Greetings LGBTQ Parenting Network e-News subscribers!

Don’t miss this month’s highlights:

• Take home a family portrait! Come to the picnic on May 6: International Family Visibility Day: A celebration of all people who raise children.
• Still time to send us birth and adoption announcements and photos!
• New resource for your kids’ teachers and childcare workers.

LGBTQ Parenting Network E-News

1. Still Time To Send Us Birth & Adoption Announcements
2. New Resource Package for Teachers and Childcare Workers
3. LGBTQ Family Picnic for International Family Visibility Day: A Celebration of all people who raise children – Sunday, May 6
4. Dykes Planning Tykes - Drop-In Info Sessions: Tues. May 8
5. (Still) Trying to Get Pregnant: Tues. May 15
6. Queer Parents Who Have Adopted: Sat. May 19
7. A Special Invitation to a Forum Theatre Workshop: May 27

1. Still Time To Send Us Birth & Adoption Announcements for Pride & Joy Newsletter

Don’t miss the deadline! Each year the LGBTQ Parenting Network is happy to include a large section at the back of the Pride & Joy newsletter that announces the children that have joined our families. These announcements become part of the online and print version of Pride & Joy, which comes out for Pride in June.

We want to celebrate those new arrivals! If you have had a child or grandchild join your family and would like to announce their arrival in Pride & Joy, please send an electronic photo (300 dpi) and wording (100 words max) for an announcement to parentingresources@sherbourne.on.ca before May 6!
The newsletter will be out for Toronto Pride, 2012.

2. New Resource for Teachers and Daycares

We have created a package to help teachers and childcare workers approach Mother's and Father's Day with diverse families in mind.
The package includes colorful posters, lesson plans for kindergarten to grade 6, suggested activities and LGBTQ positive postcards. You can pick up a package at the May 6th picnic or download it from www.lgbtqparentingconnection.ca/resources/Internationalfamilyvisibilityday.cfm

3. LGBTQ Family Picnic for International Family Visibility Day: A celebration of all people who raise children – Sun. May 6th

On May 6, 2012 LGBTQ family organizations from around the world are joining forces to increase the international visibility of LGBTQ families. LGBTQ family activists from countries including Finland, France, Belgium, Spain, the U.S., Brazil and Canada are planning activities to mark this special day.
Join us for a picnic at Christie Pits (Christie and Bloor)

Sunday, May 6 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

We will take family photos and make frames which you will get to take home. There will also be face-painting, eating and playing.

Bring your own picnic blanket! The LGBTQ Parenting Network will provide pizza, snacks and drinks.

4. Dykes Planning Tykes - Drop-In Info Sessions – Tues. May 8th

May 8th, 6:30 - 8:30pm at the Sherbourne Health Centre – 333 Sherbourne St. Room 2008.

Come with your questions about family planning, including fertility, home and clinic insemination, sperm banks, adoption, co-parenting, family configurations and family recognition. No registration required. For more info: parentingnetwork@sherbourne.on.ca

*TRANS WOMEN/TRANS MEN WELCOME *

NOTE: Please come for 6:30 promptly.

Dykes Planning Tykes is a joint program of the LGBTQ Parenting Network (Sherbourne Health Centre) and Queer Parenting Programs (The 519 Community Centre)

5. (Still) Trying To Get Pregnant - Tues. May 15

An informal support group for lesbian, bisexual and transmasculine people who are in the process of trying to conceive.

Tues, May 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 at 333 Sherbourne St. Room 2008.

To register (it's free to join, we just have a contact list for scheduling purposes) and to find out when the next meeting is taking place visit www.LGBTfertilityjourneys.com

6. Queer Parents Who Have Adopted – Support Group for Adoptive parents and their kids: Sat. May 19
May 19 from 10:30 to 12:30

Sherbourne Health Centre - 333 Sherbourne St, 2nd floor

Queers who have adopted are meeting monthly to give support and info share with each other. There is childcare provided so the adults can have time for discussions on relevant topics of interest. Children can connect around their common issues in a playful manner - so, games, stories and drawing/puzzles are available at the meetings with qualified childcare staff.

As a mutual support group we hope to have a chance to socialize and play, getting a sense of community with each other, to bond and help each other out as we get to know each other as adults and kids as well. The group is open to those that are anti-racist/sexist/genderist/ableist/classist as well as being queer positive and open to all the differences we embrace.

A pizza lunch is provided.

For more information contact: Laura Coramai or Ana dos Santos (parents/group members): lcoramai@rogers.com or (416) 531-7977.

To register for childcare, contact Ginny Santos at parentingresources@sherbourne.on.ca or 416-324-4100 ext 5276.

7. Invitation to a Forum Theatre Workshop

Reframing Assisted Human Reproduction: A forum theatre workshop about LGBTQ people’s experiences with Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) services

When: Sunday, May 27
2:30 – 4:30 pm
Where: Great Hall (Second Floor), Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, Ontario

Learn about LGBTQ people’s experiences with AHR services in Ontario and how you can better navigate the AHR (fertility) system!

Light snacks and refreshments will be served. Childcare will be provided.

About the forum theatre workshop:

These workshops are based on an interactive, arts-based learning model. Participants will watch a forum theatre presentation based on the experiences of LGBTQ people from across Ontario who were interviewed for the Creating Our Families (COF) research study. In forum theatre, after the initial showing of a play, audience members are given the opportunity to insert themselves into the play, taking on the role of one of the characters, in order to change, add, or improve what is going on in a scene. Our forum theatre play will specifically include service provider-client interactions. Following the interactive forum theatre component, there will be a question and answer period and the presenters will share the findings of the COF study.We expect the forum theatre workshop to last about 1.5 hours.

In addition to presenting these workshops to the community to build self-advocacy skills in accessing/using AHR service, we will also be presenting these workshops to service providers in an attempt to help them provide culturally competent care for LGBTQ people.

More information about the forum theatre workshop: lesley_tarasoff@camh.net

More information about Re:searching for LGBTQ Health (research team at CAMH): www.lgbtqhealth.ca

More information about the LGBTQ Parenting Network: www.lgbtqparentingconnection.ca/home.cfm