Presented by: Harlan Pruden, Council Member & Co-Founder, NorthEast Two-Spirit Society
June 1, 2011
5:00 – 7:00PM
Marks Intercultural Center
Drexel University
Corner of 33rd Street and Chestnut Street
To RSVP & for more info:
Joe Hancock at jhh33@drexel.edu
You are invited to the “Indigenous Reproductive and Sexual Health, Rights and JUSTICE” Gathering! FREE EVENT - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
This will be a day to celebrate the amazing work that is being done for and by Indigenous people towards reproductive and sexual health, rights and justice! Speakers will include a wide range of Indigenous people working in the area of sexual/reproductive health, rights and justice globally as well as interactive sessions, performances and arts based activities. There will be food, performances, art and opportunities to network with each other. [download pdf flyer]
Where: Church Center for the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza, New York City, near 1st avenue and 44th street. (open to the general public)
When: Saturday, May 21 10am-4pm
Who: Anyone working in reproductive and sexual health, Indigenous peoples (Two-Spirit, Trans, gender non-conforming inclusive) organizations working within these issues, people attending the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues. Everyone welcome!
Please register with Krysta Williams [kwilliams@nativeyouthsexualhealth.com] with the following information (or download and use the Word registration form):
Harlan Pruden, a council member for the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society, was interviewed on the WBIA’s Out-FM, a progressive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirit news, culture, and activism.
The original air date of this show was Tuesday, April 12, 2010 at Tuesday April 12, 2011 7:00pm. This show included an interview with Michael Tikili about a new queer group called Queerocracy, a grassroots community organization working against the bureaucracy of a government that was supposed to bring us change to promote and advance social justice. Also, youth advocates Carl Sisiliano and Kate Barnhart discuss the latest budget cuts to programs benefiting homeless queer youth. Harlan Pruden on a recently released statewide needs assessment on the two-spirit population of New State, this report is the first of its kind in the country. And finally, an update on fighting the occupation of Palestine and on the LGBT Center controversy.
Listen to an important HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Public Service Announcement.
March 20, 2011 marked the fifth annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD). This day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on Native people. HIV/AIDS continues to grow in the US, affecting communities of color at a disproportionate rate. According to the 2008 Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Surveillance Report, Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders (22.8 per 100,000) and American Indians/Alaskan Natives (11.9 per 100,000) have the 3rd and 4th highest rates of new HIV infections. Furthermore, the diagnosis for HIV infection and AIDS rates increased from 2005 through 2008 among American Indians/Alaska Natives.
The purpose of this day is to: 1) encourage Native people to get educated and to learn more about HIV/AIDS and its impact in their community; 2) work together to encourage testing options and HIV counseling in Native communities; and 3) help decrease the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. It is a time to reflect on those who have passed as well as those who are currently infected and affected by HIV/AIDS - a “Celebration of Life” for all Native people.
The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society is a proud supporter of this day. At the top of this article is a link to a public service announcement that is specifically designed for the two-spirit community.
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Here is a transcript of the PSA:
Nad’le, wink’te, Ba’de, Iha’mana, adanvdo tali, He eman, s’kweakwan, or a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender Native American or First Nations, whatever name you call yourself - we are all proud two-spirit brothers and sisters. Knowing our traditions, culture and history is the only way we are going to restore our rightful place of honor and respect within our communities. Everything begins with you. That is why it is so important that we need to protect ourselves from diseases like HIV, so we will have better tomorrows for all the future generations. Take the test, and know your status.
Nā ʻŌiwi NYC and AICH present
KE KŪLANA HE MĀHŪ:
REMEMBERING A SENSE OF PLACE
Reception and Screening with Producer Connie Florez
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 6:00PM - 9:00PM
American Indian Community House
11 Broadway, 2nd Flr, New York, NY 10004
212.598.0100
Free with a Suggested donation: $5
Talk story and meet Connie Florez, producer and historian of “Ke Kūlana He Māhū: Remembering a Sense of Place,” at a welcome reception serving light refreshments and screening of the film. This documentary explores how colonialism and cultural imperialism has profoundly effected attitudes toward gender and sexuality for indigenous Hawaiians, and marginalized Hawai’i’s multifaceted gay and transgendered communites. Following the screening, there will be a selection from Florez’s current documentary project “The Glades Project,” including a Q&A panel discussion with the producer and members of the Native American Indian Communities in NYC.
Connie Florez is the CEO of Hula Girl Productions, and the Director of Film Programming for the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, and a current board member and former Executive Director for the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation.
Co-sponsored by: Nā ʻŌiwi NYC and American Indian Community House
By: ctvbc.ca
Date: Wednesday Mar. 23, 2011 1:30 PM PT
Then we see what it takes to change genders and we meet two very different men living positively with HIV.
March 5, 2011
Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains
Music
5–7 p.m. Martha Redbone performs a combination of R & B, soul, rock, and traditional Native American music.
8–10 p.m. Dee Jay Frame of the Redhawk Arts Council spins tracks fusing hip-hop with traditional Native American melodies and beats.
9–10 p.m. The Redhawk Dancers hosts an interactive dance performance inspired by traditional Northern and Southern Plains Dances.
For a listing of all the days programs and times visit brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php
Start getting ready for the annual Tulsa Two Spirits Gatherings set to take place in Osage Hills State Park in Oklahoma, April 15-18, 2001. You can find all the information on their gathering website.
The Office of Minority Health Resource Center is in the process of developing American Indian/Alaska Native Youth related digital educational materials. Along with our partners, Kat Communications, and the IHS HIV Program, we are seeking American Indian and Alaska Native artists that can portray regional and cultural areas. We are accepting ALL styles and themes of American Indian/Alaska Native Art. Traditional, contemporary, alternative process, digital, mix processes, and experimental works are welcome. All art must be original and appropriate for conversion to a digital format. Please send us a one paragraph biography, and details about the type of art work you create to artists@katcommunications.com.
Deadline: February 18, 2011. Once chosen to work on the project, artists will be compensated. Additional Questions? Contact artists@katcommunications.com or Evonne Bennett-Barnes at ebennett@minorityhealth.hhs.gov.
NorthEast Two-Spirit Society thanks Somjen Frazer, a Researcher and Evaluation Consultant and the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute for their work on the first-ever State-wide Needs Assessment for the Native Two-Spirit community titled - Reclaiming Our Voices: Two Spirit Health & Human Service Needs in New York State.
In addition to this being a first for the great State of New York, it is also the first of its kind in the country!
Download a copy of the ground breaking report [PDF].
Over the coming weeks, the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society will feature some of the findings of this report on our site.
For more information contact either:
Harlan Pruden - harlan@ne2ss.org
Somjen Frazer - consulting@somjenfrazer.com or visit her site at http://somjenfrazer.com