AIDS/HIV advocate strives to be “part of the change” in addressing racial disparities in health care
Davenport AIDS/HIV advocate Destiny Smith shares how health care disparities have affected Black women “from the beginning of time.”
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Category: News and Features
The Project of the Quad Cities to start gender-affirming care for youth in September, kicks off fundraising campaign
Iowans and others seeking gender-affirming care for youth will have a new option at The Project of the Quad Cities in Moline by September, and fundraising started in July.
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Abortion care activism takes soft, supportive form through Carbondale Unitarian program
Inspired by a breast cancer survivor, this southern Illinois congregation is focusing on providing comfort bags for people experiencing abortion care.
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CR Pride Fest shaping up to be largest ever Pride event in Cedar Rapids’ history Saturday
CEDAR RAPIDS — A record level of community participation, two ground-breaking drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and live music are the highlights of this weekend’s CR Pride Fest celebration.
The CR Pride events start Friday night with a reception to honor LGBTQ+ artists and continue Saturday with the major festival and a nighttime drag performance.
Check out what’s planned this weekend for Pride in Iowa’s second-largest city.
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Bolingbrook Pride Saturday features animal rescue, transgender closet, kids’ fun, more
BOLINGBROOK, ILL. — Yes, you can celebrate Pride Saturday in Bolingbrook.
You can also help support an animal rescue group finding homes for dogs from puppy mills. Or participate in a mass marriage equality ceremony. Or enjoy Bolingbrook’s Welcome Wall featuring 27 different languages.
Read about what’s happening Saturday at the Pride event taking place in Bolingbrook, the third-most diverse suburb of Chicago.
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We Love Strays & Gays shirts by the Humane Society are back by popular demand
DAVENPORT — In response to public demand, the Humane Society of Scott County in the Quad Cities is reopening for its “We Love Strays & Gays” shirts, first introduced during Pride Month.
The shirt sales help fund the shelter’s needs at a time when shelters nationwide are overloaded and short on resources, staff, space and funding.
In addition, half of all sales go to the Clock Inc. LGBT Community Center in Rock Island, which serves all of the Quad Cities and neighboring counties.
Proceeds from the shirt sales are divided between the Humane Society, and Clock Inc. LGBT Community Center.
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Diverse online art auction from Carbondale Assembly for Radical Equity offers chance to support transgender families fleeing hostile areas
CARBONDALE, Ill. — If you’re looking for a way to help transgender people seeking to relocate from conservative, rejecting communities to accepting ones, check out the online art auction from the Carbondale Assembly for Radical Equity (CARE).
The auction will continue through 9 p.m. Saturday night. It’s part of a multi-faceted effort in this town of 22,000 known as “little Chicago,” in southern Illinois, to answer regional need for communities that offer sanctuary or haven to transgender or nonbinary people. The new CARE group aims to generate funds that will subsidize food, lodging and apartment deposits for those who feel unsafe, unwelcome, or outright threatened in their current communities.
The bidding is open to anyone, anywhere.
“You do not have to be local to bid on items,” organizers wrote on their event page. “We are happy to ship things to you just for shipping cost.”
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Overloaded like animal shelters nationwide, Scott County humane society holds drag show benefit
DAVENPORT — Through its “Drag for Dogs” fundraiser Friday, and a shirt sales campaign, the Humane Society of Scott County is melding its fundraising during critical times with support for the Quad Cities’ LGBTQ community.
The fundraisers come at a time when shelters nationwide are overwhelmed with dogs and cats, struggling to find needed foster families and permanent homes, and overall euthanizing more animals.
Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit that tries to track animal shelters nationwide, says the rate of euthanasia has increased nationwide for the first time in years. So has the gap between animals taken in by shelters, and released to adoption or foster families.
Read about how to support the Humane Society of Scott County and other animal shelters, whether through Friday’s Drag for Dogs benefit or 11 other steps you can take.
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Smaller Iowa communities, Chicago hold major Pride events; RoyalTea, Pride 5k, Pride South Side also coming
In Iowa: Ankeny, Burlington, Fort Dodge, and Humboldt County are up for their big Pride celebrations.
In Illinois, the focus is on Chicago with its annual Pride Parade and Pride in the Park music festival this weekend, and Pride South Side (geared toward Black and Brown queerness) next weekend.
You can also learn about a Pride 5K walk or run, a potluck, a crafts event to honor Marsha P. Johnson, and more in this week’s peek at Pride Month, Weekend 4, throughout Illinois and Iowa.
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Four major Pride fests this weekend; Juneteenth celebrations include online events like Accessible Juneteenth
Along with a look at what’s happening for Pride this weekend in Illinois and Iowa, check out The Real Mainstream’s rundown of seven Juneteenth celebrations you can join online, from anywhere, over the next four days.
In addition, find out about a run of events for Quad Citians from Clock Inc. LGBT+ Center, plus the area’s second big annual Pride Fest, Pride Party at Bass Street Landing.
Plus, find links to a dozen or more other Pride events, including the big Iowa City Pride Fest and Dixon Pride.
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