Pride Week 2013 and the Survivor's Quilt
So DSAGA's Spring Pride Week is from April 14-18 this year. Let me tell you about what we're working on. On the 14th, we're going to have a discussion at St. Andrew's church, provide food and sit at a table with the people in the gathering area and discuss DSAGA, who we are in the community, what we do, and why we think it's important to talk about gay stuff in the church. It was suggested today that I send fliers around to other churches inviting them to this discussion, which if any of you know Big rapids, you can maybe see why that terrifies me, but I'm willing to do it. If a crowd gathers with pitchforks and torches, it's been nice knowing you all. But anyway, that's on Sunday. On Monday we're going to be on the FSU Quad and have "Ally Day," where we celebrate people who might not identify as GLBTACQIO (alphabet soup) but they want to support us and be our friends and help us spread awareness. That night, the 15th, we're having this year's production of "Queer Monologues." It's like the Vagina Monologues but way more gayer. I'm going to be performing a monologue like I did last year, and this year it's about my struggles with "conversion therapy" and church and such. I kind of talked about that in my monologue last year, but not really, so I'm nervous and excited. I love hearing people share their stories. We're going to have DVDs of the production for people to order if they enjoy the show, and you should all buy one.
On Tuesday the 16th, we're going to be having LGBTQ History Day, where we're going to hand out candy and educate people with historical facts about LGBTQ people and their contributions to the world and our culture. DSAGA doesn't have anything planned for that night, but SWA (the social work association at FSU) is having an open mic night, and I want to perform a piece from the book "Stumbling Toward Faith" by Renee Alston. I'm excited about that, too. On Wednesday the 17th, we're going to have a "Break the stereotypes" day where we have a wall where people write stereotypes that have been applied to them and at the end of the day we break down the wall. We're planning to partner with YBBW (You Beautiful Black Woman) and B.L.A.C.K. (Black Leaders Aspiring for Critical Knowledge) to bring more groups in who've been hurt by stereotypes and who want to spread the knowledge that these words and ideas put upon us by others don't define who we are. Thursday the 18th is going to be our observation of the Day of Silence, where we hang around the Quad with Duct Tape on our mouths handing out cards that explain we're not speaking to raise awareness that some people feel they have to be silent about who they are. That night, we're going to have the "Drag Off" which is our yearly Drag show where contestants compete to see who gives the best performance. We also have professional Drag Queens and Kings come to perform, so it's a fun night.
Something new we're going to have this year is a project I'm really excited about, something I'm calling the "Survivor's Quilt." It's going to be a big quilt (right now I have 96 blank squares of different colors) and I'm going to have fabric markers available and people can decorate a square in memory of someone they lost to suicide, or if they've survived bullying and such, they can make a square in memory of themselves, or they can make a square in memory of someone they've helped or who has helped them, or just a square with inspirational messages to help people keep going. I'm going to bring the quilt to all the events of Pride Week. I brought it to the Walk for Life that we did a few weeks ago, and people there were excited about decorating squares that would be sewn into the quilt, so I hope we have a big quilt that makes a big statement. Here are some pictures of the quilt so far:
Sewing the quilt
I'm sewing it by hand, so it takes some time
Pretty orange thread! Pretty annoying needle that keeps stabbing me in the thumb!
The quilt square I made in memory of my friend Michael, who started it all. After he killed himself, they told me I had "survivor's guilt," so that's where I got the idea to make a "survivor's QUILT" for all we have lost and for all who have survived
Devin, a little girl from my church, made a quilt square at the Walk for Life
People started telling their stories on the quilt squares, and they made me cry
Sometimes our friends save us, yo
Stick people supporting each other!
More stories to make me cry
I made a quilt square for Eileen, the kid I used to be, trapped inside this girl called "Lillian" who was trying so hard to be someone she wasn't that she had no idea who she really was
OMG, the quilt looks so cool! Imagine 96 squares (or maybe more!) all like this, all spread across the FSU quad! Feel the support, feel the hope, feel the light breaking through the darkness!
So here's the thing. Making a quilt is hard, yo. I can't use a sewing machine without sewing my hand into whatever I'm trying to sew. I can't hold it steady enough. I stab myself a lot with needles, but it's important to me, so I keep going. Making a quilt is also expensive. I need to buy fabric squares, I need to buy thread, I'm told there are better needles I could buy than the mean little one I have right now, I need to buy fabric markers, I need to make fliers to send around to other churches about the DSAGA discussion at St. Andrew's on April 14th, I need to buy food to make so people have something to eat on the 14th while we're having our discussion...and this month sucks. After I pay my rent and bills, I'll have $42 left over, which leaves me a little over $10 every week to buy toilet paper and food and medicine. I know that none of you have money, either, but a few people have asked me to give them an address to send stuffs to help me with the quilt and maybe an email so they can paypal me some money to buy fabric paint or something, so I'm making this post, more so you all know what's going on but also so that you can donate if you want to do so (and so you can pray for us and/or send us good thoughts and well wishes while we run around in circles trying to get everything ready by April 14th). I appreciate all the good thoughts and mostly I want to brag about my awesome quilt and my awesome DSAGA peeps who are trying to create change and make the world a better place.
If you want to send me fabric markers or paint you have lying around (or, you know, send me bombs in the mail) my address is:
Eileen Patterson
1127 Fuller Ave. Apt. #12
Big rapids, MI 49307
If you have a Paypal account and want to send me some money so I can buy fabric markers on eBay (where they're probably cheaper than the highway robbery I see in the store) my paypal email is:
edwardnortonfan@gmail.com
If you can possibly come to Big Rapids the week of April 14-18, it would be awesome to see you so we can show off all our awesome stuff and all our hard work! I love you all, and thanks for listening.
On Tuesday the 16th, we're going to be having LGBTQ History Day, where we're going to hand out candy and educate people with historical facts about LGBTQ people and their contributions to the world and our culture. DSAGA doesn't have anything planned for that night, but SWA (the social work association at FSU) is having an open mic night, and I want to perform a piece from the book "Stumbling Toward Faith" by Renee Alston. I'm excited about that, too. On Wednesday the 17th, we're going to have a "Break the stereotypes" day where we have a wall where people write stereotypes that have been applied to them and at the end of the day we break down the wall. We're planning to partner with YBBW (You Beautiful Black Woman) and B.L.A.C.K. (Black Leaders Aspiring for Critical Knowledge) to bring more groups in who've been hurt by stereotypes and who want to spread the knowledge that these words and ideas put upon us by others don't define who we are. Thursday the 18th is going to be our observation of the Day of Silence, where we hang around the Quad with Duct Tape on our mouths handing out cards that explain we're not speaking to raise awareness that some people feel they have to be silent about who they are. That night, we're going to have the "Drag Off" which is our yearly Drag show where contestants compete to see who gives the best performance. We also have professional Drag Queens and Kings come to perform, so it's a fun night.
Something new we're going to have this year is a project I'm really excited about, something I'm calling the "Survivor's Quilt." It's going to be a big quilt (right now I have 96 blank squares of different colors) and I'm going to have fabric markers available and people can decorate a square in memory of someone they lost to suicide, or if they've survived bullying and such, they can make a square in memory of themselves, or they can make a square in memory of someone they've helped or who has helped them, or just a square with inspirational messages to help people keep going. I'm going to bring the quilt to all the events of Pride Week. I brought it to the Walk for Life that we did a few weeks ago, and people there were excited about decorating squares that would be sewn into the quilt, so I hope we have a big quilt that makes a big statement. Here are some pictures of the quilt so far:
Sewing the quilt
I'm sewing it by hand, so it takes some time
Pretty orange thread! Pretty annoying needle that keeps stabbing me in the thumb!
The quilt square I made in memory of my friend Michael, who started it all. After he killed himself, they told me I had "survivor's guilt," so that's where I got the idea to make a "survivor's QUILT" for all we have lost and for all who have survived
Devin, a little girl from my church, made a quilt square at the Walk for Life
People started telling their stories on the quilt squares, and they made me cry
Sometimes our friends save us, yo
Stick people supporting each other!
More stories to make me cry
I made a quilt square for Eileen, the kid I used to be, trapped inside this girl called "Lillian" who was trying so hard to be someone she wasn't that she had no idea who she really was
OMG, the quilt looks so cool! Imagine 96 squares (or maybe more!) all like this, all spread across the FSU quad! Feel the support, feel the hope, feel the light breaking through the darkness!
So here's the thing. Making a quilt is hard, yo. I can't use a sewing machine without sewing my hand into whatever I'm trying to sew. I can't hold it steady enough. I stab myself a lot with needles, but it's important to me, so I keep going. Making a quilt is also expensive. I need to buy fabric squares, I need to buy thread, I'm told there are better needles I could buy than the mean little one I have right now, I need to buy fabric markers, I need to make fliers to send around to other churches about the DSAGA discussion at St. Andrew's on April 14th, I need to buy food to make so people have something to eat on the 14th while we're having our discussion...and this month sucks. After I pay my rent and bills, I'll have $42 left over, which leaves me a little over $10 every week to buy toilet paper and food and medicine. I know that none of you have money, either, but a few people have asked me to give them an address to send stuffs to help me with the quilt and maybe an email so they can paypal me some money to buy fabric paint or something, so I'm making this post, more so you all know what's going on but also so that you can donate if you want to do so (and so you can pray for us and/or send us good thoughts and well wishes while we run around in circles trying to get everything ready by April 14th). I appreciate all the good thoughts and mostly I want to brag about my awesome quilt and my awesome DSAGA peeps who are trying to create change and make the world a better place.
If you want to send me fabric markers or paint you have lying around (or, you know, send me bombs in the mail) my address is:
Eileen Patterson
1127 Fuller Ave. Apt. #12
Big rapids, MI 49307
If you have a Paypal account and want to send me some money so I can buy fabric markers on eBay (where they're probably cheaper than the highway robbery I see in the store) my paypal email is:
edwardnortonfan@gmail.com
If you can possibly come to Big Rapids the week of April 14-18, it would be awesome to see you so we can show off all our awesome stuff and all our hard work! I love you all, and thanks for listening.