Yucatán Increases LGBTQ Protections
LGBTQ Equality Florida Smith & Wolf
Susie Mosher Presents The Lineup
We caught The Lineup with Susie Mosher at Birdland in NYC & this spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday is a must-see. On Tuesday August 31st The Lineup presents another unique nonstop musical performance that will deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential NYC entertainment from 8:30P to 10P. Actress/singer Mosher hosts this fabulous over the top LGBTQ friendly variety show event with musical director Brad Simmons, John Miller on bass & Clint De Ganon on drums at Birdland located at 315 West 44th Street in NYC. Mosher stated, “I am so lucky to be in a position to showcase a diverse & remarkable group of talented performers every Tuesday. Every week I feel like I’m throwing a party & I love picking the right collection of guests to make the evening special. Comedians, singers, dancers, it’s a recipe for a good time. This week we have JW’s Inspirational Singers of NYC, they were on America’s Got Talent and did quite well. Juson Williams puts this incredible group together & they are each amazing. So excited to have them. Then Farah Alvin is singing & she has a magical voice, she is a singers singer, well known to all in NYC. Also a young up & coming singer songwriter, Maddie Pizzarelli, who happens to be the daughter of Guitar Giant John Pizzarelli & Broadway star Jessica Molaskey, is a bright shining light who I am thrilled to have on the show. The whole Lineup is brilliant, if I do say so myself. Come see for yourself! Tuesday 8:30 at the world famous Birdland.” Tickets are $20 & there’s an additional $20 food or drink minimum per person so come for dinner which is a fabulous way to spend the evening & support this historic club which is a fully vaccinated venue. For Info & Tix...
The Dinah Is Back On Track (AUDIO)
This week I talked with Mariah Hanson, founder & producer of the legendary Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend that’s celebrating its 30th anniversary & takes place September 29th through October 3rd in Palm Springs, CA. The Dinah is back on track for an exceptional 5-day event with an epic slate of Top Ten Billboard headliners, rising pop stars & celebrities in compliance with the City of Palm Springs COVID safety protocol. All attendees, entertainers & staff are required to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test result or proof of full vaccinations to attend the festival. That said headlining The Dinah is Grammy-award winner Macy Gray on Saturday October 2nd at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Gray’s unmistakable rasp, unshakable grasp on soul & funky spirit has ensured Macy her status as a 21st century icon since her arrival with the triple-platinum How Life Is in 1999. Selling over 25 million total albums globally she has collaborated with everyone from Ariana Grande to Galactic with her voice consistently resounding throughout pop culture. Sharing the stage with Gray is another Grammy-award winner Yung Baby Tate. Making a splash at the Girl Spot Pool Party on Friday October 1st is leading non-binary artist & actor Kat Cunning with a traffic-stopping voice & powerful presence. The Dinah has discovered so many emerging talents that it’s excited to present two bands to watch in 2021 including Boi Band & Smeared Lipstick who will respectively headline the opening & closing parties at AsiaSF Palm Springs. I talked to Hanson about what she hopes to accomplish with The Dinah in these difficult times and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. LISTEN
For More Info & Tix: theDinah.com
New Southern LGBTQ Research Program
As I continue my road trip down to North Carolina for the week the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) has announced the launch of the Southern Equality Research & Policy Center (SERPC). This is a new program focused on conducting independent research & developing policy recommendations to promote the legal & lived equality of LGBTQ people in the U.S. South. Dr. Austin H. Johnson, Director of the SERPC at the Campaign for Southern Equality stated, “More than one-third of all LGBTQ+ people in the United States are Southerners – yet there has historically been a distinct lack of research on the population. Less than ten percent of social research on LGBTQ people has been focused on those in the South & these limited data underline significant disparities in key areas of life, including in families, workplaces, schools & public life. Through the Southern Equality Research & Policy Center, we aim to center these experiences through a data-driven lens that allows us to more fully understand & ultimately, better serve – LGBTQ Southerners.” Dr. Abigail Bowen, Deputy Director of the SERPC at the Campaign for Southern Equality concluded, “The South is home to sustained legislative efforts to undermine the dignity & equality of LGBTQ people. As we continue to push back against these attacks, one vital tool must be inclusive data collection & analysis to understand the lived experience of LGBTQ Southerners. We are honored that the Southern Equality Research & Policy Center will allow us to collect & explore data specific to our community so our movement can continue to refute myths, articulate the effects of policy & secure protections for LGBTQ people across the South.” Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality promotes full LGBTQ equality across the South. Their work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender & class. For More Info…
New Short AIDS Film "Surviving Voices"
San Francisco Divas & Drinks Event
Trump Rollback Rule Will Go To Court
A federal court permitted plaintiffs to continue to pursue several claims in Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) et al v. HHS a lawsuit challenging the Trump-Pence Administration’s rule that attempts to undermine healthcare nondiscrimination protections contained in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The federal government had filed a motion to dismiss the case but the court allowed many of the claims to proceed while postponing consideration of others that are part of other court cases challenging the rule & dismissing only some limited parts of the suit. Ellen LaPointe Fenway Health CEO stated, “We are gratified that the court is allowing this lawsuit to proceed. Everyone deserves & is entitled to high quality health care that is delivered with compassion. No one should ever be denied access to care because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, reproductive health needs, HIV status, or limited proficiency in English. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone – including the most underserved and at-risk people in our communities – is afforded access to quality health care.” The lawsuit was filed against the Trump-Pence Administration on July 9, 2020 asserting that the new rule violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The discriminatory rule was published on June 19, 2020 just days after the June 15, 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County which found that it is unlawful sex discrimination to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The lawsuit also asserts that the new rule will embolden discrimination & harm LGBTQ patients & people who are seeking or who have obtained reproductive health care, further stigmatize abortion & other pregnancy-related care. For More Info…
Campus Pride Announces Mini Grants
Campus Pride is celebrating its 20th anniversary year as the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to building future leaders & creating safer, more inclusive communities for LGBTQ people & allies at colleges & universities. As the preeminent resource for LGBTQ leadership development, diversity inclusion & advocacy within higher education they are awarding 10 Social Justice Mini Grants for Activism. These 10 grants form the inaugural class of projects supported by Campus Pride under a program launched in June 2021. Each grant is worth up to $600. Grantees represent schools from across the country working on projects ranging from producing an original play with trans artists to developing & lobbying administrators to adopt more inclusive policies to forming a mentorship program for LGBTQ+ students to an LGBTQ+ art installation on campus. The inaugural awards includes: William Paterson University, New Jersey - Creation of LGBTQ+ student mentorship program, University of Connecticut, Connecticut - Production of original play with trans artists, University of Connecticut, Connecticut - Development of legislation to be presented to school administration to protect LGBTQ+ students on campus, Brigham Young University, Utah - Support for BYU Pride for community event permitting, George Washington University, Washington D.C. - Development of a course focusing on crystal methamphetamine use in the Black gay community, focusing on safe & effective supporting care, George Washington University, Washington D.C. - Development of an LGBTQ+ sexual health class, University of Central Florida, Florida - Providing gender-affirming binders to trans students, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania - Creation of art installation featuring LGBTQ+ artists, with proceeds from ticket sales going to financial assistance for students’ gender affirmation surgeries, University of Maryland, Maryland - Support for care packages to LGBTQ+ youth homeless shelter & Baldwin Wallace University, Ohio - Installing menstrual product dispensers in gender-neutral campus restrooms. Campus Pride will continue awarding Social Justice Mini Grants for Activism throughout 2021. To Apply & More Info…
Pete & Chasten Buttigieg Are Adopting
PFLAG Mourns Paulette Goodman
Paulette Goodman who served as PFLAG National President from 1988 until 1992 has died. Goodman was born in a Jewish family growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris until her family moved to the United States in 1949. When her daughter came out to her in 1981 she got involved with PFLAG eventually helping to found PFLAG Metro DC in 1983 serving as its first president. In 2019 Goodman stated, “When I found out about my gay child, I realized it was the same situation. You’re guarded about who you are, because you don’t know who’s going to be supportive...I didn’t want my child to go through what I went through, being in the closet is stifling.” Brian K. Bond PFLAG National Executive Director concluded, “Paulette Goodman showed the world what it means to be a loving PFLAG parent & ally. Her experiences as a Jewish girl growing up under Nazi occupation informed the work she did throughout her life & she brought that experience, that empathy, that drive to her work with LGBTQ+ kids & their families. PFLAGers everywhere can look to her as a role model, for once she went through her experience with her own child and got the support she needed, she used that experience to educate others & then advocate for the wellbeing and equality of all LGBTQ+ people. She was the embodiment of what we tell PFLAG members: ‘Once you no longer need PFLAG, PFLAG needs you.’ PFLAG needed & was so lucky to have Paulette Goodman. Our hearts are with her family & all who knew and loved her.” PFLAG is the first & largest organization for LGBTQ people, their parents & families & allies. For More Info…
New Census Confirms LGBTQ Hardships
The U.S. Census Bureau has released data on our LGBTQ households experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic which showed that LGBTQ households were nearly twice as likely to experience food insecurity & were also more likely to experience financial insecurity, lost income & difficulties making housing payments. Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Programs, Research & Training stated, “The Census Bureau’s new data only continues to highlight what we have long known—LGBTQ+ Americans disproportionately bear the brunt of economic hardships from food insecurity to unemployment. This disparity is further fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the LGBTQ+ community is more likely to work in front-line service jobs, have their hours cut & face housing & employment discrimination.” Overall about 13.1% of LGBTQ adults live in a household where there was sometimes or often not enough to eat in the past seven days compared to 7.2% of non-LGBTQ adults. 36.6% of LGBTQ adults live in a household that had difficulty paying for usual household expenses in the previous seven days, compared to 26.1% of non-LGBTQ adults.19.8% of LGBTQ adults live in a household with lost employment income in the past four weeks compared to 16.8% of non-LGBTQ adults. Among those living in homes that were rented or owned with a mortgage or loan 8.2% of LGBTQ adults said they were not at all confident that their household will be able to make their next housing payment on time compared to 6% of non-LGBTQ adults. Also especially LGBTQ people of color have been more likely than the general adult population & their white counterparts to have become unemployed during the pandemic & more than half of transgender & transgender people of color had lost work hours in the Summer of 2020 while one in five became unemployed. For More Info…
James Hormel LGBTQ Trailblazer Dies
USCHA Conference Switches To Virtual
NMAC has announced that their 2021 US Conference on HIV/AIDS will move from an in-person conference to a virtual meeting due to the continued spread of the Delta variant of the COVID virus. The virtual conference will take place December 2nd & 3rd via Zoom. Paul Kawata, Executive Director of NMAC stated, “This is not the announcement we wanted to make. We were very hopeful that we could hold an in-person USCHA this year. However, the health & safety of our constituents must be our primary concern. The continued spread of the Delta variant & the data from both the Provincetown outbreak & the study released at the IAS conference in Berlin about the impact of COVID on people living with HIV led us to this decision. We are as disappointed as everyone else by the need to make this decision, but we could not, in good conscience, potentially put attendees at risk of exposure.” While there are obvious differences between meeting in person & virtually there will still be opportunities for live engagement that allow for networking, skills-building & discussion. Faculty will be present to answer questions & discuss their presentations in real-time. Conference lounges hosted in Zoom will feature facilitated discussions, health & wellness segments & music breaks. Conference sponsors will be able to engage with attendees at their virtual booth. Registrants will also be able to chat with other attendees logged into the platform. Workshops will address: Racism & Race, Best Practices in Telehealth, Biomedical HIV Prevention, Addressing Issues Around COVID, Ending the Epidemic-Next Steps, Prioritizing People Living with HIV, Public Policy, Trauma-Informed Care/Mental Health & Track en Español. For More Info & Registration…
LGBTQ Victory In North Carolina
Lambda Literary Writers Virtual Retreat
Provincetown Virtual Concert Sundays
Biden LGBTQ Judicial Nominees
Adrian Shanker Appointed To PACHA
The Biden-Harris Administration has appointed Adrian Shanker to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Adrian is the founder & executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA & a leader in LGBTQ+ health policy especially in addressing disparities & barriers to care. During the COVID-19 pandemic Adrian led a broad coalition of HIV advocates in Pennsylvania to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Phase 1A COVID-19 vaccine prioritization for people living with HIV. Shanker was sworn in by Dr. Rachel Levine the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Shanker stated, “I am deeply honored to be appointed by the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Health equity is an unmet dream at the center of the challenges faced by HIV/AIDS around our country & across the globe. I am grateful that President Biden, Secretary Becerra & Assistant Secretary Levine have prioritized health equity & I am grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside the other PACHA members as we all work toward the end of the HIV epidemic.” Congresswoman Susan Wild concluded, “Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with Adrian & have come to truly value his expertise on health policy issues related to LGBTQ people & people living with HIV/AIDS. Adrian's expertise, passion & motivation to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS will greatly benefit the Biden-Harris Administration & I applaud his appointment to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.” Shanker is also editor of the critically-acclaimed anthology Bodies & Barriers: Queer Activists on Health which he discussed on OUTTAKE VOICES in our exclusive audio interview. LISTEN
Lesbian Literature Virtual Festival
LGBTQ Community & COVID Vaccination
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