Joint City-County LGBTQIA informational forum to be held Tuesday … – Clarksville Now

CLARKSVILLE, TN – An informational forum for LGBTQIA residents will be held on 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the William O. Beach Civic Hall. The event will feature several departments from city and county governments to help residents to engage with their governments and to share services that are available to that community.

David Shelton, Montgomery County commissioner for District 21, will facilitate the event, which will feature three major sections: Government, Nonprofits and Community.

“After the horrific shooting event in an LGBTQIA club in Colorado Springs late last year, I realized that so many of us feel as if we have nowhere to turn,” Shelton said. “This event is designed to share that we are not alone, and we have pretty broad support.”

The first segment of the planned two-hour event will feature government officials and departments sharing what services and trainings are available for the community. “Before we start wanting to pass new laws, let’s explore what we do have,” Shelton said. “Gay disabled veterans, for example, may not know they have a tremendous amount of support with the Veterans Services Organization — not because they’re gay, but because they served. We are in a post Don’t-ask-don’t-tell world now.”

The Montgomery County Health Department will present information on STD trends and how residents can be informed on their overall health.

The second segment will include presentations from local nonprofit groups that work with the local community. Safehouse is one such group, and their recent work to reach out to the LGBTQIA community is a part of it. A new LGBTQIA advocate has joined the staff of SafeHouse for exactly that purpose.

The final segment is intended for the community, where organizers will ask the community, “What do we need?” This is a planned interactive segment that will allow attendees to share their own concerns and needs.

The Tennessee Equality Project will also conduct a brief presentation on Tennessee state bills that have been filed that will adversely impact the LGBTQIA community if passed.

“The more heated the national rhetoric becomes regarding the LGBTQIA community,” Shelton said, “the more important it is for us to keep to reason, discussion and facts. This event is not a debate, and there are no current resolutions or ordinances in the works. While there will be a presentation from TEP, this is not a political event or a rally.

“Think of it as pure information — where are we now? And where can we go next?”