Forwarding to those that might be interested..

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At the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy (San Francisco)
Meeting at 6pm followed by a dance starting at 7:30pm
Clean and sober NYE Dance
http://www.livingsober.org/events.html
$15

Dear LGBT press/publicity hub:
We need your help to get out the word about an upcoming fundraiser NEXT MONDAY to support LGBTI activists in Uganda as they fight a death-penalty-for-gays Bill in their parliament. One of the event organizers is a gay Ugandan herself and may face extradition and trial in her home country if this bill passes–it affects our community in SF too!
Please forward the attached flyer and information below (also attached in word) to all lists and contacts you deem appropriate, post to your websites/calendars, and let me know if there are any other avenues to publicize this event and issue.
Thank you. In solidarity–
Katherine kroubos@gmail.com
Stop the Gay Witch Hunt!
Fundraiser for SMUG (Sexual Minorities Uganda)
January 4, 2010 5-8 p.m. El Rio (backroom & patio)
3158 Mission St (@ Cesar Chavez) San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 282-3325
Uganda is a country in East Africa that is becoming extremely homophobic through the influence of evengelical religious leaders, and is about to pass a bill through Parliment mandating a country-wide Gay Witch Hunt.
Come enjoy the special event entertainment and great Monday drink specials at El Rio to support our brave LGBTI brothers and sisters in Uganda as they fight for their lives against this bill.
The bill mandates:
* Death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” (having sex while HIV positive or with a minor)
* Life imprisonment for any LGBT individual in Uganda
* Incarceration of allies and family members who fail to turn in a suspected LGBT person to the authorities
* Exradition and imprisonent of homosexual Ugandans living abroad
Ugandans who live out-of-the-closet and fight for their basic human rights are a brave bunch that need our support. The leader of this struggle for human rights is SMUG (Sexual Minorities Uganda, http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/takeaction/partners/988.html) a Ugandan-led coalition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) human rights organizations in Uganda.
It is unclear whether or not this bill will pass, but it IS clear that the people at SMUG have their work cut out for them.
What can you do?
* Join us for a fundraiser at El Rio to show support, for human rights, for LGBTI rights, for minority rights. We plan to send whatever you donate to SMUG, to help them in a tangible way in their fight against this bill, and for their rights.
Entertainment (5-6:30pm)
o Solomon Georgio, a semi-finalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition, is an openly gay African stand-up comedian with a unique voice and revolutionary humor
o Kate Klaire is a SF Bay Area singer songwriter
* If you can’t make it and want to donate, click here to link to the fundraiser paypal account.
Bonus: El Rio has great drink specials on Mondays!
For more info about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill via Rachel Maddow, watch this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=304v5hpf0p8)
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event. php?eid=252338942817
We hope to see you there!
~ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

Dear fellow fruitcakes:
Please join us in spreading holiday cheer with song! In the past, the Fruitcakes LGBT Christmas caroling group handed out rainbow candy canes and sang at a local homeless shelter. We will schedule a similar event between 12/20 and 12/23.
No need to worry about your singing voice. This is not about performance. Its about bringing holiday cheer to those less fortunate. There is no substitute for the simple gift of sharing bright smiles and warm hearts.
The Fruitcakes will meet tonight (12/17) at Cafe Crema @ 7pm.  The address is 950 The Alameda, San Jose - next door to the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center. We will gather on the café patio, so make sure you dress warmly. Café Crema has generously offered to provide the Fruitcakes with coffee & hot cocoa! RSVP’s greatly appreciated, although not required. Feel free to invite fellow fruitcakes. If you can’t make it to tonight’s practice session, you may still join us next week.
In commUnity spirit, Jo-Lynn Jnana Otto
“Yesterday is history, tommorrow is a mystery. But now is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” ~ Mastery Oogway, from the movie Kung Fu Panda

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Happy Holidays and Thank You for Our Success! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Patrons and Supporters of SVGMC, I would like to take a minute to thank you for attending our recent Holiday Concert, WinterSong, Path of Change. Your attendance and support is greatly appreciated by the members of the chorus and its staff.
If you missed this concert, now is your chance to save the date for our upcoming Heart Song Concert on March 12th, 13th, and 14th, 2010. We sincerely hope you will be able to attend in our new venue, the Mayer Theatre on the campus of Santa Clara University. We wish you and yours all the best for a wonderful Holiday and New Year. Sincerely, Tom Nixon President, Board of Directors, SVGMC Email: president@svgmc.org [mailto:president@svgmc.org]
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Happy Holidays and Thank You for Our Success! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Patrons and Supporters of SVGMC, I would like to take a minute to thank you for attending our recent Holiday Concert, WinterSong, Path of Change. Your attendance and support is greatly appreciated by the members of the chorus and its staff.
If you missed this concert, now is your chance to save the date for our upcoming Heart Song Concert on March 12th, 13th, and 14th, 2010. We sincerely hope you will be able to attend in our new venue, the Mayer Theatre on the campus of Santa Clara University. We wish you and yours all the best for a wonderful Holiday and New Year. Sincerely, Tom Nixon President, Board of Directors, SVGMC Email: president@svgmc.org [mailto:president@svgmc.org]
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Friends, we are in desperate need of your help and support.  We are direct service providers at New Leaf as well as members of the Union SEIU 1021.  We are proud providers of mental health, substance abuse, and supportive services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex individuals and families of all ages and ethnic/cultural backgrounds.  We believe in the work we do and ask that you do the same.
We have been in the process of contract negotiations and have hit a wall with management.  They have not budged on the most important issues related to cutting health care benefits, dependency coverage, and our wages.  They have also given us their last, best, and final offer.
We are all aware of the financial constraints and concerns we all are facing at this time of uncertainty.  However, we fear the management at New Leaf is using the current economic situation to move their agenda forward and essentially steal from its workers.
In an article about New Leaf in a recent copy of the Bay Area Reporter our new Executive Director, Thom Lynch, stated that “the organization’s in pretty good financial shape.”  We also learned that he is currently being paid $104,000 per year for part-time work.  We have also learned of management’s plan to hire another 30 hour/week management position and to put money into “reserves”.   This while we are absorbing the work of clinical positions that haven’t been filled for “lack of funds” and struggling to pay our bills while covering our healthcare needs….see why we’re confused and concerned?
Management has demanded to increase our cost for family healthcare benefits while cutting our salaries through a two week layoff.  This could equate up to a 26% pay cut depending on hours worked and number of dependents an employee is trying to cover.  These changes would be locked into our contract for 2 years.
We want to be able to take care of our spouses and families…we want to be able to afford to start families if we so choose.  We don’t want to have to worry about coverage or changing our doctors (who some of us have seen for over a decade).
What we want is for management to drop its “last, best, and final” demand and come back to the table to talk with us and work these things out.  We want to understand the future plans for our agency instead of being kept in the dark by management and our board of directors.  We want to be able to afford to stay here and continue providing the high quality services we have been known for over 35 years.
We want our New Leaf back…for our welfare and for the community’s.
Ask New Leaf management to return to the bargaining table with the union. Please contact President of the board of directors Christopher Bereni at 415-359-6061 and Executive Director Thom Lynch at 415-626-7000, ext. 401, tlynch@newleafservices.org
With our sincerest gratitude, the workers of New Leaf and Don Evans of SEIU 1021
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Reminder……..

PRIDE OF MONTEREY COUNTY  Skate Party and Holiday Toy Drive Come celebrate the holidays with PRIDE and help those less fortunate in OUR community. PRIDE will be giving the donated toys to C.C.H.A.S. (John XXIII & MCAP) for their annual toy drive
Date:  Saturday, December 12th Time:  7:00-10:00pm Location:  Del Monte Gardens Skate Park                 2020 Del Monte Ave                 Monterey, CA 93940 What to Bring:  An unwrapped toy Cost:  $7.00
For more information go to:  www.montereypride.org