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Outfest 41st LA LGBTQ Film Festival

The 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Festival takes place July 13th to 23rd in venues around Los Angeles & is headquartered at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood. The 11-day festival will showcase a program of over 170 titles from more than 25 countries that includes narratives, documentaries, shorts & an episodic showcase. Highlights among the films featured include the world premiere of “Truth Be Told” a feature doc which gives a probing, heartfelt & often humorous exploration of the relationship between the LGBTQ community & the Black church featuring interviews with Billy Porter, Meagan Good, Cedric The Entertainer, David Mann, Tamela Mann & Kev on Stage. Mike Dougherty, Outfest’s Director of Programming stated, “The depth of the talent & the boundless creativity we saw in the work we reviewed this year speaks to how wonderfully gifted LGBTQ+ artists are. One festival could not hope to contain all the fantastic films available from our community this year but rest assured Outfest Los Angeles will be bursting with captivating cinema & we hope to continue the celebration year-round.” The festival will open with Aristotle & Dante Discover the “Secrets of the Universe” directed by Aitch Alberto & will close with “Chasing Chasing Amy” directed by Sav Rodgers. The festival will be honoring Melissa McCarthy & Ben Falcone with the James Schamus Ally Award. Outfest will also honor actor, producer & musician Amandla Stenberg with its Platinum Maverick Award & the Platinum Alchemy Award to musician Madame Gandhi. Outfest is presented by Warner Bros. Discovery & Genesis Motor America. 
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Hello Yellow Brick Road Concert Event

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus joined by the San Francisco Symphony will present “Hello Yellow Brick Road” a one-night-only ultimate mash-up of Sir Elton John & all things Oz on Wednesday July 19th at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall at 7:30P. The concert event will combine highlights from Sir Elton John’s 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking album with favorites from The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz & Stephen Schwartz’s blockbuster musical Wicked. Chris Verdugo SFGMC CEO stated, “There’s no better way to close out what has undoubtedly been one of the most successful seasons in SFGMC history than with a celebration of Sir Elton John & the wonderful world of Oz. These iconic songs have been a defining soundtrack of the LGBTQ+ community for decades. But now, with our rights & freedoms being threatened across the country, this concert serves as both comfort & a powerful rallying cry for action.” Jacob Stensberg SFGMC Artistic Director concluded, "Hello Yellow Brick Road is so much more than a clever turn of phrase, allowing us to put together unique combinations of some of the most beloved songs of all time. It's a proclamation of how we will propel ourselves into the next 45 years. There is no map for what comes next: as the world's first Gay Men's Chorus, the path forward is one we must build ourselves, brick by brick. The choices we make & the way we treat others won't just determine our legacy, it will define our future & yes, you can expect our compassion & humanity to be accompanied with humor, style, sass & fabulous choreography!” The two-act concert will feature the 250 singing members of SFGMC supported by one of the most sought-after orchestras in the world. 
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Supremacist Supreme Court Hate Ruling

The Supreme Court warned our LGBTQ community last June that we would be next on their horrific agenda to rollback the rights of marginalized Americans & they delivered. With the words “Equal Justice Under The Law” engraved over the entrance of the court building we are faced with corrupt extremist justices making hateful decisions that go against this country’s Declaration of Independence of Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness. This fabricated case 303 Creative, Inc. v. Elenis was brought to you by Alliance Defending Freedom which is bent on legalizing discrimination against LGBTQ people & fought to overturn Roe v. Wade. Mardi Moore, Executive Director of Out Boulder County stated, “If you have never watched your rights be taken away on television, you cannot begin to understand how LGBTQ+ people are feeling today. Today’s Creative 303 decision does not include a clearly defined legal limiting principle, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 6-3 ruling, granted the right to some businesses to discriminate against a legally protected class of people for the first time in our history. This opinion is unclear, unsound & may have an immense impact on the rights of all members of protected classes including LGBTQ+ people. The implications & parameters of this decision will be worked through the legal system for years to come, but we know that today, it allows discrimination against protected classes, including LGBTQ+ people.” So last year this radical rightwing corrupt Supreme Court made women second-class citizens & this year they continued with our LGBTQ community. What marginalized group of Americans will be next?
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Extremists Targeting Transgender Youth

As the North Carolina House passes HB808 a bill that will prohibit the initiation of all gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under the age of 18 the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky granted a preliminary injunction blocking a law in Kentucky that bans necessary medical care for transgender youth. In response to the North Carolina discriminatory legislation Lore Lane from Southern Equality stated, “As someone who relies on gender-affirming care, my heart is breaking & quite frankly, full of righteous anger, watching the NCGA ram through legislation that would block transgender youth from being able to access this care. This care is life-saving. It is life-affirming. It allows people to live authentically & gives us the best chance to thrive & most importantly, it is our inalienable human right. It is absolutely outrageous that the NCGA would insert themselves into private & personal medical decisions – decisions that should always be left to providers & patients.” In response to the Kentucky injunction Shannon Minter NCLR Legal Director stated, “This decision is a huge relief for the families targeted by this unnecessary & harmful law, which prevents doctors from doing their jobs & parents from making medical decisions for their own children. We are grateful that the court carefully considered all of the evidence & recognized that there is no support for this dangerous & unprecedented law.” So this is where our country is at. Instead of state legislators addressing crucial issues like fully funding public schools, establishing universal Pre-K & ending childhood hunger they’re bent on targeting our transgender youth from being their authentic selves. 
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Arizona Signs Conversion Therapy Law

Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs has made history by signing an executive order prohibiting licensed therapists from subjecting minors to conversion therapy the dangerous practice that seeks to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. With her order Arizona is now the 27th state to protect youth from this deadly practice whether by legislation, regulations, or executive actions. Mathew Shurka, Co-Founder of Born Perfect stated, “We applaud Governor Hobbs for her leadership in protecting LGBTQ youth & their families from this deadly practice, which has been rejected as unethical & harmful by every leading medical & mental health association in the country. As a survivor of conversion therapy, I know how much this means to others who have been subjected to this abuse.” Conversion therapy has been rejected as unnecessary, ineffective & harmful by every major medical & mental health organization in the country including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association & the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People, 15% of LGBTQ young people reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy & those who had reported being subjected to the practice were more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year. Born Perfect is a survivor-led campaign created by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in 2014 to end conversion therapy by passing laws across the country that protect LGBTQ children & young people, fighting in courtrooms to ensure their safety & raising awareness about the serious harms caused by these dangerous practices. 
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Help Is On The Way 27th Concert & Gala

The Richmond / Ermet AID Foundation is having its star-studded AIDS benefit concert & gala “Help Is On The Way 27th Broadway & Beyond” on Sunday July 16th from 7:30P at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre at 609 Sutter Street in San Francisco, CA. "Help Is On The Way" is one of San Francisco’s longest-running benefit concerts featuring a bevy of stars from Broadway, TV, film & the recording industry. It's an elegant evening of wonderful music, delicious food & beverages tastings. Kenneth Henderson, Executive Director of the Richmond/Ermet AID Foundation stated, “We’re very excited about this year’s gala. This concert will feature so many amazing voices from the Broadway touring cast of “Les Miz” in addition to Broadway stars Lisa Vroman & David Burnham but will have a good amount of comedy as we remember & pay tribute through video clips to our late grand diva, Carole Cook & the hysterical Leslie Jordan who was a true REAF fan favorite. This event is truly a labor of love as all our performers give their time & talent to support our cause and the Ava cues we support— in this case Project Open Hand.” Also performing will be Leanne Borghesi, Ava Nicole Francis, Debby Holiday, Marta Sanders & Del Shores. This Gala Event consists of a Broadway-style performance & a nightclub-themed after party with the cast. The silent auction coincides beginning at 6:30P & concludes at the end of intermission. The event benefits Project Open Hand & REAF’s Small Emergency Grants Program. 
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HHS Hosts LGBTQ Pride Summit Event

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) hosted a Pride Summit featuring hundreds of advocates & allies from our LGBTQ community & leaders from across the Biden-Harris Administration. The HHS Pride Summit highlighted key accomplishments of the Biden Administration including efforts to improve access to health care services, health equity, support for identity affirmation & civil rights as well as forward-looking conversations about continued support for our community. Secretary Xavier Becerra opened Summit with remarks that highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expanding health equity, supporting gender-affirming care & defending LGBTQ rights. He also detailed numerous ways HHS had celebrated Pride month. Secretary Becerra stated, “Supporting the LGBTQI+ community is a top priority for me & HHS. Equity runs at the heart of every initiative we take on here. We are facing daunting challenges right now – with some politicians spewing hateful rhetoric & imposing restrictions against the LGBTQI+ community. But, thanks to the leadership of President Biden, I am confident we will make it through this moment.” LGBTQ leaders who participated in the summit included: Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign & Imani Rupert-Gordon, Executive Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Arli Christian, Trans Justice Strategist from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Casey Pick, Director of Law & Policy for the Trevor Project, Julie Seaver, Executive Director of the Compass LGBTQ Community Center of Florida, Robert Salcido, Executive Director of the Center-Pride Center San Antonio & Kelley Blair, Founder of the Diversity Center of Oklahoma among others.
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