News You Can Use
Despite a little rainy weather our July meeting set another record for attendance with 27 people who came out the annual cookout and barbeque of Lehigh Valley Transgender Renaissance. Everyone had more than enough to eat with burgers, dogs, salads, baked beans, deserts and all the rest of the trimmings for a great summer picnic.
Among those attending was Patti Klein who was one of the founding members of our group back in the the early 90’s. It was such a joy to hear her stories of those early days and how she, Angela Gardner and Joanne Roberts helped to blaze the trail that we are all on today. We were also joined by new members and a number of spouses and supporters.
Upcoming Transgender Events & Activities
During the meeting we also reviewed a number of upcoming events that Lehigh Valley Transgender Renaissance will be attending and I wanted to take a few moments to share them here with the larger community.
August 5 – Pride on the Mountain. Sponsored by the Rainbow Alliance, you can join us and the rest of the LGBT community at Montage Mountain Water Park in Scranton, PA from 5-9pm. There will be entertainment, food and fun so be sure to stop by our booth and say “Hi!” Advance discounted tickets are available at this link.
August 7 – Transgender Families Gathering. Sponsored by our friends at the Bradbury Sullivan Center, this free event is open to members of the transgender community and their family members. This is a great opportunity for involved family members to meet, chat and share resources. The event is free and runs from 2pm-5pm. I hope to see you there!
August 21 - Pride in the Park Festival. Sponsored by Pride of the Lehigh Valley, this event acknowledges the achievements and progress made by the LGBT community. Last year 4,000 attendees came to enjoy the vendors, music, food and more. LV Renaissance will have a tent at the festival, so drop-in and say hello! Hours are from noon-6pm. Admission is $5 with children under 12 being free.
Hot Off The Press - In Case You Missed It
NUMBER OF TRANS FOLKS IN AMERICA DOUBLES – Well actually, there is just a more accurate count. According to a newly released study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, the number of trans folks living in America is actually 1.4 million! That is double the previous estimate. This number reflects the number of adults who identify as trans and does not include youth.
U.S. MILITARY ALLOWS OPEN TRANSGENDER SERVICE – Effective June 30, 2016 the US Military repealed its ban on openly transgender people serving our country. The lift of the ban took immediate effect providing protections for the estimated 15,000 transgender service men and women who so proudly serve our country.
TRANS WOMEN WIN MAJOR-PARTY NOMINATIONS – neither the Democratic or Republican Party has ever nominated a trans person as a candidate for the US House or Senate before… That is until now! This year we have two trans women who are running for office as the official nominees of their Party. Misty Snow (Utah) will take on incumbent Senator Mike Lee and Misty Plowright (Colorado) will take on U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn.
Help Us Serve You!
If you have an event or other news item that you would like us to list in this monthly update please contact us. We are always looking to do outreach, education and advocacy for the transgender community in Eastern PA and Central NJ.
Learn More About the Lehigh Valley Transgender Community
Would you like to write for our transgender blog or learn more about our support group for transgender people in the Lehigh Valley and eastern Pennsylvania? If so, please contact Lehigh Valley Renaissance or better yet join us at one of our transgender support group meetings!
