PFLAG will be holding a bingo fundraiser at Hamburger Mary’s on December 8th from 7:00 until 8:30pm. Details are on the flier below. Click on the image to enlarge it. 
10
Nov
2016
Uncategorized
07
Nov
2016
Young Adult LGBT Books
“My son is an avid reader and sometimes reads several books a week. After he came out to me, I felt that it was important for him to read books that are inclusive and that include characters who are like him. These books have meant a lot to my son. He loves to talk to me about the books and how he connects to the characters and stories (or sometimes not at all!). His Dad and I will sometimes read the books, too, and we have even passed them on to others. Reading these books has given my son more confidence. I hope you enjoy these books as much as our family has.”
Ages 9 and Up
Better Nate Than Ever – Tim Federle
The Misfits series – James Howe
Totally Joe-James Howe
Ages 10 and Up
Drama – Raina Telgemeier
Five, Six, Seven, Nate – Tim Federle
Husky-Justin Sayre
Marco Impossible-Hannah Moskowitz
So Hard to Say – Alex Sanchez
Ages 12 and Up
Absolutely, Positively Not – David LaRochelle
Anything Could Happen – Will Walton
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Bait – Alex Sanchez
Boy Meets Boy-David Levithan
Draw the Line-Laurent Linn
Gemini Bites – P.E. Ryan
One Man Guy – Michael Barakiva
Promposal – Rhonda Helms
The Rise and Fall of A Theater Geek-Seth Rudetsky
Two Boys Kissing – David Levithan
Ages 13 and Up
Boyfriends with Girlfriends – Alex Sanchez
Breaking Saint Jude-Nikki Godwin
Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
Fan Art– Sarah Tregay
Saints of Augustine – P.E. Ryan
True Letters From a Fictional Life-Kenneth Logan
Ages 14 and Up
The Before Now and After Then-Peter Monn
Coins in the Coffee Cup-Ambriehl Khalil
Every Inferno-Johanna Parkhurst
Falling From the Sky-Nikki Godwin
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley-Shaun David Hutchinson
The Geography Club – Brent Hartinger
The God Box-Alex Sanchez
The Great American Whatever-Tim Federle
Highly Illogical Behavior – John Corey Whaley
Hold Me Closer – David Levithan
I’ll Give You the Sun – Jandy Nelson
Jerkbait-Mia Siegert
More Happy Than Not-Adam Silvera
Openly Straight – Bill Konigsberg
Out of the Pocket-Bill Konigsberg
The Rest of Us Just Live Here – Patrick Ness
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli
The Vast Fields of Ordinary – Nick Burd
We Are the Ants – Shaun David Hutchinson
What They Always Tell Us – Martin Wilson
Whatever: or how junior year became totally f$@ked – S.J. Goslee
Will Grayson Will Grayson – John Green and David Levithan
You and Me and Him – Kris Dinnison
Transgender
Ages 8 and Up
George – Alex Gino
Ages 10 and Up
Gracefully Grayson – Ami Polonsky
Lily and Dunkin – Donna Gephart
Ages 10 and Up
The Art of Being Normal – Lisa Williamson
Luna – Julie Ann Peterson
Science Fiction
Ages 12 and Up
The Culling-Steven Dos Santos
Guardian – Alex London
Proxy – Alex London
The Raising-Steven Dos Santos
The Sowing-Steven Dos Santos
Ages 13 and Up
Dagger – Steven Dos Santos
Ages 14 and Up
The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness
More Happy Than Not-Adam Silvera
Noggin – John Corey Whaley
Willful Machines – Tim Floreen
Fantasy
Ages 12 and Up
The Half Bad Trilogy – Sally Green
Ages 13 and Up
Seven Tears At High Tide-C.B. Lee
Ages 14 and Up
The Darkest Part of the Forest – Holly Black
Hero-Perry Moore
The Red Sun Rises – Victoria Kinnaird
Wonders of the Invisible World – Christopher Barzak
08
Apr
2016
Fundraising for a Transgender House in Topeka
I was recently approached by the founder of Planting Peace, the non-profit organization that created the Equality House across the street from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.
Although the Equality House is painted as the transgender flag one week each year, many in the trans community have asked for something more permanent. Now the house next door is for sale. Sounds like the universe is talking, don’t you think?
I told Aaron about our visit last year and what it meant to my daughter. I told her about the possibility of having a Transgender House. Both of their minds started churning and they came up with the same idea: have Avery tell her story about visiting the house in the campaign to raise the funds to buy it.
The Equality House has become a beacon of hope across from a symbol of hate. It has also become a bit of an LGBTQ resource and community center as it opens its doors to visitors and has been the site of several LGBT fundraisers. With the trans community under attack from legislators around the country now more than ever, a visible representation of the community and a place for gathering together in a positive space for other fundraising events would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
If you would like to be part of this effort, the fundraising page can be found here:
24
Mar
2016
Anti-Trans Bathrooms Bills in Kansas
There are two new bills pending in the Kansas legislature.
Both will ban trans students in Kansas public schools from using the bathrooms that align with their gender. Trans girls will be forced to use the boys’ bathroom. Trans boys will be forced into the girls’.
As written, these bills will provide special “accommodations” through allowing trans kids to use “alternative” facilities. The backers of this bill call this “privacy,” but the actual consequences will be to “out” and isolate trans kids who are just trying to do what we all do: Go to the bathroom. Instead, they will be subject to additional isolation, harassment, bullying, and potential injury. These bills will also apply to adult college students, no matter their age, no matter their surgical status.
You can see the bills, House Bill 2737 and Senate Bill 513 and their full history on the Kansas Legislature’s website.
SB 513 has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. Since we are getting close to the end of the regular legislative session, the Senate Education Committee can no longer meet and hold hearings. Unless the bill is pulled from committee and assigned to a committee exempt from regular deadlines (unlikely), SB513 is dead for the year.
The House version of the bill, HB2737, is still very much alive. It was referred to the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, which is one of a handful of legislative committees that can hold hearings any time the committee chair pleases. That committee is always chaired by a radical-right, anti-LGBT conservative, and this year, that chair is none other than Representative Jan Pauls, the most vocally anti-LGBT legislator in Kansas’ history.
22
Mar
2016
What is SJR 39 in Missouri?
SJR 39 is a bill that would add LGBT discrimination into the state constitution by way of a public vote. Missouri Senate Democrats held a record-breaking 39 hour filibuster of the anti-LGBT bill. Unfortunately, the Senate still forced a vote on the bill, and it was passed out of the Senate in a vote of 23-9.
SJR 39 attempts to add an amendment to the Missouri state constitution that would allow organizations and private businesses that provide wedding services to use religious beliefs in order to legally refuse service to same-sex couples. This includes bakeries and florists, but it could also include restaurants for your reception or dinner rehearsal or craft stores for your supplies. If passed in the House, this issue would be added immediately added to the August or November ballot, and your rights would be up for a public vote.
Currently, the Missouri Human Rights Act does not protect LGBT individuals and families. Without the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA), which we continue to work to pass, private businesses across the state already have the right to refuse services to LGBT people for any reason. However, many municipalities across Missouri do protect LGBT people. SJR 39 would make these municipalities unable to enforce their own ordinance.
This means that across the state, including in cities where nondiscrimination ordinances already exist, like Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, Maplewood, Ferguson, Kirksville, and eight others, private businesses could use religious beliefs as a reason to refuse services to LGBT couples getting married. These could be refused to all same-sex couples, or just some couples, all at the whim of the owner.
Current laws already exempt pastors and religious organizations from nondiscrimination laws altogether. Pastors, clergy, and churches do not have to perform marriages of any kind, including for a same-sex couple.
This danger is expounded by the fact that this bill aims to add these harmful actions to our state constitution by a public vote.