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Tyler Clementi Foundation Additions

The Tyler Clementi Foundation has announced the addition of community leaders & activists Collin Martin & Melissa Elizabeth Driscol to its Board of Directors. They will be joining an accomplished group of leaders dedicated to advancing the Foundation’s mission to end online & offline bullying in schools, workplaces & faith communities. Alan King, Board Chair of the Tyler Clementi Foundation stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Melissa Driscol & Collin Martin to the Tyler Clementi Foundation Board of Directors. Both Melissa & Collin bring a genuine commitment to the values at the heart of our mission; dignity, belonging & the belief that every person deserves to feel safe & accepted. Their advocacy & support for the LGBTQ+ community have made a meaningful difference in so many lives & we are honored to have their voices & experience joining the work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. We look forward to the incredible impact we will create together.” Martin added, “As an openly gay athlete, I’ve helped make the soccer world a more inclusive place. I’m proud to join the Tyler Clementi Foundation & help advance that mission beyond sport.” Driscol concluded, “Being an Upstander means using my voice, visibility & relationships to challenge bullying wherever it shows up & to stand with those who are targeted. I am honored to join the Tyler Clementi Foundation Board & help amplify its mission through human connection, compassion & action.” The Tyler Clementi Foundation is a leading national nonprofit org working to end online & offline bullying in schools, workplaces & faith communities to honor the legacy of Tyler Clementi. 
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San Francisco Spotlight On Broadway

The 10th anniversary of the San Francisco Spotlight on Broadway fundraiser concert & showtunes extravaganza takes place on May 17th at the refurbished Grand Theater on 2665 Mission Street in San Francisco. The show will be hosted by the fabulous & multi-faceted Donna Sachet & Leanne Borghesi who are Spotlight veterans & certainly are no strangers to showtunes & will be joined by vocalist Jae Truesdell. The show features music from a number of hit Broadway shows from the perennial classics. If you’re thinking of Les Mis you’re spot on to the more recent such as Six: The Musical. You’ll hear the irresistible music of ABBA as featured in Mamma Mia along with selections from West Side Story, Cabaret & more. The San Francisco Pride Band is conducted by Matthew Fell who joined the band earlier this year as the Artistic Director of the Concert Band program. This is Matthew’s first Spotlight concert which means he’s just as excited as you to hear these toe-tapping musical hits. The band was founded by Jon Reed Sims in 1978 as the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band & Twirling Corps. Over the following years Sims created the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, the Queer Chorus of San Francisco & the now-defunct Lambda Pro Musica orchestra. He also inspired the creation of similar community bands such as New York’s Queer Big Apple Corps & Los Angeles’ Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles. The San Francisco Spotlight on Broadway fundraiser concert is most important fundraiser of the year for the org with a fabulous silent auction for your bidding pleasure & a cash bar. 
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New York African Film Festival 33rd Year

The 33rd New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) a month-long cinematic celebration that takes place across NYC throughout the month of May kicks off at the Africa Center with a Town Hall forum May 1st centered on the theme of “Black Space” the ongoing transformation of social & physical environments by Black communities toward liberatory futures. Spanning theaters, cultural centers & public spaces the festival will present more than 100 films from over 30 countries across Africa & its Diasporas. The lineup includes more than 50 feature films & 60 shorts with many filmmakers in attendance for post-screening conversations. Mahen Bonetti, African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) founder & Executive Director stated, “Across this year’s selection, filmmakers are reimagining the landscapes we inherit—drawing from ancestral wisdom not as something to leave behind, but as a source of renewal and possibility. Many of the directors, including a strong group making their first features, open new ways of seeing, rooted in land, spirit & the worlds we share. In these films, what sustains us becomes a kind of wealth, guiding how we envision & shape futures on our own terms. Together, they offer glimpses of brighter horizons, reminding us that even in difficult times, life takes root in surprising & extraordinary ways.” NYAFF is co-presented by the Africa Center, Film at Lincoln Center (FLC), the Maysles Documentary Center, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) & New York City Parks Department. The programs of AFF are made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts & more. 
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Baylor Hosts All Are Neighbors Event

Student leaders at Baylor University in Waco, Texas hosted a historic event on Wednesday April 22nd as prominent Christian advocates, Human Rights Campaign & Interfaith Alliance leaders addressed the “All Are Neighbors” gathering offering a powerful values-driven alternative to Turning Point USA’s “This Is the Turning Point” tour stop happened the same day. Kelley Robinson, HRC President stated, "We are here. On this campus, in this moment, together. Because this didn't just happen. This moment exists because people spoke up. Because students organized. Because a community decided that if harmful ideas were going to have a platform, then truth would have one too & that matters. Because democracy doesn't just happen every other year in November. Democracy is happening right here, right now & I want you to know they are talking about you & your courage in Washington, DC & on campuses across America... You are making the change so many people only talk about. So good people, I came deep in the heart of Texas to decree & declare that we are here. We are fighting for freedom without exception. We are fighting for democracy without exception. We are fighting for joy - somebody say joy - without exception." Baylor’s College Democrats, NAACP Baylor, Students Demand Action at Baylor, Hearts for the Homeless & Texas Rising asked for & received university approval to host the event marking the first time that students at Baylor have been permitted to host leading LGBTQ advocates on campus. Additional speakers for the event included Minneapolis minister & activist Rev. Susie Heyward who was a central faith organizer in the successful effort to push back against ICE’s Operation Metro Surge & Interfaith Alliance president & Baptist minister Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. 
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Supreme Court Takes On Preschool Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to take up St. Mary Catholic v. Roy a case that will determine whether preschools that refuse to enroll children of same-gender couples may continue to receive Colorado state funding under the state's universal preschool program. Mardi Moore, CEO of Rocky Mountain Equality stated, “Colorado's universal preschool program was a landmark investment in our state's children, a commitment that every family would have access to quality early education. The answer to whether taxpayer dollars should fund institutions that turn children away because of who their parents are should be clear. Taxpayers should not fund discrimination. Public funding carries public responsibility & that basic contract cannot be selectively applied. Rocky Mountain Equality stands firmly with the Colorado families fighting to uphold the nondiscrimination protections that Colorado has enshrined in law & we urge the Court to affirm that equal rights & public funding are inseparable.” Kelley Robinson, HRC President concluded, “All students deserve to be accepted at school & treated equally regardless of their or their family members’ sexual orientation or gender identity. To give public dollars to preschools that openly treat students with LGBTQ+ parents differently is state backed discrimination & has no place in Colorado or everywhere else. Colorado’s policy is sound & responsible, but this case is part of a dangerous, escalating path that takes aim at LGBTQ+ children, parents & entire family units. This must stop.” Rocky Mountain Equality is a leading org dedicated to advancing LGBTQ rights & promoting equality & justice for all individuals in Colorado providing direct services to the community & engages in advocacy RMEQ strives to create a more inclusive & equitable society. 
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Janis Ian Conversation & Film Screening

As part of Wilton Women’s Week & presented by Stonewall National Women’s Fund singer-songwriter Janis Ian will join the screening of “Breaking Silence” a moving portrait of a legendary singer songwriter on Saturday April 26th at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park, Florida from 5P to 7P. Following her recent induction into ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Heroes’ exhibit Robert Kesten, SNMAL President & CEO stated, “We are welcoming Janis back to SNMAL as a family member & supporter of the work we do here. Her unique talents as a song writer & singer are an integral part of the culture we celebrate. Her artistry & commitment to advocacy energize every room she enters, reminding us of our own potential. People like Janis foster positive change. Despite intense societal pushback throughout her life, she persevered, cementing herself as a fighter & icon in the LGBTQ+ & women's communities. We look forward to what will surely be a sold-out event.” Enjoy drinks & hors d’oeuvres, a brief live musical tribute with a special performance by South Florida vocalist Heather Craig & followed by the film screening Ian will join the attendees for a conversation & a Q&A celebrating the power of women’s voices, truth-telling & the stories that shaped us. Tickets are $20 & include 2 drink tickets & hors d'oeuvres. Janis Ian won her 1st Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1976 for “At Seventeen” & her 2nd Grammy in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio book "Society's Child” when I talked to her about her career in this exclusive audio interview. LISTEN  
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Sean Dorsey Dance 22nd Home Season

Sean Dorsey Dance kicks off their 22nd home season April 24th to 26th at Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco, CA. The program entitled “We Choose Each Other” is a powerful evening of dances created as a balm for this moment in America. Dorsey stated, “We know this again & again, when our communities are under attack & in crisis, when we are being harmed, we choose each other. We choose to hold each other up, we choose to hold each other more tightly. That is what these dances are about – coming together out of deep care & love for each other.” Sean Dorsey Dance will also treat audiences to a “sneak peek” of their new-show-in-development performing the world premiere of several new dances. Additionally the company will be restaging pieces from the company’s 20-year award-winning repertoire. This is a program brimming with Sean Dorsey Dance’s signature fusion of full-throttle dance, luscious partnering, intimate storytelling & theater. The artistic team includes performances by Sean Dorsey, Brandon Graham, Héctor Jaime, David Le & Nol Simonse. Original music composed by Jesse Olsen Bay, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Alex Kelly, Cassandra Miller, Alejandro Mosso & Christophe Zurfluh. Lighting Design by Clyde Sheets, costume design by Krystal Harfert, stage manager Emily Paulson, technical director Jessi Barber, sound engineer & operator Jabari Tawiah & lighting operator Harry Rubeck. Sean Dorsey is an Emmy award-winning choreographer, dancer, writer, educator & activist long recognized as the first acclaimed trans modern dance choreographer in America. Dorsey has toured his work to more than 35 cities across the US & globally with his explicitly trans-positive pedagogy in more than 40 cities. 
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Tyler Clementi Foundation Additions

The Tyler Clementi Foundation has announced the addition of community leaders & activists Collin Martin & Melissa Elizabeth Driscol ...

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