April 2015 PFLAG News - PFLAG Portland, Oregon

Portland Voice
Volume 28 Issue 4
P.O. Box 6743, Portland, OR 97228
President’s message
Spring is certainly in the air! As I write this, the Cherry
tree outside my study window is in full bloom with
hundreds of pink flowers. Each year, Oregon’s beautiful
spring fills me with renewed energy for the work we are
doing at PFLAG Portland. This year is no different. With
several wonderful programs coming up at our monthly
meetings, the start of our new classes for counselors
and educators on the transgender experience, and the
PFLAG Portland Black Chapter’s Anniversary party on
April 25, there’s a lot going on!
This month, I’d like to continue
my introduction of our Board of
Directors by highlighting the work
of a very special person and
straight ally: Joyce Liljeholm.
To hear Joyce tell it, she was
a school counselor at a local high
school, charged with meeting
the emotional needs of a large
student body. As lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
youth turned to her for help and
support, Joyce realized she needed to educate herself –
and fast – on the needs of LGBT students.
(continued on page 2)
Antoinette Edwards Honored at
Women Who Lead Luncheon
Antoinette Edwards, Co-Founder of the PFLAG Portland Black Chapter, will be honored at the May 9 Women
Who Lead Luncheon. Co-honorees include Governor
Kate Brown and transgender activist, Laura Calvo. For
more information and to buy tickets, go to:
http://portland.strangertickets.com/events/23314400/
women-who-lead-luncheon-2015
Inside: ♦ Joyce Liljeholm
April, 2015
Monthly meeting Information
PFLAG Portland – April 14, 2015. First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson
St., 7:00PM. Explore the issue
of Evangelical Christians who
identify as LGBTQ with our
very special guest, Soulforce.
Soulforce, founded in 1998,
is a national social justice organization that uses compassionate activism to intervene
where religion has been weaponized against people
because of race, gender, or sex.
PFLAG Portland East County,
April 1 2015 7:00PM at St.
Luke’s Episcopal Church, 120
Towle Rd in Gresham. The
Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has
advocated for our LGBTQ students since 1990. GLSEN Oregon has been active partner
in making schools safer for all our students, including
the upcoming GSA Summit on April 9 in partnership
with Intel (go to http://glsen.
org/chapters/oregon for more
information). Come learn how
you can make a difference for
our LGBT students.
PFLAG Portland Black Chapter – will not meet in Arpil.
Instead, make plans to come
celebrate our 6 year anniversary! See details in this issue of the Portland Voice.
Support groups follow the meetings.
♦ Trans* in the family of God ♦
Joyce Liljeholm
Portland Voice
PFLAG Portland
President’s message, continued
Joyce’s passion for youth advocacy turned into a
statewide effort when she helped found Oregon Safe
Schools and Communities (OSSCC) in 2001.
OSSCC resulted from a workshop funded by the
State of Oregon organized by Joyce to understand how
to better meet the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) youth. At the end of the workshop,
it was clear that there was much more work to do than
could be accomplished in one, short class. From that
start, OSSCC was born.
As a founding OSSCC Director, Joyce helped organize the first Oregon Safe Schools Training in 2002 for
teams of youth and adults to meet the needs of LQBTQ
youth. She helped organize the Oregon Gay-Straight Alliance (GS) Network and assisted students in putting on
(continued on page 3)
PFLAG Portland Black Chapter
Turns 6!
We may be only 6 years-old, but we know how to
party! Come celebrate with us.
Calendar of Events
April, 2015
April 24 – PFLAG Portland Black Chapter anniversary
celebration!
April 24 – Class Act, a benefit for the Bill And AnnShepherd Legal Scholarship Fund. Find more information
and tickets at ww.equityfoundation.org/blog/2015class-act/
May 12 – PFLAG Portland welcomes Neola Young to
lead us in a conversation on transphobia: What is it,
how does it manifest, and how do we stop it.
June 8 – PFLAG Portland welcomes Jefferson Morgan-Work, director of the Living Room, Clackamas
County’s LGBTQ youth drop-in program.
June 11 – (Thursday) GLAPN and Q Center announce
2015’s Queer Heroes NW in a reception at Q Center,
5-7PM.
June 13 and 14 – Portland Pride!
PFLAG Portland to Offer
Education Classes!
PFLAG Portland is very excited to announce our new
venture – Reid Vanderburgh will be teaching CE and
for-credit courses in partnership with PSU and benefitting the Portland PFLAG chapter. Course offerings will
pertain to trans* or LGBTQ issues. The first classes
are coming up in late April. The first CE class topic is
The Trans Inclusive Therapy Practice; the first for-credit
course is Affirmative Therapy with GBBTQ Clients.
Among the topics Reid is considering for future classes
are: Trans and Faith, Trans Children, Safe Schools for
GLBTQ Youth, Trans Families, and many others. For
more information, check our website: pflagpdx.org.
“Trans* in the Family of God”
explores church and family roles
On April 11, 10AM – 12 PM, three families will discuss
gender identity, change, and acceptance within families and congregations, at Sunnyside United Methodist
Church, 3520 SE Yamhill St, Portland, 97214.
Speakers include Ashley Dienst Philipson and her
mother Rev. Bonnie Parr Philipson, Karis Hutcheson
and her parents Eric and Lurissa Overby, and Sander
Laughlin and her mother Rhonda Laughlin. A discussion
period will follow the presentations.
The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Oregon-Idaho Reconciling United Methodists,
an advocacy group for LGBTQ education and full inclusion in the church. The group’s quarterly meeting will follow. For more information contact Rev. April Hall Cutting,
541-990-1055 and visit the website www.OIRUMS.org
<http://www.oirums.org/>.
Portland Voice
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April, 2015
Portland Voice
PFLAG Portland
April, 2015
Yes! I support the mission of PFLAG Portland
Enclosed is my membership fee. (Your membership includes National PFLAG membership.)
Name: ______________________________________________________________________
Address:____________________________________________________________________
City/State/ Zip: _______________________________________________________________
Email:_______________________________________________________________________
Family ($70)
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Individual ($50)
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Make check payable to PFLAG Portland. PFLAG is a 501c(3) tax-exempt organization.
Mail to: PFLAG, P.O. Box 6743, Portland, OR 97228
Contact Information PFLAG
The Mission of PFLAG Portland
We, the parents, families, and friends of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender persons, celebrate diversity and
envision a society that embraces everyone, including those
of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. PFLAG
promotes the health and well being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender persons, their families and their friends
through support, education, and advocacy. PFLAG provides
an opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and
gender identity, and strives to create a society that is healthy
and respectful of human diversity.
President’s message, continued
the first GSA Summit in 2006.
Joyce was a regular visitor in Salem as she lobbied
for the Oregon Equality Act (2007), to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
in education and other areas, and the more recent Safe
Schools Act (2009).
Joyce works with the Community of Welcoming
Congregations, especially with the United Church of
Christ, to make faith communities welcoming to LGBTQ
individuals. She has served as a board member of Gay,
Lesbian Straight Education Network of Oregon, Portland
Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays and
served on the City of Portland Sexual Minority Roundtable.
Though Joyce has cut back her volunteering since
her “retirement,” she remains active with PFLAG Portland. And for that we are so very grateful. For all you do,
Joyce, we say thank you!
In peace,
Dawn Holt, President
PFLAG Portland
Portland Voice
Dawn Holt, President
Joyce Liljeholm, Vice President
Lurissa Overby, Secretary, PFLAG Portland East
County Coordinator
Reid Vanderburgh, Treasurer
Khalil Edwards, PFLAG Portland Black
Chapter Coordinator
Leila Hofstein, PFLAG Portland Black Chapter, Youth
Coordinator
Eric Overby, PFLAG Portland East County
Coordinator
Antoinette Edwards, Board Member
Kayla Johnston, Board Member
Rhonda Laughlin, Board Member
Shaun Simpkins, Board Member
HELP LINE
PFLAG National Website
Portland Chapters Website
Robin Will, Editor
(503) 232-7676
www.pflag.org
www.pflagpdx.org
pflagpdxnews@gmail.com
The Portland Voice is published monthly. Readers are
welcome and encouraged to submit articles, editorials, poetry,
news items, and photography for consideration to be included
in our newsletter. Email our editor at pflagpdxnews @gmail.
com or send information to P.O. Box 6743, Portland, Oregon
97208. Submissions are published at the discretion of the
editor and may be edited for
length or content. The deadline
for content submissions to this
newsletter is the 20th of the
month prior to
publication.
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April, 2015