Gay Marriage Hawaiian Style

At the stroke of midnight marriage equality became legal in Hawaii early Monday morning as 6 gay & lesbian couples tied the knot. The Sheraton Waikiki resort hosted mass ceremonies for anyone wanting to sign up while a group of clergy who pushed for the new law hosts a wedding for an openly gay Unitarian minister at a church near downtown Honolulu. Maria Gallo, a Honolulu resident who married her partner, Beth Creary, at the Sheraton Waikiki midnight event stated, "It's just exciting & historic & we wanted to be a part of it. This is like a confirmation with a group of people here who are sharing our joy.” Michael Golojuch Jr., chairman on Honolulu Pride & one of the organizers of the midnight weddings at the Sheraton added, "We started this battle 23 years ago & we get to finish it tonight. They opened up their doors to us, their hearts to us. That's what we're seeing with a lot of the business community that understands that $217 million is what our economy needs to keep on going." A University of Hawaii study estimates that Hawaii will get a $217 million tourism boost over the next 3 years as a result of gay marriage. Hawaii's marriage laws allow couples to register for a license & be married the same day. Couples can actually sign up for a license online & then be verified by any license agent throughout the state.
Listen: LGBT NOH8 Campaign Celebrates Five Years

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME

World AIDS Day 2013 (AUDIO)

World AIDS Day is an opportunity not only to spread awareness about the ongoing impact of HIV & AIDS has had on our LGBT community & allies but also to commemorate those who have died from this horrific epidemic. The best way to foster understanding, compassion & hope is education as we continue to fight & prevent it. World AIDS Day encourages people to join the efforts to combat AIDS, a mission that begins by increasing your knowledge of the disease & spreading awareness. It’s also crucial to practice safe sex & get tested. World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 39.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. I have lost many friends & family to AIDS. It is important to take a moment & remember them & think about what a better world this would be if they were still around. Listen to this exclusive audio byte with gay activist & historian Cleve Jones who talks about how AIDS affected our LGBT community. Jones has been an AIDS activist for over 30 years. After working with Harvey Milk, Cleve conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
 
For More Info: worldaidscampaign.org 
Listen: LGBT NOH8 Campaign Celebrates Five Years
Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME 

Provincetown Black Friday & More

Instead of heading to the malls on Black Friday we suggest taking a different route. Provincetown on Black Friday is the LGBT alternative. The whole town is on sale. You can find great gift choices all around town, since many of the stores are having end of season sales & holiday specials & the UU Meetinghouse is holding a holiday Crafts Fair both Friday & Saturday with gifts for everyone. Then check out the annual Casino Night hosted by the Provincetown Business Guild at the Crown & Anchor. Play blackjack, Texas holdem, roulette, spin the money wheel & more in a glittery evening while supporting a great organization. Saturday offers the anticipated pleasure of the Annual Lighting of the Lobster Pot Tree. Now in its 10th year Provincetown artist Julian Popko & family build the unique tree right in the heart of Provincetown's Lopes Square. Stacked with over 100 real lobster traps borrowed from local lobstermen, the tree is lit with thousands of fabulous decorations & holiday lights. Later in the evening on Saturday catch a special holiday edition of the famous “Illusions” Drag Revue night at the Crown & Anchor. This is Provincetown's longest running & most electrifying Drag Revue that makes a special Thanksgiving Weekend appearance. This Las Vegas style revue features 4 of America's top female impersonators who perform at 8:30P. There are also plenty of restaurants open & you can dance the night away at The A House or the Retro-Active Video Lounge at The Crown. See You There…:)
For Info & Tix: onlyatthecrown.com
Listen: LGBT NOH8 Campaign Celebrates Five Years

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME 

Thanksgiving For LGBT Families

We always have something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day but this year our LGBT community has historically moved closer to equality in this country. As we celebrated 10 years of marriage equality in Massachusetts 15 other states have passed gay marriage. The US Supreme Court has ruled Prop 8 & DOMA unconstitutional & the federal government has finally recognized legally married gay & lesbian couples with federal rights & benefits for their families. Without a doubt these are amazing achievements but our work will not end until we have achieved marriage equality in all 50 states. As ENDA the Employment Non-Discrimination Act slowly moves forward in Washington we will not be safe until this bill passes providing a safe workplace environment for all of our LGBT community, regardless on whom they choose to love. As we continue our momentum to full equality in this country we must keep on educating those who just don’t get it until they do. My grandmother always said everyone wants the same thing; “A roof over their heads, food in their bellies & someone to love.” Let’s all remember that simple definition of life as we enjoy this holiday. So from our family to yours have a Fabulous & Safe Thanksgiving Day....:)
Listen: LGBT NOH8 Campaign Celebrates Five Years
Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME

LGBT Homeless Youth Epidemic

As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving we reflect on the fact that every year thousands of LGBTQ youth are kicked out of their homes, rejected by their families & left to fend for themselves on the streets. Alarming statistics reveal that 40% of all homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. This means that this holiday season, thousands of LGBTQ youth won't be sitting down to holiday meals with their family, they'll be doing whatever they can to survive. Zach had to go through exactly this kind of traumatizing experience. Despite being rejected by his family & enduring homelessness, he beat all the odds & became a beacon of hope for youth in his community. He's committed his life to creating a better world for LGBTQ youth & organizes with one of our favorite LGBT organization GetEQUAL in Mississippi in order to push back on the kinds of discrimination & hatred that so many young people face each day. Zach stated, "Being a homeless teenager was one of the most difficult times of my life. I'm honestly not sure what the worst part was -- not knowing where I was going to live, whether or not I was going to be able to finish high school, or the rejection from the people I loved most because of something I had no control over. After the rejection from my family, I spoke out about my story once or twice & GetEQUAL took notice of me. Becoming a member of the GetEQUAL family changed my life. It gave me direction. It gave me the sense of belonging I had been searching for. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Now, fighting for equality alongside my fellow activists is what defines me. I fight so that no other kid has to go through what I went through as a teen. Mississippians still have a hard fight ahead of us. However, my life experiences & having a huge support system through GetEQUAL have given me the drive to keep fighting.”
For More Info & Donate:getequal.org 
Listen: LGBT NOH8 Campaign Celebrates Five Years

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME

LGBT Democracy Council Event

The Democracy Council has announced the launch of its new LGBT Global Rights Initiative. The new initiative, which is the first of its kind at a mainstream international development organization, will work directly with LGBT activists in repressive societies, including Russia & Iran providing resources, tools & training to grassroots organizations. James Prince, President of the Democracy Council stated, “As Secretary of State Kerry & former Secretary Clinton have emphasized, LGBT rights are human rights. We are proud to be explicitly including LGBT equality in our work & call on others to join us. We don’t tell activists what to do & we don’t seek the spotlight. Our core competency is getting on the ground, working in the trenches to support local activists in their brave struggle for equality. We work to give them the tools & resources to do the work they want to do.” Prince added that the Democracy Council has consulted extensively with longtime international LGBT activists in the design of the LGBT Global Rights Initiative & will continue to do so throughout the project. The Council is launching the initiative with a benefit on December 7th in Los Angeles. Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis, the Olympic gold medalist who has been outspoken regarding the safety of LGBT athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, will be among the speakers. Louganis added, "The situation for LGBT people in Russia & in other parts of the world, is horrific. With its impressive track record, the Democracy Council is poised to make a real, immediate impact."
For More Info: democracycouncil.org 
Listen: Ann Hampton Callaway Her Music & LGBT Issues

Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME

JFK & His Gay Best Friend

With the fiftieth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination we thought we’d explore whether JFK would have supported LGBT equality. Pretty quickly we discovered that his closest & dearest friend in the world for 30 years was Lem Billings who was a gay man. Their relationship was documented in a book by author David Pitts entitled “Jack & Lem” published by Avalon. In the book in what the author calls “an extraordinary friendship,” are the details about Lem having his own room in the White House & how Jackie Kennedy dealt with having a third person in her marriage & other bits of lost history that aren’t taught in any school text books. Jack & Lem met while at prep school in the 1930s & from that point on were inseparable until the day Kennedy was assassinated. Pitts worked for 2 years to persuade Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to grant him research access to documents that have been locked away for decades. Letters between the 2 friends, recorded phone calls & even an 800+ page transcription of an oral history that Lem Billings gave after the death of the president. Pitts also combed through hundreds of photographs never seen by the public, many of which he was allowed to publish in the book & he interviewed anyone & everyone he could who knew Jack & Lem so he could tell as accurately as possible the story of a president & his gay best friend. So we can most definitely conclude that if JFK has lived beyond 1963 LGBT civil rights would have been on his agenda.
Listen: Ann Hampton Callaway Her Music & LGBT Issues
Hear Audio Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFF POST...:)
SUPPORT OUTTAKE™ @ OUR EQUALITY STORE...:)
View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage

HOME