LGBT+ Meux Home Tour

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Join LGBT Fresno for a private group tour of the beautiful Meux home and gardens. Never been? What a great chance to see a national landmark! Been before? Come see the restoration projects done over the last year.

SIX HUNDRED THOUS-AND YOU

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Written by Peter Robertson

SIX HUNDRED THOUS-AND YOU.

The Bulldog Pride Fund was established in 2005 with two $50 donations, and officially recognized by the Fresno State Alumni Association in 2006.
As of June 30, 2021, total donations to the BPF have surpassed $600,000! Overall, the BPF endowment has provided 86 scholarships valued at $165,000.
Thank you, donors, for your support of and investment in students attending Fresno State. We appreciate you.

BONUS INTRA. MELIOR EXI.
www.bulldogpride.org

Kampout Returns

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Written by Janet

After having to cancel the 40 th Anniversary of Kampout last year due to COVID, the Kampout Committee has begun preparations for the celebration of 40 years in the pines. Kampout 2021, A Hike Down Memory Trail, will be held the weekend after Labor Day, September 10 through 12 at our site across the road from Texas Flat Campground.

The theme this year is your favorite theme…and there are a lot to choose from. From the Stone Age to the 60s, from under the sea to outer space, Kampout has gone to the movies, Vegas, the wild west…just about everywhere and everything has been covered…and we’d love to see your favorite on display.

The cost for the weekend is still just $40. Kampers who arrive early will be subject to a $10 a day per person charge. The cost of admission covers your kampsite, 2 beer busts, the Progressive Kocktail Party, 2 breakfasts, Saturday dinner and
much, much more. You can relax by the creek or join in all the fun and games and compete for prizes. There’s the Yacht Regatta, Needle in the Haystack, and the always popular and hilarious Kamptown Races. Don’t forget the Kampstravaganza Show on Saturday night where you can compete for the titles of Kamp King and Kamp Kween. We encourage everyone to participate in this fun show.

Camping in the Sierras can cost around $30 a night, just for a place to pitch your tent. At $40 for the whole weekend, Kampout is the best bargain for your entertainment buck. This year, in accordance with government guidelines, proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test dated 3 days prior to arrival will be required. There will be no exceptions to this.
The health and safety of our kampers is #1 priority.
So, mark your calendars...celebrate our anniversary…we hope to see you all.
For more information, see our website at www.kampoutfresno.com
You can also visit our Facebook page and join our event.

Feeling kind of Ordinary

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Written by Tim Evans

Last year I reached 65 years of age. I have been wondering for a while now what that means to me, how I truly feel inside and what lies ahead. I struggled in my youth with being gay and fought valiantly to act straight and fit in. But was I really kidding my family and friends? I did nothing overtly “straight” like play sports and date girls, but I also did not do the stereotypical “gay” things either. I was not in drama club or worked on artsy projects or sang in a school chorus. I was just kind of existing. I had friends who were school athletes, and we would do the usual high school shenanigans with alcohol and weed and sometimes stronger drugs. But all the time I would secretly pine away for the leader of the pack. After high school I did not go to college and drifted and wore a mask until I found a steady job, moved away from my hometown and began an ordinary existence. Work, weekends, friends, drinking, hiding my true self and then back to work on Monday. There is no doubt it wasn’t all bad and I had some fun times, but the drinking got out of hand, and I knew inside I was trying my darndest to appear straight and not fooling anyone, though no one asked me if I was gay. Along the way I had a tryst with an equally confused guy, and I turned on him with all my internalized homophobia.

Years turned into decades, jobs came and went. I gingerly came out of the closet in my late 30’s and met a man who I dearly love and have married. I no longer hide my gayness, but life is still ordinary, and I wonder where I fit in? Do not get me wrong, life is good, and my husband and I enjoy our jobs and our adventures and our orange dog, Cali. But I often wonder where in the gay community do I fit in, where do I find family?

I like to follow the festive gatherings of the radical faeries and dream of going to one myself. But, really, at 65, would I now don feathers and boas and dresses? Would I need to? But if I didn’t, would I be shunned? The bar scene is loud and probably filled with buff young men dancing shirtless. My husband and I would stick out like a couple of overweight old queens. I am self-conscious enough as it is. Well, what about the bears? I could probably pass in the bear scene. I wear a beard; I am heavy set and love Levi jeans and flannel shirts.

I think I like being ordinary and I like being at home with my husband and dog. I realize as I write that I am stereotyping the gay cultures I mentioned. I mean no disrespect and I love that they exist and watch from the outside wishing I belonged. When I go to pride events, I love the colors and diversity that dances and swirls all around me. Dykes on bikes, bears, faeries, trans folk, ordinary queers like me, all of us are one and absolutely no one will take that away from us. In the end though, I struggle with where do I fit in? Where is my adopted family? My biological one is distant to say the least. At the age of 65 I find that there is much that doesn’t matter to me anymore. I don’t follow fashion trends and I wear jeans or cargo shorts and t shirts most of the time. I love my tattoos and large gauged ear piercings. To me they are symbols of my personality. They represent a spirit, a celebration of who I am and what I enjoy. In cooler weather I like to wear a vest with a sparkling brooch pinned on it. I don’t care what other people think because this is what I like and compared to the rest of my biological family it is most certainly not ordinary! So maybe, in the entire spectrum of gay culture, I am making my own statement about who I am. I know my family is out there. I’m 65 years old and loving my life.

Announcing Pride Ride - safe community transportation

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Today, LGBT Fresno announced free transportation to LGBT+ individuals in need. This program was launched in an effort to help address the epidemic of violence against the LGBT+ community.

Our goal is simple — provide reliable and immediate access to transportation for LGBT+ people, a community that has been disproportionately impacted by discrimination, stigma and violence. At the end of the day, this initiative aims to save lives.

This initative is sponsored by Hedrick's Chevrolet.

On a monthly basis, Hedrick's Chevrolet will provide funding for rides. If those funds are exhausted, LGBT Fresno will fund rides with a set monthly amount of earmarked funds.

"We thank Hedrick's Chevrolet for their support in funding the carrying our community members to events and their essential appointments." Jason Scott, Executive Director of LGBT Community Network / LGBT Fresno.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please submit a request online.

To help fund this program, please donate online.

Toni Harrison - an unwavering dedication for those in need

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Written by WestCare

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of a dear friend and tireless advocate for many within Fresno's LGBTQIA+, public health and social services communities - Toni Harrison.

Through hard work and a whole lot of heart, she truly made The Living Room, "A Place to Belong" and for that, we are appreciative of her many years of service and advocacy. On behalf of our WestCare family and those that we serve, we would like to send our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones and thank them for allowing us to spend some time with such a remarkable individual.

Fresno Unified schools to receive 1,000+ LGBT+ friendly books

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More than 1,000 LGBTQ-friendly books are on their way to Fresno Unified schools, thanks to a recent donation.

The 1,040 books donated by Gender Nation — a nonprofit that helps schools obtain age-appropriate LGBTQ stories — are primarily children’s fiction featuring LGBTQ protagonists and other characters in stories like “Julián Is a Mermaid.” The donation also includes non-fiction titles like “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.”

The books will be distributed at 65 Fresno Unified schools.

“Fresno Unified believes that all schools should be safe, supportive, and inclusive places where students, families, and staff feel accepted, respected, and welcome,” an FUSD statement said.

According to Gender Nation co-founders Keiko Feldman and Morgan Walsh, Fresno Unified officials sought out the donation.

Review: Fear Street 1994: Part One

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Written by Valencia Marquez

Fear Street: 1995 is the first installment to a three-part trilogy. It includes some popular names such as Maya Hawk of the popular Netflix show Stranger Things, Kiana Madeira of Netflix’s Trinkets, as well as Benjamin Flores Jr. from the Nickelodeon show The Haunted Hathaways. Right off the bat, the Film began with an eerie vibe as teen Heather Watkins (portrayed by Maya Hawk) closes up shop at the mall she works at. After this scene it is a little while before we see anymore action as one of our main characters, Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira) struggles with giving a box back to her ex-girlfriend, Sam since the two of them are broken up.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t come for the sapphic main characters, but I did in fact stay for the creepy factor the movie gave off incredibly well. In my opinion, it was a great mix of scary and romance, there is even a steamy scene hidden in the movie—but don’t worry, no spoilers here! The movie did have a bit of gore in it so beware of those that aren’t comfortable with that sort of thing. There is one thing the writers did really well on was making us believe everything was okay in the end and then switching it on us at the last minute. It made me sad for them because I thought the beloved, and fearless main characters had made it out safely but that was definitely not the case. I am excited to see the next part of the trilogy that comes out July 9, 2021. So, to wrap the review up, if you love horror movies that include lesbians, century old witches and curses, with a hint of gore and romance here and there then I think this film would be the perfect one to watch—not to mention the actors themselves giving us a wonderful performance.
Give it a watch! You won’t regret it.

And, we're back!

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We've missed you! Vaccinations are up, people are getting back out and so are we...

The website is getting a facelift and we hope you'll love it. Our events are returning in the coming weeks, as well.

Why not join us?! We're looking for volunteers in several areas. Check out the list, we are sure you'll find something that interests you.

We WON! Pride flag to be flown at City Hall!

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Less than 24 hours after our message urging you to contact Mayor Dyer, he has reversed course and will allow for the rainbow flag to be raised at Fresno City Hall on June 11th. We encourage you to attend the event.

We commend this decision and thank you for taking the time to reach out and share your opinions with his office and the entire city council.

“Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has spent the past days listening to the community and their feelings about raising the Pride flag at Fresno City Hall. He has also received hundreds of phone calls, emails and letters from Fresno residents who are passionate about the issue,” a city news release said. “After much contemplation and conversation with the community, along with local leaders, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, the mayor feels compelled to do more beyond Unity Park.

This Pride Month, we are participating in Give OUT Day, a month-long fundraising campaign culminating on June 30, the only national day of giving for the LGBTQ community. LGBT Fresno (under LGBT Community Network) is $5,000 to fund outreach and new services in some of the Central Valley's most vulnerable communities.

Please consider making a gift of $10, $20 or whatever you can, now.

Give OUT Day is June 30, but our campaign starts today. Why? Because every donation made on our Give OUT Day page, from today through midnight on June 30, counts toward Leaderboard prizes. This means that your donation could help us win thousands in additional prize money! Put simply, your gift can go so much further.

Give OUT Day offers so much hope, but only if we have your support. Will you show your pride by making a gift?

P.S. Want to take your support to the next level? It’s not too late to create a fundraiser page! Just visit LGBT Community Network's page and click “fundraise” to get started! It only takes a couple minutes and has a huge impact. 

Mayor Dyer: Pride flag at City Hall "divisive"

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On Thursday, May 28th councilmembers voted five to two to transfer the power of who gets to decide what flags fly outside of City Hall. Dyer openly opposed a resolution passed by the Fresno City Council that would allow local organizations to fly flags at Fresno City Hall.

The LGBTQ+ flag was set to fly over Fresno's City hall during a ceremony on June 11th at 10am.

Today, Dyer announced a proposal for a designated free-speech area in downtown Fresno instead of the Flag Raising Resolution passed by the city council, last week.

Instead of flying a flag outside of City Hall, Dyer suggested seven flag poles be installed at Eaton Plaza near Mariposa and N Streets. Dyer said he will allow all flags, including religious flags, to be raised. 

Write the Mayor and City Council members! Thank those who stood with us.  But, encourage those who didn't, to be on the right side of history.

Tell them our community deserves to be treated equally.

Mayor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 621-7905, Comment on his facebook announcement

District 1, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Contituent line 621-7817 Voted FOR flag raising at City Hall

District 2, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Constituent line 621-7821 Voted against flag raising at City Hall

District 3. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Constituent line 621- 7832 Voted FOR flag raising at City Hall

District 4, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Assistant’s number, Nabil 621-7846,  Voted FOR flag raising at City Hall

District 5, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Assistant’s number, Lucio 621-7854,  Voted FOR flag raising at City Hall

District 6, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Assistant’s number Daniel 621- 7865, Voted against flag raising at City Hall

District 7, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Assistant’s number, Leefong 621-7877,  Voted FOR flag raising at City Hall

Give OUT Day - Join Us!

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LGBT Fresno will participate in Give OUT Day, the only national day of giving for the LGBTQ community. The 24-hour online fundraising event brings together the LGBTQ communities and their allies across the United States. Give OUT Day 2020 takes place on June 30, 2020, from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm Eastern. Last year, Give OUT Day raised nearly $1 million to support LGBTQ nonprofits.

The marathon event, which began in 2013, sees thousands of people making gifts to support a diverse cross-section of LGBTQ nonprofits across the country, leveraging social media for support and outreach. The technology platform is provided for free and hundreds of nonprofits have leveraged it to attract new donors, motivate their boards and other supporters, and raise their visibility.

Donate on June 30th

OR make your donation now, it all counts!

Last year we were #2 in our category and received a $1,500 prize!
Let's hit #1 this year!