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The trans* community has consistently been facing discrimination and lack of access to fair employment, education, healthcare and public ac-ceptance. Allies are all the more critical now, because, in the words of Amelia Shroyer (HuffPost), “when making progress to end discrimination, hate is pushed into the ‘black market,’ if you will, making it more covert and subtle.” Learn all about what it means to be a trans* ally from the PFLAG National Straight for Equality project dur-ing a live tweetchat. Follow the hashtag #TransAlly on Thursday, December 11, 2014 starting at 1 p.m. to join a lively conversation on all things #trans and #ally.

Join us for food and fun and Mixed Taste! Mixed Tastes’ unique format, inspired by a popular lecture series at the Denver Museum of Contempo-rary Art, features two seemingly unrelated topics presented by two speakers; the first speaker speaks for a few minutes, then the second speaker covers a separate topic. This is followed by a question-and-answer session on both topics, at the same time. During the first part of the program, speakers are not allowed to make connections between topics, whereas during the Q & A, anything can happen. First up, Mardi Moore, Executive Director of Out Boulder, will discuss the many unique and humorous ways the GLBT community celebrates wed-dings, marriage and family. Second, Eleanor Hubbard, co-editor of Trans-Kin: A Guide for Family and Friends of Transgender People, will discuss unusual holiday traditions from around the world. Then it will be your turn to "mix" it up. Together we will discover lots of ways in which these two topics are connected. The annual winter holiday banquet is where your faithful PFLAG Board provides a festive feast of roast turkey with all the trimmings, baked ham and a vegetarian entrée, as well as the table settings, and beverag-es. Members, families, friends and guests are invited to join us by bring-ing a side dish, salad or dessert. An invitation has also gone out to OASOS youth and their parents and Rainbow Elders so that we can cele-brate an intergenerational evening together. Notice on Location: The Holiday Banquet will be in the parlor at the First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce Street, Boulder.

PFLAG BOULDER COUNTY

December 2014

“Mixed Tastes” at our Annual Holiday Banquet Sunday, December 14th at 5pm

Meetings

First United Methodist Church

1421 Spruce Street, Boulder

303-444-8164

Cairn Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ)

1700 Stonehenge Dr, Lafayette

303-442-1861

The Heart of Longmont FUMC

11th and Emery, Longmont

303-651-6125

2pm - Support &

Advocacy Groups Meet

3pm - Program

At 2pm a support group, espe-cially intended for newcomers and others dealing with personal LGBT-related issues, meets in the library as long as needed. Confi-dentiality is promised. The public is always welcome to the main program at 3pm., usually on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Our location rotates between the three above locations - see our program schedule for more info.

Contact info@pflagboulder.org

with questions, concerns, or re-

quests for support to get a person-

al response.

December 14th

PFLAG Holiday Banquet What Does it Mean to be a Trans* Ally?

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PFLAG Boulder County, Out Boulder, TYES and First United Methodist Church of Boulder hosted a party/fundraiser on November 23rd to cele-brate Jean Hodges’s Election as President of the Board of Directors for PFLAG National. The event was a huge success, raising nearly $2,000 for PFLAG National and leaving standing room only, for all who turned out to

honor a woman who has worked so hard amongst us for so many years. Many community leaders, including Glenda Russell, Mark Heiss, Janet Llewallen and more, spoke in honor of Jean and the work she has done throughout the years in so many different facets. There were also mul-tiple references to the apparent epidemic in our community that ren-ders its victims completely unable to tell Jean Hodges, “No!” One thing every speaker expressed was that they couldn’t wait to see what Jean did at the national level. Indeed, we have been very fortunate as a com-munity to see and benefit from Jean’s work first hand and now her gifts and leadership will be shared nationwide. Near the end of the festivities, Jean spoke to the assembled guests, graciously thanking

everyone for their kind words. She also spoke passionately about the strides PFLAG National is continuing to try to make nationwide. Jean made the im-portant point that the progress made for marriage equality has left some with the impression that our work is done but equality has not arrived – not for our gay, lesbian and bisexual community and especially not for our transgender com-munity. Also, new PFLAG chapters are emerging in small town America where equality has definitely not made the same progress as in mainstream society – in

towns such as Thief River Falls, MN; Bartlesville, OK; Lady Lake, FL; Greenwood, IN and towns in Utah where chapters meet in basements so that members will not be excommunicated from the LDS church. Jean emphasized that PFLAG National will be focusing on reaching out to par-ents, friends and families of gender non-conforming children and also other historically oppressed communities. “If we claim our own right to equality, we must collaborate with other marginalized groups so

that struggles such as immigration call forth PFLAG support because we must be in solidarity with all oppression.” She also stated, with words that certainly seem to encapsulate the woman we’ve known in this community for decades:

“It is our passion for doing something that serves more than ourselves that gives our lives meaning. The wrinkles on our faces do not reveal our age as

much as the wrinkles in our souls for not pursuing a passion that gives us life!”

Community Celebrates Jean Hodges’s Election to

National PFLAG Presidency

Jean with Mardi Moore, Executive Director of Out Boulder

Janet Llewallen presents her mother’s sash to Jean. Janet’s mother, Elinor

Lewallen, was a former PFLAG National President and Jean’s mentor.

Jean with her cake reading: “Jean + PFLAG = Hope”

Jean's National PFLAG Band, as renamed for the day

Jean, with her son John, daughter-in-law,

and grand-daughters

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Dec. 9, 2014 Out Boulder’s Holiday Party Join Out Boulder for their annual Holiday Party held at the Pridehouse, 2132 14th St., Boulder on December 9, 2014 from 7 to 9 p.m. It is the same day as Colorado Gives Day on which individuals provide the funding Out Boulder needs to do all they do in Boulder County to educate, advocate & provide services, programs and support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender communities.

Dec. 12-14, Jan. 11: Sound Circle Solstice Concerts This year’s holiday Solstice concert is entitled “Appetite,” an exploration of the pro-foundly simple—but not easy—question: “What do I want?” To be human, it seems, is not only to have appetite, but also to have a conflicted relationship with appetite. The 16-voice women’s a cappella ensemble will perform on Dec. 12 at 5pm; Dec. 13 & 14 and Jan. 11 at 5pm, at Unity Columbine, 8900 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder. Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 for students and seniors. Not appropriate for children under age 6. Call Sound Circle at 303-473-8337 or go to www.soundcirclesings.org for more info.

Dec. 12, 14, 17, and 18: Denver Gay Men’s Chorus holiday concerts Join the Denver Gay Men's Chorus for a highlight of the beautiful traditions, bells and carols, camp and fun of the holiday season. See http://www.rmarts.org for full info. Dec 12, 2014, 7:30 PM (Griffin Concert Hall, CSU, Ft. Collins) Dec 14, 2014, 2:00 PM (St. Andrew UMC, Highlands Ranch) Dec 17, 2014, 7:30 PM (Gates Concert Hall, DU) Dec 18, 2014, 7:30 PM (Gates Concert Hall, DU)

Jan. 1, 2015: Polar Plunge benefitting BCAP This 32nd annual event held at the Boulder Reservoir Beach now benefits the Boulder County AIDS Project. It’s open to the first 500 brave souls, $30 for adults, $25 for kids. Register before Jan. 1 and save $5 at www.bcap.org. Volunteers are also needed --- contact Sarah Annecone at sarah@bcap.org or 303-444-6121.

Schedule of Holiday Events

TYES - A Support Organization for

Families with Gender Variant Children Meets, 2pm on second Sundays

Same Locations as PFLAG Meetings E-mail: TYES.group@gmail.com

November saw a lot of action in the courts, the biggest bombshell being the ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that upheld the constitutionality of state marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Ten-nessee, and Kentucky. The ruling introduced a conflict with the Fourth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals, all of which ruled several similar state bans unconstitutional. The Plaintiffs in these cases have all filed timely petitions seeking review from the U.S. Supreme Court, which, just a few weeks earlier, had denied several similar petitions in previous cases. However, now that there is fresh disagreement be-tween the appeals courts on the constitutionality of state marriage bans, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to grant review in one or more of these cases, perhaps in time for a nationwide decision by the end of the current term (June 2015). Meanwhile, federal district courts in Kansas, South Carolina, Montana, Mississippi, and Arkansas ruled their respective state bans unconstitutional, adding to the string of legal victories in favor of the freedom to marry.

The Legal Landscape of Marriage Equality — Updates by Raga Gopalakrishnan

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September 30th marked the end of our fiscal year. Your PFLAG Board hopes that you will decide to renew your membership with PFLAG Boulder County by paying on line with PayPal at www.pflagboulder.org or sending a check to our treasurer, Rosie Campbell, P. O. Box 19696, Boulder, CO 80308. The rates have remained at a low cost to encourage everyone to join no matter their circumstances: $25 for individuals; $35 for family units; and $15 for students and persons unable to pay the full amount, no questions asked. Just so you know, the $15 per member unit donation to National PFLAG brings in around $80,000 toward a nearly $3 million dollar annual budget. Not only do members have benefits of print resources, webinar leadership train-ings, monthly teleconferences, weekly e-lerts and available news and information on the www.pflag.org website, but individuals receive the PflagPole in the mail and have an opportunity to elect their national board and region-al directors as well as to attend the National Convention held biannually. National PFLAG does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We count on your renewal to continue our work to move equality forward for LGBTQ persons in our community and the nation.

PFLAG Membership Renewal Time

Name(s) of Member(s): __________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ City: _________________________________________________ State: ________________ Zip Code: _______________ Home Phone: _________________________________________ Other Phone: _________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ ______ I prefer to receive my newsletter electronically ________ ______ Student $15 ______ Individual Membership $25 ______ Family Membership $35 ______ Supporting Member $50 ______ Gold Membership $75 ______ Platinum Membership $100 ______ Other Donation _____________________

Membership fees and contri-butions are tax deductible. All information will remain confi-dential. PFLAG is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization.

Thank You!!

From Out Boulder: “The Boulder County Transgender Health Task Force has launched www.TransHealthBoulderCounty.org to help trans* individuals make informed health and mental health care decisions and connect them to providers who are specifically trained to understand their unique needs. Transgender people report that many health and mental health professionals are not only uninformed about the unique issues related to gender identity, some are openly hostile. Social disapproval and discrimi-nation can affect transgender people in all aspects of their lives. The Colorado Transgender Health Survey found that access to a transgender-inclusive provider was an indicator of the health and well-being of transgender Coloradans. To read the Colorado Transgender health Survey in its entirety, go to: http://www.one-colorado.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OC_Transparent_Download2mb.pdf About the *: When an asterisk is put at the end of “trans,” it expands the boundaries of the category to be more inclusive. It can be understood as the most inclusive umbrella term to describe various communities and individuals with nonconforming gender identities and/or expressions en masse.”

New Transgender Health Website Launched