Ruthie Berman Talks Documentary & LGBTQ Equality (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with pioneer lesbian activist Ruthie Berman about the documentary “Ruthie & Connie: Every Room in the House”. The updated version was directed by three-time Oscar nominee Deborah Dickson and is available on Starz, Amazon and numerous streaming networks. This hour-long vérité documentary explores the lives of Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz who met in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950’s and became friends. Both were married to men at the time and had children. Kurtz moved to Israel with her family in 1970 and when she returned to visit America in 1974 she and Ruthie fell in love, divorced their husbands and became a couple. The movie chronicles the struggle this brave couple went through to live their life authentically. One of the clips includes their appearance on The Phil Donahue Show where they publicly came out in 1988. For Connie coming out was liberating but for Ruthie it was wrenching. The journey that followed changes their lives forever and turned them both into national heroines. As a couple they successfully sued the New York City Board of Education for domestic partner benefits winning benefits for all New York City employees in 1994. Berman and Kurtz started branches of Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) in Florida and New York and in 2000 they began serving as co-chairs of the New York State NOW Lesbian Rights Task Force. They also founded The Answer is Loving Counseling Center and worked there for over twenty years. They were legally married on July 26, 2011 in New York officiated by Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. We talked to Berman about “Ruthie & Connie: Every Room in the House” and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

In 2016 Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz were honored with the SAGE Pioneer Award presented by Services and Advocacy For LGBTQ Elders. Then in 2017 the Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017 was introduced to Congress. If passed this bill will amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include the specific needs for our LGBTQ community. Sadly Connie Kurtz passed away in 2018 but she lives on in this fabulous documentary that everyone should see and in her art at connieart.com  Currently Ruthie lives in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is active in Democratic, LGBTQ, feminist and #BlackLivesMatter politics.
For More Info: ruthieandconniethemovie.com
 

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Judy Dlugacz Talks Olivia Travel “Beautiful Together” (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Judy Dlugacz, President & CEO of Olivia Travel about their new campaign aimed at making a political statement with the company’s first-ever billboard in Times Square. The “Because She Said Yes” campaign embodies Olivia’s message of love, acceptance and community projected across three jumbo screens and carries images of LGBTQ women aimed at showcasing the company’s longstanding commitment to equality. The new billboard covers a 7,000-square-foot viewing area that spans 21 floors and can be seen at the intersection of 7th Ave and 42nd Street in Times Square. The billboards feature real Olivia guests and will be displayed through January 31, 2020. The campaign is an important milestone in LGBTQ+ women’s representation in Times Square and is timed to ensure that it will be seen by millions who visit Times Square during the holiday season and tune into the iconic New Year’s Eve broadcasts across the broadcast networks and cable television. In addition Olivia is also launching a contest encouraging LGBTQ+ women to share photos of themselves across social media using the hashtag, #beautifultogether. The company will pick one participant who enters by January 31, 2020 to win a vacation for two to Turks and Caicos Resort II, November 14th to 20th 2020. All entries received before 11:59 PM PT on December 15th 2019 will also be eligible to be featured during the Olivia Times Square billboard campaign. We talked to Judy about what she hopes to accomplish with the “Beautiful Together” campaign and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

For over 45 years Olivia has been a leader in experiences, opportunities and inclusion. From its early beginnings as Olivia Records to now the 30th anniversary of operation as Olivia Travel it’s a force for positive change to build a better and more accepting world for the LGBTQ+ women’s community. Olivia has taken over 250,000 women on more than 350 cruise, resort, riverboat and adventure vacations all over the world. These are not ordinary off-the-shelf vacations. They are made for LGBTQ+ women featuring dynamic entertainers and speakers and custom programming. Olivia welcomes all LGBTQ-identified women and their friends on their trips. Olivia’s mission has always been about love, acceptance and building community.
For More Info: olivia.com

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Christin Baker Talks First LGBTQ Holiday Movie (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Christin Baker, President & CEO of Tello Films about her new holiday film “Season of Love”. This year with over 100 holiday films shown on the two romantic comedy networks Hallmark and Lifetime sadly none of these films feature an LGBTQ couple. “Season of Love” fills that void and is definitely headed to becoming a classic holiday movie staple in the "Love Actually" genre. Written by Kathryn Trammell and directed by Baker this must-see film is a lighthearted rom-com featuring a large ensemble cast of diverse women and their connected love lives during the hectic holiday period just before Christmas through the New Year who discover love truly is the best gift of all. The stellar cast brings together actresses from classic LGBTQ films and current television shows including Dominique Provost-Chalkley ("Wynonna Earp", "Avengers: Age of Ultron"), Jessica Clark ("True Blood", "A Perfect Ending"), Emily Goss (“Snapshots”), Laur Allen (“Young and the Restless”), Janelle Marie and Sandra Mae Frank ("Deaf West's Spring Awakening", "Daybreak”). “Season of Love” came together from a Queer Holiday Feature Pitch contest and was produced by Tello Films with DASH Productions' Ashley Arnold and Danielle Jablonski. The film also delivers a very Christmassy soundtrack featuring a wide range of original tunes and favorites. We talked to Christin about what she hopes to accomplish with this breakthrough queer holiday film and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

Christin Baker is passionate about providing our lesbian community with quality entertainment. She is an award-winning director and an Emmy-nominated producer, a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. With 15 original Tello produced projects under her belt and just as many in various levels of pre- and post-production Christin is determined to provide our lesbian community with the quality entertainment that we deserve and the stories that we crave. “Season of Love” recently screened with cast and crew in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Nashville and London and is a great holiday gift retailing at $14.99.
For More Info: tellofilms.com

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