The dorm had been the location of some disturbing recent anti-gay harassment.  One of the residents of the hall who was perceived to be gay – but who has not identified as such – was being harassed by fellow residents of the dormitory.  Although the harassment began verbally, it ultimately resulted in the word ‘F-A-G’ being written in bold letters on the resident’s door.

The panel included Cathy Wyatt from White River Valley PFLAG, Patrick Battani from IU Health Bloomington, Alexandra Marshall (a PhD student from Indiana University focusing on LGBTQI issues), Matt Lowther from the STRONG Men Project, and Spencer Pride president Jonathan Balash.  The panel was moderated by Mai-Lin Poon from Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

The event was well-attended by the residents of the floor where the anti-gay harassment occurred.  It began at 7:30 PM in the main lounge of the dormitory.  First, each panelist introduced themself in the context of the topic at hand.  Some described their own experiences as members of the LGBTQI community, while others described why they have become involved even though they are not themselves members of that community.  Cathy Wyatt’s son is gay, for example, and Alexandra Marshall has been involved in a significant amount of research relating to bullied youth.

After the introductions were finished, Mai-Lin Poon began asking prepared questions to the panelists.  Each panelist responded to the questions from a unique perspective.  Jonathan tended to focus on workplace issues related to being an out gay man. 

A common theme of the event was about the labels that are often so easily associated with people or groups that we don’t understand.  Everything from bullying to marriage equality to the experiences of ‘coming out’ was discussed.  Some of the topics were initiated by Mai-Lin, while others began due to questions posed from residents in the audience.

It is generally believed that the panel was successful in educating the residents of the dormitory and hopefully the panel discussion has put a more realistic ‘face’ on members of the LGBTQI community.  Only time will tell if the harassment subsides at the dormitory, but thanks to the efforts of the concerned R.A., there is a good chance that the event will have a positive impact on the residents of her floor.

On Thursday, March 1^st, Spencer Pride Inc. announced a special contest for the 2012 Spencer Pride Festival t-shirt design.  The contest, which will run from March 1^st – March 31^st, will be open to individuals of all ages.  Contest rules, such as the requirement to incorporate the theme “Free to Be ____” into the design, are listed below. 

The winner of the contest will be recognized at the Spencer Pride Festival on June 2, 2012 and will receive a free shirt sporting his or her winning design.  They will also receive recognition in media interviews regarding the 2012 event.

This is the first-ever t-shirt design contest that the organization has coordinated.  The idea came from a Spencer Pride supporter who knew of a few high school students who were already inquiring about putting a t-shirt design together.

“It’s exciting to leave something as important as our official t-shirt design into the hands of the Spencer Pride Festival fans,” said Jonathan Balash, Spencer Pride president.  “We are confident that with the creativity and passion of our supporters that we will get some really amazing designs submitted.  The challenge is going to be in picking just one design to represent this year’s event!”

Beginning April 1^st, all submitted designs will be reviewed by the Spencer Pride Executive Board.  The Executive Board will choose a winning design by April 15^th and will ensure that the designer is notified no later than April 30^th.   

Last year’s t-shirt design was extremely popular and resulted in a sell-out of all t-shirts within a few hours.  Organizers of the Spencer Pride Festival hope that the winning 2012 design will elicit a similar response again this year.

Questions about the contest can be directed to info@SpencerPride.org or by calling Jonathan at 812-821-3073.

Before signing up, organizations in Indiana (or the Louisville, KY) area should first refer to the ‘Local Information Packet.’  This packet provides information about the 2012 Spencer Pride Festival, which will take place on June 2^nd.  This packet can be found on the same web page as the Online Participation Form and is also attached to this web post.

Costs associated with participating mirror those costs from the 2011 Spencer Pride Festival.  Vendor registration is only $15 for not-for-profit organizations and $25 for for-profit organizations.  This fee includes booth space, one table, and two chairs.  Additional tables, as well as water and electric hook-ups are available for additional fees.   Additional chairs are free (as always). Booth locations are determined, in part, by the order in which applications are submitted.  Early sign-ups results in more desirable booth locations at the Spencer Pride Festival Marketplace.

Local Sponsorships start at just $50 for the Bronze Sponsorship Level.  All Sponsors receive complimentary booth space (including table and chairs as noted above) as a result of their generous support of the 2012 Spencer Pride Festival.   The 'Local Information Packet' includes the full listing of sponsorship levels and benefits.

Organizations which are not based in Indiana (or the Louisville, KY area) should refer to the ‘Corporate Sponsorship Packet’ and contact Sponsors@SpencerPride.org.  These organizations cannot use the Online Participation Form, as the sign-up process for them is different and the sponsorship levels are based on larger levels of financial support.  The ‘Corporate Sponsorship Packet’ can be found under the ‘Corporate Sponsors’ link on the navigation bar on SpencerPride.org. 

For more information about 2012 Spencer Pride Festival participation, please contact us at Info@SpencerPride.org.  

For the first time, we are also announcing a special LGBT History Month Contest to coincide with the library displays.

The tradition of LGBT History Month educational displays began with just one library – the Owen County Public Library in downtown Spencer.  For two years we were proud to promote the history of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons at that library.  Last year, in an effort to expand our rural outreach, we were able to coordinate the displays to appear in 8 rural libraries.  This year, we’re proud to expand to a total of 9 libraries in several surrounding counties.

LGBT History Month Contest

In an effort to promote our public library displays this year, we are proud to announce that we are going to be having a contest.  The public is encouraged to visit their local library and have their photo taken next to our educational display for LGBT History Month. 

Individuals can then e-mail the photos to HistoryContest@SpencerPride.org along with contact information.  Each of the photos will be placed in a drawing and one winner will be randomly drawn on November 1^st.  This winner will receive a special prize package including at least $50.00 in gift cards to local South Central Indiana establishments. 

Individuals can submit one photo for each library display that they visit during October.  There are 9 library displays and therefore 9 chances for individuals to get an entry submitted to the contest just by visiting the participating libraries. 

There will also be a special LGBT History Month display at our upcoming Bullied Film Screening and Community Dialogue on October 5^th.    This will offer a special 10^th opportunity for individuals to enter the special contest.  The photos can include more than one person (couples, groups, etc.) and can count as an entry for each person in the photo, assuming that appropriate contact information is submitted for each individual photographed.

Photos from the contest winner and other contest participants will be featured on our website. 

For further information about the library displays or the contest, please contact Jonathan at info@SpencerPride.org.