FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Saida Agostini
Email: sagostini@FreeStateLegal.org
Phone: 410-625-5428 x14
The Frederick Center Inc. and FreeState Legal/Equality Maryland to Host LGBTQ Conference in Western Maryland
February 29, 2016 — FREDERICK, MD– The Frederick Center, FreeState Legal, and Equality Maryland are co-sponsoring Welcoming Frederick, a conference on the needs of Western Maryland’s LGBTQ community.
The conference will be held on Saturday, April 2nd, from 7:30 am to 5 pm at the Frederick Community College Conference Center. Teachers, social workers, health workers and other professionals will have an invaluable opportunity to learn ways to build safe spaces for LGBTQ community members.
“We are very excited to partner with The Frederick Center,” said Saida Agostini, Director of Community Engagement and Youth Policy for FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland. “The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data revealed that half of gay, lesbian, or bisexual youth in Frederick County seriously considered suicide in the past year—almost four times the rate of their heterosexual peers. This number is shocking and untenable, and we simply have to do more to build safer spaces for LGBTQ individuals. This conference is part of the work we must do as a community to ameliorate the social isolation and discrimination that cause our young people to feel hopeless.”
This groundbreaking conference will be the first of its kind in Western Maryland. Planned conference events include a plenary panel on the needs of LGBTQ youth, as well as workshops such as Understanding the Legal Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Marylanders, and Building an Affirming Medical Practice for LGBTQ Patients. Programming will also be offered for youth, facilitated by The Frederick Center. Brian Walker, The Frederick Center’s Board President shared, “The Frederick Center is proud to be part of this pivotal social conversation led by FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland. Without programs like Welcoming Frederick students at Frederick County Public Schools and patients in our health care system run the risk of being woefully under-served.”
Conference registration is $30, and continuing education credits are being pursued for social workers, educators and nurses. To find out more about this exciting conference and register at www.welcomingfrederick.org. For more information, contact tfc@thefrederickcenter.org.
###
The Frederick Center was founded in 2012 with the vision of being the leading organization for LGBTQ resources and advocacy in central Maryland. Its mission is to support, educate, link, organize, and provide outreach to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community and its allies.
FreeState Legal is a non-profit organization that serves the low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in Maryland through direct legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and outreach and training activities. Equality Maryland is Maryland’s largest LGBTQ civil rights and political advocacy organization. FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland recently announced that they are merging to form a comprehensive, statewide civil rights organization that serves LGBTQ
No widget added yet.
