The cast of American Idiot take us backstage backstage before their show. They play Joe's Pub July 25th to benefit Broadway Impact!

Summer in the City is here!

We are excited to spend part of it at the coolest downtown music venue in NYC, Joe's Pub! We have three summer concerts coming up and we couldn't be more thrilled. First up, we have the brilliant cast from the Tony AND Pulitzer Award winning show Next to Normal! Join us June 23rd at 7pm to kick off NYC Pride and enjoy a night of music by these amazing performers! The evening will be hosted by actress and former Miss America, Kate Shindle and there will be a few special Broadway Impact announcements =) We also will have a raffle of great prizes to give away! Hope to see you all there! 

For tickets: www.joespub.com

We are so excited to announce a partnership with the Off-Broadway show, My Big Gay Italian Wedding starring "Amazing Race" winner Reichen Lehmkuhl! The show opens May 5th at the St. Luke's Theatre on West 46th Street. A portion of EVERY ticket sold will be donated to Broadway Impact to help us continue our work towards marriage equality. We are so excited for this opportunity to work with a show that is promoting equality. Come see this hilarious show and help support us as well! 

Tickets are $39.50 on Wed, Thur, Fri at 8pm and $49.50 Saturdays at 8pm.  

http://www.broadwayoffers.com/go.aspx?MD=2001&MC=BGBWYIMP49

You can also visit the St. Luke’s Box Office at 308 W 46^th St., go to BroadwayOffers.com or call 212-947-8844 and use code BGBWYIMP49.

  © Carol Rosegg

Gavin accepted a special recognition at the GLAAD Awards last weekend in honor of HAIR's commitment to raising the visibility of marriage equality. We are so very proud of him and thankful for the involvement HAIR had in the last year with helping to promote Broadway Impact and the equality movement through their beautiful message of social justice.

The GLAAD Media Awards elevate and promote fair, accurate and inclusive stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, people and allies that have increased awareness, understanding and respect for the lives of LGBT people. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues that build support for equality. 

The Huffington Post reports:

LISBON, Portugal — Portugal's parliament passed a bill Friday that would make the predominantly Catholic nation the sixth in Europe to permit gay marriage.

Conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva is thought unlikely to veto the Socialist government's bill, which won the support of all left-of-center parties. His ratification would allow the first gay marriage ceremonies to take place in April – a month before Pope Benedict XVI is due on an official visit to Portugal.

Right-of-center parties opposed the change and sought a national referendum on the issue, but their proposal was rejected and the government's bill was passed by 125 votes to 99.

Gay rights campaigners applauded from the galleries, hugged and kissed outside the building and ate wedding cake.

"This law rights a wrong," Prime Minister Jose Socrates said in a speech to lawmakers, adding that it "simply ends pointless suffering."

Socrates said the measure is part of his effort to modernize Portugal where homosexuality was a crime until 1982. Two years ago his government lifted Portugal's ban on abortion, despite church opposition.

Gay marriage is currently permitted in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway. Canada, South Africa and six U.S. states also permit it.

The bill removes a reference in the current law to marriage being between two people of different sexes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/08/portuguese-parliament-mov_n_416005.html

The New Jersey state Senate has just announced that they will bring marriage equality up for a vote on Thursday, Jan. 7th. If you live in NJ, or have friends and family there, please contact your state Senators NOW! They all need to hear from you! Find your Senator here

Broadway Impact's first year in six minutes. 

On New Year's day, New Hampshire became the 5th U.S. state to join in the equality movement by allowing same-sex marriages. At the stroke of midnight hundreds of people gathered in Concord, the state capitol, to witness the first marriages in the state performed by a justice of the peace.

"People focus on the setbacks, but last year there was one state and now there are five states," said Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition. - Reuters.com