Week of July 7 - 13
Honoring Disability Pride | Botanical Baking Club | Chorus Registration Open at Queer Joy Collaborative | PROJECT TRANSMUTATION | Stavros CIL | Flirt Local Submissions Open | Upcoming Events + More
Honoring Disability Pride Month
July is Disability Pride Month. As our friends at Translate Gender reminded us last week, “Disability Pride is Queer Pride.” Disabled people have always been central to our movements, our communities, and our futures. We celebrate and honor that power, and we name the ongoing ableism, erasure, and injustice that persist.
As the Stavros Center for Independent Living says, “Liberation is collective.” Let’s keep showing up for each other, this month and always.
Got something to say? Share your stories, resources, or reflections: Hello@BloomLocal.live.
PROJECT TRANSMUTATION: Rural Billboards as Blueprints for Belonging
Vile anti-trans legislation and politically weaponized campaigns are escalating harm against Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Intersex (TGDI) people. Media outlets continue to frame trans rights as a "debate," fueling division and legislative criminalization. We know this violence disproportionately impacts Black and Brown TGDI people and children.
Recent budget cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts only confirm what we’ve always known: the arts are not a luxury—they’re a vital tool for imagining and building the equitable world we know is possible. Public space shapes public imagination. What if rural billboards offered bold visions of collective liberation?
PROJECT TRANSMUTATION seeks to transform grief, fear, fury, and isolation into blueprints for belonging—using art as an arsenal of resistance and representation. TGDI people are here. We have always been here. We deserve to thrive.
“I grew up in the boonies of Western Mass without Black queer people to look up to. I was acutely alone. This billboard project is a natural extension of my mission to redress this lack of representation and inspire queer Black and Brown people everywhere to claim space and practice existence as resistance. If this project is given the support it needs to take root, unimaginable inspiration could follow. I'm especially excited about the impacts across rural areas, where isolated kids like me will see themselves reflected and magnified.” — Indë, Participating Artist
Imagine driving down the road and seeing this…
CALL FOR ART
PROJECT TRANSMUTATION with launch with four billboards—one each in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties—with the goal of expanding to rural communities across Massachusetts, the broader commonwealth, and beyond. We are currently seeking design submissions from TGDI artists based in Hampden and Berkshire Counties. Priority will be given to work created by BIPOC TGDI artists.
Welcoming Stavros Center for Independent Living to the Bloom Local Partner Network
Stavros Center for Independent Living (CIL) is a disability justice organization based in Western Massachusetts, run by and for people with disabilities.
Stavros CIL fights for equity, autonomy, and access—not as charity, but as a right. Their services range from peer advocacy and housing support to transitional services and systems change work. Stavros is proudly inclusive of LGBTQ+ community members—many of their staff and consumers are LGBTQ+ themselves. They know that true independence includes the right to live authentically. Whether you’re navigating barriers in healthcare, housing, or public life, they’re here in solidarity.
Access is love. Liberation is collective.
Call for Vendors: Rock, Roll & Gather
Stavros is now accepting vendor applications for Rock, Roll & Gather, a free community event on Saturday, August 2 at Look Park celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Sign up Now for Fall Botanical Baking Club
Foxtrot Farm’s Botanical Baking Club is a nine month exploration of botanicals as vehicles for culinary delight. Club members get to know herbs through the lens of pleasure, play, and taste!
Each month, September-May (fall equinox to summer solstice) the farm sends you 1-2 oz of a different dried herb with recipes, a video cooking demo, and plant monograph. Watch, read, and bake on your own time. And then join us for a monthly cohort zoom to share together about our adventures in baking, relationship with the plants, and the glee therein.
In 2025, the first box will ship out September 16.
10% of proceeds from this program will be donated to the World Central Kitchen for their work bringing hot meals to people recovering from and experiencing crisis around the world.
Help Translate Gender’s Garden Grow
Translate Gender has a community garden plot at the Northampton Community Garden to dig our hands in the soil, to grow food for our QTBIPOC/low-income communities, to heal, and to tend to ourselves and the earth!
TG would love for you to come visit, donate seedlings or other materials, and volunteer! Be with TG and dream of ways to sustain ourselves and one another.
Volunteers meet every Saturday, anytime from 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM.
Chorus Registration Now Open for Adults & Kids
Do you love to sing in the car? In the shower? On stage? Wherever you sing, whatever your age or gender identity, you are welcome in the chorus at Queer Joy Collaborative.
Register for Queer Joy Chorus
The Queer Joy Choir is about more than music — it’s about belonging, healing, and radical joy. Led by the incomparable Mara Levi, this chorus is open to all genders, all identities, and all experience levels (really!). No auditions. No stress. Just harmony.
Why we sing:
To feel connected
To process grief and celebrate life
To create art that changes hearts
To bask in community magic
As one member said: “It was everything that drew me to the chorus and more than I could have ever thought. I have family now. Didn't think I'd ever want to be in a chorus, but now I'm obsessed.”
Register for Rhythm & Radiance Kids’ Chorus
Making music in a chorus is about connecting with other people, having fun, and learning how to start with a mishmosh of strangers and end up with a piece of art.
In order for kids to really make music together, there are some basic things they need:
To feel welcome and safe
To have a voice in the creative process
To feel connected to the music they’re making
After our first semester of Rhythm & Radiance Kids Chorus we have already begun to create a space that feels joyful for the kids involved. Kids feel empowered not just by pushing themselves to try new things, but by using their creative voices to put together a show that they can feel proud to share.
ICYMI
Quick Links to Rad Stuff + Stuff We Covered Last Week
The Valley Responds to U.S. v. Skrmetti Supreme Court Ruling
Reading List & Resources from Translate Gender
Easthampton Passes Resolution in Support of the TNGDI Community
High Five Books Hosted an Educator Retreat Focused on Inclusive Early Lit
Shop our Gift Guide featuring affirming items and experiences from the Bloom Local Partner Network
🏳️🌈 Explore new additions to our Community Guide and keep supporting LGBTQ+-owned businesses and orgs
Weekly Poll
Curious about the results of last week’s poll?
💞 Flirt Local Entries Now Open
Flirt Local is a new section coming to the Bloom Local newsletter where you can share your "missed connections" anonymously with local readers.
Let's celebrate LGBTQIA+ moments of curiosity, chemistry, and connection—whether it was a spark at the maker's market, a glance at the cafe, or a shared laugh at a show. We're just here to have a little flirty fun and keep the local love growing.
Use the form below to send in your short + sweet submission. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and may not be able to publish every entry.
Questions? Reach us at Hello@BloomLocal.live.
Queer and Trans Art Group
Wednesday, July 9, 7-8:30 PM
📍Resilient Community Arts Studio, #238 Eastworks, 116 Pleasant St., Easthampton, MA
Open to anyone who identifies as queer, trans, or gender-expansive. Come hang out, make art in community, or just connect with other queer and trans folks in a safer space.
* FREE PROGRAM *
Death Mother Circle with Jovan Sage
Thursday, July 10, 7:30 PM
📍Online
This circle centers curiosity around transformation, grief, and death. We get to explore the questions close to your heart. I will share my grief + death knowing, practices to support us and resources to nourish us. Grief will show up and this isn’t a space to process grief. If you are looking for that specifically, please reach out or explore my other offerings.
* PAY WHAT YOU WANT *
Disability Pride Month Film Screening: The Ride Ahead
Wednesday, July 16, 5-8 PM
📍Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA
The Northampton Disability Commission, Amherst Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and Easthampton Commission on Disability will be hosting a FREE film festival for Disability Pride Month! The Ride Ahead will be screened by the Amherst Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
* FREE PROGRAM *
Affirmations Book Club for Youth
Wednesday, July 16, 6-7 PM
📍High Five Books, 141 N Main St., Florence, MA
Join us for a casual and fun monthly book club - a partnership between Translate Gender and High Five Books.
* FREE PROGRAM *
TORCH SONG
July 25, 26, 31 & August 1, 2, 8:00pm
July 27, August 2, 3, 2:00pm
📍Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St., Northampton, MA
An independent collective of queer and trans artists is putting on a production of Harvey Fierstein’s TORCH SONG, a hilarious and moving play about a drag queen in NYC in the 70s and 80s. We plan to donate 15-20% of proceeds from the show to support the Trans Asylum Seekers Support Network and other groups supporting LGBTQIA+ people at this time.
* SLIDING SCALE TICKETS *
Mirror, Mirror at A.P.E.
Opening Reception: Friday, July 25, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Closing Reception: Friday, August 8, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
📍A.P.E. Gallery Ltd, 126 Main St., Northampton, MA
Mirror, Mirror is a multidisciplinary art installation by Indë, a queer Black artivist born/raised/residing in Northampton, MA. The exhibit, on display from July 18th to August 8th, explores intersectional solidarity through immersive multimedia compositions and audience participation. In addition to presenting large figurative paintings, an original soundtrack, mirror/glass-based sculptures, and a new system of music notation, Indë will premiere the music video for “COME ON HOME,” featuring choir vocals by the Queer Joy Chorus, at the opening and closing receptions!
* FREE PROGRAM *
Reparations in Residence: Forum for Arts & Culture Workers + Admin
Thursday, July 31, 3:00 - 5:30 PM
📍 A.P.E. Gallery Ltd, 126 Main St., Northampton, MA
Join multidisciplinary artivist Indë in their installation Mirror, Mirror for a forum on implementing artist residencies as a form of reparations for Black and Indigenous peoples.
* FREE PROGRAM *
“…Expect a Circus”
Friday, August 1 & Saturday, August 2, 6:00 PM
📍Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St., Northampton, MA
Audiences 14+ are invited to enjoy a captivating collection of contemporary circus works revolving around the power of the body. Inspired by Roxane Gay’s concept of the “unruly body,” through aerial, juggling, tightwire, and dance, these works subvert conventional circus aesthetics to interrogate the politicization of physical form. Rather than spectacle for spectacle’s sake, "...Expect a Circus" spotlights the dedication, activism, and discipline of circus arts while examining how bodies resist, provoke, and challenge the political sphere.
* SLIDING SCALE TICKETS *
Job Opportunity: PT Stationary Store Shopkeeper
Small Victories is hiring a Part-Time Stationery Store Shopkeeper!
This is an all-year position with extended hours December 8-23. Interested folks can read the full job description and application directions on our website: https://smallvictories.com/pages/jobs
Preferred start date: the week of August 18th. There is no deadline, but we encourage folks to apply at their earliest convenience.
Job Opportunity: PT Church Administrator
This is a permanent, part-time position as a Church Administrator. 20 hours/week with some flexibility in daily schedule.
This position supports a congregation actively engaged in making the world a better place. See www.FirstChurchAmherst.org and First Church Amherst on Facebook. Interested folks can read more and apply here.
Application screening begins on July 3 and will continue until the position is filled.
Trans Relocation Support (TRS) Western MA
TRS is committed to helping people move to Western Mass from states with anti-trans legislation. They aim to connect people with networks of mutual aid, resources, and community in this area. The process is a temporary support bridge that facilitates long-term local int(ter)dependence. TRS seeks to grow community care, mutual aid, and alternative systems of care for gender diverse people.
Connect with TRS: Learn & Volunteer | Give Support | Get Support
→ Join Translate Gender’s virtual fundraiser on Tuesday, July 15, from 7–8 PM aiming to raise $20,000 for TRS. The benefit will feature members of TRS, who will discuss the vital work they’re doing.
Access Free Notary Services
Forbes Library (Northampton): (413) 587-1011
Easthampton Public Library: (413) 527-1031
Chicopee Public Library: (413) 594-1800
You can also try (fees may apply): your local town hall, AAA, banks
Legal Aid for Immigrant Families
The Immigrant Defense Hotline (617-988-0606) is staffed by attorneys from Lawyers for Civil Rights’ pro bono network. Callers who leave a message will receive same-day response to questions about immigration enforcement and reports of immigration raids. Please reach out to Hotline@LawyersForCivilRights.org if you would like to get involved.
Resources from Translate Gender
Read + Learn
Supreme Court rules to keep Tennessee’s gender-affirming care ban in place (The 19th)
Dear Trans Kids, You Don't Need the Government's Permission to Exist (Teen Vogue)
Know Your Rights (Trans Youth) (Transgender Law Center)
Information for LGBTQ+ People Under the Trump Administration (GLAD Law)
Connect
Join one of Translate Gender’s upcoming happenings, virtually or in-person
Reach out through our family listserv (please remember to be gentle, respectful, and to follow our community care practices)
If you or a loved one needs more urgent support, reach out to:
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
The Trevor Project: (866) 488-7386
Take Action
→ Share information about Translate Gender in your communities, especially our work educating schools, businesses, and workplaces on protecting and affirming trans and gender-expansive youth.
→ Support sanctuary city initiatives in your city or town (like this one in Pittsfield or this one in Northampton) to ensure that trans individuals and the people who support them are safe.
→ If you’re able, donate to Translate Gender (monthly giving especially makes a huge difference) to help us continue our work lifting up and empowering trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth and families.
☕️ Love this newsletter? Buy us a coffee!
Seeking community? Join the network.
It’s’s a pivotal time to build and bolster local networks of care — and we remain dedicated to connecting LGBTQ+ and ally entrepreneurs in and beyond our region. If you are an LGBTQ+ creative, healer, educator, or entrepreneur of any focus or an ally business serving communities throughout Western MA, we invite you to join our queer-grown network of community partners.
Partners receive: (1) an active listing in our Community Guide (2) visibility in our weekly newsletters (3) access to partners-only resources and opportunities including monthly Partner Meet-Ups.
*NEW* No-Fee Network Membership for QTBIPOC Entrepreneurs
As one of our commitments to reparative justice, we offer one year of no-fee partnership to QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) small business owners. This initiative is one move we’re making to foster a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem in the River Valley.
If you are a QTBIPOC small business owner and you are interested in becoming a partner, we invite you to apply and check where indicated if you would like to access one year of no-fee membership.
Learn more about the program at: BloomLocal.Live/Partner-Program and contact us with questions anytime.
Hosting an upcoming event? Let us spread the word!
Calendar listings and event promotion in this newsletter (5K reads/month) are benefits of Bloom Local’s Partner Program. To submit an event listing without a partner network membership, email your event details to: Hello@BloomLocal.live. A sliding scale fee of $5-$30 applies to each accepted submission.
Keep Connecting
Email Hello@BloomLocal.Live
Follow us on Instagram
Learn about the Partner Program