Celebrate National Coming Out Day with our "Top 25" Best of the Best LGBT Favorites! These artists, entertainers, speakers educate, enlighten and entertain at colleges and universities across the country.

Campus Pride officially releases the 2011 HOT LIST! The list represents our "Top 25 LGBT Favorites" -- lecturers, comedians, musicians. poets, artists, researchers, activists and more. Every year Campus Pride picks the most diverse, provocative, inspiring and enlightening artists/speakers as a resource for your LGBT student organization. The purpose is to provide a recommendation of the BEST OF THE BEST in planning your campus events and activities.

The artists/speakers listed are not only our SIZZLING HOT PICKS but they also rate highly among recommendations from LGBT young adults at colleges and universities across the country. If you want to create change -- PICK FROM OUR TOP 25 LGBT FAVORITES!

Sir Ari Gold 
Mia Mingus
Ben Cohen, MBE
Lava Love Dance
Divas of Diversity
Randi Driscoll
Vidur Kapur
Sue Rankin, Ph.D.
Jonathan D. Lovitz
Kit Yan
Hudson Taylor
Judy Shepard
BeBe Zahara Benet
LZ Granderson
Ben Lerman
Brian Sims
Shane L. Windmeyer
Robyn Ochs
Mara Kiessling
Geri Jewell
Cathy Renna
Michael Holtz
Emanuel Xavier 
Daniel Hernandez Jr.
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington

More information online at www.CampusPride.org/HotList

Time Out Youth executive director Steve Bentley (from left), Judy Shepard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, and Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride were among those in attendance at the annual Believe in Youth event, held Feb. 20 at Myers Park Baptist Church. Shepard spoke frankly to an audience of more than 100 people about her experiences and the importance that all -- straight allies as well as gay, bisexual and transgendered men and women -- speak our truth to lessen stigma and stereotypes. The event, partially funded by the Wesley Mancini Foundation, also featured a performance by One Voice Chorus. (RACHEL SUTHERLAND COMMUNICATIONS PHOTO)

Campus Pride & Time Out Youth present their annual awareness event on Sun, Feb 20 to "push the Queen City forward" on LGBT issues

(Charlotte, N.C.) -- Campus Pride and Time Out Youth will present LGBT advocate Judy Shepard at their annual awareness event “Believe in Youth” on Sunday, Feb. 20, 3 p.m., at Myers Park Baptist Church’s Heaton Hall, 1900 Queens Rd. The event is free to educators and youth; $15 suggested donation otherwise.

Right: Flyer for Judy Shepard's Campus Pride/Time Out Youth event. Click to enlarge.

Shepard, mother of slain hate crime victim Matthew Shepard and author of the new book, “Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” will speak to the audience with a special Q&A following. Special music will be provided by Charlotte’s One Voice Chorus. Following the event, there will be a VIP meet and greet with Judy Shepard at The Bar at 316, 316 Rensselaer Street, open to the public; $5 suggested donation.

The annual “Believe in Youth” event is being presented by the national, Charlotte-based Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities, and Time Out Youth, a local LGBT youth service and support organization working in the Charlotte area for 20 years.

“Campus Pride and Time Out Youth have partnered to bring Judy Shepard to Charlotte to shed light on the ongoing crisis that faces LGBT youth and community members both locally and across the country,” said Steve Bentley, executive director of Time Out Youth. “Judy’s amazing advocacy on behalf of LGBT people provides a unique perspective and a call to action for movement on LGBT equality.”

“In the past few years, our nation has come a long way in achieving progress for LGBT people – from federal hate crimes legislation to the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ LGBT Americans are finally starting to see more full equality,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “That progress, however, has yet to hit Charlotte. Though the Queen City has come a long way, our community has much further to go especially for youth. We hope Judy’s message will help push this city forward.”

Catapulted onto a national stage following the murder of her son, Matthew, in 1998, Shepard has dedicated her life to advocacy on behalf of LGBT people. Determined to prevent Matthew’s fate from befalling others, she established The Matthew Shepard Foundation. She and the foundation are ongoing educational partners with Campus Pride as well as have worked with several organizations from the Human Rights Campaign to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

For more information about Campus Pride programs and services, visit www.CampusPride.org or email info@campuspride.org. For more information about Time Out Youth programs and services, visit www.TimeOutYouth.org or email info@timeoutyouth.org

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Plan on coming to our Believe in Youth event with Judy Shepard? Then click here to RSVP on Facebook!

Release of Campus Pride’s 2010 HOT LIST! marks ‘best of the best’ in LGBT actors, comedians, lecturers, performers; comes on heels of what some say is exclusive, ill-chosen speaker/performer set at this year’s NACA Conference.

Campus Pride, the nation’s leading non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders, announces today its 2010 HOT LIST!, the “Top 25 LGBT Favorites” including out lecturers, comedians, musicians. poets, artists, researchers, activists and more. The list serves as a unique resource for LGBT college student organizations, college activities coordinators, student life officials and others looking to bring the best and brightest talent to their campuses while also increasing awareness, inclusion and visibility of LGBT people.

This year’s release of the HOT LIST! couldn’t come at a better time, as activists and professionals ask why this year’s National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) conference failed to adequately include out LGBT people in their roster of speakers, performers and workshop leaders. Some organizers are shocked, especially in light of the national attention surrounding LGBT youth suicides the last month.

“That NACA would include only one openly queer person in their national conference line-up this year is a sign there’s still more work to do in increasing visibility for LGBT people on college campuses and the associations that serve them across the country,” says Adrienne Jones, student activist and Hot List volunteer coordinator. “We hope our 2010 HOT LIST! fills in the void and serves to provide unique recommendations for planning in campus activities. NACA should take note.”

The 2010 HOT LIST! includes the most diverse slate of nationally-respected performers, speakers, actors and lecturers to date and some of the nation’s most well-known, outspoken advocates for LGBT people.
This year’s HOT LIST! includes, among others: Musicians A.J. Shanti and Katastrophe, performance and spoken word artists Athens Boys Choir and Kit Yan, drag performer Sherry Vine, first and only openly gay college football team captain Brian Sims, professor and author of Campus Pride’s “2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People” Sue Rankin, bisexual author and speaker Robyn Ochs, musician Randi Driscoll, ESPN writer and columnist LZ Granderson, columnist and “It Gets Better” creator Dan Savage, hate crimes prevention advocate Judy Shepard, comedian Kathy Griffin and others.

For a full list of 2010 HOT LIST! picks and their bios, continue reading after the jump or visit www.campuspride.org/hotlist2010.asp for the full bios and contact information.

On the next edition of Outbeat Youth radio, we celebrate being on the air one year and welcome special guests Judy and Dennis Shepard who will share their memories of their son Matthew who was died twelve years ago this month after a vicious hate crime attack. After Matthew died, the Shepard family started the Matthew Shepard Foundation with the intent of trying to prevent hate violence and to support LGBT youth. The Matthew Shepard Foundation is an educational partner of Stop the Hate.

Tune in on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 8PM to KRCB Radio 91 FM streaming live world-wide on the Internet at www.krcb.org. For more information, go to www.outbeatyouth.com Follow us all month long on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Download past shows in iTunes.

Yeah, it's HOT!

Campus Pride officially releases the 2009 HOT LIST! The list represents our "Top 25 LGBT Favorites" -- lecturers, comedians, musicians. poets, artists, researchers, activists and more. Every year Campus Pride will pick the most diverse, provocative, inspiring and enlightening artists/speakers as a resource for your LGBT student organization. The purpose is to provide a recommendation of the BEST OF THE BEST in planning your campus events and activities.

Peaches Christ
Pauline Park
Martin Manalansan
Marga Gomez
The Kinsey Sicks
Randi Driscoll
Vidur Kapur
Sue Rankin, Ph.D.
Sharon Bridgforth
Roderick A. Ferguson
Mia Mingus
Judy Shepard
Jessica Pettitt
LZ Granderson
Ian Harvie
Hanifah Walidah
Shane L. Windmeyer, MS. Ed.
Emi Koyama
John Corvino, Ph.D.
DRED
Deep-Dickollective
Lt. Dan Choi
Cherrie L. Moraga
Andrea Gibson
Adelina Anthony

The artists/speakers listed are not only our SIZZLING HOT PICKS but they also rate highly among recommendations from LGBT young adults at colleges and universities across the country. If you want to create change -- PICK FROM OUR TOP 25 LGBT FAVORITES!

BURNING HOT -- CLICK HERE
Learn more about each artist/speaker and don't forget to mention the Campus Pride HOT LIST!

NOMINATE YOUR LGBT FAVORITE FOR THE 2010 HOT LIST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

PRESS INQUIRIES:
Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride
704-277-6710 or shane@campuspride.org

Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp in Full Swing for this July

National Speakers & Artists Announced featuring Judy Shepard, Mitchell Gold, Dr. Rev. Jamie Washington among others

[Baltimore, MD May 26, 2009] – Campus Pride announced today the list of national speakers and artists to be featured at its third annual summer leadership camp, affectionately known as “Pride Camp.” The camp is the first-ever for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college students from colleges and universities across the country. The camp will take place from July 21 to 26, 2009 and will be hosted on the campus of Towson University in Towson, Maryland. Registration is available online at http://www.CampusPride.org/camp.asp.

Keynote highlights will include Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard; Mitchell Gold, editor of the new book CRISIS: Growing Up Gay in America; Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, President and Founder of the Washington Consulting Group; Cuc Vu, Human Rights Campaign Chief Diversity Officer; Patrick Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Patrick Davis Partners; Mara Kiessling, National Center for Transgender Equality President; Jessica Pettitt, Social Justice I am Trainer and Consultant; and Shane Windmeyer, Best-Selling Author and Executive Director of Campus Pride. Artists and entertainers booked for camp include national slam master and author Emanuel Xavier, acclaimed singer/songwriter Randi Driscoll, and southern camp drag diva Buff Faye All You Can Eat among others. Wolf Video will also sponsor a special movie night screening of the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning film “Were the World Mine.”