GREETINGS FROM THE RED RIVER RAINBOW SENIORS

from 2023 Pride Guide

MARCHING TOWARDS HOPE

BY MARG NELSON

The Red River Rainbow Seniors are celebrating Pride! Covid disrupted our group for a good two years and introduced us to Zoom, which is an effective way for people to participate in our business meetings more regularly.

We have two book groups that meet monthly, usually in members’ homes; they also take advantage of Zoom, especially in bad weather.

We participate in and help fund the annual ND LGBTQ+ Summit which will be in Bismarck this year on October 20-22.

The RRRS offered four grants to local High Schools GSA/LGBTQ+ and student support groups. We also support our umbrella organization, the Pride Collective and Community Center which is located in Fargo.

We continue to work on a plan to educate and encourage long-term care facilities and providers about the needs of LGBTQ+ seniors and ways in which their lives as residents can be affirmed.

In November 2017, we began an oral history project called “Breaking Barriers: Harvesting LGBTQ+ Stories from the Northern Plains,” focusing on older LGBTQ+ people and their allies. Over 174 people have been interviewed, and 26 interviews are pending. The original digital files and transcriptions of the oral histories will be available in the North Dakota State University archives. You can contact us about Breaking Barriers by emailing the RRRS or contacting the oral history project directly at: redriverrainboworalhistory@gmail. com or check it out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ BreakingBarriersLGBTQ/.

There will be an exhibit commemorating the 10th anniversary of the state of Minnesota passing a same sex marriage amendment. It will be at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, starting August 1, 2023, for a year.

Please stop by and chat with our members at the RRRS booth on Saturday at Pride in the Park.

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