Preserving, strengthening, and sustaining families of all kinds through foster care, post-adoption, and family advocacy and support services since 1984. Like kids, parents and families come in all shapes and sizes. Learn more about sharing your heart and home with a youth in need! Both full-time and weekends-onlu parents needed.
Tune in this week Wednesday,Thursday and Friday at 6pm on Channel 3 (WCAX) to check out a series on Transgender issues in Vermont, titled "Becoming".
Also this week, tune in to Vermont Public Radio's Morning Edition show at 7:49 AM Friday morning to hear Kara DeLeonardis, RU12? Executive Director, Robyn Maguire, Field Director of the VT Freedom to Marry Taskforce, and Shawn Lipenski answering questions about the LGBT Vermont perspective on Obama's election. You can also listen on-line at www.vpr.net.
Last but not least, check out the RU12? Public Service Announcement that won Second place in the CCTV PSA Contest!
This is an historic American moment. As leaders in the movement seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, we celebrate the election of a President who believes that the United States Constitution applies to all Americans. LGBT leaders from every state played a significant role in the grassroots effort to elect Barack Obama. We look forward to a new day in American politics, where the law will treat all Americans fairly. Yes We Can.
While we celebrate we also stand in solidarity with every family and community member in California, Arkansas, Florida, and Arizona whose rights were taken away. Eliminating rights is wrong, and we are all harmed when any of us are treated differently under the law. But we are not defeated. Millions of people from across the country and from all walks of life supported equal rights and marriage rights and we will continue to fight for justice. Yes We Can.
We at RU12? are so proud of our friend Robyn Maguire from the VT Freedom to Marry Taskforce who spent the last weeks in California working countless hours with activists across the country to defeat the anti-gay, anti-equality Proposition. We thank you and all the other dedicated Vermonters who worked so hard this election season to uphold our values of equality and justice for all. Yes We Can.
Hello gays and ghouls, its almost time for the second annual Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Party! The party is going to be the Halloween event 
and the proceeds will benefit RU12?!
There will be big CASH PRIZES for the best individual and group costumes.
The party is on Friday, October 31st (of course) at Higher Ground. Buy your tickets now, online or at the Higher Ground box office. Its cheaper than getting them at the door.
The House of LeMay has some hot pics from last year up on their blog! We have a few up on the photostream at the top of this page too.
See you there!
RU12 Community Center proudly presents "My Dear Boy" a production of WordStage Vermont in conjunction with the month long celebration of LGBTQ History Month at the Fletcher Library in Burlington.
WORDSTAGE VERMONT is a Chamber Music Readers Theater dedicated to the presentation of works with special literary, historical and musical merit. Our aim is to employ professional Vermont - based artists whose talents will illuminate the texts and music of some of the most fascinating and remarkable figures in the realms of history and the performing arts. Using letters, diaries, recorded conversations and contemporary chronicles underscored with musical compositions of the era, a WordStage Vermont performance will entertain, inform and educate audiences who have a love of literature, the humanities and the performing arts in their purest form. For information on our 2008-09 performances, please visit our web site at www.wordstagevt.com.
“My Dear Boy” is a program culled from the letters collected, edited and annotated by Rictor Norton and published under the same title in 1998 by Leyland Publications in San Francisco. The anthology is a collection of gay love letters documenting the heartbreak and joy of love between men for almost two thousand years.
The compilation offers a tremendous amount of riches from such diverse epistolarians as the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the 8th Century Chinese Poet Bo Juyi, Italian Painter/Sculptor Michelangelo, Poets and Writers Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Jean Cocteau, W. H. Auden, and Allen Ginsberg and many more.
WordStage Vermont has chosen a dozen of these letters to present on this program as a prelude to the construction of an entire evening for our 2009-10 Season. The narrative and reading of the letters will be performed by G. Richard Ames, William Pelton and Tim Tavcar and will be underscored by the sensuous solo viola of Raymond Malone who will perform a series of romantic Italian Love Songs from the 17th and 18th centuries.
A discussion of the performance will follow immediately afterward.
Ten years ago today, America was rocked by the tragic story
of a 21-year-old college student that had been beaten severely by two men, tied
to a fence, and left alone for 18 hours before he was found. The victim was Matthew Shepard, and as he
clung to life for the next six days, the image of his bittersweet smile spread
through newspapers and television reports. During that painful week, we learned
the truth: the boy’s attackers killed Matthew because he was gay.
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame by the Museum of Broadcast Communications on November 8th. Dr. Dobson and his organization have been criticized by the American Psychological Association and numerous LGBT activist groups for promoting conversion therapy to change gay peoples' sexual orientation. A "ministry" of Focus on the Family, Love Won Out, explicitly works to "heal" gay people of their attractions and help them attain forgiveness of their "sins".
If you're interested in responding to or protesting this this induction, visit DumpDobson.com for a list of resources.
Thank you to former RU12? staffer, Shawn, for bringing this to our attention!
Many people talk about the importance of ending domestic violence, but talk doesn't do much unless you can back it up with action....pick your way of getting active from the following list of events...
As many of you probably know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). The theme for this year is "Walk the Walk". During the month of October there will be four opportunities to literally "walk the walk". The Domestic Violence Awareness Month Committee is hosting events that will focus on raising awareness and letting people know they can actively help end domestic violence in their communities.
The "launch" event this year will take place on Wednesday, October 1, beginning at 4:30. The launch event is called "Steakout" Against Domestic Violence, and will be held in Battery Park, right next to the police station. There will be a BBQ, walk, entertainment and children's activities.
The second "walk" will be held on Tuesday, October 8th at noon at the Essex Police Department, located on Route 15 in Essex just beyond the 5 corners.
The third gathering will take place on Saturday October 18th at 9:30 A.M. at the Williston Central School, Route 2 in the village of Williston, and the last walk event on Tuesday, October 22nd at noon at the Colchester Police Department, located on Blakely Road in Colchester.
Each walk event will feature a law enforcement speaker, relevant art displays, information on how to get involved and a walk for awareness.
There will also be three interactive opportunities to learn more about the effect of domestic violence, have your voice heard and support survivors.
On October 14th from 6-9 "Born Into Brothels" will be presented by UVM Women's Center at the Living and Learning - Fireplace Lounge.
On October 18th from 10-noon Women Writing for Change is hosting a free workshop, "Refusing Silence: The necessity of Voicing our Stories". Participants will have time to reflect on silence and speaking out in their life; and an opportunity to write and be heard in a supportive and confidential space. This event will be held at 12 Howard Street, Burlington
The final event will be held on Thursday, October 30th at 5:30. This will be a Candle-lit Vigil and Survivor Speakout. This is a chance to honor the courage of victims and survivors. It is also an opportunity to share your story and create awareness through real life experience. This event will take place at Contois Auditorium, Burlington.
All events are free and open to the public. If you would like more information about any of these events please call Amy at 658-3131, or amyh@whbw.org.
We hope that you will be able to make it to one of the events. Stand up against violence! Make a difference, Walk the Walk...
RU12? proudly presents “The Dialogue Project: Bridging Generations of LGBTQ Vermonters”, a project of the Vermont Queer Archives. This exhibition will be hosted at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, Vermont from October 1st through October 31st, 2008. An opening reception from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 will include participating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders and youth as well as the artists who have interpreted these life stories. All are welcome to the opening reception. 
In addition to The Dialogue Project, RU12? is sponsoring a variety of events at the Fletcher Free Library throughout October in celebration of LGBTQ History Month. These include; Second and Third Wave Feminist Dialogue, Intergenerational Poetry Jam, a talk about queer histories in Vermont, a WordStage Vermont performance, a screening/discussion of "Gay Pioneers" and Rainbow Library storytime for families.
Event listing
Wed. October 1, 6pm-8pm
Opening reception for “The Dialogue Project: Bridging Generations of LGBTQ Vermonters”, an interpretive art, oral history and queer archive exhibition. This exhibit will continue through Oct. 31.
Wed. October 8, 6pm-8pm
Second and Third Wave Feminist Dialogue
Saturday October 11, 2pm-4pm
LGBT/Queer Intergenerational Poetry Jam
Come out and share your voice. Everyone is welcome. Open mike format. Bring poems or other short writings or just come and listen!
Wed. October 15, 6pm-8pm
"Searching for Queer Histories in Vermont": Vermont's LGBTQA past (and present) is an important part of the state's history. How can we make sure that it is preserved, and how does it fit into larger queer histories? Presentation and discussion with Meg Tamulonis, curator of the Vermont Queer Archives.
Wed. October 22, 6pm-8pm
WordStage Vermont performance of "My Dear Boy" - a selection of letters, prose poetry and music written by, to, and from gay men throughout history.
Saturday October 25, 2pm-4pm
Tomboy's, Sissy's and William's Doll
Neth Urkiel-Taylor brings the Rainbow Library back out of the closet for parents and kids. Come look through queer positive children's picture books, sing, and enjoy stories we wish we heard when we were kids. This collection of books promotes inclusiveness, diversity and acceptance through children's literature by and about the LGBTQIA community.
Wed. October 29, 6pm-8pm
Queer Film and Discussion (co-sponsored by Outright VT and VT Freedom to Marry)
Screening of "Gay Pioneers" a film directed by PBS award-winning documentary filmmaker Glenn Holsten about the first organized annual "homosexual" civil rights demonstrations held in Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC from 1965-1969.
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