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LGBTQ Leaders & Allies Speak OUT

This has been the most challenging year worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to end 2020 by thanking our loyal global audience for supporting OUTTAKE MEDIA’s mission through thick & thin. We also want to thank all the LGBTQ leaders, filmmakers, actors, authors & allies who appeared on OUTTAKE VOICES our audio podcast series that’s syndicated on iTunes including activists Monica Roberts & Yuval David from the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference, actor Brian Edward, Mariah Hanson, founder & producer of the legendary Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, filmmaker Astrid Ovalles, Imani Rupert-Gordon the new Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, author Sarah F. Pearlman, filmmaker Nicole Conn, MTV reality star Jonathan Calixto, “Queer As Folk” actor Michelle Clunie, Robert Lo tech entrepreneur, activist Adrian Shanker, filmmaker Wendy Jo Carlton, Black LGBTQ leaders including HRC president Alphonso David, Civil Rights Attorney Michele Rayner, Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins & Nadine Smith, Equality Florida Executive Director. UK writer-journalist Matthew Todd, Attorney Shannon Minter, actor & philanthropist Phillip P. Keene, actors Jason Stuart & Mitch Hara, Filmmaker Cindy L. Abel, Colonel Patsy Thompson & Barbara Brass, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force Rea Carey, Cheryl Osimo, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, actors/authors Robin Hopkins & Jaimie Kelton, author Opa Hysea Wise, author Boze Hadleigh, singer/songwriter & actor Sam Harris & author Chuck Latovich. We also wish to thank publicists Mona Elyafi at ILDK Media, Cathy Renna at Target Cue & Michele Karlsberg at MK Marketing & Management for providing us with some fabulous voices. We've lined up some amazing guests for 2021 & lots of exciting projects to come. We Wish Everyone A Safe & Healthy New Year. LISTEN
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Pink Martini Virtual New Year's Events

The fabulous band Pink Martini will be presenting virtually three different & wonderful ways to Wring Out the Old & Ring in the New Year Thursday December 31st. First their uncut version of the full 90-minute virtual concert "Good Riddance 2020!" which was filmed at Pink Martini World Headquarters in Portland debuts at 9P Paris time & again at 9P Eastern/6pm Pacific on 12/31 after which it will be available for streaming by their online concert presenter Our Concerts Live on demand for 48 hours. In addition Oregon Public Broadcasting will be televising a 57-minute edited version for free in Oregon at 9:30P on 12/31 & their friends at NPR Music will feature a 57-minute edited audio version of the concert as part of their annual national New Year's Eve show Toast of the Nation. The show will include new & old holiday favorites featuring Thomas Lauderdale on piano & China Forbes on vocals. So check your local NPR listings for time & availability for that event. All versions of this brand new concert "Good Riddance 2020!" will feature China Forbes on vocals with guest appearances from Storm Large, Ari Shapiro & more. Musicians include Gavin Bondy trumpet, Robert Taylor trombone, Philip Emilio Baker upright bass, Dan Faehnle guitar, Nicholas Crosa violin, Timothy Nishimoto percussion & vocals, Brian Lavern Davis percussion, Miguel Bernal percussion, Reinhardt Melz percussion & Andrew Borger drums & percussion. So since we’re all stuck at home for New Year’s Eve everyone’s favorite “little orchestra” Pink Martini will bring some much-needed festivity directly to your living room this New Year’s Eve. Say “Good Riddance” to 2021 & ring in the New Year in style this December 31st with a show that’s fun for the whole family. Tickets start at $15. For More Info & Tix…

Hear Audio Chats w/ LGBTQ Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

 

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"The Girl In The Boston Box" (AUDIO)

This week I talked with author Chuck Latovich about his new must-read thriller "The Girl In The Boston Box" that follows two characters’ stories linked by the urban legend of hidden rooms in the city’s historic buildings used for shocking crimes. First we meet Caitlyn Gautry pursuing a Harvard doctorate in architecture who chooses a controversial subject for her thesis based on the architectural myth of "The Boston Box". As she investigates this folklore she takes the reader on a contemporary & historical journey through the city of Boston as she uncovers this underlying mystery. The other character is Mark Chieswicz rejected by his family over twenty years ago because of his sexual orientation struggles to understand a cryptic clue about his estranged brother’s murder in a dangerous attempt to hold onto a life-changing but tainted inheritance. Eventually these two seemingly unrelated narratives cross paths as they expose tales of sex, death & scandal. "The Girl In The Boston Box" gives all readers whether heterosexual or LGBTQ a good time through a balance of an intriguing story, with atmosphere, character & solid writing. One of the interesting factors about Mark Chieswicz’s narrative is that being gay is just part of the complexities of his character, not the story itself. Anyone who is interested in Boston for whatever reason will learn a good deal about the city by reading this captivating & entertaining book. I talked to Chuck about what he would like to accomplish with his new mystery novel "The Girl In The Boston Box" & his spin on our LGBTQ Issues. LISTEN  

For More Info… 

Hear Audio Chats w/ LGBTQ Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

 

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Supporting Our LGBTQ Community

We must continue supporting our LGBTQ community as we head into the New Year & finally say good riddance to 2020. With COVID still raging we hope our community stays healthy & strong. Though vaccines may provide light at the end of the tunnel we still have to survive these challenging times to bask in that light. Think about how we lived through AIDS listening to the science & safe sex. Another sad statistic we need to embrace is that this has also been the deadliest year on record for transgender Americans. Our global community will survive these dark times & hearts & minds will change. So here are a couple orgs we support to see this change happen when we can all just be our authentic selves. The National LGBTQ Task Force works to build a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement & basic human rights. By training & mobilizing millions of activists across our nation & events like this year’s virtual Creating Change Conference January 27th to January 31st they are committed to deliver a world where you can be you. For More Info…  Then there’s the Victory Institute the only national organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government. Through their trainings, professional development programs & yearly conferences, Victory Institute prepares hundreds of out individuals to launch an influential career in politics, government, business & advocacy. Right now there are more than 1,000 openly LGBTQ elected & appointed officials now serving around the world. That number needs to double in 2021.  For More Info…

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Injunction Halts Trump’s Diversity Ban

U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump Administration from implementing the President's Executive Order banning workplace diversity training. Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center & other plaintiffs were represented pro-bono by attorneys at Lambda Legal & Ropes & Gray who filed a lawsuit (Diversity Center v Trump) last month requesting that the court bar the Trump administration from implementing its recent executive order that prohibits federal contractors & grantees from conducting workplace diversity trainings or engaging in grant-funded work that explicitly acknowledges & confronts the existence of structural racism & sexism in our society. Judge Freeman's injunction stops the Executive Order from having any effect as to any & all federal contractors & grantees nationwide. Adrian Shanker, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Executive Director stated, "Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center cannot compromise the quality or content of the training we provide. That's why we sought an injunction to stop President Trump's Executive Order banning diversity training from going into effect. Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is proud to provide training to make workplaces more equitable & this injunction protects our ability to do so." In addition to Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center plaintiffs are B. Brown Consulting, Dr. Ward Carpenter, Los Angeles LGBT Center; The Diversity Center in Santa Cruz, CA, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, CrescentCare in New Orleans, LA & SAGE based in New York City. Lambda Legal’s attorneys working on the case include Camilla Taylor; Karen Loewy, Scott Schoettes, Currey Cook, Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Avatara A. Smith-Carrington, Alexis Paige & Cheryl Angelaccio. They are joined by pro-bono co-counsel from Ropes & Gray including Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, Kirsten Mayer, Nathalia Sosa, Jessica Soto, Thanithia Billing, Annie Monjar, Jennifer Cullinane, Ethan Weinberg, Fred Boehrer & William Richard Allen. For More Info…
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New UCLA LGBTQ Well-Being Center

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has launched a new center to promote the health of sexual & gender minorities through research & partnerships with our LGBTQ community, community-based organizations, public health officials & policymakers in Los Angeles & beyond. The UCLA Center for LGBTQ Advocacy, Research & Health or “C-LARAH” (derived from the Latin hilaris, meaning cheerful) will be directed by Matthew Mimiaga, a Fielding School professor of epidemiology renowned for his research working with sexual & gender minorities at the intersection of HIV, substance use & mental health. Professor Mimiaga stated, “Both here at home & around the world, LGBTQ populations have a higher prevalence & incidence of life-threatening physical conditions, mental health challenges & certain chronic & infectious diseases, along with significant barriers in accessing & maintaining healthcare & treatment. C-LARAH & its partners will collaborate on research-informed ways to both reach members of this historically marginalized population & serve them holistically.” Amit Paley, The Trevor Project CEO & Executive Director concluded, “I’m excited for the UCLA Center for LGBTQ Advocacy, Research & Health to open its doors & help shape policies that directly impact the lives of LGBTQ young people. Limited LGBTQ-inclusive research, plus the lack of systematic data collection on LGBTQ communities, can make it even more difficult to address the unique mental health challenges of LGBTQ youth & the obstacles to care that they face. The Trevor Project recognizes a clear need for greater investment in advocacy & research that can better inform public policies that support the needs of LGBTQ youth. We look forward to working with the center to educate policymakers, advocate for LGBTQ youth & provide unique insight into their mental health.”           For More Info: ph.ucla.edu

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Ten Years After “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

President Barack Obama signed the repeal of the military policy known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” ten years ago on December 22nd 2010 ending the ban of LGBTQ servicemembers. Brian K. Bond, a member of the Obama-Biden White House staff who worked closely on the repeal (2009-2011) & current Executive Director of PFLAG National stated, “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was always bad policy. When President Obama signed the repeal 10 years ago, it was the culmination of the combined efforts of scores of former & active duty LGBTQ+ service members whose lives were impacted by this policy, together with LGBTQ+ advocates & allies, congressional champions & leaders in the Department of Defense. It was a bipartisan effort I am proud to have been a part of, recognizing that it was only a step toward a fully inclusive military force. Yet its remnants, specifically anti-transgender policies, continue to affect our military readiness, unit cohesion, recruitment & retention. PFLAG’s military families, inclusive of openly LGBTQ+ servicemembers & servicemembers whose children are LGBTQ+ struggle to navigate discrimination -- some having moved to find gender-affirming health care, inclusive education & safe housing.” President-elect Biden has promised he would move to immediately end the ban on transgender military service on the first day of his presidency, an achievable pledge that does not require the support of Congress or the development of any new policy provisions. Aaron Belkin Palm Center’s Director concluded, “We are confident that President-elect Biden will immediately reverse the ban on transgender military service upon taking office. Few actions are as straightforward & as consistent with the president-elect’s values as ending this unnecessary ban that punishes our troops & harms our national security.” 
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