Who Inspires You in the Quest for Fairness & Equality?

Submit A Nomination For
The 2012 Youth Activism Award!

The Out In The Silence Campaign is putting out a Call for Nominations for the 2012 Out In The Silence Award for Youth Activism. The deadline for submission of nominations is June 30.

The award was established in 2011 to honor courageous and unheralded young people who are leading the way in making schools and communities safe from bullying and welcoming for all, especially in places where silence and indifference have rendered lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and their allies invisible, marginalized, fearful, and powerless for far too long.

2011 Award Winners

Grand Prize ($1,500): Farrington High School Gay-Straight Alliance, Honolulu, HI

Impact Award ($750): Oregon Student Equal Rights Alliance, a statewide coalition

New Group Award ($500): Equality Club at Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, CO

For more details about these groups, see an article in The Huffington Post

2012 Award - Call for Nominations

We're now looking for powerful and inspiring young people, and youth organizations, to be considered for the 2012 Award for Youth Activism!

Nominees should be bold and dynamic individuals or groups leading important efforts to ensure that all youth are safe and free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and they should be based in places that don't get the kind of attention and support they need and deserve.

There are no specific guidelines for what might make the most successful nominee, and their activism could range from policy advocacy to protest to creative outbursts for justice and equality heretofore unimagined, unseen and unheard.

Nominees should simply offer inspiring examples of the change that is possible when silence is broken and action is taken at unexpected times, in unexpected places. And we're counting on you to help bring such activism to our attention!

Submit a Nomination, or Apply Yourself, Before the June 30 Deadline!

Just send a brief (one-page max) essay to make the case for yourself, or your nominee, to: YouthAward@Ymail.com.

Be creative – links to articles, blogs, videos, etc. to support your nomination are welcome!

Nominees should be youth, or groups serving LGBTQ youth, between the ages of 14-21.

Winners will be announced in November 2012 and receive cash awards totaling $2,500. They will also be featured on The Huffington Post and have a chance to be featured in Out Magazine's OUT100, a list of “the year's most influential people in gay culture.”

Thx for Speaking Out for Justice & Equality for All!

Stay tuned for news and updates:

Dear Mr. President

Gay Voices Censored By The Huffington Post

On any given day on The Huffington Post, one might see an article promoting a contest sponsored by Wal-Mart, or Apple, or Google/YouTube, or AOL, or some venture capital firm, or even the HuffPost itself, where participants have a chance to win all kinds of rewards and where, of course, the sponsoring corporations get to look mighty charitable and fine.

But, when we submitted an essay to run on our HuffPost blog calling for nominations for this year's Out In The Silence Award for Youth Activism, we were told that "The Huffington Post doesn't publish blogs that promote cash giveaway contests,” even though a very similar announcement for last year's award program ran without a hitch!

Now, the purpose of the Award for Youth Activism is not to offer boatloads of cash or other prizes as a way to hook unsuspecting participants into the corporate lair.

No, it's simply an effort to shine a little light on bold and courageous young people fighting against bullying and for equality, dignity and respect, and sometimes their very lives, in too-often forgotten and ignored corners of the world?

Small cash prizes do accompany the awards, but it's really a miniscule sum in the scheme of things, meant only as an honorific reward for the incredible, and unheralded, service these young people give to their schools and communities.

Why would The Huffington Post promote corporate give-aways but not allow mention of a little program aimed at lifting up LGBT youth and their allies, particularly when too many bullies still seem to have an upper-hand?

When we asked for an explanation, we got no response.

But, we will not be silenced quite so easily – And we're hoping you won't either!

Will you please help us overcome these “corporate policies” by joining a grassroots campaign to spread the word about the Award for Youth Activism?

Here's a link: Nominations Open for the 2012 Out In The Silence Award for Youth Activism

And a sharable jpeg:

Thanks for Speaking Out In The Silence!


Joe Wilson & Dean Hamer

Jamestown, NY Says: "I Love Lucy, But I Don't Love Gays"

Like many rustbelt towns, struggling little Jamestown, NY puts its hopes for a brighter economic future on its ability to draw tourists to sample its charms.

One of those charms, that already draws many fun-loving tourists, happens to be a museum and arts center celebrating hometown girl – comedienne, and gay icon -- Lucille Ball.

Local residents have never seemed too bothered by the fact that their beloved Lucy, when asked about gay rights in a 1980 People Magazine interview, said: "It's perfectly all right with me. Some of the most gifted people I've ever met or read about are homosexual. How can you knock it?"

But, when their openly-gay City Council President, Greg Rabb, recently suggested that Jamestown promote itself as a destination for same-sex couples from other states seeking to get married in New York now that it's legal there, they weren't so amused, even if it might bring in more tourist dollars.

In fact, the local newspaper published an editorial downplaying the idea, then posted a slew of ugly letters and comments from readers attacking LGBT people, the council president, and his revenue-generating idea.

Mr. Rabb starting receiving threats.

How's that for charm, and a Lucy-inspired sense of humor?

Fortunately, many good people in the community rose up and held a powerful Anti-Hate Rally to let it be known that Jamestown would not only NOT succumb to the whims of right-wing bigots, it would in fact be a welcoming, and fun, place for all -- kooky, lovable red heads, as well as LGBT people and their families, friends, and allies!

So, if you're ever in the area, stop by and see the many charms that this beautiful little city has to offer, especially its increasingly visible and vocal LGBT community.  And, by all means, let locals know that your tourist dollars aren't just green, they're pink, and red, and all the wonderful colors of the rainbow.

PS -- WE LOVE JAMESTOWN!!

Learn more at: 

OutintheSilence.com 

or

Stand Against Hate in Jamestown, NY - Rally - April 30

Message from organizers in Jamestown NY. This rally is being held in support of openly-gay Jamestown NY city council president Greg Rabb, who has recently become the target of a virulent hate campaign:

There will be a Stand Against Hate in Jamestown rally Monday, April 30, at 6:30 pm (before the city council meeting)  in Tracy Plaza.  This is in response to the Post-Journal's irresponsible treatment of a statement Greg Rabb made about Jamestown becoming a same-sex marriage destination. The resulting ugly response has threatened Greg's safety and made some LGBT people feel unwelcome in their own community. While we know that Jamestown is generally a great place to live, and that the majority of its residents don't harbor hateful sentiments against anyone, we must stand up against this element whenever and wherever it rears its head. It is affront to all of us who believe in the dignity and worth of all people, and we cannot tolerate it in Jamestown.

We are asking all who are willing and able to please join us in making this public statement. We are planning a quiet and dignified event with lots of signs and a few speakers. We hope our numbers will speak for themselves. Dress for the weather, bring your best pro-equality, anti-hate signs (although your support will be just as welcomed with or without a sign), and let's say NO to hate in Jamestown.

Out In The Silence in Central California - March 22 - 25

Three exciting Out In The Silence events coming up in Bakersfield, Fresno, and Chico are aimed at getting audiences fired-up about challenging anti-LGBT bigotry & discrimination and building the local movement for justice & equality for all, with a particular focus on protecting the groundbreaking California Fair Education Act, now under attack by extremist forces in the state.

Filmmaker Joe Wilson will be on-hand for the events with local activists and hopes that a broad cross-section of the public, as well as state and local elected representatives, civic, community and religious leaders will attend to express their support for inclusion, justice and equality for LGBT and all people, particularly youth, who call the communities home.

Thurs., March 22, 7:00 PM - Bakersfield College-Forum East - Sponsored by Bakersfield LGBTQ and BCGSA

Sat., March 24, 1:45 PM - Expression Not Suppression conference - Big Red Church, Fresno - Sponsored by GSA Network

Sun., March 25, 6:30 PM - The Pageant Theatre - Chico - Sponsored by Stonewall Alliance Center, Gender & Sexuality Equity Center, and Cal State Chico Pride

See Bakersfield & Chico event posters below!

Break the Code of Silence on O'ahu