Friend, 2022 is here! That means it’s time to renew your membership, apply for or donate to college scholarships, and, as always, continue to celebrate and support our LGBTQ+ community. This month’s newsletter is chock full of news and opportunities for doing just that.
Thank you to everyone who joined PFLAG SDC or renewed their memberships last month. Memberships expire at the end of the year, so if you haven’t already done so, please take the time to renew your membership or become a member for the first time. Our members strengthen our voice to support our LGBTQ+ friends and family and continue our work promoting acceptance and equality. Also, any donation you choose to make is tax deductible.
PFLAG National AAPI Community Support Meeting
PFLAG National is proud to continue the successful launch of PFLAG Connects: Communities with its newest meeting for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Community. These virtual support meetings are for all parents and family members of LGBTQ+ people who are part of the AAPI community and LGBTQ+ AAPI individuals themselves.
PFLAG Connects: Communities are completely free to join and are open to folks within and outside of PFLAG. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, January 8th at 3pm PT. You can Register here.
If you know someone who would benefit from these meetings, please share this newsletter with them.
🎂 Happy 40th Birthday, PFLAG San Diego County 🎉
That’s right! PFLAG SDC was born in 1982 under the guidance of founders Lillian Rubin (pictured above) and husband Hy Rubin.
Shortly after their son came out to them, Lillian and Hy learned about PFLAG. Following their first meeting in Los Angeles, Lillian became hooked. After several unsuccessful attempts to start a chapter in San Diego, parents, families, and friends slowly began to “come out” and thus, the San Diego chapter of PFLAG was born. They started out with only 15 members and now we have six support groups throughout San Diego County!
Without any prior experience with the gay community before her son came out, Lillian proudly marched in the Annual San Diego Gay Pride parades (back in the day when participants wore paper bags over their heads to protect themselves from being fired or outed). She also became an acknowledged spokesperson on LGBT issues in the media and at educational and civic organizations throughout Southern California. The Los Angeles mayor’s office awarded her a letter of commendation. Lillian won the admiration of thousands who she motivated and shared her knowledge of LGBT issues. We can look back now and appreciate Lillian’s persistence to put PFLAG SDC on the map.
Hopefully, we will be able to celebrate properly later in the year when we are able to meet in person!
Pledge To Take The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey 🏳️⚧️
The U.S. Trans Survey (USTS) is the largest survey of trans people in the United States. The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans people in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The request is for all trans people ages 16 and up to complete. It’s inclusive of people of all trans identities, including binary and nonbinary trans identities.
The USTS is the main source of data about trans people for the media, educators, policymakers, and the general public, covering health, employment, income, the criminal justice system, etc. Most importantly, is that the reports have been a vital resource, including the reports on the experiences of people of color and reports by state.
The last time the survey was taken, in 2015, nearly 28,000 trans people responded, making it the largest survey of trans people in the U.S. A lot has happened since then – and it’s time to conduct the USTS again in 2022.
More than ever, it’s important to ensure that trans voices will shape the future.
This survey will help USTS continue to be the largest, most diverse sample across all identities. Please spread the word to ensure that people of color, older people, those who live in rural areas, immigrants, Spanish speakers, and those who are HIV+ hear about the survey.
The link to take the survey will be available in February, 2022 and we will be posting it in next month’s newsletter, on Facebook, and our website. But you can also sign a pledge now to complete the survey, which will put you on the mailing list to receive updates directly when it is available.
🎭 LGBTQ Arts Educator Mixer 🎨
On January 18 from 4:30-6:30 pm, all LGBTQIA visual and performing educators can come together to learn the new landscape and reconnect after almost two years apart. Co-hosted by San Diego Pride, The VAPA Foundation, Diversionary/Teenversionary, Queer Youth Chorus, Pride Youth Marching Band, and Pride Youth Art Show, the idea is for LGBTQIA youth-serving arts programs to re-emerge better if the community knows who they are and what resources and programs are there for those they serve. It is suggested to bring business cards and program flyers to help one another get to know the LGBTQIA arts community again. The mixer is at insideOUT, 1642 University Avenue in Hillcrest. There will be light Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. To RSVP: https://sdpride.org/event.
👕 Trans Clothing Swap 👚
HIV Advocate Prizila Vidal and TransFamily Support Services are teaming up for this event on Saturday, January 22 from 3-5 pm. Location: Good to Go San Diego, 3830 Park Boulevard in Hillcrest. For questions, contact info@transfamilysos.org.
Buildout Is Back 🏠
PFLAG SDC will again be partnering with Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, January 29 and we would love for you be a part of our team. Contact Terrie or Tiffany, below, to volunteer.
Volunteer opportunities are at the Escondido ReStore and National City ReStore. The work entails organizing the stores as new donations come in. We even did some painting one year. No “skills” are needed. Pictures above are from previous years’ BuildOUT.
This is a fun way to serve our community in the new year. Please join us to spread some Happy New Year!
Terrie at tvorono@pflag.com
Tiffany at tgonzalez@pflag.com
💲Time To Apply For PFLAG SDC Scholarships
Once again, PFLAG San Diego County is offering scholarships to LGBTQ students who reside in San Diego County. The application, requirements, and other scholarship-related info is on the PFLAG SDC website, pflag.com/scholarships. The deadline to apply is March 21, 2022.
Our goal is to maximize the amounts of the scholarships and to award more scholarships. You may donate any time: pflag.com/support-our-students and either donate to the General Scholarship Fund or a specific scholarship. New this year, we are offering a recurring monthly donation option.
We are maintaining our commitment that 100% of funds donated for scholarships goes to students. All donations are 100% tax deductible (tax ID# 33-0512868). For 2021, we awarded a record 14 scholarships totaling $35,000. Two out of the 14 are specifically designated for community college students. We will be offering at least as many scholarships in 2022.
We appreciate you spreading the word to LGBTQ high school seniors and full-time undergraduate/graduate students to apply for PFLAG scholarships. Half-time applicants will be considered with an explanation of the circumstances that prevents them from attending full-time. A minimum of $2,000 will be awarded per scholarship.
Our motto is “Change a life, change the world.” Please help us continue to change lives. For questions, contact scholarships@pflag.com.
Where Is The U.S. In Banning Conversion Therapy? 🤷
France’s parliament has voted to follow Canada, 20 U.S. states and five other nations in outlawing conversion therapy. That’s right — more than half of the states in the U.S. still allow this harmful practice. There are many countries who have a partial ban on conversion therapy, while within those countries there are some parts of the country that have a total ban.
For anyone unfamiliar with conversion therapy, it’s the practice of attempting to change or “cure” an LGBTQ person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It is sometimes called “reparative therapy” or “gay cure therapy.”
Unlike some U.S. states that still allow religious counselors and organizations to engage in conversion therapy, the seven nations have no exemptions for religious or any other groups or medical practitioners.
As France’s Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, Élisabeth Moreno, put it, “…being yourself is not a crime.”
Returning To The Office In 2022?
Here’s a helpful guide to talking about pronouns at work
As more workplaces are opening up to in-person work, opportunities for introductions will be on the rise. This includes navigating the pronoun landscape with both new people and those who may have changed the way they refer to themselves since you last saw them in person. That’s where this handy visual guide from Harvard Business Review can come in handy. With eye-catching graphics illustrating multiple common questions and answers about pronouns, it’s a great refresher before returning to the office, and a resource that can be easily shared.
Bobbi Harwood Honored With Red Ribbon Award
At the World AIDS Day Tree of Life Ceremony on December 1, Bobbi Harwood received Mama’s Kitchen Red Ribbon Award. Bobbi served as President of PFLAG San Diego County, not once, but twice!
Bobbi started volunteering at Mama’s Kitchen in 1998 – 23 years ago! After years of delivering meals to homebound HIV/AIDS clients and other needed tasks, Bobbi now works in the kitchen preparing meals for delivery. Besides HIV/AIDS clients, Mama’s Kitchen now services clients with cancer, diabetes, and other critical illnesses.
🕎 PFLAG SDC Came Home For The Holidays 🎄
After a one-year absence, The San Diego LGBT Center produced another successful Come Home for the Holidays. In previous years, each organization brought its own goodies to distribute. This year, due to the pandemic, the food was supplied by The Center. Organizations distributed their love and literature, while there were bears being handed out by the Metropolitan Community Church, and art and crafts for kids up to age 24! Each organization was honored with a candle to celebrate the occasion. Terrie Vorono, past president, accepted the candle from Naya Velazco, Transgender Services Coordinator at The Center (bottom).
Pride Grants 🏳️🌈
PFLAG San Diego County was among 27 recipients of grants awarded by San Diego Pride at their mixer on December 16. With this award and our grant from the Prism Foundation, we will be able to translate LGBTQ+ resources into AAPI languages. We are hoping more grants are headed our way!
Attending the Pride Mixer were board members Tiffany Gonzalez, Terrie Vorono, Henry Babcock, and Sherry Cohen-Richards.
Got Youth? Check Out Q Chat Space 💬
Transition times can be a challenge for anyone–but especially for LGBTQ+ youth, and most especially when they have family who might not be supportive. Q Chat Space, a program partnership of PFLAG National, CenterLink, and Planned Parenthood, is a safe, chat-based online space where queer youth can connect with each other. With safe facilitators, and no cameras, this program has been going strong and has multiple sessions each week.
Visit qchatspace.org to learn more, find a session, and help get youth connected!
PFLAG T-Shirts for Sale!
Make a fashion statement! For sale are PFLAG San Diego County 100% cotton T-shirts. It’s a mauve shirt with the PFLAG SDC logo on the back and a heart with the word “family” in different languages on the upper right on the front. Shirts can be purchased for $10 each. Sizes are Small through X-Large. To purchase, please contact scohenrichards@pflag.com.
Support Groups
❗️Note: some support group information has changed since last month
Support groups will continue to meet virtually until further notice. Check individual group for details. We encourage you to contact your support group facilitator at any time, as they will remain excellent resources for information. The support group locations, dates, and times will continue to be posted on the PFLAG San Diego County Facebook page. You can join in any of the digital meetings. For Zoom links, contact each support group.
Do You Shop On Amazon?
If you have an account with Amazon, you can help our chapter every time you shop. Go to smile.Amazon.com and search for PFLAG San Diego County. For every purchase, our chapter will receive .05% of the dollar amount of the order. This may not sound like a lot, but it adds up. So turn your Amazon habit into support for PFLAG!
Our Vision
PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Our Mission
By meeting people where they are and collaborating with others, PFLAG realizes its vision through: Support for families, allies and people who are LGBTQ+; Education for ourselves and others about the unique issues and challenges facing people who are LGBTQ+; Advocacy in our communities to change attitudes and create policies and laws that achieve full equality for people who are LGBTQ+.
