Register Now for Upstate NY LGBTQ Conference
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Registration is now open for the 2011 Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conference to be held April 8-10 in Rochester, NY. The Conference will bring together Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) individuals, families, and allies for three days of learning and socializing at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. Online registration is available at www.PrideAndJoyConference.org. Early bird rates apply until March 8. The deadline to register children is also March 8.
Registration is now open for the 2011 Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conference to be held April 8-10 in Rochester, NY. The Conference will bring together Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) individuals, families, and allies for three days of learning and socializing at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. Online registration is available at www.PrideAndJoyConference.org. Early bird rates apply until March 8. The deadline to register children is also March 8.
Highlights of the Conference include more than fifteen (15) adult educational workshops; an ImageOut Film Festival screening room; a teen panel in which kids with LGBTQ parents speak out; COLAGE programs for grades 3-5 and 6-12; childcare (ages 6 mos. to 7 years); a Resource/Vendor Fair; and a Saturday night Family Dance! open to the entire community.
The Keynote Address, “Research, Advocacy, and the Constitutional Challenge to the Prop 8 Ban on Gay Marriage in California,†will be given by Dr. Ilan Meyer, Columbia University, whose research focuses on social stigma and the stress it places on LGB and gender non-conforming individuals. New this year is a pre-Conference training day, “Straight Talk about LGBTQ Lives: Working with LGBTQ Individuals and Families in Professional Settings,†for educators, health and human service providers, and students.
Conference and provider training day sponsors are The Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project (prideandjoyfamilies.org), AIDS Care (acrochester.org), Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (gayalliance.org), Rainbow SAGE (rainbowsage.org), Visit Rochester (visitrochester.org), COLAGE (colage.org), and Gay Parent Magazine (gayparentmag.com).
According to organizers, “We are excited to be able to offer our fourth Pride and Joy Conference to members of the LGBTQ community in Upstate New York. The response to previous Conferences has been excellent in terms of attendance, and reviews like these from the 2009 gathering: ‘I really enjoyed myself, and learned an awful lot’; ‘Thanks for the opportunity to connect with other gay families!’; ‘Great Job with the conference. It was wonderful--both the information provided and the building/solidifying of the community for both parents and kids’; ‘I commend the organizers for all of the wonderful activities for kids’; ‘Your dedication and hard work resulted in a well put together and informative conference’; and, ‘The entire weekend was well planned and executed’ â€.
As with the three previous Pride and Joy Conferences, held in Ithaca in 2001, Binghamton in 2005, and Utica in 2009, families will gather from all over upstate New York and beyond. Examples of adult workshop topics include legal and policy protections, estate planning, gender in our families, LGBT at school, gay and lesbian grandparents, rural living, gay dads, adoption and foster care, parenting teens, social dancing, and building an LGBTQ-inclusive family library. Children and youth programs will be provided by COLAGE, known nationally for their fun youth empowerment and leadership development programming for kids with one or more LGBTQ parents.
Conference registration fees include all meals, on-site educational programs and materials, and range from $90/adult ($75 early bird) to $45 for the youngest child. Reduced registration rates are also available for Saturday-only attendance. Pre-Conference provider training day registration fees are $50/$35 student. Accommodations at the Conference hotel cost $89/night, if reservations are made by March 17th. A limited scholarship fund is available to assist participants.
The Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project is dedicated to helping LGBTQ people in upstate New York achieve their goals of building and sustaining healthy families. Headquartered in Binghamton, it was founded in 2000 with a grant from the New York State Health Department to the Ferre Institute, Inc. The Project offers provider trainings, educational programs, information and referral services, a directory of welcoming health and human service providers, and support groups for LGBTQ parents and prospective parents. Our network of Pride and Joy Families provides social and educational activities and a sense of community to LGBTQ parents and their children.
To register for the 2011 Pride and Joy Families Weekend Conference and the pre-Conference training day, visit PrideAndJoyConference.org, or call 607.724.4308. To volunteer at the Conference, advertise in the Program Book, host a booth at the Resource/Vendor Fair, or underwrite a portion of the event, contact Claudia Stallman at lesgayfambldg@aol.com or 607.724.4308.
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