Icon Tab Hunter Hosts Ptown Film Fest Launch Weekend

 

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with screen legend and LGBT Icon Tab Hunter about hosting with his partner Allan Glaser the Provincetown International Film Festival Launch Party Weekend that takes place June 3rd to June 5th in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Tab was selected as the Launch Weekend’s first-ever host in recognition of his status as a classic Hollywood film star and his local ties through his long-time collaborator and friend director John Waters who will also be attending. Waters is a founder of the Provincetown Film Society and the Provincetown International Film Festival. Opening Night schedule includes intimate meet and greets, special screenings of Hunter’s film the 1981 cult classic “Polyester” and the award-winning documentary “Tab Hunter Confidential”. There will also be the opportunity to hear from PIFF’s programmers about the upcoming festival lineup complete with insider tips, anecdotes, favorites and recommendations. We talked to Tab about his stellar career as he shared personal inspirational stories, lifelong survival philosophies and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what advise he would give young LGBT kids dealing with bullying Hunter stated, “I’m not a good one on advise, but I have to tell you a story that’s really interesting. Years ago I was doing a television show with Geraldine Page who was a brilliant actress and I said ‘God you know Gerry, the press they love you and they just hate my guts. They’re just despicable to me and I feel terrible about this.’ She grabbed hold of my arm and said ‘Remember this Tab. If people don’t like you that’s their bad taste.’ I thought Whoa, that’s powerful. I thought, I’m going to apply that to my life and furthermore pass that along to every person I know particularly young people because they don’t have the support and guidance while they’re growing up. A lot of parents out there are very, ‘I want to be your friend’. That’s bullshit. You know, they’re parents be parents. There’s a yes and a no. There’s a right and a wrong. You have to have it and I was very fortunate to have a strong but religious German mother and that was important and I think we need boundaries in our lives. Today there doesn’t seem to be a lot of boundaries. But young people have to go forward as the best that they can and give a lot of thought to their development mentally, physically and spiritually.”

Tab Hunter has appeared in over 40 films. His breakout role in 1951 at age nineteen was with Samuel Goldwyn Studios in “The Lawless”. His Southern California “golden boy” good looks catapulted him to overnight matinee idol stardom and he enjoyed a robust film career throughout the 1950’s and 60’s. The 1970’s started out strong including a leading role in John Huston’s “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” starring Paul Newman but work began to wane in the later 70’s. A call from filmmaker and fan John Waters catapulted Hunter back into the limelight and took him into a new, freer direction with the now cult classic comedy “Polyester” in 1981 starring the infamous drag icon Divine. When his partner Allan Glaser saw Jeffrey Schwarz’s fabulous documentary “I am Divine” he hired Schwarz to do the brilliant documentary “Tab Hunter Confidential” recently release on iTunes  and NETFLIX based on his bestselling autobiography. During the Provincetown International Film Festival Launch Party Weekend June 3rd to June 5th there will be must-attend festivities throughout including an intimate dinner with Tab Hunter and Allan Glaser, film screenings, parties and more. The 18th annual Provincetown International Film Festival runs June 15th to 19th.
For Info & Tix: ptownfilmfest.org

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GLAAD Celebrity Activists & Allies Speak OUT

In this exclusive audio montage Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with celebrity activists and allies on the Red Carpet at the 27th GLAAD Media Awards in NYC. First we spoke with Jackson Riemerschmid the teen who made news by leading the successful effort to eliminate the binary system of purple graduation gowns for boys and white gowns for girls at New Rochelle High School in New York. Next we talked to Tracey Norman who’s best known for having been the first African-American transgender woman model and for appearing on a box of Clairol in the 1970s. Then we talked with Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO & President of GLAAD about issues facing our LGBT community and what projects GLAAD is working on to create more diversity in mainstream media. Next director Eric Schaeffer talked to us about his film “Boy Meets Girl” which stars Michelle Hendley as a transgender woman living in a small town in Kentucky looking for love that was nominated for a GLAAD Award. Then we chatted with trans teen advocate Nicole Maines who made her acting debut as a guest star on USA's “Royal Pains”. Nicole won the landmark case in the Maine Supreme Court in 2014 against her school district for preventing her from using the school’s girls restrooms that ignited the regulations issued by President Obama and his administration as well as the U.S. Department of Education for issuing new guidelines to ensure transgender students will be treated fairly in public and federally funded schools, including equitable access to facilities such as restrooms and locker rooms.

Next gender queer advocate Jacob Tobia and Daniella Carter who appeared on the documentary The T-Word both talked to us about the broad spectrum of our transgender community and the importance of uplifting our LGBT youth with love and support. We were then joined by Jim Obergefell the lead plaintiff in last year’s historic Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges that resulted in marriage equality becoming the law of the land. Jim won the GLAAD Award for Anderson Cooper's “Interview with Jim Obergefell” in the Outstanding TV Journalism Segment category. Then Kally Duling and Emily Skeggs who are currently appearing in “Fun Home” the 2015 Tony Award winning play stopped by to talk about their play and LGBT equality before performing at the GLAAD Awards. We were then joined by Jenny Boylan, Co-Chair of GLAAD’s Board of Directors who talked about all the crucial programs GLAAD is developing and her work with Caitlyn Jenner on the reality television series “I Am Cait”.

Then we talked with Selenis Leyva about her role as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series “Orange Is the New Black” followed by Laura Gómez who portrays Blanca Flores a member of the Hispanic group also on “Orange Is the New Black” who both gave us a little insight of the direction of the upcoming fourth season. Next Darren Young the first openly gay WWE superstar wrestler talked to us about making a difference for LGBT youth and reminding us that LGBT equality is a process. Then we chatted with CNN political analyst Margaret Hoover who’s an LGBT rights activist, author and republican who attended with her husband John Avlon the editor in chief of The Daily Beast and also a CNN political analyst. Next Lea DeLaria who plays Big Boo on “Orange Is The New Black” talked about the show’s fourth season that premiers on June 17th and her spin on transgender bathroom legislation.

We then chatted with Noah Galvin who currently plays the role of gay son Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom The Real O'Neals. Noah talked about how he hoped shows like his will help our LGBT community become more normalized. Then we talked with eye candy Daniel Newman who appears on “Walking Dead” and models for Calvin Klein about his impression of his first GLAAD Awards. Next Alex Newell best known for playing the transgender student Unique Adams on the Fox musical series “Glee” talked about his new CD and upcoming tour with Adam Lambert. Alex also performed at the event. Then we talked with the fabulous Randy Jones best known as the cowboy from Village People about his spin on our LGBT issues. Next producer Lee Daniels stopped by to talk about presenting Mariah Carey with the GLAAD Ally Award. We concluded with Laverne Cox who hosted the 27th GLAAD Awards who had a lot of good things to say about the Obama administration taking a position to support our transgender youth and more. Robert De Niro was also honored by GLAAD with the Excellence in Media Award presented by Jennifer Lawrence. (Photos by Marilyn Rosen)
For More Info: glaad.org

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LGBT Activist Sarah McBride Speaks OUT (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Sarah McBride, Campaigns & Communications Manager for LGBT Progress at the Center For American Progress in Washington D.C. Recently the House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would rescind important existing workplace protections for LGBT employees of federal contractors. This harmful legislation would gut a 2014 executive order issued by President Obama that added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classes protected from discrimination by any company or entity with a federal contract of $10,000 or more a year. The amendment’s scope far exceeds the overall bill of the Armed Services Committee’s jurisdiction. This discriminatory amendment comes on the heels of growing national outcry in response to anti LGBT legislation passed in North Carolina and Mississippi last month. Since marriage equality became the law of the land the backlash has resulted in over 200 state discriminatory bills pending against out LGBT community. We talked to Sarah about the importance of fighting these prejudicial bills and her spin on passing legislation like the Equality Act that could finally provide federal LGBT non-discrimination protections for our community.

When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT equality McBride stated, “I come to this work not only as someone who is transgender but as someone who has loved someone who is transgender. I met my future husband Andy fighting for trans equality and we fell in love. A couple of months after we started dating Andy was diagnosed with cancer and despite getting a clean bill of health several months later eventually his cancer came back and it was terminal. Andy and I decided to get married in August of 2014 and just 4 days after we married he passed away. For me I carry my relationship with Andy with me in my LGBT advocacy work. I carry it with me because one of the most important lessons that I have learned from that experience at 23 years old at the time was that every day matters and this fight every day matters building a world where every person can live their life to the fullest; where every person has a roof over their head and job opportunities based on their skills and their talent and their work ethnic and not on their identity. Every day matters when it comes to just being yourself and so for me that’s probably my biggest personal motivation in this work. It’s not just about who I am but people I love.”

Sarah McBride joined the Center For American Progress after completing her undergraduate degree at American University. During her time at American University Sarah served as student body president and helped to expand opportunities and enhance policies for LGBT students, women, students of color, people with disabilities and students of varying economic backgrounds. At the end of her term Sarah made national headlines when she came out as transgender in the student newspaper. Sarah also serves on the Board of Directors of Equality Delaware the state’s primary LGBT advocacy and educational organization. The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. They work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.
For More Info: americanprogress.org

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Fabulous Transgender Memoir “Some Days Are Diamonds”

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with writer/musician Deena Kaye Rose about her must-read memoir “Some Days Are Diamonds” that chronicles Deena’s life as a Nashville songwriter and her struggle to transition during a time when the term transgender didn’t exist. In her true country voice Deena recounts her times with Nashville legends from conversations with Dolly Parton to style tips from Johnny Cash to writing the first lesbian country music song as well as the first and probably only country song about being transgender that ended up being a chart-topping hit. Deena pioneered LGBT issues in the country music scene in the 1970’s the only way she knew how, through music. Only the observant knew the true meaning behind these heartfelt songs that came out of gender introspection. Her songs performed by country legends like John Denver were in actuality Deena Kaye Rose’s way of coming out to the world, while not having to visually for fear of the shame, disappointment and hurt it would cause her family. We talked to Deena about the inspiration for her memoir and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her work Rose stated, “First I want to do it for my community. I want to claim my little part of being transgender and the struggle with it. I’m a mature lady; I’m an older woman; I’m a senior citizen and I struggled with this at a time when we didn’t even have the word. In fact, there wasn’t any word until Christine Jorgensen and then it was sex change, you had a sex change and nobody knew that. In later years I read that she did not claim being transgender. She did not change her sex she changed her gender and there was nothing to call it. We didn’t know there was anyone else. There’s a great song by Barry Manilow called ‘All The Time’ and it says ‘All the time I thought there’s only me crazy in a way that I only could be…’ and I wish I had written that and maybe I will but that’s exactly how I felt in that time that there wasn’t anyone else. But I want people my age to know that I was there too girl. We just didn’t know about each other.”

Deena Kaye Rose is a Nashville songwriting legend. She has written hundreds of songs for some of country’s most renowned stars like Johnny Cash, Jerry Reed, John Denver and even wrote the theme song for the all-time American classic movie, “Smokey and the Bandit”. Deena has done it all but she did much of it as a male writer with a feminine soul living inside yearning to come out. In her new book “Some Days Are Diamonds” she chronicles the best and worst times of living the raucous and crazy musician life while suppressing her true feminine self. Today Deena is a transgender woman and activist sharing the history of her journey in performances and lectures around the country. She is letting the transgender community know they are not alone.
For More Info: deenakayerose.com

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