Metro East Gays and Straights

Located in Belleville, Illinois, Metro East Gays and Straights (MEGS), is a project of the Coalition for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ), a non-profit, 501c3 organization. The Metro East is an area which includes many small cities and towns east of St. Louis and across the Mississippi River. Because some gay people feel a need to go to St. Louis to freely express their true selves, the founders of MEGS wanted to foster an atmosphere of acceptance for gay people in the Metro East.

We work toward building communities in the Metro East, which encourage acceptance of gay identity and create a welcoming, friendly and inclusive environment. Additionally, because Southern Illinois is part of the Bible Belt", small towns and rural areas south of Belleville are quite conservative. Thus, MEGS is committed to working for gay justice in all of Southern Illinois as our resources permit.

We believe in honoring the uniqueness and diversity of all individuals. We work to include all people, regardless of race, religion, and other issues that divide us and keep us from working together for our mutual interests.

Since our founding we have made significant progress. Our accomplishments include: 1)organizing the first Pride Event for the Metro East. You can learn about Pride 09 at xxx pride 09 website xxx 2) Created a weekly social/support group for lesbians that meets weekly in Belleville, IL (xxxcheck the link titled "3C's"xxx; 3) initiated the first meeting to establish a Metro East chapter of Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) (xxx see linkxxx); 4) developed a MetroEast committee to respond to homophobic letters to the editor and be available to speak at churches, services organizations, and other groups that are interested in meeting gay people and dialoguing; 5) established a committee to discuss ways to ensure that senior gays have full access to social services (Link xxx); and 5 blazed the first jgay ustice trail to Cairo, IL.(xxx see link xxx)

About Us: MEGS was founded by Barbara Arms, Janet Brannon, Janet Wright, and Betty Hofstetter (Betty has since moved out of the area). Later, these women were joined by MEG Advisors: Dave Brannon (husband of Janet), John Kreisel, Vicki Niederhofer, Rev. Carol Shanks, Bill and Helen Whicher, and Carol Williams, xxxx more advisors.

The Board of Directors for the Coalition for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) are Barbara Arms, and living in San Francisco, Aileen Hernandez, Anne G. Politeo, and Betty Traynor. CESJ has numerous advisors throughout the United States.

How You Can Help: 1. Volunteer to take on a task. We can use volunteers in many areas, depending on your skills and interests. 2. Help us with outreach, on the Internet and/or by handing out flyers and educational materials. 3.Give us a donation that may be used as a tax deduction.