ASMR - Take Action: ONLY Statewide Rally for Equality in Keene January 10

(Keene, NH) On January 10, the evening of the Republican Presidential
primary, equality activists will gather on Central Square in Keene, NH to
stand up for NH families demanding that all loving and committed couples,
including gays and lesbians, have the protections and rights of marriage.

The Monadnock Live Free and Equal Coalition will host the ONLY rally in the
state focusing on equality prior to the vote on HB 437, the bill that seeks
to repeal the popular Marriage Equality Law of 2009 and discriminate against
current and future gay and lesbian couples. The bill is slated to be heard
on either January 11 or January 18 by the House Judiciary Committee. A
majority of NH Republican leadership in the House adamantly opposes equal
rights for gay citizens, much like the slate of Presidential candidates
visiting the state prior to next Tuesday’s election with the exception of
Fred Karger.

Speakers, music and a candlelight vigil will be held from 6-8p in the
gazebo, downtown Keene. Participants are asked to wear purple and bring
rainbow flags. Candles will be provided. Organizing partners include the
United Church of Christ (UCC), PFLAG, St. James Episcopal Church and AIDS
Services for the Monadnock Region. The UCC will open its doors to
participants for restroom facilities and serve as a warming station, ringing
the church bell at the head of the Square as a call to action.

Susan MacNeil, Executive Director of AIDS Services and Coalition organizer,
hopes for a large crowd. “We have built a substantial base of supporters
over the last twelve months who believe that separate but equal is never
equal. No doubt the evening will bring cold weather, but the fire for
equality always burns bright and demands action. We expect to send a
message to NH legislators that we will not tolerate legislated
discrimination when it comes to equality for NH’s gay and lesbian citizens.”

The Coalition is a participating partner with the statewide organization,
Standing Up for NH Families. For more information about the rally, visit
Monadnock Live Free and Equal on Facebook, visit the website at
www.monadnocklivefreeandequal.wordpress.com   or call AIDS Services at
357-6855.


Susan MacNeil, Executive Director
AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region - www.asmronline.org
The Cleve Jones Wellness House - www.asmronline.org
Live Free and Equal - CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SIGN THE PETITION NOW!
www.monadnocklivefreeandequal.wordpress.com
POB 396, 16 High Street
Gilsum, NH 03448
ph: (603) 357-6855
fax: (603) 358-5091

Supported in part by the City of Keene and Monadnock United Way.

In 2011, we acknowledge that 30 years of AIDS is too long. Do your part to
stop AIDS. Join our movement to end the discrimination and stigma that fuel
the AIDS pandemic. Abolish Ignorance Demand Solutions.

ASMR - AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT TOURS MONADNOCK REGION

The iconic AIDS Memorial Quilt signifies loss and love like no other
memorial, especially as we reach the tragic 30-year landmark of the AIDS
pandemic in 2011. It is more important than ever to use the Quilt as a
teaching tool for a generation that cannot comprehend the enormity of AIDS
devastation in the world.

AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region will bring ten 12’x12’ sections of
the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the Monadnock Region to acknowledge World AIDS
Day, held annually on December 1 since 1988. The purpose of the day is to
engage communities in understanding, compassion and hope throughout the
world using this powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic and the 30
million people who have died from AIDS worldwide.

More than 50,000 individual 3’ x 6’ memorial panels – each one commemorating
the lives of people who have died of AIDS – have been sewn together by
friends, lovers and family members. The Quilt weighs 56 tons, is the
equivalent of 30 football fields when displayed with walkways, measures 56
miles long if all panels were laid end to end, and includes more than 94,000
names.
The Quilt has redefined the tradition of quilting in response to
contemporary circumstances. A memorial, a tool for education and a work of
art, the Quilt is a unique creation, an uncommon and uplifting response to
the tragic loss of human life. View the Quilt:
http://www.archive.aidsquilt.org/searchquilt.htm.

Global statistics indicate that 40-44,000,000 persons are living with HIV
and 50% of them are women. Statistically, heterosexual women are the
fastest growing group of new HIV infections. In the United States, 1.4
million people are living with HIV/AIDS; annually, 63,000 people contract
HIV, a 52% increase over 2007 statistics; and young persons ages 14-25
account for 50% of new HIV infections. In New Hampshire, there are over
1700 people living with HIV/AIDS.

To book the Quilt and/or a speaker for your school, business or church,
please contact Susan MacNeil at 603-357-6855 or susan.macneil@asmronline.org

AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region (www.asmronline.org), founded in
1989, is a non-profit organization committed to serving people living with
HIV/AIDS in southwestern NH and funded, in part, by The Monadnock United Way
and the City of Keene.
-End-

HISTORY:
The AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived in November of 1985 by Jones, longtime
San Francisco gay rights activist. Subsequently in June of 1987, a small
group of strangers gathered in a city storefront to document the lives they
feared history would neglect. Their goal was to create a memorial for those
who had died of AIDS and to thereby help people understand the devastating
impact of the disease. This action served as the foundation that created
the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
On October 11, 1987, the Quilt was displayed for the first time on the
National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the National March on Washington
for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It covered a space larger than a football field
and included 1,920 panels. Half a million people visited the Quilt that
weekend.

The overwhelming response to the Quilt's inaugural display led to a
four-month, 20-city, national tour for the Quilt in the spring of 1988.
Local panels were added in each city, tripling the Quilt's size to more than
6,000 panels by the end of the tour.

The Quilt returned to Washington, D.C. in October of 1988, when 8,288 panels
were displayed on the Ellipse in front of the White House. In 1989 a second
tour of North America brought the Quilt to 19 additional cities in the
United States and Canada. By 1992, the AIDS Memorial Quilt included panels
from every state and 28 countries. In October 1992, the entire Quilt
returned to Washington, D.C. and in January 1993 The NAMES Project was
invited to march in President Clinton's inaugural parade.

The last display of the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt was in October of 1996
when The Quilt covered the entire National Mall in Washington, D.C. The
Washington, D.C. displays of October 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1996 are the
only ones to have featured the Quilt in its entirety.

The Quilt was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and remains the
largest community art project in the world. The Quilt has been the subject
of countless books, films, scholarly papers, articles, and theatrical,
artistic and musical performances, including "Common Threads: Stories From
The Quilt" which won the Academy Award as the best feature-length
documentary film of 1989.


Susan MacNeil, Executive Director
AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region - www.asmronline.org
The Cleve Jones Wellness House - www.asmronline.org

ASMR - Ladies of the Rainbow in "Glittery Balls" Saturday, December 3

Celebrate your holiday with the Ladies, hosted by Mama, in “Glittery Balls”
on Saturday, December 3 at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel, Winchester
Street, Keene, NH. Mama and friends present an evening of adult
entertainment (18+ unless accompanied by an adult) featuring all your
favorite female impersonators.

Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $100 for table of eight with paid
reservation. Doors open 8p, show at 9p.

Tables must be reserved in advance. Holiday parties welcome. Master
Card/VISA accepted. To reserve tickets call 603-357-6855 or email
susan.macneil@asmronlne.org.

Proceeds benefit AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region, celebrating 22
years of providing assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS. Funded in
part by the Monadnock United Way, City of Keene, Broadway Cares and
individual donations.

ASMR - NH LAWMAKERS SEEK TO OPPRESS MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Rick Perry made an appearance in New Hampshire on Friday, Oct. 28 praising the attempt to repeal the state’s 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage.  His comments were spoken at an event sponsored by a conservative activist group called Cornerstone in Action.

"I applaud those legislators in New Hampshire who are working to defend marriage as an institution between one man and one woman," Perry said, adding that he supported the "sanctity of traditional marriage."

I wanted to know a little bit more about Cornerstone in Action so I went to their website and found their mission statement:

Cornerstone-Action is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving New Hampshire’s traditional values, limited government, and free markets through education, information, and advocacy.

Our vision is to create an environment in which strong families—the foundation of our society—can lead New Hampshire into a new era of prosperity and strength.

Then I wanted to know a little bit more about why they are supporting Rick Perry and having him speak if they are, admittedly, “Non-Partisan”.  Their comment below clearly points to their concern and the “threat” of allowing same-sex marriage because of what it might do to “traditional marriage”.

“Redefining marriage to include same-sex unions poses significant threats to the religious liberties of people who continue to believe that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.  These threats have loomed large for several years, but recent developments, including the recent Connecticut and California judicial decisions redefining marriage to include same-sex unions, have refocused attention on the issue in a new, particularly urgent way”.

So, here is what the citizens of New Hampshire feel about the repeal of marriage rights in their state.

A poll from the University of New Hampshire this month showed that 62 percent of residents oppose repealing the same-sex marriage law - including a plurality of likely Republican primary voters - while only 27 percent supported repealing it.

Huh. I was dumbfounded. It looked to me upon reading the above statistics that the Legislative body did not really care what the citizens of New Hampshire felt was right, and that maybe they were considering the action of going against the citizens directly regardless of carefully-planned studies - putting it to a vote attempting to repeal a law they simply...didn’t like?

 A bit of history:

Republicans swept to power in both state chambers of the state legislature in New Hampshire in 2010; then they made the decision that that they would introduce a bill to repeal rights afforded to same-sex couples.  Why?  I don’t really think I need to answer that obligatory “Why” directive, but for the sake of clarity, there is a movement in this country that those who oppose same-sex rights feel their civil rights are being violated because they feel that marriage is between one man and one woman.  The movements to prevent civil rights for millions of same-sex families is nothing to these people who feel they are being persecuted and called bigots and bullies for wanting to ban same-sex couples in this country full and inclusive equality. 

I do believe that when so many are standing against your beliefs it’s time to re-examine your motives.  This concept that just because you believe that the word of God in the Bible written by men thousands of years ago gives you justification is not a strong enough argument to strip others of rights and, more importantly, to vote away minority rights…because it just feels like the “right thing” to do. 

Being gay is not a choice, it is not a sin, and it should not be looked at as “special rights” when we ask for the same rights that every other citizen in the United States of America is entitled to simply for being born heterosexual.  Time and time again lawsuits have proven the discriminatory nature of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  It’s not the work of “liberal judges” like so many in the Bush Administration chose to tout. It is the work of the Judicial system in this country actually, wait for it...working.  

It is time to call out what is really happening in the United States – the good, the bad and the ugly. 

If what you have just read is not enough to help you understand the intent of this movement against equality, here is what the American Family Association has put out as 10 reasons to deny same-sex marriage:  

·      That same-sex marriage would destroy the institution of marriage.

·      That if same-sex marriage is legalized, polygamy will follow.

·      That same-sex marriage would make heterosexual divorces too easy.

·      That same-sex marriage would require schools to teach tolerance.

·      That same-sex married couples would be able to adopt.

·      That foster parents would be required to pass sensitivity training.

·      That Social Security can't afford to pay for same-sex couples.

·      That legal U.S. same-sex marriage would encourage its spread.

·      That same-sex marriage would make evangelism more difficult.

·      That same-sex marriage would bring about divine retribution.

Marriage in New Hampshire matters to all of us. Our lives are valuable and our vote and voices are as well.  I have said many, many times that the work I did in my home state of Washington was because of indignities I suffered, but it is more than simply that.  It is about my heart and the love that I feel needs to be honored and treated with respect. 

We are Americans and, as Americans, we must stand together and be a part of the national equality movement to protect our rights as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human beings.  We are not animals. We should not be denied basic rights by the United States of America. Separate but Equal is not ever going to be equal.  New Hampshire needs our support and our voice right now. Speak up. Say your piece. I will be there with you.

ASMR - ANTI-BULLYING RALLY PART OF NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH

Have teen bullying suicides come to New Hampshire?

Did Jasmine Rogers of Plainfield, NH commit suicide due to bullying?

October is national Bullying Prevention Month.

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FIGHTING FOR OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Anti-Bullying Rally and Vigil
Thursday, October 20
Central Square, Downtown Keene
Gather 5:30p – Rally at 6p
Wear purple, the color representing spirit on the Pride Rainbow Flag

“These young adults chose to end their lives because they did not feel safe.
They lost hope and we lost their contributions to the world all too soon. No
one will ever know the exact moment when it became too much for them to
bear, but each of us know how to change the dynamic so that the tragedy of
teen suicide doesn’t happen in the Monadnock Region.”
Arne Grandell, ASMR Board Chair

This rally is intended to send a message decrying bullying, especially teen
suicides due to anti-gay bullying. In 2011, six young men ages 13-18 and
four young women ages 14-16 took their own lives when harassment in their
schools and communities, coupled with lack of hope and support, converged to
create circumstances beyond their capacity to cope. Bullying often involves
homophobic taunts even when the victim is not gay, lesbian, bisexual or
trans.

Invited guests include Fred Karger, making history as the first openly gay
U.S.
Presidential candidate; Roberta Barry, National PFLAG Board; and Perry
Cohen.
2011 Keene Karaoke Idol Teen Winner, Scout Landry, will perform.

The following individuals who committed suicide will be remembered: Justin
Dimino, age 16 of New York, died 1/9; Lance Lundsten, age 18 of Minnesota,
died 1/15; Kameron Jacobsen, age 14 of New York, died 1/18; Tiffani Maxwell,
age 16 of Pennsylvania, died 1/15; Nicholas Kelo Jr, age 13 of Ohio, died
2/23; Haylee Fentress, age 14 and Paige Moravetz, age 14 of Minnesota made
a ‘slumber party suicide pact,’ died 4/16; Andrew Silvers, age 17 of
Georgia, died 8/16; Jaime Rodemeyer, age 14 of New York, died 9/18.
Jasmine Rogers, age 16 of Plainfield, NH died 10/11; bullying being
investigated as the cause.