Nathan OUTloud #15: Getting all Political & Serious with Kathy Young

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:26 — 25.8MB)

Special Guest Kathy Young of Thoughts from a Lezzymom fame, joins me to discuss Marriage Equality, the state of Arizona politics and the upcoming election, as well as a few other topics. Not only is Kathy an excellent blogger, but she also has her finger on the pulse of politics in Arizona, and nationally, as she is the Political Co-Chair for the Human Rights Campaign Arizona Steering Committee.

Episode 14: Gay Wine Weekend 2012

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:44 — 20.3MB)

The organizers of the Gay Wine Weekend, in Sonoma, California. Mark Vogler and Gary Saperstein join me to discuss wine, wine country and and being Out in the Vineyard. Mark and Gary have really out done themselves this year and it is only the second year for Gay Wine Weekend! Listen as they take you through all of the events of this incredible 3-day event. We also talk about the amazing wines we are drinking during the show from, Imagery Estate Wines, Benziger and Penfolds, all sponsors of Gay Wine Weekend.

Gay Wine Weekend kicks off Friday, June 15th, with a VIP Reception at the host hotel, El Dorado Hotel. Following the reception, there are three different winemakers dinners - two of which are already sold out.

The events continue on Saturday, with three different wine tours to choose from. Followed by the premier event of the weekend - The Twilight T-Dance at Atwood Ranch, under the stars and "Out in the Vineyard". Followed by "Apres-T" After Party at El Dorado Hotel.

The weekend wraps up on Sunday morning with the Big Gay Wine Auction and Recovery Brunch at  Ramekins's Culinary School & Inn, located just blocks from the town square of Sonoma. This will benefit Face to Face, Sonoma County AIDS Network.

For more details on Out's in the Vineyard's Gay Wine Weekend, visit www.outinthevineyard.com.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at comments@nathanoutloud.com. You can also call the Nathan OUTloud comment line at (209) 202-3688 (209.20.BeOUT)

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT | Be OUT | Live OUTloud™

Episode 13: Out in the Vineyard | 2011 Gay Wine Weekend

Click here to download Episode 13 on iTunes. Don't forget to subscribe!

In conjunction with WinePHX.com, a newly created wine blog, I continue my series and in episode 13, you hear my interview with the organizers of the very first Gay Wine Weekend, in Sonoma, California. Mark Vogler and Gary Saperstein are the founders of Out in the Vineyard and have put together a line-up of events, special guests and host wineries, that cannot be missed.

Gay Wine Weekend kicks off Friday, June 17th, with a VIP Reception at the host hotel, MacAurther Place and is open to all VIP All-Access ticket holders. Following the reception, Gay Comedy Night will be held at the Sonoma Community Center. All proceeds benefit the Sonoma Community Center.

The events continue on Saturday, with the premier event of the weekend - The Twilight T-Dance. A benefit for Face to Face, Sonoma County AIDS Network - this event will feature over a dozen participating wineries, under the stars and Out in the Vineyard at Atwood Ranch.

The weekend wraps up on Sunday morning with the Big Gay Brunch and Wine Auction. This event is also for VIP All-Access ticketholders and will also benefit Face to Face, Sonoma County AIDS Network.

For more details on Out's in the Vineyard's very first Gay Wine Weekend, visit www.outinthevineyard.com and don't forget to follow my new blog at www.WinePHX.com

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at comments@nathanoutloud.com. You can also call the Nathan OUTloud comment line at (209) 202-3688 (209.20.BeOUT)

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT | Be OUT | Live OUTloud™

Episode 11: Jane Wishon of Restore Equality 2010, Jay Arseno, LGBT Issues Update

Click here to download Episode 11 on iTunes. Don't forget to subscribe!

In episode 11 of Nathan Outloud you will hear my conversation with straight ally and marriage equality activist Jane Wishon. You will also hear a song by Jay Arseno from his recently released album “From the Ashes”. I will also provide an update on recent developments within the LGBT community.

I had the opportunity to speak with Jane Wishon is a member of Restore Equality 2010 Interim Administrative Group. The Restore Equality 2010 campaign is working to repeal the anti-marriage equality proposition 8 in California in 2008. Since our conversation there have been several developments, the language has been submitted to the California Secretary of State, restoreequality2010.com is live with volunteer opportunities, donation information and the latest on the ballot initiative. Restore Equality 2010 has also launched the “Million for a Million” fundraising campaign. Organized by Yes! on Equality and TruthandHope.org, in collaboration with Restore Equality 2010, the goal of the “Million for a Million” campaign is to raise the $1 million necessary to fund getting the more than one million signatures needed to place a marriage equality initiative on the ballot.

Jay Arseno began his career as a singer in a church choir and musical theatre in his native Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a passionate, true artist with emotional expression. He is a writer, a producer, a performer. Jay also enjoys collaborating with other artists, to meld unique tastes in sound and texture. Over the past year he has worked with hit producers I-ROC and RADIO towards the ending results, “From The Ashes”.

Jay’s new single, “Take It From The Ashes”, comes off of his new album titled, “From The Ashes”, released on March 6, 2009. You can easily identify with this new single. It applies to everyone, although Jay admits that it may be somewhat autobiographical. “It draws on the legend of the Phoenix, in that it’s about starting over, a rebirth, a trial through fire where you come out on the other side with a fresh start.” The mission statement of the single is simple: No matter what you go through in life, you can always pick yourself up, gather all the pieces together and keep moving forward.

If you would like to find out more information about Jay Arseno, check out www.myspace.com/jayarseno.

Since the last episode there have been several developments that affect the lives of LGBT people across the country. First, our biggest win! Just days after the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act” was passed by both Congress and the Senate and signed into law by President Obama. This is long overdue piece of legislation expands protections to people who are victims of violence which are perpetuated by their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is the first of many legislative priorities for our community, and just the beginning of what we will be working for until full equality is achieved.

The next major piece of legislation that has been introduced on the federal level is the “Employment Non-discrimination Act”. For the first time ever, a member of the current administration has testified in both Congress and the Senate in favor of a fully inclusive ENDA. Although it doesn’t appear the Senate will vote in this legislation until early next year, it is imperative that our representatives and senators hear from us on this vital piece of legislation for the LGBT community. The Human Rights Campaign has set up www.passendanow.com for the latest on ENDA, also you can also contact your representatives by clicking the link on that site.

Additional legislation that has been passed and signed into law by the President includes reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act. At the signing of the bill, President Obama also announced plans to remove a ban on travel and immigration to the U.S. by individuals with HIV. Obama called the 22-year ban a decision "rooted in fear rather than fact".

On November 3rd, the voters of Maine approved a citizen’s veto of the Marriage Equality bill that was passed by the Maine legislature and signed into law by their governor. Unfortunately, the lies won out again and marriage equality has been set back in Maine. Although the No on 1 campaign ran a flawless campaign, and truly shed light not only on the lies being told by the opposition, but also showed what our families really look like. Their moving ads and stories throughout the campaign brought to the forefront that this isn’t about gay or straight, it is about our families and being able marry and be with the person we love. The battle for marriage equality in Maine is far from over and there are many dedicated to seeing this fight through.

Although the Maine vote kind of over shadowed other key votes across the country, there was a lot of very good news for the LGBT community out of this Election Day. In Kalamazoo, MI an ordinance was upheld by the voters which ensures fairness and equal treatment. One Kalamazoo ran a great campaign to ensure that the fully inclusive Non-Discrimination ordinance was upheld.

In Washington state, the Yes on 71 campaign pulled out a major victory by ensuring that the state Domestic Partners law was upheld by voters. Washington’s ‘everything but marriage’ law provides domestic partners the same rights, benefits and recognitions provided by the state.

And finally the Victory Fund announced that on Election Day of the 79 LGBT “Victory Fund Endorsed” candidates on ballots across the country, 49 won their elections and 6 are still undetermined. Some of the highlights include:
• Annise Parker advanced to a runoff in her race to become the next mayor of Houston.
• Charles Pugh will become Detroit’s first openly gay city councilmember after finishing first among 18 candidates for 9 at-large seats. Placing first also means Pugh will become city council president.
• Steve Kornell won his race for the St. Petersburg, Fla. City Council, becoming the first openly LGBT candidate to do so.
• Sandra Kurt overcame anti-gay attacks to become the first openly LGBT member of the Akron, Ohio City Council.
• Simone Bell advanced to a runoff election in her race for the Georgia State House of Representatives. Bell will become the country’s first openly lesbian African-American state legislator if she wins her runoff election.
• Eric Resnick won a seat on the Canton, Ohio school board.
• Mark Kleinschmidt was elected mayor of Chapel Hill, N.C.

As you can tell it has been a busy couple of months for the LGBT community. Get involved – 2010 is going to provide us a huge opportunity to work and move our community forward. Let’s not let this pass us by.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at comments@nathanoutloud.com. You can also call the Nathan OUTloud comment line at (209) 202-3688 (209.20.BeOUT)

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT | Be OUT | Live OUTloud™

Episode 10: Jay Morris, Marc Pedraza & TAKE ACTION in Maine, Washington & the National Equality March

Click here to download Episode 10 on iTunes. Don't forget to subscribe!

Episode 10 of Nathan OUTloud features my interview with activist and founder of jaysays.com – Jay Morris. I also feature a song by recording artist Marc Pedraza titled, “No More, No Less”. The “Take Action” items I discuss at the end of the show cover the latest on the campaigns in Maine and Washington, as well as details around the National Equality March in DC.

Founder, activist and dreamer, Jay Morris, began jaysays.com as a small personal project to stay in touch with family and friends. Over time, the site developed into what you see today with a focus on LGBT issues and current events. Jay is also the voice behind the Blog Talk Radio program Closet Talk, a weekly show discussing issues surrounding the LGBT community, coming out of and staying in the closet which can be found at: blogtalkradio.com/jaysays.

Marc Pedraza’s music conveys messages of equality, unity, freedom and a pro-peace themes. He combines thought provoking lyrics with a unique blend of reggae, dub and soul to create a unique style all his own.

Born in the suburbs of Phoenix, Marc traces his first interest in music to childhood memories of listening to his father play piano. After noticing his natural inclination towards music, his parents enrolled him in piano lessons at the age of six. As a teen, he took up guitar and with the help of two friends formed a band called Euphoric Blue. The band performed at house parties, bars and small clubs throughout their hometown for the next six years.

While studying music theory at Mesa Community College, Marc was accepted into the selective Music Industry program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. During his three semesters at USC, Marc took classes in concert promotion and production, music supervision for film and television, music business, recording arts and sciences, music history and entertainment law.

Empowered by his education, Marc returned home and co-founded his record company, Independent Freedom Tribe, with long time friend Abby Hertzel. Throughout the summer of 2003, they worked together to create a platform for talented artists to freely express their unique thoughts and opinions.

Marc has performed at events such as Phoenix Pride, San Diego LGBT Pride, Palm Springs Pride, Humboldt Pride, GLSEN Phoenix "A=Art" Auction 2008, Arizona State University's Day of Silence, Glendale's Food Not Bombs' March For Social Change, The Season For Nonviolence Concert to benefit the Arizona Department of Peace and The People's Army Benefit Show for the No Borders Camp.

This November the people of Maine and Washington will vote on two ballot measures of significant importance not only to the LGBT community, but everyone who believes in fairness and equality. It is incredibly important that each of us do our part to ensure that come November 3rd, the right to marriage equality in Maine is protected and that the loving couples in Washington have the right to enjoy the same benefits and recognitions offered by the state to married couples.

Even if you are not able to travel to either of these states to volunteer, there are plenty of opportunities to be involved from where ever you may be. For more information visit:

We also have to the opportunity to come together as a community and let our elected officials know that we are no longer going to accept excuses for our rights to be put on hold. On October 11th in Washington DC, the National Equality March will take place. This is our chance to send a clear message. Please do whatever you can to be in Washington as we send a clear message as members and allies of the LGBT community. For all of the events around the National Equality March go to:

Send comments, suggestions and feedback to comments@nathanoutloud.com.

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT | Be OUT | Live OUTloud™

Episode 9: TransForm Arizona Conference

Click here to download Episode 9 on iTunes. Don't forget to subscribe!

In episode 9 of Nathan OUTloud, I interview Abigail Jensen and Allyson Robinson about the upcoming TransForm Arizona Conference. I also play a song by Joe Stevens of Coyote Grace.

Abby Jensen is member of the Board of Directors for TransMentors International and presenter at the TransForm Arizona Conference being held October 16-18 in Phoenix, AZ. Abby speaks about the important work that TransMentors International does, and why the TransForm Arizona Conference is so important. We discuss the details of the conference and the line up for the picnic happening Sunday Oct. 18 at Papago Park, in conjunction with TransForm Arizona.

I also speak with Associate Director of Diversity at the Human Rights Campaign, Allyson Robinson, also a presenter and speaker at the TransForm Arizona Conference. Allyson shares her story and why she feels the work and mission around the conference is so important.

The featured artist on this episode is Joe Stevens of Coyote Grace and the song “A Guy Named Joe”. Joe will be performing at the Sunday picnic as part of a long line up of very talented members of the LGBT community.

For more information or to register for TransForm Arizona, visit: http://transform.transmentors.org/

Send comments, suggestions and feedback to comments@nathanoutloud.com.

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT Be OUT Live OUTloud™

Episode 8: Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva (Ret.)

Click here to download Episode 8 on iTunes. Don't forget to subscribe!

In episode 8 of Nathan OUTloud, I interview Retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva. Eric's courageous story of 13 years of service in the United States Marine Corp. and being the first US Service Member to be injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom caught the country's attention in 2003. After spending over a year rehabilitating from the injuries he sustained, Eric retired from the Marines. After his retirement, Eric went back to college to obtain his degree. It was during that time that he decided to be true to himself and help others and he came out as a gay veteran. In February of 2007, Eric joined Rep. Martin Meehan, D-MA, at the introduction of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill designed to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Eric discusses his journey and what has driven him to be a voice for equality, not only for LGBT people, but for all Americans.

Eric will also participate in the Voices of Honor tour in select cities. For more information visit hrc.org/voicesofhonor.

For the latest on H.R.1283 "Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009", click here.

For information on how to contact your elected officials, click here.

Send comments, suggestions and feedback to comments@nathanoutloud.com.

Follow me on twitter at @nathanoutloud & join me on the Nathan OUTloud facebook fan page.

Come OUT | Be OUT | Live OUTloud™