C.L.I.T. Fest 2011

Help Support Safer Sex and Promote Women in the Arts!

Combating Latent Inequality Together Festival is now in its 7th year, and will take place in Washington, D.C. on the weekend of July 8th.

It will be a three-day event combining music and education to promote women's involvement in the arts. We aim to stimulate conversation between folks of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, ethnicities, and genders. We aim to raise consciousness and to build a community wherein people of all genders are supported and empowered. All proceeds from this year’s fest go towards H.I.P.S..

HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive) was founded in 1993 by a coalition of service providers, advocates, and law enforcement officials as an outreach and referral service. HIPS mission is to assist female, male, and transgender individuals engaging in sex work in Washington, DC in leading healthy lives. Utilizing a harm reduction model, HIPS’ programs strive to address the impact that HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, discrimination, poverty, violence and drug use have on the lives of sex workers. HIPS is a nationally recognized organization that meets the needs of sex workers and assists them in their efforts to eliminate the transmission of HIV, increase sexual health, and reduce violence harm associated with sex work and drug use. HIPS programs serve an estimated 2,000 sex workers a year on the streets and in the organization’s drop-in center, providing a full spectrum of programs to address basic & immediate needs, long-term goal setting and life skills development.

Budget cuts in public health have forced H.I.P.S. to downsize significantly. They need your help!

Go to www.hips.org to make a donation.

The C.L.I.T.Fest benefit series will help the fest cover its costs.

Look out for the following events around town:

5/14: 2 hour Self Defense Workshop at ECAC across from Howard University. $15 registration.

6/11: Vegan Bake Sale at Planned Parent Benefit Show. St. Stephen’s Church at corner of 16th and Newton Sts, NW DC

Other ways to help the cause: volunteer time to the CLITFest card at the

Maryland Food Co-op to help feed the presenters and bands! Host a benefit of your

own, promote our events, check http://clitfestdc.tumblr.com and "like" us on Facebook. Check out our online store (coming soon!) to see all our wares!

Need more info? Have an idea? Hit us up on Facebook, or at:

clitfest-dc-2011@googlegroups.com

Help support local activism and women in the arts!