Philly Trans March plans events for Nonbinary People’s Day
Philly Trans March (PTM) is organizing a celebration and demonstration in honor of International Nonbinary People’s Day, which is observed on July 14. The demonstration is set for July 15 at 1 p.m. at Kahn Park at 11th and Pine streets. People who are nonbinary, genderfluid, genderqueer, two-spirit, bigender, agender and accomplices are encouraged to attend this march and wear the colors of the nonbinary flag, which are black, purple, yellow and white. Masks are encouraged.
One of many reasons for having the march, PTM organizer Bri Golphin said, is a persistent lack of full acceptance of nonbinary, two-spirit and gender nonconforming identities.
“While we still do have notable visibility as it relates to nonbinary representation and two-spirit identities that are genderfluid, it is still kind of denied, especially amongst folks within the LGBTQ community,” Golphin said. “There’s still the denial or lack of understanding or effort to try to understand the concept of folks who are nonbinary. Not to mention we still live in a very heavily binary society.”
Golphin also cited continued political attacks against LGBTQ+ communities as additional reasons to march, such as the recent Supreme Court decision in the case 303 Creative V. Elenis, which limits state governments’ ability to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, and the recent Moms for Liberty conference in Philly.
The Nonbinary People’s Day celebration will take place in the form of a pop-up picnic on July 30 at 12 p.m. in West Philly’s Clark Park. People of all genders are welcome, but nonbinary, two-spirit, gender nonconforming and/or agender people will be prioritized. The event is free, and guests can enjoy games, vendors and more. In case of rain, the event will be held at The Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street.
“The celebratory event is a way to try to give us a break from our usual style of organizing and direct action,” Golphin added. “It’s a way for us to have fun amongst the community.”
William Way to hold block party to celebrate trans community
Celebrate trans joy at the second annual Summer Vibes Block Party. The July 15 event is presented by Philly AIDS Thrift, and organized by William Way’s Arcila-Adams Trans Resource Center and the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs, in partnership with galaei and The Beard Mobile. Attendees can enjoy a photo booth, tie dying, button-making, a raffle, food courtesy of Paynter’s Platters, and entertainment by UgLi, John Jarvis and the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, DJ Ms. X and Ishtar Sr.
“The Summer Vibes Block Party is important to the trans community because it serves as an accessible celebration of trans lives and the trans community outside of Trans Day of Visibility or Trans Day of Remembrance,” leave rivers, Summer Vibes project manager, said in an email. “Our (trans) lives should be celebrated and uplifted every day, especially given how vitriolic it has been for trans people and the LGBTQ+/queer community as a whole.”
The block party will take place from 4-7 p.m. outside of William Way on and round 1315 Spruce Street.
“Working as the project lead this year has made it exceedingly clear that it would be impossible to hold an event of this size and caliber without the willingness of the William Way team, community partners, and other support so kindly given to other members of the trans and queer community,” rivers added.
IBA to host monthly LGBTQ+ business networking event
The Independence Business Alliance (IBA), the Greater Philadelphia LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, will host its monthly networking event ConnX on July 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. The event provides IBA members and non-members a chance to network with local business owners, employees and others in the LGBTQ+ business community.
“We’re really proud that we’ve created a space where people can show up and ostensibly be themselves without fear,” IBA Chief Executive Officer Zach Wilcha said in an email. “We bring together business owners, employees from our community, important decision makers, and people who just want to have fun with like-minded folks. It’s a great space for the personal and professional to merge, and now more than ever, it’s important for our community to be out in public and creating the relationships that will bring them — in their businesses, their careers, and their personal lives — to the next level.”
At the upcoming ConnX event, IBA leaders will take the opportunity to award people in the network with Grubhub Community Impact Grants. The grant is a partnership between Grubhub and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to provide funds to LGBTQ+-owned and allied restaurants that are struggling from the effects of COVID-19. Representatives from the NGLCC will be at the event to honor the recipients and do some networking.
ConnX will take place at FRIEDA for Generations at 320 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Those planning to attend should register at thinkiba.com.
Applications open for Leeway Art and Change Grant
All Philly-area women, trans and gender-nonconforming artists and cultural producers working in any medium are invited to apply for the Leeway Foundation’s $2,500 Art and Change Grant. This project-based grant is suitable for people whose work impacts a larger group, audience or community; are supported or done in collaboration with a person, organization or business; and who live in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware Montgomery or Philadelphia county. The deadline to apply is August 1 by 11:59 p.m.
Those who need assistance with their application have an opportunity for a one-on-one support session with a Leeway staffer in person at William Way on July 26 from 2-7 p.m., and virtually on July 14 and July 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Though it’s not necessary to make an appointment to attend a drop-in session, those who plan to use the resource are encouraged to RSVP via Eventbrite so staff can plan accordingly.
The Leeway team created its grant programs “to challenge the norms of traditional grantmaking,” according to the foundation’s website. “We seek to recognize women and trans artists whose work is often ignored, silenced, and marginalized because of what they create or who they are — such as people of color; immigrants; queer, and/or trans*, and/or gender nonconforming folx; poor and working-class people; and people who take risks with art form and content to share their social change vision.”
For more information about the Art and Change grant, visit leeway.org.
Philly Family Pride seeking committee members for annual conference
Philly Family Pride (PFP) is gearing up for its biggest educational event of the year — the 14th annual Family Matters Conference, to take place this October. PFP is seeking volunteers for its planning committee, which will have hour-long Zoom meetings every two weeks from now until the conference kicks off. The committee members will work to establish the theme and program for the conference, recruit sponsors, promote the conference and volunteer during the conference.
“We welcome and appreciate all kinds of familial connections,” the PFP conference website reads in part. “We embrace a broad range of parenting experiences as well as LGBTQ+ folks seeking to become parents, wherever they are in their journey.”
The theme of last year’s Family Matters Conference was “family reunion,” which included talks about parenting as a queer or trans person of color, navigating complex conversations with teens, how national and local politicians impact LGBTQ+ families, how to find an affirming provider for LGBTQ+ families and more.
Those interested in joining the committee should fill out an interest form at pfpconference.org.
New study shows mental health challenges significantly higher for LGB youth
A new study by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania showed that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth have encountered higher rates of interpersonal discrimination due to perceived sexual orientation, and were more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. The findings, which were published by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, also indicated that LGB youth who live in parts of the country with more structural stigma experienced a greater strain on their mental health than their peers.
The data came from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, which is based on 11,000 kids 10-13 years old, 1,051 of whom identified as a sexual minority. The study showed that 29.5% of the sexual minority kids experienced interpersonal discrimination based on their sexual orientation in the past year, compared to 4.6% of the heterosexual kids. The sexual minority kids were over twice as likely to report having suicidal thoughts compared to the heterosexual kids, and almost four times as likely to attempt suicide.
“Our findings provide us with evidence that we need to develop interventions targeted at reducing discrimination to help reduce the risk of youth suicide among those in a sexual minority,” senior study author Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD, told Cincinnati news org Fox 19 NOW. Barzilay is a psychiatrist with the Youth Suicide Prevention, Internvention and Research Center at CHOP. “Parents, educators and clinicians working with young adolescents should be aware of the increased mental health burden of LGB youth, especially in areas with higher degrees of structural stigma.”