[PCNJ-news] PCNJ News & Updates - 10/17/05

[pridecenter-news at pridecenter.org]

The Pride Center of New Jersey
News & Updates - October 17, 2005

See www.pridecenter.org for lot's more group and
activity information!

See you all at the Pride Center Picnic on Saturday!

1. CUDDLE - Oct 20
2. ENTERTAINMENT 2006 BOOKS ARE IN!
3. YOUTH GROUP - Oct 22
4. Pride Center Game Nights - Oct 18
5. OUT OF THE BOX - Oct 21
6. HONOR AWARDS 2006 - Oct 22
7. Herspanic History Celebration - Oct 29
8. EVENTS AT PRINCETON
9. Miscellaneous

1. CUDDLE - Oct 20
Yes, it's official for the next 4 months!
On Thursday nights, October 20, November 17, December
15, 2005 and January 19, 2006 there will be a Cuddle
Party at the NJ Pride Center, 1048 Livingston Ave.
North Brunswick, NJ 08902 starting at 7:15. For
directions see www.mapquest.com or check out
http://www.pridecenter.org/ The fee will be on a
sliding scale basis, $5-25. Please pay what you can
afford.
"The brainchild of two relationship coaches, Cuddle
Party is a non-sexual, judgement free space to explore
touch, intimacy, affection and choice, where your
boundaries will be respected. REiD Mihalko and Marcia
Baczynski designed this event to provide people with
an
opportunity to get more touch and affection in their
lives and to practice clear, honest communication."
Okay, so you already know how to cuddle - but do you
do it as often as you'd like? And... in a setting
where you can meet new friends, learn more about
yourself, and have a lot of fun? It's true - cuddle
parties are a most amazing way to do all this. They
offer a safe, non-sexual space to explore nurturing
touch and
respectful communication. Here's a short version of
what they'll be like:
We will have an opening circle to introduce everyone
and set a very easy-going, yet clearly defined safe
space - with agreements about how we'll each learn and
play and cuddle with each other. A few "warm-up"
exercises, and then about an hour of free-form
connecting and cuddling - anywhere from just chatting
(you don't HAVE to cuddle!) to neck/foot/back-rubs to
"puppy piles" - all with each participant's explicit
agreement. A short closing at the end, and often small
groups of folks will choose to hang out after the
party at a nearby cafe, to keep the connection and
conversation going. (please go to the
www.cuddleparty.com website for more description,
FAQ's and "Cuddlemonials!")
Please RSVP to me directly at cuddlenj at yahoo.com (join
our Yahoo group as well) as soon as possible.
Hugs, 
Suzann, Cuddle Party Facilitator

2. ENTERTAINMENT 2006 BOOKS ARE IN!
Now you can help The Pride Center and enjoy great
savings at the same time.  The Entertainment 2006
books have rolled off the presses and into The Pride
Center -- come check them out! The book is like no
other.  It's packed with 2-for-1 and up-to-50% off
savings for dining, movies, entertaiment, recreation,
and much more. These books make fantastic gifts, too,
and cost only $25 this year! The money we raise from
each sale will benefit the operations of PCNJ. To buy
your Entertainment Book, come visit us at PCNJ between
7pm and 10 pm and speak to our shift volunteers. We
accept cash (exact amount appreciated!) and checks
payable to PCNJ. Our books cover Middlesex and
Somerset counties; call us at 732-846-2232 if you are
seeking a book for another region.

3. YOUTH GROUP - Oct 22
The Pride Center's Youth-Drop In meets from 1 to 4
p.m. on the second, third and fourth Saturday of the
month. If you're 17 and under and looking to meet
other GLBTIQ youths, give us a try. We talk about
what's happening at your school, play games, watch
movies, plan socials, eat snack food, veggies and
fruit -- and just hang out. It's fun.  Have questions?
Call the Pride Center and leave a message. Someone
will get back to you.

4. Pride Center Game Nights - Oct 18
Looking for a fun way to meet people in a social
atmosphere?  Like to play board games?  Come to the
Pride Center Game Night!  We play party games, word
games, strategy games... bring your favorite, or
learn to play a new game from our large collection! 
All are welcome!
Game Nights are held on the third Tuesday of each
month at the Pride Center in New Brunswick, NJ.  We
start around 7:30pm and wrap up around 9:30pm.
For more information, contact Bill at
otterzero at yahoo.com, visit the Pride Center website
(http://www.pridecenter.org/index.shtml), or call
the Center, at (732)846-2232.
We hope to see you there!

5. OUT OF THE BOX - Oct 21
Out of the Box is an open-mic series for all
performers. 
Friday, October 21. 8 PM to 10:30 PM. 
THIS MONTH, SMART-POP GENIUS, SINGER/SONGWRITER from
the Nation's Capitol: MARA LEVI will feature:
"...the perfect pop music inside spoke to me
instantly. First of all, Levi’s voice is a powerful
tool, her musicianship is above par, and her
songwriting gifts are considerable. A combination such
as that has resulted in some of the most original and
admirable songs I’ve heard in a long time." -Baltimore
OUTLOUD.   for more info click on
http://www.maralevi.com/... 
Don't Miss Mara's debut at OOTB!
Her HOMO SONG was nominated for OUTSong of the Year by
OUTmusic!  
$5 suggested doantion, $2 students.  light gnosh and
beverages served.
BTW - You can also see Pandora at:
- Thu, Oct 20th (7:00 pm) GET REAL! Spoken Word
Performance at Somerset County Public Library.  1 Vogt
Drive, Bridgewater, NJ. 908-526-5221.  FREE.  
- Sat, Oct 22nd (12:00 noon) Keynote
speech/performance and workshop for GSA Conference
sponsored by HiTops.  A conference for
Gay-Straight-Alliance Students, Teachers and
Supporters.  10 am - 4:00 pm
at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, South Travel
directions at www.ww-p.org -- Workshops: GSA Start Up,
Strengthening Your Club, Positive Action for Change,
Life after High School, Day of Silence, Sex Ed;
Getting Your Questions Answered, HiTOPS Teen Council:
HIV-AIDS, Transgender 101, Advisors Roundtable, LGB
Youth on TV, Writing It Out, and more.  More info at
http://www.njgsaforum.org/. 

6. HONOR AWARDS 2006 - Oct 22
Put on your best and head on out for a super night of
sociability and some real, grass-roots gay activism.
Meet your peers in other organizations, make contacts,
make friends ... make history! The 29 member
organizations of NJLGC/PLF represent more than
11,000 affiliated New Jersey citizens ... a united
voice for our community's issues. HONOR is both a
celebration and a fund-raiser to help us continue this
vital work as one. PLEASE forward this message -- and
PLEASE come HONOR us with your presence! >
Eat!  Drink!  Dance! and Toast! your Amazing NJ
Community and some amazing New Jersey Community 
Leaders!
The NEW JERSEY LESBIAN AND GAY COLAITION and THE
PERSONAL LIBERTY FUND presents:
The 17th Annual Honor Awards
Location: the swank Piscataway Radisson Hotel
When: October 22, 2005
Time: 6-11pm. 6-7 cocktails; 7-11 dinner, awards and
dancing
This year's awardees are:
Kathy Ahearn-O'Brien of Montclair, NJ -- AIDS and 
GLBTI-rights activist
Charles Eader of Bedminster, NJ -- AT&T LEAGUE 
Foundation and first openly gay candidate for NJ
Assembly
Lori Sully of Edison, NJ -- Pride organizer and DP 
activist
The New Jersey Marriage Lawsuit Couples: 
Cindy Meneghin & Maureen Kilian, 
Saundra Heath-Toby & Alicia Toby-Heath, 
Chris Lodewyks & Craig Hutchinson, 
Karen Nicholson-McFadden & Marcye Nicholson-
McFadden, 
Mark Lewis & Dennis Winslow, 
Suyin Lael & Sarah Lael,
and  
Diane Marini & the late Marilyn Maneely.
The D. Bennett Mazur Award will be presented to Bear 
Atwood of Fair Haven, NJ -- Former president of
NJ-NOW, and champion of Transgender rights.
The Religious/Spiritual Outreach Award will be 
presented to Rev. Charles Blustein Ortman of the
Unitarian Church of Montclair -- Champion for Same-Sex
Marriage, testified for DP legislation in  
Trenton, and New Paltz (NY) same-sex marriage 
officiant.
If you missed last year's Honor, you don't want to 
miss this year! If you make last year's Honor, we
promise: NO LONG SPEECHES!
REGISTER ON-LINE IN 2 MINUTES:
https://www.123signup.com/register?id=fbvyh

7.  Herspanic History Celebration
October 29, 3 - 7pm in the LOFT
African Asian Latina Lesbians United along with
Rutgers University,  William Patterson University and
The Pride Center of NJ proudly Presents. 
1st Annual Herspanic Heritage Celebration Honoring
Carmen Vasquez 

Happy National Coming Out Day!  We have three upcoming
events at Princeton University that are of great
interest to the community, and I hope you will join
us.  There will be a great talk this evening for
National Coming Out Day, a fabulous performance next
week and a lecture.  They are all free and all open to
the public.  We hope you will join us.

8. EVENTS AT PRINCETON
- Wednesday, October 19, 8 pm
ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol.
1
Frist Campus Center Theater, Room 301
What do Sappho, Michelangelo, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude
Stein, Sylvia Rivera,  and Ellen DeGeneres have in
common?  They are all coming to Princeton in this
mesmerizing performance that traces gay history
throughout time.  Jade Esteban Estrada’s (Comedy
Central) musical comedy covers the history of the
world from Sappho to Ellen and is a very unique
one-man show that has received much praise from
critics around the country.  The performance will be
fabulous and free.  Don’t miss it!  Sponsored by the
Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural
Understanding, Chicano Caucus, Frist Campus Center,
Fund For Reunion LGBTQ Lecture Series, LGBT Center,
Pride Alliance, and the Program in the Study of Women
and Gender.
- Thursday, October 20, 7:30 pm
Gays in the Military Revisited
Betts Auditorium (Architecture Building)
The issue of LGBT people serving in the military and
recruiters visiting college campuses has been a hot
issue over the past few years and will continue to be
while we have troops abroad and the Solomon Amendment
case is waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court. 
Please join us for an all-star panel who will revisit
the debate around gays in the military and discuss
current court cases that address the issue.  Our two
guest speakers will be Aaron Belkin, Founder and
Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual
Minorities in the Military and Associate Professor of
Politics at the University of California, Santa
Barbara and Elizabeth Hilman, Associate Professor of
Rutgers University School of Law, veteran of the
United States Air Force and former professor of
history at the Air Force Academy and Yale University. 
Sponsored by the FFR LGBTQ Lecture Series, LGBT Center
and the Pride Alliance.


9. Miscellaneous
Now that summer's just about over, it's time to get
back to you regular schedule! Stop by the Pride Center
of New Jersey and join in some of our many activities
and groups!

October 25 - Tuesday 8 PM Socials sponsored by
LGMNB

Every Wednesday - Men's Coming Out Group. 7:30 PM

October 27 - Women's Peer Support Group, 7:30 PM
Much more!  Check www.pridecenter.org


	
		
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