The Inside Scoop
March 2019
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Thank you for reading Youth Pride, Inc.'s April edition of
The Inside Scoop!
This is the twelfth consecutive edition of
The Inside Scoop
to be published and we could not be happier with how this newsletter has evolved over the past year. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to not only read our newsletter, but to provide positive feedback and comments.
This edition covers our GSA Conference, the 10th Annual Born This Way Prom, and current drives benefiting YPI along with information on Boston's Museum of Fine Arts' Gender Bending Fashion exhibit and the Supreme Court's latest LGBTQ cases in review.
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Another successful GSA Conference is in the books. YPI's 14th Annual Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Conference was held on April 13th at Classical High School and focused on how to strengthen and sustain the clubs. Sixteen schools were represented, with over forty individuals in total.
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The day was full of workshops and presenters from YPI staff and our community partners including Brown University, the Providence Student Union, and Payton James, the 2018 title holder for Mx. Trans RI. We were also fortunate to receive food and drink donations from Dave's Coffee, Seven Stars Bakery, and Johnson & Wales University's Pastry Club.
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In recent years, many GSAs have moved away from the name "Gay-Straight Alliance" and towards the more inclusive, "Gender-Sexuality Alliance". We pitched the change of name to our conference attendees and held a vote. Unanimously, conference goers voted to change our conference name to the Annual Gender-Sexuality Alliance Conference! Starting in 2020, we will begin using the new name.
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As mentioned in a previous edition of
The Inside Scoop,
Mr. Gay New England hosted a statewide food drive for YPI's Basic Needs Pantry. The outpouring of support for the event, as well as the amount of items donated, were astounding. We received enough food to replenish our pantry and snack cupboard for several weeks. Thank you to everyone who contributed, it really helps our youth!
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The drive is over, but donations and support are still pouring in from other organizations. FLIPS, an initiative at RISD, collects items left behind by students at the end of the school year and re-homes them. This year, FLIPS has reached out to YPI to be a beneficiary of the items FLIPS collects. We are so excited to replenish our arts and crafts locker!
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Another agency giving back to YPI is BD.
Becton, Dickinson and Co.
is an American medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems, and reagents. BD recently announced the launch of their new
associate resource group for LGBT+ employees call OPEN (Out and Proud Employee Network). To complement the group's kick-off event, BD has set up a food drive for their employees to benefit YPI. We're excited to speak at the event and meet this awesome new group
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YPI is always looking for organizations, groups, schools or agencies to host drives for our Basic Needs Pantry that provides food, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies to our youth. If you are interested in hosting a drive, please email [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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Have you heard about YPI's GSA Collaboration Cup? The Cup is a fun annual participation competition dedicated to recognizing K-12 schools (or other institutions such as libraries, youth centers, etc.) who are actively engaged in building Gender and Sexuality Alliances. What matters is the group's efforts to helps make their school/community/country/world a better place.
The Collaboration Cup is awarded at the end of each school year during Pride month. Winners receive a trophy and highlight in YPI's newsletter/social media platforms.
If you would like to nominate a GSA, submit the form below. The 2019 Deadline is Friday, May 31st.
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Our youth danced the night away at the 10th Annual Born This Way Prom. Held on Friday, April 26th at the Newport Beach Rotunda & Carousel, the event drew in tens of youth from around the state dressed to the nine.
In addition to food, music, and an scenic environment great for selfies, several Drag Queens MCed the night and announced the 2019 Prom King and Queen. As usual, two of our YPI youth were crowned; congratulations Jay and Julia! The Queens also unexpectedly, but thoughtfully, surprised past title holders with their very own sashes. The same performers invited YPI staff member Jesus Holguin to the stage for a bit of banter and fun, keeping the mood light and upbeat.
This annual event is hosted by Interweave, Channing Memorial Church's LGBTQ group. Another important figure who made this event possible is Pam Goff, A.K.A 'Prom Mom'. We would like to give her a special shout out and thank you for helping to fund the van that transports our YPI youth to and from the prom as well as making the entire event an experience to remember. We hope youth will attend the prom with YPI next year, we can't wait!
Pictures from the event were taken by Bill Peresta and Jen Bonin. View the full album below!
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The annual Pridefest and Illuminated Pride Parade is happening Saturday, June 15 in Providence. Each year YPI staff, volunteers, and youth march in the parade that stretches for several city blocks.
We invite and encourage interested GSAs and youth groups to march with us! There is no cost to join us, we just want to extend this fun opportunity to as many youth as possible. To register, email [email protected].
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Monthly Spotlight
Johnson & Wales University - Pastry Club
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In the spirit of youth empowerment and representation, YPI reached out to Johnson & Wales University before making contact with restaurants or bakeries to secure desserts for our recent GSA Conference. William Idell, Assistant Dean to the College of Culinary Arts, highly recommended Johnson & Wales' Pastry Arts Club, calling them "
organized, motivated and frequently involved in activities off campus".
The students prepared an array of cupcakes along with a dummy cake; each sporting YPI's renowned swirl or rainbow icing. The menu consisted of vanilla cupcakes with italian buttercream, chocolate cupcakes italian buttercream, and chocolate cupcakes with salted milk chocolate ganache. Needless to say, the desserts were a big hit and devoured almost immediately.
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When it came to deciding on the decorations, all of the student members shared thoughts and ideas and then decided together which was best with all members contributing to the final design. One student exclusively worked on the rainbow dummy cake while the rest of the team worked on baking the cupcakes and making the icing. Overall, the preparation, baking, and finishing took between 2-3 hours.
YPI staff are immensely impressed and grateful for all of the hard work JWU students have put into this project. We could not have asked for a better final product. We would also like to thank Sam Wojcik, Amber Kromchad, Natalie Chan, Dayvon Bladen, and Sarah Demberg for being part of the set-up team that delivered and setup the desserts.
The university's Pastry Club currently has 3
66 active members; all from different grades and majors. The club's
purpose is teaching students new techniques that cover all aspects of baking and pastry arts. These skills are later used in labs, the industry, and personal objectives. Through this club, members interact with other students, meet guest chefs, and network. To learn more about the club, check out their advertisement below!
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Gender Bending Fashion Exhibit Takes Boston
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The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is one month into showing its newest exhibit;
Gender Bending Fashion
. The exhibition walks viewers through the ways in which fashion has broken longstanding gender norms over the course of the past century. More than 60 designs are on display and each piece flaunts its own blurred or redefined nature with gender. The pieces are also meant to highlight other significant changes in modern history such "changing gender roles, increasing visibility of LGBTQIA+ communities, and the rise of social media as a powerful tool for self-expression", according to the MFA.
In addition to seeing pieces worn by Marlene Dietrich, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and Young Thug to name a few, the walls of the gallery are scattered with definitions of relevant terminology such as gender, agender, transgender, and genderqueer. Occasionally workshops pertaining to the exhibit are available through the museum. Past workshops included
Conversations with the Curators
and a Teacher-specific workshop.
You can check out
Gender Bending Fashion
until it's final day on August 25th. Tickets are $25 for adults and $23 for students.
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Supreme Court to Decide on LGBTQ Employment Discrimination Laws
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex and national origin. But does "sex" include sexual orientation/gender identity? That is the question the Supreme Court will answer for the nation over the next year.
On April 22nd, the Supreme Court agreed to review three cases that question whether federal laws project LGBTQ individuals from employment discrimination. Two of the cases cases in review, Aimee Stephens v. R.G. &. G.R. Harris Funeral Homes and Zarda v Altitude Express, concluded the federal law protects LGBTQ employees. The third case, Bostock v. Clayton County concludes the current federal law does not protect such rights. It is now up to the Supreme Court to make a final ruling on if the original Title VII was written with sexual orientation and gender identity in mind when writing the law.
It can be assumed sexual orientation and gender identity were not at the forefronts of anyone's mind in 1964. In the 55 years since Title VII's passing, talk around sexual orientation and gender identity has increased tenfold. This is a prime example of society evolving beyond the law and posing the question of whether or not laws should be updated to keep up with the changes in history.
The Supreme Court reconvenes in October and a decision is expected by the summer of 2020.
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Mission:
Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play.
Values:
LEADERSHIP:
YPI is committed to creating the leaders of today. Youth voices drive our process, and we seek to develop the leadership skills necessary both within the organization and outside of it.
AFFIRMATION:
YPI believes all youth must be affirmed for who they are and how they express themselves. We are committed to making that a reality in all of the environments in which young people live.
COMMUNITY:
YPI believes building strong connections is essential to youth success and empowerment. We strive to create a caring, respectful and diverse community of young people and adults.
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Your tax-deductible donation helps YPI continue to do the important work we do in accordance to our mission. Your gift would be directly investing in our state's LGBTQ youth so that they may have a chance to share their gifts and light with the world.
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Our Programs and Services
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Youth Pride, Inc. serves over 700 Rhode Island LGBTQ youth and their straight allies a year through a variety of programs and services.
Our Center, located on Westminster Street in Providence, primarily serve as a drop-in and programming space, and is currently open to youth ages 13 to 23 on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-8pm and Thursday from 3 to 5. Youth ages 9 to thirteen are welcome at our exclusive 13 and under drop-in time on Thursdays from 5-8 pm. All YPI Center services and activities are free to youth. YPI youth get to attend events, workshops, cultural, educational, social, and wellness activities at YPI and around the state.
Our center is home to a Basic Needs Pantry, open to youth in need of food, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies. We offer one on one counseling with in-house clinicians. Our clinicians facilitate and supervise three peer-support groups.
YPI also offers support to those who work with youth through policy and advocacy, and by providing professional development workshops and technical assistance to service providers and educators.
For more information on getting involved with YPI as a volunteer or if you or someone you know is in need of our services, contact [email protected]
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If you have a story you feel should be included in an upcoming newsletter, email [email protected]
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