September Meeting Topic
PFLAG-Madison proudly presents BILL McCONKEY, the UW-Oshkosh professor who
will present his case to overturn Wisconsin’s amendment banning gay
marriage before the Wisconsin Supreme Court this fall. Prof. McConkey will
speak on “What We EACH Can Do (in our own corner of the world)”.
He is familiar with “going it alone”, as he filed his court challenge
without support from local or national gay rights’ groups.
If you are feeling that your one voice may not make a difference, join us
to share ideas about how we CAN make a difference. PFLAG-Madison meets Sunday,
September 20, 2009 at Friends Meeting House, 1704 Roberts Court (just off
Monroe St. behind Associated Bank) from 2-4 pm. Prof. McConkey asks you to
bring a list of things you think can be done to support, educate or advocate
for the LGBT community. These ideas will be shared during the second half
of the program.
A PFLAG Board member will be available to anyone in attendance who would benefit
from individual support at this time. A confidential conversation can take
place in the lounge.
If you are concerned and upset about the injustices toward our LGBT community,
join us for this exciting kick-off to our monthly PFLAG meetings. Parking
is limited, but we have permission to use the lot at As-sociated Bank. See
you September 20th! Together, we WILL make a difference.
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Madison Pride Parade
Madison's pride parade was held on Sunday, August 16, around the capitol square. We had about a dozen marchers from our group, three from the Plain WI chapter, a PFLAG man from Iowa, and a family new to us with 2 young children. Karen brought her grandkids. Several church groups marched. The Queen of Peace parents group bravely marched behind a "Catholic Parents" banner.
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National PFLAG Blog
Kay suggests that you might find the national PFLAG blog interesting and worthwhile: www.pflagblog.blogspot.com
PFLAG National Elections
The ballot for PFLAG National Elections (Board and Regional Directors) is
included in the current PFLAG-Pole. Show your interest and support by submitting
a ballot.
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PFLAG UPDATE from National PFLAG
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and a collaboration of other expert organizations announced the New Beginning Initiative, designed to push for concrete federal administration policy and regulatory changes directly benefiting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and eliminating discrimination from federal policies.
The initiative, which is an outcome of the National Policy Roundtable with
organizations opting into the initiative, began more than a year ago in preparation
of a more LGBT-favorable administration. The more than 80 initial policies
identified and recommended for changes span the authority of the White House
and more than 30 federal agencies. The recommendations focus on pro-LGBT public
policy changes the Obama administration can implement without legislative
action. The New Beginning Initiative is the first time such a coalition of
LGBT and allied organizations has come together in this way to affect administration
policy. Organizations participating in the initiative can be found here: http://www.thetaskforce.org/newadmin/newbeginning_intro.html
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From the HRC Weekly Update
Human Rights Campaign Completes "Out In Scripture" Collection
8/27/2009
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, announced today the release of the complete “Out In Scripture” collection. For the past three years, week-by-week, the HRC Religion & Faith program provided conversations on Bible passages from more than 100 scholars and pastors representing 11 denominations. These conversations are now available in a complete collection online at www.hrc.org/Scripture.
“This unique collection showcases the extraordinary momentum we’re seeing by people of faith committed to LGBT equality,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Through this resource we are helping to assure that no one will again have to choose between who they are and what they believe.”
“Over the years my spiritual life and preaching has been transformed by ‘Out In Scripture,’” said Harry Knox, Director of HRC’s Religion and Faith Program. “This is one of our signature projects. As editor Sidney Fowler said, ‘The Bible is not about beating you up, but lifting us all up. It includes the seeds of liberation and justice.’ Be prepared to be transformed as well.”
The collection includes 175 conversations that span Bible readings organized according to the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary is used by numerous Christian denominations to guide worship and preaching.
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