The much buzzed about new movie The Kids Are All Right opened the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 17th. The stars of the movie, including Julianne Moore (who with Annette Bening plays the lesbian parents of two children conceived by artificial insemination seeking to bring their birth father into their family life in the LGBT family film) came out to the premiere.

Out director/co-writer Lisa Cholodenko, stars Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and our favorite actress from Glee were also on hand at the event.

One half of the sublime sister set that is Tegan and Sara spilled all about the band’s new album, Sainthood, reading reviews, and courting commercial success. With 10 years behind them and new material that exceeds loyal fans’ expectations, T&S are in a prime position to become a huge music act, one getting better with each progressive release. Take a look at a snippet of what lead singer Tegan shared with SheWired:

SW: With the first two shows out of the way, do you guys feel a little more confident to play your new material?

Tegan: “Definitely. I’m always nervous for New York and L.A. It’s a big deal. There are a lot of record company people out. Sara and I have spent 99% of our career not worrying about press, journalists, and record companies, but when you play in New York and L.A. you can just abandon all of that—or you have to—because it is super important. I want the label to care. I want them to be behind the record, so I want them to be impressed by the live show. We have such an amazing, wonderful, intensely loving and devoted audience and there are lots of people in the media who are part of that audience.

There’s definitely a lot of ground we want to cover with this record. Sara and I are prepared and fully ready to crack even more of the mainstream, because we know there are more people who would really connect intensely with our band if they just knew about it. So that means kind of sucking it up and doing a lot more press, radio, and handshaking, which is fine. We’re outspoken and we’re feminists and we’re strong role models for women and for queer culture, and I think it’s time for the mainstream to have a little more of that.”

Click here to read the full interview, exclusively on SheWired.com

The popular ’90s music festival for women is coming back to the concert stage, touring in 2010.

The first batch of performers was announced on the official Lilith website, and the lineup is packed to the brim with lesbian favorites like the Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara, Brandi Carlile, and the headliner herself, Sarah McLachlan. With over 40 female musicians and singers announced already, the music festival will also boast Sheryl Crow, Metric, A Fine Frenzy, Emmylou Harris, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, Erykah Badu, Sugarland, Tara MacLean, the Weepies, and many more to come.

McLachlan, founder of the unique festival, wrote on the site, “Being a part of Lilith Fair was inspiring on so many levels. Besides discovering new music every day and sharing the stage with an incredible array of talented women, it was wonderful to see established and new artists alike have the opportunity to play in front of much larger or more diverse audiences than usual.”

Featured artists like Crow, Badu, and Canadian indie-rock duo Tegan and Sara were part of the original three-year run of Lilith Fair a decade ago. Tegan Quin said she was “proud to be a part of it again” because she and sister Sara “played one of the last Lilith Fair shows ever 10 years ago in Edmonton, Alberta. We only played one show and it was on the smallest stage, in the rain, to nearly no one. And yet, for the past 10 years, it continues to come up in almost every interview and is something we honestly look back on as a very important event in our career. The impact of Lilith Fair was felt all over the world, and its significance still resonates with women and the music industry itself 10 years later.”

OUTtv is proud to introduce our exclusive television shows now available online!

Exclusive television shows now available online on OUTtv.ca include The Afterlife, Hot Pink Shorts 2, Let’s Talk Sex, Sordid Lives: The Series, Cherry Bomb, and CoverGuy 2.

The Afterlife features world-renowned medium Suzane Northrop, joined by co-host David Millbern.  Through her unique abilities Suzane is able to communicate for those that can no longer speak for themselves, passing on messages from the beyond to eagerly awaiting loved ones in our studio audience. To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

An OUTtv original series, Hot Pink Shorts Season 2 features the best shorts from around the world with new hosts Dianna David and Jonny Staub.  To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

Renowned sexpert and columnist, Dr. Pega Ren, has teamed up with OUTtv to bring you Let’s Talk Sex, a sex and relationship advice show for the GLBT community. Along with co-host Jonny Staub, Dr. Ren brings you the latest info on Dating & Courtship, Masturbation, Gender Identity, and a variety of other topics. To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

The hysterical and touching new comedy Sordid Lives: The Series stars Olivia Newton-John, Rue McClanahan, Caroline Rhea and most of the original cast of the film directed by Del Shores with many celebrity guest appearances. To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

Cherry Bomb is a late night talk show with four sexy, funny, intelligent, witty and outspoken women on the topics that every lesbian wants to know about… sex, love and navigating in the world of women who love women. To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

Sexy and fun sounds like an apt description for a wide open “gay/straight” manhunt in CoverGuy 2, top candidate hotties — powdered, coiffed and dressed by professional stylists, of course — walk the runway in front of a live audience and our judges. To watch the new online episodes CLICK HERE

Check back soon for upcoming television show episodes on OUTtv.ca!

Television is about to get a whole lot funnier. OUTtv, Canada’s only network dedicated to the Canadian LGBT community, has just announced the production and acquisition of 10 new comedy specials for 2010.

These new acquisitions will add to a growing list of comedy feature films and other series the network plays as part of its regular Sunday night comedy line-up. “Our audience has really responded to our comedy specials and movies”, commented OUTtv COO Brad Danks, “We are thrilled to be able to add 8 new specials on top of the 2 new ones we have produced.”

Leading the way are two original productions produced by OUTtv, entitled, “OUT For Laughs”.  Shot in Vancouver and Toronto the two 90 minute specials will air as part of OUT tv’s laugh marathon slated for December 31 & January 1. The first hosted by Morgan Brayton with headliner Darcy Michael features musical comedy from ‘The Wet Spots’ and ‘It’s Good to Know People, with appearances by The Ryan Steele Show and the best in gay stand up from the west coast.

“We are really pleased with our first original comedy stand-up special,” said OUTtv Head of Production, Philip Webb. “We are really pleased to get some of Vancouver’s best gay and lesbian comedians all together for one show and we’re looking forward to the airing of the Toronto special in the spring.” The Toronto special will air later in March with both OUT For Laughs specials available for digital download sometime in the new year.

Also airing as part of our New Year laugh marathon are the comical antics of Suzanne Westenhoefer, Vicki Shaw, Karen Williams, and Kate Clinton, all produced by the very talented Andrea Myerson. For a complete listing of air times and show schedules go to www.outtv.ca

A follow-up conversation with Amy Hanen
By: Christine Wach

CW: What does being ‘out’ at work mean?

AH: Being out means never having to refer to your life partner as “a friend of mine”.  Being out means never having to use the pronoun “they” to disguise the gender of your spouse.  Being out generally means not having to censor your everyday conversation with colleagues so as not to disclose your sexual identity.  Being out means being able to talk about the same things in the workplace as everybody else eg. weekend plans, your last vacation, your spouse and kids, organizations you volunteer for etc.  Being out means being comfortable referring to the fact that you are LGBT whenever it makes sense to do so in your interactions at work.

CW: How comfortable can people who work in the financial sector feel being ‘out’ at work?

AH: Speaking with almost 30 years in the industry, I personally do not believe that there is any reason that people working in this sector should not be able to be out at work.  The experience may be more or less comfortable depending on a number of factors:  The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your colleagues will be.  The more exposure your colleagues have had already, the more comfortable it will be for you.  Some organizations may be more comfortable than others.  You can discreetly find out more about this by talking to people you know who already work at these companies, and by researching what kinds of things the company supports for their employees and in your community.

CW: Do you think there are enough corporate training programs in private sector educating people on how to create LGBT positive work spaces?

AH: I’m not sure what this question is asking.  I know that there are diversity consultants who will help organizations think about how to build more inclusive work environments.  There are also internal diversity training programs.  Are there enough of these training programs?  Do they deal explicitly with LGBT issues?  I don’t really have any way of assessing this as each company’s program is proprietary information.  But I can say that TD has a diversity training program, including LGBT case studies that everyone with people management responsibility is required to complete.  It focuses on helping managers to create more inclusive, supportive work environment and a more comfortable employee experience within their workgroup or department.

CW: Do you see TD Bank Financial Group as a company leading the way for other banks or companies in terms of diversity training?

AH: I am not completely up to date on what each of the other companies is doing, but I think that TD has a very strong position on diversity training.  We started with people managers because they set the tone.  Every people manager attends a full day classroom training program on Diversity which includes case studies on LGBT issues.   At this point almost all of our managers have gone through this training, and we continue to train our new managers as they come on board.  Our next focus is a diversity training program that will reach out to all of our employees in non-management roles so that they also have the information and tools to contribute to creating an inclusive and positive work environment.

CW: Where does TD Bank Financial Group need to go next in terms of its diversity initiative?

AH: I think we’ve made a great start.  Our plans moving forward in the LGBT areas of focus include:  diversity training for all employees, expanding our Pride Networks, recognizing and supporting the diversity WITHIN LGBT, for example, by supporting specific initiatives of interest to Queer women and the trans community.

Amy Hanen | About:
Amy Hanen is the Senior Manager, Community Relations for TD Bank Financial Group. In that role, she is responsible for developing and executing and TDBFG’s community relations strategy, strengthening relationships with major community partners and overseeing TDBFG’s donations and community sponsorship budget. Amy also has extensive experience in Human Resources at the executive level. As Vice President Employee Relations, Policy and Governance at another Financial Institution, she led the charge to revitalize that company’s diversity strategy, which among other things resulted in the first Pride Network and the first CEO hosted Pride reception in the Financial Services Industry. Amy currently sits on the board of the Canadian Abilities Foundation and is a trustee of the HALO Foundation.

Out on Bay Street | About:
The name Out on Bay Street highlights Toronto’s Bay Street as the symbolic focal point of business in Canada and how the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is working towards reshaping the way businesses operate in the marketplace by promoting change and openness.

It is organized by the students from various business schools in Toronto area. The Organizing Committee are supported by the founding members of the conference and several volunteer advisers from various backgrounds.

For more information, please visit: http://www.outonbayst.org

A follow-up conversation with David Grisim
By: Christine Wach

CW: What does being ‘out’ at work mean to you?

DG: Being ‘out’ at work means to me that I can be comfortable bringing my “whole” self to work everyday, that I can operate in the style that I am most comfortable with, and that I will be judged solely based on my performance.  I’ve found it to be incredibly liberating.  Being “out” means I can freely talk about my partner and our lives together as important elements of what makes me the unique person I am.  This also helps me to develop stronger relationships with my colleagues and direct reports, never having to edit stories about my life outside of P&G.  As with most people, coming out to me wasn’t a one-time thing, nor did it involve a grand proclamation, but is an ongoing process of having the confidence to just be myself and not worry whether someone might be judging me.  My experience tells me the vast majority of the time (especially with people who matter the most), people respect me even more after I’ve come out.  They feel privileged to be let into my life a bit more and they also feel more comfortable opening up with me about themselves.

CW: How comfortable can people who work in your sector feel being ‘out’ at work?

DG: I’m told by my LGBT colleagues at P&G that they feel extremely comfortable being ‘out’ at work, especially by the younger employees who grew up in a much more open and tolerant society than those of us who came to terms with our sexuality in the 1980’s or before.  I’ve found the greatest barrier is usually one’s own comfort with being oneself, versus attitudes of others in the company.  I was not open when I joined P&G over 13 years ago, but I learned that it was really my own issues that were keeping me from being out at work, not anything others said or did.  Once I realized this, and had strong role models and mentors who supported me for who I was, I found coming out to be a surprisingly easy process.  It really helps that P&G invests in Diversity Training and that employees fully embrace our Purpose, Values and Principles.

CW: Do you think there are enough corporate training programs in place in private sector educating people on how to create LGBT positive work spaces?

DG: I think P&G’s mandatory 2-day Diversity Training program is outstanding.  There is a module on LGBT issues with role play exercises to ensure that employees internalize how to create an LGBT positive work environment.  Managers are also measured against their ability to fully leverage the diversity of their teams.  We have the resources and cultural ‘will’ to create and maintain this training.  However, many of my friends and business colleagues, especially those who work in small and medium sized companies, tell me nothing like this exists at their place of work.  Some of these people don’t feel comfortable being out work, expressing concerns that it could affect their ability to get promoted.  Even in this current era of greater acceptance, not everyone works in companies with enlightened employees.  As a result, I believe more training is required in the private sector.

CW: Procter and Gamble seems to have a very thorough Diversity training program. Could you tell us a bit about how this was created and implemented?

DG: P&G’s Diversity training has been in place for many years.  It was created because diversity is embedded within P&G’s purpose, values and principles, and is necessary to take our company to the next level in a competitive business environment.  We connect and develop diverse knowledge, skills and experiences into new insights that drive more creative solutions, more innovation and better choices for consumers and employees.  P&G’s Diversity training program was created and implemented by P&Gers as an in-house training program.  This was important, because it was developed to reflect the unique diversity within P&G, and then role modeled through its facilitation by P&G’s own leaders.

CW: Where does Procter and Gamble need to go next in terms of its diversity initiative?

DG: I believe we’re on a great path!  At P&G we have an active LGBT organization, leaders rewarded based on their ability to value and leverage diversity, and an organization that has been fully trained on LGBT issues.  Despite the great efforts internally, Lesbians and Gays are under-represented in our company.  We’ve made great progress in our outreach efforts, with a dedicated LGBT recruiting team, LGBT recruiting events and sponsorship of Toronto’s Family Pride and Out on Bay Street.  But I believe we need to do more to let people know that P&G is a company that really values diversity and that we’re an LGBT positive place to work.  I hope we continue to refine and build on our diversity training, as well as make a bigger impact in the broader community.

David Grisim | About:
David Grisim is a P&G Marketing Manager, with responsibility for the Canadian Oral Care business.  David joined P&G 13 years ago after completing his MBA at Rotman School of Business.  His roles have included managing various beauty care categories, as well as an assignment as Global Design Marketing Manager based in NYC.  David leads P&G coaching development for Canada.  He was a founding member and served as president of the Fraternity gay men’s business group for 2 years, and has been an active member of P&G GABLE for 10 years. David and his partner have been together 19 fantastic years.

Out on Bay Street | About:
The name Out on Bay Street highlights Toronto’s Bay Street as the symbolic focal point of business in Canada and how the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is working towards reshaping the way businesses operate in the marketplace by promoting change and openness.

It is organized by the students from various business schools in Toronto area. The Organizing Committee are supported by the founding members of the conference and several volunteer advisers from various backgrounds.

For more information, please visit: http://www.outonbayst.org

More conversations to come… next week Christine talks with Amy Hanen.

Remember that letter you wrote to yourself in high school? Well, if your English teacher actually managed to send them out some 10 years later, you were probably shocked and shamed by the ramblings that arrived in the mail.

A more interesting approach is being implemented for a new book called Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self. The collection of letters for the book includes an especially revealing entry from Elton John. The legendary music man says he regrets waiting to start his sex life and warned his younger self to skip the drugs and debauchery as “they’re a waste of time” and to “have lots of safe sex.”

In his letter John reflected, “I made the mistake of not having sex until I was 23! I loved being with another man and felt relieved that I finally knew who I was. I made the mistake of falling in love too soon because I was naive and romantic.”

“My advice to you is to never chase love. It will find you when you least expect it. Have fun, have lots of safe sex and enjoy your sexuality. Be proud of who you are.”

“I made a lot of mistakes,” he admitted. “Stay away from drugs, they’re a waste of time. Stand up for every human being’s rights. Be loving, kind and strong. Set an example. You’re going to have one hell of a life!”

The letter appears in Joseph Galliano’s new book Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self.

Tell us: What advice would you write to your 16-year-old self, if you could?

Image courtesy of Getty

A follow-up conversation with Daniel Oliveira
By: Christine Wach

CW: What does being ‘out’ at work mean to you?

DO: Being ‘out’ at work is about bringing your whole self to work. It is about focusing your energy on your job and not draining energy while you are coming up with excuses about your personal life. It means interacting with strait people the way they interact with each other. It is about being yourself, and being able to act and be like anybody else without having to make up stories about what you did on the weekend or pretending that your partner or husband or wife is just your friend. When you have to lie about your personal life it has a domino effect where the stories get difficult to trace and keep strait. It also means not having to constantly be aware of gender neutral language such as ‘friend’ instead of spouse for example. This type of self censorship is a waste of time and energy. This is particularly true in a high pressure environment where many workers would be better using their time for creativity and complex problem solving.

CW: How comfortable can people who work in the financial sector feel being ‘out’ at work?

DO: It really depends on what part of the financial sector that you are talking about. Right now a lot of major banks seem to be leading the way in terms of creating positive spaces for the LGBT communities. It also seems that once you get into Senior Management and you are respected for your accomplishments and position you are likely in a more comfortable position to be ‘out’. An example of this is Amy Hanen with TD Bank Financial Group who spoke on our panel at Out on Bay Street. As a junior level employee however it depends. Younger workers are still unsure: unsure what their rights are, and unsure about what they can talk about in an interview for example. When they do get the job they may wonder how their opportunities for advancement will be affected if they are ‘out’.

It can also be a double edged sword in the financial sector. There may be certain assumptions taken. Maybe people always think that you should always be the employee who is sent on assignments out of town or overseas. People may wrongly assume you don’t have a partner or a family or other commitments. So many LGBT couples do have families now, Paul Skippen from Accenture who was also on our panel and his partner have a 1 year old son for example.

This is why we have Out on Bay Street, by looking at the companies who participated in the Career Fair we can have a good idea which companies are actively and openly recruiting LGBT workers.

CW: Do you feel there are enough corporate training programs educating people on how to create LGBT positive work spaces?

DO: There are a lot of them—are there enough? It isn’t clear; there are a lot of consultants as well as internal training teams and HR groups. It is still a bit early to say, even for the companies at Out on Bay Street who are trying to encourage positive spaces it is yet to be seen just how effective it will be. We will have to wait and see how effective these training programs are.

Some companies think that enough has been done and don’t incorporate formal training programs. The thinking is that the Human Rights code is already written, Same Sex marriage is legal and now all we need to do is maintain the status quo. This is, (of course) not true. There is a lot of diversity training in Toronto but the challenge for multi-national companies is to take this training across the country or the globe. If these companies expand their training programs in smaller Canadian cities for example this has a powerful effect on how people see the LGBT people everywhere.

CW: Do you think Bay St is leading the way for other industries in terms of diversity training?

DO: A lot of big companies are leading the way Accenture is a good example and other multinationals such as TD Bank and KPNG. They lead because they understand the importance of having the whole person come to work. A very talented employee who doesn’t feel comfortable is simply not as valuable. Consultants are very complex problem solvers and if they are in the closet it becomes very difficult to give all of their needed focus to the job at hand. Consultants need to focus on the client, not on hiding their personal life from clients. TD Bank is a good example of a company who is leading the way in terms of diversity and becoming a presence around the world.

There are still organizations on Bay Street that ‘talk the talk’ but don’t ‘walk the walk’ for example. There are certain companies that you would have expected to see at Out on Bay Street that chose not to be there. The attitude is that we don’t need to be at this conference as we don’t have any problems with this type of discrimination here.

With companies cost cutting they are also putting more focus on where they are putting their financial resources for a better ROI in the short term. This is at the expense of things like Diversity training. Share holders want to know where the ROI is now, not on some possible intangible long term benefits from this training in the distant future.

CW: Where do companies need to go next?

I think next the question is what the effectiveness of these training programs is. It is one thing to have a program in place but another thing to know what the outcome of the training is.

Proctor and Gamble started their internal program as a couple of hours of Diversity training and now it is a three day long workshop. They saw that this brief look at creating positive spaces was merely lip service and a bigger investment was needed. We need to ask if these principals are being implemented in the workplace culture. We need to see that we are not just ‘talking the talk’. We need to know what the impact of this ‘flag waving’ has been. Or course at the end of the day these companies are here to make a profit. They need to see the return on investment of this training. The idea behind this is that when we feel we can bring our whole selves to work we are more productive and creative. So in the end we will need to assess whether or not this is actually happening.

Daniel Oliveira | About:
Daniel Oliveira was one of the five volunteers that organized the first Out on Bay Street conference and Career Fair in 2007 while he was at the Rotman School of Management. Daniel worked in management roles on two continents before going back to school to pursue a MBA, specializing in Marketing and Strategy. Daniel was recognized for his contributions to student life by being awarded the Gordon Cressy Student leadership Award in 2008.

Out on Bay Street | About:
The name Out on Bay Street highlights Toronto’s Bay Street as the symbolic focal point of business in Canada and how the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is working towards reshaping the way businesses operate in the marketplace by promoting change and openness.

It is organized by the students from various business schools in Toronto area. The Organizing Committee are supported by the founding members of the conference and several volunteer advisers from various backgrounds.

For more information, please visit: http://www.outonbayst.org

More conversations to come… next week Christine talks with David Grisim.

OUTtv is proud to present a special lineup of World AIDS Day programming, check-out the lineup!

The Ride: Seven Days to End AIDS
4pm ET/1pm PT – 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT

This reality documentary series follows the stories of a diverse group of cyclists taking part in the seven-day, 585-mile race AIDS/Lifecycle 4 annual race, as they struggle in the fight against HIV and AIDS. This enlightening series offers an in-depth look at some of this year’s participants, the reasons they’ve chosen to undertake this challenge, and the important and inspirational people in their lives who serve as their inspiration.

Travis McCoy’s Unbeaten Track
7pm ET / 4pm PT

This one-hour documentary follows Staying Alive Foundation Ambassador and frontman of alternative hip hop band Gym Class Heroes, Travis McCoy, as he visits Staying Alive Foundation grantees in South Africa, India and the Philippines. On his bold journey, Travis sees first hand the exceptional work that each grantee is doing in their own community in response to the HIV epidemic. Travis also uses this experience to draw inspiration for his own unique challenge; to write a brand new song based on his travels.

Stubblejumper
8pm ET / PT

In the fall of 1975, at the University of Saskatchewan, Doug Wilson placed an ad in the students’ newspaper, seeking to start a campus gay group. This seemingly benign action would serve as the catalyst for a dramatic unfolding of events, shaping the future of Wilson’s life, and also marked a turning point in the gay movement on the prairies and all over Canada. This imaginative biographical docudrama is a true tale of his activism and achievements, his poetry, performance, and politics, his love and his life.

Love! Valour! Compassion!
9pm ET / PT

Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory’s “significant other,” who is blind but who loves to explore the home’s garden using his sense of touch; Art and Perry, two “yuppies” who drive a Volvo and who celebrate their 14th anniversary together that summer; John, a dour expatriate Briton who loathes his twin brother James; Ramon, John’s “companion,” who is physically attracted to Bobby and immediately tries to seduce the blind man; James, a cheerful soul who is in the advanced stages of AIDS; and Buzz, a fan of traditional Broadway musicals who is dealing with his own HIV-positive status.

Check-out the full programming schedule HERE

World AIDS Day Events Listing – December 1st, 2009
Click on the event for more details:

AB, Edmonton – Annual AIDS Memorial and Candlelight Vigil

BC, Prince George – Positive Living North, Dinner and Candlelight Vigil
BC, Vancouver – National Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week 2009
BC, Vancouver – Dr. Peters Foundation, Voices of Hope, National World AIDS Day Concert
BC, Vancouver – Positive Women’s Network, World AIDS Day Condom Blitz

NS, Halifax – AIDS Vigil
NS, Sydney – Candlelight Vigil

ON, Mississauga – Peel HIV/AIDS Network Empowerment
ON, Ottawa – AIDS Committee of Ottawa
ON, Thunder Bay – AIDS Thunder Bay 2nd Annual World AIDS Day Breakfast
ON, Thunder Bay – Candle Light Vigil
ON, Toronto – 6th Annual World AIDS Day Breakfast
ON, Toronto – World AIDS Day Launch Party: Empower: Youth, Arts, and Activism
ON, Toronto – University of Toronto World AIDS Day 2009
ON, Toronto – HIV, Housing and Health
ON, Toronto – Community Carnation Memorial
ON, Toronto – Queen West Community Health Centre
ON, Toronto – Africa’s Children, Africa’s Future, Spotlight on Action
ON, Toronto – Voices of Hope National World AIDS Day Concert

QC, Gatineau – Bureau Regional Action Sida
QC, Gatineau – Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
QC, Montreal – Voices of Hope National World AIDS Day Concert

SK, Saskatoon – AIDS Saskatoon, AIDS Awareness Week Condom Blitz
SK, Saskatoon – Glimmers of Hope Cake Celebration
SK, Saskatoon – Presentation of the AIDS situation and Candle Light Vigil, St. Pauls United Church

Why I Support the LGBTQQ Community So Strongly
By: Autumn Alston (twitter: @glambert2038)

I am heterosexual. I am also a biracial female. I, therefore, am far from being oblivious to the reality of discrimination and oppression. At the National Equality March in DC, many chants were uttered; one of my favorites being, “gay, straight, black, white, same struggle, same fight.” That statement spoke volumes to me. While prejudice can conjure from the minds and souls of anyone and discrimination can manifest itself in a multitudinous amount of ways, if the feeling of second class citizenry encompasses our being, we are all in the same struggle; the struggle for equality.

It’s important to note that fashion can be a wonderful thing. The fashion Lady Gaga sings about; as in the kind Alexander McQueen so uniquely creates. Fashion, as in “that’s fashionable” or trendy, is NOT so cool all of the time. It seems to me, that often heterosexuals (mainly women) believe it to be cool to “support” the LGBT community. But by support, what does one mean? I do not “support” gay rights because my gay guy friends are fun to go clubbing with or because my lesbian friends always “got my back.” Many of these same people will say that they support gay marriage, for instance, but I am curious to indulge them even further. I have found that quite a lot of them say they “do not care” or “if someone wants to marry someone of the same sex, it’s not my business; whatever.” Well, that person surely isn’t homophobic, no, but that is not enough. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel says, “the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” I could rather easily sit idle on this planet, but that is substandard to the expectations I have bestowed upon my conscience.  For indifference never rendered freedom nor equality, and it never will.

There are many social pressures that could lead a heterosexual astray from the concerns of the queer community. But is not the scorn of a few closed-minded people worth the bliss that can come from knowing you helped a cause which goes beyond the direct benefit of ones’ self? I have no direct stake in fighting for the cause of the LGBTQQ community, however, when I recognize the often egregiously inhumane practices and laws that our country sanctions, I am enticed to keep on fighting; second glances or questioning from some, pails in comparison to the importance of justice. The straight community needs to be just as involved in LGBTQQ issues as LGBTQQ people themselves. We may have one obvious difference in that which is our lives, but it’s the love and yearning for equality that binds us together. If Russell Arthur Henderson and Aaron James McKinney carried with them move tolerance and love, instead of a distorted perception of the aberrant nature of LGBTQQ people in general, Matthew Shepard might still be alive with us today; his shine replacing the despair of the water droplets that must fall, each night, on the pillow of a mother in unnecessary mourning. We can help out communities for which we are not a part. That represents true will for correcting society’s wrongs. Was not the stance for righteousness taken by the white civil rights leaders granted glorious in the moral tablet of history?

I am absolutely NO Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I too have a dream; where our LGBTQQ brethren can live freely and experience the overarching value of love on which our country is supposed to depend. I do not feel like my support for these issues is a “waste of time”; I do not care if I am “gay by association.” The ongoing struggle for a nation devoid of discrimination and hatred is a tedious road to walk, but the weathered shoes from an activist’ foot is more valuable than the Devil’s Prada. In closing, I want to say that I love the queer community and I am proud to call you all my brothers and sisters. As long as inequality and prejudice persist in our society, we will always be plagued by hypocrisy. We must replace hate with love, neglect being odious and become benignant, and only in these humble wishes, can equality and justice prevail. Until this dream becomes reality, I will not rest.

OUTtv is proud to sponsor this year’s Reel Pride Film Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba starting today, October 13th to 17th.

The Reel Pride Film Festival is celebrating it’s 16th year as a LGBT film festival, produced by the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Film Society, the festival will bring over 20 films including a juried short film competition which kicks off this year’s festivities.

Famed director, Ron Oliver, will be in attendance for Reel Pride 2009.  The director of On the Other Hand, Death and Ice Blues will be available for a question and answer session after the film screenings.

Ice Blues will premiere on Tuesday, October 13th and On the Other Hand, Death on Thursday, October 15th.  For full schedule information CLICK HERE or DOWNLOAD the program.

+ Join Reel Pride Film Festival Facebook group
+ Follow Reel Pride Film Festival on twitter

Show us your Pride and VOTE for this year’s top video and photo!

After hundreds of videos and photos were submitted for this year’s Show Us Your Pride contest sponsored by VIA Rail Canada, only five finalists in each category were selected for the chance to win the grand prize.

The five video finalists are:

Gay Pride 2 by Brian Long
Steve’s “Show my Pride” by Steve St Jean
Port Alberni Pride Ride by GayFilms
Cali Pride… by Adam Rollins
Sexy Bitch by MollywoodToronto

The five photo finalists are:

Other half of my rainbow by Amy Godin
Relaxing by Amy Godin
Untitled by Ima Ortega
Untitled by Cindy Miller
AIDS Awareness, Ottawa by Kevin Gurr

Check out all of the finalists and vote for your favorite video and photo now, simply visit http://www.outtv.ca/pridecontest.php and click on the entry you like best!  Voting ends November 30th 2009.

HAVE FUN!!!

PS: share this w/ ur friends ))

Howl-o boils and ghouls! Chris & John here with our VERY first OUTtv blog and we couldn’t be more spook-cited.  In case you couldn’t tell, we’re very horror-pun-happy these days. Why, you ask? Well because we’re about to launch a brand new series this month on OUTtv, “Chris & John’s Halloween Superstar!”

What’s the dill with Halloween Superstar? It’s a 4 part reality competition series airing every Friday, starting next week, October 9^th, at 8:30 EST. Six uber-fans of Halloween from across North America compete in a series of grueling challenges designed to test their love of the ‘gay holy holiday’. The series was shot in Salem, Massachusetts, home of the infamous 1692 Witch Trials, and current Halloween capital of the world. *Channels Tyra* At stake for the winner, a featured article in Fangoria Magazine, a horror hosting gig on OUTtv, the contents of a mystery box and, of course, the title of Chris & John’s Halloween Superstar!

JUST LAUNCHED is the HalloweenSuperstar.com website, which we suggest y’all check out for FANGtastic features, including exclusive videos, up-to-the-minute news and everything you need to know about the series. HalloweenSuperstar.com

Are we excited for the launch? DOES A CHICKEN HAVE A PECKER? Halloween is gay Christmas, so you can only imagine how much fun we’re having with this new series. So much more to come, we’ll pop in to say “boo!” shortly with another OUTtv blog to keep y’all in the loop!

FOLLOW Halloween Superstar on Facebook HERE

AND JOIN our OUTtv Socialize Group HERE

SinFEARly,

Chris & John
Ghost-hosts with the most

Countdown to Halloween with Chris & John! Share the widget!

OUTtv is proud to announce the inclusion of The Shaun Proulx Show to it’s lineup.  As the star of the acclaimed Shaun Proulx Show on Proud FM, Shaun makes the afternoon drive shine.

Starting Thursday October 1st, at 7:30 pm ET/PT OUTtv brings Shaun and his radio world to the Network, and we can’t wait.  Featuring all the juicy details on todays hottest stars including blockbuster interviews with Liza Minelli, Lynda Carter, and Vanessa Williams, shockers like the interviews with both Tori and Candi Spelling and everything Top Model with Canada’s voice of fashion Jeanne Beker.

The show also features weekly viewer polls, Shaun’s bitting personality in his weekly rant and torridly candid behind the scenes point of views with Shaun and his partner in comedy crime Mark Wigmore.

Read the Xtra article on The Shaun Proulx Show

Join the Shaun Proulx Show Facebook Fanpage

Join the Shaun Proulx Show Community Group

Follow the Shaun Proulx Show on Twitter

Socialize@OUTtv, the first gay and lesbian television network social networking site, is a new online community created for the community to share what we’re proud of online!  Every week OUTtv will highlight the top videos and pics.

Check out some of this week’s talent:

Capital of Canada’s PRIDE PARADE 2009
posted by William D. Dupuis Kennedy, Ottawa, ON

Ottawa, the National Capital of Canada had it’s most colourful parade. The Rainbow flowed passed the National Library of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada…

Watch the video:

Check out more of William’s videos and pics HERE

Protest Against Homophobia Lithuania
posted by Darius, Warszawa, Poland

Protest Against Homophobia Lithuania.

Watch the video:

Check out more of Darius’ videos HERE

Join the Socialize@OUTtv community and see MORE videos and pics from this year’s Pride across Canada.

Socialize@OUTtv, the first gay and lesbian television network social networking site, is a new online community created for the community to share what we’re proud of online!  Every week OUTtv will highlight the top videos and pics.

Check out some of this week’s talent:

Ottawa Pride
posted by Amy Godin, Ottawa, ON

Relaxing (L) – View the pic
Other Half of my Rainbow (R) – View the pic

Check out more of Amy’s pics HERE

Ottawa Pride Bikers
posted by Perry Voulgaris, Toronto, ON

Ottawa Pride Bikers. View the pic

Check out more of Perry’s pics HERE

Join the Socialize@OUTtv community and see MORE videos and pics from this year’s Pride across Canada.

Attendance was down at this past weekend’s annual gathering of The National Gay and Lesbian Journalist’s Association in Montreal, but morale was up. Full story at xtra.ca.

British Columbians are among the world’s most tolerant and accepting people based on a recent survey conducted by Angus Reid online and commissioned by Global TV.

BC and Ontario residents ranked highest among Canadians in the study:

Survey was conducted in August 2009 and online respondents were divided by age, gender and region – 1,006 Canadians, 1,002 Americans and 2,001 Britons.

Youth aged 18 to 34 – in all three countries were more accepting of same sex marriages than any other groups in the poll.

73% of Canadians, aged 18 to 34, said same-sex couples should continue to be allowed to legally marry.

55% of Canadians, aged 55 and older, favoured continuing the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Women were much more likely to approve of gay marriage.

Read more of the Angus Reid study HERE

Find more videos like this on OUTtv Socialize