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In this edition, learn more about:
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Annual Pride Picnic
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Pride Flag Raisings
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West Ward Flea Market
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Biden Signs Executive Order
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New Tool Supports LGBTQ Youth
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News You Can Use
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Support Group Reminders
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EPTEP Receive Grant for Scholarships
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Monthly Milestones
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And More!
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Upcoming In-Person Hangouts, & Support Meetings |
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Renaissance In-Person Meet-up 2nd Saturday of the Month @7:30pm
Open to all transgender and gender nonbinary people and their allies
- MCCLV/Church of the Manger - 1401 Greenview Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18018
- Doors open at 7pm
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Beyond the Binary Virtual Meet-up 2nd Saturday of the Month @7:30pm
Open to all gender nonbinary/gender-expansive people
- MCCLV/Church of the Manger - 1401 Greenview Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18018
- Doors open at 7pm
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Pocono Renaissance - Last Thursday of Every Month
- At the East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church Located at 55 Smith St, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.
- Event starts at 7:00pm, ends at 8:30 sharp.
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Upcoming Virtual Hangouts, & Support Meetings |
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Renaissance Virtual Meet-up and Happy Hour - 4th Saturday of Every Month at 7PM EST
Open to all transgender and gender nonbinary people
- Meeting ID: 828 1864 7982
- Passcode: EPTEP
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Scroll to the end of this newsletter for a list of other support groups in PA and NJ |
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Pride isn't over yet!!
We have been out an about visiting pride festivals accross Eastern PA and we have been having a blast meeting friends, comrades, neighbors,and clients!
We have spoken to hundreds of people obout our programming, given out thousands of pronoun buttons and taken over 500 photos at our photo booth.
If you haven't made it out yet, here is where we will be over the next few weeks!
Date Location
25-Jun Perkasie*
26-Jun Bucks/Mont (Abington)*
17-Jul Reading*
21-Aug Lehigh Valley*
8-Oct Reading*
15-Oct Bloomsburg*
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A big thank you goes out to our volunteers whio have helped staff our booths thusfar- Lilia, Michael, Jake, Izzy, Josie, Mel, Emmett, Chelsea, Khrys, Crystal, Veronka, and Phoebe.
We also want to thank our Pride sponsors Novus Medical Services, Planned Parenthood Keystone, Lehigh University, and LVHN. |
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Volunteers to be honored at Annual Pride Picnic
Just like last year, we will be honoring our Volunteers of the Year at our annual Pride Picnic on July 9th.
This year's Honorees are Bethany Roses who leads our Partners support group and Aoife Ward who leads our Zooml group and our Discord group!
If you haven't RSVP'd for this wonderful Community Event, please do so and be sure to give Bethany and Aoife a huge thank you!!
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Just what does Eastern PA Trans Equity Project Do?
Our email list has expanded by 20% in the past few weeks so we thought is was time for a summary of our programming.
Our mission is to empower transgender peeople while building community and advocating for social justice. Programs include:
- Supportive Services (Peer-led support groups and mentoring)
- Empowerment Programs (College/Summer Camp Scholarships, Legal Name Change Assistance, Conference Sponsorships, Clothing Assistance for Transition)
- Mutual Aid Grants (Food Assistance, Rent/Housing Assistance, Mutual Aid Micro-grants, Case Management)
- Education & Advocacy (Educational workshops for trans people, training programs for service providers, policy development and recommendations, TDOR, TDOV and Pride events)
Learn more about EPTEP here
Learn about our support groups here |
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Biden Signs Historic Executive Order For Pride Month
On July 15th President Biden signed an Order advancing LGBTQ+ rights. This Order directs federal agencies to take new steps to protect and support LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, including:
- Addressing harmful legislative state legislative attacks against children and families
- Preventing so-called “conversation therapy”
- Safeguarding health care and preventing youth suicide
- Launching a new initiative to protect foster youth and prevent homelessness
You can fiew a fact sheet about the Order here.
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City of Bethlehem Honors Pride Month
On June first the City of Bethlehem held first-ever event in honor of Pride Season.
Events kicked-off with a panel discussion featuring local community members including EPTEP Board member Chloe Cole discussing how to empower LGBTQ youth.
That was followed by the raising of the Progress Flag by Lucy Kwiatek. It also included remarks by other trans and nonbinary people including Pastor Goudy from MCCLV and EPTEP Executive Director, COrinne Goodwin.
Goodwin and Cole also spoke at an event when the Inclusive Pride Flag was raised in Allentown on June 20th. |
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EPTEP Urges Action on Title IX
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project recently joined over 100 other advocacy organizations and service providers in sending a letter to Presidet Biden to follow through on his promise strengthen guidance on Title IX enforcement to protect LGBTQ youth.
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West Ward Flea Market - Your Opportunity to Fing Great Clothing While Supporting Trans Folk! |
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Come out and enjoy the vibe in Easton, PA while shopping at the inaugual West Ward Flea Market on June 26th from 11-5pm!!
Sponsored by the West Ward Community Initiative they will have clothing and other vendors from all over the Eastern PA region. There will also be music and food from & Black & Blue. They will also be raffling off Enjoy some live music from Ma’aM and more TBA!
We also have a raffle for free tickets to the NewFest LGBTQ Film Festival in New Yourk City. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Eastern PA Trans Equity Project programs.
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New Resource for LGBTQ Youth
imi (sounds like eye-me) is a free, digital, research-backed mental health tool
made with and for LGBTQ+ teens.
imi supports and helps LGBTQ+ teens explore and affirm their identity and learn
practical ways to cope with stress.
imi supports the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth, and is available for free at imi.guide
imi was greated by Centerlink, Hopelab, and the It Gets Better Project |
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EPTEP Board Member Honored
EPTEP Board member Lilia Weber was recently honored for her volunteerism and activism on behalf of the LGBTQ Community by the Ricky's Pride team in Montgomery County.
Lilia has been an active member of the Community for years focusing her efforts on helping employers to ensure equitable opportunities for LGBTQ workers. SHe has also actively worked on her employer's DEI committees and was the cofounder of her previous employers LGBTQ Employee Resource Group |
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Registration for Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference is Open
Want to attend the largest conference for trans and gender nonbinary folk in the world? This year it is easy! The conference will be virtual so you can enjoy the event from the comfprt of your easy chair. You can register at this link and as a reminder, this year's workshops will not be recorded. You must view them live to get the content. |
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Have you joined our online communities?
That's right! You have the ability to connect with Community to share news, seek support, or chat at almost any time! They are also the best places to find breaking news about meetings, times, cancellations, etc.
You can also Join our Discord Community here |
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Upcoming Dates and Milestones
June 30: Queer Youth of Day
July 11-17: Nonbinary Awareness Week
July 14: International Nonbinary Day
July 16: International Drag Day
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Have Something to Share?
This is your newsletter! If you have an event you want publicized, want to write a column or to share some poetry this is your space!!
Email your entry to info@PATransEquity.org and we will do our best to get it into our next newsletter! |
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EPTEP Receives Community Grant
The LGBTQ Business Council of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has awarded its first ever Community Grant to Eastern PA Trans Equity Project.
The $5,000 grant was awarded at the Council's annual gala event on June 10th.
EPTEP will be reserving the funds to cover the cost of our annual scholarship programs for transgender students.
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Support Groups Must Be Safe Spaces
At LV Renaissance and EPTEP we want to recognize that our community is diverse and that many people have and are entitled to their own opinions.
We will not, however, accept disparagment of any individual, community or group. If trans folk want to be respected, they have to be willing to treat others with the same respect.
Our support groups are designed to be safe spaces for everyone. Attendees must agree to abide by the following rules:
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- We respect all identitiies - This includes all gender identities and how they intersect with race, color, religion, gender expression, age, ancestry, disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, and military status.
- We are respectful of others in the room - We do not repeat what is said in a meeting to others outside of the room. We do not speak over others. We do not hold side conversations when someone else is speaking. We respect others time. We use respectful language and do not disparage others.
- We do not "out" people - If you encounter another group member in public you do not speak to them or others about their transgender status without their express prior permission. We do not speak to anyone about another group member without their express prior permission. We do not gossip.
- We ask permission for photos - Many people are not publicly "out" as transgender. The taking of photos and posting them to social media can inadvertently out them and place them in danger. Always be mindful of your surrounding and others who may be in a photo. Ask permission to post photos to social media
- Reporting issues - If you encounter a problem at a support group meeting please report it to a facilitator. If the issue is with a facilitatior, report it to "info@patransequity.org."
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- Associated Press article discusses Title IX and trans atheletes. Check it out
- National swimming body bans trans women from competition. Read More
- Texas court removes AG from case regarding medical treatment for trans youth. Read more here
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My View:
"Don't Say Gay" Comes to Pennsylvania |
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On June 14th, 2022 a group of Pennsylvania State Senators led by two Lancaster County legislators introduced their version of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill. Today, June 21st, it will be getting its first hearing in the Education Committee.
The so-called "Empowering Families in Education Act" or SB 1278 would, among other things:
- Prohibit classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
- Restrict instruction and discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation in grades 6-12.
- Require public schools to notify parents if their child discloses their LGBTQ status to a teacher, counselor or administrator.
- Allow parents to take legal action against a school district that fails to comply with these standards.
Of course the real impact would be to further stigmatize and harm LGBTQ students and staff. According to GLSEN, 77% of transgener youth report being bullied and harrassed at school. The same study found that only 1 in 5 teachers or staff come to the aid of LGBTQ youth who are bullied. These statistics will undoubtedly get worse - as will those for suicidal ideation, truancy, and grade-point average for LGBTQ youth.
Recently, I had a 5th-grader call me because they were being harrassed in a school system where the school board was taking action to restrict access to LGBTQ-themed books in the library and ordered that all rainbow flags be removed from the premises. Not long before that I was contaced by a high school student who had been outed to their parents by an administrator. They had subsequently been harrassed and threatened with eviction by their parents.
Bills like SB 1278 are being introduced because they inflame the hatred of a small minority of highly motivated voters. The impact is much larger though. These bill harm some of the most vulnerable people in our society. And they enable the haters to take things to the next level such as the recent threats made against Pride Festivals and Libraries.
These actions need to be confronted and stopped. How? By becoming an advocate for your community.
- Email your legislators
- Write letters to the editor
- Attend school board meetings
- put up a pride flag
- donate to advocacy organizations
The list goes on and on.
Please... Remember how you felt as a queer youth and then do something for the young people living in your community, in your neighborhood... today.
Corinne Goodwin is the Executive Director of Eastern PA Trans Equity Project. Her views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of DIrectors.
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Sign-Up for the National Trans Survey!
The U.S. Trans Survey (USTS) is the largest survey of trans people in the United States. The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans people in the U.S. and U.S. territories and is the main source of data about trans people for the media, educators, policymakers, and the general public, covering health, employment, income, the criminal justice system, etc. Sign up to take the survey by clicking here!
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Support EPTEP While You Shop!
That's right, you can shop at
smile.
amazon.com and they will donate to your Eastern PA Trans Equity Project at no cost to you! You get the same products, the same prices, and the same service from Amazon, and we get a small portion of the purchase as a donation!
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OTHER PEER SUPPORT GROUPS
As restrictions due the COVID-19 pandemic have loosened, some events/groups are now being held in person and/or remotely. Please not these groups are unaffiliated with Eastern PA Trans Equity Project - check with the facilitators of these groups for details.
- Lehigh Valley
- Transmasculine Group first Wednesday of avery month from 6:30-8pm - Contact Robin at Robin@bradburysullivancenter.org for details
- Parents of Trans Kids Meet-Up second and fouth Wednesdays of each month - Contact Robin at Robin@bradburysullivancenter.com for details.
- Transfeminine Group - Fourth Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8pm - Contact Robin at Robin@bradburysullivancenter.org for details
- NEPA Trans Discussion Group (via ZOOM) - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. Contact the Rainbow Alliance for log-in info
- Hatboro: Online Trans and Nonbinary Group - Saga Hatboro 1st Thursdays at 7pm
- State College: LGBTQ & Gender Identity Group contact info@centrelgbtqa.org at Centre LGBTQA for details
- New Brunswick, NJ: Proudly Me. Meets 2nd Thursdays 6-8pm
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Your Support Makes A Difference
Our work saves lives and then changes them for the better. But it requires time and money to make these things happen. Please consider a small tax-deductible donation to help us continue our work by visiting the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project website, if you are able to, please consider donating your time and skills through volunteering.
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Always Stay in the Know - Follow Us on Social Media! |
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