LGBTQ Workplace Advocates (AUDIO)

This week I talked to Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates the world’s premier nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving LGBTQ workplace equality. Celebrating 25 years Out & Equal partners with Fortune 500 companies & government agencies to provide executive leadership development, comprehensive training, consulting & professional networking opportunities that build inclusive & welcoming work environments. They work with executives, human resources professionals, employee resource groups & individuals to provide leadership & professional development, education & research to create workplaces free of discrimination. Out & Equal also hosts annual events & programs where employees & experts can share strategies & best practices to create workplace equality inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities & expressions. Due to COVID-19 these events are being held virtually including their 2021 Executive Forum that will convene online April 13th to 15th for three days of interactive virtual learning & networking. This 3-day program features daily plenaries & networking opportunities. Attendees will have access to 9 sessions across three tracks: LGBTQ Leadership, DEI Best Practices & Intersectional Allyship. Their annual Workplace Summit, Brazil Forum, Southern States Forum, India Forum & China Forum will also be held virtually in 2021 with dates to be announced. Every year Out & Equal also presents their Outie Awards recognizing individuals & organizations who are leaders in advancing equality for LGBTQ people in workplaces globally. Winners are announced during their Workplace Summit in October. I talked to Erin about what she hopes to accomplish at Out & Equal during the pro-equality Biden Harris Administration & her spin on our LGBTQ issues. LISTEN:  

For More Info: outandequal.org 

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GLAAD Names Media Awards Nominees

GLAAD has announced the nominees for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate & inclusive representations of LGBTQ people & issues. Sarah Kate Ellis GLAAD President & CEO stated, "During an unprecedented year of crises & isolation, the nominees for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards reached LGBTQ people with powerful stories & inspired countless others around the world with bold looks at LGBTQ people & issues. As GLAAD continues to lead the fight for LGBTQ acceptance, this year’s nominees remind us that even in times of political & cultural division, diverse LGBTQ representation & visibility can enlighten, entertain & create lasting change.” GLAAD announced 198 nominees in 28 categories including two new categories: Outstanding Children’s Programming & Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist. As LGBTQ representation continues to grow in Kids & Family programming, the new Outstanding Children’s Programming category recognizes television programs created for younger children that showcase LGBTQ people & families. The new Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist recognizes LGBTQ artists who have achieved a breakthrough in the music industry during the eligibility period & whose songs, music videos, or live performances have made a significant impact on LGBTQ visibility & acceptance. This year, several categories increased from five to ten worthy nominees to recognize expanding levels of diverse LGBTQ representation across several media genres. Also this year’s recipient of the Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media is Windy City Times Chicago’s pioneering LGBTQ news publication established in 1985 by Jeff McCourt, Bob Bearden, Drew Badanish & Tracy Baim. Congrats To All The Nominees!! For Info & Full List...

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Lesbian Literature Online Festival Event

The LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library in Gulfport, Florida is presenting ReadOut 2021: A Festival of Lesbian Literature to be held virtually from February 26th to 28th via Zoom. ReadOut 2021 will be a unique hybrid of live-streamed interactive panels, prerecorded readings & entertainment with chat opportunities between sessions. The festival will demonstrate how Lesbian Voices Persist & Prevail in these transformative times. Well-known lesbian authors including Sally Bellerose, Elana Dykewomon, Sheree Greer, Sue Katz, Rose Norman, Jean Redmann & Susan Stinson are slated to present 90-minute live-streamed Pods (aka panels) on themes such as elder lesbian writings, Black women writers, mystery, fiction & the intersection of friendship & careers as lesbian authors. Entertainment will be provided by lesbian musicians, spoken word artists & comics. There’s also still time for submissions of 60-minute prerecorded themed sessions of multiple authors reading their work that is open to authors of all genres who write by for & about lesbians with a deadline of February 8th. Barbara Talkov, ReadOut 2021 Organizing Committee stated, “This was such an amazing gathering of lesbian writers last year & the pandemic has given us the chance to offer this incredible festival to a wider audience by virtually sharing this experience for 2021!” Community is so important in this time of COVID-19 as we all need to see & hear each other far beyond Gulfport, FL where the LGBTQ Resource Center has held ReadOut in their library for the past three years. ReadOut 2021: A Festival of Lesbian Literature is a free festival & is open to a global online audience. For More Info...

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LGBTQ Equity & Inclusion In Our Schools

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s educational arm & the National Education Association (NEA) hosted a virtual chat focused on how to advance LGBTQ inclusion in schools, how to ensure Black & Brown LGBTQ students are supported in the classroom & the impact of COVID-19 on education. The conversation also addressed education priorities in the Biden-Harris Administration. Alphonso David HRC President stated, “Prior to COVID-19, the health experiences of LGBTQ young people were already compromised. We’re talking about high rates of bullying, high rates of harassment at school & the subsequent struggle with mental health that results from the bias and from the discrimination. For some students, the distanced learning experience… may be a reprieve from bullying at school or for those who may be terrified of being outed. But it was also probably less ideal for students who have non-affirming parents or family members & for whom the school provided some solace. … We clearly need to do a better job in creating safe, welcoming schools across the country.” Becky Pringle NEA President concluded, “We know that as we talk about those multiple identities that our students & educators bring to the education system, to our classrooms, that we need to first recognize them and we need to honor them. We need to respect them & we need to talk about that rich tapestry that those multiple identities bring to creating that culture of care, that culture of inclusion & acceptance, that culture of an environment that builds on the diversity that our students bring to our classrooms & our workspaces.” 

WATCH FULL CHAT:

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LGBTQ Rejoice To Trans Military Return

The Biden administration kicked off this week officially reversing Trump’s harmful & discriminatory ban on transgender servicemembers. Winnie Stachelberg, Executive Vice president for External Affairs at the Center for American Progress stated, “President Biden’s executive order rescinding the ban on transgender Americans from serving in the military is another important step toward reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to equal rights & protections under the law for LGBTQ Americans. Donald Trump’s ban was dehumanizing, harmful to military readiness & rooted in the same bigotry that defined his entire administration. Military personnel disagreed with it. Human rights activists disagreed with it. The American people disagreed with it. President Biden’s swift & decisive action to repeal the ban ensures that no American will be forced to choose between living openly as themselves and serving their country…” Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center added, “Those who believe in fact-based public policy & a strong, smart national defense have reason to be proud. The Biden administration has made good on its pledge to put military readiness above political expediency by restoring inclusive policy for transgender troops…” Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force concluded, “We are thrilled that following the swearing in of the first Black secretary of defense General Lloyd Austin, President Biden signed an executive order overturning the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military. Once again, qualified, dedicated transgender servicemembers & trans people who have waited to serve our country with honor & respect may bring their talents to every branch of the service.”

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Creating Change Virtual Event (AUDIO)

The National LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change Conference kicks off this week virtually from January 28th through January 31st 2021. Creating Change 2021 will feature a wide array of plenaries, day long institutes, workshops, caucus sessions & keynotes, as well as game nights, an open mic, the Opening Cruise & the Agents of Change Ball. The conference is a place for our collective LGBTQ community’s spirit to recharge, renew & advance as we face an unprecedented time in our community & our country’s history. Kierra Johnson, incoming Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force stated, “This week, scores of LGBTQ people will gather at the end of a month that has seen an insurrection, an impeachment & an inauguration. It is more important than ever for queer people to come together & Creating Change could not be happening at a better time to gather, strategize & plan. We must harness the energy from our pain, our loss, our outrage from these past few years & pour it into our communities. There is a lot of work ahead of us — to right the wrongs that have been done & disrupt the cycles that keep perpetuating them. Racial equity, economic justice, immigrant rights, disability rights — these are all queer issues. Access to healthcare, community programming, accurate & inclusive education — these are queer issues. As Shirley Chisolm said, ‘you don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering & complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.’ This is our time. We will raise our voices, stand in our power & create a world where equity, liberation & justice are not just ideas but our inevitable future.” LISTEN: Andy Garcia, Director of Creating Change talks conference & More:  

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Blythe Frank Provincetown Film Society

The Provincetown Film Society has announced Blythe Frank will oversee the organization as interim executive director & work closely with the staff & board to ensure the company continues to innovate & adapt to the challenges faced by COVID-19. Frank comes to Provincetown with over 15 years of independent film experience. Blythe Frank stated, “I’m excited & honored to be asked to lead the organization as the interim Executive Director. While we’re currently in the process of rebuilding, PFS also finds itself at an exciting time of reinvention with opportunities to launch new initiatives & widen its reach. It’s my hope that my lifelong love of Provincetown, years of producing films & experience across multiple areas of the industry will allow me to shape & nurture PFS’s growth in a holistic way.” Blythe produced WILD OATS starring Shirley MacLaine & Jessica Lange & was an executive producer for titles including SWING starring Michael Shannon, SPINNING GOLD starring Michele Monaghan, Jason Isaacs & Neil Patrick Harris & BEING CHARLIE starring Nick Robinson, Cary Elwes & Common. She is a member of The Producer’s Guild of America, NYWIFT & is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Columbia University. Anthony Lawson, Board President of the Provincetown Film Society concluded, "We are thrilled to have Blythe Frank join us as interim ED. She comes to us with a wealth of experience & we look forward to working with her to resume operations & bring our programming back to the outer cape!" The Provincetown Film Society (PFS) which began as the Provincetown International Film Festival in 1999 is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film & honoring the work of emerging as well as acclaimed directors, producers & actors. 

For More Info:provincetownfilm.org

LISTEN: Andy Garcia Talks Virtual Creating Change Conference

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