PFLAG National’s “Our Daughters and Sons” (bit.ly/1VyxTDa) is being updated and the organization is seeking contributors to the booklet.
info: pflag.org. lowen@pflag.org.
Bend the Arc’s Pursuing Justice 2016, its first national conference, is open for registration. Save $100 by signing up before March 9. The organization is comprised of Jewish leaders, allies and activists who harness the power of the Jewish movement for justice in America.
info: bendthearc.us.
Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization that supports LGBT inclusivity within the United Methodist Church has released a daily Lenten devotional for “spiritual nourishment.” Entitled “A Season of Becoming: Restoring and being restored for the transformation of the church and world,” it features 47 diverse voices across the movement. It has also released a video on a General Conference action pending this year on church law and policies.
info: rmnetwork.org/lent. bit.ly/1XHkGta.
PFLAG is now accepting scholarship applications from high school seniors. Recipients can receive from $1,000 to $5,000 to those who will be enrolled in an accredited U.S. institution. It’s open to U.S. and non-U.S. citizens.
info: pflag.org/scholarships.
Soulforce, an organization that deals with sharing the message of inclusivity within religious environments, is working with Political Research Associates on its Know your Neighbors project. They are seeking those who would be willing to organize a choice to “bring the house down.” They are attempting to combat those involved with the National Religious Broadcasters, a global fundamentalist network of 1,400 plus communicators, who forbid their affiliates from sharing messages that support LGBT people and other marginalized communities.
info: soulforce.org. info@kynship.org.
Carolyn Alexis, a masters degree candidate in arts and medicine, is seeking elder (50 plus) story LGBT contributors from Western North Carolina who have experienced health disparities. They can be augmented with visual art, poetry, music, etc., to be included in a storytelling performance at a culmination event on April 16 by Alexis or by the writer in the Asheville, N.C., area. The end product will be the development of an educational tool for healthcare providers. She is collecting the stories until April 8.
info: carolynalexis@gmail.com with “storytelling” in subject line.
The Williams Institute has reported in a new study that gay/bisexual men rely on “chosen families” more than lesbians/bisexual women for major needs. It was published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
info: bit.ly/1TzA3EO.
The LGBT community was front and center at the Historic Thousands on Jones St. People’s Assembly Coalition and Moral March held on Feb. 13 in Raleigh, N.C. The Daily Tar Heel reported that it “was an opportunity for many local LGBT advocacy groups to demonstrate their support.
info: bit.ly/20yHmf4.
Have news or other information? Send your press releases and updates for inclusion in our News Notes: editor@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com.
Share your news with us
Does your organization or special interest group have events or great information to share with our readers? If so, be sure to send in your information to specialassignments@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com. In the upcoming months, we’ll feature one of you in our news notes section in each issue. Are you a part of a Meetup, Yahoo or Google group and do you do something that’s really newsworthy? Do you provide a service for the community or hold fundraisers for worthy causes? Do you educate the public about LGBT issues or concerns? Of course, this is only a sampling of things we are interested in. It’s the aim of these pieces to inform, enlighten and educate our readers about what we’re doing here in the Carolinas to champion LGBT rights, as well as offer resources for those who may be interested in what your group is doing.