OUTTAKE BLOG™

New Wells Fargo LGBT Retirement Study

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:41:00 +0000

A new Wells Fargo study has found that our LGBT community is more confident about planning for retirement then the heterosexual community. All investors are faced with the complex challenges when it comes to retirement, including: how to save enough to feel comfortable, where to invest retirement savings, understanding & creating retirement income options & when & where to retire. LGBT investors face these same challenges as well as several unique ones, including those stemming from a lack of federal marriage & inheritance rights. In a recent nationwide Wells Fargo retirement survey, LGBT non-retirees reported a higher level of confidence in their retirement savings, compared to the general population. In the survey, 61% of LGBT non-retirees felt confident they would have enough saved by the time they retire to live the lifestyle they want throughout their retirement, significantly higher than 53% cited by the general population. Despite this confidence, over a third (36%) of LGBT non-retirees expect they will need to work during retirement in order to afford their lifestyle only slightly lower than the 41% of the general population. Of course more than half (54%) of all LGBT respondents cite being recognized as equal citizens by society & the law as the most important reason for legalizing gay marriage. One in five (19%) say that having legal rights & medical decision-making on behalf of one’s partner is most important. Only 7% said legalizing gay marriage was not important to them. Updates to Come...:)

New Exclusive Audio Interview with Orlando Del Valle who serves on the Board of Directors of The History Project. Del Valle’s photos are part of a significant art exhibit “Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration” that The History Project is presenting in collaboration with the Boston Center for Adult Education & runs through June 30th at the BCAE more @ OUTTAKE VOICES™
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View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

Gay Activist Walks Across USA For Equality

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:22:00 +0000

It's taken over a year for Gay Activist Richard Noble to walk across 10 states & over 2700 miles in pursuit of LGBT equality. He will arrive in Jacksonville, Florida on June 9th to a hero’s welcome for completing a historic “Civil Rights Walk Across America” carrying the Rainbow Flag & a bill seeking full federal equality for LGBT Americans – The American Equality Bill. Eleven Mayors & 3 City Councils from a diverse array of cities, including Salt Lake City, Birmingham, Biloxi, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Austin, Houston, Oakland, Boulder, West Hollywood, Tallahassee & New Orleans issued official Proclamations in support of the Walk & demand that Congress add “sexual orientation & gender identity” to the 1964 Civil Rights Act & related laws, as a matter of urgent public health & welfare. At the finish line in Jacksonville, where the City Council will soon vote on a local civil rights ordinance, the Rainbow House GLBT Community Center & River City News Magazine will host a welcoming event starting at 1P at the Rainbow House, 2857 Myra Street. “I was overwhelmed by the rash of suicides & so I walked,” said Richard Noble, who put his life in storage & started out from San Francisco last March, 2011. “I carried the Rainbow Flag through the desert & across the Rockies, to Matthew Shepard’s fence & Wounded Knee, to gay groups & elected officials, all to help light a fire for full equality & to talk about the insidious psychological and physical harm LGBT Americans suffer from discrimination.” Updates to Come...:)

Cynthia Nixon Marries Christine Marinoni

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:08:00 +0000

Cynthia Nixon married her partner of almost 8 years Christine Marinoni over the holiday weekend in New York where gay marriage has been legal since last June. The couple met at an education rally in 2002 & tied the knot 3 years after getting engaged at the Love, Peace & Marriage Equality rally in NYC. "On May 27, 2012, Cynthia Nixon & her girlfriend, Christine Marinoni, were legally married in the state of New York" Nixon's rep confirmed. "Nixon wore a custom dress by Carolina Herrera." As you remember in January this year, Nixon angered our LGBT community with her controversial "gay by choice" remarks. She quickly clarified her statement by saying, "While I don't often use the word, the technically precise term for my orientation is bisexual. I believe bisexuality is not a choice, it is a fact. What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship." Talking about her sexual orientation, meanwhile, she once said, "In terms of sexual orientation, I don't feel I've changed. I'd been with men all my life & I'd never fallen in love with a woman. But when I did, it didn't seem strange. I'm just a woman in love with another woman." The couple have a son together named Max Ellington Nixon-Marinoni who Christine gave birth to in February 2011. The actress has 2 children, daughter Samantha & son Charles Ezekiel, from a previous relationship with Danny Mozes. Congrats Cynthia & Christine!!

Exclusive Audio Chat with Dr. Samuel Pang the Medical Director of the Reproductive Science Center of New England. Gay couples can become parents by the same assisted reproductive technologies that enable infertile heterosexual couples to have babies & the good news is that it is possible to have your own biological child. More Info
@ OUTTAKE VOICES™
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Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

Memorial Day After ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:25:00 +0000

After the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ our gay & lesbian military are now confronted with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that forces the military to treat legally married gay & lesbian service members & their families differently than it treats all other married service members & their families. SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) & Freedom To Marry have launched a grassroots petition calling on Congress to end marriage discrimination against gay & lesbian service members & veterans. The petition builds support for repealing the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) & passing the Respect for Marriage Act. It is part of the new Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry national campaign highlighting the stories of military families harmed by DOMA. "This Memorial Day, we remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, but we must also recognize that our gay & lesbian service members & their families pay a price every day even as they serve our country – a price their straight counterparts are not required to pay. It’s time to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act & honor these brave patriots by treating them equally," said Army Veteran & SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. Read Full Petition….
Have a Safe & Fabulous Memorial Day Weekend!!

Senate SASC Kills Anti Gay Defense Act

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:06:00 +0000

Breaking: The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) passed its annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) without the adoption of the anti gay amendments that are included in the House version of the bill that limited the use of Department of Defense facilities, affect military chaplains & undermine successful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal implementation. Aubrey Sarvis , Army veteran & Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director, stated, "SLDN & our allies have been working on Capitol Hill this year to encourage the Senate Armed Services Committee to pass a common-sense defense spending bill that does not seek to turn the clock back on the progress we have made in this first year of implementation of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal. We now turn our attention to making sure the full Senate passes the committee bill & that the harmful language included in the House version is stripped away in conference committee.” The House bill that passed on May 18th included 2 harmful amendments put forth by homophobic opponents of LGBT military equality. The first would give so-called "conscience protections" to chaplains & service members who do not wish to minister & work with gay & lesbian service members. A threat to military readiness & unit cohesion, this amendment would allow service members to actively harass their fellow comrades for their perceived or actual sexual orientation. It would allow chaplains to discriminate against service members by religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, or any other religious belief simply by arguing that ministering to them would be contrary to their "conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs." This is an excellent way to kick off Memorial Day Holiday Weekend for our gay & lesbian military serving our country. Updates to Come…:)

Target Reveals New Gay Pride Tees Online

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Target is trying to cash in on our LGBT community by unveiling a new line of tees for the gay pride season. Since they were exposed for donating a sizable amount of money to an anti-gay politician in Minnesota, the big box company has been attempting to win back a gay-friendly reputation. Remember Lady Gaga locked heads with them over a marketing deal for her BORN THIS WAY CD release due to their homophobic position. Lady Gaga stated last year, "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups & begin to reform & make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past ... our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community & to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [anti-gay] groups." The new Target line of tees is being offered just in time to profit on our pride celebrations. The sales of the $12.99 shirts will go to the Family Equality Council but donations are capped at $120,000 which is $30,000 less than what Target donated toward homophobe GOP Tom Emmer’s gubernatorial campaign in 2010. The other interesting fact is the tee shirts are only available online. So don’t expect any displays in Target stores supporting LGBT equality anytime soon. The tees feature lame designs inspired by Japanese dolls, some 70s-style typography & even singer Gwen Stefani helped design 2 of them. You'd think they'd have the gay fashion sense to have perhaps Isaac Mizrahi designer the tees. Take a look at our pride tees that at least say something. Updates to Come:)

Significant New Poll Supports Gay Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:42:00 +0000

The newest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows strong public support for gay marriage to the extent that it exceeds the strongest opposition by a significant margin for the first time. Adding to that African-Americans have finally moved more in favor of marriage equality hopefully taking their lead from Obama on this issue. The margin is 53 % of Americans say gay marriage should be legal. The interesting part is our visibility. In America 71 % now say they have a friend, family member or acquaintance who’s gay, up from 59 % in 1998. People who know someone who’s gay are 20 points more likely than others to support gay marriage. We need the African-American support which is up to 59 % in this survey that support gay marriage. That’s up from 41 % last year & 65 % support Obama’s new position on the issue. As we reported the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced its support for gay marriage last weekend. Now the homophobic stats of course come from Republicans & conservatives that oppose gay marriage by more than 2-1 & evangelical white Protestants by more than 3-1. Democrats however continue to support marriage equality by more than 2-1. So it comes down to 58 % support legalizing gay marriage & 43 % do so strongly. Just stop using the Karl Rove term ‘same-sex’ & watch marriage equality become a reality. Updates to Come…:)

Celebrating Gay Activist Harvey Milk Day

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Today San Diego will celebrate Harvey Milk Day with the unveiling of a street named in honor of the LGBT civil rights leader. There will be a celebration at 5P PST at the corner of Harvey Milk Street (Blaine Ave.) & Centre Street. Speakers at the event will include: Nicole Murray Ramirez – City Commissioner, Todd Gloria - Council Member District 3, Anthony Young Council President District 4, Stuart Milk – Founder of the Harvey B. Milk Foundation, Dwayne Crenshaw - Executive Director - San Diego LGBT Pride & Delores Jacobs - Chief Executive Officer of The LGBT Community Center. A reception with refreshments will follow the prgram inside the LGBT Community Center. Dwayne Crenshaw, San Diego LGBT Pride Executive Director stated, “After the tireless efforts of a group of community leaders, LGBT civil rights leader Harvey Milk will be honored in the same way we honor leaders such as Cesar Chavez & Martin Luther King Jr. Harvey Milk dedicated his life to leading our community in the struggle for equal rights. The unveiling of Harvey Milk Street will mark a symbolic moment in our history & a step in the right direction towards achieving the truly American value of equality.” Harvey Milk would have been 82th today. In 1977 Milk became the first out gay elected official from a major U.S. city when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He won on a platform of civil rights but his tenure was cut short when he was assassinated by former supervisor, Dan White, the following year. In 2009 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom in by President Obama saying that Milk’s “message of hope, hope unashamed, hope unafraid, could not ever be silenced.” Harvey Milk was a champion for seniors, for working people & for those who didn't have a voice & his courageous work set the stage for many of the key civil rights advances we enjoy today. Updates to Come...:)
Listen to Gay Activist Cleve Jones talk about his friend Harvey Milk in this Exclusive Audio Byte:

NAACP Comes Out For Gay Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:33:00 +0000

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Board of Directors is following the lead of President Obama & California Conference of the NAACP President Alice Huffman in confirming support for marriage equality. Brian Silva, Marriage Equality USA Executive Director, stated, “The NAACP has been a long-time ally in the fight for marriage equality. Saturday's vote cements the bond of our common struggle to insure that all Americans are treated equally. We thank our friends at the NAACP for their action today.” In their resolution the NAACP Board affirmed, “…the NAACP has opposed & will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens.” The NAACP Board was unequivocal in the announcement released Saturday, with President & CEO Ben Jealous declaring, “Civil marriage is a civil right & a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution & equal protection of all people.”
So this is good news for our LGBT people & an interesting turn of events for Sunday’s bully pulpits. Updates to Come…:)

Exclusive Audio Chat with Director Jeffrey Schwarz about his new must-see documentary VITO about gay activist Vito Russo. Russo was a founding member of 3 pivotal gay rights groups starting with the Gay Activists Alliance in the early 1970s. Russo was also a key voice in the creation of both Act Up the AIDS activist group credited with revolutionizing the federal approval process for new drugs & the influential media watchdog the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Learn your LGBT history @ OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFFINGTON POST...:)
Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

Massachusetts Gay Youth Pride Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Robinson) — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Massachusetts Youth Pride is a day long festival being held Saturday, May 19th, from 11A to 4P at the Boston Common. The festival celebrates the year round commitment of diversity of youth within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They’re expecting more than 5,000 LGBT youth, adult allies & supporters. It all starts at 9:30A at Boston Common Gazebo across from 170 Tremont St. Then gather & mingle at 10A before the rally starts at 11A. The parade kicks off at noon & the festival runs from 1-4P. Then BAGLY (The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth) hosts the annual LGBTQ Youth Prom at Boston City Hall from 7-11P following Massachusetts Youth Pride. First held in 1981, the BAGLY Prom is the nation’s oldest annual LGBTQ youth prom & it remains the largest. Since the late 1990’s, it has attracted over 1,000 youth annually. The admission for the BAGLY Prom is $20. Continuing the festivities on Sunday May 20th Boston GLASS, a program hosted by JRI, entitled “Bridging the Divide between LGBTQ youth & LGBTQ youth of color” will take place. This will be a forum with a panel of diverse youth community members & two youth moderators. The panel will address a number of issues with in the LGBTQ youth community such as “clicks,” homophobia within the gay community, transphobia, race, social status, white privilege, male privilege, programming for youth services & the stigma of HIV/AIDS. There will be allotted 30-45 minutes at the end of the panel to go over action items for the things discussed. A brunch featuring pancakes, bacon (turkey/pork), eggs, French toast, home fries & fruit will also be served. It will be great home cooked food, so come ready to eat & discuss the future of LGBTQ youth on Sunday at 12:30P at 25 West Street, Boston, MA.
Happy Massachusetts Youth LGBTQ Pride!! For More Info….

OUTTAKE BLOG™

New Wells Fargo LGBT Retirement Study

Gay Activist Walks Across USA For Equality

Cynthia Nixon Marries Christine Marinoni

Memorial Day After ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Senate SASC Kills Anti Gay Defense Act

Target Reveals New Gay Pride Tees Online

Significant New Poll Supports Gay Marriage

Celebrating Gay Activist Harvey Milk Day

NAACP Comes Out For Gay Marriage

Massachusetts Gay Youth Pride Festival

U.S. House Passes Anti Gay Defense Bill

Boston Gay Pride Art Exhibition

Gay Marriage Celebrates 8th Anniversary

Gay Activists Join Forces To End DOMA

Gay Mural Takes Middle East Stance

Obama & New Gallup Poll Supports Equality

Preaching Anti Gay Rhetoric

Mitt Romney Anti Gay And A Bully

Anti Gay Amendments Adopted in House

Obama Comes Out For Gay Marriage

Shame On You North Carolina

Joe Biden Comes Out For Gay Marriage

Jamie And Jesse Are Not Together (Audio)

Gay Marriage Gains National Endorsements

Boston LGBT Film Fest May 3rd At ICA