LGBTQ+ Birthing & Affirming Doula Conversations

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

June 8, 2022

Join us at the Loop on Sunday, June 12 from 6-7PM for an affirming, non-gendered conversation about birthing and doula services free from binary language. This event is geared toward the unique pregnancy experiences of LGBTQ+ birthing people, and will be led by Rae Johnson-Bundy & Madhumitha Rajakittu Pudupatti.

Masks are required for the in-person event. Can’t join in person? Feel free to attend our digital simulcast!

Madhumitha Rajakittu Pudupatti
Rae Johnson-Bundy

Rae Johnson-Bundy, certified Doula Trainer and Mentor, Lamaze Childbirth Educator, Evidenced Based Birth Instructor and a Certified Birth Doula (CD) DONA at Doula Right Thing. As a Birth and Postpartum Doula Trainer for National Black Doula Associates (NBDA), Black Childbirth Educator and Doula she supports and brings awareness to the much needed maternal health care People of Color are facing today.

Madhumitha Rajakittu Pudupatti, National Black Doula Associates (NBDA), Certified Birth Doula at Guiding Hand Doula. As a Woman of Color, immigrant navigating in a different culture, birth professional, and mother herself, she has experienced and witnessed situations not completely respectful to the birthing person. She strives to support birthing people from the experience of a Person of Color, and through her program strives to reach Communities of Color, bring awareness to Maternal Health, and represent POC during pregnancy and bring in the respect they deserve for their values, beliefs, and choices.

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition Unveils The Loop

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

June 7, 2022

The Loop, Central Pennsylvania's first nonprofit hub

On June 5th, 2022 Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition launched The Loop: Central Pennsylvania’s first nonprofit community hub. Along with the Coalition’s LGBTQ+ center, this space will house multiple other nonprofit agencies led by or serving BIPOC communities including:

  • Patients R Waiting
  • Common Wheel
  • NAACP 
  • Raiz 
  • Latino Empowerment Project
  • Union Community Care
    • Our 1-3 year plan includes a free health clinic focused on LGBTQ+ proficiency, spearheaded by Lancaster LGBTQ+ Health Consortium. 

This space will represent a true powerhouse of individuals and leading nonprofits working with vulnerable populations coalescing to create meaningful progress towards an equitable Lancaster County.

The Loop will represent a fully affirming location where all intersections of our community will be served among the growing services of the Coalition. This will include youth programming, a transgender and nonbinary support group, library and community connection space, case management services, legal support, educational opportunities, and a low-cost health clinic. 

HEART (Homelessness Emergency Assistance Response Team)

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition’s HEART Program is a subsidized communal housing model that provides a supporting home, resources, case management, and skills training so that vulnerable LGBTQ+ community members can truly thrive.

A primary focus and cornerstone of services is HEART’s SEED (Social Emotional Enrichment Development) Program, ensuring that individuals experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless can receive culturally competent case management and referral services. This program was developed to serve the residents of our HEART Program. 

Queer Health Advocacy Alliance

We will be working along with Dr. Lake from Comprehensive Health, Penn Medicine and Dr. Sharee Livingston, representing UPMC & Patients R Waiting to identify and connect LGBTQ+ proficient healthcare providers, while conducting and influencing research for Central Pennsylvania and all intersections of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Even more important as we know: 

  • In 2019, 56% of LGBTQ+ individuals reported facing discrimination in healthcare settings
  • In 2020 this number increased to 61%

Stage Q

Among our many enrichment and educational offerings, The Loop presents Stage Q; a welcoming space for emerging artists to share their talents. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to make this dream a reality with your support. This kind of collective effort from established entities and community stakeholders emboldens our mission toward true equity in action. This is a monumental step towards creating a Lancaster County where we all live full, courageous, and authentic lives. Thank you for your help in making history! 

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

Participate in the Global Pride Study!

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

May 30, 2022

Participate in the Global Pride Study today!

The University of Washington’s Goldsen Institute is seeking LGBTQ+ individuals age 18+ to participate in their Global Pride Study, Global Health, Sexuality and Gender: Longevity Across Generations!

This project is a collaboration of more than 40 scholars from across the globe and is designed to address health and well-being holistically in adult sexual and gender minority populations and to develop the knowledge base needed to guide future international research, practice, and policies for promoting health equity for these communities and populations around the globe.

10 randomly selected individuals who complete the survey and a participation form to enter the drawing will be awarded a gift box of United States Pacific Northwest favorites.

For more information, the study facilitators can be reached at: GlobalPride@uw.edu.

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

Apply Today for a PA Pride Community Grant!

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

May 26, 2022

Apply Today for a PA Pride Community Grant, Provided by the PA Tourism Office

After two weeks of collaboration with the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, we’re excited to share an opportunity for local organizations to apply for a PA Pride Community Grant!

These grants, provided by the PA Tourism Office and administered in partnership with Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, are to provide funding to uplift LGBTQ+ Pride festivals and events across the Commonwealth.

Any organization presenting an event from May 1 to Sept. 1, 2022 are eligible. Applications must be returned by June 3, so apply today!

Many thanks to the PA Tourism Office for their partnership with the Coalition and their previous partnership with Voices Underground who administered their Juneteenth grants. The Office is beautifully aligned with the Coalition’s mission and we’re thrilled to be a partner in this initiative.

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

The Time for Equality is Now

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

January 12, 2022

Discrimination is still commonplace for LGBTQ+ Americans. Opponents of LGBTQ+ equality continue to file discriminatory bills in states across the country in an attempt to undermine existing protections in adoption, marriage and access to basic public services and businesses. Full federal nondiscrimination protections like the ones outlined in the Equality Act would ensure that all LGBTQ+ Americans can live, work, and access public spaces free from discrimination, no matter what state they call home. 

The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute recently found that national support for the Equality Act is around 83 percent. This is the strongest level of support the bill has ever seen.  We must tell lawmakers that now is the time to pass this legislation. 

Take action today by contacting your senators by email or phone and telling them to pass federal nondiscrimination protections.  It’s so easy – just a few clicks will get it done. 

Get started now.

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition Opening New HEART House

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

January 11, 2022

We are beyond thrilled and honored to announce that with the amazing help of our community, we are reopening our LGBTQ+ affirming HEART (Homelessness Emergency Assistance & Response Team) house in the next few weeks!

HEART will house five LGBTQ residents struggling with homelessness, housing insecurity, and non-affirming situations, and provide them with programming, job assistance, and loving support. The Coalition will also work with community partners to offer enrichment training, such as budgeting, health resources, and other life skills.

HEART also offers a warm-handoff service to housing and medical services to provide emotional support for program participants. To further ensure resource providers are capable of providing culturally competent services, we provide cultural competency training to community stakeholders and potential partners around serving the LGBTQ+ population.

Now that we have hired a Director of Programming to manage the program and volunteers, HEART will expand to work with persons experiencing homelessness on the streets to help them access safe and inclusive housing, and mitigate their vulnerability to COVID-19 by providing PPE, hand sanitizer and resources.

At this time, we are unable to offer emergency crisis shelter. Applicants must have some form of income and have the ability to manage their general needs and safety. If you are in need of immediate shelter call crisis intervention at (717) 394-2631 or 211.

Apply for Residence »
Information for sponsors »

About the HEART Program:
There is a housing crisis in Lancaster County and extremely limited LGBTQ+ affirming housing. Over 70% of our Pandemic Relief Emergency Fund recipients reported housing and rental assistance as their primary need. Currently there are no fully affirming shelters in Lancaster County and bed availability is scarce.

On February 1, 2021, the HEART Program opened its 6-month pilot low-cost housing location, offering individuals sheltering in unaffirming environments a chance to live in a supportive home. The Coalition helps subsidize rent according to each person’s individual needs and works with community partners to offer enrichment training, such as budgeting, health resources, and other life skills.

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