Come OUT Find OUT Conference 2010

   9:30 - 10:00 a.m.             Check-in, Continental Breakfast, Visit Exhibitor Tables

 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.             The LGBTQ Center's Programs & Progress:
                                                           A Phenomenal First Five Years

•   The LGBTQ Center's Programs&Progress: A Phenomenal First Five Years

  • This photomontage and presentation chronicles the development of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center. Learn how the Center is shaping public policy and building community through education, advocacy, outreach and support services.

    Lance Ringel, Board President;
    Vanessa Shelmandine, Director of Programs and Services;
    Barbara Fried, Project Director at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center.

  10:45 a.m. - 12:00 Noon                 Morning Sessions

•   Power Aging: Older Adults Are Changing the World, Somjen Frazer

  • From five people in a windowless room to a national movement transforming the way people think about LGBTQ aging: hear the story of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), and how LGBTQ older adults have the power to change the world.

    Somjen Frazer is the Director of Research&Evaluation for SAGE USA, and has worked with Lambda Legal, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Transgender Law Center, and the New York City Department of Health. She has extensive experience in the fields of LGBTQ health and social justice, and has numerous awards to her credit.

•   Modern Family: Three Families Come Together To Talk About Family, PFLAG

  • Straight and LGBTQ family members share their stories, and the challenges, insights and rewards of standing against bias, building community, and coming out as allies in support of their families.

    Fran Divine, moderator, is the President and Founder of PFLAG’s Kingston chapter.

•   Lost, Found & Connected: The Power of Archive to the LGBTQ Community, Steven G. Fullwood

  • Explore a display of memories from the Black Gay & Lesbian Archive, and discover the power of archive to tell stories, connect and empower communities, and capture the heart of an entire culture.

    Steven G. Fullwood is the Project Director for the Black Gay & Lesbian Archive at the New York Public Library. He is the author of wide-ranging research, essays and critiques on culture and the power of archive.

  Noon - 1:00 p.m.                     Buffet Lunch

•   Restaurant and courtyard dining; continued time for exhibitor tables.

  1:00 - 2:15 p.m.                     Afternoon Sessions

•   Aging Without A Map: Empowered Decisions For Older Adults, Natalie Chin

  • In the changing landscape of aging, LGBTQ older adults face unique challenges. Find out how state and federal protections can help you safeguard your housing and health care choices.

    Natalie Chin is a staff attorney with Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the oldest and largest national, legal organization for the civil rights of LGBT people and people with HIV. Chin earned her law degree from George Washington University, and has worked to address the needs of low-income older adults.

•   The Kids Are All Right: LGBTQ Parents&Their Families, Jackie McNeil and Karen Armstrong

  • LGBTQ families are created through choices including adoption, donor assisted reproduction, fostering, step-parenting, and surrogacy. Hear and share both cultural and personal perspectives on the intricate challenges and joys of how we build our families.

    Jackie McNeil is a lecturer in history and women's studies, and a consultant for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center. She is also the bio-mom of a fabulous eight-year-old and will present information both from research and from personal experience.

    Karen Armstrong is Health Educator for the Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project, which provides support, education and a sense of community to LGBTQ-led families across New York State. Karen lives in Vestal, NY with her partner and their three children.

•   How Do I Look? The Award Winning Chronicle of New York's Ball Community

  • How Do I Look is a highly-praised chronicle of the much-celebrated Vogue movement known as the Ball Community. It documents the Harlem House Ball competitions and the remarkable group of people who make this culture their home. An artistic empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness project, the film is shown at colleges and high schools, community organizations, and festivals worldwide. After the screening, join filmmaker Wolfgang Busch and Drag Ball icons Kevin Omni, Ross Infiniti and Benny Ninja for an exclusive panel discussion!

  2:30 - 3:30 p.m.                    Late Afternoon Sessions

•   Is Your Legal House In Order? Learn Your Rights and Safeguard Your Future, Ted Stein

  • Your rights give you power. Learn the broad strokes of long-term legal and financial planning, including wills, powers of attorney, DNR orders, health care proxies and asset protection—and find out how to use these tools to protect your partner, your family and yourself.

    Ted Stein has a Ph.D. in social welfare and a law degree from Albany Law School, and worked with the ACLU for many years. His private practice in Woodstock specializes in serving LGBTQ clients and others in alternative family forms, in the fields of family law and estate planning.

•   Protecting and Respecting All Students: Bringing the Letters of the DASA Law to Life, Pauline Park

  • 80% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students have reported harassment at school. Learn about the Dignity for All Students Act, and its potential to revolutionize the way schools react to bullies.

    Pauline Park, chair and co-founder of NYAGRA, the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, helped make the Dignity for All Students Act the first fully transgender-inclusive statute in New York State. In 2005, she was the first transgender grand marshal of the NYC Pride March.

•   How Do I Look? Artists’ Panel

  • After the screening, join filmmaker Wolfgang Busch and Drag Ball icons Kevin Omni, Ross Infiniti and Benny Ninja for an exclusive panel discussion!

    Wolfgang Busch is the documentary filmmaker, director, producer who launched this film into a thriving artistic community empowerment project sending strong HIV/AIDS awareness messages through screenings and lectures around the world.

    Kevin Omni has been involved with the drag ball culture scene since 1975. In the 30 plus years House of Omni has produced Drag Balls, Omni has earned over 235 trophies and awards.

    Ross Infiniti has been in the scene since the 1980s and has seen drag ball evolve beyond anything anyone could have imagined. Mr. Infiniti's own imagination for creativity in his “bizarre custom” category has been incredible over the years. He has wowed ball culture for the past two decades.

    Benny Ninja is the father of the House of Ninja, a post given to him by the late Willi Ninja of Paris is Burning fame. A vogue-style dancer from the underground clubs based in Westchester, New York, Benny Ninja is best known for his involvement in ball culture and his appearance as a coach and judge on America's Next Top Model.