New Lesbian Online Dating Web Series

Have you heard about Seeking Simone? It is the the new lesbian online dating series that follows the adventures of single lesbian Simone Selkin as she dates her way through gay Toronto.

The first 2 episodes are up on the website and can be viewed at: www.seekingsimone.com, however, if you would like to check out the is trailer, here ya go...

Gay and Lesbian More Likely to Read Blogs and Use Social Networking Tools

ROCHESTER, N.Y. & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to a recent national survey conducted by Harris Interactive^®, a small majority of gay and lesbian adults online today are reading blogs (a familiar, and abbreviated term for online commentary known as a weblog). More than half (55%) of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading some type of blog, compared with only 38% of heterosexuals. This represents a small increase from March 2008 when 51% of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading some type of blog. A similar question was asked in November 2006 and only 32% of gay and lesbian adults then reported reading blogs.

When it comes to the types of blogs popular with Americans, the survey also found 34% of gay and lesbian adults online reported reading news and current issue blogs, compared with 22% of heterosexual adults. A quarter (25%) of gay and lesbian adults also read entertainment and pop culture blogs, compared with 15% of heterosexuals. Considering the global and media attention focused on our new President, 28% of gay and lesbian adults also read political blogs, compared with 23% of GLBT adults doing so in March 2008. In comparison, only 14% of heterosexual adults reported reading political blogs in May 2009. Confirming their strong appeal for travel news and opportunities, 14% of gay and lesbian respondents reported reading travel blogs compared with 8% of heterosexual respondents.

The new nationwide survey of 3,000 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over), of whom 404, self identified as gay or lesbian (which includes an oversample of lesbian and gay adults), was conducted online between May 11 and 18, 2009, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market.

Apart from getting information online from reading blogs, gay and lesbian adults also are choosing to connect online through social networking sites more often than their heterosexual counterparts. Slightly more than half (55%) of gay and lesbian adults state they are members of Facebook, compared with 46% of heterosexual adults. Also, 43% of gay and lesbian respondents report being members of MySpace, compared to just less than a third (30%) of heterosexual respondents. When it comes to the business-oriented social networking site, LinkedIn, 23% of gay and lesbian respondents reported being members, while 13% of heterosexual adults stated they are members.

“In several years capturing trends, we see again that gays and lesbians are not only looking to stay well informed but also to expand their key social, professional and personal connections online”, said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. “As companies work to make the most of their advertising budgets in the current economic climate, blogs and social networking sites are an even more powerful cross-section of opportunities today when reaching out to this market.”

Oprah Winfrey made the news when she recently made her first “tweet” using Twitter, a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question - what are you doing now? One out of five (20%) gay and lesbian adults reported being a member of Twitter, compared with 12% of heterosexual adults.

Methodology

Harris Interactive conducted the study online within the United States between May 11 and 18, 2009, among 3,000 adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 2,451 indicated they are heterosexual and 404 self-identified as gay or lesbian (this includes an over-sample of lesbian or gay adults). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In addition, the results for the gay and lesbian sample were weighted separately based on profiles of the gay and lesbian population that Harris Interactive has compiled through many different online surveys. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Full data tables and methodology are available at www.harrisinteractive.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.

Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. is the nation’s premier marketing communications and consulting firm, specializing in developing and implementing effective strategies reaching the gay and lesbian consumer market. With over 15 years experience in this unique market, Witeck-Combs Communications not only serves as a bridge between corporate America and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender consumers (GLBT), but also provides counsel to countless non-profit organizations that aim to educate the public on gay and lesbian issues or to better reach their GLBT membership.

In April 2003, American Demographics magazine identified Bob Witeck and Wes Combs as two of 25 experts over the last 25 years who have made significant contributions to the fields of demographics, market research, media and trendspotting for their path breaking work on the gay and lesbian market, and in 2006 Bob Witeck and Wes Combs co-authored Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers (Kaplan Publishing), considered the first-ever book on marketing insights, practical tips and strategies targeting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market. They have appeared in worldwide media outlets including Fortune, CNBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, Ad Age, New York Times and Washington Post. For more information visit www.witeckcombs.com.

Harris Interactive Inc. 6/09

2009 Gay Pride Parade & Event Calendar

Since this month is "Pride Month," I thought I would re-post the list of 2009 Gay Pride Parade and Events Calendar...so get out there and celebrate!

June 5-14, 2009 Birmingham, AL Central Alabama Pride
June 5-14, 2009 Boston, MA Boston Pride
June 5-14, 2009 Washington, DC Capital Pride
June 5-14, 2009 Winnepeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Pride
June 6, 2009 Austin, TX Austin Pride Parade
June 6, 2009 Fresno, CA Fresno Rainbow Pride
June 6-7, 2009 Salt Lake City, UT Utah Pride
June 6-14, 2009 Indianapolis, IN Indy Pride Festival
June 7, 2009 Asbury Park, NJ Jersey Pride
June 8-14, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA PrideFest 2009
June 9-13, 2009 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Pride
June 11-13, 2009 Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque Pride
June 12-14, 2009 Des Moines, IA Capital City Pride
June 12-14, 2009 Los Angeles, CA LA Pride
June 12-14, 2009 Milwaukee, WI Pridefest 2009
June 12-21, 2009 Edmonton, AB Edmonton GLBT Pride Festival
June 13, 2009 San Antonio, TX Pridefest San Antonio
June 13, 2009 Spokane, WA OutSpokane Rainbow Festival
June 13-14, 2009 Cincinnati, OH Pride Alive '09
June 13-14, 2009 Portland, OR Portland Pride Festival
June 14, 2009 Long Island, NY Long Island Pride Parade
June 14, 2009 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Pride Parade
June 14, 2009 Nyack, NY Gay Pride Rockland
June 19-20, 2009 Iowa City, IA Iowa City Pride Parade
June 19-20, 2009 Louisville, KY Kentuckiana Pride Festival
June 19-21, 2009 Bisbee, AZ Bisbee Pride
June 19-21, 2009 Providence, RI RI Pridefest & Parade
June 20, 2009 Grand Rapids, MI West Michigan Pride
June 20, 2009 Syracuse, NY Central New York Pride
June 20-21, 2009 Fort Lauderdale, FL Stonewall Street Festival
June 27-28, 2009 San Francisco, CA SF Gay Pride Festival
June 27-28, 2009 Denver, CO Denver Pridefest
June 20-29, 2009 Santa Fe, NM Pride on the Plaza
June 28-July 5, 2009 Victoria, BC Victoria Pride
June 29, 2009 Houston, TX Pride Houston
July 11, 2009 Monterey, CA Pride of Monterey County
July 19-26, 2009 Halifax, NS Halifax Pride
July 25th, 2009 Charlotte, NC Pride Charlotte
August 15, 2009 Reno, NV Reno Gay Pride
October 3-4, 2009 Ocala, FL Ocala PrideFest

Björn Borg's Show's His Support for Same Sex Marriage

Tennis Champ Björn Borg, the man who dominated Wimbledon in the late 1970's, adds his support to same-sex marriage by launching a new dating site called Love For All and promoting it with this new commercial, which is worth checking out!

Vermont's New Student Program: Gendertopia

By WILSON RING
Associated Press Writer

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Like plenty of other high school students, a group of about a dozen Vermont teenagers trundled into a youth center one day every week this spring to participate in an after-school program.

But their program was different; it focused on gender.

The nine-week program, partially funded by the Burlington School District, was held at Vermont's Queer Youth Center and called "Gendertopia."

Gay, lesbian and straight students discussed a wide range of topics, from the characters in the book and movie "Twilight," to taking photos around the city that show the different ways gender is portrayed in popular culture.

"Most people come into it thinking, 'Oh, there's two genders and two sexualities' ... ," said David Kingsbury, a 16-year-old junior at Burlington High School who signed up for the program. "People assume it's boy and girl, but it's so much more than that. There's a whole world out there full of different genders."

The program is among the first of its kind to be funded, in part, with tax dollars, said Christopher Neff, the executive director of Outright Vermont, the social service organization running Gendertopia.

Neither the program nor the school district's participation triggered any objection. The tempered reaction locally to the program shows how far Outright Vermont and the issues it raises has moved into the main stream of youth social service organizations.

"It's got queer in its name. It scares the heck out of people. It's so important that people be able to see beyond any concerns or misconceptions that they have," said Eliza Byard, the executive director of the New York-based Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, which has 35 chapters across the country. "Outright Vermont is fulfilling its mission in the most wonderful way."

The program was designed to help young people identify the subtle signals used to express gender and how not being aware of those signals can lower self esteem and possibly lead to an increase in at-risk activities like substance abuse or dropping out of school, Neff said.

"We often see a lot of homophobia or transphobia that happens on the basis of how someone looks," Neff said. "If you are making fun of me because I am wearing a pink shirt and that's sort of expressing my femininity, my feminine side, that translates into homophobia, but it has nothing to do with whether I'm straight or whether I'm dating boys or whether I'm dating girls. It has to do with the fact that I'm wearing a pink shirt."

Neff said the significance of the program is more than the money and the relatively small number of young people who participate.

"It's incredibly symbolic and very powerful," he said. "I was incredibly proud to be associated with them and I thought this partnership, this very unique partnership, between a queer youth center and a school district to run a gender identity based program was a new national model."

Burlington School Superintendent Jeanne Collins said no one has objected to the program.

"The district has been in the forefront on this topic for at least a decade, if not longer," Collins said. "We are very sensitive to celebrating the differences in people and accepting people for who they are and what they bring to the table."

She said a factor that helped keep the program non controversial was that it was voluntary.

"We have very robust after school program," Collins said. "This is one of the options for the students who are interested. They get a lot out of it that will help them be much more inclusive and accepting of differences in their own future, which can only help them be successful."

Steve Cable, of Rutland the founder of Vermont Renewal, an organization that promotes what he calls traditional family values, said he wasn't familiar with "Gendertopia," but he knew Outright Vermont. He said he was supportive of the group's anti-bullying efforts, but not what he said was its focus on adolescent sexuality.

"It just makes me really nervous that sexuality and these very complicated social behaviors are being normalized and talked about with kids who haven't figured out even their life yet," Cable said. "I know that Outright Vermont promotes all gender identities and expression of gender identities, no matter how weird that might be."

In 2000, Vermont was the first state that passed civil unions for same-sex couples and earlier this year was the first to pass gay marriage without being required to do so by the courts. It's also in the forefront with laws to protect gender identity and sexual orientation.

Outright Vermont describes itself as "one of the longest standing queer organizations in Vermont" and the only one focused on young people. Neff said that for years his organization has done anti-bullying presentations related to sexual orientation and gender identity in schools across the state. He said the presentations have been universally well received.

Byard said a number of national organizations have programs for girls that help them deal with the pressures that can lead to eating disorders or pressures that girls feel to be thin or beautiful.

"Now it's only relatively recently that there has been real focus on the damaging effect of these same expectations on young men," Byard said.

About 40 students signed up for the program, Neff said, and about 12 attended the weekly program. Sometimes the group watched a movie or had food. Much of the discussion was led by the students themselves, and it wasn't just for gay and lesbian students.

"I'm straight, but I don't like using that word because then it feels like if you're gay then you're crooked, you're not meant to grow up in a certain way," Sophia Manzi, 15, a Burlington high school freshman, said during this year's final "Gendertopia" meeting. "I come because it's a really good program. The people, it doesn't matter what sexual orientation you are, they totally come in with open arms."

Neff said "Gendertopia" wasn't about sexuality or who people are attracted to.

"We're really clear that gender and gender identify is separate from sexual orientation," Neff said. "Hugh Grant and Russell Crowe have the same sex, they're both male and they're both heterosexual. But they have very different gender presentations. One is sort of seen as much more masculine than the other."

Burlington High School After school Coordinator Amy Mills said no decision had been made yet on whether to run Gendertopia again in the fall, but she'd like to.

"I think it worked well," Mills said. "They seem to have a lot of fun."

California Lesbian Couple Faced Discrimination at Fresno Hospital

Discrimination of LGBT couples is one of the main reasons our community needs to have the same rights as heterosexual married couples. If the couple in the article below had been legally married, there would have never been a question of visitation rights or medical power of attorney.

This article comes from the Los Angeles Examiner and was written by Kevin Lynch.

"As I was laying there all alone, I wondered how many people from the LGBTQ community die by themselves because they are denied a basic right. The thought frightens me."

That's what Kristin Orbin, 29, said about her ordeal at Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center on Saturday, May 30th.

Orbin and her partner of 3½ years, Teresa Rowe, 30, who live in Northern California, were in Fresno for Meet in the Middle 4 Equality, an event protesting the California Supreme Court's ruling upholding Proposition 8.

After marching 14 miles in Central Valley heat, Orbin (who is epileptic) collapsed and suffered three grand mal seizures. A doctor at a first aid center had difficulty finding her pulse, so he called 911.

Orbin said the discrimination started as soon as the paramedics arrived.

"By that time, I was going in and out of consciousness. The paramedics wanted nothing to do with Teresa and she had to practically fight them to be allowed to ride in the ambulance. I remember one of them was very nice and agreed to let her ride with me in the back. Once we got to the hospital, they wheeled me into a hallway and left me, refusing to allow Teresa to be with me."

Orbin said the paramedic told the nurse on duty that she had collapsed after marching 14 miles for civil rights, and the nurse gave her a dirty look and said "ooooh." She continued, "I asked if Teresa could come back with me, but the nurse told me I was in a no visitor zone. When I asked her why everyone else had visitors, she said 'those people are different'."

Orbin said she went to sleep at that point, but she was awakened by a nurse giving her the benzodiazapine Ativan, a drug that causes her to have severe migraine headaches. It was then that she discovered just how bad the situation had become.

"Teresa was finally able to make her way up to the front desk and convince them to get a cell phone to me. When I talked to her, she said she had told the nursing staff not to give me Ativan, but they refused to listen to her. They refused to take my medical cards from her. They refused Teresa's offer to have my advance directive and power of attorney faxed over from UCSF."

Orbin said she asked the nurses several times if Rowe could join her, but each time they refused.

"They just kept looking at my Marriage Equality shirt and giving me dirty looks," she said.

Orbin and Rowe were not reunited until a doctor intervened a few hours later.

"When the doctor arrived, I asked him if Teresa could join me," Orbin said. "He asked me why she wasn't already with me, and I told him the nursing staff told me I was in a no visitor zone. The doctor gave me an odd look and said, 'I will take care of that'. He left the room, and a few minutes later Teresa came in, but she said she was told by the front desk that she could only stay for a few minutes."

However, Orbin said the nursing staff suddenly had a change of heart while the doctor was present and allowed Rowe to stay with her until she was discharged. "They finally figured out that we were not happy and one of the nurses came up and told Teresa that she could stay," she said. "Once she was back there people started being more kind to us, but I truly believe they were just trying to cover themselves."

The couple said they have never experienced such blatant discrimination. They are both so upset over the incident that they have contacted the ACLU for legal advice. Orbin said it was particularly upsetting that the hospital staff continually refused to acknowledge Rowe as her spouse, and failed to treat either of them with kindness or respect.

Another reminder of just how much work needs to be done to achieve true equality in the United States.

New Hampshire Passes Gay Marriage Bill

"If you have no choice as to your sex, male or female; if you have no choice as to your color; if you have no choice as to your sexual orientation; then you have to be protected and given the same opportunity for life, liberty and happiness."

These were the words of Rep. Anthony DiFruscia, R-Windham, during the hour long debate over New Hampshire's Same-Sex Marriage bill.

And with a 198-176 vote in the house, New Hampshire became the sixth US state to allow same-sex marriage. The bill has the approval of Governor John Lynch, who is expected to sign it later this afternoon.

Lynch, a Democrat, personally opposes gay marriage but decided to view the issue "through a broader lens."

Originally, Lynch said he would veto gay marriage if the law didn't "clearly spell out that churches and religious groups would not be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services."

The revised bill added a sentence specifying that all religious organizations, associations or societies have exclusive control over their religious doctrines, policies, teachings and beliefs on marriage.

It also clarified that church-related organizations that serve charitable or educational purposes are exempt from having to provide insurance and other benefits to same sex spouses of employees.

Vermont, Maine, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts and now New Hampshire all have legalized same-sex marriage. The only remaining state in New England without marriage equality is Rhode Island where Governor Donald Carcieri supports the National Organization for Marriage. However, after being polled, the majority of citizens in Rhode Island do support same-sex marriage, so there is still hope.