By Ashley McCartney
On June 22, 2012, Garden Hood hosted its monthly Flower Hour. This month’s theme was Shades of Gay. Around the country, the month of June is recognized as gay pride month in remembrance of that night on June 28, 1969 when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village and people finally took a stand. That night was the first time that there was a backlash against police for these kinds of raids, which were rampant. The night of the Stonewall Riots is widely known as the beginning of the gay rights movement.
In honor of that, Garden Hood graciously provided a forum for a few organizations near and dear to the LBGT community. United 4 Safety was invited to the event to spread awareness for their mission, which is to reduce the incidence of intimate partner violence within the LGBT community by improving the community’s understanding of and response to intimate partner violence through education, training and resource development. They are the only organization with this mission in the Southeast, the closest being in Virginia and Miami, Florida. In support of their mission, they provide trainings for social workers and domestic violence organizations all over the state that teach service providers the tools needed to properly deal with intimate partner violence. In addition, they have a support group and have housed and provided resources to victims of intimate partner violence. This is a cause that is largely unrepresented and we appreciate the work they do. Thank you to Garden Hood for providing the venue to raise awareness for this organization!
In addition to United 4 Safety, Garden Hood also invited members of the Armorettes to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS issues and to provide the crowd with some good ole’ camp entertainment. We were graced with the beautiful presence of Jaye Lish and Eady Cheeseburger, both of whom are members of the Armorettes. For more than 32 years, the Armorettes have been premier fundraisers for HIV/AIDS support services in the gay and lesbian community while providing the absolute best in camp entertainment. Over the years, they have raised over $1.9 million dollars! Each member is committed to raising money for their communities, awareness of issues and making sure the audience has a darn good time. Come see the Armorettes perform at Burkhart’s on Sunday evenings or at the Heretic on the third Saturday of the month. Please bring cash for the bucket!
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