List of Press Releases

1. Shenandoah Valley Gays Organize: New Group Forms for 7 County Area
2. Lesbian/Gay History Month Celebration Announced
3. Shenandoah Valley Gay Group Establishes Net Presence
4. Gay Group Recognizes World AIDS Day: Set Time to Reflect & Remember

Shenandoah Valley Gays Organize

New Group Forms for 7 County Area of Northwestern Virginia

August 15, 1997; Winchester, Virginia -- A male couple in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia today announced the formation of a social and support organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people in the northwest area of the Commonwealth without regard to age, class, health, immigration status, race, or religion. The new organization seeks to establish a “sense of community” within the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren and has been tentatively named Shenandoah Valley Friends.

It is anticipated that the group will offer a variety of activities in the social and recreational realm while also creating the necessary support foundation to assist those persons dealing with such issues as “coming out,” relationships, discrimination, etc. Social activities may include potluck dinners, dances, sightseeing and shopping outings, bowling and skating parties, and more.

“We hope to afford GLBT folks the opportunity to connect across the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley and establish a ‘community’ with many of the benefits of urban ‘gay life’ but without the crime, traffic noise, pollution and general hassle that is usually found there,” said Steve Douglas, one of the organizers.

The organizers have already opened a post office box and made some preliminary plans to see about opening a website on the Internet and beginning a rap group and also a Bible study. They will be working to advertise the new group with the “gay media” throughout the region in order to gain additional members.

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Lesbian/Gay History Month Celebration

Shenandoah Valley Friends Celebrate History Month

September 15, 1997; Winchester, Virginia -- Shenandoah Valley Friends, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) organization in northwestern Virginia, today announced their participation in the national celebration of Lesbian & Gay History Month: A Celebration of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History.

“Lesbian & Gay History Month” is the fourth annual event to set aside a time to highlight the often ignored contributions of gay figures and the community in history. During the month, the GLBT community examines its political struggle, cultural achievements and collective creativity. It is also a time for all of us to individually step back and look at our own lives. By looking back at ourselves five, ten, twenty years ago and contrasting it with where we are today, we realize our history is within us all.

"Just as women, African-Americans, Native-Americans and others have been priviously ignored in history, GLBT people have also been excluded from history," said Steve Douglas, an organizer, "and the study of our own history is crucial to understanding our contributions to the majority culture, as well."

“Lesbian & Gay History Month” is co-sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD); the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educators Network (GLSEN); the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF); the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum; Dignity USA; Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC); the Bisexual Network of the U.S. (BiNet USA); National Latino/a Lesbian & Gay Organization (LLEGO); GenderPAC; the Human Rights Campaign (HRC); Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG); League at AT&T; Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI); It’s Time America; and the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. Additionally, American Express Financial Advisors is the primary corporate sponsor.

Shenandoah Valley Friends was established on August 15, 1997, in Winchester, Virginia, by a male couple seeking to connect with other GLBT people. The organizers seek to build a social and support organization for all adult GLBT people in the Shenandoah Valley of northwestern Virginia without regard to age, class, health, immigration status, race, or religion.

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Gay Group Establishes Net Presence

Shenandoah Valley Friends Open Internet Website

November 1, 1997; Winchester, Virginia -- The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organization, Shenandoah Valley Friends, announces the establishment of an internet presence with the opening of a website on the Internet (at http://www.oocities.org/WestHollywood/4314/index.html) in the GeoCities neighborhood of West Hollywood.

The website is intended to provide communication between members and potential inquirers. Eventually the site will feature an online newsletter, chat room, as well as offer a list of readily accessible resources with electronic links, telephone numbers and surface mailing addresses. The organizers anticipate that the website will attract new members because the anonymous nature of the Internet will allow potential members to obtain information about the organization in a non-threatening fashion. Additionally, the World Wide Web affords an excellent, low-cost vehicle to gain exposure for the new group.

Shenandoah Valley Friends was established on August 15, 1997, in Winchester, Virginia, by a male couple seeking to connect with other GLBT people. The organizers hope to build a social and support organization for all adult GLBT people in the Shenandoah Valley of northwestern Virginia without regard to age, class, health, immigration status, race, or religion.

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Gay Group Recognizes World AIDS Day

Shenandoah Valley Friends Set Time to Reflect & Remember

November 15, 1997; Winchester, Virginia -- Shenandoah Valley Friends, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organization connecting the seven county region of northwestern Virginia, announces plans to participate in World AIDS Day activities scheduled for December 1st.

AIDS Action, the primary organizer of this event, has announced that President Clinton will make an address reminding citizens that America must maintain vigilance in the war on AIDS. AIDS Action is fighting a misperception that AIDS is over and attempting to convince our national leadership that the epidemic is an issue for the 90s, not a relic of the 80s with the theme: "Until It’s Over!"

"We encourage folks to set aside this time to reflect on the lives of all those we’ve lost to AIDS and to rededicate ourselves to continuing the struggle of supplying education to end this pandemic," said Steve Douglas, one of the group’s organizers.

Shenandoah Valley Friends was established in August 1997, in Winchester, Virginia, by a male couple seeking to connect with other GLBT people. The organizers hope to build a social and support organization for all adult GLBT people in the Shenandoah Valley of northwestern Virginia without regard to age, class, health, immigration status, race, or religion.

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