September, 2011

Tallahassee’s Monthly LGBT Newspaper VOL. XV, Issue 8 • September 2011 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.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Ends on September 20th News Release

On July 22, 2011, President Obama certified the requirements enacted by Congress to officially repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the law that has prevented openly gay and lesbian individuals from serving in our nation’s military. The President’s statement on the certification of the repeal is provided below.

Today, we have taken the final major step toward ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law that undermines our military readiness and violates American principles of fairness and equality. In accordance with the legislation that I signed into law last December, I have certified and notified Congress that the requirements for repeal have been met.

‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will end, once and for all, in 60 days—on September 20, 2011.

As Commander in Chief, I have always been

confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness. Today’s action follows extensive training of our military personnel and certification by Secretary Panetta and Admiral Mullen that our military is ready for repeal. As of September 20th, service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country. Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian.

I want to commend our civilian and military leadership for moving forward in the careful and deliberate manner that this change requires, especially with our nation at war. I want to thank all our men and women in uniform, including those who are gay or lesbian, for their professionalism and patriotism during this transition. Every American can be proud that our extraordinary troops and their families, like earlier generations that have adapted to other changes, will only grow stronger and remain the best fighting force in the world and a reflection of the values of justice and equality that the define us as Americans.

While DADT may be history, the fight is not over.

The DADT repeal legislation that passed Congress last December does not include nondiscrimination provisions and does not include LGBT servicemembers in the Department of Defense’s Equal Opportunity Policy. The repeal legislation also does not include transgender members. Congress must act to ensure that our servicemembers are treated equally, otherwise a future administration could ban LGBT members from serving openly once again.

www.branchingoutnews.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 Patrick Patterson, Art Director and Layout Editor Margeaux Mutz, 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.

We thank those who make

possible!

Leaders COMMUNITY CENTER Community Work to End Bullying

UP C OMING

EVENTS September 26: 6:30 – 8pm Board of Directors Meeting September 27: 6:30 – 8pm Capital City GLBTA Democratic Caucus Membership Meeting October 10: 6:30 – 8pm Board of Directors Meeting October 14: 6 – 10pm National Coming Out Day Gala and Awards Presentation Monroe Street Conference Center Purchase tickets at gala.familytreecenter.org October 24: 6:30 – 8pm Annual Meeting and Elections 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.

We have a wide selection of:

Birdseed Bird Feeders Optics Nesting Boxes Birdbaths Nature Gifts

1505-2 Governor’s Square Blvd

850-576-0002

www.wbu.com/tallahassee

by Susan Gage • Special To Branching Out

Every school year brings the excitement of new classes, a new school, and new adventures along the road toward high school graduation. For some children, it also means the return to an environment that hasn’t always felt safe.

Last year, the headlines in the fall were about the number of LGBT students committing suicide because they were being bullied by their peers. There was even a case at Flagler Palm Coast High School in which a wood shop teacher mocked Luke Herbert, an openly-gay freshman student, and verbally harassed him to the point that Herbert had to change schools.

The wood shop teacher made a public apology, but that apology was played on a closed-circuit TV system in the high school; thus Herbert never saw it.

The Herbert family is considering a lawsuit against the school district.

It was cases such as this that prompted Rev. Mark Byrd, then pastor at Gentle Shepherd MCC, to contact me as head of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG-Tallahassee) to meet with State Representative Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda about the urgent need to protect LGBT students specifically in the public schools. Those initial meetings launched the Big Bend Anti-Bullying Task Force, a coalition of academic, mental health, and social justice advocates to address bullying. The Task Force has advocated for legislation to strengthen the state’s anti-bullying statute, and presented at forums throughout the Big Bend area to heighten awareness about the impacts of bullying. At a session in Marianna with domestic violence workers and Department of Juvenile Justice employees, the Task Force emphasized the connection between school yard bullying (both being the bully and being the victim) and how that might play out in future criminal behavior.

At a presentation before PFLAG-Tallahassee in August, John Hunkiar, Chief of the Leon County School District’s Safety, Security and Emergency Management Department, said the district trains all school personnel, from principals to coaches to janitors and bus drivers, on bullying. Leon County’s policy goes beyond what was adopted at the state level in that it does provide protection from bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity (the Florida statute specifically omits this language). However, when asked what training the district gives people on LGBT issues specifically, Hunkiar said the training did not single out any particular group. He did leave the door open for parents with concerns about harassment based on a child’s LGBT nature to call him. And so the dialogue with the district continues.

In an effort to keep educating the community, the Task Force will show the film, “Bullied” for a second time this year on Tuesday, September 20th Gray Memorial United Methodist Church, 2201 Old Bainbridge Road in Tallahassee. Doors open at 6:30pm. The film tells the story of Jamie Nabozny, an openly-gay Wisconsin teenager who was bullied so severely that he tried to kill himself and ran away from home. Nabozny was the first student to sue a school and its personnel for failing to protect gay students, and he won.

A panel discussion with Task Force members will follow the film. If you have ever experienced harassment in school for being LGBT, this is the time to have your voice heard. As we say at PFLAG, instead of “It Gets Better”, let’s make it better now.

Susan Gage is President of the Tallahassee chapter of PFLAG – Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Contact her at susangagelmt@yahoo.com.

A State Representative Takes on Bullying

by Representative Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda • Special To Branching Out I was asked to write an article for The Family Tree about the Big Bend Anti- Bullying Task Force. There is much to write about both the AntiBullying Movement and the Big Bend Task Force; so where to begin? My first idea was to tell the story of the conception and creation of the Task Force and to give credit to the members of the Tallahassee LGBT Community who helped give birth to it.

As I began to write, it became clear that more than mere credit must be acknowledged here. The members of the Tallahassee LGBT Community have my gratitude and deserve the gratitude of the larger Big Bend Community. My hope is that all those who have been involved in the Task Force, whether their name has been mentioned here or not, will read this article as a deep and heartfelt thank you for taking the initiative, for all that they have done, and all that I know they will do to continue, what has already become the significant work of the Big Bend Anti-Bullying Task Force (BBATF).

The Big Bend Anti-bullying Task Force would not have happened with out the foresight, caring, and time of members of the LGBT community.

It has been a gift of hope to many young people, their parents and teachers, and for everyone who has been bullied, witnessed bullying, and even for those who have bullied and need redemption.

In the early fall of 2010, Rev. Mark Byrd made an appointment to come to my office at the Capital, to discuss an issue of importance and urgency: Many young gay men and boys were committing suicide because they found it too painful to live in a world intolerant of their very being. Was there some way we could address this problem in our community together?

As Mark and I began talking, we discussed how much courage a young person must gather to come out, when life can prove daunting for teenagers and college students in the best of circumstances. We talked about how cruelty and abuse can make life for young gay boys and men unbearable. We then explored a few ideas to help bring attention to the tragedy of suicide in the gay community. Time grew short in our first meeting and we set up another.

Mark brought Susan Gage, a former award winning journalist, now massage therapist, community activist and leader of the Tallahassee chapter of PFLAG, to our next meeting. We continued where we had left off: If it was mental and physical cruelty that could make being young and gay unbearable, then who was the culprit? continued on page 4

Systematic mental and physical cruelty is the stock in trade of bullies. We then decided that bullying was a problem we could address in the schools. There was the spark. We had something, an idea to work with and develop.

Our next discussions reached agreement that it was not only the LGBT community that suffers from the torture of bullies. Too many of our young people suffer because they look, act, talk, or simply are different or unique. Fat or skinny, black, white, brown, attractive or plain, gifted or with special needs, those who talk this way or that, act this way or that, if you stand out in some way as a child, or young adult, you will get teased. Teasing can turn ugly and torturous. Physical, mental, spiritual, and learning losses, as well as the ultimate loss, that of life, can be the result. When this happens it is not just the bullied child and their loved ones that loose; we all do.

We then decided that what was doable and most needed was to raise awareness that bullying is not child’s play but leads to great tragedy and loss. We also decided to engage as much of the community as possible. The first BBATF meeting was held on Nov. 10, 2010. My staff cast a wide net for Task Force members and contributors. Clergy, educators, students, law enforcement, mental health professionals, parents, elected leaders, lawyers, and physicians were invited.

Twenty-two self-appointed Task Force members, in addition to my staff and the media, were at the first meeting. Since then, we have continually been able to call on the expertise and help of those who attended that very first meeting. Now, in addition to the “Founding Twenty-Two”, we have many others to whom we call on for help. We have found that there are many in our community who care about our children and take seriously the issue of bullying. The network is growing each day of people who want to be part of this important movement to save our children from harm and save our society from this vicious self-destruction.

Dr. Rachel Pienta works closely with me to make sure the BBATF continues to raise awareness about the destructiveness of bullying. Dr. Pienta and her students have created a Facebook page as a central place for information and contact. (Please visit with us there.)

We have had panel discussions and made presentations to mental health and children’s advocacy groups, parents’ associations, churches and children’s groups.

In addition, we are now allied with the Holocaust Education Resource Council and Barbara Goldstein here in the Big Bend. We have reached out to LeMoyne Art Gallery for ideas and help with projects. We will continue to gather a large and strong coalition in a “conspiracy of good”. There is much to do and much to understand about the essential nature of bullying as the illegitimate use of power to oppress the “other”.

The idea and work of the Task Force has resonated with more people than I could have ever imagined.

Everywhere I go someone stops to talk with me about the work of the Anti-Bullying Task Force or their own experiences with bullying.

When we began the Task Force, Mark, Susan and I talked of the pretty Irish exchange student who was so brutally bullied by jealous “mean girls” that she took her own life. She had no PFLAG, no LGBT organization, no Family Tree, no energized, passionate, and compassionate activist adults to stand for her and make sure that her life was honored and not lost in vain. Kids who are simply different don’t have an organized group of adults to help them deal with bullying. The LGBT community is strong, tightly knit, smart, politically courageous and experienced. PFLAG and other LGBT groups are assets most bullied kids don’t have.

Political leadership and real change happens only when there is a strong partnership between citizens and those who represent them. As I hope I have expressed, in this article, this kind of partnership recently worked brilliantly to ignite a small spark of light into a powerful idea and then a movement for change that now gains momentum in our community each day.

Our local movement is linked with a larger movement that is quietly gaining momentum across the country and the world. Change happens only when we become aware and conscious of the effect on our quality of life of the forces around us. Real progress happens only when there is work done in lawmaking and culture.

We will not end bullying tomorrow but we can change how we think about it. We can call it by name and begin, step by step, to empower each one of us to take a stand against it when we see it. The movement to fight the illegitimate use of power to stifle minds and hearts and to oppress “the other” has had many stops and starts in human history. The network of caring community members that make up the Big Bend Antibullying Task Force is working to do its part in this age- old fight for real freedom from the oppression of bullies.

Thanks again to our local Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community for your courage and caring for all bullied and endangered young people. Thank you for bringing attention to the need for something to be done to address the suffering, loss, and destruction caused by bullying. Thank you for your help in beginning and supporting a movement here in our community that will leave a legacy of change for the better in the lives of not only all of our children but all of us.

Much more can be written about, and from, the Big Bend Anti-Bullying Task Force. I hope as time and space permit, that either I, or other members of the BBATF, can contribute more articles. Stay tuned!

Representative Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda has served in the Florida House of Representatives, District 9, since 2008. To share your ideas, concerns or questions you may have, contact Representative Rehwinkel-Vasilinda at 850-488-0965 or via email at michelle.rehwinkel@myfloridahouse.gov.

Bullying: A Student’s Perspective

by Darius Dupins • Special To Branching Out

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, nearly 42 percent of kids have been bullied online.

Almost one in four have had it happen more than once. The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyber-bullying are similar to real life bullying outcomes, but the difference between the two is that there is often no escape from cyber-bullying and there’s no clear resolution to stop it. For example, school ends at 3pm, while the internet is available all the time.

When I was growing up, bullying was considered to be a part of the growing up process, almost like a rite of passage. With the rise of violence in schools, bullying is not just a phase some kids will go through.

Recently, the big bad bullies of the school have gone high-tech, whereas before the bully would use aggressive behavior or verbal abuse to attack his or her victims.

Text messages and emails were once used just for getting directions to a friends’ house or sending a “Get Well” e-card to a sick friend or relative.

However, these communication tools are now used for gossip and sending hurtful messages to others.

Bullying and rumoring led to the tragic death of a Rutgers University student who committed suicide after bullying peers recorded and released an online video of him in a homosexual act.

After the wave of suicides that occurred last year, such as the Rutgers incident, the campaign to stop bullying has taken a life of its own. From the “It Gets Better” campaign with celebrities and public figures supporters, to public advertising campaigns from The National Crime Prevention Council, the fight to end bullying and cyber-bullying has earned a place in pop culture. The majority of these suicide cases were gay high school and college students who were “out” or “closeted” students living in fear.

Is cyber-bullying something we have to accept? Even though there isn’t a permanent resolution to stop cyber-bullying, Facebook and other social networking sites have created an “Abuse” and “Report User” option if someone ever feels threatened online.

For example, when reporting abuse on Facebook, it provides you different options to categorize the abuse you’re experiencing. Things such as spam to a hate speech or attacks on an individual are the options given to complete the steps to reporting abuse. We’re all vulnerable to cyber-bullying and that’s the scary part. The power to do so is made all the more dangerous by the emotional disconnect that accompanies the lack of quality of communication.

This new wave of cyber bullying is here to stay and the only way we can help each other is by calling each other out on it and avoiding the unnecessary drama. By doing so, we can follow two simple rules: Do unto you as you would to others; if you wouldn’t speak unkindly to a person face to face, then don’t do it online and finally, never post anything when you’re angry. It’s never a good idea to post something when you’re emotional. The best thing to do is to take a few minutes to clear your head before you deal with the situation at hand.

Cyber-bullying is this generations rite of passage, whereas before a simple punch or being ignored from the popular kids were our worries. Now, having polls on the internet about ourselves and being harassed by someone on our instant messenger are now the worries of the teenagers of today. Reporting someone’s social network account will only do so much, but there’s always a possibility for the bully to create another account. Which is why theirs is no clear resolution to stop cyber-bullying. It’s up to all of us to police ourselves and our friends. As one antibullying campaign puts it, “Don’t be mean behind the screen.”

Darius Dupins resides in Tallahassee and is a student at Tallahassee Community College. Contact him at DUPIN5A0@mymail.tcc.fl.edu.

ASK

Well you know now!

Wow! What a thought having both major forms of identification identifying me by MY gender and not a gender chosen for me at birth because of a body part. Makes you think that I would have already done something about it, doesn’t it?

Stop right there! It’s not November yet! I’ve got my reasons!

MARGEAUX

Margeaux Mutz is the facilitator of Transgender Tallahassee and owns a local salon – Hairvoyance.

Reach her at margeaux@familytreecenter.org.

Q: Which transgender person in history has had the most affect on your life?

A: Every time I speak or write about my early life, I acknowledge the importance of Christine Jorgensen in triggering the first conscious thoughts of who I am and the possibilities that could arise because of that.

Christine’s surgical change to the woman she had always been occurred in the early 1950’s near the date of my birth but, the notoriety she attained followed her for many years to come. Because of this media fascination with her, I became aware of a potential new reality. It literally sent shudders through my body. Would I act on that knowledge?

No, not in the near future, but the first thoughts of the female self buried deep inside me emanated from the reality of what she was able to accomplish.

That being said, when I look at my life and the importance of other transsexuals within it, I realize that the two transgender women who affected me in the most positive way, reside right here in Tallahassee. The first woman, who shall remain nameless because that is her wish, I met at The Family Tree because she facilitated the Gender Chat group that I now facilitate. The second, Petra Doan, I also met though the group. Both of these women allowed me to develop at my own pace and make the experience my own. There was no attempt to tell me the right way to transition or whether transitioning was necessary at all. As a matter of fact, both women have had the sexual re-assignment surgery that I have eschewed, but neither has ever made it an issue with me. Beyond that, both have been great role models for coming out on the other side of their transition as responsible caring adults. Believe it or not, before I had met anyone like myself, I fell prey to the same stereotyping of transgender people that everyone else has. I couldn’t be one of those people. I was a responsible adult with a kid, a job and a wife. Well, believe it or not, both these women are all of that and more. They presented to me people that care about community, a quality that was greatly lacking in my life. They ignited in me a community spirit that has enriched my life in ways I would not have thought possible. I have them to thank for even being able to write this article. Thank you, both of you, for helping me live a life worth living!

If you have a question for Margeaux, email her at branchingout@familytreecenter.org. Your question may be featured in the next issue of Branching Out or online at familytreecenter.org!

I need to gush about the month of November.

First, on November 30, 2005, I legally changed my name. That date is so important that I have it in ink on my back. It signifies the completion of my transition to the woman that I am and always was. It gave me “cred” in my own mind, a very important detail when having to deal with the protestations of an unsympathetic world. Those protestations can be quite limiting when a persons gender marker does not match up with one’s gender presentation.

Which brings me to the next important November date; on November 23, 2010, I was issued a U.S. Passport Card. What’s the big deal, you say? Well for one, I like my picture, though I got my initial attempt for the card rejected because of my extensive “Photoshopping” mania. A girl has got to look good you know!

But second and truly more important, the card gave this assigned male at birth a universally accepted form of identification with my correct gender as female, without having to go through sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). Yes, until June of 2010, SRS was required by the Federal Government and many states for a gender marker change on identification.

Sounds good right…..but what about a state driver’s license? What if your driver’s license says male and your passport says female? This ambiguity certainly doesn’t bode well for travel and can be quite limiting psychologically as well.

Never fear! November will be here, November 2, 2010, to be exact. There is that month again!

On November 2, 2010, the State of Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles changed its policy regarding gender marker change.

The policy states that “effective immediately, we are aligning our processes with the U.S. Passport Agency.

Our requirements will follow standards established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), recognized as the authority in this field by the American Medical Association.

Included in the U.S. Passport and the Drivers License Operations Manual (LR14.2b) are words stating that a customer “changing gender must provide a signed original statement, on office letterhead, from the attending medical physician.” “The physicians may specialize in various medical fields, including but not limited to, internists, endocrinologists, gynecologists, urologists, surgeons, psychiatrists, pediatricians or family practitioners. Statements from persons who are not licensed physicians, such as psychologists, nurse practitioners, health practitioners or chiropractors are not acceptable.

Cool, except I didn’t know about the State of Florida policy change until over a month ago. That’s right, I’ve lived the last year or so clueless about my options. I’m wondering how many of you have also.

FOR GOOD

by Patrick Patterson Branching Out Production Team

Robert Frost tells of a traveler coming upon a divide in the road ahead. Both roads from his vantage point looked about the same. He toiled over the choice because he knew that he would never be within the same circumstances again. He chose the pass less traveled and to him, making his own choice—his own way—it made all of the difference in his life.

I chose a few years back to go back to college and finish my degree (which I had started right after high school… but detoured). Recently, I finished my studies at FAMU, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Graphic Design. This was a great achievement for me. However, now having the piece of paper, the job market is now even worse than before, and I had no guarantee of finding a job. I applied for dozens of positions all over the country for months (beginning before I ever had my diploma).

Each day I got more and more frustrated because I felt like I had done all of this work and I was going to have to hold down two part time jobs for the rest of my life and not be able to get anywhere.

On June 15, I applied for another job with the City of Lakeland (FL) of all places. I decided that due to the qualifications, and with my experience, I was a perfect match for this listing. I researched apartments and was very proactive about “moving to Lakeland”… humoring my friends in the process.

One month passed by and I hadn’t heard anthing.

Two months go by and I am now thinking that it’s a lost cause and I should keep looking (although, I never really stopped). A few days after the two month marker, I got an email. “Yada yada yada…

I’m thinking rejection… yada yada yada (then the last paragraph) Congratulations, you’ve made the top ten.” They wanted to see my portfolio by 5pm on Monday… never mind the fact that it was noon

continued on page 6

on Friday. Another week rolls by. Email. “Yada yada yada… I’m thinking rejection… yada yada yada (then the last paragraph)…We would like for you to come in for an interview in a week.” Great, I can do that. Buy a suit.

Prepare another portfolio. Go to interview. A week later – Email… just like all the others. “Yada yada yada… this can’t possibly be a rejection… yada yada yada… it really is, why are they drawing this out… yada yada yada… We would like to offer you the position.” By the end of the day, everything was final, formal, and signed. After I start my new job, I’m going to have to have a training course on congratulations emails vs. rejection emails… neither of them should be cliffhangers!

In just a few days, I’ll be leaving Tallahassee, and the friends that have grown to mean so much to me. I can’t say that I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve been here… I’m not Oprah! I can say that every minute I’ve been here has helped to mold me into the person that I have come to be.

So many of you have offered words of encouragement to me and have helped me grow. I couldn’t have done it without you. I am so lucky to have been a part of a community with such wonderful people. There’s a song from Wicked, the musical, that says, “who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

Well, I can say that I’ve been changed for the better… and it’s all because of you.

Until we meet again.

Community Resource Directory Community Organizations •

•

•

•

• • •

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

Contact staff@familytreecenter.org for more information.

• • • •

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

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

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

A social group for mature men, featuring gatherings, house parties, monthly dinners and weekly happy hours PrimeTimersWW.org/talprime

) 0 :RUVKLS â—? *RW IXOO ZHHNHQGV" â—? :DQW WR EH FDVXDO" â—? 6WLOO ZDQW WR FRQQHFW ZLWK *RG LQ \RXU EXV\ OLIH"

0LG ZHHN HQFRXUDJHPHQW IRU WKH VRXO IULHQGVKLS DQG ORYH IRU WKH KHDUW

$ MRXUQH\ LQ IDLWK VKRXOG QRW :HGQHVGD\ QLJKW :RUVKLS EH D JXLOW WULS %DVVZRRG /DQH 7DOODKDVVHH -RLQ XV HDFK ZHHN DW SP

IRU VXSSRUW IHOORZVKLS PXVLF SUD\HU %LEOH VWXG\ ZRUVKLS

www.FMWorship.com

) 0 :RUVKLS â—? *RW IXOO ZHHNHQGV" â—? :DQW WR EH FDVXDO" â—? 6WLOO ZDQW WR FRQQHFW ZLWK *RG LQ \RXU EXV\ OLIH"

Please support the businesses that support your community!

Tallahassee Prime Timers

0LG ZHHN HQFRXUDJHPHQW IRU WKH VRXO IULHQGVKLS DQG ORYH IRU WKH KHDUW

$ MRXUQH\ LQ IDLWK VKRXOG QRW :HGQHVGD\ QLJKW :RUVKLS EH D JXLOW WULS %DVVZRRG /DQH 7DOODKDVVHH -RLQ XV HDFK ZHHN DW SP

IRU VXSSRUW IHOORZVKLS PXVLF SUD\HU %LEOH VWXG\ ZRUVKLS

www.FMWorship.com

) 0 :RUVKLS â—? *RW IXOO ZHHNHQGV" â—? :DQW WR EH FDVXDO" â—? 6WLOO ZDQW WR FRQQHFW ZLWK *RG LQ \RXU EXV\ OLIH"

0LG ZHHN HQFRXUDJHPHQW IRU WKH VRXO IULHQGVKLS DQG ORYH IRU WKH KHDUW

$ MRXUQH\ LQ IDLWK VKRXOG QRW :HGQHVGD\ QLJKW :RUVKLS EH D JXLOW WULS -RLQ XV HDFK ZHHN DW SP

%DVVZRRG /DQH 7DOODKDVVHH

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED The Family Tree P.O. Box 38477 Tallahassee, FL 32315

TALLAHASSEE, FL PERMIT NO. 87

PAID

NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE

Tickets On Sale Now!

October 14, 2011 Monroe Street Conference Center 2725 Graves Road • Former Marie Livingston’s

Cocktails at 6PM | Dinner at 7PM | Awards to Follow $40 Single • $210 Table of Six • $25 Student

Purchase tickets @ gala.familytreecenter.org

THE FAMILY TREE IS REGISTERED WITH THE STATE UNDER THE SOLICITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS ACT, 1991, REGISTRATION NUMBER CH12188. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.