Updates
I have decided to cancel the May 12th Outwords Journey live event and replace it with a May 12th ZOOM event. At first, I was opposed to having an online event. I thought the story would lose impact but, I was proven wrong by attending one. I was amazed, I could see the storyteller’s face and all his emotion as he was telling his story. Thank you to The People Tree for showing me a new way to experience storytelling. If you would like to be a part of our ZOOM event let by sending an email to tony@outwords.org . We will send you an invite.
Our May 12th Zoom storyteller will be Archy Jumpin. I have seen him perform on several occasions. His talent shines through at every event. Archy is the curator of Outspoken LGBTQ stories, co-producer, and teacher for Story Jam Studio. At our March 10th event, Archy had us laughing during his time on stage. It was easy to see why he is a two-time winner of The Moth Grandslam.
I am curious? How has staying at home affected you? Have you been reflective? Have you started doing funny things to make yourself laugh? I have been keeping myself occupied by writing stories. It is helping stay sane. Maybe writing is something you would like to try during your time at home. Here are some tips that will help get started
Tony
Outwords Journey
Outwords.org | Tony@outwords.org Outwordss@gmail.com
May, 2020
Updates
Definitions
Sexual Orientation
Did You Know?
Resources
Definitions We Need To Know
Sexual Orientation (SO). The desire one has for emotional, romantic, and/or sexual relationships with others based on their gender expression, gender identity, and/or sex. Many people choose to label their sexual orientation, while others do not.
Did You Know?
BY REBECCA MAKKAI – Chicago Magazine
PUBLISHED APRIL 7, 2020, AT 8:53 A.M.
April 20 to 23 marks the 30th anniversary of the National AIDS Action for Healthcare, a weekend of gatherings and rallies that culminated in a massive protest in downtown Chicago — one of the largest AIDS demonstrations ever held. The Chicago chapter of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, played host to activists who came from around the country to protest increasingly glaring inequities in the way the health care establishment was responding to the AIDS crisis. At a time when the disease was a death sentence, when promising new treatments cost thousands of dollars a month, when insurance companies were effectively redlining gay communities, this massive public plea for fair and adequate health care was nothing less than a bid for survival. The demonstrators’ props were banners, costumes, and mattresses; their motto, emblazoned on T-shirts, was “Silence = Death.” For some, it was their first protest. For others, battling with all they had left, it would be their last.
Like many Chicagoans, I was unaware of the protests at the time. (In my defense, April 20, 1990, was my 12th birthday.) But in the research I undertook for my novel The Great Believers, which chronicles the AIDS epidemic in Chicago, I discovered that our city was home to one of the most important, complex, and effective actions in the history of AIDS activism. The protest brought national attention to the epidemic in the Midwest, shed light on the fact that it wasn’t just young white gay men who were dying, and brought about crucial changes at Cook County Hospital, which, like many urban public health facilities, had lagged in meeting the challenges of the epidemic.
Resources to Help for Your Journey to Wholeness
Love Is the Orientation Counseling
Carmela Frankovich, LCSW
331-215-7702
Litcounseling.com
Carmifrankovich@gmail.com
PFLAG
Help Line 63-415-0622
Transmogrify Counseling Services
Jamie Pagano, MA, LCPC
708-846-0864
Transmogrifycounseling@gmail.com
Transmogrifycounseling.com
First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove
1032 Maple Aveue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Dgfumc.org
630-968-7120
Hope United Church of Christ
1701 Quincy
Naperville, IL 60540
630-922-0470
Pastor@sharehope.org
Hope Presbyterian Church
1771 Weisbrook Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
630-668-7750