PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND SUPPORTS LARGEST LGBT YOUTH CONFERENCE IN THE COUNTRY

For Immediate Release: May 13, 2016

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PPSNE proudly stands with True Colors, Inc., at the 23^rd Annual True Colors Conference in Storrs, CT.

(New Haven, Conn.) — On Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, 2016, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is supporting True Colors, a non-profit organization which annually holds the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth conference at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn.

 

The theme of this year’s True Colors conference is “Intersectionality” focusing on culture, race and identity and how these matters are interconnected and cannot be viewed separately. PPSNE is proud to be a platinum sponsor and provide educational opportunities at the 23^rd Annual True Colors Conference. The PPSNE Students Teaching About Responsible Sexuality (STARS) – a high school peer education group, as well as PPSNE interns and team members, will host various workshops on different topics, including A Guide to Having Healthy Romantic Rainbow Relationships, Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships, Sexuality in Hip-Hop Culture, and an interactive discussion on the importance of HIV and STI testing entitled Looks Don’t Matter.

 

“Planned Parenthood of Southern New England believes reproductive rights are deeply connected to civil rights for all Americans. While we have made great strides as a country, people in the LBGT community are still discriminated against,” said Kafi Rouse, Director of Public Relations & Marketing with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “We remain committed to breaking down barriers and continuing to fight to ensure all people can access high quality, affordable health care and educational services. We proudly stand with True Colors, community partners and other agencies and organizations that are committed to full equality and ending LGBT discrimination.”

 

Social media will be a major aspect at the event, with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England coordinating live, interactive activities for conference participants. PPSNE will host a “Tweet Supreme” contest which will send participants around the conference in search of 10 important facts on LGBT rights and health to post on Twitter. PPSNE will also coordinate a “Share a Hug” contest on Instagram where participants will take and share photos of themselves and new friends. Contests run on both days of the conference and prizes will be awarded to the most active social media participant.

 

Established in 1992, True Colors is a non-profit organization that works with other social service agencies, schools, organizations and within communities to ensure the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are recognized and competently met. The organization trains more than 2,500 people annually, organizes the largest LGBT youth conference in the country with more than 2,000 attendees and manages the state’s only LGBT mentoring program.

 

Open to both youth and adults, participants at the True Colors Annual Conference can choose from hundreds of workshops from various tracks: professional, youth only, college only, spiritual institute, general audience, family and caregivers and the activist institute.

 

The True Colors Conference runs 8 AM – 7:30 PM on Friday, March 18, 2016. The conference continues the next day, Saturday, March 19, at 8 AM and ends at midnight following a student-only dance.

 

Former NFL player Wade Davis – currently the Executive Director of the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated to ending discrimination, sexism and homophobia in sports – is the event’s keynote speaker. In addition to educational and personal growth, participants can enjoy entertainment by special guests, such as dance group Infamous Squad and hip-hop artist Marcel Ravonne Jennings.

 

Join the conversation and follow along throughout the entire weekend by searching for and using the hashtags #TrueColors23 and #ppsne on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

 

For more information on True Colors or the conference, visit ourtruecolors.org.

 

For more information about Planned Parenthood of Southern New England call (203) 865-5158 or visit ppsne.org.

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Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is one of the region’s largest providers of family planning and reproductive health care services. Since 1923, PPSNE has evolved into an organization with 18 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, delivering care to nearly 70,000 patients annually, and 90 percent of the services provided are preventive.