July PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara Newsletter 2015

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara Parents, Families, Friends and Allies United with LGBTQ People

PO Box 617 Buffalo, NY 14207

716-883-0384

[email protected] www.pflagbuffalo.org

www.facebook.com/pflag.niagara

There is no sharing meeting in July. The August 16 meeting will feature a presentation on transgender issues. Details will follow in the August issue.

PFLAG Buffalo/Niagara

JUSTICE ARRIVES LIKE A THUNDERBOLT

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara shares videos of the long-denied and long-awaited day: June 26, 2015. Marriage Equality is the rule across the land now and forever.

Please click or cut and paste if needed.

http://www.towleroad.com/2015/06/jim-obergefell/

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/06/26/obama-same-sex-marriage-supreme-court-entire-

speech.cnn

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4542179/lawyer-mary-bonauto-remarks-supreme-court-ruling-same-

sex-marriage

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gay-mens-chorus-of-washington-offers-rousing-performance-

at-supreme-

court_558dab5ae4b081449b4c9454https://www.facebook.com/SouthernEquality/videos/1023817550

970159/?fref=nf

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara

Amen. So be it. Allelulia.


PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara knows that readers of this

newsletter have been following this case and the ensuing

decision very closely. We join all in celebrating such an

incredible day and a decision many thought would never

happen. We will share daily on our Facebook page articles,

interviews, and images that give more insight and

information for all to absorb. Please visit PFLAG Buffalo-

Niagara on Facebook and know we will be sharing material

from many and varied sources for all of our readers, members, and supporters.


Bennett High School Senior Jed Gallagher receives the award from Ann and Brian Carrier..

Each year PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara awards a scholarship to two local high school seniors

whose application and letters of recommendation outline their personal and academic

achievements and experiences as a LGBT or LGBT supportive individual: they also detail how

those experiences align with the mission of the PFLAG organization and how the LGBT

community and society will be enriched by the receipt of this scholarship.

This years winners came from Bennett High School in Buffalo and West Seneca East.

Board treasure Brian Carrier and board member Ann Carrier presented his award at the

Bennett High School GSA meeting on May 28th to Jedidiah Gallagher from Bennett. Jedidiah

was instrumental in starting Bennetts Gay Straight Alliance chapter three years ago. He has

been very active in promoting equality and working against bullying. He has been involved with

the yearly GSA conferences, The Day of Silence, and the Pride Parade, to name of a few of his

actions in school and in the community..

Also, on June 18, 2015, board president Phil Salemi, Jr. had the privilege of presenting

West Seneca East high school senior James Dietz with the second scholarship.

James Dietz was chosen from the many applications submitted based not only on his

academic achievements but also on his involvement and work in the school GSA, the schools

acceptance week activities, as well as his work and collaboration in drafting and

implementing policy that leads to understanding, acceptance and the creation of safe

environment for LGBT individuals within the school community. And lastly he was chosen


based on the courage, maturity and example demonstrated during his own personal journey of

transgender transition he publically began in his senior year of high school.

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara congratulates Jedidiah and James and wishes them well as they

begin the many new chapters of life that await them.

A NEW RESOURCE FROM PFLAG NATIONAL

By www.pflag.org

They say timing is everything. On June 1st, we all met Caitlyn Jenner--and the

conversation about people who are transgender was taken to a whole new level of engagement

and interest. There are more questions being asked, more people interested in educating

themselves, and as always, PFLAG is a valued resource for answers!

Today, were proud to announce the formal release of our newest publication, Our Trans

Loved Ones: Questions and Answers for Parents, Families, and Friends of People Who

Are Transgender And Gender Expansive.

Based on--and expanded from-- its well-loved and popular predecessor, Welcoming Our

Trans Family and Friends, Our Trans Loved Ones is a brand-new, updated resource. Written by

PFLAG staff members, and created with the help of dozens of content experts, reviewers, and

family members and friends with experience to share, it is chock full of information, first-

person stories, expert input, and more, all geared to those who have a close family member or

friend--of any age--who has come out as trans or gender expansive.

The new publication and comprehensive web resources--all available at pflag.org/trans--

address frequently asked questions and is also divided into sections specific to three age


ranges -- Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood--giving readers easy and immediate

access to information they need based on their own circumstances, plus a full section of

Frequently Asked Questions for people of all ages.

s.

Just as Our Trans Loved Ones is geared to families and friends, remember we also have

answers for allies!

Our other invaluable publication from our Straight for Equality project, guide to being

a trans ally, applies the philosophy of the project--to invite, educate, and engage allies--to a

topic that has been key to PFLAGs work for years: inclusion for people who are transgender.

So visit pflag.org/trans for an interactive, electronic copy of Our Trans Loved Ones or

straightforequality.org/trans for your electronic copy of guide to being a straight ally. (And

dont forget the comprehensive resources on both pages!)

Our Trans Loved Ones will begin shipping on Monday, June 8th.


NINTENDO WILL ALLOW SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS IN NEW FIRE EMBLEM GAME

The Huffington Post By Damon Beres

At last, the powerful warriors and wizards in Nintendo's "Fire Emblem" franchise can be gay.

Gaming site Polygon reported Tuesday that players will be able to have same-sex

relationships in the upcoming "Fire Emblem Fates," a new entry in the strategy role-playing

franchise that made its debut on the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. A

Ninendo spokesman confirmed this information to The Huffington Post

"Fates" will be be released in two separate versions, "Conquest" and "Birthright."

Nintendo told HuffPost that each will feature a different same-sex coupling -- male in one game

and female in the other.

"In the Conquest edition of the game, there is a male character that the game's player

may have his/her male main character marry after they bond in battle.

Similarly, the Birthright edition features a female character that a female main character

may marry after bonding in battle," a Nintendo spokesman told HuffPost, echoing the

statement given to Polygon.

Having both same-sex relationships in the same game may eventually be possible, since

Nintendo says there will be a downloadable component that opens up the content that both

versions of the game lack.

For the uninitiated, relationships often play a central role in "Fire Emblem" games. Your

characters can make friends and, in the case of the recent "Fire Emblem: Awakening," hook up

with characters of the opposite gender and make beautiful warrior children who travel through


time and space to assist you in battle. (There will be procreation in "Fates," but it's unclear how

this will pertain to the same-sex couples.)

In "Awakening," you completely customize the main character -- named Robin by default

-- by selecting physical build, facial features, hairstyle, hair color, voice and, of course, gender.

Because Nintendo specifically references player-created characters in "Fates," it seems likely

that a similar setup will exist in the new game.

PRIDE MARCHES ON!

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara again very proudly marched in the annual Pride Parade on

Elmwood Avenue on Sunday, June 3rd. Some members and supporters carried the PFLAG

banner, while others passed out beads and Care With Pride coupon booklets. It was hard to tell

who had more fun, the members marching or the throngs of cheering parade attendees. One

thing was as clear to all under the sunny skies: a great time was had by all. This event gets

bigger every year, and PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara is proud to be a part this wonderful, important,

and necessary experience.

To read more about the Care with Pride initiative from Johnson and Johnson, please follow or cut and paste this link:

http://www.healthyessentials.com/our-caring/care-with-pride


PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara Board of Directors_____________________

Phil Salemi, Jr., president Michele Perry, secretary

Amy Fularz, vice president Lisbeth Ball, director

Kristian Rickard, vice president Ann Carrier, director

Brian Carrier, treasurer Julie Christiano, director

Is it time to renew your membership? Please do so and PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara thanks you!

Lifetime Membership ................................ $500

BenefactorMembership ....................... $250

Sponsoring Membership ... $100 (Business Card Advertisement ($100 per year)

Supporting Membership .......................... $50

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Newsletter Subscription Only... $15

Donations of $50.00 or more can be included in the chapter newsletter with your permission.

Make checks payable to PFLAG Buffalo/Niagara and mail to: P.O. Box 617 Buffalo, NY 14207

PFLAG Buffalo/Niagara is a non-profit 501(c)3 and donations are tax-deductible.

PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara, is a non-profit, all volunteer, community-based organization

not affiliated with any ethnic, religious, economic or political group. Membership is

open to all. PFLAG membership lists are kept confidential.

We hope you like reading these newsletter articles, we also share current articles on

our Facebook page. Please consider liking us on Facebook and reading articles all

month long at www.facebook.com/pflag.niagara

Documents

July PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara Newsletter 2015