March 3, 2021
Greetings Lowellyn,
We are now entering one year into the pandemic. While so many of us are fighting pandemic fatigue, it was moments like our annual our annual Black History Month Intergenerational dinner that helped remind us that we are still connected as a community. Thank you to those who attended and much gratitude to our partners at Peninsula Family Service, the African American Community Initiative, San Mateo County Pride Initiative and San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission for helping to create a successful event. Although not in person, the presentation and community dialogue was rich, honest, and meaningful. It was a powerful event.
It is a privilege for the Pride Center to continue to serve the LGBTQ community. To ensure we are providing the events, programs, and services you need, especially right now, be on the lookout for short survey later this month. We need you to tell us how to serve you better and help keep us on track.
As always, there is a lot happening this month including some exciting staff announcements, a new parenting group, a food drive, and much more. Come be a part of Pride!
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Special thanks to raffle drawing prize donors!
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Thank you to Commissioner of the LGBTQ Commission, co-presenter during the event and Co-Chair of the Pride Initiative, Dana Johnson (They/Them) for donating a copy of their newly published book, TherActivist to the prize drawing. Please click the image if you'd like to purchase a copy for yourself.
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| Thank you to our friends at Reach and Teach for donating a gift certificate. If you are interested in learning more about Reach and Teach, please see this link:
shop.reachandteach.com
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The wonderful Cat (She/Her, They/Them), a founding member of the Pride Center family has moved to another position! Join us next Friday, 3/12 from 6:30-8:00 PM PST as we celebrate her and her accomplishments.
Please use this link to register:
tinyurl.com/SMCPC-ThanksCat
**Important note: if you are or ever have been a client of Cat, we ask that you do not attend this event, as it would create a breach of client-therapist boundaries according to ethical guidelines Cat must abide by under her licensure. You are more than welcome to send a goodbye message, either via Kudoboard (linked here) or email. Please note that anything put on the Kudoboard is public.
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| Congratulations, Men Chun!
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Congratulations to our teammate Men Chun (He/Him & They/Them) AMFT #117496 for his promotion to Clinical Program Coordinator!
Please feel free to contact Men Chun at MenChun.Wong@sanmateopride.org or 650-618-9499 if you have any questions or need support regarding the Clinical Program
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For the latest updates follow us on social media:
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SAN MATEO COUNTY PRIDE 2021!
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The theme for San Mateo County Pride 2021 is "As Diverse as the Universe"
If you're interested in joining a planning meeting for San Mateo County Pride, join us for a monthly Pride Initiative during the second Wednesdays of the month from 4:30-6:00 PM. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10th. Please contact Dana (They/Them) at TherActivist@gmail.com for information about joining the meeting!
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YAB presents Queer Joy: A Zine
All LGBTQ community members are invited to submit content to the Zine.
The final zine will be released during Pride Month. Stay tuned!
Deadline to submit is April 15. Send submissions to Ishani (They/Them) at Ishani@acs-teens.org
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We are Family
Mondays 6:30-8:00pm
This is a therapy group for parents & caregivers of LGBTQIA youth. This group is both educational and process-oriented, meaning you will learn about LGBTQIA experiences and identities, develop coping skills and gain support in community with others who are navigating a shared experience.
Please contact Karla@acs-teens.org or 650-424-0852 ext. 107 for information about joining this group.
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| | Trans Talks: Thursday, March 25
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March's topic will be shared no later than March 9.
This is a free workshop open to all community member. Registration is required & registration link will be shared when topic is announced.
We want to hear from YOU! If you have suggestions or requests for workshop topics, please contact Neilwary@stanford.edu
To access recordings of previous Trans Talks, please use this link:
https://tinyurl.com/transtalks-recordings
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Community Food Drive: March 22
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| Our partners at Peninsula Family Service are hosting a community food drive with their volunteers! More details to come.
Please contact Ellyn (She/Her) at Ebloomfield@peninsulafamilyservice.org if you have questions.
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| Current Therapy Availability! For those of our community seeking support around mental health, we are happy to report that our clinical team is taking on new clients. We have openings for both private pay and Medi-Cal clients. Interested? Fill out our handy Clinical Services Request form and a clinician will reach out to you within a few days:
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The Trans Peer Support Group (18 ) has shifted from a weekly format to a monthly format. This group is still free, still open to community member 18 and will still meet through Zoom, but will now meet on the first Monday of the month from 6:00-7:30pm
Please use this link to register to attend: tinyurl.com/smcpc-transgroup1
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| We are actively seeking co-facilitators for the Queer Women's Group (18 ) & Polyamory Peer Power Group (18 ). If you are interested in voluteering to be a co-facilitator, please contact Ainsley (They/Them) at Ainsley.Blattel@sanmateopride.org No experience necessary, we can provide trainings and resources.
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**NEW** Virtual Legal Name and Gender Change Workshop Sessions!
Wednesday, March 31st
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To date, our Legal Name and Gender Change workshops have served close to 200 folks – and we plan to serve even more in the months to come. Because we have seen an increase in demand from community members since taking our workshop online, we are very excited to announce an expansion to our program: the rollout of new group workshop sessions!
By opening up our name and gender change workshop to now include group sessions, we see many benefits. In these new group settings:
- We can serve and support even more individuals at once;
- We can cover even more valuable material and answer questions in more depth;
- We can also provide a great networking opportunity to connect attendees with others who share similar identities and are going through the same process.
Our workshops are completely free of charge and are held virtually through Zoom. Workshops occur on the last Wednesday of each month, in both morning and evening sessions. Upcoming dates are: March 31st, April 28th, and May 26th.
- AM Session: 11:00am–12:30pm
- PM Session: 5:00pm–6:30pm
If you or someone you know would like to attend, please RSVP online at: http://bit.ly/name-and-gender-change-rsvp
Please contact our Lead Case Manager, Alex Golding (he/him) if you have any questions. He can be reached at alex.golding@sanmateopride.org or at 650-465-6795.
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| | Community Advisory Board, San Mateo County Pride Initiative & San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission
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The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a group of volunteers who work closely with the Pride Center to create programming and events such as Queer Adult Prom. They meet on the second Wednesday of the month from 6:30-8:30pm. Their next meeting is scheduled for March 10. If you are interested in learning more about the CAB, please email info@sanmateopride.org
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The San Mateo County Pride Initiative is a group of volunteers who works closely with the Pride Center to organize county-wide celebrations and events such as San Mateo County Pride and Transgender Day of Remembrance. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 4:30-6:00pm. Their next meeting is scheduled for March 10.
For more information about the Pride Initiative, please see their Facebook page. If you're interested in attending a meeting, please contact the Pride Center at info@sanmateopride.org
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Reminders & Announcements
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- The Pride Center will be offline on Monday, March 31st in observance Cesar Chavez Day
- If you're interested in learning more about the LGBQ Sexual Health Survey featured in the previous month's newsletter, please contact Ashley (she/her) at ashley.perez@ucsf.edu or 908-328-9993
- If you're interested in sharing your story with the Pride Center, please contact Frankie Sapp (he/him) at francisco.sapp@sanmateopride.org or Amanda Peters (she/her) at amanda.peters@star-vista.org
- QT Relationships workshop will return in the Spring! Please contact Marilyn.Fernando@sanmateopride.org if there are topics you'd like to explore or discuss.
- The Pride Center and The Redwood City Library are collaborating on programing and events to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility! Details to be finalized, please contact Marilyn (She/Her) at Marilyn.Fernando@sanmateopride.org if you have questions or need support.
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As we continue to navigate around COVID-19
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Happy March, community. Please don't forget that we're still in the pandemic and the only way that we will get through it is together. Stay safe and take care of yourselves.
In Community,
Marilyn (she/her)
Marketing and Community Engagement Lead
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The San Mateo County Pride Center is a program of StarVista in collaboration with Outlet of Adolescent Counseling Services, and Peninsula Family Service.
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