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Broadway Pirates The Penzance Musical

The Roundabout Theatre Company is presenting “Pirates! The Penzance Musical” a jazz-infused revival of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance coming to Broadway this month starring Ramin Karimloo, David Hyde Pierce & joined by Jinkx Monsoon as Ruth at the Todd Haimes Theatre in NYC. Previews begin this week on April 4th with the official opening on April 24th. The limited engagement has already been extended July 27th passing its original closing performance of June 22nd. David Hyde Pierce stated, “Gilbert & Sullivan is in my blood. Even as a little kid at summer camp, they would do a Gilbert & Sullivan every summer. So for years I've just been marinating in this stuff. It's not like I'm a fanatic, but I just love it. I love the music, I love the comedy of it & the spin they're doing on this in particular makes me really excited about it.” In this new production Gilbert & Sullivan’s pirate ship docks in New Orleans in this jazzy-bluesy vision of the crowd-pleasing classic in an outrageously clever romp sizzling with Caribbean rhythms & French Quarter flair. With the tongue-twisting Major General the rabble-rousing Pirate King newly-imagined young lovers, daring daughters, footloose pirates & fleet-footed police there's a shipload of musical comedy delights on board to dazzle first-timers & G&S aficionados alike. The reimagined adaptation is directed by Scott Ellis (Doubt; Kiss Me, Kate) & choreographed by Warren Carlyle (Harmony; Kiss Me, Kate) with a hilarious new adaptation by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood). Joseph Joubert (Caroline, or Change) is the musical director & orchestrations by Joubert & Daryl Waters (Memphis). 
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AIDS United 32nd Annual Conference

For 32 years AIDS United’s AIDS Watch has been more than a conference it’s a force for change. From the halls of Congress to community centers, AIDS Watch has amplified voices, ignited policy shifts & transformed lives. With the House & Senate both in session this week AIDS Watch 2025 kicks off Monday March 31st through Wednesday April 2nd while Congress is in session. This year’s theme is “Preserving our Health and PrEParing for the Future!” It’s a declaration of the work needed to advance health equity & ensure so all our voices are heard & we can reach everyone who can benefit from HIV care. We must continue to work together to preserve, protect & advocate for an end to the HIV epidemic. Registration includes an AIDSWatch t-shirt, all conference materials, transportation from the hotel to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for meetings with congressional offices, a welcome reception with hors d’oeuvres Monday night, a congressional reception with hors d’oeuvres Tuesday night & breakfast and lunch at the hotel on Tuesday. AIDS United is committed to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States (U.S.) through strategic grantmaking, advocacy & capacity building. Through their pillars of strategic grantmaking, capacity building & technical assistance, policy & advocacy. AIDS United has delivered more than $160 million in direct funding & leveraged an additional $184 million to increase the capacity of communities & organizations responding to the HIV epidemic across the U.S. Their grantees & members touch communities representing more than 96 percent of today’s HIV epidemic & they have proudly supported the work of over 600 organizations across 43 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands. 
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Transgender Day of Visibility In America

Today on Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) we all need to take a stand & celebrate the strength, brilliance & resilience of transgender & gender-nonconforming (GNC) people in America & around the world. This day is a powerful reminder that everyone deserves the freedom to live openly & authentically without fear, discrimination or violence. What a difference a year makes since President Biden formality marked the annual Transgender Day of Visibility at the White House 2024 event stating, "Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America & my entire Administration & I have your back." Since then we’ve been confronted with the new administration’s wrath attempting erasure of our trans community. Across the country transgender American citizens are being targeted at an alarming rate. Their rights are being stripped away, their healthcare banned, their very existence challenged. Misinformation & hateful rhetoric fuel these attacks & extremist politicians are using them to justify harmful policies. Sarah Kate Ellis GLAAD President and CEO concluded, “Communities are coming together to celebrate & show solidarity for transgender people at a critical moment in history - in blue states & red states, purple states & worldwide. Equal treatment is not a partisan issue, it’s a value that unites all of us. Transgender Day of Visibility is a chance to show up & speak out for everyone’s right to be themselves & be safe & rally around values of acceptance & equality that make every community stronger, safer & kinder.” 
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GLAD Law Appoints New Legal Director

Joshua Rovenger former Biden Associate Counsel for Racial Justice & Equity will join GLAD Law’s civil rights legal team at the forefront of all the radical right political attacks on our LGBTQ community. Rovenger’s portfolio includes LGBTQ equity, democracy & civic engagement, religious freedom, access to justice, veterans’ affairs & housing. Ricardo Martinez, GLAD Law Executive Director stated, “Josh Rovenger is an experienced, strategic & passionate leader & litigator. His deep understanding that impact litigation, public policy & public education must work together to defend & expand civil rights & his dedicated commitment to racial & economic justice will be critical assets to GLAD Law & our movement at this pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ rights. I am thrilled to welcome Josh’s leadership as our accomplished & dedicated legal team fights around the clock to stop, delay & reduce the harm of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks coming from the current federal administration while continuing to advance GLAD Law’s vision of equality & justice for all.” Joshua Rovenger concluded. "We find ourselves in a moment where future generations will ask what each of us did to fight back. This time demands resilience & creativity -- traits our queer community has built up over generations & that GLAD Law exemplifies. For decades, GLAD Law has been at the forefront of our battle for liberation & justice, achieving lasting progress that has benefited all of us, my husband & myself included… I am humbled & exhilarated to join this brilliant team to fight for the multi-racial, gender-inclusive democracy we seek & to do all I can to ensure that when future generations look back, all of us, together, will have met the moment." 
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Second Federal Court Blocks Trans Ban

U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Hale Settle has issued a second nationwide preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the transgender military ban resulting from Trump’s January executive order. Earlier this month U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes in Talbott v. Trump issued a first nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the ban. Lead attorneys in Talbott v. Trump responded to the 2nd preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the ban. Jennifer Levi GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender & Queer Rights stated, “Given the thousands of brave & decorated transgender servicemembers facing unthinkable harms as the result of this ban, we are heartened but not surprised by today’s decision. Trump's executive order & Secretary Hegseth's implementation represent a policy that cannot be constitutionally justified. Thousands of transgender servicemembers currently serving have clearly demonstrated they meet all military standards, with many deployed to critical missions worldwide, proving their capabilities beyond question. These dedicated servicemembers & their families have earned our nation's gratitude & respect & the government has a responsibility to honor the commitments it has made to them. This is about keeping faith with Americans who have risked everything to defend our freedoms. “Shannon Minter NCLR Legal Director concluded, “In both Talbott & Shilling, it was abundantly clear to the court that it must act swiftly to protect our troops from an unconstitutional & indefensible ban that would disrupt the lives & dismantle the careers of thousands of transgender servicemembers & their families. The harms associated with this ban are gut-wrenching. In each of these cases, the government did not even attempt to claim that any evidence supported its position. There is no reason to discharge individuals who are serving capably & honorably.” 
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Dinner With Edith Head Event (AUDIO)

The National Arts Club (NAC) is presenting a fabulous dinner event on April 1st at their headquarters in NYC presented by NAC’s Fashion Committee. Step into the glamorous world of Hollywood with the “Reel Diva of Costume Design” Edith Head that includes a film-themed dinner created by Chef Alex Bowman & a “Conversation with Edith Head” starring Susan Claassen. From Sunset Boulevard to Breakfast at Tiffany’s Edith Head was a costume designer who won a record 8 Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 & 1973. The extraordinary one-woman show “A Conversation with Edith Head” starring Susan Claassen has played to rave reviews coast to coast & internationally including London’s West End with more than 750 performances. David Zyla NAC Fashion Committee co-chair stated, “I am thrilled to host "Dinner with Edith Head" on Tuesday, April 1st at The National Arts Club in New York City.” The National Arts Club was founded in 1898 to establish a hub for the arts in NYC. NAC admitted women on a full & equal basis from its inception & has a long history of exclusivity through inclusivity, continuing its tradition by welcoming all artists. The dress code of the National Arts Club is designed to be inclusive & respectful of all individuals, regardless of gender identity, while also maintaining an elegant atmosphere for all visitors. For this event dress to the theme of your table or to the occasion & the red carpet. Prizes will be awarded to the individuals dressed to the best of their table theme. I talked to Susan Claassen about “A Conversation With Edith Head” in this exclusive audio byte: LISTEN  
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Union Members Support Trans Rights

The United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union have voted unanimously to take a vocal stand in solidarity with the transgender community. The vote taken at their biannual convening comes amidst a concerning influx of attempts across North America to limit, revoke & erase the rights & contributions of transgender people. Union members from UFCW Locals throughout the United States & Canada OUTreach Executive Board stated, “North America’s Labor Movement was founded on the principle that collective action is the ultimate tool to deliver justice. Guided by this fundamental truth since our chartering in 2013, it has been our singular focus at UFCW OUTreach to uplift & unite ALL working people, regardless of who they love, how they identify or where they were born. As trade unionists, we feel a deep sense of urgency to speak out in support of all transgender & gender non-conforming people in our shared fight for dignity & respect on the job. Labor unions exist to protect, support & empower anyone who wants to improve their working lives & that must always include our transgender brothers, sisters & siblings. We strongly condemn attempts at all levels of government to disenfranchise trans people by restricting their access to healthcare, criminalizing which bathroom or locker room they use & erasing their contributions to our communities. Rhetoric which seeks to demonize their existence & deny their basic freedoms has no place in our politics, in our workplaces, or in our Labor Movement... We will not be erased by the stroke of a pen & we will never go down without a fight.” 
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Broadway Pirates The Penzance Musical

The Roundabout Theatre Company is presenting “Pirates! The Penzance Musical” a jazz-infused revival of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pira...

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