@RyanNewYork
He sits on the Broad of Directors of The Ali Forney Center, where he is the founding producer of their annual Broadway Beauty Pageant fundraiser. He's also on the Board of Directors of The Deconstructive Theatre Project and the Board of Advisers of the startup TV Dinner.
He's also a director/producer, who lives in Brooklyn, NY and created the musical White Noise. Ryan writes about politics for The Huffington Post & The Hill. He has been a guest editor for Queerty and is the host of the podcast Gay History: Uncut.
Here Ryan blogs about politics, film, TV, history, religion, science, books, theater, digital media, LGBT issues, Bushwick & Williamsburg, New York City, and anything else he's interested in at the moment. Oh, and he'll probably talk a lot about himself.
This is a personal blog. Any opinions expressed here and on my Twitter represent my own and not those of my employer or clients.
Some great new pictures of the contestants in this year’s Broadway Beauty Pageant. It’s on MONDAY in New York City - tickets available here.
Contestants are out for this year’s The Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant!
Get your tickets at: http://bit.ly/BBP2013Tixs
It’s a fantastic group. “This year’s competitors will include Callan Bergmann (Silence! The Musical), Julius C. Carter (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark), Yurel Echezarreta (Matilda), Matthew Goodrich (The Nance), Orion Griffiths (Pippin) and Paul HeeSang Miller (Mamma Mia!).”
(Photo from previous pageant)
are you gonna be at creating change?
wanna support a qtpoc on a new media institute panel titled “ Re/Blogging for Social Change: Blogging, Tumblr and Activism”?
it’s an hour long and starts at 4:40pm. be in there, plz.
i’ll probably be explaining why it’s entirely appropriate for me to have a glittery ‘reverse racism’ gif on my blog
you can register for the institute here
do itttt~
Yes! If you’re at Creating Change this year, make sure to come to this incredible panel ‘Re/Blogging for Social Change: Blogging, Tumblr and Activism’ that I’m moderating. Full of really thoughtful, interesting contributors.
My latest post on the Blue State Digital blog on lessons learned from The Four 2012 and the four state marriage equality victories. Click here or the image for all four.
I wrote the below op-ed for my hometown newspaper, Salisbury, MD’s The Daily Times.
On Tuesday, Marylanders have an opportunity to make history by voting for Question 6 and passing marriage equality by popular vote for the first time in our nation’s history. Supporters of marriage equality have lost 32 ballot initiatives in a row, but 2012 is the year we capture the momentum and win victories in four states — Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington.
We’ve seen millions of dollars spent in sleazy, misleading ads by anti-equality groups looking to scare Marylanders about what marriage equality is and what Question 6 means. Don’t believe them, because it’s really as simple as equality, fairness and justice for all families.
Marriage equality shouldn’t be a political issue. If President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney both support a cause, you know it defies conventional politics. You can vote for Question 6 whether you consider yourself a progressive or a tea partier — or if you’re entirely apolitical.
Marriage equality is not a religious issue. Nobody will ever tell your pastor whom he or she has to marry. As many as noted, this is about rights, not rites; things that happen in a courthouse, not a church. You can vote for marriage equality without fear of any changes to your place of worship.
When I came out of the closet in 10th grade at James M. Bennett High School, I was the only openly gay student in the school.
I know my 15-year-old self would be astonished at the progress made in the last decade, but we’re not there yet. There are more than a thousand legal protections that straight married couples have but gay committed couples do not have access to; that’s not fair. I know the Eastern Shore and its residents believe in fairness.
Gay people are your neighbors, your friends, your family and your colleagues. They deserve access to the same rights for their families as you have for yours.
Polls overwhelmingly show that young people support marriage equality — by huge margins. Maryland has an opportunity to stand on the right side of history.
I, for one, hope it does.
Ryan Davis was born and raised in Salisbury. He is a cofounder of TheFour.com and a contributor to Marylanders For Marriage Equality. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Ali Forney Center, the largest and most comprehensive LGBT homeless youth organization in the country, suffered a major loss due to Hurricane Sandy. Their drop-in center, which is a lifeline to kids who live on the streets, was destroyed.
Below is a letter from their executive director, Carl Siciliano, detailing the situation and how you can help. (Hint: they really need your money.)
This organization is near and dear to my heart, I’m on the Board of Directors and have produced The Broadway Beauty Pageant for them for many years. Please give what you can to this very important cause.
Dear Friends,
Yesterday we were finally able to inspect our drop-in center in Chelsea, half a block from the Hudson River. Our worst fears were realized; everything was destroyed and the space is uninhabitable. The water level went four feet high, destroying our phones, computers, refrigerator, food and supplies.
This is a terrible tragedy for the homeless LGBT youth we serve there. This space was dedicated to our most vulnerable kids, the thousands stranded on the streets without shelter, and was a place where they received food, showers, clothing, medical care, HIV testing and treatment, and mental health and substance abuse services. Basically a lifeline for LGBT kids whose lives are in danger.
We are currently scrambling for a plan to provide care to these desperate kids while we prepare to ultimately move into a larger space that will better meet our needs. The NYC LGBT Center has very kindly and generously offered to let us temporarily use some of their space, and we hope to determine the viability of that on Monday.
We have been deluged with kind offers from people who wish to volunteer and donate goods. Unfortunately, we will have to provide our services in the time being in much smaller spaces that won’t accommodate volunteers or allow for much storage space. The best way people can reach out to help in this very challenging time is by making monetary donations. Please go to our website at www.aliforneycenter.org/hurricanesandy
It is heartbreaking to see this space come to such a sad end. For the past seven years it has been a place of refuge to thousands of kids reeling from being thrown away by their parents for being LGBT. For many of these kids coming to our drop-in center provided their first encounter with a loving and affirming LGBT community. I thank all of you for your care and support in a most difficult time.
- Carl Siciliano
Great article on Buzzfeed about the brand new video that Lady Gaga just released for The Four 2012. You can just skip to the video here.
I’m so happy with the series of videos we at The Four 2012 produced with New Left Media. Here’s the third from Washington State.
From Washington, this is the third of a four-part series, co-produced by New Left Media and The Four, made in each of the states that have marriage equality votes this November. The first two can be viewed here.
Marriage For All Families captures the real experience of same-sex couples, to show that they have the same challenges, responsibilities, and aspirations as other couples. Still, they are strangers in the eyes of the law. That’s why marriage equality is so important: it aligns personality reality with legal reality, as a simple matter of fairness and equality.
Part four will be released Tuesday, October 23rd on TheFour.com.
It’s been 14 years since Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. It was a defining moment in my teen years - I was just sixteen and had only been out of the closet a few months. Seeing a guy murdered for being something that I was, scared and saddened me. We’ve come a long way since 1998, but it’s important to remember all the Matthews there have been.
This video has clips from The Laramie Projects set to Elton John’s beautiful American Triangle.
RIP Matthew.
I’m gay!
Please support marriage equality today and everyday.
Happy National Coming Out Day!
Reblog and share to show your support for marriage equality.
See daily content at http://www.thefour.com
Was so happy we got to partner with my friends Chase Whiteside & Erick Stoll on this amazing four state video project.
Our first video is on Maine, the other states are being released the following three Tuesdays.
From Maine, this is the first of a four-part series, co-produced by New Left Media and The Four, made in each of the states that have marriage equality votes this November.
Marriage For All Families captures the real experience of same-sex couples, to show that they have the same challenges, responsibilities, and aspirations as other couples. Still, they are strangers in the eyes of the law. That’s why marriage equality is so important: it aligns personality reality with legal reality, as a simple matter of fairness and equality.
Part two will be released Tuesday, October 9th on TheFour.com.
Money doesn’t decide elections, but it plays a huge part. We’ve lost 32 state LGBT ballot initiatives and we’ve been outspent in the majority of those fights. We’re not going to let that happen this year. Donate today to the four states.
http://www.thefour2012.com/moneybomb
Moneybomb For Marriage: Support Marriage Equality in Four Key States
It’s started. America’s biggest anti-gay organization has written a check for a quarter of a million dollars to take out marriage equality in Washington State. This won’t be the last check they write either, and the next ones will probably be bigger, and in more states.
So we’re fighting back. This November, there are four states with marriage on the ballot and we have a chance to win them all, if there is enough money to match our opposition dollar for dollar. To make it simple, we’ve created a way for you to donate to the pro-equality groups in all four states - Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington - all at once. However much you like — split any way you like.
We are 40 days out from Election Day - and every dollar counts. Will you make a contribution to any or all of the four states and make marriage happen? Thanks for helping.
One problem with ballot initiatives is that sometimes the language can confuse the voter. We’ve put together this graphic to let voters know how to support marriage equality in their state.
Please share and visit us at The Four 2012 for daily content until election day.
(via thefour2012)
