New Haven Pride Center

Mark Campbell, President of Imperial Sovereign Court of All CT

In keeping with the theme of this month’s selected subject of “Family,” I thought I would share my thoughts about what we in the Court System like to call our Extended Families.

At birth we are welcomed into our “birth” families and our love for them is, for lack of a better word, automatic. As we grow older we discover that there are people we meet, who in our hearts become our “selected” families. These are the friends with whom we feel most comfortable and share our life experiences, our sorrows and our joys. These friends become so important to us and therefore, they are called “extended” family.

I suppose it would be best if I gave a brief explanation of what The Imperial Sovereign Court of All Connecticut is. The court is a 501(c)3 not for profit chapter of an international fundraising organization, known as the International Court System which hosts chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The main purpose of the organization is to raise money for different causes and charities within their respective cities and states. To name all the causes for which money is raised would take more words than I am able to type.

So now back to the subject at hand…Family. The Court is designed after the Royal Family but leans more toward being campy and fun. We have an elected Emperor and Empress, instead of King and Queen, and they give titles to the membership as well as non members, out of town royalty and at times, their own birth family as well, such as Lord, Lady, Baron, Baroness and so on…I think you get the idea. Two of the most common titles given out are Brother and Sister. All of these titles really have no meaning in the real world, but to us “Court people” they have so much significance. To us it shows acceptance and heartfelt love. I think anyone reading this article would agree that people need to feel loved.

So, we spread our love as often as we can by raising money to help others. And although most people would feel that the Court system is strictly a gay organization, there are members from every walk of life. Gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, disabled, mothers, fathers, grandparents and yes, even children...but have no fear, we don’t allow children at any function where alcohol is served. We are known to be a crazy bunch of people but not that crazy! Basically, everyone is invited to be a part of the Court and all are welcomed. If you would like to become a part of our family of friends, I invite you to join us at one of our monthly meetings. You can check the New Haven Pride Center’s schedule to see when our group meets or drop me an email at Empr1Mark@aol.com for more information. Also, we have many functions throughout the year so if you see anything sponsored by the Imperial Court, come out and join us. Who knows, you may want to be a part of our family.

I guess the moral of this story is that family is important whether by birth or by choice. After all, your family members should also be your friends and those who are truly lucky, can say that their friends are their family too.

Click here for more information about the Connecticut chapter of the Court, and if you hunger for more information about the international system, click here.

Tags: Family, Imperial Court