Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride coming June 12-20, 2010; 20+ events planned

[Update, May 28: corrected the location of the youth Pride dance to Kenney (not Fuller) Park.]

The folks behind this year's Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride have outdone themselves and scheduled 20+ events for this year's celebrations. There's bound to be something (if not many things) to get everyone involved, so get these all on your own calendars, now!

There's a "fan page" on Facebook if you'd like to follow the news, or as usual, I'll cover developments, here on The Valley's Other Fruit.

Additionally, Saturday, June 5 (10a-2p) there's a carwash fundraiser at Compadres to bring in money to fund all these amazing rainbow events.

Saturday, June 12

• 4p-9p: Tee Up Your Pride at Vintner's Golf Club
  
• 7p-11:30p: Youth Pride Dance at Pelusi Building/Kennedy Park
  

Sunday, June 13

• 9:30a-10:30a: Reconciling Sunday Service, "Creating Sanctuary for All" at First United Methodist Church
  
• 12p-4p: Pride Family Picnic at Fuller Park
  
• 4p-5:30p: "Fish Out of Water" film Screening, God & Gays, Some Perspectives at First United Methodist Church
  
• 4p-9p: Ben & Jerry's Fundraiser
• 6p-9p: Panchas of Yountville invaded by Guerilla Gay Bar
  

Monday, June 14

• 11a - 10p: Mary's Pizza Shack PFLAG Pfundraiser

Tuesday, June 15

• no events yet planned, visit napavalleypride.com for late breaking updates

Wednesday, June 16

• 2p-9p: Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet Relay for Life Fundraiser

Thursday, June 17

• The Napa Valley Toy Company 10 & 10 Day, fundraiser for PFLAG
• 5p-9p: Chef's Market Pride Night
• 7:30p-9:30p: Downtown Joe's invaded by Napa Guerilla Gay Bar

Friday, June 18

• 6p-midnight: "You Can Leave Your Hat On!" Pride celebration, dance, food at Made In Napa Culinary Centre
  

Saturday, June 19

• 10:30a-2:30p: Pride Hike at Skyline Park
• 7p-10p: Family & "Family" bowling night at Napa Bowl
• 11p-1a: Mamma Mia sing-a-long at Cameo Cinemas

Sunday, June 20

• 10a-1p: Recovery Brunch at Characters, Napa Valley Marriott
  
• 4p-9:30p: Art Show and Poetry Reading, "Showing Our True Colors" at Bloom
  
• 4p-sunset: Ibiza Chill-Out in the Napa Valley at Bardessono
  

VOICES Napa LGBTQ youth group forming; 1st meeting Tue, Mar 30

VOICES Napa, the nation's first youth-led emancipation center of its kind, is exploring starting a support-style group for queer and questioning youth (especially for, but not limited to, 16-24 year-old youth coming out of foster care) in the Napa area. This first, exploratory meeting will be held on the last Tuesday of this month:

Tuesday, March 30th
5-6:30p

VOICES Napa

780 Lincoln Avenue

Napa, CA 94559

RSVP's appreciated, but not required

Napa's queer youth do already have some groups for support, including the Gay/Straight Alliances at Napa Valley College and most of the high schools in the area. Napa's PFLAG chapter also has some youth support groups and activities. The VOICES group is looking to fill the gaps for youth that don't quite fit or feel like they fit in with the others (for example, slightly older youth that are not currently in school).

(Also, FYI: VOICES is the same youth center that the Napa Unity League supported at Christmastime w/ donations of gift cards and money in support of their Christmas dinner for youth that didn't have a family to celebrate the holidays with. For more information on VOICES' programs and structure, go here.)

See/print/share the flyer, embedded below, for more information.

VOICES Napa Queer Group 1st Meeting

Napa Valley College GSA launches, Next meeting, Wed, Oct 7

Let's celebrate! Napa's youth have another GSA!

For those who don't know or hadn't noticed, there's a new addition to the queer supportive groups in the valley: Napa Valley College's Gay-Straight Alliance!

Launching in early September, the Gay Straight Alliance is a club for queer youth and straight allies to all get together and work to make Napa College a better and more tolerant place for all. That's not their official mission statement, but according to the Gay Straight Alliance Network, GSA's are usually created to:

1. create safe environments in schools for students to support each other and learn about homophobia and other oppressions,

2. educate the school community about homophobia, gender identity, and sexual orientation issues, and

3. fight discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools.

This year's GSA leadership at NVC is working hard to support and unite the GSA's at the High School's as well, to create a network in the Valley of support for youth and positive community at our schools--and beyond. Currently, I believe, there are active GSA's at Napa High, Vintage High and New Technology High School. Do any of the middle schools or upvalley high schools have GSA's or similar clubs?
Napa Valley College's Next GSA meeting is this Wednesday, October 7, at 11:30am, in Napa Valley College's 1000 Building.

For more information, visit (or subscribe to) NVC's GSA pages on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or Blogspot.