Co-host and wives, Dr. Dianna Grayer and Sheridan Gold explore what the new year can bring if you listen to your inner-yearnings!
On this edition of Outbeat Extra we celebrated the many victories realized by the LGBT community in 2013. We took a look back at the top stories making LGBT headlines and shared some of our favorite segments from the year. Gains in marriage equality dominated the news throughout the year as we doubled, in just twelve months, the number of states offering marriage to same-sex couples.
A new LGBT political group is forming in Napa and Solano County. Craig Scott, Judith Learner, Andy Pembrook, and David Crumrine joined us to talk about this new civic organization modeled after the Stonewall Democrats. This group is calling themselves the Bayard Rustin LGBT Political Club. Craig told us how this group hopes to unite the LGBT communities in both Napa and Solano County by providing a regular meeting space that will provide a platform for activism as well as venue for social events.
For this month’s Outbeat Youth segment, we went on location to the Napa Valley College Cooking School to meet Jermel Elliott, a student in this year’s professional culinary program. Jermel shared his coming out story and told us about his passion for food. He’s quite a guy! We also talked with one of his instructors, Chef Maggie, who talked about how young people interested in food can best prepare for the program at Napa Valley College.
This year seen some of the most amazing gains in LGBT equality especially around marriage equality. While there are still many conservative scrooges out there fighting to prevent more states from recognizing same-sex relationships, it’s pretty clear the kids get it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TJxnYgP6D8
We also shared some original holiday music from our good friends Randi Driscoll and Bobby Jo Valentine.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRgj-iETjLE
Learn More
Bayard Rustin Political Club
Napa Valley Cooking School
Randi Driscoll
Bobby Jo Valentine
Pentatonix
Can you say Kinsey Sicks? Can you say Spiritual Leader? Can you say AMAZING??? Join Dr. Dianna L. Grayer and Sheridan Gold as they talk with IRWIN KELLER, lay Rabbi from Ner Shalom in Cotati, CA, and member of The Kinsey Sicks, a drag queen, a cappella, world renowned singing group! Listen closely to the end when Irwin recites a beautiful poem in Yiddish: “…this poem is both political and sexual and breathtaking. In this one she asks God to take her to his house, because she can no longer bear the injustices of this world; she asks God to send his absolute most beautiful angel to take her so that her last glance in this life may be extinguished with a smile.”
This month our good friend Kinna Crocker and her colleague, Tate Birnie joined us to talk about a case they handled here in Sonoma County with two women who got married just a week before the Supreme Court ruled on Prop 8. They married early, because one of the women was dying. Kinna and Tate talked about the favorable ruling they got for the surviving spouse. We also celebrated marriage equality coming to Illinois and Hawaii this month.
On the Outbeat Youth segment, we introduce you to Jake Stallman, a bright high school student who survived severe bullying and a death threat. He’s fighting back and helping others who are suffering from bullying. Jake was this year’s recipient of the Spirit of Matthew award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
httpv://youtu.be/DxsVzA_r5Og
Learn More
Crocker Family Law
Birnie Law
Center For Lesbian Rights
Matthews Place
Hosts Gary Carnivele and Mikala Kennan will welcome Author Scott O’Brian to talk about his new boolk “Ruth Chatteron, Actress, Aviator, Author.” Â Author and Screenwriter Jeff Cohen will also be on hand to chat about his screenplays, books, and diversity training. Â Also, the arts and entertainment calendar.
To Be Announced
This is the month of gratefulness. Join co-hosts Dr. Dianna Grayer and Sheridan Gold when they interview SUSAN KAY GILBERT, cancer survivor and thriver. Susan will discuss her gratefulness in surviving this disease, and share her gifts of music, stories, and song.
PFLAG, the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, is the nation’s oldest LGBT ally organization with over 200,000 members in 350 chapters. The Napa FPLAG chapter has been revived this year by Rosemarie Vertullo. Rosemarie joined us this month along with board members Earle Craigie and Casey McConnell-Leon. They talked about their mission and hopes for bringing together not only parents, but also other allies and LGBT from the community. Napa FPLAG has monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7PM that include a special guest speaker and a time to check-in and get support. Rosemarie invited everyone to their holiday social that will take place on Thursday, November 21, from 7:00 to 9:00PM at the RiverPoint Napa Resort.
On this month’s Outbeat Youth segment, we talked with our good friend Shane Windmeyer, the executive director of Campus Pride. We discussed the incident at Old Miss where members of the football team hurled gay slurs at performers of that college’s presentation of The Laramie Project. Shane gave us an update on the climate at colleges and universities for LGBT students around the country.
Learn More
Facing History and Ourselves
Napa PFLAG Website
Napa PFLAG Facebook Page
Campus Pride
Campus Pride’s Campus Climate Index
Hosts Mikala Kennan and Gary Carnivele will chat with Rachel Gardner from Food for Thought – Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank about their huge October fundraiser Calabash! Â Local Author Pamela Fender will also join the show to talk about her new memoir “Beside Myself: Â Recovery from My Family Betrayal and Estrangement.”
