Maia Oriana De La Pava-Goldstein, Diana De La Pava & Manuel Ducret
Occupy Queens marching with the Queens Pride House contingent
Charles Ober, Phillip Huffins & Pauline Park at the Queens Pride House booth in the multicultural festival
Grupo Latino – the Spanish-speaking men’s group – marching with the Queens Pride House contingent
Elyaqim Mosheh Adam & Pauline Park
René Vázquez del Valle, D.S.W., administering health surveys at the Queens Pride House booth in the multicultural festival
Sara Gillen, Charles J. Ober & Carlos M. Cubas march with the Queens Pride House contingent
Carlos M. Cubas tabling at the Queens Pride House booth in the multicultural festival
Bear Den members marching with the Queens Pride House contingent
Dear Queens Pride House friends,
The last few months have been very busy ones at Queens Pride House. This issue of our e-newsletter explains some of the significant staff changes at Queens Pride House and also provides information on important events in the planning. We’re especially proud to be sponsoring our first workshop on LGBT parenting issues (on July 10) and a screening of a groundbreaking documentary on the life and work of Bayard Rustin (on July 27). Finally, I’d like to encourage you to join Queens Pride House as a member; we’re launching a membership program, and your membership fee will help enable us to continue the important work that we do on behalf of the LGBT community of Queens.
Pauline Park
President of the Board of Directors & Acting Executive Director Queens Pride House
Queens Pride House leadership transition
In May, Silvia Dutchevici resigned as executive director of Queens
Pauline Park
Pride House in order to attend to pressing health-related issues. In the wake of Silvia’s resignation, the board of directors asked Pauline Park to serve as acting executive director. Along with Charles J. Ober (board treasurer and chief financial officer), Pauline is one of only two of the original co-founders who is still actively involved with Queens Pride House. Pauline served as the secretary of the original board of directors when QPH was founded in January 1997 and returned to the board in April 2010 after an absence, subsequently being elected as president of the board of directors in July 2010, and she will continue to serve in that capacity. Perhaps best known for having led the campaign for the transgender rights law enacted by the New York City Council in 2002, Pauline was the first openly transgendered person to be named grand marshal of the New York City Pride March, in which capacity she served in 2005.
Queens Pride House staff changes
Carlos M. Cubas
Carlos M. Cubas came to the United States from Peru at the age of nine. Seeing the need for someone who is bilingual and bicultural as well as openly gay to provide information on immigration, legal rights, social services, health and HIV/AIDS to Spanish-speaking immigrants, Carlos first came to Pride House in September 2011 as a volunteer. In April, he joined the staff as health outreach coordinator. Carlos serves as co-coordinator of the Grupo Latino, the Spanish-speaking men’s group, and provides support for all of the groups meeting at Queens Pride House.
Michelle Fatemah Abdus-Shakur
Michelle Fatemah Abdus-Shakur is an openlytransgendered African American woman who has spoken widely on transgender rights, social justice and equality of economic opportunity for all. Michelle first came to volunteer at Queens Pride House in June 2011. Since then, she has taken on many responsibilities, including as office manager as well as facilitator of the transgender empowerment group. Michelle will continue to serve in both capacities but she now takes on a new set of responsibilities as program coordinator at Queens Pride House.
Bayard Rustin film screening at Pride House
“Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” is the critically
acclaimed documentary about the gay African American man who organized the 1963 national march on Washington, D.C. for civil rights at which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic ‘I have a dream’ speech. We will be honored by the presence of Walter Naegle, Rustin’s life partner, who will join us for a Q&A session following the screening of this groundbreaking film about Rustin’s 60-year career as an activist. So please join us from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, July 27 for the screening of this landmark documentary about one of the great civil rights and LGBT rights leaders~!
Open Colors youth group
Open Colors is the youth group that meets at Queens Pride House every Wednesday from 7:15-8:30 p.m. The group is open to any
youth age 14-22. The group offers members the opportunity to find group support, make new friends, do community outreach and build leadership skills. Snacks and light refreshments are provided. The group is facilitated by Lior Ben-Avraham, who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at New York University and is working as an intern at Queens Pride House. For more info., contact Lior (LBen-Avraham@queenspridehouse.org).
LGBT parenting workshop: The Nuts & Bolts of Starting a Family: Adoptions, Foster Care & Surrogacy
Co-sponsored by the Center Families
Join us for a workshop on the nuts and bolts of starting a family
through adoption (domestic and international), foster care, and surrogacy. An attorney and adoption specialist will review the overall process and legal issues including the home study, birthmother search and matching, fees, and placement. They will also survey the legal concerns of children of same-sex parents who are married in New York but might travel out of state where same-sex marriage is not recognized. LGBT parents who have children will also be on hand to talk about how they became parents, their joys and struggles of parenting, family acceptance, and negotiating who is ‘daddy’ or ‘mommy.’
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
6:30-8 p.m.
Queens Pride House
76-11 37th Avenue, at 77th Street
Jackson Heights, NY
E/F M/R to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave, or 7 train to 74th Street-Broadway
Light refreshments will be served. A $10 donation is greatly appreciated.
Dr. Judith Lee: Judith founded and directed a very successful domestic adoption agency for 13 years and focused her doctoral work on adoptions while at New York University. Dr. Lee is a hands-on adoption expert, and works with couples or individuals who are looking to adopt a child privately.
Christopher S. Goeken, Esq. Christopher is not only an adoption attorney who specializes in LGBT adoptions, but he’s also the proud father of a kindergartener adopted with his partner. Christopher has handled adoptions throughout the NYC region for all kinds of families, and has trained other lawyers in the adoption process.
Queens Pride 2012
Leading the Queens Pride House contingent in the parade (from left to right): Philip Huffins, René Vázquez del Valle, Carlos M. Cubas, Pauline Park, Sara Gillen, Kleber Jalon, Itala Rutter, Anne Zaccardelli, Stephanie Hernandez.
Queens Pride House fielded a contingent of nearly 30 people in the Queens Pride Parade on Sunday, June 3, with individuals marching behind the banners of the Grupo Latino and the Bear Den as well as Queens Pride House itself. Afterwards, staff members and volunteers tabled at the Queens Pride House booth at the multicultural festival on 37th Road, disseminating health-related information and free condoms to attendees from throughout the borough and the city.
Queens Pride House 15th anniversary celebration
We will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Queens Pride House at a restaurant in Queens on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 27. Please mark your calendars for this special event; more details to come~!
Queens Pride House membership
Queens Pride House is launching a new membership program, with basic membership at $10 a year, couples at $15 and families at $20; there is also a $5 membership rate for those who are students,
unemployed or living on a fixed income. QPH membership will entitle members to free or reduced entrance to special events and discounts at local stores, restaurants, and cultural venues in Queens. Membership fees will go to supporting the important work of Queens Pride House. If you are interested in joining, please e-mail Carlos Cubas (CCubas@queenspridehouse.org).
Stop & Frisk March
Queens Pride House has endorsed the Father’s Day March to End Stop & Frisk and Racial Profiling, which will take place in Manhattan at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, and we would encourage all who support social justice to participate in this important action:
Pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at Touro College, Myrie B. Peart has just finished her internship at Queens Pride House, where she provided counseling to clients under the clinical supervision of then-executive director Silvia M. Dutchevici. Thank you, Myrie, for your service to Queens Pride House, and best of luck to you with all your endeavors~!
Queens Pride House / 76-11 37th Avenue / Jackson Heights, New York 11372
acclaimed documentary about the gay African American man who organized the 1963 national march on Washington, D.C. for civil rights at which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic ‘I have a dream’ speech. We will be honored by the presence of Walter Naegle, Rustin’s life partner, who will join us for a Q&A session following the screening of this groundbreaking film about Rustin’s 60-year career as an activist. So please join us from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, July 27 for the screening of this landmark documentary about one of the great civil rights and LGBT rights leaders~!
through adoption (domestic and international), foster care, and surrogacy. An attorney and adoption specialist will review the overall process and legal issues including the home study, birthmother search and matching, fees, and placement. They will also survey the legal concerns of children of same-sex parents who are married in New York but might travel out of state where same-sex marriage is not recognized. LGBT parents who have children will also be on hand to talk about how they became parents, their joys and struggles of parenting, family acceptance, and negotiating who is ‘daddy’ or ‘mommy.’
