Special vigil Mon, Oct 11: National Coming Out Day, Napa

I am sure many of you have heard of the tragic loss of at least 6 youth around the country during the final weeks of September due to anti-gay bullying. The youngest youth was ELEVEN years old.

It is time we got together as a community and demanded that this kind of hate and harassment stop. It is time we got together as Napans to show our community--and especially those youth who feel the most pain and isolation--that they are not alone and that they are loved.

The Unity League contacted me about helping to get something happening for National Coming Out Day.
VOICES Q*Youth will be attending and helping, but this is a side project and event of the Napa community and is for everyone: straight as an arrow, queer as a 3-dollar bill and everyone in between--butches, femmes, trans, genderqueer and vanilla as icecream.

It'd be great to have you all (and your friends, family, colleagues) show up and show our youth support. Do you think we could get a ton of people together at Veteran's Park downtown (next to Downtown Joe's) on Monday at 6:30p? It would be to honor the memory of the youth who committed suicide due to anti-gay bullying and to show any other queer/questioning members of our community that they are not alone.

It would be a brief and informal "ceremony", but would be a powerful message to youth who feel hopeless.

They will only hear our message if we show up. How can we get a ton of people downtown w/ candles so our presence of love and support can be powerful?

The Facebook event page can be found here.

Napa Pride day 9 (final day): brunch, art & poetry, poolside sunset cocktails, Sun, June 19, 2010

How can it already be the last day of Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride? These past 8 days have been incredible, but make sure and make day 9 the true highlight by attending today's events. Bring a group of family, friends and even Dad:

• 10a-1p: Recovery Brunch at Characters, Napa Valley Marriott, Napa
  Relax and recover while enjoying the amazing cuisine of Executive Chef Brian Whitmer...It all takes place outside on the courtyard patio at Characters Bar & Grill at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa. The menu includes: "The Valley's Other Fruit" Plate, Wine Country Drama Queen Omelet, Marriage Egg-uality Benedict, Napa Guerilla Gay Waffles, Castro Street Croissant & Egg Sandwich, OUTmeal oatmeal.
  **Those 21 and over will receive a complementary "Rainbow" Mimosa or Bloody Mary courtesy of the Napa Valley Marriott**
  
  
• 4p-9:30p: Art Show and Poetry Reading, "Showing Our True Colors" at Bloom, Napa
  Art Exhibition 4-7pm | Spoken Word 7:30- 9:30pm | 10 min intermission with lite food and drink: 8:30pm. What are the true colors of your existence? What colors have made you who you are? What are our society's true colors? The Art Show and Poetry Reading asks artists to present the true colors of their community and their identity through visual art and spoken word. Be present, be heard, and hear the voices of others. If you are interested in sharing your spoken word art come up to the mic during the poetry session! It will be hanged on the wall space. Artists will retain all rights to their pieces.
  
  
• 4p-sunset: Ibiza Chill-Out in the Napa Valley at Bardessono, Yountville
  It will be the perfect ending to a perfect 9 days of Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride 2010...Imagine lounging on the roof pool deck at a fabulous Napa Valley hotel . . .Sipping on an appropriate beverage . . .Watching the sun go down on the longest day of the year . . .Listening to fabulous Ibiza Chill music . . .While recounting the amazing events of the past nine days during Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride 2010
  

Additionally, other local businesses (like Three Twins and C Casa Taqueria in the Oxbow, for instance) are joining in the celebration by offering Pride-themed specials. See a special around town we should know about? Please share in the comments or on the Fruit's Facebook page.

Need a recap of all the fabulousness of the last week? Go here for a list of all nine days, 20+ events that took place to celebrate Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride 2010.

Napa Pride today: golf & youth dance, Sat June 12, 2010

Today is the first day of nine days and 20+ events for Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride! There's something for everyone, including today:

• Tee Up Your Pride, 4:00pm - 9:00pm
  Vintner's Golf Club, 7901 Solano Avenue, Yountville
  Arrive and register by 3:30. At 4 PM we'll team up in foursomes (for GOLF, people!) and have a shotgun start to play nine holes in a fun "scramble" format which allows golfers of all skill levels to enjoy golfing together. There will be contest holes and prizes to make it interesting for everyone, but it's a golf outing, not a tournament, so it's not competitive...until we get to the clubhouse and start drinking!
  Even if you don't golf, anyone 21 or older is invited to join us sometime between 6 and 6:30 as the golfers will hit the clubhouse for a casual supper and a no-host bar featuring beer, wine and cocktails. Non-alcoholic drinks are included with supper.
  
  
• 
  
  
  Napa Valley Pride (Youth) Dance, 7 - midnight
  2296 Streblow Dr (Robert Pelusi Recreation Building @ Kennedy Park), Napa
  21 and under, substance free event
  By becoming a confirmed guest you are automatically added to our reservation list. By being a part of the reservation you pay $7 at the door to receive a wristband. If you are not a confirmed guest the price will be $10 at the door for the wristband. The reservation list does not include those who are on the 'maybe attending' list.

For a list of the rest of the 20+ events for Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride 2010--you know, to plan out the rest of your amazing week to come--click here.

Hella Gay Prom IV this Sat, May 8 in Santa Rosa

Click to enlarge for details.

This Saturday marks Positive Images of Santa Rosa's fourth Hella Gay Prom:

Sat, May 8, 2010
7:30p - 11:30p
1400 West College Avenue, Santa Rosa

Join us for an evening of celebrating queer youth for being themselves!
Presale tickets will cost $17 and at the door cost will be $20.
A Night of Glamour is their theme.
More info is on the flyer, above.

Sacramento Queer Prom this Sat, April 24, 6-11p

This Saturday, April 24, 2010, the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center is throwing their 2nd annual Queer Prom in downtown Sacramento:

This event was created by The Center in 2009 because of the interest of the Gay Straight Student Alliances in Sacramento Area High Schools. The groups were looking for the chance for self expression outside of the traditional school proms. Last year over 160 promgoers attended. This year 200 are expected.

The night will be similar the traditional spring school proms. The room will be decorated with the Hollywood Glamor theme. DJ Jeremy Fristoe will handle tunes. Photographer Larry Lauszus will take prom pictures in an old bank vault in the building where the dance is held.

Many prom events today can cost $100 for admission in addition to tuxes, prom dresses and other expenses. The Queer Prom will have just a $10 admission fee (no formal dinner included!) and a dress code that says, Flashy or Glamourous!

Rather than traditional expectations, promgoers will be able to use their imagination and let go with outfits that they create, expressing their own self concepts for the event, without the obligation for large expenses.
And yes, there will be the traditional monitors, chaperones, and security. Well, not quite traditional security, the Sacramento Valley Leathercorps and other gay Sacramento leather groups will provide the outdoor and visible security.

The event goes from 6-11p. Awesomely, a Napa group of youth is wanting to go and arranging carpools. If you're a Napa youth who wants to go, visit that page to coordinate with other youth from Napa. (Side note, many of these Napa youth are involved in planning a similar event to take place during Napa Pride in June 2010. Clear your calendars, now!)

For more details on the event, visit the newsletter page of the Sac Gay & Lesbian Center or the event's official page on Facebook.

VOICES LGBTQ youth meeting Thurs, April 22, 5p

The group of queer youth and allies at VOICES Napa, has decided to meet monthly (for now, and maybe increasing eventually).

Their next support-style meeting will be this Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 5-6:30p at VOICES (780 Lincoln Avenue, Napa). For now they are calling themselves VOICES Q*Youth, although the group will be choosing their official name shortly.

The group is for Napa's LGBTQ youth and allies, ages 16-24. Please RSVP.

Day of Silence today, Fri, April 16

Today, Friday, April 16, is the National Day of Silence and The Valley's Other Fruit sends love to all youth, teachers, administrators and other supporters of this bold movement.

For those who are new to the Day of Silence, I'll recap what I printed last year:

The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools...Hundreds of thousands of students will come together on April 16 to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. Silent students hand out cards to speak for them:

Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the Silence?

A sort-of reverse approach to the National Coming Out Day, of course this amazing, student-led, hope-building, nation-wide event has the haters all pissed and counter-protesting by having their kids walk out in protest of tolerance, love and health. The National Day of Silence site has a great article on 8 Tips for facing opposition.

I'd love to know: are you going silent today? Please share reports of what's happening at your school or in your community in the comments section.

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 PFLAG Chapter scholarships for GLBT seniors, student allies

As mentioned at last night's Unity League meeting, the Napa Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is offering scholarships to local LGBT students and straight allies. High school seniors can receive $500 - $1000 for almost any post secondary education program. Please spread the word:

The local chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) is fortunate to be able to offer scholarships of $500-$1,000 to GLBT seniors or student allies who have demonstrated their support for the GLBT community. Scholarships can be used at a university or college, technical/vocational school, performing arts school or art college. Students currently attending one of the above mentioned institutions are also welcome to apply.

Students need to be a resident in the county of Napa , Sonoma , Marin or Mendocino. Applications must be submitted by April 1, 2010 and can be obtained by contacting PFLAG North Bay’s Co-President, Paul Boisvert, at 707-226-1314 or by email at pboisvert1@yahoo.com.

"Straightlaced" screening comes to Santa Rosa this Thurs, Nov 19

This Thursday the Rialto theater is hosting a benefit for the Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS Network, a screening of the film "Straightlaced: How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up", an award winning documentary that "unearths how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are confining American teens":

From girls confronting media messages about culture and body image to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren’t gay, this fascinating array of students opens up with brave, intimate honesty about the toll that deeply held stereotypes and rigid gender policing have on all our lives.

WHEN:
Thursday, November 19, 2009
7:15-9:00pm

WHERE:
Rialto Cinemas Lakeside
551 Summerfield Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95405

TICKETS:
$10 for adults, $7 for seniors/students
Please call Rialto Cinemas at 707-525-4840 or visit Rialto Cinema's website.

Here's the trailer.

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.

Queercoming masquerade youth dance in Santa Rosa, October 10

Thanks for some info from Napa Valley College's GSA, we got word that Santa Rosa's Positive Images' (youth center) annual Queercoming Dance is coming up. Many young people write in and ask, "I see all the great events you post about what's going on in the North Bay. Is there anything for youth under 21?", and now I have a good reply.

Yes!:

Queercoming
October 10, 2009
7:30p - 11:30p
1400 W College Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA

Tickets are $12 (or $10 presale).
Call 707-568-5830

Queercoming is a substance-free event for youth

Visit Positive Images for more information about their other events and programs.

Hella Gay Prom May 23, Santa Rosa

Positive Images is at it again, hosting their Hella Gay Prom 3 on May 23.

The only details I can find so far is from their site:

MAY 23, 2009 @ MONROE HALL 7:30-11:30PM $20
SUBSTANCE-FREE EVENT

Also from their site: Positive Images provides support and advocacy to Sonoma County’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersexed youth and young adults, and educates the greater community. We envision a Sonoma County where all youth are valued, compassionate community members, creating a just society.

You can find more information and all about Positive Images other projects at their website.