Paradigm Shift

Health care reform will let many women access birth control without copay.

But the White House might be caving to pressure from ultraconservative forces. Women whose bosses oppose birth control are at risk of having that coverage taken away.

Join NARAL Pro-Choice New York, Planned Parenthood of NYC, the New York Civil Liberties Union, NOW-NYC, Sistersong NYC, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and others on Thursday for an emergency rally at the federal building in Manhattan, which houses the Health and Human Services regional office, to send a message to the White House that all women should have access to affordable birth control regardless of where they work!

Rally to Save Birth Control

This Thursday, December 1

12-1:30 pm

Outside the Federal Building

Broadway between Worth and Thomas Streets, Manhattan

Please RSVP here.

The Obama administration is being flooded with calls and letters from people who oppose birth control. We must send a message that caving to this extreme position is not an option.

Can’t make it to the rally? Follow the rally on Twitter under #NY4BC and tweet your message to HHS – we’ll write your message on a sign for all to see.

CONNECTevents

Join Us for the last part of the Discussion Series:
FATHERHOOD
How to overcome the challenges?
Setting the Agenda for Manhood & Fatherhood in 2012:
Which Way Forward?
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 2011
TIME: 6:30pm to 9:30pm

* This event is for men only.  Due to the holidays, the Men’s Roundtable has moved for December only.  The roundtable will resume on the last Thursdays of the month in January.
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Fundraiser Happy Hour – New York Abortion Access Fund
December 14, from 6-10pm
Lolita Bar in the LES http://www.yelp.com/biz/lolita-bar-new-york
Happy hour is until 8 PM ($3 drafts & $4 well drinks) and $5 drafts after 8PM
Cover will be $5–all of which will go to NYAAF

Free event posted here, with link to register: http://www.meetup.com/Fight-Slavery-Now/events/39601202/

How we can Curb Human Trafficking in NYC

Friday, December 9, 2011
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM

FREE and open to the public

RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!

Human trafficking has become one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world. Although not always recognizable, established networks of human trafficking operations are even here in New York. Victims may be forced to work as prostitutes, domestic workers, landscapers, in restaurants and bars, as forced panhandlers, in cleaning and janitorial jobs, in nail salons, or in other roles.

Rachel Lloyd from GEMS and Miriam Goodman from the Midtown Community Court will speak about their work on human trafficking and how the public can help curb this illegal exploitation of people in New York City.

Rachel Lloyd
Founder and Executive Director
Girls Empowerment and Mentoring Services (GEMS)

Rachel Lloyd is an outspoken survivor of sexual exploitation. She is the founder and Executive Director of Girls Empowerment and Mentoring Services (GEMS) in NYC, and the author of Girls Like Us. She has become a leading expert and advocate, working on behalf of girls and young women who have survived this abuse. Lloyd has been instrumental in helping craft and shepherd landmark legislation like New York’s Safe Harbor Act. She was named one of the “50 Women Who Change the World” by Ms. Magazine, among many other honors and accolades. Lloyd, her staff, and the young women served by GEMS advocate at the local, state, and national level to promote policies that support young women who have been commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked.

Miriam Goodman
Clinical Coordinator, Midtown Community Court

Miriam Goodman the women’s specialist at Midtown Community Court (MCC). Miriam oversees and facilitates the Women’s Independence Safety and Empowerment (WISE) program, a comprehensive psycho-educational and therapeutic program for women arrested for prostitution. Miriam’s focus is in trauma work and she has trained extensively in evidence-based practices for working with trauma survivors. Miriam is also a therapist at the Safe Horizon’s Counseling Center, where she provides trauma-focused therapy for crime victims. She received her BA in Sociology from Dickinson College and her MSW from the Silver School of Social Work at New York University.

Thu, Dec 1, 12-2 pm, $18

Daytime | Extraordinary Women Leaders | CATHERINE THE GREAT: PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN

Catherine the Great, Czarina of Russia from 1762 to 1796, created perhaps the greatest collection of art in the world in the Hermitage, negotiated cantankerous court intrigue and numerous wars with consummate skill, and managed multiple lovers—all while working to bring Russia into the modern world. Hear about her astonishing life from her biographer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert K. Massie (Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, Random House, November 8, 2011).

www.92YTribeca.org/Daytime

***JUST ADDED*** Thu, Dec 1, 7:30pm, $12

Film | PART-TIME WORK OF A DOMESTIC SLAVE

Roswitha Bronski divides her time between raising her three kids, caring for her husband, and working to support them by running an illegal underground abortion clinic. Her life is disrupted when police raid her clinic and she is forced to shut it down, and her husband gets a job in a factory, which is then outsourced to a cheaper labor force. This leads her to take part in radical direct action, and engage in social and political struggles outside of the home in order to make a better world for herself, her family, and others. Director Alexander Kluge (one of the founders of New German Cinema) and his sister Alexandra Kluge (in the title role) explore the struggles of women to transcend their traditional social role, and realize their own desires. Co-presented by Red Channels (www.redchannels.org), an open collective in NYC that engages in radical politics on the left through organizing events, screenings and projects.

Director: Alexander Kluge. 91 min. 1973. DVD.

www.92YTribeca.org/Film

200 Hudson Street | www.92YTribeca.org | 212.601.1000

Two day training for Religious leaders, Spiritual Activists and All People of Faith
December 2nd and December 9th, 2011
9:30am – 4:30pm
Union Theological Seminary
3021 Broadway on 120th St

Communities of faith and their leaders have the potential to play a significant role in helping to prevent and eliminate family violence. This course is designed to help clergy, lay leaders and seminarians to:
Gain a basic understanding of the complex dynamics of intimate partner abuse and effects on individuals, families and communities.
Learn about intervention strategies: practices and resources needed to help keep victims/survivors safe, and abusers accountable.
Explore approaches to the challenging pastoral, theological and spiritual issues that abuse and violence in the family raise.
Develop strategies for how you and your community of faith can play a critical role in breaking the silence and preventing domestic violence.

For more information please contact Sally MacNichol at 212-683-0015 x216 or CONNECTfaith@connectnyc.org or visit our website www.connectnyc.org.  No cost to attend.

The agenda to end violence against women is enormous, given that we are essentially attempting to turn the tide of centuries of norms, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that encourage and support violence against women. Faith- based communities represent a critical ally in this effort.
~ Marie Fortune.

On December 17, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers Marks One Year Since Bodies Discovered on Gilgo Beach

WHEN: Saturday, December 17, 2011 from 2 to 4 pm

WHERE: Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan, 164 West 100th Street near Amsterdam Avenue. 1, 2, or 3 train to 96th Street.

WHO: Organized by sex worker support and advocacy groups the Red Umbrella Project and the Sex Workers Outreach Project New York. Attendees will be people currently or formerly involved in the sex trades and our friends, family, allies, and those concerned for our health and safety.

In December 2010, the bodies of four women, later identified as Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes were discovered on Gilgo Beach in Long Island, after the family of missing woman Shannan Gilbert insisted on a police investigation of her disappearance. The cases remain unsolved, and since December the remains of another six people have been discovered in the area. The Suffolk County Police Department, which is responsible for the investigation, believes that it is likely that there are multiple local killers who are preying on people who sell sexual services.

On December 17, 2011 people in the sex trade and the people who love and support us will gather at Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan from 2 to 4 pm to hold a vigil for the victims of the Long Island killers and the many other people killed every year because they trade sex and are vulnerable to violence. The event will feature community activist speakers, a candle lighting, and a reading of the names of people in the sex trade who have been murdered this year.

The International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was first organized nearly a decade ago by sex workers in San Francisco to memorialize the people murdered by serial killer Gary Ridgway. Ridgway captured the attitude that cultivates violence towards sex workers: “I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught.” At the event, we create a space that challenges this assumption by demonstrating that we have a caring community.

Women need a safe space in which to heal, explore, examine and learn about their sexuality. In this unique six month program, women will be able to do the deep work on their sexual selves that can empower and affect every aspect of their being and of their lives.

This program will take place over six weekends between January and June 2012, in New York City. (Specific dates available here.) The Sexually Empowered Life involves a combination of deep work on the sexual self through discussion, coaching and self-exploration; examination of our sexual history and patterns; education about sexuality and the sexual body; and ritual, experiential learning and group support. It is a rare opportunity to dive deeply into the study and development of our own sexual selves: as we step out of cultural limitations for relationships, identity, and gender, we can examine and explore how sexual norms and sexual shame have affected or inhibited our sexuality, challenge and confront what is no longer serving us, and move into a place of full-embodiment of sexual power, desire and healthy vulnerability. Women of all sexual orientations and backgrounds are welcome.

Sexual empowerment coach, Amy Jo Goddard, M.A., facilitates this program with a progressively feminist approach that creates an environment where women can fully step into their sexual power and own the parts of themselves they have forsaken or disconnected from, while being supported by other women. Amy Jo has been a sexuality educator for over 15 years and is a published author. Having worked in various women’s and queer communities as an activist, performance artist and advocate, she maintains a deep commitment to empowering women and girls. Read more about Amy Jo’s transformational work at www.AmyJoGoddard.com.

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9 Steps to a Sexually Empowered Life
A free workshop for women
Wednesday, December 7, 7-9 pm, NYC
In this workshop, learn about the 9 steps that will help you come home to your authentic sexual self and express your sexuality with integrity and joy. Hear about an amazing opportunity to grow your sexual self in a totally unique and meaningful way.
To sign up and for more info:
http://sexuallyempoweredlife2.eventbrite.com/

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About the free teleclass:

9 Steps to a Sexually Empowered Life
A free teleclass
Saturday, Decemeber 3, 11 am-noon
In this workshop, learn about the 9 steps that will help you come home to your authentic sexual self and express your sexuality with integrity and joy. This teleclass is also an opportunity for you to learn about Amy Jo’s newly reformatted program for women, The Sexually Empowered Life, and to ask her any questions you might have about this 6-month long unique course so you can become the full sexually empowered woman you are meant to be.

To sign up and for more info:
http://sexualempowerment.eventbrite.com/

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