LGBT Survey Needs Your Response
Camp is participating in a national survey for the LGBT community and we value your response. There are also opportunities to win prizes and it only takes a few minutes to complete the survey.
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'That's What I'm About: New Voices, New Ideas', A hip-hop musical will open Eric Rosen's first season as artistic director for the Rep. Get ready, Kansas City, because Eric Rosen is going to shake up the theater scene here. The award-winning gay playwright has taken the helm at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre — only the fourth artistic director in its 44-year history — and he has big plans. Full Story...

A Safe Space to Grow If you’re a 14- to 20-year-old looking for a cool place to go on a hot summer night, consider dropping by Passages, a safe, affirming space for LGBTQA youth in the Kansas City area. Full Story...

Pridefloat 2008 Pridefloat was held July 17-21 on a river in south-central Missouri. Full Story...

Kansas City Gay Pride 2009 Election John Koop was re-elected president and Darren Thomas was re-elected vice president of Kansas City Gay Pride 2009 in the Aug. 5 election upstairs at Missie B’s. Full Story...

Bear Hugs From the Kansas City Cave Bears The Kansas City Cave Bears (KCCB) organized the group’s first-ever pub-crawl on July 19, as it celebrated its 14th anniversary. The event raised $700 for the Kansas City Anti Violence Project. Full Story...

CampBiz - August 15, 2008 Even after just publishing our 70th issue of Camp since our launch in June 2004, we always find people who are seeing it for the first time. Our challenge is to continue to serve our loyal readership and develop new circulation avenues for increased readership. Full Story...

Protesting the Exclusivity of the Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which has more than 700,000 members and describes itself as the largest LGBT civil rights organization, contends that it is “working to achieve equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans.” Quite a few people feel that HRC isn’t living up to that claim.
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LGBT on Campus In 2006, trustees established the Dillenkoffer Endowment to honor the late Gayle Dillenkoffer and her belief in the value of diversity. Full Story...

CampBiz - August 1, 2008 Kansas City’s Heartland Men’s Chorus wowed the audiences at the July 12-19 GALA conference in Miami. GALA is the umbrella organization for all LGBT choruses. Full Story...

CampBiz - July 18, 2008 Black Gay Pride The group is working feverishly on their event, which will be Aug. 6-10. They have just announced the addition of a health fair to the schedule. Full Story...

The Boys and Girls of Summer - Heart of America League Aims for the Gay Softball World Series Local players with the Heart of America Softball League (HASL), which is celebrating its 27th year, have been busy competing not just for the joy of playing, but also to win big. Full Story...

How One Team Was Built The Kandy Strikers personify team spirit and a can-do attitude. Led by coach Larry Barrera, the team was created with players who had been dropped from other teams or needed significant coaching. Nevertheless, they took second place in their division. Full Story...

We Got Married in California,and Here’s How You Can, Too
We were legally married in Palm Springs on June 17, the first day that same-sex marriage became legal in California, after being together for 37 years. Here is some information about what to expect if you, too, decide to tie the knot in California.
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Youth Leadership Institute Tackles Oppression, Advocacy Summer camps run the gamut from football to church, computer to band. Harmony’s weeklong Youth Leadership Institute camp is like no other. Full Story...

Immersed in Leadership Airick Leonard West, camp co-director for Harmony’s Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), is a Kansas City area native who was raised primarily in foster care in southern Missouri and experienced racism from an early age. Full Story...

For the First Time, a Congressional Hearing Focuses on Transgender Discrimination
In a historic first, federal lawmakers held a hearing on transgender issues on June 26.
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H&R Block Makes Amends to Gay Couples After pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, H&R Block has agreed to give $100 coupons or free TaxCut software to all gay couples who incurred additional costs because they were barred from using the company's online tax service, TaxCut Online. Full Story...

CampBiz- June 27, 2008 If you read this on June 27 or 28, make sure to run over to see Nicole Kelley, real estate agent and auctioneer, in action. Kelley will be auctioning two houses June 28 — at 10 a.m. she will be at 2530 W. 63rd St. in Mission Hills, Kan., and at 12:30 p.m. she will be at 5637 Rockhill Rd. in Kansas City, Mo. Full Story...

Elms Resort Plans Benefit for LGCC The Elms Resort & Spa and the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Kansas City are partnering for a benefit weekend on Aug. 1 and 2. Full Story...

GayTravelers Tie The Knot Donald Pile and Ray Williams, who many know as the "Gay Travelers" and for their syndicated column, "Traveling in Our Fabulous World" were legally married in Palm Spring on June 17. Full Story...

K.C. Black Gay Pride Committee Talks About Event's Comeback
I recently had a chance to sit down and talk with the committee that is responsible for organizing Kansas City’s Black Gay Pride celebration, scheduled for Aug. 6-10, and get a little more insight on the inner workings of this year’s festival.
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Who Are You?
Most people probably give little thought to having an accurate driver’s license, passport or other identity documents. In Missouri, you should be concerned — and this isn’t just an issue affecting transgender people.
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While You Scratch Your Pet Between the Ears, Read These As gasoline prices accelerate skyward, many perennial summer travelers are choosing to stay home. One way to visit a far-flung location without leaving the city is to dive into a good book. Full Story...

No More Homeless Pets: Its Name Matches Its Mission Bruce Winter, whom many know as Melinda Ryder, will headline a Night at the Cabaret on June 22, a benefit for the No More Homeless Pets KC organization. Full Story...

CampBiz - June 13, 2008 Gay Pride was a fantastic success this year. Gay pride festivals are still going on around the world all through June, including St. Louis on June 28-29, but our Kansas City event kicked off the first weekend of June in grand style. Full Story...

The Metro Can Make Showing Pride Easier
Planning to drive to the StreetBlast and Pride celebrations? With limited parking and the high price of gasoline, this could pose a problem.
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Planning Takes Shape for Black Gay Pride There hasn?t been an officially organized Black Gay Pride celebration in Kansas City since 2002. That?s too long, the Black Gay Pride Committee, led by president Gary Carrington, has decided Full Story...

Donna Ross, a Voice for the Transgender Community Donna Ross came out very publicly in Portland, Ore., before moving to Kansas City a few years ago. In April, she was in the news for her testimony to Kansas City?s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of City Council, in which she supported changing the city?s civil rights ordinance to protect expressions of gender identity. Full Story...

Lesbian and Gay Community Center Closes One Door and Opens Another As of July 1, the space at 207 Westport Rd. above the retail store OutThere will no longer house the Lesbian and Gay Community Center (LGCC). Instead, the center will exist in cyberspace only, according to LGCC Board vice president, Mitch Levine. Full Story...

Mike Gonzalez Finds His Place in Activism Mikey Gonzalez, who is graduating from Lansing (Kan.) High School, wears many hats. In addition to serving as a co-executive for EQUAL, he?s traveled all over the country in his work for LGBTQSA youth. Full Story...

EQUAL Empowerment Summit: Fomenting Queer Youth Activism Dozens of people in their teens and 20s came together May 10 in UMKC?s Flarsheim Hall for the EQUAL Empowerment Summit. Full Story...

From K.C to D.C. - What I Learned in My Few Days as a Lobbyist in Washington
When I flew to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 13, to participate in the National Center for Transgender Equality?s annual lobbying day, it was the first time I had participated in a lobbying effort ? well, at least in person.
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CampBiz - May 2, 2008 Congratulations to the AIDS Walk and AIDS Services Foundation for a wonderful and memorable 2008 AIDS Walk on April 26. Full Story...

Bikes, Buses and Feet - How to Make Alternatives to the Car Work for Kansas City From the end of the 19th century till the mid-20th century, Kansas City had a vast system of rail lines that carried commuters from the suburbs and back, and around the urban center. Full Story...

CampBiz - April 18, 2008 In addition to AIDS Walk on April 26, featured in this issue, plenty more events are scheduled for this spring and beyond where you can join others in the LGBT community. Here are a few of them. Full Story...

Same-Sex Unions Prove Elusive; Looking Back and Forging Ahead in the Struggle for Equal Rights
The gay community in the United States has made enormous strides toward securing equal rights under the law in housing, jobs, harassment and hate crimes. But securing rights for same-sex marriage and civil unions has proved to be a tough struggle.
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AIDS Walk Honorary Co-Chairs Bring In More Corporate Sponsors For Nancy Seelen of St. Luke?s Health System, honorary co-chair of the 2008 AIDS Walk Kansas City with Julie Quirin, involvement in the AIDS Walk goes back to the very first one, which she walked in. Full Story...

One Family Among Many
After Michael Arnold died from AIDS in 1991, his family wanted a way to honor his memory. Like many others, they donned T-shirts as their personal memorial during AIDS Walk
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In Loving, Purposeful Memory: The AIDS Walk Kansas City Memorial Project If you haven?t experienced the procession of the AIDS Walk Kansas City Memorial Project banners on a spring morning, the opportunity to do so is just one more reason to attend AIDS Walk Kansas City on Saturday, April 26. Full Story...

A Teaching Moment at MCC; Biology Instructor Encourages Her Students To Walk For Nancy Harrington, a biology instructor at Metropolitan Community College ? Penn Valley in Kansas City, AIDS Walk is an extension of her educational mission. Full Story...

Anniversary Boosts Hopes for AIDS Walk in 2008 In this special issue of Camp, we salute the many walkers, volunteers, donors and sponsors for the 2008 AIDS Walk Kansas City. Full Story...

Passage of Transgender Law Shows How K.C. Has Evolved
April 3 was a historic day in Kansas City. But first, a little her-to-history lesson will help you appreciate that day even more.
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A Great Moment for K.C. Transgender Community Kansas City?s City Council voted 13-0 on April 3 to add gender identity and expression to the city?s civil rights ordinance. Full Story...

For Loved Ones Left Behind, Focus on AIDS Can Be Tough
For those who have lost loved ones to HIV/AIDS, it can be tough to know how to handle the annual fund-raising walk, which is April 26 this year
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New AIDS Benefit in Missouri To Depend on Pedal Power Many people may remember Larry Horning from his involvement in Kansas City events years ago, including bike rides such as PrideRide and the AIDS Walk?s AIDS Bicycle Tour. Full Story...

Don't Sign Anti-Affirmative Action Petition
Roving petitioners seeking signatures for the so-called Missouri Civil Rights Initiative say that it seeks to end inequalities. Here?s the truth: This petition seeks to change the state constitution to eliminate and/or ban programs that help to level the playing field for women and cultural minorities!
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Kansas City, Mo., City Council Adds Gender Identity to Nondiscrimination Ordinance After a hearing on April 2, the full Kansas City, Mo., City Council voted April 3 to add gender identity to the list of human differences that are protected from discrimination in the City of Kansas City, Mo. Full Story...

Let Her Know What You Think - Listen to Okla. Legislator's Anti-Gay Remarks and Take Action
The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation; it?s just a fact. I honestly think it?s the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam. ?Sally Kern (R), Oklahoma state representative
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Million Fag March in Topeka To Respond To Phelps' Church For 17 years Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church members have been protesting homosexuality, showing up at funerals and other places with signs that read ?God Hates Fags,? among similar messages Full Story...

Smoking Restrictions, Bus Tax and School Issues on April Ballots
Here?s a look at the issues and candidates facing Kansas City, Mo., voters in the April 8 election. Other municipalities and school districts, in Kansas and Missouri, will be making decisions in April voting as well.
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CampBiz - March 28, 2008 The Missouri Gay Rodeo Association (MGRA) has just announced that it will not be hosting a Show Me State Rodeo this year. Full Story...

New PROMO Director Takes Charge There?s a new Sarah at the helm of our Kansas City regional PROMO office. Sarah Finken resigned earlier this year to move out west and pursue her MBA. Her successor, Sarah Gillooly, formally took over Feb. 1, although in the weeks beforehand, she worked with Finken as she transitioned from her former job at Planned Parenthood. Full Story...

Preventing Violence and Supporting Survivors - KCAVP: A Unique Social Agency for the LGBT Community Since the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project (KCAVP) started six years ago, it has grown from the solo project of executive director and founder Doug Riley to an organization with a staff of three full-time employees and one part-time person in a newly created position. Full Story...

CampBiz - March 14, 2008 As we publish this issue of Camp just days before St Patrick?s Day, we wish you all a happy celebration and encourage you to walk, take a taxi or bus, or reward your favorite designated driver. Full Story...

Creating Change: Bickering Only Blocks Our Progress
Several themes overlapped at the 20th annual Creating Change Conference in Detroit, from which I wrote my Feb. 15 column.
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Kansas Legislators Bounce Bill on Domestic Partner Registries
As the battle over a bill banning domestic partner registries continues in the Legislature, the Kansas Equality Coalition is urging people to contact their lawmakers.
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NewsBriefs - February 29 On February 15, Indiana State Rep. Scott Pelath (D-Michigan City) refused to hear Senate Joint Resolution 7 ? the legislation that includes the constitutional opposite-sex-couple-only definition of marriage ? in his Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedures. Full Story...

NewsBriefs - February 15 Five Iowa legislators ? Dwayne Alons, Carmine Boal, Betty DeBoef, Nancy Boettger and James Hahn ? have asked the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) to file a friend-of-the-court brief in the appeal of Varnum v. Brien, the Iowa case that overturned the portion of an Iowa law that prohibited same-sex marriage. Full Story...

CampBiz - February 15, 2008 Kudos to the PROMO team for orchestrating a great Words of Love benefit and silent auction Feb. 9. This is an annual Valentine?s Day benefit for PROMO, with singers and artists performing at a midday brunch at bar Natasha. Full Story...

Creating Change: Notes From the Front Line
I?m sitting in my hotel room in Detroit watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann and thinking about how the 2008 Creating Change Conference has gone so far.
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CampBiz - February 1, 2008 Although this column usually focuses on events around town and news about our businesses and organizations, I want to relay the information that I just received as we go to press in an e-mail from the Kansas City Anti Violence Project (KCAVP). Full Story...

100% Nonsmoking - How Two Bars Handle Bans on Lighting Up
The Fox is now the only gay bar in the Kansas City metro that is 100 percent nonsmoking. Owners Tim Abbott and Bernardo (who goes by his last name) had prepared for Overland Park?s nonsmoking ordinance, which was effective Jan. 2.
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CampBiz - January 18 Darryl Olive, who writes a fitness column for Camp and owns the company KCFitnessLink, has recently opened a studio for yoga and fitness programs at KCFitnessLink, 3909 Main St. Olive will be celebrating Yoga Day USA on Saturday, Jan. 26. Full Story...

Thou Shalt Not Smoke OK. It wasn?t a finger of God etching the Decalogue into some Sinai granite, but word has come down from on high local cities that we should modify our behavior to protect the health of our fellow citizens. Full Story...

Two Professional Groups Are in the Works
Two new Kansas City LGBT groups are in the early stages of formation ? KC Legal and a chapter of the national group Out & Equal Workplace Advocates.
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CampBiz Spirit of Hope MCC will be celebrating Christmas Eve with services at 7 and 10 p.m. Although many people think of MCC as primarily an LGBT congregation, the Rev. Kurt and the Rev. John tell me that they have many straight families in their congregation who welcome the openness and inclusivity of the church. The Christmas Eve service will be one not to miss. Full Story...

NewsBriefs - December 21, 2007 LOCAL - REGIONAL - NATIONAL - GLOBAL Full Story...

A Session About How Congregations Can Include LGBT People of Faith
As part of a mission of working toward full inclusion of LGBT people into communities of faith, the Kansas City Coalition of Welcoming Ministries (KCCWM) convened its first Academy of Welcome on Nov. 10 at First Lutheran Church in Mission Hills, Kan. KCCWM is a network of inter-faith welcoming organizations.
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Disaster? Hate Crime Would Qualify, Students Decide LGBTQ teen group makes a film with a grant from Camp Fire USA Camp Fire USA has just released a DVD titled Youth Out Loud, Responding to Hate Crimes as a Human Disaster. The film was done using a grant from Camp Fire USA, which has been working with the Kansas City Passages LGBTQ youth group. Full Story...

Missing ? and Dearly Missed ? Since 2000 Luther Boyt was a thoughtful host and fellow traveler. When he failed to show up on the last day of a move from his mansion, his friends began to search. They haven?t finished yet. Full Story...

Why So Few LGBT Topics at Mayor Meeting?
I left the meeting mad and disgusted. I attended the first-ever town hall meeting with Mayor Mark Funkhouser on Nov. 7, sponsored by several LGBT organizations. I understood that it would allow the mayor to speak to our community and allow LGBT people to bring their concerns to him.
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Research Center Testing - New Drug to Battle HIV Researchers at Dybedal Clinical Research Center on the campus of Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences (KCUMB) have begun phase 2 (proof of concept) studies of the effects of KP-1461, an investigational drug that has great potential in fighting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Full Story...

NewsBriefs - November 16, 2007 LOCAL - REGIONAL - NATIONAL - GLOBAL Full Story...

Rise Up: Black Leaders? Message on Education Should Speak to All
The second annual African American Leaders Luncheon at MCC-Penn Valley was an opportunity for community and civic leaders from across metropolitan Kansas City to address the issue of high-quality education for students graduating from high school and entering the Metropolitan Community College system.
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Scholarship to Honor a 40-Year Church Leader - The Rev. Wallace S. Hartsfield, an AIDS Advocate, Retires From Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church MCC-Penn Valley celebrated the retirement of the Rev. Wallace S. Hartsfield with family, friends, faculty and staff as he stepped down from the pulpit at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. The Oct. 11event included a luncheon in the Campus Center and a community reception in the Carter Art Center. Full Story...

Local LGBT Cases and the ACLU
The local ACLU successfully resolved LGBT issues involving school First and Fourteenth Amendment cases and Equal Access Act violations, e.g., gay-straight alliance formation.
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ACLU to Honor Attorney as Advocate of the Year - Lisa Brunner Helped Change Missouri?s Foster-Care Guidelines Kansas City attorney Lisa Brunner?s work in LGBT rights will be recognized Nov. 3 when she is named Advocate of the Year by the regional affiliate of the ACLU. She and other local civil libertarians will be honored at the Liberty Awards dinner by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas and Western Missouri. Full Story...

Magic Johnson Helps a Friend - and Many Others Earvin ?Magic? Johnson came to town the weekend of Sept. 21 to help his friend Clay Johnson, a former Los Angeles Laker and a native Kansas Citian, give back to the community that supported him during his NBA career. Full Story...

Here's Your Chance to Meet the Mayor Whether or not you voted for Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, you?ll have an opportunity to meet him in his first Town Hall meeting for the LGBT community. Full Story...

Employee Resource Groups Try Unity at Get-Together Leo Walters, a financial planner with Ameriprise, hosted the first of what he hopes will be many LGBT Employee Resource Group happy hours on Oct. 10 at bar Natasha. Full Story...

The Value of Volunteering? There?s Plenty to Go Around It?s a Friday afternoon in early June. The sun is shining relentlessly, and the weather is ripe for a weekend getaway. Most people are preparing for just that, racing home early in their air-conditioned cars, ready to put the long work week behind them. Full Story...

How to Give Hands-on Help to SAVE Inc. SAVE Inc.?s nine residences provide 73 people and their families living with the AIDS virus a warm and supportive home environment. We are committed to empowering these men, women and children so that they may lead healthy, stable lives with dignity. Full Story...

An AIDS Survivor Who Makes No Excuses - Why Trish Steen Rides in the AIDS Bicycle Challenge Many people say they can?t ride in the AIDS Bicycle Challenge. They?re not in shape, they say, or they don?t have a bicycle or don?t know where they might borrow or rent one. Some reasons might be valid, while others are merely excuses, leaving others to raise money for those living with HIV/AIDS. Full Story...

Witnessing History: Kansas Governor Signs Anti-Discrimination Order Cora Holt had tears in her eyes. A human services specialist with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Holt had once lost a job because she was a lesbian. Full Story...

Led by Youth, EQUAL Links Gay-Straight Alliances - The New Network Stretches Across the Kansas City Area The Kansas City area has a new, youth-led metro area gay-straight alliance (GSA) network called EQUAL. EQUAL stands for Empowering QUeer Activists and Leaders. Young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied (LGBTQA) activists started the group, and it is growing under the leadership of local members. Full Story...

Clinic Helps HIV Advice Spread From Peer to Peer The Kansas City Free Clinic (KCFree) has begun a new HIV-prevention and community-building program for gay and bisexual men ages 21 to 29 called the Mpowerment Project. The program includes a combination of peer-led, small-group, safer-sex workshops and peer outreach. Full Story...

Presidential Forum Replays Logo and HRC's The Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum will be rebroadcast on Logo. To view clips online, click through. Full Story...

New PROMO Director Prepares For Missouri?s Election Prominence A.J. Bockelman, the new executive director of PROMO, Missouri?s statewide organization that advocates for LGBT equality, came to Kansas City on July 16 to meet with individuals and organizations after only two weeks on the job. PROMO maintains offices in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield. Full Story...

Employee Resource Groups Celebrate Diversity in June More employers are realizing the importance of supporting their LGBT employees, once relegated to silence in the workplace, and they are using Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to do so. Sprint held Sprint Pride on June 21at the company campus and celebrated later that evening at Human Rights Campaign's Third Thursday at bar Natasha with employees of Hallmark's ERG, called HERE. Full Story...

Out and Athletic in Kansas City Organizers of LGBT athletic organizations say they commonly hear that people participate to do something fun “outside of the bars.” Sure, weight loss and fitness are a part of it, but the social aspects of engaging in one’s favorite sport with others in the LGBT community cannot be underestimated. Full Story...

Terry Newell Reports Reporting from the southeast lawn of the Liberty Memorial, Terry Newell gives his view of this year's Kansas City Gay Pride. Full Story...

The Renaissance of RAD-KC Kansas City’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Gay Group is Reborn Full Story...

NewsBriefs - May 18, 2007 LOCAL - REGIONAL - NATIONAL - GLOBAL Full Story...

Together, They Support the Many Ways to Make a Family Although the weather forecast for Sunday, April 22, was not promising, it turned out to be a sunny, though windy, day for a gathering of families in the Midwest Alternative Family Alliance (MAFA). Full Story...

To the Black Community:We Must Get Into the Trenches
It has been 25 years since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic that has so decimated American society. Over time, this disease has destroyed families, lives and dreams. On the other hand, it has also brought together communities in ways no other disease could have.
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Foundation Looks for Donors Who Want to Give From Estates Steve Scott is leading the way this year with the AIDS Service Foundation (ASF) to create a planned giving program called Circle of Caring. It’s just one example of being able to use his experience in finance as a vice president and private banking officer at Bank Midwest to further serve the group after many years on the ASF board. Full Story...

Powerful Lessons, Taught Tile by Tile For nine years, the Mosaic Project has demonstrated the power of art as one more way to educate about the HIV/AIDS crisis and fight it. Through the project, high school students create artistic tiles depicting their interpretation of HIV/AIDS. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City - Broadway Church A stone church sits just north of where the street grid bends to accommodate the southwesterly inclination of Westport. Its broad, welcoming stairs reach out onto the thoroughfare. Full Story...

LGBT Advocates Stage Sweeping Protest of IHOP Representatives of IHOP Corp. and lesbian customers who say an IHOP manager asked them to leave after they kissed spoke out recently about the Grandview, Mo., incident at a news conference. Full Story...

AIDS Walk, KU Pride Week Steve Maceli’s charitable efforts in the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community of Lawrence began when he offered to host a local LGBT organization’s meetings in his restaurant’s banquet hall in 2004 Full Story...

Restaurant Asks Women to Leave
As reported on local Fox affiliate WDAF, members of a group of lesbians say they were asked to leave the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Grandview, Mo., after a complaint from another patron.
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Spirit of Hope Celebrates A Silver Celebration was held at Spirit of Hope MCC on March 3 and 4 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Senior Pastor John Barbone as pastor in Kansas City. The Rev. Troy D. Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Churches worldwide, attended. Full Story...

Ann Coulter Calls John Edwards a Faggot
Addressing attendees at a March 2 assembly of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), author and right-wing talking head Ann Coulter said the following on the dais about John Edwards (D-N.C.): “I was going to talk about the other Democratic candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot.’”
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HIV/AIDS Groups, LGBT Community to Honor Mayor Barnes on March 22
HIV/AIDS service organizations and members of Kansas City’s LGBT political and advocacy groups will honor outgoing Mayor Kay Barnes, at a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 22 at bar Natasha, 1911 Main Street in Kansas City, Mo
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Doctor and Patients Battle Medicare Over Immune Globulin Therapy Dozens of HIV-infected patients in the Kansas City area are being forced go without a medical treatment that they believe was responsible for their renewed health. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City - Congregation Beth Torah Congregation Beth Torah is firmly anchored in Overland Park, Kan., purposefully constructed near its member families. Full Story...

Filing early has its benefits:
It’s tax time, and for many this can be very trying. Many procrastinate until the last minute on April 15.
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OutFront: Building LGBT Faith Alliances
Regional participants gathered to attend OutFront: Building LGBT Faith Alliances, one in a series of similar workshops scheduled across the country, during the second weekend of February at Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ.
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Fight Back Kansas City Raises
A local group led by Glen Jarvis, Dr. Patrick Nemechek, Jamie Rich and others has formed a fundraising organization called Fight Back Kansas City. Money raised by this group will be used to establish a legal fund to fight cuts in Medicaid that affect those living with HIV/AIDS.
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Where to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
The 34th annual Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is set for 11 a.m. March 17. Starting at Pershing and Main, the parade advances east to Grand, turns north, and heads toward downtown, stopping just short of the loop at Truman Road.
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AIDS Walk Events Start Off Spring Calendar With spring approaching this month, it won’t be long until our calendars are full with recurring and new events and fundraisers for the LGBT community this year. Full Story...

2007 Equality Ride
The Soulforce Equality Ride is a continuing journey to change the hearts and minds of America on the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. Joining the work for equality this year is Wick Thomas, a Kansas City resident and recipient of the 2007 Creating Change Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
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Black Church Week of Prayer Returns
Mark your calendars: On March 2, 2007, Kansas City will host the Annual Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. The purpose of this week-long workshop is to bring attention to the AIDS pandemic within the minority community.
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All Political Roads Lead Through the Community
A funny thing happened on the way to Kansas City’s mayoral election this year. One by one, all eleven candidates mounting a mayoral campaign decided to go after the gay vote.
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HIV/AIDS and Older Adults
On February 9th I was privileged to attend the 2007 Conference on AIDS “25 to Life” sponsored by the Good Samaritan Project and held at the Embassy Suites Hotel on the Plaza.
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Check The Pulse Campaign receives Healthy Diagnosis Members of the LBGT community are smoking less, use of the Internet to find sexual partners has jumped fourfold among lesbians, and there are still huge racial distinctions within the community. Full Story...

Check the Pulse: KC's New LGBT Community Health Survey Check the Pulse, a community initiative of the KC Health Department and the Lesbian & Gay Community Center of KC, is now available for download. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City - Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ Tucked between 65th Street and its Terrace in the Armour Hills neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, is a sleek chalk-white edifice that houses the Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ. Full Story...

Keeping the Promise: World AIDS Day Luncheon The AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City presented the World AIDS Day 2006 Community Luncheon at the Kauffman Foundation on November 28, 2006. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City - Abiding Peace Lutheran Church Like the city in which it presently meets, Abiding Peace Lutheran Church is small yet vibrant. A liberal congregation that actively resists discrimination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Abiding Peace took the progressive step of calling a lesbian minister six years ago. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City Welcoming Congregations turns eastward this month to profile a congregation from the dharmic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. A century-old red brick church on the Kansas City’s West Side is home to the Rime Buddhist Center. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City Our Welcoming Congregations series continues with a midtown church. Located a few blocks east of Main Street on Armour Boulevard is an 87-year-old stone edifice sheathed on its south-facing front by trees. This is Trinity United Methodist Church. This article is about the people who meet, and worship there. Full Story...

When Housing Is a Matter of Life and Death SAVE Inc. is dedicated to providing housing and housing-related services to HIV/AIDS– challenged individuals and families in the Kansas City area so that they can live with personal dignity. Full Story...

What in the World is “Corroboree”? My interest in researching this subject was sparked by my friend, Mark Anderson, Executive Director of SAVE Inc. who suggested that this might be a theme for an article in the September Corroboree supplement of Camp. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City Continuing our series on welcoming congregations in the Kansas City area, we turn to a group that is not a church but a coalition of clergy and laity. Their goal is to expand the number of welcoming ministries in the Kansas City area through training and dialogue with churches that want to welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Full Story...

Congressman Barney Frank Speaks for Cleaver On a two day multi-visit campaigning swing in Kansas City, the Honorable Barney Frank from Massachusetts spoke for the reelection of our own Congressman, the Reverend Emanuel Cleaver II. Full Story...

NewsBriefs - September 2006 LOCAL - REGIONAL -NATIONAL - GLOBAL Full Story...

History of MGRA When Mandy Barbarell, Miss MGRA 1999, 2000, and 2003 and Miss IGRA 2004, first approached me about writing a brief history of MGRA from a drag queen’s point of view, I was very flattered. THEN, I realized that, to a youngster like Mandy, I must seem like the oldest living drag queen in America. Full Story...

Show-Me State Rodeo Has Been Showing Us for 14 Years The Missouri Gay Rodeo Association (MGRA) will once again prove that cowboys and cowgirls can compete with the best of ‘em, and raise money for local charities at the same time. If you’ve been to previous rodeos you know you’ll see great horsemanship plus a lot of other entertainment. If this is your first year, you’re in for a treat. Full Story...

Late Bloomer of the Rodeo Circuit Bryn Geerdes certainly didn’t grow up thinking she’d be a competitive player in the gay rodeo circuit. But as a rider who started to compete at the age of 46 she shows that it’s never too late to follow a dream. Full Story...

Where Have the Cowboys Gone? A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting former actor Hugh O’Brian. Not Conan O’Brian, not Hugh Jackman. A friend, about 15 years senior to me, leaned over and said, “My wife would die if she knew he was here.” I still didn’t have a clue as to who Hugh O’Brian was or what role made him legendary to the baby boomers who make up the majority of members in our Rotary Club. Full Story...

More Than 70 Countries Show Their Pride at Chicago Gay Games Viewers from around the globe were able to watch the opening ceremony for the 2006 Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival Saturday, July 15, 2006 at Soldier Field, the lakefront home football stadium of Chicago’s beloved Bears American football team. In addition to the thousands in the stands, the ceremony was available on broadband, mobile phones, and cable television. Full Story...

Welcoming Congregations of Kansas City Many gays and lesbians who attended church in their youth, began to feel ostracized by homophobic dogma as they grew into adulthood. Some congregations have tried to reach out to these children of God by welcoming them into their church families. In June of this year, three American Christian denominations addressed LGBT issues at their national conventions. Full Story...

LGBT Political Groups Step Forward With the Kansas primary on August 1, the Missouri primary on August 8, and general elections in November, there are a lot of people pounding the pavement on behalf of their candidates. Full Story...

Let the Games Go On! The Gay Games in Chicago, July 15-22, and the Outgames in Montreal, July 26-August 5, are finally happening and Kansas City will be part of at least one of them. Full Story...

KC Health Department Wins Award The Public Relations Society of America has honored the Kansas City Department of Health for its unorthodox campaign to fight syphilis. The society bestowed its 2006 Silver Anvil Award for public service on the department and Fleishman-Hillard International Communications for their “Did You Take SyPHILis Home Last Night?” Full Story...

Creating Change Host Committee Invites Everyone to Register for the Conference
The nation’s largest annual skills-building conference for the LGBT community is imminently arriving to our local community here, set to bring more than 2500 activists and leaders from across the country.
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National HIV/AIDS Testing Day on June 27 As part of the national effort to make sure all Americans get tested for HIV/AIDS, the Kansas City Health Department and Kansas City Free Health Clinics are offering free HIV/AIDS testing on June 27, 2006. Full Story...

Little Pride on the Prairie
Each June across the nation and around the world LGBT people gather to celebrate with pride the Stonewall Riots that marked the beginning of the modern LGBT civil rights movement. Kansas is no exception to this collective effort to affirm our dignity and worth.
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Creating Change 2006 Calling All Local Activists
The nation’s largest annual skills-building conference for the LGBT community is coming to Kansas City, bringing more than 2,500 activists and leaders from across the nation to our community in November.
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Heartland Men’s Chorus: 1986-2006 Nearly two decades ago, a group of 30 like-minded men took the stage, their shared dream of forming a choral ensemble realized after much preparation. From that first concert in December 1986, the Heartland Men’s Chorus (HMC) has increased its numbers, and matured in its presentation, while managing to retain a feeling of camaraderie and community. Full Story...