We did it! Blogathon was a huge success! Thanks!
We did it!
We met our goal and then some! Simply amazing beyond words! A BIG Thanks to Heidi Evans, who spent 24 hours blogging for the benefit of PrideWV! Thanks to all of the sponsors!
more info —
Heidi Richardson Evans, author of Daisybones.comand Charleston, WV artist, is blogging for RainbowPride of WV in this year’s Blogathon.
Heidi has been blogging about her life and art for four years and displays her digital and mixed media art at area venues as well as her online shop.
She has been active in LGBTQ activism since her teens and is especially proud to support queer visibility in Appalachia.
As usual, if you have any questions, shoot us an email at contact@pridewv.org.
Local Author Blogs for PrideWV Benefit
Heidi Richardson Evans, author of Daisybones.com and Charleston, WV artist, is blogging for Rainbow Pride of WV in this year’s Blogathon.
Heidi has been blogging about her life and art for four years and displays her digital and mixed media art at area venues as well as her online shop.
She has been active in LGBTQ activism since her teens and is especially proud to support queer visibility in Appalachia.
You can sponsor Heidi’s blog here, in a lump sum of any amount or pledge an amount-per-post. How long can this post-thirty mama stay up now that finals week is a thing of her past?
Vacation Bible School / Block Party – Mighty Hand Fellowship
Mighty Hand Fellowship (an LGBT friendly Christian church in Charleston WV) will be holding two events in early August.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!
August 3rd –7th 2009
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Singing * Dinner * Lesson * Arts & Crafts * Games
NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH BLOCK PARTY and GIVE-A-WAY
Saturday August 8th 2009 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Music * Free hot dogs, chips and drinks * Free clothing and more * Children’s Activities
Mighty Hand Fellowship is located at:
805 Bigley Ave. Charleston, WV 25302
Phone: 304-380-1792
Pride committee seeks your input!
Rainbow Pride of West Virginia is a non-profit organization that exists to serve the LGBT community. This past Tuesday we had our Pride ‘09 “Wrap-up” meeting, where we discussed the pros and cons of the various events that made up Pride Week. Several interesting points were made and we talked about some new ideas for 2010. Now it’s your turn. What were some of your favorite things about Pride ‘09? Where do you think we could use some improvement? What would you like to see changed or added for next year?
Remember, the Pride committee is here for your benefit. We don’t know how we’re doing unless you let us know. So please feel free to share! We want to hear the good *and* the bad. Leave a comment on this post, drop us a line on facebook or myspace, or email us at contact@pridewv.org
Outrage in Texas
Maybe we were wrong …
Forty years later, when reading about the events surrounding the Stonewall riots, we’ve all thought something like, “boy, we’ve come a long way …” Police don’t raid gay bars for no good reason anymore, do they? Police don’t beat up gay people without any apparent fear of repercussion, do they? And the police chief wouldn’t use the gay panic defense to support the actions of his officers, would he?
Apparently so. Recently, in this season where the world’s gay community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, that’s exactly what happened in Fort Worth, Texas. And one man is still in the hospital with brain injuries as a result.
You can read more about it in The Daily Dish from the Atlantic
And be sure to check out columnist and activist Dan Savage’s take on the issue
The good news is that internal affairs has launched an investigation into the raid and the Fort Worth PD has suspended joint operations between Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for the time being. This article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram details some of the events that have been happening in the wake of the raid.
I guess we still can’t let our guard down. These cops, based upon the eyewitness accounts, were no less brutal and no less homophobic than their bretherin from 40 years ago. Sure, this probably wouldn’t have happened today in New York or California, but what about West Virginia? If the police should happen to come into your bar in a manner such as this, you should stay out of their way, do exactly what they tell you to do, and don’t give them any reason to want to hit you. On the flip side, get out your phone and take plenty of pictures and videos. You may not be able to fight back in the moment, but you can make sure people know that in this day and age, the whole world really is watching.
08/11/09 — an update: In light of TABC report, raid at Fort Worth gay bar looks uglier