|
May 2007
YouthResource and GLBTQ Initiative e-News Update
Feature: Coming Out to Your Parents: Questions to Think About
National Youth Advocacy Coalition - March 2007
For gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth, coming out to parents is a decision with potentially life-altering consequences. While most all youth hope for their parents' acceptance, many fear rejection.
Although many parents do react negatively at first to finding out their child is GLBTQ, over time most come to accept this fact, especially if the parents receive support in dealing with their own feelings. For youth who are supported and accepted by their parents, coming out can even improve the relationship. Being able to talk honestly about who you are may allow you to be closer to your parents.
Continue reading this month's feature at http://www.youthresource.com/living/features/comingout.htm.
Announcements
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is May 18
May 18th marks the ninth annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. This annual observance enables communities around the world to come together to educate one another about the value of HIV vaccine research, renew the commitment to find vaccines that work, and celebrate advances in the field of HIV vaccine research. Currently, there is no vaccine for HIV, and HIV Vaccine Awareness Day provides us with an opportunity to stand together against the AIDS pandemic, by acknowledging and supporting the people and the progress we have made, so far, in the work for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. All Americans, especially communities of color and men who have sex with men, can support HIV vaccine research. Be part of making an HIV vaccine a reality.
On May 18th, show your support for HIV vaccine research by wearing your red AIDS ribbon upside down to form a "V" - a sign you share the vision for a preventive HIV vaccine.
For more information please visit:
May 19th is National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
May 19th is the second annual observance of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The day is designed to focus on the fight against HIV-related discrimination and the stigma HIV carries particularly among API communities and cultures.
The theme of this year's API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is "Educate, Motivate, and Mobilize against HIV/AIDS!" By raising awareness and educating the API population about HIV/AIDS, the stigma surrounding the disease will diminish and bring the API community together in the fight against the devastating impact HIV/AIDS is having on its population. For APIs, one of the fastest-growing ethnic/racial populations in the U.S., HIV/AIDS is on the rise. According to the CDC, the number of APIs living with AIDS has climbed by more than 10 percent in each of the last five years. Through 2004, the number of adult and adolescent APIs diagnosed with AIDS was 7,317.
Click here to read Advocates' publication "From Research to Practice: The Sexual Health of Young Asian-American/Pacific Islander Women"
For additional information about The National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, please visit the Office of Minority Health.
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Teen Pregnancy in the US
The pregnancy rates in the U.S. remain high despite the steady decline over the past 30 years. It's important for teens to understand how to prevent unintended pregnancies. This article will discuss prevention methods and provide resources for teen parents.
To read the full article, go to http://www.mysistahs.org/health/teenpregnancy_us.htm
For more information on preventing teen pregnancy, parenting, child care, nutrition and health, and attending school, please visit Healthy Teen Network or Sex, Etc. for a list of resources. You may also contact your local United Way by dialing 211 or visiting the United Way Web site for additional of resources.
Advocates is looking for Online Peer Educators!!!
Advocates for Youth is currently recruiting online peer educators for the 2007-2008 school year. YouthResource and MySistahs are both accepting applications from youth between the ages of 13-24. As an online peer educator you will receive training and then act as a resource for young people visiting these sites. You will answer questions posed by visitors and point visitors to appropriate resources. You will also write articles and develop content to be posted on the Websites.
The deadline has passed.
2007 GenderYOUTH Leadership Summit
In the past 10 years...
More than 51 YOUTH WERE KILLED because of their gender identity or gender expression.
Most were young PEOPLE OF COLOR, from LOW-INCOME communities, and LGBT.
More than half of their MURDERS REMAIN UNSOLVED.
Gender is a Human Rights issue.
Bridge the Gap: Gender Rights / Human Rights, the 2007 GenderYOUTH Leadership Summit, is an action-oriented, three-day educational gathering in Washington, D.C. from May 17-19, 2007 for youth and students working to get gender recognized as a fundamental human right.
Join other academics and activists in discussions about gender stereotypes, gender and race, the emerging US human rights movements, and the love-hate relationship between feminism and queer theory.
Register for Bridge the Gap and participate in the 12th Annual National Gender Lobby Day and connect with other youth to share ideas, pool resources, and take action!
Visit http://www.gpac.org/youth/summit/index.html for more information.
GenderTOUR
GenderPac is having their GenderTOUR. As part of reaching out to LGBTQ youth and allies, Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of GenderPac, travels the country, speaking to communities about how discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes affect us all -- gay and straight, feminist and transgender, youth and people of color. To get more information on GenderTOUR, or to schedule a GenderTOUR event, call 202-462-6610, email GenderTOUR@gpac.org, or visit http://www.gpac.org/youth/riki.html.
New Publications
You can help Advocates for Youth with a contribution today. To donate, visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/donatetoday.htm
Read previous issues from the Archive of e-News Updates >>
|
Send this page to a friend