Dear LGBTQ and Friends Community at Chautauqua,

We hope this email finds everyone safe and well.

By now, everyone has been informed that all Chautauqua programming will be on-line this summer. Since there will be no in-person group gatherings we have, at this point, cancelled all LGBTQ and Friends activities and events for the 2020 season. If anything changes, we will let you know. We will certainly miss seeing everyone and celebrating our community together but we look forward to a fantastic 2021 season.

As we celebrate June as Pride Month, a month that commemorates our struggle for justice and dignity, we ask all members to work with their local LGBTQ+ organizations in making Pride an act of solidarity to end racial injustice, systemic racism and all forms of oppression. Pride is about taking a stand and now we must stand with our brothers and sisters of color in helping to transform our culture and society.

Part of that transformation requires that we educate ourselves about the roots of racism and the current systems that hold that racism firmly in place. We at Chautauqua are blessed to have the African American Heritage House (AAHH) on campus. Their programming and activities are essential to creating a shared reality about the true nature of systemic racism in America so we can take actions toward transforming those systems. The AAHH has been a treasured ally to our LGBTQ and Friends Community at Chautauqua and we ask you to support the AAHH by attending their activities and donating to their organization.

Lastly, we ask our community to go to the GLAD Organization's link at the end of this e-mail and read "LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence." It is an open letter in solidarity signed by all the major LGBTQ+ organizations in the United States. Please take this letter to heart and take a stand for justice.

While we won’t be having any LGBTQ and Friends activities at Chautauqua this season due to the ongoing pandemic, we hold all of you in our hearts and thank you for all you do for our community. Prior to the 2021 season, we will reach out again to let you know about all our planned activities including our speaker sponsorships and community events. Our new website at
lgbtq-chq.com will also keep you informed. If you know of anyone who would like to receive our LGBTQ and Friends at Chautauqua email newsletters, they can sign up on our website.

With hope and conviction,
LGBTQ and Friends at Chautauqua
Sponsored by the UU Fellowship of Chautauqua

LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence