Are you preoccupied with food, weight, or body image? You may be struggling with an eating disorder. Eating disorders can cause extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues that start to control your life, and can have life-threatening consequences. Dave Drajkowski, an experienced eating disorders therapist facilitates this ongoing support group for UWM women students. Students are able to join anytime. Sponsored by the UWM Women's Resource Center.

For more information or to participate, contact Sue McCarthy-UWM Women's Resource Center at 414-229-2852 or suzimac@uwm.edu.

(Lucia Puenzo, Argentina/Spain/France, in Spanish with English subtitles, 35mm on video, 91min, 2007)
Adolescence is an impossible time for everyone, but for Alex, born an intersex child, it is even harder.  What happens between Alex and new friend, Álvaro is an amazing, unsettling moment of discovery for them both.  XXY resonates readily with its not-yet-adult characters who don’t fit in and are being told they have to. The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. At UWM, advance tickets can be purchased at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office, Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, 414-229-4308).

(Tim Fywell, UK, video, 94min, 2008)
Affinity unmasks the passion confined within a women’s prison.  After the death of her father, grieving Margaret is under pressure to marry and forced to cohabit with her former lover--now her brother’s wife.  Searching for a purpose, she seeks out charity work at a women’s prison and is enlisted by the severe warden who assumes the refined presence of this “Lady Visitor” will favorably influence the female convicts.  Never planning to fall in love in the dark, dank cells, Margaret meets Selina, an unearthly spiritualist who communicates with the dead. The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm.

(Barbara Hammer, USA, video, music by Meredith Monk, 30min, 2007)
Inher new experimental film,A Horse is Not a Metaphor,Barbara Hammerconfronts ovarian cancer with visions of horseback riding and river swimming. Identifying herself as a "cancer thriver as well as survivor,” Hammer writes:  "A Horse Is Not A Metaphor is about the power of living in the present to the fullest and with the greatest freedom." This film will screen with two earlier 16mm experimental shorts--Vital Signs (9min, 1991) and Sanctus (19min, 1990).  The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm.

(Céline Sciamma, France, in French with English subtitles, 35mm, 85min, 2007)
Water Lilies highlights the strengths of young women as they negotiate their longing and the challenges of being teenage girls. The three heroines are 15 year old synchronized swimmers of differing social standing in the strict hierarchy of high school, each a secret agent working alone on special assignments of desire. Ruthlessly opportunistic, and trying to avoid detection, they juggle loyalties as needed, navigating intersecting paths in the tiled corridors of the local swimming pool.  Followed by screening of No Bikini (Claudia Morgado-Escanilla, Canada, 35mm, 9 min, 2007). The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. At UWM, advance tickets can be purchased at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office, Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, 414-229-4308).

(Shamin Sarif, UK, video, 103 min, 2007)
Free-spirited Amina has broken all the rules of her conventional Indian community, and the new apartheid-led government, by running a café with Jacob, her “colored” business partner. When she meets Miriam, a young, traditional wife and mother, their unexpected attraction forces Miriam to question the rules that bind her.  From overcoming oppression to finding personal freedom, from the hardships of a loveless marriage to the hesitant joy of an unexpected love affair, in The World Unseen, Amina and Miriam risk love in 1950’s South Africa as the cruelties of apartheid are just beginning. The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. At UWM, advance tickets can be purchased at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office, Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, 414-229-4308).

A collection of beautifully composed, touching as well as hilarious short films comprise this international program including, Donkey Girl (Ties Schenk, Netherlands, 14 min, 2006), which tells the story of a young Dutch-Arabic girl whose only true friend is her donkey--until a new girl arrives.  Also on view is a testament to the strong relationship between a young woman and her grandfather, an insomniacs’ support group, and a hot date that takes place on a motorcycle. To screen: Hello, My Name Is Herman (Karine Silverwoman, Canada, 10min, 2007), The Insomniacs (Kami Chisholm, USA, 11min,  2008),  Sexy Thing (Denie Pentecost, Australia, 14min, 2007),  Members Only (Carolina Roca-Smith, USA, 10min, 2007) and Mechanics Daydream (Mary Guzmán, USA, 9min, 2007).  The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. At UWM, advance tickets can be purchased at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office, Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, 414-229-4308).

(Tanaz Eshagian, Iran/USA, in Farsi with English subtitles, video, 74 min, 2008)
“There are no homosexuals in Iran.”Or so we are informed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a nation that executes men who are homosexual. But what of other sexual variance?  Over twenty years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa making sex change permissible for “diagnosed transsexuals.” So, in Iran, sex-change operations are legal. A provocative documentary, Be Like Others takes a look at a generation of young Iranian men who choose to undergo sex change surgery because, in part, as men attracted to other men, the transformation will allow them an identity that is legal: unlike gay men or transvestites they can escape harassment, legal retribution, death... The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival is sponsored by the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, and many other supporters including the UWM Women’s Resource Center.

For more information, go to www.arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. At UWM, advance tickets can be purchased at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office, Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (2419 E Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, 414-229-4308).

Plan to join us for our best Race to date as we celebrate this milestone. Together we will work to achieve our vision of a world without breast cancer, and SOMEDAY THIS WILL ONLY BE A RACE!

For more information, go to www.komenmilwaukee.org.

Discussion about the behavior of juvenile and adult perpetrators of sexual abuse.  Understanding perpetrators' methods of coercion and manipulation (grooming) is an important part of sorting through the negative beliefs sexual abuse survivors may carry about themselves.  Learn about different “categories” of abusers.

For more information, contact The Healing Center at 414-671-4325.

The conference will begin with a session focused on strategies to build on participants’ strengths and aspirations in their professional and personal lives, utilizing a new “Career Mapping” exercise which keynote speaker, Nancy Archer-Martin has prepared specifically for the 2008 WWHEL conference.  Materials will be forwarded to participants upon registration to give them the opportunity to do the exercise before the meeting. The Thursday afternoon workshop will focus on strategies to execute one’s career mapping plan and will include small-group and networking activities. The Friday morning session will focus on career mobility strategies, either internally or externally, including tips on bios, cover letters, CVs, interviews, and managing search consultants.

For more information, go to www.wwhel.org.

The following women centered groups are being offered at The Counseling Center of Milwaukee begining in February, 2007:
     Help Me, Help You-Women Supporting Women:
Stop the isolation and loneliness in your world. Share with other women the obstacals you expereince in trying to live a happier, more self-confident life. Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30pm.
     Female Survivors of Sexual Abuse:
This therapy group offers a forum for women to address childhood trauma and abuse and/or sexual assaults in adulthood. Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30pm. This is a free group!
     L-Life Lesbian Support Group:
Having questions about Milwaukee's Lesbian Community? Are you wondering where you fit in? Feeling isolated and disconnected? L-Life offers you a safe place to talk about your expereinces and challenges. Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30pm.
     Living and Loving in Two Worlds:
This is a monthly group for women in relationships with men who are interested in a better understaning of thier feelings for women and sexual orientation.

For more information or to register, contact Cheryl Orgas at 414-271-2565 or corgas@tccmilw.org.  To view The Counseling Center of Milwaukee's web calendar go to  www.tccmilw.org/GroupSchedule.asp.

     Support Groups for Female Survivors
These 90-minute support groups meet weekly on Monday evenings, from 5:30-7pm, and Tuesday Mornings, from 10-11:30am. New members are welcome to join at any time. The groups are co-taught by two facilitators who provide information about various differnet aspects of domestic violence, saftey, and support. Contact Ramani or Maria at TFFV to sign up for these groups.
     Intervention Groups for Female and Same-Sex Abusers
TFFV currently offers two intervention groups for women who have either been convicted of a domestic violence offense or who wish to work voluntarily on achieving healthier relationships. These 90-minute groups meet weekly on Wednesday evenings, from 5:30-7pm, and Friday mornings, from 10-11:30am. The groups for LGBT abusers meet on Mondays.  All groups are co-facilitated and provide education and skill -building on various aspects of abusing behavior. Additionalt, TFFV offers wrap-around services or referrals for alcohol and drug counseling, individual therapy, literacy and GED classes, parenting classes, and job training/mentoring. Contact Maggie at TFFV to sign up for these groups.
     Parenting after the Violence Ends (PAVE)
This is a 12-week course that paves the way toward rebuilding the mother-child bond in the wake of domestic violence. This course meets at the same time and is offered in conjunction with our classes for children who have witnessed domestic violence. The curriculum focuses on: The effects of domestic violence on children; parent-child communication/talking with the child about violence; establishing order and rutine in the home; childhood development and behavior; positive discipline; enhancing children's self-esteem; and, general healthy, nurturing parenting skills. Contact Valerie at TFFV to sign up for this class.

For more information, contact the Task Force on Family Violence at 414-276-1911.

The Healing Center’s groups are facilitated by people who are experienced with the issue of sexual abuse. The Healing Center staff is committed to removing any barriers that would keep people from attending – ask us about transportation and childcare options if needed. Fall 2007 groups include:
     Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault:
Group for women who have been assaulted as adults. The group meets on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-7:45pm.
     Adult Women Molested as Children:
Closed group for women molested as children that runs in cycles of 16 weeks.  Meets Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30pm.
     Information and Support for People Experiencing Stalking:
Discuss ways to be safe, how to take care of yourself emotionally, learn about the laws, and get support from others who have felt similar powerlessness, fear, vulnerability, confusion and isolation. Co-sponsored by the Task Force on Family Violence, group meets the 2^nd Wednesday of each month (off-site). 
     Adult Rape/ Sexual Assault Support Group:
Closed group for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult that runs in cycles of 12 weeks.
     Support Group for Spanish Speaking Women Survivors:
Meets Wednesday mornings at the Latina Resource Center (414-671-4325).
     Survivors in Recovery:
Group for survivors of child sexual abuse, and adult sexual assault who are also in recovery (or working on sobriety) from drugs and/or alcohol.
     Wednesday Creative Healing Series:  Workshops designed to help complement the healing journey.
            1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays - Art Workshop
            2^nd and 4^thWednesdays - Writer’s Circle
     Survivors and Allies Task Force (SATF)::
SATF is a Milwaukee-wide grassroots group currently meeting at The Healing Center. The group is dedicated to awareness and prevention of sexual violence. Currently, SATF is working to highlight barriers and problems encountered by sexual assault victims as they try to report the crime.
    Sexual Wholeness Group:
Offering a skill-based, experiential group that will take you step-by-step along the process of relcaiming those parts of YOU! Some planned topics include self-esteem and body image, what's what? Knowledge of the body, intimacy--what is it and how to get it, and how arousal works (or doesn't!).

For more information, contact The Healing Center at  414-671-HEAL (4325) or go to  www.thehealingcenter.org/services/supportgroups.asp.

Some women find group therapy is a format in which they can deal with issues related to self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness, career changes, unresolved, family issues, relationships with others and recovery from depression, anxiety and abuse. This therapy group offers both support and challenge, enabling members to make important changes in their lives. This is an on-going group that meets twice a month on Monday evenings.

For more information, call 414-389-5657 or contact Sharon Thyne at 414-329-5963. Registration is required; call 414-773-4312 to schedule an appointment.

This support group will provide opportunity for women to identify their own strengths and personal resources; address steps to help solve difficult problems experienced by women with cancer; and, assist with adapting and coping.

For more information, contact the Aurora Women's Pavillion at 414-454-6549.

This is an ongoing therapy group for women who are experiencing anxiety or depression as a result of a divorce. Women may join the group at any time. Services are insurance billable.

For more information, contact Sandra Pratt-Lopez at 414-773-4312.

Come join us for a once a month drop-in group modeled after Silver Space/Open Space meetings. This meeting is a social gathering for any women who like to discuss "issues" that are affecting our lives. Come to share, sing, celebrate, eat (bring a treat) or just listen and get to know each other. All women welcome!

For more information, conatact SAGE at 414-224-0517.

This support group is open to patients, survivors, and family members/friends (don't have to be related to group members).

For more information, call 414-777-7495.

Broad Vocabulary is Milwaukee's feminist bookstore. The store sells fiction and non-fiction books, cultural history, queer studies, media studies, art, general politics, zines, music, and gifts. This book club meets once a month. Participants take turns selecting books, either fiction or non-fiction, for upcoming discussions. Newcomers are welcome.

For more information, contact Broad Vocabulary at 414-744-8384 or go to www.broadvocabulary.com.

A Woman's Touch is a woman-owned and operated sexuality boutique started in Madison, Wisconsin. The store focuses on women's perspectives on sex and sexuality, specifically in the Midwest. It offers a number of workshops as well as a unique combination of expertise in sexual health and pleasure.

For more information or to register e-mail awt.milwaukee2@gmail.com or call 414-221-0400.

Whether you're a pro or have never touched a knitting or crochet needle in your life, join Femiknits to learn, chat, and knit with others. All you need is your own supplies. Always open to newcomers.

For more information, call 414-744-8384, e-mail info@broadvocabulary.com, or check out www.broadvocabulary.com.

Women of all walks of life gather to discuss articles related to spirituality and keep each other company during lunch once a month.  Articles are distributed in advance and lunch is ordered from Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs.

For more information, to indicate attendance and to receive a copy of the article for the month, contact  Rachel at 414-276-9814 x3102 or rachelegarczynski@stjohncathedral.org.

This group reads lesbian written fiction and non-fiction. Books that the group have read include, A Sea Horse Year by Stacy D'Erasmo, and Turning Tides by A.K. Naten. All lesbians are welcome, as is anyone interested in the growing and diverse field of lesbian literature.

For more information,  and to find out about this month's reading selection, contact Outwords Bookstore at 414-963-9089.

Healing occurs through many different ways, so take this opportunity to participate in a variety of activities in a comfortable, safe environment. All activities are offered to survivors as well as their loved ones.

For more information, contact The Healing Center at 414-671-HEAL (4325) .

Members will read a wide-array of fiction and non-fiction authored by women of color. All are welcome to join. Books read by the group have included "Margins" by Terri de la Pena and "Southland" by Nina Revoyr.

For more information, contact Broad Vocabulary at 414-744-8384 or go to www.broadvocabulary.com/.

Broad Vocabulary is an independent bookstore dedicated to independent publishing and artistry and committed to “do it yourself” ethics.  Broad Vocabulary is also committed to hosting events featuring book and poetry readings, lectures, workshops, local art, music and other performances.

For more information, or a complete list of events go to www.broadvocabulary.com/calendar.

Out to Brunch is an informal gathering of lesbians that has been meeting, and mostly eating, for over 17 years. It came to fruition in Milwaukee from a long standing group out of Minneapolis. The Milwaukee area Out to Brunch has over 250 households on the mailing list from as far north as Sheboygan, as far south as Bristol (Kenosha County), and beyond. Each month a changing group of women gather over Sunday brunch for conversation and connection. Average gatherings run about 35 women. The gathering makes the rounds of different homes – whoever volunteers to host. The hosts provide coffee, paper plates, plastic ware, cups, napkins, and nametags. Women who come to the brunch bring a dish to pass. It can be something bought at the store or homemade. There are no dues and no rules. Just bring a dish to pass!

For more information, contact Jennie Ragland at 262-857-6445 or go to jennieragland@wi.rr.com. 

Women of all ages are invited to join this monthly series for spiritual reflection and discussion in response to readings in Joyce Rupp's book, May I Have This Dance?.  Sponsored by the The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist's Parish Health Ministry, in collaboration with CALL (Cathedral Adult Lifelong Learning).  A continental breakfast will be provided at each session.

For more information, contact Teresa Flaherty at 414-347-1959 or tersa@core.com,  or Pat Wisialowski at 414-276-9814 x3119 or patwisialowski@stjohncathedral.org.