Tuesday December 1st is World AIDS Day and we here at PrideWV hope that you can do your best to show your support for those affected by this disease.
Below is a list of events in West Virginia that we are currently aware of. If you know of an event in your area, please feel free to reply to this email and we’ll do our best to spread the word.
Charleston Covenant House
5:00 PM YogAID with Dan Connery
Asbury United Methodist Church
501 Elizabeth St
Charleston, WV
$10 suggested donation
6:00 PM Service – Asbury United Methodist
6:30 PM Candlelight procession to the Living AIDS Memorial Garden
1600 Block Washington Street East
Refreshments provided by Food Among the Flowers
7:00 PM -Adjourn
Morgantown
Caritas House
7:00 PM – Candlelight Vigil/Walk
Meet at Mt. Lair. Proceeds to County Courthouse Square at 7:30.
Speakers and refreshments provided.
Huntington Tri-State AIDS Task Force
Open house
11:00am – 5:00pm
1038 6th Avenue
Huntington, WV
Come and get to know the Tri-State AIDS Task Force
Heidi Richardson Evans, author of Daisybones.com and 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.
Blogathon is an annual charity round-up of bloggers who live-blog for 24 hours, collecting pledges and sponsorships for the organization they choose.
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?
We’re 16 days out until the 13th Annual West Virginia Pride Parade and Festival! Get your calendars ready and your hotel reservations booked.
Click event banner below for Calendar listing
Keep in mind that we have two events that will sell out! Tickets are now available for purchase online and we highly suggest that you reserve your tickets now.
Miss Rainbow Pride of West Virginia 2009
The Clay Center, One Clay Square, Charleston, WV 25301
May 29th 2009. 6:00pm
That’s right. Ms RPWV 2009 will be at the Clay Center this year! Join us in our largest venue in RPWV history at West Virginia’s premiere facility to the Arts and Sciences. This WILL sell out!
$15/person Order Ticket
$70/table (includes admission for 4 attendees) Order Ticket
Power of One Award Dinner
Charleston House – Holiday Inn, 600 Kanawha Blvd East, Charleston WV
Each year, Rainbow Pride of West Virginia recognizes an individual who has proven invaluable to the LGBT community in West Virginia. Join us for dinner and a keynote speech delivered by this year’s reciepient of the award.
$35 includes dinner with vegetarian options – Order Ticket **Purchase of tickets to this event includes admission to the After Party, The Rainbow Party, in the lounge from 9pm to 12pm.**
With the 2009 Season upon us we are hoping that you might consider donating your time to volunteer at an event this year. Volunteering at a pride event is a great way to make new friends, give back to your community, and provide help to our modest core of volunteers. I do hope you will consider giving your time to help create a better community.
Below are the events that are produced by Rainbow Pride of West Virginia. Don’t see the event you want to work at below? Chances are the event is produced by one of our partner organizations. For clarification please feel free to contact me at crouse@pridewv.org
Thanks,
Charlie Rouse
2009 Volunteer Signup
Event: Miss Pride of WV/ Charleston
Date: 5/29/09, Friday
Time: (5PM setup)-11PM
Number of volunteers needed: 10
Volunteer staff needed for ticket booth sales, pride merchandise table, backstage assistance, and other activities to be determined by the Pageant Director. We are looking for volunteers to donate 2-4 hours of their time or more to the event. Contact pageant director Jeremy Elswick at jelswick@pridewv.org for more information
Event: Rainbow Run for Covenant House/ Charleston
Date: 5/30/09, Saturday
Time: Setup time (7:30 PM) take down time (Noon or 1PM)
Number of volunteers needed: 2
Volunteers needed to staff pride merchandise table and informational booth. Primary responsibilities include selling flags and tee shirts, distributing informational flyers, and answering questions about 2009 Pride Season Events. We are looking for volunteers to donate 2 to 4 hours for this task. Contact Charlie Rouse at crouse@pridewv.org for more information.
Event: Huntington Pride Picnic/ Huntington
Date: 5/31/2009, Sunday
Time: Setup time (9:00AM- tear down time 5PM)
Number of volunteers needed: 15
Volunteers needed for ticketing sales, merchandise and informational booth, grill staff, entertainment staff. Volunteers needed to donate their time to do, ticket sales, provide general information about events, cooking and setup and take down of equipment. Contact Charlie Rouse at crouse@pridewv.org for more information.
Event: Interfaith/ Charleston
Date: 6/1/2009, Monday
Time: Setup time (5:30 PM and event ends at 7:30)
Number of volunteers needed: Varies
Volunteers needed for ushering and reception setup. Please contact David Shumate or Andy Ragland at maragland@citynet.net
Event: Pride Open House/ Charleston
Date: 6/1/09, Monday
Time: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Number of volunteers needed: 2
Volunteers needed to distribute information in the Pride Office space. Contact Charlie Rouse at crouse@pridewv.org for more information.
Event: Womyn’s Night At Appalachian Power Park/Charleston
Date:6/5/2009
Time:7PM Setup- until event end
Number of volunteers needed: Varies
Volunteers needed to assist with admission area, and show staff. Contact Caroline Starr-Wills at cstarrwills@pridewv.org.
Event: Mister Pride of WV Contest, Charleston
Date: 6/5/2009
Time:Varies
Number of volunteers needed: Varies
Volunteers needed for back stage staff, and informational table. Volunteers asked to donate 4 to 8 hours for this event. Please contact Jeremy Elswick for more information at: jelswick@pridewv.org
Event: Power of One Dinner
Date: 6/6/2009
Time: 6PM to 9PM
Number of volunteers needed: 2 to 4
Volunteers needed for ticketing and admission area for event. Volunteers are asked to dontate 3 Hours for this event. Contact Charlie Rouse at crouse@pridewv.org for more information.
Event: The Rainbow Party
Date: 6/6/2009
Time: 9PM to Midnight
Number of volunteers needed: 2 to 4
Volunteers needed to assist with admission area for event. Volunteers are asked to donate 2 to 3 hours for this event. Contact Charlie Rouse at crouse@pridewv.org for more information.
Event: 2009 Parade and Festival
Date: 6/7/2009
Time: 8AM-5PM
Number of volunteers needed: 15
Volunteers needed to assist with festival staging and setup, informational and merchandise tabling, providing assistance to attendees, and assistance with Parade lineup. Volunteers are asked to consider donating a hour of their time to assist with this event. For more information contact Charlie Rouse at: crouse@pridewv.org
Despite the fact that just last week, the House of Representatives passed a transgender inclusive hate crimes Bill (Special thanks to Representatives Rahall and Mollohan), and
Despite the fact that last week the Maine State Senate voted out a Marriage equality bill for their state’s LGBT community, and
Despite the fact that a growing number of Americans support equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, and
Despite calls from moderates within the Republican party to bring an end to the exclusionary principles that got them creamed in the 2006 and 2008 elections, what does the WV State Republican Party do?
That’s right. State Republicans in the House of Delegates have called on Governor Joe Manchin to add to the upcoming special session, legislation that would create a special election referendum defining marriage.
You may remember the promoters of this initiative trying to pressure the Governor like this before. He didn’t give in then, and we need to make sure he doesn’t give in now. Please, call the Governor’s office and ask him not to include this legislation in his special session agenda.
The number is 1.888.438.2731
Email: Governor@WVGov.org
Be sure to keep a polite and civil tone with whomever you speak with and in your email. Additionally, it will go a long way to point out that the Governor did not give in to this demand last fall, and he should remain consistent in NOT putting this issue on a special session agenda.
Just received word from the HRC that the US House has just passed Hate Crimes legislation, the Matthew Shepard Act. This legislation includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from bias-motivated hate violence.
As West Virginians, be aware of the following:
BOTH Representatives Nick Rahall and Allen Mollohan voted for Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Bill (HR 1913); Shelley Moore Capito voted with the Republican mainstream against the bill.
I repeat:
Shelley Moore Capito AGAINST the Matthew Shepard Act
This is far from over, we’re now awaiting a vote from the US Senate. Do your part.
It what seems like yet another reminder that younger generations can teach us a lot about ourseleves, a St. Albans High School student, Clayton Stover, petitioned the Kanawha County school board members to add sexual orientation to the school system’s cultural diversity policy.
We are humbled by such incredible courage to stand before such an audience, let alone live day to day in an environment as brutal as high school, while advocating for justice for ALL people…including those who are so easily maligned verbally and physically assaulted.
31st District House Delegate Carrie Webster also sent a letter to the Kanawha County Board of Education offering support of this addition.
School board general counsel Jim Withrow said the school system is already revamping its diversity policy. About four months ago, a group of teachers suggested the school board include sexual orientation in the policy, he said.
Board members could vote on the revisions as early as next month, he said.
Thank you Clayton for your courage to speak up. We are inspired.
The Huffington Post reports that the “White House officials said that tickets for Monday’s Easter Egg Roll event were distributed to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organizations, but did not specify how many or to which ones. Representatives from Family Equality Council, Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and other groups confirmed they were invited and encouraged to have their members participate.”
“The Obama administration actually reached out to us as an organization, and said we want gay families there, and they are an important part of the American family fabric,” said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Boston-based Family Equality Council, which is helping spearhead the effort to organize families to attend.
Chrisler said Tuesday she expects more than 100 gay and lesbian-headed families to take part in the egg roll.
This might not seem like a big deal but a little bit of recognition and validation goes along way. For once, we’re are being included. THIS is how you make progress.
The Employment Non-Discrimination legislation failed in the WV legislature. While this is terribly disappointing, we need to keep our heads up and realize a few things.
1) We’ve successfully defeated a ban on gay marriage through an amendment to the West Virginia Constitution (amazing!). Thanks House of Delegates!
2) Vermont overrode the Governor’s veto on a bill allowing gay marriage! This victory is a FIRST in the United States wherein marriage was passed via the Legislative process (which is optimal) and not through a court decision.
3) The District of Columbia voted now to recognize gay marriages from other states!
While we’re all disappointed about WV ENDA, we’ve made significant progress towards toward validation and equality.
So, do you want to get involved? There are two groups in West Virginia that are leading the fight.
