The day opened with Oprah interviewing Lady Gaga about her commitment to empowering youth before a packed audience at Sanders Theatre. Lady Gaga then took the stand in a mock trial to testify before a panel of expert “judges” about what she hopes to accomplish with BTWF. Panelists included Deepak Chopra, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, sister of Jamey Rodemeyer Alyssa Rodemeyer, Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree, Psychologist Susan M. Swearer and E! News correspondent and LGBT parent and spouse David Burtka.

“The culture of love is not going to change overnight but youth are the answer to creating a braver, kinder world,” said Lady Gaga. “This might be one of the best days of my life.”

BTWF will address issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development through research, education and advocacy. BTWF will create an environment that allows youth to safely express their individuality and one that provides them with the skills needed to encourage self-expression and promote civic engagement, and the resources and opportunities needed to implement solutions whether it be “online, on-the-road, or down the street.” With a focus on digital mobilization to create positive change, BTWF will lead youth into a braver new society where each individual is accepted and loved as the person they were born to be.

The Born This Way Foundation also announced today that Lady Gaga has made a $1.2 million personal contribution to BTWF, dedicating $200,000 to cover the foundation’s overhead costs. Barneys New York has raised more than $750,000 for the foundation through product sales from Gaga’s 2011 Holiday Workshop, and has donated an additional $100,000. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is also committing $1 million in support, with $500,000 going to the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard to lead research efforts, and the remaining $500,000 directly allocated to BTWF to support online and on-the-road efforts to engage young people in civic life and deter bullying.

“Like everything my daughter has done, this is a grassroots initiative asking for the response of the community to help build this movement and shape it,” said Cynthia Germanotta. “Therefore a safe and trusted online community will allow users to share stories about themselves and their lives. Supporters can draw courage from the words of others as they explore Born This Way Foundation’s online community.”

The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society are partnering with BTWF to explore the best ways to reach youth and create a new culture of kindness, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.

“MacArthur’s partnership with the Born This Way Foundation will apply what we have learned about the power and potential of digital media to reach and engage millions of young people,” said Connie Yowell, MacArthur’s Director of Education. “In classrooms and communities, online and even on-the-road, this effort will enable teachers, parents, students, and communities each do their part to promote positive civic and online participation.”

To engage youth on-the-road, the Born Brave Bus, with design assistance provided by the innovative youth from YOUmedia’s teen library space, will travel the country to serve as a place where kids can go to feel connected and learn about civic engagement opportunities. The bus, along with onsite mentors, will also accompany Lady Gaga’s next North American concert tour, providing additional resources and a safe space to convene.

“A thorough review of decades of academic research has inspired this strategy and over the next several months, we will be rolling out programs based on that data,” said Dr. David Washington, Sr. Advisor to Lady Gaga & BTWF for Philanthropy & Policy. “BTWF has brought together renowned researchers, practitioners and youth organizations and is committed to leveraging this brain trust in order to make a significant difference.”

Visit www.bornthiswayfoundation.org and join the youth-powered movement to build a braver, kinder world.

About Born This Way Foundation

Led by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2011 to foster a more accepting society. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community where individuality is celebrated by connecting youth with the skills, resources and opportunities they need to build a braver, kinder world. BTWF, a non-profit charitable organization, will address issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development through research, education and advocacy. Please Visit www.bornthiswayfoundation.org and join the youth-powered movement to build a braver, kinder world.

About The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur’s $85 million digital media and learning initiative aims to determine how digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to education and other social institutions that must meet the needs of this and future generations. More information is at www.macfound.org/learning.

About The California Endowment To Empower Youth

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people’s health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention. And as such, the Endowment has embarked on a ten-year campaign to improve the health of young people residing in vulnerable, at-risk communities through stronger and innovative prevention approaches. For more information, visit The California Endowment’s homepage at www.calendow.org.

About Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift from Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center is home to an ever-growing community of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates working on projects that span the broad range of intersections between cyberspace, technology, and society. More information can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.

About the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Since its founding in 1920, the Harvard Graduate School of Education has been training leaders to transform education in the United States and around the globe. Today, our faculty, students, and alumni are studying and solving the most critical challenges facing education: student assessment, the achievement gap, and teacher effectiveness, to name just a few. Through the Ed School’s 13 master’s programs, two doctoral programs, and extensive executive education programs, the HGSE community is pushing the frontiers of education, and the effects of our entrepreneurship are improving the world. More information can be found at www.gse.harvard.edu.

The non-stop action, the house-packed crazy wild Pool Parties, the sexiest Go-Go dancers, the best DJs, the spectacular entertainment, the celebrities, plus the hottest girls in the world, The Dinah has enough to make any girls’ head spin!

The world’s largest girl party/music festival will turn Palm Springs into the ultimate entertainment hub delivering a spectacular slate of legendary headliners, rising pop stars, and lesbian TV celebrities.

Emceed by E!’ “Chelsea Lately” writer & roundtable guest-host, Fortune Feimster, The Dinah 2012 will be rocked with special performances from headliners Nina Sky, Grammy-Award Winning Music Legend Chaka Khan; Dance Divas Wynter Gordon (“Dirty Talk” w David Guetta), Cece Peniston (“Finally”) and Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta (“Show Me”); music’s new “it” girl, BC Jean (who penned Beyonce’s mega hit “If I were a Boy”), and up-and-coming pop talents Anjulie, Rye Rye, Meital and Porcelain Black.

Want more? How about the Charlie’s Angels of comedy: veteran comic Suzanne Westenhoefer, stand-up’s fastest breakthrough rising stars Jessica Kirson (Celebrity Apprentice and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) and Karen Williams? Or America’s most beloved, iconic television actress, Meredith Baxter, up close & personal in an exclusive intimate Q&A session?

A Dinah’mite line-up of A-listers galore also including some of the LGBT community’s favorite lesbian celebrities on Primetime non-scripted reality & game series such as Whitney Mixter, Romi Klinger, Rose Garcia, Kelsey Grace Chavarria, Rachel Rodriguez, Francine Beppu and Sara Bettencourt from Season 2 of The Real L Word, as well as America’s Next Top Model Cycle 5’s very own jaw-dropping Kim Stolz.

Ladies get ready for the ultimate MUST-SEE, MUST-EXPERIENCE Dinah EVER!
A girl-given phenomenon, you just have to do it!

www.TheDinah.com

Bono, who will be honored with the Center’s Board of Directors award, has been a trailblazer in transgender activism, publicly sharing his experience transitioning to male in the documentary Becoming Chaz. Since 1995, he has been a dedicated activist in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, having served as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign and Entertainment Media Director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

“Chaz has been a trailblazer in our community for many years, bravely speaking his truth and working to make our movement stronger. He has continued that leadership since coming out as a transgender man. No other person has done more than Chaz to promote visibility and understanding about the reality of transgender people,” says Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. “His courageous example is helping transgender youth and their families throughout the world. That’s great progress not only for the LGBT community, but for society as a whole.”

Emmy-winning stage and screen star Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and his partner, actor and chef David Burtka, will be honored at the gala with the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award, presented by Center board member Jane Lynch. Lynch was the recipient of the award last year.

One of the premier events for the LGBT community of Los Angeles, the gala begins with a chic cocktail reception and large silent auction featuring travel and dining packages and much more, followed by dinner and fabulous entertainment.

The gala will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. The cocktail reception is at 6 p.m. with entertainment to follow at 8 p.m. Tickets for the gala are $300 for general admission or $400 for a VIP ticket. For more information, or to purchase your tickets, go to www.anniversarygala.org.

The Presenting sponsor is Wells Fargo. The Platinum sponsor is EMD Serono. Gold sponsors are the Anita May Rosenstein Foundation, Lab Corp., NBCUniversal, Nordstrom, SoCal Gas and South Coast Plaza. Silver sponsors are ABC Disney, Allstate, AT&T, Cadillac, City National Bank, CVS Caremark, Fox, DirecTV, the Lavender Caucus, Mark-Alan Harmon, Northrop Grumman, Paradigm, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Ralphs, US Bank, Verizon and OUT at Warner Bros. In-kind sponsors are Absolut, American Airlines, Frontiers magazine, Lesbian News, Rage and smartwater.

The track, which is available now for purchase on iTunes, is functioning as a fundraising campaign: 100% of the proceeds are being distributed between That Girl in Pink and its five supporting charities: The Trevor Project, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms), Childline, and I’m Alive.

Amidst her global correspondence through social media, several fans made the specific request to hear Benni sing. In an attempt to satiate their requests, Benni finished the song she wrote in 2010, “Can You See Me Now.”  What was originally meant to be a ballad, quickly matured into a celebratory dance track with a positive and powerful message. In an effort to voice multiple issues, the lyrics string together the stories of teens afflicted by abuse, depression, molestation, and self-mutilation. The plights of many are the focus of the track, just as they are the focus of Benni’s crusade.

In addition to a campaign for awareness via “Can You See Me Now,” Benni will also be reaching out in person on a Nationwide School Tour. Ten lucky schools will be selected to have Benni as a guest speaker and performer. Each campus will be able to hear about her refusal to be bullied, and her urgency for others to do the same.

Check out “Can You See Me Now” on VH1.com here, http://www.vh1.com/video/benni-cinkle/694095/can-you-see-me-now.jhtml#artist=4017823

For more information, and to stay up to date on Benni’s cause, please visit:

www.thatgirlinpink.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/imthatgirlinpink
http://www.facebook.com/BennetCinkle
http://www.twitter.com/benni_cinkle

September 16-18 the QFilm Festival will will be showing over twenty films made this year by some of the top independent LGBT filmmakers. Every year is unique and 2011 promises to be another excellent event and even more special with its international block of films.

QFilms has invited Popo Fan, a twenty-six year old Chinese filmmaker to screen “Be A Woman,” a documentary about drag queens who live in Nanning China. Popo follows them from their glittery stage performances in nightclubs to their dressing rooms as they put on and take off their pancake makeup (there is even a catfight!). “Be A Woman” gives an honest and often sad look at queer men in a gender variant subculture and gives voice to their untold and difficult lives. Marginalized by society, disowned by their parents and shunned from family they live for the nights they are able to perform and make the best of their circumstances with resilience, wit and humor.

In 2004 Popo began making films while studying at the Beijing Film Academy. “I went into filmmaking because I was bad at math. They didn’t have the requirements other universities had so I took a class.” He was often around homophobic students and one colleague in particular, a young man, would often make disparaging comments about gays during class. His studies became even more uncomfortable when they later became roommates at the Academy. Popo being true to himself did not hide his sexuality and would openly watch gay films in their room. Eventually his colleague began watching them too and they became best friends. “It was at that time I knew films could change the world!”

Popo initially had no interest in documentaries and instead concentrated on writing for TV. He changed his mind when he went to a gay pride parade in Taipei for a film project. “It was so exciting to be around other gay people. I knew then it (documentaries) was what I wanted to do.”

Later during a sightseeing tour he found himself in Nanning where he met his first drag queens. “I found them beautiful, interesting and very hardworking performers. They had great spirit and opened me up to different ideas about gender and sexuality.”

After leaving school in 2007 he wrote a legal and mainstream published book on LGBT films. It sold over 10,000 copies and instantly gained him respect and notoriety among many in the LGBT community.

Funding is difficult enough for any filmmaker but LGBTQ films made in Mainland China face even greater challengers. In 2008 Popo was awarded a $4,500 grant from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and began production of “Be A Woman.” It took him three years to complete.

Be A Woman is special not only for its rare insights but also for the fact that in the era of Chinese censorship, it is practically a miracle that this movie was even made. LGBTQ films are censored by the Chinese government and cannot be screened in mainstream theaters. They find their way to their audiences in living rooms, private venues and LGBTQ centers in cities like Beijing and Hangzhou and in some cases now make their way into universities.

Fortunately Be A Woman has now made it overseas to the QFilm Festival and is being screened Saturday the 17th at 3:00pm. Tickets can be purchased by going to the QFilms website or can be purchased at the door. A special question and answer period will take place after the movie.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF 2011 QFILM FESTIVAL & RELATED EVENTS:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th
5:00PM FIT at the Art Theatre
7:15pm TOMBOY at the Art
8:00-10:30pm Opening Night Party at The Center Long Beach
9:15pm JUDAS KISS at the Art, followed by Q&A with the filmmakers and cast members.
11:30pm After Party at Paradise Bar & Grill

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th
12:30pm INSPIRED: THE VOICES AGAINST PROP 8 at the Art, followed by Q&A with the filmmakers and available subjects who appear in the film.
1:00pm I AM at The Center
2:45pm WOMEN IN SHORTS program at the Art, followed by Q&A with available filmmakers and cast members.
3:00pm BE A WOMAN at The Center
5:15pm MEN IN BRIEFS program at the Art, followed by Q & A with available filmmakers and cast members.
7:30pm CHO DEPENDENT at the Art
8:00-10:30pm Saturday Night Party at The Center
9:15pm LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR, followed by Q & A with the filmmakers and cast members.
11:30pm After Party at Paradise Bar & Grill

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th
10:30am Brunch at Café Ambrosia
12:00pm PHOTOS OF ANGIE at the Art, preceded by short film CHARLOTTE and followed by Q & A with the filmmakers.
12:45pm BISEXUAL REVOLUTION at The Center, followed by discussion.
1:45pm WE WERE HERE at the Art, preceded by world premiere short film UB2.
Page 3
4:00pm LONGHORNS at the Art, preceded by short film COUPLES THERAPY and followed by Q & A
with available filmmakers and cast members.
6:15pm WISH ME AWAY at the Art
7:00-9:30pm Closing Night Party at The Center
8:00pm HOLLYWOOD TO DOLLYWOOD at the Art

One of the most profound aspects of the theatre is its ability to combine multiple realities of the human experience through storytelling in order to widen one’s consciousness. Terrence McNally combines the journey of Jesus Christ and his Apostles with the reality of being a gay man in mid-20th century Corpus Christi, Texas. By doing so, McNally creates a groundbreaking experience with this age-old story that humanizes the Christian gospels, emphasizes the idea that “all men are divine”, and asks us to look inside ourselves and REALLY ask, “Am I contributing good to the society in which I operate?”

Please join The Garage Theatre in sharing this story with the community of Long Beach, CA.

July 29 – August 27, 2011

Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights @ 8pm

Buy Tickets @ www.thegaragetheatre.org

Or by phone 1.866.811.4111

SHOWS WILL SELL OUT! BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE!

“A film that can save your life” —Roger Ebert
“Richly inspiring and informative documentary!” —LA Times
“A must-see movie!” —San Francisco Chronicle

About the film: Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to battle these very conditions. There is a solution so comprehensive, but so utterly straightforward, that it’s mind-boggling that more of us haven’t taken it seriously? FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be controlled with diet.

The production is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case filed by AFER to overturn Prop. 8, which eliminated the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples in California .

Black, who penned the Academy-Award winning feature film “Milk,” based “8″ on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families. It is set to premiere at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York City on Monday, September 19, 2011 for an exclusive, one night only fundraiser to benefit AFER.  High profile and award-winning actors will play the roles of the legal team, plaintiffs and witnesses for both sides of the historic Prop. 8 case.  Casting for the all-star benefit will be announced soon.

Following the New York debut on September 19, AFER and Broadway Impact will license “8″ to schools and community organizations nationwide in order to spur action, dialogue and understanding.  AFER and Broadway Impact will help produce these staged readings across the country, so that “8″ will live on beyond its September premiere.

“People need to witness what happened in the Prop. 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter,” said Black. “I’ve built my career around exposing and uncovering ‘the real story’. The goal of ’8′ is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right and that those who would deny this basic freedom from loving, committed couples have only vitriol and baseless hyperbole to fall back on. The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light. We at AFER are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”

The story for “8″ is framed by the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, but features the best arguments and testimony from both sides of the issue. Scenes include flashbacks to some of the more jaw-dropping moments of trial, such as the admission by Prop. 8 supporters’ star witness David Blankenhorn that “we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before.”

AFER prevailed at the federal district court and Prop. 8 was found unconstitutional on August 4, 2010.  It is currently being appealed by the anti-marriage Proponents.

The American public was not given a chance to witness the historic trial because the Proponents of Prop. 8 launched a desperate attempt to forever hide the trial videotapes. Although the trial proceedings were open to the public, and all courtroom testimony and events were well-documented, the trial video most vividly compares the weakness of the Proponents’ arguments to the well-reasoned, valid and constitutionally-based arguments and evidence put forth by AFER’s team.

The video of the trial has been kept under seal due to a federal protective order. AFER’s attorneys have filed a motion asking the court to make the full and unedited recordings available for all to see.

“Because this case involves the constitutional rights of millions of people, it is especially important for the public to see what happened during the trial,” said AFER Senior Project Director Adam Umhoefer. “Both sides had an equal opportunity and ample resources to assemble their strongest teams and put forth their absolute best arguments in a fair setting.  Viewed side-by-side there is simply no question that there was only one decision the court could have reached.  The moment we knew the trial would not be publicly broadcast we immediately began planning to find a way to show the world what happened in this historic case.  This play and our partnership with Broadway Impact allow us to do exactly that.”

“I was lucky enough to watch the initial closing arguments of Perry v. Schwarzenegger in San Francisco,” says Broadway Impact co-founder Rory O’Malley (Tony nominee for The Book of Mormon). “We knew then and there that audiences needed to see and hear this story live, as we had done. ’8′ builds on a successful tradition of documentary theatre—plays like The Laramie Project and The Vagina Monologues, which inspire us with their combination of art and activism.  We are thrilled to partner with AFER to bring this story to a national audience.”

Tickets for the play will be in high demand and are expected to sell out.  The proceeds will go directly to the fight for full federal marriage equality and to support educational efforts on the freedom to marry nationwide.

Read Pat Healy’s New York Times EXCLUSIVE: http://nyti.ms/oGZBwf
For info on ticket sales, visit: www.afer.org/broadway8
For info on how your local theater can produce “8″, visit: www.BROADWAYIMPACT.com

“Gay people are accepted by their Creator just as they are,” says Timane, who founded Rizi Timane Ministries to explode the myths behind what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality, and to advocate on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. “My ultimate goal is to enable all LGBT people who want to know God, but have been turned off by religion, to understand that God loves them just as they are, and also to help those who are struggling with their spirituality and sexuality.”

Born in Northern Nigeria, West Africa and raised in a fundamentalist Christian home, Timane was taught from an early age that homosexuality was a sin. Yet Timane, like many LGBT Christians today, has discovered that nothing is wrong with her, and that her sexuality is a God-given trait. Her struggles and persecution from identifying herself openly as a lesbian in Africa inspire her ministry today.

“What’s Wrong With This Picture?” provides a snapshot of the hypocrisy within many churches today, as well as the need for a more inclusive gospel and a greater understanding of Jesus’ teachings. The film covers a weeklong journey that profiles religious leaders who vehemently advocate against homosexuality yet struggle to practice what they preach; “ex-gays” who are faltering on their paths of conversion; a bishop who condemns same-sex marriage but takes a broader view of pedophilia; and a gay veteran’s funeral, which is interrupted and chastised by pastors of a homophobic church. With the film’s conclusion, the key question remaining is, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

“This documentary, which will soon be making its way to gay and lesbian film festivals, exposes powerful wrongdoing taking place in the United States every day,” explains Timane, who holds a counseling diploma and degrees in social policy and business management and is a J.D. degree candidate. “The horrible and painful struggle associated with religion and sexuality is responsible for everything from depression to drug addiction, self-abuse, family dysfunction, isolation, suicides and much, much more. ‘What’s Wrong With This Picture?’ is a wake-up call, as well as a call to action. We’ve got to put a stop to the inhumane nature of our contemporary culture that’s still breeding such unnecessary, tragic consequences.”

To view the movie trailer or learn more, visit http://www.rizigospel.org.