@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.
Bill Clinton’s keynote at CES 2013 this week is something to watch. He covers quite a bit of global ground in just twenty minutes.
Clinton sees the three biggest challenges facing the world as inequality, instability, & climate change. He notes that none of these can be solved unless we commit to a progressive vision.
My favorite part is when Clinton talks (at 13:00) about our “unjustifiable neglect of gun safety” to large applause. He says the he grew up in a hunting culture, but that this is “nuts” because “why does anybody need a 30 round clip for a gun? why does anyone need one of those things that carry 100 bullets?”
Clinton says that half of all mass killings in the United States have happened since the expiration of the assault weapons ban in 2005. That’s a shocking figure.
He goes on to say that the Internet can bring us together to help strengthen gun control. I think he’s right and I think it’s incredibly important we all join in demanding a plan.
I’ve known Corey Johnson for nearly ten years; we met as young staffers on Howard Dean’s 2004 Presidential Campaign. Corey and I were those young progressive idealists that you can really only be in your extremely early twenties. The kind willing to work sixteen hours a day for ten months straight because we believed in what was possible. Even now that a decade has passed, Corey has never stopped working or believing in what is possible for New York City.
Although we met so young, Corey had already made a mark for himself as a leader in high school. As captain of his school football team, he came out of the closet in 2000, making national news while retaining his team’s leadership position. Corey has never avoided what’s difficult in the expense of what’s right.
I’m a Brooklynite, who lived in Manhattan’s District 3 for five years, and remain an active member of each of its neighborhoods’ cultural and political worlds, from the West Village to Hell’s Kitchen. So, the idea of having a young, pragmatic progressive like Corey on the council is an opportunity that we as New Yorkers must take.
We know that Corey puts the work in, because we’ve seen it in the eight years he’s served on Manhattan Community Board 4, including several years as the youngest chair in New York City. Corey demonstrates that government can make peoples’ lives better, from the solid middle class to the marginalized and disenfranchised.
In Corey, we see what a Millennial brings to the table as a councilmember. During Hurricane Sandy, Corey proved his digital credentials by instantly reporting over Facebook and Twitter the latest storm and recovery news. He reached tens of thousands of local residents with his updates, spurring volunteer action and empowering New Yorkers with safety information. I know digital and am proud to say that Corey didn’t even have to be elected, before adding serious value to our community.
I’ve fought for equality for years, by co-founding The Four 2012 and working closely with human rights organizations including The Ali Forney Center and All Out. I know that Corey is more than an LGBT ally - he’s a leader. He serves on the board of The Ali Forney Center, has worked full time at GLAAD, and has knocked on doors in states around the country to support Barack Obama and pass marriage equality. As a councilperson, we’ll gain a strong activist.
Corey is the right person at the right time to represent NYC Council District 3. I know he’ll be a reliable liberal voice for the middle class, justice, and common sense. How lucky we’d all be if he had a seat in the New York City Council and I’m proud to support him.
Visit Corey2013.com to get involved and connect with him over Facebook and Twitter.
Saw ‘The Skin I Live In’ last night for the first time. Pedro Almodóvar is such a master, it’s beautiful, intense, bizarre and wonderful.
A wonderfully edited, satirical Romney ad by Hugh Atkin, that shows Mitt at his most authentic.
Chris Hedges says things like The WWF and reality television are an example of the American empire’s moral decline. What do you think?
Big fan of Hedges’ book War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning and think he’s an important voice on the left. I do however think the fact he rarely (if ever) talks about technology means he’s not considering its future, exponential impact. Making him more of a general pessimist than me.
Sight is a short film that imagines the gamification of life in a near future of augmented vision contact lenses. Some really clever stuff here, hope Sergey Brin has seen this.
Tom Scott’s ‘Welcome to life’ is another cynical short on future tech.
Must watch new video from our friends at New Left Media. Please spread this important message around.
NEW VIDEO! - The GOP War On Women’s Health is Real
The Republican Party continues to pass harsh laws restricting access to women’s healthcare across the country, but the mainstream press has stopped paying attention.That’s why we’ve produced a short documentary that cogently explains the state and national efforts by Republicans—including Mitt Romney—to limit access to birth control and other basic women’s health services.
Featured interviews include Rep. Lois Capps (CA-23), who as a former nurse has long been a leader on women’s health issues; Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List; and Dr. Kimberly Shepherd, an OB/GYN who provides medical authority on issues that never should’ve been politicized in the first place.
With the lives of millions of women potentially impacted by the dangerous proposals of Mitt Romney and Republican lawmakers, it’s vital that this issue isn’t forgotten this election season. Help us spread the word.
Great conversation between Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, from May at Oxford University. Most interesting are the first thirty minutes, that focus on cultural evolution and meme theory.
Great piece by PBS on the dangers of automation for the world’s workforce. I’m not an optimist on the future of human employment, these are very real concerns.
Great video out by the Obama campaign showing how much the President has done for the LGBT Community.
“You’re gonna need a strong advocate in The White House. I am that strong advocate.” - President Barack Obama
Watch this video for a terrific example of a Tunisian integrated campaign designed to spur voter participation. The video doesn’t spend too much time on the digital component, but the offline stunt was absolutely brilliant and inspiring.
Pretty hilarious and spot-on satirical video by Tom Scott on what mind uploading will look like in 2050, after corporations and government regulators get ahold of it.
The Singularity won’t be ad free.
A remarkably beautiful story of a lesbian couple, one who serves in the military, told via a familiar social network. Kudos to Freedom To Marry and all involved in producing this, it’s powerful and deserves an audience.
To learn what you can do to help repeal DOMA, click here.
Lovely talk by John Cleese on creativity and taking an Oasis of Quiet. The advice is more important now than ever.
Terrific video showing the diverse coalition voting against discrimination in North Carolina tomorrow. Please vote AGAINST Amendment One.
