NEPA PRIDEFEST 2011 ENTERTAINMENT LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

We are pleased to announce the entertainment line-up for NEPA PrideFest 2011 will include performances by:

• Media 5 Entertainment bands POP ROX and M80
• DJ sets sponsored by the 12 Penny Saloon and Twist.
• An hour of music, performance art, and a special appearance by award-winning singer/songwriter and long time gay rights activist Jade Starling, sponsored by Twist
• A special entertainment block highlighting Northeastern Pennsylvania’s best drag performers, sponsored by Sweet Emanski Entertainment

“Our entertainment schedule this year pulls together the diversity of our region – from popular local acts to, to performances by drag queens highlighting an important element of the gay rights movement, to a very special performance by gay rights icon Jade Starling,” said John Dawe, executive director of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, the organization that presents the annual PrideFest event.

The family-friendly, all-ages festival also brings together vendors and exhibitors from local businesses and nonprofit organizations with products, services and offerings targeted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and its allies. (LGBTA).

According to Bill Browne, Vice-Chair, “We have grown every year for the past three, and expect this year to surpass all previous events.”  Last year’s event hit a record attendance of more than 2,000.

“We’ve tweaked a lot of our operations,” said Dawe, explaining that reductions in funding have caused the organization’s board to scrutinize every facet of the event. “As a result, festival-goers will see an extremely streamlined event.  We are extremely grateful to organizations like Tiger Abstract, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Twist, Twelve Penny Saloon, Pride of NEPA, and The Rainbow Fund of The Luzerne Foundation for helping to keep this signature event going strong.”

Any company, organization, or individual wishing to get involved by sponsoring, vending, or volunteering can contact the PrideFest office by calling 570-763-9877 or e-mailing info@gaynepa.com.

As we look to the New Year, we hope you will take a moment this holiday season to reflect on the progress that we, as a community, have made during 2009.

During the last year, the NEPA Rainbow Alliance and Rainbow Fund have achieved unprecedented positive visibility for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and allied communities in our region.  From the 1,500+ attendee Pride Festival to a full spread in The Weekender to “State of Pennsylvania: Gay in NEPA” public affairs special on WVIA, our volunteers and staff have been busy.

We need your help so we can continue this important work.  We know that when the majority of people see that there is a vibrant LGBT community in their backyard, it starts dialogue that leads to understanding.

Please take a moment to make a gift to help us keep the momentum going.

We hope we can count on your support so the advancement of equality will have a strong and permanent place in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Please click here to make a gift or mail a gift to:

The NEPA Rainbow Fund
512 Northampton Street #218
Edwardsville, PA 18704

Thank you and happy holidays!

The Volunteers and Staff of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance

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.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Dawe (570-237-6048) – john@gaynepa.com
Stacey Sobel (215-731-1447 ext. 11) – ssobel@equalitypa.org

7-25-2008 - (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) – On July 23, 2008, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a Commonwealth Court decision striking down the amendments to the state’s hate crimes law that added sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, gender, and mental and physical disability in 2002. The law was overturned based on the procedural way the legislation was passed by the legislature, not the content of the law.

The law, known as the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act, was amended to include protections for these groups of people by a two-thirds majority of the state House of Representatives and Senate. The legislation was signed into law by Republican Governor Mark Schweiker.

Current Governor Ed Rendell said in a prepared statement, “It’s important to note that the Commonwealth Court’s decision was based on a procedural issue and not on the substance of the amendment. I urge the General Assembly to immediately pass appropriate legislation to fully reinstate this important statute, which originally was enacted with bipartisan support.”

“Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, then known as the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, worked to pass this legislation with our coalition partners and drafted the bill’s text.  We are extremely disappointed that some of the most vulnerable people in Pennsylvania are now unprotected by our state’s hate crimes law.  I urge the legislature to once again pass this legislation with all deliberate speed,”  said Stacey Sobel, Esq. Executive Director.

“The case stems from a 2004 incident in Philadelphia where Michael Marcavage, then 25, of the anti-gay evangelical group Repent America organized a protest and was arrested under the law’s ethnic intimidation statute during the 2004 Philly OutFest parade,” said John Dawe, executive director of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, “We’re committed to working with Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, our supporters and partners throughout the region and Commonwealth to reinstate this law so that all citizens of the commonwealth are protected against hate.”

Stephen Glassman, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, added, “It is vitally important for our agency to be able to respond to every act of hate and bias in the Commonwealth no matter who the victim may be. We must protect the rights of people to be free from these hate crimes just as surely as we protect them on the basis of their religion, race, ethnicity, or national origin.” 

###

We hope you’ve all enjoyed the holidays.  At the Rainbow Alliance/GayNEPA.com we’ve been taking some time off after a very busy 2007.  It’s been a landmark year for our organization and community and we want to take a minute and say, “Thanks!”

Put simply, none of these accomplishments would have happened without the support of our donors, volunteers, and friends.

• We’ve been featured as front page stories in the Weekender and Diamond & Electric City Newspapers.
• Several of our advisors and I have been featured guests on local TV and Radio Shows on LGBT issues
• We’ve worked with local legislators to gain their sponsorship on the PA Non-Discrimination Bill. Info here.
• We’ve grown our contact list to nearly 2,000.
• We’ve held the first ever Gay & Lesbian Film Festival with venues in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
• We held a special Welcoming Worship Service.  Copies of the sermon are at this link.
• We’ve published the 2007-08 Pride Guide, a directory of welcoming and supportive businesses in Eastern Pennsylvania.
• We’ve held programs around financial services for LGBT individuals and families.
• We’ve held programs for LGBT parents.
• We’ve become well known throughout the region, showing a strong presence for the gay community.

The Rainbow Alliance is committed to working as the bridge between the gay community and countless organizations throughout our region to provide much needed programs and services.

Now we only have one more question: WHERE DO YOU SEE A NEED?   What programs have helped?  What programs do you want to see?  What are the great organizational, service, or program needs for the gay community in Northeastern Pennsylvania?

Please write back and let us know what your thoughts are as we continue in Northeastern Pennsylvania to build an even more welcoming and supportive community in 2008.

Finally, our sincere appreciation goes out to Susan Smith, the regional manager of Planned Parenthood, who has been a long time ally of the LGBT community, and served as our board of directors chair for the past two years.  As her term comes to an end, we offer our sincere thanks for all her support and leadership.  She will remain on our advisory committee, and continue to chair our healthcare working group.  You can contact her here.

Warmest regards,

The NEPA Rainbow Alliance Boards & Staff

P.S. If you’re receiving this as a forward, please join our e-mail list here.  If you’re on myspace and aren’t our friend yet, please send us a friend request here.

The Sermon
I’m Peter D’Angio and I’m priest in charge at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton. My partner and I arrived in Northeastern Pennsylvania seven months ago; it’s a joy to connect with the Rainbow Alliance and to be part of this day.

After you leave here you’ll be going to watch “The Saint of 9/11″ which tells the story of Father Mychal Judge, the New York City fire department chaplain who died at Ground Zero on September 11th. As you’ll see in the film, queer people like Father Judge struggle in the church, just like they struggle in life. But that does not mean that the church does not have a place for sexual minorities, as Jesus makes clear in the story of the wedding banquet that we hear today from Luke’s gospel.

How can imagine the story in modern day terms? Well, I’m a big fan of the Style Channel (who would have guessed?) and I sometimes watch “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” which tells stories of wedding planners and brides locking horns. So here’s Jesus’ story as told on “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?”

The father of the bride has hired the best venue for the wedding reception, and we see the camera lovingly hovering over the beautiful table settings, the gorgeous flowers, and all the rest of the details. The father barges into the scene and demands that the wedding planner do something about the fact that none of the guests have shown up for the wedding.

Ever resourceful the (gay) wedding planner goes the immigration office and gets all the people waiting in line there. He hires a bus to go to a local nursing home to get all the residents, some of whom are in wheelchairs, some on walkers. He goes to some place like the 12 Penny which just happens to be having drag night and brings all the drag kings and queens, as well as all the other patrons. Finally, when all these people have assembled and sit down at the lovely tables the father of the bride says, “Now the party can begin!” Of course, it is a fabulous party as only queer folk can pull off!

More…
What Jesus tells us in this story this morning is that we have a place at that party with him. He reverses the societal expectation that we are outcasts and he tells us, and all the rest of the marginalized, that we are honored guests to him, contrary to what the church often says in word and deed.

We find Jesus’ attitude reflected in the letter of John which says: “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth…” (1 John 3:18-19a). What I hear in this is that as queer folk, we have to speak the truth in love about our own lives. We have to come out and in coming out we will know ourselves as both truthful and whole. In this call to come out, and I would add to come out in the church, we start from the belief that God created and continues to create us as who we are: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and yes even straight, and that that is GOOD. God did not create LGBTI folk as second class citizens, any more than God did women or people of color, despite what some denominations have outwardly taught at times or at least implied. When we tell the truth of our lives we can integrate the social, erotic, and spiritual; we speak the truth to power, which empowers not only us but those around us. And the place to do this is not only in our families and in the workplace but in the church as well because the church needs to hear our voices as the beloved people of God.

I get the question “Why bother with the church?” all the time, and not just from queer folk. The argument goes something like this: God is everywhere not just in the church and I have my own spirituality even though I’m not really religious. So why should I come to the church which is so messed up about human sexuality anyway? But there’s a flaw in this stance: being spiritual alone is kind of like being queer alone; it’s possible, but not very rewarding. Spirituality practiced in the closet tends to produce a similar thing to sexuality practiced in the closet: the elements of being a spiritual person are all there just like the elements of being a member of a sexual minority. But they just haven’t been allowed to grow or to see the light of day. We all know what happens when someone comes out as queer; they undergo a process of growth and transformation, but it takes a community to help make that happen, and that’s why we’re here today to help to continue to make a community which we and others like us can be a part of.

The same thing happens when we come out to Jesus; our spiritual lives grow and blossom. But we need the love and support of other people on the same journey and that’s what the church is all about, just like what the queer community is all about. There are churches out there like Saint Stephen’s and like Saint Luke’s that welcome you and where you will hear the truth of our lives proclaimed from the pulpit. One young man said he was electrified the first time he heard me use the word “gay” in a sermon, and he began a journey with us at Saint Luke’s. Just after his twenty-first birthday he stood in the pulpit at Saint Luke’s and preached a sermon about diversity, acceptance, and the truth of his life. People’s attention was riveted on him throughout the sermon and in the line at the back of church after the service people commented glowingly on his message.

Often hidden inside stone walls like these are places of warmth, acceptance and community. But churches Saint Stephen’s and Saint Luke’s have to struggle to come out in a queer culture that equates Christianity with homophobia, judgmentalism, and narrow-minded prudishness. All the parties involved: queer folk, our straight allies, and the church are engaged in the process of coming out, not only to each other but also to God. And with all us all stands Jesus who says to one and all alike, “Come and join my party.”

The Readings

First reading: 1 John 3:16-23
We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment –  that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Second reading: Luke 14:15b-24
While attending a banquet with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ And the slave said, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.”

Preached at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 30 September 2007.
All Bible quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), unless noted otherwise.

Thanks again to those of you who came out this weekend for the film festival.  We estimate that we saw around 125 unique participants over the three-day event.  Expect an recap and update from us soon!

Now, we have a number of events going on in October that I want to make you aware of immediately.

GLBT History Month
Starting today, we are participating in GLBT History Month.   Each day during October we’ll present a short profile of a GLBT leader.  Look for these profiles on http://gaynepa.com, http://blog.gaynepa.com, and http://myspace.com/gaynepa. Also, if you’re on Comcast cable, look for occasional commercials.

Transformation Tuesdays
We’ll be hosting nights out at local supportive businesses starting on Tuesday the 9th and every Tuesday afterwards in October.  Visit http://rainbow.dcssites.com/tuesdays/ for the schedule of events and printable coupons.   Each event starts at 5:30 p.m. and goes through 8 p.m.

The schedule is as follows:
Oct. 9th: Ground Round, Wilkes-Barre
Oct. 16th: Barnes & Noble at Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre*
Oct. 23rd: The Banshee Pub, Scranton*
Oct. 30th: The FireGrill @ Inn at Nichols Village, Clarks Summit
* – also business networking events

“Remembering Keith” – Benefits for the Diversity Partnership
Keith Haring’s bold, cartoon-like images have made him an icon in modern art and GLBT civil rights.  Keith’s sister Kay will join the Diversity Partnership of The Luzerne Foundation on Sunday, October 14, 2007 at two events in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Funds raised from this event will be tripled due to a matching grant.
EVENTS:
1:00 p.m. at Keystone College (donations will be accepted)
3:00 p.m. at Wyoming Valley Red Cross ($25 donation per person)
For more information call 570-371-6555 or e-mail diversity@luzfdn.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about any of these events, e-mail john@gaynepa.com or call 570-606-4410.

Weekender 9/26/07 — OUT to the Movies (page 40)
Donna Talarico | Weekender Correspondent

It’s one more sign of the growth and acceptance of diversity in Northeast Pennsylvania: A gay and lesbian film festival.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will be held Friday through Sunday at various venues. In fact, the county seats of both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties will share the hosting duties of the inaugural fest, with films being shown in theaters in both downtown Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

John Dawe, executive director of the sponsoring organization says this “tour format” was selected because the Rainbow Alliance is a regional organization.

“We wanted to give opportunities for people across the region to attend some part of the festival,” Dawe said. “If you can’t make it down to Wilkes-Barre or up to Scranton, we hope you’ll attend at an event in your home county.”

The festival will include a selection of films and shorts, a few from NEPA natives.

“This is our first time doing a film event,” Dawe said. “We wanted to keep it as simple as possible and solicited films from filmmakers that we knew who had done GLBT-themed films. We also partnered with the Community Film Project.”

Dawe explained the collection of films is not just geared toward a gay and lesbian audience — there are themes in each movie applicable to everyone. Even lessons.

“We think we’ve programmed films that will appeal to a diverse audience. ‘Saint of 9/11’ for example — it will be meaningful for teens and senior citizens — and you don’t have to be GLBT either,” he explained.

The critically acclaimed “Saint of 9/11” is about a friar and chaplain of the Fire Department of New York City who died the day of the World Trade Center attacks. “Rolling” is a film about drug abuse. “Steam Cloud Rising” is a story about love — and a nuclear power plant. The short comedy “Red/Blue” is the story of a young lesbian faced with a choice. “Gay Pioneers” explores early GLBT activism, and “Justice for ALL” tackles the judicial system.

The weekend-long festival kicks off with “Shorts in Scranton,” co-sponsored by the Community Film Project. In fact, one of the GLBT-themed shorts was a CFP project and was perhaps a mini-predecessor to the Eastern PA Gay & Lesbian Film Fest. “Red/Blue,” the comedy/drama about an 18-year-old lesbian deciding to come out, was premiered at the 2006 Rainbow Alliance Summer Soiree.

“It’s a gay-themed movie, and filmed in part at the 12 Penny Saloon in Moosic,” said Dawe. “Our organization provided a large number of the extras in the film. We saw there was lots of interest and things went from there.”

In addition to “Red/Blue” and “Gay Pioneers” (produced by WHYY), nine CFP films will be shown. These shorts, each between four and 12 minutes, are of various genres including comedy, suspense, drama and even animated. One highlight is “President Swap,” a parody of TV’s “Wife Swap” where President Bush trades places with a “Saved by the Bell” fan club president.

The festival continues Saturday with a matinee showing of “Steam Cloud Rising” and an evening show of “Justice for ALL” and “Rolling,” which was co-written by former NEPA resident Cody Parrish Thompson.

“I am very excited to be having the East Coast Premiere of my film Rolling in NEPA,” Thompson said. “I lived there for almost three years and left behind my mother, sister and friends to come to Los Angeles and pursue my dreams. I will be visiting everyone and doing some film promotion.

A self-taught film industry pro, Thompson said he was incredibly lucky to have Rolling as his first feature film. He is currently working on a horror script, The Cult for which he’ll be returning to the area next year to shoot. (He’ll be looking for local cast and crew, he added.)

Sunday begins earlier with a worship service, followed by a lunch and then a matinee of “Saint of 9/11.”

For $25, folks can purchase a pass to attend all movies, the lunch and the after-party event. Sold separately, movie tickets are $8 each. A Sunday-only pass, which includes lunch and movie admission, is $10.

For more details about the movies, see the sidebar. Or get a sneak peak with trailers and snippets of each movie at nepafilms.com and communityfilmproject.org.

When asked what he hopes people will feel after exiting the theaters, watching one, some or all of these movies, Dawe responded: “We have our motto, ‘Learn, Grow, Understand.’ We hope each of these goals are met by attending this festival.”

Thompson agreed.

“I think the festival is a great idea and a fantastic way to get people more involved in the arts and LGBT acceptance,” he said. “Having a university full of students from around the country and the world, it’s good to see that people are taking the time to make a difference and spread the LGBT culture to those who may not be familiar with it.”

More information: nepafilms.com

Businesses interested in participating may optionally pre-register by calling 570.371.6555.

A portion of any book, magazine, music or video purchases made from October 9 to 15 will be donated to Rainbow Alliance. Coupons are available beginning October 1 at this site or upon request at the Barnes and Noble customer service desk.

For more information about the Rainbow Alliance, visit www.gaynepa.com.