“DIVA DISH ON THE LGBT GLAM & GLITZ!”

“Heart of my LGBT heart”, I love that melody. When we’re apart, you bring back memories. When Valentine’s Day comes upon me it’s so sweet, We played rough and you have great thighs, But oh, how we could harmonize!

“Heart of my LGBT heart” meant we were friends and dearer then. Too bad we had to part! I know a tear would glisten, If once more I could listen, To the special LGBT who sang “Heart of my heart!”

Well it’s Cupid’s month once more and Priscilla is pining away for that special someone who touched my heart, pierced it actually! He was so divine, but I knew it would not last that it was just a holiday fling. So Fabrizio and I (Fabrizio – remember him, my hunky chauffeur who steps in when Priscilla needs a HELPING HAND…hhhmmm) are off to the islands once again. Since there is no winter to speak of so far I need some tanning and some relaxation as only Fabrizio can offer. But before we go I thought I’d update you on what’s happening in the coming weeks in LGBT Long Island!

LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP cordially invites us all to their 2012 RED VELVET DANCE on Saturday – February 11^th at 8 PM. It will take place at the VFW Hall on Lakeland Avenue in Sayville. Tickets are $25 per person! Call them at 631-961-9618 to get your tickets!

Another Event is AUNTIE M’S HELPING HANDS 5^th ANNUAL TUPPERWARE PARTY with AUNT BARBARA hosting!

The Auntie M’s event is on Saturday – February 18^th at 8 PM, at The Party Room at Dave & Buster’s, 261 Airport Plaza in Farmingdale. Admission is $10, pay at the door! There will be a dessert buffet and coffee/tea station. Aunt Barbara will donate a percentage of all of her sales that night to Auntie M’s Helping Hands. You need to get the full effect of Aunt Barbara’s wit and humor – OUTLOOK AWARDS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR 2010!

Speaking of the OUTLOOK AWARDS – it was a FABOO night, and alas Priscilla lost ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR once again. One USED TO BE CLOSE FRIEND said, “Hey ‘Scilla, you’re on your way to becoming the Susan Lucci of the OUTLOOK AWARDS with 6 loses!” Needless to say the BITCH was pushed…er, slipped into the lake out back at The Thatched Cottage. Here is a snapshot of Priscilla at the awards!

MARCH 2012 - THE GAY AND LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD OF LONG ISLAND’s “CARNIVALE” on Friday – March 9^th at The Thatched Cottage from 8 PM – Midnight! Dinner, Dancing, Mask Contests and MUCH, MUCH MORE! ADVANCE SALES TICKETS ONLY! Tickets went on sale January 1^st for $30.00; $25.00 PER TICKET PRICE for TABLE OF 10 OR 12! TABLE TICKETS MUST BE PAID WITH ONE CHECK (Table of 10 $275.00 Table of 12 $325.00). Make checks payable to GLSBLI; mail to: PO Box 1312 Ronkonkoma NY 11779. ALL tickets will be held at the door!

See you soon kids! Let’s kiss/kiss, hug/hug!

Kisses,

Priscilla Pride www.priscillapride.com

‘LONG ISLAND’S LGBT NONPROFITS IN ACTION!’

   I believe, like many activists in our community, we cannot celebrate wins in our LGBT fight for “Equal, Not Separate Rights!’ if one part of our community is still fighting their fight. And the part of our community still fighting their fight is our TRANSGENDER friends.

    EMPIRE STATE PRIDE AGENDA’s website is a great place to start to learn about Transgender Rights and what the issues are in their fight for equal rights, www.prideagenda.org, then click on Transgender issues.

Campaign for Transgender Civil Rights –

     The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act is a bill that would outlaw discrimination in NYS based on gender identity or expression. Currently it is legal in most parts of New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your home or be denied credit or public accommodations (like service in a restaurant) simply for being transgender. GENDA also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people. We need your help to pass GENDA!

Take Action!

   1. Sign up for Campaign Updates. Get the latest insider information and know when to act.

   2. TRANScribe Project: Advocating for Equality and Justice Through Our Stories. We are compiling stories demonstrating why New York needs to pass GENDA.

  3. Support our Campaign. We need your help to fight for transgender equality and justice – every little bit counts.

  4. Sign up to Volunteer. We’ll contact you when opportunities arise. Also, check out our program calendar to find out if upcoming events are happening near you.

 5. Get Informed. Check out our transgender civil rights resources page.

     Transgender New Yorkers need strong allies to put these issues to legislators, the media and the general public. Hundreds of faith leaders and dozens of women’s organizations have signed up in support of a transgender rights bill.

Quick Facts – Answers to Common Questions—Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act:

     What is gender identity and expression and how does it differ from sexual orientation?

Gender identity and expression refer to the way people self-identify and present their masculinity and/or femininity to the world. Often, but not always, this corresponds to a  person’s sex as assigned at birth, so that a person born biologically male or female often dresses, adopts a hair style, and uses a name and pronoun in ways that reflect the culturally accepted roles associated with their birth sex. Transgender is an umbrella term that refers to people who identify their gender differently from what is traditionally associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. Gender variance is not in itself any indicator of sexual orientation. 

     Wouldn’t the law give transgender people special rights or create a slippery slope towards banning discrimination based upon eye color, etc.?

     No. All this law would do is mandate equal treatment and create an equal playing field. For decades, the state legislature has identified protected classes, such as race and age, within New York’s human rights laws to protect groups of citizens that have historically been treated unequally. The experiences of transgender individuals in NYS include severe social ostracism & legal marginalization. In fact, many transgender people face multiple oppressions based on race, ethnicity and class as well as gender identity and expression.

     There is so much we all can do to help our Transgender community. Part of the Trans community are Drag Queens, and if we remember Stonewall 1969 there were many Drag Queens in that momentous occasion that was the stepping stone to our Gay Rights movement. Now it is our turn to stand up and help them! 

Despite his determined public relations efforts to play down his wrestling alter ego The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, has solidified himself as a global box office success with gross film revenues in excess of 2.1 billion dollars worldwide. That’s a lot of pebbles.

Born into a family of unique entertainers, Johnson had the opportunity to develop a grass roots understanding of the nuances of live performance as he watched his father and grandfather achieve success in the world of professional wrestling. Johnson later focused his natural athletic abilities on football and received a full scholarship to the University of Miami. He won his first National Championship with the team in 1991 and played again for the National Championship in 1992, closing out his illustrious football career by competing for a third National Championship in 1995 against the University of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Upon graduation, Johnson turned his passion for entertainment into a life-changing career. Following in the footsteps of his World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame grandfather and father, he developed the iconic character ‘The Rock’ and performed to over 10 million fans a week on television, plus domestic and international live audiences that reached in excess of 70,000. Johnson consistently sold out venues such as the Houston Astrodome, Madison Square Garden and Toronto Sky Dome. He achieved unprecedented success, becoming a New York Times bestselling author for his autobiography, The Rock Says, as well as a platinum recording artist for his WWE compilation CD, performing with such artists as Wyclef Jean. In 2011, Johnson renewed his relationship with the WWE, bringing ‘The Rock’ persona to a new generation of wrestling fans. He was the host of WrestleMania XXVII and the main event for WWE’s November 2011 “Survivor Series” at Madison Square Garden. In April 2012, Johnson will be the star attraction at WrestleMania XXVIII, in his hometown of Miami, Florida.

Johnson transitioned to film as the Scorpion King in the 2001 blockbuster “The Mummy Returns,” leading to his first starring role in “The Scorpion King” in 2002. That success led to subsequent leading roles in “The Rundown,” “Walking Tall” and “Gridiron Gang,” as well as an acclaimed standout performance in the ensemble hit “Be Cool.” He lent his voice to the animated feature “Planet 51,” returned to family comedy in “The Tooth Fairy,” and made his highly anticipated return to action in November 2010 with George Tillman’s feature “Faster.”

Johnson most recently starred in “Fast Five,” the fifth and highest-grossing installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. He will reprise his role as U.S. Special Agent Luke Hobbs later this year on the franchise’s sixth and seventh installments, and in June 2012, will also be seen starring in Jon Chu’s “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” He recently wrapped production on Ric Roman Waugh’s action thriller “Snitch,” and is set to star in the adventure “Monster Hunters’ Survival Guide,” based on the popular comic book miniseries by John Paul Russ. Additionally, he will produce and star in a biopic of country music star Charlie Pride.

A Celebrity Cabinet Member for The American Red Cross, Johnson has served on the National Advisory Board for The Make-A-Wish Foundation and the National Spokesperson for After School All-Stars (formerly The Arnold Schwarzenegger Youth Foundation). The Giving Back Fund recognized him in 2006 as one of the top 30 celebrities who made the largest public charitable donations and, in 2008, the United States Congress, the Joint Leadership Commission and the United States Congressional Award Foundation recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, given to an individual in the private sector who has contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own contributions, and has set exceptional examples for young people through their successes in life.

In his new film “The Journey 2 :The Mysterious Island” Johnson plays Hank, a Navy vet who runs his own contruction company and is accustomed to tackling things head-on and fixing problems. This of course is a characteristic that the star of the movie shares with his character. And along with that kinship with his on-screen role Johnson brings other things to the new Warner bros. film as his director can attest to.

“Dwayne brings so much to every role,” notes his director Brad Peyton. “ with his million dollar fists and billion dollar smile, he could carry a movie just on his acting chops alone but he also has impeccable comic timing and he’s endlessly charismatic. I wanted everything—the whole Dwayne Johnson experience –for this movie, and he brought it. He even sings…who knew? And he plays the ukulele.

While Johnson won’t admit to meeting an opponent or adversary that he couldn’t lick, his attempt at distancing himself from his “Rock” moniker has been only somewhat successful. He dismisses the seriousness of the problem with a wink and a smile but seems resigned to the fact that “The Rock” will always remain an unmovable force in his career.

“There are more important things to weigh career-wise. As time goes on that will become just a footnote.”

In this journalist’s estimation; that’s a big footnote.

“Journey 2 : The Mysterious Island” Opens everywhere February 10^th!

“DIVA DISH ON THE LGBT GLAM & GLITZ!”

AULD LANG SYNE – Priscilla hopes you brought in the New Year with this classic, and she will not change a word! It is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788; set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many countries; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. The song begins by posing a rhetorical question as to whether it is right that – those old times be forgotten – and is generally interpreted as a call to remember long-standing friendships.

Burns’ original Scots verse – Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, in days of auld lang syne? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear), for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

Remember those long-standing friends & new ones made in 2011, cherish them always. Life is like a banquet as Auntie Mame said, “And most poor sons of bitches are starving to death!” I know those words DO NOT APPLY to Priscilla’s cherished & devoted readers, you are all LOVED!

2012 and the news…the awards season is off and running with GOLDEN GLOBE and SAG NOMS, precursors to the OSCARS for sure. Priscilla predicted it – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is in the thick of it all. That’s the WOODY ALLEN gem he gave us Parisianophiles in 2011. So charming and chic, it made me fall in love with my favorite city all over again!  Paris est la plus belle ville! More on the awards shows as they happen…

But LGBT – Long Island has our very own contribution to the 2012 awards season. The nominations & winners are all chosen by you, the LGBTs who know who you want to show love & affection for in both the nominations & the wins! Priscilla is talking about the 6^th ANNUAL OUTLOOK AWARDS sponsored by OUTLOOK-Long Island Magazine. The nominations went out in 2011, the ballots were sent in, and the accounting firm of CHIC & CLASSY is tabulating the ballots as you read this article. The event is Saturday – January 21^st at The Thatched Cottage, hosted by MISS ARIEL SINCLAIR with Priscilla hosting THE LAVENDER CARPET! For tickets go to:

www.outlooklongisland.com.  Run, don’t walk to buy your tix and look for Priscilla in her new chapeau designed by Anya Caliendo – see her creations at www.anyacaliendo.com! Priscilla will be stunningly chic for sure.

There are many benefits already planned for 2012 – here is a sampling: THURSDAY’S CHILD BENEFIT hosted by The Imperial Court of New York will be on Sunday – January 29, 2012 at FUSION 84 Restaurant and Bar in Sayville. Tickets are DINNER & SHOW: $45, SHOW ONLY $20, hosted by LISA COUGAR BACALL & MADISON MANSFIELD. For more information: guysgarden@hotmail.com.

Another 2012 event is THE GAY AND LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD OF LONG ISLAND’s “CARNIVALE” on Friday – March 9^th at The Thatched Cottage from 8 PM – Midnight! Dinner, Dancing, Mask Contests and MUCH, MUCH MORE! ADVANCE SALES TICKETS ONLY! Tickets went on sale January 1^st for $30.00; $25.00 PER TICKET PRICE for TABLE OF 10 OR 12! TABLE TICKETS MUST BE PAID WITH ONE CHECK (Table of 10 $275.00 Table of 12 $325.00). Make checks payable to GLSBLI; mail to: PO Box 1312 Ronkonkoma NY 11779. ALL tickets will be held at the door!

So dears, I want to see you at 2012 events. Come by and let’s kiss/kiss, hug/hug!

Kisses,

Priscilla Pride www.priscillapride.com