OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF PARENTS, FAMILIES, & FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS OF HOUSTON, INC.

P.O. BOX 66834 HOUSTON, TX 77266-6834

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCEIn honor of the Transgender Day of Remembrance wewill have a presentation on Transgender Identities in chil-dren and adults given by a transgender male, Stacey "Colt"Meier. Mr. Meier is a doctoral student in clinical Psychol-ogy at the University of Houston. Plenty of time will be

l:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~ allotted for any questions you may have.

Our meeting will be Sunday November 1st, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Paul's United MethodistChurch, 5501 S. Main, in the Jones Building in Fondren Hall. Parking is available east ofthe church. Enter from Binz St. between Fannin and San Jacinto.

Small groups after the program provide an opportunity to discuss issues, concerns,and celebrations in a safe, confidential environment. Special groups for spouses and Span-ish-speaking persons are available.

After the meeting all are invited to gather at Cafe Express in the Museum of Fine ArtsBeck Building, 5601 Main, 1/2 block south of the church.

A mid-month sharing group, "Third Thursday," meets on the third Thursday of everymonth 7:30- 9:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1805 Alabama atWoodhead, in the Chatham Room.

Volunteer Newsletter Editor Needed

.....•••",.-. ••• Need someone to take over the newsletter___-,r-....:~". ~ preparation. It is being changed to beemailed from A-weber in order to bettermanage the emaillist and handle thesubscribe and unsubscribe capabilities.

For more details on either volunteer position,please see Deb Smith or email her atpresident@pflaghouston.org.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS

NOVEMBER 2009

P,O, BOX 66834HODSTON,TX 77266-6834

HelpLine713.46PFLAG 713.467.3524

lvww.pDaghouston.orgHelpLine@pDaghouston.org

Newsletter@pDaghouston.orgEditors Meghan Fogarty

& Deb Smith

................•.........OUR OFFICERS

PresidentDeb Smith

Vice President

Ron DupreSecretary

Valerie MarksTreasurer

Gordon Weisser••••••••••••••••••••••••••...•......••....•••...•...Quote

Whatever you can do, ordream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius,power, and magic in it.

-Goetlie-

INSIDEHistoric Legislation

2010 Slate of Officers

The Nominees

Turn your clocks back one hour Sunday at2am ... Or better yet, before you

go to bed Saturday night'!

. . . . . . . . . . .

CALENDARNOVEMBER 1

First SUlldayGeneral Meeting 2 p.m.

St. Paul's United Methodist Church5501 S. Main Sme:

Fondren Haff

NOVEMBER 12Second Thursday

Board Meeting 7 p.m.Open to all membersMontrose Counseling Center

401 Branard, #103

NOVEMBER 15Newsletter Deadline

Submit articles to:newsletter@pflaghouston.org

NOVEMBER 19Third TIJlIrsday

St. Stephen's MidMonth7:30-9:00 pm

St. Stephm's Episcopal Cbsrrb1805 .Alabama at Woodhead

Chatham Room

NOVEMBER 22Fourth SIll/day

SmallGroup Discussion2:00-3:30 pm

BoyArea Unitarian Universalist Cbnrdr17503 EI Camino Real

OUR MISSION. . . . . . . . . . .

PFLAG Parents/HATCH Parents MeetingNOVEMBER 13, 2009 (Friday)7:00 to 10:00pm401 Branard, Suite #103

PFLAG Parents are available for any HATCH Parents who just want to hang out

while their teens attend HATCH. (Yes, it's Parent Care for HATCH Teens!)

HATCH Parents are also welcome to ask questions, get information or just talk. No meeting on Novem-

ber 27th because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Historic Legislation Is First To Include Gender Identity In Federal LawWashington, Oct. 28lPRNewswire-US Newswire

"President Obama has just signed into law the very first protections for transgender people in US history: TheMatthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. The bill passed both houses of Congress ear-lier this month as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act.

"This is a powerful day as the United States government, for the very first time, stands up and declares that vio-lence based on gender identity is wrong and will not be tolerated in our country," stated Mara Keisling, the Execu-tive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Every day transgender people live with the realityand the threat of personal violence, simply because of who they are. This must end and it must end now. The newlaw provides for some vital first steps in preventing these terrible crimes as well as addressing them when theyoccur. At NCTE, we are dedicating this day to all those who have been victims of hate-motivated violence as wellas recommitting ourselves to ending the epidemic of hate that continues to damage our communities and our coun-try."

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act will have a number of positive impacts:1. It will help educate law enforcement about the frequent hate violence against transgender people and the need

to prevent and appropriately address it;2. It will help provide federal expertise and resources when they are needed to overcome a lack of resources or

the willful inaction on the part of local and/or state law enforcement;3. It will help educate the public that violence against anyone, including transgender people, is unacceptable and

illegal.

Most importantly, this law marks a turning point for the federal government by including protections based ongender identity and taking seriously the need to address the disproportional levels of violence that transgenderpeople face. In the past, federal law has only mentioned gender identity in a negative context, such as explicitlyexcluding trans gender people from the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For information about the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and violence against transgender people, visit our websiteat www.TransEquality.org/hatecrimes.html."

We elect this Sunday!2010 Election of Officers

PFLA G Houston-ConstitutionArticle IV: Section A-Board of Directors

A. The.Board ofi0irectors (BOD) shall consist of all current officers and at-large members recommended by the President and confirmed by the BoardSftp./.Fon-Yam ties, _ .woIlilTzjtsflJ¥lfJ)fJtl;;rm. The Officers shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There may be one or more persons occupymg

lovin9a~bJm,t~ p.9atifo~ Other officer positions may be created by the BOD as needed from time to time.them understand and affirmtheir Nq)(j~s. Shaltlmf,ciected for a period of one year, with terms of office to start the first meeting in January. All officers shall be eligible for re-tmns&fO'ttnlfatt&fl1i'ii<f1fell~tion at the end of a term.

Educate the Public,seeang&nmpWiI~~mittee appointed by the President shall present nominations for officers at the November general meeting. Nominations maymis~illlMIl~fN.0m,ti!,e floor by members in good standing.

with educators, community andreli~?uAW:f~stili' wf({fqf, a member in good standing may be nominated. Nominees must confirm their willingness to run and serve for the term of office

affdft&gll~ral public.

Advocate for Equality,ca4in&:Yeciilj)Milhlih.nysecret ballot unless there is only a single nominee for a position, in which case the candidate can be elected by acclamation. Each

mE!mbeMh~tl standing can cast one vote for each office.

PFLA G jJ,roUideso./.(pq'·lf!:'!itiesfor.1li~JQt&lM!ilqcB:\?i£punted by the Secretary (or the Vice President in the absence of the Secretary) and by one member in good standing from the

Orient<ll#PRGIk~r~l!titfo, simple majority of all votes cast is needed to elect. If no nominee receives a-majority of votes cast, a run-off election will beand aheid:>betweoo~t)NA1){flOminees with the highest votes.is respectful of human diversity.

I

AND THE NOMINEES FOR

ARE...

Ron Dupre2010 Nominee for President

My wife and I joined PFLAG about 17 years ago when our two sonscame out to us. For many years I simply came to the monthlymeetings. Then I started attending the Board meetings so as to havea better understanding of what PFLAG was trying to do.

Gradually, I became involved first by taking over the small groupmeetings. For three years, I was in charge of the PFLAG float forthe pride parade. Then I joined the Board as a member at large forseveral years. When I retired from my job as Controller of a CreditUnion, I accepted the call to be President which I held from 2003-2005. Then in 2009, I accepted the job of Vice President.

I appreciate your trust in me and hope that I can accomplish all thatyou expect.

James Alexander2010 Nominee for Vice President

James is a native Houstonian who went to undergraduate school atthe University of Houston where he achieved a BS in Chemistry/Biology and a BS in Chemical Engineering. He later achieved aMaster's in Quality Management at the Loyola University in NewOrleans and a MBA at Auburn University while working.

After working 29 years in various engineering and managementcapacities at BP, Aspentech and Honeywell, James is starting hisown limited liability company providing internet marketing andeducation to small and medium sized businesses.

James is a licensed professions engineer, PE, (Texas), certifiedLean Black Belt and certified project management professional,PMP.

James married his college sweetheart, Paula, while still in college.They have two children, Erin and James Patrick. James Patrick isgay and now in his final undergraduate year at Harvard Universityin Cambridge, MA. Their children, Erin and James Patrick, are theproudest loves of their lives.

James and Paula have been members of PFLAG since 2003, shortlyafter James Patrick came out to them at age 15. If elected to serveas Vice President of PFLAG Houston, James intends to provide hisexperience, leadership and skills to help PFLAG go and grow.

T

Billie Willmon Jenkin2010 Nominee for Secretary

Native Houstonian Billie Willmon Jenkin left the area to attendcollege. She married, raised two sons in west Texas, and taughtschool. After divorcing, she returned to the area and taught in theprison system in Huntsville, where she and husband, Alan,continue to live after retirement.

In 2007 as Billie was working on "Oh, No! Not My Son!" (hercontribution to a best-selling series), son Rusty took her to herfirst PFLAG meeting. "I first attended PFLAG for research," shesays, "but I stayed for love. The PFLAG family is such a warm,accepting group!"

She says, "PFLAG is about much more than healing one's ownhurts; it's about caring enough to help others heal theirs. Ienvision growth of programs that inspire people to get involved:programs in schools, communities, and businesses. I see PFLAGas a place to impact our loved ones by impacting our world."

Gordon Weisser2010 Nominee for Treasurer

I am a retired geophysicist who worked for Exxon for 38 years,having spent the last part of my career with Exxon ProductionResearch Co. in Houston. I've been a member of PFLAGHouston since 1993. I have participated in virtually all of theGay Pride Parades since then. I took part in the March onWashington to support ENDA and have been a part of LobbyDays at Austin. ":..'

I served as Treasurer from 1995 to 2000 (dates approximate) andam currently serving as Treasurer. I am committed to servingPFLAG as we continue to grow.

;

T-SHIRTSPFLAG Houston T-Shirts are available in all adultsizes; small to 3X. These great shirts will be avail-able for purchase ($15) at the general meetings or bycontacting Deb Smith at voices@pflaghouston.org

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