OUTTAKE VOICES™ (Interviews)

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates

Erin Uritus, the new CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates which is the world’s premier nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving LGBTQ workplace equality talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Since 1996 Out & Equal has partnered with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to provide executive leadership development, comprehensive training and consultation and professional networking opportunities that build inclusive and welcoming work environments. They have worked with executives, human resources professionals, employee resource groups and individuals to provide leadership and professional development, education and research to create workplaces free of discrimination. Out & Equal also hosts their annual Workplace Summit where employees and experts from around the world gather to share strategies and best practices to create workplace equality inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. The 2018 Workplace Summit takes place in Seattle, Washington from October 1st to 4th featuring 3 days of educational opportunities with over 90 workshops, panels, community advisory roundtables, special networking mixers, receptions and events including inspirational plenaries featuring prominent LGBTQ and fierce ally leaders and more. Out & Equal also will be hosting their 11th annual Executive Forum that takes place March 28th to March 30th in San Francisco, CA. We talked to Erin about what she hopes to accomplish in her new position at Out & Equal and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

As a mother of two young daughters, when asked what advise she would have for kids struggling with Trump’s Administration Uritus stated, “Oh gosh, such a great question, so glad you asked it. You know so many of us, Charlotte, have been in what feels like a hopeless spot in some time of our life and what may be a cliché now but it does get better and more importantly though, it will get better because of you our LGBTQ youth. We will make it better. I encourage you to get engaged with your community and reach out to groups like The Trevor Project for support when you need it, offer support when you have it to others and come join us in this work for equality. It’s really important and we want you to be with us.”

Erin Uritus became involved with Out & Equal as an employee resource group leader at Booz Allen which sponsored her to attend her first Out & Equal Summit in Orlando. She went on to join the Out and Equal Board of Directors, co-founded the Out & Equal DC Chapter Affiliate and eventually served as Co-Chair for the Out & Equal DC Summit in 2007 before becoming Out & Equal’s CEO this year. Erin has a Masters in Organization Development from American University and two Masters certificates in Change Management and Performance Management from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities. She lives in Washington DC with her two beautiful daughters Amira and Haneen.
For More Info: outandequal.org

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Equality Federation For LGBTQ Rights

Amanda McLain-Snipes, Director of Advocacy Programs at Equality Federation the strategic partner to 40 state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people nationally talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks. From Equality Florida to Freedom Oklahoma to Basic Rights Oregon to Equality California, the largest member of the Equality Federation, they amplify the power of the state-based LGBTQ movement. Equality Federation works collaboratively on critical issues from advancing workplace fairness and family recognition to defeating anti-transgender bathroom bans and HIV criminalization laws that affect how LGBTQ people experience the world from cradle to grave. Together with their partners Equality Federation works on cross-cutting issues impacting our LGBTQ community such as racial equity, reproductive justice and immigration. Their advocacy program partners with leaders on the ground to fend off attacks on our community and advance protections for LGBTQ people in state legislatures where hundreds of bills affecting our community are introduced every year. We talked to Amanda about what’s on the agenda in 2018 for Equality Federation and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how she sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration McLain-Snipes stated, “It’s really tough but we’ve been under administrations that were really tough and mean and bullying. We know how to deal with this situation and what we do is organize; we change who the policy makers are. So I’m excited to see in the moments after the election where people were very scared and angry, now there’s a lot of momentum, that moment has turned into a movement and we’re seeing people come together and organize and do things like pick up a US Senate seat in Alabama of all places. We saw Danica Roem in Virginia win her special election seat becoming the first openly transgender elected in that neck of the woods and she unseated the person who authored the bathroom bill. So if anyone wants to take us on good luck because we know how to do these battles. Unfortunately we ended up with the leadership that we did nationally but I don’t think that’s going to happen again with as focused as people are going into 2018 and even talk about 2020. I do think that there’s a lot of momentum on our side.”

Amanda McLain-Snipes as Director of Advocacy Programs at the Equality Federation works with state affiliates on using data-driven field programs and legislative advocacy projects to secure fairness in all 50 states. Amanda works with other national LGBTQ organizations on data and analytics programs to inform movement strategy. She brings over a decade of field experience, specializing in targeted public outreach programs starting out in campaigns and elections. Amanda is always seeking to change the landscape and secure equality in the communities we all call home. As the campaign manager for Southerners for the Freedom to Marry she led the organization’s work to grow support for marriage across the South. Amanda resides with her wife in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
For More Info: equalityfederation.org

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New Play “Bright Colors & Bold Patterns”

Actor Jeff Hiller talks about the hit Off Broadway play “Bright Colors And Bold Patterns” that he’ll be joining on January 17th with a new opening night scheduled for February 4th with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Hiller (“Nightcap”, “30 Rock” & Broadway’s “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”) will step into the starring role of this devastatingly funny hit play directed by Michael Urie (“Torch Song”, “Buyer & Cellar”, “Ugly Betty”) and written by Drew Droege the play’s original star. Hiller will continue the play’s triumphant Off Broadway run through February 25th at the SoHo Playhouse in NYC. “Bright Colors And Bold Patterns” is about Josh and Brennan who are about to get married in Palm Springs on a lovely Saturday afternoon. However, the night before becomes a drunken, drug-fueled riot because their friend Gerry arrives furious that their invitation says: “Please refrain from wearing bright colors or bold patterns.” The play is produced by Zach Laks in association with Riki Kane Larimer and features set design by Dara Wishingrad. Tom DeTrinis serves as associate producer. “Bright Colors And Bold Patterns” was originally presented at VS Theatre in Los Angeles and directed by Molly Prather. We talked to Jeff about how thrilled he is to perform Drew Droege’s hysterical one man show and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how he sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Hiller stated, “It’s overwhelming isn’t it? I know just everyday a barrage and I am wondering if that’s on purpose for this administration because they have flooded us with just issue after issue. If it’s not banning trans folks from military service which is insane, literally banning volunteers who want to serve the country but they’re also ripping homelands away from native people, raping the land, denying a fair shot for basic rights to folks that aren’t rich or racist rhetoric after racist rhetoric. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now actually. What I do think the LGBTQ community is doing and obviously other communities as well people of color, women (laugh) you know the minority group of women, what these groups are doing so well is that they’re not just rolling over and letting it happen. Sometimes like when I first came of age and politically aware was during the Bush administration, the second Bush George W and my peers were saying things like, ‘I don’t even like this America anymore you know this isn’t an America for gay people’ and there was this romanticizing of Europe. What I’ve noticed about young people now and queer people and my friends is we’re not just rolling over. We’re saying we love this country. We’re saying that equal rights is not some sort of radical progressive idea, literally in the constitution. So we’re continuing to fight, we’re continuing to resist. I was just emailing with some friends about what we’re going to do at the Women’s March and how we’re going to stand up this year and we’ve been doing that for a year since the election. So I’m so excited and proud and heartened by how people are continuing to say, this isn’t right and we’re going to continue fighting.”

Jeff Hiller is a regular performer at the UCB Theatre in both New York City and Los Angeles. Jeff has also written and starred in a pilot for Universal Cable Productions as well as acting in pilots for NBC, Fox, and CBS. He will step in the role of Gerry in the hit Off Broadway play “Bright Colors And Bold Patterns” starting on January 17th at the SoHo Playhouse in NYC.
For Info & Tix: brightcolorsandboldpatterns.com

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New Show "The Menopausal Mermaid"

Michael Gaucher talks about his new show “The Menopausal Mermaid: A Parody Reimagined” that runs now to March 25th at Club Café at 209 Columbus Avenue in Boston, MA with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. The show is a kaleidoscope of outrageous drag, sexy sailors, fabulous costumes and all your favorite 80s disco tracks reimagined and hilarious. The parody is about Ariel everyone's darling from The Little Mermaid (played by Blake Siskavich) just not feeling it after being betrayed by Eric (played by Joshua Rubenstein), so she’s ready to kiss ass and take names in this 90-minute musical. “The Menopausal Mermaid” picks up where the Disney fairy tale left off as Ariel becomes tired of playing by the rules and decides to reinvent herself. Along the way she finds love, fame, Walt Disney and takes on anyone and anything that's ever tried to keep a woman in her place. So grab your BFFs, throw on something cute and get ready to rock the house with Ariel and her boys in this must-see theater event. We talked to Michael about his inspiration for creating “The Menopausal Mermaid: A Parody Reimagined” and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

]When asked how he sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Gaucher stated, “Carefully. It’s a really difficult question to answer because it assumes that there is a group thing, that we’re monolithic and we all have the same goals and aspirations and just in my own personal life I know that is not true. So I would rather speak to how people should move ahead who have common goals, common aspirations, common mindsets like decency and equality. For these people I think that it’s time to raise our voices and that can be in a variety of ways. Sure there’s the marches you can go to those, you can write letters if you can’t march or you can create art that inspires people to be who they are. For gay people specifically I’d like to say that no matter how much money you have, no matter what race you are, your religion, anything, the current administration is coming after you. So you need to buckle down, get together with your people and figure out the ways that you’re going to make the world better, not only for you but for all people.”

Michael Gaucher received an MA in writing from Emerson College. He’s the author of a collection of short stories entitled “Fresh Graves”, several blogs and a contributing writer to multiple periodicals including Boston Spirit Magazine. He was a principle writer and performer in the drag cabaret comedy troupe “Fresh Fruit” and initiated “Herring Cove Beach Theater” along with Abe Rybeck from The Theater Offensive. “The Menopausal Mermaid: A Parody Reimagined” performances will be on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8P with select Sunday matinees at 1P from January 11th to March 25th at Club Café in Boston, MA. There will also be cabaret-style table service for dinner/brunch and a show plus a 20% discount on food with your show ticket.
For More Info & Tix: menopausalmermaid.info

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“Cuarenta y Nueve” Coffee Table Book

Joie Lamar best-selling author talks about curating the new coffee table book “Cuarenta y Nueve”, (Spanish for 49) which pays artistic homage to honor the lives of the 49 we lost in Orlando at Pulse Nightclub Massacre with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. “Cuarenta y Nueve” is a unique compilation from 49 contributors including Lamar, to remember and honor the lives we lost on June 12, 2016. Joie was shaken to the core by this tragedy especially since she had lived in the Orlando area for 10 years as part of the Latino LGBTQ community and had partied at the Pulse nightclub many times, even knowing one of the victims. She wanted to do something that would honor the victims and came up with the concept of paying homage to the 49 lives lost by gathering 49 talented individual contributors and “Cuarenta Y Nueve” was born. The 49 diverse contributors come from our LGBTQ community including Cat Grant, a multi-media artist and writer in Toronto who began recruiting for the project early on. Filmmaker Kate Johnston also helped Lamar gather talent for this passionate project. The names and variety of talent poured in including photographer Angel Torres who designed both the front and back cover of the book as well as recruiting other contributors. All proceeds of “Cuarenta y Nueve” will be donated to support the work of Pride School Atlanta and GLAAD in perpetuity. We talked to Joie about what she hopes to accomplish with “Cuarenta Y Nueve” and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how she sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Lamar stated, “Well it’s two steps backward for every one step forward and even more under this administration and if you’re old enough to vote we need to get out there and vote with your heart and your head for what is right. I think we need to stay positive. We fight so much for our rights as LGBTQ people in the community but we need to fight for rights of people in general. This administration is very good at dividing and we need to find a unity and we need to keep saying we are human. I think we tend to say we’re lesbians and we want equal rights; we’re women and we want equal rights. You know what, we’re humans and we demand what we deserve as human beings. We have to keep saying that.”

Joie Lamar published her first novel volume 1 of a 2-part memoir entitled “Mambo Lips” in 2016 and volume 2 entitled “Salsa Hips” that are currently being developed into a feature film “Las Alas” directed by filmmaker Kate Johnston. Both books have been added to the curriculum and library portfolio at two LGBTQ schools. The Harvey Milk High School in New York City and Pride School in Atlanta. There will be three launch dates for “Cuarenta y Nueve” including Montreal, Canada on January 27th 2018 with launch dates in Toronto and New York to be announced. Joie Lamar lives in Canada with her wife, two fur babies and a growing number of world changing projects.
For More Info: cyn49.com

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Kate Clinton's LGBTQ Year End Review

Kate Clinton our favorite political humorist gives her annual LGBTQ year end review and chats about what 2018 may bring our LGBTQ community with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. This has been an extremely difficult year for our LGBTQ community especially with the Trump administration’s attempts to reverse all the progress we have achieved for civil rights in this country. First we’ve had to endure his appointments of the most homophobic, transphobic, racist, xenophobic and misogynistic candidates to fill his White House administration team and then the GOP Senate continues to approve unqualified judicial candidates. With the success of the Women’s March last January and now followed by the #metoo campaign this is a time not to become complacent but resist by voting for candidates that stand for equality and continue the positive winning momentum of Virginia and Alabama as we gear up for the midterm elections in 2018. We talked to Kate about how she has been surviving the first year of the Trump presidency and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how she sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Clinton stated, “I think that the LGBTQ community moving through this Trump administration, may it be shortened we all pray for that. No, I think that this recent Masterpiece Cake Shop Case heard before the Supreme Court is a demonstration of how they really would like the religious freedoms you know, your sincerely held religious briefs, are always Christian. They’re not Muslim beliefs; they’re not Jewish beliefs; they’re Christian beliefs. How dangerous that is that we would decide the cake shop case if it were about religious freedom but it’s really not. It’s using religion to justify discrimination and it’s really about privileging religion over the laws of the land and the law really says that the cake shop is free to sell whatever it wants. Cake decorators, I had no idea that cake decorators were so up on their artistic incredibleness, but they are free to sell whatever they want but they’re not free to decide who they can sell it to. I just think that this could open a floodgate to setback progress of civil rights. I think that we kid ourselves thinking that we won over hearts and minds from people who have neither. So I think we have to be very vigilante. Again I’ve seen it with the right to life movement chipping away so I think that would be the technique. I am amused by Republicans who met a gay person and suddenly thought, ‘Oh they’re human beings.’ What about the power of empathy or even imagination and actually having to meet someone to have an idea all people should be given freedom and respect and the same equal justice? So I think we have just to be very vigilante.”

Kate Clinton is also very involved with NCLR (The National Center for Lesbian Rights) and LPAC (Lesbian Political Action Committee) conceptualized by her wife Urvashi Vaid to give lesbians a real and meaningful seat at the political table. LPAC is a political action committee (PAC) that builds the political power of LGBTQ women by electing candidates who champion LGBTQ rights, women’s equality and social justice. Currently Kate is working on her new comedy show that she’ll be performing nationally in 2018.
For More Info & Appearances: kateclinton.com

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LGBTQ Alice Austen House Museum

Victoria Munro the new Executive Director of the Alice Austen House Museum located on Staten Island, New York talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. The Alice Austen House is the only museum dedicated to the work of an individual American woman photographer and last June the National Register of Historic Places' designation of the 2 Hylan Boulevard home which Alice Austen shared for nearly 30 years with her long-time partner Gertrude Tate to include the photographer's significance in our LGBTQ history. Alice Austen (1866 - 1952) was one of America's earliest and most prolific female photographers. She captured about 8,000 images over the course of her life and though best known for her documentary work Austen was an artist with a strong aesthetic sensibility. As a rebel who broke away from the ties of her Victorian environment she was also a landscape designer, master tennis player and the first woman on Staten Island to own a car. The Alice Austen House Museum is also in the Stonewall 50 Consortium an organization of institutions and organizations committed to producing programming, exhibitions and educational materials related to the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement for the upcoming June 2019 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. We talked to Victoria about the direction she hopes to take the Alice Austen House Museum and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBTQ civil rights Munro stated, “I live my life here in New York with my partner Carrie and our two children and throughout my life it’s integrated into everything that I do and want for myself and others to be able to feel that we could live in an environment where we have equality and without fear. My personal commitment moving forward in this role is actually to provide a space where our histories are not presented as a changing exhibit but something permanent and part of everyone’s history. I also want to promote our museum as a space for meetings, for groups, for potential PFLAG meetings, a space where we can build on our website and other resources to share information. Because I believe that one of the most important things is how do we communicate; how do we share our knowledge; how do we share information that creates a support networks and how can moving forward how can the Alice Austen House Museum be more of a partner to our other local centers? I’ve already work with the Staten Island Pride Center which is an incredible organization and I would like to partner with a lot of other organizations to come together and really provide a community base and an event space for groups and individuals to be able to access.”

Victoria Munro is from Wellington, New Zealand and has been a resident of New York for over two decades. Munro is an artist, art and art history educator and curator who has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally, including the France, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands and United Kingdom. Victoria has also been the recipient of several grants and public commissions most recently receiving an Excellence in the Arts Award in 2016.
For More Info: aliceausten.org

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Quentin Crisp's “The Last Word”

Phillip Ward talks about the worldwide publication of “The Last Word” which is the third and final installment of Quentin Crisp’s autobiographies with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Between 1997 to 1999 Ward tape-recorded and later transcribed hundreds of hours of Quentin’s last words and upon his death Quentin left the rights and responsibility to publish “The Last Word” to Phillip who later enlisted former Pink News features writer Laurence Watts to help edit this must-read book. The previous two books in the trilogy “The Naked Civil Servant” which starred John Hurt made Crisp famous and “How To Become A Virgin” detailed his move to New York but “The Last Word” was really Quentin’s heartfelt swan song written by a man who knew the end was near. Crisp died from a heart attack in November 1999 in Manchester, England at the age of ninety. In “The Last Word” Crisp really shares his philosophies, wit, dignity and humor that he was infamous for as he said goodbye to the world. We talked to Phillip about the difficult task of editing Quentin Crisp’s words after his passing and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked what advise he has for LGBTQ teens struggling with Trump’s presidency Ward stated, “This is an opportunity for LGBTQ teens to begin the process of tuning in to their "inner president” and tuning out our alleged president and his affiliated bullies. That’s a starter. They need to be reminded that Trump is what a bully looks like when left unchecked. Trump does not define you. You define you. Knowing that is a pathway for teens discovering their-own self-guidance and wisdom. Just like Quentin Crisp espoused, life is about finding out who you are and authentically expressing your truth in the world. I encourage teenagers to reach out to others and to understand that isolation and self-loathing are our greatest enemies, not Trump. Live your life with love, love in any form, including LGBTQ love. It’s a threat to those who hate us. That’s why some may continue to hate us for the unconditional love that we symbolize and more importantly teens need to realize that there is great power in love. For teens who are bullied they must seek help from others even if they receive it from across the country through Skype. There is strength in numbers and knowing that they are never truly alone is empowering and will hopefully ensure their safety, which is of paramount concern and ideally if they can they should find a qualified mentor that might make their process easier. We should volunteer our time to organizations that help teens and take the initiative in that respect. The greatest contribution that we can make is not to tell them they are merely accepted and tolerated but to enable them to profoundly feel and know in their hearts that they are loved and deeply cherished. Incumbent upon preceding generations to be the wind beneath their wings because they will perpetuate the legacy of love.”

Phillip Ward is a consultant and researcher, curator, multimedia artist, photographer, poet and writer. Phillip was Quentin Crisp's personal assistant, dresser, typist, escort and travel companion for fourteen years until Mr. Crisp's death in 1999. Ward is the archivist and curator of the official Quentin Crisp website and is the literary and executor of Mr. Crisp's estate.

For More Info: crisperanto.org

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Deb Dunn On Trans Health Issues

Deb Dunn, Transgender Health Coordinator for the LGBT Resource Center of Chase Brexton Health Care in Baltimore, Maryland talks with  Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. This year has been the deadliest on record for our transgender community with 25 murders nationwide. Among these deaths 87% were transgender women and a staggering 95% of the transgender women killed were also women of color. Another disheartening statistic is that 74% of the murders of transgender people in 2017 were committed in states whose majority voted red in the 2016 presidential election. At Chase Brexton, Deb provides leadership and coordination of care for transgender-identified patients, establishes best practices for medical transgender care, trains other medical providers, provides consultation to external organizations on transgender-related issues including employee transition, engages in advocacy at the state level and identifies research and funding opportunities related to transgender care. She also provides primary care services to a large panel of LGBTQ patients as well as transgender/gender non-binary patients who she transitions by prescribing hormones. We talked to Deb about how her work at Chase Brexton is educating the nation on transgender health care and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how she sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Dunn stated, “I believe that the largest amount of support probably will have to come from places of worship, community organizations, places like Chase Brexton because I know there’s a lot of fear of medical privilege, insurances being canceled, transgender especially services not being covered for surgeries and medications. So places like Chase Brexton which can offer services for people without insurance and also are able to offer discounted medications is going to be really needed if this happens and again just to be able to offer mental health to provide practitioners and be listeners and to have a place, a safe place for people to come that need to be heard.”

Deb Dunn graduated from Howard University’s physician assistant program and holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, Deb serves on national teams of expert transgender medical professionals to write guidelines for treating and prescribing medications for adults and adolescents who are transitioning. Dunn is also part of the team that created Gender JOY (Journeys of Youth), a multidisciplinary program for transgender diverse youth, adolescents and families. The program was launched in January 2016 and as of November 2017 includes over 850 patients. Dunn has presented at numerous national conferences, engaged in strategic planning with several nonprofit organizations and volunteered throughout her local community. Chase Brexton Health Care was founded in 1978 and is a primary care provider serving a diverse group of patients at their seven clinics throughout Maryland. Chase Brexton’s mission is to provide compassionate, quality health care that honors diversity, inspires wellness and improves our communities. As a Federally Qualified Health Center they provide a range of clinical services from primary medical care to behavioral health services to pharmacy with more than 400 staff members working as a team to put patients at the center of their own care, empowering them to live their healthiest lives.
For More Info: chasebrexton.org

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“The Ultimate Guide For Gay Dads"

Eric Rosswood talks about his new book “The Ultimate Guide for Gay Dads: Everything You Need to Know About LGBTQ Parenting But Are (Mostly) Afraid to Ask” with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. This is a fabulous holiday gift if you know someone who is thinking or planning to be a gay dad or if they already are. More and more gay men are turning to adoption and surrogacy to start their own families. An estimated two million American LBGTQ people would like to adopt and an estimated 65,000 adopted children are living with a gay parent. Unlike other parenting books that have whole chapters focusing on things specifically related to mothers such as how to get the perfect latch when breastfeeding, this parenting book replaces those sections with things relevant to gay dads. It covers topics like how to find LGBTQ friendly pediatricians, how to find LGBTQ friendly schools, how to childproof your home with style, how to answer awkward and prying questions about your family from strangers, examples for what two-dad families can do on Mother’s Day and much more. The book also includes parenting tips and advice from pediatricians, school educators, lawyers and other gay parents. We talked to Eric about his inspiration for writing “The Ultimate Guide for Gay Dads” and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked how he sees our LGBTQ community moving forward in this Trump administration Rosswood stated, “This is kind of a tough one. I know with this administration we have a lot of things negatively impacting our community and I think it’s very important for us to be united. It’s not just our community that’s being targeted and I think what we need to do is unify together and you know hit this head front going forward. I think that the number one thing that we can do that will have the biggest impact is vote. We’ve seen that in the last election that we just had; we saw the most transgender candidates winning their spots; we saw a lot of diversity winning; we saw people that were against our rights being booted out and I think that’s really great. We have to remember it’s important for us to vote not just in presidential elections but all the other elections as well because governor positions, senator positions, house positions in Congress, they’re all very important to fight for equality along the way.”

Eric Rosswood is an in-demand authority and commentator on LGBTQ issues including civil rights, parenting, marriage and politics. He is a major influencer on social media with over 100,000 followers on Twitter alone and he has led panels on LGBTQ parenting issues for organizations such as the Family Equality Council and the Modern Family Alliance. His bestselling book “Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood” won Best Parenting Book in both the 2017 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards and the 2017 IAN Book of the Year Awards. His latest book “The Ultimate Guide for Gay Dads” immediately became the #1 New Release in the Adoption category on Amazon. Eric resides in New York with his husband, son, their two cats and a dog named Mr. Buggles.
For More Info: ericrosswood.com

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