I am an out and open gay man living in a very rural area, but one that is very welcoming of its Gay Lesbian populous depending on which side of the community you live in and whom you associate yourself with. At the university, through previous training with the education section of the Health Center and my own personal experiences, I give many educational classes on what it means to be an out and open Gay Lesbian person in rural areas, as well as in the cities and also hold education forums on HIV/AIDS awareness and Safer Sex amongst the GLBT and Heterosexual community. I also speak outside the university at others and most recently at both state and national conferences on HIV/AIDS, GLBT Relations, and advocacy.
I have been blessed to be able to dispel the myths, stereotypes, and other ignorance involved with the Gay Lesbian community in addition to HIV/AIDS, and I am proud to serve as the Gay Lesbian site Editor here at BellaOnline. I look forward to sharing my life with you, and hope that you will share your lives with me!
I am very active in national GLBT groups and advocacy. I am a member of the ACLU, HRC, and have used the resources of PFLAG. I read the Advocate, OUT, and other publications and am a grass roots effort member of both the ACLU, EqualityIL, EQCA, and the HRC. I also enjoy the honor of writing for many publications in the opinions section defending and standing up for the rights and respect of the GLBT community and other under or misrepresented communities such as the HIV/AIDS community.
For informational purposes, I have compiled a list of relevant information which I thought some of you may be curious for. I have received many inquiries into my background and thought that it was prudent to post these for you.
Jase ;0)
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Recognitions/Education/Organizations
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Recognitions:
Who’s Who Among American College Students Nominee 2005
Unity Political Action Committee/NCOD Committee 2005, 2006
Transitions Facilitator/Coordinator 1996, 1999-2000, 2005-2006
Awareness Week Chairperson 1999-2000, 2006
Phi Theta Kappa 2003-present
National Dean’s List 2003-2004, 2004-2005
National Honor Society 1995-1996
National Scholars at Large Division 1995-1996
Dean’s List FA 2000, FA SU 2003, FA 2003
Honor List FA 1997, SP 1998, FA 2002, FA 2004, SP 2005,
Golden Apple Award Winner 1996
Presidential Scholarship ONU
Merit Scholarship ONU, WIU (96)
American Legion Citizenship Scholarship 1996-1997
Stonewall Society Honorary for GLBT Activism and Writings
Red Cross Volunteerism/Organization Recognition 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996(2), 1997
American Legion Citizenship/Volunteerism 1996
Inter Hall Council 1999, 2000
Corbin-Olson Hall Government President 1999-2000
Unity LASO Liaison 1999-2000
Hall Government Member 1996, 1999, 2000
Education:
Kankakee Community College 1995-1996 Political Science
Olivet Nazarene University 1997-1999 Divinity, Youth Ministry, Psychology, Nursing, Sociology
Western Illinois University 1999-2000 Psychology
Spoon River College 2000 Emergency medical Technician Basic
Carl Sandburg College 2001-2005 EMT Intermediate, Cosmetology Certificate, Business management/Human Resource Management minor
Western Illinois University 2005-Present, BA Interdisciplinary Studies with focus on Counseling
Organizations/Affiliations:
NAEMT 2000-2005
ACLU 1996-present
HRC 1996-present
BGLFA/UNITY 1996-present
Amnesty Intl 1992-present
AIDS/HIV MSM Educator 1999-present
Peer Mentor 2003-present
NLGJA (National Lesbian Gay Journalism Association) 2006-present
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Programing/Speaking Engagements:
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MBLGTACC 2007/Alphabet Soup 2007 (Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Allied College Conference) February 16-18, 2007 University Of Minnesota Twin Cities
- You´ve Come Out! So What! (post "OUT" life)
- Will I lose my Dignity? The Other side of HIV (pos/neg life and partnership)
IL GLBT Conference Spring 2006 hosted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Money Matters - Finding funding for your GLBT organization and related programing
Unity Awareness Week 2006
- Sex 101: Flames, Dames and Dental Dams
- GLBT History: A Glimpse
- Having Faith and being Homosexual
- GLBT Panel - Open and honest communication on the GLBT community
Western Illinois University and Community 1996-Present
- Sex 101: Flames, Dames and Dental Dams
- Safer Sex and You
- You´ve Come Out! So What! (on life after the coming out process)
- Your Rights as a GLBT in America (area specific as well)
- GLBT´s and Education (how to handle glbt topics/students as an educator)
- GLBT History: A Glimpse
- Having Faith and being Homosexual
- GLBT Panel - Open and honest communication on the GLBT community
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