Actress and activist Ashley Judd (Twitter, Facebook) introduced the panel “‘No Such Thing’: Trafficking of Girls in the United States” for the 2nd annual  “Women In The World” summit (Twitter, Facebook) this weekend in New York City, with a heart wrenching personal anecdote about a young woman who was forced into prostitution in Atlanta that she knew.

On March 10th-12th, The Daily Beast and Newsweek brought together some of the most influential women in the world for a 3-day power-packed summit for stories and solutions. They captured the imagination & commitment of women from diverse countries & cultures, with the focus on key global issues and to prescribe practical courses of action. The focal point of the summit was investing in women & girls to foster global, lasting change.

Related articles:

• Call and Response: Answer The Call (OutImpact.com)
• Final Push: Get Georgia Anti-Trafficking Bill Through the Senate! (news.change.org)
• Sex trafficking targets children in Washington (rt.com)

The post Ashley Judd: Children Are Not for Sex, Trafficking of Girls In the United States appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

(video credit: PBS NewsHour)

“Out of many, one. One thing that we have learned from this great tragedy is that we came together. On Saturday we all became Tusconians, on Saturday we all became Arizonans, and above all, we all became Americans,” 20-year-old University of Arizona student, Daniel Hernandez told 14,000 people at the University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center during tonight’s Memorial Service.  Hernandez has served as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ intern and has been credited for saving Giffords’ life during the Tucson shooting rampage on January 8th.  Hernandez provided first aid care to Giffords until emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene. “We have all come together to realize that what defines us is not the differences, it is that we are all together, we are all a family, we are all Americans.”

Hernandez talked about “glimmers of hope” and who he feels are the real heroes.  He humbly rejected the word “hero” when it came to his own actions, and put over in gratitude and attention to the victims we lost during the shooting, the first responders, and the medical team who were treating those who are injured from the tragedy.  He also said that those in direct care, those in public service, first responders and those who have dedicated their lives to public service and taking care of others should be the ones celebrated and honored for their daily actions.

Hernandez is also an activist in the gay community and is also a  member of the City of Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.  Congresswoman Giffords is a member of the Congressional LGBT Caucus and has supported the repeal of DADT.

The post Congresswoman Giffords’ Intern Daniel Hernandez Addresses Tucson Memorial Service appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

Actress and activist Ashley Judd has submitted a compelling essay to The Huffington Post, “Costs of Convenience”,  excerpted from a trip diary from her travels to eastern Congo with John Prendergast, Co-founder of the Enough Project (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) at the Center for American Progress, to raise awareness of how the global trade in conflict minerals fuels rape and sexual violence as a war weapon. For more information on the campaign against conflict minerals, visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org (Facebook).

Judd has a strong commitment to women’s health, and issues such as poverty and exploitation of women, and HIV/AIDS, and her experiences working with Population Services International (PSI) (Facebook) are issues close to her heart.  Judd was also recently featured on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, in a interview by Michelle Miller, “Ashley Judd Lends a Helping Hand”, seen above, stresses the importance of Judd’s long-standing commitment to activism and humanitarian issues, as a legacy above her incredible talent as an actress.

The post Ashley Judd: Her Acting Will Never Be More Important Than Her Activism appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter, fierce animal lover, and long-time activist, Mary Chapin Carpenter‘s (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace)  new album, The Age of Miracles, is a testament that she has indeed traveled so far, as her first song,”We Traveled So Far,” says.  Mary Chapin Carpenter is also a long-time activist, she has been a dedicated supporter of organizations including Noah’s Wish, Campaign for a Landmine-Free World, Artists Against Hunger and Poverty,  and other organizations.

In 2007, Mary Chapin suffered and survived a pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening artery blockage in the lung, and The Age of Miracles can be viewed as an acknowledgement of her resilience, determination and grace.

“Certainly a large part of it was almost like a narrative of coming out of that experience,” she said in an interview with Caitlin King of the Associated Press.

Released to both critical and commercial acclaim, The Age of Miracles debuted at #28 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Folk chart.  The album cover art is a gorgeous portrait by Laszlo Kubinyi.  Featured guests on her latest release include Vince Gill on “I Put My Ring Back On” and Alison Krauss on “I Was a Bird.”  Mary Chapin is hitting the road again for the first time in three years this summer.

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s music is so poetic, pure and graceful, with her charm and storytelling evident throughout.  “Zephyr” is my favorite track with lyrics: “I tried to be  constant just like a star / I tried to be steady and yar / But the storms keep breaking over my head / I’m aching for blue skies instead”. A good ole-fashioned country song in “I Put My Ring Back On” about giving a relationship another go.  “Holding Up The Sky” poetically and tenderly expresses her experience battling her health concerns, and feeling helplessness, scared and wanting to be free from pain.

In  a recent interview with theboot.com, Mary says “4 June 1989″ was inspired from the protests of Tiananmen Square and came from her reading Chen Guang’s story in the New York Times.  Mary Chapin is considered a vicarious reader, “Mrs. Hemingway” was also inspired after she read, A Movable Feast, and studying Hadley Richardson Hemingway, who was married to author Ernest Hemingway.

The somber “I Have A Need For Solitude” is self-explanatory and falls into the reflective mood of the album.  “What You Look For” is full of optimism, a sense of universal, open-ended spirituality of hope, and one of the best songs on The Age of Miracles with the lyrics, “Send it out into the Universe / A humble plea, a wish, a broken verse / Be a seed that lands inside the cracks / Seek the sun and it shines back.”

And if any album should define the brilliance, consistency and artistry of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s work, this should be one of those albums.  Mary Chapin Carpenter has such a gift for leaving you contemplating life and remembering her music.  The Age of Miracles places the importance of staying committed to living life to the fullest, in-between the sunset and the dawn.

The post Mary Chapin Carpenter – The Age of Miracles appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

The fifth season of Frameline at the Center continues with Frameline33 favorite Diagnosing Difference.

What does it feel like to have your very being defined as a medical category? This groundbreaking film is the first to explore the impact of the Gender Identity Disorder (GID) diagnosis on people who identify on the trans spectrum in their own words and images.

Bypassing old-school Standards of Care for transexualism and confronting the GID mental health categorization, Diagnosing Difference lets us hear from real experts, like elder diva Miss Major who served as a trans activist helping folks in the ’60s, and San Francisco’s own Cecelia Chung contradicting “medicalization” with examples of positive trans identity in other cultures. Plus the down-to-earthiness of activist treasure Adela Vazquez and the punk rock directness of Shawna Virago, rejecting gender transition merely to become “a gender-normative person like a Stepford wife or a tv sitcom dad.”

Diagnosing Difference humanizes the debate around the GID diagnosis by valuing personal experience as a vital (and often ignored) form of expertise. Rather than trying to create an exhaustive examination of the diagnosis or offer claims of universal representation, Diagnosing Difference is purposefully personal, seeking to expand the experience of the audience, provoke thought, and create as many questions as it answers.
Co-presented by El/la Program Para Trans-Latinas, Fresh Meat Productions, TGI Justice Project, Tranny Fest, and TRANS:THRIVE.

Kindly arrive early as seating is limited. Don’t miss this FREE screening of this powerful film! Q&A with filmmaker and subjects to follow screening.

Location:  145 Ninth Street, #300 San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel: 415-703-8650
Fax: 415-861-1404

For more information:  Frameline

The post FREE Screening – August 13th – “Diagnosing Difference” – Exploring the impact of GID appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

(Sonia performing live,  I Miss You” @ Woozyfly)

We discovered this beautiful Brooklyn (and vegan) songstress, Sonia Montez, thanks to our friends at Girlie Girl Army.  Her new album, Of Tears and Honey, is organic and acoustic, part jazz and part folk-pop, a complete effort of love and passion, and undoubtedly a album expressing a collage of experiences.

“Little Jealousy” expresses a need to not let life pass you by, instead of misery dominating your life for years to come as you get over someone.  “Red Moon” is heavy and sweet as red wine and could easily be done with a strong country influence (for instance, we love the strength of violins) or straight out pop-filled jazz.

“Secret” featuring Kiernan McMullan is a sweet love song, and a even more gorgeous duet between the two.  They could easily do a entire record together and it wouldn’t be overkill.  “No Regrets” showcases Montez’s strength as a natural jazz artist, with the smooth poetry of her lyrics.

“I Miss You,” a song that I connect to the deepest, is a fiery declaration of distance between two becoming a reality and what it will all mean to the relationship. “Heart Symphony” is the lack track on Of Tears and Honey, a acoustic-pop, peaceful, reflection-based atmospheric track that is a audio painting of beauty, love, stars and emotion.

We have nothing but love for this socially-conscious, talented artist, and we believe she’s one of the best undiscovered, real talents we’ve heard this year!  Check her out on MySpace, and Facebook!

The post Sonia Montez – Of Tears and Honey appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

Eliza Gilkyson

Beautiful World

Official Site:  http://www.elizagilkyson.com

Released:  May 27, 2008 on Red House Records

["Great Correction" live via YouTube's minorw]

Grammy-nominated songwriter Eliza Gilkyson’s Beautiful World is a celebration of beauty that shines amidst the darkest of days with a mixing bowl of Americana, rock, jazz and folk stylings.  Optimistic throughout the album, Gilkyson was inspired to create this album from a monthly gathering she posted in 2007 with University of Texas professor/activist Robert Jensen and Presbyterian minister Jim Rigby called “Last Sunday.”  Held at various venues around Austin, these community forums covered topics such as politics, art, spirituality and the environment.  “Great Correction” was written as a way for Gilkyson “to consult myself as I grieve the devastation of the human and natural world.”  This is one of the best written songs on the album and something Gilkyson should be remembered by, with lyrics such as:
“down on the corner of ruin and grace
I’m growin weary of the human race
hold my lamp up in everyone’s face
lookin for an honest man.”

This song spurred a whole cycle of songs about persevering and hope for a more beautiful world.

“Emerald Street” kicks off the album, with a optimistic radio ready jazz/pop love song that instantly reminds me of Sheryl Crow.  “Wildewood Spring” has a country, easygoing styling mixed in with poetry fused lyrics, with my favorite phrasing of “urban survivors.”

“The Party’s Over” is a nice touch, remembering a previous’ night’s good times, while “Clever Disguise” gives us the great line: “I’m just a roadside flower draped in a fancy dress.”The “don’t hate and don’t pass judgment song” in a country music tempo is “Dream Lover” about being a porno star pretty much caught me by surprise. I wonder if that will make country radio? That would be interesting!

“He Waits For Me” didn’t really do much for me because I felt it didn’t fit the message of the album as much as the other songs did.  “Runaway Train” was good but I would want it to be more bluesy in the future and more gritty for a greater musical impact.

“Beautiful World” is like a gorgeous audio soundscape (be prepared it’s over six minutes long and more of a relax-track) and would be appropriate for a movie or TV series background that wanted to focus on the beauty of the universe….as far as track order, this should have been at the conclusion of the album.

“Rare Bird” reminds me of a Sheryl Crow meets Beatles/John Lennon type song, and I absolutely love the message and jazz styling of “Unsustainable” – if I were to release any song to radio, it’s this one.  Great mixing album by Gilkyson, I love how she tries different musical approaches with her talented songwriting and there’s no doubt that she’s eccentric and versatile with the talent to back it up.

The post Eliza Gilkyson – Beautiful World appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

A special thank you to my dedicated staff:

-Sean Oakley

-Shannon Smith

-Lynn Casper

-Chardon Moore

-Michael Weaver, Jr.

-Missy Rhodes

Our regular contributing writers:

-  Kimberly Wilson

- Arthur D. Wright

-  Dr. Patrick Mahaney

- Darlene Arden

- Christi Preddy

- Karl Hampe

- Raven Usher

-  Jarko De Witte van Leeuwen

With special thanks to our extended family at SoulGarden.TV, The V Radio, Tristan Renteria, Kim Dicso, and Sirius OutQ’s OutQ In The Morning.  We love you, we support you and are grateful for all the encouragement you’ve given us in our year and counting.

Sincerely,
Bambi Weavil

CEO/Publisher of Out Impact, Inc.

OutImpact.com – Making a positive impact in the gay community.  Make yours.

The post Thank you from all of us at Out Impact appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

The post Wake UP! Prop 8 – Equality Will Come, but Not Without Action appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.

[photo credit: Ron Jaffe for VH1]

We recently sat down to talk with outspoken comedienne Margaret Cho, star of her new reality show on VH1 called The Cho Show.  Cho, always an activist for our gay community, discusses why marriage equality is important to her, the crisis involving Governor Sarah Palin and more:

Bambi Weavil:  How would you describe The Cho Show to people new to you and your work?

Margaret Cho:  Well it’s a comedy show, it’s basically a sitcom starring real people.  It’s really exciting and innovative, it’s a new kind of television show with a new, very multicultural, very queer family and I’m very proud of it.

BW: How did you meet your assistant Selene and The Glam Squad?

MC:  I met Selene and I’ve known her for many years as a frequent collaborator, artistically we do a lot of different stuff together.  She and I dance together, and I brought her in on my big dance show last year off Broadway, and I’ve made films with her…   She’s somebody I’ve worked with for a long time, and in-between all that she’s been my assistant too.  So she’s very helpful, and The Glam Squad are all guys that I’ve worked with.  They are really, really funny, and I’m excited to have them all a part of this family.

[photo credit:  VH1]

BW:  How did your parents support you doing the show?  Are they supportive?

MC:  They were really excited, they just didn’t know how to deal with it at first.  They were kind of scared and didn’t know what it was all about.  Now they love it, and are totally excited…  They were so excited to help me, that’s also a part of Asian culture is that your parents want to help you with your business no matter what it is.  Whether it’s a liquor store or a comedy show, my parents were really excited at the opportunity to finally be a part of my work because they have never been able to before.

BW:  With the Off The Grid episode on The Cho Show, (laughs) many of your lesbian fans can give you some tips on that.  Are you going to go off the grid again?

MC:  I think so, I think we need to try it again.  We need some lesbians to come with us because they are the best at camping.

BW:  I love the issues you tackle on your show — self-acceptance and realizing your beauty in this hyper-critical society.  What can viewers expect to see in upcoming episodes?

MC:  There is going to be a whole new episode about plastic surgery that’s coming up, and that’s pretty intense.  We talk to some beauty icons like Kat Von D, and Joan Rivers, so that’s a really good one coming up.  There’s also another one where I believe my vagina is haunted.  That’s my favorite one, and that will be out in a few weeks.  This week I do a hit single, and make my big recording debut, and I make a porn to promote it.  So basically a sex tape and we do it in the vain of two girls, one cup, that’s me and Selene.

BW:  (laughs)

MC: It’s pretty outrageous.  It gets more outrageous as time goes by.

BW:  Does VH1 give you any guidelines that you can’t break?  Or are they good about it?

MC:  They are very, very supportive.  They really are amazing, they let us do pretty much whatever we want, which is pretty outrageous.  I’m very happy that we landed there because they are really good to us.

BW: And they are cross promoting it on Logo, correct?

MC:  Yes.

BW:  Very good.  I know you are supportive of the gay community and I want to thank you for being so outspoken and true to who you are — you have been an advocate for gay rights and marriage.  Now you have been deputized to perform marriages in San Francisco.  Have you been asked to marry any gay couples thus far?

MC:  I’ve married one gay male couple and one lesbian couple, and I plan to do quite a few more.  It’s very tense right now in California because we are trying to keep this right, we’re trying to make sure we keep it and we’re going to make sure it stays and we’re voting on it in November.  It’s pretty scary because even organizations outside of California, they are so homophobic and anti-gay, something like the Knights of Columbus who are not even in California, they are outside of California, donated $1 million dollars to support organizations who are trying to get gay marriage banned.  It’s become such an important issue for people who don’t live in this state, and I don’t understand where they get off thinking they can do that.  It’s so disgusting, people are so hateful.  I have a lot of fear around what’s going on politically in our country, especially with this whole Sarah Palin thing.  She’s so incredibly anti-gay, she’s fully in support of sending gay people to re-education camps in order to make them heterosexual which is disgusting to me.  I think she is the worst thing to happen to women and to gays forever.  It’s very frightening.

BW:  I was going to ask you about Governor Palin because of the news breaking about “pray the gay away” that her church is involved in.  Do you believe she’s going to face the same criticism that Obama received regarding Reverend Wright?

MC:  She’s got to, she’s got to be held accountable for these real abusive agendas of human rights that she’s trying to promote and support.  What she’s trying to do is send us back to the Stone Age when it comes to human rights and democracy.  It’s a really grave situation and a real problem to hear somebody who is likely to become president because McCain is so old, you know he is going to be senile soon like he’s in a Prison Camp again, and she’s going to end up being President and then we’ll be screwed.

BW:  You don’t think Obama can overturn the odds? He’s really popular right now…

MC: I want to, I want to.  I attended the Democratic National Convention, I watched it all and I was so optimistic and excited about the country and about Obama and thrilled and now I’m scared.  And now all of this Palin Mania has got me really terrified and I’m afraid of the Evangelicals in this country because they are so misguided.  They don’t even read the Bible correctly, they don’t even know what’s in the Scriptures.  They don’t have any understanding of what is Christianity, they don’t really know it’s their own view of what it is, it’s their own interpretation and that makes them just as bad, if not worse, then any kind of terrorist group any kind of fundamentalist terrorist group, they are a danger to our country.

BW:  What was your experience like at the DNC?

MC:  It was great, it was fulfilling and so tremendously exciting.  It was the youngest convention I’ve ever seen and that was tremendously exciting and people were so excited that they were going to get their country back.  And that’s all that they wanted, so I was hanging out with the HRC, and we all watched the Hillary speech together and was there with Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright, and it was so profoundly exciting.  It was the biggest party and I was so thrilled to be a part of it.  I’m just concerned that human rights will not win over bigotry, it’s scary.

BW:  Do you think the gay community is becoming more apathetic, do you think it’s going to be so demoralizing that we aren’t going to be fighting as much?

MC:  I think the gay community is going to be a major player in what happens in November. We are going to be a deciding factor, because they are using us to get people to vote against gay marriage, we have to mobilize and make sure we stand behind Barack Obama and we stand behind this new president and this new idea, and it’s vitality important that everyone get involved and I think that’s happening so that’s good.

BW:  What are some of the non-profits you are currently working with?

MC:  I am working with Equality California, that is a major, major thing for me. I want to make sure we keep gay marriage in California, that is a huge, huge thing for everybody that I know and for myself as well.

BW:  What are ways that people can support Equality California?

MC:  They can log onto equalitycalifornia.org and they can also look into marriage equality in their state.  It’s not something that is happening just in California but all over the country.

BW:  Do you plan to write any more books anytime soon?

MC:  I’m starting to think about doing that soon, right now I’m focusing on television.  I’m involved with a new television show called Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime next year so it’s a drama/comedy next year so that’s different and really cool.  So lots of things happening.

BW:  I know you are on a new tour called Beautiful, what can fans expect from this tour?

MC:  It’s very funny, very raunchy, very crazy and very raw.  Very exciting.

BW:  Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

MC:  I hope people come to the shows, and [The Cho Show] is my favorite show to date.  I’m very proud of it.

BW:  Thank you Margaret for your time!  For more information on Margaret Cho, her Beautiful tour and The Cho Show, check out margaretcho.com and The Cho Show on VH1 every Thursday at 11p.

* * *
Out Impact is your gay online magazine for gay men and women in the LGBTQ community and our allies, encouraging readers to create a positive impact in the gay community. Our content focuses on activism/philanthropy; expert advice for your professional life; pet care by leading experts; a yoga/wellness column in health, spirituality and wellness; as well as columns in food, comics, fashion, an expert travel specialist; engaging features in the arts and more. We have movie, music and book reviews, as well as the latest interviews. Out Impact also produces events benefiting various non-profits around the country, as well as comprehensive media campaigns to raise awareness for various philanthropic causes while bridging the non-profit, activism, artistic and gay communities. OutImpact.com – Making a positive impact in the gay community. Make yours.

To subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest at Out Impact, as well as exclusive content and giveaways please visit: http://www.outimpact.com/out-impact-newsletter/

The post Margaret Cho Discusses The Cho Show, Equality and Palin Mania appeared first on Gay Online Magazine | Out Impact.