OUTTAKE VOICES™ (Interviews)

SCOTUS Marriage Case Explained

In this exclusive audio broadcast Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson Host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ participated in a conference call following the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gay and lesbian couples in the United States, no matter where they live, have the same legal right to marry as heterosexual couples. The call was hosted by Janson Wu, Executive Director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Gary Buseck GLAD’s Legal Director who has been involved with GLAD in various capacities for more than 35 years, including serving as Executive Director from the fall of 1997 to January, 2004. As you know in 2003 Mary Bonauto GLAD’s Civil Rights Project Director won the ground-breaking Goodridge case making Massachusetts the first state in the U.S. where gay and lesbian couples could legally marry. GLAD also pioneered the legal strategy that brought down the Defense of Marriage Act. On April 28th Bonauto argued Question 1, as formulated by the Court: “Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?” Bonauto represented April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse of Michigan and spoke for them as well as for plaintiff Kentucky couples Tim Love and Lawrence Ysunza, and Maurice Blanchard and Dominique James and committed and loving couples nationwide. This resulted in the United States becoming the 20th country in the world where gay and lesbian couples can legally marry nationally.

Janson Wu who was present in the court during this historic ruling provides a personal and professional perspective of this case stating, “Arriving at this moment at this time was not inevitable. It happened now because people across the country – young and old, LGBT and straight, religious people and business people – stood up for fairness and their families and friends and worked diligently and strategically to include same-gender couples in marriage. This was a movement marked by hope, tenacity and smarts.” In this fascinating audio recording, Gary Buseck, GLAD's Legal Director, provides an insider analysis of the historic 103 page ruling that makes you truly understand how this decision was reached and the significance it has on the future of our LGBT community and of all Americans. He also addresses how the Supreme Court’s prior Hobby Lobby decision may come into play, which allows religious organizations to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender.

Janson Wu is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Wu has served as GLAD’s Executive Director since December 2014 following eight years as a staff attorney and a seven-month tenure as deputy director. Gary Buseck after serving as GLAD’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2004 has been setting legal strategies and supervising GLAD's team of attorneys. Before coming to GLAD, Gary spent twenty years in private practice and co-founded a Boston law firm focusing on the gay and lesbian community. He received a B.A., a Masters in Religious Education and a J.D. magna cum laude from Boston College.
For More Info: glad.org
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Ptown Film Fest Press Conference #1

This is the first installment of our exclusive two part audio montage series with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talking to gay and straight filmmakers at the 17th annual Provincetown International Film Festival press luncheon. First we talked to fierce straight allies Director Jeffrey Kaufman and Producer Marcia Ross about their documentary THE STATE OF MARRIAGE that chronicles Vermont lawyers Susan Murray and Beth Robinson along with GLAD attorney Mary Bonauto (who recently argued the Supreme Court case for Marriage Equality), as they historically and passionately paved the way for the entire marriage equality movement in this country. Kaufman and Ross were so moved by their quest for marriage equality that they actually fell in love while creating this riveting film. They talk about what led a straight couple to embrace our community and their spin on the future of LGBT equality.

Next we talked to Filmmaker Laurie Kahn about her documentary LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS which is a fascinating, fun film revealing the remarkable global community of women who create, consume and love romance novels. For three years Kahn followed the lives of five diverse published romance authors and one unpublished newbie as they built their businesses, found and lost loved ones, coped with a tsunami of change in the publishing industry and earn a living doing what they love while empowering others to do the same. Then we chatted with Matthew Breen, Editor-in-Chief of The Advocate about the state of LGBT equality in this country. Breen hosted a very interesting panel at the film festival entitled GAY VOICES: WHERE THE PERSONAL MEETS THE POLITICAL. He was joined on the panel by director Jean Carlomusto (LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE AND ANGER), Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross (THE STATE OF MARRIAGE) and David Thorpe (DO I SOUND GAY?) in a very cutting-edge discussion on LGBT filmmaking and beyond.

Then we sat down with Iconic Filmmaker John Waters for our annual chat. John has been very busy this year promoting his book CAR SICK that was just released in paperback. He did a book signing while at the film fest for CAR SICK, his hilarious cross-country hitchhiking memoir about his journey waving a cardboard sign that reads, “I’m Not Psycho” and braving a seemingly scary route across America from Baltimore to San Francisco. This year Waters was honored at the 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards in NYC with the Lambda's Trustee Award for Excellence in Literature presented to him by the legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith. We talked about that experience and receiving an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design as well as delivering RISD’s keynote commencement address. Waters stated that this was really a year of queer for him as he heads off to London for his art show entitled Beverly Hills John at Sprüth Magers London that runs from July 1st to August 15th. Next week in the second installment of our two part series we talk with Director Bobcat Goldthwait, Filmmaker Kim Yaged, legendary AIDS Activist Larry Kramer, Director Bao Nguyen and Actress Jennifer Coolidge.
Listen To PIFF Press Lunch Part #2
For Info: ptownfilmfest.org
Hear 350+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

Ptown Film Fest June 17-21

Lisa Viola, Senior Programmer for the Provincetown International Film Festival that takes place June 17th to June 21st in Provincetown, Massachusetts talks to Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Celebrating its 17th year writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait (Call Me Lucky) will be honored with the 2015 Filmmaker on the Edge Award in conversation with resident artist John Waters at Provincetown’s Town Hall on Saturday June 20th. Actress Jennifer Coolidge (Best In Show) will receive the Faith Hubley Career Achievement Award that same evening in conversation with film critic B. Ruby Rich. The festival will open with Leslye Headland's “Sleeping With Other People” and close with “I Am Michael”, directed by Justin Kelly. Spotlight Films are James Ponsoldt's “The End Of The Tour”, Paul Weitz's Grandma starring Lily Tomlin and Jeffrey Schwarz's “Tab Hunter Confidential”. The festival will also host a double billing of Steven Spielberg's “Jaws” and Noel Marshall's “Roar” at the Wellfleet Drive-In on Wednesday June 17th. Some of the notable filmmakers and guests attending this year's festival include: Alison Bagnall (Funny Bunny); Bao Nguyen (Live From New York!); Barry Crimmins (Call Me Lucky); Brendan Toller (Danny Says); Christine Vachon (Nasty Baby); David Thorpe (Do I Sound Gay?); Jeff Kaufman (The State Of Marriage); Joe Murphy (Yosemite); Joey Kuhn (Those People); Josh Watson (The Daddy); Larry Kramer (LGBT activist and subject, Larry Kramer In Love And Anger) and more. We talked to Lisa about this year’s film festival highlights and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Viola stated, “I feel like through the work that I have been doing at Provincetown for the last 17 years that that is the best work I can do that promotes LGBT civil rights. I feel like giving a voice to filmmakers and making a space where audiences can come and explore and have conversation and talk about new topics and sort of have an assessment of what’s going on right at the moment, that is something I feel very proud of and happy that promotes civil rights for our LGBT community. So I’m very excited about that.”

Lisa Viola has been affiliated with the Provincetown International Film Festival since its inception in 1999. She has also been a programming associate for the Sundance Film Festival since 1992. Lisa graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Communication Arts. The Provincetown Film Society, Inc. (PFS) is a non-profit year-round organization and home of the Provincetown International Film Festival. PFS is dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of acclaimed and emerging directors, producers and actors. This year the 2015 Filmmaker on the Edge Award is sponsored by LithExcel Marketing. Partner sponsors of the 2015 Film Festival include: HBO, a preferred partner sponsor, LithExcel, marketing services producer, XFINITY, Sage Inn and Lounge, Sidewalk Films and WOMR with additional government and foundation support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Mallrd Foundation and the Provincetown Tourism Fund. This is the ninth year we’ll be covering the film festival for OUTTAKE VOICES™.
For Info & Tix: ptownfilmfest.org
Hear 350+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

New Site For LGBT Millennials

Levi Chambers Editor in Chief of Pride.com talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about the new social entertainment network recently launched by Here Media to provide a safe and user-friendly cool online haven for our younger LGBTQ generation to make friends, share stories and find support. This unique new site is a social entertainment network targeting the forward-thinking millennial generation giving them new tools to amplify their digital voices, raise their social profiles and lead inspiring conversations fueled by timely, entertaining content. June marks the beginning of LGBT Pride celebrations throughout the country and one of the missions of Pride.com is to provide a content and conversation destination where Pride belongs to everyone. Pride.com will also make its priority to report on current trending topics and prominently features user-submitted comments, content, and photography. We talked to Levi about what he hopes to accomplish with Pride.com and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Chambers stated, “I’m in a unique position. I have a loud voice to support LGBT civil rights and I have an audience that consists primarily of millennials, which as you know are really good at sharing their opinions and the things they like on Facebook and Twitter or any social network that they are on. This generation of young Americans are really creating a wave of change and are incredibly connected to the world and loudly share our opinions. My personal commitment to LGBT civil rights is to use Pride to cover important issues in a way that makes it really consumable and easily understood and more important sharable by our young readers. Social media virality of content and stories is extremely powerful and I think do a lot to move LGBT civil rights forward.”

Levi Chambers holds a Master's Degree in Professional Writing from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor's Degree in Film from Arizona State University. He brings his enthusiasm and extensive experience in creating content for social platforms that engages audiences and delivers results. The new site is ultimately for all equality-minded 20-somethings with interest in content presented through an LGBT lens. Developed by Livefyre and powered by Livefyre Studio, Pride.com uses real-time interactions to inform its editorial focus and promotion, leveraging conversations to create real-time social experiences. Members use their existing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or Google+ profiles to instantly log in and engage with other members around the content that matters most to them. The launch of Pride.com bolsters Here Media’s reach to millennials and compliments its existing family of iconic LGBT media brands, including The Advocate, OUT, Gay.com and Here TV, among others. Here Media Inc. produces and distributes content across all platforms worldwide. Here Media distributes LGBT media with universal, humanistic appeal. Its distribution platforms include television, VOD, broadband, online, print, and mobile.
For More Info: pride.com
Hear 350+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

Desmond Child Gay Gammy Winner

Grammy winning songwriter producer Desmond Child talks about his upcoming performance at Ty Herndon and GLAAD’s Concert for Love and Acceptance that takes place at City Winery in Nashville, Tennessee on June 12th with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Child will join other celebrities and artists including country music legend Crystal Gayle, Melinda Doolittle, the lesbian alternative-country rock band Antigone Rising, Shelly Fairchild, Billy Gilman, Jennifer Knapp, Jamie O'Neal and Pastor Stan Mitchell of GracePointe Church. This inaugural country music event takes place during the 2015 CMA Music Festival and will be co-hosted by Herndon and fierce LGBT ally Meghan McCain. The event will also kick off GLAAD's Southern Stories Summer Tour. Sarah Kate Ellis GLAAD President & CEO stated, "Music connects us and transcends our differences. For the first time in Music City, artists will join together to voice support for the LGBT community and help us accelerate acceptance, not only in country music, but across the nation." We talked to Desmond about how he became involved in this groundbreaking concert event and his spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Child stated, “I personally do as many things as I can regarding our fight for marriage equality and every aspect of our lives. I’m married to my partner of 26 years now and we actually got married about a year and a half ago. We have 13 year-old sons Roman and Nyro and we had struggled to get married long ago in California then they stopped the marriages and so we finally did it in Central Park and our sons were our ‘best men’. So we want our family to be acknowledged as legitimate; sometimes we’re so marginalized. When people talk about LGBT families it’s like Yeah, yeah but they’re not like real families like the kind that have rights and stuff and we want to put a face on what we are doing. We’ve always been part of Family Pride and we also made a movie called TWO: The Story Of Roman and Nyro to talk about the 12 year journey of having a family.”

For nearly three decades songwriter/producer Desmond Child has reigned as one of music’s most successful creative forces. His list of accolades includes Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. His collaborations have included Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, KISS and Cher. His hits as a songwriter include "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Livin' on a Prayer", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Bad Medicine", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady), "Angel", "What it Takes", "Crazy", "The Cup Of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca". His latest projects include Joss Stone, Kelly Clarkson, The Scorpions, Hilary Duff, Meatloaf, Ace Young and Bon Jovi. Desmond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. Child lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his husband Curtis Shaw and their twin sons, Roman and Nyro.  
For Info & Concert Tix: glaad.org/nashville
Hear 350+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

30th Boston AIDS Walk & 5K Run

Liz Page founder of the AIDS Walk Boston & 5K Run that’s in its 30th year and takes place on Sunday June 7th talks Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. When the AIDS crisis hit Liz became a dedicated volunteer at the AIDS Action Committee where she launched the AIDS Walk previously known as From All Walks of Life which she managed for 5 years leading the team that raised consciousness and millions of dollars towards fighting the AIDS epidemic. This year the event returns to its roots on the Boston Common where it continues to be New England’s largest HIV/AIDS awareness raiser attracting thousands of participants who walk for different reasons but walk together for one common cause: to support AIDS Action and its work to prevent new infections, maximize the health outcomes of those infected and to end the epidemic here in Massachusetts. The Walk is 6.2 miles and the 5K Run is a competitive, timed event fully sanctioned by the USA Track & Field Association. AIDS Action expects to raise approximately $1 million from the event. We talked to Liz about her inspiration for this event and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what she would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years Page stated, “I’d love to see any federal barriers dropped as far as complete equal rights for equal marriage so my wife and I can feel fully protected under the law as far as our estate and any financial protections that we might be being denied right now. I hope all of that for the sake of our daughter will be completely ironed out and we’re always trying to fight discrimination. I am excited about all the transgender focus right now because I think there are so many people who are just starting to realize the pain they have lived through. I myself have a first cousin who several years ago at 57 years old said to his wife, 'I need to tell you either I’m going to make a transition to be a woman as I’ve always felt in my heart or I’m going to kill myself and you need to help me make this decision because I cannot live like this any longer.' So right now I’m a big proponent of fair protection for transgender people.”

Liz Page is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and in 1994 she opened Liz Page Associates a fundraising and special event production company. Under her leadership, LPA has built a reputation for producing special events for nonprofits and corporations that not only meet but exceed significant financial, marketing and employee engagement goals. Liz and her team create signature experiences with unforgettable power and style to help organizations reach their next level of success and visibility. The AIDS Walk & 5K Run will begin and end at Boston Common on June 7th 2015. Registration and check-in begins at 7:30A. After opening ceremonies at 9A the 5K Run begins at 9:50A and the Walk sets off at 10A. WCVB-TV’s openly gay newscaster Randy Price will emcee the event which also includes a Wellness Festival and a post-walk celebration of healthy living. There isn’t a registration fee or a minimum fundraising requirement to participate in the Walk, however there is a $30 registration fee for the 5K Run.
For More Info: action.aac.org
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19 GLAAD Celebs Talk LGBT Rights

Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with 19 celebrities on the Red Carpet at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards in NYC. First we spoke with Steven Petrow an award-winning journalist, author and host of "Modern Manners Expert" for Hilton Worldwide which is a fierce sponsor for the GLAAD Media Awards and our LGBT community. Next we talked to ESPN’s Christina Kahrl who’s also a GLAAD Board Member. Kahrl who is currently writing and editing for ESPN talked about the importance of trans issues and supporting LGBT athletes especially for our younger generation. Then we talked with Police Chief Crystal Moore who was unfairly fired by the Mayor of Latta, South Carolina. Moore accepted the GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: "Fired for Being Gay?" MSNBC Live (MSNBC) with MSNBC reporter Craig Melvin. She attended with her partner Kristi Isgett on her left in our photo. We were then joined by Jenny Boylan, Co-Chair GLAAD Board of Directors whose autobiography “She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders” was the first book by an openly transgender American to become a bestseller.

Sarah Kate Ellis President & CEO of GLAAD and her wife Kristen Henderson founding member of the all female popular rock band Antigone Rising then stopped by to share news about GLAAD’s upcoming Nashville event “The Concert for Love and Acceptance” that’s happening June 12th in Nashville and their plans for a bus tour through our Southern states to continue their work towards national LGBT equality. Then we chatted with LGBT ally actress Louise Sorel who played the villainous role of Donatella Stewart on the Soap “Days of Our Lives” for 10 years followed by her friend actress and LGBT ally Crystal Chappell actress from “The Bold and the Beautiful” who is committed to LGBT youth. The Emmy-winning actress-producer Chappell is Ambassador for Harvey Milk High School in NYC and Ambassador for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Next we talked to Trans actress Trace Lysette who plays the sassy yoga instructor Shea on “Transparent” and has been living out her acting dreams since she landed her role in the trans-themed Amazon breakout hit. Then Cory Wade from the 20th cycle of America's Next Top Model stopped by to give us his spin on our LGBT issues.

Ugandan LGBT Activist Pepe Julian Onziema who accepted the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Talk Show Episode: "Pepe Julian Onziema" for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO chatted with us about the struggle for LGBT civil rights in his country. Then model Rain Dove talked about the importance of being yourself. Rain is the firefighter turned fashion model who has leant her image to designers like Malan Breton, Vivienne Hu, Chromat and Rochambeau at the recent Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week and doesn’t care if you think she’s a man or a woman. Next we caught up with Laverne Cox who’s had an amazing year from appearing on the cover of Time magazine, named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015, won a SAG Award for “Orange Is the New Black” and the Daytime Emmy for her documentary Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word. MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts who received the 2015 Vito Russo Award talked about how honored he is to be recognized with this award named for one of the founders of GLAAD and how he believes ENDA needs to be addressed and passed to ensure workplace protections for our LGBT community.

Then country music singer Ty Herndon who performed at the Awards talked about coming out last year and being embraced by his fans. He also discussed GLAAD’s Nashville: The Concert for Love and Acceptance happening Friday, June 12th in Nashville which he will headline. Television personality Ross Matthews who hosted the GLAAD Awards stopped by to talk about the importance of taking a moment to celebrate our LGBT advancements. Then actress and LGBT ally Lynda Carter who was there to present Thomas Roberts with the Vito Russo Award talked about how honored she was to do so as well as give us her spin on LGBT equality. We concluded our Red Carpet coverage with fierce LGBT allies actors Judith Light and Jeffrey Tambor from the hit Amazon series “Transparent” who both talked about the importance of using their celebrity to make change for LGBT and gender equality stating, “What is most important is that lives are being saved.” Kelly Ripa was also honored with GLAAD's Excellence in Media Award. (Photos by Marilyn Rosen)
For More Info: GLAAD.org
Hear 300+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

New “We Serve Everyone Only” Sign

Rabbi Jack Moline, Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance talks about an inspirational campaign recently launched by Interfaith Alliance called the “Everyone Only” project with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. The concept is to place “We Serve Everyone Only” signs in businesses across the country to demonstrate that no matter what legal rights we may have these businesses will remain open to all. The signs have already been displayed in stores from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C. and will shortly be sent to more than 20,000 supporters across the country. Recently Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams became the first national chain to hang these signs in more than 30 stores across the country. Mitchell Gold stated, “I grew up in the 1960’s and remember all too well the signs that said ‘we serve whites only’ and the other visible signs of discrimination against African-Americans, minority religious groups and more. This sign is a signal to our customers and employees that we embrace serving everyone. If a gay or straight couple, or individual, walks in our store to make their house a home, we stand ready to serve them…equally!” We talked to Rabbi Moline about what he hopes to accomplish with the “Everyone Only” project and his spin on out LGBT issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Rabbi Moline stated, “I am a deep believer in the inalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness but I’m 62 years old and I was not raised in an enlightened era when it came to LGBT issues. My family was a loving family and I thought relatively unprejudiced but I know what my attitudes were coming out of that family and it really took my kids who are now in their twenties and thirties to open my eyes to intellectually what I knew, but in my heart I don’t think it had penetrated yet. Once I thought it through and came to understand the organic nature of sexual orientation and gender identity I realized that these civil rights and the equality of all people are not different for civil rights of Jews or Blacks or Latinos or any other group and when rights are denied to a class of people in society it makes for a mandate to focus on especially rectifying that discrimination. So with that long explanation if I had to put myself on a scale of one to ten I probably started out somewhere around six or seven but I’m a solid ten by now.”

Rabbi Jack Moline has advised and written for many public figures including President Bill Clinton for whom he provided advice on international affairs as well as the President’s personal challenges. He was also invited to offer a blessing to the Obama and Biden families before the 2013 presidential inauguration. Besides being Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance he’s the Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia and serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary. Rabbi Moline lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife Ann of 37 years and is the father of three grown children.
For More Info & Download Sign: everyone-only.org

Hear 300+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

LGBT Owned Hip Chick Farms

Serafina Palandech, Co-Founder of Hip Chick Farms a California based LGBT owned organic, frozen poultry product company talks to Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Hip Chick Farms was recently featured on the Food Network's "Food Fortunes" where they joined food savvy entrepreneurs from across the nation to seek startup funding. The startup company was founded by Serafina Palandech and her wife Jennifer Johnson a former sous chef at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters who was credited with starting the global sustainable foods movement. For the last 14 years Jen has served as the Executive Chef for Ann and Gordon Getty in San Francisco. Hip Chick Farms makes healthy gourmet, artisan frozen products that provide time-crunched families delicious and easy food solutions. At present they have four free-range chicken products including gluten-free chicken nuggets, chicken meatballs, gluten-free chicken wings and organic chicken fingers. They recently developed a partnership with Whole Foods and will be expanding their product line as well as increasing availability in other supermarket venues nationwide. We talked to Serafina about she would like to accomplish with Hip Chicks Farms and her spin on our LGBT issues.

Now that marriage equality is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court we asked what she would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years. Palandech stated, “Jen and I spoke about this at length and we both share that marriage equality is incredibly important and that we’re happy to see it progressing the way that it is but we also believe that trans issues and equal equality for trans folk are incredibly important within the LGBTQ community. We need to shift our focus there and more of our energy to ensuring access to education, access to jobs, safety and equality under the law for trans people. Secondly, I would say that women’s equality within the LGBTQ movement sometimes does not get as promoted. So equality, equal pay for women is a very important issue to us as well.”

Serafina Palandech graduated University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in Women’s Studies and Art. She’s a veteran nonprofit executive, project manager, strategic planner and event organizer who before co-founding Hip Chick Farms spent more than fifteen years helping nonprofit organizations access private funding streams through event production and corporate/donor relationships. In her role as Event Director for MZA Events, Inc., she oversaw the planning and execution of AIDS Walk San Francisco, a 1.5 million dollar campaign that raised more than 3.7 million dollars per year with some 25,000 registrants and 400,000 individual donors. Just prior to launching Hip Chicks, Jen founded and ran Tugboat Events, a boutique event production company which produced charity events for organizations in the Bay Area. Serafina, Jen and daughter Ruby Rose live on their farm the Ramblin’ Rose in Sebastopol, California. They believe in the value of family and together building a business that helps their local economy, farmers and suppliers.
For More Info: hipchickfarms.com
Hear 300+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES

Chef Daisy Martinez & Dining Out For Life

Chef Daisy Martinez, chef, television personality, author and spokesperson for Dining Out For Life the HIV/AIDS fundraiser talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Dining Out For Life hosted by Subaru® will take place Thursday April 30th in 60 cities across North America. The event was conceived 25 years ago in Philadelphia and the concept is quite simple. More than 3,000 participating restaurants donate a generous percentage of that day’s proceeds to support service providers in their region to fund care, prevention, education, testing, counseling and other essential HIV/AIDS services. An estimated $4 million will be raised in just one day of dining. Last year Dining Out For Life assisted over 350,000 people, delivered over 1.8 million meals and provided housing for 8,097 clients. It also fulfilled vital health services with 5,572 patients receiving health insurance, 5,491 receiving pharmacy assistance and 1,948 were provided with dental aid. We talked to Daisy about being a spokesperson for this fabulous event and her spin on our LGBT issues.

When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Martinez stated, “I was a child of the seventies so I lived through losing too many friends to the AIDS scourge. In addition I have various family members that are gay that I support 120%. It’s really funny because in my circles I’m know as ‘The Lady of The Gay’ because most of my friends are gay, I think I have one token straight friend. The LGBT community has been very supportive to the Daisy brand. They come to my classes; they buy my books; they show up for book signings. I get tons of fan mail from them. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t like to differentiate. I don’t like to say LGBT because they’re my friends and I don’t make that distinction. They’re my friends and that’s it.”

Daisy Martinez attended the French Culinary Institute in New York to study Culinary Arts where she received first prize for her final project “The Passionate Palate”. Upon graduation, Daisy worked as a prep-kitchen chef on the set of PBS’ Lidia’s Italian American Table for her long time mentor chef and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich as well as a private chef in New York City and as the owner of a small, boutique catering business also called The Passionate Palate. In 2005 Daisy launched her new career with “Daisy Cooks!” on PBS and her cookbook “Daisy Cooks! Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World” was an IACP nominee and American category finalist, as well as the winner of the Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the world by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. As Daisy’s star ascended she met Rachael Ray at an event which led Ray’s production company to produce "Viva Daisy!” which debuted on the Food Network in January 2009. 2015 will mark Daisy’s fourth year as spokesperson for Dining Out For Life. She’s joined by three other celebrity spokespeople for this fabulous fundraiser including actor Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, The L Word), designer Mondo Guerra, winner of Project Runway All-Stars and Ted Allen host of the Food Network series “Chopped”.
For More Info: diningoutforlife.com
Hear 300+ LGBT Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES