The Rainbow Report recently sat down to speak with Clayton Stover. Clayton is a member of the Saint Albans High School class of 2009. He is the 2nd District Coordinator for the West Virginia Young Democrats and founded the first Young Democrats Club at SAHS. Last fall, he interned at the Obama headquarters in Charleston. In April, Clayton addressed the Kanawha County School Board on the issue of adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the school system’s cultural diversity policy.
Rainbow Report: Hello, Clayton. And thank you for agreeing to talk with us.
Clayton Stover: Thanks for having me.
RR: Overall, how would you describe your experience as an “out” teenager in St. Albans, West Virginia?
CS: I’m not sure “out” would define me, but maybe it does. My friends and my mother know. And other students assume, but I do not “flaunt” my sexuality around. I am Clayton and happen to be homosexual. And my friends and mom have been more than accepting. Of course you have a couple rude people, but you’ll have that anywhere.
RR: But giving a presentation to the Board of Education and appearing in all the local news media is hardly the act of someone who is in the closet. Not a lot of people in a rural state like West Virginia, much less someone who is still a student, would have the nerve to stand up and do something like that. How difficult was it for you once it was actually your turn to step up to the podium and speak?
CS: My nerves were shot minutes before I went up and spoke, but I remembered what I was talking about and why and I felt confident. You start to think how little being nervous means when you know what is at stake.
RR: How old were you when you initially came out and what has the process been like for you?
CS: Well, there wasn’t a specific event or day that I “came out”. I started to realize and accept myself in 10th and 11th grade. It was a long process though.
RR: Have your fellow students been generally accepting of your decision to live openly?
CS: Yes. My fellow students have been great. Every now and then you may hear a rude comment in the halls, but that is expected and I don’t pay attention it now.
RR: How did you come to address the Board of Education on the issue of sexual orientation and diversity? What sort of response have you gotten so far from your teachers and classmates?
CS: I was reading through the handbook and policies and noticed “sexual orientation” was never mentioned, so I thought it would be a good thing to leave behind after I graduate. The response has been really great from everyone.
RR: Most of our readers, and any GLBT person much over the age of 30, will have come of age without the benefit of the internet or of many positive gay role models in the media. How do you think things might be different for GLBT youth today than they were 15 or more years ago?
CS: I think the GLBT youth now, because of the Internet, can be “out” and be more active. Fifteen years ago, no one [in West Virginia] really wanted to address this issue and it was swept under the rug. These teenagers now realize that this is who they are and they are going to demand the respect and acceptance they deserve.
RR: Are there any books, tv shows, movies, or media figures that have been particularly influential in your life?
CS: Hm … I think Rachel Maddow is really great. She is out and very successful with her TV Show. And she doesn’t make her being gay a big deal, like some do. She is a TV Host and she happens to be gay too. A book that I loved reading too was “Leave Myself Behind.”
RR: Last I heard, you were expecting to attend Shepherd University in the fall to study political science … is the still the plan? What are you hoping to do after college?
CS: Yes, that is the plan. I am not quite sure what I am going to do after. I am trying to take it day by day right now. My life has gotten very busy with everything going on now.
RR: What advice would you give to other GLBT students in your age group?
CS: Hm. Some advice I would give is to be yourself, no matter what. Do not be afraid of doing that. It is simple but it was helpful for me.
RR: What do you think Rainbow Pride of West Virginia could be doing to better serve the GLBT youth of our community?
CS: That is a hard task, because the GLBT youths are just now figuring out who they are and they are unsure about a lot of things. So you can’t push things on them, but you still want to encourage them and help them. I think just getting the word out that Rainbow Pride is there would be great.
RR: On a lighter note, now that you’re 18, have you been out to the gay clubs at all? How would you rate the “scene” here in the Charleston-Huntington area?
CS: I have been to Trax and Stonewall. I am not much of a party person myself but it was a nice experience. [laughs] I’m the person that enjoys dinner and a movie much more than the clubs.
RR: Thanks again, Clayton. Everyone here at Rainbow Pride is very appreciative of your activism. And we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
CS: Thank you very much. It was great talking with you!
Dear Friends of Pride,
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
Friends,
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?
http://wvgazette.com/News/200905040128
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.
Thank you,
Seth DiStefano
Organizer, ACLU of West Virginia
Rainbow Pride of West Virginia has a new regional partner in Southern WV Pride, headquartered out of the Bluefield – Princeton area. The organization aims to unite GLBT people in the southern part of the state and, through their outreach efforts, to create a safe place to socialize and get information. They plan to encourage political and social involvement and to act as a voice for the GLBT community in the local news media. Southern WV Pride hopes to give its members a feeling of belonging to the larger GLBT community in West Virginia and to organize social events with the goal of fostering a sense of pride and solidarity.
Click here to visit Southern WV Pride on the web or look them up on myspace
We’re attempting to gauge if there would be any interest in forming a band to march in the Pride parade. We know that *plenty* of us participated in band in high school and college … a few of us may even still have our chops! And we think it’s about time that the Mountain State has it’s own “community” band.
Naturally, we do realize that there probably isn’t enough time to get this organized by June — we’re really shooting for the 2010 parade — but if we hear from enough people over the course of the next month or so, who knows? We could probably make a decent go of it with as few as 10 to 12 horns and a just a couple of drummers. If you can twirl a baton or spin a flag, we need you, too!
Membership will be open to all ages, genders, orientations, and levels of talent. Additional details will be forthcoming as soon as we see what kind of response we’re getting.
If you’d be interested in participating, or if you know someone else who might, please email Daniel at LavenderVanguard@rocketmail.com
Mark your calendars! The next meeting of Rainbow Pride is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, at 6:00 PM. As Pride season approaches, we need everyone who can possibly come to the meetings to participate. Meetings are held in the Community Office in the basement of Asbury UMC, located at 501 Elizabeth St. in Charleston.
Senate Bill 238 has passed the state senate. With a vote of 23 in favor and 10 against this bill will now move to the West Virginia House of Delegates.
We expect this bill to be a hot button issue for those opposed to true equality in West Virginia.
Take action now! We need each of you to make a phone call, email, or postal mail contact with each of your Delegates.
To find your delegates visit the West Virginia Legislature web page at:
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/
At the lower right side of the screen you can type in your zip code to determine who your elected officials are.
If you need to know your zip+4 code you can find it at the United States Postal service website at:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp
Let’s stay positive, and move West Virginia forward on the path to equality.
Yesterday afternoon Senate Bill 238 was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Regrettably, protections for our Transgender brothers and sisters were removed from this bill. The bill originally defined the Transgender community in this bill as “Gender Identity-Actual or Perceived.”
Senate regulations require SB238 to be read on the Senate floor on three consecutive days before a vote. Therefore, the vote should take place sometime Thursday.
We encourage you to call your elected official in the Senate and encourage the passage of any bill that moves the GLBT community forward in West Virginia. You can find a list of Senators at http://www.legis.state.wv.us.
What’s next? Once this bill is passed by the Senate it then moves to the House of Delegates and it will be assigned to a committee. We assume that it will move to the Judiciary committee. Please take the initiative to contact your legislators in the House as well.
Thank you for being a part of the community and taking the courage to come forward and help.
Please see the revised release below! Some things to note. Apparently, due to clerical error at the State Senate the bill was accidentally posted last night, and the Senators introducing the bill were incorrect. The bill is now referred to as SB238.West Virginia Open for Business… Open for All!!
What happened ?
On the second day of the 2009 Legislative session five brave West Virginia legislators introduced Senate Bill 238.
Senators Brooks McCabe (D-Kanawha,) Dan Foster(D-Kanawha,) Eric Wells (D-Kanawha)Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall,)Herb Snyder (D – Jefferson,) all have signed on as sponsors of this legislation.
What this bill means for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community?
This bill will amend existing legislation to include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to existing employment and non discrimination laws.
We expect this bill to move quickly through the Senate and move to the House of Delegates. From that point it may move to the Judiciary or Rules Committees.
You can view a copy of the proposed legislation online at:
As a GLBT West Virginian or as a supporter of GLBT civil rights in West Virginia; what can I do now?
1. Contact the Senators listed above and thank them for taking the lead on advancing fairness in employment, housing and public accommodation in West Virginia for GLBT West Virginians.
2. Contact your legislators and tell them you support this bill.
3. Once you contact a legislator email us so we can track the number of people signing up to support this bill.
Let us know who you spoke to, and what they said. One of the common things that we hear is that nobody from outside of Kanawha County contacts their elected officials on our issues. We need to keep track of the various regions where contacts come from so we can deliver a statewide and community response.
What are the next steps?
We will keep the community notified as to the status of the bill and keep you aware of any public hearings on this issue. Part of getting this legislation through is educating elected officials about our issues, but we need your help. If you would like to get involved in community planning in your area please let us know by emailing us.
Thanks,
Charlie Rouse
Hello,
With pride season just around the corner I would like to announce
some meetings.
1. There is a pageant subcommittee meeting tomorrow at 6:30PM.
2. The following regular meetings have been scheduled.
2/10/2009 at 6 PM
2/24/2009 at 6 PM
3/10/2009 at 6 PM
3/24/09 at 6 PM
4/7/09 at 6 PM
4/14/09 at 6 PM
3. The following board meetings have been scheduled:
2/15/09 at 2:30 PM
3/1/09 at 2:30 PM
3/29/09 at 2:30 PM
4/26/09 at 2:30PM
All meetings are held in our office at 501 Elizabeth Street Room 11
Charleston, WV 25311.
If you have questions on how to get to the office please call (304)
345-9938 or email us at rainbowpridewva@yahoo.com
With the recent bad weather, meeting times may change. Please consult
the yahoo group, pridewv.org or the voicemail line for up to date
meeting information.
Thanks,
Charlie Rouse
