After 14 Months, a Real In-person PFLAG Meeting!
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 7:00 p.m.
|
To make it more fun, we are planning an
Outdoor Ice Cream Social
on the patio next to the Community Life Center
of Elon Community Church
271 N Williamson Ave, Elon, NC 27244
- Vaccinations recommended, but not required
- Social distancing will be practiced
- Masks are required for any time that we enter the building
It's not absolutely required, but your RSVP
will help us know how much ice cream to bring
(info@pflagalamance.org).
|
|
Pixar Seeks Young Actor to Play Transgender Teen
Disney has been moving towards a much more inclusive and diverse direction with the Walt Disney Company, and that includes their film division. Recently, Disney even changed the “Disney Look” at their parks to allow most tattoos to show, as well as gender-inclusive hairstyles and Cast Member costumes, as well as painted nails, and piercings.
Pixar is actually casting a youth voice-over role for an upcoming animated project.
The character, Jess, is a 14-year-old transgender girl. she's compassionate, funny, and always has your back.
We're looking for actresses' 12-17 years old who :
- Are enthusiastic, outgoing, funny and energetic
- feel comfortable acting in from of a microphone
- Can authentically portray a 14-year-old transgender girl!
If you know a child who fits this description and would like to audition for the role, her legal guardian should contact: casting@pixar.com.
|
|
Something to Think About . . .
by Cindy Davis
|
|
We began by counting the weeks, and then the days leading up to my partner’s shoulder surgery (torn rotator disc). She’s a trooper, navigating life while in pain, but we were more than ready for relief. Five days before the procedure she had a required COVID-19 test and we had to quarantine leading up to surgery. Thankfully, the test was negative. The evening before the event I quietly worried (at least I hope it was quietly) about the success of the surgery, and my ability to carry on the work of Florence Nightingale during her recovery. The morning of, while attempting to make a simple breakfast, every needed appliance in the kitchen decided to die. Apparently, a breaker in the breaker box had tripped and wouldn’t stay in the “on” position. Bad. Who had time to figure this out? With my brain already in overdrive, I texted a realtor friend to see about recommending an electrician, which he did, promptly, and I managed to set up an appointment for the following day. How long can one be expected to live without coffee, toast and the microwave? With little time to spare, we headed to the hospital, where I dropped her off. I wasn’t permitted to stay due to the virus, and frankly, I didn’t mind, since my trusted recliner at home is far more comfortable than a hospital waiting room chair, and I wouldn’t have to wear a mask.
As I headed home, I felt a modicum of relief, knowing that she was getting much needed medical attention and was in good hands. My only role at that moment was to be available to transport the patient home upon discharge. An unfamiliar sense of quiet came over me as I pulled into my garage; the texture of time seemed to shift, cloaking me in a surreal canopy. Not sure how best to explain it, but I felt utterly exhausted and at the same time vividly alert and focused, and alone. I felt the thickness of her temporary absence. And a heightened sense of anxiety more than likely generated by the “what-if’s” that were spinning in my psyche. An invisible dial had been turned on, stirring up a surge of unwelcome electricity. Emotionally, I was on a roller-coaster, without a seat belt. I knew that she would be fine; I prayed that she would be fine.
All other concerns dissolved – lost their prior importance. Who really needs coffee, toast and a microwave? Big deal if the electrician charges an arm and a leg? So what if my package is lost in the mail? Who cares if my favorite television show hadn’t been picked up for another season? What did matter to me is how deeply I love her. And how interconnected we are, how we rely on one another for the stamina it sometimes takes to face life on life’s terms. When the doctor called to say that it went well, the deepest sense of relief washed over me. I realized that my job as caregiver had just begun. I pledged to make Florence Nightingale proud.
Cindy Davis is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor.
She was an advice columnist for the Times-News, and is also a PFLAG Board Member.
Watch for Cindy's column each month on our Newsletter
|
|
From NBC Out
Netflix's 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' is how to do LGBTQ representation in kids' movies
The new animated feature from Netflix treats its protagonist's identity matter-of-factly but with care — which is exactly how it ought to be.
April 30, 2021, 5:14 PM EDT
By Michelle Yang, Writer, speaker and mental health advocate
It might only be one line in the final scene of the Netflix animated family film “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” but with it the movie embraces queer representation beyond anything Disney, the most celebrated children's programming company, has ever been willing to do in its animated movies.
“Are you and Jade official?" mom Linda Mitchell (voiced by Maya Rudolph) says to her daughter, Katie (Abbi Jacobson). "And will you bring her home for Thanksgiving?”
As a straight parent, I’m grateful to see more queer representation on children’s programming. I've seen for myself how early heteronormative conditioning starts for young children; it's often before they have any awareness of their own identity and usually before they are born. My husband and I were saddened — but not surprised — to receive well-meaning gifts of baby clothing that read “Ahoy ladies!” and “Ladies’ man” when our own child was born, items that projected onto him an orientation that was entirely presumptuous and contradictory to our parenting philosophy.
The world can be a scary, stigmatized place, and I don’t want to mimic that kind of environment at home. To achieve this, I believe avoiding assumptions is key — but so is demonstrating that loving people and loving families come in all varieties. So being able to see diverse families and diverse people represented in family entertainment is an assist I sorely need as a parent.
Representation of all kinds matter — from canonical queer representation to positive representation of Black people, Indigenous people and all people of color. When kids can’t see people like themselves in books or on the screen, it is easy for them to feel invisible. Over time, feeling invisible in the world might lead them to feel like they don’t matter when they do or like there is something wrong with them when there isn't.
|
|
Spread the word: Mini grants for young LGBTQ+ advocates
Know an LGBTQ+ youth who needs funding for a social justice project? Our friends at Campus Pride have launched a new program offering student activists Social Justice Mini Grants for up to $600 to aid their work in making their campuses safer and more welcoming for LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff. Thanks to a generous donation from our mutual partners at HBO Max, they are funding the these grants, in service of fostering “true acceptance” by winning hearts and minds.
|
|
Three Steps to Being a Better Ally to Trans and Nonbinary People (While You’re Stuck at Home)
Watch: Check out this great PFLAG Academy Online On Demand learning session, “Supporting Trans & Nonbinary Loved Ones: What Would You Do?” In this session, we review the core learnings for people who want to be allies to their trans and nonbinary friends and family and then put what they’ve learned to work, navigating real-world interactions.
|
|
From NBC Out . . .
How the pandemic economy has affected LGBTQ people
By Jillian Eugenios
It’s been over a year since Michael Bates, a massage therapist, has worked with a client.
One year ago, he was recovering from pancreatic cancer, and his doctors told him he was cleared to go back to work. Then, the pandemic hit, and the same week he thought he’d begin booking clients he was in lockdown inside his home.
“It was a rough time because I was healthy again. And then I couldn’t go anywhere. It's been an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “It's very difficult when you're a tactile person to begin with.”
A licensed massage therapist for a decade, Bates, 63, of Gainesville, Florida, has not been able to earn an income for the last year. Then, in December, his cancer returned, and he started treatment again in January.
“So even if they lifted lockdown now, because of my white blood cell count, they don't want me working,” he said. “So it's like, great, here we go again."
|
|
|
|
Email
info@pflagalamance.org
|
|
|
P.O. Box 623,
Elon, NC 27244
Phone Number:
+1 336-584-8722
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
