Posted by Wayves volunteer 3/2/2015
By NSRAP
Good Food! Good Company! GREAT CAUSE!! Please join us for the 11th annual NSRAP Gala, on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront’s newly designed Sable Ballroom (1919 Upper Water Street, Halifax, NS). We'll be honouring Lynn Murphy, getting some radical inspiration from our roots with Robin Metcalfe and kicking it into tomorrow with Rebecca Rose, under the sassy stewardship of our Mistress of Hilarity, celebrity host Eureka Love..
The fun kicks off at 6pm with cocktails and a viewing of our silent auction prizes, continuing into the wee hours with fabulous food, delightful dancing, and more. Our theme this year is built around Pink Triangle Day (Feb. 14), a uniquely Canadian LGBTQ celebration with strong Nova Scotian roots; we’re proudly celebrating the past, present, and future of the Pink Triangle and of LGBTQ NS activism with Rebecca Rose and Robin Metcalfe as our Collaborative Keynote Speakers.
We will also be honouring longtime activist Lynn Murphy as the inaugural recipient of the Leighann Wichman Award for Lifetime Achievement. Originally from PEI, Lynn has been a stalwart of LGBTQ Activism in Nova Scotia since 1977, serving in various leadership positions with the Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE), later the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA), as well as the Board of NSRAP. More recently, Murphy helped found and is actively involved with The Elderberries, a discussion and social group for LGBTQ people over 50, and NSRAP’s Elder’s Project which, among other things, works for greater cultural awareness and training in support of LGBTQ Nova Scotians in continuing care. Murphy’s tireless dedication and advocacy for the LGBTQ community earned her the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
NSRAP named this the award, with the kind permission of her family, to comemorate the late Leighann Wichman, a founder and longtime executive director of the Youth Project. “Leighann made an immeasurable impact on the lives of LGBTQ folks across Nova Scotia and beyond,” said NSRAP vice-chair Adam Myatt, “She was a leader, an educator and an advocate." We can think of no better way to honour those who've given so much of their lives to advance our community than to evoke the spirit of Leighann's life of service through this award.
Along with all this inspiration, we're also planning for fun! We have a more laid back set up this year, featuring food stations with lots of delectable choices for our guests. We hope people will feel free to get up and wander around, visiting friends at other tables. There will be ballroom dancing instruction featuring Marilyn Boyle and a fine mix of tunes to dance to. If you want to refresh your ch-cha, Marilyn will be leading some quick lessons before and during the main event. To cap it off, we have amassed over $2,500 worth of fabulous prizes for our silent auction.
Tickets are $125/person ($1,000/table of 10). We also welcome donations and ticket sponsors; be it a fabulous prize for our silent auction, or a donation to allow a member of our community to attend. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking on this link; or you can contact us by phone at 902-444-3206.
The Gala is our primary fundraiser: your support is essential in allowing NSRAP to continue our important work!
Since 1995 NSRAP has been the leading advocate for LGBTQ Nova Scotians. Working with our community partners, over the last year we have:
- Successfully advocated for, and advised the Department of Health and Wellness on, the implementation of funding for gender confirming surgeries;
- Continued working with service providers on continuing care for LGBTQ Elders;
- Participated in the development of the Department of Education’s Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender-nonconforming Students;
- Advised on changing the Vital Statistics Act to eliminate barriers to changing gender markers,
- Promoted LGBTQ history and discussion between LGBTQ Elders and youth.
In the months ahead we will be working to improve access to culturally responsive mental health serices for LGBTQ people, as well as working with community partners in North West Nova Scotia to end the discriminatory "no-flag policies" in Truro, Antogonish, Cumberland and Pictou Counties.
Your purchase of a ticket to The Pink Triangle Gala ensures that NSRAP can deliver on these projects and more. Thank you to all our members, volunteers, donors, and community partners; with your continued support, we look forward to another year of making a difference!
Editor's Note: To find out more about the Gala (especially to preview some of the silent auction items!) visit their page on Facebook.
