

Text HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Anastasia Torres-Gil

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce that the Tuesday, April 8th meeting will feature
Creating Families through Local Adoption Foster Care

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

PFLAG

Please join us as we discuss adoption and foster care as a way to create warm and loving families in the LGBT Community. Right now in our county, there are amazing kids of all ages who are waiting for wonderful homes. Loving homes are particularly needed for sibling groups and older children.

Learn about the many benefits of fostering and adopting in the County of Santa Cruz.

The first hour of the PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) Santa Cruz County meeting is dedicated to discussion groups, followed by a brief break. The second hour will be dedicated to our April keynote speakers.

April PFLAG-SCC Keynote speakers:

Anastasia Torres-Gil
Resource Family Specialist with the County of Santa Cruz’s Roots & Wings Program, Anastasia helps people interested in fostering and adopting complete the county’s application process. She will also be promoting their new AB 12 Program to support young foster adults age 18-20. Anastasia is the proud fost/adopt mom of two wonderful daughters. www.fostercare4kids.com

Rob Watson
One of the most visible and vocal LGBT foster/adopt parents in the country, Rob has published more than 60 articles on his blog EvolEquals.com, most of which have been picked up by Huffington Voice Gay Voices and major LGBT news outlets. He draws on his experience as a gay man who has battled homophobia and as a recovering alcoholic with more than 30 years sobriety to enhance his depth and breadth as a parent. Rob has two eleven-year old sons, each adopted through Fost/Adopt in Santa Cruz County. They currently reside in the Santa Cruz Mountains with Rob’s partner Jim who has become a loving step-parent to the boys.

Rev. Cordelia Strandskov
Rev. Cordelia began her adoption process in September of 2011, and got the call that a baby was waiting for her in the hospital on November 1, 2012. Baby Bea was a tiny, ‘high risk’ infant when she came home, but is now a (still tiny) active, developmentally advanced toddler! Beatrix Evangeline was officially adopted on September 6, 2013, and is the joy of Cordelia’s life.

Shaun and Mikey Ordinario
It’s almost been a year since Shaun adopted his son Weston. Shaun, his husband Mikey, and Weston have truly shown the world what it means to be a family. Weston was alone and estranged from his biological family due to his sexual orientation. Now he has more family than he ever knew possible.

Text HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

January 2014

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce that our January 14, 2014 speaker will be Brandon Brock from PFLAG San Francisco and PFLAG Napa, speaking about the profound sense of pride that he felt as he walked through DC’s monuments and how it directly related to the National PFLAG Conference in October.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014
7 pm – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
(formerly First Congregational Church)

900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce that our January 14, 2014 speaker will be Brandon Brock from PFLAG San Francisco and PFLAG Napa, speaking about the profound sense of pride that he felt as he walked through DC’s monuments and how it directly related to the National PFLAG Conference in October.

The National PFLAG Conference was an eye-opening experience for Brandon. He will specifically share what he learned about the Reach Program that he feels could be of huge benefit to PFLAG Chapters around the Bay Area.

We all know that our support groups are the “first stop” destination for folks who might be upset, either because of their own coming out journey, or that of a loved one. The most enlightening workshop of the conference was hosted by Dr. Michael LaSala of Rutgers University, a professor of social work. Dr. LaSala’s REACH program provides guidance on what facilitators can do to guide and support distressed parents Brandon’s blog on his trip to Washington is at: http://focusonthefield.blogspot.com/2013/12/equalitycarved-in-marble.html?m=1

Please join us on Tuesday night, January 14, as Brandon shares his experiences of the National Convention and his insights on how we can make our support groups more insightful and powerful, supporting each other as a community.

Text HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

November 2013

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, November 12th meeting “PFLAG-SCC Community Meeting & Vision Circle”

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013
7 pm – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to help chart the course for PFLAG Santa Cruz County. All are welcome!

The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour is dedicated to our November program:

Help plan PFLAG-SCC activities and guest speakers for 2014. Bring your ideas, suggestions, and vision for PFLAG. This is your chapter.

Out in Sports will be the featured topic for February 2014. The PFLAG Annual Holiday Party will be Tuesday, December 10.

xt HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

December 2013

PFLAG Holiday Party & Celebration of Our 2nd Year

Tuesday, December 10, 2013
7 pm – 9:00 pm
Peace United Church of Christ
(formerly First Congregational Church)

900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Bring your family and friends as we celebrate another wonderful year of PFLAG Santa Cruz County in a fun, family atmosphere with potluck dessert and entertainment.

We’ll have decorated tables & fun entertainment — You bring your families favorite holiday dessert!

Help kick off our 3rd year of:

  • Supporting families
  • Monthly Support Groups
  • Monthly Programs
  • Community Outreach

xt HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (recently renamed : Peace United Church of Christ) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz) at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

On These Shoulders We Stand

PFLAG Santa Cruz County presents a community event…

On These Shoulders We Stand
A Film by Glenne McElhinney

Sunday, October 6, 2013
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Nickelodeon
210 Lincoln Street, Santa Cruz

Click image to download flyer

Suggested Donation $6.50

Purchase tickets online at: www.on-these-shoulders.eventbrite.com

No one turned away for lack of funds

A documentary film to support compliance with the FAIR Education Act of 2011

Q & A with special guest Glenne McElhinney, the filmmaker, researcher, and oral historian

“Not everything began with Stonewall. On These Shoulders We Stand is an illuminating historical account of early gay life and activism in Los Angeles told by the people who lived it.”

On These Shoulders We Stand chronicles the lives of eleven LGBT elders from the 1950s into the early 1980s in their groundbreaking activism for the rights of all LGBT people. Contrary to popular belief that the struggle for gay rights was confined to New York City and San Francisco, the film profiles several Los Angeles activists who helped change the course of both California and LGBT history. Viewers will learn how Los Angeles’ gay community has had a national impact on issues as diverse as the first amendment, the entertainment industry and the civil rights movement.

Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act, also known as the FAIR Education Act (Senate Bill 48) and informally described by media outlets as the LGBT History Bill, is a California law signed into law in 2011 which compels the inclusion of the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people into educational textbooks and the social studies curricula in California public schools by amending the California Education Code.

xt HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Taylor Field

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, August 13th meeting “Does It Get Better for Parents: Parental Reactions to Children Coming Out as LGBTQ”

Tuesday, August 13, 2013
7:00 – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Taylor Field

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to hear Taylor Field’s (Oberlin ’15) presentation of her national research entitled “Does It Get Better for Parents”, for which she received an Oberlin College Jerome Davis Research Award, a study grant for field work in the social sciences. Discussion to follow. All welcome!

The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour is dedicated to our August program.

About “Does It Get Better for Parents:  Parental Reactions to Children Coming Out as LGBTQ”

Although the LGBT community is somewhat familiar with each other’s individual parental “coming out” stories, Taylor interviewed 60 parents from around the country about their experiences on first learning that they’d been blessed with a queer son or daughter.

In addition to sharing the serious, heartwarming and often humorous stories of parents dealing with the blooming of their Queer offspring, Taylor has, in her interviews, asked parents about not just their initial actions and reactions, but also about how their feelings and views have changed over time.  Her study focused on how parents felt they should react & the reality of their reactions.  Taylor has put a particular emphasis on transgender children, adult children coming out, and fathers’ reactions.

  • How does one progress from surprise and fear to acceptance and understanding?
  • What is the coming out journey/transition of a parent?
  • How are parent’s stories the same and how are they different, especially in recent years?
  • How do parents look at themselves and judge their own reactions?

About Taylor Field

Taylor is a college junior, originally from Winchester, MA, majoring in Sociology at Oberlin College. She also plans to minor in Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies and Creative Writing. She enjoys all sorts of writing and plays volleyball in her spare time. She also was recently promoted to Managing Editor at the newspaper on campus, The Oberlin Review, for her fifth semester at the paper. She’s also worked at the Office of Environmental Sustainability at Oberlin, helping to spread the word about the importance of sustainability on campus. This spring she plans to study abroad at a social sciences program in Amsterdam.

Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students in an integrated, co-educational environment.

Taylor can be contacted at: tfield@oberlin.edu

PFLAG SCC is honored to host Taylor for the Santa Cruz stop of her national summer “Does It Get Better” PFLAG chapter tour.

Donate $5 to PFLAG. Text HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Ron Idura

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, September 10th meeting “Know Your Rights: What Every Parent Should Know about Safe Schools for LGBTIQ/Ally Youth”

Tuesday, September 10, 2013
7:00 – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Ron Idura

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to hear Ron Indra, Director of the Safe Schools Project, and Lynn Walton, former California Teachers Association State Council & GLBT Caucus member, update PFLAG on California state laws that protect & support all students, including LGBTIQ/Ally students. Discussion to follow. All welcome!

The first hour of the PFLAG Santa Cruz County (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting is dedicated to discussion groups followed by a brief break. The second hour is dedicated to our September program.

Some of the California laws that protect youth include:

  • California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act – AB 537
  • Seth’s Law – AB 9
  • California Gender Non-Discrimination Act – AB 887
  • California FAIR Education Act – SB 48
  • California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Act – SB 71
  • School Success and Opportunity Act – AB 1266 (Takes Effect Jan 1, 2014 – Victory for Transgender Youth!)
  • & more….

About Ron Indra

Ron Indra has lived in Santa Cruz for the past 38 years and has degrees in Political Theory, Philosophy and a JD. He has been teaching for 31 years at Harbor High School and has been nominated as an “Educator of the Year” in California. Ron has been active in the teacher’s union for the past 25 years. In support of students, he founded the GSA at Harbor High 10 years ago and received the “Ally to Queer Youth” award by the Queer Youth Task Force of Santa Cruz County. He is a member of the SCCS Task Force on LGBT issues and helped implement AB537 in his District. Currently, he is the AB 537 officer on his campus. He has been honored at Santa Cruz Gay Pride twice for his work with LGBTQI youth in the schools of Santa Cruz County. Ron serves as the director the Safe Schools Project and the Middle Schools Project of Santa Cruz County and serves as a consultant to Santa Cruz City Schools, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the University of California at Santa Cruz. Ron can be reach at ron.indra@QYTF.org

About Lynn J. Walton

Lynn is a retired middle school and high school math teacher after for 40 years and was active with the California Teachers Association State Council and GLBT Caucus. Currently, Lynn is a member of the CTA’s Santa Clara County Service Center’s Steering Committee and a substitute teacher in the Campbell Union High School District. In Santa Cruz County, Lynn is the Secretary of the local PFLAG chapter and both a Speaker and a Moderator for the Diversity Center’s Triangle Speakers’ Program.

Donate $5 to PFLAG. Text HERO to 81550, and Johnson & Johnson will match your donation.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Santa Cruz County meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm at First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz at 900 High Street in Santa Cruz.

Contact us at pflagscc@gmail.comwww.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016