Two SIU grads and the leader of the Methodist Church’s Wesley Foundation at SIU are starting the first-ever queer choir in southern Illinois.
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ANNA, ILL. –School Board Chair Joshua Gooden compared being transgender to having a mental illness. Now, a coalition is calling for him to step down for interfering with the district’s mission of sering all students, and some are concerned his comments may violate civl rights and expose the school district to liability.
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CARBONDALE — When Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ+ Center and community members gather this Sunday for...
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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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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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Brian Justin Crum rocked the music world when he provided a moving cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” in 2016.
He went on to finish fourth in “America’s Got Talent” and has since become a role model for the LGBTQ+ community. And he’ll perform in Carbondale, Ill., tonight as part of Pride in Action-Southern Il and its three-day Pride celebration.
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MOUNT VERNON, IL — Alexia Stallons and her colleagues have been working to strengthen a sense of LGBTQ+ pride in Mount Vernon for two years. Saturday, they’ll invite the community to join them in a family-friendly picnic and celebration.
It’s the first official Pride gathering for this southern Illinois town of about 15,000. You’ll find about 50 vendors, games galore, music and more.
The event is coordinated by OUT Mt Vernon, which Stallons says is focused on creating more “outreach, understanding and togetherness.”
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It’s time to start walking, running, and rolling for Pride, with at least five Pride-themed 5Ks coming up in the next six weeks across Illinois and Iowa.
They all start tomorrow with the Southern Illinois Pride K Fun Walk and Run. You can join in person or virtually.
More Pride walk and run events are also coming in Niles outside of Chicago June 3; Tuscola, Ill., and Des Moines, Ia., June 10; and Moline in the Quad Cities June 25.
Read about why these events are extra important to the LGBTQ community — and especially this year.
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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS — It’s been four years since Southern Illinois chose its first-ever Pride Royalty. Blanche DuBois and Faim Lee Jewls have been volunteering as ambassadors for the art of drag, and for LGBTQ+ Pride, since then.
On May 13, that all changes. Drag veteran Jodie Santana is overseeing Southern Illinois’ first Pride Royalty Pageant in four years. To bring out more contestants, and to counter anti-drag sentiments that emerged over the past year in neighboring states, Pride in Action-Southern Il. is opening the pageant up to any competitors within a 150-mile radius. That includes Kentucky and Missouri.
Learn more about the Pageant, how to attend or get involved, and other pride efforts in southern Illinois.
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Six of seven Carbondale City Council candidates are slated to participate in tonight’s candidate forum on LGBTQ issues.
That’s the first of many progressive, LGBTQ affirming and intersectional events coming up in southern Illinois.
Learn in our Weekly Update about workshops for the upcoming All Species Puppet Parade, a youth prom closet by Alton Pride, and an important milestone for the SOIL Sisters.
Plus, Carbondale United wants you! The nonprofit is looking for a programming director; read about the position here.
And find all about the latest run of Rainbow Cafe special events coming March 31, April 2 and April 8. Read on!
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