PFLAG Alamance in Person next week

PFLAG Alamance Monthly Meeting

Welcoming new people and old friends

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

7:00 p.m.

Welcome Back!

We'll be meeting in person next week

Please wear a mask, and we will be seated with adequate space for you to feel safe.

We will meet as usual at Elon Community Church

271 N. Williamson Ave.

Park and Enter from the rear. Plenty of paarking there

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE FOR GARY COOPER

Held on his favorite day, St Parick's

Thursday March 17 2022 at 11am

Gary Cooper died during the height of the Covid epidemic and the service he asked for never happened. Since his death, his brother died which as well was a shock and so we never were able to plan a service for Gary. Now, it seems that we have found a moment to do something special for Gary and bring together those who knew him on the day Gary always held special.

You are invited to celebrate his life in a brief service of hymns, prayers and sharing stories about our friend. If all goes well we will end with a small gathering in the Community Life Ccenter, just like on of his Meet & Greets at our Church that always featured his decorations around St. Patrick's Day (see the pic). Join us if you can.

Elon Community Church UCC

271 N. Williamson Ave.

Elon, North Carolina

From the Washington Post . .

More and more Americans say they’re not straight. It gives me hope.

By Jonathan Capehart

Columnist 2/24/2022

When I came out to my mother in 1990, her first words of advice were to not tell anyone. She said being gay could hurt my nascent career. The reaction was as painful as it was understandable: Back then, the world was a very different place for a 20-something LGBTQ American.

When I was the age of today’s Generation Z, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning — basically, any identity that wasn’t heterosexual — meant living in a nation that was neither tolerant nor accepting. Even in a gay mecca such as New York, the few of us who were out of the closet were still seen as courageous.

So, imagine my pride in seeing Gallup’s new data showing more and more Americans publicly embracing their sexual orientation and gender identity. Ten years ago, 3.5 percent of U.S. adults self-identified as LGBTQ. Today, it’s a record 7.1 percent. And, yes, it’s largely Gen Z that has driven the increase in the figure — as well as in my hope for the future of this country.

'Absolutely': Pete Buttigieg on whether 'Don't Say Gay' bill is dangerous

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reacts to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, claiming it could lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth.

Buttigieg – who is first openly gay, Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary – told CNN that the reviled bill would tell LGBT+ kids or the parents of queer children that there is “something wrong with them”.

During the interview, Buttigieg was outright asked if he thought the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was “dangerous”, and he immediately answered: “Absolutely”.

“And the reason is that it tells youth who are different or whose families are different that there’s something wrong with them out of the gate, and I do think that contributes to the shocking levels of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth,” Buttigieg said.

Pete Buttigieg added that his husband, Chasten, had pointed out that the proposed legislation would have a horrific impact on how their children can talk about their family while at school.

He said: “Chasten, my husband, pointed out that if our kids someday, some Monday morning, come into class, you know, and kids are sitting around and the teacher’s got the morning circle talking about how everybody’s weekends went, and one of them says, ‘I had the best weekend with my dads,’ is the teacher supposed to say, ‘No, we don’t talk about that here?’

“Any age where it’s appropriate to talk about a kid’s mom and dad, then it should be appropriate to talk about a kid’s mom and mom or dad and dad or whatever family structure we live with.

“That’s part of what it means to be pro-family, is to be pro-every family.”

See the CNN Interview

Something to Think About . . .

by Cindy Davis

Choosing a Therapist

A friend of mine recently told me that he’d like to see a therapist about some troubling issues he was grappling with. He asked me how he could go about finding someone to work with. I thought it was a great sign that he didn’t wish to simply go online, using the eeny-meany-miney-moe approach. Hoping that I wouldn’t overwhelm him with criteria, I produced a short list of questions that I think are important to address with a potential therapist. You are wanting to trust this person with your thoughts and feelings, and you deserve to work with someone you really like:

Would you prefer to see a male or a female?
Would you feel more comfortable with someone who is gay or someone who is well versed in LGBTQI concerns?
Is this professional licensed (you may be familiar with the letters following their name – LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor, MSW stands for Masters in Social Work? Google is a good source for clarifying the differences.
Does this person accept your insurance?
Does this person have expertise in the issues that are important to you (i.e. coming out, depression, bi-polar, PTSD, anxiety, addiction, for example)?
Should you need medication, are they connected with primary care physicians or psychiatrists to whom they can refer you (who can prescribe)?
Do you like the sound of their voice (on the phone) and the manner in which they speak to you?
If you have other questions that you want addressed, don’t hesitate to ask them.

When I was in my early 20’s, I didn’t know much about therapy, or what to expect. I recall going to see a woman who I felt intimidated by. She wasn’t particularly warm, rarely smiled, and I didn’t look forward to our sessions. Honestly, I dreaded going to see her. Afraid of doing so in person, I fired her in a voice mail. It felt so liberating to listen to my inner self, who was telling me, “You don’t have to continue seeing her if you don’t want to!”

Not long after, I found the right therapist and she helped me to recognize what a good fit we were. It took some work on my part, such as posing the questions listed above. I like to compare this endeavor to picking out a restaurant - I’m not under any obligation to try items just because they’re on the menu. Rather, I wish to choose what appeals to me. The food doesn’t need to satisfy anybody but me. Dare to be selfish!

_Cindy Davis is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor.

She was an advice columnist for the Times-News, and is also a PFLAG Board Member.

Cindy can be contacted at cbdpflag@gmail.com

Watch for Cindy's column each month on our Newsletter

An Invitation from our friends at Life's Journey United Church of Christ

My name is Rose and I am with Life's Journey Church's Open and Affirming group that is focused on making sure the LGBTQ+ community feel comfortable and welcome in our church and our community.

To do this, we will be holding a social for LGBtQ+ and friends. This will include music, games, and some food. We would like to invite your organization (PFLAG Alamnce), as I would love to build a working relationship between your organization and our group.

This will not be an event that is focused on trying to change anyone. I myself am openly pansexual and genderdluid. Instead, I believe this would be a wonderful opportunity to help both of us reach the community.

I have attached a flyer of the event. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you have any questions or concerns, I will include my personal phone number below.

Please feel free to call me or send me an email.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Rose Opulauoho

she/they

(802)281-0498