Author: Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

Why are pronouns important?

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

June 15, 2022

May be a cartoon of text that says '+ $ Respecting a person's pronouns is suicide prevention GREATIST TREVOR'

Pronouns can sometimes be a signifier for someone’s gender identity but not always. We do not want to assume people’s gender identity based on expression (typically shown through clothing, hairstyle, mannerisms etc.) By providing an opportunity for people to share their pronouns, you’re showing that you’re not assuming that their gender identity is based on their appearance.

GLSEN Pronoun Guide

https://www.glsen.org/activity/pronouns-guide-glsen

If you don’t know what pronouns to use, ask. A simple way to see what pronouns someone uses—he, she, they, or something else—is to wait and see if it comes up naturally in conversation. If you’re still unsure, ask politely and respectfully, without making a big deal about it. Sharing your own pronouns is a great way to bring up the topic—for example, “Hi, I’m Rebecca and I use she/her/hers as my pronouns. How about you?” If you accidentally use the wrong pronouns, apologize and move on. Making a big deal out of a pronoun mistake may be awkward and often draws unwanted attention to the transgender person.

National Center for Transgender Equality

https://transequality.org/issues/resources/supporting-the-transgender-people-in-your-life-a-guide-to-being-a-good-ally

A Brief History of PRIDE

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

June 3, 2022

Stonewall Inn (Source: Diana Davies/ New York Public Library)

The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

[…]

Armed with a warrant, police officers entered the club [Stonewall Inn], roughed up patrons, and, finding bootlegged alcohol, arrested 13 people, including employees and people violating the state’s gender-appropriate clothing statute (female officers would take suspected cross-dressing patrons into the bathroom to check their sex).

History.com – Stonewall Riots
Christopher Street Liberation Day (Source: Leonard Fink)

On the one-year anniversary of the riots on June 28, 1970, thousands of people marched in the streets of Manhattan from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park in what was then called “Christopher Street Liberation Day,” America’s first gay pride parade. The parade’s official chant was: “Say it loud, gay is proud.”

History.com – Stonewall Riots

Learn more: https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots

Marsha P. Johnson (Source: Ron Johnson/Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Marsha P. Johnson, a self-identified drag queen and a prominent gay liberation activist, is one of the most well-known participants in the Stonewall uprising. After Stonewall, her activism continued—she joined the Gay Liberation Front, ACT UP, and cofounded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera. (Johnson also referred to herself as a “transvestite,” and never used “transgender” to describe her gender identity, since the term was popularized after her death in 1992.)

Smithsonian Institute – Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the history of Pride Month
Sylvia Rivera with Christina Hayworth and Julia Murray (Source: Luis Carle/National Portrait Gallery)

Rivera was also involved in Stonewall, and the experience led her to campaign with the Gay Activist Alliance (GAA) for a city nondiscrimination law. But Rivera, who was a transgender woman and Latina, faced discrimination from established gay rights organizations like the GAA that were predominantly led by white men. The GAA’s leadership often rejected the role transgender people—many of them people of color—played in Stonewall.

Smithsonian Institute – Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the history of Pride Month

Learn more: https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month

Pride Month 2022 Events

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

May 27, 2022

Pride Month is here, and now that events are back to being in person – we are excited to celebrate with you!

June 1st 12PM: Flag Raising Ceremony
Lancaster Pride will be at the Lancaster City Visitor Center for the flag raising.
Lancaster City Visitor Center – 38 Penn Square, Lancaster, PA 17603

June 1st 5PM – 9PM: Pride Beer Release Party
Lancaster Pride is releasing Pride Parade, a Raspberry Petite IPA
Our Town Brewery – 252 North Prince Street, Lancaster, PA

June 3rd, 4th, and 5th: PRIDE Pop Up Art Gallery

Pop of Color Art is hosting a Pride themed art gallery that showcases work by local artists and makers. All works of art are available to purchase, and a special piece of art by Jeff Sibbert called “brave. loved. valid.” will be available for auction, with all proceeds from the auction donated to the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition. The gallery will be open from 10am-7pm on Friday/Saturday, and 10am-5pm on Sunday.

Pop of Color Art – 50 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603

June 4th 6:30PM: Pride Night @ Lancaster Barnstormers
Lancaster Pride is hosting a night of baseball and drag
Clipper Magazine Stadium – 650 North Prince Street Lancaster, PA 17603

June 5th 4PM – 9PM: Ribbon Cutting & Tea Dance Ceremony
Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition is opening The Loop – a new community space and nonprofit seedbed where every intersection can feel safe and celebrated.
The Loop – 117 E Chestnut Street Lancaster PA

June 11th 12PM – 1PM: Pride Pet Parade
Lancaster Pride invites you to bring your pet to a walk in the park – pride swag is encouraged
Buchanan Park – 901 Buchanan Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603

June 15th 6PM – 8PM: Lancaster Pride and Keystone Business Alliance Networking Mixer
Lancaster Pride and the Keystone Business Alliance are hosting a Pride Month event
Burley Bar (Thistle Finch) – 417 W Grant Street, Lancaster PA

June 18th 12PM – 6PM: Lancaster Pride 
Lancaster Pride is hosting in-person events, talented musicians, extraordinary drag performers, and dozens of vendors.
Clipper Magazine Stadium – 650 North Prince Street Lancaster, PA 17603

June 19th 12PM – 8PM: Lititz PRIDE Festival
Join Lititz Chooses Love for a family celebration of PRIDE & JUNETEENTH!
Lititz Springs Park – 18 N Broad St, Lititz, PA

June 24th 6PM: Studio 43 (70’s Pride Night)

Escape. On Queen is hosting a family friendly pride event as part of Celebrate Lancaster. There will be fun, music, and more!

Escape. On Queen – 47 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA 17603


June 24th 7PM: Slow Ride Pride Ride
Trek Bicycle Lancaster is hosting their monthly slow ride with a PRIDE theme, in support of our community and Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition.
Buchanan Park – 901 Buchanan Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603

June 25th 12PM – 1PM: Pride Pool Party
LGBTQ+ affirming pool party for all ages hosted by Lancaster Pride and the Lancaster Recreation Commission
Conestoga Pines Pool – 3200 Arthur E Morris Pkwy, Lancaster, PA 17601

Substance Abuse Risks for the LGBTQ+ Community

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

May 23, 2022

The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 18.7 million people age 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the United States. The same report found that about 3 in every 8 people struggle with a reliance on “illicit drugs,” about 3 in 4 live with alcohol use, while 1 in every 9 people deal with addictions to both drugs and alcohol.

https://www.healthline.com/health/why-is-substance-abuse-worse-in-lgbtq-community

“The trauma associated with the social stigma of being LGBTQ, of living in a culture that, for the most part, is homophobic and heterosexist, is traumatic. From the experiences of being bullied and being rejected by friends and family, those traumas unfortunately still are true in 2019. In many parts of the country, the safe spaces for queer people to go are bars, so social isolation certainly is one of the factors behind substance use disorders for LGBTQ people.”

Craig Sloane, LCSW, CASAC, CSAT (https://www.healthline.com/health/why-is-substance-abuse-worse-in-lgbtq-community)

Substance abuse is a threat across the spectrum of U.S. demographics, and mental/emotional wellness issues know no boundaries. These are public health issues. However, there’s a statistically higher rate of mental illness, mental health struggles, and substance abuse in the LGBTQ+ community when compared to others. These struggles don’t take place in isolation. They occur in the context of stress created by isolation, discrimination, and a lack of support systems for LGBTQ+ individuals in society at large.

https://www.alternativetomeds.com/blog/lgbtq-substance-abuse-statistics-and-resources/

Sources:

LGBTQ+ People and Substance Abuse Statistics and Resources

Why the Risk of Substance Use Disorders Is Higher for LGBTQ People

Aging with Pride: IDEA-Program for Caregivers

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

January 3, 2022

Caring for a loved one with memory loss is difficult under the best of circumstances, but individuals in the LGBTQ community face additional challenges because of their identities and a lifetime of marginalization, stigma, and trauma.

Aging with Pride: IDEA (Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action) is the first federally funded research study examining ways to improve the health and quality of life for adults with memory loss and their care partners in the LGBTQ community.

They participate as a pair and at least one of them must be LGBTQ. The IDEA program provides nine individualized virtual coaching sessions including problem solving and communication strategies, and a gentle exercise program. They compensate up to $125 for completing interviews and are enrolling participants in all 50 states.

Find out more by browsing the flyer or their website:

Aging With Pride IDEA-FlyerDownload

https://goldseninstitute.org/ageidea/

“I liked learning about myself, that I can do this.  I enjoy doing the exercises especially with my partner, it gives us something nice to do together.”  

Program participant