A Pseudo- Rant / Charge to Action

To all my LGBT family members of Delaware,


Firstly, I want to praise the community for how far we've gotten already: the Civil Union Bill, wow! that's huge!!!

It pains me to hear people complain that Delaware's LGBT community isn't very well established. Ironically, I've heard new gay/lesbian individuals to the state praise Delaware for its surprising population. The question now is: What can Delaware do to become more of an LGBT hotspot?

The answer lies in you, the people; not the state's 8 primary organizations that cater to the needs of the LGBT community. How frequently has it been said that people hope for "they" to start a new event, or for "they" to open a new bar, or for "they" to open more gay-friendly venues. But who is "they"? Is it Delaware Pride? CAMP Rehoboth? AIDs Delaware? These organizations are all phenomenal groups, run by heroes in our community, who do extraordinary things; but sometimes they have so much red tape or limited budgets that they can't initiate every newest thing. Which means the answer, once again, is you: the people of Delaware.

Delaware, this is your charge for action. If you would like to see something happen, please understand that many of these great events or congregations must happen from the ground up. It's you, it's us, who needs to take the responsibility upon our own shoulders to gather for coffee/cocktails, to fly your own rainbow flags or to open your own cute pet boutique. If you would like to see a new LGBT event started, do the research then motivate yourself and your friends to establish it. This is entirely possible. At the heart of it all, anyone who complains, cares. And anyone who cares, should also have the motivation to be proactive.

Delaware, with the passing of the Civil Union Bill, please have the courage to step out your doors with your head held a little higher. For more info or motivation, check out the "Chain of Links" off the the right for a list of the organizations serving our community and get involved. You are your own future.

Love always,
Delaware GLU

This week in Advance

Tuesday: (2/22)


Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Food Bank of Delaware. Last year, The Food Bank of Delaware hosted more than 15,000 volunteers who donated more than 45,000 hours. This is the equivalent of almost 22 full-time staff members.

Join Delaware Pride as part of our Pride Gives Back program, as we volunteer at the Food Bank of Delaware, all of our volunteer hours are donated to AIDS Delaware to help them with their various programs.

At the Food Bank we do things like sorting food, creating food boxes, stocking their pantry, and many other various things. If it is your first time there, they will go over the basics to get you up and running plus the other volunteers are always willing to lend a hand to help out newcomers.

NOTE: You may get dirty, so please dress accordingly

The Food Bank of Delaware is located at:
14 Garfield Way
Newark, DE 19713

If you have any questions or comments please contact us at:
ContactUs@delawarepride.org


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Thursday: (2/24)

Our Night Out presents An LGBT Happy Hour where anyone is welcomed

Toscana (Wilmington) 6:00pm

Promoting a once a month early evening opportunity at various venues for the LGBT community to gather for networking and socializing in the greater Wilmington, DE area. Next Our Night Out is confirmed for next Thursday, February 24, 6-9. See you all there.

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Saturday: (2/26)

AID's DE presents Red Ribbon Runway


Join us for THE fashion event of the year! Red Ribbon Runway returns for another catwalk with Delaware's hottest fashionistas! The event features a red carpet arrival, cocktail party, silent auction, and fashion show, highlighting some of the best local salons & fashion houses: Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Sherif Zaki, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Boutique, NV Boutique and W...hite House/Black Market. A new VIP hour will begin at 6:00pm, and the full event starts at 7:00pm.

Tickets for VIP (advance only) are $100/person. General tickets are $70 in advance & $85 at door (all ages). Young Professionals (age 35 & under) can purchase advance tickets for $45. For additional information and to purchase tickets visit www.aidsdelaware.org or call 302.652.6776. Tickets are limited, so purchase them today!

2011 Sponsors: Runway Sponsor - Bank of America; Designer Sponsors - Barclays Bank, The Sallie Mae Fund, and Wilmington Trust Company; Vogue Sponsor - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware, First Bank of Delaware, Miller & Shook Cos, and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A.; Media Sponsor - Out & About Magazine;Trendy Sponsors - Chelsea Tavern, Crimson Moon Tavern, DJ ZIP, Mood Designer Fabrics, Phengo Photography & Design, and Veritas Wine & Spirits; Fasion Sponsors - Currie Hair Skin Nails, Emminence Front Day Spa, Michael Christopher, Morgan's of Delaware Avenue, Mystique Fashion Boutique, NV Boutique, Sherif Zaki Salon & The Oasis Spa, University of Delaware, and White House / Black Market.

Drag Auditions at UD

Copied from their Facebook event page:


Hey everyone!! Just a friendly reminder about the Blue Hen Drag Show Auditions will be held from 5pm-7pm on February 11th in Trabant 206 and February 12th in Trabant 209/211. Remember to have your music and performances ready to go!
We are asking that you have your entire performance ready to perform. You must bring a digital copy of your music to the auditions. You are not required to wear your drag outfits for your audition, but we ask that you bring a picture of you, wearing the outfit, to auditions. Location and other information will be posted as soon as they become available.

To recap, we ask that you physically bring to the auditions:

-> A digital copy of your music

-> Either you in drag, or a picture

-> A prepared skit for audition

Any questions, or if you would like to sign up if you haven’t done so already, contact Colleen Dougherty at: social.programming@udhaven.com

Info in Advance

3 SATURDAYS IN A ROW: 3 FABULOUSLY QUEER EVENTS!

Pride Bowling
Ladies of the 80's
Miss/Mr Delaware International Pageant

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Delaware Pride Presents ~ DE Pride Bowling

Saturday, Jan. 15th, 2011, from 7pm - 9pm (must be on-time as 2 hours of bowling starts at 7pm SHARP)

$10 Per Bowler (Includes Shoes & 2 Hours of Bowling). Please pay the Delaware Pride rep wearing the Delaware Pride T-Shirt.

A great way to socialize and make new friends while getting some exercise. Invite your friends and come out and have a BALL with US!!

The event is open to all Ages & Sexual Orientations!!

Event Held At:
Bowlerama
3031 New Castle Avenue
New Castle, DE 19720
http://www.bowlerama.us/

Bowlerama, is a 62 lane Center, that has been serving the public for 50 years. With a smoke-free facility featuring up to date, state of the art equipment. This site also features Dunkin' Donuts, Kegler's and Spare Ribs Xpress restaurant too! All Part of the Bowlerama experience!!

For More Information contact:
ContactUs@delawarepride.org
www.delawarepride.org




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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Ladies of the 80's

The Cube Restaurant and Bar
16 Marrows Rd, Newark, DE, 19713

Showtime is 9:30pm, $5 cover.


Don't miss our first "Ladies of the 80s" show of 2011, featuring Anita Mann, Karyn Thomas, and our very special guest from Rehoboth Beach, Mona Lotts. Karaoke before and after the show, and why not come in early for a delicious dinner? Bring friends! The Cube accepts reservations for parties of 8 or more. Contact Anita Mann for more information. See you there.


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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Miss/Mr Delaware International Pageant

Executive Banquet & Conference Center
205 Executive Drive
Newark, DE 19702

Doors open at 8 pm

$15 in advance, $20 at the door, and $120 for a table of 8.

Delaware Pride's Logo Contest

Next year will be a year of giving as Delaware Pride presents “Pride Gives Back” a way to give back to “OUR” community. We’d like to make the Pride in Delaware Pride stand for something. Help us by creating our new logo for next year. 2011 marks Delaware Pride’s 15th anniversary and we would be honored to have someone within the community design our new logo featuring our new motto, “Pride Gives Back”.

Logo submissions are now be...ing requested from all members and friends of the Delaware community. Here is your chance to be a part of Delaware Pride’s history.

PRIZE
The winner will receive a $250 prize, a pride T-shirt featuring your new logo/design and you will be listed on our website as the 2011 logo design winner.

DESIGN GUIDELINES
1. The design must include:
• the official theme "Pride Gives Back"
• "Delaware Pride" or "DP"
2. Must be suitable for public use & viewing.
3. Computer Generated Designs:
• Formats accepted: EPS, JPG, TIF, PSD, PDF
• Compressed files should be submitted by ZIP
• Design image should fit within the space of a 8.5 x 11 page
• Resolution of at least 600 dpi is required.
4. The Top 10 designs from those submitted will be placed online at www.delawarepride.org & we will hold an online vote to let the community vote for the winner.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
• Designs may be submitted by Email no later than January 31, 2011.
Please ensure that your design includes the following:
1)Full Name
2)Mailing Address
3)Telephone Number
4)Email Address
• Multiple designs from any one source will be accepted
• If submitting multiple designs via email – please send each design in separate email.
• DO NOT sign front of design.
• Submit design electronically to Contactus@delawarepride.org ~ with LOGO CONTEST in subject line.

LEGAL INFORMATION
• When you submit a design/image, you are expressly stating that the submission is your original work.
• When you submit a design/image, you are expressly stating that the design/image has not been licensed to any other entity.
• By submission of a design, if said design is selected, the design becomes the property of Delaware Pride, Inc.
• The selected design or image may be reworked to prepare it for use.
WINNING DESIGN
• The Logo Contest winner will be announced February 15th, 2011
• The winning design will be featured on the www.Delwarepride.org website, T-shirts & other items as selected by Delaware Pride, Inc.
• The Logo Contest Winner will receive a Prize Package which includes $250, a 2011 Pride shirt, and you will be listed on our website as the 2011 logo design winner unless you wish to keep your identity private.

We look forward to receiving your Pride Gives Back Logo design submission. Thank you from everyone here at Delaware Pride, Inc.

A Shot of Health

With flu season approaching, don't forget your shots! But the flu isn't the only things we suffer from during the holidays.... so, here's a lil self-esteem booster!

Psychology Today Magazine

The News Journal Recognizes World AIDS Day

News Journal Recognizes World AIDS Day

People may think of AIDS as a disease that strikes only certain groups -- men who have sex with men or people who use intravenous drugs -- but 24 percent of Delawareans living with HIV/AIDS were exposed through heterosexual contact, according to state statistics.



While the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases continue to be diagnosed among African-American men, women are getting infected at increasing rates. In 1990, 24 percent of newly diagnosed AIDS cases were female; in 2008, women accounted for 34 percent of new cases, according to a comprehensive HIV prevention plan developed last year by the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Delaware HIV Consortium.

Sarah Palin and the Word "Faggot"

Mostly missed, in an hour-long interview with Sean Hannity that produced buzz worthy soundbites about Katie Couric and Dancing with the Stars, was former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s unprompted response to the uproar surrounding daughter Willow’s recent Facebook misadventure.



*Read the full article here*

Courtesy of Mediate.com.

Here is, quite possibly, the ultimate lesson of life

Here is, quite possibly, the ultimate lesson of life... brought to you in a simple conversation. I wonder how many people might recognize/remember the speech. This is the transcript.

2 people, R and T are talking:


R: Don't take it personally, its just his opinion. I've learned this long ago: what other people think of me is none of my business. But I want to say you're beautiful. That's the reason you're here. Can I hug you right now? You're here because you're so fabulous, please don't forget that. It's about creative people, who are saying “I'm gonna do my own thing.' and inspire other people to do that, and I think you're doing that. Its not easy, its not easy. It's almost an act of treason in a male dominated society. So we're gonna be up against a lot of criticism.

T: So why feed into that negativity, though?

R: Its there. It's just part of the experience.

T: Why do we have to be the negative asshole? Why can't we be the Pollyannas?

R: This is a competition, there are polar opposites. If we all just said you're fabulous, you're fabulous, you're amazing, you're amazing... there's nothing to it.

T: Because I am amazing!

R: You are!

T: But why are you giving me so much negativity?

R: Because you forgot it, you forgot you are amazing. If you take on someone else's negativity, its because, goddamnit, you forgot it! Its not my responsibility to make you feel good all the time. You're not a loser, that's why you're here today! You forgot who you were... we didn't forget, you forgot! You forgot, Tammy, you forgot that you're fabulous. Don't blame me for that! That's your fucking responsibility. And that's the same for all of you, the reason you're here is because you're all goddamn stars! How many times do we have to put that in your head? You're a fucking star! Don't let anybody tell you that you're not! If I had a nickel for every time somebody said to me 'you can't become a star' I'd have a million billion dollars! I know what I am, I don't forget who I am, and that's true for all of you. Never forget! Everyone's gonna tell you “no, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it” but that's because they're projecting their negativity onto you! Now, we can't tell you that, because you won't believe it. You have to earn it. You have to own it yourself. I'm telling you now so we can end this conversation. You have to own it yourself, Dorothy. “Why did you tell me all we had to do was click our heels three times?” Because goddamnit, you wouldn't believe me! And that's why you're here. You're in this competition so that you own it, you own it. So that you process it, you process it. “Oh, they're saying bad things about me.” Own it, own it, and then you get to the understanding that “Oh, that wasn't me, that was their shit. That had nothing to do with me. That was them!” And then you own it. You know what... every time that happens to you in life, the time it takes for you to catch yourself gets shorter and shorter. Does that negativity ever go away, that self-doubt, does it go away? No, it doesn't go away. We can't tell you this, you have to walk through the fire. You walk through the fire, then you own it, and you can go” “Come for me, bitches! Come for me. You can say whatever you want, because you know why? I'm motherfucking fierce!”.

Why Delaware GLU exists...

On October 7, Delaware GLU was presented to an audience of about 150 people at the Ignite Wilmington conference.
"Ignite Wilmington is an information exchange for fostering and inspiring Wilmington’s creative community. In one evening, you’ll hear passionate speakers from our creative and technical communities talking about interesting current projects or favorite ideas for just five minutes. Presentations will educate and inspire you, and maybe even make you laugh in the process."
-- from their website: www.ignitewilmington.com


The Speech:
DelawareGLU is Delaware's first Gay/Lesbian news blog. It's a blog I've started in an attempt to bring order to the gay community of DE. Online, you can find it at: delawareglu.blogspot.com... the G.L.U. stands for Gays and Lesbians United ... because we've got to stick together!

This was a concept I was thinking of doing for a while.
I had known about a website in Philadelphia that listed upcoming events and miscellaneous information in regard to the gay population. This was my primary inspiration.

After thinking about it, I came to realize that Wilmington could pull this off, but there's more to Wilm's population that simply those in Wilmington: there's Hockessin, Newark, there's even Middletown. All of whom live close enough that they are willing to drive here and be patrons of the city. This is paralleled in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisex, transgender) community. So I couldn't ignore events at UD, Dover, or Rehoboth, which is a nationally renowned gay destination.

Consequentially, for this to be successful, I had to make this calendar be all-encompassing to the state of DE. This is possible because Delaware is a small state. There are about 7 or 8 primary LGBT organizations and each of these organizations have their own separate mission statement. I would notice on Facebook, Facebook being a common ground to make your announcements, these groups would post their events. It saddened me that some of these events would go unnoticed because many people don't even know these groups exist (COLAGE or PFLAG). There were so many amazing things happening independently from one another with little to no support from other groups, and they all just needed some form of ...glue!

So I decided to start a blog. My theory was: If nobody else will, then I guess I have to! I decided to take the initiative and make it my responsibility. After talking to Michelle K Fitzgerald, primary blogger for DE Arts, she requested to meet up and helped me set it up.

It's still a very grassroots concept, it's no giant organization, but I think it can be a platform for greater things. When you visit, you'll see I post up events from the local organizations, anything regarding LGBT news, or any random fun stuff (videos, music etc). Now that it exists, Delawareans have a place they can go to stay informed!

After a few months passed, I decided to take advantage of FB to create a page for DEGLU because that's pretty much where the public goes. We just reached 200 fans; I can see us having more, but it might take time.

This is ultimately a way to use technology such as the internet at its best to connect the gay community. Compared to the LGBT community 10 to 15 years ago, Wilmington's current LGBT community is broken. I hear from older residents they had 3 gay bars in the downtown area and the Pride festival was held in Rodney Square! The thought of that almost seems like a joke, we have one gay bar and its hard to create community when it seems people don't want to be around each other.

In January, I sent a questionnaire to 300 people, both friends and strangers, asking for their opinion of how to generate community spirit. A large majority of the responses were wishes that we could have just one building or one cafe to call our own. Since then, I've been toying with the idea of starting an LGBT community center right here in Wilmington. There's one in Rehoboth, but that's in Rehoboth.


A community is a group of people who live in the vicinity of the area. It's a group of people who have some connection, some sense of family, but many of these people are strangers to one another its sad when Wilmington has a good amount of great people.

Before I finish, I simply would like to take a moment to inject that I'm 25 years old. Although I may be young, I hope my age is perceived as an advantage. I'm essentially the future of this city. So by being involved now, I have the potential to develop this city into what I see it looking like and that's half the reason I got involved.

This is exactly the reason Ignite exists. It's all about motivated people, motivating people

Finally I'd like to say Thanks to the people at Ignite for inviting me.
Have a good night.

New Link

Diamond State Pride


Just added: Diamond State Pride, it's a collection of photographs of past events, Bingo, Pride Fest, etc.

Please check the CHAIN OF LINKS off to the right for links to other LGBT groups or organizations in Delaware.

Coming up on Sunday: COLAGE will have their monthly Youth meet up for kids 9-12 years old with at least one LGBTQ parent next Sunday. Here are the details:

First & Central Presbyterian Church
1101 Market Street, Rodney Square
Wilmington, DE 19801
...
Time to be there:

3:00 to 5:00 PM

When: Sunday -September 19th Email: Delaware@colage.org

Find them on Facebook below. (also, click "LIKE" on their page to become a fan and receive every update they post!)

COLAGE Delaware on Facebook

LGBT Questionnaire

Some of you might remember I sent out about 300 emails featuring the questionnaire below. Now that I'm coming back to the idea, I'd like to share some of your ideas. But first, this is the questionnaire: (also, if you're reading it for the first time and have some opinions, PLEASE email me at delawareglu@gmail.com)....

As a resident of Wilmington, it's important to me to live in a thriving city with a wide variety of fun/relaxing/elegant/outrageous things to do. Most everyone I know would agree, especially my friends in the LGBT community. Wilmington can seem “fun-challenged” at times, or maybe it’s just that the types of activities offered don’t appeal to you personally.

I'm writing you to get your opinions of what could be done differently:

A. What would you recommend changing to improve the evenings in Wilmington?
B. What events would you like to see started?
C. What sort of business/venue would you like to see opened?
D. Are there any establishments you patronize already who aren't specifically LGBT focused but could benefit from a greater sense of tolerance and support between each respective community?
E. What would it take for you, yourself to get out of your house and attend an event?


The primary purpose for the questions is based on the notion that we are a community. But what does that mean? A community is more than one person, one event, or one location. I'm incredibly envious of towns smaller than us that have Pride Parades, “gayborhoods,” rainbow flags on various houses, shops or restaurants and they understand “date night” to have a broad and inclusive meaning. It’s a chicken/egg scenario: we need a community to make these things work; we need these things to work to make us feel like a community. I’d like to see Wilmington be that kind of town, and so I am starting with something that I can impact: our sense of community.

I intend to send this message out to every person I know in hopes of getting excellent feedback from as many minds as possible. Hopefully, your feedback will help the various gay organizations in the state better understand the needs of the people. Consider this a community meeting you can attend online. The goal: To get the LGBT Community thinking about how to be a better community. Currently, there are groups and organizations struggling to kindle something, but many are hitting roadblocks. Again, it seems important to gauge what would excite you enough to show up somewhere, to sign up for something, or to attend an event knowing it's an LGBT oriented event.

If you respond, be genuine. Remember that details are key! Maybe you can suggest ways that you could offer help (advice, donations, talents). If ultimately you're not interested in evening events, are there any services or support groups geared toward the LGBT community that you would like to take advantage of?

If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading and I hope to hear back from you! There is no such thing as a bad response!

Children of Same-sex Parents excel in School

Stanford research finds that children of gay and straight couples do equally well in school. By mining data from the 2000 Census, sociologist Michael Rosenfeld figured out the rates at which kids raised by gay and straight couples repeated a grade during elementary or middle school. He found that children of same-sex parents have essentially the same educational achievement as their peers growing up in heterosexual households.

Stanford University Report

Sunday August 29, 2010: Around the Fountain

The free event will be held on Sunday, Aug. 29 from noon to 5 p.m. in the city’s newest park, Cool Spring Reservoir Park at 11th and Franklin Streets.

The family-friendly event will include art vendors and demonstrations ranging from leather artists to stained glass, live music, belly dancers, flutists, ice cream, old-fashioned picnic games, water ice, food and much more. The games and contests will include tug-of-war, water balloon tosses, sack races and hula hoop contests.

The Delaware Humane Association will also be on hand to lead the pet games, silly animal tricks and pet photos for all of the pet lovers in the community.

The event will include many members of the Cool Spring/Tilton neighborhood as vendors or performers. In addition, some Wilmington arts organizations will have display tables to promote their upcoming seasons.

For more information, visit www.downtownwilmington.com.

Breaking News: Early Christians Condoned Gay Marriage

AlterNet.com


The following passage is the final paragraph and final thoughts of the article above:


Conservative Christians who insist that "traditional marriage" has always been "between a man and a woman" are wrong and historically uninformed. Thus, they are poor guides for lawmakers and judges.


There is strong support in world religions for the view that homosexuality is not the problem; heterosexism is.

The principles of justice and equality that pulsate through those flawed but powerful classics that we call the “world religions,” are moving toward seeing heterosexism, with its resistance to same-sex loving unions, as a prejudice in a class with sexism, racism, anti-Arabism and anti-Semitism.

Humanity needs its exuberant diversity but humans shrink from it.

As theologian William Sloane Coffin said: “Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with — and perhaps the most dangerous thing to live without.”

The Decay of Proposition 8

CNN: Opinions of Prop. 8

Here is a really brilliant article. It claims that although the opponents of Prop 8 might be able to convince many citizens, their arguments don't provide any evidence to convince the US Courts.

The Gay Gene

Psychology Today Magazine

Here's an article with some interesting opinions.

Hey GLEE fans, guess what?!

Hey GLEE fans, guess what?!

Jane Lynch SNL

Just announced: Out actress Jane Lynch will host SNL in October!!!

Dates to remember:

Hey all,
I apologize for my negligence to this blog during July, but let me try and make up for lost time with a few dates:


July 25, 2010: DE Pride Organizational Meeting Sussex County (CAMP Rehoboth@ 4:30)
August 22: 2010: Pride Skate (Rust Arena, Newark)
September 18, 2010: Delaware Pride Festival (Cape Henlopen St. Park)
September 28, 2010: AIDS Walk (Wilmington)

Keep your calendars open!!!