To suppress free speech in the name of protecting women is dangerous and wrong. -- Betty Friedan
 

BOARD MEMBER NEWS



FFE Board Member and past President Mary D. Dorman comforting children in Haiti
Mary, along with Dr. Susie Vassallo ( Emergency Room Physican at Bellevue Hospital) and her partner Cynthia Barrett traveled there to help care for the children who were victims of the earthquake through the group International Alliance for the Advancement of Children.
http://www.iaac4children.org/index_Page385.htm.

They spent a week at the IAAC's Children's Center in Les Cayes 5 hours north of Port au Prince. They made the trip with no financial assistance, taking a load of medical and other supplies as well as enough donated books to create a library at the Children's Center.

Sandy Rapp to Perform at NOW NYS Convention in Seneca Falls, NY
At the November 7-9 NOW-NYS Convention in Seneca Falls, NY, author/singer Sandy Rapp will perform two new tribute songs, including one for former National NOW President Patricia Ireland and another about the poet Maya Angelou's support of Hillary Clinton. The 1:30 PM NOW presentation at the historic Seneca Falls Presbyterian Church will mark the 160th Anniversary of the first-ever US women's convention. Rapp's songs, available in preview at www.SandyRapp.com, will accent talks by legendary Feminist Majority founder Ellie Smeal and feminist Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).
www.nownys.org
FFE Board Member MARY D. DORMAN Wins 1.5 Million Dollar Verdict in Discrimination Case
Last week, after more than 4 weeks of testimony and 5 hours of deliberation, a New York State Supreme Court jury awarded 1.5 million dollars in a gay employment discrimination suit brought by three former New York City police officers.  In the suit, an NYPD sergeant was found to have been denied a transfer into a sought after unit, Youth Services Section, because he was perceived to be gay by now two-star chief James Hall. Captain Lori Albunio, then the commanding officer of Youth Services Section and Lt. Tom Connors, the second in command, were found to have been retaliated against after they actively supported the transfer.  Each was denied promotions and transfers and Captain Lori Albunio lost her command.

"This affirms that at the highest levels the NYPD continues to practice discrimination against people who are perceived to be gay and their heterosexual allies," said Mary D. Dorman, counsel for Connors and Albunio. "This verdict holds accountable those in the NYPD who would continue to act unchecked. To find a two star chief guilty of gay bias sends a huge message to the NYPD.

Both Connors and Albunio had exhausted every remedy available them within the NYPD, including testifying at EEO investigations regarding discrimination by Hall.  "The fix was in from the time our complaints were first filed. There wasn't any way that they were going to find Hall guilty of discrimination. In fact he has been promoted twice since the complaint against him was made" said Connors.  "Hall knew from the beginning, in spite of the confidentiality rules, that I testified against him and, as a result, my career was over."

Lori Albunio, through dedication to the police department and hard work, achieved the position of commanding officer of Youth Services. Hall, in retaliation for Albunio's opposing his discrimination, was instrumental in her losing her command.

Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives To Suicide For Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws / Kate Bornstein

Celebrated transsexual trailblazer Kate Bornstein has, with more humor and spunk than any other, ushered us into a world of limitless possibility through a daring re-envisionment of the gender system as we know it.

Here, Kate bravely and wittily shares personal and unorthodox methods of survival for navigating an often cruel world. A one-of-a-kind guide to staying alive outside the box, Hello, Cruel World is a much-needed unconventional approach to teenage suicide prevention for marginalized youth who want to stay on the edge, but alive.

Hello, Cruel World features a catalog of 101 Alternatives to Suicide that range from the playful (Moisturize), to the irreverent (Disbelieve the Binary), to the highly controversial (Get Laid. Please). Designed to encourage readers to give themselves permission to unleash their hearts' harmless desires, the book has only one directive: "Don't be mean." It is this guiding principle that brings its reader on a self-validating journey, which forges wholly new paths toward a resounding decision to choose life.

Tenderly intimate and unapologetically edgy, Kate is the radical role model, the affectionate best friend, and the guiding mentor all in one kind and spirited package.

A celebrated pioneer for the LGBTQI community, transsexual author and performance artist, Kate Bornstein is the author of the wildly successful books My Gender Workbook and Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and The Rest of Us.

Luxurious Loving: Tantric Inspirations for Passion and Pleasure / Barbara Carrellas and Urban Tantra®

Barbara Carrellas and Urban Tantra® are thrilled to announce Barbara's new book Luxurious Loving: Tantric Inspirations for Passion and Pleasure.

In today's fast-paced world, couples may struggle to find time and energy for sex amidst work, kids, friends, family, as well as all of life's other responsibilities and commitments. Slow, sensual lovemaking is one of the first pleasures to go when so little time exists. However, the key to expanded states of endless pleasure is taking the time to slow down. When you can immerse yourself completely in the experience of either giving or receiving, time ceases, trust increases, intimacy deepens, and you reprogram the way you imagine, breathe, gaze, move, taste, touch, and connect. Join Barbara Carrellas as she teaches couples new/ancient ways to enjoy new heights and depths of erotic pleasure. Luxurious Loving also features dozens of dramatic erotic photographs by renowned photographer, Allan Penn.

available at: http://www.amazon.com/
website: http://www.barbaracarrellas.com

 

For previous years news and events, please visit the Board Member News Archive

 

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