On August 20th, Out Impact presents Coming Out Together, a special estate planning seminar for the gay community at Riverboat Landing (2 Market St.) featuring special guests from the financial and law communities free of charge. Special guests include Mitzi Kincaid of Kincaid and Associates, L.L.C.; Katie Medina, CSNA, Kopka & Medina Group, Merrill Lynch; Megan Kopka, CSNA, Kopka & Medina Group, Merrill Lynch; and Chip McLeod, CFP, CRPC of Merrill Lynch. Mitzi spoke with us recently giving us a preview of what gay men and women, singles and couples, should look for when planning their future legally and financially together.

Out Impact presents Coming Out Together: Estate Planning For The Gay Community on August 20th, a free event, in Wilmington, NC. RSVP required.

GAYFEST NYC has been organized to produce exceptional new theatre works by and for the LGBT community and to develop the selected plays, over an extended period of time, into viable entities for theatres and producing organizations around the world. The year-round work culminates in a three-week Festival, this year scheduled for May 27 – June 14, 2009, features major new plays by gay authors or that spotlight gay-friendly subject matter.

At last tonight’s Academy Awards, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for Milk, the story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. Black — who was wearing a White Knot for marriage equality — spoke about how Milk inspired him:

BLACK: When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas, to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life; it gave me the hope that one day I could live my life openly as who I am and that maybe even I could fall in love and one day get married. […]

Most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he’d want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by their churches, or by the government, or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value. And that no matter what everyone tells you, God does love you, and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.

Black’s speech was greeted by loud applause and was extremely inspiring for those of us in the gay community. Sean Penn also won Best Actor for Milk, and gave a great speech as well but nothing was more eloquent and on point for all of us fighting than Dustin’s speech. Thank you sir. Watch it, and thank you to Think Progress for posting the video and speech:

On Saturday, February 21st, at 8P EST, our dear friend and Out Impact supporter Sirius OutQ’s and out comedian, Keith Price’s Ebony Chunky Love: Bitch can’t get a date! debuts on LOGO! We have reviewed Ebony Chunky Love, and we highly endorse this film. We aren’t the only one with mad love for Ebony Chunky Love, they have been getting a lot of festival coverage, including San Diego’s Black Film Festival recently awarded Ebony Chunky Love the best LGBT film this year.

Keith is the first out and African-American satellite radio personality, and in Ebony Chunky Love recounts his experiences growing up in Texas and his current dating life in New York. This candid documentary produced by our good friend and Out Impact supporter, Lonnie Tristan Renteria, combines Keith’s stand-up act along with interviews to offer a funny and intelligent commentary on issues of family dynamics, class, race, and body image in the gay community.

Out Impact, a gay online magazine focusing on making a positive impact within the gay community, in our second 2009 event in conjunction with The Soapbox (http://www.thesoapboxlive.com), will be celebrating good times for a good cause in a fundraising event for Equality NC at The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC on March 6th, 2009 from 9 p. m. to 1 a. m. Out Impact’s hotel sponsor for this special celebration is the Red Roof Inn, with other sponsorship levels currently available.

Need some realistic motivation in your romantic life? Feeling like there’s no hope? Don’t miss our fun, fabulous (and well, hot) friends at GirlieGirl Army’s dating tips into getting your groove on.

And if this doesn’t get the point across ladies, I don’t know what will!….these are fun!

Are you perfectly content and looking to tie the knot/make the commitment official and want to do it the eco-friendly way without busting your wallet?

Other fun and socially responsible things to do……

Support Dogs Deserve Better and check out their Valentine’s Day promotions and spot-on products that help support their work! Have a heart for those that are chained – it’s not cool!

And for the gentlemen- remember this yummy guy, from MTV’s The Grind?

Finally, if you find yourself in NYC for Valentine’s Day (or anytime really) – check out our friends at Tres Belle to get your pampered glow on – men and women, they love you and want to treat you right! Tres Belle loves the gay community – tell them Out Impact sent you!

Queer On Their Feet, a outstanding comedy showcase featuring out comics Jennie McNulty, Jason Dudey and Diane Yanez, who have all been featured nationally on LOGO, are coming to North Carolina, starting on February 19th in Asheville, and concluding their North Carolina part of the tour in the Port City on February 22nd. Queer On Their Feet is refreshing and hilarious, that has each comic doing about 15 minutes of fabulous stand up, with a followup by all three comics together playing improv games onstage with suggestions from the audience. Every show is unique, fun, and totally hysterical. The Wilmington show is a fundraiser for the Frank Harr Memorial Fund at 6:00 PM at St. Jude’s MCC for $15.00.

We recently had a chance to have a fun and frisky roundtable chat with these three fabulous comedians about their upcoming visit:

BW: What does it mean for you to be apart of this tour, Queer On Their Feet?

Jenny McNulty: As someone who’s been touring for years doing comedy by myself, it’s really fun to be part of an ensemble and I LOVE doing the improv as well as the stand up so the tour is really, really, fun.

Jason Dudey: It’s awesome. Jennie came up with this idea a couple of years ago and it incorporates all that I love about comedy. We each get to do some stand up in the beginning and then we do the improv. The improv is fantastic, it brings the whole audience together. Everyone participates and no one knows what’s going to happen. I love bringing a new, different, exciting night out to the gay community. It really provides something different that just heading to the bars. We go there after the shows.

Diane Yanez: It’s a big deal to me to be with this group and on this tour. This is my art and to be in such good company is a bonus triumph. Taking it to the people – I treasure meeting our queer brothers & sisters across the U.S. but I also enjoy meeting our brothers & sisters that are not queer. On the road – & inevitably in our audiences – we always end up meeting a lot of our straight family. I’m a big believer that change is going to happen faster the more people get to know us. And by us I mean the whole GLBT disco ball. Every shiny facet. Everybody laughs, everybody loves, everybody wins.

A brief clip from the DVD, Dr. Martin Luther King: The Dream Lives for GLBT Community, available through Amazon.com, clip courtesy of GLBT.TV.

Gay men and lesbians in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, discuss the impact Dr. Martin Luther King has had on their lives, as Black/African American and Gay community leaders, educators, artists, health professionals and activists.

Out Impact is one of the leading growing gay omnimedia companies on the Internet and a leading destination for LGBTQ news, activism, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, animal advocacy, and more through our gay online magazine, our free online newsletter (with exclusive content and giveaways) and our video brand, OutImpact.TV. A hybrid of our two loves, gay media and activism, Out Impact creates original content with a candid, informative and honest voice that is attracting both gay men and women and their allies seeking authenticity, while supporting non-profits.