Most of us hope, in whatever small way, we will have contributed to a better world by the time we leave it. Before Fresno resident and human rights activist Todd N. Nelson passed away, he decided to leave a legacy for the causes he cared about most. At a time when the burden of illness would consume many, Todd was considering how he could improve life for others.

Four years ago, after his father died in 2016, Todd realized his home and his health were deteriorating. He reached out for help from his aunt Joyce Rosenwald and her partner Jan Bateman who live in Corvallis, Oregon. The couple helped to arrange health care and assure Todd's home was livable.

They provided him with emotional support and acceptance through his most challenging moments, then agreed to guide him through the process of creating a will and trust. Todd became interested in establishing a trust that would include donations to the organizations he valued. Due to his disabilities, Todd had been on a fixed income for most of his life, limiting the funds he could offer charities. However, after his father passed away, he was left with an inheritance to share.

Todd's desire to leave a legacy became more urgent as his health declined. On March 27, 2017, with the assistance of an attorney, Todd established a trust that would allocate 10 percent of his estate to the LGBT Community Network (the non profit that encompasses LGBT Fresno) and 10 percent to the Human Rights Campaign. This unexpected, comparatively large donation came from an individual who grew up with many challenges.

A life-long resident of Fresno, Todd was born in 1968. From birth, he was profoundly hard-of-hearing. He was adopted as a one-year-old by Roger and Joni (Joyce's sister) Nelson. His parents divorced, and his mother died when he was 14. Todd struggled with recurrent depression and social isolation throughout his life. In early adulthood, a diabetes diagnosis became an increasingly severe problem. 

Joyce remembers Todd as a "sweet, shy child." She believes that his sexual orientation presented further obstacles to his connections with others. Coming out and engaging in LGBT causes was a gradual process for Todd. The internet became a welcome tool, allowing him to learn about and connect with human rights issues.

Eventually, he reached a point where he was comfortable with his identity and wanted others to be as well. "He wasn't very public, to begin with," Joyce stated, "but more recently, he was proud of being gay." Given Todd's limited connections with LGBT people, Joyce and Jan were undeniably beacons of courage for him. He could count on them to look out for him as they looked out for themselves.

Joyce and Jan met while both were teachers in Albany, Oregon. They became casual friends and often participated in the same community softball and teachers' bowling leagues. One day they realized that they had found soul mates in each other. In May 2014, after three decades together, Joyce and Jan were legally married on Kauai in a small family ceremony. Why did it take so long? 

Laughing, Joyce recalled, "Jan kept asking 'Will you marry me' and I always responded, 'Why ruin a good thing.'" Oregon legalized same-sex marriage that month, so their timing was impeccable. The two are enjoying their home, retirement, traveling, attending sports events, and a relationship that has not been ruined by their marriage. 

They are also missing their nephew. Todd passed away on March 4, 2019. He was buried at the Chapel of the Light in Fresno, where both of his parents are interred. Todd requested this as his final resting place so the family would be, in his words, "together again." He is buried in the rose garden next to his dad. "We are missing Todd, but we don't miss his suffering. The last three years were very hard for him," Jan said.

While reflecting on this time in Todd's and their lives, Joyce and Jan said they would be eternally grateful for the kindness, generosity, and expertise of countless Fresno residents. The couple explained that caregiver Brandon Stephens, lifelong friend Nancy Richardson, realtor Carmela Nyberg, and attorneys Ruth Lind and Stefanie Krause, provided incredible support.
The legacy donation provided comfort, as well. Todd felt pride in knowing that part of his estate would continue to ensure others might not have to wait a lifetime to feel a sense of hope. "I think he would like to be remembered as a gay man supportive of all gay rights," said Joyce. Jan added, "He was very concerned about human rights. He just felt that rights were rights, and all people should be taken care of."

Any donations offered in Todd's memory should be made to LGBT Community Network and the Human Rights Campaign. 
For more information on leaving a legacy donation in your name, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're in the midst of unprecedented disruption, and there's no guarantee that we'll make it to the next century or even mid-century. Institutions are more fragile than we had hoped. The news cycle is a batshit 24-hour cycle of gaslighting by the president and far-right government. Objective facts and reality are questioned to the point of tragic parody.

And yet, I'm hopeful for the future.

I can't explain it, especially at a time when we appear to be going backward at breakneck speed. That hope compelled me to move across the country. It pushes me to keep going, to keep fighting. In other words — it drives me forward on a daily basis. I refuse to let it die, no matter what overpaid pundits or prophets of doom may say.

Of course, I could cite the statistics that show how we're better off now than we've ever been à la Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now. I could mention the fact that this era of instability and transition presents a golden opportunity for transformative change, or that renewable energy's proliferation and global climate ambitions increase by the year, making the worst-case climate scenario less likely as time goes on.

But that's not why I have hope. It isn't really a numbers thing. I've thought a lot about this since Trump won and my sense of optimism was shaken to the core. In one night, much of what I thought I knew about our progress as a country crashed like a house of cards. I felt numb. I, along with millions of others, was terrified of what a Trump presidency actually meant. I basically had a mini-nervous breakdown in the shower the next morning and continued to feel like a zombie for several days. To this day, thinking about November 8, 2016 almost feels like I'm reliving a trauma.

Why do I keep the faith alive? What's the use? Maybe I really am naive or delusional, and maybe the jaded-asshole process is still ahead. Maybe it's because I grew up with a belief that I had a duty to live for a purpose bigger than myself. Even though I'm no longer religious, that framework still largely stands. Whatever it is, I keep coming back to the fact that I have an unshakable belief in the human spirit. I know — it sounds ridiculous and corny. But it's true.

Despite the chaos of current events and our collective existential dread for what lies ahead, I won't stop believing—fighting—for a future that I know we can reach. We've defied the odds since our species emerged from Africa 200,000 years ago, and we always seem to come through fires more resilient than before.

We're all part of a story that transcends each of us. Progress is a continuous, generational struggle, one with frequent setbacks. It's maddening when it happens and easy (even natural) to feel like it's all been in vain. It isn't until we step back and see the 30,000-ft. view that we realize how far we've come. My own compulsion to explore boundaries and connect to consciousness is innate in all of us. I know it is.

No matter what 2020 has in store, the beat goes on.

In June 2015 The Supreme Court of the United States declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

The legalization of gay marriage granted over 1100 statutory provisions to same-sex couples, many of them granting rights and privileges previously only afforded to heterosexual couples.

However, the law didn't just benefit same-sex couples who want to get married, it also had a dramatic affect on LGBT youth.

The study was conducted with over 26,000 LGBT youth participants in the 32 states where gay marriage was legalized up through the 2015 Supreme Court decision. The study found that suicide attempt rates dropped 7% among all students and 14% among gay kids after same-sex marriage was legalized in each state.

The Fresno Spectrum Center has Drag Bingo tickets for $10, advance sale. $15 at the door. Proceeds to benefit The Fresno Spectrum Center and Our Saviour's Lutheran church. VIP Tables available, Brunch available for additional purchase. For details call: Fresno Spectrum Center 559-319-8471

February 1st 2020 - 11am - 3pm

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

2101 N Fruit Ave, Fresno 93705

Ellen shocked Fresno State University student Travis Morris, who recently went viral with a video of him enthusiastically playing the cymbals in his marching band. Travis talked about how he began playing the instrument, and Ellen gave him a much-needed gift.

It can be incredibly hard to make friends, whether you've just moved to a new city or you are just trying to widen your circle, it’s not easy to find people who you can relate to.

That’s why LGBT Fresno hosts various events throughout the year, including a game night every month for LGBT individuals and allies to come together, meet new people and make friends.

The board game night is a twice monthly event for people to have fun playing games and meeting other community members. There are handfuls of games for people to try and plenty of snacks and drinks to enjoy. Games such as Uno, Coup, and Spyfall are available, but there are plenty of other games. Tasty snacks such as cookies and chips are also available for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re a board game lover or a casual player, there are fun games of different genres for everyone to enjoy.

On top of board games, occassional raffles are offered where anyone who comes is eligible to win prizes!

It can be intimidating to go to an event where everyone is a stranger, but as soon as you walk in through the door, Kevin greets you with friendly smile and is eager to help welcmoe you. Others welcome everybody with open arms, and pull a seat for you to jump right in. They walk you through the game, if you have never played, and happily explain the rules.

Hosted on the first Wednesday of every month: Fig Garden Regional Library from 6pm to 8:30pm.
Hosted on the third Thursday of every month: Fresno Spectrum Center from 6pm to 9pm.

You can expect to play more fun games and see the same friendly faces. Won't YOU join us?

Read more: LGBT Board Game Night

We'd like to send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has joined us at events throughout 2019.
This fabulous group of folks joined us at our free Holiday Dinner Party this month.

Won't you join us at our upcoming events?

Thanks to those who have supported us over the year, we were able to "adopt" two families this holiday.

Thank you and please consider joining us as we begin 2020!

#GivingTuesday is Tuesday, Dec. 3! Can you help LGBT Fresno meet its goal of raising $1,500? It will help pay for support and social services, referral services, events and more that are desperately needed for the most vulnerable LGBT+ community in the Central Valley. Each year we help to fight oppression and lift community members out of social isolation. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Facebook will match all #GivingTuesday donations you receive, doubling your efforts! Ask your Facebook friends to help you raise a relatively small amount, such as $200; if many of our supporters start Facebook fundraisers, we will reach our goal!

Thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/fund/LGBTFresno/

Join us for a fun filled evening of food, friends and games!

This is a no cost event to provide a safe and supportative place for our LGBT+ community to be together and celebrate with friends.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Yosemite Falls Cafe
4020 N Cedar Ave
Fresno, California 93726

Dinner and non alcoholic drink provided.
Please bring a wrapped gift for our white elephant gift exchange.

Our friends from Fresno Spectrum Center's Drag Bingo will be calling bingo games! No cost to play.

Reservation is required.

Tuesday, December 3rd : Starbucks in Fig Garden
(704 W Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93704) at 5:30pm, begin walk at 6pm.

Come enjoy the Holiday season with your fellow LGBTQA+ members. As a group we will walk the lane and wear Santa hats. Come early so you don't miss out. We will meet at Starbucks in Fig Garden (704 W Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93704) at 5:30pm. Look for Sal, holding a "LGBT Community Network" sign! We'll leave and walk across to start at 6pm when the lights turn on each night. We might walk half or whole...the goal is whole. Walk nights happen rain or shine so mark your calendars!

The walk is free but, donations are welcomed and can be made on the walk to Christmas Tree Lane.

Check out www.christmastreelane.com for more information.