True Story

From my friends at the True Stories Project:

Last week President Obama “evolved” on marriage equality, coming to the conclusion that, personally, he supported the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

We couldn’t be any happier or prouder – after all, we’re in the evolution business, nudging along hearts and minds one audience at a time.

In fact, last month, we reached our 500th community screening of Inlaws & Outlaws with a very special screening to raise money for our new partners, Washington United for Marriage.

As wonderful as that evening was, we are no less proud of our 499th screening, put together by two churches and a PFLAG chapter in a small town in southwestern Washington. They got over a hundred folks to turn out on a Tuesday night and got a wonderful article in the local paper. The 501st was presented by students at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana as part of Diversity Week. A Virginia chapter of Integrity,the LGBT Episcopal organization put on the 502nd. And Number 503 kicked off the first Pride Week at Salish-Kootenai College, a small tribal school in rural Montana – the first of three screenings this month in that state.

We could go on — and we’d love to! But we can’t do it without you.

With marriage equality finally center stage on the national agenda, we wanted to make it even easier for schools, congregations, and non-profits to host our next 500 screenings.

Introducing our Equality Deal, an easy way to host a screening of Inlaws & Outlaws for free, raise money for your local organization and help more folks evolve in your community.

Here’s how it works:

First, you pick an Equality Deal package that’s the right size for you. The screening license is free when you purchase a package of DVDs with the Equality Deal.
Next, register your event with us, and we’ll make you a nice event page and give you access to lots of free tools to help promote it.
Then, at your film showing, you sell the DVDs at full price, making back your money and, keeping the extra for you or your cause.

We designed it to be win-win, and a great way for us to helping folks in our community evolve. Check out the Equality Deal. We are so ready to welcome you to our Outlaws Posse.

We all know that the fight for equality is truly about love, family, belonging, the pursuit of happiness – something all Americans can relate to. That’s been the idea behind Inlaws & Outlawsfrom the start. All we have to do is share our stories, and that truth becomes eviden to our friends and neighbors. And that’s how you build support for equality.
With gratitude and pride,
Drew Emery

PS If you’re not up for hosting a screening, consider making a donation to our Hearts + Minds Campaign. Every $100 of support helps us offer a free screening to a community organization to help create change.

Inlaws And Outlaws Heads To Montana! (dgsmith.org)
LGBT Locals Cheer Obama’s Marriage-Equality Stance: D.C., Maryland, Virginia groups praise Obama’s support for same-sex marriage (pinkbananaworld.com)

Montana Pride Announces: Jessie And The Toy Boys

May15 by D Gregory Smith

From MontanaPride.org :

We are stoked to announce another awesome add to our weekend line-up for 2012 Pride.
Check out Jessie and The Toy Boys … performing live on Friday night, June 15th at Montana Pride!
She’s toured with Britney and Nicki Minaj, and in just a month will be right here in Bozeman. (Share it!)

And don’t forget to get your tickets early- they’re going fast! Click logo for site.

Inlaws And Outlaws Heads To Montana! (dgsmith.org)
Montana Pride 2012 Early Bird Tickets Now Available! (dgsmith.org)
Pride Foundation: Big Plans for Montana (dgsma.wordpress.com)

Inlaws And Outlaws Heads To Montana!

May13 by D Gregory Smith

This month, Inlaws & Outlaws heads to Big Sky Country, with three community screenings in Montana!

Salish Kootenai College’s Spirit of Many Colors Gay-Straight Alliance is holding their first annual PRIDE Week and the film kicks it off with a free community screening on Monday, May 14 at 2 pm in the college library.

Later in the month, Montana Pride 2012 and the Montana Human Rights Network team up to present two screenings of the film with a special appearance by filmmaker Drew Emery at each.

On Wednesday, May 23, the film will screen at Plymouth Congregational Church in Helena. On Friday, May 25, the film screens at the Bozeman Public Library. Both screenings are free and open to the general public and a Q&A and discussion with the filmmaker will follow.

The screenings happen as the battle for LGBT rights in the state heats up, including the upcoming vote on Helena’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance. If the city passes the law, it will be the second city in Montana to offer civil rights protections for LGBT Montanans. Missoula became the first in 2010.

D Gregory Smith of Montana Pride shared his excitement over the film’s timeliness. “A basic understanding of the humanity of LGBT relationships is often what’s missing from our discussion of LGBT rights. This film helps remedy that. No one will walk away wondering about differences – the shared humanity is obvious, and celebrated.”


	Montana Outlaws Tour
Mon, May 14 2 pm	Salish Kootenai College Pablo, MT
Wed, May 23 7 pm	Montana Human Rights Network and Montana Pride 2012 Pilgrim Congregational Church, Helena, MT
Fri, May 25 7 pm	Montana Human Rights Network and Montana Pride 2012 Bozeman Public Library, Bozeman, MT
Share:	Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email

Montana Pride 2012 Early Bird Tickets Now Available! (dgsmith.org)
Pride Foundation: Big Plans for Montana (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Marriage Equality And Montana (dgsmith.org)
ACLU Asks Montana Supreme Court to Recognize Relationships of Same Sex Couples (dgsmith.org)

Gay Bozeman Couple Report Assault

Apr16 by D Gregory Smith

On Sunday evening, two gay men claim to have been assaulted inside a Bozeman bar with the assailants repeatedly using gay slurs. The two men required medical attention at the local hospital.

One of the alleged victims told me,”We simply asked a guy to stop some annoying behavior and he said ‘Don’t tell me what to do, faggot’ and cold-cocked me. It’s all a little fuzzy from there. A woman accused (the other man) of assaulting her and the next thing I know, we’re in the back of the patrol car.”

The man insists that he and his boyfriend were not being antagonistic and denied assaulting anyone. “We just went in to have a beer”, he said.

Both men were released from the Gallatin County Detention Facility today. Both men are facing charges- misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct, and an investigation is ongoing. Local media have not yet picked up the story- although I was contacted by a local reporter late today.

Editorial comments: I didn’t speak to any of the alleged assailants, law enforcement, medical personnel or bar management. I did however speak to several friends and acquaintances of the two gay men and they all concurred with one who said, “If he assaulted anyone, it would be so completely uncharacteristic of him, I simply can’t imagine.”

I want to caution people to not rush to judgment until all the facts are known and an investigation is complete.

I’m writing about this incident because I’m simply worried that if prejudice and hate were in any way involved that it not be discounted- because whatever happened, hitting people and repeatedly calling them faggots is not acceptable.

If you were a witness or have further information, I would encourage you to contact law enforcement immediately.

And finally- please be careful out there.

Chronicle Reports on HIV In Gallatin County

Apr12 by D Gregory Smith

From Today’s Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

Map of Montana highlighting Gallatin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While Missoula County is dealing with an outbreak of new cases of HIV, health officials say the situation is a lot different in Gallatin County.

Missoula County officials recently reported that the county saw 12 new documented cases of HIV in the last five months, enough to classify it as an outbreak.

However, in Gallatin County there have been only seven new cases reported in the last five years. There was one new case last year, two in 2010, three in 2009, none in 2008 and one in 2007.

“It’s nothing, thank goodness, at all like what Missoula has seen recently,” said Gallatin City-County Health Director Matt Kelley.

AIDS Outreach, a Bozeman nonprofit that offers services to people living with HIV and AIDS, estimated that about 80 people have reported living with HIV and AIDS in Gallatin County.

According to the Missoulian, all 12 new cases in Missoula involve adult men who contracted the virus through situations ranging from presumed monogamous relationships to anonymous sexual encounters.

A similar outbreak happened in Yellowstone County a year ago. Six new cases were reported in less than a month between March and April.

There still need to be a lot of people tested here, though. From what I know and understand, there are people at risk who are not getting tested or who are positive and not actively revealing their status to their partners- both gay and straight.

So get tested- and protect yourself. Asking HIV status and using condoms may keep you healthy for years to come. Not doing so may result in a lifetime of financial and social difficulty. Believe me, I know.

Testing, safe sex kits and information available at AIDS Outreach www.AIDSOutreachMT.org

Full Chronicle story by Whitney Bermes is here.

Missoula County Sees Spike In HIV Infection (dgsmith.org)

Gallatin County Democrats Fundraiser Raises Some Great Questions

Apr3 by D Gregory Smith

Sunday night I attended the Gallatin County Democrats Grand Opening Fundraiser at their new headquarters on Mendenhall in Bozeman. It was a great potluck- and crowded- which bodes well for the future of Democratic candidates in Bozeman this year.

Each candidate was allowed some time to speak. Pam Bucy and Monica Lindeen– both of whom I strongly support- shared energy, enthusiasm and common sense. They both need to be elected, in my very humble opinion.

I came to hear the Congressional candidates. I needed to see them and hear them in person. Their speeches were limited to 3 minutes, but all 4 had something important to say- mostly in contraposition to the Republican policy. Kim Gillan spoke about the need to control our own destinies. Franke Wilmer showcased her brilliant career as an academic and as an effective (as a Democrat could be last term) Montana Legislator. Dave Strohmaier shared a vision of the future which relied on non-discrimination (including LGBT persons!), progressive principles and conviction. And then there was Rob Stutz.

Stutz started by talking about taking back the Constitution- both federal and state- from the “hijack tactics of the Tea Party”. Excellent. And enthusiastic applause followed. Then he said something that made me stop.

“We have to have a plan to win in November. Do Democrats have a plan? We can’t wait until after the primary- we need a plan now!”

Like I said, I stopped. All of the ideas that were shared by the candidates were excellent ideas. The rhetoric was high. The enthusiasm inspiring. But Stutz is right. Where’s the plan? Because all the good ideas in the world don’t mean anything without a plan.

And without a plan, November could be disastrous for Democrats.

Screening Tomorrow In Bozeman: “For The Bible Tells Me So”

Mar20 by D Gregory Smith

Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate? We’re going to discuss this after a screening of “For the Bible Tells Me So” Wednesday March 21st 7pm at The Procrastinator Theater in the SUB at MSU- sponsored by BridgerCare. From the movie’s website:

Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families — including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.

I’ll be facilitating a discussion which will include persons who have ben involved in ex-gay reparative “therapy”, and members of local Christian communities.

From my friend Ted Hayes:

Greg, your audience is in for a great time at this movie. Daniel Karslake, the producer, is a personal friend of about 15 years and a great guy. We had a showing in 2008 at the State University of New York, New Paltz, with both Dan and Mary Lou Wallner, who is featured in the film, on the scene for that particular weekend. It literally poured rain that evening but did not dampen the spirits of the more that 200 persons who braved the storm to be in attendance.

The film is wonderful, the stories are wonderful and the people involved with it are wonderful. Wish I could be there to share in this experience with all my fellow Montanans-in-law (my late partner was from Lewistown).

Hope to see you there!

For the Bible Tells Me So (lessfruit.wordpress.com)
5 Reasons We Need to Rebrand Evangelism – Part 4 (richwendling.wordpress.com)
What does the Bible say about OMG? (defendingcontending.com)
I may be lonely, but I’m never alone (sandypineapple.wordpress.com)

Watch Our Mardi Gras Interview On KBZK

Feb16 by D Gregory Smith

Here!

The event information:

Pride Foundation: Big Plans for Montana

Feb10 by D Gregory Smith

By Caitlin Copple, Montana Regional Development Organizer, Pride Foundation

During new Executive Director Kris Hermanns’ inaugural visit to Montana, the state’s Leadership Action Team volunteers convened at a retreat center in Red Lodge January 28 to assess the first year of Pride Foundation’s regional expansion in Montana and to help set the course for 2012.

“The Montana retreat recognized, created and harnessed some of the most encouraging energy I’ve been a part of in a long time,” said volunteer and monthly donor Greg Smith of Bozeman. “There is a unity of purpose and vision among us that’s palpable, and we are absolutely committed to LGBTQ equality in Montana.”

Added volunteer and donor Mary Stranahan of Arlee: “It was a good whirlwind of networking and making connections across the state, and I am very glad to have met Kris.”

Among the highlights were the notable increase in the number of LGBTQ events around the state, feeling more connected as a statewide community, giving away more money than ever, and feeling like we are working to create a better world through social change. Wishes from team members included the need for more political and legal change, more visibility to reach people outside the “choir” of progressive and LGBTQ activists, and to diversify in fundraising strategies.

LAT Members with Pride Foundation's Amy White

The team, which functions much like a statewide board, decided to split into three subcommittees focusing on fundraising, visibility and communications, and leadership development. The fundraising committee, co-chaired by Aaron Browning of Billings and Ginny Furshong of Helena, will focus on major donor and monthly giving development and donor retention, as well as connecting with Montana’s many “expats” who have left the state for either coast but remaining committed to social justice here.

The communications committee will develop Montana-specific “talking points” about the impact of Pride Foundation and its grantees in Montana, and work to present to businesses and service clubs.

The leadership development committee will focus on power-building by providing capacity building and technical assistance to grantee organizations and allies, as well as providing greater volunteer support to grantees, especially those focused on advocacy and education.

“Volunteering with and donating to Pride Foundation means being a part of something bigger than myself without losing my individual identity – or my voice,” explains LAT member and monthly donor Greg Smith of Bozeman. “In fact, Pride Foundation amplifies my voice because it is the vehicle for change in the Pacific Northwest for all LGBTQ persons and our allies, urbanand rural. Pride Foundation’s investment in my home state of Montana couldn’t be clearer- it’s professional, it’s consistent and it’s becoming stronger every day.”

Moving forward, the Leadership Action Team plans to meet quarterly in person and monthly in subcommittees. If you have feedback or suggestions for how Pride Foundation can better serve your community, please contact Caitlin@pridefoundation.org or one of your local LAT members.