Trans Charlotte woman gunned down
A 34-year-old transgender woman and business owner from Dunn, N.C., Monika Diamond, was shot down in Charlotte, N.C. in front of local police while she was in the back of an ambulance where medics were attempting to keep her alive. Diamond was being treated for shortness of breath.The incident took place in the parking lot of a Days Inn motel on Woodlawn Rd., LGBTQ Nation reported. Prentice Bess has been arrested and charged with the murder. The case is being investigated. This murder becomes the fourth of violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming individual in the U.S. this year.
info: bit.ly/2Ut8tiA.
Stonewall creates assistance fund
The board of directors of Stonewall Sports Charlotte has created the COVID-19 Grocery Assistance Fund. It is available for a limited time to assist the organization’s family members who have been hardest hit. The fund will provide a $250 Food Lion gift card to eligible individuals (limit one per person). Eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis in the order in which they are received. To be considered, one needs to be an active or previous Stonewall Sports Charlotte member and stopped employment (or furloughed) temporarily or permanently as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. Application is available online.
info: bit.ly/2yiJ5nf.
Museum seeks fellow
Elsewhere Museum in Greensboro, N.C. is seeking to hire Creative Catalyst Fellow in Community Engagement to reactivate Greensboro’s The Porch Project: Black Lunch Tables created by artist Heather Hart in 2015. Fellows are provided competitive paid year-long opportunities in education and community-building and participate in an online certificate course, mentoring, networking and the annual Artivate Summit. The person selected will work closely with and be mentored by Elsewhere’s professional team while researching the impetus behind the project, connecting with the artists for insight and creating community connections to aid Elsewhere in finding a sustainable activation for the public artwork. Duties include awareness of community issues and working with members to increase engagement initiatives. A willingness to grow citizen engagement, strong written and verbal communication, experience in community organizing, and a creative, resourceful approach to problem-solving are essential parts of the Fellowship. Applications are due by April 3 and are available online.
info: bit.ly/2wO0dRf.
MCC reveals online services
Metropolitan Community Churches has provided its member congregations with online worship resources during the COVID-19 lockdown. They include online worship, tips for sensory-rich live streaming, how to live stream a service, how to do church online, how to go live in four easy steps, Zoom video conferencing tutorial (beginner’s guide), using Zoom 101, avoiding YouTube copyright strikes and copyright issues to keep in mind when live streaming from one’s ministry. Other support is provided from the fellowships staff and organizers, like using Facebook Live. Additional outside resources are also provided such as streamingvideoprovider.com, boxcast.com, streamingchurch.tv, dacast.com and sermoncast.com. Email resources@mccchurch.net for more information.
info: mccchurch.org.
Hate groups on rise
NBC News has reported that anti-LGBTQ hate groups are on the rise across the U.S., according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The surge of groups was “possibly fueled by continued anti-LGBTQ sentiment and policy emanating from government officials” which has been largely attributed to the Trump administration. North Carolina has 32 hate groups and there are 17 in South Carolina.
info: nbcnews.to/3bEjJ1C.
Call for blood donation discrimination
Due to COVID-19, there is a severe blood shortage according to the American Red Cross, the Seattle Times opined. Based on that there has been a request made to the FDA by “U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, 16 of her Democratic colleagues and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders” to eliminate the homophobic policy. And, Instinct Magazine reported that a study shows that gay men who donate blood do not affect HIV risk, quoting AIDSMAP that stated that there has been zero increase in HIV infections since the U.S. lifted the lifetime ban on blood donation by gay and bisexual men. Then during the week of March 29, the 12-month without sexual encounters was reduced to three months.
info: bit.ly/2URYD8Y. bit.ly/3byPvNa.
OUT launches streaming classes
The OUT Foundation and OUTWOD have launched their #WerkFromHome daily online fitness classes for and by the LGBTQ community. Each week, two-three LGBTQ instructors from across the United States will lead classes and anyone can stream the class live for a small donation of $7. The schedule for each week is released on Sundays via OUTWOD’s Instagram, Facebook and website.
info: bit.ly/33XNnvX. bit.ly/2w1s9kr.
Healthcare online service available
HealthHIV announced the launch of TeleHealthHIV, a professional services program to increase access to and engagement in HIV care by helping organizations and providers implement telehealth programs. TeleHealthHIV provides education, training and capacity building assistance to health departments, non-profits, AIDS service organizations, community based organizations and health organizations to develop, implement or expand HIV prevention and care telehealth services.
info: healthhiv.org.
Hub created for families
Family Equality has created The Neighborhood: A Virtual Hub for LGBTQ+ Families due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This new calendar of activities offers LGBTQ families and those who wish to form them virtual events, classes and get-togethers — from toddler dance parties to fertility sessions to creative writing workshops for teens.
info: familyequality.org.
HHS sued for discrimination
A lawsuit has been filed by Lambda Legal and Democracy Forward on behalf of True Colors United, SAGE and Family Equality against the Department of Health and Human Services due to a rule that eliminates discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in all its grant programs, Courthouse News reported according to Newsmax. There was a push to roll back Obama-era regulations that held nondiscrimination language.
info: nws.mx/3bEmIa2.