SOURCE: Shirley Stewart (415-503-1375) News Release
E-mail: LHRCenter@aol.com March 21, 2003

‘Brothers for Sisters’ Lives Again in the Castro at 50th Birthday Party Gala Supporting Unique Lesbian Health Research Center

Donna Sachet, Chris Carnes, Frank Woo to Co-chair Program Featuring
SF Gay Men’s Chorus, Jewelle Gomez, Lauren Artress & Margie Adam,
Gay & Lesbian Freedom Band, G. Penny Nixon and DJ Page Hodel

San Francisco – Sullivan Communications / Betty’s List has announced the beneficiary of the upcoming 50th Birthday Party of Dr. Betty L. Sullivan, a well-known Bay Area LGBT community leader, on Sunday, April 27, 2003, 3:30 – 8:30 PM at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.

The Lesbian Health Research Center (LHRC), a unique center addressing all aspects of health matters related to lesbians, is the designated recipient of contributions in honor of Dr. Sullivan’s birthday occasion.

Community-wide Support for LHRC -

“Seeking a broad base of support for this relatively new but highly-valued organization is the key goal of this event,” said Betty L. Sullivan, founder of Betty’s List and president of Sullivan Communications, Inc. “All in our community are welcome. Our gay men friends will be fully involved in supporting LHRC as will bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, leather, drag, PFLAG and other community members who wish to join in the day.”

Betty L. Sullivan’s 50th Birthday Party

Patricia Robertson, MD, LHRC co-director, concurred. "This will be an occasion when all in our community come together to help lesbians gain access to health care they need," Robertson said. "MAX, the Men’s Associated Exchange, originated the ‘Brothers for Sisters’ theme some years ago and now it comes alive again. Gay men often say that their lesbian friends don’t seek adequate health care and aren’t motivated to do so. Men friends want to help. Our goal is nothing less than to secure the future of this unique center devoted to making the facts about lesbian health known and available to all."

The return of the ‘Brothers for Sisters’ tradition was embraced last week by the leaders of MAX. Ty Rollins, MAX Chairman, seconded the benefit event’s goals saying, "We were delighted to hear that Betty had transformed her birthday celebration into a ‘funraiser’ for the LHRC. Philanthropy is an essential part of the purpose of MAX. In these tight times healthcare becomes ever more important, so we jumped in with both feet!"

Event Co-chairs, Program Activities and Honorary Hosts -
Diverse activities are planned for the day promising a ‘something-for-everyone’ schedule, unfolding between 3:30 and 8:30 PM. Doors open at 3:30 PM with a welcome reception and a concurrent facilitated Labyrinth Walk led by Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress of Veriditas - The Worldwide Labyrinth Project at Grace Cathedral, and The Avalon Project’s Margie Adam, preeminent feminist singer-songwriter and a founder of the women’s music genre.

The Program begins at 4:30 PM with event co-chairs Empress Donna Sachet; Chris Carnes, the LGBT fund-raising maven and former Cable Car Awards co-chair; and Frank Woo, Capital Campaign co-chair for San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center.

LGBT community luminaries featured on the program include the internationally known lesbian playwright and poet Jewelle Gomez, Metropolitan Community Church / San Francisco senior pastor Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon, Dr. Kathleen McGuire and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Ensemble and the Gay & Lesbian Freedom Band’s Dixieland Band. Following the singing of Happy Birthday, led by philanthropist and community leader Jody Cole and the cake cutting by Citizen Cake’s Elizabeth Falkner, the dance floor opens with the Bay Area’s renown tune-spinner DJ Page Hodel.

Honorary Hosts for the occasion are Hon. Bevan Dufty, San Francisco City Supervisor; Hon. James C. Hormel, former US Ambassador to Luxemborg; Hon. Leslie R. Katz, former San Francisco City Supervisor; Hon. Susan Leal, San Francisco City Treasurer and Mayoral Candidate; California Assemblyman Mark Leno; Hon. Theresa Sparks, San Francisco Human Rights Commission; Hon. Martha Knutzen, San Francisco Human Rights Commission; Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, founders of the Daughters of Bilitis; National PFLAG President Sam Thoron; PFLAG/San Francisco Chair Julia Thoron; and Amity Buxton, Straight Spouse Network Founder.

Why Support Lesbian Health?

“We believe that every lesbian has the right to be fully informed about her health. We also believe health care should be sensitive and relevant to lesbians and that lesbian health research is critical,” said Suzanne Dibble, RN, DNS, co-founder and co-director of the Center. “LHRC has begun to bring lesbian health information‘out of the closet’ and into the hands of community members and health care providers with its highly-valued activities and services.”

Among recent activities and accomplishments of LHRC are the following:

· Organized annual lesbian health conference with a focus on community participation and outreach to lesbians of color.

· Offered educational presentations on lesbian health by lesbian faculty leaders in the UCSF Schools of Medicine, Nursing and other affiliates.

· Convened meetings about lesbian health at elder care facilities.

· Funded young scholars program, supervised by LHRC leaders, conducting projects to investigate lesbian health.

· Developed web site-based content for lesbians seeking relevant health information and for providers and other researchers. <http://www.lesbianhealthinfo.org>

Founded in 1999 by Dixie Horning and Dr. Dibble, LHRC is located at the Laurel Heights Campus of the University of California, San Francisco. UCSF provides office space and equipment, but LHRC must raise funds for operation and all of its lesbian health activities and research. Topics addressed include access to care without stigmatization, breast cancer, depression and stress, substance abuse, obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI) education, same-sex parenting, sexually transmitted diseases and others.

The varied programs of LHRC include the annual conference, periodic seminars tailored to meet the needs of audiences ranging from medical practitioners to the lay public, the interactive web site <http://www.lesbianhealthinfo.org>, youth projects, sessions at senior citizen centers for elder lesbians conducted in conjunction with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, information & referral and others.

Community Co-sponsors –

Among the organizations joining MAX in supporting the event are Bay Area Community of Women, Golden Gate Business Association, Metropolitan Community Church / San

Francisco, Lyon Martin Women’s Health Clinic, National Center for Lesbian Rights, PFLAG / San Francisco , Rainbow Adult Community Housing, Richmond / Ermet AIDS Foundation, San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Freedom Band, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Straight Spouse Network, UCSF Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, UCSF Center for Gender Equity, Veriditas - The Worldwide Labyrinth Project and others.

About Dr. Betty L. Sullivan --

After relocating from Washington, DC to San Francisco in 1995, Dr. Sullivan founded Use The News Foundation <http://www.usethenew.com>, Sullivan Communications, Inc. <http://www.sullcomm.com> and its popular e-mail announcement service, Betty’s List <http://bettyslist.com>. She received the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University in New York and has been honored by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the California Assembly. She has served the Bay Area’s LGBT Community in various roles. Dr. Sullivan has conducted White House projects and served as a featured speaker at the United Nations and at conferences in Cape Town, Tokyo, Paris, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Kuala Lumpur and others. Complete biography: <http://www.bettyslist.com/bio.php>

Tickets & Contributions -

Standard ticket price is $50 for all segments of the event. Additional sponsorship levels: $250 Birthday Supporter, $500 Birthday Magician, $1000 Birthday Wizard, $2500 Birthday Goddess and $5000 Birthday Diva. For additional information, contact Sullivan Communications, Inc.: 415-503-1375 or LHRCenter@aol.com. All funds for ticket purchase and contributions go directly to LHRC. Tickets and contributions online: <https://secure3.softcomca.com/lesbianhealthinfo_org/birthday.htm>