Mission:
OUTstanding Amarillo promotes empowerment and acceptance of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population of the Texas Panhandle by initiating dialogue, providing education, and creating support systems with the ultimate goal of social change.
NALGBTCC Member
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE - NOVEMBER, 1998
Dorothy meets Toxana:
OUTstanding Amarillo hosts a unique Halloween event. Aging but still game OUTstanding Amarillo board members were introduced to the reality of slam dancing during the second annual OUTstanding Amarillo Halloween party held Friday, Oct. 30. Most of the adult sponsors chose to remain spectators to the new dance form, but enjoyed the interaction with the youth which the organization strives to serve. "Looks to me like we're going to learn more from these kids than we could ever hope to teach them", said one board member about the event.
Approximately 20 adults and youth attended the dance and costume party. It was the first ever event held by OUTstanding Amarillo in the downtown building proposed as a joint project between the pansexual support organization and a fledgling art cooperative that wishes, as a part of its mission, to serve disenfranchised youth. The space has been rented by Steve Bowles, a driving force behind the art cooperative, and is gradually undergoing renovation as time and money allows. OUTstanding Amarillo has proposed use of the space as a community center for Amarillo's pansexuals. The board will be meeting early in November to discuss specific arrangements for use of the space, including soliciting sponsors for operational expenses.
Highlights for the Oct. 30 party included unplanned contributions made by young participants themselves. A main contributor was Toxana, a mannequin provided by Steve Bowles for young participants to decorate any way they wished. In the closing moments of the party, Toxana took form as a spontaneous work of art. Young participants used materials readily available to transform the mannequin into an expression of the moment. OUTstanding Amarillo leadership hopes to provide many more opportunities for Amarillo's young people to express themselves in a safe and open environment.
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Presidential Notes
(by Neal Nossaman)
Hatred has been a word seen in the headlines too frequently as of late. Yet, ironically, itÕs high time that the word gets the attention that it justly deserves. If you read letters to the editor in most major newspapers (including our own) you have read letters judging and condemning gay and lesbian lifestyles. You have read letters saying gays and lesbians would not make suitable parents. You have read letters short of saying we arenÕt worthy to exist.
Now, what do you suppose it's like for a 14 year old boy or girl struggling with attractions to the same sex to read what a skewed section of our society thinks about such a thing? Do these young people wonder if their parents, loved ones or friends would have the same type of hatred for them if they only knew? Do they consider ending their life as an alternative to such hatred? Unfortunately thousands of gay, lesbian and questioning teens commit suicide each year Ñ three times as likely as their straight friends.
OUTstanding Amarillo was formed to stop the cycle of hatred and offer a source of support and encouragement to people, particularly teens, who struggle with sexual identity and preference. We have a caring and committed board of directors who are working toward getting nonprofit status from the IRS so that we might begin applying for grants and tax-deductible contributions. In the meantime we have sponsored several social events for the pansexual community, including the 1998 Pride Picnic and a recent Halloween dance for youth. Our periodic newsletter and internet website are two steps in our goal for better communication within our community.
Our future goals include expanding services to include scheduled monthly activities Ñ both social and educational, diversity training in the school system, resource libraries and directories, and ÑultimatelyÑ a physical location or community center. We believe that educating the community and acceptance by the community go hand in hand. It s easy to hate something or someone you don t know anything about. It s also easier to accept something or someone you know a lot about. So, as you can see, our mission with OUTstanding Amarillo is somewhat twofold: support and encouragement for the gay, lesbian and transgendered community and education and diversity training (directly or indirectly) for the non-gay, lesbian and transgendered community. Presently we are funding this organization almost totally out of our boardÕs personal pockets.
We need your help. If you enjoy this newsletter and/or agree with our primary philosophy, please send us a check to help us continue into the next year. Consider it seed money Ñ planting seeds for a more accepting society. Mail checks to: OUTstanding Amarillo
P.O. Box 33561
Amarillo TX 79120
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In Memory of Matthew Shepard
(by Kay C. Peck, editor)
By now, everyone's heard of Matthew Shepard. When his attackers crushed his skull and left him hanging on a Wyoming fence rail to suffer in the cold, they committed an act of atrocity no one could ignore. Matthew died Oct. 12, five days after the attack.
For whatever reason, the brutal death of this gentle young man caught the attention of the nation. If I could, I'd go back in time ... back to that Wyoming campus hangout before the trap was set and the attack began. If I could, I'd breath life back into that caring young man. "Go home," Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother said to other parents after her son's death. "Go home, give your kids a hug, and don't let a day go by without telling them you love them."
If I could, I'd give her the chance to, once again, tell Matthew that she loves him. The hate that killed Matthew violated his family as well. Not only did they face the loss of his well-loved presence, but the funeral was marred by the protests of Rev. Fred Phelps of Topeka, Kan. and his followers. While the family mourned, Phelps and company picketed outside with signs that read "God hates fags," "No tears for queers" and "Fag Matt in hell."
I can't help Matthew. He's gone. But where is the next Matthew Shepard?
The more that clear thinking and loving people do to combat the hate, the less likely the bashings will continue to ruin and end lives. For my part, I'll do what I can to give Matthew's death meaning. I hope that everyone who heard of and was touched by his death will pledge the same.
At least Matthew caught the attention of the nation. He's not alone as a victim of a hate crime. Gay bashings are a regular thing, even in Amarillo. I've known of beatings, even deaths, right here in Amarillo, but they rarely make the news, at least not as hate crimes.
A few years ago, the Amarillo Lesbian and Gay Alliance (ALGA) campout was harassed, including a tent being run over, life threats and a bonfire created in the midst of the campground. Those attacked had difficulty even convincing law enforcement officers to press charges. One official said, off the record of course, "Even if we know someone's guilty, we're not going to press charges unless we think we can get a conviction." The official implied that an Amarillo jury would not convict someone for a gay bashing.
They were wrong. Charges finally were filed and Wayne Blodgett, ringleader of the group, not only was convicted but also was one of the first in the state of Texas to receive a hate crimes enhancement to his sentence. It would have been easier for the victims to remain silent, to take the abuse and go quietly about their lives.
Perhaps, because they stood, another Matthew Shepard is alive today because those particular attackers learned that gay bashing is not okay. The words of a chaplain at the University of Arizona may have said it best:
"Silence killed Matthew Shepard. The silence of Christians who know that our scriptures on homosexuality are few and murky in interpretation and far outweighed by the words of a savior whose only comment on human relationships was to call us to never judge but only to love. The silence of well meaning educated people who pretend to have an enlightened view of homosexuality while quietly tolerating the abuse of gays and lesbians in their own communities. The silence of our elected officials who have the authority to make changes but prefer to count votes. The silence of the majority of "straight" Americans who shift uncomfortably when confronted by the thought that gays and lesbians may be no different from themselves, save for the fact that they are walking targets for bigotry, disrespect, cheap humor, and, apparently, of murder .... Crimes of hate may live in shouts of rage, but they are born in silence."
We pansexuals are guilty of the silence as well. If we offer who we are, without shame or silence, to our families, our friends and our associates, maybe we can do our small part to stop the birth of new and growing prejudice and hate.
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