Civil rights leader and highly-acclaimed furniture designer Mitchell Gold
to speak about his book CRISIS and the toll based bigotry

Charlotte, NC, Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010 – The national, Charlotte-based Campus Pride (www.campuspride.org) and local Time Out Youth (www.Time Out Youth.org) have partnered for a joint fundraising event on Thursday, Feb 25 to bring attention to lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally youth in the Charlotte area.The fundraiser will take place at 6 p.m. at Myers Park Baptist Church(1900 Queens Road) and then continue at 8 p.m. at Petra’s Piano Bar(1919 Commonwealth Avenue). No tickets are necessary; however, donations are encouraged.

Titled “Believe In Youth,” the one night only event will feature civil rights leader and author Mitchell Gold and his book "CRISIS: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay In America." A resident of Hickory, NC, Gold is a nationally recognized leader in the furniture industry as well as the founder of Faith In America, a national nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of the harm caused to LGBT Americans by religion-based bigotry and prejudice.

Gold has been honored nationally for his work and most recently in 2009 received a "Visionary Award" from the Stonewall Foundation in New York for his work with Faith in America and for publishing his recent book CRISIS. The book has been hailed as an important tool for understanding the immense harm to LGBT people when prejudice, discrimination and violence toward them is given moral and religious approval.

“Campus Pride and Time Out Youth partnered to bring Mitchell Gold to Charlotte to shed light on the ‘crisis’ that LGBT youth face growing up -- whether at home, at church, at school or college or in our local community. We owe every young person the right to grow up free of bias and hate,” Steve Bentley, Executive Director of Time Out Youth said.

This past December, both Time Out Youth and Campus Pride issued a joint release condemning the remarks of Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James when he insulted a fellow commissioner during a council meeting by referring to her deceased gay son as a “homo.” The joint fundraiser hopes to not only raise contributions for both Campus Pride and Time Out Youth but also heighten awareness of the harassment and harms faced by youth who are closeted, coming out or questioning their sexuality.

“The Charlotte area has come a long way, but we have much further to go on LGBT issues, especially for youth. Actions speak louder than words – and we need more action to truly be a ‘safe and welcoming’ place for LGBT youth and families,” Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride.

Published in September 2008, CRISIS' message has been shared with millions through media interviews, special events and book distributions. It presents personal stories of rejection within families, religious institutions, schools and the workplace and calls for understanding and compassion. The book has been distributed across the country to families, educators, clergy and elected officials – including President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Locally Time Out Youth has plans to distribute nearly 200 copies of the book CRISIS, donated by Gold and Faith In America, to area school guidance counselors in Mecklenburg County.

In addition to Gold speaking at Myers Park Baptist Church at 6 p.m., the event continues at Petra's Piano Bar at 8 p.m. featuring Gold and two of his writers from the book sharing their personal stories. Executive Director of Faith In America Brent Childers will also attend both events.

For further information or to become a sponsor of this event, please call Campus Pride at 704-277-6710 or Time Out Youth at 704-344-8335. To make a donation or learn more about Campus Pride, please visit www.campuspride.org.To make a donation or learn more about Time Out Youth, please visit www.timeoutyouth.org.

###

About Campus Pride Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit organization for LGBT and ally youth at colleges and universities across the United States. The organization is based in Charlotte, NC. For more information, please visit www.campuspride.org

About Time Out Youth Time Out Youth, based in Charlotte, NC, offers support, advocacy and opportunities for personal development and social interaction to lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 13 – 23. For more information, please visit www.timeoutyouth.org