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GLAD Fights For LGBT Youth

Though Maine recently passed gay marriage there are still LGBT battles to be fought in “The Pine Tree State". On Transgender Day of Remembrance when people from all across the globe pause to remember those who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence, a Maine trial court judge dismissed the case of a transgender girl who experienced discrimination & harassment at her Orono school. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), which is representing the student in the lawsuit, announced it will immediately appeal the decision. Ben Klein GLAD Senior Attorney stated, “Our client Susan Doe is a transgender girl who was made an outcast by school officials & was subjected to severe bullying over the course of two years simply because of who she is, in violation of Maine anti-discrimination law. The judge is wrong on the law & ignored critical facts in making his decision.” GLAD filed the lawsuit, known as Doe v. Clenchy after officials at an Orono elementary school denied a transgender girl the use of the girls’ restroom & other facilities & restricted her participation in school activities. The school had previously allowed Doe to use the girls’ restroom without incident until one of her male classmates began making it an issue with coaching from his grandfather. Doe also suffered a campaign of harassment & bullying for over two school years at the hands of this classmate who the school failed to discipline. Eventually the bullying got so bad the parents were forced to withdraw their daughter & her twin brother from the Orono school system & move them to another part of the state where they could go to school quietly & safely. This should be interesting since Maine has a statewide law prohibiting discrimination against people based on gender identity & expression in all areas, including public education & public accommodations. Updates to Come…:)

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We Will Not Forget You

November 20th marks the 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance when people from all across the globe pause to remember those who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. Transgender women, particularly transgender women of color, are disproportionately subjected to hate violence. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 44% of all LGBT murder victims in 2010 were transgender women. Herndon Graddick GLAAD President stated, "With anti-transgender violence on the rise, we remember our colleagues, friends & family whose lives were taken simply because of who they are. We must stand together to end the violence, working every day to spread awareness & acceptance of transgender people." Transgender Day of Remembrance marks the end of Transgender Awareness Week, a national campaign to raise visibility & awareness of transgender people & issues, which began November 12. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) observed Transgender Awareness Week with the national launch of new "I AM: Trans People Speak" videos, featuring New York Times bestseller Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, actress Laverne Cox, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) attorney Noah Lewis & performance poet Kit Yan. The campaign, first started by Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) in 2010, aims to spotlight the stories of transgender Americans & their allies in an effort to educate the public about transgender issues, as well as speak to transgender youth & adults.
For More Info & Watch Videos: glaad.org

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Sir Ivan Gives 100K to Trevor Project

Dance-pop recording artist Sir Ivan pledged $100,000 to The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention & suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. The donation was made by Sir Ivan & The Peaceman Foundation a nonprofit established by Sir Ivan, in 2005, to battle hatred, violence & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sir Ivan stated, “As the son of a Holocaust survivor, I was made aware from a very young age of the need to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, the bullied, the persecuted. Through my music & whatever influence I may have, I want to demonstrate the importance of acceptance and understanding. I’m particularly focused on the needs of the LGBT community & specifically, LGBT youth – who are up to four times more likely than straight teenagers to attempt suicide. There is never an excuse for harassment and bullying, & I, for one, will not stand for it.” Abbe Land, Executive Director & CEO of The Trevor Project added, “The Trevor Project is grateful to Sir Ivan & the Peaceman Foundation for their generous support of our life-saving, life-affirming services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & questioning youth. Every gift helps The Trevor Project ensure our services are always available & young people in crisis can plan for a future that begins today.”
For More Info: thetrevorproject.org

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Gay Marriage & Slavery (AUDIO)

Gay marriage in the 21st Century has a lot in common with slavery laws prior to the Civil War. This was a state-by-state decision & by 1804 all states north of the Mason & Dixon Line had either abolished slavery outright or passed laws for the gradual abolition of slavery. Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Nine years ago Massachusetts passed gay marriage on Nov. 18th 2003 with the historic Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health decision when GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) sued the Massachusetts Department of Health in Superior Court & won. Now we have gay marriage in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont & Washington States as well as in the District of Columbia & two Native American tribes Coquille & Suquamish. We were excited when Obama came out for gay marriage last spring but disappointed that he still insisted this should be a state-by-state decision. This is wrong & Un-American. The majority should not be voting on the rights of a minority. With Obama being reelected we have an opportunity to abolish DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) which has been found unconstitutional in federal court again & again. Yet we are still waiting to see if the US Supreme Court will hear these cases. In this exclusive audio byte syndicated Afro-American religion columnist Reverend Irene Monroe addresses this concern:

Listen to Full Interview

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Gay Band Hunter Valentine (AUDIO)

The Real L Word reality stars HUNTER VALENTINE returns to Massachusetts Sunday Nov. 18th. They’re performing at Great American Tavern 303 Main Street in North Reading. The event is hosted by DJ Andrea Stamas along with Studio A Entertainment. This is your last chance in the Boston area to catch this hot lesbian band on their COLLIDE & CONQUER TOUR. Opening for Hunter Valentine is Queen Caveat. Doors open at 6:30P. Coming off starring in Season 3 of Showtime's hit reality series The Real L Word into the release of their third studio album titled COLLIDE & CONQUER no one can deny the momentum behind lesbian rockers HUNTER VALENTINE. This is a great opportunity to see what everyone is talking about as lead singer/guitarist Kiyomi McCloskey, drummer Laura Petracca, bassist Veronica "Vero" Sanchez & newest member lead guitarist Aimee Bessada take center stage. HUNTER VALENTINE COLLIDE & CONQUER TOUR is currently playing North America through Nov. 18th, then they’re headed to Japan & Europe. This is a 21+ event - positive ID required. For More Info & Tix...
We talked to the band literally on the road as they headed east from Chicago last month on OUTTAKE VOICES™ about The Real L Word, the new CD & their spin on our LGBT issues.
Check OUT Our Exclusive Audio Interview

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LGBT Filmmaker Deb Monuteaux Dies

Deb Monuteaux, the Director of Sappho’s Fire passed away Sunday, November 11th. She loss her battle with Pulmonary Biliary Cirrhosis. She was 62. Sappho’s Fire premiered in 2011 at the Boston LGBT Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts. We will miss her dearly but her work, Sappho’s Fire, Not Your Mama’s Roller Derby & Venus, Priests & Superwomen present a powerful educational legacy for women & the LGBTQ community. Deb & her life partner Alexia Kosmider formed Shifting Visions, a nonprofit film company with the primary objective of uncovering & bringing to the forefront subjects that they felt needed to be exposed to create a larger dialogue with mainstream society & with the hopes of bringing sensitivity & understanding to their subjects. Before Deb’s illness she had begun work on her next documentary TransJourney. TransJourney explores 3 women’s personal journeys & the ways that their lives have become intertwined & made stronger because of each other. Deb was extremely disappointed when she had to cancel her cross-country journey to Seattle, WA where most of the filming was to occur. She insisted that the production moves forward not only to honor Deb’s memory but because it is an important film. There will be celebration of Deb’s life & legacy on Saturday, December 15th at 3P at Rue De L’Espoir, 99 Hope Street, Providence, RI. Please RSVP by December 10th via email to Alexia@shiftingvisions.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Shifting Visions Films, 780 Reservoir Avenue, Suite 113, Cranston, RI 02910 or via paypal on the website:
shiftingvisions.com

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Boston Out In Israel & Gaza (AUDIO)

This is the second year Out In Israel month is celebrated in the Boston area. Throughout November advocacy organizations in & around Boston have joined together along with politicians, filmmakers, artists, musicians, students & other activists to celebrate the vibrant LGBT communities in Israel & Massachusetts. Out In Israel Month is a program of education & celebration. Organizers aim to educate about the status of civil rights for LGBT Israeli citizens & exchange ideas about our LGBT community & culture in both Israel & Massachusetts. Out In Israel was launched by the Consulate General of Israel to New England & is co-sponsored by the Boston LGBT Film Festival, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Israel Campus Roundtable, Keshet, Aviv Gay Vibe & OUTTAKE MEDIA. Out In Israel engages our community in an array of programs geared to highlight Israel’s LGBT equality & recognition of all her citizens in the workplace, on the field, in the military & by the courts. This year we attended a special culinary-cultural event featuring openly gay Israeli Celebrity Chef Gil Hovav at the home of The Consul General of Israel to New England Shai Bazak in Brookline, Massachusetts. The event was fabulous & Gil will be featured on OUTTAKE VOICES next week to share his experiences. With the current conflict with Gaza we asked Hovav to give us his spin on the situation. Gil expressed his concerns for his partner & nine year old daughter who are currently back in Israel under attack. Listen To Exclusive Audio Byte:

Listen to Gil's Full Audio Interview

For More Info: outinisrael.org

About Me

GLAD Fights For LGBT Youth

We Will Not Forget You

Sir Ivan Gives 100K to Trevor Project

Gay Marriage & Slavery (AUDIO)

Gay Band Hunter Valentine (AUDIO)

LGBT Filmmaker Deb Monuteaux Dies

Boston Out In Israel & Gaza (AUDIO)

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