My interview with adult film legend Aiden Shaw is the cover story of the January/February 2010 issue of HIV Plus magazine. In the piece, Aiden talks about his newest book and second autobiography, Sordid Truths. Here’s a link to the story (after the jump)… (more…)
September is ovarian cancer month. In this video, actress Kathy Bates discuss her experience with ovarian cancer.
Interview with Kathy in Bora Bora in April 2008. Appeared in the 2008 season of “D List” on Bravo.
After the disastrous No on 8 campaign (which Robin Tyler and I talked about), I’m really glad to see cool new grassroots sites like this one launched by my buddy Rick Garman.
Here’s a little background about this important site and how you can help:
How did you come up with the idea for Citizens for Equality and the “We Are” Campaign?
RICK: I actually came up with the idea of an elected body of representatives for the gay community a long time ago when I got frustrated with what I saw as a lack of true leadership and leaders. But it was what I believe was a disorganized and poorly run campaign against Proposition 8 (along with my questions about whether gay marriage is the actual battle we should be putting all of our resources and energy behind) that made me finally do something about it.
The “We Are” campaign became the launching pad for Citizens For Equality as a way to get people involved and engaged. I got that idea from the sorryeverybody.com website where people sent in pictures of themselves with sign apologizing to the works for the 2004 election of George bush.
I love that all the images use the words, “We Are” — why did you choose that language?
I wanted “We Are” for it’s positivity. To show the world that we are just like everyone else. We are doctors and lawyers, mothers and fathers, husbands, wives, strong, weak, young, old, worried about the economy, worried about the environment, bowlers, card players, Christian, Jewish… We are human and if people can see that, they may be a little less inclined to do things like vote yes on Prop 8. Imagine hundreds, thousands…. More… of those photos saying We Are… What a statement that will make!
What are you asking folks to do?
People can get involved in a variety of ways. They can send in a picture through the website and encourage others to do the same. All of the instructions and guidelines plus a bunch of suggestions are on the site. And remember, our straight friends can participate too. People can also join the organization by filling out a simple form.
We are also actively seeking people to be on the steering committee that will set up the elections for (hopefully) late 2009 and people will be able to register and vote for their representatives and on other issues. We’ll be seeking candidates and advisors also of course. But the best way to stay informed is to join on the website.
When I saw a poster about Dallas Malloy’s 1993 groundbreaking boxing match on the walls at Bodybuilders Gym, I inquired about boxing lessons. In our brief exchange, I immediately recognized something special about her; here in LA, we call it “star quality.” And you probably remember Dallas’ cameo appearance (playing herself) in the opening minutes of the film Jerry Maguire. Not only is she a groundbreaking female athlete, but a champion competitive bodybuilder, writer, and personal trainer. And this coming Tuesday, December 30, she’s the newest guest star on ABC’s Eli Stone.
SAM: I think it’s awesome that you were singled out to appear as yourself in the film “Jerry Maguire” as a rebel/athlete in the world of amateur female boxing. What was that like?
It was a wonderful experience, Cameron Crowe was a delight to work with, and Tom Cruise was a prince—he was so down-to-earth, he was asking me about my boxing experience, it was great. I made amateur boxing history when I was 16, when I became the first female to have a sanctioned amateur bout. Until then, females were excluded from amateur boxing, so I filed a discrimination suit with the help of the ACLU and forced them to set up a women’s division, I won my match in court and in the ring—by unanimous decision.
You live in Los Angeles—how do you recharge yourself and get inspired here?
My work inspires me—I have extensive theater training, starting a new role, a new project, seeing great work inspires me. My relentless drive/intention keeps me going. (more…)
The first time I saw Dan Pallotta, I was in a small theater watching his safety video for the 2000 California AIDS Ride, and his remarks left such an impression on me that I sought him out as an adviser to my magazine. Two years later, I became part of Dan’s special team at Pallotta Teamworks, and also helped him produce the X PRIZE space flights in 2004. Our working friendship has now spanned seven years. His newest book, Uncharitable
Are there any charitable organizations really “doing it right” in your view?
No charity that receives the majority of its support from the general public can dare to do it right. In the current climate, it would almost be irresponsible; they’d lose their support — they’d be subject to scandal.
In the book
Sounds like there’s kind of a double standard going on.
We let business make mistakes, but expect charity to spend contributions cautiously. It’s OK if a $100 million Disney movie flops, but if a $5 million charity walk doesn’t show a 75 percent profit year one? Call the attorney general. So charities can’t develop learning curves for revenue generation. Amazon could forgo investor returns for six years to build market dominance. But if a charity embarks on a long-term plan with no return for the needy for six years we expect a crucifixion. Business can offer profits to attract investment capital. But you can’t pay a profit off of investment in charity — it’s illegal. So the for-profit sector monopolizes the multi-trillion dollar capital markets.
You get the picture: anything a charity might do to test the rules brings a guillotine down on its reputation.
Was the timing of the book release (after the election) a coincidence?
A complete coincidence, unless of course you believe in some kind of divine synchronicity in the universe — which i do. I think it’s a fertile time for imaginative ideas and transformative thinking.
Should government have a role in changing the ways charitable organizations work?
Yes, absolutely. Government can make a big difference, on two fronts in particular. The government should fund a large national charity data agency — what I call the “Super Database for Charity,” that would have an iTunes-like, easy-to-understand user interface on front of a massive database of up-to-date narrative, audio, video and financial information on every major human service charity in America.
Yeah, it blows my mind that something like that doesn’t exist already.
Americans give $300 billion a year to charity. Know what we spend to make sure the giving is smart? Almost nothing. There are three national “watchdog” agencies — the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, and the American institute for Philanthropy. Collectively, they have about 40 staff and annual budgets of less than $5 million — a statistical zero percent of the $300 billion we give away each year. They look at fewer than 5,000 of the 1.6 million registered U.S. nonprofits, and they don’t look at program quality — which is all any of us should give a damn about.
Okay, so what do we need from the government, specifically?
We need an agency that has teams of surveyors that visit every major charity each year to conduct a week-long study and gather rich multimedia data on the charity’s work that the public can view online. This would require somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion dollars (less than half of one percent of the money we give away each year). For a billion dollars a year we could transform charity as we know it — get people to stop asking only about overhead, get them rich information on charity programs and long-term goals, which is what really matters, increase faith in charity, and increase giving as a result.
We also need to change the tax code in two areas: first, to allow people to make a financial return off of capital investment in charity so charities can raise growth capital, and second, offer tax-deductibility for social good embedded in consumer goods.
If asked to be the “Charity Czar” in Barack Obama’s administration, what advice would you give the president?
Fund “the Super Database for Charity” and change the tax code.
You live and work in Los Angeles. Is L.A. a particularly charitable city?
Not with respect to dating when you get older, but fortunately, I have a partner for eight years now.
This is your second book. Did you learn anything about yourself as you were writing it?
I learned that I really love history — I spent six months doing in-depth research on the earliest Puritan settlers to America and their ideas about charity. It was like detective work. I found the smoking gun. I also learned to trust my instincts — I didn’t know that in the days when we were being pretty viciously attacked for trying things in a new way.
How do you think social networking sites (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace) should be leveraged to change the ways charitable organizations work?
They’re a form of marketing, and charities should put a lot of resource into reaching out through them, as well as into other forms of marketing. marketing builds demand, demand builds revenues, revenues create social change.
Has being a father changed the way you think about these issues?
Absolutely. I worry now about the world my children will grow up in. More than ever, I want a serious say in what that world will look like. I believe we can create a world that works for everyone, and i want to play a role in creating it.
What’s next?
I’m going to leave that up to God a little bit – but three things that interest me – running for public office, creating the Super Database for Charity, and re-creating Pallotta TeamWorks and making good on its vision of creating the “Disney of Meaning.”
For more, check out the book’s website.
There are interviews you skim, and then there are interviews you read—all the way to the end. This week’s issue of the Advocate declaring “gay is the new black” nailed it, and Robin Tyler has an important message that will hit home at this moment in history—a moment that could be the tipping point of our movement.
Robin (left) and her wife, Diane Olson, were the first challengers to California’s ban on same-sex marriage in February of 2004. A blogger, world traveler, stand up comic and activist, Tyler has been an integral part of the grassroots movement in the gay and lesbian community for more than 30 years, including roles as the executive director of the Equality Campaign, and the co-founder of Stop Dr Laura. As pioneers in this civil rights struggle for marriage equality, Robin and Diane were the only couple in Los Angeles county to receive a marriage license on June 16, and on that day in front of the Beverly Hills courthouse, they were married.
On Nov. 5 of this year, just after the passage of California’s Proposition 8, Robin & Diane filed a brief with the California State Supreme Court asking that Proposition 8 be overturned on the basis of it being unconstitutional in California. The Court agreed to hear the petition, and Robin generously agreed to answer some questions here on PLL about this important moment in history. (more…)
Kisses to Jennifer of StandOut Destinations for this photo from my interview with Kathy Griffin on a private island in Bora Bora.
You can read the exclusive interview with La Griffin in an upcoming issue of PASSPORT (subscribe already!) and see me this summer in the upcoming season of Kathy’s Emmy award winning “My Life on the D List”
