Diana Ross Rocks Foxwoods

The legendary Diana Ross brought her ”In the Name of Love Tour” to Foxwoods Grand Theater on Sunday July 30th to a thrilled sold-out audience. Her band took the stage for several minutes before the iconic diva Diana entered the stage with her 80s hit "I'm Coming Out." The 4000+ capacity crowd rose to their feet in pure pleasure as Ross went into a medley of her Supremes faves. From there she covered six decades of chart busting hits including “Touch Me in the Morning,” “Endless Love” among many others. Over the course of her career Ross has received numerous awards. Ms. Ross is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee & a recipient of the Grammy Awards’ highest honor the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016 she accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. However Diana has always said that her five children are her greatest legacy including her eldest daughter Rhonda Ross Kendrick who opened for her mother’s show. Rhonda’s 12 year-old son was also featured during both his mother’s & grandmother’s performance with his Michael Jackson-esque dance moves. This was last stop for her ”In the Name of Love Tour” but if you missed it you can still catch her when she performs at Tanglewood in Lenox Massachusetts on Wednesday August 30th. In the fall the fierce LGBTQ ally Ms. Ross will be performing At Wynn’s Encore Theatre in Las Vegas from October 11th through October 28th.
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LGBT 2017 Business Conference

The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce conference takes place August 1st through August 4th in Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be over 1,100 attendees for the largest LGBT Business Event on the Planet. Keynote speakers will include fashion icon & best-selling author Tim Gunn; entrepreneur & LGBT advocate Lisa Vanderpump; CEO & author of "Predictable Success" Les McKeown; investment experts Heidi Lehmann & David Beatty; & out CEO & philanthropist Mitchell Gold. Also attending will be global LGBT leaders, including India's Crown Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, fighting to make our world more inclusive for our communities. There will also be the opportunity to change the destiny of one of NGLCC LGBT BIZ PITCH finalists as they compete for $50,000 in cash & prizes in their largest & most exciting competition to date, all while celebrating 15 years of NGLCC. The conference is a great place to meet other certified business owners, chamber leaders, corporate partners & connect through a number of strategically crafted networking, social events & learn how to maximize your LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) certification. NGLCC is a U.S. not-for-profit advocacy group that aims to expand the economic opportunities & advancement of the LGBT business community. The Washington, D.C. based group acts both as a national certification body for LGBT-owned businesses and as advocates for LGBT supplier diversity.
For More Info: nglcc.org
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Trump Targets LGBT Americans

Since Trump became president his administration has targeted the elimination of our LGBT community in America. Since January all LGBT content was deleted from the official whitehouse.gov website, then he rescinded protections for our transgender students on their use of restrooms in public schools, revoked protections for federal LGBT workers against discrimination in hiring & employment, the DOJ dropped the federal lawsuit over North Carolina’s statewide prohibition on LGBT equality, there was an attempt to erase LGBT seniors from federal surveys & of course Trump refused to acknowledge LGBT Pride Month in June. Then this week 45 attempted to have the US military ban transgender people from serving, his AG Jeff Sessions files a brief arguing the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect our LGBT workers & he nominates a vicious anti-LGBTQ politician Governor Samuel Dale Brownback of Kansas to be Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom within the State Department. Make no mistake. The homophobic events of this week & many that have preceded it turn up the heat of the culture wars which had subsided under the Obama Administration. 45's alignment with anti-LGBTQ right wing religious formations will continue to guide this administration's decisions whether issued by Tweet or legal articulations or support for international LGBTQ harming laws & policies. The anti-LGBTQ culture wars are just one aspect of the multi-front war on many other communities including immigrants, Muslims, poor people, black people & women. America has morphed into a tyrannical nightmare that we must defeat & take back the country we love.
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UK Gay Activists Speaks OUT

In the UK on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which is this Thursday July 27th UK Prime Minister Theresa May is being urged to apologize & compensate men convicted under discriminatory anti-gay laws both before & after the partial decriminalization of male homosexuality 50 years ago. Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation stated, “Around 100,000 men were convicted of consenting homosexual behavior following the outlawing in 1885 of all sexual acts between men; with 15,000 of these men being convicted after the Sexual Offences Act was legislated in 1967. The criminalization of homosexuality did not end across the whole of the UK until 2013. These men deserve an apology & compensation for the terrible persecution they suffered. Many were jailed & nearly all endured devastating knock-on consequences. They often lost their jobs & became near unemployable & semi-destitute because of the stigma associated with having a conviction for a homosexual offence. Some experienced the break-up of their marriages & lost custody and access to their children. Families & friends disowned them & they were abused & sometimes assaulted in the street. Many descended into a downward spiral of depression, alcoholism, mental illness & suicide or attempted suicide. The psychological & emotional scars were devastating & long lasting. That’s why they need & deserve a Prime Ministerial apology & state compensation.”
For More Info: petertatchellfoundation.org
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New Trans Mental Health Study

The National LGBTQ Task Force & Trans Lifeline have launched the nation’s first transgender mental health survey. The research is intended to provide a deep insight into the mental healthcare experiences of transgender people in order to improve advocacy efforts. All people over the age of 18 living in the United States that identify as transgender are encouraged to take the survey. Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, Trans/Gender Nonconforming & Disability Justice Projects Director, National LGBTQ Task Force stated, “Forty-one percent of transgender people have attempted suicide, yet not enough is known about the experiences of transgender people when seeking or receiving mental health care. Thanks to other studies, we have a glimpse into the medical discrimination faced by the transgender community. We wish to expand upon that glimpse. This survey is truly cutting edge as it asks respondents questions that were still a big taboo not too long ago.” According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 33% of transgender people report negative experiences with health providers, but it is known how this data correlates to mental health care providers. The U.S. Trans Survey was a follow up to the seminal 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), published by the National LGBTQ Task Force & the National Center for Transgender Equality, which provided insight into lives of transgender people living in the U.S. The transgender mental health survey builds on the work of NTDS by pursuing the subjects that were neglected back then. The data collected will help further advance the Task Force’s lobbying around mental health & disability policy.
For Info & Survey… 
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Gays Against Guns NYC Event

Dewey Moss's fabulous Off-Broadway play The Crusade of Connor Stephens is partnering with Gays Against Guns NY & Moms Demand Action for an illuminating night of theater & conversation. On Sunday July 23rd directly following the 7:30P performance the audience is invited to stay for a talkback with the cast & creatives along with Kevin Gotkin from Gays Against Guns NY & Bryan D. Keane from Moms Demand Action. Discussion topics will include the importance of theater reflecting current headlines, the work that Gays Against Guns NY & Moms Demand Action are currently doing & why The Crusade of Connor Stephens has relevance in today's society. They will address how families with differing viewpoints can survive in Trump’s America. In The Crusade of Connor Stephens extreme loss shakes a Texas family following a tragic school shooting. In the midst of widespread media attention, their story becomes an allegory for the national debate over religion, tolerance, LGBTQ issues & the seedlings of hate. Dewey Moss's The Crusade of Connor Stephens is a play that comes roaring out the gate like a bull let loose from its corral, tearing up the stage at the Jerry Orbach Theater for two fiery hours before sending us off to think a lot about what we have borne witness to. It’s a “message for our times in the current climate of gun violence, anti LGBTQ platforms & a rising incidence of hate crimes in the USA. For More Info & Tix: crusade2017.com 
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LGBTQ React To Health Bill Fail

Temporary relief came this summer after U.S. Senators Moran & Lee refused to vote on the so-called Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) erasing the Republican party’s hope of gaining 50 votes in favor & effectively ending the third attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If passed the bill would have destabilized the insurance market, gutted Medicaid spending, defunded Planned Parenthood, stripped essential health benefits & undermined care for people with pre-existing conditions, and overall increased the cost of insurance. Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund Executive Director stated, "The Republican-led Congress has presented failed proposal after failed proposal to repeal the ACA & each one would have undermined the dignity & wellbeing of the most marginalized people in this country. Iterations of the bill included cuts to care for the poorest among us, while delivering massive tax cuts to the wealthy. This victory is a reminder to those who hold institutional power in this country that we, the people, will not be silenced. They may have Congress & the White House—but together, we are stronger." The ACA has helped 20 million people gain access to healthcare. It has significantly improved the health & wellbeing of LGBTQ people, who are more likely to be uninsured than non-LGBTQ people. Under the Affordable Care Act, the country witnessed a 35% reduction in the uninsured rate for low & middle income LGBTQ people between 2013 & 2017. More LGBTQ people have healthcare coverage now than ever before.
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