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Hyacinth Foundation 39th Gala (AUDIO)

Hyacinth Foundation will host its 39th annual Gala & Silent Auction in celebration of those who have fought to end HIV/AIDS in New Jersey. This year’s Hyacinth Award recipient is actor/activist Jason A. Rodriquez best known for his role as Lamar Extravaganza on the groundbreaking FOX hit series POSE. Rodriquez has been a longtime vocal advocate for LGBTQ youth, most visibly around the importance of sexual health & HIV prevention. He recently partnered with Gilead as a highly visible spokesperson for the effective use of PrEP & through his work as a teacher & ballroom leader focuses on supporting & educating LGBTQ youth to thrive & live healthy active lives. Also being honored is esteemed New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz who will be recognized with the Riki Jacobs Social Justice Award for her unwavering commitment to education reform, social justice & community development. Sal Susino Manager of Special Initiatives for the Prevention Resource Network at the VNA & Shannon Preston, Executive Director of HIV Services at the VNA will both be celebrated & honored for their impactful advocacy & leadership with the Deloris Dockrey Award. The fabulous November 2nd event takes place against the elegant backdrop of the Newark Museum of Art & will feature a night of exquisite cocktails, gourmet hors d’oeuvres provided by David Ellis Events, a spectacular silent auction & an evening of chic mingling & entertainment. I talked to Jason A. Rodriquez in this exclusive podcast during the Creating Change Conference last February in New Orleans about what he hopes to accomplish with his work & his spin on our LGBTQ issues. LISTEN  
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USA Election Questioning Hate (VIDEO)

As we head into the last week before our presidential election in America it appears that this is going to be beyond a time to fasten your seatbelts as the crap flies from mouths of hatemongers once known as the GOP. After their hate convention in Madison Square Garden last night where undeniably he made a killing in merch despite being banned from doing business in NYC I can’t help but wonder what their next new low will be & when will this country ever return to some level of recognizable decency? When Biden stepped down from running in July & Harris accepted the nomination the country seemed to erupt with a sense of hope that couldn’t be denied. Unfortunately the Dems are falling short with their messaging giving the other candidate way too much air time by the mere mention of his name. Now a few months later with one week before the election that energy has ceased with a dead heat in the polls. Of course that is if you believe in polls flashing back to 2016 when Hillary Clinton was way ahead in the polls & look how that turned out. In the final days before November 5th mainstream media continues with their redundant election banter & after a massive newspaper unsubscribe movement from spineless publications take a moment to watch our next must-see truthful VOTE PSA. We’ve launched it on social media & beyond to get the VOTE OUT especially for those undecided folks featuring Rev. Irene Monroe, directed by C. Fitz (Queen Sugar), West Coast producer Lissa Forehan & Ann Hampton Callaway performs the closing tagline song “Vote For A Working America. An America That Works For Us All”. WATCH

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Lambda Legal Liberty Award Honorees

Lambda Legal honored Dylan Mulvaney & George Takei at its 2024 West Coast Liberty Awards on Thursday night in West Hollywood,CA. Mulvaney & Takei were honored for dedicating their time, talent & voice to being fierce advocates in our LGBTQ & HIV rights movement. Comedian & writer Dana Goldberg hosted the event which also featured a performance by singer-songwriter David Archuleta. Dylan Mulvaney has increasingly become a public voice in support of trans rights. After chronicling the early stages of her gender transition in the “Days of Girlhood” Mulvaney continues to shed light on the power of living authentically & speaks out against the threat of anti-trans legislation & bans on gender-affirming healthcare. George Takei career spans six decades appearing in more than 40 feature films & hundreds of television roles most famously as Hikaru Sulu in “Star Trek”& has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice, LGBTQ rights & marriage equality. His advocacy is personal since during World War II Takei spent his childhood unjustly imprisoned in United States incarceration camps along with 125,000 other Japanese Americans. Lambda Legal founded in 1973 is the nation’s oldest & largest nonprofit legal advocate for members of our LGBTQ community & people living with HIV. In recent years we’ve all seen hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the USA. Discriminatory bills such as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” have become law. Parents & doctors are being criminalized for providing gender-affirming care. Lambda Legal will continue to protect our community from these attacks & keep making the case for equality. 

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First Nonpartisan VOTE PSA (VIDEO)

Last November I was having dinner with friends in Provincetown & of course politics came up. My friends expressed fear of the upcoming presidential election a year away. At that time & now we’re dealing with over 500 anti LGBTQ bills in states across the country, women’s rights continue to be on the chopping block, hate crimes & racial discrimination are on the rise all as we head into the 2024 presidential election. A year ago, my friends’ fears were if a white nationalist white supremist became the presidential nominee for the GOP marriage equality & all the rights we have worked so hard for would be at risk. This lit a fire within me as an Emmy winning producer to do something. With this country so divided I decided to create a technically nonpartisan VOTE PSA Campaign. When I began this venture it wasn’t quite apparent that we would also be taking a stab at saving our democracy. All one can do is try & with my background working for ABC, NBC & CBS News Divisions from Cronkite to serving as a Blue Ribbon Judge for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences News & Documentary Emmy Awards for over 10 years this was a ride I had to take. JFK instilled in me as a young kid to “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You. Ask What You Can Do For Your Country.” The official premiere of this campaign will take place at the 27th Annual Lesbians & LGBTQ Friends Dance to benefit Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition Saturday October 26th at Club Café in Boston, MA & virtually via Zoom. Here's a sneak peek of our first VOTE PSA. WATCH
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Normal Anomaly Initiative Gilead Grant

The Normal Anomaly Initiative one of the nation’s premiere nonprofits dedicated to uplifting & supporting our Black LGBTQ community has announced a significant grant from Gilead Sciences. This will propel their mission to enhance the well-being of the Black Queer community throughout the Southern United States. This funding will support their latest project “Luminate” in partnership with Montrose Grace Place (MGP) a nonprofit providing a safe & welcoming environment for unhoused youth of all sexualities & genders. Ian L. Haddock, Founder of The Normal Anomaly Initiative stated, “This grant from Gilead Sciences is not just a financial boost; it’s a beacon of hope & validation for our community. Having personally faced the challenges of being unhoused, I understand the critical need for spaces that welcome & safely affirm our youth. Montrose Grace Place is exemplary in this respect & together, we can achieve profound change for innumerable lives here in Houston and beyond.” Courtney Sellers, Montrose Grace Place Executive Director concluded, “We are filled with gratitude & joy at the opportunity to partner with The Normal Anomaly Initiative & Gilead Sciences to address systemic barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness. The Normal Anomaly has been a leader in fostering community & opportunity for Black, Queer+ people in Houston & throughout the south & we are over the moon about partnering with them to provide additional opportunities for our youth to use their experiences to create pathways to opportunity for themselves & other LGBTQ+ youth with unstable housing.” The Normal Anomaly Initiative & Montrose Grace Place invites the community & beyond to support this crucial work to create a future where everyone has their basic needs met to live & has the support & community necessary to thrive. 
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LGBTQ Elders SAGE Awards & Gala

SAGE will host its annual SAGE Awards & Gala hosted by the incomparable Nina West best known from RuPaul’s Drag Race & will highlight the resilience & vibrancy of our LGBTQ elders from across the country. The evening will also celebrate the contributions of community partners & activists who are making a lasting impact on the lives of older LGBTQ people. The fabulous gala event takes place Monday October 21st at Cipriani Wall Street 55 Wall Street in NYC from 6P to 10P. This year the SAGE Awards & Gala will honor the legendary singer, composer, & transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland with the Joyce Warshow Lifetime Achievement Award. SAGE will be posthumously honoring activist Frank Stark with the Ken Dawson Award recognizing his legacy in advancing LGBTQ rights for decades & board service at the NYC LGBTQ Center & SAGE. During his 17 years on the SAGE Board he held many roles including Board Co-Chair & was instrumental in advancing SAGE’s international work. Stark’s dedication to this community has had a profound impact that will last for years to come. SAGE will also honor Evercore with the Corporate Leadership Award. Evercore is a premier global independent investment banking firm. They are dedicated to helping clients achieve superior results through trusted independent & innovative advice on matters of strategic & financial significance to boards of directors, management teams & shareholders. There will also be speakers & a performance by the Kristin Sudeikis Dance Company. Since 1978 SAGE has envisioned a world where LGBTQ elders are valued, have limitless opportunities & thrive leading the way in advocating for policies, services & resources that empower LGBTQ elders to live openly & authentically. 
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A Brutally Honest VOTE PSA (AUDIO)

This week I talked with activist Reverend Irene Monroe about appearing in our issue driven non-partisan VOTE PSA Campaign we’ve launched on social media & beyond to get the VOTE OUT. As early voting has begun in states across the country OUTTAKE MEDIA™ has spearheaded this timely & compelling VOTE PSA Campaign to bring our LGBTQ community & marginalized grassroots groups together about the importance of voting. Not only will this campaign get people to vote it will also address our issues. Whether you’re Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, Indigenous or LGBTQ we need to come together now or possibly lose our rights. In our VOTE PSA Rev. Monroe addresses these issues including women’s rights & the rise of hate crimes as we head into a presidential election questioning our Democracy. The campaign is directed by C. Fitz (Queen Sugar, One Perfect Shot), West Coast producer Lissa Forehan (More Beautiful for Having Been Broken) & performing the closing tagline song “Vote For A Working America” is Broadway/Cabaret Diva Ann Hampton Callaway. Produced in the historic Calderwood Studio at WGBH in Boston I want to thank our GBH team including Terry Quinn Director of Studio Operations, Phil Reilly Set design & Lighting Director, Howard Powell Cinematographer, Beth Godlin Lillis Post Production Manager, Editor Deb Holland & Juan José Cadena Duenas Studio Operations Manager. This is a full circle experience for me since I began my career decades ago at WGBH as assistant to Paula Apsell, Senior Executive Producer Emerita NOVA at GBH. I talked to Rev. Irene Monroe about the significance of this VOTE PSA Campaign & her spin on our LGBTQ issues. LISTEN

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Hyacinth Foundation 39th Gala (AUDIO)

Hyacinth Foundation will host its 39th annual Gala & Silent Auction in celebration of those who have fought to end HIV/AIDS in New Jerse...

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