Hi all,
Just a few quick updates, as July is already up and running!
Our OutSupport meetings this month are this Tuesday, July 12, for LGBTQ+ youth (17 and under) and their parents or guardians! River Styx Park, from 6-8pm. This will be a special event…Journeys (yes! the store at the mall!) selected OutSupport to provide 20 skateboards and helmets to attendees! We sure hope you and your favorite young person can attend! They will bring the bling to help decorate the helmets, and give a crash course on how to start skateboarding! Because this is a county park, we won’t be able to practice, but there is a skateboarding park in the Medina City Parks (Reagan Park) that you can practice at! Our friends at the Medina County Health Dept. will also be on hand to briefly talk about healthy habits! We want you all to have fun and stay healthy!
Any skateboards that are not distributed will be given to our friends at META Center in Akron, to distribute to youth that attend their activities.
The following Tuesday, July 19, 6:00pm, we will take a hike at Mugrage Park…meet by the picnic shelter! All ages welcome!
Another youth event happening this week is at the Medina Main Library. Wednesday, July 13 from 4-5:30pm in the upstairs is a special LGBTQ+ craft time! All teens welcome! Bring a friend!
Another event (for 18 and over) is the G2H2 Social Group is meeting this month at Johnny J’s Pub in Medina (925 N. Court St in the plaza with a Chipotle and Starbucks). July 13 @ 5:30pm! This group sounds like they have a great time together…this is a fun place to get to know some great folks! All are welcome to join!
Since it’s summer, our friends at GC2B want to remind you that you CAN wear your binder in the pool! We know that the topic of swimming is a pretty challenging one for our teens, especially. A couple tips: Wear a binder 1 size larger than your regular size; have a designated binder for swimming in; and don’t put your binder on when it;s wet, or you are wet! We continue to be happy to provide free binders for young LGBTQ+ people, so if you know someone who wants/needs one, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
One last thing! We are SO GRATEFUL to the Westfield Employee Resource Group, who honored OutSupport with a very generous donation! We extend our gratitude to the Westfield Insurance Foundation for this donation!
These funds, and all donations, help us continue our mission to make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ individuals, by support, education and advocacy. Donations help provide the binders for older youth, flags on the square, the thousands (yes, thousands!) of flags, stickers, books and buttons that we distribute throughout the year to the 9 GSA groups in Medina County, and multiple organizations that we provide items to. We appreciate every donation!
Well, one other last thing: We’ve had some….moments… in the past month…flags destroyed on the Medina Square, and verbal harassment from some….locals…at the picnic on the square and the July 4 parade. Just so you know..we will be requesting police/sheriff visibility at all future programs. This world is going more crazy than I ever thought possible, and we will do what we can to try to keep us all safe. We hope to see you at future OutSupport events.
In solidarity,
Sandy