Have a Cool Yule!

OkEq Weekly eNews December 3rd, 2019

MISSION: OkEq seeks equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals and families through intersectional advocacy, education, programs, alliances, and the operation of the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center.

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Get your house in order and help us get our house in order, too! Go to smile.amazon.com for your shopping needs, and Amazon will donate a portion to Oklahomans for Equality!

Council Oak Men's Chorale Presents:

Have a Cool Yule

Tuesday, December 3, 5, 6, 8:00 p.m.

Fellowship Congregational UCC

2900 S. Harvard Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74114

What's the perfect way to hear sophisticated, fun, and jazzy stylings of some of your favorite holiday tunes? With Council Oak Men’s Chorale at their concert, Have a Cool Yule . “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “African Noel,” “Mary Had a Baby,” and of course “Cool Yule” are only a few of the songs sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Join us this holiday season and have a Yule that’s cool!.

Tickets

Join Us for Our First Thursday Art Show

Thursday, December 5, 6:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

The December Oklahomans for Equality (OkEq) showcase and exhibit of local artists at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center (621 E. 2nd Street in Downtown Tulsa), beginning with a reception on Thursday, December 5th from 6-9pm and continuing throughout the month.

The show begins with a reception on Thursday, December 5th from 6-9pm where there will be a door prize drawn of the artist’s work. The show continues throughout the month.

Holiday Book Fair

Saturday, December 7, 1:00 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

Happy Holidays 2019!

This is an open invitation to all published authors to join us on Dec 7th, 2019 in Tulsa to sell books. All genres are accepted and this event is not limited to holiday titles Space is limited so book your table now. There is no cost to participate instead we ask for the donation of 10% of your total event sales. Your publishing house and or author will be featured in advertising.

Please provide swag, and paperback books are preferred. If you would like to sell eBooks please bring a laptop and be prepared to process sales online (free wifi is available).

Below is the sign-up form entry close date is December 7th.

Fresh Start Program: Trans-formative self care!

Thursday, December 5, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

The brain child of Victoria James and co-sponsored by Clary Sage College, Dennis R Neill Equality Center, Unity Tulsa, and Dynamite Conventions.

The Fresh Start Program is designed give a hand-up to those who are going esperiencing major life-changes through teaching self-care.No matter what is happening in your life … gender transition, divorce, or even just a much-needed change … The Fresh Start Program provides a judgement free and life-affirming environment so that you can build the best version of yourself through self-care and style. So, stop hating your mirror and stop waiting on the Fab Five to swoop in to make your life better. Join us for our free monthly classes, take control and give yourself the skills to stride into the future with confidence.

Barbering and Facial Hair Care

We will have one of our barber instructors give a presentation on hair styles, how to care for facial hair, and choosing the best style for the shape of your face . Students and instructors will then sit and talk with attendees individually about what may work best for them. The first 20 Attendees will receive a free gift and samples (or for as long as supplies last).

Alphabet Soup Talent Show

Saturday, December 7, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

The Alphabet Soup Youth Group will be having a talent show on Saturday, December 7th at 7 PM in the Lynn Riggs Theatre. Please make plans to attend and celebrate the youth talent with us!

Third Thursdays in the Rainbow Room : HO HO HO HOME FOR HOLIDAYS

Thursday, December 19, 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

It's a delightful evening showcasing Tulsa’s, extraordinary musical talent. With cocoa, Christmas tunes and a few Santa Clauses to boot.

Cozy up in the Rainbow Room with holiday cheer and well wishes for a wonderful new year. FEATURING:

Kara Staiger, Mike Pryor, Kia Hightower, Kristen Simpson, Robert Young, Powell Barca, Sam Briggs, Paulette Record, Cristen Burdell, Laura Reeder, Austin Reid, Thomas Farnan-Williams, Audit Pritchett, Fletcher Gross, Karlena Riggs, Kaley Jobe, Tabitha Littlefield, Nash McQuarters, Lindsay Katherine Powell, Roderick Hudson, Pat Hobbs, Rachel Bachman, Paige Dickey

And SANTA!

Click Here for Tickets

Annual Falala Ball

Saturday, December 21, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

Join us for this year's Annual Fa La La Ball. Don your "gay" apparel (or comfortable clothing for you) and bring your friends to celebrate the holidays with great dance music from DJ Dec with Urban Country Entertainment, savory hors-d'oeuvres, and a cash bar.

Admission is any of the following:

Canned goods and toiletries for St. Jerome Parish Pantry
Canned goods for Diversity Christian Food Pantry
Pet Food for A Friend for a Friend
Children's Toys for Women in Recovery.

Marketplace Enrollment

Review and Enroll Before Time Runs Out!

LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be uninsured than non-LGBTQ+ people. Open enrollment for 2020 coverage begins November 1st and goes through December 15th. We will be hosting an enrollment event where people can meet with a marketplace navigator to help them find the best insurance option available to them. This event is free and no appointment is required.

Click to Enroll

2019 Pride Bingo

Saturday, January 4, 6:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

Tulsa PRIDE BINGO is back for the 2020 Pride season. Join us for the first Tulsa Pride Bingo of the year.

The fun and hilarious Rainbow Granny will be there with special guests to join her for our Bingo Bash. DJ Alex says "get your lip sync selections ready."

$20 for general admission

$35 Adult Beverage admission includes 3 drink tickets

$300 Table for 8 people which includes open bar for your table

King & Queen of Tulsa Pride Pageant

Saturday, January 11, 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

Who will be the Next King or Queen of Tulsa Pride? Will it be you? Come out and see who will be crowned the next King and Queen of Tulsa Pride and say respects to King Scrappy and Queen Anita. If you would like to compete please register below.

Share the Warmth!

We are now accepting donations of blankets, coats, socks, scarves, hats, and gloves. As a warming station, we see a high number of people who are experiencing homelessness, and these items are a necessity as the temperature drops.

Advertise With Us!

Have you considered advertising in our digital weekly newsletter? Did you know we connect with thousands in the community? We are currently offering spots to advertise your business or organization in our newsletter.

$25.00 a week at the Top of the Newsletter

$15.00 a week at the Middle of the Newsletter

$10.00 a week at the Bottom of the Newsletter

All advertisements must come with a High Resolution Graphic, a fully written out copy of what you would like to offer readers, and how many weeks you would like for the ad to run.

Get Started!

The OKEQ History Project Needs your Help

Our History Project team has been working on archiving footage, artifacts, and newspaper clippings from 1980 to the present day. We have pieces of Oklahoma LGBTQ+ history that span forty years, but we need your help! Do you have old newspapers at your house that mention OKEQ? Do you have Pride shirts from 1999? Videos from past galas?

Consider donating or loaning them to our history project so we can digitize and make our archive searchable to the public!

Bring any and all artifacts to the center! We are open 7 days a week from 9am-9pm!

AIDS Quilt Narratives Wanted

The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center and Jeremy Stevens, program director of the Orbit Initiative for the Tulsa PAC, are asking anyone who knew and/or loved someone who died of AIDS to record their narratives for archival and future use. This project is for anyone affected by the AIDS crisis whose stories are connected to Tulsa. All of these stories deserve to be told.

Those who are interested in having a story recorded are asked to contact Stevens at the Tulsa PAC at (918) 596-7119 or [email protected] or Oklahomans for Equality Program Director Jose Vega at (918) 743-4297 or [email protected] .

The Tulsa Little Pajama Jammy Jam Gala!

Friday, December 6, 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

621 E. 4th St., Pride Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

Join us for Tulsa Little Jam's first official fundraising Gala! And this isn't your typical fundraiser. It's the Tulsa Little Pajama Jammy Jam! That means we want you to come in your PAJAMAS! The goofier, the better!

There will be a silent auction throughout the evening of amazing local arts and crafts and other items, amazing food by Joel Bein and Rub , drinks of all kinds, and, of course, live music throughout night. It's Tulsa Little Jam, after all!

This is an ALL AGES event! So bring the family and get ready to have an amazing time! A percentage of all we raise will go to school music programs in Tulsa!

See you December 6th!

Retro Den Compliment Booth

Sunday, December 8, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m

Retro Den

1216 S. Harvard Avenue

Tulsa, OK 74112

The Retro Den Compliment Booth debuts at the 10th Annual Alliday Show, our holiday maker's market. It is a small, but mighty cardboard stand with a rainbow veneer where people can come to get genuinely complimented. A dear friend and mentor of Retro Den, Sara Sherman or "Succulent Sara," passed away this year, and we want to honor the great gift of her generosity and kindness in our lives by giving all proceeds of the booth to Oklahoman's for Equality. Each compliment costs $10, but Sara taught us that the value of compassion and presence is immeasurable. Co-owner of Retro Den, Ashley Daly, will host the booth all day December 8, 10am-5pm. There will also be January dates scheduled for the booth, and Retro Den has gift-cards where folks can purchase a compliment for their friends and family.

"I want to look people in their eyes, talk to them, and then reach into my heart and tell them something good about themselves. I hope many people join me for a pleasant moment together where I can tell them something nice about themselves."

Alliday features the beautiful booths of eighteen local artists where customers can peruse handmade gift items made with care and passion.

Retro Den is a local small business concerned with helping people make their homes places that cue them into kindness.

The Gender Diversity Health and

Social Experiences Survey (GHSE)

Do you identify as transgender or any gender that is different from the sex you were assigned at birth? If so, we encourage you to participate in The Gender Diversity Health and Social Experiences Survey! This research will help support our understanding of the social,

institutional, and healthcare needs of trans and gender nonbinary people.

Participants will have the opportunity to vote for a trans-related non-profit organization. $300.00 will be donated to each of the two organizations with the most votes. We will not collect any identifying information from you.

Complete Survey

Joe and Nancy McDonald Library

Find this selection and more by visiting the Nancy and Joe McDonald Rainbow Library.

" The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook: Skills for Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

"A definitive history of the successful battle to halt the AIDS epidemic, here is the incredible story of the grassroots activists whose work turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Almost universally ignored, these men and women learned to become their own researchers, lobbyists, and drug smugglers, established their own newspapers and research journals, and went on to force reform in the nation’s disease-fighting agencies. From the creator of, and inspired by, the seminal documentary of the same name, How to Survive a Plague is an unparalleled insider’s account of a pivotal moment in the history of American civil rights."

Equality Pride Store

Our Trans Day Of Remembrance shirts are in! Buy a shirt and support our Trans programming!

Shirts are $15 for one or $25 to get one for you and give one to someone in need!

We also have Transgender Scarves, Hats, Flags, stickers and more!

Be sure to "Like" the OkEq Pride Store Facebook page to keep up with the new items and new sale items

Counseling Services

Allison Ikley-Freeman

Allison Ikley-Freeman, LPC Candidate is passionate about assisting individuals who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community who experience a range of concerns and issues. Individual, youth, and adolescent counseling is available on a sliding fee scale based on income.

You can make an appointment with Allison by calling 918-280-9645.

OSU - Tulsa Counseling Services

The Oklahoma State Tulsa Counseling Center is an LGBTQ+ affirming center located in Main Hall of OSU Tulsa. You do not have to be affiliated with OSU to benefit from these services! Our center offers clients from OKEQ sessions for only 5 dollars . Each member of our counseling team receives additional training and supervision in LGBTQ+ issues and is excited to work with clients from OKEQ. Please contact us at 918-594-8568 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Sara Griffey

S ara Griffey is an LPC candidate under supervision. Sara specializes in LGBT+ and non-traditional relationships (i.e. kink, polyamory, etc.). She has experience working with homeless youth and individuals struggling with anxiety & trauma.

She previously worked with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

She is passionate about advocacy and public policy in order to ensure that proper treatment is available for any individual seeking services.

Regularly Scheduled Programming

Lawyer in the Library

2nd Wednesday of each month

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Lawyer in the Library is an opportunity to meet with a lawyer about topics such as family law (divorce, paternity, custody and child support), landlord/tenant disputes, estate planning, and bankruptcy. No appointment is necessary.

Coming Out Workshop

1st and 3rd Monday of every month

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Are you planning to come out? Maybe you have just recently come out?

Join us for a coming out discussion group meeting

Meeting the History Project Room

Free to participate, this course is designed for individuals coming to terms with their sexuality with presentations on how to come out to family, friends, and coworkers. Question and answer session in a supportive and informed environment.

It is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. By sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. All are welcome to join in the discussion whether Lesbian, Gay, Bi, or Trans.

Please contact [email protected] or call 918-743-4297 .

Free Yoga Class at OkEq

Mondays

5:45 - 6:45 p.m.

Enjoy a free class! These 60-minute, free Community Yoga classes are open to everyone of all levels. Each class is mindfully crafted to prepare the body for a peak pose in the arm balance, inversion, backbend or twist family. This class will connect the mind, body, and spirit through movement and breath.

SAGE Tulsa

Every Tuesday

10:00 am to 1:00 pm

"drop in for coffee"

[email protected]

Facilitated by

John Madigan

OkEq Board Meeting

Monthly Meeting

Thursday, December 12, 6:00 p.m.

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center.

All Oklahomans for Equality board meetings are open to all OkEq members.

It's Complicated

1st & 3rd Monday

of each month

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

"It's Complicated" is an ongoing group for individuals in nontraditional relationships (kink, polyamory, swinging, etc.) This group meets every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month from 6:30-8pm at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. Each session will have a new topic. For topic information, please like Unity Tulsa’s Facebook page at facebook/UnityTulsa or check the OkEq event calendar at okeq/events .

SOS Group

Mondays 7:00 p.m

This open Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) Recovery and Sobriety Group meets every Monday at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. For more information, visit www.SOSTulsa.org

Survivors of Incest Anonymous

Every Saturday

12:00 - 2:30 p.m.

SIA strives to empower those who have survived childhood sexual abuse (who are not abusing any child), who want to become survivors and thrivers. For more information, visit siawso.org

Partners of Trans*/Non-Binary Individuals Support Group

The program is providing support, education and social opportunities for partners of transgender and non-binary individuals. Ages 18+. A first time interview is required before attending your first meeting. Please contact Amanda at 918-902-4625.

Gender Support Program

Wednesdays

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

(First time interview required before attending)

[email protected]

The program is providing support, education and social opportunities for transgender and intersex individuals.

Brought to You Bi

the Letter B

2nd & 4th Monday

of each month

7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Bisexual support group at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. Tell all your friends. The group is open to all bi/pan/queer/fluid+ folks and their allies. Facilitators

Daniel & Haley

Tulsa Area

Prime Timers

2nd Tuesday of every month

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

A social organization for mature minded Gay and Bisexual men age 21 and over. The purpose is to establish friendship and support through social interaction. Visit

tulsaareaprimetimers for

more information.

[email protected]

918.592.0088

Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Assault Survivor Support Group

2nd & 4th Thursday of each month

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

This support and educational group is for individuals who have survived domestic violence and are ready to explore their personal healing process and find hope and to discuss their experiences, share ideas, and provide emotional support for one another.

Children/Siblings of Trans*/Non-Binary Individuals Support Group

This program is for youth ages 8-18 that have trans* parents or siblings. This group will provide support, education and social opportunities for those living with trans* family members. Attendees must have approval from the facilitator to participate. Please contact Amanda at 918-902-4625.

Game Night

Saturdays

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Join old friends and make new friends as you play some great board and card games at the Center!

All are welcome!

Facilitated by

Saturday Volunteers Richard Haley and

Teresa Reno

Community Partners

EBA Directory

The Equality

Business Alliance fosters a sharing of information, ideas, contacts, products and services, and also strengthens and expands our businesses, careers and community.

Workforce Oklahoma

Access Point

Open every day

Workforce Oklahoma maintains a resource area at the Equality Center that includes computers, a printer and fax machine, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to register with

Oklahoma JobLink.