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January 6, 2005

Peaceful Off-Site Event Planned in Response to Fred Phelps' Tucson Protest |

Wingspan urges community members to attend peaceful Wingspan event.

Special Edition - January 5, 2005

Wingspan has learned that Fred Phelps may be protesting at Rincon/University High School (RHS/UHS) on Monday, January 10th in the morning. Phelps is targeting RHS/UHS because of the drama department's production of the play, "The Laramie Project" last month.

The play is about the community of Laramie, Wyoming's reaction to and struggle with 21-year-old Matthew Shepard's brutal murder by two of its own residents.

For 10 years, Phelps and his Westboro Baptists -- a congregation of 22 people almost entirely composed of his extended family -- have waged a battle against LGBT people. Phelps uses the pickets and an array of intimidating tactics to instigate violence and create scores of lawsuits that fund his work. Phelps is best known for his protest at Matthew Shepard's funeral.

Wingspan staff met with Tucson Unified School District officials today to discuss effective responses to Phelps' planned protest.

Wingspan and RHS/UHS urge community members not to go the school, but instead drop by Wingspan (300 E. 6th St in Tucson) starting at 7:00am on Monday, January 10th to sign a card in support of student and administration for their production of "The Laramie Project."

The intent of holding an event away from the school is to isolate Phelps, rather than honor his wishes of a media spectacle. A strong, unified showing of community members at Wingspan on Monday morning is the best response to Fred Phelps' hate.

The Southern Poverty Law Center strongly urges people to NOT attend hate events, but instead find an effective outlet for anger and frustration. As much as you may like to physically show your opposition to Fred Phelps, confrontations and counter-protests only serve his purpose.

Also, keep in mind that Fred Phelps' purposely tries to provoke violence from counter-protesters, in an effort to have them arrested and create lawsuits that fund his work. Phelps, a disbarred attorney, has filed hundreds of lawsuits--14 members of his congregation are lawyers.

LGBT community members and are our strong, straight allies are encouraged to stop by Wingspan starting Monday, January 10th at 7:00am to sign a card in support of RHS/UHS students and administration.

Please bring your coffee and plan to hang out for a bit and chat with other progressive Southern Arizonans. The card will be available to sign until 6:00pm on Monday. Wingspan staff will deliver the card to the school on Tuesday. Wingspan also encourages community members to write letters to the editor in support of the school, should the media cover Phelps' protest.

RHS/UHS will be sending home a letter to students and parents/guardians regarding Phelps' planned protest, encouraging students, parents, and guardians to not counter-protest Phelps at the school, as well.

Fred Phelps may also be protesting at several Tucson churches on Sunday, January 9th. Wingspan is in the process of contacting the churches to offer our support, and find out what their wishes are. Please check http://www.wingspan.org/index.php later this week for more information regarding the churches and any possible actions.

AZ Anti-Gay Marriage Constitutional Change? |
On January 10, 2005 a clergy group - No Longer Silent - will sponsor
a rally and walk to the capitol to point out that not all Christian
churches support a change to the Arizona Constitution to prohibit
same-sex marriages. The Legislature will be looking at this sometime in the weeks following the start date of 10 January. The clergy group wants to make the first "religious" statement to the public a positive one for LGBT people and opposing the amendment.

We will be there supporting this endeavor. Please read the following
release, and, if you are at all able, attend the rally/walk. As a
favor to NLS please do not bring any signs which do not reflect their
message. The stronger the numbers there are to show a "different" religious view on LGBT marriage the stronger our case against a constitutional amendment. While for some of you religious messages may not matter - we do know that in the context of US politics they play a large role. Help us let our legislators and the public know that there is a different voice that they must take into account and address.

Thank you,
Rev. Brad Wishon
GSMCC Marriage Equality Task Force

Cathy Busha Named Woman of the Year by ECHO Magazine |
Please stop by Wingspan and pick up a copy of the issue or you can go directly to Echo Magazine's website to see the article. Congratulations Cathy!

Out Far Film Festival Volunteers Needed |
Volunteering for the Out Far! Film Festival is fun, a great way to meet like-minded people AND a sure fire way to enjoy great GLBT film for free. If you are willing to commit your time to the Festival we are willing to offer you various opportunities. You can invest as little as 4 hours or as much as many weeks of work. Of course, we will compensate you fairly with passes or tickets commensurate with the level of your assistance.

We are seeking volunteers in the following areas:

Poster Distribution
We are seeking a couple of Volunteers to make sure that posters are hung in the various Valley GLBTQ bars, nightclubs, gay friendly establishments and at the Universities. Permission must be obtained in all cases before hanging posters. Distribution volunteers will receive 10 free tickets to the films of their choice.

Drivers
We are seeking a couple of Volunteers who are very responsible and comfortable driving Festival guests to and from the airport, hotel and theatre. Drivers must be available between Friday, February 4 and Sunday, February 6, 2005 and have a current AZ Driver's License, proof of insurance, no outstanding tickets or warrants, and a clean, reliable car. In return, you will receive one free movie ticket for each trip. Please indicate the reasons why you wish to be considered as a Driver and list related jobs and/or references.

Video Projectionist
Much of the programming for the Festival is on video and therefore requires several volunteers who are comfortable running a video projector and sound board. The shifts on both Saturday, February 5 and Sunday, February 6 will run from approximately 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. As a projectionist volunteer you will receive a Full-Festival pass and T-shirt.


If you are interested in Video Projection, Drivers or Poster Distribution please email OutFarFilmFest@aol.com. Your reply should indicate the reasons why you should be considered for the position and/or references.

Thanks,
Out Far!

AHRF-HRB Reception Monday, January 10 |
Please join AHRF and HRC for Tuesdays Together in Phoenix
(on Monday this month)
WHEN: Monday, January 10th, 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Zest Spirited Restaurant, 4117 N. 16th St, 602-274-7442
Food Fun Friends Drinks

All members, friends and supporters are invited to attend.

Arizona Human Rights Fund/Foundation
PO Box 25044 - Phoenix, Arizona 85002
602-650-0900 | info@ahrf.org | http://www.ahrf.org

National Coalition for LGBT Health Creates New Website |


Comprehensive Tool Begins to Address Broad Issues of LGBT Health

January 3, 2005

Washington, D.C. - The National Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health, in an effort to support the work of its coalition members, has relaunched their website addressing the health of the LGBT communities - www.lgbthealth.net.

The website is a resource for their coalition members, community health advocates, and individuals seeking information on the myriad of LGBT health issues. Current research, community links, calendar of events, latest news, contact information, and advocacy updates are included among the features.

Additional items will be added over the next few months.

"We are excited to have a new website that reflects the sophistication that our coalition members put into their work addressing the health and wellness of our communities," says Donald Hitchcock, national field director of the Coalition. "We look forward to sharing our information with our community members, our allied organizations, and our representatives on Capitol Hill."

"From our initial organizing in 2000 around the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) Companion Document for LGBT Health, the new website is an indicator that the Coalition has grown from a small loose-knit group of organizations to a strong voice in the LGBT health movement," says Eugenia Handler, co-chair of the Coalition. "Together we address the physical, emotional, and mental health of our communities, while we advocate for increased support and funding from our federal and local governments."

"This website will provide a powerful tool for our communities to ensure that the health of LGBT people is a priority and included in our nation's health disparities efforts," says Andrea Densham, policy co-chair of the Coalition. "Utilizing this website to raise our collective voices and share research is essential to building an ever stronger voice for the LGBT health community."

The National Coalition for LGBT Health is committed to improving the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals through federal advocacy that is focused on research, policy, education and training. The Coalition, founded on October 14, 2000 by some 50 national, state and local organizations, is dedicated to bringing together the rich diversity of the LGBT community at a national level - across gender/gender identity, race/ethnicity, disability, education, income, age and geography.

The HP2010 Companion Document for LGBT Health is available on the new site.

NCCJ Anytown Volunteer Staff Applications |
The National Conference for Community and Justice sponsors week-long Anytown camps each summer in Prescott, which focus on raising awareness of differences among us and creating change around inequalities. Youth are delegates, adults are advisors. You will love this opportunity, whatever your age!

Let's start the new year out right with Anytown! Staff applications are now available on our website, www.nccjaz.org. We are trying something new this year to save those of you who have filled out staff applications in the past 3 years. You now can fill out a shorter version of the application attached below as the atown_staff_app_apdate_05. For those of you who do not have a staff app on file with us in the last 3 years, you can fill out the attached atown_staff_app_05. If you are planning on applying this year we must receive your application no later than February 5, 2005. I would also encourage those of you that have attended Anytown as staff to try Anytown Jr. It's a totally new experience that you are guaranteed to love! Also note that there are a limited # of camps this summer and the more camps that you mark on your application that you are available for, the better chance you have of being chosen.

Staff
Essen Otu
NCCJ - Arizona Region
Program Specialist
(602) 265-9256