Date: Wed, 30 Sep 98 15:31:07 -0400 From: NGLTF Subject: NGLTF's Conaty Particpates in Spitfire Tour *********************************************** NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE PRESS RELEASE Contact: Tracey Conaty, Communications Director 202-332-6483 ext. 3303 800-757-6476 pager tconaty@ngltf.org http://www.ngltf.org 2320 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 *********************************************** TASK FORCE'S CONATY PARTICPATES IN SPITFIRE TOUR; Conaty teams up with Indigo Girl Amy Ray in Celebrity Speak Out WASHINGTON, DC---September 30, 1998--- Tracey Conaty, communications director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), will join Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls and other celebrities as a featured speaker on the Spitfire Tour. The Spitfire Tour is the first ever package tour of musicians, actors and activists speaking out on global affairs. Conaty will participate in the first date of the tour, which will be at Clemson University on Thursday, October 1. Other participants in the Clemson event include Krist Novoselic of Nirvana who will discuss free speech and censorship issues; MTV VJ Kennedy who will discuss issues of personal responsibility; actor Woody Harrelson will tackle environmental issues and the topic of legalization of marijuana. He will be paired with medical marijuana activist Todd McCormick. Amy Ray invited Conaty to speak about the current social and political climate facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people. Ray will discuss a recent incident in South Carolina involving the Indigo Girls in which a performance by the duo at a local high school was canceled because they are lesbians. The Indigo Girls are actively supportive of GLBT issues and performed a benefit concert for the Task Force last month. The objective of the Spitfire Tour is to expose, enlighten and entertain, while instigating action. The Spitfire Tour will have an aggressive and entertaining format, which will include music and video elements. Each artist and activist team will have 15 minutes to speak, followed by a one hour question and answer session with the audience. Additionally, after the main event, each artist will host their own private discussions in smaller 100 seat breakout rooms. Members of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement will participate in the small group discussion with Ray and Conaty and will talk about their plans to organize an action in Columbia next March. The action is part of Equality Begins at Home, a national day of action in state capitols across the country to promote GLBT equality. "I'm excited about the opportunity to raise awareness about the way gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people continue to be scapegoated in this country," said Conaty. "This event will also help us mobilize the GLBT community and its straight allies in South Carolina to participate in the Equality Begins at Home action in Columbia in March," she added. For more information on the Spitfire Tour, call (415) 289-1510 -30- _____________________________________________________________________ Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. _________________________________________ This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Media Department. If you have a question regarding this post, please direct it to the contact at the top of this message. If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, please send an email with "UNSUBSCRIBE PRESSLIST" in the subject and body of your email message to . You may also unsubscribe by visiting http://www.ngltf.org.