This Just in from the Ocean State
Cicilline moves on
US Congressman David Cicilline, cochair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, resigned from Congress back in February to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. His last day in office was May 31.
“For more than a decade, the people of Rhode Island entrusted me with a sacred duty to represent them in Congress, and it is a responsibility I put my heart and soul into every day to make life better for the residents and families of our state,” Cicilline said in a statement. “The chance to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was unexpected, but it is an extraordinary opportunity to have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state.
Lawmakers attempt book bans
A small group of House members are attempting to criminalize librarians for allowing youth to access what they have determined to be “obscene” books, broadening their definition to include cartoon or animated materials.
Any school librarian involved in providing books deemed “obscene” could face two years in prison and a $1,000 fine under the new bill H6324, which was introduced to the Judiciary Committee in late April.
One such book, identified by Rep. Patricia Morgan, is Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home,” a memoir about Bechdel’s growing up, her coming out as lesbian, and her closeted gay father’s subsequent death by suicide. Morgan also singled out Susan Kuklin’s “Beyond Magenta,” a young adult book about transgender teens.
In the face of this, local libraries are standing up.
Beatrice Pulliam, president of the Rhode Island Library Association, told Providence Monthly that she is hopeful the current Judiciary Committee leadership will recognize this bill as censorship and not support it. Meanwhile, local librarians are working to actively support the trans community, providing gender-neutral bathrooms and wearing pronoun pins.
Providence’s Rochambeau and Washington Park libraries offer weekly programming for teens called Queer Umbrella, where teens can learn about LGBTQ history and activism, hear speakers, and make art, play games and watch movies, all in a safe space.
Newport’s Pride Center opens
Located at 42 Spring St (next to Touro Synagogue), the Newport Pride Center is the first of its kind in the Ocean State. It is being supported by numerous community members, including lesbian couple Stephanie and Lindsay Haigh, owners of the Village Hearth Bakery & Café in Jamestown, who hosted a golf tournament fundraiser at the Jamestown Golf Course.
The center will be open Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., with pop-up events on weekends, and will feature workshop and panel discussions as well as cultural events and artistic showcases. Newport Pride President Daniel Cano Restropo promises that the center will aspire to uplift, educate, and empower individuals from all walks of life.
Trans health conference
The sixth Rhode Island Trans Health Conference was held in May, after a hiatus due to COVID. The conference was dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community. With over 400 attendees, presenters provided interactive, evidenced based learning for medical and behavioral health professionals across the care continuum to increase comfortability and confidence in providing quality care for all TGD individuals.
Running concurrently to the Medical and Behavioral Health Tracks, the Community Track helped build community by facilitating an affirmative, trans-centered space for all community members to intentionally connect, learn, and embrace joy.
Office of Healthy Aging listening sessions
This year, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) was obliged to renew its Older Americans Act State Plan as required by the Federal Administration for Community Living. Throughout the spring, Pride in Aging RI representatives and OHA staff gathered resources, holding a Listening Session on May 4. The two-hour virtual meeting provided feedback on the experiences of LGBT+ older adults. According to an OHA representative, this valuable information “will be incorporated into our ongoing work aimed at supporting and empowering our aging LGBT+ community …”
