ACHR is the host of the First Fridays at the Bistro on 2/3, hope to see a lot of you there.

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!!

Join Amasong for a high-spirited concert of songs and dances from around
the world. Sung in ten different languages, this program of music and
movement will inspire your heart – and your feet – to dance. Enjoy vocal
music from four continents: traditional dancing songs of Serbia, Ghana,
Afghanistan, and the Huron Native Americans, Renaissance devotional music
from Spain, contemporary composition by Meredith Monk and many more
celebratory pieces. Featuring Subhalakshmi Kumar, Bharatanatyam (South
Indian Classical) dancer, Josh Houchin, bass, and others.

For one week this past July, I went to summer camp. Some may wonder why a 22-year-old college student would want to go to summer camp, but the camp I attended didn’t involve sing-alongs and s’mores. I went to Camp Pride, a summer leadership camp held at Vanderbilt University for LGBT and ally college students who want to make their campuses more welcoming for LGBT students, staff, and faculty.

During my time at Camp Pride, I had the opportunity to learn leadership skills and tactics from people who I have known and looked up to for years: peo- ple who are nationally-recognized lead- ers of the LGBT civil rights movement, including bisexual activist Robyn Ochs, Mara Keisling, the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; transgender slam poet Kit Yan, and Shane Windmeyer, the Executive Director of Campus Pride.

Our goal at camp was to create a “Queer It Up!” action plan to somehow improve the lives and experiences of LGBT students, staff and/or faculty, and implement that plan on our individual campuses. Some of the plans created at the camp ranged from establishing an LGBT student organization to creating a student ally program.
My “Queer It Up!” action plan con- sists of getting gender-neutral restrooms implemented on the campus of Northern Illinois University. This plan is in its early stages, but I am determined and I know that I can make it a reality for me and my fellow NIU Huskies.

Camp Pride gave me the tools, the knowledge, and the confidence that I needed to work to- wards this goal.
From the amaz- ing faculty and staff to my fellow campers who lead their cam- puses with pride, Camp Pride was truly the greatest week of my life. I have never felt so inspired, so unconditionally ac- cepted, and so moti- vated. Do not doubt the commitment of
today’s young adults to LGBT equality. With organizations like Campus Pride and experiences like Camp Pride to help us along the way, there is absolutely noth- ing that can stop us.
If you or a student you know would like to attend Camp Pride, you can find more information about the camp at: www.campuspride.org/camppride.

Your Normal LGBT Film Festival has a new Website:

Your Normal LGBT Film Fest

Check it out for complete descriptions of all the films in the film festival.

My name is Marcena Gabrielson. I’m an assistant professor of nursing at Illinois State University. A personal contact has provided assistance to me by kindly forwarding this email to you in the hopes that you will consider participating in this pilot study.

If you are a lesbian who is 55 or older, I am inviting you to participate in an anonymous pilot study aimed at establishing a reliable tool for measuring social support among older lesbians. This study will test the reliability of a modified version of a commonly used social support scale with an all lesbian sample. The modified version includes a category for identifying “family of choice”. I am a lesbian myself and therefore, am especially concerned about social support and promoting health among older lesbians. I want to assist health professionals to provide informed, respectful and high quality health care to older lesbians. Studying social support among older lesbians may lead to important information that providers need for promoting health among the lesbian population. This study will involve a completely anonymous online survey that will take approximately fifteen to thirty minutes of your time to complete.

The study website can be found here.

If you have questions about the study, you may call me at 309-438-2319 or e-mail me.

Thank you for assistance with this project.
Marcena L.

This year’s picnic will begin at noon on Sunday, July 24 at Underwood Park in Normal. The park facilities have recently been updated – new restrooms, refurbished shelter, and lots of space to spread out and enjoy the afternoon of activities we have planned!

Like in previous picnics, the Advocacy Council will provide grillable items – both meat and veggie alternatives – buns, condiments, and table service. Picnicgoers are asked to bring a food item to share. There are plenty of picnic tables but please feel free to bring lawn chairs and blankets if you would like.

Water and soda will be available for sale at a nominal cost. All proceeds from drink sales will be split between the Advocacy Council and the McLean County AIDS Task Force.

In addition to the great food we plan to have tons of activities. Softball, volleyball, and bags equipment will be available; for those not inclined to play, we will have a raffle of items – both substantial and fun.

The “Family Reunion” Picnic was first sponsored many years ago as a way for LGBT people to get together and enjoy themselves. Some LGBT people come from families that don’t accept them, so we created this picnic as a “family” activity where everyone can be themselves and not worry about being accepted.

For more information about the picnic please e-mail us at info@achr-il.com or call us at 309-827-4005.

More than 150 lgbt people and their supporters attended our June 18 DIVAS – Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus concert in the auditorium at Normal Community High School.

The chorus wowed the crowd with dance routines, video presentations, and backup provided by the band the guys brought with them from Chicago.

Net profits from the concert will help the Advocacy Council pay for attorneys fees and application fee to file as a new, 501(c)3 organization.

The office, headed by County Clerk Kathy Michael, has by all accounts been very helpful and accommodating to all couples. Kathy and Director of Vital Records Robin Wilt attended our civil unions information forum in April and answered a lot of questions and concerns from the audience.

Complete information on applying for a civil union license in McLean County can be found at the county clerk’s website.