Sunday, December 28, 2014

Christmas at First Congregational Church of Riverside CA



Basically this is just a link to my "4Shared" site where I have posted a bunch of Advent season photos...

http://www.4shared.com/folder/52X0htoX/Christmas_in_Riverside_at_FCC.html

...some of which I also shared on Facebook with this commentary "Christmas Eve at First Congregational Church of Riverside - I wanted to be sure and capture these events today since this may well be my last Christmas here in Riverside and I want to savor it all. First there were Christmas Carols on the front steps. Then Project Food served up a hot meal for anyone who came by - we do that every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 PM - and then our Christmas Eve Songs and Lessons candlelight service. And then a quick stroll around downtown - The Mission Inn lights, the ice skating, City Hall all light up (Up there on the 7th floor where the tarps are stretched is where we held Royalty on the Roof in November). So there you have Christmas Eve in the heart of Riverside!"

https://www.facebook.com/EvaGenevieve/posts/10153028426277323?pnref=storyhttps://www.facebook.com/EvaGenevieve/posts/10153028426277323?pnref=story

Hugs, Blessings and wishes for a Happy New Year to you all,
Eva-Genevieve!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Regarding Riverside's proclamation - answering a comment

Comment regarding Riversides Proclamation (posted below) 

"I'm a cis- bi- ally of Trans folks. I'm wondering about the proclamation as the LGBTQ DOR rather than TDOR. Do you think adding the LGBQ diminishes the focus on Trans violence issues? Can you share any history as to how/why the city chose to proclaim it that way? I have some Trans friends who are, I think understandably, upset with it. Thank you--Joe Reilly"

No, actually I think expanding the scope supports these issues because it brings them out into the open where they ought to be – there is no diminishing of the real issues. Being a victim of violence, of bullying and other hate crimes is not something limited to Trans folks. These things happen to Gays, to Women, to people of color, to anyone seen as different and so even with statistics that are horrible with respect to Trans folks we can’t be exclusive. We don’t get to stand totally apart if we want to integrate back into society as equals. We have to reach out to others and support them if we want them to do the same for us.

Building community is what we are trying to accomplish here in Riverside and it must include everyone or it will fail. To be included means we have to learn to be inclusive and we Trans folks have to initiate it because right now we are seen as the bottom level of humanity by many. Maybe we will be the ones to start resolving it IF we don’t shut others out in the process, even if some of them have done it to us. Change can, must, start with us.  We have to learn to share our special days and work through our issues with others who have similar experiences. There are not enough days in the year to give every identity their own special day. What we need to be doing is merging together with others to put an end to the problem of bullying and hate crimes and violence at the level of it being a human problem rather than a Trans only issue.

Many cities have established LGBT centers with lots of services and groups and outreach to specific target groups like Trans and Homeless youth & etc., but Riverside has no such thing other than one privately funded shelter that serves LGBT youth under 17. The only sense of established “community” is a downtown coffee house and a couple gay bars.  If the facts I have been given by our Human Relations Commission are correct then this proclamation is the very first City acknowledgement of anyone in the LGBT spectrum and as such we—a diverse group of Trans and LGB activists and CIS allies—agreed that it would be counterproductive to take this first crumb from the City and assign it exclusively to just one segment of the spectrum when we have many Gay and Lesbian folk and others who have struggled for acknowledgement here for 30, 40 or more years. I have personally spent over 8 years working towards this end and have put out call after call in support groups, on-line forums and on Facebook for trans people to join me in this work but only a tiny handful have taken part, so out of necessity I turned to our long-time LGB and CIS allies and our progressive Churches. Without them we would not have held any of our 4 annual Trans Days of Remembrance, we would not have been able to host an entire week of Trans Awareness events Nov 17th -23rd here this year, and we would have no services at all here for trans folks so we must not and will not throw our allies under the bus now.

Were this LA or Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco or even San Luis Obispo there would already be an LGBT establishment such as these cities have and we would have been able to handle this proclamation differently. However because there is minimal LGBT establishment here we have to have something to build upon in order to establish it in a lasting way. Mostly the “community” here is just little splinter groups and factions in which everyone nitpicks each other when we try to work together. In fact every time one of these groups tries to get investors for a project or to establish an LGBT center here other factions start undermining the effort and being divisive, so no one invests in our “community”. Mark Takano our Congressman is openly gay but he has distanced himself from the LGBT community here because it is so unstable and immature. Therefore we asked that LGBT Day of Remembrance be proclaimed annually on Nov 21st because we still wish to honor and respect the Trans people of the world on the 20th and stand with them while trying to establish a sense of common ground for growth here. We see this as expanding rather than diminishing the impact of TDoR observances.


With this proclamation coming from the City it was our hope that it would be a foundation upon which to start uniting fragmentary groups back together without all the attendant sniping of the past, but already trans people who don’t seem to grasp the bigger situation are sniping and complaining and undermining the very historic significance of this accomplishment. So, no, I don’t think your trans friends’ upset is understandable at all. I’m sure I will get flak for saying this but I believe it is the ones complaining and grumbling who need to change, to stop being so exclusive of others in their thinking, to work with others instead of pushing their it’s-our-day-and-ours-only kind of agenda at the rest of us gender and sexually diverse folk. The Trans “community” will never come into its own until we accept being equal with others that are not Trans because otherwise we continue teaching people that some are special and others not, and that just happens to be the root of the entire problem! As humans we should be working to end the problems common to humans. Anything less is futile in my opinion.

This is the released version of the Proclamation with the corrected date. The first issue with the 20th on it was an error. 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 20, 2014 at First Congregational Church of Riverside, Day 4 of Transgender Awareness Week

The video of Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 20, 2014 at First Congregational Church of Riverside, Day 4 of Transgender Awareness Week is finished...

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Worthy of Celebration...

The LGBTQ... community in the City of Riverside were presented with this City Proclamation by Riverside's Human Relations Commission last night during our Transgender Awareness Week kickoff event. This is worthy of celebration!!! Many people have spent many long and hard years of advocacy and activism to make this possible. Thanks to every one of you!

Gabriel Maldonado, the Commission's LGBT Liaison did the presenting and I did the receiving. It was a great honor - this is yours now!


Hugs and Blessings,
Eva-Genevieve!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Riverside California's Week of Transgender Awareness


Here is the text content of the flier - can be copied and shared as text. Thanks EG!

Total Trans* immersion! See https://www.facebook.com/RTGA.2014 for updates and additions to this list.

Monday, Nov. 17th: LGBT and ally residents of Riverside are invited to be part of city's first Equality Alliance of Riverside meeting where you will hear from local LGBT leadership, our community's needs, and ways to help in creating an LGBT-friendly Riverside. Please RSVP by Nov 15 @ Dr.DiSalvatore@gmail.com or text (951) 224-4798 for details.

Tuesday the 18th, Trans-Basics 6-9PM La Sierra High Auditorium 4145 La Sierra, Riverside w/Rev. Benita Ramsey, Kristie & Jaden Handzlik from Temecula PFLAG. Join a national call-in at 10amPST, please register to get the call information @http://bit.ly/TransLivesMatter. (Type link exactly as written or it will error! Also a TransLivesMatter event 3:00pm Vermont & Santa Monica in LA).

Wednesday the 19th, First Congregational Church will be a free screening of “Trans: The Movie” at 6:30PM followed by Q&A with Sarah Tyler, the mother of Danann, a trans child featured in the movie. Free admission.

Thursday the 20th: VA Loma Linda 11:30 AM till 1PM will hold its First Annual, open to the public, formal TDoR observance 11201 Benton St, Loma Linda, CA 92354 Contact Shelly Ann for more info shellyannahlerich@live.com. 

Then at 7 PM First Congregational Church hosts their 4th annual, Transgender Day of Remembrance observance in Downtown Riverside with Rev. Rizi Xavier Timane, a transgender minister, an author, a recording artist, and an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, Anna Tower who lost her trans-identified partner to suicide, and Jaden and Kristie Handzlik who also spoke at last year’s TDoR. Free admission. FCC is a Safe Space—come as you identify!

Friday the 21st at the Grier Pavilion 7th floor, Riverside City Hall from 7 to 9 PM is “Royalty on the Rooftop” a presentation of Inland Empire Drag Kings and Queens. Admission $7 for adults, $5 for students, free under 12.

Saturday morning the 22nd, In the morning at Riverside City College’s Cosmetology facility, on Olivewood Ave, from 9 AM to 1 PM the students there will host a free Makeover Day. Free haircut, style, mani/pedi, makeover, makeup help, or those interested in what it feels like to be made up as the opposite gender. Several trans individuals will be speaking during the event too — all are welcome. Come have some fun!

Saturday evening: VerbalEyze: Youth Open Mic & Arts Exhibit 6:00 Art Exhibition/7:00 Open Mic. The Unity Center 2025 Chicago Avenue, Suite A 20, Riverside 92507, Sponsors: Rainbow Pride Alliance, TruEvolution, PFLAG Temecula, in conjunction with CAGSI. To sign up for open mic contact us at riversidetransgenderawareness@gmail.com

Sunday, the 23rd at First Congregational Church at 3:30 PM – an original one act play, "Now and Then Beyond the Glass" presented by Bent Not Broken Inspired and friends followed immediately by Riverside’s 4th annual TDoR Candlelight Memorial remembering Trans folks and others murdered for simply daring to be themselves and those who supported them. 

Followed at 5PM by the First Congregational Church’s afternoon “As You Are” service themed for Trans Day of Remembrance too—Eva-Genevieve! Scarborough will be speaking. FCC is a Safe Space—come as you identify, ALL are welcome as you are!


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Things Happening in Riverside Calif. this November

Riverside Trans*Gender Awareness Coalition - RT*GA



We are looking for volunteers to help plan and staff several events in November from the 17th to 23rd. Transgender Awareness Week. On Thursday the 20th and the Sunday the 23rd we observe Transgender day Of Remembrance, Thursday with informative speakers and Sunday we host Riverside's 4th annual TDoR Candlelight Memorial, remembering those who have died simply because they dared to live an authentic life. Wednesday that week we will be screening "Trans; The Movie" and Sarah Tyler, who is one of the movie's featured parents of a trans child, will be there to speak and answer audience questions. Friday night is Royals on the Rooftop - a drag show at City Hall!! In the Grier Pavilion. Details will be forth coming soon so stay tuned...

Contact me for more info. of if you want to help. evagenevieve@yahoo.com

Monday, August 18, 2014

A Surprisingly Good Breakfast

Recently I embarked on a rather lengthy journey across the country the main intent of which was to spend some time with my mom but also to see my 2 sons and then do some sightseeing in places I have not been. I stopped for 4 days in San Francisco first and then took Amtrak to Naperville, Illinois. I am about to conclude a two-month stay at my mom’s place and next weekend I will resume my travels. I will spend a couple of days in Chicago and then, also traveling by Amtrak, to Glacier National Park, Seattle, Portland before going to my favorite refresh myself spot on California’s Central Coast (San Luis Obispo) and then home to Riverside, Calif. 

 Eventually I will post a bunch of photos, or links to them and some more details but for now some can be seen on my Facebook page but for now I felt like posting here again to describe something nice that happened.

I rented a car and drove to the Cleveland Area to see my two sons. Yesterday morning (Aug 17, 2014) before heading back to Illinois with my boys so they can visit with my mom some I decided to go have a nice breakfast since, for some reason, I always get overly hungry when traveling. I wanted to be able to drive a good distance without stopping. In Middleburgh

Heights, Ohio, across the street from several motels, is a Perkins Restaurant. Over many years of visiting this area I have found it to be consistently good and this morning was no exception, in fact the food and service were excellent.

I was eating and, as usual, reading my Sci-Fi book and generally having a pleasant morning. Then my waiter informed me that someone had paid the bill for my breakfast. Yup, just like that – out of the blue!  But he did not say whom it was who paid so I sat there astounded, looking around to try and pick out the culprit. If this had happened at a bar with someone buying a drink for me I would expect to get hit on but nobody in the place seemed to be paying any attention to me after that fashion. A while later the restaurant host came by and told me the staff had decided to cover my bill. So what was an already excellent meal was made that much better and that really made my day. I feel very welcomed there, kind of like it has become a family place for me now. I feel sort of bad that I won’t be able to go back there until whatever next-time I have in the area where my sons reside.

 Since I can’t thank them for their random act of kindness by eating there often here’s a plug for their restaurant in Middleburgh Heights OH…

http://www.perkinsrestaurants.com/ You folks are awesome! Thanks.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Greetings Friends,

The planning for Transgender Day of Remembrance 2014 observance in Riverside, California has started and we are hoping this year to expand to having an event every day of Transgender Awareness Week – which is November 17th thru the 23rd. It remains to be seen if we can pull together enough talent and resources and venues but we are thinking BIG this year. 

This will be our 4th annual TDoR in Riverside too. We are looking for Transgender folk as well as LGBTQ… and straight allies who are musicians, songwriters, singers, actors, playwrights, stage crew and techies, poets, orators, filmmakers (to either document the events and/or present their works) and etc. who have a passion for activism, justice, equality and who want to do something special to spotlight the strengths hopes and fears of Transgender people in the world. 

We are also looking for financial supporters and for venues suitable for various events. At this point we have no funding and we hope to keep every event free so anyone can attend these events. And that is why we are putting out our call so early this year. 

Please contact me privately at evagenevieve@yahoo.com if you are able to help us this year. Sincere thanks in advance,
Eva-Genevieve! Scarborough