QUAD CITIES - Hearts For Housing, the fundraising committee for DeLaCerda House held their 7th Annual Fundraising Dinner at the Holiday Inn in Rock Island, IL, Saturday March 28, 2009.  This event takes place each year in support of those less fortunate than we are. This evening began with a cocktail hour at 5pm followed with dinner at 6.30pm. Our entertainment this year will be a Murder Mystery performed by “It’s a Mystery”, a Quad City theatrical group.

Click here to view a photo gallery from the event.  Gallery will open in a new browser window.

DeLaCerda House, Inc. offers transitional and permanent housing for those individuals and families who are affected by HIV/AIDS.  If you were unable to attend and would like to provide financial or other support to DeLaCerda House, please contact Maya de Quervain, Executive Director at (309) 786-7386 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD) has three scholarships with deadlines fast approaching. If you know of any GLBT high school seniors in need of scholarships please have them visit the following websites of call them with questions.

QCAD's Marshall Parks $500.00 Scholarship
http://www.qcad-outforgood.org/
Ph. (309) 786-2580
Iowa or Illinois Applications must be postmarked by May 4, 2009

Matthew Shepard Scholarships - Various Levels
Eychaner Foundation
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ph. (515) 262-2000
Iowa Applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2009

Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship
Stonewall Community Foundation
119 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011-1995
Tel: (212) 367-1155
Fax: (212) 367-1157

(3) - Three Thousand Dollar Scholarships Awarded
U.S. Residents - Lesbian Applicants Only
Application deadline April 15, 2009
Website not available

For more information, please contact Scott Smith, Agency Administrator, QCAD, (309) 786-2580 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

DAVENPORT/QUAD CITIES - QC PRIDE is pleased to announce plans and to release our logo for QC PRIDEFEST ‘09.  The next meeting of the whole for persons interested in helping with QC PRIDE '09 will be on Sat., Jan. 24 at 2:30 at MCC QC, 3019 N. Harrison St. in Davenport.  The international theme for PRIDE this year is "Your rights, our rights, human rights."  Says QC PRIDE co-chair, Rev. Rich Hendricks, “We've expanded on that theme locally by playing on the possibilities for change in Iowa/Illinois laws and with a reminder of last years' quite windy day for a QC PRIDE '09 theme of ‘Winds of Change.’"

QC PRIDEFEST '09 plans several celebration activities during the month of June, including theatre events, art shows and gay history activities.  The kick-off event for QC PRIDE Week, June 21-28, will be a flags-across-the-river event for equality on Sunday, June 21.   Culminating QC PRIDE Week will be the big festival on Saturday, June 27 at LeClaire Park on the Davenport riverfront.  The Saturday PRIDEFest will include live music, vendors, food and beverages.  Gay comedian, Scott Kennedy, will also be performing at Penguin's Comedy Club during PRIDE Week.  Hendricks urges the public, “Don't let the Winds of Change pass you by - be out and proud by getting involved!”  Last year nearly 900 people attended QC PRIDEFest ‘08, which featured 12 area nonprofit sponsors and numerous local business sponsors.

On December 9, 2008 the Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments in Varnum v. Brien, a case that is challenging the state's 10 year old ban marriage between same-sex partners.

Justices listened and asked questions for almost two hours as both sides in the case presented their arguments.  Among the legal counsel arguing that the ban is unconstitutional was Camilla Taylor, legal counsel with the Midwest (Chicago) office of Lambda Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

If the court finds the ban unconstitutional it could pave the way to make same-sex marriage legal in Iowa, which would be the first non-coastal state to adopt the practice.  LGBT people in Massachusetts and Connecticut have the legal right to be married; in addition those marriages are accepted as legal by the state of New York.

California, which did offer equal marriage rights, ceased doing so after adoption on November 4, 2008 of Proposition 8 which amends the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.  The validity of their proposition is being questioned by many legal organizations and a challenge seems certain.

source: The Rainbow Connection, January 2009, published by The Advocacy Council for Human Rights

Welcome to the NEW Out & About website!  We are working to add information to this new site, but please sign up for our mailing list so we can let you know when it's done.  We plan on having the site basically completed in December 2009.

If you have ideas for the website, or the associated full-color print magazine that will begin in January 2009, please drop us a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  We need feature story writers, photographers and event listings.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUSINESS, ORGANIZATION, EVENT or CLASSIFIED AD LISTED - drop us an e-mail at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   with your information, or click the "Submit Ad" link in the menu bar, register on this website and submit your own listing, event or classified ad.