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- The (Bi)weekly Kiki | Nov. 16
The (Bi)weekly Kiki | Nov. 16
Meriden Pride Community Center
Well, it got cold and dark quick. BUT! We’re still here, we’re still queer, and we’re bringing the cheer. To better serve our community, we have expanded our hours from 12-4 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays.
Our food pantry is bustling. To date, we have fed 96 households and 286 individuals across Meriden, Middletown, Wallingford, Waterbury, and New Britain.
P.S. Make sure to check the events for important dates! With the holidays coming up, we will have closures.
-The Meriden Pride Team
Table of Contents
This Moment in Queerstory 🪶
Transgender Awareness Week
“The erroneous idea that we, transgender people, ‘have no past,’ feeds the notion held by many cisgender people that we don’t belong in the present.” - Gabby Omoni Hartemann
Trans people have existed for centuries. Did you know:
Around 5000 to 3000 B.C., Gala, described as androgynous or trans priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna, spoke their own dialect and took on feminine names.
Sometime from 200 to 300 B.C., in ancient Greece, some gods were worshiped by galli priests who wore feminine attire, identified as women and have therefore been identified by scholars as early transgender figures.
In the fourth century, Anastasia the Patrician fled life in Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, to spend the remainder of life dressed in masculine attire and presentation as a monk, and has been viewed by some scholars as transgender.
In South Asia, at least eight gender-expansive identities have historically been present in the subcontinent, the most well-known being hijra - third gender people of historical, spiritual, and cultural significance in South Asian society. Hijra and other individuals of diverse gender identities have been well-documented in religious and cultural texts and legends. These individuals often form intentional communities for fellowship and survival.
Around the 18th century, the Itelmens of Siberia recognized a “third gender” called “koekchuch” to describe individuals who were assigned male at birth, but expressed themselves as women.
The oldest Western institute studying LGBTQ+ identities was started in Germany in 1919. Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sex Research) performed some of the earliest contemporary affirming medical services. It was eventually destroyed in the rise of German fascism under the Nazi party.
In Turtle Island (an Indigenous name for North America), Indigenous communities use the term two-spirit as a modern, pan-Indigenous umbrella identifier for people of another societal and ceremonial gender identity. This term was established in 1990 as a modern, collective term for a historical gender identity describing individuals not considered men or women in most, if not all, Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island.
Source: Human Rights Campaign
Visit (or Donate to) Our Food Bank & Coat Closet
The Meriden Pride Center Food Bank remains open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12–4 PM unless otherwise noted (see monthly events).
If you or someone you know could use a little extra help, please stop by and pick up some groceries — everyone is welcome. Please remember to bring a valid photo ID and your own bags. We’re here to make sure our community has what it needs.
If you would like to donate to the pantry, you are welcome to stop in during those same hours or donate financially online. We also need volunteers to help with distribution.
We are also accepting donations of new or lightly worn winter coats, gloves, scarves, and hats. Please drop off during our center hours. All visitors are welcome to peruse what we have and take what they need.
November Events 🦃
Please check our Facebook pages to RSVP to events. If you’re not already a member, join the private group for Meriden Pride. (Main FB page | Private group)
Note: We will be closed on November 29-30 (including the food pantry).
Wed. 11/19, Gayme Night. 5-8 p.m. @ Meriden Pride Center
Fri. 11/28, Queersgiving. 12-5 p.m. @ Meriden Pride Center. Sign up to bring a dish
Observances
(13-19) Transgender Awareness Week
(20) Transgender Day of Remembrance
December Events ☃️
Please check our Facebook pages to RSVP to events. If you’re not already a member, join the private group for Meriden Pride. (Main FB page | Private group)
Note: We will be closed on December 6 and 27 (including the food pantry).
Sat. 12/6, “Foodlesque” Show. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. / Show starts at 7:30 p.m. @ New England Cider Co.
12/10, Craft Night. 5-8 p.m. @ Meriden Public Library
12/17, Gayme Night. 5-8 p.m. @ Meriden Public Library
Observances
(1) World AIDS Day
(2) Giving Tuesday
(5) Pansexual/Panromantic Pride Day
(14) HIV Cure Research Day
Volunteer Opportunities 🙌
Connect with the local LGBTQ+ community! We’d love to have your help at events. Please fill out a volunteer form if you would like to volunteer with us.
Right now, we need volunteers for:
Assisting with the food pantry on Saturdays and Sundays
Staffing the center with a committee member on Saturdays and Sundays
Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions. We are stronger together!
About the Community Center 🌈
The Meriden Pride Community Center offers a wide range of free resources and support services to empower and assist the community, including:
Sexual health supplies such as male and female condoms, dental dams, and lubrication
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits, Narcan overdose prevention kits, and blood glucose meters for health monitoring
Assistance with applications for heating and renters’ reimbursement programs
Personalized help connecting to broader city and state services
Borrowing books from our LGBTQ+ library
Complimentary internet and printing access
Committed to holistic support, the center strives to address immediate and long-term needs through its inclusive and accessible offerings.
Community Center Hours
Saturdays, 12-4 p.m.
Sundays, 12-4 p.m.
Donate to the Center 💝
Every donation fuels our mission to uplift the Greater Meriden LGBTQ+ community through free, accessible programming that celebrates identity, fosters belonging, and sparks joy. From inclusive workshops and peer support networks to vibrant Pride events and educational resources, we create safe spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can thrive. Led entirely by volunteers, our work is powered by your generosity—ensuring queer voices are heard, stories are celebrated, and no one faces barriers to connection. Together, we’re building a world where everyone can live authentically, proudly, and without compromise.