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Swish in action: Serious LGBT advocacy and community service with a healthy dose of fun
The creative team of the new musical, Peter & I, invited Swish to a sold-out performance on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the American Theater of Actors in New York City. Featuring brilliant musical composition and direction from Matt Vinson and Amanda Morton (former musical directors of Swish’s Songs in the Key of Equality fundraising cabaret), and a gorgeously appointed cast, we were left moved, inspired and excited.
Based on true events, Peter & I is a musical brimming with questions of faith, loss, salvation, love and immortality. It explores the mysteries surrounding the life and death of Michael Llewelyn Davies, one of the boys who inspired J.M. Barrie to create the character of Peter Pan in his classic tale, Peter and Wendy. Michael's journey is woven together with snapshots from his life, including time with his mother and J.M. Barrie, as well as his lover at Oxford University, Rupert Buxton, and the fictional characters of Peter and Wendy.
At the invitation of producer Lee Ann Guille, Swish led the cast, creative team, and audience in a talk back after the show about the role artists play in fostering social change, and announced the impending launch of Swish's Arts Ambassadors Council to give artists an organized, collective voice in the LGBT rights movement. We were energized and delighted with the responses – it is clear that many artists not only recognize their responsibility as ambassadors for cultural and social change, but are actively looking for an initiative to assist them. The Arts Ambassadors Council is poised to do just that. Stay tuned!
All eyes were on New York City on July 24th as over 600 same-sex couples married at City Hall. Swish members were there bright and early to witness every blissful moment of this historical event. We phone-banked for hours, tweeted incessantly, e-mailed our senators and Facebooked peers to push for the new law. On the morning of 'Wedding Sunday,' we brought 24 boxes of cupcakes, 26 bags of confetti, 500 congratulatory wedding cards, and a metric ton of love and joy to turn the corner of Worth and Baxter Street into impromptu receiving line for the happy couples and their families. The day was filled with smiling NYPD officers, cab drivers honking in solidarity, puppies, babies and folks from all over the globe who came to be part of history. We were honored to have witnessed such proclamations of love and the dreams of many LGBT people come true. We look forward to attending many weddings in the near future. Let us know if you or someone you love will be getting married in NY - or in the other 5 states where it is currently legal - we'd love to share your stories. And send a congratulatory greeting from our collection of sassy marriage equality e-cards to your friends and loved ones! We Heart NY.
This year’s Songs in the Key of Equality, House for Pride and personal donations made Swish’s presence in Pride 2011 the biggest and baddest yet. We kicked off our theme of “Rebels With a Cause” in Los Angeles Pride on June 12th. Two weeks later, our contingent had grown to 150 in New York’s City Pride, where our Pink Ladies, Greasers and Pony Boys marched in celebration of this year’s political accomplishments and protest of what is left to change. DJs Sean McMahon and Carlos Nascimento mixed 50’s Rock ‘n Roll with House on our pretty-in-pink float from 36st all the way down to Christopher Street. We repped the hairspray, glitter, rainbows and “Thank You Cuomo!” signs, as we kissed and hugged the crowds and danced to the beat. June 26th was not only the most love-filled day for New York City, but it was for Swish as well.
Nearly 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight allies gathered at Elmo Lounge in NYC on Wednesday, June 8th, to kick-off the city’s Pride season with a night of house music and art.
The evening was a great success due to dozens of volunteers, artists, performers, DJs, and the staff at Elmo who contributed their money, time, and talent. Over $3,000 was raised for Swish's education and outreach campaigns to build its membership and encourage more straight allies to declare why they Swish for LGBT equality.
DJs Sean McMahon, Amoroso, Annex, Maria Dark, and Fabiano Angelo served up amazing musical sets, while performers Becca Shack, Mykel and Eminent Pulse featuring Andromeda Turre got the crowd going with their latest dance singles. Guests were also treated to a live painting performance by Japanese artist, Pesu, which was donated for auction. The event was hosted by Swish's supporters in dance music industry – Host Committee members included Ira Kushin, Felipe Maysonet, Patrice Gordon, Billy Kaso, Sean McMahon, Shelby Stone, Erin O'Toole, and Sean Paul Rogers of Espyre Enterprises. Also in attendance were bloggers Leone Kraus and Carlos Anaya, rocker Kylie Edmond, and John King. PR was provided by Matt Martin. All involved created a night of creativity, community, and love.
Hosted by Kylie Edmond and Mathew Hotta, and music directed by Matt Vinson, over a dozen NYC artists from the pop, jazz, rock and musical theater worlds performed songs that inspired love and action in support of LGBT Equality. The personal became political for all involved with Swish President, Sue Sena, declaring, "I Swish because I cannot be free unless you are." The event raised $5,000 for Swish in support of their ally-building and public education campaigns and events. Meet the CAST!!
Swish joined 1,000 activists and the Empire State Pride Agenda on Monday, May 9, 2011 for Equality & Justice Day - the annual advocacy day bringing the statewide movement together in Albany, which included a rally, workshops, caucuses and an opportunity to speak directly with legislators about the issues that matter to LGBT New Yorkers and our allies. It was a powerful day – TONS of young people and straight allies lobby for marriage and trans equality. On May 10th, the Marriage Equality bill was introduced into the state Assembly.
In the coming days/weeks the Assembly will vote on the Marriage Equality bill. The bill will pass here, as it’s done before, and then it will move onto the Senate. The Senate, as of this week, has six weeks to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Governor Cuomo backs the bill and has agreed to sign it into law. We do not know if we have enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill before the end of session on June 20th. NYC Pride this year will either be at its most glorious, or at its saddest.
The ad war has begun. The National Organization of Marriage, (the anti-gay movement) has so far spent $500,000 dollars on TV commercials in key areas to persuade senators and community members to not support the bill. The LGBT marriage equality coalition, NYers United for Marriage, is committed to out-spending them to run counter ads during key shows like Glee.
TAKE ACTION: Use this link to Friendfactor's Friend-setter page to call your Senators today, and share with your friends. Out of state calls are now set-up to go to directly to Governor Cuomo, which is something no other campaign has ever figured out how to do - this is officially a national campaign. Super easy. IT DIALS FOR YOU FROM YOUR MOBILE!!!
