The Rainbow Connection of the
Sebastopol Senior Center
Hello LGBT+ Friends, Neighbors and Allies,
When I started this blog, I included all of my LGBT+ friends and allies here in the Sonoma County area, and we have added many more folks since then. I write this blog to let you know of the valuable work I am doing here, as the LGBT+ Liaison for the Sebastopol Senior Center. I love my job and the important ways we bring folks together: Panel discussions, Monthly friendship mixers, Dances, Day trips, Garden tours, Pride events, Parades, Art shows, Hikes, Weekly zoom groups, and our Guided tour of the Castro.
In this blog you will find information about what LGBT+ activities are happening here at your Center, and events and notices from around our county. Please hit "reply" at any time and let me know your thoughts, suggestions or even compliments are always welcome. Enjoy!
Come Join Our LGBT+ Circle Friendship Mixer
Monday, September 19th, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
This event is for everyone (men and women) wanting to make a new friend.
Here is a recap of what it's like a these Circle Friendship Mixers.
We had 18 LGBT+men and women show up last time. We sat in a circle, and took turns sharing something from our life. We spoke from the heart, and we listened from the heart.
The natural theme that day was "relationships." During check-ins, the first go round, many folks spoke about the relationships they would like in their life. Not just romantic, but friendships and companions.
These are the words that came up, what participants were asking to find more of:
-Friendship
-Companionship
-Social friends (not romance, but someone just to hang out with)
-A lover
-A partner
-More intimacy, physically and emotionally
-A situation where I am the #1 person in their life, and they are the #1 person in my life
-Someone to pal around with, to listen to music together
-A friend without benefits
-One participant asked if anyone wanted to go bike riding at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Upon hearing all these shares mentioning relationships, I suggested we go around the circle again and answer this question about relationships: "What do I want more of in my life?"
A simple question, but it does make one think. We all had to dig deep, and let ourselves be a little vulnerable. We reflected, and then spoke of our heart's desire.
I also reminded the group of our agreement around confidentiality. We agree that what we speak in the group is confidential. It creates safety. Folks personal shares are not to leave that room. Even if you talk with a person later, please ask for their permission to bring up a tender topic they shared about. It is OK for us to talk about themes and how we enjoyed the group, but no personally identifying information should be shared outside the group. Some folks traded phone numbers after class.
We provide coffee, water, tea and fresh popped popcorn
What: LGBT+ Friendship Mixer Circle
When: Monday Sept 19th, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
ALSO: Monday, October 3, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person
Why: Meet new LGBT+ friends & neighbors
Cost: Free to members, $5 for non-members
Go HERE to register:
Or call our front desk: 707-829-2440
DANCE DANCE DANCE COMING!
SAVE THE DATE, Saturday Oct 29th, 2022
(Pictures are from past dances here at the Center)
DANCE DANCE DANCE
SAVE THE DATE, Saturday Oct 29th, 2022
We are all looking forward to our Saturday, October 29th LGBT+ Halloween Dance! Please put that on your calendar. We are now gathering names of folks who wish to volunteer for this dance. Please reply to me if you want to be notified of our volunteer needs in an upcoming email. We need help decorating, greeting folks at the door, helping in the photo booth, running the popcorn machine, set up, clean up and more. We also need a few people to wear the Gorilla costume and hang out in the photo booth.
Please reply and let me know you want to volunteer for the dance. We have a pre-dance meeting coming up we want to tell you about. Please reply and let me know if you want to volunteer for any aspect of this dance. We love your input and involvement!
Do You Do Readings? We Need You
Also, we are looking for folks who wish to volunteer to do any type of Tarot Card Readings, Fortune Tellings, or gazing into the Crystal Ball. Palm readings or Psychic readings, or Aura readings are also good. As part of our Halloween dance, we sell mini 10 minute readings for a $10 donation, as part of this fund raiser. Readers are welcome to give out their business cards if someone wants a longer reading at a later date.
Go HERE to register
(or call our front desk to register: 707-829-2440)
LGBT+ Activities Coming Up:
Every Thursday 4PM Gay, Bi, Trans Men's Connection Group on Zoom
Sept 19th LGBT+ Friendship Mixer
Oct 3rd LGBT+ Friendship Mixer
Oct 29th LGBT+ Halloween Dance at our Center
Go HERE to register
(or call our front desk to register: 707-829-2440)
Calistoga LGBTQ+ & FRIENDS MEET & GREET
"Please join with your adult LGBTQ+ Community for a Meet and Greet in association with Picayune Cellars. Friends of the LGBTQ+ Community also welcome. September 30, 2022 6 - 8 PM Picayune Cellars 1329 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga
Please RSVP by text or e-mail
415.290.0366 wallacemacmillan53@gmail.com"
Gay Musical “Fun Home”
"This weekend is the 2006 Tony award winning gay musical “Fun Home”
will be performed by the Left Edge theatre company
https://www.leftedgetheatre.com. Performance ends September
18. Tickets start at $15 for Thursdays, $20 - $40 weekends."
From my Friend Gary "Buz" Hermes
"This Fall I am offering the free online 18-week "Aging Gayfully!" curriculum on a new day: Wednesdays 11 am to 1 pm. Feel free to email or call if you have questions."
Buz
Gary "Buz" Hermes MA
Adult Education Instructor
Santa Rosa Junior College
garydhermes@comcast.net
(707) 227-6935
MEN!
GUYS who want to attend Sonoma County potlucks, sign up for these two groups:
Golden Guys
An informal gathering of gay men for an afternoon potluck usually on the second Sunday of each month. To receive the emails of the time and location of these monthly events, contact David ~ david.laudon@sbcglobal.net.
The Billys
A community of open-hearted gay, bi, queer and trans men throughout the North Bay who gather for monthly potlucks in Sonoma County and join together in Gatherings six times a year in rural venues throughout Northern California. Go HERE to sign up for their emails. (707) 545-1044
California Men’s Gatherings
GUYS who want to watch gay themed movies together online and discuss them. Get on this email list, watching films together with the CMG, (California Men's Gathering), go HERE to sign up.
"What is Binky’s List? Besides official California Men’s Gatherings (CMG) news and events, we also publish notices directly from our members and readers. Have you wished you could use the CMG mailing list to tell men about the stuff you think they’d be interested in? Well you’ve come to the right place, because this newsletter goes out to EVERY email address in our database.Binky's List is fun, informative . . . even helpful!
Send us your news, events, items for sale, links, etc., by clicking
here."
WOMEN!
WOMEN: I hope you are all subscribed to this:
Wonderful email news letter just for lesbians.
Email Sherri to get on her list, it's terrific. niteowl7@jps.net
Sherri says:
"Anyone who wants to subscribe just needs to send me an email to: NITEOWL7@JPS.NET requesting to be put on the list. I always capitalize it even though the Internet doesn't care... often people pick the L up as a one then they send to niteow 17... that won't work."
Lesbian Archives
Our mission: to document the involvement of lesbians in creating the women’s community in Sonoma County, Ca, 1965-1995.Click here for -> Facebook Page
Please email SCOTTY with any resources for Women you wish to share
The Eight Genders in the Talmud
"Judaism has recognized nonbinary persons for millennia.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-eight-genders-in-the-talmud/
Thought nonbinary gender was a modern concept? Think again. The ancient Jewish understanding of gender was far more nuanced than many assume.
The Talmud, a huge and authoritative compendium of Jewish legal traditions, contains in fact no less than eight gender designations including:
1. Zachar, male.
2. Nekevah, female.
3. Androgynos, having both male and female characteristics.
4. Tumtum, lacking sexual characteristics.
5. Aylonit hamah, identified female at birth but later naturally developing male characteristics.
6. Aylonit adam, identified female at birth but later developing male characteristics through human intervention.
7. Saris hamah, identified male at birth but later naturally developing female characteristics.
8. Saris adam, identified male at birth and later developing female characteristics through human intervention.
In fact, not only did the rabbis recognize six genders that were neither male nor female, they had a tradition that the first human being was both. Versions of this midrash are found throughout rabbinic literature, including in the Talmud."
California may act as US refuge for transgender youth, read about it HERE
Why You Are So Lucky to Have a Transgender Grandchild
This is the call I received—“One of my grandchildren came to me last night and said ‘I want to transgender,’ Can you please help me find more information about this?”
I told this person, “Yes, I will find help for you.”
Read more HERE
And, How about "I remembered your dietary restrictions and made sure there was something here you could eat"
Quote for Today
“All that we know about those we have loved and lost is that they would wish us to remember them with a more intensified realization of their reality. What is essential does not die but clarifies. The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.”
― Thornton Wilder
And that is all for this time. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. You can call or email me. We'd love to hear what part of this blog you enjoyed the most. Please email SCOTTY
🦊🦝
Sincerely,
Scotty King
In Memory of my Son, Spencer King
https://mailchi.mp/c02ad83cbb7f/myson
Manager of Special Services
Volunteer Driver Program ∙ LGBT+ Liaison
707-827-8429 direct
707-829-2440 main
Sebastopol Senior Center
167 N. High Street
Sebastopol CA 95472
scotty@sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Remember when Giving a Ride was the Neighborly Thing to Do? It Still Is!
Come Join Volunteer Team of Drivers!
MORE RESOURCES:
From the California Men's Gathering
LGBT Social & Recreational Organizations
CMG (California Men's Gatherings)
OUT4FUN (Gay Calendar of Events)
SAGA-LA (Los Angeles Gay Ski & Snowboard Club)
SAGA-SD (San Diego Gay Ski & Snowboard Club)
Great Outdoors
APGF (Asian/Pacific Gays & Friends)
POZabilities (San Diego Social Network)
GLTA (Gay & Lesbian Tennis Association)
IGBO (International Gay Bowling Organization)
IAGSDC (International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs)
Fun and Games Club
Arriba (Ski & Snowboard Club for Gays & Lesbians)
LA Blades Hockey Club
Gay Outdoors
LANG (Los Angeles Nude Guys)
CMEN (California Men Enjoying Naturism)
BA-MEN (Beach Areas Men Enjoying Naturism - for O.C., Long Beach, & South Bay)
Asian Pacific Islander Pride Council (Facebook Page)
Satrang (South Asian Queers of Southern California)
Avatar
Bienestar
Black & White Men Together (Southern California)
Menstuff
Menstuff Events Calendar
East Bay Network
Men's Massage Network (Los Angeles)
Gay Guys Having Fun
Southern California Cycling Group
The Billys
Gaysurfers.net
CalComMen
Unusual Attitudes
Jonathan's Circle (Fresno)
MAX (San Francisco)
Gay Elder Circle (Los Angeles)
Fellowship of Older Gays (San Diego)
Community Organizations
Los Angeles LGBT Center
San Francisco LGBT Community Center
Oakland LGBT Community Center
San Diego LGBT Community Center
Sacramento LGBT Center
Long Beach LGBT Center
Palm Springs LGBT Center
Antelope Valley OUTtreach Center
LA LGBT Center Social Services & Housing
AIDS Project LA
Shanti Orange County
Lifeworks Mentoring
Project Angel Food
Project Chicken Soup (Los Angeles County)
Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic
SCA (Sexual Compulsives Anonymous)
L.A. Youth Supportive Services (Teen and Young Adult Hotline)
Southern Oregon Pride
Lotus Rising Project
Pacific Center (Berkeley)
Red Circle Project
One (National Gay and Lesbian Archives)
Pop Luck Club
Trevor Project
L.A. County 211
Mankind Project Los Angeles
Mankind Project San Diego
The Discovery Community (Bay Area)
Gay For Good
Starland Community
HSD (Homeless Shelters)
The Lavender Effect
North County LGBTQ Resource Center (Oceanside)
HIV Long-term Survivors
Outfest
Wildwood Retreat
Let's Kick ASS--AIDS Survivor Syndrome (Palm Springs)
Therapy for LGBTQ+
Political Organizations
Equality California
Human Rights Campaign
Stonewall Democrats (Los Angeles)
Log Cabin Republicans
Miscellaneous Organizations & Listings
Gay Business Directory (LGBT Yellow Pages)
Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (L.A.)
National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Chamber of Commerce (Sacramento)
Important Links from the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County:
From the North Bay LGBTQIA+ Coalition Member’s Directory
- North Bay LGBTQI Families: Community building events and school advocacy resources for LGBTQIA+ families, and monthly social and family gatherings for gender expansive youth under age 12.
- Amor Para Todos: Advocacy and implementation to create more gender and LGBTQIA+ inclusive school and community environments through things like policy and curriculum changes, all gender restroom signage, as well as elementary and beyond APT Student Clubs (similar to GSAs).
- Positive Images LGBTQIA+ Center: Peer support groups for youth/TAY and adults, Leadership Development Program for youth/TAY 12-24, LGBTQIA+ Cultural Competency Trainings and Consultation, Community Outreach Events, Resources and Referrals.
- LGBTQ Connection: Peer support, social gatherings, and youth leadership development programs for ages 14-24, community events, LGBTQ+ affirming counseling, workforce training and technical assistance; education and resources in support of LGBTQIA+ youth and families in the Latinx community.
- Queer Resource Center @ SRJC: The QRC’s mission is to empower and support queer students by eliminating barriers to equity and cultivating a thriving campus community.
- TransLife: The vision of the TRANSLIFE Community Conference and the TRANSLIFE Professional Symposium is the foster a vibrant, healthy, and responsive community of, for, and by our transgender/gender-nonconforming population, those who love them, and those who serve them. The outcome of these two events is strengthened social networks, deeper community engagement, and increased skills across all three of these groups.
- Santa Rosa TransLatin@s: Transgender support group, meets the first Thursday of each month at Santa Rosa Community Health’s Lombardi Campus from 6-8 p.m. and the third Wednesday of each month at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School from 6-8 p.m. All genders welcome. Spanish language.
- Letter People: Letter People is dedicated to radical inclusion, providing connections for the purpose of nurturing and creating resources to learn, inform and inspire.
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- Face2Face: Our mission is ending HIV in Sonoma County while supporting the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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- Sonoma County Pride: The mission of Sonoma County LGBT Pride is to promote equality for all. Working with community leaders we work to support the non-profit community and to preserve and educate the community about the rich LGBT history of Sonoma County.
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- Lesbian Archives: Our mission: to document the involvement of lesbians in creating the women’s community in Sonoma County, Ca, 1965-1995.
- LGBTQI Timeline: Traveling timeline exhibit, powerpoint presentations and regular history classes through Santa Rosa Junior College
- Out in the Vineyard: Out In The Vineyard creates wine-country LGBTQ events which benefit local organziations and provides a fun, safe and exciting way to enjoy wine country
- Sebastopol Area Senior Center/LGBTQI Elder Resource Center: Resources, events and support for elders in Sonoma County through the Sebastopol Senior Center
- Sonoma Valley LGBT Seniors Sonoma Valley LGBT Seniors is a volunteer run social group for older LGBT adults sponsored by Vintage House. Group sponsors monthly discussions and social events in Sonoma.
- Contact: garydhermes@comcast.net
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