"I Sing Out" from "Raise You Up."

"Raise You Up" Ticket Give-away

The Heart of America Men's Chorus is giving away tickets to the upcoming show on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 & 22.  We have a pair for Saturday and another pair for Sunday.  All you have to do is send me an email at tazirk@aol.com with RAISE YOU UP in the subject line.  Make sure your name is included in the email and specify the day you want to attend.  Names will be drawn randomly, I will email you back, and your tickets will be placed at will-call for pick-up on the day of the performance.  Please give it a try.  You have nothing to lose and you can gain free tickets to a great show.

About Our "Raise You Up" Beneficiary: PFLAG Wichita Chapter

When Jeanne Manford marched with her son, Morty, in New York City’s Gay Pride parade in 1972, her sign read, “Parents of Gays Unite in Support for Our Children.” A year later, 20 people attended what would be the first PFLAG support meeting.

Since that time, the meaning of “support” for PFLAG has grown to include more people than just parents. PFLAG’s support efforts provide encouragement and resources to parents, families, friends, as well as LGBT people themselves. In more recent years, we’ve added special outreach programs for transgender people and their loved ones and straight spouses of LGBT individuals.

Included here are several resources that can help you find the support that you need. For more personalized support services, contact one of the more than 500 PFLAG chapters across the United States today.

This vast grassroots network is cultivated, resourced, and serviced by PFLAG National, located in Washington, D.C., the National Board of Directors and 13 Regional Directors.

PFLAG Wichita

2930 E. 1st Street

Wichita, KS 67214-4711
Info@ictpflag.org

(316) 683-4643

Presidential Pride Proclamation 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2014

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.

Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits -- from immigration benefits to military family benefits -- to legally married same-sex couples.

My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.

Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.

This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity -- because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Raise You Up: HOAMC Pride 2014