OUTTAKE VOICES™ (Interviews)

Gay Leader Robin McGehee

Robin McGehee, Co-Director of the National Equality March that took place in Washington D.C. shares her first hand perspective of this recent historic event with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson. When asked what she thought the National Equality March accomplished for our LGBT community McGehee stated, “If anything it brought attention to the fight for full federal equality. I think that the show of support was amazing. Time Magazine came out with a number of over 200,000 people marched and I know that for me seeing a continual sea of people coming down Pennsylvania Avenue, that alone sent a very big message that we are demanding full federal equality in all fifty states.” President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign dinner the eve before the March. The speech was very passionate but redundant rhetoric of promises he has been making to our LGBT community since he was candidate Obama. When asked to comment about this McGehee said, “This is only the second president that has gone to the national dinner of HRC. I think we need to acknowledge that he is speaking to our populous. What he’s doing is just getting an A+ on the cliff notes version of our struggle. He’s getting a C- in my opinion in actually taking any kind of action to take care of those struggles.” Next step on their agenda will be to bring congressional district action teams together across the United States and provide information on how to lobby federal representatives about our issues such as the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA) Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) and a transgender inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). For More Info: Equality Across America.org

Over 70 LGBT Leaders Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES™

Equality Forum's Malcolm Lazin

Malcolm Lazin, Founder and Executive Director of Equality Forum chats with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson in this exclusive audio interview . This is an important GLBT organization that is dedicated to getting the word out about our GLBT heritage. In October Equality Forum presents GLBT History Month which was conceived in the mid-1990’s by educators and embraced by the GLBT community. Equality Forum took over the reins of this project in 2006 and solicits Icon nominations from state, national and international executive directors and other community leaders. The criteria are GLBT persons, living or deceased, who have distinguished themselves in their field of endeavor, are a national hero or have made a significant contribution to GLBT civil rights. Every day this month a GLBT Icon is featured with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources. Among those being honored this year are Choreographer Alvin Ailey, Commentator Rachael Maddow, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, Film Director Gus Van Sant, Financial Expert Suze Orman, Designers Todd Oldham and Yves. St. Laurent, singer k.d. lang and Activist Urvashi Vaid . “For a community deprived of its history, GLBT History Month teaches our heritage, provides role models, builds community, and recognizes our extraordinary national and international contributions. We think this is a hugely important project because we are the only minority community in the world that’s not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions. So online is a great way for us to teach that history.” Lazin stated.

For More Info: GLBT History Month

Over 70 LGBT Leaders Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES™

Gay Activist Urvashi Vaid

In this audio excerpt Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson chats with veteran Gay Activist Urvashi Vaid. Urvashi Vaid is being honored this year by Equality Forum as one of their LGBT Icons for 2009 and by Out Magazine's 50 most influential men and women in America. Her career of LGBT activism spans over 20 years. She has served as Executive Director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and currently is Executive Director of the Arcus Foundation, which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. On a personal note, Vaid shares homes in Manhattan and Provincetown, Massachusetts, with her partner, comedian Kate Clinton. Listen to the Full Interview @ OUTTAKE VOICES™ Over 60 LGBT Leaders Interviews @OUTTAKE VOICES™

David Millbern, Actor & Activist

David Millbern, Actor and AIDS Activist, who has built a reputation for delivering thought-provoking performances in a wide variety of roles, chats with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson in this exclusive audio interview . You can catch him in “Death Among Friends,” co-starring with Nicholle Tom and Margot Kidder that premiered on the gay network here! Sept. 25th. Nicholle Tom, most famous for her role as Maggie Sheffield on The Nanny, is all grown up and very comfortable playing very hot lesbian scenes according to Millbern. In “Death Among Friends” she plays Romy Vaster the sister of a young lawyer who is murdered to cover up a dangerous corporate secret. Millbern plays the heavy sent by the unscrupulous company to retrieve a set of files her brother sent to an unknown email address. Trapped in the manor by a severe storm, they must fight for their survival and try to discover the mystery behind Edwin's death. You can catch it on here! TV and gay.com. David Millbern also talks about his work as an AIDS Activist. For the last few years he has produced “The Ribbon of Hope Celebration,” which was nominated for a Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award this year. “The Ribbon of Hope Celebration” honors media companies, programs, producers and individuals who have a personal and professional commitment to keeping HIV/AIDS awareness in the forefront of society. He also shared his thoughts about LGBT Civil Rights, gay marriage and Prop 8.

David currently lives between Bel Air and Vancouver. Additionally, Millbern has a new film coming up from Village Roadshow called "Without Borders," co-starring Seymour Cassel. When not in front of a camera, he often appears on stage in theater venues throughout the country. More Info: DavidMillbern.com More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™ OUTTAKE™ EQUALITEE STORE

The New LGBT Emblem

Richard Emmanuel has designed a bold new emblem for LGBT Equality that’s available on apparel exclusively at the new online OUTTAKE™ EQUALITEE STORE. The emblem consists of universal symbols. Two androgynous figures are meeting each other within the circle of the world. This creates a symbol of unity that is diverse with its differences, yet respectful of each person’s beliefs. The word “Equality” is boldly displayed with the words “LGBT Civil Rights.” This awesome design is empowering and a courageous symbol for our LGBT community; a symbol that reflects our strong commitment to equality. Emmanuel also states that we need to retake control of our language. He believes that the term “same-sex marriage” is language the rightwing created to degrade the issue of our relationships. As we all know sex has nothing to do with marriage. Instead our leaders should use the terminology “same-gender marriage.” He states “Hate is the word that is being used to drive a wedge in our culture. In the 1950’s we dealt with the racist doctrine of ‘Separate but Equal.’ What does separate but equal mean? This kind of hypocrisy has become too common in this country. We need to address the inequalities that have risen in our culture. It’s time we have a real discussion about our civil rights and about being civil to each other.” The new emblem for LGBT Equality is available on apparel we’re offering exclusively @ our new online OUTTAKE™ EQUALITEE STORE. Two designs are available on a variety of garments. The first is for Global LGBT Equality and Civil Rights. The second is in support of the National March in Washington D.C. taking place October 11 & 12. OUTTAKE™ EQUALITEE STORE More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

National Equality March

Cleve Jones, LGBT Activist chats about the National Equality March taking place October 10 & 11 in Washington DC in this exclusive audio interview. According to Jones this event is focused on one demand and that demand is for equal protection under the law for our LGBT community in all matters governed by civil laws in all 50 states. Jones believes that true equality can only come from the federal government. The motivation of the National Equality March is to fire up the participants from across America so they will return home energized and inspired to change the overall struggle for equality. The new strategy is to petition our elected federal officials and remind our members of Congress and President Obama of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. (The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868 and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States." In addition, it forbids states from denying any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or to “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws.” By directly mentioning the role of the states, the 14th Amendment greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment.) Among the speakers appearing will be Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond, President of the NAACP, Judy Shepard, Dustin Lance Black, Oscar Winner Screenwriter of “Milk”, DADT Activist Lieutenant Dan Choi, Activists Urvashi Vaid and Robin McGehee, Comedian Kate Clinton and many more. President Obama has been invited to speak at the rally. The organizers of the event have been in contact with the Obama administration but Obama has not responded thus far. As we all know Obama has yet to act on any of his campaign promises including repealing the Domestic Marriage Act (DOMA) and the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy. More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

here! TV's "The Lair" Season #3

Sybil Danning, Sci-Fi Action Film Icon, talks about her starring role in the third season of the supernatural vampire series "The Lair" premiering September 4th on the gay television network, here!. Danning also shares personal stories about her fabulous career and what she's learned from celebrities she's encountered along the way including Sophia Loren with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson in this exclusive audio interview. Throughout the course of her amazing career, Sybil Danning built a name for herself as a leading action and horror film star. Most recently, she helped open the Jewish Film Festival with her film "Jump", in which Sybil stars with Patrick Swayze. "Jump" is the tragic-turned glorious story of Philippe Halsman in the uprising Nazi Regime of 1929 Austria. Sybil was also back with a vengeance in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez’ "Grindhouse – Werewolf Women of the SS." Sybil haunts "Halloween" in Rob Zombie’s remake of the John Carpenter classic. Sybil is also producing and starring in the horror-thriller "The Last Revenants". The project is being directed by Joe Eckardt (High Hopes, Champion) and is scheduled to begin filming this fall on-location in California.

As a heterosexual woman and feminist Sybil Danning is an ally of our LGBT community and a strong supporter of full equality. Updates to Come.... More information about Sybil and her iconic career can be found: @ SybilDanning.net More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

Ruby Rich on George & Mike Kuchar

B Ruby Rich, American Scholar and Film Critic talks about Director Jennifer M. Kroot’s documentary “It Came From Kuchar” in this audio interview with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson. Long before YouTube, there were the outrageous, no-budget movies of underground, filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar. George and Mike grew up in the Bronx in the 1950’s. At the age of twelve, they became obsessed with Hollywood melodramas and began making their own homespun melodramas with their aunt’s 8mm camera. They used their friends and family as actors and their Bronx neighborhood as their set. Early Kuchar titles featured in this film include “I Was A Teenage Rumpot” and “Born of the Wind”. In the early 1960’s, alongside Andy Warhol, the Kuchar brothers shaped the New York underground film scene. Known as the “8mm Mozarts”, their films were noticeably different than other underground films of the time. They were wildly funny, but also human and vulnerable. Their films have inspired many filmmakers, including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin and Wayne Wang (all are interviewed in this film). Despite having high profile fans, the Kuchars remain largely unknown because they are only ambitious to make movies, not to be famous. “It Came From Kuchar” interweaves the brothers’ lives, their admirers, a history of underground film and a “greatest hits” of Kuchar clips into a mesmerizing stream of consciousness tale. For More Info: KucharFilm.com B Ruby Rich is a professor of community studies and social documentation at University of California, Santa Cruz. She is credited with coining the term "New Queer Cinema." More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

Congresswoman Baldwin Update 2

In the conclusion of our exclusive audio interview with openly gay Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis), Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson asks the essential questions about the future of our LGBT civil rights in the Obama administration. When asked what progress Obama has made for LGBT civil rights since he’s been in office Baldwin honestly answered “There has been some encouragement and some setbacks.” In June Obama pledged his support for Baldwin’s Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act during the signing of an Executive Memorandum permitting domestic partners to purchase long-term care insurance and allowing employees to use their sick leave to care for domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children. At this signing Obama also stated that he would personally like to see the Domestic Marriage Act (DOMA) repealed. The Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley have both filed individual lawsuits against the U.S. government challenging the constitutionality of DOMA to seek federal marriage benefits for gay and lesbian couples who have legally married in Massachusetts since 2004. Baldwin expressed that she thought these actions were well-conceived strategies. As for “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in the military, an inclusive gender identity Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill, Obama has also called on Congress to support this legislation. Baldwin states that we should see motion on these bills in the Fall. So, is this a matter of patience or are our LGBT civil rights being dragged through the bureaucratic system at a snail’s pace? In either case, this is definitely a crucial time to stay on top of the Obama administration to ensure they stay true to their commitment to equality for all Americans. Congresswoman Baldwin Interview on Health Reform More Interviews w/ LGBT Leaders @OUTTAKE VOICES™

AIDS Foundation of Chicago

In this audio excerpt Pete Subkoviak, Policy Associate, AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) chats with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson about their mission to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS and improve the lives of people affected by the epidemic. Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a local and national leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. AFC collaborates with community organizations to develop and improve HIV/AIDS services. Subkoviak also chatted about Obama’s commitment to LGBT issues during his years as an Illinois Senator and recent criticism. AFC is one of the main organizers of the 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit that takes place at the Chicago Hilton and Towers August 14th -18th. This year’s workshops offer an array of topics that will be covered from the aging of the Stonewall generation to new HIV prevention technologies. There will also be workshops on intimate partner violence, transgender health care, biphobia, body image, club drugs, anti-smoking initiatives, sexual racism and bareback sex to Qigong, yoga and meditation. For More Info: 2009lgbtihealth.org Listen to the Full Interview @OUTTAKE VOICES™ AIDS Foundation of Chicago:aidschicago.org