Rainbow Flag Creator Celebration

Tom Taylor, Dr. Jerome Goldstein & the Diversity Foundation will present A Celebration of Life honoring Gilbert Baker (1951 - 2017) creator of the Rainbow Flag on Thursday June 8th at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco at 7P. Gilbert Baker died on March 31st in NYC. Baker affectionately known as “The Gay Betsy Ross” created the Rainbow Flag that has become the international symbol for our LGBTQ community. The two original flags were first unfurled at the San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Parade in 1978. They had been hand-dyed & stitched by Gilbert Baker & a group of volunteers. The flag's design stems from Baker's admiration for the universality of the rainbow as a "natural flag in the sky." Baker stated, "Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth as I say, to get out of the lie. A flag really fit that mission, because that’s a way of proclaiming your visibility, or saying, ‘This is who I am!’” Scheduled to speak at the celebration of life for Gilbert Baker are Paul Gabriel & Dr. Jerome Goldstein (co-masters of ceremonies), Mark Leno - Former State Senator and 2018 candidate for SF Mayor, Jeff Sheehy - SF Supervisor – Castro District, Cleve Jones, Members of San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus & Thrillpeddlers - SF Theatrical Troupe. The event is free & open to the public but tickets must be obtained in advance.
For Tix…
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Conversion Therapy Must End

In Massachusetts the Joint Committee on Children, Families & People With Disabilities held a hearing Tuesday June 6th on SB 62/HB 1190, An Act relative to abusive practices to change sexual orientation & gender identity in minors, also known as the Conversion Therapy Ban Bill. This bill would prohibit state-licensed mental health professionals from engaging in practices aimed at changing a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Deborah Shields MassEquality Executive Director stated, "In today's successful hearing on the Conversion Therapy Ban Bill, we made a compelling case for banning the dangerous & discredited practice of conversion therapy on minors. To date, nine other states & Washington, D.C. have passed similar laws & Rhode Island is poised to become the next state to do so. It is past time for Massachusetts, which has long been at the forefront of promoting fairness & equality for all, to join these states in preventing young people from being harmed by these abusive & traumatizing techniques…MassEquality thanks the conversion therapy survivors who courageously testified before the committee today, those who submitted written testimony in favor of the bill, our many supporters who have contacted their legislators to urge them to vote in favor of this bill & our colleagues & partners who have worked with us to advocate for this much-needed legislation. We are confident that the committee will report favorably on this bill and that soon, LGBTQ youth in Massachusetts will no longer face these dangerous & abusive practices."

For More Info: massequality.org
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Alice Austen House LGBTQ Status

The Alice Austen House in Staten Island New York will formally celebrate becoming a National LGBTQ Historical Site at an event on Tuesday, June 20th at 11A. The designation marks an important milestone for this historic house in bringing forth the LGBTQ story represented there. Alice Austen House is a nationally landmarked museum devoted to the trailblazing American street photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952). Austen was in a loving & devoted relationship with Gertrude Tate for more than fifty years & nearly 30 of those years were lived together at the Austen family home that serves as the museum. As part of an initiative of the National Park Service launched in 2014 the Alice Austen House’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places has been amended to include LGBTQ history as an area of significance. Alice Austen captured a changing New York City in more than 7000 photographs taken mostly around the turn of the twentieth century. Austen documented her life on Staten Island & went onto the streets of Manhattan to photograph the activities of immigrants & the working class. She was versatile & forged her own path without much regard for acceptable Victorian behavior for women. Austen was a master tennis player, an early advocate for women riding bicycles, founder of the Staten Island Garden Club & is said to be the first woman on Staten Island to own a car. During the June 20th event, photographer& activist Joan E. Biren (JEB) will speak. Biren is an award-winning documentary photographer & filmmaker & has been chronicling the lives of LGBT individuals for more than 30 years.
For More Info: aliceausten.org
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U.S. Navy Celebrating LGBT Pride

The U.S. Navy joins the nation in recognizing LGBT Pride Month throughout June even though the Trump administration has neglected to do so. The Department of Defense began observing LGBT Pride Month in 2012 after repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” in 2011 allowing gay, lesbian & bisexuals to serve openly in the United States Armed Forces. In 2016 the Department of Defense instituted a policy change allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military as their preferred gender. In an official email we received from the US Navy they have assured us that they’re committed to recruit & retain top talent regardless of race, class, sex or background & they continue to provide a diverse, inclusive environment allowing diversity of thought & innovation to thrive. The LGBT community is part of One Navy Team that contributes their diverse talents, skills & service to the strength of the force. Capt. Candace Eckert, U.S. Navy Special Assistant for Inclusion & Diversity stated, "To remain the finest seagoing fighting force, the Navy needs men & women who are the right fit for the right job regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed or gender identity. Our goal is to ensure that the mission is carried out by the most qualified & capable Sailors. If an individual can meet the Navy's standards, they should be afforded the opportunity to be part of the One Navy Team." We at OUTTAKE VOICES support our LGBT service members as well as all the men & women in the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force & Marines deployed around the clock & ready to protect & defend America on the world's oceans.
Read US Navy Official Statement… 
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Boston Pride Political Forum

It is crucial that we address how our LGBTQ community is affected by the election of Donald Trump & what we can do to resist. In Boston on Monday June 5th Boston Pride will hold a political forum focused on human rights & education addressing our LGBTQ community at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, 210 Morrissey Blvd in Boston, Massachusetts at 6P. Panelists will include Congressman Mike Capuano, Arline Isaacson, Co-Chair Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus, Carl Sciortino, Executive Director, AIDS Action Committee & former State Representative, Kevin J. Dumas, Mayor Attleboro MA & Alison King, Political Reporter NBC Boston will moderate the event. Arline Isaacson, MGLPC Co-Chair stated, “Our community has experienced decades of pain & travail: Harassment, discrimination, psychological & physical assaults of all kinds. We have also enjoyed the success of our movements for equality, bringing us more benefits & protections than ever before. The question is: Will we allow an erosion in those victories & successes? Will we put up with diminutions in our equality? I hope the answer is a resounding No & I hope our answer for others is No as well. We've learned a lot from our battles for equality. We've learned the we couldn't have succeeded without the support & active involvement of friends & allies. Now as we fight to protect our own advancements, we need to return the favor and work to protect those of others as well. To not do so, would leave us culpable of the crime of indifference. To borrow from Edmund Burke: 'The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.' "
For More Info: bostonpride.org
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Boston LGBTQ Pride Kicks Off

Boston LGBTQ Pride Week that runs June 2nd to June 11th will kick off Friday June 2nd at City Hall Plaza with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh & the official rainbow flag raising. Interesting fact is that June 2nd would have been Gilbert Baker 66th birthday who designed of the rainbow flag in 1978. The 2017 Pride Marshals will also be introduced at the Boston event that starts promptly at 12P near the flagpoles. There will be event throughout that day including Pride Night at Hedwig & The Angry Inch Shubert Theatre. On Saturday June 3rd join the LGBTQ community at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for a day full of family-friendly entertainment. The lineup of artists & performers who will entertain the crowd at the 2017 Pride Day at Faneuil Hall includes Salsa with Mr.Bstyles, Zumba with Jess, Sirlesque, Kevin Hamel, QWAM – Queens with a Mission, Miss Boston and Miss Cambridge, The Donkey Show, Pablo Picker, Iyadonna, Newly-crowned Boston Pride Pageant Winners, Nikita Le Femme, Tee-Sparks, Amanda Playwit, Kamden T. Rage, Titan Majoretts & Sage. Then on Sunday June 4th marks the 32nd year of the AIDS Action Committee AIDS Walk & Run Boston, New England’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraising & awareness event. Join thousands of people who come together to take action in honor of those we’ve lost & to give hope to people living with HIV/AIDS. Also on Sunday is The Silver Party on Sunday June 4th at The Holiday Inn in Brookline from 3P to 7P. Boston Pride is in its 47th year & The Silver Party is a festive dinner dance for LGBT seniors & their friends that features music by DJ Shelly. There will also be a presentation ceremony for the annual Jim Campbell Award for LGBT Advocacy.
For All Pride Events: bostonpride.org
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Faith In America For LGBT Youth

Faith in America has released plans to bring the message of protecting LGBT youth to the Southern Baptist Convention that runs June 13th to 14th at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona. America’s LGBT teens & kids are in crisis. For example LGBT kids raised in condemning homophobic religious families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers & nearly half of America’s homeless youth are LGBT. Since the Trump presidency more than a quarter of LGBT youth say they have been personally bullied or harassed compared to 14 percent of non-LGBT youth. Mitchell Gold, FIA co-founder stated, "This is an historic moment & we, at Faith in America, are taking action. We ask the media to cover this with the seriousness this deserves. This is not about conflict & division. It is about speaking the truth & standing up for our kids & teens being hurt. It is also about finding common ground around our children and youth. The level of depression & anxiety existing in the lives of LGBT teens & kids is sadly outpacing those maladies in other groups. We use the word “condemning” to describe the churches that are bad players & hurt LGBT teens & kids with harsh messages that alienate, diminish & stigmatize. This hurts youth & creates animosity within the hearts of parents, siblings & other kin that, in turn, also serves to abandon our youth, leaving them feeling alone in a cold world. These teachings create bullies.” Faith in America is in communication with Southern Baptist Convention leadership & a meeting is pending scheduling.
For More Info: faithinamerica.org
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