January, 2012

Tallahassee’s Monthly LGBT Newspaper VOL. XVI, Issue 1 • January 2012 BRANCHING OUT is published monthly by The Family Tree Community Center, Inc. Appearance in this publication makes no inference about sexual orientation or gender identity.

BRANCHING OUT’S mission is to be the paper of record for the LGBT community of Tallahassee, and in that capacity it seeks to inform, advocate, engage, and entertain while being a responsible representative of the LGBT community and its allies to the outside world.

PRIDEFEST 2012 Planning is Underway!

News Release

Every year, all over the world, communities host pride celebrations, festivals that provide visibility for and unity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members of the community. These celebrations observe the rich diversity of the area and provide educational opportunities for straight allies. For the past few years, the Pride festival in Tallahassee, Florida has been growing. PRIDEFEST 2011 brought in thousands of guests from all over the states of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and beyond.

Tallahassee PRIDEFEST has quickly become not only a celebration, but an annual cultural week of events that entertain, educate, and thrill all of those who attend! Tallahassee PRIDEFEST 2012 is organized by The Family

www.branchingoutnews.com

Tree’s Pride Planning Committee.

Lend a hand, share your ideas, and help make Tallahassee PRIDEFEST 2012 possible. Volunteers are needed for a variety of duties including guest surveying, event set-up and breakdown, Kids Zone supervisors and more!

Planning meetings will be held at Krewe de Gras Midtown Tavern, 1304 North Monroe Street, at 7pm on the following dates: January 26, February 9 & 23, March 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29, April 5 & 12. All interested volunteers are encouraged to participate. For more information, or to verify meeting dates and locations, contact admin@tallahasseepride.com.

Contact Branching Out: P.O. Box 38477 Tallahassee, FL 32315 (850) 222-8555 news@branchingoutnews.com Submission Deadline 15th of Each Month

Production Team:

Andy Janecek, Executive Editor Steven Hall, Features Editor Josh Willoughby, Layout Editor Margeaux Mutz-Tso, Voices Editor Melissa Henderson, Circulation Assistant Ron Bunting, Circulation Assistant

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE (1-800-HELP-FLA). REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION

BY THE STATE.

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We thank those who make

possible!

“Health, Hope, Justice, and Gender” SEMINAR SERIES News Release

FAITH

ST. STEPHEN TO HOST

Tallahassee’s St. Stephen Lutheran Church has pulled together four powerful speakers for a January seminar of particular interest to members and friends of the LGBT community.

The four-night series is called “Health, Hope, Justice and Gender: A Community Conversation on LGBT Life.”

“We are pleased and honored to have speakers so well qualified in their area of expertise,” said St. Stephen member Dave Suhrweir, co-organizer of the series.

“Their presentations will cover a wide variety of topics, all touching some very personal aspect of life.

Hopefully, this event will encourage an ongoing conversation within our community to promote equality, justice and dignity for all.”

If You Go

Each presentation is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Here is the schedule: •

Sunday, Jan. 22 – “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Issues.”

Jonathan Appelbaum, M.D., director of internal medicine education at the Florida State University College of Medicine, will facilitate an interactive discussion concerning the health-care disparities and unique health-care issues of the LGBT community. Medical students also will participate.

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Monday, Jan. 23: “A Journey to Equality.” Jim VanRiper of Equality Florida, the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s LGBT community, will discuss the organization’s efforts to ensure LGBT equality in the state, including an update on current legislation and policy work.

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Tuesday, Jan. 24: “Hope Needs Only Hands & Hearts.” Marc Adams, the presenter, is founder and executive director of HeartStrong, a social justice organization providing hope and help to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students who are persecuted in religious educational institutions.

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Thursday, Jan. 26: “The Tyranny of Gender: Living Beyond the Gender Dichotomy.” Petra Doan, Ph.D., associate professor in the FSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning, will draw on her own experience coming out as a transgendered woman, “weaving feminist and queer theory into an examination of the ways that public and private spaces regulate and reproduce heteronormativity through the tyranny of gender.”

What: “Health, Hope, Justice and Gender: A Community Conversation on LGBT Life.”

When: 7:00-8:30 p.m. Jan. 2224 and Jan. 26 (see schedule above).

Where: St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 2198 N. Meridian Road (one block south of John Knox Road).

Cost: Admission is free. All are welcome.

Details: Call 850-385-2728 or email ststephen2@aol.com.

St. Stephen is what’s known as a Reconciling in Christ congregation. According to its website, www.st-stephen-lutheran.net, that means its members “welcome and support all people regardless of their sexual orientation, their gender identity or that of their children, parents, siblings or friends.” The congregation traditionally observes RIC Sunday in January, but this year it decided to invite the community to participate in a week of exploring LGBT issues in greater depth.

COMMUNITY CENTER

“As a welcoming and inclusive congregation, we believe that we are reflecting God’s unbounded love,” said Suhrweir, chair of the congregation’s Reconciling in Christ Committee. “We hope that this seminar series will provide an opportunity for all of us to better understand the multifaceted challenges faced by those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.”

UPCOMING

EVENTS

ALL EVENTS TAKE PLACE AT THE FAMILY TREE UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. For more information about any of these events, contact The Family Tree at 850.222.8555 or staff@familytreecenter.org.

January 23: 6:30 – 8pm Board of Directors Workshop

SAVE THE DATE March 23: The Family Tree’s Spring Dance

January 26: 7pm Tallahassee PRIDEFEST Planning Committee Meeting @ Krewe de Gras Midtown Tavern February 9: 7pm Tallahassee PRIDEFEST Planning Committee Meeting @Krewe de Gras Midtown Tavern

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GLBT DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS HOSTING STATEWIDE CONFERENCE The Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus’ Winter Conference is being held February 10-12, 2012, in historic Ybor City, Tampa.

This year’s Winter Conference is being hosted by the Hillsborough GLBTA Democratic Caucus and will include a welcome reception, ghost tour, educational breakout sessions, and more!

tree FRIEND OF THE

BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TREE TODAY!

See the insert in this month’s Branching Out for details!

Registration is required, $60 for members and $70 for nonmembers, prior to January 31st. Rates increase after January 31st. For more information, visit www.floridaglbtdemocrats.org.

MIXIT TALLAHASSEE HOSTING FREE, LIVE MUSIC EVENT Mixit Tallahassee, a non-judgmental space for lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning women and our friends, is hosting a concert event at Lee’s Wine Bar, 1700 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, at 7:30pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

The event features Indie-pop-rock artist Lizzy Pitch and guitar/ bass/singer/songwriter Kris Harrison.

An artist of NakedFace Records, Lizzy’s eclectic brand of Indiepop-rock is steeped in jazz, blues and funky beats. Lizzy sings with smooth, high octave vocals that’s part pop songstress and part classical trained musician. Kris is a creative and passionate guitarist/singer/songwriter and her original songs combine rock, pop, and folk influences.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.mixittallahassee.com.

Tallahassee Prime Timers A social group for mature men, featuring gatherings, house parties, monthly dinners and weekly happy hours

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PrimeTimersWW.org/talprime

LABEL

CHOOSING MY OWN

by Sarah Mutz-Tso • Branching Out Contributor

My personal story of self-discovery regarding both my gender and sexual identity has been complex. When I was a child, I felt like I was really supposed to be a boy. I enjoyed playing with what I thought of as “boy’s toys”, like cars and erector sets. When I did play with dolls, I usually played the role of the male. I do not know why I felt that way and I did not tell anyone about it at the time. Eventually, that feeling went away, and I have been comfortable identifying as female ever since. What did not go away, however, was the excitement that I felt when I got close to my female friends. I often felt an intense physical and emotional connection with girls, and at some level, I knew that it was not what most other girls felt. I never felt that connection with boys.

Throughout my life, I struggled with labeling my sexual identity. My issue with

labels is that not everyone agrees on the definitions, connotations and assumptions that go with the words and not everyone sees them as labels of self-identity. As a teenager, I thought of myself as being bisexual, as someone who is physically and emotionally attracted to people of both sexes, but I soon discovered that the men in my life wanted to use it as a means to fulfill their own sexual fantasies. In college, I did not know any women who identified as bisexual, and I felt that lesbians did not include me as part of their community. As a consequence, I no longer felt proud to call myself a bisexual. I wanted to claim ‘lesbian’ as a label, because I wanted to feel like I was part of a community. In addition, people who identify as bisexual are often (incorrectly) viewed as being indecisive, and in American society, it is weak to be indecisive. At the time, I felt that I would be stronger if I was decisive. I wanted to

be like the strong feminist icon that says, “We can do it!” However, I also knew that I sometimes felt a vague physical attraction to men, and I sometimes felt an emotional connection, too. Interestingly, I always fell for men who were quite effeminate.

So, for many years, I thought I had to choose between being gay or straight.

Begrudgingly, I accepted the label of being bisexual, not because I felt proud to identify that way, but because that is how other people saw me. It has only been recently that I have rejected this label. I remember my sister asking me if I considered myself to be bisexual when I began dating a trans woman (now my wife). I said “No, I am a lesbian and I am dating someone who identifies as a woman.”

Do you see me as bisexual or do you see me as a lesbian? To me, it does not matter how you see me, only how I see myself. As I reflect on my process of coming to terms with my sexual identity, I ask myself if I am comfortable with the fact that I have changed how I label myself many times, and I answer, “Yes, I am!”

Sarah Mutz-Tso is a resident of Tallahassee and a regular contributor to Branching Out. Reach her at tsunami.tso@gmail.com.

TRANSGENDERSCOPE

by Margeaux Mutz-Tso • Branching Out Production Team

I seem to recall Deepak Chopra saying in one of his books that the moment which is the now, is a gift, that’s why they call it the present. At the stroke of midnight every year, we celebrate in the now the confluence of the past, present and future. Though each measure of time in its own way is important in our destiny, I with the help of thinkers like Deepak and the passing of time have become better at staying in the present thus avoiding getting too far ahead or behind in my thinking. Yet despite my efforts to stay in the present one memory from 2011 will stay with me forever.

I alluded to it when I stated in the September “Transgenderscope” that though I could have, I had not changed my gender marker on my Florida driver’s license. I opined that it wasn’t November yet, and that I had my reasons.

Well, I did have my reasons. Though I had looked forward nearly all my life to having a gender marker that properly represented who I am on both my passport and drivers license, I had waited.

On October 29 of 2011 I married the most amazing woman in the world, now Mrs. Sarah Mutz-Tso. This fact, this ability to marry the person of my dreams (a woman) while living as the person of my dreams (a woman) should have been a slam dunk in any society which cared equally for its citizens. Still, this celebration of union, despite all the trust and love we have for each other occurred only because I maintained the gender marker I had been assigned at birth, a gender marker that no one asked me to accept.

What if I hadn’t waited? Well, according to the archaic laws of Florida and most U.S. states, the two women that we are would not have been allowed to marry. Just as LGB people all over the country are affected by marital discrimination so is the transgender community. People who would like to be married to the like gendered partners of their choice are prohibited from marrying because they have chosen to be their true selves. I know both trans women and men in this predicament. It isn’t a source of solace that our comrades in the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities suffer from the same injustice. The statement misery loves company isn’t satisfying. It sucks!

That being said, I now have a gender marker of female on both my passport card and my Florida drivers license. In the now and in the future, the State of Florida has two women who are and were legally married within its borders. I and my wife/wubby found a loophole. It is my/our fervent wish that this loophole will be Margeaux Mutz-Tso is the facilitator of Transgender unnecessary in the future. That the ill will that sparks its necessity will be a remnant of the Tallahassee and owns a local salon – Hairvoyance. past. That humanity’s present will be a world where love can flourish without inhibition!

Reach her at margeaux@familytreecenter.org.

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Community Resource Directory Community Organizations •

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Pride Student Union PSU—FSU’s Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual/Transgender Student Union 850-644-8804, www.fsu.edu/~sga/pride Youth Group A group for youth/teens 850-222-8555 youthgroup@familytreecenter.org Prime Timers A club for mature men over 21 850-877-4479, www.groups.yahoo.com/group/talprime Tallahassee Area Lesbian Moms rainbowshappen@lycos.com Big Bend Cares Support Group for HIV-positive members

Mondays, 7-8 , www.bigbendcares.org Healthline 211 (Telephone Counseling and Referral Service) Crisis intervention and referrals 24 hours a day, 850-224-NEED (850-224-6333) Refuge House Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center www.refugehouse.com, e-mail refuge.house@tallahassee.net 24 Hr Hotline: 850-681-2111, LGBT Program: 850-395-7631 Safe Zone Tallahassee, A program designed to identify people who consider themselves to be open to and knowledgeable about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered issues, 850-644-2003 Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), 850-597-2374 North Florida Lesbians Listserve: nfll@yahoogroups.com GLAAM: Gays, Lesbians and Allies Advancing Medicine - Florida State College of Medicine, GLAAM is a student group at FSU College of Medicine that promotes equality in healthcare. ­— jmo09@med.fsu.edu TCC Pride - tccpridegrp@gmail.com FAMU’s LGBT Pride Student Union - facebook.com/groups/FAMUpride

Religious Support All Saints Catholic Community............................................................................656-3777 Gentle Shepherd Metropolitan Community Church...................................878-3001 Nichiren Buddhism (contact Carol)....................................................................878-8467 Quaker Meeting.......................................................................................................878-3620 St. Catherine of Siena (Catholic)..........................................................................421-0447 Unitarian Universalist Church.............................................................................385-5115 St. Stephen Lutheran Church..............................................................................385-2728 United Church in Tallahassee...............................................................................878-7385 Temple Israel.............................................................................................................877-3517 First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee..........................................................222-4505 Lake Jackson United Methodist Church 4223 North Monroe Street...................................................................................562-1759 Red Hills Pagan Council ......................................................... www.redhillspagans.org

Submit your organization for the resource directory! Email staff@familytreecenter.org or call (850) 222-8555

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Classifieds

Transgender woman seeking employment. Has experience in office and personnel management, culinary skills, computer assembly and maintenance, art, and writing. Looking for full or part time work. Please contact 850-708-7017 or email dani.paschal@gmail.com to help.

Design Enterprises

Offering Landscape Design Services

Landscape Consultation and Design for New and Existing Landscapes and Garden Patios

Michael Waddell

Landscape Designer Landscape Designer

Consultation $65.00 Per Hour Design Fee Per Scope of Project

Please support the businesses that support your community!

Phone: 850‐661‐5943 E‐mail: merlinway@comcast.net

If you’d like to include a job listing or classified ad in the next issue of Branching Out, send your ad of no more than 40 words, to news@branchingoutnews.com.

We have a wide selection of:

The Family Tree has 10x10 pop-up tents available for rent.

Contact staff@familytreecenter.org for more information.

Birdseed Bird Feeders Optics Nesting Boxes Birdbaths Nature Gifts

1505-2 Governor’s Square Blvd

850-576-0002

www.wbu.com/tallahassee

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