H.E.R: Health, Education, and Recreation Day right here in Chicago

Center hosts H.E.R. Day

CHICAGO – The second annual H.E.R. Day – Health, Education and Recreation Day – for LBTQ women at the Center on Halsted June 11 featured a full day of events, capped off with top Chicago comedian Jessica Halem performing her new one-woman show, “Bad Feminist.”
“We have a terrific line-up,” said Hope Barrett, director of public programs at the Center.
That line-up included workshops, discussions and classes on a broad range of topics. The one-time executive director of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project (now the Lesbian Community Care Project at Howard Brown Health Center), Halem also began the day’s program with a keynote speech, “What I Learned from Cancer.”
All participants also heard a lunchtime discussion on “In Vitro Fertilization for LGBT Couples” presented by aParent IVF’s Colleen Wagner Coughlin, and in three morning and afternoon sessions attendees chose from a menu of options. In the morning sessions, Roxy Trudeau, of the Chicago Women’s Health Center, presented “Sex Ed 101,” while Renee Engeln-Maddox, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, discussed “Women, the Media and Beauty Ideals.” At the same time chef Toni Rivera, of Dragonfly Chefs and Bartender Services, showed other participants how to prepare simple and healthy vegetarian pasta dishes.
Barrett and Lakshmi Nemani, family and recreation coordinator at the Center, said they tried to make the day’s programming as inclusive as possible. The afternoon sessions included one on transgender health, presented by Lois Bates, transgender health advocate at Howard Brown Health Center, as well as a session on intersex people that featured researcher Veronica Drantz. Participants could also attend “Tickle Your Fancy,” a discussion on sexuality, sex toys and more by Early to Bed’s Searah Deysach.
The final afternoon session offered a choice of classes on salsa, self defense and yoga.
“I think it’s really important to provide programming here at the Center on Halsted that reaches women throughout the community,” Barrett said. “We tried to offer a variety of programs, and folks who did participate found them quite useful.”
Nemani said the Center aims to build on this year’s H.E.R. Day as part of its effort to reach and attract more women.
“We’re looking to make it one of our hallmark programs,” Nemani said.
Barrett added that the participants at this year’s event were already playing a role in making next year’s H.E.R. Day even better.
“I’m listening carefully to the responses of the participants on what we can do better,” Barrett said. “Hopefully we can build on this year’s success.”

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Stay positive,

~Vjay