Contact this group by email @  Rainbowandallies@gmail.com

🏳️‍🌈August 2025 - Rainbow (LGBTQIA+) and Allies Coffee / Social Groups🏳️‍🌈

Resist!  United we stand, divided we fall!

👉NEW August 1st, Fri  MEN'S MEETUP - (2 Meet Ups Every Month, 1st & 3rd Fridays)  

 @ FAME LOUNGE & EATERY, 386 Dwight Street, Holyoke 6:30 PM  Free on-site parking

👉NEW TIME!  August 5th, Tue AMHERST COFFEE HOUR 9:30-11:00 am at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst - Coffee/Tea, bagels and conversation! NEW TIME!   https://www.rainbowcoffeehouramherst.com/ 

 👉August 6th, Wed  RAINBOW SUPPER CLUB HOLYOKE 5-7 pm  Dinner, conversation, and activity. Go to https://accesscarepartners.org/programs-services/lgbtq-support/

 👉August 13th, Wed  BELCHERTOWN’S RAINBOW SOCIAL HOUR 10-11 am @ Belchertown Senior Center, 60 State Street, Belchertown https://rainbowsocialhour.my.canva.site/ 

  👉August 14th, Thur  RAINBOW ELDERS @ LIFEPATH 12-2 pm In-person luncheon, South County Senior Center, 22 Amherst Rd., Sunderland Click here to register

 👉August 20th, Wed  HADLEY SENIOR CENTER  Rainbow “Brown Bag Lunch” 12:30-1:30 pm @ Hadley Senior Center, 46 Middle Street Hadley, MA 01035 

Council On Aging Calendar | Hadley MA 

👉NO MEETING IN AUGUST!  SOUTH HADLEY SR CENTER - Coffee/Social Hour 12:30-2 @ S Hadley Sr Center, 45 Dayton St, South Hadley https://www.southhadley.org/324/Council-on-Aging

👉NEW! August 15th, Fri  MEN'S MEETUP (2 Meet Ups Every Month, 1st & 3rd Fridays)

@ HOTEL NORTHAMPTON, 36 King Street, Northampton 6:30 PM

Anyone wanting to be added to our mailing list can sign up at this link: https://mailchi.mp/3aa0d4c1613c/sign-up-to-our-mailing-list 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthamptonGayMensMeetUp

👉Northampton Sr Center - Silver Lesbians - 1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday at 2:30 pm  

👉Northampton Sr Center - Gay Men's Group, every Friday@ 1 pm https://northamptonma.gov/2055/Senior-Services 

Resources from Belchertown & Amherst Prides: 

Translate Gender is a trans-led, consensus-run non-profit organization Supporting trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive community members to find our power and autonomy.  https://www.translategender.org/

GrandPride - Grandparents Support Space (In-Person)

Join in for this monthly support space for grandparents of trans, nonbinary, and/or gender expansive grandkids in partnership with the Northampton Senior Center. This group meets in-person at the Northampton Senior Center.

The group meets IN-PERSON on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 10-11:30am.

Grandparents can come together to share experiences, gain support, and foster understanding and community.

To RSVP for the group or for more information, please email groups@translategender.org.

UniTy of the Pioneer Valley is the Springfield, MA area Transgender support group. Our meetings are held monthly on the second Thursday of every month, Sept-June at 3300 Main St, Springfield, MA at 7pm.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/UniTySpringfield

PFLAG of Franklin - Hampshire Chapter

Support, education and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and those who love us.

https://www.fhcpflag.org/

Tapestry Health Systems

We provide access without stigma, which means meeting people where they are at and respecting their choices while providing health care, support services, and education for safer practices.

https://www.tapestryhealth.org/

Please note: This email list is a closed list that is never sold, given out or anything else! 

Photos from the AMHERST SENIOR CENTER MURAL UNVEILING RECEPTION

December 10, 2024 Tuesday 9-11 am 

@ Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst

• Students Of Lucia Monge’s Public Art And Collaborative Practices have been hard at work painting a mural inside the Senior Center. It is time to unveil their masterpiece! Please join us for the reception! Thank you to the Center for Community Engagement at Amherst College! Refreshments generously provided by Amherst College. 

The Town of Amherst is proud to announce that it has achieved an outstanding score of 99 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2024 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), illustrating the Town’s unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors.  

“We are honored to receive this high score, as it represents our Town's dedication to creating a community where everyone feels welcomed and valued,” said Town Manager Paul Bockelman. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work of our Town departments, community leaders, and advocates who strive to ensure that Amherst is an inclusive space for all.” 

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipality Equality Index is a nationwide evaluation of cities and towns on how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. 

“It’s essential that the LGBTQ+ community feels safe and valued, as this fosters a more inclusive, supportive environment for all residents,” said Philip Avila, assistant director of the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Ensuring safety and representation helps break down stereotypes, strengthens community bonds, and promotes equality. Amherst’s commitment to inclusivity is key to building a town where everyone, regardless of their identity, belongs and flourishes.” 

Some of the key initiatives contributing to the Town’s score include: 

• Implementation of comprehensive non-discrimination policies in all areas of municipal operations.

• Providing town services to LGBTQ+ youth, people experiencing homelessness, and older adults.

• Elected and appointed leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.

• Partnerships with local LGBTQ+ organizations to provide support and outreach services.

• Community programs that celebrate and promote LGBTQ+ culture and visibility.

The Amherst Police Department also announced that Detective Marcus Humber has been designated as the LGBTQ+ Police Liaison, serving as an accessible and friendly ear to the town’s LGBTQ+ community and elevating related concerns to the police chief and other Town officials. With this announcement, the Town is confident of achieving an MEI score of 100 in future years.  

“The Town of Amherst remains committed to continuous improvement and enhancement of its policies and practices” said Pamela Nolan Young, director of the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “While this score is an important milestone, the journey toward full equality and inclusion is ongoing.” 

“Over more than a decade, the Municipal Equality Index has worked with cities and towns in all parts of the country, in all fifty states to advance the fight for lived and legal equality,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Kelley Robinson in an announcement of this year’s scores. “For LGBTQ+ people, building community isn’t just a phrase, it’s a way of life. In many important ways, local politics shapes our lives just as much as state or national politics does. Mayors and city councilors who take LGBTQ+ inclusion seriously build stronger communities, and in turn their cities thrive.”   

The full MEI report, Amherst’s scorecard, and a searchable database for other municipalities’ scores are available online at hrc.org/mei. To learn more about what Amherst is doing to support LGBTQ+ equality, please contact the Human Rights Commission at humanrights@amherstma.gov. 

Amherst 2024 Municipal Equality Index Scorecard

Posted on: November 25, 2024  https://www.amherstma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3698

An LGBTQIA+ & Allies Coffee / Social Hour

Come and meet others for friendly conversations! 

Contact this group by email @  Rainbowandallies@gmail.com