News from the Pine Tree State
Skold comes out again
On National Coming Out Day, Maine State Rep. Charles Skold publicly came out to identify as “gay or queer.”
Rep. Skold had previously identified as bisexual.
“Last month I was listed as one of 35 bisexual lawmakers to know!” Skold posted on the website formerly known as Twitter. “This #NationalComingOutDay I’ll share I now describe myself as gay or queer.
“Our journeys evolve. What’s important is living our authentic self every day. I’m a man who loves other men, learning to love myself too!”
$300K grant for LGBTQ+ youth
OUT Maine has received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Peter Alfond Foundation toward furthering their mission of building welcoming and affirming communities for Maine’s LGBTQ+ youth.
In partnership with the Foundation, and along with Tree Street Youth and the Rural Youth Institute, OUT Maine will launch a peer learning cohort program, offering facilitation, mentorship, technical assistance and training to 25 other organizations. The goal is to equip these organizations with the tools to strengthen Maine’s youth development field.
“Having so many organizations dedicated to the success of Maine’s youth is exciting. We are thrilled to help these youth-serving organizations strengthen and enhance their programming,” said OUT Maine’s Executive Director Sue Campbell.
“Creating welcoming and affirming spaces is key to addressing the mental health challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youth. It can be life-changing when youth have experiences where they believe they matter and belong.”
More: outmaine.org
In memoriam: Lois Galgay Reckitt
Maine lost a trailblazing champion of LGBTQ+, women’s and children’s rights when State Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt died of cancer at 78 on October 30.
She was also well known for her tireless work on the national level, serving for eight years on the national board of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, which she cofounded, and on many other civil rights initiatives. In Maine, Reckitt cofounded the Maine Coalition for Human Rights and the Matlovich Society for Gay Rights & AIDS Awareness among other advocacy nonprofits.
“Lois never stopped trying to make our state better for everyone,” said Governor Janet Mills, who went to her home to swear her in for her last legislative term, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald. “She was a dear friend, and I will miss her deeply,” Mills told the Herald.
Recalls Barb Wood, vice president of EqualityMaine Foundation in an EqualityMaine press release:
“I first heard of Lois when I moved to Maine in the 1980s. I didn’t meet her until several years later. Back then she was in Washington DC working as a national officer for the National Organization for Women, back in the early days of NOW. Our paths crossed over the years. And when the Founders of Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance were honored at an EQME Gala, in my remarks I talked about MLGPA standing on the shoulders of those that had come before us…specifically giving a shout-out to Lois. In the Legislature she introduced the State ERA each session. The best tribute to Lois would be for us to continue to make sure it’s introduced until we get that damn thing passed.”
HRC Municipal Equality Index
For the sixth consecutive year, scores increased across the United States on Human Rights Campaign’s 12th annual Municipal Equality Index, and many New England communities were once again at the forefront.
On a scale of 0–100, the Index measures how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are for LGBTQ+ people who live and work in select municipalities of various sizes within each state. Communities are rated based on nondiscrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.
In Maine: Portland received 85, South Portland 74, Bangor 70, Brunswick 62, Scarborough 61, Augusta 55, Auburn 51 and Orono 34.
More: hrc.org
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