Rosie's Kids - Santa's Girls

Clip recap: "BD Wong wrote and directed this special holiday music video to showcase our Performance Ensemble students at Rosie's Theater Kids. Music and lyrics by the wonderful Steve Karmen and Nancy Coyne. Happy Holidays, everyone!"

(Tipped by JMG reader Nathaniel)

Rosie's Kids - The Trolley Song

Student's of Rosie O'Donnell's Theater Kids performed the show tune classic The Trolley Song in a clip directed by BD Wong.

Rosie's Theater Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts. We serve students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience theater, positively changing the trajectory of their lives by providing comprehensive classes in music, dance, and drama; thoughtful mentoring; and structured academic guidance.

SLIDESHOW: Marriage Equality New York's 12th Annual Gala In NYC

Last night Marriage Equality New York staged their 12th annual fundraising gala in NYC, honoring LGBT advocates NY Sen. Jose Peralta, actor B.D. Wong, attorney Shannon Minter, and activist group Queer Rising. The evening was hosted by the ever-effervescent Marti Gould Cummings. I was unable to attend, but JMG staff photographer Dr. Jeff did his usual stellar work on the red carpet for us.

Lots of bold-face names in the photos below, including songstress/comedian Lea DeLaria, MENY head Cathy Marino-Thomas, Village People's Randy Jones, actor Leslie Jordan, Reichen Lekmkuhl, Broadway's Marty Thomas, NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm, NYC Comptroller John Liu, the cast of Hair, civil rights attorney Yetta Kurland, and many more.

April 28th: Marriage Equality NY Gala

The 12th annual Marriage Equality New York gala fundraiser takes place on April 28th in Manhattan. Get tickets here.

The MENY Gala will be recognizing and honoring: Queer Rising, NYS Senator Peralta, Sharron Minter, and BD Wong for their work in moving marriage equality forward in New York State and, in some cases, on the national front. This recognition comes from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and it represents how important this issue is in our everyday lives. There will also be a silent auction put on by MENY PAC (our political action committee is not a 501c3 and donations on the auction are not tax-deductible)

Slideshow: A Very MARY Holiday

Earlier this week, I attended the first annual Very MARY Holiday fundraiser put on by Broadway Speaks OUT to benefit the Ali Forney Center, NYC's shelter for homeless LGBT youth. It was a fun night, very "Hey, kids! Let's put on a show!" Host Marti Gould Cummings was a riot as loads of Broadway stars performed, including Tony winner B.D. Wong, Nick Adams, Titus Burgess, Sean Bradford, Megan Reinking, and more. Also appearing was YouTube sensation Michael Buckley, who is known to gossip fans as Buck Hollywood. My loyal companion Aaron, who is on holiday hiatus from his exile to Portland, attended with his friend Russell. And Dr. Jeff worked the red carpet with his big boy camera - all photos below are by him. GREAT night!

Monday: A Very MARY Holiday

Broadway Speaks OUT's holiday concert to benefit the Ali Forney Center is tomorrow (Monday). Get tickets here.

November 30th: A Very MARY Holiday Benefit For Ali Forney Center

Next Monday, November 30th, Broadway Speaks OUT hosts A Very MARY Holiday concert to benefit the Ali Forney Center, NYC's homeless LGBT youth center.

WHEN: November 30, 2009, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. VIP Afterparty: 10 p.m.-11 p.m.
WHERE: Dixon Place, 161 Chrystie Street, NYC
TICKET INFO: $25 mezzanine seating, $50 orchestra seating (includes passes to VIP after party)
HOSTED BY: Martin Gould Cummings with B.D. Wong, Nick Adams, and Tituss Burgess.
FEATURING: Kate Pazakis, Frankie James Grande, Anthony Hollock, Sean Bradford, Jeffery Self and Cole Escola of Logo, TV's Jeffery & Cole Casserole, The Honeybuns (Lauren Elder, Haven Burton & Meabh O'Neill), Megan Reinking, Michael Buckley of YouTube fame. (More to be announced)

Get tickets here. Special $18 mezzanine seats are on sale (four ticket minimum).

Bloggers Honored By NYC's LGBT Anti-Violence Project

Last night Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, Andy Towle of Towleroad, and Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project and I attended the NYC Anti-Violence Project's Courage Awards, where we were honored for our work as "citizen journalists" - a term Pam calls "the glamour word for bloggers, don'tcha know, since we didn't have PJs on." We had elected Pam as our spokesperson and here is the speech she made on our behalf after our introduction by SiriusXM host and activist Michelangelo Signorile.

Because crimes against LGBT people are seldom reported on a national basis, and covered mostly in local papers, if at all, we have a valuable opportunity to raise awareness about how severe and widespread these crimes are, and the frequency at which they occur. As one of the few forums, and perhaps the most effective, that exist right now to communicate these crimes to other gay people and our heterosexual allies, we can inspire them to take action.

We will never stop standing up for my fellow LGBT citizens when they are struck down by hate, and never ease the pressure on those who would choose to strike us down, whether by words or by fists. Whether it be a young trans woman in Colorado referred to as "it" by a lover she thought she trusted and struck down in a rage, or a bar goer who beats a gay man with his fist to the surface of a parking lot late at night after a night of drinking in South Carolina, or a man who decides he doesn't like the look of a lesbian couple in Provincetown so he decides to push them through a plate glass window, or two deadbeats in Laramie, Wyoming who decide to mete justice on a young gay man by beating him and leaving him to die on a frigid fence, we will continue to report each and every story.

We are humbled and challenged by the ability to communicate the amount of information we have regarding hate crimes to such a wide audience, and we will continue to be vigilant in my continuing coverage of violence against the LGBT community. It's a vigilance that would not be possible without my fellow bloggers Andy, Joe, and Bil. We cast a wide net and I am proud to be honored alongside them.

Pam has lots more photos and videos, including speeches made by co-honoree Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer-winning author of Angels In America, and Kushner's presenter, Law & Order's handsome BD Wong. It was a fantastic night. Please consider supporting the important work of the Anti-Violence Project - the people who, in the words of executive director Sharon Stapel, "come to the rescue of LGBT people at the absolute worst time of their lives."