|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
YWEP youth speak out
by Yasmin Nair 2008-04-23
|
|
This article shared 5697 times since Wed Apr 23, 2008
|
|
'If you're tired of not being heard, or being overlooked, this is the place for you.' With these words, a member of Chicago's YWEP ( Young Women's Empowerment Project ) , and the emcee and host for the evening, opened the evening's speak-out. The event, which took place at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Latino Cultural Center, 750 S. Halsted, was part of the first National Week of Action for Reproductive Justice, launched by the Third Wave Foundation, a feminist organization that focuses on young women and transgender youth. YWEP works with female-identified street-based youth 12-23 involved with the sex trade, whether by choice or for survival.
Approximately 50 youth and a few adults attended the entirely youth-led and -created program, which began with a presentation about the issues facing participants. A YWEP member spoke about the 'poor and shitty health care' that street-based youth endure, compounded by medical professionals who either provide little access to contraception or coerce them into having unwanted abortions. In addition, these youth are particularly affected by the combination of parental notification laws and increased criminalization of young people in the sex trade, which doubles their chances of homelessness.
According to Cindy Ibarra, communications coordinator for YWEP, the aim of events like the speak-out was to foster leadership skills in street-based youth who are multiply disenfranchised for their actions; their gender and sexual identities; and their class background. They are also disenfranchised by mainstream organizing around reproductive rights because of structural issues, such as activist meetings are held at times when youth are unable to attend. Performances included short skits by the Empowered Fe-Fes, a group focused on the needs of young girls with disabilities Others read pieces that ranged from the personal—one youth read a poem to a boyfriend—to spoken word performances about child sexual abuse and being kicked out of homes. Also on hand were youth representatives from groups like Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, who urged the audience to lobby against abstinence-only programs; and youth who had experienced abuse in incarceration and/or the mental health system.
See www.youarepriceless.org for more. |
|
|
|
This article shared 5697 times since Wed Apr 23, 2008
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Navy Pier to mark 40th anniversary of Chicago house music with summer-long programming 2024-04-26 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Navy Pier announced plans to celebrate House music's Chicago roots with a summer full of programming paying homage to the energy, music, and dance of Black and Latino youth on Chicago's south and west ...
|
| | Families of trans youth in Tennessee can still seek out-of-state healthcare, despite new amendment 2024-04-26 --From a press release - NASHEVILLE — Parents can still seek gender-affirming health care for their children outside of Tennessee, despite legislation headed for the governor's desk aimed at creating confusion and fear for these ...
|
| | NATIONAL Montana suit, equality campaign, Michigan St. incident, hacker group 2024-04-26 Video below - A class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Montana is challenging that state's policies restricting transgender people from updating the gender markers on their birth certificates and driver's licenses, Montana Public Radio reported. The suit, fi ...
|
| | LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project set to hold its second annual exhibition 2024-04-19 - The LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project will hold its second annual exhibition Friday, April 26 from 6-8 p.m. at Center on Addison, 806 W. Addison St., in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood. This free and open to the ...
|
| | HRC continues call for Title IX rules that protect transgender student-athletes 2024-04-19 --From a press release - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced it has finalized a Title IX rule that clarifies the scope of nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity throughout educational activities ...
|
| | New Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students...to a point 2024-04-19 - New Title IX guidelines finalized April 19 will protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students by federal law and further safeguards of victims of campus sexual assault, according to ABC News. But those protections don't extend to ...
|
| | Schools are back in downsized Chicago Pride Parade after merging under 'welcoming schools' umbrella 2024-04-18 - At least four schools are back in the Chicago Pride Parade lineup after they were previously told they wouldn't be able to march in this year's celebration due to new limitations enforced by the city. They ...
|
| | A prom of their own: Chicago orgs host LGBTQ+ youth celebration 2024-04-15 - On April 13, Center on Halsted hosted its queer prom, MasQUEERade, for folks enrolled in its youth services. Prom goers created their own masquerade masks thanks to craft stations at the door. The evening included a ...
|
| | UK's NHS releases trans youth report; JK Rowling chimes in 2024-04-11 - An independent report issued by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) declared that children seeking gender care are being let down, The Independent reported. The reportpublished on April 10 and led by pediatrician and former Royal ...
|
| | Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison announces inaugural Cook County LGBTQ+ Youth Art Competition 2024-04-10 --From a press release - Schaumburg, Ill. — April 9, 2024 — Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison recently announced the firs ever LGBTQ+ Youth Art Competition. The competition's theme is "Pride is Power!" and will set the ton for Pride celebrations ...
|
| | Nominations for 30 Under 30 Awards due April 12 2024-04-08 --From a press release - CHICAGOAfter a four-year hiatus, Windy City Times has revived its 30 Under 30 Awards. Windy City Times is seeking to recognize 30 more outstanding LGBTQ+ individuals (and allies). Nominees should be 30 years or younger as ...
|
| | 2024 'Nike Basketball Camps with the Chicago Sky' announced 2024-03-28 - The Chicago Sky officially announced, in a debut collaboration with Nike Sports Camps, 2024 summer basketball camps for Chicagoland youth. Two camps for boys and girls ages 7-15 will take place June 17-21 and July 8-12 ...
|
| | Nex Benedict's autopsy report released 2024-03-27 - The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fighthas been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...
|
| | Former Chicago Girl Scouts CEO Brooke Wiseman to receive Luminary Award 2024-03-22 - Brooke Wiseman, a now-retired nonprofit leader in the Chicago area, spent most of her career creating leadership development opportunities for girls and womenand making sure that hungry children could be fed. While leading Girl Scouts of ...
|
| | Windy City Times seeks nominations for 30 Under 30 Awards 2024-03-18 --From a press release - CHICAGOAfter a four-year hiatus, Windy City Times has revived its 30 Under 30 Awards. Windy City Times is seeking to recognize 30 more outstanding LGBTQ+ individuals (and allies). Nominees should be 30 years or younger as ...
| |
|
|
|
|