Crime Victimization and LGBTQ ~~~~~ Presented by: Sarah Holmes
LGBTQA Resources in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont
Maine Bowdoin College Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity 24 College Street, Brunswick, ME http://www.bowdoin.edu/queer/ The Bridge Alliance Connecting a Proud LGBT Community in Bangor www.facebook.com/groups/66170430750/ Downeast Outright Support for LGBTQA folks 12-22 in greater Ellsworth A program of the Down East AIDS Network (207) 667-3506,
[email protected] Equality Maine Working to secure full equality for LGBT people in Maine 550 Forest Ave, Suite 201, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 761-3752, www.equalitymaine.org
PFLAG Portland Parents, Friends & Family of Lesbians & Gays PO Box 8742, Portland, ME 04104 Phone: (207) 831-3015 PFLAG Machias (207) 225-1288 or
[email protected] Portland Lesbian Coffeehouse Virtual Networking and Event Coordination http://www.meetup.com/Portland-Lesbian-Coffee-House Portland Outright The newest chapter in supporting LGBTQA youth age 22 and under in greater Portland www.facebook.com/PortlandOutright Seacoast Outright Support for GLBTQ youth 21 and under P.O. Box 842, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 552-5824, http://seacoastoutright.org/
Family Affairs Newsletter Statewide Email Newsletter of events, resources, etc.
[email protected]
Trans Youth Equality Foundation Advocates for transgender and transsexual youth (207) 478-4087 http://www.transyouthequality.org/
Frannie Peabody Center Comprehensive HIV & AIDS Services One Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101 http://www.peabodycenter.org/
University of Machias Gender and Sexual Diversity Resource Center 5 Kimball Hall, Machias
[email protected]
GLSEN Downeast Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (207) 667-2358
[email protected] http://www.glsen.org/downeastme GLSEN Southern Maine (207) 775-0173
[email protected] http://www.glsen.org/southernme
University of Maine Rainbow Resource Center 224 Memorial Union Building http://umaine.edu/lgbt/rainbow-resource-center/
Lewiston Auburn Outright 179 Lisbon St, Lewiston, ME 04240 (207) 795-8956
[email protected], www.outrightla.org
Waterville Inclusive Community Project Support for LGBTQA Teens in the Waterville area •
[email protected]
Maine Transgender Network, Inc. P.O. Box 1034, Westbrook, ME 04098 www.mainetransnet.org OUT!...As I Want to Be – Rockland Serving LGBTQQ Youth and Young Adults P.O. Box 1723, Rockland, ME 04841 1-800-530-6997 or
[email protected]
University of Southern Maine Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity 143B Woodbury Campus Center, Portland Coordinator (207) 780-5767 or
[email protected] www.usm.maine.edu/csgd
New Hampshire Dartmouth College Office of Pluralism & Leadership Student Academic Support Services 6217 Carson Hall – OPAL - Suite 125 Assistant Dean and Advisor to LGBTQPIA Students, Dr. Reese Kelly:
[email protected] Office: (603) 646-3635, www.dartmouth.edu/~opal www.facebook.com/~dartmouthoqasa
Compiled by (Maine) Sarah E. Holmes, University of Southern Maine, (NH) Reese C. Kelly, Ph.D., Dartmouth College, (VT) Christine Dolan, University of Vermont; Updated by Sarah E. Holmes 11/2013
LGBTQA Resources in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont Dartmouth-Hitchcock Transgender Clinic Offers multidisciplinary health care to patients seeking hormonal and/or surgical reassignment of gender. Director: Jack Turco, M.D., Phone: (603) 650-8630 http://patients.dartmouthhitchcock.org/endo/transgender_clinic.html
LGBTQA Center @ UVM 461 Main St., Burlington, VT 05405 (802) 656-8637 http://www.uvm.edu/~lgbtqa/
GLSEN Southwest NH Chapter Contact: Karen Cangialosi 312 Old Chesterfield Road, Chesterfield (603) 358-2578,
[email protected]
Outright Vermont Building safe, healthy, and supportive environments for GLBTQQ youth (ages 13-22) 241 N. Winooski Ave, Multi-Generational Center Burlington, 802-865-9677 http://www.outrightvt.org/
Manchester Outright Confidential social/support for GLBTQAI youth under 21 Universalist Unitarian Church, 669 Union St, Manchester Youth Groups: Tues 7:00-9:00 pm
PFLAG Burlington/Champlain Valley Parents, Friends & Family of LGBT People 23 Birchwood Lane, Burlington, (802) 863-4285
[email protected]
PFLAG Concord P.O. Box 957, Concord, NH 03302
[email protected] Helpline: (603) 529-2863 PFLAG Keene, NH St. James Episcopal Church, 44 West St., Keene Helpline: (800) 750-2524, Phone: (603) 352-6854
Pride Vermont http://www.pridevt.com/
Seacoast Outright Support for GLBTQ youth 21 and under P.O. Box 842, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 552-5824 http://seacoastoutright.org/ University of New Hampshire, LGBTQA+ Coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Memorial Union Building, Suite 327, Durham, NH (603) 862-5053, www.unh.edu/omsa
Vermont Community Health Center of Burlington Welcomes patients seeking healthcare, sensitive to the needs & concerns of individuals in the LGBT Community 617 Riverside Avenue, Burlington Medical (802) 864-6309, Dental (802) 652-1050 http://www.chcb.org/ CHCB Transgender Health Clinic This clinic is a safe and trans-affirmative space for patients to receive full-spectrum care including hormone replacement therapy as well as routine medical care. 179 Pearl St (CHCB’s Pearl Street Youth Health Center) Burlington, VT 05401 Appointments: (802) 864-6309 http://www.chcb.org/services-programs/medicalcare/transgender_clinic
RU12? Community Center/SafeSpace LGBTQ Community Center The Champlain Mill, 20 Winooski Falls Way Suite 102, Winooski, 802-860-7812 (RU12)
[email protected], http://www.ru12.org/ Vermont Cares 361 Pearl St., Burlington, (802) 863-2437 http://www.vtcares.org/ 187 Saint Paul Street, Burlington, 800-649-2437 1091 Hospital Drive, St. Johnsbury, 802-748-9061 PO Box 6033, Rutland, 802-775-5884 58 East State Street, Suite 3, Montpelier, 802-371-6222
New England-Wide Bisexual Resource Center PO Box 1026, Boston, MA 02117 (617) 424-9595 http://www.biresource.net GLAD Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders New England Legal InfoLine: 1-800-455-GLAD • www.glad.org the Network la Red Ending partner abuse in LGBTQ, SM & Poly communities Boston, MA http://www.thenetworklared.org/
Compiled by (Maine) Sarah E. Holmes, University of Southern Maine, (NH) Reese C. Kelly, Ph.D., Dartmouth College, (VT) Christine Dolan, University of Vermont; Updated by Sarah E. Holmes 11/2013
This is by no means an exhaustive list and, since the modern English language is often changing, these definitions are subject to change. Many LGBTIQ folks identify themselves in a variety of different ways, or choose not to identify themselves at all. If you have questions about terminology, please contact the USM Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity and we will do our best to help or find additional information for you. Here are some useful definitions
Ally: An individual who is supportive of the LGBTIQ community. They believe in the dignity and respect of all people, and are willing to stand up in that role. Asexual: A general term for people who do not experience or exhibit sexual attraction. Unlike celibacy, which is a choice, asexuality is a sexual orientation. Asexual people have the same emotional needs as everybody else, and are just as capable of forming intimate relationships. More information can be found at www.asexuality.org Biphobia: The fear and intolerance of people who are bisexual. Birthsex: A term used to refer to the sex that is assigned at birth, and that appears on an individual’s original birth certificate. In cases of infants with intersex conditions, and also transgender-identified individuals, the assigned “birthsex” may not accurately indicate their future gender identity. Bisexual: The term has generally been used to describe people who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of any gender or sex. Cisgender: The opposite of transgender – an individual whose gender identity aligns with their birthsex. Civil Union/Domestic Partnership: A legally recognized union similar to, but not legally equal to, marriage. It is an alternative in some municipalities, to have a same-sex (or unmarried heterosexual) partnerships legally recognized. Coming Out of the Closet: This is the process through which LGBTIQ people disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity to themselves and others. It is a lifelong process. Coming out can be difficult for some because family, societal and community reactions vary from complete acceptance and support to disapproval, rejection and violence. Cross Dressing: The term refers to the act of regularly or occasionally wearing the clothing that is socially assigned to a gender not their own, but individuals are usually comfortable with their anatomy and do not wish to change it (i.e. while this often falls under the umbrella of transgender, they are not transsexuals). Cross-dresser is used instead of “transvestite.” Down Low: (DL) Refers to men who have sex with men. This is most often used within African American communities where the individuals are not out about this aspect of their sexual behavior, or perceive LGB-identifiers to be predominantly white. Drag: The term refers to dressing in the clothing and styles of another gender for entertainment or performance purposes (i.e. Drag Kings and Drag Queens). Gay: The term is generally used to describe men who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to other men. It is sometimes used to refer to the general LGBTIQ community, but is not always seen as an inclusive term. Gender: It is easy to confuse the concepts of sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological sex of a person. Gender refers to the socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people. Gender characteristics can change over time and are different between cultures. A person's gender identity is the way in which they define and act on their gender. Gender Expression is how they express their gender. An individual’s gender identity, or their expression of gender, may not correspond to their birthsex. Gender Diversity: As gender is a socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity or femininity to people, gender diversity is the understanding that the ways in which people express their masculinity or femininity varies between people, can be fluid and can change over time. Gender Neutral Pronouns: “Ze” or “Zie” or “Sie” is used in place of he or she. “Hir” is used in place of his or her. “They” and “Them” may also be used as a gender neutral, or gender free, pronoun. Gender Variant (or Gender Non-conforming): When an individual’s gender expression is different from that which is typically expected for their sex, they may be considered, or may identify, as gender variant or gender nonconforming. Genderism: Holding people to traditional expectations based on gender, assuming that an individual’s gender identity or gender expression will conform to those stereotypes, and/or punishing or excluding those who do not conform to traditional/stereotypical gender expectations. Genderqueer: An identity or label for people who bend/break the rules of gender, redefine or play with the meaning of gender, or refuse gender altogether.
University of Southern Maine Safe Zone Project
(revised 1-2014 SH)
LGBTIQ & GLBTIQA & LGBT & BGLT & TBLG: These letters are used as shorthand for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersexed, questioning and allied community. Sometimes you will see the letters reversed as a way to increase the visibility of under-represented populations. Heterosexism: The assumption that all people are heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior or preferable to homo-, bi- or pansexuality. Heterosexual/Homosexual: Terms coined in the 1800’s to identify sexual, emotional and/or romantic attraction (Hetero = attraction to the opposite sex, Homo = attraction to the same sex) Homophobia: The fear and intolerance of people who are homosexual. Intersex: A general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy (or with chromosomal differences) that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For more information, please refer to the web site for the Intersex Society of North America (www.isna.org). Lesbian: Women who are romantically and/or sexually attracted to other women. This term originates in reference to the poet Sappho who lived in a community comprised mostly of women on the Isle of Lesbos in ancient Greece. Men who have sex with men: (MSM) Men who, regardless of their sexual orientation, engage in sex with other men. Metrosexual: A term (coined in the late 1990’s) to describe a heterosexual man who has a strong concern for his appearance or lifestyle, traits that are stereotypically associated with gay men. Pansexual: Emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to people regardless of their gender identity or biological sex. This includes attraction to people who do not fit into the gender binary sometimes implied by “bisexuality.” Polyamorous: The desire, practice or acceptance of having more than one intimate, romantic and/or sexual relationship at a time, with the full knowledge and consent of those involved. Polyamorous perspectives differ from monogamous perspectives, in that they respect a partner’s wishes to have additional meaningful relationships and to accommodate these alongside existing relationships. Queer: The term has a history of being used as a derogatory name for members of the LGBTIQ (and Ally) community and those whose sexual orientation or gender identity is perceived as such. Many people use this word in a positive way to refer to the community; they have reclaimed the term as their own. Sensitivity should be used when using or hearing it as there are still many negative connotations with its use. Questioning: People who are in the process of questioning their orientation or identity are often in need of support and understanding during this stage of exploration. Same Gender Loving: A term used particularly in African American communities, to refer to same-sex relationships. Sex: It is easy to confuse the concepts of sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological sex of a person. Gender refers to their societal appearance, mannerisms, and roles. Sexual Orientation: A term that describes to whom they are sexually and/or romantically attracted to. Straight: A slang word used to refer to the heterosexual members of our community. Stealth: Some transgender/transsexual people do not disclose their trans identity and live as the gender they identify with. For some, this is done for reasons of safety (to escape the discrimination and violence many trans people face). Transgender/Trans*: An umbrella term used to refer to people who transcend the traditional concept of gender. Many feel as though they are neither a man nor a woman specifically, and many feel as though their biological sex (male, female, etc.) and their socialized gender (man, woman, etc.) don't match up. Some opt to change/reassign their sex through hormones and/or surgery and some change their outward appearance (gender expression) through clothing, hairstyles, mannerisms, etc. Some Transgender people identify as FTM (female-to-male) or MTF (male to female) as a way of highlighting their transition from one sex to another. Some people who identify as transgender feel as though they are confined in a binary system (male-female, man-woman) that does not match who they feel themselves to be. Transsexual: A term used by some to describe individuals who use hormone therapy and/or surgery to alter their sex. Two Spirit: Historically, this term refers to individuals in North American native, or indigenous, populations who embodied both masculine and feminine qualities. These individuals often held a place of honor and leadership in their communities as shamans or medicine-people. Contemporarily, “Two-Spirit” is a term occasionally used by some individuals of Native heritage who are LGBT, queer or intersex. “No Homo”: Originating in hip hop culture, “no homo” is used to indicate that the speaker is not a homosexual (i.e. in order to reinforce their own heterosexuality, a man might say: “I like him. No homo.”). Typically, the usage of this phrase is considered homophobic as it implies that homosexuality is something wrong or bad. “That’s so gay”: A phrase frequently used to denote that something is bad, stupid or undesirable.
University of Southern Maine Safe Zone Project
(revised 1-2014 SH)
Continuums of Sex, Gender and Sexuality Biological sex, shown on the top scale, includes external genitalia, internal reproductive structures, chromosomes, hormone levels, and secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, facial and body hair, and fat distribution. These characteristics are objective in that they can be seen and measured (with appropriate technology). The scale consists not just of two categories (male and female) but is actually a continuum, with most people existing somewhere near one end or the other. The space more in the middle is occupied by intersex people (formerly referred to as hermaphrodites), who have combinations of characteristics typical of males and those typical of females, such as both a testis and an ovary, or XY chromosomes (the usual male pattern) and a vagina, or they may have features that are not completely male or completely female, such as an organ that could be thought of as a small penis or a large clitoris, or an XXY chromosomal pattern. Gender identity is how people think of themselves and identify in terms of sex (man, woman, boy, girl). Gender identity is a psychological quality; unlike biological sex, it can't be observed or measured (at least by current means), only reported by the individual. Like biological sex, it consists of more than two categories, and there's space in the middle for those who identify as a third gender, both (two-spirit), neither, or genderqueer. We lack language for this intermediate position because everyone in our culture is supposed to identify unequivocally with one of the two extreme categories. In fact, many people feel that they have masculine and feminine aspects of their psyches, and some people, fearing that they do, seek to purge themselves of one or the other by acting in exaggerated sex-stereotyped ways. Gender expression is everything we do that communicates our sex/gender to others: clothing, hair styles, mannerisms, way of speaking, roles we take in interactions, etc. This communication may be purposeful or accidental. It could also be called social gender because it relates to interactions between people. Trappings of one gender or the other may be forced on us as children or by dress codes at school or work. Gender expression is a continuum, with feminine at one end and masculine at the other. In between are gender expressions that are androgynous (neither masculine nor feminine) and those that combine elements of the two (sometimes called gender bending or blending). Gender expression can vary for an individual from day to day or in different situations, but most people can identify a range on the scale where they feel the most comfortable. Some people are comfortable with a wider range of gender expression than others. Sexual orientation indicates who we are romantically, erotically and/or emotionally attracted to. The ends of this scale are labeled "attracted to women" and "attracted to men," rather than "homosexual" and "heterosexual," to avoid confusion as we discuss the concepts of sex and gender. In the mid-range is bisexuality; there are also people who are asexual (attracted to neither men nor women). We tend to think of most people as falling into one of the two extreme categories (attracted to women or attracted to men), whether they are straight or gay, with only a small minority clustering around the bisexual middle. However, Kinsey's studies showed that most people are in fact not at one extreme of this continuum or the other, but occupy some position between.
For each scale, the popular notion that there are two distinct categories, with everyone falling neatly into one or the other, is a social construction. The real world (Nature, if you will) does not observe these boundaries. If we look at what actually exists, we see that there is middle ground. To be sure, most people fall near one end of the scale or the other, but very few people are actually at the extreme ends, and there are people at every point along the continuum. Gender identity and sexual orientation are resistant to change. Although we don't yet have definitive answers to whether these are the result of biological influences, psychological ones, or both, we do know that they are established very early in life, possibly parentally, and there are no methods that have been proven effective for changing either of these. Some factors that make up biological sex can be changed, with more or less difficulty. These changes are not limited to people who change their sex: many women undergo breast enlargement, which moves them toward the extreme female end of the scale, and men have penile enlargements to enhance their maleness, for example. Gender expression is quite flexible for some people and more rigid for others. Most people feel strongly about expressing themselves in a way that's consistent with their inner gender identity and experience discomfort when they're not allowed to do so. The four scales are independent. Our cultural expectation is that men occupy the extreme left ends of all four scales (male, man, masculine, attracted to women) and women occupy the right ends. But a person with male anatomy could be attracted to men (gay man), or could have a gender identity of "woman" (transsexual), or could have a feminine gender expression on occasion (crossdresser). A person with female anatomy could identify as a woman, have a somewhat masculine gender expression, and be attracted to women (butch lesbian). It's a mix-and-match world, and there are as many combinations as there are people who think about their gender. This schema is not necessarily "reality," but it's probably closer than the two-box system. Reality is undoubtedly more complex. Each of the four scales could be broken out into several scales. For instance, the sex scale could be expanded into separate scales for external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, hormone levels, chromosome patterns, and so forth. An individual would probably not fall on the same place on each of these. "Biological sex" is a summary of scores for several variables. There are conditions that exist that don't fit anywhere on a continuum: some people have neither the XX (typical female) chromosomal pattern nor the XY pattern typical of males, but it is not clear that other patterns, such as just X, belong anywhere on the scale between XX and XY. Furthermore, the scales may not be entirely separate: if gender identity and sexual orientation are found to have a biological component, they may overlap with the biological sex scale. Using the model presented here is something like using a spectrum of colors to view the world, instead of only black and white. It doesn't fully account for all the complex shadings that exist, but it gives us a richer, more interesting picture. Why look at the world in black and white (marred by a few troublesome shades of gray) when there's a whole rainbow out there?
Adapted from materials provided by the Center for Gender Sanity at: www.gendersanity.com
(revised 2/2007 SH)
University of Southern Maine Safe Zone Project
Continuums of Sex, Gender and Sexuality BIOLOGICAL SEX (anatomy, chromosomes, hormones) male ----------------------------------------------------- intersex ------------------------------------------------- female
GENDER IDENTITY (psychological sense of self) man ------------------------------------ two spirit/trans*/transgender/gender queer ---------------------------- woman
GENDER EXPRESSION (communication of gender) masculine ------------------------------------- androgynous/gender neutral------------------------------------- feminine gender non-conforming
SEXUAL ORIENTATION (romantic/erotic response) attracted to women ------------------------------- bisexual/pansexual ---------------------------------- attracted to men asexual
Adapted from materials provided by the Center for Gender Sanity at: www.gendersanity.com
(revised 1/2014 SH)