Global Gay Adoption Activist Speaks OUT

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™, talks with Jarko De Witte van Leeuwen, an international LGBT adoption advocate. Jarko lives in the Netherlands with his husband Jos and their 2 adopted children, Arwen and Wolf. Jarko has written a new children’s book “Arwen and her Daddies” that tells their adoption journey. Jarko and Jos were married in 2001, the year when gay marriage was legalized in the Netherlands. After returning from their honeymoon their dream was to a start family. They soon discovered that joint adoption only applied to children born in The Netherlands where very few children are available. In order to adopt jointly internationally Jarko and Jos fought for 7 years to gain joint international adoption rights. Jarko stated, “The law which made this possible only came into effect last year. We're very proud that we have achieved this. Recently it was announced that finally children born in a lesbian marriage will be automatically the juridical children of both women. Up to now, the non-biological mom had to start an adoption procedure to gain legal parenthood, whereas the man in a heterosexual marriage was automatically recognized as the legal father, even if the child was conceived from a sperm donor. This is one of the last inequalities that existed in Dutch legislation.”

When asked what led him to write ‘Arwen and her Daddies’ Jarko explained, “Our daughter Arwen is very fond of books and having stories read to her. In all children’s books that we have read to her, sooner or later a mommy, or a mommy and a daddy, make their appearance. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to read a story to Arwen that features two daddies’. So I started a search only to find very few children’s books featuring two daddies. Initially I had made this book just for Arwen; a single copy for our little girl to explain to her in an age appropriate manner and when the time is appropriate for her - how we became a family. However, other families I spoke with were also interested in having a book about same gender parents and encouraged me to publish for other families to read. They too wanted a book for their children to learn about the wonderfully diverse society that we live in. In addition, my hope is to have the book further communicate to children that it is perfectly okay to be who you are. For these reasons, I decided to publish “Arwen and her Daddies” for a broader audience. I wish you and your kids a lot of fun reading this book!”
More Info : www.feel-good-families.com
 

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Massachusetts & Gay Marriage 6 Years Later

This is the sixth anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts. In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™, talks with Arline Isaacson, Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus. Arline is one of the architects of gay marriage in Massachusetts and probably one of the most brilliant lobbyists in this country. Massachusetts pioneered gay marriage which is now legal in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa & Washington D.C. When asked what advice she had for other states who are trying to achieve marriage equality Isaacson stated, “In order to win the right for our people to marry it takes a number of variables that include working very very hard but just as importantly, working smart. It means trying to think like the enemy. Trying to think like our opponents. Trying to anticipate every step of the way what will they do? How will they do it? How will it be received? What can we do to preemptly try and thwart their efforts and what can we do to preemptly try and trump their efforts? That’s one of the things we did so well in Massachusetts and it made all the difference in the world. We quite literally in Massachusetts out-lobbied our opponents, out-maneuvered our opponents, out-parliamentary procedured our opponents and out-organized our opponents every step of the way.”

The Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus hosted a fundraising event to celebrate the sixth anniversary of gay marriage and Ms. Isaacson's birthday at the newly opened Napoleon Room at Boston’s Club Café. In this exclusive audio montage we had a chance to talk with LGBT activists and allies about the future of gay marriage and LGBT civil rights in America. In attendance were Gary Daffin who also serves as Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus (MGLPC), Boston Mayor Tom Menino, a solid LGBT ally and the longest-serving mayor in Boston history, serving five term, Grace Ross, gubernatorial candidate, longtime LGBT activist Barbara Hoffman and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition Director Gunner Scott.
For More Info: mglpc.org

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LGBT Filmmakers at Boston Fest Speak OUT

In this exclusive audio montage Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™, talks with filmmakers and celebrities at the 26th annual Boston LGBT Film Fest which runs through May 16th. Russian born Director Evgeny Afineevsky’s debut feature film “Oy Vey! My Son is Gay”, a romantic comedy about a Jewish mother who discovers that her son is gay, received rave reviews. It stars comedic actress Lainie Kazan (“Ugly Betty”, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, and “Beaches”), Hollywood iconic writer and actor Bruce Vilanch, the fabulous Carmen Electra, and Queer Eye’s Jai Rodriguez. Director Afineevsky and star Bruce Vilanch were in attendance. We talked with Bruce Vilanch to get his political spin about the making of the movie and more. Breaking records at film festivals internationally, next month “Oy Vey! My Son is Gay”, will be one of the first gay films ever screened in Moscow where merely participating in gay pride celebrations can lead to being arrested and assaulted.

We also caught up with Director J.C. Calciano whose film “Is It Just Me?” takes us on a romantic comedic theme in the classic scenario to see if brains wins over beauty. The film stars Nicolas Downs, David Loren and Adam Huss. In this exclusive audio interview Calciano explains his movie is just about love.

“Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” which opened the festival is Director Bob Christie’s moving documentary about Gay Pride marches and festivals happening all over the world, sometimes under heavy opposition and violence. This feature length documentary follows the Vancouver Pride Society’s (VPS) Parade Director Ken Coolen and his VPS colleagues as they travel to places where Pride is still steeped in protest to personally experience the rampant homophobia that still exists. What occurred in Moscow a few short years ago really makes you think about how far we have advanced in North America. They also travel to Sao Paulo Brazil for the world’s largest gay parade and to New York City, the birthplace of the modern gay liberation movement after the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

Boston LGBT Film Fest was founded 26 years ago by film programmer George Mansour who shared with us his experiences of what it was like to be gay in the mid-twentieth century to present day. We had an interesting conversation discussing LGBT civil rights and agendas joined by Aliza Shapiro who curates the festival program “The Experiment”, which is a delicious mix of subversion, sexuality, and humorous films.

The Boston LGBT Film Festival is an important LGBT event that should not be missed. There are still great LGBT movies and events running all this week in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Fenway Community Health Center. In Cambridge films are showing at the Brattle Theater.
For More Info & Tix: BostonLGBTfilmfest.org

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Boston LGBT Film Fest Reveals World Pride

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson talks with James Nadeau, Executive Director of the Boston LGBT Film Festival, which is celebrating its 26th year and began May 6th through May 16th. This year in honor of the 40th anniversary of Boston Pride celebration the Boston LGBT Film Festival opened with Bob Christie's stunning documentary on Pride across the globe. “Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride.” Christie travels the world to places where simply declaring one’s LGBT sexuality is a political act that can incite violence and where Pride becomes an act of courage. This is a moving "Must-See" film.

In this climate of bullying in our schools, the Festival also celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Youth (BAGLY) with two films that speak of the struggles and complications of LGBTQ youth. “We Are the Mods” is director E.E. Cassidy’s award-winning tribute to the Mod fashions of the sixties and John Young’s powerful “Rivers Wash Over Me” will move audiences young and old, with its stunning cast and heart-wrenching tale of race, class and homophobia in the south.

Wolfe, one of the first distributors of LGBT cinema is being honored with the first ever Community Award for the company’s amazing contribution to the cultural lives of the LGBT communities. Wolfe CEO Maria Lynn will be on hand to accept this award and present their sensational new film “Contracorriente” (The Undertow). This award-winning film (Sundance Audience Award 2010) kicks off a special Festival focus on films from Latino/Latina filmmakers.

This year’s Festival has two World Premieres. Award-winning director Stu Maddux's new documentary film “Gen Silent” explores the complications surrounding LGBT seniors so afraid of being subject to discrimination, or worse, in long-term/health care that many go back into the closet. “Beauty and Brains”, the gorgeous new documentary by Catherine Donaldson, explores the transgender community in Nepal and the use of beauty contests to spread awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

There are over one hundred films being screened this year including the New England premiere of James Ivory’s latest film "The City of Your Final Destination" starring Laura Linney and Anthony Hopkins. When asked about the experience of attending the Boston LGBT Film Festival Nadeau stated, "People need this common experience. There's something about sitting in a dark theater watching your life experience in a roomful of people who are all gay. It's so transformational. It's phenomenal. People need to give themselves that, so come to the Festival."

OUTTAKE MEDIA™ will be in attendance reviewing films and providing exclusive audio interviews with the filmmakers throughout the festival. Films will be screened in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Fenway Community Health Center. In Cambridge films will be shown at the Brattle Theater.
For More Info & Tix: BostonLGBTfilmfest.org

Equality Forum 2010, Now Through May 2nd

 In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Malcolm Lazin, the Founder and Executive Director of Equality Forum. This is an important LGBT event that is dedicated to addressing our LGBT issues and concerns. The week-long national and international summit will be held from Monday, April 26 to Sunday, May 2 in Philadelphia. There isn’t a registration fee and all substantive panels are free. There are lots of dances parties, entertainment and just basic fun events throughout the week. Africa is Equality Forum international focus this year. While the U.S. debates issues like same-gender marriage, nations like Uganda are considering the death penalty or life imprisonment for “anyone convicted of a homosexual act.” This year Equality Forum’s international focus explores LGBT rights and movement development in Africa. Panelists include Cary Alan Johnson, Executive Director, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and Pouline Kimani, Co-Founder, Minority Women in Action, Kenya. The US Senate has passed a resolution imploring Ugandan Members of Parliament to withdraw the Bill that would impose death on LGBT people.

When asked what would he like to see accomplished in the Obama administration for our LGBT civil rights in this country Lazin stated, “I think there’s a lot that needs to be done. Obviously ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) looks like it could be passed even within this calendar year and certainly the President using some of his chits in terms of particularly in the United States Senate, to make that happen. I think him getting behind the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act which is the reason why we do not receive one thousand, one hundred and thirty eight federal marital protections and benefits becomes important. I appreciate that one of those is hospital visitation, so we’re now down to one thousand, one hundred and thirty seven. So the easier way to do it is just repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and I think whether that gets accomplished during the first four years or if he’s re-elected, then the second four years, I do think that it will get accomplished because he’s certainly on record in terms of supporting the repeal of that act.”

Lt. Dan Choi National Leader Against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will speak at SundayOUT! at The Piazza, the closing party of the Equality Forum 2010 event.
For More Info: equalityforum.com

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LGBT Activist Dr. Dana Beyer Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Dr. Dana Beyer, a well-known advocate for public health, coherent government and an activist for women’s and gender rights. Currently Dr. Beyer is a candidate for Maryland State Delegate in District 18 in the upcoming elections.

The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is again being considered in Washington D.C. When asked what her feelings are about finally having a transgender inclusive bill being presented, Beyer stated, “This is something we worked for. Again it points out how the political process works. It doesn’t happen overnight. We didn’t get civil rights in 1964 overnight. That took over 300 years of American history and people fighting and dying until we got to that point. We moved a little faster on gay rights and we’ve moved a lot faster on trans rights…The vast majority of Americans that are covered today, I think we’re up to 41% of the population, have been covered in laws that were passed in the last decade. So we’ve made huge progress in the most aggressive administration in American history for the most part. So we’ve done a lot of good. We’ve had the (ENDA) battle in 2007, it was a worthwhile battle, it was very educational, it was hard to go through. Some of it was very painful. Some of the language was hurtful and cruel but we got through it. We’re going to get a bill, it will not be perfect. It will have some language that might be better not having in it. I would imagine as for the trans part of this bill goes, to the best of my knowledge and this is an ongoing issue, it hasn’t been marked up yet so I can’t say for sure, but there will be nothing in this bill that will make anyone’s life more difficult and it will for the most part improve the lives of the LGBT community.”

Beyer is Vice President of Equality Maryland, former Executive Vice President of Maryland NOW, she's a founding member of Maryland’s Progressive Working Group and an HRC Governor. Dana recently co-authored The Dallas Principles. She is currently on leave from her post as Senior Adviser to Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg of the Montgomery County Council.
She lives with her two sons in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
For More Info: danabeyer.com

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GLAD's Lee Swislow Speaks OUT on DOMA

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™, talks with Lee Swislow, Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), about their case Gill v. Office of Personnel Management that challenges Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which is set for oral arguments May 6th. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro in the Federal District Court in Boston. The plaintiffs are seven legally married Massachusetts gay couples and three surviving spouses who have been denied federal benefits under section 3 of DOMA. Section 3 states, for the purpose of federal benefits, marriage is defined as between a man and a woman. What GLAD is targeting is the exclusion of over eleven hundred federal rights, benefits and responsibilities for legally married gay couples.

Swislow stated, “We feel this lawsuit it crucial because people are getting hurt. We’ve been hearing stories from hundreds of Massachusetts gay couples who have been hurt by their exclusion from federal benefits and we felt it was our duty to bring this suit forward and highlight for people throughout America the real harm that (legally married gay) couples face.”

The real tragedy is LGBT seniors who are not receiving survival benefits and are devastated by not having social security benefits. One of the plaintiffs is Dean Hara, the widower of former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, who was the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives. Hara has been denied any portion of Studds' $114,000 pension after the Democratic Congressman died in 2006. The two married in 2004 after being together for 14 years. "I am not being treated the same as any other surviving spouse of any other federal employee or public servant who has served this country for 27 years, though we were legally married." Hara stated.
For More Info: GLAD.org

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Gay Activist Jarrett Barrios Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Jarrett Barrios, President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a way of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. At the upcoming L.A. GLAAD Media Awards on April 17th Constance McMillen the gay student that was not allowed to bring her girlfriend to the Prom in the Mississippi Prom-gate will be presenting the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Wanda Sykes. This award is given to an openly gay member of the entertainment or media community for his or her work toward eliminating homophobia.

LGBTQ teens are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. When asked about the current climate of bullying and homophobia in our schools Barrios stated, “You can certainly legislate aspired-to behaviors but you can’t legislate fairness. You can’t legislate the way people treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender families, friends and neighbors. What gets people to change their minds is seeing (LGBT) people in the community and understanding them as siblings, as neighbors, as friends and understanding the barriers they face. The aspirations we have are exacting what everyone else wants out of life. To be accepted, respected and understood for the work that we do in our community. That’s not something unfortunately which everyone agrees with or everyone appreciates. The visibility that we try to promote with the GLAAD Media Awards is really about holding out those best examples of our visibility in entertainment, in media, so we can encourage other outlets like newspaper cover stories, visual media, television, movies to continue pushing forward with these sort of images and raising the bar because these images are transforming America and making it easier for the Constances of the world who want to go to the prom because classmates and parents will have a better understanding of who we are. Not that we’re the antithesis of America, we are in fact the heart of what the American experiment was about in the very beginning. ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness’, that’s our goal.”

Barrios also commended Ricky Martin for coming out which provides a positive role model for LGBT youth. In addition to Wanda Sykes, Drew Barrymore will be honored with the Vanguard Award. Singer Adam Lambert will perform and cast members of Glee are scheduled to attend the Los Angeles ceremony. The San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards are on June 5. Here Media will be televising the edited version of the events combined with the New York GLAAD Awards that we covered on the Red Carpet last month.
For More Info & Tix: glaad.org

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Gay Activist Alex Lucchesi Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson, Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Alex Lucchesi, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of SpeakOUT. SpeakOUT works to create a world free of LGBT homophobia and other forms of prejudice by telling the truths of people’s lives. This is accomplished by conducting educational programs about the lives and issues of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In completion of a short two day program, members of our LGBT community are trained to use public speaking as a means of creating positive cultural change. SpeakOUT believes that sharing our lives and experiences publicly educates communities about issues that are dividing us. In engaging audiences in honest dialogue and in keeping with their motto "Ask Us Anything," SpeakOUT invites any questions that may challenge harmful stereotypes and misconceptions. Every year, SpeakOUT volunteers conduct informal, interactive speaking engagements in hundreds of settings, including high schools, colleges, businesses, government agencies, churches, synagogues, youth groups and community service organizations of all kinds.

When asked what questions people have about gay marriage and LGBT equality, Lucchesi stated, “Very often I get asked why civil unions aren’t enough. My answer to that is simple. I was married to a woman for ten years and I loved that woman and she was my best friend and if there was a woman in the world for me it was her. But that was not a true marriage and if I am going to find a man with whom I fall in love and share my life that will be a true marriage. So I don’t think I should settle for separate but equal.”

The unique program offers youth and adults an intensive two-day preparation for conducting speaking engagements. In the past, SpeakOUT has trained members of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY), Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and many other organizations. The next speaker training session is April 10th & 11th, 8:30am - 5:00pm Lasell College, Newton, MA. SpeakOUT also provides resources and information for national and global organizations.
For More Info: SpeakOUTboston.org

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