National Coming Out Day

My coming out story is really not that interesting….it was well calculated and precise. I thought to myself, I was not going to get bashed or spit on. I want power, and I will get it!

In high school…I joined the band, where queer and sexually active teens were amongst the populous—I wanted it all. I eventually became the leader of the band, the drum major, and kept my straightness role in life going as long as humanly possible…there were challenges, and hiccups, but I was pretty straight… I joined winter guard and wrestling to show the variety of skills I had, and to have fun—and not be challenged—for I was graceful yet powerful and fierce.  Waterpolo was a way to show masculinity and get girls—and I did.  I hung out with friends who were chill and smoked pot, so that I would learn to be a deviant without getting caught. Most of them were closeted homosexuals as well—I learned from their experiences—listened carefully. I practice gay-dar by reading books by gays, and I read  people left and right, and ensured I understood performativity—either if it was over-done  or underdone to explain actions and behavior. Psychoanalysis books taken from my mother’s study were very helpful.  I spent time with high intellectuals and joined various math and science clubs so that my learning disabilities could be hidden, and I could hide my deviant behavior behind my intellectualism. I planned to go to Stanford for its Chemistry Dept, Dance Program, Native Community, and Gay Centers….  And I did…. Through High school I came out to the “deviants” – because they could be trusted, they were true people trying to survive under oppression. I have always trusted the oppressed.

I got to college, and with all my research, I created a false history of gayness “coming out with I was 16” and going though it all. My false narrative gave me a traumatic experience without ever having one. I got respect, and being bisexual was “like not a big deal”…… I continued…  hiding my closet… and coming out to people as if I had always been out. “like duh, I’ve been out for like 5plus years”…. Giving others a sense of ignorance (the biggest fear anyone has is feeling stupid—it smothers homophobia)… moreover my size and presences saved me from most challenges… and now I am a gay scholar and vogue….

I do have to say, I did come from a place that loves its gays… there are a lot of gays in my communities…. Santa Cruz is a very liberal place, my Danza Aztec Group loves Gay people, my own familia has queer love for it is the love of our family… so struggle was not necessarily there…

The only bump in the road was bias and racism… “if you’re so gay, shouldn’t you look like this, act like this, and be like this….?” Pressure to look one way or be one way…in order to even participate in gay things….there I was in the center of the gay world, but not necessarily included… it was weird… so I my thirst for gay culture took me to research, and I experienced everything on my own... the gay culture consumed my being and mind…vogue, bathhouses, boyfriends, parties, underground, worlds beyond worlds became my home… creating an artist of sorts…

Dance set me free…

And so I dance…

Too many lives were created in this process of coming out…. And it took years…. Now, as a two-spirit, I devote my life to providing opportunities to the children, to not fall into cracks as they come out… I have lost too many friends to the pressures of “the gay being” ….

Dance will set us free… 

Gay Gang, a group little known

http://noticias.univision.com/estados-unidos/noticias/article/2013-10-03/pandilleros-gay-un-grupo-poco-conocido#axzz2giif11g5

By Enrique Acevedo

Sisco Romero and Sergio Rios were rival gang members in Los Angeles, California. However, neither imagined that this rivalry would become a unique partnership: love.

Both hid a secret which, if revealed, would have cost them life. In the world of gangs, "do not approve of homosexuality. There was so much emotional abuse, "says Romero.

Both Sergio and Sisco entered World l very young gangs.

Sergio says his mother rather see him in a gang rather than having to accept his homosexuality.

"The latest I heard from my mother who told me that I suck," he says with pain.

For Sisco, on the other hand, the criminal was his way of being accepted and appear to be heterosexual at the same time. "Hide it was very easy in this world," said Rivers.

Gang members face stereotypes gay culture from which they come, and the pressure to maintain posture of rude and violent men requiring social group they belong to.

"We had a bunch of women and other men with the same name. One of the girls and pretended to be a lesbian couple. She covered me and I her, "says Rios.

Dino Dinco is the director of Homeboy, a documentary that explores the lives of six Hispanic men who were part of gangs while living an internal struggle against his true identity.

The young filmmaker Sergio and Sisco believes are part of an underrepresented population and known, and wanted to bring their personal stories to the big screen.

"I think the documentary not only helps women and gay men, but also to heterosexuals, so that they can understand," said Dinco.

According to a report from the University of California, there are about nine million homosexuals in the country. However it is very difficult to know the exact number of gay gang, since most do not accept their sexual orientation. A report released today says that Hispanics are 1.4 million who acknowledge being gay.

Currently Sisco has a partner and says he feels relieved, away from gang life and also suffered discrimination. "I feel very good, because my family supports me, she loves me unconditionally and I love my partner. It feels great, "he says.

For Sergio Romero, things have also improved. He now has a steady job and going to college, though still unable to achieve that for years has been his greatest desire in life.

"The opportunity to have a family. But now that I'm openly gay and I know, I see the hope of having my parents back in my life, "he said.

Más en Univision.com: http://noticias.univision.com/estados-unidos/noticias/article/2013-10-03/pandilleros-gay-un-grupo-poco-conocido#ixzz2gm18hKAq

Laughter is Good Medicine

INDIAN HEALTH CENTER’S 7^TH ANNUAL COMEDY JAM

Laughter is Good Medicine

The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley will be holding their 7^th Annual Comedy Jam fundraiser on Saturday, October 19, 2013, at the Campbell Community Center’s Heritage Theate in Campbell, CA.  Tickets for the Comedy Show are $20 and all seats are general admission.  Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the show will start at 7.

There will also be a Reception from 5 – 6:30 pm; for ticket information please contact Liz Hunt at lhunt@ihcscv.org.

The comedy line up for this event will include comedians Jason Love, Jeff Applebaum, and Dean Haglund.  The Master of Ceremonies is Bob Sarlatte, the Field Annoucer for the San Francisco 49ers football team.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Indian Health Center’s Native American Youth Empowerment Program.  This program provides American Indian youth with cultural, educational and traditional activities that help them reconnect with their heritage.  According to a recent surveys, reconnecting Native youth with their cultural heritage helps them build self-esteem and prevents high-risk behavior like gang involvement and substance abuse.

For ticket, sponsorship or donation information, please:

1.      Contact Mr. Medicine Cloud at (408) 445-3400 ext. 208 or vmcloud@ihcscv.org;

2.      Email us at tickets@ihcscv.org; or

3.      Visit www.ihccomedyjam.com or the Center’s website at www.IndianHealthCenter.org

  The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley is a 501(c)3, nonprofit, community health clinic located in San Jose, California.  IHC serves people from all walks of life regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability, and takes pride in serving our diverse patients and clients.  IHC’s services include Medical, Dental, Nutrition/WIC, Counseling and Wellness. IHC hosts a Comedy Jam because it supports health with laughter and celebration, which is a core belief  of the American Indian/Alaska Native community.

Stanford Report, September 5, 2013

Susan Cashion, Stanford Dance Division faculty member, artist and dance community leader, has died

Cashion, a specialist in Mexican, Caribbean and Latin American dance, put Stanford on the map as home to one of the first resident student Mexican folkloric dance troupes in the nation, the highly regarded Ballet Folklórico de Stanford, which she founded in 1972.

BY ROBIN WANDER

L.A. Cicero

Susan Cashion provided rich, rigorous instruction to several generations of Stanford dancers.

Susan V. Cashion, a Stanford University specialist in Mexican, Caribbean and Latin America dance, died unexpectedly Aug. 29. The loss of this remarkable scholar, colleague and artist, known to all affectionately as "Susie," is felt across campus and throughout the dance community. Cashion joined the Stanford Dance Division faculty in 1972 and remained an emeritus fixture at Roble Gym, the headquarters of dance at Stanford, after her retirement in 2007.

Cashion was the recipient of two Fulbright grants, one to Mexico and one to Chile, and an American Association of University Women Fellowship. She received recognition from the Mexican government for contributions to Mexican culture and folklore in the United States.

She was a former president of the California Dance Educators Association, a member of the board of directors for the Congress on Research in Dance, the dance coordinator of the Wenatchee Mariachi Festival in 2001 and artistic director of the Grupo Folklórico Los Decanos.

With Ramon Morones in 1969, she founded the Los Lupeños de San Jose Mexican Dance Company, where she was a board member at the time of her death.

Cashion was born in Pasadena, Calif., in 1943 and was a resident of Palo Alto. She earned a PhD in education ('83) and an MA in anthropology ('82) at Stanford, and an MA in dance at UCLA ('67). She taught dance anthropology, modern dance, Mexican dance and Latin American dance forms at Stanford.

Mi familia

Part of Cashion's legacy is the rich and rigorous instruction she provided to several generations of students who have gone on to form their own dance companies, promote Mexican dance in the region through performance and instruction, and advocate for the arts.

Both Gina Hernandez, the director of arts in undergraduate education at Stanford, and her sister are former students of Cashion's, and Hernandez recalls taking Cashion's classes and dancing with Ballet Folklórico in the mid-1980s.

"For me and my family, Susie was a local treasure who promoted and kept vibrant the cultural life we have become a part of and that has been a part of the Chicano Latino community at Stanford for generations," said Hernandez. "She re-introduced us to traditions that made Stanford feel more like home and allowed us to express that part of our lives while studying here."

Mi familia, or "my family," is what Cashion called her students and dancers.

Colleagues described Cashion as enthusiastic, warm and generous. She often remembered faculty with a gift of a single rose at the end of a concert, a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar in the fall and cards on Valentine's Day. "Susie believed dance was an essential facet of a full life and that gratitude was an equally important part of a good work climate," said Janice Ross, the director of the Dance Division.

"She was such a vibrant presence. Even after her retirement she often attended dance events in Roble Gym, the home of the Dance Division. It is unbearably sad for all of us to imagine she will no longer visit the building and the program she so loved," added Ross.

Dance pioneer

Ross called Cashion one of the leading pioneers in establishing Mexican folkloric dance as a subject of serious study in American higher education.

During her 35 years at Stanford, Cashion established a strong identity for social and folkloric dance forms, creating the performing ensembles Ballet Folklórico de Stanford and Los Decanos, in addition to hosting numerous summer workshops and guest artists.

She brought scholars and dance colleagues from Mexico and Latin America to expand the repertoire and bring new dance techniques to students.

Her teaching approach combined dance instruction in the studio with ethnographic training by importing folkloric dances, costumes and music from her frequent travels throughout Mexico and Latin America.

"Her driving desire was to give students a rich and authentic performing experience, which she believed was an essential part of learning any form of dance," said Ross.

Diane Frank, a friend and colleague of Cashion's in the Dance Division, echoed Ross' high opinion of Cashion's contribution to dance practice and performance, but also the connection to a larger cultural conversation. She said Cashion's work deepened the meaning of diversity and multiculturalism on campus.

"She paved the way for serious dance scholarship, for interest and respect for the richness and complexity of non-Western expressions of cultural identity. She showed, in her work, how those identities are vibrantly evolving in the present. This is especially important here in California, where intersections of race and ethnicity, past and present, are so dynamically changing," said Frank.

Artist scholar

Frank remembers Cashion the dancer: "My first glimpse of Susie dancing was a rowdy Mexican duet with Marco Romero, one that combined furious heel stamps with flirtation and jumps through a lariat. Years later, she danced the liquid ritual of a water goddess, a Caribbean spirit of the African diaspora.

"Susie was an artist scholar, driven by a passionate love for Mexican, Latin American and South American dance and culture. Her dance work always linked steps and patterns to an enlarged context of cultural legacy. Beginning with the body, she showed how movement illuminated language, religion, belief systems, architecture, history. Susie created community, and she lived to share it with her students."

A memorial to celebrate Cashion's life and legacy is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., in San Jose. The memorial will include a performance by Los Lupeños Dance Company and other community members. For more information about the memorial, contact the dance company atloslupenos@gmail.com.

Media Contact

Robin Wander, University Communications: (650) 724-6184, robin.wander@stanford.edu

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/susan-cashion-obit-090513.html

Queerseañera

Queerseañera 

Friday September 6th!

7pm @ Mexican Heritage Plaza, San Jose, CA

You might ask, "What  is a Queerseañera?" Queerse "to queer oneself" and añera  "on a given year marking a milestone." This event is designed combine aspects of Latino culture and LGBTQ identity. 

Coming out in the Latino community does not have to be a negative experience; it should be celebrated! 

We have a rich legacy of Queer Latino leaders in multiple fields: artists, academics, actors, lawyers, elected officials and community workers.  Additionally, Latino values of orgullo(pride), comunidad (community), and familia (family) can create a strong foundation for embracing the full individual.

A Queerseañera is an identity affirming event. 

This event will be open to all ages.

*FOOD **Arts and Culture PERFORMANCES***MUSIC**COMMUNITY RESOURCES

{with new dance work by Cuauhtemoc Mitote}

7:00-8:00 pm OPEN RECEPTION and RESOURCES

8:00pm - Live Music and  PERFORMANCES, AND BAILE


PRE SALE TICKETS
children 0-10: FREE
Youth/Student w ID: $5
Adults over 18: $15

AT The DOOR:
GENERAl Admission $20 
YOUTH/Student: $10

Queerseañera Inagural

Evento para  Lesbíanas, Gays, Bisexuales, y Transgéneros Latinos.

Familias e amistades tambien bienvenidas. 

Una celebracion de herencia e identidad con arte y cultura  en la communidad.

Evento Abrierto a todas edades. Estudiantes reciden descuento en el costo de su boleto. 

El Programa es bilingue para Latinos de todos paises. 

***COMIDA ***PRESENTACIONES***MÚSICA y BAILE**RECURSOS COMUNITARIOS

7:00-8:00 pm Comida y Bebidad (disponisble a donacion) y Recurcusos Communitarios

8:00pm -Musica en Vivo, Presentaciones y Baile!

Compren sus boletos temprano para aprovechar de los descuentos.

http://queerseanera.eventbrite.com/

Queerseañera -- World Premier of New Work

What Will I Do?  (premier) 

Performed and Choreographed by Cuauhtemoc Mitote

Music by Anne Murry, & Juanes.

"What'll I do?" & "Fotografia" 

Dance Note: 

"When I was young, I watched a lot of The Golden Girls, and I learned how to speak Spanish on weekends by singing songs in Spanish I did not understand, while cleaning the house...."

21 Things You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About

21 Things You Shouldn't Feel Guilty About

AUG. 19, 2013 

By CHELSEA FAGAN

1. Moving to a new city for a job prospect that you really want to pursue, even if that means you’re going to have to leave a lot behind (and you might encounter the occasional “You think you’re too good for us?”).

2. Deleting people off of Facebook who are constantly spouting off political or social stuff that makes you extremely upset, or feel personally attacked.

3. Defending your positions against something that someone said on social media, even if people will tell you that it’s “not worth it” to get into a debate on the internet.

4. Spending what others might perceive to be “a lot” of money on something that you’ve been working hard and saving up for.

5. Leaving your job to work one that makes you happy. Just because not everyone can find a job right now does not mean that you are obligated to stay in one you hate.

6. Refusing to do unpaid internships if you cannot afford to do them, and accepting the repercussions that may have on your professional prospects.

7. Not calling someone back who has been trying over and over again to pursue a relationship and has just refused to get the point that you are not interested.

8. Telling someone off (harshly, if needed) who catcalls you in the street.

9. Someone that you care about doing things that hurt themselves, despite your efforts to help them and show them that you love them. Imagining that it’s your fault isn’t going to magically make them better, it will only ensure that both of you suffer.

10. Having a happy childhood with steady financial resources. Not everyone will have it, and you should be aware of that, but aimless guilt will do nothing. The only good you can do is work on opening more doors for the people who didn’t have such good fortune.

11. Feeling good about your body, and not feeling any desire to change the way it looks. It doesn’t meant that you’re narcissistic, it just means that you’ve managed to beat the system that depends financially on you not being satisfied with your appearance.

12. Deciding that you do want to make a change, and lose weight, or tone, or get some kind of surgery to fix something that you perceive as wrong. There is nothing shallow about wanting to feel better, and it’s no one’s business wht you can or cannot improve.

13. Having a healthy, fruitful relationship that leaves you feeling fulfilled and wanting to settle down at a time when other people may feel it is too soon.

14. Deciding that you don’t want to settle down with someone, even if you’ve been together for a long time and it would “make sense” to stay together.

15. Not giving a good god damn about fashion or trends or knowing different designers, and just wearing the things that make you feel good and which you believe look good on you.

16. Listening to music that everyone else makes fun of, or assumes you listen to “ironically” (as if that isn’t the most depressing concept in the whole wide world).

17. Eating some junk food that you were craving. (Don’t listen to those haters who ask if you if you’re “really going to eat that,” they are just petty and jealous of your luxurious jalapeño poppers.)

18. Deciding that you don’t want to drink, either for one night out or for the foreseeable future, because it isn’t right for you for whatever reason. Don’t let people pressure you into feeling like that makes you a bad or lame person.

19. Deciding you just wanna get white girl wasted and party all night, and shamelessly ordering Long Islands from 8 PM on.

20. Staying home from an event because you were really sick and needed to take care of yourself. Even if a thousand people text you about “COME ON DON’T BE A PUSSY WHO CARES ABOUT MONO,” don’t allow that to force you into going to the party anyway and infecting everyone with your quarantine-needing germs.

21. Cutting someone out of your life who was abusive, even if everyone else thought they were just “such a nice person,” because they never acted that way to them personally. You understand that someone can be abusive andalso great in their community, or to their family, or to their other friends. And your mental health or physical safety is infinitely more important than the confusion of the people who didn’t understand the dynamics of the situation.