EOCIL - Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living

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In this episode, we had the honor of sitting down with Marcos, a long-time community member of EOCIL. He shares his personal life story on how he grew up, his family dynamic, his struggles with substance use, and much more of his lived experiences. He breaks down what his journey through detox and recovery was like, and he shares his message with those who are thinking about starting their own journey. We hope you enjoy.

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In this episode of Queer Coded, our host, Mary Ellen Buxton, interviews Nathan Smith, an LGBTQ+ Mental Health Specialist, drag queen, and HIV/AIDS activist. Nathan shares details of his origins in the Indiana drag scene and tells of the social climate surrounding drag in rural Eastern Oregon. Nathan also discusses the need for LGBTQ+ mental health supports in Pendleton and Eastern Oregon while also recognizing that there are already a lot of supports in place in the region, though they may be hard to find. He goes on to describe his relationship with gender as well as the process of shaping his drag name, persona, and style. 

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In this episode, I talked to Eddie Melendrez, a city council member, an artist, and a food bank worker in Eastern Oregon. Eddie shared his personal life story, to pursuing his passion for art and education, to becoming involved in local politics and community service. Eddie also discussed his role in the city council, where he advocates for the rights and needs of people. He also talked about his role as an artist, where he expresses his creativity and identity through various mediums and projects. Finally, he talked about his job at the food bank, where he helps provide food and resources to people who are struggling. Eddie's story is an inspiring example of how one can overcome challenges, pursue one's dreams, and make a positive impact in one's community.

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In this episode, Our host, Richard Rojas-Perez, and our guest, Chris Fox, cover the basics of HIV transmission, the stages of infection, and the importance of testing and treatment. We also discuss common misconceptions and the social impact of HIV, aiming to foster understanding and compassion in our community's approach to prevention and support. 

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In this month's episode, we sit down with an AETC member, Ary Bryce. They host an affinity space once a month that is not only intended for  BIPOC folk but is also a genuinely safe space for people of color to join and feel in unity with one another. We get into the details of what an Affinity space looks like and the goals that are intended for this space. Amador shares his own experience with discrimination and prejudice and explains how a space like the one Ary holds has helped him in many ways. We discuss how trauma-informed care occurs within spaces like these and how we can make safer spaces in the future to allow for healing and understanding. Not only that, but we talk about AETC as a whole and its role in creating a wide variety of training and educational material intended to help spread awareness and address issues that might be missed from an organizational standpoint.

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 In this month’s episode of Queer Coded, we sit down with Mr. K Ponce Martinez, a queer educator teaching in a special education Headstart classroom in rural Eastern Oregon. Mr. Ponce Martinez discusses the intersection of his multi-faceted identity and how heteronormativity affected his identity growing up. He also sheds light on his experiences accessing necessary and affirming medical care in his rural community. We discuss the role of gender-affirming care both within and outside of an LGBTQ+ context. Mr. Ponce Martinez also discusses gender dysphoria and the role it has played in his life. We also discuss coming out as a queer educator in a rural setting, and we explore navigating that experience under the current social and political climate. Additionally, we discuss the role that community-based organizations can play in helping educators create a more affirming educational experience for their students. We hope you enjoy the premiere episode of Queer Coded. 

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In this month's episode of Voices in Action, we were lucky enough to have a very special guest from the National Harm Reduction Coalition, Tanagra Melgarejo. She is the Director of National Capacity Building with the NHRC and helps provide training and education throughout the United States. She helps break down the rich history of where the term “Harm Reduction” originated from and how it was intended to help those struggling with addiction. It stems from “a place of love,” as she describes harm reduction principles and core values. It also looks very different from coast to coast, and her knowledge and experience from traveling to other parts of the country and seeing how it affects different people helps us understand what we need to improve. We here at EOCIL encourage everyone to visit www.harmreduction.org to learn more about their movement and all the amazing training they offer. We hope you enjoy this episode.

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In this episode of Voices In Action, we speak with Angela Carter. They have done so much work with many institutions by joining board committees and starting their foundations. They have played an instrumental role in developing and rolling out Measure 110, which helps organizations like ours provide Harm Reduction services. They explain their role in developing the plan and how Measure 110 is supposed to help. They also have a degree in Naturopathic medicine with a focus on psilocybin. They are currently part of a group to support all this medication to become fully legalized for the public and what potential it has for people who may have depression, anxiety, and many other conditions that modern medicine can't help. They have a long history of being a part of a handle of programs and organizations that support our community, all of which you will hear in this episode.

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In today's episode of Voices in Action, I sit down with a Queer and Disabled advocate Andrew Gurza. We learn more about who he is and their journey over the years. We dive into his early childhood and what his family life was like living with a disability. He explains some of his struggles with his family and all their efforts to make him feel no different than anyone kid at the time. His path from being a youth to a young adult showed some struggles, but he was able to find his way around. He started his own company with his sister, which helps empower people with their sexuality. Though they faced many barriers in early development, they achieved all their goals. Not only that, but he also talks about his work around advocacy and his podcast and what it means to him. I hope you all enjoy this episode.

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In today's episode, we sit down with Mary Ellen Buxton and discuss their experience in rural Oregon. We break down their household life and how they became the person they are today. They grew up in a religious household, and their feelings and identity did not fit the social norm. That, however, did not stop them from being the person they are today. We detail what their early childhood life was like between the time they were in middle school throughout high school and college. They explain their experience throughout their time in the educational system and what they did in terms of finding support resources and advocacy for people they identified with. We get to know Mary Ellen personally and understand their goals throughout their college career, majoring in history and always wanting to teach in a school setting. They found themself in a position with Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living as Assistant Director of 2Spirit and LGBTQIA+ resource services, where they hold together a youth network of young LGBTQIA+ youth to come together. They explain what the goal of these groups are intended for and how they help benefit the community. They also help explain their plans and services they would like to provide that have fallen through the cracks in Eastern Oregon. If you'd like to know more, please visit us at www.eocil.org