The new LGBT web series The Gay Agenda will be making an appearance at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's 26th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Houston, Texas at a live taping on Jan. 30 at 10 p.m.
The Gay Agenda recently released its second episode, where the hosts discuss nature vs. nurture and GLAAD and interview comedian and actress Fawzia Mirza ( Kam Kardashian ). The episode is available for viewing on the show's YouTube channel, The Gay Agenda Live! at bit.ly/1chTGdP .
The hosts of The Gay Agenda take on contemporary events — pop culture, politics, and matters of the heart — in a lively discussion from four distinctive points of view:
— M a r y M o r t e n , a former mayoral appointee under Chicago's Daley Administration ( the 2nd one ), is a matter-of-fact business advisor and film producer who gets things done. Mary's work as an LGBT activist, consultant in the non-profit industry around social justice and organizational development as well as documentary filmmaking has earned her a number of awards and recognitions over the past several years.
— J i m B e n n e t t , a member of Chicago's improv community, is a "gay for pay" focused on winning LGBT civil rights ( when he focuses ). Jim currently serves as the Midwest Regional Director for Lambda Legal and is responsible for expanding Lambda Legal's organizational reach in ten states with concentrations in public policy, financial development, educational and media efforts.
— Tony Alvarado-Rivera, an organizer for far-left progressive issues, stands up for the often underrepresented point-of-view within the LGBT community especially in a sensible pair of pumps ( actually they're rarely sensible ). Tony is the Coordinator of Youth Programs at Chicago Freedom School, an organization dedicated to creating new generations of critically-thinking young people.
— S h a n n o n D o w n e y , an expert in social media, has a near-fanatical obsession with science fiction; specifically, Star Trek; more specifically, Star Trek the Next Generation. Shannon is the Executive Director of Downsize Fitness, working to transform the lives of overweight teens and their families through nutrition education, programs and resources.
The Chicago-based talk show has a rapidly growing national following and is currently in post-production for its third episode with a planned release for late February 2014. The Gay Agenda covers not only topics and issues faced by the LGBTQ community, but the nation as a whole, as Morten explains:
"We're going to talk about race, we're going to talk about class, [and] we're going to talk about the intersection of those issues around sexual orientation and gender identity. We're going to put our spin on this, and our spin is, in some cases, more informed because we are members of LGBTQ community. Sometimes that may not be the case, but more often than not it will be. They're issues that anybody might be interested in talking about, and believe it or not, we have fun while doing it!"
The Gay Agenda is thrilled to have to opportunity to collaborate with the Task Force in bringing the show to the Creating Change Conference.
"The Creating Change Conference ... attracts more than 3,500 people from all over the country every year. Presenters and participants come from all walks of life and include members of the business community, elected officials, students, faith leaders and staff and volunteers of non-profit organizations. The conference runs Jan. 29—Feb. 2, 2014." [See www.creatingchange.org .]
The Task Force's Sue Hyde, Creating Change Conference Director, said, "The Gay Agenda is smart, funny, and truly digs in to the problems that we as a community face every day, from relationships to politics to popular culture. It's important to see all sides of an issue, even from within our own population; The Gay Agenda accomplishes that, and it's funny!"
See The Gay Agenda's YouTube Channel at bit.ly/1dui8a7 to stay up to date on the show and to see currently posted episodes. Visit www.thegayagendalive.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gayagendalive and @GayAgendaLive on Twitter.
