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Trans Leadership Virtual Summit 2020

This year’s Trans Leadership Summit 2020 will take place virtually on Saturday December 5th from 11A to 8P via AccelEvents with a Main Stage, Breakout Rooms, Meet Up Lounges & one-on-one private chats. They’re bringing together a fabulous group of trans leaders from all corners of public & community life for a day of inspiration to advance justice & acceptance for transgender & non-conforming people to further justice & acceptance for all humankind. Morning panels include: “Where We Are At Now With Trans Activism” with Masen Davis, Kylar Brourdos, Dr. Gennifer (Genn) Herley, PhD, Alexander Chen & Celia Daniels. “Health & The Trans Community” with Jamison Green, Lilac Vylette Maldonado, Mallery Robinson, Melissa Sklarz & Michael Woodward. “What Transgender Activism Looks Like” with Scott Turner Schofield, Luckie Alexander, Stephanie Battaglino, Vanessa Sheridan & Jovan Martin. “Judge’s Corner” A rare conversation between two transgender judges, the Honorable Phyllis Frye & the Honorable Victoria Kolakowski. “Perspectives On Trans Youth” with Ann Thomas, Zoey Luna & Emmett Preciado. Afternoon Breakout Sessions will include “Trans & Non-Binary People & the Law: A Look at Current and Emerging Issues” with attorneys from Lambda Legal, “Intersections of Oppression: Disability & Gender”, “Trans Masculine Leadership” & “TRANSCending Patriarchy in Today’s World”. The Trans Leadership Virtual Summit 2020 is a free event but you must register.  For More Info & Register…

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Pink Martini Holiday Concerts Go Virtual

The fabulous band Pink Martini has announced their first ever streaming concerts “Home for the Holidays” to debut December 17th & “Good Riddance 2020” to debut December 31st. Both programs were filmed at the band’s World Headquarters in downtown Portland in front of the band’s 35-foot Christmas tree. With the band on long-term hiatus due to the global pandemic it was important for bandleader Thomas Lauderdale to find a new way to bring some holiday joy to the band’s global fan base. Lauderdale stated, “I love the holidays & all of the music that goes with the season. Our goal has always been to make inclusive holiday music that can be played anywhere in the world & this year we’re bringing that spirit right into your living rooms.” These brand new concerts feature holiday classics new & old alongside fan favorite Pink Martini songs. Bandleader Lauderdale will anchor the concerts from the piano with lead singer China Forbes at the microphone. Additional special guests appearing on one or both concerts include co-lead singer Storm Large, NPR’s Ari Shapiro, regular guest vocalists Edna Vazquez, Jimmie Herrod, Sofia von Trapp & Cantor Ida Rae Cahana. Pink Martini has partnered with the online concert presenter Our Concerts Live to bring both concerts directly to fans on their TVs, computers & phones. Though the shows are recorded in advance members of the band will be on hand live for chat & commentary during each concert’s debut broadcast & the shows will also be available to ticket-buyers to stream for a limited time after each premiere for those fans who need a more flexible viewing schedule. WATCH TRAILER
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OUT SHINE Virtual LGBTQ Film Fest

Fort Lauderdale’s 12th edition of its LGBTQ Film Festival OUTshine will go virtual December 3rd to 6th throughout the state of Florida. There will be livestreamed special events as well as cocktail happy hours & talent Q & A sessions as a way to virtually tie the community together. In keeping with social distancing guidelines & community safety this year’s festival will also present the OUTshine Drive-OUT event with the film Cowboys (USA) a critically acclaimed drama on Friday December 4th at 7P at Pier 66 Marina. Awarded “Outstanding Performance in a U.S. Feature” at Outfest LGBT Film Festival & “Best Screenplay” at the TriBeCa Film Festival, Cowboys stars Steve Zahn (Treme’, Modern Family, Dallas Buyers Club) as Troy a father who tries to liberate his young transgender son by taking him to Canada but as a frustrated female detective spearheads an investigation she discovers that the child’s family situation is more complicated than she thought. Director Anna Kerrigan has created a powerful story that propels this modern-day western forward with an uncommon emotional veracity. Another featured event is on Saturday December 5th at 7P with the 10th anniversary screening of Bear City (USA). There will be a virtual cast reunion & interactive Q & A will follow the film. Other highlights include the US premiere of the romantic drama Walking with Shadows (Nigeria), the award-winning international comedy-drama Goodbye Mother (Thưa mẹ con đi) (Vietnam), the award-winning international drama No Hard Feelings (Germany) & the feature thriller Through A Glass Darkly (USA). A virtual closing awards ceremony will take place on Sunday December 6th at 8P via Zoom. Film tickets are $7.50 each & value packages are available. Drive-OUT tickets are $40 per vehicle. For More Info & Tix: outshinefilm.com

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World AIDS Day Falls On Giving Tuesday

December 1st is the 32nd annual World AIDS Day that honors those we have lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with this year’s theme “Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility”. It’s also Giving Tuesday the annual opportunity to support causes that shape our future. Founded in 1988 World AIDS Day was the first ever-international day for global health. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea to be a day that encourages people to do good. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic this is a much-needed concept to reach out to the organizations that need our help the most as we strive to heal this country & around the world. António Guterres UN Secretary-General stated, “With the world’s attention focused on the COVID-19 crisis, World AIDS Day is a reminder of the need to maintain focus on another global pandemic that is still with us nearly 40 years after it emerged. Despite significant successes, the AIDS emergency is not over. HIV still infects 1.7 million people each year & kills some 690,000. And inequalities mean that those who are the least able to stand up for their rights are still the most affected. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call to the world. Inequalities in health affect all of us. No one is safe unless we all are safe. The HIV response has much to teach the fight against COVID-19. We know that to end AIDS & defeat COVID-19 we must eliminate stigma & discrimination, put people at the center & ground our responses in human rights & gender-responsive approaches...”
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Transgender Negative Media Depiction

A new study published in LGBT Health found that frequent exposure to negative depictions of transgender people in the media was significantly associated with clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, global psychological distress & post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this population. The Fenway Institute & Brown University study is believed to be the first of its kind to explore the effects of exposure to negative transgender-related media across a range of platforms on transgender people. It is an important addition to the extensive body of research showing a correlation between negative media depictions of stigmatized groups and poorer mental health outcomes, as few studies focus solely on transgender people. Jaclyn White Hughto, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Brown University School of Public Health stated, “Nearly all of our study participants reported having seen negative depictions of transgender people in media over the past 12 months. But those who reported greater frequency of exposure to these messages were significantly more likely to exhibit clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, global psychological distress & PTSD. The association held even after adjustments were made for variables such as age, race, income & reported experiences of childhood and/or adult sexual or physical abuse, which suggests that negative media messages may have an independent impact on the mental health of transgender populations exposed to such messages. Given the prevalence of systemic discrimination against transgender people in employment, health care settings, schools & housing we have long known that structural interventions are required to target stigma at its source. Campaigns designed to encourage accurate, non-stigmatizing depictions of transgender people across all media could serve to mitigate the harms of negative media messages to transgender people. In the meantime, clinical interventions can also help transgender people cope with the stress of being exposed to negative transgender-related media.”  READ STUDY…

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WIFVNE Annual Meeting Goes Virtual

This year the Women In Film & Video New England (WIFVNE) Annual Meeting will take place virtually December 2nd 6P to 8:30P via Remo. This is a fabulous opportunity to join WIFVNE members & the New England filmmaking community for a celebration of women storytellers & the great work that is happening in New England & beyond. Guest speakers will include Ruth E. Carter the 2019 Academy Award winner for Achievement in Costume Design for Marvel’s “Black Panther” who made history as the first African-American to win in the category, Peilin Chou, Animation Film Producer whose producing credits include “Over the Moon” which premiered on Netflix in October 2020 & “Abominable” which launched theatrically worldwide in September of 2019 & Emmy award-winning producer Gennie Rim whose career in animation spans 20+ years. Rim has worked at Pixar & Disney on various films such as “Cars”, “Ratatouille”, “The Incredibles” & “Up”. The speakers will be moderated by WIFVNE Board Members Nerissa Williams Scott & Sharon Contillo. There will also be a presentation of the New England Film Star Awards. The winner of the 2020 New England Film Star Award will receive a grant to be given to a film project by a marginalized filmmaker residing in New England & will be announced at the WIFVNE 2020 Annual Meeting of Members. WIFVNE was founded in 1981 by eleven women all Boston-based media professionals that came together to form the New England chapter of Women In Film. The 2020 WIFVNE Annual Meeting of Members is hosted by She+ Geeks Out. General admission is $10 & for members of a WIF chapter admission is $5. 
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“Inside the Hollywood Closet” (AUDIO)

This week I talked with author Boze Hadleigh about his new book “Inside the Hollywood Closet: A Book of Quotes” a fabulous gift for the holidays no matter what your sexual orientation may be. A project that took Hadleigh 19 years to complete “Inside the Hollywood Closet” delivers inspirational quotes & statements from such stars as Rock Hudson, Truman Capote, Cary Grant, Neil Patrick Harris, k.d. lang, Ellen DeGeneres, Jodi Foster, Queen Latifah, Little Naz, Oscar Wilde, Sammy Davis Jr., Ellen Page, Rosie O’Donnell, Ian McKellan, Bea Arthur, Butterfly McQueen, Chaz Bono, Elton John, Remi Malik & Wanda Sykes among others. One of my favorite quotes was Tallulah Bankhead who said “Daddy warned me about men & alcohol, but he never warned me about women & cocaine.” Hadleigh who has published 26 books primarily on show business takes you on a journey back in time as he examines what it was like to be LGBTQ in Tinseltown’s heyday to modern day Hollywood. Boze examines both the obvious & hidden costs of being queer in the entertainment industry from an insider view looking out as well as from the outside looking in. This is a fascinating intimate exploration of our LGBTQ community’s survival in show business over the past century. I talked to Boze about his inspiration for creating “Inside the Hollywood Closet: A Book of Quotes” & his spin on our LGBTQ issues. “Inside the Hollywood Closet: A Book of Quotes” is published by Riverdale Avenue Books & is also available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles Nook, iTunes & Kobo. LISTEN  

For More Info: riverdaleavebooks.com

 

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