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October 2018
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Welcome to Youth Pride, Inc.'s October edition of
The Inside Scoop
! Within this month's spooky edition you will learn more about this newsletter's author, meet a multitalented genderfluid artist and content creator, and read local insight on the recent Brown research controversy.
Happy Halloween!
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YPI Partners with Options Magazine
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Options
, beginning publication in 1982, is a monthly all-volunteer LGBT news-magazine. Content focuses on the local LGBT RI community's nonprofits and events. Five thousand copies are printed each month; 3,000 for subscribed households and 2,000 for local businesses. Due to certain circumstances,
Options
ceased publications for almost a year beginning in June of 2017. Since its relaunch in May of 2018,
Options
has hired a part time editor and has included new monthly content. With these changes,
Options
is believed to thrive and expand.
As part of
Option
's relaunch, a new Youth Section has been incorporated where local LGBTQ youth can contribute short stories, poetry, art, or other relevant submissions. In conjunction, YPI has agreed to reach out to our interested youth and send in monthly submissions as often as we can get content.
YPI has three published articles in
Options
since its return in May. The first submission,
Born This Way Prom,
was written by Tiffani Carcieri, YPI Staff, and published in the June 2018 edition. The article recapped YPI's experience at the annual Born This Way Prom put on by Interweave through Channing Memorial Church. The second submission was written by Youth Board Member, Benji Chaplin and Executive Director, Elana Rosenberg. Titled,
Youth Pride Eases Students Into New School Year,
the article discusses the anxiety around starting school and what services YPI offers to help ease them. This was published in the September edition. The third submission,
Rainbow Party
, was published in the hybrid October/November 2018 edition. The article is the same write up about our annual Rainbow Party as read in
The Inside Scoop
's September edition.
Options
provides digital issues of all magazine editions through their website. This great feature allows readers to access the literature wherever they are, right at their fingertips!
YPI looks forward to working more closely with
Options
and providing youth submissions for future issues. We are also excited to see
Options
expand and cannot wait to see what wonderful content they will continue to produce. If you, or a youth you know, are interested in submitting work to
Options
's youth section, please email us!
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Outdoor Adventures Continue For YPI Youth
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As discussed in previous editions of
The Inside Scoop,
YPI has begun the initiative to better, and more frequently, connect our youth to nature. The Sierra Club's subchapter,
Inspiring Connections Outdoors,
followed up last month's kayaking trip with a day of apple picking! Youth spent the afternoon picking Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Fuji apples at Barden Orchard.
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Almost simultaneously, The Nature Conservancy of RI facilitated a two mile hike around Manton Pond in Lime Rock Preserve, Lincoln. Youth learned about the diverse ecosystem of the preserve, and were shown many of the rare plant species that grow on the land.
Youth Pride, Inc. is excited to continue our endeavor to connect urban youth to nature. We would like to give a special thank you to Kyle McCurdy of the Sierra Club, and Tim Mooney and Cheryl Wiitala of the Nature Conservancy for facilitating these events!
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LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day
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October is LGBT History Month! National Coming Out Day (NCOD)is a day of observation within the month for LGBTQ individuals to claim their identities and show their presence in the community. NCOD is celebrated annually on O
c
tober 11; founded in 1988 by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary on the
anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
There is a belief that homophobia and transphobia thrive in environments filled with silence and ignorance on the topics of sexuality and gender. Coming out to family members, friends, or coworkers provides an opportunity to shed pre-existing stereotypes and fears. Seeing individuals you already know, love, and respect come out hopefully puts identity into perspective and eliminates oppression and discrimination. Many people think they do not know anyone who is gay or trans, but that simply is not true, they are just unaware of those around them who may identify in those ways. Once individuals see the true faces of LGBTQ individuals, the faces of friends, teachers, passerbys, or even just your local grocery store bagger, then society can begin to see that people are not so different from one another and that the sterotypes around the LGBTQ communitty are incorrect and heavily distorted.
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To celebrate NCOD, YPI set up a rainbow coming out door in the space; as pictured above. An array of rainbow fabric cascaded from Star Weasel's, our youth appointed center mascot, mouth over the entrance way to the Conference Room. Youth were encouraged to walk through the door as a way to represent their coming out experience. Discussions on the coming out process continued into the night and provided great content for our 13 and under discussion group.
To acknowledge LGBT History Month, YPI has put up an Icon Wall where we post a different icon from the community each day. Along with their picture, a small biography of them and their accomplishments are attached. Above is a photo of our current icon wall. The content was provided by LGBTHistoryMonth.com; check them out for yourselves!
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Stay tuned for the launching of YPI's new website coming next month! Here is a sneak-peek of our new home page.
The official announcement will be published on our social media pages and via email to our listserv.
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Trans Day of Remembrance will be covered in more detail in next month's edition. We would like to remind everyone now that on November 20th, the Trans flag will be raised at the statehouse. The mayor and several members of the Trans community will be speaking. TGI Network is also hosting a gathering afterwards to remember the lives of community members that have been cut short due to gender based violence.
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Monthly Spotlight
Devon John Monfils
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What could be more fun than dressing up for Halloween? Perhaps doing it for a living! Devon John Monfils is a new and upcoming Rhode Island artist and content creator that got their start by crafting exquisite Halloween inspired looks with accompanying time-lapse videos documenting their intense make-up or face paint application process.
Devon identifies as gender fluid, and fully expresses their identity within the content of their work. October of 2016 is when Devon began posting material online; moving away from the generic uses of social media and instead utilizing such platforms
for branding and advertising purposes, to work towards building a career.
Currently, Devon has more than 22 thousand follows and posts new content every single day.
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When I asked Devon what they call themselves officially, they finally settled on
Artist
or
Content Creator
because "I kind of encompass a couple of roles that would all probably fall under the umbrella category of "art". For all of my shoots, I do the modeling, choose and implement my makeup, hair, and clothing, do my own photography, design and build the set, edit my own photos, and do my own advertising." Devon is multitalent and spends the majority of their free time working on their brand; sometimes spending up to 10 hours a day preparing for one shoot.
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Although Devon crafts impressive Halloween themed looks, they have so much more to offer. Outside of October, Devon posts an array of different content, typically in themed batches. In the past, Devon has posted albums of work dedicated to various holidays, Pride, Lady Gaga, and American Horror Story to name a few.
Previously, Devon has been sponsored by The Proper Bow and Ray Wigs, a synthetic wig manufacturer that markets to drag queens and the LGBT community. To contact Devon, reach out via Instagram or YouTube!
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Meet The Author of
The Inside Scoop
!
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Tiffani Carcieri
Administrative Coordinator
Hi, it's great to meet you! I am the Administrative Coordinator for Youth Pride, Inc. I graduated in 2017 with a double major in Psychology and Health Sciences and was employed by YPI shortly after commencement. As part of my role in the space I write
The Inside Scoop
every month. All the research and interviews I do for the newsletter really keeps me up to date on what is happening in the community as well as providing me with the opportunity to channel my rhetoric energy in a meaningful way.
Prior to working for YPI I was the Building Manager for URI's Gender and Sexuality Center, the first free-standing LGBTQ center erected on a college campus in the nation! During my time at URI, I met so many wonderful individuals. I had the privilege to meet several Stonewall Riot participants, Janet Mock, and Kit Yan to name just a few!
Something not so wonderful that really stood out to me was how often students would comment on how they have, "finally found a place they feel comfortable in" when visiting the center. To me, finding a safe and welcoming environment for the first time during college is way too late. It really pained me to know that prior to finding the Gender and Sexuality at URI, a lot of these students were dealing with unaccepting parents, friends, and coworkers on a daily basis. I would have hoped these individuals have found community much earlier in their lives. I think that is why working for YPI is so appealing to me. Although I am not directly providing programs and services to our youth, I feel a sense of pride and happiness knowing that I am contributing to an organization that is so greatly needed. I love seeing our youth eat together during our Wednesday night dinners, get what they need from our Basic Needs Pantry, and just relax in our drop-in space, unwinding from the harsh world outside.
I hope to continue working for YPI as long as I can. I not only feel appreciated at work, but I feel my dedication to YPI comes full circle and helps those around me just as much.
Fun Fact: My birthday is on National Coming Out Day!
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Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria and Why It Is Controversial
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Last month Brown University's Dr. Lisa Littman had her research published in the scientific journal
PLOS One.
The article, titled
"Rapid-onset gender dysphoria in adolescents and young adults: A study of parental reports",
has stirred much controversy. Littman noticed in recent years there have been more adolescents identifying as trans than ever before. She also noticed the recent cases have been popping up quickly and suddenly in adolescence rather than slowly over a lifetime of being unhappy with their gender or body. Littman looks for reasons why this is happening, and hypotheses that having other friends who are transitioning, along with social media exposure, may influence adolescents to identify as trans.
Soon after its publication, negative feedback surfaced around the article, mainly it's methodology. Opponents claim this research undermines trans identified individuals and tried to find an alternative answer to a question that has already been answered; that trans identified youth identify as trans because that is what they feel is authentically right, not because they were persuaded by friends or social media. Opponents mainly question the methods used to gather this data; anonymous online survey responses from ~250 parents of adolescents who abruptly expressed gender dysphoria. The websites used to recruit participants have been said to present negative views towards the LGBTQ communitty. Opponents claim that these possibly biased sources have led to bias data which is now contributing to incorrect
scientific
information being spread.
Shortly after the backlash, PLOS One stated that they take the concerns seriously and will conduct a post-publication re-review of the article to “seek further expert assessment on the study’s methodology and analyses.” Brown University then removed the article from their website.
Since it's removal from Brown's website, a petition has been started to protect academic freedom and scientific integrity. Over 3,000 individuals have signed the petition and are standing behind Littman's research. Supporters claim that no research should be repressed, and if alternative answers exist to questions of identity they should be researched and heard.
YPI has reached out to Justice Gaines, Queer Justice Coordinator at Providence Youth Student Movement and longtime LGBT advocate, for their thoughts on the matter. Read their response by clicking the below link.
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U.S.A Will Stop Issuing Visas to U.N Same Sex Partners
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As of October 1, 2018 the United States government has stopped issuing G-4 visas to same-sex partners of U.N employees. A
G-4 visa
is a nonimmigrant U.S. visa issued to employees of international organizations and members of their immediate families (spouses and children). In 2009, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed the policy change that allowed a same-sex partner to be included as "family" to foreign diplomats visiting the U.S.A and be eligible for certain family privileges, such as the ability to obtain a G-4 visa. This new 2018 policy changes that and requires same-sex partners to be legally married in order to obtain the visa and other privileges. Current U.N employees with same-sex partners holding G-4 visas have 30 days after the new year to obtain a legal marriage license or they will be required to leave the country.
What makes this policy change so difficult is that same-sex marriages are illegal in many countries, with a small number of countries punishing homosexuality by execution. Only a few dozen of the 193 United Nations member states allow same-sex marriage. This leaves many families stuck between a rock and a hard place; many having to choose between keeping their career and leaving their partner, or outting themselves in a potentially dangerous, untimely, or unwanted manner.
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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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