Desmond Child Performs For LGBT Love & Acceptance

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Grammy winning songwriter producer Desmond Child about his upcoming performance at Ty Herndon and GLAAD’s Concert for Love and Acceptance that takes place at City Winery in Nashville, Tennessee on June 12th. Child will join other celebrities and artists including country music legend Crystal Gayle, Melinda Doolittle, the lesbian alternative-country rock band Antigone Rising, Shelly Fairchild, Billy Gilman, Jennifer Knapp, Jamie O'Neal and Pastor Stan Mitchell of GracePointe Church. This inaugural country music event takes place during the 2015 CMA Music Festival and will be co-hosted by Herndon and fierce LGBT ally Meghan McCain. The event will also kick off GLAAD's Southern Stories Summer Tour. Sarah Kate Ellis GLAAD President & CEO stated, "Music connects us and transcends our differences. For the first time in Music City, artists will join together to voice support for the LGBT community and help us accelerate acceptance, not only in country music, but across the nation." We talked to Desmond about how he became involved in this groundbreaking concert event and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Child stated, “I personally do as many things as I can regarding our fight for marriage equality and every aspect of our lives. I’m married to my partner of 26 years now and we actually got married about a year and a half ago. We have 13 year-old sons Roman and Nyro and we had struggled to get married long ago in California then they stopped the marriages and so we finally did it in Central Park and our sons were our ‘best men’. So we want our family to be acknowledged as legitimate; sometimes we’re so marginalized. When people talk about LGBT families it’s like Yeah, yeah but they’re not like real families like the kind that have rights and stuff and we want to put a face on what we are doing. We’ve always been part of Family Pride and we also made a movie called TWO: The Story Of Roman and Nyro to talk about the 12 year journey of having a family.”

For nearly three decades songwriter/producer Desmond Child has reigned as one of music’s most successful creative forces. His list of accolades includes Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. His collaborations have included Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, KISS and Cher. His hits as a songwriter include "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Livin' on a Prayer", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Bad Medicine", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady), "Angel", "What it Takes", "Crazy", "The Cup Of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca". His latest projects include Joss Stone, Kelly Clarkson, The Scorpions, Hilary Duff, Meatloaf, Ace Young and Bon Jovi. Desmond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. Child lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his husband Curtis Shaw and their twin sons, Roman and Nyro.  
For Info & Concert Tix: glaad.org/nashville

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Boston AIDS Walk & 5K Run 30th Anniversary June 7th

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Liz Page founder of the AIDS Walk Boston & 5K Run that’s in its 30th year and takes place on Sunday June 7th. When the AIDS crisis hit Liz became a dedicated volunteer at the AIDS Action Committee where she launched the AIDS Walk previously known as From All Walks of Life which she managed for 5 years leading the team that raised consciousness and millions of dollars towards fighting the AIDS epidemic. This year the event returns to its roots on the Boston Common where it continues to be New England’s largest HIV/AIDS awareness raiser attracting thousands of participants who walk for different reasons but walk together for one common cause: to support AIDS Action and its work to prevent new infections, maximize the health outcomes of those infected and to end the epidemic here in Massachusetts. The Walk is 6.2 miles and the 5K Run is a competitive, timed event fully sanctioned by the USA Track & Field Association. AIDS Action expects to raise approximately $1 million from the event. We talked to Liz about her inspiration for this event and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what she would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years Page stated, “I’d love to see any federal barriers dropped as far as complete equal rights for equal marriage so my wife and I can feel fully protected under the law as far as our estate and any financial protections that we might be being denied right now. I hope all of that for the sake of our daughter will be completely ironed out and we’re always trying to fight discrimination. I am excited about all the transgender focus right now because I think there are so many people who are just starting to realize the pain they have lived through. I myself have a first cousin who several years ago at 57 years old said to his wife, 'I need to tell you either I’m going to make a transition to be a woman as I’ve always felt in my heart or I’m going to kill myself and you need to help me make this decision because I cannot live like this any longer.' So right now I’m a big proponent of fair protection for transgender people.”

Liz Page is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and in 1994 she opened Liz Page Associates a fundraising and special event production company. Under her leadership, LPA has built a reputation for producing special events for nonprofits and corporations that not only meet but exceed significant financial, marketing and employee engagement goals. Liz and her team create signature experiences with unforgettable power and style to help organizations reach their next level of success and visibility. The AIDS Walk & 5K Run will begin and end at Boston Common on June 7th 2015. Registration and check-in begins at 7:30A. After opening ceremonies at 9A the 5K Run begins at 9:50A and the Walk sets off at 10A. WCVB-TV’s openly gay newscaster Randy Price will emcee the event which also includes a Wellness Festival and a post-walk celebration of healthy living. There isn’t a registration fee or a minimum fundraising requirement to participate in the Walk, however there is a $30 registration fee for the 5K Run.
For More Info: action.aac.org

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GLAAD Celebrity Activists Talk LGBT Equality (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio montage Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with celebrities on the Red Carpet at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards in NYC. First we spoke with Steven Petrow an award-winning journalist, author and host of "Modern Manners Expert" for Hilton Worldwide which is a fierce sponsor for the GLAAD Media Awards and our LGBT community. Next we talked to ESPN’s Christina Kahrl who’s also a GLAAD Board Member. Kahrl who is currently writing and editing for ESPN talked about the importance of trans issues and supporting LGBT athletes especially for our younger generation. Then we talked with Police Chief Crystal Moore who was unfairly fired by the Mayor of Latta, South Carolina. Moore accepted the GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: "Fired for Being Gay?" MSNBC Live (MSNBC) with MSNBC reporter Craig Melvin. She attended with her partner Kristi Isgett on her left in our photo. We were then joined by Jenny Boylan, Co-Chair GLAAD Board of Directors whose autobiography “She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders” was the first book by an openly transgender American to become a bestseller.

Sarah Kate Ellis President & CEO of GLAAD and her wife Kristen Henderson founding member of the all female popular rock band Antigone Rising then stopped by to share news about GLAAD’s upcoming Nashville event “The Concert for Love and Acceptance” that’s happening June 12th in Nashville and their plans for a bus tour through our Southern states to continue their work towards national LGBT equality. Then we chatted with LGBT ally actress Louise Sorel who played the villainous role of Donatella Stewart on the Soap “Days of Our Lives” for 10 years followed by her friend actress and LGBT ally Crystal Chappell actress from “The Bold and the Beautiful” who is committed to LGBT youth. The Emmy-winning actress-producer Chappell is Ambassador for Harvey Milk High School in NYC and Ambassador for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Next we talked to Trans actress Trace Lysette who plays the sassy yoga instructor Shea on “Transparent” and has been living out her acting dreams since she landed her role in the trans-themed Amazon breakout hit. Then Cory Wade from the 20th cycle of America's Next Top Model stopped by to give us his spin on our LGBT issues.

Ugandan LGBT Activist Pepe Julian Onziema who accepted the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Talk Show Episode: "Pepe Julian Onziema" for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO chatted with us about the struggle for LGBT civil rights in his country. Then model Rain Dove talked about the importance of being yourself. Rain is the firefighter turned fashion model who has leant her image to designers like Malan Breton, Vivienne Hu, Chromat and Rochambeau at the recent Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week and doesn’t care if you think she’s a man or a woman. Next we caught up with Laverne Cox who’s had an amazing year from appearing on the cover of Time magazine, named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015, won a SAG Award for “Orange Is the New Black” and the Daytime Emmy for her documentary Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word. MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts who received the 2015 Vito Russo Award talked about how honored he is to be recognized with this award named for one of the founders of GLAAD and how he believes ENDA needs to be addressed and passed to ensure workplace protections for our LGBT community. Then country music singer Ty Herndon who performed at the Awards talked about coming out last year and being embraced by his fans. He also discussed GLAAD’s Nashville: The Concert for Love and Acceptance happening Friday, June 12th in Nashville which he will headline. Television personality Ross Matthews who hosted the GLAAD Awards stopped by to talk about the importance of taking a moment to celebrate our LGBT advancements. Then actress and LGBT ally Lynda Carter who was there to present Thomas Roberts with the Vito Russo Award talked about how honored she was to do so as well as give us her spin on LGBT equality. We concluded our Red Carpet coverage with fierce LGBT allies actors Judith Light and Jeffrey Tambor from the hit Amazon series “Transparent” who both talked about the importance of using their celebrity to make change for LGBT and gender equality stating, “What is most important is that lives are being saved.” Kelly Ripa was also honored with GLAAD's Excellence in Media Award. (Photos by Marilyn Rosen)
For More Info: GLAAD.org

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Interfaith Alliance “Everyone Only” Anti Discrimination Project

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Rabbi Jack Moline, Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance about an inspirational campaign recently launched by Interfaith Alliance called the “Everyone Only” project. The concept is to place “We Serve Everyone Only” signs in businesses across the country to demonstrate that no matter what legal rights we may have these businesses will remain open to all. The signs have already been displayed in stores from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C. and will shortly be sent to more than 20,000 supporters across the country. Recently Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams became the first national chain to hang these signs in more than 30 stores across the country. Mitchell Gold stated, “I grew up in the 1960’s and remember all too well the signs that said ‘we serve whites only’ and the other visible signs of discrimination against African-Americans, minority religious groups and more. This sign is a signal to our customers and employees that we embrace serving everyone. If a gay or straight couple, or individual, walks in our store to make their house a home, we stand ready to serve them…equally!” We talked to Rabbi Moline about what he hopes to accomplish with the “Everyone Only” project and his spin on out LGBT issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Rabbi Moline stated, “I am a deep believer in the inalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness but I’m 62 years old and I was not raised in an enlightened era when it came to LGBT issues. My family was a loving family and I thought relatively unprejudiced but I know what my attitudes were coming out of that family and it really took my kids who are now in their twenties and thirties to open my eyes to intellectually what I knew, but in my heart I don’t think it had penetrated yet. Once I thought it through and came to understand the organic nature of sexual orientation and gender identity I realized that these civil rights and the equality of all people are not different for civil rights of Jews or Blacks or Latinos or any other group and when rights are denied to a class of people in society it makes for a mandate to focus on especially rectifying that discrimination. So with that long explanation if I had to put myself on a scale of one to ten I probably started out somewhere around six or seven but I’m a solid ten by now.”

Rabbi Jack Moline has advised and written for many public figures including President Bill Clinton for whom he provided advice on international affairs as well as the President’s personal challenges. He was also invited to offer a blessing to the Obama and Biden families before the 2013 presidential inauguration. Besides being Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance he’s the Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia and serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary. Rabbi Moline lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife Ann of 37 years and is the father of three grown children.
For More Info & Download Sign: everyone-only.org

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