I just want to make sure everyone on the East Coast knows about Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen - happening this Saturday!

Here is the word from its cofounders.  For those who don't know,  co-founder Kathleen is a longtime member of the Young Women of Color Leadership Council at Advocates for Youth!

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Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Volume 3: "Back to Our Roots"

Join us Saturday, March 6th, for what's sure to be an amazing event!!!

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen (MHHK) is a concert, platform and showcase of socially conscious female artists focused creating awareness on the impact of Environmental Injustices and Educational Inequalities on women of color.
MHHK Volume 3, Back to Our Roots, will be honoring International Women’s Month by bringing together educators, students, environmentalists, djs, emcees, b-girls, poets, visual artists, dancers, healers, pastors, organizers and activists to collectively express our solidarity with women’s rights!

We hope that you can join us at this free and family-friendly event. Local organizations and businesses focused on these and/or related issues are encouraged to participate by tabling or simply attending.

When and Where: Saturday, March 6th, 2010 @ the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) Bronx, NY (Main Theater)

Time: 2-5pm

This event is FREE and open to all ages.

For more information about the event, please visit our website @ http://www.mhhk.org or email hiphopkitchen@gmail.com. Organizations interested in tabling can register here. >Cookin' up a storm!
-Kathleen and Lah

Hey folks, I just wanted to pass along this opportunity!

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My name is Stacy Buchanan, Project Marketing Coordinator for The WGBH Lab (lab.wgbh.org).  I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself, and a new project that we have started that I’m hoping will be of interest to the youth that participate in your program.

Quick background on us:  The WGBH Lab is a space for filmmakers and media makers of all kinds, to connect, interact, watch, create, and collaborate on work. Our most successful outlet is our Open Call series (http://lab.wgbh.org/open-call), in which where we partner with an influential team, create a compelling theme, invite media makers to submit completed video shorts in relation to this theme, and choose potentials for future PBS broadcasts.

In our latest Open Call, we’ve partnered up with MASTERPIECE Classic, and have launched The Video Diary Project (http://www.thewgbhlab.org/masterpiece), inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank. We’re asking young media makers (ages 13 and up), to submit video diaries telling us about their lives – specifically areas where certain aspects of intolerance may be involved. How have they overcome being bullied or disrespected for the way they look, think, or for what they believe in – that kind of stuff.  Portions of the diaries submitted may be selected for broadcast on MASTERPIECE Classic’s PBS airing of The Diary of Anne Frank on April 11th, 2010.  

Do you think that you could help us spread the word on this event to your teen participants? Amplify is such a great resource and outlet for teens – we would love to hear their stories.  We have a hard deadline of getting video diaries in by March 8th, in order to be considered for broadcast.  Video diaries will also be accepted until the end of May for a separate PBS broadcast component.   In the meantime, please visit us at: http://www.thewgbhlab.org/masterpiece to learn more about the project (and us), and I do hope to hear from you soon!

Hi everyone, I am just passing along this opportunity to be interviewed for NEA Today magazine!

Let’s Talk About Sex (Ed)

NEA Today wants to hear from students from around the country who have ideas about sex education in their schools. Describe the sex ed program at your school, and explain why you think it does or does not work for teenagers. What would you change and why? We want to hear from all perspectives – those in favor of abstinence only programs, those in favor of comprehensive sex ed, and anything in between. We’ll consider all responses and follow up with some of you for an interview for the magazine. This story will be your turn to tell American educators what you think!

You can send emails to clong@nea.org or leave a comment on this entry.

From Time Magazine

The legal case that gay-rights activists feared to see is about to get under way in a federal courtroom in San Francisco. For the next several weeks, plaintiffs will argue that the U.S. Constitution forbids states from restricting marriage to one man and one woman. The case has brought together some of the most powerful appellate attorneys in America, but has divided gay-rights lawyers and legal scholars who fear that even if successful, the case could set the issue on a collision course with a less-than-sympathetic U.S. Supreme Court.

And, of course, activists are pretty sure the Supreme Court is not going to recognize a right to same-sex marriage - and their ruling will set a bad precedent for the coming decades in the fight for equal marriage rights.

I am very interested to know what Amplify readers think about this.   Should the plaintiffs have waited? 

I don't know where I stand on this but I have to say I am feeling the one lawyer's pain here:

 "...No one urging us not to proceed could or would say when would be a good time to bring this case."

He's right - it does feel like the country/courts won't be "ready" for the lawsuit anytime soon. Do you think that justifies the plaintiffs proceeding with the case? 

We won't be posting any new columns between now and January 4, so I wanted to leave you with this year-end roundup - a favorite column selected by the author, and a favorite column selected by me!

By press time I had not heard from Bianca Laureano, author of Media Justice, as to her favorite, but mine is Communal Survival:  Holding Each Other Accountable and Healing, for its thoughtful discussion of a "scandal" in hip hop.

L. Michael Gipson, author of Music and Musings, selects American Idol:  Killing Pink Dreams as his fave of the year.  I had selected True Blood:  Race, Sex, and Notes to Alan Ball because of its much-needed commentary there, but I'm also going to highlight this elegy to E. Lynn Harris - such a sad loss for 2009.  Check out his work on SoulTracks, too.

Eric Jost, author of Culture Voyeur, selects Take Pride in Pride as his favorite.  I pick The New Masculinity, which explores far-right attacks on gender equity.

And Yes Means Yes author Jaclyn Friedman selects Round is a Shape as her favorite, while I loved Let's Talk About Casual Sex, Baby.

Check out all their columns and their other work, linked to above!  Chime in with your faves as well!

Happy holidays everyone!  Between now and January 4, you may notice a bit less action on Amplify's front page - staff will be on vacation!

I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect for a moment on the past year.  Amplify officially launched on Jan 1, 2009, and since then I have gotten to know so many of you by your amazing writing and unique points of view.  It has been such an honor!  From Amplify's front page bloggers to the young people in our state and country campaigns, from peer educators to those of you who have found a home on the site outside your work with Advocates for youth,  I've seen so much great work and committment to improving sexual health and rights.

I am looking forward to an exciting 2010 and I hope you are too!  Have a happy and safe new year!


Emily

First and foremost I want to urge everyone to call Speaker Pelosi's office today and urge her to demand that funding for abstinence-only programs be removed from the health care bill! 

And check out James Wagoner's blog for a rundown on the possible next steps in the health care reform process.

You've been reading about some of this in AFY_Mimi's blog:  right now a summit on climate change is going on in Copenhagen.  Advocates for Youth along with other reproductive health and rights groups have signed onto a declaration of support for a just and sustainable world.  Climate change disproportionately affects women and youth, and Advocates for Youth supports culturally competent approaches which provide all people with the education and access to services they need to support efforts to combat climate change.

Read the Declaration (PDF)


And finally, I thought this story was a perfect example of why the Great American Condom Campaign is needed.   What a baffling, disturbing policy and what a ridiculous response to the anonymous condom distribution attempt. (All emphasis mine)

(By James Wagoner, President, Advocates for Youth)

This week, the Senate voted AGAINST using health care reform to restrict women’s access to abortion coverage.  By a vote of 54 to 45 – and after weeks of grassroots pressure from across the country – the Senate delivered a striking victory.

And it wouldn’t have happened without you.

We’ve sent an enormous number of email these past few weeks – so thank you for bearing with is, and for all you have done to help reach this point.

In the last few weeks, you have:

• Sent 5,395 letters to Congress
• Made thousands of phone calls to your Senators
• Organized events and helped raise awareness on over 100 college campuses

And on December 2, more than 1,200 activists came to DC to lobby their legislators in person. 

Momentum is on our side – call Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office today. 
 

Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with Speaker Pelosi’s office.  Tell her staff:

“We are counting on Speaker Pelosi and progressives in the House to remove the Stupak Amendment from the final health care reform bill.

As the House leadership begins to work with the Senate on the final bill, we need Speaker Pelosi to pressure her Senate colleagues to remove the $50 million in funding for abstinence-only programs from the final legislation."

For details on the possible next steps in Congress on health care reform, click here.
 

• Summary: Read a summary of the Health and Human Services Appropriations in the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill here.
• Bill Text: Read the legislative text for the Health and Human Services Appropriations in the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill here.
• Joint Explanatory Statement: Read the "Joint Explanatory Statement" for the Health and Human Services Appropriations in the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill here.

The school district of Alameda, California has been in the news because of its elementary school curriculum about bullying prevention.  

The problem with the curriculum:  its Lesson 9 teaches that some people have same-sex parents and that those students should not be bullied.

Without even the usual lip service to their caring for the sinner but not the sin, anti-gay activists have cried "Indoctrination!"  One activist said parents don't want their kids being "bombarded" with "pro-homosexual messages" at school.

Others say it's just too early to learn these lessons; when the lesson was introduced a conservative blogger called it  "The end of the innocence" - a particularly disturbing formulation as it implies that learning not to taunt and bully other children is the equivalent of teaching them The Joy Of Gay Sex.

Here's the AP on a book that is a part of the curriculum:

The book, "Who's In A Family," contains pictures of families headed by grandparents, single parents and gay parents, among others.

Wait, so this book shows....actual families?  Like, pictures of people in families?  And one of them has a grandma, and one has two dads or two moms?  ....  I don't feel my innocence slipping away.

The lessons are needed:

From Fox News:

Some parents like Carrie Brash said the curriculum is necessary to combat bigotry that was already rearing its head among even young children, who were bullying her daughter in school.

Brash said her daughter had to endure taunting chants of "Lesbian, lesbian, your mom's a lesbian," from kids in school.

Sadly, the pressure of the Homophobe Lobby got to the school board, and they agreed to phase out Lesson 9 and replace with a more generic bullying curriculum that includes discussions of several kinds of bias.  That's one step toward ending bullying, but according to GLSEN's report on orientation-based bullying in schools, is nowhere near as effective as policies and curricula that specifically address GLBTQ issues.  Plus, the protestors are still not happy because the new lessons still acknowledge that GLBTQ people exist and experience discrimination.

Isn't anyone protesting these lessons ashamed of themselves?  They are arguing against a lesson that discourages bullying and teaches tolerance. Learning not to beat someone up or call them a name because they have lesbian moms is not "indoctrination," a "pro-homosexual message," or "the end of the innocence."  It's a matter of learning basic school conduct  and coexistence with others. 

Let's call things what they are.   At the root of this is the same thing that made a McDonalds manager think it was OK to call a teen job applicant a faggot.  It's the same root as the law in Uganda that could lead to execution for homosexuals and jail time for those who do not report them. It's not about HIV prevention in Uganda; it's not about states rights or whatever the hell is keeping the Employment NonDiscrimination Act from being passed; and it's definitely not about the safety of children. 

The root of it all is a basic belief that GLBTQ people don't deserve to be acknowledged, much less protected.  No matter how you dress it up, it leads to harassment and danger for GLBTQ people.  And anti-gay groups, no matter how Christian they claim to be, tacitly support this harassment and danger. They are just Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps without the big yellow sign.

Yesterday the Senate dropped the Nelson-Hatch Amendment to the health care bill, which would have prevented under the public plan the purchase of healthcare policies which cover abortion. This is a step toward ensuring equal access to abortion for all women.

However, against science, parents' wishes, and all logic, Senator Harry Reid has also introduced a provision which would restore funding for abstinence-only programs - those same failed, misleading, and homophobic programs for which President Obama ended funding in his federal budget.

Keep an eye on this space - we will update with how you can take action against this ridiculous step back into the Bush administration. 

Read about yesterday's actions on health care in the Washington Post

Check it out, SafeSites!

UF student turns negative to positive with AIDS sculpture

In front of the Student Health Care Center on Tuesday, three letters reaching six feet tall stood in the grass underneath the trees.

The letters read “HIV.”

Students passing by the display stopped and stared at the wooden construction, first looking at the white letters, then glancing at the red “positive” sign next to the letters.

The scarlet cross signified contracting the disease. Red Durex condoms lined the vertical facade so that passersby could take one, ultimately leaving just the “negative” sign by the end of the day.

"The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."

On Meet the Press yesterday, Warren reiterated, “As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides.” He has, however, said that abortion is a “holocaust” and pushed for the passage of California’s Prop. 8.

Funny how many "pro life" organizations are remaining mum on the law.  Anyone heard anything from Heritage Foundation?  Family Research Council? Concerned Women for America supported Uganda's anti-gay measures in 2007, and are remaining quiet now.   But they all have plenty to say about DC's same-sex marriage law.

Gross  Exodus International has condemned the Uganda law , and although that letter is annoying and putting "Former homosexual" under your signature is hilarious/pathetic, at least they are on record as being against punishing homosexuality with death. 

The bar is so low, folks.  Anyone else care to jump over it?

Amplify and Advocates for Youth have been vigilant in keeping the public informed of attempts in Congress to turn back the clock and limit access to abortion. 

And, some of the Public is not amused!  We've received so many charming responses to our emails and blogs - it seems like we just have to share.

Please note:  asterisks were not employed in the original emails!

Starting with the basics:

shut the f*ck up

And this one, where the person doesn't seem against "murder" per se, since they think our moms should have committed it, but they find it fiscally irresponsible:

So you want congress to aprove the bill so that women can murder their children for free? I don't htink so, I am NOT paying for irresponsible baby murderers. ...Maybe your mother should have aborted you. 

 

To this one, seemingly sent to us from a gangster movie set in the 1930s:

....You can suck an egg.

 

And this one which I actually kind of like:

DO NOT EXPECT ANY DONATIONS I QUIT YOUR GARBAGE RAG.

A) We weren't asking, but OK  B) Garbage rag!  That is IMAGINATIVE.

But those were just appetizers for this the main course of crazypants caps lock:

More...

Check out a great article article about the Great American Condom Campaign SafeSite at Murray State University in Kentucky.

Bartley said she was motivated to enter the contest because of  the recent removal of family planning services at Murray State’s Health Services, as well as the conservative tone of the region.

 “You see a lot of anti-abortions campaigns on campus, but nothing that tells you how you can help out,” she said. “They had those negative images surrounded by fences and cops, and it was just a negative scene. I think what we’re doing will stir up some happiness on campus.”

 While Bartley said she does not consider herself an activist, she thinks family planning is important to every college campus.

 “A lot of people depended on the family planning services for their birth control, and even though this is a small campus, I feel like there are so many benefits to it,” she said.

 

Read the rest of the article

Yesterday Mahayana wrote about theten year old who won't say the Pledge of Allegiance until GLBTQ people have equal marriage rights.    Last night The Daily Show covered the story.  BONUS:  Love the t-shirt the young man is wearing in the newsclips!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Peter Vadala & William Phillips
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

I am writing a sample blog at a training with the South Carolina YAN!


It is a project of Advocates for Youth and New Morning Foundation.

Here is a picture of some youth activists!

For those who haven't heard, I'm really excited to announce that Amplify's sister youth activism sites YouthResource and MySistahs have been beautifully redesigned and have new features, including "sharing" the blogging and interactive features of Amplify.

Both sites have offered information and advice on sex, sexuality, relationships, and life in general, from youth to youth, for the better part of a decade, and we are delighted to be able to see their writing on Amplify as well as their home sites.  So, check out YouthResource and MySistahs ,  and ask your questions!

And, in case you missed it:  You may remember the couple that was roughed up and arrested for kissing near the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and the subsequent protest events around the nation.  Stephen Colbert took it on last week:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Nailed 'Em - Mormon Church Trespassing
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

An independent expert panel recommended comprehensive sex ed programs, finding that they help reduce risky sexual behavior, unprotected sex, and STIs.

"There is sufficient evidence that comprehensive risk reduction efforts are effective," said Randy Elder of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Like so many experts before them the panel did NOT recommend abstinence education, finding that there just isn't evidence to prove that it works.  

Advocates for Youth's president James Wagoner welcomed the findings, saying:

"At long last, evidence and common sense have returned to public health policy," said James Wagoner of Advocates for Youth, a Washington-based group. "The task force report endorses the comprehensive approach to prevention that includes condoms and birth control. We should be spending taxpayer dollars only on evidence-based programs."
 

Yet incredibly, some legislators still believe taxpayer dollars should be spent on failed, harmful programs!  Congress is still deciding whether or not to continue funding for abstinence-only programs.  Let your Senator know that you won't stand for this waste of money.

Meanwhile, the abstinence clowns continue to do what they do best:  lie.

"If you compare the statistical significance of outcome measures related to sexual activity and sexual intiation the data is better for the abstinence education program than the comprehensive program," said Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association.

What measures?  What data?  Studies and reviews have shown repeatedly that honest, accurate sex education programs are more effective than misleading, sexist, outright ridiculous ab-only programs.  How long will the NAEA continue to distort the evidence and attempt to mislead the public?

Young people know that information about staying safe is a good thing.  It's good to see the CDC acknowledging the science that proves it.  

The next HIV Town Hall  is in Oakland, California, at Berkeley High School from 2-4pm on Sunday, November 1.    These town halls are hosted by the Office of National AIDS Policy and are a unique opportunity to demand that the Obama administration's plan for fighting the HIV epidemic includes a youth voice and addresses youth needs.   Check out the HIV Town Hall page for instructions on how to speak at a town hall and a few of our ideas about what the National AIDS Strategy should include.  And don't forget to come back here and blog about it!

Earlier this week Trojan released its Sexual Health Report Card, which ranks NCAA universities on access to sexual health information and services.  (See the specific criteria and much more about the Report Card)

Top ten:

1.  University of South Carolina   
2.  Stanford University            
3. University of Connecticut      
4. Columbia University            
5. Florida Atlantic University    
6. University of Georgia          
7. Michigan State University      
8. Cornell University             
9. Brown University               
10. Duke University     

 Bottom ten:

132. Troy State University          
133. Seton Hall University          
134. Louisiana Tech University      
135. University of Louisiana At Lafayette
136. Arkansas State University       
137.  Brigham Young University       
138. Baylor University              
139.  Providence College             
140. St. John's University          
141. DePaul University              

Trojan and Advocates for Youth work in partnership on the Great American Condom Campaign, which provides a million condoms a year to colleges and universities and which gives first preference to those schools which have the least access to condoms - including many of those at the bottom of this list!

I'd also like to note that the University of Maryland made a big leap from placing 63rd of 141 in 2008 to placing 12th this year!  Nice work, Terps.

Brian Ackerman, Manager of International Policy at Advocates for Youth, has written a great blog on a dangerous new proposed law in Uganda.   Take action and urge President Obama to condemn this bill.

Late last week, legislation was introduced in the Uganda parliament that expands criminal penalties for being gay.

The Anti-Homosexuality Law, Bill Number 18, in the Ugandan national parliament, has all the trappings of yet another gross violation of human rights structured on the premise that gays constitute some sort of threat to the general social welfare. 

Under Uganda’s current penal code, any member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community can be imprisoned for up to 14 years if they are convicted of carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature.  This new legislation would increase that sentence to life and, if one is convicted of aggravated homosexuality, carry a penalty of death.

That’s right—in 2009, at a time when states are moving toward recognizing marriage equality in our own country, Uganda is moving toward making life for the LGBT community in their country a living Hell.
 

Read the rest of the blog

Send a letter to President Obama

 

 

 

A great article about a Great American Condom Campaign SafeSite in Emory University's newspaper The Wheel!   Good work Daphne Lin and SHAG!

Emory’s Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG) will be distributing 500 free Trojan condoms on campus to promote safe-sex practices following their selection by the Great American Condom Campaign (GACC)....

President of SHAG and College senior Daphne Lin said SHAG is creating fliers to advertise the year-round mass condom distributions, which will take place once every month at public sites that will vary throughout the year.

The first mass distribution will be at Cox Bridge on Oct. 30.

Lin said each month the distribution will have a different theme.

The first distribution will have a trick-or-treat theme not only to attract students, but also to make the distribution fun, she said.

“We will also distribute information, booklets and brochures about STDs and statistics about college sex and how it affects college lifestyle,” Treasurer of SHAG and College sophomore Jayme Chen said.

According to Lin, the distribution of name-brand condoms will help students connect the issue with a product they recognize.

“This is a great opportunity to not only have all these condoms, but I also think it’s something that students at Emory might recognize more, especially because they can associate with the name brand condoms,” Lin said.
 

Read the rest of the article

I am just sharing this email from Liz Merck, a member of Advocates for Youth's development team. We don't normally do fundraising appeals here on Amplify, but in this case, even the smallest donation, and sharing the Facebook link, makes a huge difference.

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Hi everyone,
Our Facebook cause, Comprehensive Sex Education, which benefits Advocates for Youth, just entered in America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000!

To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period. The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved.

You can donate now by visiting the Comprehensive Sex Education cause on Facebook or going to:  http://www.causes.com/donations/select_donation_method?cause_id=52

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