January 2011

Oscar Nominations for Gay Themed Movie

The Oscar nominations are OUT & "The Kids Are All Right" held their own in 4 top categories including Best Picture, Best Actress Annette Bening, Best Supporting Actor, Mark Ruffalo & Original Screenplay Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg. Missing was a Best Director nom for Lisa Cholodenko. This is Annette Bening’s 4th nomination so as Hollywood goes her chances of winning are good. We’ll just have to wait 34 days for the event on Sunday, February 27th, @ the Kodak Theatre & broadcast live on ABC. Anne Hathaway & James Franco will co-host. Updates to Come :) When watching "The Kids Are All Right" we couldn’t help notice that Bening’s character Nic reminded us so much of Kate Clinton we thought she must have watched her perform or studied Kate’s comedy DVD’s. We recently talked to Kate about the film & this uncanny portrayal in our exclusive audio byte:

Exclusive Audio Interview with Amy Sueyoshi, co-chair of the Board of Directors of GLBT Historical Society & co-curator of the new GLBT History Museum in San Francisco @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™ Support Our Vision @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:) View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Obama & Gay Civil Rights in 2011

The State of The Union Missed the Target for Gay Marriage....
The big question for our LGBT community is will Obama address
gay civil rights in The State of the Union speech tonight?
Passing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was definitely the game-changer
but until we get rid of the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) &
pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) our LGBT
community remains as second-class citizens in this country. Here
in Massachusetts we have gay marriage but are denied over 1100
federal rights & protections including the ability to file joint tax
returns, take advantage of estate tax breaks & receive spousal
benefits offered by Social Security, such as survivor compensation
for legally married gay couples. The Gay & Lesbian Advocates &
Defenders (GLAD) challenged Section 3 of DOMA which addresses
these rights & it was found unconstitutional in federal court by
Judge Tauro. Unfortunately the Obama Administration is
appealing this decision.

At the State of the Union Address Obama will be introducing
Daniel Hernandez Jr., the openly gay intern credited with saving
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s life. This would be a perfect opportunity
for the President to declare that Mr. Hernandez & all lesbian, gay,
bisexual & transgender Americans should have the same rights &
federal protections as heterosexual citizens. Watch & see if Obama
takes advantage of this moment during The State of the Union
Address on Tuesday January 25 @ 9pm EST. Updates to Come..:)

Exclusive Audio Interview with Amy Sueyoshi,
co-chair of the Board of Directors of GLBT Historical
Society & co-curator of the new GLBT History
Museum in San Francisco @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
Support Our Vision @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS 2011 Nominees

GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, have announced their nominees for the 22nd Annual GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS: Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening & Julianne Moore, I Love You Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey & Ewan McGregor, Howl, starring James Franco, the summer hit film Easy A, HBO's acclaimed drama True Blood, Fox's hit show Glee, ABC's hit comedy Modern Family, NBC's hit sitcom 30 Rock, Prodigal Sons, a documentary about a transgender woman & her family, season 8 of Project Runway, The Oprah Winfrey Show for Ricky Martin's first televised interview, MSNBC's interview with Fort Worth City Council member Joel Burns, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Essence.com's "Bridal Bliss: Aisha & Danielle," the Scissor Sisters & Chely Wright. Spanish-language nominees: Levántate, Aquí y Ahora, Caso Cerrado, Casos de Familia, & openly gay music artists Christian Chávez & Fedro. In recognizing & honoring media for outstanding images of the LGBT community, the GLAAD Media Awards serve as a benchmark for the media industry & complement GLAAD's work to bring LGBT images & stories to Americans. We’ll be in NYC covering the GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS as we have for the last few years. Check OUT 2010 GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS @ OUTTAKE VOICES™ For The Full List of Nominees: glaad.org

Exclusive Audio Interview with Grammy winner Patti Austin on the issues close to her heart, her new CD "Sound Advice" & More @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™ Support Our Vision @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:) View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Annette Bening Wins in Lesbian Role

We congratulate the LGBT winners of the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Actress Annette Bening won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical category for her portrayal of lesbian mom Nic in “The Kids Are All Right.” The film also won for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. When watching the film we couldn’t help notice that Bening’s character Nic reminded us so much of Kate Clinton we thought she must have watched her perform or studied Kate’s comedy DVD’s. We recently talked to Kate about the film & this uncanny portrayal in our exclusive audio byte:

Among the LGBT & LGBT-inclusive Golden Globe winners: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, for Television, Chris Colfer (Glee) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, for Television, Jane Lynch (Glee) Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical, Glee Best Original Song - Motion Picture, Burlesque Best Television Series – Drama, Boardwalk Empire

Exclusive Audio Interview with Grammy winner Patti Austin on the issues close to her heart, her new CD "Sound Advice" & More @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™ Support Our Vision @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:) View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Martin Luther King "Equality For All"

Exclusive Audio Interview with Grammy winner
Patti Austin on Martin Luther King Day, the issues
close to her heart, her new CD "Sound Advice" &
More... @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Jack O'Dell, former Southern Christian Leadership Conference
activist & aide to Dr. Martin Luther King states "Dr. King would
have fully supported Gay Marriage." Coretta Scott King agreed.

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
Support Our Vision @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

Will Maryland Pass Gay Marriage

Exclusive Audio Interview with Grammy winner
Patti Austin on Martin Luther King Day, the issues
close to her heart, her new CD "Sound Advice" &
More... @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Update: Obama Appeals Federal Gay Marriage Ban DOMA Rulings
It appears that Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is supporting
a bill making its way through the state Legislature that will legalized
gay marriage in the state of Maryland. The bill has gained significant
traction in recent days as a number of Democratic state lawmakers
say they plan to support the proposal. Proponents say they believe
they have enough support to pass such a measure in the upcoming
legislative session. Updates to Come...:)

Listen to this audio interview w/ Gay Ally Lea Gilmore,
one of the founders of the Maryland Black Family
Alliance a coalition of black families & leaders of
many faiths who stand for fairness, justice & equality
for all families @ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Secretary of State Clinton on Gay Rights

Kerry Eleveld has written an interesting cover story for the
Advocate on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton entitled “Madame
Secretary”. Clinton has been successful in changing policy in the
State Department to remove inequalities for our LGBT community
serving in her federal agency. When the Gay & Lesbian Advocates
& Defenders (GLAD) named her as a defendant in their suit
addressing passport policy for legally married gay couples in
Massachusetts, changes were made. Bill Clinton announced that
he supports full marriage equality & having many committed gay
couples among their friends, Clinton says, “Well, I share his
experience because we obviously share a lot of the same friends,
but I have not changed my position.” As disappointing as this may
be I wonder if she were commander in chief whether she would be
appealing the federal court’s ruling that found DOMA Section 3
unconstitutional. The Obama administration is currently appealing
Judge Tauro decision. This is the part of the Defense of Marriage Act
that prevents the federal government from granting 1100 rights,
benefits & protections including the ability to file joint tax returns,
take advantage of estate tax breaks & receive spousal benefits
offered by Social Security, such as survivor compensation for legally
married gay couples. Read More: advocate.com

Exclusive Audio Interview with Robin Bronk, CEO
of The Creative Coalition, the leading national,
nonprofit, nonpartisan social & public advocacy org
of the arts & entertainment industry
@ OUTTAKE VOICES™

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Gay Intern Saves Congresswoman Giffords

Openly gay Daniel Hernandez Jr. started interning with Giffords
on Monday & was signing people into the "Congress on Your Corner"
event on Saturday when he heard gunshots. He ran toward the shots
to see if he could help & was the first person to give medical
attention to Congresswoman Giffords, D-Ariz.
Fortunately Hernandez received medical training in high school to
be a certified nursing assistant. First he tried to reposition her by
propping her up against his chest while holding her steady so she
could breathe. Hernandez said he moved her because her position
put her at risk of inhaling her own blood. After moving her, he
applied pressure to her head to stop the blood loss.
The Congresswoman still remains in critical condition but Daniel’s
quick thinking saved Giffords life. We commend his actions.
Updates to Come…:)

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Gay Ally U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in
Tucson Saturday, is a member of the House LGBT Equality
Caucus & a strong supporter of gay rights. Congresswoman
Tammy Baldwin, Co-Chair Congressional LGBT Equality
Caucus stated, "I am shocked & saddened beyond words by
the horrific shooting of my colleague, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,
members of her staff, & others at a supermarket in Arizona."
Doctors who performed emergency surgery on Congresswoman
Giffords said they're optimistic about her chances for recovery.
Update: Gay Intern Saves Congresswoman Giffords

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

SUPPORT OUR QUEST @ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

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Is CNN Confrontational on LGBT Issues?

GLAAD is raising an issue with CNN that I ran into in 2004 when
I approached the networks to place my short film OUTTAKE™
addressing gay marriage. At the time CBS News insisted that I show
more of the anti-gay position. I objected because there really isn’t
any "other side" to our LGBT community to speak of except false,
harmful rhetoric hate-mongers. For years networks have insisted
on including the voices of the anti-gay industry whenever a topic
that involves the LGBT community has come up. This is like giving
airtime to the KKK when talking about racial discrimination. It's time
to speak up & tell mainstream media that this is unacceptable. CNN
needs to find people who can contribute something of value to the
discussion. Updates to Come...:)
For More Info & to Sign Petition Against CNN: glaad.org