Gender Now Activity Book:School Edition is coming….OUT! (and we want the world to know)
"an indispensable tool in our work to create more gender inclusive and accepting schools"
-Joel Baum, Director, Education and Training, Gender Spectrum
This October 11th celebrate National Coming Out Day with the release of our newest book:
Gender Now Activity Book: School Edition 
Our new activity book contains all the great info from the original coloring book adapted for the public school environment. Meet the Gender Team and learn that there are many ways to feel on the inside no matter what body you have on the outside through stories from nature, history, and different cultures. Did you know that clown fish can change their bodies from boy to girl? Or that in some countries they know there’s not just boys and girls? The Bugis of Indonesia have 5 genders!
Read more or view inside>>>
And, in case you need a little background music while you’re perusing the pages, here’s a classic by Diana Ross:
Filed under Events, General, LGBTQI Families | Tags: acceptance, book release, empowerment, family, fun, gender, GENDER NOW, lgbt | Comment (0)International Day of Action for Rivers
While searching the web this weekend, we came across a wonderful blog post by Katy Yan on the International Rivers website about Maya’s latest children’s book, I Know the River Loves Me. Katy says:
This is a great book for a young child or classroom, but it also reminds the rest of us about the power that comes from combining words and art, poetry and paint. The author herself was inspired by the Yuba River in California, along with rivers in India, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Mexico, to share her love of rivers with her daughter and a new generation of river protectors.
This year’s International Day of Action for Rivers on March 14 is all about harnessing creative energy to protect and celebrate our rivers. Take this book and that day to remember that there are still free flowing rivers out there, and that no matter how threatened your river may be, it’s never too late to protect, restore or fall in love with it again.
About the International Day
of Action for Rivers:
On March 14, 2011 unite with communities around the world and take part in the fourteenth Annual International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life. Be inspired to hold your own creative action: Express your love for rivers through music and dance, speak out against human rights violations with paintings and photographs, and call for a better energy and water management model through poetry and words. Find events in your area or create your own.
Read more of Katy’s blog post or learn how you can call and listen to Maya read her book, I Know the River Loves Me.
Filed under Events, General | Tags: celebration, day of action, empowerment, fun | Comment (0)Happy Pride: Forty and Fabulous!
Here in San Francisco pride weekend has finally arrived! The glitter and sequins and boas…the rainbow flags flying high along Market Street from the Embarcardero all the way up to the Castro…the giant pink triangle adorning the top of Twin Peaks. Yup, it’s Pride in San Francisco and the culmination of an entire month of Pride! This year’s theme: “Forty and Fabulous”
We are marching in the parade this morning with Zai as usual waving to the crowds of people lined along the street to watch the 40th annual Pride celebration. Many other cities across the country have been celebrating their own Pride events and we too have been attending many events in our own neighborhood, attending lots of really superb films and performances, like Frameline 34 and Fresh Meat, and just generally being and feeling proud.
It is the festivities of Pride that often make us appreciate the value and importance of reflection in our world. For a whole month the world has a few more rainbows in it! Be Out! Be Proud! Be Fabulous!
Filed under From the Life, LGBTQI Families | Tags: celebration, family, festive, fun, holiday, lgbt, pride | Comment (0)Our new CafePress Online Store:
Cool Gear to Empower
So one day we were thinking, wouldn’t it be great if we had t-shirts to wear at conferences or events and to have stickers available with our motto or The 3 Rules. And then we thought, maybe others might also enjoy such fun things. And thus our CafePress store was born. We’ve been busy playing and having fun designing cool graphics for t-shirts, stickers, and more. You can check out some of our offerings in our store including our Claiming Face journal where you can claim your self and your life on every page and remember that YOU are an Artist! A great compliment to our Claiming Face Ed Guide. More designs sure to come too including art from some of Maya’s children’s books! Enjoy!
Endings are Beginnings
Ahh…well here it is, the end of the school year. The feet are standing in summer already. School is like a memory. It was a very busy Spring up until the very end. And while the school visits are over, we are heavy into our next big project, our latest venture, Gender Now Coloring Book, but more about that later.
It’s time to remember and close the books on this last school year. May 13 we went into Paul Revere Elementary School here in San Francisco. I was asked to come visit the school by the mother of one of Zai’s close friends, Virginia, who I adore. So not only was Virginia there (they met in nursery school and became deep friends) but for the first time Zai got to come visit me “at work.” 
This made it extra special. I always tell her tales of my adventures, but I LOVED having her there in person. I always have a lot to learn from kids, but having one of my greatest teachers with me, my sweet Zai, was awesome.
The very next day Matthew and I were off to El Granada Elementary School near Half Moon Bay. I got to talk to some excellent Continue reading »
Filed under Maya in the Classroom | Tags: children, family, fun, library, presentations, school visit | Comment (0)
