This Week in LGBTQ News

Happy Monday!

Here’s some LGBTQ news to check out:

Chicagoland:

• Upcoming Out at Chicago events and films at the Chicago History Museum are compiled here. You can also visit chicagohistory.org for more info.
• Six months after Civil Unions became legal for same-sex couples in Illinois, the Windy City Times takes a glimpse into how this has affected Chicago same-sex couples, particularly in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

• The Windy City Times is creating a photo essay book about mothers and their LGBTQ children. They are requesting submissions of Chicago-area LGBTQ individuals and their mothers through January 15, 2012. Click here for more info and how to submit!

National:

• A California transgender woman was tazed in the abdomen and genitals by a ranger after he discovered her birth sex. Brooke Fantelli is now filing a civil lawsuit.
• Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has signed the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) anti-gay marriage pledge. Republican candidates Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum all signed NOM’s pledge in August.

International:

• The issue of LGBTQ rights has entered into the heated debate over Zimbabwe’s new constitution.
• An update on the struggles for international LGBTQ rights at the United Nations.

And finally, If you haven’t seen this adorable video of a gay couple reacting to the news that they are going to be grandfathers, then you should probably watch it!

Please take the LGBT Community Needs Assessment Survey!

 

LGBTQ members, this is the last week of the Chicago LGBT Community Fund Needs Assessment Survey.

If you have not filled it out yet, please take a few minutes to do so here.

Please help the LGBT Community Fund by making your voice heard, so that Chicago-area resources can be properly allocated to our diverse members of the LGBTQ community!

Who should fill out the survey? Individuals residing in the Chicagoland area who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer are welcome to fill out the survey.

What kinds of questions will the survey ask? The survey will ask questions on a variety of topics relating to individual and community life, ranging from demographic information to personal relationships to health care to human services.

How long will it take to fill out the survey? We estimate that it will take about 25 minutes to fill out the survey.

What about privacy? Who will have access to my information? Once you fill out the survey, your information enters our secure database where only the researchers will have access to it. Your identifying information will not be revealed to any third parties.

Are there benefits to taking this survey? Survey participants will provide vital information on issues facing members of the LGBT community; however, there are no direct benefits to taking this survey. Please note: at the end of the survey, survey-takers may voluntarily share their email to be entered into a raffle with prizes including: restaurant gift certificates, movie passes, tickets to attend the Reeling Film Festival and Target gift cards. Raffle prize winners will be emailed by a staff member of Morten Group.

How can I find out the results of the survey? The results of the survey will be analyzed in conjunction with several other data collection tools including community drop boxes, focus groups and interviews. Results will be shared in a number of community presentations.

For more information please vist: mortengroup.com/lgbtneedsassessment or lgbtfund.org.

5710 Winter Break Hours

Over the winter break, 5710 (South Woodlawn) will have shorter hours and will be closed on several days. The hours/closures for 5710 are as follows:

General Hours
Monday, December 12 – Friday, December 30
Monday – Friday:  9AM – 5PM

Tuesday, January 3: Winter Quarter Hours Begin
Monday – Friday: 9AM – 11PM

Early Closures/Closed Days
Thursday, December 22: Closed at Noon
Friday, December 23: Closed
Monday, December 26: Closed
Friday, December 30: Closed at Noon
Monday, January 2: Closed

We hope you all have a safe and relaxing winter break.  We’ll see you next year!

Hillary Clinton’s historic international LGBTQ human rights speech

On Tuesday, 12/6/11, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a moving and hopeful speech on international LGBTQ human rights in Geneva for International Human Rights Day. You can read the full transcript here. And watch a full video of her speech here: Hillary Clinton’s LGBTQ human rights speech.

“Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct, but in fact they are one and the same…Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”

Dissertation Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council

Applications are now open for the Social Science Research Council Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship Program for Ph.D. students in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Divinity. The SSRC-DPDF provides funds to 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students in all fields who are at the beginning stages of dissertation proposal development on the following topics:

• Ecological History
• Gender Justice in the Era of Human Rights
• Governing Global Production
• Mediated Futures: Globalization and Historical Territories
• New Approaches to Transnationalism and Migratory Circulation

The SSRC-DPDF deadline is February 1, 2012 and students can contact Graduate Student Affairs with questions and/or for fellowship statement and writing assistance. Please visit the application website here.