The Inside Scoop
February/March 2020
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Thank you for reading Youth Pride, Inc.'s February/March hybrid edition of
The Inside Scoop!
This edition covers YPI's Valentine's Day volunteer event, a food drive happening on YPI's behalf, several events with community partners, and an introduction to the newest YPI members!
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This Valentine's Day YPI celebrated our second
Give YPI Some Love
volunteer event. Our drop-in space is huge and requires a lot of dedication on the part of staff and volunteers to make certain projects come together.
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This year, a fantastic group of eight volunteers spent the morning giving YPI some love by painting a 5ftx7tf whiteboard was painted onto the wall of our dining space. Also, our first aid cabinet and kitchen were completely cleaned and organized. Our space looks amazing and it is all thanks to our volunteers. Thank you so much!
While we do not have open volunteer hours throughout the week, we do reach out to all of our registered volunteers as opportunities such as this come up. If you would like register as a YPI volunteer, please submit the form below.
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YPI Youth Got Some Love Too!
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Our space is not the only thing that got some love this Valentine's Day. Older youth decorated heart shaped cookies baked by one of our staff member and our 13 and unders each received a personal, handmade Valentine from our staff!
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YPI's 15th Annual GSA Conference Postponed
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YPI's 15th Annual Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Conference will be postponed from it's originally scheduled
date of March 28th.
Due to the prevalence of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the conference until further notice. Maintaining the health and safety of our staff, youth, and visitors is a top priority. We will be looking at dates later in the spring or in the fall if necessary.
We truly apologize for the inconvenience as we understand a lot of students and advisors look forward to this event. We encourage anyone with questions or concerns about starting or sustaining a GSA to reach out to us at [email protected]. YPI is still the Rhode Island chapter for the national GSA Network and we want to work with schools to help set up these groups and improve the school's climate.
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Beneficent Church Hosts Meet and Greet with YPI Youth
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Brenda Westberry, Chair of the Justice and Witness Committee at Beneficent Church, has graced YPI with another successful Meet and Greet! Beneficent Church is an inclusive community that prides itself on creating longlasting relationships with the LGBTQ communitty.
2020 marks the second year in a row Brenda and members of the congregation have brought dinner and games to YPI. The "Meet and Greet" is a fantastic opportunity for our young folks to meet members of an inclusive and welcoming religious institution; an opportunity that is not always easy to come by. Just like last year, youth and staff had nothing but great things to say about the event and are already wondering when they'll be back!
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LGBTQ+ Classroom Personalization Survey!
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YPI recently connected with the Highlander Institute on their initiative to build and implement strategies for personalized learning in schools across the state. As part of that work, Highlander has also been gathering resources and strategies for supporting LGBTQ+ students in schools and classrooms and plans on presenting this information at the upcoming
Personalization 2020 Conference.
Highlander is looking for youth to participate in their
LGBTQ+ Personalization Survey
which assesses school climate and culture - how comfortable students of different backgrounds are in school, how common offensive language is in the hallways, and how common other types of harassment are. The data will be shared with teachers and school leaders to cultivate a more affirming and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ youth in local schools.
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Thank you Messias Pedro, aka Mr. Gay New England 2019, for organizing another food and basic needs drive on behalf of YPI!
YPI is home to a Basic Needs Pantry where our youth can take clothes, food, toiletries, and school supplies as needed. Our pantry serves over 500 youth a year and gave out more than 2,500lbs of goods over the past twelve months.
If you are interested in hosting a food, toiletry, and/or school supply drive for YPI please email us at [email protected]. We typically have a steady stream of donated clothes, so we are not currently in need of a clothing drive.
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*Events open to youth between the ages of 14-23, unless otherwise specified*
Free & Confidential HIV Testing
Wednesday, 3/18 3-5pm
Facilitated by AIDS Project RI. Open to youth up to the age of 23. No eating, drinking, tooth brushing, or flossing one hour before testing. Test is a gum swab.
SAGE Dinner at YPI
Wednesday, March 18 5-7:30pm
Youth are encouraged to join members from SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBTQ Elders) for dinner.
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Voter Registration
Tuesday, 3/24 2:30-4:30pm
Register to vote, verify/modify existing registration information, and get information regarding polling places.
15th Annual GSA Conference
at Classical High School
Saturday, 3/28: time TDB
Students and advisors for Gay-Straight Alliance clubs are invited to join us for a day of networking, lecturers, and presentations. The aim of this conference to help strengthen, sustain, or build GSAs in RI schools.
*Adults/advisors interested in attending the conference must register (coming soon!) ahead of time. For more information contact Tiffani Carcieri at [email protected]
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Meet Our New Intern and Director of Youth Services!
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Andy Taubman, MSW
Director of Youth Services
I am pronoun flexible and she or they are most often used
I graduated with a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Rhode College Spring 2019. I have worked in nonprofits for 20+ years and have a particular love and interest in working with youth as I love the energy and being part of the process of them navigating adolescence and young adulthood. YPI is particularly appealing as a queer person who loves the opportunity to work directly with the youngest members of the LGBTQ+ community as well it being a central space to provide resources and helping YPI grow and thrive as an organization.
I am drag king performer, producer, mentor, workshop maker and event manager and community builder. I enjoy hiking with my doggo, working out, traveling and exploring new places, and flopping on a couch and binge watching TV shows. I have the world's prettiest Soi (street) dog that I rescued in Thailand named Saku. She is my darling!
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Sophie Cram
Bachelor
of Social Work Intern from Rhode Island College
She/her/hers, they/them
"I’m so excited for my first social work internship! I love movies, dancing, traveling, yoga, and cooking Italian food! I’m hoping to get into a Masters program to get my MSW and become a licensed clinician. I chose YPI as my placement site because I love the LGBTQ+ community and I am passionate about having safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults that allows them to live their lives authentically and be given a voice.
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Did you know the deadline to register for the November Presidential Election is October 2, 2020? OLOC – RI (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) recently launched "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) Campaign for 2020 to help individuals get registered! On Tuesday, March 24th from 2:30-4:30pm OLOC will have a GOTV booth at YPI where they will assist youth register to vote, help voters verify (and modify, as needed) their existing registration information, and provide information regarding polling places. All members have undergone training at the Secretary of State’s office and want to assist our youth get registered!
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So who are OLOC and how did they cross paths with GOTV? YPI staff member, Tiffani Carcier, reached out to the coordinators, Mev Miller and Sally Hay, to find out.
Q
. "I see OLOC has only recently formed a chapter in RI. How did this come about? Was there a lot of interest or was it made possible by a few invested individuals?"
A.
"I (Mev) have been interested in being involved in national OLOC for many years — but waited until I was old enough to be a member (Members are 60+ years of age.) But I also wanted to have local connections with old Lesbians beyond the social and more about feminist activism. So, I invited the old Lesbians I personally knew to come together for an informal discussion to see who might be interested in a local chapter (March 2018)... We talked and decided to meet again and that eventually turned into regular monthly meetings. I would say there was a great amount of enthusiasm for a place where old Lesbians could gather, talk, support each other and address issues important to us as old Lesbians. We spent the first year getting our footing - discussing questions such as — what is Old? What is “Organizing for Change”? How does ageism and sexism (and coming out) affect us?
Several of us went to the national conference of OLOC in August of 2019 — and we also decided to become more public with our existence as a RI Chapter and held an “open house” discussion in November 2019...Right now, we have many old Lesbians on our contact list and meetings fluctuate around 10-15 old Lesbians who attend meetings regularly."
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Q
. "Would you mind telling me a little about OLOC and how others can get involved? "
A
. "OLOC is a cooperative community of Old Lesbian feminist activists from many backgrounds working for justice and the well-being of all Old Lesbians. We are a local chapter of a national network of Old Lesbians, in our 60th year or older, working to confront ageism in our communities and our country. We use education and public discourse as our primary tools. Though we do socialize a bit, our purpose is more about doing activism rather than only socializing.
Q
. "How did OLOC and GOTV cross paths? How are the two related?"
A.
"Our conversations have often come back to the “Organizing for Change” aspect of our name. What kind of change do we want to see, how can we work toward that change?...We are all aware that the upcoming presidential (and down ballot) election will likely have a significant impact on our future as lesbians, as women, and as old people. Initiating a GOTV campaign seemed like a good fit for us as it would allow us to increase voter registration and to be involved in education voters re: key issues. Did you know, by the way, that LGBT people, as a whole, are under-represented in the body of registered voters; but, amongst the cadre of registered voters, LGBT people are more likely to vote. We are aware that RI is a fairly progressive and Blue state – we do hope/expect that our actions and energy (via GOTV events, our use of social media, etc.) will have a ripple effect here in RI and beyond, increasing the likelihood of those people getting to the polls."
Q.
"How can individuals utilize GOTV if they're interested in learning more?"
A.
"Look for our GOTV table at community events! We regularly list information at events at which we will be registering voters on our Facebook page. If an organization is planning an event at which voter registration would be a good addition, we hope they will invite us to be there. We’ve got our GOTV Bag packed and ready to go – we just need a table! We can register new voters and we can help people who are already registered to verify the accuracy of their information, change their affiliation or address, and to find the location of their polling place. We also want people to know they can do much of this themselves by logging onto the Secretary of State’s webpage at
vote.sos.ri.gov
.
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Rhode Island Parentage Act Passes Committee
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The journey to updating Rhode Island's Parentage Laws has taken another turn. As previously covered in the March 2019 edition of
The Inside Scoop
, Rhode Island's 1973 Uniform Parentage Act, the legal framework that outlines paternity to married and unmarried couples, has not been updated in 40 years and fails to address the needs of modern diverse families. Under the current framework, Rhode Islanders who conceive through surrogacy or assisted reproduction, such as in vitro fertilization, have no statutes protecting their parentage. Same sex couples can currently adopt a child conceived through such means but they need to "go through a home study, put a notice in the paper advertising for the donor to come forward, and then...go to court to get a declaration of adoption" according to LGBTQ Action. Two married same sex partners do not automatically have parentage to offspring.
Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE)
has worked tirelessly to help craft an updated parentage bill, known as the Rhode Island Parentage Act, that will clearly outline the procedures to establishing parentage in all situations. On February 4th 2020 the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to pass the bill to the House of Representatives for a vote. If the House votes to pass the bill, it will then be presented to the governor to sign into law. The passage of this bill in committee is pleasantly unexpected as it has died in committee the previous three years.
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Diary from 1800s Reveals Unexpected View on Homosexuality
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James Nehemiah Taylor, a respected naval surgeon, was involved in one of the biggest sex scandals of the early 19th century. After Taylor's sexual activity with his male servant, was revealed he was charged with sodemy and sentenced to hanging on December 26, 1809 in Portsmouth, England. News of the situation made it to every newspaper; serving as a public reminder that homosexual acts are illegal and will be punished. This perception on homosexuality was normal in Georgian Britain...or was it?
About 200 miles north of Portsmouth is Yorkshire. Here, Matthew Tomlinson, a widowed rural 1800's farmer, lived a quiet life that he documented in diaries. Tomlinson's name has circulated in recent weeks due to the nature of some diary entries that hold interesting takes on homosexuality for the time period.
A diary entry made on January 14, 1810 reflects upon the Taylor case and the thought that sexual orientation is an innate trait. Being a Christian, Tomlinson contemplated the contradiction between there being an almighty god that does not make mistakes and one that would punish individuals for their innate
mistakes
. The passage is as followed:
"It appears a paradox to me, how men, who are men, shou’d possess such a passion; and more particularly so, if it is their nature from childhood (as I am informed it is) – If they feel such an inclination, and propensity, at that certain time of life when youth genders [develops] into manhood; it must then be considered as natural otherwise, as a defect in nature […] it seems cruel to punish that defect with death...It must seem strange indeed that God Almighty shou’d make a being, with such a nature; or such a defect in nature; and at the same time make a decree that if that being whome he had formed, shou’d at any time follow the dictates of that Nature with which he was formed he shou’d be punished with death."
This diary entry is so important because is provides insight into the life of a regular person from the early 1800's and their thoughts on sexuality. As stated in the entry, not only is this a topic Tomlinson thought about, but discussed with others! Perhaps there was more open mindedness around sexuality, at least in the safe confines of one's own mind, than we realized in the Georgian and other eras long past.
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Mission:
Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play.
Values:
LEADERSHIP:
YPI is committed to creating the leaders of today. Youth voices drive our process, and we seek to develop the leadership skills necessary both within the organization and outside of it.
AFFIRMATION:
YPI believes all youth must be affirmed for who they are and how they express themselves. We are committed to making that a reality in all of the environments in which young people live.
COMMUNITY:
YPI believes building strong connections is essential to youth success and empowerment. We strive to create a caring, respectful and diverse community of young people and adults.
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Your tax-deductible donation helps YPI continue to do the important work we do in accordance to our mission. Your gift would be directly investing in our state's LGBTQ youth so that they may have a chance to share their gifts and light with the world.
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Our Programs and Services
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Youth Pride, Inc. serves over 700 Rhode Island LGBTQ youth and their straight allies a year through a variety of programs and services.
Our Center, located on Westminster Street in Providence, primarily serve as a drop-in and programming space, and is currently open to youth ages 13 to 23 on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-8pm and Thursday from 3 to 5. Youth ages 9 to thirteen are welcome at our exclusive 13 and under drop-in time on Thursdays from 5-8 pm. All YPI Center services and activities are free to youth. YPI youth get to attend events, workshops, cultural, educational, social, and wellness activities at YPI and around the state.
Our center is home to a Basic Needs Pantry, open to youth in need of food, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies. We offer one on one counseling with in-house clinicians. Our clinicians facilitate and supervise three peer-support groups.
YPI also offers support to those who work with youth through policy and advocacy, and by providing professional development workshops and technical assistance to service providers and educators.
For more information on getting involved with YPI as a volunteer or if you or someone you know is in need of our services, contact [email protected]
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If you have a story you feel should be included in an upcoming newsletter, email [email protected]
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