And here we go - on to the challenges that time and circumstances offer us. Please join us at all or any of the scheduled events listed below:
A weekly zoom call every Friday, 4-5 pm. We try to feature a speaker of interest to the queer elder community on the third Friday of the month. For the foreseeable future, the speakers will focus on the adverse energy facing us, and how we might best deal with them.
Monday, January 6 Estate planning at the Spectrum Center 4-6 PM preregistration is required. See the information at the end of this email.
Tuesday, January 7, noon, Taco Tuesday at Tecate Grill 2610 W Northwest Blvd, Spokane, WA 99205
Thursday, January 9, 4-5 pm zoom call for Steering Committee. Please join us if you would like to attend. Contact Nancy at NancyTavery@comcast.net
Saturday, January 11, 12:00 potluck at UU Spokane. We have had so many wonderful potlucks this past year. Well worth the effort to attend, please come and enjoy the queership.
Wednesday, January 22, noon, lunch OUT on the town. Feast World Kitchen 1321 W 3rd Ave, Spokane, WA 99201
NEWS:
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, our group co-hosted with Spokane Pride, and INBA a day-long meeting of regional queer groups. It was an introductory session that also included lawyers from the Department of Justice, and the Spokane Police Department. Two key takeaways from the meeting are:
report hate crimes, even if you do not think it will make a difference (it does)
these organizations will meet quarterly to support each other, share information and form responses, as appropriate.
Anne, from Spectrum Center, spoke at our Friday Speaker Zoom in December. She let us know about upcoming workshops on wills, power of attorney and more. Services offered through them are free. To learn more, check out the ad at the end of the newsletter.
Matthew from Spokane PRIDE is recording individual queer stories on video. It is important for us older folks to record our history - the triumphs and tribulations of our journey. Younger people often do not know about what we have gone through, and how we have managed. Your story is part of your legacy - please make the effort to document part of your life's story by contacting Matt at matthew@spokanepride.org . There is no cost to you to do this.
Spectrum Singers offered a beautiful holiday concert in December. More concerts are planned for 2025. They are open to anyone, whether you think you can sing or not. All are welcome.
Both the Spectrum Center and Gonzaga Law School offer services to assist in obtaining or clarifying legal rights. We urge you to immediately take action on issues important to you such as correct gender on driver’s license, birth certificate, etc. It is critical that you have clear directives for power of attorney and health care as well. Late January may be too late.
We are in the process of making our website a more effective vehicle for communication. The intent is to have the site be the primary way that we post information. The website address is:
Don't worry, just google lgbtq seniors Spokane and our address pops up. Please be patient as we learn how to better utilize our site.
The incoming president gave a speech a few days ago in which he pledged to completely erase trans identity. He is serious. An attack on trans identity is an attack on LGBTQ+ identity. We are committed to a safe inclusive community. Let us stand together in our vision of inclusivity, safety, health and well-being. Together, none of us are alone.
In Solidarity - your steering committee
Join us Monday January 6th from 4-6 for a free Wills and Estate Planning Clinic cohosted with the Volunteer Lawyer Program! This free clinic is open to individuals and families at or under 200% of the federal poverty line. Pre-registration is required at spokanevlp.org/apply. When you complete their online application, please mark that you were referred by Spectrum Center.
See more on their facebook page.