Loyola University's GBTQ Awareness Week runs through Oct. 17. For info, please visit the Office of Student Diversity. Thursday, Oct. 16, A Family Divided: Why We Segregate Ourselves CFSU Lobby, 5-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, Safe Space Social McCormick Lounge ( Coffey Hall ) , 3:30-4:30 p.m. Prayer Service for Homophobia McCormick Lounge ( Coffey ) , 4:30-5 p.m.
Northern Illinois University will be host to a one-day regional institute entitled 'Getting Real: Integrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender Materials Into Your Curriculum' Friday, Oct. 31. Open and free of charge to educators and administrators, the institute will provide assistance to faculty who are looking for ways to include information and ideas about sexual orientation and gender identity in their curricula. Call ( 815 ) 753-1038 to register; www..niu.edu .
Youths age 15 to 21 in the Chicago area now have a new place to explore and develop their artistic talents, share in a provided meal, and hang out. The GATHER program takes place every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broadway United Methodist Church, 3344 N. Broadway ( one block north of Belmont ) . There is no commitment needed, and there's no charge to participate. GATHER is committed to providing a safe place for young people. While not exclusively for GLBT or questioning youth, the program is dedicated to providing a safe space for youth who are GLBTQ. Call ( 773 ) 348-2679 ext. 225 or GATHERlakeview@yahoo.com .
The Center/Horizons announces a new Youth Program team headed by Director Carmen Abrego. Youth Social Worker Nadeja Wesley, Young Women's Program Coordinator Katherine Weseman, and Public Ally Rosa Ortiz complete the staffing. New programs for which staff are being recruited are the Young Men's program and curriculum for the Community Technology center. Abrego, well known as a local poet and writer, has more than 20 years experience working with LGBTQ youth, most recently as director of Youth Education at Instituto Del Progreso Latino Prepatory Academy.
National Report
A gay student editor's column about life as a gay teen will appear in the Spanish River High School newspaper, reports the Sun-Sentinel. Students feared censorship when principal Constance Tuman-Rugg asked to review the column before it was printed. Tuman-Rugg agreed to allow the column to run. The first-year principal said she wanted to ensure the author understood the implications of publishing his article, 'High school homosexuality appears absolutely queer.'
The New York Daily News reports on a fight at a Starbucks parking lot across from New York's gay Harvey Milk High School. Students say they were provoked and then attacked with a screwdriver by the driver of a Lexus. The students and the driver, Vernon Jones, 23, were arrestedand Jones had been jabbed in the back with his own screwdriver, police said. 'This guy in a car started saying things. He was, like, 'Oh, look at the gay people,' saying he wanted to murder us and everything. Then a few kids started saying, 'What's your problem?'' Leomi M., 16, a transgender Harvey Milk student told the Daily News. Jones allegedly grabbed Erica Simon, 17, and 'mushed her,' causing a group of kids to run back to help her. 'Y'all should have died when you were first born,'' one kid alleged the attacker said.
The Child Welfare League of America and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund have launched an historic partnership to fundamentally change the way lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning ( LGBTQ ) youth are treated in the nation's foster care system. The three-year venture, 'Fostering Transitions: CWLA/Lambda Joint Initiative To Support LGBTQ Youth and Adults Involved with the Child Welfare System,' is supported by a grant from the Andrus Family Fund. Lisa Hardaway, Lambda ( 212 ) 809-8585 Pager ( 888 ) 987-1971. Joyce Johnson, CWLA, ( 202 ) 942-0244 Email:jjohnson@cwla.org .
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