Sin City Classic - Largest LGBTQ Sports Festival Returns

 

The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA) is pleased to announce the return of the Sin City Classic Sports Festival Presented by Lexus, which will take place in Las Vegas on January 16-19, 2020. This year’s Festival, the largest annual LGBTQ sporting event in the world, adds four new sports – basketball, indoor rowing, spikeball and steel tip darts - bringing the total number of sports participating in the Festival to 24.

“Each year the Sin City Classic continues to grow and brings even more LGBTQ athletes, allies and fans to Las Vegas for a weekend filled with competition and camaraderie. Our nightly events continue to get bigger and better, and we’re happy to be able to offer attendees the opportunity to come together and bond of sport,” said Ken Scearce, tournament director for the Sin City Classic.

Each January the festival brings together LGBTQ sports associations from around the world in order for LGBTQ athletes, fans and allies to enjoy a weekend full of competition, companionship and fun. In addition to a full roster of sporting competitions, the festival includes nightly social events, including an Opening Night registration party and the Closing Night celebration, which will be held at the LINQ Promenade’s Brooklyn Bowl.

GLASA created the Sin City Classic in 2008 as an LGBTQ softball tournament meant to provide a safe yet competitive atmosphere for LGBTQ athletes. Over the years the tournament has grown to include 24 sports and more than 8,000 athletes and fans. GLASA remains committed to creating the best experience possible for all the dedicated athletes who participate and the fans and allies to come to enjoy the festival.

The Sin City Classic is proudly hosted at The Flamingo Hotel and the LINQ Hotel. Additional sponsors include presenting sponsor, Lexus, as well as Caesar’s Entertainment, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oasis, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, GAYVN, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and Piranha Nightclub.

For more information about the Sin City Classic or to register your team, please visit www.sincityclassic.org.

Jonathan Van Ness Writes Kids' Book About Gender Nonbinary Guinea Pig to 'Celebrate' Differences

Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness not only enjoys a good coif, he loves storytelling.

Today, the reality star announced his first picture book, Peanut Goes for the Gold, about a gender nonbinary guinea pig who dreams big.

“Growing up, the things that made me unique were not always celebrated, and I wanted to do something that would inspire kids to celebrate the things that make them special,” Van Ness, 32, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “With that being said, I’m so excited to announce my debut children’s book, Peanut Goes for the Gold, an inspiring story of a guinea pig rhythmic gymnastics prodigy.”

The guinea pig, Peanut, has a unique style. From doing cartwheels during basketball practice to devouring banana pancakes on their birthday, nothing stops Peanut from being Peanut. And when Peanut decides to become a rhythmic gymnast, they are determined to create a perfect routine, according to the book’s press release. Peanut Goes for the Gold will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books on March 31, 2020. (See the cover art below.) “Having had the opportunity to work with Jonathan Van Ness on Peanut Goes for the Gold has truly been a dream come true,” said executive editor David Linker. “He’s an absolute inspiration. Just like Peanut, Jonathan embodies the idea that no dream is impossible when you put your whole heart into it, and I’m so thrilled to have had the opportunity to help Jonathan translate that spirit into his amazing first-ever book for kids.”

One Colorado: Only ten more days to get healthcare in Colorado for 2020

By Sheena Kadi, Deputy Director, One Colorado  

Open enrollment is almost over! This is your last chance to purchase health insurance on the marketplace for 2020, barring specific unforeseen life events.

Not quite sure where to start? You can talk to a navigator and purchase health insurance online from Connect for Health Colorado.

Are you seeking insurance coverage for transition-related care or a person living with HIV who needs specific prescription drug coverage? One Colorado has resources that will help you find the insurance carrier that's right for you.

2020 Transgender Health Insurance Buyer's Guide

2020 Hormone Therapy Prescription Coverage Guide

2020 PrEP and HIV Prescription Coverage Guide

These guides not only look at whether the eight plans on the marketplace cover behavioral health services, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery, but also review the availability of an LGBTQ health navigator, coverage of puberty blockers for minors, quality of hormone therapy coverage, and HIV prescription coverage.

Don't wait to get covered! Open enrollment for 2020 ends on January 15, 2020. Shop online now or call 855-PLANS-4-YOU.

P.S. Don't forget to tell your friends and family — share this on Facebook and Twitter!

Nicole Byer, Alec Mapa to Host 2020 GayVN Awards

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The Gay Travel Awards Winners are Revealed

The nominees have rallied and the votes have been tallied! 

The Gay Travel Awards support and promote LGBTQ travel and tourism by identifying and rewarding select organizations that exemplify a spirit of inclusiveness, superb customer service, and hospitality excellence. Click the link to find out 2019's winners.

Deadline Approaching for Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices

The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices offers intensive and sophisticated instruction to selected writers over a carefully designed one-week period. The Retreat is one of Lambda Literary's most dynamic programs.

The Retreat provides writers access to industry professionals and the opportunity to advance in their craft and careers. It is one of Lambda’s most dynamic initiatives: it represents the future of LGBTQ literature. The Retreat will be held August 9-16, 2020 on the campus of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

Applications are due on February 2nd!

Kiwi Jr. - Gimme More

Ahead of the January 17 world-wide release of their highly infectious debut album Football Money, Kiwi Jr. have shared a video for the LP’s “Gimme More.” The video debuted via Glide who note, "one of the most raucous tracks on Football Money. Bringing to mind the garage rock revival of the early 2000s with a 70s glam vibe, the song is a jangly rocker that features shouted group harmonies with an infectious chorus..The song is accentuated is flourishes of electric guitar, offering up a refreshing reminder that straightforward rock and roll bands are still out there."

Of the video the Toronto-based band told Glide, “it was shot mostly at our favourite bar in Toronto - Black Dice Cafe. It's a rockabilly bar and though Kiwi Jr is very unhip to that scene, we tried to pay it justice by wearing leather jackets. We've had probably every band meeting we've ever had at that bar, and the owner Hidecki was nice enough to let us shoot there as long as we didn't break anything (which we did during load in before we even started shooting).” It was directed by Sean Foreman who states, "we wanted the video to feel like it was based off dream logic. Things don’t make sense, the band keeps popping up, rooms are oddly connected somehow, it’s nonsense but at the same time there seems to be some undercurrent of reason guiding things."

Jude's Law - It's Finally Here

By Daniel Ramos, Executive Director, One Colorado

After five long years - thousands of emails and phone calls to legislators, hundreds of constituent visits, and dozens of testimonies provided, HB19-1039 Jude's Law goes into effect today! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, including all of the volunteers, testifiers, bill sponsors, and coalition and community partners over the years.

Identity documents (IDs) are needed for many activities of daily life—working, enrolling in school, opening bank accounts, voting, traveling, and accessing government resources and institutions. However, the name and gender change process is complicated and can be expensive. Many state and federal governments have intrusive and burdensome requirements—such as proof of surgery or court orders—that make it, at times, impossible for transgender people to update their IDs. To have one’s ID out of alignment with one’s gender identity exposes a transgender person to a range of negative outcomes, from denial of employment, housing, health care, and public benefits to harassment and even physical violence.

Sponsored by the former LGBT Caucus co-chairs Representative Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and Senator Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, Jude’s Law will cut through the red tape for transgender and nonbinary Coloradans as they update the gender on their birth certificates to match who they are. Coloradans will be able to update their gender on their birth certificate to M, F, or X — without surgery, a doctor’s note, or court order. This bill removes both the surgery requirement and court order requirement, allowing transgender and nonbinary people the ability to self-identify on their identification documents. The bill also removes the publication requirement for a name change in order to reflect one’s gender identity. A new birth certificate will be issued instead of an amended birth certificate when updating gender. Colorado is the third state in the country (including California and Oregon) to have nonbinary gender options for both driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

For more information, please visit One Colorado’s website here.

Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum Extended Through April 12

Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum comprises sculptural and digital installations that celebrate Burton’s links to Las Vegas and its historical neon heritage. These artworks, many of which are site-specific creations, are displayed in the Neon Boneyard and incorporated into Brilliant!, the museum’s permanent projection mapping North Gallery installation. Works play with the museum’s landmark sign collection, which was prominently featured in Burton’s 1996 film Mars Attacks! This irreverent homage to the sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s and 1960s and the disaster films of the 1970s unleashed gleefully destructive alien invaders upon gamblers, casino workers and Tom Jones. The presentation of Burton’s art in Las Vegas represents a unique experience where the host institution also serves as creative inspiration. The museum’s distinctive campus has been transformed through the artist’s singular vision for this original exhibition of new work as well as previously exhibited pieces.

As a result of ongoing demand, Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum presented by the Engelstad Foundation, has been extended through April 12, 2020. Burton will return to the exhibit on Tuesday, Jan. 21 beginning at 1:30 p.m. to sign copies of the brand-new exhibition catalogue “Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum” ($29.95), as well as his books “The Art of Tim Burton”($75) and “The Napkin Art of Tim Burton: things you think about in a bar” ($19.99). Advance registration for the book-signing is required and may be done at www.neonmuseum.org beginning Jan. 8, 2020 at 10 a.m. P.S.T.

The Regional Premiere of Bubble Boy the Musical is coming soon! Inbox x

Jimmy Livingston was born without immunities and has spent his entire life confined inside a plastic bubble room. Enter Chloe, the girl next door, who becomes his friend and steals his heart. When she leaves town to get married, Jimmy travels cross-country in a homemade bubble suit in order to stop the wedding and finally tell her how he feels. Along the laugh-filled journey he deals with a crazy cult, a biker gang, a dead cow, and a controlling mother who will stop at nothing to get him back in the bubble.

“I’m excited to bring Bubble Boy the Musical to audiences because, while the show is bright and campy on the surface, it showcases a beacon of humanity and the spirit of love,” says Director Colin Roybal, “and I think we can all use a little of that in our own lives right now.”

Equinox Theatre Company presents the first show of their 12th season - the regional premiere of Bubble Boy The Musical. Performances will be January 24 through February 15, 2020 with shows Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 at the door/$22 for groups of 6 or more in advance only. All performances will be at The Bug Theatre at 3654 Navajo Street in Denver. Tickets and more information available online at www.EquinoxTheatreDenver.com.

One Colorado: Thanks for a great decade!

By Daniel Ramos, Executive Director, One Colorado Education Fund

As we wrap up 2019 — and what's been an incredible decade for our movement — I can’t help but reflect on the accomplishments of One Colorado over the last 9 years and how you've helped us become the state’s leading advocacy organization for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families. As One Colorado’s Executive Director, I am proud of the work our team and our supporters have accomplished.

There's still time to make your last gift of the decade. Click here to chip in $10, $25 or $50 dollars before midnight tomorrow!

This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and what made this milestone even more momentous was the inauguration of the nation’s first openly gay governor. We kicked off 2019 by celebrating this historic victory at the Purple Ball: From the Hate State to the Great State.

In addition, we worked to get pro-equality champions elected to the state house and state senate, and we also helped pass truly landmark legislation, solidifying Colorado’s place as a leader within our movement and nationwide. We also continued to build upon our LGBTQ Youth and Schools program by relaunching the Youth Leadership Council — a volunteer council made up of student leaders in Colorado schools across the state.



This progress – much of which would have seemed unfathomable to those at Stonewall 50 years ago – would not have been possible without your support. Which is why I hope you’ll consider helping us close out 2019 (and the 2010s) by making a gift today!

We have come so far since those courageous members of our community stood up to the oppression that LGBTQ people faced at Stonewall 50 years ago. Our work is far from finished. But with your support, we will continue to fight for equality using the momentum gained over the past 9 years. Our movement and our community is counting on it.

MAP: Be the Change in 2020

By Ineke Mushovic, MAP Executive Director

MAP stands for the Movement Advancement Project, and for more than 12 years, moving issues forward and advancing equality is what we do. How do we do this? We do it by creating, inspiring, and enacting real change.

In 2019 MAP has changed:
• How the media reports on important issues
• How people think about rural America
• How candidates are campaigning
• How American businesses treat their customers and employees 

This year, MAP launched a new report series challenging stereotypes and changing how people think about rural America. The Where We Call Home series has been featured twice in USA Today, and shines a spotlight on the estimated three million or more LGBT people who call rural America home. The series also included two reports looking at the structural differences in rural life and their unique impact on LGBT people of color and transgender people in rural areas.

MAP has also been at the forefront of doing impactful research on how religious exemption laws threaten the health, wellbeing, and safety of many people across the United States, and even Presidential candidates are taking notice. In October, The Advocate, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, GLAAD, and One Iowa hosted a groundbreaking LGBTQ Presidential Forum. Taking a page straight out of MAP’s resources, Democratic candidate and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro addressed an alarming trend happening in legislatures and courts across the country: the use of broad religious exemptions laws to target vulnerable communities, including LGBT people, minority faiths, and women. Senator Elizabeth Warren also noted MAP’s crucial research in her October 10 policy plan Securing LGBTQ+ Rights and Equality.

And it’s not just the candidates. MAP continues to be the go-to for the nation’s top media outlets. This year alone, MAP’s work has appeared in nearly 350 news articles, including stories from USA Today, The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, Fortune, Newsweek, and others. That’s nearly one story for every day of the year!

Finally, in 2019, MAP continued to lead the Open to All coalition, bringing together over 300,000 businesses large and small who have pledged to not to discriminate against their employees and customers. This year, Open to All welcomed business giants like Michaels Craft Stores and Sephora; announced that the fashion industry, led by Tapestry Inc. and over 50 leading fashion brands, was signing the Open to All pledge; and partnered with Yelp to launch a new search feature so consumers can now filter by “Open to All”—an attribute that allows businesses to distinguish themselves as a safe and welcoming place to everyone—when searching for restaurants, shops, bakeries, tailors, and much more. At a time of deep divisions, Open to All is committed to truly transforming the nation and changing the way America does business.
 
2020 is going to be an important year, and MAP is heading into 2020 ready to win. Will you join us?

Lone Tree Arts Center's National Geographic Live Series Continues with Photographer Annie Griffiths

Now in its fourth year, the Lone Tree Arts Center’s National Geographic Live Series ignites your inner explorer with five different explorers describing their expeditions set to the backdrop of their photographs and films on a floor-to-ceiling screen. These adventurers take you all around the world and beyond, telling stories and showing breathtaking images from the air to land to sea! he series continues with photographer Annie Griffiths, presenting Photography Without Borders on Friday, January 17 at 8pm.

In the English countryside, celebrated photographer Annie Griffiths produced a witty story on the Calder Valley Mouse Club showing the art of staging a beauty pageant for rodents. In Namibia, she spent time with a tribe surviving in the Kalahari Desert despite seven years of drought. But after a career covering all of the weird and wonderful facets of humanity in more than 100 countries, she has turned her creative energies toward supporting programs that empower women and children in the developing world.

One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for National Geographic, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem.

In addition to her magazine work, Griffiths is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls in the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change. In less than five years, Ripple’s work has helped 24 non-profits raise over a million dollars.

Neon Museum Announces 2020 National Artist Residence Call For Entries

Julie Henson, pictured, at the 2019 National
Artist In Residence Open House

The Neon Museum announces a call for entries for its 2020 National Artist Residency. Now in its fifth year, the Neon Museum National Residency offers a U.S.-based contemporary artist the opportunity to explore and interpret The Neon Museum’s historic collection within a broader cultural context nationwide. During the winning candidate’s tenure in Las Vegas, the local community will have multiple opportunities to engage with the artist and their work. This program/project is supported, in part, by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and the state of Nevada.

“Hosting this annual program enables us to introduce the community to a diverse array of artists who draw inspiration from The Neon Museum’s collection,” said Rob McCoy, president and chief executive officer, The Neon Museum. “It’s gratifying to be able to provide a platform for new creative output and cultural dialogue.”

The successful entrant will be selected based on demonstrated artistic excellence, quality and clarity of the submission, quality and benefit of the proposed public program and demonstrated ability to complete the project within the allotted schedule. Upon completion of the residency, the museum requests the artist contribute a mutually agreed-upon artwork to the museum’s collection.

The residency spans eight weeks from June 15 through Aug. 7, 2020. For the successful candidate, the Neon Museum will provide:

• $3,000 stipend plus a modest budget for materials, if required.
• $800 travel allowance.
• Living accommodations for eight weeks in downtown Las Vegas.
• A 1,000-square-foot studio space inside the museum’s 10,000-square-foot Ne10 Studio; this space is climate-controlled (essential during Las Vegas summers) and has a ceiling height of 19 feet.
• Access to the museum’s sign collection and archives, marketing and publicity support, photographic documentation and staffing to assisting with administering the public portion of the program. 

Eligible artists must live in the United States and work in the field of visual arts (including two- and three-dimensional work as well as digital and video art), performance or sound and be over the age of 18. Applications are due Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, by 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Click here for application instructions.

Accepting Submissions: Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health

The mission of Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health, a new quarterly peer reviewed journal from Springer Publishing, is to bring together state-of-the-art scholarship across disciplines, which seeks to enhance the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ individuals at the population level with an eye to the intersectional identities that LGBTQ people possess.

They are currently seeking papers related to LGBTQ care and LGBTQ health that:
• are quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies
• delineate the biomedical, psychological, behavioral, psychosocial, social, and structural drivers
• advance education, policies, laws, and approaches