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

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

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

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

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

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, July 9th meeting will feature The Diversity Center

Tuesday, July 9th, 2013
7:00 – 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 learn about the Diversity Center and the many important programs they offer to the Santa Cruz County community. 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 July program.

The Diversity Center will be sharing about their extensive programming in Santa Cruz County so that parents and the community at-large can access these important programs. Some of the programs offered by the Diversity Center include:

• Santa Cruz LGBTIQ Pride: Produces the annual Santa Cruz LGBT Pride Festival and downtown Pride March. Pride is the largest LGBT gathering in the county.
• Conexiones: The Latino/a program is committed to further expanding the Diversity Center’s accessibility, inclusivity, and outreach to the LGBT Latina/o and Spanish speaking community.
• Triangle Speakers: An LGBT educational speaker’s bureau that works to eliminate the fear, prejudice, and hatred of individuals that are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and their allies.
• Youth Program/STRANGE: A safe space for queer youth and allies to meet and socialize. Program co-run by SCCCC.
• Transgender Program: The Diversity Center offers people who find themselves somewhere on the transgender spectrum a place to meet others, access transgender resources, and explore the possibilities in a respectful and caring environment.
• Senior Program/60 Plus: Holds monthly socials for seniors, performs out-reach to mainstream service providers and needs assessment survey for the LGBT senior community.
• Center Art Gallery: The Diversity Center is proud to feature local LGBTIQ and LGBTIQ-friendly artists at the Diversity Center Art Gallery located at 1117 Soquel Ave.
• Rainbow Veterans of Santa Cruz County: Providing advocacy, recognition, education, support and resources for LGBT active duty personnel, veterans, their partners, family and friends.
• GLBT Business and Professional Mixer: Join us for a great evening of food, beverages, and networking with other GLBT Business and Professionals.
• Resource Directory: Online Resource Directory of people, businesses, and organizations serving the LGBT community of Santa Cruz County.
• Community Center and Library: A place to relax, find community resources and borrow books from their lending library
• “Night at the Museum” Casino Night 2013: Oct. 5, 2013: Save the date!

The Diversity Center guest speakers will be available to answer questions.

About the Diversity Center

The Diversity Center is dedicated to enhancing lives and promoting fairness for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people in Santa Cruz County. Our vision is a healthy, vibrant, and diverse LGBTQ community in Santa Cruz County that is free from fear, hatred, and prejudice.

The Diversity Center is the only LGBTQ Community Center on the Central Coast of California. The Diversity Center produces the 3rd oldest Pride celebration in California and the largest free gathering on the Central Coast.

The Diversity Center serves the larger community through events and has specific programming for teens, seniors and the transgender community. Additionally we have our Triangle Speakers program, which is an educational speaker’s bureau that works to eliminate the fear, prejudice and hatred of LGBTQ individuals and their allies.

For more information about The Diversity Center, please visit www.diversitycenter.org or contact (831) 425-5422.

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Join us as the Diversity Center’s newest young
adults program, Out and Beyond, speaks to PFLAG

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
7:00 – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

The first hour of our meeting is dedicated to support groups, followed in the second hour by our speakers for the evening. Out and Beyond is a young adult group that ranges in age from 18-29 years old. They meet every Friday at the Diversity Center from 5:30pm-7:30pm for a fun game night, followed by a beach bonfire where they connect and find fellowship and belonging. They participate in the LGBTQ Community and do fun activities that promote awareness of LGBTQ issues. Out and Beyond is a wonderful place for them to meet cool and interesting like-minded young adults.

Check them out on Facebook at Out and Beyond-Young Adults, or email them with questions at OutandBeyondCoordinator@gmail.com.

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, April 9th meeting will feature Sharon Papo, new Executive Director of the Diversity Center, and Patti Weiss, Sharon’s mother-in-law

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
7:00 – 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 hear from Sharon Papo, new executive director of the Diversity Center, and Patti Weiss, Sharon’s mother-in-law. Sharon will share her experiences of being a love activist (which led her to get married 8 times to her beloved, Amber Weiss). Sharon will also share how being married has affected her as a spouse, parent and family member. Sharon’s mother-in-law Patti Weiss, will speak about her experience of being a parent. 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 April program.

Sharon Papo

Sharon Papo is a Bay Area native who has been a community activist for over fifteen years. Before joining the Diversity Center, Sharon was the Executive Director of 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic, a multi-service health center in Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco. Sharon has also coordinated the Santa Cruz-based LGBT youth program “STRANGE” and worked as a counselor serving marginally housed youth. Additionally she was a health educator for foster care, homeless and incarcerated youth and served as the Program Director of Puente: Building Between Jews and Latinos. Sharon holds a BA from UC Santa Cruz in Feminist Studies and a Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley with a concentration in management and planning Sharon lives in Santa Cruz, with her wife, Amber Weiss, and their son Skyler.

Patti Weiss

Patti Weiss is a Soquel resident who is a retired neo-natal nurse. Patti is a proud wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. Patti is a talented jeweler and her company is called SHMLEY (See How Much I Love You) Creations. Patti donates all of her jewelry. Patti enjoys cooking amazing feasts, gardening, and putting Martha Stewart to shame with festive holiday decorating.

About the Diversity Center:

The Diversity Center is dedicated to enhancing lives and promoting fairness for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people in Santa Cruz County. Our vision is a healthy, vibrant, and diverse LGBTQ community in Santa Cruz County that is free from fear, hatred, and prejudice.

The Diversity Center is the only LGBTQ Community Center on the Central Coast of California. The Diversity Center produces the 3rd oldest Pride celebration in California and the largest free gathering on the Central Coast.

The Diversity Center serves the larger community through events and has specific programming for teens, seniors and the transgender community. Additionally we have our Triangle Speakers program, which is an educational speaker’s bureau that works to eliminate the fear, prejudice and hatred of LGBTQ individuals and their allies.

For more information about The Diversity Center, please visit www.diversitycenter.org or contact (831) 425-5422.

To reach Sharon Papo, Executive Director of The Diversity Center, call (831) 425-5422 x 101 or email spapo@diversitycenter.org

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, March 12th meeting will feature the Transfamily Support Group

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
7:00 – 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 learn about the Transfamily Support Group and hear from some of the families who have benefited from the group. 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 March program.

Transfamily Support Group

Originally founded by Shane Hill, the Transfamily Support Group has blossomed into a community of parents who are dedicated to supporting and loving one another through the process of their children’s transition. Now led by Heidi Koronkowski, the Transfamily Support Group is a parent-led peer-to-peer opportunity for parents of transgender-identified people to gather and share their experiences with one another as they receive the support they need.

The Transfamily Support Group of dedicated parents has been able to ask the questions, voice the fears, and see that they are not alone while being supported by one another. Through social events for parents and their kids and by providing parent-to-parent support, these once-isolated families continue to develop a thriving community. The Transfamily Support Group is a vital asset to the Santa Cruz families and continues to make an immeasurable impact on the lives of all they touch.

In 2012, the Transfamily Support Group received the Organizational Ally to Queer Youth Award at the 16th Annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards.

For more information, contact Heidi Koronkowski, Facilitator of the Transfamily Support Group, at info@santacruztrans.org or (831) 251-7749 or visit www.santacruztrans.org

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, February 12th meeting will feature LGBT Love Stories: Hear from local LGBT Couples

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

Bring your family and friends, as will be celebrating with a wonderful holiday dessert
reception, and will highlight our first year of meetings.

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to hear from LGBT Couples & their love stories as well as a parent of a high school lesbian couple. 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 February program.

Shaun & Michael (Mikey) Ordinario: “We will never forget May 23, 2008. It was the day that a chance meeting changed both of our lives forever. A chance meeting led to the most amazing relationship either one of us has ever had! We are best friends as well as partners! On July 24, 2010, we were married in front of 90 of our friends and family.”

Nanci Ryker-Judd, mother of Molly Jean Judd, shares about being the mother of a lesbian teen that has her heart set on activism. She will share the joys, the worries & the pride she has for her daughter & her partner, Kayla.

Adam & Scottie: Together since meeting in 2010, Adam and Scottie live together in the Seabright area of Santa Cruz, with their 2 dogs Pumpkin and Penny. Both Adam and Scottie work full time, and outside of work, Scottie is a local artist and Adam volunteers with the Diversity Center. Both Adam and Scottie identify as female to male transgender.

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

PFLAG Santa Cruz County is proud to announce the Tuesday, January 8th meeting will feature the acclaimed documentary “God and Gays: Bridging the Gap”

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
7:00 – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Bring your family and friends, as will be celebrating with a wonderful holiday dessert
reception, and will highlight our first year of meetings.

Please join families from around Santa Cruz County as they come together to watch the documentary “God and Gays: Bridging the Gap” with a discussion to follow. All community members 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 will be dedicated to our January program.

God & Gays: Bridging the Gap explores the religious struggle reconciling sexuality and spirituality. It gets into the head, heart and lives of the people who have found homosexuality and the Bible as their self-defining work. The film wrestles through the eyes and experiences of people wanting a relationship with the very religion that rejects them – Christian (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist) Mormon, Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Muslim and more. No matter the religion, the experience of oppression and repression is the same. Fortunately, many soon find it’s God that brings them out. A content-driven open and honest reflection of what it’s like to be gay and religious in America. Includes Rev. Dr. Mel White, Rev. Deborah L. Johnson, Jason Stuart, Mary Lou Wallner and Darlene Bogle. For more information about the film, visit: www.godandgaysthemovie.com

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016

Join us in celebration of PFLAG Santa Cruz County’s First Year Tuesday, December 11th!”

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
7:00 – 9:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95060

Bring your family and friends, as will be celebrating with a wonderful holiday dessert
reception, and will highlight our first year of meetings.

Help kick off our 2nd year of:

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

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.com, www.pflagscc.org, or call (831) 427-4016