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LGBT Parenting Network
November 2007, E-News

LGBTQ PARENTS AND THE SCHOOLS PROJECT: Next Meeting WED. NOV 7

We had a good turnout and lively discussion at the first meeting of the LGBTQ Parents and the Schools Project.  To be continued at the next meeting which is:

Wed. Nov 7, 2007
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St, 4th floor
All welcome.

Summary of suggestions for the work of this cttee:

  • Develop resources for teachers, parents, kids.
  • Kick and scream to get the funding formula changed so that teachers can deal with these issues.  Meet with Kathleen Wynne in this regard. Make parents’ voices heard at all levels.
  • Connection website.
  • Get involved in Parent Councils at individual schools.
  • Bring together communities of schools to deal with these issues.
  • Develop creative and fun ways to raise these issues  (some suggestions: comic books and story writing contests)
  • Follow up on Family Tree poster – how it has been used, resources developed to go with it.  
  • Other??

For the next meeting it was decided that each member will write a paragraph about why they have come to join this committee.  We can put them together and decide what do with the collection – perhaps put it on a website.

NEXT MEETING:    WED. NOV 7, 7:00 – 9:00 pm at Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne, 4 th  floor (Note: new meeting room on 4 th  floor)

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FACING FERTILITY CHALLENGES:  THURS. NOV. 15

LET'S TALK ABOUT HEALTH
Sherbourne Health Centre's 2007-08 Workshop Series

NEXT WORKSHOP:
Facing Fertility Challenges: A Discussion for LGBTQ People Experiencing or Affected by Fertility Issues and Challenges.

  • Are you frustrated with how long it is taking for you or your co-parent or loved one to get pregnant?
  • Have you been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome? Experienced pregnancy loss?
  • Are you looking for support as an LGBTQ person dealing with fertility issues?
  • Are you grappling with decision-making around interventions? About when to keep trying and when to give up?

Let's begin a discussion for LGBTQ people experiencing or affected by fertility issues and challenges.

Thursday, November 15
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Sherbourne Health Centre, 2nd floor
333 Sherbourne St., Toronto

Facilitator: Jay MacGillivray, Toronto midwife and sexual & reproductive health educator

  • Shira Spector, queer mom; dealing with infertility; Queer Parenting Programmes at the 519
  • Rachel Epstein, queer mom; LGBTQ Parenting Network
  • Kate Greenaway, physician; Sherbourne Health Centre
  • Jan Silverman, adoptive parent; counsellor, Infertility Support and Education Program, Women’s Health Centre.

Free, with light refreshments provided.  

For more information or to register, please call 416.324.4177 or email mclarke@sherbourne.on.ca.  

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CALLING ALL QUEER SINGLE MOMS: SAT. NOV. 17

Calling all queer single moms! Come and gather with other queer single moms to meet, network, share stories, learn new single strategies and enjoy some food and drink. The kids will have supervised play in another room so we can meet and actually talk about issues important to us. Please join us at the YMCA Family Development Centre, 15 Breadalbane (one block south of Wellesley, just west of Yonge, third floor) at 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Bring a simple snack or beverage to share. Hope to see you there!
For more info contact Carlyle: carlyle@goodforher.com

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FATHERHOOD DREAMS: Canadian documentary on gay fathers: SAT. NOV 17

Come along on an intimate journey through the lives of four gay men devoted to being fathers and the challenges they face becoming dads.

Airing November 17th at 10 p.m. on Global Television

  • How many gay fathers do you know?
  • Have you ever met a child whose dad is gay?
  • Do any families with same-sex parents live on your street? If so, do you let your kids play with their kids?

The new documentary Fatherhood Dreams, which airs as part of Global TV's Global Currents documentary series on Saturday, November 17, at 10 p.m., introduces audiences to four Vancouver-area family men who happen to be gay, and the challenges they have faced becoming and being parents. It is the first Canadian documentary letting people into the lives of gay men who are parents, and the first to give voice to their children.

Director/Executive Producer Julia Ivanova is an accomplished documentary maker. She wrote, directed and produced: From Russia For Love (2000), which aired on CBC Newsworld's The Passionate Eye, RDI and in eighteen other countries; I Want A Woman (2003) for Newsworld's Rough Cuts and IFC; and Moscow Freestyle (2006) for Newsworld's The Lense and Knowledge Network. Moscow Freestyle won the 2006 Humanity Award at the Red Shift Film Festival in New York. Julia Ivanova is currently in post-production on Master of Silence, which is supported by the CBC, NFB and BC Arts Council. She is a board member of the Documentary Organization of Canada.

Producer Boris Ivanov has been producing films since 2000, including: From Russia For Love (2000), which aired on CBC Newsworld's The Passionate Eye, RDI and in eighteen other countries; and Moscow Freestyle (2006) Newsworld's The Lense and Knowledge Network. He was the line producer for the feature film The Undead (2007), and unit manager for the NBC pilot of The Bionic Woman (2007) and the TV Series Battlestar Galactica. He was a director of theatrical recreations for Beyond Top Secret, which was nominated for two News & Documentary Emmys.

About Global Currents:
Global Currents is a Gemini Award-winning, critically acclaimed documentary series from Global Television that is committed to revealing extraordinary perspectives and issues affecting all Canadians. Hosted by Global National anchor and executive editor Kevin Newman, each weekly one-hour, independently-produced documentary represents the talents of Canada's best socio-political, environmental, humanist and scientific documentary filmmakers. Global Currents recently won the Best Documentary Series award at the 2007 Gemini Awards.

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MOMMY, MOMMY: Documentary on lesbian parenting: TUES. NOV. 20 & SAT. NOV. 24

Tuesday November 20 at 10pm ET/PT and Saturday November 24 at 11pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

Produced by Rezolution Pictures in association with CBC Newsworld, the documentary MOMMY, MOMMY follows Linda and Mona, a lesbian couple from Quebec, on their quest to
create the family they've always dreamed about. Linda and Mona embark upon a five year long emotional rollercoaster ride where they're confronted by the complications
of access to IVF, and bans against same-sex couples adopting from overseas. After finding a birth mother in the US who welcomes lesbian parents, Linda and Mona find a final, devastating roadblock thrown up by the Christian-based adoption agency and their own government. The same one that legalized same-sex adoptions! The couple refuse to give up, and Linda and Mona's dream finally comes true in the most unexpected way...

MOMMY, MOMMY was directed by Sylvie Rosenthal and produced by Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge and Christina Fon for Rezolution Pictures.

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MONTHLY FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMMES AT THE 519

Daddy, Papa & Me
Next date: Saturday, November 10th
Come to our monthly queer-positive gathering for fathers & their children (age 0 to 6).  Meet other families from far and wide and find: support, snacks, activities, music, toys, discussions & queer parenting resources.  The 2nd Saturday of each month from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at The 519's Family Resource Centre.

Mum's the World!
Next date: Saturday, November 24th
Come to our monthly gathering for Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Mothers/Parents and their children (age 0 to 6).  Meet other families from far and wide and find: support, snacks, activities, music, toys, discussions & queer parenting resources.  The last Saturday of each month from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at The 519's Family Resource Centre.

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NEW GROUP FOR YOUTH WITH LGBTQ PARENTS: FLO - Families Like Ours  

A NEW group for youth age 13-18 who are the children of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual parents.  

  • Do you sometimes feel like you are the only one with a family like yours?
  • Do you want to find a place where you can talk about your family with complete honesty and receive support from other youth who share your experiences?  
  • Are you looking to connect with other youth who have a LGBTTQ family?  

This twelve-week group will be starting in the fall of 2007.  

To get more info or sign up for the group contact: CTYS (416) 924-2100 and ask for intake.  

Free food & TTC. There will be lots of discussion, arts, film and so much more…  
Note: We have now hired a second facilitator for this group, and are excited to get going.  Please call 416 924-2100 to register.  

FLO is a joint partnership between: CTYS (Central Toronto Youth Services),   LGBTQ Parenting Network (Sherbourne Health Centre),   Queer Parenting Programs at The 519, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE)  

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Disclaimer: News from the Parenting Network, as with our Pride & Joy newsletter may include reprints, excerpts or summaries from other sources. We cannot take responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions. We are also happy to publish information about research projects and other community initiatives. We do so in the spirit of sharing information, but do not have sufficient knowledge to actively endorse or advocate participation in particular projects.

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