Experiences of a rural DJ

Freedom to Marry

GLBTQ 2012 Update

CJ the DJ (Chris Holman): Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 5:24 PM

I began my DJ work at the closest gay bar to my home, the Rainbow Cattle Company in Dummerston, Vermont (30 miles away) fifteen years ago this summer. The local GLBT Community has been amazing to work with over the years, & collectively I have worked with dozens of AIDS Service Organizations, drag queens, talented singers, community leaders & community-minded businesses.

Nothing pleases me more greatly than living in a part of the country where individuals have come together to recognize that outdated thinking about love & human relationships needs to be removed from our legal system to truly recognize individual relationships, promoting everyone’s health; marriage equality has been the greatest change in our society in my lifetime & I cannot fully convey how deeply it continues to touch me & the lives of my friends & family.

Please continue supporting these causes because we are still a small minority of modern civilization with these rights. I encourage everyone to become part of PFLAG, because wherever you are in the rainbow, it has the ideals & cultural awareness to represent us in the upcoming national arena. I am thankful we have outstanding leadership in our region in the Barry Family, particularly Bobbie whose amazing ability to articulate the needs of the human soul has brought her to the forefront of our national campaigns. There are countless times I have turned to her for support over the years on a variety of projects & her dependability & commitment has been second to none in our community. Thank you.

This year, I have three amazing GLBT events that I shall be hosting:

Granite State Gay Men Pride Dinner & Dance (6/16 in Concord)

National Coming OUT Day Business Expo & Fashion Show

(10/11 in Keene)

World AIDS Day Dinner & Dance (12/1 in Brattleboro)

All events are for non-profit organizations, with the second two directly benefiting Twin States Network, a non-profit for whom I sit on their Board of Directors. In that capacity, I ask you now to consider being a charter donor for the organization this year as federal HIV funding is changed. For $500, you will be added to their website, given a spot at the expo for your business & tickets to our December event. There are some amazing speakers, entertainers & other surprises for both events & space is limited. Anybody who would like to volunteer to be on either event committee or to help those days is welcomed & your help would be greatly appreciated.

The GSGM Pride Dance has been selling tickets for a couple months for 200 dinner spots; those tickets are selling out, with only several dozen left. $20 for a wonderful dinner, great entertainment & dancing or $100 to be a sponsor for the event, AND you still get two tickets, plus the chance to talk at the event. It has been a great privilege working with Jeffrey from Human Touch Massage & many volunteers over the past few months to put this event together. Our dances at the Breezeway have been a lot of fun, with the Sunday crowds filling the bar to capacity. Working with Chris & his crew from Grip Lighting, I know we shall bring you a light & video show unlike anything you are accustomed to in our state!

Personally, I have not hosted a gathering for the GLBTcommunity in quite a while, although I have thrown quite a few memorable ones in the past fifteen years. This year, I am hosting a gay men’s pot luck at my beachfront property on Rockwood Pond on Saturday, June 30 from 11 AM – 5 PM. DJ McKay (Breezeway, Manchester) will be kicking us off from 11-1, & DJ Alan (Cirque, Lowell) will be entertaining through the afternoon. It is BYOB & pot luck. There will be swimming, boating, horseshoes, bocce, volleyball,

games & other activities. At five o’clock the pace changes, we open up the attendance to our friends in the larger community, with live music from Santa Croce, a bonfire & whatever adventures the Zebra Party may have in store…

To attend either event, you must RSVP, especially if you want to camp.

2012 has already been an amazing year, with lots of great events, but I know the best is just around the corner. If you haven’t had a chance, check out my interview with the talented Mama Savannah Georgia on her television show “Mama Knows Best”. It was an honor to work with her & I look forward to our upcoming events together, including our Fashion Show at the GLBT Business Expo & our World AIDS Day dinner, dance & toy drive conclusion…

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, & I hope you become a fan on Facebook to remain involved in my activities. If you have an upcoming special event & would like professional entertainment, give me a call & we can discuss availability & pricing.

GSGM Dance party

Flaming Freedom

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Support Marriage Equality this Valentine's Day / Tea Dance in Brattleboro

Chris Holman a.k.a. CJ the DJ: Posted on Friday, February 11, 2011 5:14 PM

On Valentine’s Day, my parents celebrate their 35 anniversary and my grandparents celebrate their 59. If my paternal grandfather were living, his 74 wedding anniversary to my Grandma would have been last week. The strength of their relationships has been the most influential part of my life.

In college, I studied civil rights, never missing an opportunity to meet people influential in fighting for marriage equality. When I began my work as DJ for a nightclub when I turned 21, I also started side work for friends entertaining their commitment ceremonies. My first was for dear friends of mine, one of the first civil unions of Vermont; a decade later, their son, one of my schoolmates at MRHS, was my first second generation wedding. No matter what legal standing the unions have been given through this process of achieving equal rights, I have considered each wedding as equally important and meaningful.

There are now more than 1300 wedded same-sex couples in New Hampshire and many more that have been making plans to wed. The increased amount of ceremonies has created a boost for the wedding industry and its vendors, as well as tourism and marketing within the state. The ability for partners to be able to share policies and receive benefits associated with that right is another factor to why we are considered one of the healthiest states in the nation. We have created a community of acceptance that has provided all of our neighbors’ similar rights.

NHFTM Religious Coalition Pg1.pdf (PDF — 329 KB)

With the political changes in Concord, those rights are being threatened through legislation with hearings beginning this week. For those of us in Fitzwilliam and Richmond, we are being represented by Richard Dwinell (Cheshire 5) who has no political record on this matter. I strongly urge my friends and neighbors in this area to call him (585-9225) and let him know how you feel, hopefully supporting equal rights for everyone. You can also email him at rjdwinell@myfairpoint.net ; please include the NH Freedom to Marry info@nhftm.org as a recipient or email them to let them know how your conversation went.

It is particularly important for small business owners (florists, caterers, venues, anybody who is self –employed and providing services …) and our religious leaders to help this important cause. I am attaching two different forms to collect information about how you can do that. Please take the time to look at them and fill them out; every caring voice in support of equal love can make a difference in this argument.

NH Business leader sign up.pdf (PDF — 416 KB)

For those interested in getting more involved, this Thursday will start the hearings for HB 437. Supporters are encouraged to meet at the Barley House at 132 North Main Street at 9 AM to prepare for testimony that begins at 10. Having pre-written statements (24 copies for the amount of representatives on the Judicial Board) helps the process. Anybody interested in either attending or doing phone banking is encouraged to contact Mike at 340-6604.

In the meantime, let’s spread the word to our friends and family on Facebook. Let’s ask our neighbors to stand with us, as popular opinion has been showing in current trending surveys. Let’s create discussions with our politicians on every level to prevent us from having to repeat this civil right battle. Let us gather, have fun and donate to the non-profit institutions that help protect these rights like the NH Freedom to Marry www.nhftm.org . This Sunday, starting at 4 PM, I shall be hosting a Valentine’s Day Tea Dance at Inferno in Brattleboro, Vermont. The beneficiary of money raised from the cover, raffles, etc. will be NH Freedom to Marry, who will be joining us with current literature.

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GLBTQ 2012 Update

Support Marriage Equality this Valentine's Day / Tea Dance in Brattleboro