Gay Ally Director Susan Seidelman Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) whose new film MUSICAL CHAIRS has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Limited Release. The film features the fabulous transgender actress Laverne Cox who plays a transgender character in this love story set against the backdrop of a wheelchair ballroom dance competition in New York City. Seidelman stated, "We are really honored to be nominated for a GLAAD award since our film was intended as a celebration of cultural, physical and gender diversity. It's our differences that make us interesting and unique." We talked to Susan about the film’s nomination and her commitment to LGBT issues.

When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT equality Seidelman, stated, “Well my commitment is on a couple of levels. Artistically I have made a lot of films that have had gay characters and I think it is important to have all kinds of characters in your movies and have real characters; people who are flesh and blood and not caricatures like sometimes you see in bad sitcoms. So artistically it was very validating and important. On a personal level I am the stepmother of a lesbian daughter who I am very supportive of her lifestyle and she is just a great person. So I have a personal commitment to the community and also even in terms of my family, my sister is an adoption attorney who deals with gay couples to help them work their way through the massive red tape and archaic legal system that makes it very hard for gay couples to adopt children. So I have a kind of family history of my connection to the gay community.”

Susan Seidelman arrived on the scene in 1982 when her film “Smithereens” became the first US Independent film to be accepted into competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Her next endeavor was "Desperately Seeking Susan" (starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette), a critical and commercial success. Other film credits include John Malkovich in “Making Mr. Right”, Meryl Streep in "She-Devil, and Judy Davis and Marcia Gay Harding in the gender bending detective comedy “Gaudi Afternoon.” She also directed the pilot and early episodes of the HBO series "Sex And The City". Currently Susan is completing “The Hot Flashes” starring Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Wanda Sykes, Virginia Madsen and Camryn Manheim, about a group of middle-aged women who form a basketball team in small town Texas to raise money for charity. The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards takes place in New York on March 16th, Los Angeles April 20th and San Francisco on May 11th. We’ll have exclusive interviews from the Red Carpet in NYC. 2014 Update: You can catch this film on HBO and Comcast On Demand...:) For More Info About Musical Chairs...
  
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Gay Activist Brett Edward Stout Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Brett Edward Stout brand manager of gay.com the LGBT social networking site that has recently revealed a hot new site design delivering a dynamic and comprehensive online networking experience. Brett stated, “Giving our members the ability to congregate around specific communities allows them to make their search for friends and mates as expanded or narrow as they wish. The need for multiple apps to access a specific community is no longer necessary. The new gay.com provides members a fun and technologically sophisticated environment that meets the numerous needs of our users, whether they’re looking for friends, activity partners, or their one true love.” We talked to Brett about the next generation of gay social networking and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked how he got involved with gay.com and social networking Stout stated, “Well I started working for Here Media three years ago but I’ve been logged onto gay.com for a long time. When I was in the Marine Corps it was really the only place I had to turn to. I served in the Marines from 1997 to 2002 which was under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ which I’m sure your listeners are familiar with and I really didn’t know where else to express myself. I didn’t have any sense of community. I didn’t have any friends. I was all alone and it was a place I found where not to be alone. It saved my life in many ways.”

Brett joined the Marines at age 18 serving his full tour as a Russian linguist. He returned to his home state of Iowa to earn his degree in Russian studies at the University of Iowa. He is also very outspoken about the anti-gay movement in Russia which, like Uganda, its homophobic roots stem from the United States. He has also written numerous articles for OUT Magazine, The Advocate, ACCESSline Iowa, Watermark Orlando and others. His debut novel, “Sugar-baby Bridge,” was published in 2009 by Breur Media.
For More Info: gay.com 

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Gay TV Star Lauren Bedford Russell Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with jewelry designer Lauren Bedford Russell who starred in Season 3 of Showtime's hit reality series The Real L Word. Last July in the midst of The Real L Word airing Lauren was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This was a shocking and frightening diagnosis to receive at age 31, to say the least. The young reality TV star was at her prime both professionally and personally with a successful show and her relationship with cast member Kiyomi McCloskey, lead singer of Hunter Valentine, blossoming into a love of her life. Lauren's first MS "episode" manifested with loss of vision in one eye known as optic neuritis. She has now regained her vision back for the most part. When she was diagnosed Kiyomi was at her side. We talked to Lauren on her cellphone while touring with Hunter Valentine about her MS diagnosis and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked how this diagnosis has been life changing for her Lauren stated, “Well it certainly changed my life in a lot of ways. First of course is how I’m living from day to day by taking my medication which is a Copaxone injection and being an overall healthier person. It adjusts your whole kind of way of thinking because with this disease you really don’t know what’s going to happen. Every experience is different and every single person who has it has a different story. You just have to think positive and know that will help you at the end. Everything you think will benefit your outcome. Just sort of shifting my attitude, shifting my day to day and shifting my outlook about what I want to accomplish in life.”

Lauren Bedford Russell strongly believes in the power of one to make a difference after Jack Osbourne inspired her to go see her doctor back in June of 2012 about the first symptoms he experienced which were similar to hers. She suspected something was wrong. Now she is committed to doing the same for others and plans to work with the National MS Society in every possible way. She’s already designed a special bracelet for her Lyon Fine Jewelry line called POSITIVITY BRACELET with 15% of the proceeds to be donated to the National MS Society.
For More Info: lyonfinejewelry.com 

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Mesma Belsare Dancer & LGBT Activist

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with dancer Mesma Belsare who presented a spectacular full-length evening concert of Bharatanatyam which is classical dance from South India, at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mesma was  joined by Carnatic vocalist Deepti Navaratna. This concert explored LOVE from the carnal to the spiritual through the language of music, dance and poetry in compositions that were performed in South Indian temples and royal courts in the 8th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Mesma is a true activist and supporter of LGBT issues. She has performed for numerous LGBT events and continues to show how love transcends gender roles and challenges everyone to look within themselves to find their true spirituality of love. We talked to Mesma about this and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what she would like to see the Obama administration accomplish for our LGBT community in the next four years Belsare stated, “I think that President Obama’s open public support of LGBT people is an affirmation of this country’s progressive direction especially among the youth. The fact that he had to be so careful about his support during his first term was an unfortunate reality and probably incensed many people but I know that a country cannot make progress if we are honoring the fundamental rights of its people in a way that is not uniform. The United States is not an exception to that rule. In an ideal world I would like the President to take measures to enable the country to treat its people equally in all aspects of life. Only then can we have change in attitude and perfection towards people and I really am hopeful that the current administration will put these debates to rest so that we can move forward because we have so many other issues on a global level to tackle. Quite honestly I find it not a very productive debate in terms of making progress because we are not making progress if are still debating all of this.”

 The New York times calls Mesma Belsare "a tour de force". The Dance Current Magazine describes her "as mesmerizing as staring into the heart of a fire". Her professional dancing career spans more than two decades and includes performances as a solo dancer at international venues including Lincoln Center (NYC), Asia Society (NYC), Alvin Ailey Theater (NYC) and the Harbourfront Centre (Toronto). She was twice nominated for the Brother Thomas Fellowship by The Boston Foundation and once for the Dora Mavor Moore Award by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. Mesma is a recipient of the Government of India scholarship for advanced training in classical Bharatanatyam and Indian classical music. Her concert at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts was made possible by a grant from The Cambridge Arts Council.
For More Info: mesmabelsare.com 

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Gay Activist Mike Ruiz Speaks OUT

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with world-renowned Photographer Mike Ruiz about his book “Pretty Masculine” that's now available on a new app. When Mike released his first book of images entitled "Pretty Masculine" last year it was an exploration of breaking stereotypes specifically in males as an effort to deconstruct the preconceived ideas about masculinity. Though the coffee table book, which all the profits went to GMHC, played with masculine and feminine imagery, the new app is inclusive to our entire LGBT community. The app is an all-encompassing experience that allows users to witness the full scope of the creative process. It provides behind-the-scenes-footage and interviews of models, make-up artists, hair stylists and more. This whimsical app also allows users to upload and manipulate their own images and apply a variety of elements, such as lighting and costuming to their photographs creating "Pretty Masculine-izing" imagery. We talked to Mike about this and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what his reaction was to Obama finally including our LGBT community in his inaugural speech, Ruiz stated, “I burst into tears. I anticipated him including the LGBT community in his inaugural speech because he has been very vocal about it. But you know actually hearing it in the content, in that form and seeing all the people respond in a positive way was really overwhelming. It just made the whole thing so mainstream. You know it made it like a civil rights movement that anyone who doesn’t participate in is going to be on the wrong side of history and that made me realize this is so awesome. This is a pivotal moment in history. I remember when Reagan wouldn’t even acknowledge AIDS and HIV you know by allocating any funds to research. And now the President is including our community in his inaugural speech. It’s really amazing and emotional but it’s really something we should be taking for granted. He shouldn’t even have to be discussing this stuff. It’s the same way with the civil rights movement. Everyone should have equal rights. It should be a given. It shouldn’t be something that you should be so grateful to be acknowledged for. Once we’re given any kind of rights we have to give that person a metal. We deserve it, we’re human beings. The short answer to your question is “I burst into tears.”

Whether it's Kim Kardashian, Betty White, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry or Prince, Mike has seen and shot them all. His work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveller, Elle, Interview, Paper, Flaunt, Spanish & Brazilian Vogue, Citizen K, Vanity Fair, Verve and other publications. Mike's keen eye and astute entrepreneurial skills have landed him positions in a wide array of fields. He founded Aardvark Aartists, an agency representing photographers, art directors and set designers. In the past year, Mike worked to create a t-shirt line that helps raise funds and awareness for The Ali Forney Center and currently has a public service announcement airing on LOGO creating awareness for HIV/AIDS testing. Mike also has partnered up with fashion designer J. Cheikh to create a line of red carpet menswear.
For More Info: mikeruiz.com

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Religion, Sexuality & LGBT Issues

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Rev. Richard Emmanuel about why the quest for LGBT equality continues to create such a commotion with the Christian, Judaic and Islam religious communities. Emmanuel brings clarity to this dilemma by giving us a history lesson to why our LGBT people present such a threat to conservative religious leaders. Before Christianity there wasn’t even a word for homosexuality. This is because it was just part of self-discovery. Emmanuel is the minister of a Church that has no members. Why no members? He states how can one join something other than the quest to “Know Thyself”. He reminds visitors to his Experimental Church that those are the words inscribed above the portal of the Ancient Greek Temple of Apollo. We talked to Emmanuel about this and why in 2013 LGBT homophobia still persists.

 Emmanuel stated, “Let’s look at the passing of the wonderful person Gore Vidal, a great person in terms of understanding history and the narrative of how things work. He was liberated in terms of his own identity, in terms of his sexuality and, basically, set an example despite all of the criticism, all of the harangue, he walked through it and was himself. Just before he died he was asked ‘What is the greatest mistake humanity has made?’ Without hesitation Gore Vidal said one word ‘Monotheism’. And out of that you got to understand if you trace this, Monotheism is the mechanism to describe one way or the highway. My way or no way and that is the problem of the issue of human sexuality. Let’s look at how we label one another. The idea when Gore Vidal said Monotheism is a word that allows for the concept of authoritarian dictate. So this is where we all start to define ourselves. This is gay, this is lesbian, this is transsexual and this is straight. Back 2000 years ago in the Greco Roman period do you realize there wasn’t a word for homosexual? People just used their sensuality and their sexuality to become who they are and there was no guilt. This is where LGBT people are consistently made to feel guilty about their own thought process. We have to look at what the three western faiths Christianity, Judaism and Islam are doing to us and why are we so sexually dysfunctional in our culture.”

 On issues of beliefs Richard cautions, “Belief creates its own prejudice. Even the notion 'Scientific Truth' creates its own rigid constellations of the celestial configuration of stars, planets, comets, galaxies, the Universe and the Cosmos. The Real Questions: Are you conscious? Do you know that you must construct your own story of Being?” Rev. Emmanuel understands that LGBT issues are the greatest clues for the transcendence of human sexual guilt however he needs your help. “Human Sexual Guilt? Get Over it!” he concludes. (Photo by Chad Carlberg) Listen to 2009 Interview w/ Rev. Richard Emmanuel "2012 What An Awakening"
For More Info: thechurch.org 

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Gay Activist Singer Janis Ian Speaks OUT

Update: Janis Ian Wins Grammy For Best Spoken Word Album for "Society's Child: My Autobiography" :) Congrats Janis!!

 In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with singer songwriter Janis Ian about her autobiography “Society’s Child” that’s been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Category. The title comes from her Grammy nominated song of the same name she wrote when she was only 15 years old that also gave her a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. This is her 9th nomination in categories from jazz to folk with two Grammy wins. This year the Best Spoken Word Category is dominated by three extremely talented and respected gay women including Ian, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres. The other nominees in this category are Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama. During the 1960’s most adults could not have survived the scorn and controversy that surrounded her debut single and first hit “Society’s Child” that focused on an interracial couple in an era when tempers flared at even such a mention. Ian stated, “The first song I had a hit with was a song called “Society’s Child” about a black boy dating a white girl and it became very controversial. Radio stations were burned down and people were fired for playing it, so it was a baptism by fire and the book starts with that and continues until I meet my partner of now 24 years, Pat, here in Nashville. And we go through some adventures together, but at the end of the day it all works out.”

 When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Janis added, “The same as my commitment to any civil rights, to women’s rights or children’s rights. Of course I have a different vested interest in the gay community because I am gay and I would certainly enjoy the tax advantages that straight people have and the inheritance advantages and things like social security. But I’ve always been a civil rights advocate across the board. That’s how I was raised.”

 Janis Ian has shared a stage with Tom Paxton, Lou Gossett Jr., Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, and a host of other singer-songwriters. In 2013 she will be touring throughout America and with Tom Paxton in the UK in the fall. The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 10th 2013 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will air on CBS at 8P ET/PT.
For More Info: janisian.com

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Kendra TV Show Takes on LGBT Issues

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with actor Bill Brochtrup and producer Jon Avnet about their new television series “Kendra” on the WIGS Network which is the #1 channel for scripted drama on YouTube. Openly gay actor Bill Brochtrup played the gay temp, John Irvin on “NYPD Blue” and straight ally writer/director Jon Avnet is credited with decades of award winning television and film productions including “Black Swan” and “Fried Green Tomatoes”. Kendra is about a bi-sexual post-op nurse played by Sarah Jones (Vegas, Alcatraz) and set in a hospital recovery room known as “Twilight” where people coming off anesthesia are more vulnerable to their true self. Her roommates are a multi-racial gay couple Arnold and Kenny (Brochtrup and DeVaughn Nixon) all of whom served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked to Brochtrup and Avnet about this edgy series that addresses “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and other LGBT topics.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Brochtrup stated, “I’m gay. I’ve been an openly gay actor for many years since I began working on ‘NYPD Blue’. I’ve always been an optimist as far as history goes. I feel like things are moving quickly towards complete equal rights for LGBT people and it may seem slow sometimes to people who are out in the field fighting for these things but over the course of history we will realize that this has happened very quickly in this country and I’m proud to have played a small part in that. I think that images we see in the media can really move this zeitgeist and make people understand that LGBT people are just like everyone else and want the same things that everyone else wants. So I’ve always found the important thing people can do is come out, be themselves and lead an honest life and it’s been shown many times that the more the straight world gets to know gay people, they’re in their family, they’re in their workplace, we’re everywhere as part of the fabric of the community, the more people are accepting that it’s not that big a deal.”

WIGS Launched in May 2012 on YouTube and has 92,848 subscribers and 18,829,167 video views. It consists of provocative, edgy and addictive series, short films, and documentaries, featuring complex, compelling characters played by female leads. Created by Jon Avnet and Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” “In Treatment”) the channel combines Hollywood’s most successful creative minds with the innovation and power of the digital age to deliver consumers high-quality, original entertainment.
For More Info: youtube.com/wigs 

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