OUTSERVE GOES PUBLIC WITH WORLDWIDE CHAPTER LOCATIONS

Gay Military Underground Network Has More Than 1,200 Members and 27 Chapters

WASHINGTON, DC, November 29, 2010 – OutServe, the underground network of gay and lesbian actively serving military members, today announced the worldwide locations and contact information for each of its 27 chapters, including the chapter for those based in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Making OutServe chapters available in these hopefully last critical weeks of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ debate will allow the media access to speak confidentially with gay and lesbian service members and regional OutServe leadership, who will be able to talk about their hopes and plans for a post-DADT military, one where they can serve openly and with integrity,” said JD Smith, OutServe co-director. “Post-repeal, we anticipate these chapters will serve as points of contact for military personnel who wish to reach out to actively serving gay and lesbian military members as a resource and as colleagues.”

OutServe currently has more than 1,200 members worldwide.  The organization’s largest regional chapters are those in Southern California and Germany, with 110 and 83 members, respectively. OutServe’s Afghanistan/Iraq chapter has 50 members.  The organization’s average chapter size is 45 members.

Fox News rejects ad featuring gay troops discussing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

EXCERPT: Once again proving that Fox News has a love/hate (perhaps more hate/hate) relationship with the LGBT community, the right-wing network has rejected an advertisement from the Palm Center featuring openly gay troops discussing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), according to a press release obtained by Media Matters. Palm Center's communications consultant Cathy Renna told Media Matters that Fox News' ad department wrote in an email explaining their rejection of the ad, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell is still on hold, so claiming the military is planning repeal is incorrect." Renna countered, saying "the ad is a demonstration by Palm that the experience of allied militaries has been that having openly gay service members by their side does not undermine combat effectivenes s. The important thing is that these are our allies talking about their experience."

FULL TEXT HERE: http://mediamatters.org/blog/201011230019

Pentagon Pushes Up Release of DADT Study - Log Cabin Republicans Urge Congress to Act with Similar Urgency

(Washington, DC) - Log Cabin Republicans are pleased Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has moved up the release date of the Pentagon Comprehensive Review on the Implementation of repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'  The report will now be made available on November 30th. 

"As President Obama and the Democratic leadership try to cram more and more into a tight lame duck legislative calendar, every day the Senate has to consider this report is critical to efforts to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director.  "Log Cabin Republicans firmly supported the study process, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Comprehensive Working Group to deliver the report ahead of schedule.  With Defense leaders including Secretary Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen calling for repeal, and the Pentagon having made early completion of this report a priority, it is incumbent upon the Senate to overcome any recalcitrance and end this failed and unconstitutional policy as soon as possible."

Log Cabin Republicans have pursued a three-front strategy against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' lobbying for repeal in Congress, consulting with the Department of Defense, and filing suit in federal court.  The case went to trial in July of 2010, and Judge Virginia Phillips ruled on September 9, 2010 that the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.

Remarks By Commerce Secretary Gary Locke at NGLCC Annual Business and Leadership Conference

Thank you for those kind words.

It’s wonderful to be here today, and I want to thank the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to speak.

The partnership between the Chamber and the Obama administration has been strong from the outset.  In fact, the chamber was the first LGBT organization invited to the White House – one week to the day after President Obama took office. 

Since then, the administration has continued to seek progress on a variety of issues important to the LGBT community, from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to combating anti-gay bullying through the “It Gets Better” campaign.

I'm proud of the progress we're making on these issues, and I’m proud to have taken similar steps when I was governor of Washington state. Back in 2002, I signed a bill requiring schools to write anti-bullying policies that protected kids from taunting, including bullying that arose because of sexual orientation.  Standing with me that day was a mother named Gabi Clayton, whose bisexual son Bill had taken his life after facing unbearable bullying.  That’s a tragedy no mother, no father should ever have to endure, and the Obama administration will continue to fight against this discrimination and harassment wherever we find it. 

Read on....

BEST OF GAYCITIES, 2010

GayCities Users To Vote On "The World According to Gays"

San Francisco, CA (November 18, 2010) – GayCities (www.gaycities.com), the world's largest LGBT community-driven city guide, announced nominees in its annual "Best of" competition. GayCities members will have until Dec. 16 to vote for their favorite places around the corner and across the globe. One registered member who participates will receive a trip for two to Berlin, courtesy of airberlin.*

Cities, businesses and organizations are nominated in 40 categories, ranging from best bars to best beaches. Nominations were compiled based on thousands of reviews, fans and check-ins this year by GayCities members. GayCities commissioned San Francisco artist Wendy MacNaughton to illustrate "The World According to Gays" as a satirical world map, which will then be filled out with the victorious nominations in early January, when the voting results of the GayCities community are released.

Nominations include:

• San Francisco's Blackbird and Chicago's Kit Kat Lounge for "Best Bar to Take Your Mom"
• Tokyo's Comme des Garcons and Miami's The Webster for "Best Shop to Blow Your Paycheck"
• Las Vegas and Buenos Aires for "Best Food City"
• Cape Town's Sandy Beach and Sydney's Lady Jane Beach for "Best Beach to Lose Your Shorts"

GIVE A DAMN CAMPAIGN RELEASES NEW PSA ABOUT GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER HOMELESSNESS YOUTH

Featuring: Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Pete Wentz, Eden Riegel and Cyndi Lauper

November 18, 2010 [NEW YORK] – The Give a Damn Campaign, a project of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund, has released its latest video during National Runaway Prevention Month to raise awareness about homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Pete Wentz, Eden Riegel and Cyndi Lauper speak up about the need to bring an end to this epidemic.

Each year, between 500,000 and 1.6 million youth in the U.S. are homeless or runaways. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth make up an estimated 3% to 5% of the general U.S. population. Yet they make up more than 20%—and possibly up to 40%—of all homeless youth in the country.



Family conflict is the most common cause of all youth homelessness. For gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, the conflict tends to be over their sexual orientation or gender identity. Half of all teens get a negative reaction from their parents when they come out to them resulting in many of them running away. More than 1 in 4 are actually thrown out of their homes by their parents.

“As a parent, I can’t understand those who would kick out their own kid simply because they are gay or transgender,” says Cyndi Lauper. “Your child is a part of you, throwing them out on the street is like ripping out a part of your own soul. No child should ever be homeless, especially when they have a family that can give them the love and acceptance that they need. It’s time all of us parents join together and let our kids know that their home is always a safe place for them no matter what.”

Once living on the streets, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth have to learn to survive amidst a higher rate of victimization and suicide that awaits them. They also have to deal with greater difficulties in finding resources that are willing or able to help them due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, sometimes facing further rejection from the very people and institutions that are supposed to assist them.

To learn more about this gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender homeless youth, please visit www.wegiveadamn.org.

Walking Across America for Marriage Equality

Starting Feb. 1st, 2011, A.J. Goodrich, a gay-filmmaker based in Los Angeles, is walking across the country— from San Francisco to Boston— to talk to people about marriage equality and gay rights.

The journey will cover about 4,000 miles and take a total of seven months to complete, leading the crew over mountains and deserts, through Native American reservations, to the deep South and past the devastated Gulf.

Along the way, A.J. will engage local communities in a conversation about the issue, collect people’s stories about love and marriage, and spread his own message of equality.

“If one person overcomes their prejudice, because they met me and talked to me, then my journey will have accomplished something,” says A.J. as he seals another envelope with a fundraising letter inside. He is enlisting the help of friends and family, so he can buy the gear and equipment he needs for himself and his crew to make this journey possible.

“This is going to be more than just a film,” says John Conway, who will be walking alongside A.J. “We are beginning a movement. Getting people to open up about their fears and perceptions about gay rights and reaching an understanding that this is a civil rights issue. It really is possible”

When asked why is he walking, A.J. shares a story. They were contacted by a woman name Callie Savage who lives in a small town in Arkansas.  Callie’s long-term partner Amanda has been having health problems and Callie has been struggling with hospital visitation rights. But when asked, why doesn’t she leave her town and move where she can have a better quality of life, she told A.J. that someone needed to stay and fight so that there is change for the next generation.

That’s the inspiration that energizes A.J.  He is walking because someone needs to.  Without suffering there can’t be change.   “I hope with each step I take, we come closer to ending our struggle to be treated as equal citizens,” says A.J. 

But why not drive across the country instead?  A.J. smiles and responds, “driving is too easy.  When you tell someone you’ve walked all the way here to talk to them, you get their immediate attention.  Because you have suffered for something you believe in.”

To learn more about the project and see how you can help, please visit http://www.roadlesstravelledfilm.com/

Mormon Church: Same-Sex Attraction is Normal

New Church policy removes same-sex attraction from “list of sins”

 WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest civil rights organization dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, today recognized that the Mormon Church removed same-sex attraction as a sin in church policy. The new policy, released by church leaders last Saturday, for the first time does not call for professional counseling for those who experience same-sex attraction. The American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association have both concluded that same-sex attraction is normal and that “reparative” therapy – like the kind formerly advocated by the Mormon Church – is unhealthy and harmful.

While still claiming that “homosexual behavior violates the commandments of God,” the new policy differentiates between same-sex behavior, to which they continue to object, and attraction, which the church is able to rationalize. A summary of the policy changes can be found here.

“The new guidelines clearly show that advocacy efforts pay off with real change,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “We spoke out against the harms of so-called ‘reparative therapies’ on LGBT young people. Church leaders heard us and responded by dropping their recommendation that such discredited interventions be forced on LGBT and questioning youth.”

“We continue to disagree with the Mormon Church about fundamentally important issues like full respect for the marriages of same-sex couples, but we are encouraged that our advocacy has paid off with real movement that will help save young lives,” said Rev. Harry Knox, director of HRC’s Religion and Faith Program.

Last month Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Mormon Church’s Quorum of Twelve Apostles, called same-sex attraction “impure and unnatural,” and claimed that it can be corrected. Packer characterized same-sex marriage as immoral. Packer’s inaccurate and dangerous rhetoric came on the heels of the suicides of a number of teenagers who were victims of anti-gay bullying or harassment. Packer, who is 86 and one of the church’s most senior leaders, made his statements to a crowd of 20,000 – with millions more watching via satellite transmission – during the church’s 180th Semi-annual General Conference in Salt Lake City.

HRC immediately called on Packer to correct his dangerous statements. Over 150,000 members and supporters signed an open letter to Packer and HRC President Joe Solmonese delivered the signatures to Church headquarters along with representatives from Equality Utah, the Utah Pride Center, Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, and the Utah Psychological Association. 

Who Doesn’t Want Their Pet to Become Famous?

A new internet mall is looking for a Mascot to promote its site.  But, this isn’t your typical develop a mascot approach!  No, what the site, www.lgbtprosper.com, wants to do is run a Mascot Contest and ask customers and its community to submit pictures of their pets.  Then the community will vote on which pet should be the Mascot.  The only criteria for voting is that you like the pet the best.  A pet can be a cat, dog, goldfish, lizard, snake, cow—you got it, any animal someone keeps around and feeds and takes care of.

Send a photo of your beloved furry, fuzzy or slimy friend and a brief description of why your pet should be the Mascot for LGBTprosper.  Does your pet have any special or specific skills, tricks, or abilities that make it more qualified to be the winner?  The site is asking for no more than 300 words to describe this.  Photos become the property of LGBTprosper and will not be returned unless this is worked out before submission of the photo(s).

The site will obtain the rights from the winner to use pictures and renditions (avatars, drawings, etc.) of the pet for their marketing, advertisements, and public relations purposes.

The submissions and voting will happen simultaneously.  That is, people will be able to submit pictures from December 15, 2010 until December 31, 2010.  Voting may happen anytime during that time and up until January 10, 2011.  That way, voters will be able to see who is ahead and campaign for their pet to win on the community page of the site.  People may vote one time every 24 hours.

View current entries and submit your pet into the LGBTprosper Mascot Contest here

The site also plans to provide participants with a link to share their pet’s portfolio with family and friends via email, facebook, twitter and other ways.

Visitors will be able to view pet photo(s) and vote for their favorites.  The winner by popular vote will be immortalized forever as the new LGBTprosper Mascot.

 Go to www.lgbtprosper.com for more information on the contest and contest rules.

Gay Michigan Student Comes To The Defense of Suspended Teacher

Graeme Taylor, a courageous Gay student in Ann Arbor, Michigan came to the defense of his teacher Jay McDowell who was suspended for disciplining an anti-gay bully. His delivery and speech could not have been more intelligent and eloquent. What a hero!

The Emery Awards Honors Marc Ecko

With the unfortunate news of the tragic suicides of some 5 gay youths at the top of everyone's radar the past two months, it is great to see individuals making strides to provide safe and supportive environments regardless of sexual orientation. The Emery Awards seek to recognize those individuals, and last night they spotlighted fashion mogul Marc Ecko (of Marc Ecko Unltd and Complex Media fame) as 1 of 3 Emery Award Recipients. (the other two were Arianna Huffington and Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee)

DORON OFIR CASTING ANNOUNCES THE A-LIST CASTING

Hollywood, CA (November 9, 2010) Housewives with balls gets a makeover
from Doron Ofir Casting, the company responsible for the television
phenomenon "Jersey Shore" and "RuPaul's Drag Race" with the official
confirmation and search for the next cast of Logo's "The A-List",
this time in Los Angeles, CA and Dallas, TX.

"In every city there exists a hierarchy, where the elite mingle and
influential trendsetters combine to create the most sought after and
fabulous lifestyle.  I mean really… it takes one to know one"
says Doron Ofir Executive Casting Director.

True Entertainment and Logo's smash docu-reality series is looking
for the new "boys who brunch" in Dallas and Los Angeles to give viewers a
V.I.P. pass into the fabulous — and ferocious — lives of gay elite. The
series will follow the most envied and sought-after men of Los Angeles, CA
and Dallas, TX as they live the high life hopping from boardroom to benefit
and from beach house to the bedroom.

Those applicants who want to share every aspect of their fabulous personal
and professional lives while being a part of this groundbreaking series are
encouraged to apply at www.TheAListCasting.com