CLOSED for Conference - Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008

Hello all,

The Center will be CLOSED on September 23, 2008 as our staff attends the National LGBTQ Tobacco Summit (http://lgbttobacco.googlepages.com/2008).

We will reopen more informed and ready to share at noon on Wednesday, September 24th!

For questions, comments, and queries, visit our website at www.findmycenter.com or click here to email us!

------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
625 North Euclid Avenue
Suite 420
St. Louis, MO 63108
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com
314-367-1166

9/20/08 - LGBT Elder Org, SAGE, presents "SAGE Café" @ The Center

SAGE Metro St. Louis Presents

“SAGE Café”

Join SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders) for the first of many “SAGE Café” events. “SAGE Café” provides LGBT older adults with a safe space to enjoy the friendship and support of the LGBT older adult community. Meet the SAGE staff, board members, enjoy refreshments and view “Project Visibility” a film to bring awareness regarding LGBT older adults.

Event Details:
Date: September 20, 2008
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
(This is a come and go event)

Location:
LGBT Community Center of Metro St. Louis
625 N. Euclid, Suite 240
St. Louis, MO 63108

Please RSVP:
Ph: (314) 821-4845
Email: swayland@sagemetrostl.org
www.SageMetroSTL.org

9/18/08 - LGBTA Business Assoc. - Gateway Business Guild - Networking Happy Hour @ Van Goghz

The Gateway Business Guild
Cordially invites YOU to a

Networking Happy Hour

When:
Thursday September 18th
6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where:
Van Goghz Martini Bar & Bistro
3200 Shenandoah
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 865-3345

Why:
To mix and mingle with LGBT business professionals, like yourself!

What:
Cash Bar - Bring your friends and colleagues and join us for good drinks and great conversation!

See you there!

Van Goghz is graciously providing complimentary Happy Hour snacks,
as well as $1 off select adult beverages

For more information about the Gateway Business Guild:
Email us at: gatewaybusinessguild@gmail.com

8/17/08 - Join us at the St. Louis Black Pride 2008 Festival!

The Center will be at this year's Black Pride Festival.
Look for us in Keiner Plaza after 2pm.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* Sunday August 17, 2008 *

One Love Productions presents: "Jazz in St. Louis - A Cool Jazz Brunch" @ The Girlfriendz Party Spot, 1072 Tower Grove, St. Louis, MO: 11:00AM - 2:00PM
Admission $15, Live entertainment, food and fun with friendz.

Festival In The Plaza: 2:00 PM until 9:00PM
All are welcome to come and celebrate Black Pride "Our City, Our Pride" downtown St. Louis Keiner Plaza, Market & Chestnut Streets. Entertainment, Dancing, Food, Health Village, & More!!!

Enjoi Entertainment presents.....Black Pride Grand Finale @ The Space, 320 North Vandeventer: 9:00PM-1:00AM
$8 admission all night with Pride Unity Pass, $10 without. Party immediately following Festival In the Plaza...Drink Specials ALL NIGHT...Special Invited female exotic entertainer; performance at 12am sharp...see you there!

For more information call 314-531-2284
or visit St. Louis Black Pride

------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
625 North Euclid Avenue
Suite 420
St. Louis, MO 63108
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com
314-367-1166

Join Us for Speak Out! A St. Louis LGBTQ Community Forum

From the LGBTA Yahoo! Group:

SPEAK OUT!

A St. Louis LGBTQA Community Forum

Sponsored by:

Diversity Awareness Partnership,

Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis

and Metropolis' Out & Urban

Thursday, August 14, 7- 9pm

Join us for the first of three forums to build awareness, dialogue and relationships within and outside of the LGBTQA Community.

Schlafly Public Library

(Euclid at Lindell in the Central West End)

Post-forum Networking : Brennan's 4659 Maryland Ave.

Hear from 10 LGBTQA Organizations as they discuss the state of LGBT St. Louis.

Organizations include: PROMO, Pride St. Louis, St. Louis Black Pride, Growing American Youth, LGBT Community Center, St. Louis Gender Foundation, MCC of Greater St. Louis, Anti-Violence Advocacy Project, Bisexual Alliance of St. Louis, and SAGE

Save the Dates!

Join us as we continue the conversation...

Thursday, October 23, 7pm and Thursday, November 13, 7pm

Schlafly Library

For more info contact Emily Task at etask@dapstl.org 314-436-7628

------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
625 North Euclid Avenue
Suite 420
St. Louis, MO 63108
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com
314-367-1166

New Hours: LGBT-friendly "The Shangri-La Diner"

Hello all,

The most LGBT-friendliest demi-vegetarian place I know, The Shangri-La Diner, has NEW HOURS!

Now for questions...

What the heck is a demi-vegetarian?
See the Vegetarian Circle's website at: http//www.yellins.com/veg/different_types.html

Will they serve other sorts of vegetarians & vegans, too?
Of course. The owner even separates the food (fish in one skillet, non-fish in another).

Wow! Where is this magical place?

2201 Cherokee St

Saint Louis, MO 63118-3226
(314) 772-8308
{corner of Cherokee & Missouri streets in Cherokee Antique Row}

What are the new hours?
Thursday -- 11 AM to 9 PM
Friday -- 11 AM to 10 PM
Saturday -- 9 AM to 10 PM
Sunday -- 9 AM to 5 PM
Sunday -- 9AM to 2PM -- ALL YOU CAN EAT BRUNCH $10.00 {INCLUDES FREE TEA OR COFFEE!} VEGAN ITEMS AT EVERY BRUNCH!

What about other days/hours?
Straight from their personnel: "If enough people start coming in on Thursdays we may expand our hours even more!"

Do they have a website?
Yep, http://www.theshangriladiner.com/ or you can also visit their Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/shangriladiner (which is being updated soon).

Hey, I'm skeptical... what accolades do they have?
They're all on the menu at http://www.theshangriladiner.com/images/TheCurrentMenu.pdf (yes... a shameless attempt to get you hungry, too).

Who are you... why are you doing this?
I'm Shän (pronounced like "Shawn"... yes, that's a boy's name, I know).
I'm doing this because 1) I am vegan, 2) another vegetarian place (who shall remain nameless) turned my lesbian/trans-self away, 3) the food is SO DARN GOOD, and 4) I love the people there... they ROCK!

Are you going to stop talking?
Yes, I am. There. I'm done. Really.


Thanks for listening...

Shän

Blue's Testimony: "Art of Living" Course

Hello all,

By now, I hope that you've seen flyers, information, etc. about the Art of Living courses. If you need a little extra "boost" to show you what people think about it, Ms. Blue (Executive Director, The Center) has taken the course and provided the following:

"I recently took the Art of Living Course I and found the course itself along with tools that I use regularly to be very beneficial to my physical health and keeping my stress level (and darlings, I have a large cup of stress to deal with) balanced.

In the LGBT Community our overall well being (mental, physical and spiritual) has been an important focus for a number of decades. Homophobia, Biphobia and Bi invisibility and Transphobia are all stressors to individuals in our community along with physical health challenges like HIV and AIDS and breast cancer to name a few. Stress is a main factor that affects all physical ailments. It is vital that we incorporate holistic ways to address our mental and physical health. The Art of Living Course is designed to support a more stress free life giving the tools to do so.

I suggest checking out the informational and taking the time to take the course. Relieving the stress in your life is worth it."

-- Blue, Executive Director, The LGBT Comm. Center of Metro St. Louis

See the flyer below for Art of Living's upcoming May & June 2008 courses.

(click for larger image)

Visit Art of Living online at http://us.artofliving.org/mo/stlouis for details about the course. Informational introductory courses (listed on website) are free to attend.


For more information:
Mary Kunce
314-283-6953
stlouis@us.artofliving.org


Financial assistance for this event may be available for those who qualify.


------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
P.O. Box 19071
St. Louis, MO 63118-9071
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com

Event Recap: Financial Seminar for Gay Men and Lesbians

Hello all,

After having the financial seminar, I had a while to contemplate on some of the information and issues addressed in regard to the financial health of the LGBT community.

One of the foremost issues was "what happens when my loved one..." You can fill-in the blank on this one.

Many couples have the mentality of "Well, I only have to take care of myself financially and maybe help support my spouse, but that's really it." But what happens when someone is no longer mentally capable of making decisions for themselves? What happens to the property that is shared? Who inherits and/or handles the house, car, bank accounts?

Unfortunately, many LGBT couples fail to realize the harsh facts behind inheritance. Many wait until a devastating catastrophe (earthquakes, hurricanes, violent attacks, etc.), then try to rush to obtain the best lawyer/accountant they can find to help them "fight" for the house, car(s), and money that was shared. One thing that all of the speaker wanted to share was how important it is to have even a simple will drawn up to direct where money and remaining assets go.

To help in the effort to financially educate, I've inserted some info about the event's speakers (but it sure doesn't replace being there and asking TONS of questions):

Kevin McCormack, MetLife
Kevin is the Regional Manager of MetLife for the MO, MN, KS, NE, IA, OK, AR, and TX states. He enlighted us on the benefits and advantages of the new MetLife online bank (started in 2000). The money market account works very similar to standard checking ones, except for one difference: A limit of 6 transactions per month. Another ascetically pleasing benefit to the MetLife Money Market account: reimbursements of up to $5 per month for ATM transactions fees.

Also, I've attached some of Kevin's handouts (apologies for the scanner's poor quality):

Interest rates for Money Market
and High Yield Savings Account
(including IRA Money Market)
(click image to view larger version)

Interest rates for
Certificates of Deposit
(click image to view larger version)

Home Equity Line of Credit
(click image to view larger version)

To find out more about the MetLife online bank, contact Kevin J. McCormick at (636)736-3314.


Terry Crow, Attorney (Legal & Financial Services)
Terry is a licensed and practicing lawyer with the firm Crow, Takacs & Texier, LLC. He delved into the aspects of proactive planning - focusing on the various elements one needs to consider (both financially and legally) to protect their rights and the rights of their partner:

• Transfer of Death (TOD) enables transferal of certain accounts (securites) to your partner or a designated party WITHOUT having to go through probate court.
  
• Payable on Death (POD) or a "Totten Trust" allows one to pass on a bank account (trust) to another upon death.
• Beneficiary Deeds are used to pass on titles upon death without much involvement from the courts.
• Springing Power of Attorney (POA) is much like our standard vision of POA, but takes over when one is incapacitated either mentally or physically and cannot make decisions for themselves. Usually this comes on when a doctor has deemed that the individual is unable to make medical decisions for themselves. But careful... these are good for about 5 years. You'll want to keep them renewed!
  

Make sure to check with your legal representative to see which of these elements are available for you and your family. Certain states may not recognize them.

To find out more about legal and financial protection, contact Terry Crow at (314)918-0045.


Connie Bober, MetLife
Connie is an Investment Adviser for MetLife and also a coordinator with the LGBT business association, the Gateway Business Guild. She touched on the investment opportunities available for LGBT individuals and why using these vehicles are important to building financial freedom. The slideshow presentation started off by asking 5 simple questions to consider:

1. Where do you want to be?
2. Where are you now?
3. What might change?
4. What can get in the way?
5. How can your money work for you?

Throughout, we learned how goal-setting, knowing your net worth (including insurance, benefits, and risk tolerance), calculating the cost of change (such as relocation, getting a new home, providing for a sick/aging/disabled loved one, changing/loosing a job, or death/incapacitation), and paying yourself first through investments, tax minimization/deferral, and understanding your retirement costs all contribute to lifelong financial stability. She stressed the importance of having a financial professional to help with these needs.

To find out more about MetLife's financial professional services, contact Connie Bober at (636)736-3339.


Special thank you to Jon Shigemura for putting together this wonderful event and the speakers for donating their time to inform the LGBT community on what they should be considering for their financial future. Also thanks to Financial Planner and Investment Advisor, Mary Alice Davidson, for contributing commentary to the discussion. As well as another "thank you" to Kevin for providing dinner as well as contributing to Dining Out For Life. Both Blue & I learned A LOT during this free seminar, as well as the others who attended.


Shän

------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
P.O. Box 19071
St. Louis, MO 63118-9071
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com

Upcoming Event (5/10/08): Urbanaire

(click for larger image)

Urbanaire
Benefitting Promo, promoting equality for all Missourians

Date: May 10, 2008


Time: 7:30 p - 12:30 a


Place:
The Rialto Ballroom in Grand Center
Centene Center for the Arts
3547 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

Click HERE for Maps & Directions


Tickets & More Info: Log onto www.promoonline.org


Featuring:
Rivival
El Scorcho
Boogaloo
Fu ManChu
Farshi
Gravity Plays Favorites
Pangaea's Vault
... and much more!


Complimentary drinks provided by Luxco and Anheuser-Busch!



Shän
------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
P.O. Box 19071
St. Louis, MO 63118-9071
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com

Upcoming Event (4/25/08 - 4/27/08): Sistahs Indeed! by Mariah Richardson

(click for a larger image)

Sistahs Indeed!
A piece about the joys and tribulations
of sisterhood in the post-feminist era.

by Mariah Richardson
Directed By Mary Hurley

April 18-19 & 25-26, 2008 @ 8 pm
April 20 & 27 @ 3 pm

Mildred E. Bastian Center
for the Performing Arts Room
Forest Park Community College
5600 Oakland Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-644-9100

Click HERE for Map & Directions

$4 for adults, $2 for students and seniors
Free w/ valid St. Louis Community College ID

MATURE CONTENT

Shän
------------
The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender
Community Center of
Metropolitan St. Louis
P.O. Box 19071
St. Louis, MO 63118-9071
http://www.findmycenter.com
info@findmycenter.com

The past...

Hello all,

In light of my transfer of blogs to Blogger, I'm going to paste our past blogs first. Enjoy - Shän

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February 10, 2007 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director

Hello all. As you see, I've finished the brand-new website format! Our E.D. gave it the "thumbs up" just last week and I was able to post some new info (like our sample newsletter and more community organization info). Also, make sure to check out our Photo Gallery (also available through the Timeline pages), which should be getting some new pictures for the 2007 season very soon. Until then, we'll keep you updated on the latest happenings via our Newsletter (emailed to you once per month) and on the website www.findmycenter.com . Looking forward to seeing you at our events/activities (check the top of the Home page for more info).

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November 16, 2006 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director

Creating Change 2006 was just as I remembered... with a little extra splash here and there. Thank you to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for having created yet another successful year! This year's conference was particularly special to me because it was the first time I was able to attend the all-day Pre-Conference Community Center Institute, held on the Thursday before the main conference and workshops began. On a personal note, I was able to get up-to-date on the current Transgender Community's issues as well as see some local films that documented the life of local Trans people (click here for a description of the film, "The Same But Different", presented by INDYoutties.com).

I look forward to the new year, the new regime of the Center project, and the upcoming monthly newsletter! See the FAQ section on our FAQs page for more information.

---

September 10, 2006 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director

Thanks to St. Louis Black Pride for yet another successful year! The new location of Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis not only brought new people to Black Pride, but also formally introduced St. Louis to a celebration that was formally held at Steinberg Ice Ring in Forest Park. We gave away three top prizes (a Noah's Arc Season One DVD pack, a RuPaul pack, and a Sharon Bridgforth bull jeans stories pack) and gift certificates from local LGBT-friendly and/or LGBT-owned venues Java Joe's Coffeehouse, Natural Uhuru Massage and Natural Hair Stylists, MoKaBe's Coffeehouse, and Coffee Cartel. See our homepage for links and contact information from some of our gift donors.

Also, a special THANK YOU to our volunteers Carl B. and Mike S. for helping us at this year's booth!

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August 13, 2006 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director

Thanks to Ragged Blade Theatre for another fundraising opportunity for the Center! We gave away gift certificates from Mokabe's, CheapTRX, Java Joe's Coffeehouse, Left Bank Books, and Cicero's. All shops who gave us gift certificates are local LGBT-owned and/or -friendly businesses! See our homepage for links and contact information from some of our gift donors.

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August 7, 2006 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director

I wrote the email below to a person who just moved to the St. Louis area and was looking for queer friendly businesses. I decided to tell him a little about our area and give my opinion on each. I hope this helps anyone looking for a little crash course in queer St. Louis. -- L. M. Lewis

Let me first start you off with the local news (paper, that is): www.thevitalvoice.com and available in print at most gay-friendly places everywhere in the metro St. Louis area. It should give you a feel of the community... sort of :-)

Then, I'll tell you the central "gay" areas of town: Central West End (CWE), South Grand, Manchester Strip in Dogtown, and University City (U City). My suggestion is that you hang out in each area and get a feel of them. I've given some details of each area below:

The CWE is more of the higher-priced end of town and is currently turning into Condos. One of its main intersections is Euclid and Maryland streets with Euclid being the main shop street. It's right off highway 40 on the Kingshighway (north) exit towards the huge hospital, Barnes. This was gay-central in the past, but now it's moving moreso to the South Grand area.

The South Grand/Tower Grove Park area is the up-and-coming "gay" area of town with many LGBT people and families moving into the many homes in the area's Tower Grove neighborhood. Its main intersection is South Grand and Arsenal with Grand being its main shop street. The local coffeehouse, Mokabe's is lesbian-owned and really kinda contains a good heart of the community. Tower Grove Park is pretty dog-friendly, so if you have a pooch, feel free to walk him/her there. Also, Tower Grove Park is the site of the annual PrideFest celebration in June along with other LGBT-friendly gatherings.

The Manchester Strip is the "gay" bar area of town. Its main intersection is Vandeventer and Manchester with Manchester being its main shop street. Many bars cater to the male population with the exception of Novak's (traditional lesbian sports bar) and Attitude's (lesbian dance club). Most places on that street isn't open until after 4pm.

University City is actually not in St. Louis, but right on the cusp and is primarily leaning towards the college-age crowd. Its main intersection is Delmar and Skinker with Delmar being its main shop street. Its pretty active on the weekends, with musicians playing on the street and some late night venues like Blueberry Hill and The Red Sea that feature up-and-coming local artists and local record shop, Vintage Vinyl. The Pageant venue features both new and local artists and is a pretty cool place to see a show, there's virtually not a bad seat in the house!

Well, that's it for now. You'll also want to check www.gaystlouis.com for some of the latest updates on local happenings, meetings, organizational events, and programming. The next 'big' thing coming up is Black Pride which celebrates gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, and same-gender-loving individuals in the African American and minority communities. This year it will be from August 18-20 with workshops and opening ceremony at the Regional Arts Commission (across from The Pageant) and the outdoor Pride celebration held that Sunday (August 20th) in Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis near 6th and Market Streets. Their website is www.stlouisblackpride.org with FREE workshops and entry to the Pride festival.

Okay, hope everyone got that and now know the good gist of things going on in the St. Louis area as far as where to go and how to stay informed. There's a variety of other things to go to and see, but these areas contain the most concentration of gay/queer-friendly businesses!

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June 26, 2006 - by L. M. Lewis, Interim Co-Finance Director
PrideFest was a success! We were able to raise money and, well, make connections as always. A lot of people who filled out the survey from last year stopped by and spoke to us and wanted to know the updates. We were more than happy to share our trials, tribulations, and thoughts. After months of research, I feel as though we're getting a tight grasp on this concept of renewed vigor in building, financing and running the Center. We recently went to a workshop in the St. Louis Library's Grants and Foundation Center, which is a great resource for those looking to get more information about grants, financing, and volunteer management. Check them out at http://www.slpl.org.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to Liz M., Michael S., and John Z. for helping us this year's at the booth! They were awesome sales-folks and quickly made use of their charm for raising money to benefit both the Center and Pride St. Louis.