Fusicology

SummerStage Presents: NYC Pride Rally featuring Me’Shell Ndegeocello , Martha Wash, The New York Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers, Bruce Vilanch and More

Saturday June 19, 2010
Rumsey Playfield – Central Park (NYC)

Strength, virtuosity and joyous revelry reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the lineup of this incredible evening’s entertainment.

One month after the Stonewall Riots of June 27-29, 1969, about 500 people gathered for a “Gay Power” demonstration. That event, the very first New York City Pride Rally, took place in Washington Square Park and was followed by a candlelight vigil in Sheridan Square. Now in its 42nd year, the Heritage of Pride Rally continues that tradition on the last Sunday in June, providing the City’s LGBT Community with a fabulous launch into Pride Week. This year’s rally, the first at SummerStage, will include performances by Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Martha Wash, The Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, and Billie Myers, hosted by writer and comic, Bruce Vilanch.

Canonized, marginalized or just scrutinized, Me’shell Ndegéocello has given up trying to explain herself. After 20 years in an industry that has called her everything from avant garde to a dying breed, what unquestionably remains is the fearsome bassist, prolific songwriter and the creativity and curiosity of an authentic musical force. With that, she has earned critical acclaim, the unfailing respect of fellow players, songwriters and composers, and the dedication of her diverse, unclassifiable fans.

Like many artists, Martha Wash has felt the ups and downs of the rollercoaster-like music industry. From being the uncredited powerhouse vocalist behind C+C Music Factory’s classic “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” to her Grammy nomination for the cult classic’It’s Raining Men’, to seeing her debut solo single “Carry On” reach the #1 spot – in her own name – Martha has unquestionably made her mark in R&B, in dance, in disco and in music history.

The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus comprises of 250 voices. The Chorus has appeared in Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Affirming their world-class status is a roster of classical and contemporary artists who have graced the stages with the Chorus: Marilyn Horne, Roberta Peters, Liza Minnelli, Stephen Sondheim, Barbara Cook, Carol Channing, Jerry Herman, Eartha Kitt, Joel Grey– to name just a few. The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus (NYCGMC) is a member of Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), the world’s only association committed to serving the LGBT choral movement.

Vickie Shaw returns to New York with her slow paced (she’s southern), incredibly endearing, (she’s southern), sharp, don’t mess with her (she’s southern!), comedy. Vickie doesn’t have to go far from home for material – as a recovering SoB (Southern Baptist) and out lesbian mother. She’s successfully raised two sons and a daughter (actually they’re just alive, I’m not sure if that successful), One son, his wife and their three perfect daughters and her daughter and fiancee all live with Vickie and her “husbian” in Sgt. Patch. Her census needed extra postage. Yeah there’s enough material there to fill a few hours. Vickie has performed in almost every State in the US, and had headlined in way too many venues to list here and TV out the YinYang, but trust us, this girl’s been around.

With the success of her hit single’Kiss The Rain’ from the debut record Growing, Pains, Billie Myers has proven her longevity as an artist. Myer’s live performances have been described as “electrifying” by Rolling Stone. She has toured extensively with the likes of Bob Dylan and Savage Garden and starred at Lilith Fair. Myers has worked with industry greats Desmond Child, Junior Vasquez and Peter Q. Harris. The London Times raves “Myers excels at weaving poetic narratives around starkly honest portraits of her life experiences reassuringly long on singer-songwriter talent.” Her new album, Tea & Sympathy, is out now on iTunes.

One of the most sought-after jokesmiths in the entertainment industry, Bruce Vilanch has become a recognizable face in his own right, thanks to the feature-length documentary Get Bruce! and his one-time stint as a regular on Hollywood Squares, for which he also served as head writer. He is perhaps best known as a regular gag-writer for the Academy Awards, which he has done since 1989.

Event Information
Saturday June 19, 2010
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
All Ages
Cover: FREE

Links
Direct Link: http://fusicology.com/event/nycpriderally
Short URL: http://bit.ly/amXJjY
Venue URL: http://summerstage.org

Out In Akron
HRC Columbus unveils 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner

(Columbus) – Today the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Columbus chapter announced that its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner will take place Saturday, June 21, at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom, 350 N. High St.

This year’s event will celebrate 25 years of progress toward equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Americans. The Gala Dinner will feature a fun evening of entertainment with emcee Bruce Vilanch, the 2008 Equality Award ceremony, as well as an exciting array of speakers, including HRC President Joe Solmonese.

“The gala will be a tremendous opportunity for the GLBT community to come together and remember our history, celebrate the progress we’ve made and look forward to a more hopeful future,” said Ryan Fournier, HRC Columbus Gala Dinner Co-Chair.

Tickets are available for $175 and can be purchased online at www.hrccolumbusdinner.com or by contacting Box Office Tickets at (800) 494-8497. To learn more about the dinner or to buy tickets, visit www.hrccolumbusdinner.com.

HRC is the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. HRC effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure GLBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. For more information, visit www.hrc.org. [4/16/08]

© 1997-2005 Ethan Interactive, Inc.

AIDS Walk New York Raises Record-Setting $6.857 Million
From: PRNewswire-USNewswire | Date: May 22, 2007

NEW YORK, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The 22nd Annual AIDS Walk New York, on Sunday May 20, was the largest and most successful AIDS Walk ever held, setting records for both participation and fundraising. Organizers announced that 45,000 walkers helped to raise a grand total of $6,857,527.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070522/DCTU104 )

“New York showed its strong support for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC),” said AIDS Walk Founder and Producer Craig R. Miller. “We all took to the streets to raise a record-setting $6.8 million to support people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City and to fund the critical HIV prevention programs needed to stop new infections.”

“The phenomenal success of AIDS Walk represents teamwork at its essence. None of us walks alone, and the success of AIDS Walk is a tes tament to our ability to work, walk, and succeed together,” said Marjorie J. Hill, Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. “AIDS Walk is proof that New Yorkers care very deeply about AIDS here in New York City, the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.”

AIDS Walk opening ceremonies featured the participation of Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper, T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Lance Bass (‘N Sync), Alan Cumming (X2, Cabaret), B.D. Wong (Law & Order: SVU), Jason Steed (Noah’s Arc), and Emmy-winning writer/actor Bruce Vilanch, with special musical performances by the cast of A Chorus Line, and Stephanie J. Block (The Pirate Queen), who sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the AIDS Walk theme song.

AIDS Walk New York benefits GMHC and more than 50 other local AIDS organizations.

“These dollars permit us to provide innovative direct service programs, outreach and education to hundreds of thousands, and fierce public policy leadership at all levels of government,” said Robert E. Bank, Esq., Chief Operating Officer at GMHC. “We are grateful to our corporate and individual donors, media sponsors, and especially to the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who make this event the largest gathering of AIDS activists in the world.”

About GMHC: GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community- based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. Its mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. GMHC provides services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, and outreach and education to hundreds of thousands throughout the world. For more information about GMHC programs and services, please visit http://www.gmhc.org/.

About MZA Events: AIDS Walk New York was founded in 1986 by Craig R. Miller and his organization of activists, MZA Events. Miller is the originator of the AIDS Walk fundraising model and has raised nearly $300 million for leading AIDS charities nationwide. Miller and MZA have produced this landmark event every spring for the past twenty-two years.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070522/DCTU104AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Gay Men’s Health Crisis

CONTACT: Noel Alicea of GMHC, +1-212-367-1216, cell: +1-917-583-6657; orJoshua Tjaden of AWNY, +1-212-807-9255, cell: +1-917-683-5464

Web site: http://www.gmhc.org/

Chronicle.com
April 6, 2007
Hate crime law is HRC’s top focus this year
by Eric Resnick

Cleveland–The Human Rights Campaign’s “number one priority for this Congress” is to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2007, which allows local police to investigate and prosecute violent crime motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

Currently, no federal law provides for prosecution of hate crime with those biases and neither do most state laws, including Ohio’s.

The new measure, introduced March 20 in the House, would add the categories to the existing federal hate crime law, which covers religion, race and national origin.

HRC national field director Marty Rouse delivered that message to a sold out crowd of 630 at the group’s Cleveland fundraising dinner March 31. It was the 14th Cleveland dinner and the largest to date.

HRC lobbies Congress for LGBT-affirming legislation, and its political action committee helps elect candidates that will vote on their behalf.

Rouse said that HRC’s second legislative priority is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect all employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Sixty percent of Americans think you should be judged by the job you do, not who you are,” said Rouse. “Still, to pass ENDA, it’s going to take all hands on deck.”

Rouse explained that it will take “thousands of e-mails and post cards” especially to those lawmakers identified as “persuadeable targets,” or ones who could vote either way.

“There are three targets in Ohio,” Rouse said. Later, he identified the three as first-term Democrat Zack Space of Dover, and Republicans David Hobson of Springfield and Pat Tiberi of suburban Columbus.

Asked why, with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, ENDA is expected to be so hard to pass, Rouse said, “[Lawmakers] are uncomfortable with it. We expect it could be a wedge issue again closer to the national election that could be used against candidates in a close race.”

Rouse also said that even though the congressional leadership changed from Republicans to Democrats, “the make up of the Congress has not changed much.”

“The conservative Republicans are still there,” said Rouse, “and some of the new Democrats are very conservative on social issues.”

Rouse said other pieces of LGBT-affirming legislation, such as a measure introduced last week to end taxation of domestic partner benefits, can be passed as amendments to other bills throughout the year.

In states with both types of laws in effect, the hate crime law nearly always passed first.

Dinner co-chair Eric Lozier said that silent and live auctions at the event raised more than $25,000. The host Intercontinental Hotel had not submitted its bill by press time, but typically the entire affair raises more than $100,000 for HRC operations.

At separate HRC Federal Club events, seven new members joined and one new major donor was recruited. Federal Club members contribute from $1,200 to $4,999 a year. Major donors start at $5,000.

Post dinner entertainment was provided by lesbian comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer.

The event was emceed by Hollywood comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, who said that being there reminded him of old cruising grounds when he was performing in Cleveland with Bette Midler in the 1970s.

Afterward, Vilanch commented on the current state of LGBT celebrities–mostly the ones who remain closeted.

“It’s a fantasy business,” said Vilanch, adding that men who think of themselves as “leading men” and going after roles where they kiss the girl, are not likely to come out.

“The audience needs to believe them,” Vilanch said.

“That’s why it won’t be entertainment, but sports that will overthrow its conventions about gay people first,” Vilanch said.

Vilanch, who has always been out, said, “I’m lucky. I’m flamboyant in a job where being eccentric is rewarded, so I have made it a part of my personality.”

Newly elected officials came to the dinner to thank HRC for its support.

“[Governor] Ted Strickland and I would not have won without the early support of HRC,” said Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher. “We will never forget it.”

A similar message was given by Sen. Sherrod Brown in a video feed.

Other elected officials at the dinner included first term U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton of Akron, State Sen. Dale Miller, and State Reps. Armond Budish, Timothy DeGeeter and Chris Redfern, who is also Ohio Democratic Party chair.

The city of Cleveland was represented by Mayor Frank Jackson, Council President Martin Sweeney, council members Joe Cimperman, Jay Westbrook, Matthew Zone, and gay council member Joe Santiago. With them was Cleveland council clerk Emily Lipovan.

The city of Lakewood was represented by council members Mary Louise Madigan and openly lesbian Nickie Antonio.

Mayor Dean DePiero of Parma attended, as did Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Melody Stewart, and Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judges Stuart Friedman, Brian Corrigan and Bridget McCafferty.

The Leadership Award was presented to Patrick Shepherd of Cleveland.

Shepherd is the immediate past president and founder of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats. He is also an organizer of the National Stonewall Democrats.

Shepherd is the associate director of the Cleveland Film Society, which he described as a very gay place to work, consisting of gay men and straight women.

“So, when a cute guy is spotted in Ohio City, everyone goes to the window,” Shepherd said.

“But we’re in a civil rights struggle for people not quite as lucky as I am,” Shepherd said.

“This year we sent [former U.S. Senator] Mike DeWine with his HRC scorecard rating of 11 to unemployment in Cincinnati,” Shepherd said.

“Do you know what George Voinovich’s rating is?” Shepherd asked the crowd. “It’s zero.”

“We have three years to ensure that George Voinovich can pack his bags and return to Collinwood,” Shepherd concluded.

Lozier concluded, “[The 2007 dinner] gives the Cleveland steering committee a challenge to raise the bar again in 2008.”