Living Transgender In American Society Today: Models of Pride 18

Friday, October 15, 2010

Models of Pride 18 – October 9, 2010

This year’s Models of Pride – a youth Pride event with workshops, resource fair, entertainment and a closing dance was attended by over 600 young people ages 12-24. This year’s event was hosted by Friends of Project 10 and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s Lifeworks project.

This year there was something new - a workshop for parents of LGBT youth. Kim Pearson of TYFA and many other notables were hosting panels on various topics throughout the day and providing lots good information. I sat in on one session called “How can I Work Within My Faith Community To Accept My Family”.

The panel, hosted Harold Kameya of PFLAG in Pasadena, consisted of (left to right) Rev. Abel Lopez from All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, Rev. Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Fr. Geoff Farrow - a Roman Catholic Priest. These all have taken very notable and public stands in favor of marriage equality and human Rights for all. They had a lot of very encouraging things to say to parents of LGBT youth, many who are struggling to accept their children as gay or transgender.

I have volunteered at MOP every year since coming out and this is my 5th time. Even though I over-taxed my partially healed foot early in the day and had to cut out before the last session and the entertainment I did get to meet a lot of the youth and experience the wonderful spirit there as many of them for the first time in their lives got to be out in public simply as themselves. As always I encourage every one of you to get out and be a role model for our youth and support them in any way you can– they are our future!

Check out the Models of Pride website at modelsofpride.org to see the workshop listing and other details of the event.

Pictures included here are of the Drum Circle. (More photos available at:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/ra71b5Pp/Models_Of_Pride_18.html)

See you next year at MOP 19!

Hugs and Blessings,

Eva-Genevieve!

2 comments:

FacebookOctober 16, 2010 at 12:51 PM
Thank you, Eva-Genevieve, for your comments about MOP 19. Also, thank you for being there, volunteering your time, and participating in the parents' workshop. We so appreciate your support on behalf of all our youth, in particular, our transgender and questioning youth. They so need role models, and certainly, you are one of them. I remember first encountering you (before I met you)--how nervous and unsure you were about your participation in MOP, and look at you now! You could run the conference!--Gail Rolf, Friends of Project 10 Inc.
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genevieveOctober 29, 2010 at 9:56 AM
Wished I could have been there. Being a role model to others is something I take seriously. Encouragement goes a long way also.
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Any Body, Everybody, Christ’s Body…

…was the theme at this years National Gathering of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns this year in San Diego (July 14 –17). There were about 125 attendees from all across the US and we even had folks from other countries. Several topics were discussed including ways to make Church accessible to all – many physical and mental challenges were included in this discussion as well as LGBT concerns, Mentoring Queer youth – the emphasis being the need for all of us to be mentors as we are able and that we all have something to teach others, Advocacy & Empowerment, OnA Next Steps: Telling Our Stories, and also a panel discussion on including “transgender” and gender expression more specifically in OnA statements, and immigration issues too – far more issues and information than one person could take in or even list here.

Starting Wednesday afternoon we jumped right in with a very lively worship service with wonderful music and through the course of the gathering we heard many inspiring speakers and participated in several “breakout” workshop sessions. We broke into small discussion groups daily, heard many points of view on important topics, and made many friends in the process. On our last evening the General Minister and President of the UCC, the Revered Geoffrey Black was the keynote speaker at the banquet. My favorite speaker at the conference was Felix Carrion who often contributes to the UCC’s “Stillspeaking” on-line daily Devotional. We ended the conference Saturday morning with another lively worship service and dismissed just in time for several of us to rush over and march in San Diego’s Pride parade with the Mission Hills UCC Church and Bloom in the Desert Ministries (also UCC affiliated). I brought back lots of things to discuss in upcoming Mission Board meetings, but more than anything else it is the personal connections that made the conference very worthwhile. I feel a part of something much larger now – there was so much positive, hopeful energy shared there. I felt so very warmly welcomed by everyone and I believe that my input there was greatly valued as well. And, of course, I made an impression with my array of colorful dresses and hats too! (Would you expect anything less)? I was so blessed for being allowed to represent First Congregational Church in Riverside at this Gathering.

Follow this link to pictures from the event -the photos are in no particular order and a few shots of the fire that broke out behind the motel where I was staying.

Hugs and Blessings,

Eva-Genevieve!