Asian Counseling & Referral
Service - services are provided in the language of the young people and
their families, with an understanding of their culture, including individual and
family counseling, supportive case management, psychiatric evaluations and
medication management, 24-hour crisis service, affordable individual, group and
family therapy, parent education and family support, youth activities and
support groups (available for free at high schools in Seattle and Bellevue). To
find more information about school-based activities and support groups or to
make a counseling appointment, call 206-695-7511. 720 8th Avenue South, Suite
200 , Seattle , WA 98104 and 12828 Northup Way, Suite 100 , Bellevue , WA 98005. Contact person for LGBTQ youth services: Crystal Swanda
--206.695.7578, email: crystals@acrs.org;
Website:
http://www.acrs.org/
Beloved Daughter - a 40-page booklet of
letters from Chinese mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters to their
lesbian/bisexual daughter/sister. "Beloved Daughter," printed in Chinese and
English and illustrated with family photographs, reveals a range of feelings,
from fear and shame to understanding and love, as families share their own
"coming-out" stories. To order copies ($3, including domestic mailing), Email:
maplbn@labrys.org or use snail mail:
MAPLBN, c/o Hanna Lu, 3103 Shelter Creek Lane, San Bruno, CA 94066; Website:
http://www.labrys.org/family/
Darkness
Calls - this comic book, inspired, written and illustrated by Steve
Sanderson, a professional Aboriginal (native Canadian) youth cartoonist, is a
great resource on suicide prevention for youth,
visual learners and hard to reach populations. It’s the story of a teenager
that feels socially isolated and has difficulty at school. Even though Kyle has
tremendous artistic talent and the support of a good friend he finds one day
just too overwhelming and considers taking his own life. It’s the story of the
struggle between good and evil over the spirits of youth. The story was
previewed with health professionals and youth focus groups for authentic
characters and language. From the Healthy Aboriginal Network, 328 E 32nd Ave,
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5V 2Y4; 604-876-0243; Website:
http://www.thehealthyaboriginal.net
GLBT in the non-European
World - same sex relationships and gender identities among
non-whites - from
ColorQ World, a
space where people of color and friends share perspectives and exchange
experiences.
http://www.colorq.org/Articles/2000/qcolor.htm
La-Ba-Te-Yah Youth Home Community -
an independent living program for homeless youth, for urban Native American and
youth of color. Case management on site. Co-ed; has an amazing Two-Spirits
program as well and has a good number of Two-Spirit staff. 25 beds for youth
ages 14-21. Stays of 18 months (or if not state involved to 22nd birthday).
Provided by United Indians of All Tribes Foundation in Seattle. Open referral w/
interview process. Phone: 206-781-8303.
LGBTQMuslimYouth email discussion group
- people age 25
and under who are Muslims and identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered,
or who may be questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity are
welcomed to join. The list is sponsored by Al Fatiha. Website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LGBTQMuslimYouth
MySistahs - created by and for young women of color to provide
information and offer support on sexual and reproductive health issues through
education and advocacy. This project of
Advocates for Youth has monthly features, message boards, and online peer
education young women receive information on activism, culture, sexual health,
and other issues that are important to them.
http://www.mysistahs.org
The MySistahs peer educators -
peer educators answer your questions about sex, your body, and your health! -
from
Advocates for Youth.
http://www.mysistahs.org/sts/sistahs.htm
The Sexual Health of Latina Adolescents - Focus on Assets and in pdf
format
here
(pdf format) -
from
Advocates for Youth - briefly highlights sexual health data on young Latinas
and then summarizes the findings of asset-focused research, aiming to assist
youth-serving professionals to identify and incorporate youth development
strategies into their programming; and to encourage policy makers, at all
levels, to make fiscal and policy investments that will promote the sexual
health of young Latinas.
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/frtp/latina.htm
Young African American Women and HIV
and in pdf
format
here.
(pdf format) - from research to practice - from
Advocates for Youth - "The HIV and AIDS epidemic has disproportionately
affected the African American community across time, although rates of HIV
infection and AIDS were relatively rare among black women in the early years of
the epidemic."
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/frtp/youngaawomen.htm
Network on Religion and Justice for
Asian American and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
people (NRJ-APILGBT) - a project of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies
in Religion and Ministry (CLGS) at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley,
California.
http://www.nrj-api-lgbt.org/
One Umbrella, Many People: Diversity
Within the LGBT Communities - Within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) communities there is a tremendous diversity of experience.
This activity from GLSEN will hopefully encourage you to learn more about LGBT
people from different backgrounds.
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/1292.html and in pdf
format
here
(pdf format)
PFLAG's Families of Color
Network -
http://community.pflag.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=462&srcid=460
PFLAG publications -- in
Spanish, en Español -
http://www.indiana.edu/~arenal/pflag.html
POCAAN - People of Color Against AIDS Network -
a multi-racial AIDS prevention organization created in response to the
devastating impact that HIV/AIDS was and continues to have on communities of
color. Phone: 206-322-7061; Website:
http://www.pocaan.org/
Services include: Peer education and presentations at schools, health
fairs and community settings where youth hang out. Truth Anthony (truth@POCAAN.org;
ext. 233) and Clifford Thornton (ext. 222).
The ongoing support groups at POCAAN in King County are NOT mostly
specifically for youth, but youth would be welcome to participate:
-
Asian Pacific Islander Youth. Contact person: Collin Kwan, 206.322.7061
ext. 229, email: collin@POCAAN.org
-
Entre Hermanos, Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans Latinos/as. Contact Sergio
Miranda, 206-335-7103 or call POCAAN, ext. 223 or 236.
-
Girlfriends Talking, Women (Heterosexual, Bi, Lesbian) in the Sex
Industry: ext. 240.
-
The Kaz Jones Coalition, (formerly Brother to Brother) Gay & Bi men of
African descent. Contact Leonard Dawson, ext. 200.
-
Sistah 2 Sistah, Lesbian, Bi, Trans women of African descent. Contact
Sheilah Robinson, ext. 235.
-
T-Time, Transgender people of color: ext. 225.
Queer Asian Youth (QAY) -
provides social spaces for gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transsexual, transgender, queer, curious, undecided, or questioning
East and Southeast Asian youth and their friends. QAY is an initiative of
ACAS:
Asian Community AIDS Services in Toronto, Canada. The site offers a
face-to-face program in Toronto, but also an online message for youth anywhere.
http://www.qay.ca/index.php
Queer Network Program at the
Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center - the API Safety
Center prevents domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking through
community organizing and education; provides safe, culturally relevant services
for Asian/Pacific Islander women, youth, and children. The Queer Network Project
is one project of the Safety Center. They provide trainings on
homophobia/heterosexism to the API community, advocacy-based counseling for API
LGBTQ survivors of abuse and work to develop the skills in the API and LGBTQ
communities to more effectively prevent and respond to intimate partner
violence. PO Box 14047, Seattle, WA 98114 Contact person: Joanne Alcantara,
Phone: 206-467-9976; Email:
Joanne@apialliance.org; Website:
http://www.apiwfsc.org/
Remember Fred Martinez, Jr. -
16 years old Navajo F.C. Martinez, Jr. was brutally assaulted and left to die
alone in an anti-glbt hate crime in Cortez, Colorado in 2001.
http://www.temenos.net/remember/martinez/
Two Spirit/LGBT Rights Toolkit for Tribal Governments Introduced
By
Gale Courey Toensing,
September 26, 2012.
A first-of-its-kind guide complete with sample legal language is now
available for tribal governments to adopt or amend their laws to recognize
the rights of all their citizens, including Two Spirit and lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
The “Tribal Equity Toolkit: Tribal Resolutions and Codes to Support Two
Spirit and LGBT Justice in Indian Country” made its debut on September 26
when it was introduced to delegates at the
Affiliated Tribes of
Northwest Indians’ 59th Annual Fall Convention at the Wild
Horse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, Oregon.
“Our hope is to begin to construct a cohesive narrative about Two Spirit &
LGBT Natives within our own Tribal communities and for those stories to
compel us to take action,” said Se-ah-dom Edmo, director of the
Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program at Lewis & Clark College, which
developed the toolkit in partnership with the
Native American Program of Legal Aid Services of Oregon,
Basic Rights Oregon
and the
Western States Center. The
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians supported the work.
Edmo said inspiration for the project came from the landmark decisions by
the Coquille Tribe
and the Suquamish
Tribe recognizing same sex marriage in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
The comprehensive toolkit is packed with legal information and structured
around the categories of Family; Employment; Education’ Health Care/End of
Life; and Bias-Motivated (Hate) Crimes. Each category is broken subjects.
Family, for example, is broken into Marriage, Domestic Partnerships and
Civil Unions, Children, Child Custody and Visitation, and Child Welfare.
Each section includes one or more sample resolutions. Marriage, for example,
includes the Tribal Resolution in Support of Two Spirit Equality and the
Freedom to Marry and a Marriage Equality Ordinance.”
In addition, Basic Rights produced an eight-minute video called “Our
Families: LGBT Two Spirit Stories” featuring the personal stories of
LGBT tribal members. In the video Phillip Hillarie, a Lummi Nation citizen,
advises, “Any Two Spirit person who is able and willing to come out, I would
encourage them to reach to their elders. I want young people to keep hold of
their families, who can help them to build that hope and trust in who they
are.”
Also, the organizations also produced a two-page flier called “Why Marriage
Matters” that supports a Washington state ballot initiative –
Referendum 74 – upholding same sex marriage that goes before voters in
November.
Robert Kentta, a Siletz Tribe
citizen, council member and Cultural Resources Director, provides an
eloquent foreword to the toolkit. He delineates the historic wrongs by which
the dominant culture treated Indigenous Peoples as less than human – stolen
lands, genocide, introduced diseases, children snatched and placed in
hateful “institutions of assimilation.” Having been wronged, Kentta writes,
“all of us…have a strong sense of what social justice is and what it should
look like.” Two spirit people have special roles in the communities,
cultures and ceremonial life, Kentta says. “Our people were strong and
beautiful in our traditional understanding of life, and that we all have
different gifts. Two Spirit indicates an ability to see the world from both
male and female perspectives and to bridge the world of male and female. The
concept of balance is important in our traditional views, and balance can be
between individuals or groups or within a particular individual. Two Spirit
captures that concept of balance within an individual.” Noting that Two
Spirit people have been “invisibilized and stigmatized” he says tribes now
have a chance to “protect and preserve Two Spirit and LGBT narratives as an
essential piece to preservation of our cultures.” The toolkit provides
tribal governments the opportunity to reflect on how they are either
perpetuating policies that are damaging to the community or policies and
laws that uphold and demonstrate a commitment to justice and equity as
enduring community values, Kentta says. “The work compiled here – with love
and understanding, is just what it says it is – a toolkit. It does not
dictate, it does not ask anything of you but to read it and decide what you
believe in, and what core principles you stand for. It gives our communities
another set of tools for restoring ourselves.”
The free toolkit is available on the website of the
Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program.
Washington Asian Pacific
Islander Families Against Substance Abuse (WAPIFASA) - serves youth
ages 10-20 in the Asian and Pacific Islander community in King County
Washington, helping them deal with chemical dependency and substance abuse
issues. They provide services for families, school and King County Officials
that meet the cultural needs and expectations of the community they serve, and
provides and advocate for culturally competent and age-appropriate prevention
and substance abuse treatment services for Asian Pacific Islander Youth and all
Youth of Color. 606 Maynard Ave S. Suite 106; Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: (206)
223-9578; Fax: (206) 623-3479; Website:
http://www.wapifasa.org/wapifasa/
¡Yo Soy! : a youth group that
seeks to provide a safe space for young gay, bisexual, queer, and
questioning Latino men to discuss issues that intersect with culture,
family, gender, health, religion, and sex. Sponosored by Entre Hermanos, a
local Latino/a LGBTQ organization that aims to promote the health and well
being of the LGBTQ and questioning community in a culturally appropriate
environment through disease prevention, education, support service,
advocacy, and community building [
www.entrehermanos.org ].
WHO:
Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Questioning Latino Men; Ages: 16-21.
WHAT: A
safe space to meet other young Latinos and discuss issues pertaining to our
community & FREE FOOD! WHEN:
Wednesday, July 27, 2011; 6-8pm.
WHERE:
Entre Hermanos; 1505 Broadway Ave, Seattle. For more
information please contact us at
206.322.7700 or email us at
info@entrehermanos.org
