Diversity Thrift (1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220), the thrift store which supports the Gay Community Center of Richmond, is having a clothing sale. All clothing items are only $1 each, with possible exceptions for winter coats and gowns.
The sale runs until this Friday, May 10th. Call 804-353-8890 for more information.
The first Monday of every month, from 7-8:30pm, at the Gay Community Center of Richmond (1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond VA), there is a support group for LGBTQ women. From the description:
“The group is a forum for open discussion about the coming out process for women. Whether you are newly out, still coming out, have been out for a while or are questioning… all are welcomed! The group is sponsored by Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond, (MCC), www.mccrichmond.org and The Gay Community Center of Richmond (GCCR), www.gayrichmond.com”
For more information, contact facilitators Loretta Mountcastle, rollinroletta@aol.com, or Martha Ann Spruill, maspruill@me.com.
Friday, April 19th, from 7-9pm, in the Virginia Rooms of the VCU Monroe Park Campus Student Commons (907 Floyd Avenue, Richmond VA), Queer Action is holding a Day of Silence event. From the event description:
“This event will also double as a masquerade ball, so fell free to dress up or come in your pajamas (there is no required dress code). At the beginning of this event, we will have a ceremonial breaking of the silence, followed by a night of games (board and xbox), mask decorating, limbo, scavenger hunts, queer court elections, and multiple raffles! This event is free and open to all, so feel free to bring all of your friends. Food and refreshments will be served.”
RSVP through the title link.
From GayRVA :
“A local LGBTQ group has received a federal grant to investigate violence affecting sexual minorities in the Richmond Area. The federal grant was given to the Virginia Anti-Violence Program by the Office of Violence Against Women. Southerners on New Ground (SONG), has partnered with The Virginia Anti-Violence Program (VAVP) to identify and engage LGBTQ youth (age 14-20) in conversations about violence and healthy relationships in the hope of understanding and fighting the problem.
The numbers behind violence affecting sexual minority youth reflect a dire need for further investigation. In a community study conducted by the Equality Virginia Education Fund and the Virginia Anti-Violence Project (VAVP), 26% of those asked experienced sexual violence as an adult while 36% experienced sexual violence as a young person. 41% of the respondents had been in an abusive relationship at some time in their life. Salem Acuña, Field organizer for SONG, believes that the lack of discourse on the issue within the community has led to misconceptions about the problem. “the LGBT Movement and community has a difficult time acknowledging and confronting the reality that LGBTQ people are also targets and survivors of intimate-partner violence,” said Acuña. The VAVP, along with SONG, is working towards “breaking down this myth”.
While traditional different-sex relationships have often been the subject of study, this look into same-sex relationships and the violence experiences by partners, is a new and important field. The study hopes to go through several steps to gain a broader understanding of the issues faced, and then use the results to develop narrow questions and topics for focus groups.
According to Jackie Rene, community advocate of VAVP, the survey is the first step to forming the questions for the focus groups. Once this information is gathered, Rene and VAVP hope to understand “where, how, and what kind of information people are receiving about sexual violence and what kinds of information people need.”
In the same study mentioned above, less than 5 out of 59 sexual and/or domestic violence agencies had “knowingly served any LGBTQ people in the twelve months preceding the interviews.” The researchers concluded that “nearly everyone interviewed requested educational materials and training opportunities on addressing violence in LGBTQ communities and expressed interest in participating in a statewide effort to improve and increase services to LGBTQ survivors of violence.”
LGBTQ youth is only one of three groups that the organizations are working on through the grant. LGBTQ people of color, and LGBTQ elders will also be addressed. SONG will be conducting the focus groups for LGBTQ people of color in addressing issues of violence, relationships, sexuality, and race. As far as the scope of the project, “right now it’s only regional”, says Maria Altonen, VAVP Program Coordinator, but “our intention is to, with further funding, spread it statewide.”
“Overall, I think this project is really critical in helping us build healthy, vibrant, and strong LGBTQ communities in the Richmond area”, said Acuña. The VAVP and SONG have begun outreach into the LGBTQ community by bringing their survey to ROSMY, Godfrey’s college night, Virginia Commonwealth University, and putting it online.
Last month, a three-judge panel overturned Virginia’s anti-sodomy law prohibiting consensual oral and anal sex as unconstitutional. Apparently, prosecuters in the case, which involved an adult man soliciting oral sex from a seventeen year old girl, chose to prosecute under the anti-sodomy law, rather than the myriad other laws prohibiting sex with minors. Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli is filing to appeal the decision, meaning, to uphold the constitutionality of the anti-sodomy law.
Given Cuccinelli’s expressed views on sex, specifically homosexuality, we can safely assume that he’s not challenging the ruling for the sake of the seventeen year old, but rather because he prefers that anything other than vaginal penetration be outlawed.
Kate Bornstein - artist, educator, author of Gender Outlaw and other great queer important life-affirming books - has lung cancer. The good news is, it is curable. The bad news is, cures are expensive.
Auntie Kate has helped a lot of people stay alive. You can help her stay alive by donating here.
William and Mary will hold their annual LGBTQIA* Pride Festival Saturday, April 6th, from 3-6pm.
For more information and to RSVP, see the title link.
Next Sunday, March 17th, 7pm, at the Ballroom of the VCU Monroe Park Campus Student Commons (907 Floyd Avenue, Richmond VA), VCU Queer Action is hosting its yearly drag ball, to benefit the Fan Free Clinic.
There will be refreshments, drag performers, door prizes, and more, for a ticket price of $5. This event is open to non-students. Tickets can be purchased at Break Point, in the basement of the Student Commons (address above). They do not accept cash. Break Point will be open during the event, but tickets will not be sold at the door.
The venue is wheelchair accessible and friendly to service animals. The building usually does not have non-sex-specific bathroom facilities, but Queer Action will be furnishing those in the bathrooms across from the ballroom.
Students in the VCU Social Work program are conducting a survey of LGBTQ folks, 18 years or older, who have lived in the Southeast United States for at least one year. Share widely to help them get their data.
