LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000

In This Issue
u Crisis Corps
u Gay in Thailand
u Lesbians in the
Russian Far East?
u Return to Panama

NewsLetter u HIV Project in Moldova

u Partnership Program
AIDS Projects

May 2000

M
ay’s issue opens with Bob Findlay’s report on how he stays active in the
Peace Corps with short-term, Crisis Corps assignments. q Tammie Ostrom
bemoans assumptions about her love life in Thailand. q Karen Kowal asks,
“where are the lesbians in the Russian Far East.” q Kevin Webb experiences a magical
return to the village where he lived in Panama. q Feedback on a Partnership Program
project in Moldova that’s been assisted by the HIV Prevention and Education Fund.

Crisis Corps: Keeping Active with Peace Corps

Last year I completed my fourth
Peace Corps and second Crisis Corps
assignment: this time in El Salvador.
The last three tours have not been a
full two years, but each has served as
a vivid and concentrated reminder of
the challenges and rewards inherent in
the Peace Corps. As an early PCV in
Colombia (1963-65), I have clear
memories of suspected gay volunteers
being “selected-out” during training.
Very few of us made it to Colombia
and other countries during those
years. It has been quite a different
atmosphere in my recent assignments
with the Crisis Corps where, and
probably also influenced by tenured
academic job security, I have been
able to be myself and to talk openly
about my longstanding partnership
back home.
Crisis Corps is a two-year-old
Peace Corps program designed to give
former volunteers an opportunity to
do international relief work. It is also
an opportunity to re-immerse and
experience again the personal chal-
lenges and rewards - with perhaps
more knowledge and maturity than the
first go-around. Crisis Corps assign-
ments vary from three-month direct
- by Bob Findlay, RPCV
recovery efforts immediately following
a disaster to, in my two assignments,
community risk assessments and
recommendations for disaster preven-
You can learn more
about Crisis Corps under
the Returned Volunteers
page at
www.peacecorps.gov/
crisiscorps/index.html
tion and mitigation completed with
short-term in-country investigations
with follow-up reports once I returned
home. It was my experience that the
entire emotional roller coaster ride of
the typical two-year Peace Corps
experience is repeated in a much
compressed time period.
My latest Crisis Corps assignment
in El Salvador had the additional
benefit of being able to interact with
on-going Peace Corps programs there
and the chance to collaborate and
compare notes with volunteers in the
field. This included a new volunteer in
El Triumfo who had worked with me
back home during the previous year
on a research project at Iowa State
University, where I teach, to assess
emergency management activity for
the State of Iowa. I was also able to
help with closeout advising for a
forestry group soon to return to the
states.
My Crisis Corps assignment was to
assess disaster response activity in
coastal villages on the Bahia de
Jiquilisco in southern El Salvador. It
became quickly apparent that the
problems experienced in these coastal
villages were the result of environ-
mentally damaging developmental
practices throughout the watershed,
including deforestation, channel-
ization of rivers, and a rapidly growing
urban population living ever closer to
environmental risks. I was asked to
develop a broad picture of disaster
prevention and response activity in
the region. Old skills were revisited as
it became apparent that the report was
best written in Spanish. It was later
translated into English using transla-
tion software.
A highlight of the experience was
participation in a Crisis Corps spon-
sored conference in San Salvador that
Continued on page 6

1
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000
Gay in Thailand?
- by Tammie J. Ostrom, PCV
I’ve been asked what it’s like to be
gay in Thailand. Just this morning,
one of my co-workers wished me to
inform him, when the time came, of my
plans to marry when I return to the
States so that he can attend my
wedding. I’m wondering if he’d come
to a lesbian wedding. Until recently, I
wasn’t terribly bothered by the (yes,
constant) queries regarding my love
status. Do you have a lover? Do you
want a family? You can be his mis-
tress. Aren’t you lonely, etc.? It is a
given in Thailand that you will be
asked about your love life and given
the appropriate advice on how to
acquire a mate if you don’t yet have
one. Unfortunately, for me, the Thai
would want that mate to be male. I’ve
tried every reply to the persistent
statements/inquiries except the honest
one. “I don’t have the time.” “I
haven’t thought about it yet.” “ I
haven’t found the right one.” My
excuses are running thin these days.
My lover Madeline has been to
Thailand three times in the year or so
since my service began. On her most
recent visit Madeline, and P.A. my
closest Thai friend, and I went to visit
some temples nearby. The three of us
were sitting in one of the temples,
although Madeline was out of earshot
of a conversation I was having with
P.A. She commented that Madeline
was so “riap roi” (a Thai term that’s
used to describe someone who is
polite/appropriate). “Thai men would
love her - she’s so calm and polite.” I
turned to P.A. and said, “there’s
something important I need to talk
about with you, but I would like to talk
with you alone at another time.” P.A.
asked me if I was okay and I said I
was, but that it was something that I
felt strongly about sharing with her
when the time was right. The time is
right, but more than that, it is neces-
sary. I haven’t told any of my Thai
friends and colleagues about
Madeline. My office just refers to her
as my friend, and I’m certain they sift through the pile of myself and
don’t have a clue about our relation- share what feels natural with those I
ship. care about.•
P.A. has from the beginning of our
friendship been the most real and Tammie Ostram can be reached
natural individual to me. Often in this (infrequently) at
country I feel like the privileged tammie_ostrom@hotmail.com.
foreigner (which I am) and receive
more than enough special treatment
from the Thai. With P.A. it goes
beyond all that. She has shared so
“She always tells me I am the daughter she never had.
I am comfortable with her. Details of my love life have
never come up in full text. She has been the only Thai
friend who has never pried. But as we sat in that temple
and she talked about Madeline, something inside of me
felt ashamed for not having told her before.”
much of herself and her family with
me. She always tells me I am the
daughter she never had. I am comfort-
PO Box 14332
able with her. Details of my love life San Francisco CA 94114-4332
have never come up in full text. She lgbrpcv@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/lgbrpcv
has been the only Thai friend who has
never pried. But as we sat in that Editor Mike Learned
Layout Kevin H. Souza
temple and she talked about Madeline,
something inside of me felt ashamed
for not having told her before. “Thai The LGB RPCV Newsletter is
men would love her,” kept ringing in published quarterly by the Lesbian,
my head. What I wanted to scream Gay, Bisexual RPCV Organization,
and hear echoed throughout the an affiliate of the National Peace
temple was: “Yes, Thai men would Corps Association. We exist to
love her, but she’s with me and no promote Peace Corps ideals and
Thai man will have her as long as I’m acceptance of gays and lesbians
around!!” - not exactly the serene throughout the world. Submission
thoughts one should be having while of articles or graphics to be pub-
sitting in a temple. lished in the newsletter is encour-
What were those precepts again? aged. The right to use or edit
Knowing that I am only temporarily in materials remains with the editor.
this country and that when I finish my Copyright remains with the author.
service I will be returning to my Send submissions or inquires to the
community; this has kept me from above postal or e-mail address.
sharing too much of my personal life. I
am American; I am a woman; I am a
lesbian, not necessarily in that order.
This is not who/what I am all about. I
2

The Russian Far East - Where Are the Lesbians?
by Karen Kowal, PCV
I’m sitting here at the computer on
the morning of New Years Eve and
writing. My Russian friends would
think that I am crazy if they knew. First
of all, I have to admit that it is nice to
say that I have friends. I’ve been at
site for only three months and I know
that many of my fellow volunteers
can’t say the same. It seems this third
month is some sort of marker. The
holidays are here and whether we
want it or not some level of homesick-
ness occurs, but for the most part we
have overcome those early stages of
culture shock. Though things are
surprising, aren’t they?
It surprises me to sit in my apart-
ment and wonder what’s the matter,
especially when things appear to go
well. I have some friends, as I have
already mentioned. My job as a
teacher at a university is good. It has
its ups and downs as teaching does.
Essentially my city is great in many
ways.
I write home and like to compare it
to Madison, WI, the city of my college
days. It is about the same size and a
university town as much as a Russian
city can be. It sits between two rivers
not two lakes like Madison. That’s
where the comparison may end for the
most part. Madison is liberal and
would boast a gay-friendly atmo-
sphere. They elected Tammy Baldwin
to Congress on her merits and as a
bonus she’s a lesbian. I wonder if this
atmosphere exists here.
These feelings I have seem
unexpected in some ways. I don’t like
to believe that I came here with
blinders on or naively because I
expected for the most part not to find
our gay culture here. I didn’t expect to
be confronted with the notion that I
would miss that gay atmosphere. It is
something that I didn’t predict myself.
I wouldn’t define myself as a gay-
activist in anyway. I’m not a flag
waver or a banner carrier. I’m not
striving for the toaster oven. I find
myself longing for that comfortable
lifestyle and wish I had some fore-
warning about this gay culture shock
sometimes. We didn’t address any
gay issues in training. We only
received the LGB RPCV newsletter
and I read an article by a woman in
Latin America. I felt sympathy and
thought, God, it’s going to be hard.
I’ve come to realize that sympathy is
like sunburn on a hot day in some
ways. You’re sitting outside and your
friend looks at you and mentions how
red your skin is. You reply that it only
looks bad and it doesn’t hurt. Then
you are home alone the next day and
“Its hard to leave the
house some mornings
with this desire to see
someone like me. Some-
times I just pretend to
see a lesbian. It’s a game
to make me feel better.”
realize damn, this hurts like hell. It’s
not painful to be homosexual in the
Russian Far East maybe just lonely.
Its hard to leave the house some
mornings with this desire to see
someone like me. Sometimes I just
pretend to see a lesbian. It’s a game to
make me feel better. There are enough
beautiful women here to keep it
interesting. Essentially though there is
this sense of constraint. Some days I
feel like I’ve entered a time machine
and I am having the same experiences
as I had ten years ago. I seem to be
under the rubric “don’t ask, don’t
tell.” I first felt it in training. There is
the anxiety of losing these new friends
and just the general fear of alienation
if found out. With these possibilities
in mind, it would lead to a long two
years. I monitor my speech when
talking to people and classes. I have
3
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000
gone back to playing the pronoun
game and generally hoping that
certain subjects don’t come up in
conversation. Then there is the idea of
being conspicuous. As an American I
am automatically conspicuous. Do I
want to be doubly conspicuous? I
look in the mirror daily and wonder if I
should be wearing some lipstick. Am I
a lipstick lesbian? Did I dress too
much like a lesbian today? I asked this
to one of the other volunteers here
and she replied, Maybe you think that
because you ARE a lesbian!!
Oh yeah, I AM a lesbian. Who
should know this fact though? It is
painful to look at people I know and
people I am developing potentially
deep friendships with and know that
there is already a line drawn in the
sand. You can only come this close.
I’ll only let you hold me at arms
length. We have a culture bump that
exists and do you notice it? I feel like
I’m involved in a crapshoot and I
wonder if it’s worth the gamble. The
loneliness is in not knowing how
much credit to give people. This isn’t
just towards the Russian people but
also towards the other volunteers here
in the Russian Far East. I find myself
longing to be with the other gay
volunteer because I know he under-
stands and has been through the
same things I have been through.
Sometimes it isn’t simply the desire to
talk to him but the comfort of sitting
next to him simply because he knows.
I realize at times that I have digressed
to the past again. I don’t give other
volunteers a chance like I did with my
friends at home after coming out, to
build a different sense of trust. These
old statements return to my mind.
They only think they know. They only
believe they understand. They don’t
have the answers I’m searching for.
They are the same old questions
which are now of a different color.
Continued on page 6
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000
A Visit to Panama and My Friend Carlos
- by Kevin Webb, RPCV
I remember it as though it were
yesterday. I was finally moving into
my own mud hut after living with a
Panamanian family for the first eight
months of my Peace Corps tour. They
were wonderful people and their
kindness and generosity had enriched
my life. I left their home with a new
Panamanian mother and father and
four brothers who would forever have
a place in my heart. But it was time for
the gringo son to branch out on his
own. As I carried my last load of
goods down the road to my new
home, I passed a group of men sitting
under a large mango tree relaxing and
drinking the infamous corn alcohol
called chica fuerte. I had observed
that when the local men drank, they
would often become loose tongued
and their otherwise quiet and conser-
vative demeanor would be replaced
by loud and obnoxious behavior. I
tried to quietly steal my way past
them, but a gringo carrying a box in
small Panamanian village was like a
Rolls Royce driving past Homer and
Marge Simpson’s house.
I knew most of the men and met
their semi-focused stares with an
appropriate greeting. They called me
over to join them. I was immediately
filled with a sense of dread. How
could I get out of this one? I made a
lame excuse that I had to do some-
thing at home and continued walking.
One of the men, Carlos, whom I had
not yet met, stared at me intensely. I
knew Carlos was my new neighbor,
but I decided this was not the time to
introduce myself. As I nervously
walked on, I heard him call out, “Hey,
maricon!” I had just been called
faggot in Spanish. I felt my blood
pressure rise and my face turn red.
Most times I am able to hold my
tongue, but this time my temper got
the best of me. I turned around and in
my best Spanish replied, “the same to
you Senior.” I immediately regretted
my response, but the damage was
done. I continued walking home.
As I approached my new home, I
sensed I was being followed. Once
inside I set the box down on the table
and turned around to see a very drunk
Carlos stumbling up the path. Carlos
was silent but his eyes were intent on
me and I could see he was seething. I
met him at my front door. He struck
with a solid punch to my stomach. I
was able to push him away and slam
the front door. I heard him stumble
away, cursing under his breath. I was
not hurt except maybe for my pride. I
also felt a sense of dread because I
knew this would be front-page news in
my little town, and I was concerned
As I nervously walked
on, I heard him call out,
“Hey, maricon!” I had
just been called faggot
in Spanish. I felt my
blood pressure rise and
my face turn red.
about my credibility as a volunteer. I
decided I should talk to someone
about the incident. I went to my
landlord who was also the grandfather
of Carlos’s wife. I don’t know what
Abuelo (grandfather) said to Carlos,
but the next day he was at my door
with a sincere apology. I was stunned.
Men in this culture are proud and
often stubborn, and do not apologize
so quickly.
I accepted Carlos’s apology, but
decided to keep my distance for the
time being. Carlos had a reputation in
the village as a heavy drinker and
fighter. He sometimes beat his wife
when he was drunk. Still, there was
something intriguing about him. He
was different from the other men.
Carlos exuded intelligence and self-
confidence. He seemed to see the
4
world from a different perspective.
Carlos and his wife had two boys and
two girls, three in elementary school.
From the moment I moved in next
door, they became permanent fixtures
in and around my house. One day
when the children and I were talking,
Carlos stopped by. I don’t recall what
we talked about, but I remember
thinking, “this man really loves his
children.” And they adored him.
Carlos continued to visit, often times
in the evening when we could talk
alone. He was hungry for knowledge
and would ask me questions about
politics, religion, and philosophy. He
was a man who thought about his life.
“I am poor and not very well edu-
cated,” he once said, “but I have faith
in God and I know he will take care of
me and my family.”
As days passed into weeks and
weeks into months, my friendship with
Carlos grew. Sometimes our schedules
did not allow us more than a morning
greeting, but other times we would
spend hours talking and passing the
time. On occasion we’d share some of
the local chica fuerte or some Panama-
nian rum. We drank moderately
though. I tactfully brought up the
subject of his violence when he was
drunk, and how his wife and family
suffered from that. He came to realize
the consequences of this drinking and
he made some changes in his life.
Never again did he raise his hand or
voice to me. In the early days, he
would return to my house after one of
his drinking sessions with his friends,
and I would see him the rest of the
way home.
Our bond became stronger. Our
friendship was very special. Carlos
once told me that he never imagined
that he would have a friend from
another country, once more a gringo.
It was a gift for me to have connected
with Carlos in such a profound way.
Most volunteers spoke of their high
regard for the Panamanian campesinos

they worked and lived with, but that
cultural and economic differences
made it difficult to relate beyond a
certain level. It seemed as though
Carlos and I had broken through these
barriers. Or had we? I knew the real
test would come if I told him I was gay.
I thought he probably suspected this
about me, but it remained a topic we
did not discuss.
When I did finally tell him, my worst
fear was realized. Despite the bonds
that had been built, the cultural stigma
was more than Carlos could handle.
For three months he did not speak to
me or acknowledge my presence. I felt
sure that our friendship had come to
an end. It was one of the most painful
situations I have ever faced. Ironically,
Carlos’s children continued their daily
visits. His son continued to help me
make breakfast and at night climbed up
into my lap while I was reading to fall
asleep. I would then carry him to
Abuelo’s house next door and put him
to bed.
Later when Carlos was gone from
the village for a couple of weeks
working, I became aware of a family
problem. An uncle who was staying
with them was mistreating Carlos’s
children. He yelled at them and hit
them frequently. I was outraged and
knew I had to tell Carlos when he
returned. The next week Carlos
returned. I told him that I knew he
didn’t want to be friends anymore, but
that I loved his children very much,
and I knew he would want to know
what happened while he was away.
Carlos was surprised. He thanked me
and walked on.
The next day he appeared at my
front door and greeted me as if
nothing had ever happened. Later he
told me that he needed time to think
through what my sexual orientation
meant. His religious and cultural
upbringing had taught him that
homosexuality was wrong. Homosexu-
als in his culture were scorned and not
tolerated. Carlos concluded that I was
a good person despite this “problem.”
He said I had proved my friendship
by standing up for his children and
that he would never forget that. By
the end of the conversation we were
in tears and embraced.
My Peace Corps tour ended rather
abruptly after I was assaulted in
another town. The attack left me with
two fractured arms and cuts on my
head. Peace Corps decided to
medivac me to Washington D.C. for
emergency surgery. Because I had
When I did finally tell
him, my worst fear was
realized. Despite the
bonds that had been
built, the cultural stigma
was more than Carlos
could handle. For three
months he did not
speak to me or
acknowledge my
presence.
already served two years and was on
an extension, I would not be coming
back after my recuperation. At first
Peace Corps didn’t want me to return
to my village before I left, but I
insisted that I must go back to say
goodbye and dispose of my belong-
ings.
It was late at night when I arrived
in a Peace Corps vehicle with staff. I
woke Carlos and his family and the
family I had first lived with to tell them
of my misfortune. I was tired and in
great pain. The look of horror on their
faces said it all. This was not the way
I had fantasized saying good bye.
Carlos was silent the whole time and
his eyes were the saddest I had ever
seen them. The next morning after
5
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000
everyone else had left, I walked with
Carlos up the path to his house one
last time to say goodbye. Tears
flowed. We hugged. There are no
words to describe the emotions I was
feeling.
The story, however, does not end
there. Our friendship continued.
Carlos and I promised to stay in
touch. I don’t believe that he thought
he would ever see or hear from me
again, but that was not to be the case.
We’ve stayed in contact during the
four years since I left Panama. Last
September I returned to Panama and
to the village where I lived. As I
walked up the path to Carlos’s house,
I could hear him talking to his wife and
children. The children saw me first.
They ran toward me, screaming my
name. Carlos was clearly pleased to
see me, but in his best Panamanian
machismo kept his emotions in check.
My short visit in the village was filled
with visiting friends and family. It was
one of the most gratifying experiences
of my life. I invited Carlos to come
traveling with me for a week and we
visited parts of his beautiful country
where he had never been.
We flew to the semi-autonomous
region of San Blas controlled by the
Kuna Indians. We stayed on a little
island at a hotel made up of individual
grass huts with sand floors. We sat on
the beach and swam all day and ate
lobster at night. On our last night in
paradise, we lay in hammocks and
talked. Carlos told me about each of
the children and what they were
doing. He then began to talk about
his life and how it had changed since I
had left. He said he only drank
occasionally. He had become very
involved in the community and was
helping out at the local school, and
serving as president of one of the
local associations. He told me he had
started reading more and was inter-
Continued on page 6
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000

Crisis Corps ... Panama ... Russia ...

Continued from page 1
brought together Peace Corps country
directors and trainers from throughout
Central America and the Caribbean to
discuss post Hurricane Mitch disaster
management. I briefed them on my
previous Crisis Corps assignment on
Puka Puka atoll in the South Pacific
during the summer of 1998, that
involved assessing vulnerability from
many social and physical perspec-
tives, as well as introducing them to
the 1999 work on ecologically-based
management and mitigation activity in
El Salvador. It is rewarding to hear that
Peace Corps is now using some of this
material for volunteer training.
I came home to Ames last July with
thoughts of returning to my phased-
retirement program at ISU. I was asked
by our dean to be interim department
chair of architecture, a post I assumed
this January. When I signed on to the
phased-retirement program, I was in
search of new adventures such as the
recent Crisis Corps assignments. I
seem to have found a new adventure
closer to home - at least for now - and
my partner who generously tolerates
my absences.•
Continued from page 5
ested in learning English.
Earlier that day we had taken a boat
trip. The water was rough and the
swells began to grow. I got scared.
Carlos sensed this and asked me what
was wrong. I told him I was afraid we
would tip over. He remained very calm.
I asked him if he was scared. He said
no. I asked him why. He said, “be-
cause I have faith in God.” I realize
how much had changed in the five
years since he had punched me in the
stomach. For so long I had tried to be
the role model, but now the tide had
turned. That last night as we talked, I
wished I could be more like my friend
who was strong in faith and at peace
with his world. Carlos has become my
role model. How fortunate I am to
have him as a friend.•
Kevin Webb works for Peace Corps
in Washington D.C. He can be
reached at kwebb@peacecorps.gov.
Continued from page 3
Where are the answers though?
They are somewhere inside of me. I
have to assume this to be true. They
are harder to find. All things seem
harder here in Russia though. It is
more difficult, more challenging.
Another volunteer asked me once,
How do you find the lesbians? I
laughed and said, Well, there isn’t a
map, they aren’t marked with an L in
the phone book. At this moment, I
really wish they were.•
Karen Kowal can be reached at
tippykk@yahoo.com.

Bob Findlay teaches at Iowa State

E-mail Connections
University in Ames, Iowa. He can be
reached at rfindlay@iastate.edu. Keep up with the latest LGB Peace
Corps Alumni news, information and
Summer 2000 Pride Events informal discussions, as well as the
latest from Peace Corps Washington
The LGB RPCV group has contacted each Regional
Peace Corps Office encouraging them to set up a recruit- and the National Peace Corps Asso-
ing/information table at Pride events in their regions. We ciation by subscribing to our e-mail
don’t have much information back yet. The San Francisco listserv. The listserv is also a great way
office is planning a table and the local Bay Area group will to make contact with other LGB Peace
soon announce a coordinator. The Bay Area group is also
Corps Alumni in your area or around
considering an invitation to march in the Santa Cruz Pride
Parade again this year. the world. All you have to do to sub-
Heather Kidd in Minneapolis (hkidd@bitstream.net or scribe or update your e-mail address is
612-728-3902) has volunteered to coordinate participation send an empty e-mail message (no
there. We plan to keep updates of events and contacts on content) to:
the home page of our Web site (www.geocities.com/
lgbrpcv-subscribe@egroups.com
lgbrpcv). This will be the best way to stay posted. You can
also e-mail us (lgbrpcv@yahoo.com) and we’ll let you
know what we know as mid to late June approaches.•

6
 LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000

AIDS in Moldova
Peace Corps Volunteers Kim Pratt and Diane LaFrenierea
arrived in the small, former Soviet nation of Moldova ready
to assist in improving the health needs of their host
community. What they found were serious health problems
facing an expanding group of young community members
who had been excluded from traditional Moldovan society
- those who were HIV positive, addicted to drugs, or
members of sexual minority groups. Teaming up with their
community counterparts, the volunteers created a service
group called Tineri si Liberi (Young and Free) to meet the
health needs of the under-served youth in their community.
The project grew from the efforts of Moldovan students
who had banded together in 1997 to educate their peers
about sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention. They quickly
realized the need to expand their efforts and to train more
peer educators to reach youth in rural areas. With the help
of their new Peace Corps Volunteer counterparts, the group
formed a plan to establish an education and training
resource center, where they can hold health education
sessions, discussion groups, and peer education training.
The group pulled together the community’s resources and
motivation, but still needed $3,175 to complete the center.
So volunteers Pratt and LaFrenierea looked to the Peace
Corps Partnership Program for assistance. Through this
program, individuals in the US private sector can help carry
out their work to improve the health of Moldovan youth.
RPCVs in the U.S. stepped up to the plate and have already
donated the need funds through the Partnership Program’s
newly created HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education Fund.
With this support, Tineri si Liberi is well on its way to
meet its goal of improving the health of their peers.
Other Peace Corps Partnership Program AIDS
Related Projects
The April 2000 Partnership Program Project Listing
includes two new requests for AIDS education or preven-
tion type projects. In Burkina Faso in West Africa a
volunteer is seeking a small amount of funding ($250) to
help a local theatre group continue its education of
villagers in the rural northwest of the country. The Kassan
Clinic’s regional health education program has been greatly
enhanced by the performances of the Sinisiggi “Prepare
Yourself for a Better Tomorrow” theatre group. (Project
Number: 686-058)
In Galati, Romania a volunteer is looking for funding
(about $5000) to help improve the quality of life for children
with AIDS. The Romania HIV/AIDS Education and
Prevention Program will help dispel the myths and fears
associated with the disease. The project will provide AIDS
education for students, educators, and “at risk” groups.
Support is needed for training materials, transportation and
supplies. (Project Number: 403-020)
Call the Partnership Program in Washington D.C. for
more information on projects and how to make a contribu-
tion (800-424-8580 extension 2170) or see their Web page at
www.peacecorps.gov/contribute/partnership.html•

Year 2000 Membership Reminder

We are below our goal for membership renewals. If you haven’t paid your 2000 membership dues yet,
please do so now. We can’t continue to support the LGB Peace Corps community without your help.
If you’re... then...

a member of the National Peace renew your dues when they contact you (this could be any month of
Corps Association (NPCA) the year) and be sure to designate LGB RPCVs as your affiliate
group. We will receive $15 of your $40 membership fee.

not a member of the NPCA and renew your dues now with LGB RPCVs for $15. You can use the
you haven’t paid $15 to LGB membership renewal coupon on page 8 of this issue of the newsletter.
RPCV yet this year

a current Peace Corps volunteer you receive the newsletter free of charge. If you’re unable to pay the
or unable to pay the $15 mem- fee (not a current volunteer), let us know so that we keep you on our
bership fee mailing list.

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LGB RPCV NewsLetter - May 2000

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Who are we?
We’re an organization of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and others who are former Peace Corps volun-
teers, current volunteers, former and current staff members, and friends. Founded in Washington D.C. in
1991, we have several hundred members throughout the country and around the world who have served in
the Peace Corps since its beginning in 1961.
We are composed of a national steering committee, together with regional chapters. We currently have
local chapters in San Francisco, Southern California, Seattle and Washington D.C. We are an affiliate
member of the National Peace Corps Association.
What’s our purpose?
We promote Peace Corps ideals and acceptance of lesbians, gays and bisexuals throughout the world.

What do we do?
u Provide support to our national members and current volunteers.
u Facilitate the creation of regional chapters.
u Actively involve ourselves as an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).
u Promote policies and projects that support Peace Corps ideals and the acceptance and active
involvement of lesbians, gays and bisexuals within the Peace Corps.
u Take an active part in Gay Pride events around the country encouraging gays, lesbians and bisexu-
als to consider the Peace Corps experience.
u Offer our members as informational resources and mentors for lesbians, gays and bisexuals who
have been offered a Peace Corps assignment.
u Host social events for our members.
u Communicate regularly with our members and others through a quarterly newsletter and our web site.

New Membership * Address Change Form

New Member
Name: Change of Address/Renewal
I would talk with applicants
Street:
about my experience.

City: State: Zip:

Phone/Fax/E-mail:

Country of Service: Years:

PC Project: Current Work:

Membership: $15 for LGB RPCV Affiliate Only or FREE to Current Volunteers
$40 for LGB RPCV Plus the National Peace Corps Association

LGB RPCVs; PO Box 14332; San Francisco, CA 94114-4332

E-mail: lgbrpcv@yahoo.com * http://www.geocities.com/lgbrpcv
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