Newsletter 20th July 2011

Welcome to this weeks newsletter.

Pride of Place Awards 2011

Last Thursday evening in LINC we were visited by the adjudicators for The Pride of Place awards. It was a very special evening and presentations were made by Toddy representing LINC and Dave Roche representing Gay Mens Health. The youth group happened to be hosting their Summer BBQ out in the garden at the same time which added to the vibrancy of LINC and showed the diversity of our community. Some women told their story about their association with LINC and how LINC had impacted on their lives. Helen Slattery recalled the early days of meeting up in the Quay Co-op and how at that time believe it or not there were 6 lesbians in Cork!!!!!!!! Listening to women on the night and their reflections was quite humbling and showed the importance of the support of each other in the community. LINC looked great and was represented by women from various groups including Mna Mna choir, Creative writing, book club, lesbian line, LATE LINC volunteers, steering group and staff. We would like to thank everyone who came along and feel sure that whether successful or not in achieving the award we can be very proud of LINC and its values and purpose. Womens Camp 2011 It is down to the final week of Camp so if you havent been and would like to go it will be a good weekend for it. Karla attended Camp last weekend for a day visit and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Craic was ninety!!!! This weekend on Saturday night is Cabaret Night where some women put on performances. Word is that so it is well worth going. So dust off your tents and get on down!! If you need directions just call or email us at the office.

Movie Night is happening Tuesday the 26th of July. The movie will be starting at 6.30. Film Title to be announced. The aim of the night is to be funny and light hearted. So come along for popcorn and refreshments and hang out and have a laugh.

LINC Kids Summer Camp

Summer Camp Is Go! There is a fabulous line up for the childrens summer camp. The camp runs from the 25th -29th July inclusive and is being run by two experienced co-ordinators. Starting on Monday with an arts day, the first tour on Tuesday is a survival skills course at Will and Away. Wednesday is sports/picnic day hosted by guest coordinators Ryan and Veronica at Fitzgeralds Park. Talent show practice continues apace Thursday, followed by a trip to the Glen Resource Centre rope park and zip wire! Friday is party day- the children will make their own barbeque for lunch, followed by their own talent show and disco. Wet gear should be brought for Tuesday and Thursday. Runners on Wednesday (and a raincoat!). Cost for the week is 50 euro per child, or for those who cant make the full week Tuesday tour only 25euro or Thursday tour only 15 euro. Contact Emma at LINC for more details or to book a place.

Acupuncture Acudetox Please note the change in time for Acupuncture. It will run from 6pm until 7pm each Tuesday which may suit people better who are working and want to attend straight from work. The feedback is very good and we would like to encourage people to take the opportunity to try the treatment at a rock bottom price of 10 euro per session. You can go along for a taster for a week or go along for a few weeks dependent on individual preference. If you are going along then give us a call in LINC just so we can gauge numbers. Phoenix Youth Phoenix youth are taking a break for the Summer. Global Fest on Saturday was an astounding success and the girls were brilliant. Watch this space for the launch of their CD. BBQ was great and the food was plentiful with Doggy bags going out the door like the new time. Thanks Reg for the cooking, the girls really appreciated it and couldnt have done it without you! Gillian roped in family and friends to do some food prep and again that was invaluable. THANKS. Can we just take an opportunity to Thank Gillian our youth worker for her constant commitment to Phoenix. She is an inspiration to the members and all of them speak so highly of her. The success of Phoenix is dependent on members and the professional way Gillian facilitates their sessions. This group is growing by the week and we know we have new members already waiting to join in September! Thanks again to the entire group who have represented LINC throughout the year; Well Done!! Book Club The next Book Club meeting is on Tuesday August 9th at 7pm and you will be more than welcome. The book being read for the next meeting is: The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

This frank portrayal of four very different women working in the Manhattan publishing and theatre worlds in the 1950s caused a sensation when the book first appeared in 1958. Todays readers will enjoy Jaffe's evocative depiction of a society in which women could be labelled old maids at 25, as well as her perceptive characterisation and skillful storytelling. Rumour has it...if you like Madmen then you'll love this book. Support Lesbian Line operates every Weds 7pm to 9pm 021 4318318 LGBT National Helpline runs Mon-Fri 7pm to 9pm Sat & Sun 3pm to 6pm 1890 529 939

Sports

Badminton Every Tuesday in Carrigtwohill from 8 until 10pm. For more details on Badminton please give Nicky a call on 086-8479051

Tennis (Venue to be confirmed) For more details on Tennis please ring Sheila on 087-6129040

Soccer is now happening twice a week Monday and Thursday nights 8.30 to 9.30 in Garryduff. For more details contact Helen. 087-9861037

Women in Recovery are not meeting at present, but if you need support please contact us in LINC. Lost and Found Found in LINC a coloured note book Found in LINC.Sun glasses left since last Thursday LOST..Sun Glasses in or around LINC last week Contact Karla our lost and found officer

Women In Recovery

Everywhere in Ireland, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) families are on the rise and children of LGBT parents are recognized for their psychological strength, their unique capacity to express emotions and their appreciation for social diversity. In short, LGBT parents raising children are wonderful examples of what makes family. Still, there are a number of unique challenges that LGBT families face that other families do not. Issues like having to decide when to come out to their children about their sexual orientation or gender identity; having to weigh the pros and cons of disclosing the gender characteristics of their family to the public; and having to deal with their children being bullied in school because their parents are LGBT. There is a new LGBT parents group that has started up in the South East. Its mission is to provide support for LGBT parents, their children and their families through fun, peer support and shared experiences. The group also works to raise awareness of the issues that affect LGBT parents and their children. The group meets once a month in Waterford, and welcomes anyone interested in attending the meetings or helping to organise the fun events. If youre interested in participating, contact Kevin at [email protected] or at 086 159 5294.

New LGBT Parents Support Group in South East

Marriage Equality today (19.07.2011) welcomed an amendment to the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011 that provides for equal treatment of civil partners and married couples in legislation on acquiring Irish citizenship. Moninne Griffith, Director of Marriage Equality, said "This amendment comes after intensive research as part of our forthcoming Marriage Audit, due to be published in mid-September. At present we estimate there are over 140 differences between marriage and Civil Partnership - many of which deal with children and families. We are delighted that progress is being made on important equality issues, although there is much work left to be done. Ireland can either achieve equality step by step by dealing with each discrepancy separately, or the Government could do the right thing, and introduce equality in one fell swoop by legislating for marriage for same-sex couples." The amendment was proposed by Senator Katherine Zappone, and adds to the rights and entitlements currently given to same sex couples under the Civil Partnership legislation. Senator Zappone had been briefed on the issue by Marriage Equality, following intensive research into the discrepancies between Civil Partnership legislation and marriage law. "We would like to thank Senator Zappone for her work to progress this important issue, and look forward to working with her in the future" said Ms Griffith. "We would also like to thank the Immigrant Council of Ireland and Patrick Dillon Malone BL for lending their expertise and opinions to the research." See www.marraigequality.ie

GAZE Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

GAZE 2011 offers a programme jam-packed with new independent features, documentaries, shorts, award winners and experimental films. The five-day cinematic showcase of Irish and International LGBT film will take place from over the August bank holiday weekend from Thursday 28th July - Monday 1st August. For 19 years GAZE has been bringing the best in local and international lesbian and gay film to Dublin cinemagoers every August bank holiday weekend. This year GAZE expands its view dramatically. Running in three major city centre venues over five days, GAZE 2011 is jam-packed with the brightest and hottest of award-winning new gay cinema from around the globe. The programme this year represents the huge range of diversity that runs through the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community internationally. From cutting edge dramas to immensely powerful and moving documentaries, via musicals, shorts, retrospectives and archive classics, GAZE 2011 presents its most exciting and diverse programme yet. From its humble beginnings in 1992 (when homosexuality was still a criminal act in Ireland!), GAZE has grown from strength to strength to become the largest LGBT film event in Ireland, and one of the most respected in the world. Please follow link to see the Programme: http://www.gaze.ie/gaze11.pdf

The LGBT Parenthood Survey is seeking to identify the experiences and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents and those planning to be parents in Ireland. This is the first time that a study of this nature has been carried out in Ireland and our aim is to build up a picture of these experiences so that we can inform service provision and policy changes for LGBT parents and those planning to be parents. The findings from the survey will be published and widely disseminated to Government and relevant State bodies, NGOs and advocacy groups, both mainstream and LGBT, to assist them in effecting positive change for LGBT parents and those planning parenthood. The study findings will be shared with all LGBT organisations in Ireland and in particular support groups and organisations to assist them in meeting the needs of the community We are currently looking for participants to complete an anonymous survey. You are invited to participate if you: Identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person. Are a parent or you are planning to be a parent. (The term parent includes biological and non-biological parents, guardians, adoptive parents and foster parents, living with or separately from our child/children of all ages) Aged 18 years and over Living in the Republic of Ireland

You cannot be identified by this survey and all of the information you give us will be anonymous and confidential. How can I participate? If you are interested in participating, there are two ways that you can complete the survey. You can click on the link HERE to fill in the survey online. If you wish to receive the survey by post see www.lgbtdiversity.com for more details If you would like to contact us about the survey please email us on email address or you can telephone us on 086 347 8037.

An Interview and Reading with Emma Donoghue

UCC LGBT Staff Network (with assistance from the UCC Sports & Social Club) Presents an Interview and Reading with Emma Donoghue UCC LGBT Staff Network (with assistance from the UCC Sports & Social Club) Present An Interview and Reading with Emma Donoghue, Man Booker Prize nominated author of Room Chaired by Dr Eibhear Walshe as part of the Queering Ireland 2 Conference organised by The School of English, UCC and St Marys College, Halifax, Nova Scotia 8pm, Monday July 25th 2011, G2 Kane Building, UCC (admission free - all welcome)

TENI News
Gender Recognition: Community Forum 6PM-8.30PM | 26 JUL 2011 | THE CARMICHAEL CENTRE, NORTH BRUNSWICK STREET, DUBLIN 7 A community meeting to discuss next steps for influencing inclusive and marriage-friendly gender recognition legislation. To all trans people and allies: The coming months are pivotal in trying to positively influence gender

recognition legislation and encourage changes to the criteria. Minister Burton has said there is an open door for dialogue and we intend to engage with her on this. We believe Ireland can and should lead the way in trans human rights. TENI will write an in-depth response to the GRAGs report with critiques and suggested amendments and we will present that response to the Minister. The feedback you provide at the Community Forum will be instrumental in ensuring we represent diverse trans identities and experiences. We want to make your voice heard. We know that some people are interested in taking other forms of action around this. We have some ideas and we know you do too. The second part of the Community Forum will be used to brainstorm and discuss how as an organisation and a community we can best come together to influence positive and creative change. Not in Dublin? We know not everyone will be able to make this forum, especially those who are not living in Dublin. We still want to hear from you. Contact us with your feedback and ideas you have for next steps. Come and make your voice heard. When: 6PM-8.30PM | 26 JUL 2011 Where: THE CARMICHAEL CENTRE, NORTH BRUNSWICK STREET, DUBLIN 7 Contact Details: [email protected] OR 01- 8733575

"Civil Partnership" Finance Bill Passes Second Stage in Seanad

The Finance No 3 Bill, which deals with taxation issues for civil partners, passed the second stage in the Seanad yesterday, Wednesday 13th July. Opening the debate, Minister of State Brian Hayes TD said: "Registered civil partners will receive the same tax treatment as married couples in respect of income tax, stamp duty, capital acquisitions tax, capital gains tax and VAT. They will be able to avail of the tax bands and tax credits available to married couples. The Bill also provides for similar tax treatment where there is a transfer of property by gift or inheritance for capital taxes and stamp duty purposes. The Bill passed all stages in the Dil last week with the support of all parties. The Bill will go to committee stage in the Seanad on the 19th of July. For further information, see the GLEN website, the debate from the Seanad, the text of the Finance (No. 3) Bill 2011, the Revenue website for a full Q&A on the provisions, or contact GLEN.

Pride Events around the Country

Northwest Pride is set from Tuesday 8th - Sunday 14th August this year. You can see a full listing of events on the website: www.northwestpride.wordpress.com/events

See http://waterfordpride.com/ for more details.

Galway Prides 22nd consecutive Pride Parade on Saturday 20th August 2011. The parade starts from outside the Town Hall Theatre, gathering at 2pm. Galways Pride Parade is the longest consecutive running parade in Ireland. The parade is a celebration of diversity and culture, a show of pride and a call for equality. Many groups, statutory and community organisations, families and friends join us every year in a show of solidarity and support and every year the Pride Parade gets bigger and better. The parade is good fun will be followed by outdoor entertainment on the steps of the Galway City Museum, Spanish Arch. See www.amachlgbt.com for more details

A meeting place in Ennis forwomen who love women

Clare Womens Network (c/o Clare Training & Resource Centre) Clonroad Business Park Ennis, Co. Clare 065 6828731 Every fortnight at 7pm ~ next one Wednesday 27th July 2011