(Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania) The Rainbow Alliance, Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community organization, proudly announces its 2011 Rainbow Award Recipients.  The honorees will be recognized at the 2011 Rainbow Awards Gala on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, starting at 5:30 p.m.  Tickets are $75 per person, and information is available at www.RainbowAwards.org.

“The Awards Gala promises to be a fabulous event with open-bar top shelf cocktail reception, gourmet dinner and awards, and prom-style after dinner dancing with live entertainment,” said Susan Smith, chair of the Rainbow Alliance board of directors. “All proceeds benefit the Rainbow Alliance, addressing the critical needs of LGBT individuals and families in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region.  It’s a good time for a good cause!”

The 2011 Rainbow Award Honorees are:

Margaret L. “Margie” Bryant, Co-Founder of Pride of NEPA
Outstanding Community Volunteer Leader

Rev. Daniel C. Gunn, Rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre
Outstanding Supporter from a Community of Faith

Christopher A. Doherty, Mayor of the City of Scranton
Outstanding Public Official

Shawn Ray Killian (Keystone College) and Jessica A. Rothchild (The University of Scranton)
Outstanding Student Leadership

More information is available at RainbowAwards.org.

DinnerOUT 1/24/10, 630pm Thai Thai Wilkes-Barre.

Please send announcements/events to prideofnepaorg@yahoo.com

Key elements and concerns within the gay community are the right to be accepted for who they are; the right to be treated fairly at school and work, in church and in public; the right to quality health care; and, the right to be respected by public servants, including those in law enforcement.

According to the 2009 GayNEPA Community Assessment Survey 50.3 percent of gay couples are in a monogamous relationship; 16.5 percent have had a same-sex commitment ceremony or wedding; 77 percent would want a same-sex civil union, marriage or domestic partnership; 43 percent are parents; 57 percent were raised in the Catholic Church. However, only 16 percent are still practicing – although respondents stated that the “abandonment” rate is much lower in the Protestant church and almost non-existent in the Unitarian, Unity and Episcopal churches.

Furthermore, of the 150 randomly polled Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender respondents, 95 percent are registered active voters; most have some form of college education including a Masters Degree or Doctorate.

Joining Correspondent Suzanne Kapral-Kelly in the Sordoni Theater at WVIA will be John Dawe from Dawe Consulting and Executive Director, NEPA Rainbow Alliance; Jeff Brauer, Associate Professor & Director for the Center for Service Learning at Keystone College and Board Member, Equality Pennsylvania, and Rev. Daniel Gunn, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre.

The show will also include comments from International Aids Activist, Cleve Jones, who is also founder of the Aids Memorial Quilt. Actor Emile Hirsch in the 2009 Oscar Nominated Film, Milk, portrayed Cleve Jones.

To be part of WVIA’s live studio audience in the region’s only High Definition Theater Studio, call (570) 602-1150 or visit http://stateofpa.eventbrite.com.

Viewers may call in questions during the show at 1-800-326-9842 or go to www.wvia.org to submit their questions online.

1. Dinner OUT 10/18 (this Sunday) 6pm Amber Inn restaurant in Moosic..next to 12 Penny..rsvp to jeng1969@verizon.net by Friday please so we can make reservations.

2. Hey Gang,

OK Here it goes. I’m looking at the my schedule and surrounding holidays and it seems like Third Sundays are sort of a good idea if we want a movie day. That would be November 15th & December 20th to start with. I say let us try this out to begin with and see where it goes. I’m thinking of making this an early event. Perhaps a matinee or early afternoon so we can all go home early. Maybe we can meet for coffee before or brunch afterwards. We could choose a few movies, something fresh and new, and then vote on-line perhaps a week ahead of time. Let me know what you think. I treasure my time with you and look forward to expanding our moments together. Movies 14 on Northampton Street works best for me unless I can get a ride.

Love,

Bill Browne

If interested in Movie OUT Please rsvp to brownewilliam@optonline.net

3. Evening of stunts, escapes, and spooky magic
Come see Prideofnepa member Micheal Kattner perform at the Hazleton Art League Broad St Hazleton 7pm $13
For more info check out www.professorfountain.com

4. Rainbow Scranton Halloween Party
10/17 Rodeway Inn Birney Ave Moosic $5

5. Rocky Horror Picture Show
Music Box Playhouse
Oct 16,17,23,24,30,31 at 730pm (Buffet at 630pm)
Midnight shows on Oct 23,24,30,31 show only no buffet
Show only $15
Show and Buffet $25
call 800-698- PLAY or 570-283-2195

The Diversity Institute at Misericordia University will host Keith Boykin, a New York Times best-selling author and founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, for two events to be hld on campus on Feb. 17 in conjunction with the organization’s Annual Dinner.

Boykin is a familiar face as a frequent contributor to CNBC and as the editor of The Daily Voice online news site, as well as a law school classmate of President Barack Obama. He will discuss Proposition 8 during a talk to be held at 2 p.m. in the McGowan Room of the Bevevino Library.

Boykin will also host a public forum at 8 p.m. in the Lemmond Theater at Walsh Hall. He will speak about this country’s first black president and what the country can expect from the Obama administration. Both events are free and open to the public and although no tickets are needed, seating is limited, and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

Boykin has recently been featured on CNBC discussing the qualifications of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and the scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Educated at Dartmouth and Harvard, Boykin attended law school with then U.S. Senator Barack Obama and served in the White House as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton. He has been actively involved in progressive causes since he worked on his first congressional campaign while still a student in high school. He is a veteran of six political campaigns, including two presidential campaigns, and he was named one of the top instructors when he taught political science at American University in Washington.

In 1997, President Clinton appointed him, along with Coretta Scott King and Rev. Jesse Jackson, to the U.S. presidential trade delegation to Zimbabwe.

He was a star on the 2004 Showtime television series “American Candidate” and has since appeared on numerous national media programs, including “Anderson Cooper 360,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Judge Hatchett” and “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.’’

A founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition, Boykin delivered a landmark speech to 200,000 people at the Millennium March on Washington and he gave a stirring speech about the AIDS epidemic in front of 40,000 people in Chicago’s Soldier Field in July 2006.

Each of Boykin’s three books has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, including his most recent book, “Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America.” Keith won the Lambda Literary Award for his second book, “Respecting the Soul,” while his first book, “One More River to Cross,” is taught in colleges and universities throughout the country.

For more information, please contact the Misericordia University Box Office at (570) 674-6719.

I hope that you will join me on Friday evening as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied (GLBTA) communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) celebrate the fifth anniversary of opening of the 12 Penny Saloon.

During the past five years, the 12 Penny Saloon has sponsored and supported nearly every venture and program of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance including our newsletter, website, e-news, special events, etc. in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas.

The 12 Penny Management and Staff have invited the community to celebrate its fifth anniversary with a special party starting at 10 p.m on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Enjoy no cover charge, a complimentary buffet, and anniversary drink specials.

Warm regards,

John Dawe
Executive Director
GayNEPA.com

A cash bar and music will be provided. Cost is $26.00 per person. See above for menu selection. Reservations must be made by December 8.

The maximum capacity of Really Cooking is 75 persons so reservations will be on a first come first served basis. For more information and to make reservations please e-mail Jen at Jen G.

I want to share with you two letters to the editor that have appeared regarding PrideFest.  To say how proud I am of those others willing to put their name in print to stand up for our organization and cause is an understatement.

The letters appear below.

Warm regards,
John Dawe
Executive Director

**************************

The first letter appeared from the Rev. Daniel C. Gunn, Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.  Fr. Gunn’s letter appeared in Sunday’s Times Leader:

To the Editor:

When will hate cease to make news?  I read your article about the success of Pridefest.  In the article you mentioned that “some local churches” had tables at the event, yet you did not name them.  However, you went to great lengths to name those who protested the event, and even quoted their hate-filled message.  My church was represented at Pridefest.  I attended the event.  I was there to be a counter-voice to those who condemn any who are unlike themselves.  In the future if you are going to quote someone who condemns others using biblical language please provide an equally supportive voice from another person of faith—like someone from the two churches unnamed in your article.

On a similar note, I would like this event to serve as the genesis of a larger conversation within the community about intolerance toward “the other.”  I invite dialogue about racial, sexual, and religious difference, and I will open the doors of my church to anyone who wants to have that conversation.

(The Rev’d) Daniel C. Gunn
Rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Pro-cathedral
Wilkes-Barre

The second letter is from Mary Rapach of Scranton, and appeared in today’s Citizens’ Voice:

Editor:

I am writing to express my disappointment with the recent coverage of PrideFest 2008, which was so heavily focused on the protesters who were in attendance. I certainly agree that they were a notable part of the event, but to give such weighted attention to the negative aspect of what was, overall, a phenomenal success for the LGBTQ community in NEPA is terribly unfortunate — and certainly not an accurate portrayal of this spectacular day of celebration.

The group of closed-minded individuals who drove so far to protest certainly illustrated how essential the concept and execution of a Pride Event is, as it shows those who were previously unaware the sort of hatred and backlash so many queer Pennsylvanians have become accustomed to. However, this was the first time in our lives any of us have had the opportunity to witness such a large group of LGBTQ individuals celebrating openly here in Northeast PA, and the positive expression of self was overwhelmingly inspirational to those in attendance.

My wife and I ran the children and family activities tent, and I was saddened that no news organization took note of the large family presence that day — including not only those who’d come specifically for the event and those who’d just come for a day in the park and stayed to enjoy the festivities. Having spent eight hours painting the faces of children throughout the day, I was lucky to run into dozens of happy youngsters, enjoying music and fun with their parents, not “gay” parents or “straight” parents — simply… PARENTS. The highlight for me, and for many, was not the angry voice of several naysayers, but the sight of two young sisters skipping from the activities tent with a box of toys in their hand, reveling in their victory over the “super-hard” scavenger hunt which encouraged them not only to meet new people but to learn new things (based on the fact boards on the walkway) about Kirby Park, its founders and its home city.

Certainly there is much more that can be said about an event that celebrates diversity and helps reinforce the childish glee of a day at the park.

I suppose I should be happy with any coverage of the event at all. However, I don’t think we could ever be truly satisfied until our community event receives the same level of press and positive coverage as any other festival held in NEPA.

Until those who were not in attendance can understand the reality of ALL aspects of queer life (including gay parents celebrating with happy, excited children), my fear is that we all will be forever seen as a group of individuals worthy of protesting.

While I appreciate the CV’s presence in the event I hope that, for future events, more focus can be placed on the positive aspect of community pride and less focused on those individuals whose lives are spent trying to destroy it.

Mary F. Rapach
Scranton

In LESS THAN 30 DAYS, Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) community will join together with allies, family and friends for PrideFest 2008. Extensive planning has gone into this year’s premier event and we want to take a moment and bring you up to speed on some of the event’s logistics.

Many of you filled out the four surveys that told the festival committee what you want at PrideFest… Thank You! We have taken into account all your feedback and feel our event has something for everyone.

How much? – The event is FREE and open to anyone who believes in full equality.
Tax-deductible, charitable donations will be gratefully accepted both at the event and online at this link.

Who’s On Stage? – The entertainment committee has put together an excellent line up including live performances by Rio Diamond, Estella Sweet, Maria Dubiel, and Marie Gray.
Additional Entertainment will be provided by DJ Debbie Gilbert (from the Twist), DJ Steven Wallace (from 12 Penny Saloon), and more!

Will there be food? - We have contracted with Kirby Park’s Snack Bar and the City of Wilkes-Barre to provide food for sale (including ice cream). You’re also welcome to bring a picnic lunch. We’ve reserved all the picnic tables and pavilions in the park. Also, the nearby Gateway Shopping Center hosts Grotto Pizza and a Subway.

How about vendors? – We are still accepting vendor applications at pridefest@gaynepa. com.
Current vendors include (partial list):
* Caring Communities for AIDS
* Pride of NEPA
* Panzee Press
* Wyoming Valley AIDS Council
* Wilkes-Barre LGBT for Obama
* Sugarloaf Herb Farm
* NEPA Obama Pride
* Victim’s Resource Center

What about security? - The Wilkes-Barre Guardian Angels organization will be providing volunteer unarmed security and the park will be routinely patrolled by city police officers throughout the event’s duration.

What if it rains? – We are working with vendors now to ensure that most if not all of the festival is under tents. We’re not going to let a little rain spoil our fun, and hope that weather will not be a concern to you in attending!

What can I do? – First, check out the new Myspace Page for the event.
Use the “Let us Know” event page to tell us that you’ll be attending (or not!).

Volunteer! – If you’re interested in volunteering to help, please e-mail pridefest@gaynepa.com that you’d like to be added to the volunteers list. Please forward this info to your friends and let them know… The Countdown is ON!

Warm regards,

John Dawe
Executive Director
NEPA Rainbow Alliance