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1. LOCAL NEWS - recent pool party:
Greetings fellow LYC Indianapolis members. We continue to grow and expand our membership to our club. At our next gathering be sure to welcome to our newest members Hiroki, Nick, Kori, Johnathan Tom & Dana. Welcome to the LongYangClub of Indianapolis guys.
I first must apologize to our newsletter editor for being late with my report. Like many of you, I have been extremely busy and finding time available to get things done is challenging sometimes. Thanks Bob for your patience.
I will let Bob tell of the details & fun at our recent pool party & cookout hosted by Harry & Patrick. Thanks Harry & Patrick for a wonderful time and good food.
2. INTERNATIONAL REPORT
Many of you may already know that LongYangClub Indianapolis is part of a larger international organization. From May 23-27 I attended ICON 2002 an International Convention for the LongYangClub in Montreal Canada. (by the way, at last count has LongYangClub International is now in 39 cities on 4 continents AND GROWING.
The business end of our meeting consisted of the International LYC organization putting the final touches on formally organizing the many LYC groups. For the last year, LYC organizers were working on the International by-laws and the LYC Constitution.
After several redrafts and modifications a final LYC Constitution was put to a vote and was accepted by those present in Montreal. If anyone would like a copy of this document, let me know and I can give you a copy at our next get together. The current
status is that each member chapter will be required to submit a small fee each year to offset the expenses of running an International organization.
ICON 2002 is a 4-day event that also offered 4 educational workshops too. They were: 1. Empowerment, Enlightenment and Beyond - are we Rice Queens or Potato Kings?" 2. The boys of Thailand - Forbidden Fruits in Paradise for gay men; 3. Paris, a Glittering city for ICON 2003; and 4. Cross-Cultural Understanding in Interracial Relationships. The workshops were very helpful and really opened my eyes to seeing things from a different point of view.
Other planned activities included visiting the gay village in Montreal. This a large area - that would be similar to "boys town in Chicago". Visiting Gay Montreal is like kissing your partner - or smelling a beautiful flower - you have to experience it because words cannot describe it.
While in Montreal our hosts LYC members managed to select some of the better restaurants for our meals as well. I am still learning new techniques in handling chopsticks!!
In addition to the above, the group also took a bus tour to learn the many interesting things about Montreal and its unique mountain in the middle of the city. Another bus tour was given of Ottawa too. The group was able to meet the gay Mayor of Ottawa and also one of several openly gay city council members. Ottawa reports that 18-20% of the city population is gay. The city itself has demonstrated its willingness to accept diversity and embraces and supports many people in the gay population.
I will post pictures on the web site once we get all the bugs worked out on the web site.
UPCOMING EVENTS
JUNE:
Our next gathering will from 7-9 pm on Friday, June 21 for dinner at Harry's Vietnamese Restaurant on the West Side of town. Hiroke, Hiro, & Andy have generously offered to teach the rest of us the finer techniques of using chopsticks. So, if you haven't brushed up on your technique lately, join us for some food, a lot fun and friendship on Friday!
If you need directions, contact any of the officers of the club for directions and information.
JULY:
Remember too, that Sunday July 14 from 1pm till 11pm will be a potluck/pitch-in and pool party at my home. Bring your favorite dish, snacks, and drinks to share. I will have a gas cooking/barbecue grill available for those who would like to cook something on the grill.
Further, I will invite others Asians/non Asians from Chicago, Cleveland and Columbus Ohio too. I will be able to take up to two guests. We may need volunteers to host our out of town guests. Let me know what you have available.
Don't forget to bring your friends, a swim suit, your food and your favorite beach towel. Be prepared to have fun. The event will happen even if rain. My house is not very big so pray that it doesn't rain!! Look forward to seeing everyone.
FUTURE EVENTS:
We need volunteers to host future LYC events - particularly fall & winter 2002. Start thinking of future events and whether you can be a host for our group. Contact our activities director (Jeff D). We need your help so we can have future meeting places.
Be sure to check out the International LYC website for information on the ICON 2003 to he held in Paris next year. Hotel space is usually very affordable but will go quickly so get your reservations in early. Lets get a group together and go to Paris next May.
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