Hello amazing activists!
2009 was a fantastic year.
Title V and community based abstinence-only education funding were zeroed out in the President’s budget. The Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act was signed into law. The Global Gag rule was lifted. Over 1,000,000 condoms were distributed to college students on over 1,000 campuses by SafeSites from the Great American Condom Campaign. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law. New Hampshire legalized gay marriage. Oregon now has one of the most progressive comprehensive sexuality education policies in the nation. Texas held their first state committee hearing on sex education in 14 years. The HIV travel ban was lifted. The ban on funding for needle exchange programs in the District of Columbia was lifted. And Houston, the fourth largest city in America, elected an out lesbian mayor.
These victories were due in large part to your amazing work! But of course, there were some awful defeats that we are still fighting against today, including…
The passage of anti-LGBT legislation in Maine and New York. The inclusion of funding for abstinence-only programs in health care reform legislation. Pending legislation in Uganda that would criminalize homosexuality. And of course…the inclusion of language in the House and Senate healthcare bills that would restrict many women’s ability to access abortion care.
With your help, we’ll be able to fight back against the defeats of ’09 and make 2010 even better.
Stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved. And let us know if there’s an issue you think we should take on.
Peace,
Sarah
Please help us in welcoming our new staff!
Nikki is the Manager of New Media Strategies at Advocates for Youth. Nikki works to strengthen and expand Advocates' destination sites as well as the organization’s presence on social networks. Previously, he worked for Involver, a Facebook marketing startup, and Americans Against the Darfur Genocide, a Sudan advocacy nonprofit. He has a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University.
Rosanna is the Manager of Graphic Design and Internet Services. She is a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art + Design and is well-versed in merging web programming with design aesthetics. Rosanna helped co-found the magazine Artcade. She recently participated in the prestigious Project M design program for which she helped found a pop-up free pie stand to help break down barriers in the community. (She is also an accomplished pie baker!)
Durryle is the Program Manager for GLBTQ Initiatives. Durryle has worked at Baltimore City Health Department, HIV/STD Bureau as a community outreach worker; John Hopkins University as a research assistant; and San Francisco State University as a community programming advisor, teaching assistant, sexual assault prevention educator, and assistant resident hall director. Prior to pursuing a graduate degree, Durryle served as a program officer for Building STEPS, Inc., a non-profit organization that exposes ethnically/racially diverse high school students to science and technology-based careers. Durryle has a bachelor of arts in religious studies from St. Mary’s College and a master of arts in sexuality studies from San Francisco State University
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Why not let your Valentine know that you’re thinking about them by making a gift to Advocates for Youth in their honor?
For each donation you make between now and February 14th, you will receive:
- A full-color e-card that you can e-mail or print for your special someone
- Three latex condoms (please allow one week for delivery)
Why are we going to mail you condoms? Because February 14th is also National Condom Day, and when used consistently and correctly, latex condoms are highly effective in preventing pregnancy and the spread of several sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV.
Remember: nothing says “love” more than keeping those you love safe.
by Great American Condom Campaign SafeSite and Amplify Blogger Mommy_2_an_Angel
It's the season for giving and with Christmas right around the corner; I couldn't help but to get into the spirit! So, decked out with a Santa Claus hat labeled "Trojan's lil Helper" and "FREE CONDOMS", I, along with the help of my sister and my wonderful coordinator, Mary, set out to give the greatest gift of all-Sexual Health!
by Daniel, Youth Resource
President Obama along with The Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) last week brought close to 40 youth from across the country to the White House for a conversation/meeting around rising HIV/AIDS rates and how it relates to youth.
by Leah, Youth Resource
Turns out Paul Scott, Michigan State Representative who has just announced his candidacy for nomination for Secretary of State, is a little bit hung up on bathroom politics. My fellow queer activists might say "Aren't we all?" But, who'da thunk it, he's not on our side.
Scott stated in his top four policy priorities:
I will make it a priority to ensure transgender individuals will not be allowed to change the sex on their driver’s license in any circumstance.
When asked why this was such a priority for him, Scott said it was to "[prevent] people who are males genetically from dressing as a woman and going into female bathrooms."
With just this simple statement, Scott has taken power over the fear and emotions of women, and fed into stereotypes and negative imagery of the trans community. By presenting the trans community as predators, it perpetuates the myth of victimization of cisgendered people under the power of transgender individuals, as well as the mentality that the only thing keeping individuals with malicious intent from entering a particular bathroom is the sign on the door.
Scott stated in his top four policy priorities:
I will make it a priority to ensure transgender individuals will not be allowed to change the sex on their driver’s license in any circumstance.
When asked why this was such a priority for him, Scott said it was to "[prevent] people who are males genetically from dressing as a woman and going into female bathrooms."
With just this simple statement, Scott has taken power over the fear and emotions of women, and fed into stereotypes and negative imagery of the trans community. By presenting the trans community as predators, it perpetuates the myth of victimization of cisgendered people under the power of transgender individuals, as well as the mentality that the only thing keeping individuals with malicious intent from entering a particular bathroom is the sign on the door.
Read the Michigan Messenger article: Paul Scott targets transgendered people in race for Secretary of State
by Michelle
So a little background on myself: my interest in this line of work was partially borne out of my own ignorance about sexual health. I was not always effective at having “The Talk” about testing and barriers with potential partners. Some of it had to do with not ruining the mood but most of it was due to my low self-esteem. I did not respect myself enough to ask my partners to treat me with respect, and their lack of respect for me usually extended past the physical attributes of our relationships.
by Rikki
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, irrespective of their sexual orientation or their gender. Domestic violence can be physical, emotional, financial, and sexual. Physical abuse is often the easiest to recognize. If your partner hits you with their own limbs or other objects, habitually, I would consider this physical abuse. You never have a reason to hit someone that you “love.” Do not ever think it was your fault if they hit you.
by Nicole Cheetham, Advocates for Youth
At long last, Secretary Clinton gave her much anticipated address to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which took place in Cairo, Egypt, back in 1994. Hosted on Friday afternoon, January 8th, by the State Department, this event has been in the making for some time. Originally scheduled for December, it was last rescheduled due to the biggest snow storm to hit Washington, DC, in over a decade. This time around, in the New Year, proponents of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights have finally had our day.
At long last, Secretary Clinton gave her much anticipated address to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which took place in Cairo, Egypt, back in 1994. Hosted on Friday afternoon, January 8th, by the State Department, this event has been in the making for some time. Originally scheduled for December, it was last rescheduled due to the biggest snow storm to hit Washington, DC, in over a decade. This time around, in the New Year, proponents of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights have finally had our day.
by Kate Michelman, a pro-choice activist and former president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
It has been a journey of more than 40 years since I sat in a hospital conference room, interrogated by men who held my fate, my family, and my choice in their hands. After all these years, I can still feel the humiliation, the shame, and the anger as though those doctors were sitting in front of me now, demanding to know whether I was capable of dressing my children in the morning and being intimate with my husband at night.
by TSefer
I cannot explain how thrilled I am to finally be able to say this, but Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third largest school system in the nation, has finally taken the step to protect Transgender and Gender non-conforming students, employees, and frankly anyone that walks into a CPS building.
I'm going to sound old for a moment. I promise it's in service of something good, so bear with me, OK? Here goes:
I am so thankful that I grew up before the widespread use of the internet, blogs and online social networking. (Heck, I didn't even have email until college. Yes, I'm really that old.) You know why? Because when I grew up and started trying to be taken seriously as a professional, there was no digital trail of my youth to hold me back. And I assure you - there would have been a trail.
I am so thankful that I grew up before the widespread use of the internet, blogs and online social networking. (Heck, I didn't even have email until college. Yes, I'm really that old.) You know why? Because when I grew up and started trying to be taken seriously as a professional, there was no digital trail of my youth to hold me back. And I assure you - there would have been a trail.
by Mahayana
President Obama just appointed Amanda Simpson to the Department of Commerce as a senior technical adviser in the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Why is this news-worthy for Amplify? Because Amanda Simpson is the first presidential appointee to be a transgender woman!
by robocoko
In October, Senator Al Franken proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold federal funds from contractors that restrict their employees from taking rape and sexual assault cases that happen at work to court. The amendment was a response to former Halliburton employee Jamie Leigh Jones who was raped by fellow employees but told she could not bring charges in court because her contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration.
by Kiki (Nigeria)
Considering the fact that this year’s World AIDS Day theme is Universal Access and Human Rights, I’m sorry to say it’s so ironic that the reverse is the case. The PLWHAs were not allowed to enter the hall unless they conformed, which they weren’t willing to do.
Considering the fact that this year’s World AIDS Day theme is Universal Access and Human Rights, I’m sorry to say it’s so ironic that the reverse is the case. The PLWHAs were not allowed to enter the hall unless they conformed, which they weren’t willing to do.
ICPD2015: What next?
By Rochelle, Jamaica
On Friday, January 8, 2010, Hillary Clinton finally presented her stirring speech for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) (If you missed it, you can watch or read it at http://www.icpd2015.org/)
As I re-read her speech, my mind went back to an article I read commenting on relief efforts for those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Many organizations stated that they were making the women and children priority in the distribution of the relief supplies:
-‘Women "are central actors in family and community life," says Enarson [Elaine Enarson, cofounder of the Gender and Disaster Network], and are more likely to know "who in the neighborhood most needs help -- where the single mothers, women with disabilities, widows and the poorest of the poor live."
Diana Duarte, a spokesperson for MADRE, an international women’s rights organization that has joined the relief effort, put
it this way: "Women are often more integrated and more aware of the vulnerabilities of their communities."’-
Children may be the future, but for the most part, women are the present. The ones who make the ‘now’ happen and prosper. Many have refuted that claim, and with good reason. Men also play their part, but they have to admit: Life would be much harder without the input women make. The situation is, when women’s rights are marginalized, many aspects of our general life are stagnated, as the liberation of women also frees and increases the flow of potential in any nation.
ICPD has five more years to fulfill its original objectives: to “…make access to reproductive healthcare and family planning services a basic right…” to “…dramatically reduce infant, child, and maternal mortality and to “…open the doors of education to all citizens, but especially to girls and women.”
Various governments and administrations have been playing their parts to make this a reality, but the world is still far from totalsuccess. Individual countries can do so much and no more on their own. Yes, Advocates’ youth networks serve youth activists within the United States and from more than 60 countries to advance young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, but to what use are we putting the networks? How much are we really supporting each other in our endeavors to achieve the ICPD 2015 plan? What more can we do?
Hilary Clinton gave a magnificent speech on the situation at hand, and the importance of achieving the ICPD objectives, she did not leave us with any directions, or guidance in how exactly to go from here. One attendee stated that we can wait for the details of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, which will possibly tell the course of action for the next 5 years, but why wait? This can be the challenge for us to take on globally. In Jamaica, we can re-assess the situation and make a SMART plan--one that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Trackable for our region and one that is in keeping with the ICPD goals. We can work on it. This is our chance to help change the world, and we should take it.
TAKE ACTION: Support Reproductive Health and Rights for All
TAKE ACTION: Support Reproductive Health and Rights for All
In December 2009, Rep. Barbara Lee introduced H. Res. 947, a resolution to express America’s commitment to the objectives of the International Conference on Population and Development, recognizing that women’s empowerment, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, including young people, are at the heart of sustainable development.
Win a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fifth annual One Voice Summit!
The One Voice Summit is a two-day training and policy maker education day for youth activists who are interested in environmental and reproductive justice issues domestically and globally. The Summit provides a forum for participants to gather and share information relevant to the intersections of sexual and reproductive health and the environment through a human rights framework; build skills on how to work with the media, policy maker education, community organizing, and advocacy; and discuss and commit to actions that they will take in their own communities to advance reproductive and environmental justice. Finally, the Summit culminates with a policy maker education day during which participants meet with their Members of Congress to request support for domestic and international policies supportive of evidence-based sexual and reproductive health programming.
Click here to enter an essay contest for youth advocates co-sponsored by Advocates for Youth, SIECUS, and the Sierra Club! The deadline to submit your entry is February 3, 5pm EST!
Apply for the HHS Youth Sounding Boards on Reproductive and Sexual Health
Interested in making your voice heard? Here's your chance! HHS (Health and Human Services) is forming "Youth Sounding Boards" to hear what young people want to see when it comes to sexual health, in particular STD, HIV and pregnancy prevention and education. HHS is splitting up the country into 10 regions and forming a sounding board for each one. If you're between the ages of 16 and 24, here's your chance to get involved! Applications are due February 5th, so apply now!
Download the application here: www.amplifyyourvoice.org/images/FE/chain237siteType8/site206/client/Youth Sounding Board Application with Permission Form (2).doc
Apply for the Roosevelt Summer Academy!
The Roosevelt Summer Academy is a highly competitive, full-time, internship that combines a training curriculum and weekly networking events as part of an integrated program of leadership development. Our objective is to bring new, diverse, and progressive voices into the political process. Roosevelt will run two academy programs concurrently, both in Washington D.C. and Chicago Illinois, for ten weeks from June 3rd to August 12th, 2010. Each participants receives a minimum $1500 stipend. Applicants with financial need may qualify for additional funding. We are deeply committed to assembling a diverse group of Academy Fellows and will work with each person accordingly. Interested applicants should apply at http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/academy/2010app
Become a Drum Major Institute Scholar
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy created DMI Scholars to identify progressive college activists from underrepresented communities and train them in the skills necessary to obtain and succeed in entry-level public policy positions. With DMI’s network and expertise, DMI Scholars will become the future Legislative Directors, Policy Analysts and Advisors who fuel the progressive movement with new ideas and effective advocacy. They strongly encourage students of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and students from low-income and working class backgrounds to apply. All expenses paid. For more information visit www.dmischolars.orgCall for Nominations: Colin Higgins Foundation's 2010 Youth Courage Awards
The Colin Higgins Foundation is requesting nominations for its annual Youth Courage Awards. Each year the Colin Higgins Foundation salutes LGBTQ activists who demonstrate courage in the face of adversity and discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This year the Foundation will be awarding $10,000 grants to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer and Questioning youth activists (through age 21) who have bravely stood up to hostility and intolerance based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and triumphed over bigotry through working for LGBTQ rights and social justice.
The deadline for all nominations is 9am EST, Monday, March 1st 2010.
The online nomination form can be found at: http://www.colinhiggins.org/courageawards/index.cfm.
The Colin Higgins Foundation is requesting nominations for its annual Youth Courage Awards. Each year the Colin Higgins Foundation salutes LGBTQ activists who demonstrate courage in the face of adversity and discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This year the Foundation will be awarding $10,000 grants to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer and Questioning youth activists (through age 21) who have bravely stood up to hostility and intolerance based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and triumphed over bigotry through working for LGBTQ rights and social justice.
The deadline for all nominations is 9am EST, Monday, March 1st 2010.
The online nomination form can be found at: http://www.colinhiggins.org/courageawards/index.cfm.
Applications are Open for the White House Summer Internship
The White House Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. This hands-on program is designed to mentor and cultivate today’s young leaders, strengthen their understanding of the Executive Office and prepare them for future public service opportunities.
For more information, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships. All applicants must submit a completed application packet ON or BEFORE Sunday, February 7, 2010.
Enter the International Women’s Health Coalition Young Visionaries Contest
The White House Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. This hands-on program is designed to mentor and cultivate today’s young leaders, strengthen their understanding of the Executive Office and prepare them for future public service opportunities.
For more information, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships. All applicants must submit a completed application packet ON or BEFORE Sunday, February 7, 2010.
Enter the International Women’s Health Coalition Young Visionaries Contest
The Young Visionaries contest encourages young people to share their visions for young people and the future. Until March 25, 2010 youth between the ages of 18 and 30 can share their visions for a just and healthy life, and get a chance to win a $1000 grant from the International Women’s Health Coalition to fund a project that works toward this vision.
Nominate yourself today by answering four short questions about your vision. Then, spread the word and encourage people to vote for you! Five nominees will become finalists by popular vote and IWHC staff will select five more nominees after nominations close on March 25, 2010. Our guest judges will then select our Grand Prize winner, who will be announced in early April. The contest is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 30 (inclusive) from all over the world. Read full contest rules here.
For more information and to nominate yourself, visit: http://blog.iwhc.org/young-visionaries/
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