With new digs and funding, a local nonprofit is helping queer and trans residents find safety, and a path off the streets. by Anna Del Savio

In October, Portland’s first day center for unhoused queer and trans people opened in Southeast.

The Marie Equi Center’s new Brooklyn neighborhood day shelter is intended to welcome visitors “just coming in to regulate their nervous systems in the space and hang out, or to get connected to our peer services,” center director Katie Cox said.

“We say that we’re a really LGBTQ-affirming city and space, but the services and the infrastructure have needed more support,” Cox said. The new funding, which comes from Metro’s Supportive Housing Services tax revenue via Multnomah County, “feels like folks putting their money where their mouth is,” Cox added.

Peer support and community health workers are on-site to offer basic wound care, emotional support, recovery mentoring, health education, referrals, and assistance navigating social service systems. But the 13,000-square-foot Trans & Queer Service Center also has space for visitors to come in off the street to simply sit and decompress. 

For many unhoused people, “you don’t have a safe place to be during the day where you actually feel welcome and your whole nervous system has a chance to relax and just be,” Equi program director Madeline Adams said. “So much of what we do as humans to heal or to overcome what we’ve been through requires, as a baseline, an environment… where we can come back to a semblance of having all of our faculties.”

A large room at the front of the building hosts community events that run the gamut from karaoke nights to crash courses on budgeting and cleaning for newly housed folks. 

Smaller rooms are used for one-on-one meetings with community health workers who provide emotional assistance, harm reduction, basic first aid, recovery support, health education, help navigating over services and systems, and gender-affirming referrals. 

“That can look a lot of different ways, but the goal of it is to walk alongside folks, to help them address barriers as they come up and access the resources and supports that they need,” Cox said.

Before the move—which also came with a name change from Institute to Center—the Marie Equi Institute primarily offered services out of an office in the Q Center on North Mississippi Avenue.

Scarlet Meadows first came to the Q Center two years ago for the free food pantry, but found her way into the Equi Institute’s office.

The institute’s peer support workers “helped me out a lot emotionally with the stress of being a new mom as well as being part of the queer community,” Meadows said. “There were days where I went there just to be, because it was a safe space.” Meadows ended up in Portland when their housing plans fell apart en route from Kentucky. From the Equi Center mentors, Meadows found spiritual and emotional support, and help navigating bureaucracy like Medicaid enrollment. 

“Sometimes I would go there specifically to make a phone call, just to have that support and someone who knows what questions to ask,” Meadows said.

Meadows hadn’t sought out peer services before coming to the Equi Center.

“I was still dealing with a lot of trauma and kind of stuck in my own head about certain things,” Meadows said. 

Peer health workers at Equi “move at the speed of trust,” Adams said. Rather than jumping right into tasks, workers have to build relationships with their houseless clients before those clients will open up about their needs. The bigger space allows staff to connect with visitors who need more time before opening up to a peer worker. 

When Adams was houseless, one of the hardest parts was that “people just couldn’t comprehend what I was dealing with or why I wasn’t housed,” she said. “It was always just so awkward and you could tell that people didn’t want to hear. The last thing you want to do in that situation is to ask for what you need, because by the time you reach someone that’s going to say yes, you’ve already learned that it’s not really safe to be asking.”

The Marie Equi Institute was founded a decade ago, named for “Doc” Marie Equi, a lesbian doctor and activist working in Oregon in the early 1900s (and the namesake of the local lesbian bar Doc Marie’s). The institute was created to provide queer and trans-specific primary care, right after Oregon Medicaid started covering gender-affirming care. Many of the Equi Institute’s clients came to the organization after fleeing other areas of the country where there wasn’t access to gender-affirming care, Cox said.

The center has seen a growing number of visitors who came to Portland to escape anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence in other states.

When the pandemic hit, the institute had just hit pause and started to reassess operations after their clinical director took medical leave.

The institute joined the C(3)PO coalition, which created three outdoor tent camps for homeless Portlanders early in the pandemic. Starting in sheds in the C(3)PO villages, the Equi Institute built up a community health program working “at the intersection of homelessness and public health,” Cox said. 

Last fall, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved $3 million in funding for day shelters, including $830,000 to the Equi Institute, in preparation for Portland’s public camping ordinance taking effect. But the institute didn’t get the contract from the Joint Office of Homeless Services until March. The funds had to be spent by the end of June, leaving just a few months for the center to find a new location and use up the money. 

The institute signed a lease in June and got to work on renovations with Gensler, an architecture firm that also led the renovation of the Rose Haven day center. 

The building has showers, laundry services, a gymnasium, food pantry, kitchenette, computer lab, reading nook, and art space. 

Cox said staff are working on plans to use the gym as an overnight shelter during severe weather.

“We know this is going to be a big learning curve for us, having our own building,” Cox said.

Thanks in-part to the SHS funding, the Marie Equi Center has doubled in size to 15 staff, including a new peer services coordinator and a center operations coordinator. The center ended up spending $752,000 from JOHS last fiscal year and was awarded $857,000 for the current fiscal year.

A Homelessness Response Action Plan finalized by the city and county earlier this year specifically calls for more culturally-specific services, including the creation of a shelter for LGBTQIA2S+ adults.

Existing culturally-specific providers like the Marie Equi Center “know what their communities need, are doing what their communities need, and just need that funding piece and support from their partners in government to be able to make that happen or do more of it,” JOHS equity manager Emily Nelson said.

Cox wanted to add a housing navigator to the center’s expanded team, but the Joint Office didn’t award enough funding to cover that position in the current fiscal year. 

“As we expand day services and expand shelter, we have to make sure that we have ways to connect folks to permanent housing through day services and shelter,” Nelson said.

Cox said the center’s peer workers struggle to connect clients with housing services that are safe and affirming for queer and trans people. 

One of the hardest parts of the work “is the heartbreak of knowing exactly what people need and deserve and not being able to get that to those people in a real way,” Adams said.

Transgender houseless people are less likely to find shelter. Nearly 54 percent of transgender houseless people are unsheltered, compared to 39 percent of cisgender houseless people, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. 

The new day center won’t only serve people while they’re living on the streets or in a shelter. Trans and queer people face disproportionate discrimination in housing, both in affordable housing and market-rate rentals, so support is needed for newly housed people.

“If it’s not the rental company discriminating against you, it could be other people in the building, and then your new home is starting to feel very unsafe,” Cox said. Having a queer or trans peer who can offer support in navigating those challenges “increases the likelihood that folks are going to be able to stay housed,” they said.

“As people navigate the transition from being unhoused to being housed, they often feel like they lose their community of folks that they were living with unsheltered,” Cox said. “The more we can start to bridge those gaps early on and create that community building, the more successful we’ll be at keeping people housed.”

For more information, visit www.marieequi.center. 

Famous Russian journalist, chef and TV presenter Alexey Zimin died. He was 52. The reason for the journalist's death remains unknown. Alexey Zimin was born in Dubna, a suburban town near Moscow, on December 13, 1971. He held the position of deputy editor-in-chief of Afisha Magazine. Zimin also founded Afisha Eda food publication and served as editor-in-chief of Afisha Mir, GQ and Gourmet magazines. The journalist hosted "Cooking with Alexey Zimin" show on NTV channel organised and organised food festivals. Zimin also opened several cafes, bars and restaurants.

A Global Art Exhibition Examining Humanity's Journey Through Identity, Technology and Culture

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 4:00pm
Location: East Hall
Organized By: Representation Stability Seminar - Department of Mathematics

Draisma proved that infinite dimensional varieties of tensors, defined uniformly with respect to the base vector space, are topologically Noetherian up to the action of the general linear group.The infinite power Z^N of a finite dimensional variety Z is ring-theoretically Noetherian up to the action of the infinite symmetric group permuting the copies of Z. We show that infinite powers of infinite dimensional varieties of tensors are defined set-theoretically by the Sym x GL-orbits of finitely many equations. This talk will browse these results.
Joint work with Chiu, Draisma, Eggermont, and Farooq.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 10:00am
Location: Off Campus Location
Organized By: Veteran and Military Services

Since 1778 when Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin became the 1st servicemember dismissed from the military for homosexuality, persons who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender have faced discrimination in the military. Since the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" LGBTQ+ service members have been allowed to serve openly in the US military and federal benefits have been extended to cover their dependents. Come hear veterans talk about their service, sacrifice and discrimination they faced while serving their country.

Both the R125 and the R150 combine Phoenix innovation, technical expertise, and proven durability into their small, portable, chemical resistant roto-mold housings. 

Live stream Belgium vs. Italy in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world.

Anoche La Revuelta y David Broncano vivieron una de cal y otra de arena. La primera vino de la mano de Lalachus, que llegó al programa con un cabreo más que justificado. La segunda, un aplauso unánime por sus primeros invitados: dos científicos y una también más que justificada protesta Leer

El diesel nos está matando, lentamente.

El anuncio del BCE podría quedar en un nuevo juego de palabras de Draghi para mantener alto el ánimo de unos mercados que reclaman acción

El Ayuntamiento mantiene abierta una investigación y los hechos ya han sido puestos en conocimiento de la Fiscalía Leer

 Leer

Los azulgrana, liderados por Punter y Parker, tumban a un irreductible Partizan, capaz de reducir 22 puntos de desventaja (79-87). Leer

Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight on Thursday, TASS reported, citing the country's defense ministry. "One Ukrainian unmanned aeria...

AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and other applications powered by large language models (LLMs) have exploded in popularity, leading a number of companies to explore LLM-driven robots. However, a new study now reveals an automated way to hack into such machines with 100 percent success. By…

The studio's diversified approach to content production has led to continued growth for the company.

It took 25-year-old Kimberly Doyle eight months to find a rental in her budget in Red Deer County, Alta. With two kids and two dogs, finding a place to live on a bus driver’s salary is a challenge.

Calgary natives Sarah Keilty-Dilling and Grace Stordy will lace up for Calgary Wild FC's 2025 inaugural season in the newly formed Northern Super League.

Viral Video: A 14-year-old street stall vendor made waves on the Internet with his superfast golgappa-making speed

The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees has pledged its support to the union’s national leadership, headed by President-General Akeem Ambali. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Edo NULGE, led by Clifford Dauda, praised Ambali’s ability to unite stakeholders and members from across the country, highlighting this as a

Known for its distinct animation style and worldbuilding, Studio Ghibli films offer important lessons that still hold up to this day     Watching “Spirited Away” on Disney Channel was my earliest memory of being introduced to the world of Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation studio known for its animated feature films. It was an experience I didn’t completely understand until later in my teenage years when I would revisit the film with my family.  There is such nuance in the stories of Studio Ghibli films that you have to rewatch them to fully understand them. Most of the time, […]...

Keep on reading: Beyond fantasy and nostalgia: 5 life lessons from Studio Ghibli films

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Intern­ational Airlines (PIA) will transport 35,000 Haj pilgrims to the holy land under a government scheme in 2025.

A spokesman for PIA said the Ministry of Religious Affairs and PIA have signed an agreement, under which the national flag carrier will operate special flights from six cities — Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Multan and Sukkur — to transport 35,000 Haj pilgrims to the holy land in 2025.

The agreement was signed by PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Aamir Hayat and additional religious affairs secretary Dr Syed Ata-ur-Rehman.

The PIA CEO reaffirmed his organisation’s commitment to provide best possible services to the Haj pilgrims.

The federal cabinet recently approved the Haj Policy for 2025, setting the cost for pilgrimage between Rs1,075,000 and Rs1,175,000. The sacrifice amount of Rs55,000 will be in addition to Haj expenses. This year’s Haj quota for Pakistan is 179,210, divided equally between government and private sector. Children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to travel for Haj.

The “Road to Makkah” facility will be available at Islamabad and Karachi airports. Haj group organisers will sign service provider agreements with the ministry of religious affairs, and these organisers will be closely monitored for provision of services.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2024

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (PS5) has remained in first place on the French charts for week 43, 2024, according to SELL. 

The PlayStation 4 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 remained in third place, while the Xbox version fell out of the top five.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) debuted in fifth place.

Super Mario Party Jamboree (NS) remained in second place and EA Sports FC 25 (PS5) remained in fourth place.

Top sellers per system were as follows:

PS5

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. EA Sports FC 25
3. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Xbox Series X|S

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
3. EA Sports FC 25

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463062/dragon-age-the-veilguard-debuts-in-5th-on-the-french-charts/

1. LG launches three new XBOOM Series speakers in India: Check price, details  Business Standard
2. LG launches three XBOOM series speakers: Price, features and more  The Times of India
3. LG launches XBOOM speaker series, headlined by the 1000W XL9T: Price and features  The Indian Express
4. LG XBOOM XL9T, XO2T and GO XG2T portable Bluetooth speakers launched in India  FoneArena
5. LG unveils XBOOM series speakers in India, from rugged to stylish; see price and features  Business Today

Damage to your environment can bring a profound sense of loss; that feeling, called solastalgia, can also provide inspiration

Extreme penalty provided under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) i.e. Death Penalty imposed by the Sessions Judge is placed before us for scrutiny due to mandate of Section 366 of the Code, as well as by virtue of appeal preferred by the accused in terms of Section 374[2] of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.)

2. Appellant Nos.1 to 3 were tried and convicted by the Additional Sessions Judge, Akot vide judgment and order dated 17.05.2024 in Sessions Case No.57/2015 for the offence punishable under Sections 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC and Section 506 [Part-II] read with Section 34 of the IPC. Though they have also been charged for the offence punishable under Section 323 of the Indian Rgd.

Extreme penalty provided under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) i.e. Death Penalty imposed by the Sessions Judge is placed before us for scrutiny due to mandate of Section 366 of the Code, as well as by virtue of appeal preferred by the accused in terms of Section 374[2] of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.)

2. Appellant Nos.1 to 3 were tried and convicted by the Additional Sessions Judge, Akot vide judgment and order dated 17.05.2024 in Sessions Case No.57/2015 for the offence punishable under Sections 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC and Section 506 [Part-II] read with Section 34 of the IPC. Though they have also been charged for the offence punishable under Section 323 of the Indian Rgd.

Hygrometers to measure humidity and thermometers will be installed on the shrine premises soon to provide weather services to pilgrims, says IMD Director

Last week’s premiere of Arms and the Man by renowned Irish-born playwright George Bernard Shaw sparked raucous protests by nationalist groups

The youth was “misusing social media for radical propaganda aimed at to instigate common people against the Government of India and also glamourising terrorism in J&K”

Reyes, A V; Dillman, T; Kennedy, K; Froese, D; Beaudoin, A B; Paulen, R C. GSA 2020 Connects Online - Geological Society of America Annual Meeting; Geological Society of America, Abstracts With Programs vol. 52, no. 6, 2020 p. 1, https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020AM-360064
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200502.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200502.jpg" title="GSA 2020 Connects Online - Geological Society of America Annual Meeting; Geological Society of America, Abstracts With Programs vol. 52, no. 6, 2020 p. 1, https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020AM-360064" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Bringué, M; Komaromi, L. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 9068, 2023, 9 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/332300
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_332300.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_332300.jpg" title="Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 9068, 2023, 9 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/332300" height="150" border="1" /></a>

An investor consortium, led by Milgam has won the tender for the privatization of Israel Post.

1. "Belangrijk om hém af te stoppen": Roeselare houdt in CL-opener vooral een Belg in de gaten  sporza.be
2. LIVESTREAM: Tiebreak! Milaan zit helemaal in de wedstrijd en sleept vijfsetter uit de brand tegen Roeselare  sporza.be
3. Stijn D’Hulst kijkt enorm uit naar Europese opener van Knack Roeselare in Milaan: “Met één punt zullen we het goed gedaan hebben”  Het Nieuwsblad
4. LIVESTREAM: Milaan knokt zich in de wedstrijd, Roeselare incasseert ace op setbal voor 1-2  sporza.be

1. “Niet iedereen draait de ideale drol”: stoelgangschaal speelt hoofdrol in nieuw VRT-programma. Professor legt uit wat je kaka zegt over je gezondheid  Het Laatste Nieuws
2. “Wat je eet is wat je voelt”, ‘De grote boodschap’ over de impact van darmgezondheid  VRT.be
3. Darmdokter Magali Surmont uit ‘De grote boodschap’: ‘Naar je stoelgang in de pot kijken, desnoods met het lichtje van je telefoon, kan je leven redden’  Humo The Wild Site
4. De fascinerende kronkels van onze darmen in 'De Grote Boodschap'  TVvisie

1. Samsung introduceert de Galaxy A16-serie, met twee nieuwe toestellen  Samsung Newsroom België
2. Samsung A16 4G kost 199 euro, 30 euro minder dan 5G-variant - Tablets en telefoons - Nieuws  Tweakers
3. De nieuwe Samsung Galaxy A16 van €199 heeft wat de iPhone 16 niet heeft  Bright.nl
4. Samsung lanceert nog goedkopere Galaxy A16 met zes jaar ondersteuning  TechPulse

1. Waarom cryptomunten sinds de verkiezing van Trump zo hot zijn (en wat daar de gevolgen van kunnen zijn)  VRT.be
2. Bitcoins verzilveren? Opgepast voor kater van de fiscus: tot 50% aanslagvoet mogelijk  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. ‘Bitcoin is stilaan incontournabel’: drie experts over de recordwaardes van cryptomunten  De Morgen
4. Bitcoin krijgt vleugels nu Trump zich achter de munt schaart  Het Nieuwsblad
5. De 7 Extra | Staat bitcoin voor een langdurige stierenmarkt?  De Tijd

Walking the thousand year old pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela gave the Transform team many opportunities to share the Gospel

Personal friendships combined with special events prove effective in sharing Christ with Belgians.

Offering concerts in private settings in Tienen, Belgium, proves effective in connecting with youth.

Relationships, mentoring, fun, practical work, spiritual growth and learning to love others are all part of OM Belgium's fACTOR programme.

1. EC officials check Eknath Shinde's bag in Palghar amid Uddhav Thackeray checking row  Hindustan Times
2. 'Bag-checked': CM Shinde, Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis post frisking videos as Uddhav Thackeray questions EC  The Times of India
3. Eknath Shinde's Bag Checked In Palghar Amid Uddhav Thackeray's Accusations  NDTV
4. Maharashtra Assembly Election: Devendra Fadnavis’s bag was checked too: BJP rebuts Uddhav Thackeray with video  India Today
5. Uddhav Thackeray's convoy stopped at Maharashtra-Goa border check-post  Telegraph India

In a tragic incident in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district, a bus carrying a wedding party fell into the Ind River, leading to the death of at least 26 individuals. This sorrowful event occurred on Tuesday when the bus, en route from Astore

The Election Commission (EC) officials on Wednesday inspected bag of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his Palghar visit. A couple of days ago, EC officials frisked Uddhav Thackeray's helicopter, after which, Shiv Sena UBT chief accused the EC of being

Writings of Erasmus: His more serious writings begin early with the Enchiridion Militis Christiani, the "Manual (or Dagger) of the Christian Gentleman" (1503). In this little volume Erasmus outlines the views of the normal Christian life which he was to spend the rest of his days in elaborating. The key-note of it all is sincerity. The chief evil of the day, he says, is formalism, a respect for traditions, a regard for what other people think essential, but never a thought of what the true teaching of Christ may be. Another of Erasmus's books worthy of mention was, Praise of Folly, dedicated to his friend Sir Thomas More. -- While in England Erasmus began the systematic examination of manuscripts of the New Testament to prepare for a new edition and Latin translation. This edition was published by Froben of Basel in 1516 and was the basis of most of the scientific study of the Bible during the Reformation period. It was the first attempt on the part of a competent and liberal-minded scholar to ascertain what the writers of the New Testament had actually said. The Greek text produced by Erasmus is known as textus receptus and was the basis for the King James Version of the New Testament. Erasmus dedicated his work ironically, to Pope Leo X., and he justly regarded this work as his chief service to the cause of a sound Christianity. Immediately after he began the publication of his Paraphrases of the New Testament, a popular presentation of the contents of the several books. These, like all the writings of Erasmus, were in Latin, but they were at once translated into the common languages of the European peoples, a process which received the hearty approval of Erasmus himself.

Imprisonments: As his popularity and notoriety grew, Bunyan increasingly became a target for slander and libel; he was described as "a witch, a Jesuit, a highwayman" and was said to have mistresses and multiple wives. In 1658, aged 30, he was arrested for preaching at Eaton Socon and indicted for preaching without a licence. That same year his wife died leaving him with 4 children, one of which was blind. He continued preaching, however, and did not suffer imprisonment until November 1660, when he was taken to the County gaol in Silver Street, Bedford. In that same year, Bunyan married again, Elizabeth, by whom he had two more children, Sarah and Joseph. The Restoration of the monarchy by Charles II of England began Bunyan's persecution as England returned to Anglicanism. Meeting-houses were quickly closed and all citizens were required to attend their Anglican parish church. It became punishable by law to "conduct divine service except in accordance with the ritual of the church, or for one not in Episcopal orders to address a congregation." Thus, John Bunyan no longer had that freedom to preach which he had enjoyed under the Puritan Commonwealth. He was arrested on 12 November 1660, whilst preaching privately in Lower Samsell by Harlington, Bedfordshire, 10 miles south of Bedford. -- John was brought before the magistrate John Wingate at Harlington House and refused to desist from preaching. Wingate sent him to Bedford County Gaol, to consider his situation. After a month, Bunyan reports (in his own account of his imprisonment) that Wingate's clerk visited him, seeking to get him to change his mind. The clerk said that all the authorities wanted was for Bunyan to undertake not to preach at private gatherings, as it was suspected that these non-conformist meetings were in fact being used by people plotting against the king. In answer to the clerk, John argued that God's law obliged him to preach at any and every opportunity, and refused to consider the suggested compromise. -- In January 1661, Bunyan was brought before the quarter sessions in the Chapel of Herne, Bedford. His prosecutor, Mr. Justice Wingate, despite Bunyan's clear breaches of the Religion Act of 1592, was not inclined to incarcerate Bunyan. But John's stark statement "If you release me today, I will preach tomorrow" left the magistrates - Sir John Kelynge of Southill, Sir Henry Chester of Lidlington, Sir George Blundell of Cardington, Sir Wllm Beecher of Howbury and Thomas Snagg of Milbrook - with no choice but to imprison him. So Bunyan was incarcerated for 3 months for the crimes of "pertinaciously abstaining" from attending mandatory Anglican church services and preaching at "unlawful meetings". -- Strenuous efforts were made by Bunyan's wife to get his case re-heard at the spring assizes but Bunyan's continued assertions that he would, if freed, preach to his awaiting congregation meant that the magistrates would not consider any new hearing. Similar efforts were made in the following year but, again, to no avail. In early 1664, an Act of Parliament the Conventicles Act made it illegal to hold religious meetings of five or more people outside of the auspices of the Church of England. -- It was during his time in Bedford County Gaol that John Bunyan conceived his allegorical novel: The Pilgrim's Progress. (Many scholars however believe that he commenced this work during the second and shorter imprisonment of 1675, referred to below.) Bunyan's incarceration was punctuated with periods of relative freedom - lax gaolers allowing him out to attend church meetings and to minister to his congregation. -- In 1666, John was briefly released for a few weeks before being re-arrested for preaching and sent back to Bedford's County gaol, where he remained for a further six years. During that time, he wove shoelaces to support his family and preached to his fellow prisoners - a congregation of about sixty. In his possession were two books, John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, the Bible, a violin he had made out of tin, a flute he'd made from a chair leg and a supply of pen and paper. Both music and writing were integral to John's Puritan faith. John Bunyan was released in January 1672, when Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence.

Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county gaol [jail] for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England. Early Bunyan scholars like John Brown believed The Pilgrim's Progress was begun in Bunyan's second shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675, but more recent scholars like Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660-1672 right after he had written his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. -- The English text comprises 108,260 words and is divided into two parts, each reading as a continuous narrative with no chapter divisions. The first part was completed in 1677 and entered into the stationers' register on December 22, 1677. It was licensed and entered in the "Term Catalogue" on February 18, 1678, which is looked upon as the date of first publication. After the first edition of the first part in 1678, an expanded edition, with additions written after Bunyan was freed, appeared in 1679. The Second Part appeared in 1684. There were eleven editions of the first part in John Bunyan's lifetime, published in successive years from 1678 to 1685 and in 1688, and there were two editions of the second part, published in 1684 and 1686.