For more than 25 years PFLAG has been a reliable monthly gathering for support, resources and a listening ear for LGBTQ folk, along with families and friends who care. Person to person hasn't been possible through this virus crisis, but we are here. A good number of you have joined our ZOOM sessions, finding that just seeing and hearing friendly, accepting faces and voices were encouraging. We would really like to have more of you participate.
We are maintaining our promise of confidentiality, offering to talk further by phone and willingness to share material by mail. Joining in is simple, and ZOOM is a free service for your computer or smart phone.
If you would like to join our next meeting just call or email us: [email protected], giving us your FIRST NAME, your email address and how you found out about this meeting. We will then send a notification of how to access the meeting. (If you were in our previous meetings you don't need to repeat this notification)
ZOOM is free. Search zoom.com for details and a simple signup process.
Not sure you can make ZOOM work for you? Perhaps we can offer some help.
No one was happier to see Pride come Gary couldn't wait for his chance peacefully to Alamance County to ride in the Christmas Parade
And no one could be a better person welcoming any who wanted to attend and share in our PFLAG meetings. Gary was so grateful to find an accepting church at Elon Community Church UCC, and to learn that PFLAG had a long history of a safe meeting space in the church's facility. He was a happy ambassador for church and PFLAG. ____________________________
Do you have special memories of Gary? We would like to invite you to send your experiences with him that we could assemble to share with his family and friends
There will not be a formal gathering for a celebration of his life at this time, but hopefully there will be something in the future.
Send your thougts to PFLAG Alamance, P.O. Box 623, Elon, NC 27244
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School transgender bathroom policy unconstitutional, federal appeals court rules
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Virginia school board's transgender bathroom ban is unconstitutional and discriminated against a transgender male student who was barred from using the boys bathrooms in his high school.
The ruling is a victory for transgender rights advocates and Gavin Grimm, a former student at Gloucester High School who was required to use restrooms that corresponded with his biological sex - female - or private bathrooms.
The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Gloucester County School Board violated Grimm's constitutional rights when it banned him from using the boys bathrooms. The decision by the three-judge panel was 2 to 1.
In the majority opinion, the appeals court wrote that Grimm was forced to use "special bathrooms that might as well have said 'Gavin' on the sign."
"Grimm was treated worse than students with whom he was similarly situated because he alone could not use the restroom corresponding with his gender," the ruling stated. "Unlike the other boys, he had to use either the girls restroom or a single-stall option."
A reminder . . . don't delay! To request an absentee ballot, you need to act now!
This election you can cast a ballot safely and securely from home with absentee voting.
NOTE: On June 12, 2020, House Bill 1169 was signed into law. This COVID-19-related elections bill changes how NC voters vote their absentee ballot by mail.
Any North Carolina registered voter may request and receive a mail-in "absentee" ballot. No special circumstance is needed.
NO PHOTO ID IS REQUIRED TO VOTE BY MAIL
We all know the extreme importance of exercising our right to vote, and it would be most unfortunate if you were to lose the opportunity to vote through no fault of your own. We also know the dangers of exposure to the Covid 19 virus in crowded places, long lines. Some precinct voting locations may be closed or moved.
Voting by Absentee Ballot will ensure that you are able to vote without having to stand in line in a crowd of others. You can exercise your right and privilege from the comfort of your home, but you need to act now to ensure that you have enough time and will be able to vote by absentee ballot. A request form is attached here that will permit you to request your ballot. Mail services are moving slower, so don't risk missing this opportunity.
If you have further questions about the process of abentee voting, go to this website: Visit Common Cause
PFLAG NATIONAL IS CHALLENGING ALL OF US TO MAKE OUR VOTE COUNT BY SUPPORTING CANDIDATES WHO STAND FOR THE CAUSE OF EQUALITY
Non-Partisan Fact-Checkers
To parse fact from fiction and to make sense of claims made throughout convention and election season, here are some trustworthy fact-checking sources:
Factcheck.org a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
Fact Check by The Washington Post is a website and a column in the Sunday print edition of the paper to evaluate, provide context, and analyze the statements of political figures. It also explains politically-charged "code words" used to obscure the truth.
Snopes.com investigates urban legends, hoaxes, folklore, and misinformation to uncover the truth.
PunditFact is part of Politifact.com and checks the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, and the hosts and guests of talk shows.
. . . OK, SO WHY ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE?
PFLAG NATIONAL IS CHALLENGING ALL OF US TO MAKE OUR VOTE COUNT BY SUPPORTING CANDIDATES WHO STAND FOR THE CAUSE OF EQUALITY
Remembering what PFLAG Is
Welcome to PFLAG Alamance. We offer a safe, confidential space in which to explore our feelings and understandings about the LGBT experience, especially "coming out" and what this means to families and other loved ones.
While we can't meet in person right now, we still have ways to listen. Join in our ZOOM meetings described above. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, knowing that others can understand. We've been there ourselves!
welcoming
