The Wingspan Anti-Violence Programs (AVP) is facilitating a city-wide Anti-LGBT Bullying Community Awareness Event at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Tucson YWCA ,525 N. Bonita, south of W. St. Mary’s Road.

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Moreover, Mayor Walkup and Council Member Paul Cunningham have proclaimed September 23, 2010 (today) as Anti-LGBT Bullying Awareness Day.

“A recent increase in reports of Anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment at area schools motivated Wingspan advocates and staff to organize the event. The target audiences for the event are affected youth and their guardians, educators, school administrators and staff, as well as concerned community members.

The goal for the event is to raise awareness of this specific type of violence and to gain a commitment from attendees to address this type of violence in their respective schools and campuses. Local advocates and experts will be speaking at the event. Representatives from local organizations working to end violence will be available at a community resource fair held in conjunction with the event. ”

For more information on the event or to participate in the resource fair, please contact AVP Manager Oscar Jimenez at ojimenez@wingspan.org, or 520-624-1779.

And congratulations to Wingspan for just being awarded the Tucson Weekly’s 2010 “Best Local Activist/Advocacy Group” award for seven years in a row. (Tucson Weekly’s Best of Tucson issue of 9/23/10, www.tucsonweekly.com).

And for a movie on this very topic — Himmel Park Branch Library will be hosting a re-screening of “Out in the Silence” on Saturday, September 25, 2010 between 2:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. Local musician and singer Namoli Brennet wrote and performed the music for this film. This PBS documentary is open to the public and free.

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“Out in the Silence is more than a movie, it’s part of the movement for fairness, equality and human rights for GLBT people.” (from the movie’s website)

I saw this movie at an earlier screening at Himmel library, and it is a powerful documentary about a 15 year old male teenager in rural Pennsylvania, facing discrimination and constant harassment for being openly gay at his high school. Find out what he has to do to overcome this bullying. It really made me reflect upon how difficult it is to be “different” in a rural setting, and how sad it is when adults (teachers & administrators) let the bullying continue. For more info contact Librarian Suzanne (Sue) Parker at 520-594-5305, suzanne.parker@pima.gov.

Himmel Library is at 1035 N. Treat Ave (SW corner of E. 1st St, south of Speedway).

Wingspan will host an open house for the whole community at the center from 4 pm to 6 pm, Wednesday, July 21. “Come meet staff, board members, learn more about the center and the work of Wingspan, you could even check out a book from the library, and just generally make yourself right at home.” (from their recent newsletter)

Wingspan is located at 430 East Seventh Street, just a short walk east of 4th Ave.
Website: www.wingspan.org. I’m glad to see Wingspan marking the first year anniversary at this new location with an open house.

Eon youth are also invited to enjoy the festivities with the community at the Wingspan center. “Eon works to strengthen the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and straight ally youth community by creating social opportunities, providing information and support on health issues, advocating for youth rights, and challenging society’s perceptions of youth.”

I wrote about their move last July, 2009 from their larger 2 story facility to their present one across E. 7th Street (click here). Drop on by and learn more about the terrific work done by Wingspan, Southern Arizona’s only LGBT center.

Coming up shortly on July 15 from their newsletter as well:

“The Wingspan Anti-Violence Programs (AVP) is organizing a community event to raise awareness of Anti-Gay/Trans bullying in local area middle and elementary schools. The event was motivated by a recent increase in calls to the crisis line from community members personally or vicariously affected by school violence.

The goal for the community event is to draw attention to Anti-Gay/Trans bullying in local area middle and elementary schools and serve as a catalyst for cultural change.

LGBT issues are taboo subjects for many middle and elementary schools, leaving students to suffer in silence. Affected students and their parents need the support.

The AVP staff, AVP advisory committee and community members had an initial planning meeting in June. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the SAAF offices at 375 S. Euclid Avenue. Interested community members who want to help plan the event are invited to attend the July 15 meeting.” (SAAF stands for Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation)

For more information, please contact AVP Manager Oscar Jimenez at ojimenez@wingspan.org.

Anti-gay bullying is a problem in our Tucson schools, and I’m glad to see this ATV group and other community members working to combat it.