Philadelphia Family Pride’s annual membership meeting will take place as part of our January 2nd Potluck Brunch on Monday, Jan. 2nd, from 11am-2pm at Mishkan Shalom, located at 4101 Freeland Ave. in Philadelphia.
The annual meeting will consist of informal conversations about plans for 2017 and election of board members for the new year. As required in our bylaws, this email serves as notice for the annual meeting as well as the seven day notice required before the board can vote to make the following changes to the bylaws. In an effort to expand the amount of work PFP can take on, the current PFP board is proposing to amend the bylaws and expand the number of seats on the board of directors from the current 10 members to 16 members for 2017 and beyond. All 10 board members from 2016 are interested in staying on for 2017. The returning board members are: – Bryan Berchok – Gina Cline – Gregory Hedler – Gregory Yorgey-Girdy – Joel Nichols – Kelly Durand – Nijah Newton-Famous – Paula Estornell – Sandra Telep and – Sandy DiBerardino The new board members nominated for 2017 are: – Adam Podowitz-Thomas – Angel Brice – Phyllis Chamberlain – Ruby Augustus – Tariem Burroughs and – Terinae Holland Note that while we are adding all six of the new board positions as “members at large” our plans are to pair people with committee chair positions to spread the responsibilities and knowledge of the organization. Here are the details of the four proposed changes. (Find our current bylaws here.) 1. The last sentence of Article IV, Section 1 currently reads: “…The board shall have ten directors, directly elected in the following positions:”We propose changing that sentence to: “The board shall have sixteen directors, directly elected in the following positions:” 2. In the same section Article IV, Section 1, change “Member at Large (2)” to “Member at Large (8)”. 3. The last sentence of Article IV, Section 5 reads “Members at Large will be elected on a single ballot and all members will be eligible to vote for two candidates for that position. ”We propose changing that to read “…vote for eight candidates for that position.” 4. Article IV, Section 6 (Quorum) says that “At least five board members must be present for quorum to permit business transactions to take place and motions to pass.”We propose changing that to read “At least nine board members must be present for quorum…” Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the Jan. 2nd brunch!Kelly Kelly Durand Chair, Board of Directors Philadelphia Family Pride kelly@phillyfamilypride.org
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Philadelphia Family Pride will hold our 7th Annual Family Matters Conference for LGBTQ parents, prospective parents and our kids of all ages on Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in the McNeil Science and Technology Center at the University of the Sciences in West Philadelphia near Clark Park.
Thank you to those who have already registered. If you haven’t already but plan to attend, please register now! The deadline to register kids is Friday, October 21. What’s going on for kids that day? Let’s start with the little kids. For those 0-6 years old, we just confirmed that St. Mary’s Nursery School in West Philly will be providing their staff to play with those age groups on site at the conference. In addition to crafts, games, blocks and some outside time, there will also be a music class appropriate for all – babies to school kids – from 12-12:45pm courtesy of the folks from Rhythm Babies. For kids, tweens and teens 7-18 years old, we are very excited to welcome staff from COLAGE, well known for their programming during Family Week in Provincetown. The day of programs provides opportunities for creativity, recreation and deep discussion while providing a safe environment to connect with other youth about challenges and joys they experience being part of an LGBTQ family. COLAGE has found in over 20 years of providing youth programming, that regardless of a youth’s interests, personality, or experiences, they will have a positive and powerful experience connecting with each other through their programming. Read more about what COLAGE has planned for the day here. The end of the day, from 3-4pm, we will hold the COLAGE Panel: Voices of People in LGBTQ Families. This is an opportunity to hear and learn from our COLAGEr panel about their experiences growing up in an LGBTQ+ family or with a parent coming out. Everyone is welcome and will have an opportunity to ask questions,and create dialogue around the topics that are discussed during the day’s workshops. This is always a powerful COLAGE program so we encourage you to stay, ask questions, and listen. Thank you and don’t forget to register by October 21! The following list was compiled by PFP board member and Free Library of Philadelphia employee Joel Nichols.
Let us know in the comments if there are other books you’d put on this list! In addition to Amazon, please check your local bookstore such as Bindlestiff Books in West Philly, Big Blue Marble Book Store in Mt. Airy or Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni’s Room in Center City. Story of Ferdinand: Leaf, Munro 1936 Little Blue and Little Yellow: Lionni, Leo 1962 Where the Wild Things Are: Sendak, Maurice 1963 A Color of His Own: Lionni, Leo 1975 The Paper Bag Princess: Munsch, Robert 1980 Tacky the Penguin: Lester, Helen 1990 Ella Sarah Gets Dressed: Chodos-Irvine, Margaret 2003 The Family Book: Todd Parr 2003 The Sissy Duckling: Fierstein, Harvey 2005 Rosie Revere Engineer: Beaty, Andrea 2005 10,000 Dresses: Ewert, Marcus 2008 (Some disagreement on our board over this book. What do you think?) My Princess Boy: Kilodavis, Cheryl 2009 Cinnamon Baby: Winstanley, Nicola 2011 Mr. Tiger Goes Wild: Brown, Peter 2013 Wild: Hughes, Emily 2013 Not every princess: Bone, Jeffrey and Lisa 2014 This Day in June: Pitman, Gayle E. 2014 Jacob’s New Dress: Hoffman, Ian and Sarah 2014 Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress: Baldacchino, Christine 2014 Happy in Our Skin: Manushkin, Fran 2015 Red: a Crayon’s Story: Hall, Michael 2015 Worm Loves Worm: Austrian, J.J. 2016 You know PFP’s Family Matters Conference is coming up on Saturday, October 29 at the University of the Sciences in West Philly, but you might not know about these seven exciting things about this year’s event. (Seven since it’s our seventh annual…)
1. Staceyann Chin is our keynote speaker! Haven’t heard of her? She’s a lesbian activist and poet, Jamaican immigrant, single mom and author who’s been featured in the New York Times, on Oprah and is currently starring in her one-woman show in DC “Motherstruck!” Along with her daughter, she started a series of “Living Room Protests” on YouTube addressing social issues of the day. 2. A staffperson from COLAGE will be there to runprogramming for kids, tweens and teens from 7 to 18 years old. They run the popular programming at Family Week in Provincetown. (We also will have child care and activities for babies, toddlers and little kids 0-6.) 3. Workshops on everything from Queer Parenting 101 to Connecting with Your Kids toHow to be a Trans Ally to Social Justice and the Family. See the full list. 4. Info for prospective parents on your journey to parenthood, wherever you are in the process. Experts and professionals also will be on hand to talk about babymaking and adoption options. 5. The Treat Yourself space will be an option for adults again this year, with an added bonus of Yogibo bean bags for relaxing. 6. Mealtime this year will be in the USciences dining hall and is an all-you-can-eat brunch with options for vegan and gluten-free diets. This is included in the price of registration. 7. The event is very affordable, especially if you sign up by October 1 for our early registration fee. Adults who are PFP members are $20 each. Non-members are just $30. After Oct. 1, it’s $30/adult for PFP members and $40 for non-members. All kids 18 and under are free. Child care and brunch are included. Register now at this link and please help us spread the word by sharing this blog post. Welcome to all the #LGBTDNC delegates visiting Philadelphia this week. If you brought your kids, Philly Family Pride, the regional LGBTQ parents group, has a few tips for you on where to take the little (and not so little) ones. All are LGBT-parent friendly. First we’ll go through 5 indoor places under and then five places for the older kids.
Feel free to email PFP director Stephanie Haynes with questions at stephanie@phillyfamilypride.org. 5 places for under the under 5 set It’s HOT, so we’re starting with three indoor places to beat the heat and have fun.
by Sandra Telep
Nearly a decade ago, when my partner and I first began to look into what our options were for starting a family, I was looking to connect with other LGBTQ families. I wanted to hear first hand experiences, get advice from parents who had walked this road, and connect with other prospective parents. Other LGBTQ families weren’t easy to find in the smaller city we resided in at the time, so I sought out community online. Thanks to message boards I was able to connect with other families. From there I discovered a community of bloggers and started my own blog. I loved reading along with other families’ stories and sharing a bit of our own journey. These virtual friends were my tribe as I battled infertility, grieved losses, rejoiced in a long-awaited pregnancy and welcomed our first child into the world. Many of these friendships grew so strong and important that we made plans to meet face to face and introduce our families to each other, sometimes traveling significant distances to see the kids that we had dreamed about together all those years ago now playing together. Blogging for LGBTQ Families has been a lifeline for me. Now, we live in Philadelphia, a much larger city, in a very LGBTQ friendly neighborhood with our six year old and three year old. We are surrounded by other LGBTQ families and our children have never known anything but a community of friends and neighbors made of all different types of families. I know how valuable that is to both us as parents, and our children as they come to understand the world we live in. This is one of the main reasons I serve on the board of Philadelphia Family Pride. I know how lucky I was to begin my parenthood journey in the age of the internet…but I still had to search for and build my community. Philadelphia Family Pride helps build and nurture the community of LGBTQ families in Philly through social events and valuable educational resources for prospective parents and families. Our annual Family Matters Conference includes workshops on legal issues, financial planning, planning for parenthood, and social justice. We look forward to spending time with our friends at some of our favorite social events like camping, the aquarium, Smith Playground, the summer picnic or hiking. PFP really has been a treasure to our family. Just recently I sat on a panel for one of our Maybe Baby group classes, and I was struck, looking around the room at the group of prospective parents. How amazing would it have been when we were researching parenthood to attend a class where we could talk to foster parents, reproductive technology specialists, parents that used known and anonymous donors, surrogacy agency representatives and other people trying to figure out how to build their families – all in one room! I love being a part of an organization that connects LGBTQ families with resources and each other. Philly Family Pride, along with Equality Pennsylvania, the William Way LGBT Community Center and Philadelphia FIGHT sent the attached letter to all members of Philadelphia City Council on May 17, 2016, urging their support of Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed sugary drinks tax of $.03/ounce.
This revenue would expand preK programs for Philadelphia’s underserved children, fund improvements in parks and recreation centers in the city, and pay for proposed community schools, and more. As William Way’s Executive Director testified to on May 18, 2016 in front of Council: “Though on the face of it universal pre-K may not seem like a top issue for LGBT citizens, I have made the case to the LGBT community and its allies that the fate of our educational system is the most pressing issue for LGBT citizens, and all Philadelphians. Universal pre-K will help to level the playing field so that LGBT children, and particularly LGBT children of color, have improved opportunities for their education and thus for their success in society.” In Chris’ written testimony, he also talked about the importance of the programs to LGBTQ parents and our children. Please contact City Council and urge them to support this measure. Thank you! Letter to City Council from LGBTQ groups supporting the Sugary Drinks Tax Here are some excerpts (reposted with permission) from PFP parents and prospective parents on their reactions to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision making marriage equality the law of the land in all 50 states. While we have more work to do, this is a time to celebrate!
E-mail Stephanie with your reactions and photos to her to add! “Thrilled to be able to tell our son today that our family is not lesser! Thank you all who have worked so hard for this victory! I think I’m going to savor the moment, and expand my policy of Don’t. Read. The. Comments. to those four dissents. Love wins.” – Kerry Smith *** “I remember in my early days as a professional activist I was in a meeting discussing the 20/20 plan (marriage equality in 20 states by 2020) and I was not alone in thinking it was overly optimistic and ambitious. So glad to be so wrong. I hadn’t realized what a toll all the hate we’ve been faced with had taken until I opened a feed full of love. Let’s take a moment to celebrate this historic moment when history is moving in the right direction and let it fuel us to fight another day on all the other issues that still need work. #LoveWins #BlackLivesMatter” – Sandra Telep, PFP Vice-Chair *** “Now it means so much more!” – Abby and Cheri, pictured with their marriage license in Delaware. *** “In college back in 2003, I gave a speech in class about marriage equality. At that point no states had legalized same-sex marriage and the Netherlands were the only country in the entire world that allowed it. If I gave the same speech today I would get an F. And that is a good thing.” – Matthew Helm *** “Legal at last with my husband Bryan Berchok. Thank you all for the support!” – John Ferraro *** “What a great day for a great decision. Liz Petersen and I often comment that our role in this gay rights movement is to just do what we are doing. Raising our amazing kids and loving and caring for each other and our family. Other people around us see us struggling w/ homework, a new puppy, how much Pokemon should b allowed – all really important issues that all families have even straight ones. Being married allows life to keep going w/out having to explain who we are. Thanks SCOTUS.” – Shannon Dougherty *** “So happy for my friends in my home state of Texas and elsewhere. Let’s celebrate today and get back in the fight for the rest of our rights tomorrow.” – Stephanie Haynes, PFP Director *** “I’m going to like and share just about every gay thing I see today! Sorry, not sorry! You couldn’t tell me even just a few years ago that there’d be marriage equality in all 50 states by 2015. So thankful for those who tirelessly fought for our rights. #marriageequality #lovewins” – Sandy Gilardi, PFP board member *** “Never thought I’d see this day in my life time! I can’t even tell you how over joyed I am.” – Doug Metcalfe, former PFP Chair *** “Today history was made. Not because LGBT people fought and begged for it. It was made because the hearts and minds of our straight friends and family evolved and they took up the fight for us. It takes the majority. This is a victory for everyone. Thank you.” – Michael and Lou GrowMiller by Sandra Telep Today we are hosting a guest post by Amy Williams a social worker who specializes in helping parents understand how to navigate technology and the digital life that their tweens and teens are immersed in. This issue is fresh in our minds after last year’s conference theme was “Our Families and the Future” and there were many discussions about social media and their impact on our children’s futures. I hope our members find this infographic helpful. -Sandra Telep, Vice-Chair Social media has been popular among teens for quite a few years now, but for LGBT teens and children of LGBT parents, the issues run deeper than that – one message copied and spread without their consent could reveal their orientation in front of their peers before they’re ready, and that’s a big problem. Unfortunately, many teens are exposed to shaming and gender stereotypes on social media everyday, and aren’t aware of the dangers until something goes badly wrong – but those who care are constantly looking for new ways of improving their privacy. If your teen is worried about how they’ll be treated at school – which is perfectly understandable, given their increased chance of being bullied – you may want to keep a closer eye on what they’re saying and help them understand how a message they post without thinking could wind up hurting them. Effective monitoring software can help you keep an eye on what’s going on until they’re ready to handle it on their own. Therapy Center of Philadelphia, in partnership with Philadelphia Family Pride, is launching a new eight-week information and support group for LGB women and transgender communities considering parenthood. It starts March 30th and will run weekly on Monday nights through May 18. A similar group for cisgender gay and bisexual men is in the works for another location in the fall.
“Starting a family as a queer or trans* person can be overwhelming and scary. The Maybe Baby group will help members learn about resources, share experiences, and support the process as they move along their journey into parenthood. TCP is thrilled to finally be able to offer a group like this in Philadelphia” said Alison Gerig, TCP’s executive director. Maybe Baby offers an 8-week support group experience that will provide information from legal, financial, and medical experts, as well as emotional, social and community support. Members will come out with a sense of their options, how to navigate the process as a queer or trans* person, and connection with others on a similar journey. “Our prospective parent information sessions at our past annual conferences have been very popular. This group is an attempt to provide a more comprehensive approach than can be done in a few hours in one day,” said Philadelphia Family Pride Executive Director Stephanie Haynes. Meetings will take place on Monday evenings from 6-7:30pm at the Therapy Center of Philadelphia office at 1315 Walnut Street from March 30 to May 18. The group will be co-facilitated by Monique Walker, PhD, MFT and Julie Lipson, MA, MT-BC. Cost for participation for the full eight weeks is $240/couple ($120/individual) for Philadelphia Family Pride members or $320/couple ($160/individual) for non-PFP members. Those not already PFP members can join for $25/year on our web site www.phillyfamilypride.org. To register or for more information contact the Therapy Center of Philadelphia at 215-567-1111. Therapy Center of Philadelphia nurtures individual well-being and personal growth by providing high-quality, affordable psychotherapeutic services in a feminist environment for women and transgender communities. We create this feminist environment through supporting client empowerment, collaboration, a de-emphasis on diagnosis, and on the recognition that the way in which we experience oppression is influenced and shaped by our concurrent identities. Philadelphia Family Pride is a non-profit membership organization for LGBT parents, prospective parents and their children in the greater Philadelphia region. |
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