LGBT Community Stoli Boycott

Last night at a fabulous dinner party in Provincetown we were served caviar & washed it down with vodka. I first asked my hostess where the vodka came from because I was already well aware of the boycott of Russian Vodka in protest of the anti gay laws the Russian Government is inflicting on their LGBT community. Celebrity Chef Rossi assured me that it was Tito's Vodka from Austin, Texas. In gay bars from Manhattan to West Hollywood  Russian vodka is being removed from their shelves in protest over Russia’s widely condemned new anti-gay laws. The recently implemented laws include allowing police officers to arrest & detain tourists & foreign nationals suspected of being gay & outlawing “homosexual propaganda” as pornography. (See Complete Story) Gay rights activists in Russia & the United States have called for a boycott of all things made in Russia & imported around the world. There is also a strong movement to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi to protest both anti-LGBT laws & a slew of other human-rights violations. Stolichnaya Vodka is one of the most popular brands in the U.S. & we urge our LGBT community & allies to join gay bars across the nation & #DUMPSTOLI. Michael McGrail, the owner of G Lounge, a gay bar in Chelsea. stated, “Gay men & women love vodka but our customers are ready to move past Stoli.” There are 18 Russian vodkas sold in the U.S. & Stoli is the most popular so urge your friends & colleagues to stop drinking Russian vodkas in solidary of our Russian LGBT community. #DUMPRUSSIANVODKA Updates To Come…:)
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NYC Mayor Bloomberg LGBT Veto

National & international LGBT organizations including the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal, the National Black Justice Coalition, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission & GLAAD joined with local LGBTQ organizations to urge New York City legislators to defend historic legislation banning discriminatory police profiling against a veto by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The passage of the legislation made history just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down DOMA, (Defense of Marriage Act) by creating the first enforceable ban against police profiling based on sexual orientation & gender identity, alongside race, religion, immigration status, age, gender, housing status, disability & HIV status. Shelby Chestnut, Co-Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project’s Community Organizing & Public Advocacy Department stated, “Police violence is a pervasive problem facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & queer (LGBTQ) people in New York City, who are profiled for their perceived or actual gender identity & sexual orientation. Our clients & community members tell us stories every day about being profiled by police & subjected to harassment, mis-arrest, violence at the hands of the police based on their perceived gender identity, sexual orientation & immigration status. We applaud the City Council for their leadership in ending this discriminatory policing & urge them to override the Mayor’s veto.” Updates to Come…:)
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LGBT Senior Information Fair

TODAY: The LGBT Aging Project of Boston has announced that The Cambridge Council on Aging & the Cambridge GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender) Commission are holding a LGBT Senior Information Fair Monday, July 29th from 6-7:30P at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. A number of organizations, including the LGBT Aging Project, AARP, Cambridge Human Services, Cambridge GLBT Commission & others will have representatives & information tables. This is an opportunity to socialize, receive interesting & pertinent information. Light refreshments will be served generously provided by Cadbury Commons, a residence for seniors. There will also be musical entertainment. This is a great opportunity for our LGBT community & seniors, caregivers & friends are encouraged to attend this fair. The needs of LGBT seniors are often more extreme since they are more likely to have fewer family members to support them & even in Cambridge & throughout Massachusetts they may fear prejudice & homophobia from service providers & caretakers. The LGBT Senior Fair supports the Cambridge Council on Aging's continued commitment to create a culture of respect for diversity in the aging population. This is going to be a great event for our senior LGBT community & friends. For more information, please contact Alicia Johnson at 617-349-6220 or at aliciaj@cambridgema.gov
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Gay Marriage Pioneers Celebrate

GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) held its 31st annual Summer Party on Saturday, July 27th overlooking the heart of Provincetown, Massachusetts on the grounds of Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum. Edie Windsor plaintiff in Windsor v. United States – the case that successfully brought down DOMA at the US Supreme Court was GLAD’s special guest along with Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director of GLAD & the architect of marriage equality in this country. This year’s Summer Party had a record turn out & raised thousands of dollars for this fabulous organization. GLAD supporters & friends celebrated our community’s victories in our quest for LGBT Equality. GLAD’s Executive Director Lee Swislow talked about the exciting work ahead to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity & expression, HIV status & sexual orientation. Award-winning political humorist Kate Clinton returned as auctioneer extraordinaire & MC of the event. The live auction featured tickets to a taping of The Daily Show, South African Safari, a Costa Rican vacation, a Virgin Islands trip, 10 Kimpton travel packages, plus restaurants, massages & much more. The Summer Party Committee Co-Chairs are Rob Compton & David Wilson, Gabby Hanna & Marcy Feller, Jeanne Leszczynski & Diane DiCarlo, Richard D. McCarthy & Gary Bailey LHD (h.c.) MSW ACSW, Scott Pomfret & Scott Whittier, Alix L. Ritchie & Marty Davis, Joseph M. Smith & Scott Popkowski. Host Committee Members: Ralph & Miriam Freidin, Gordon M. Gottlieb & Rob Krikorian, Craig Robbins & Eric Huang. The event featured complimentary summer fare by Above & Beyond Catering, Ben & Jerry’s, Konditor Meister & ScottCakes. Cocktails were provided by Bacardi, Barefoot Wines & Samuel Adams.
For More Info: glad.org 
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Restoring Honor To Gay Veterans

U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) & Charlie Rangel (D-NY) introduced legislation along with 100 bipartisan cosponsors to ensure that gay & lesbian veterans who were discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation receive the honor & recognition they deserve. The “Restore Honor to Service Members Act” would instill the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” into law & support the Department of Defense’s efforts to correct the unfairly tarnished military records of our brave service members. Since World War II to the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in 2011, approximately 114,000 service members were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Congressman Pocan co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus stated, “For too long, tens of thousands of men & women who selflessly risked their lives for our country have lived with the dishonorable records that came from the unjust “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. But the support we have received for our legislation demonstrates the country’s strong desire to close the book on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” & rightfully recognize the service of all of our courageous service members. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward with this effort & restore honor to all of our brave veterans.” Zeke Stokes of OutServe-SLDN added, “At OutServe-SLDN we hear from these veterans every day & have assisted hundreds of them in applying to upgrade their discharge paperwork. The process is arduous & slow. There is no reason someone who courageously served or fought for their country yet is wrongfully discharged for being gay, should have to fight once again to have their service deemed 'honorable.' To the extent that this bill — or any bill — can expedite that process or ease the burden for veterans, it will have our support.”
Updates to Come…:)
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New Gay Role For John Lithgow

Film & Broadway star John Lithgow has taken the lead alongside Alfred Molina in Love Is Strange, director Ira Sachs’s (Keep the Lights On) newest feature. In Love Is Strange Lithgow will play “Ben”, a painter, who marries his partner “George” (Molina) after 38 years together. On return from their honeymoon, however, George gets fired from his job at a Catholic high school & the couple is unable to afford their small apartment. Forced to temporarily separate, Ben moves in with his nephew & family, & George with the two gay cops next door, Ted (Cheyenne Jackson) & his partner Nahlin. Sachs stated, "John Lithgow is one of the very greats of his generation & it will be exciting to see what he & Molina will do together in these roles, & as a couple. Both actors understand that it is in independent films like this one that audiences now find the kind of human drama & impact that Hollywood movies often leave behind." Lithgow added, "I am thrilled to be working so closely with Alfred Molina, a longtime friend whose work I love but whom I've never acted with. And we'll be playing the main roles in the best script I've read in years, a vivid portrait of marriage, with all its joy, folly, & occasional heartbreak." Lithgow played one of the first transgender characters Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp with Robin Williams & Glenn Close in 1982. Production is slated to begin in NYC this August.
Listen: Keep the Lights On Interview with Ira Sachs 
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New Transgender Leader

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition announced the appointment of Mason Dunn as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Dunn brings ten years of experience in LGBT coalition, organization & community, much of it as a transgender community organizer & leader. Nancy Nangeroni, Chair of the Steering Committee stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Mason who for many years has committed himself to advocacy on behalf of transgender issues & community. He brings excellent skills along with a demonstrated dedication to the principles embodied in MTPC’s mission & values. He is the right person to lead our organization as we grow further in fulfillment of the increasingly recognized needs of our underserved community.” Dunn added, “I am honored to have been selected as the next leader for MTPC & I’m looking forward to working in this amazing community. The Massachusetts trans movement has seen astonishing progress over the past few years thanks to MTPC, yet we have a long way to go in achieving full equality for our community.” Dunn is a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, he comes to MTPC from the NH Civil Liberties Union where he worked on a fellowship & filled a variety of roles, including communications, policy & research. He most recently served on the Steering Committee for Transgender New Hampshire & as an adjunct faculty member at UNH Manchester in the Communication Arts department, teaching a course on LGBTQ Images & Perspectives. Prior to law school Dunn worked on the Board of Directors of TransMentors International, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring in the transgender community. His appointment takes effective August 8th.
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Russia Demonizing Gay Citizens


Last month in St. Petersburg Russia a group of 50 people bravely held rainbow flags participating in St. Petersburg’s fourth Pride parade dodging stones, smoke bombs, plastic bottles & eggs. The activists illegally demanded equal rights for LGBT people & by publicly doing so they broke a city bylaw that is about to go national. Gay Icon Harvey Fierstein has blasted Russia's President Vladimir Putin for declaring war on our Russian LGBT community stating, “Mr. Putin’s campaign against lesbian, gay & bisexual people is one of distraction, a strategy of demonizing a minority for political gain taken straight from the Nazi playbook. Can we allow this war against human rights to go unanswered?” With Russia hosting the Winter Olympics in 2014 Fierstein added in his statement in the New York Times, “In 1936 the world attended the Olympics in Germany. Few participants said a word about Hitler’s campaign against the Jews. Supporters of that decision point proudly to the triumph of Jesse Owens, while I point with dread to the Holocaust & world war. There is a price for tolerating intolerance.” Fierstein, whose stage hits currently include “Kinky Boots” as well as his breakthrough performances in “Torch Song Trilogy” & “Hairspray” adds that Putin wants to distract his people, 'Historically this kind of scapegoating is used by politicians to solidify their bases & draw attention away from their failing policies, & no doubt this is what’s happening in Russia.”' As we reported last month Putin has already signed into law anti gay adoption policies. Now four Dutch tourists have been jailed under Russia's "gay propaganda" law after they were suspected of promoting homosexuality to children. Updates to Come…
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San Diego Anti Gay County Clerk

There will be a press conference on Tuesday, July 23rd at 8A in San Diego at the San Diego County Administration Building to condemn the obscene lawsuit filed Friday by anti gay County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk Ernest J. Dronenburg attempting to challenge the State of California’s order to resume gay & lesbian marriages. Dronenburg (pictured above) has petitioned the court via attorney Charles Salvatore LiMandri a well-known homophobe from Rancho Santa Fe & prominent supporter of the discriminatory & unconstitutional Prop 8 that took away marriage rights from gay & lesbian Californians in 2008 until last month. The press conference will be held by The Log Cabin Republicans of San Diego County, National LGBT Activist Sean Sala, Pastor Richard McCullen of Mission Gathering Church & other Faith leaders. Susan Jester Head of Log Cabin Republicans of San Diego County stated, "We will not stand for wasting tax payer money on this issue any longer. We will also not stand for LiMandri bullying the state of California by forcing his religious extremism down peoples throats." John Lewis, Marriage Equality USA Legal Director stated, "The U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the California Supreme Court have all taken action in the last month -- the spirit of the law, & the letter of the law are crystal clear. Marriage is a fundamental right to marry the person you love, & the Constitution guarantees that right to all loving, committed couples throughout California." Updates to Come…:)
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San Diego Anti Gay Marriage Ploy

In an obscene development late Friday afternoon the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk filed a petition with the California Supreme Court challenging the State of California’s order to resume gay & lesbian marriages. County Clerk Ernest J. Dronenburg petitioned the court via attorney Charles Salvatore LiMandri a well-known homophobe from Rancho Santa Fe & prominent supporter of the discriminatory Proposition 8 that took away gay & lesbian marriage rights from Californians from 2008 until last month. Teresa Lynn Kubu Mendoza is also one of the attorneys filing the petition, called Dronenburg v. Brown. LiMandri & Mendoza are attorneys with the homophobic group Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, based in Rancho Santa Fe. Brian Silva, Marriage Equality USA Executive Director stated, "Despite Friday's implausible petition from the San Diego County Clerk, what remains absolutely clear is that the courts have spoken & Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The State of California has unambiguously instructed all 58 counties to abide by the Supreme Court decision. In the face of these last baseless attempts by a few to deny the freedom to marry for all Californians, we expect all counties to follow the law & abide by the direction of the California Attorney General to continue to perform marriages for all California couples without interference or delay,"
Updates to Come…:)
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Bronx LGBT Pride & Health Fair

Today the new Bronx LGBTQ Center will hold its 2013 pride event which will feature nearly 100 different entertainers, speakers & organizations. The event will be held Saturday July 20th at Crotona Park from Noon to 6P at the amphitheater south of Indian Lake, north of the picnic area. Peter C. Frank, the Center's secretary who also chairs their pride committee stated, “Keeping in line with doing things differently, our pride event will be different from other borough's events at its very core as it will incorporate a health fair, where over 12 health-oriented organizations will provide on-site health screenings that will include rapid HIV testing, blood glucose/diabetes screenings & blood pressure testings & more. More than 40 organizations in total have signed on to provide information & outreach to pride participants.” This year's event is co-hosted by internationally-renown drag entertainers Appolonia Cruz & Tyra A. Ross, with Lady Clover Honey serving as the event's Welcome Maven. Billboard Top 20 & MTV/LOGO recording artist Adam Barta, who is a Bronx native, will headline the event stating, “I'm super-excited to be rocking it out in my hometown where I was born and raised! Can't wait to see how Bronx does it best. And I'm so happy to be supporting such a great, new organization.” He will preview his new duet with RuPaul's Drag Race Star Pandora Boxx in his performance on Saturday. Appolonia Cruz added, “I support the new Bronx LGTBQ Center because they have proven to me that they are serious about helping our Bronx LGBTQ community by putting this much needed 2013 Bronx Gay Pride Festival / Health Fair together with zero funding, based solely on donations from our community and supporters. All the NYC boroughs had their Gay Pride Festivals this past June & the Bronx Needed one too.”  
For More Info… 
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First Openly Gay Mayor In Mexico

Benjamin Medrano has become the first openly gay mayor in one of the more notorious part of Zacatecas state in Mexico which is know for macho cowboys & drug gang shootouts. Medrano who’s a 47-year-old singer & own a gay bar stated he’s proud to be openly gay & rights groups say his victory in the city of the Fresnillo election marks a significant point in the fight for gay rights. Though some of Mexican legislators & mayors have been rumored to be gay none have ever come out. Medrano who takes office in September has been the target of a malicious phone-calling campaign in which his political rivals "tried to smear me, as if being gay were a crime." Medrano stated, "I am going to be mayor of a township roughly equivalent to a U.S. county where there are 258 villages full of tough country people, who don't necessarily have much information on what's happening elsewhere & have even less of an automatic sympathy with their gay mayor. But it's not like I'm going to paint city hall pink, either." Fresnillo has experienced a drug turf war where bodies have been found tortured & others buried in shallow graves. Medrano campaigned on a strong public-safety platform, advocating cooperation with state & federal police. "I'm not at risk, because I don't have any relationship with any of the groups," Medrano added, referring to the two drug cartels — the Zetas & the Gulf Cartel — that are fighting for control of Fresnillo, a city of 230,000 that unfortunately sits on some of the main trafficking routes in northern Mexico. Congrats Benjamin & Mexico!! Updates to Come…:)
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After DOMA Immigration Forum

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is sponsoring a free forum for the LGBT community entitled “LGBT Immigration in a Post-DOMA World.” No one may have been waiting more anxiously for the end of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) than bi-national gay & lesbian couples. DOMA made it dangerous for many of these couples to marry. If they did marry, they were unable to sponsor a non-citizen spouse for permanent residency, like heterosexual couples could. The recent Supreme Court ruling striking down DOMA means that for many couples marriage can now provide a way for them to permanently live together in the United States. The free forum “LGBT Immigration in a Post-DOMA World” will be held on Wednesday, July 24th from 5:30 to 7:30P at Northeastern University Room 240, Dockser Hall, Northeastern Law School, 65 Forsyth St. Boston, MA. Participating panelists will be Richard Iandoli, Iandoli & Desai, P.C., Janson Wu, GLAD, Tom Plummer, Immigration Equality  & Sara Fleming of Ross Silverman LLP. Co-sponsors for the forum are Northeastern Law School Queer Caucus; Hispanic Black Gay Coalition; Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; The Network La Red; MassEquality; Family Equality Council; Boston Pride; & Northeastern Law School Black Law Students Association. This event is free & open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
For Info & To RSVP: glad.org 
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Omar Sharif Jr. Hosts CRI Event


Gay activist & actor Omar Sharif Jr. will host Community Research Initiative (CRI) Provincetown Summer Party: Red Hot Jazz at the Red Inn this Saturday, July 20th from Noon to 3P. Sharif is the GLAAD National spokesperson who was recently named to the 2013 World Pride Power List published by the Guardian UK. The nominations were gathered from across the globe in an effort to categorize the most influential LGBT people in the world. Omar came out over a year ago by writing an article in The Advocate detailing his fear of coming out as gay & half Jewish & worried about being welcome in his homeland of Egypt. He felt his voice was needed for change in a society that he feared was "moving backward". You can meet Omar Sharif Jr. in person this Saturday to hear more about his story & why HIV & Hepatitis C research is so important to him. Community Research Initiative (CRI) is an independent, nonprofit, community-based organization in New England dedicated to HIV & Hepatitis C clinical research, treatment education & financial assistance for approved drug treatments & health insurance coverage.
For Info & Tix…. 
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Laverne Cox LGBT & Black

With the horrendous not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman murder case causing the entire country to erupt over the unjust racist decision, this month The Advocate examines what it is like to be black & gay in America today. Advocate contributor Darnell L. Moore who also works at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, shares how his life has been shaped by the multiple identities that mark his life & how as a black, gay man, his personal experiences are often missing from narratives of gay progress. Additionally essays are provided on the black LGBT experience in America by CNN Anchor Don Lemon, Actress Laverne Cox, Aaron Walton, Doug Spearman & Janora McDuffie. Laverne Cox transgender actress stated, “When I was perceived as a black man I became a threat to public safety. When I was dressed as myself, it was my safety that was threatened. It was usually other black people who policed my gender, called me out, or made fun of me on subways, street corners & in delicatessens. I believe it is because I am also black that I became their target. These same folks would often ignore white trans & gender nonconforming folks in the same spaces, even those who passed even less that I did at the time. Systemic racism not only encourages the state & non-black individuals to police & monitor black bodies, white supremacy encourages other black folks to do so as well.”  
Read Full Article…
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Gay Marriage Passes UK House

UPDATE: Britain legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval clearing the way for the first same-gender weddings next summer....:)
The U.K. House of Lords just approved via voice vote, the Marriage (Gay & Lesbian Couples) Bill. The bill will allow gay & lesbian marriages in England & Wales. The Church of England & Wales are prohibited from performing marriages by the bill. The legislation has already been passed by the Commons but will now return there for amendments introduced by the Lords will be considered. If they’re accepted, the bill will be sent to Queen Elizabeth II for her signature (Royal Ascent) before becoming law. It is expected to receive royal ascent within days. The first gay marriages are expected to take place in the spring of 2014. Since 2005 UK gay couples have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships a separate union which provides the same legal rights & protections of marriage except for the use of the word marriage. This was the compromise our UK LGBT community made in 2005 in order to provide the equal rights & protections that heterosexual Brits receive. Now if passed & signed by the Queen the word marriage will included the LGBT community. Hopefully becoming a grandmother for the first time The Queen will sign the Bill into law. Has Queen Elizabeth II ever uttered the word gay or lesbian in public? I can’t recall….Updates to Come…:)
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Gay Marriage Funding Campaign

A new crowd-funding campaign has been launched to raise $25,000 or more for the nonprofit Freedom to Marry. They have until August 5th to achieve their goal & four LGBT owned & operated companies are donating gift incentives depending on what level your contribution is. The four companies are: Wolfe Video - The largest exclusive distributor of LGBT films in the world, Lesbian.com - The online hub dedicated to enriching & empowering the global lesbian community, OneGoodLove.com - The first online dating site for relationship-minded gay & lesbian singles, & Sweet - The eco-friendly lesbian travel site. Freedom to Marry is pursuing its Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage & end marriage discrimination. Freedom to Marry partners with individuals & organizations across the country to end the exclusion of gay & lesbian couples from marriage & the protections, responsibilities & commitment that marriage brings. Evan Wolfson, Founder of Freedom to Marry stated, “Despite the Supreme Court ruling that strikes down a central part of the Defense of Marriage Act, some federal programs are now based on where couples live — not where they were married. Until the Obama administration & Congress do their parts to implement the court’s ruling, applying the time-honored “place of celebration” standard that respects lawful marriages by states like New York, the United States will remain a patchwork & marriages will sputter in & out like cellphone service. And, of course, though the Supreme Court’s other marriage decision restored the freedom to marry to couples in California — along with the 12 other states that we’ve won — 37 states still refuse to issue marriage licenses to loving & committed gay & lesbian couples.”
For More Info & Donate To Campaign: yeslgbt.com 
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Gay Ally Cory Monteith Dies


Sad news from Vancover that Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead at the Pacific Rim Hotel of an apparent drug overdose. Melissa Kates Cory's publicist stated, "We are so saddened to confirm that the reports on the death of Cory Monteith are accurate. We are in shock & mourning this tragic loss." Glee executive producers, producers 20th Century Fox Television & Fox Broadcasting Co. said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Cory was an exceptional talent & an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with & we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts & prayers are with his family and loved ones." Cory had openly spoken about his addiction issues as a teenager. He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he began using drugs at 13 & by 19 went into rehab after his mother & friends intervened. He suffered a relapse earlier this year & checked himself into rehab again in April. Cory Monteith was a fierce gay ally & last year he hosted the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York with Glee co-star Naya Rivera. We were at the event & Cory was absolutely fabulous raffling off kisses to support GLAAD. This is so sad to have someone so young & talented die so young. He will be missed. Cory Monteith was 31.
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