Subject: DeGeneres, Heche, Etheridge Featured At Millennium March
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 16:08:13 EST

Millennium March on Washington for Equality
April 30, 2000  .  Washington, DC

N E W S   R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release: Dec. 1, 1999

Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Heche, Melissa Etheridge
To Appear At Millennium March on Washington Rally
To Join Civil Rights Leaders, National Politicians, GLBT Organizers 
and "Unsung Heroes" of the Community

Washington, DC -- Award-winning entertainers and activists Ellen DeGeneres, 
Anne Heche and Melissa Etheridge will be among the special guests featured at 
the Rally of the Millennium March on Washington for Equality (MMOW) on the 
National Mall on Sunday, April 30, 2000.

They will join a galaxy of GLBT organizers, civil rights leaders, national 
politicians and unsung community heroes for the historic fourth national 
march for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights.

"As the first openly gay central character on a network TV series, Ellen 
DeGeneres is a trailblazer who opened doors of hope and built bridges of 
understanding through the power of her convictions," said Ann DeGroot, one of 
MMOW's four national co-chairs. "Ellen and her partner, Anne Heche, have 
served as inspiring role models for a rising generation of lesbian and gay 
youth and have furthered understanding and acceptance in the larger society," 
added DeGroot.

DeGeneres, who began her career as a stand-up comedian, has served as host of 
the Grammy Awards and the Emmy Awards and was the star of her own hit network 
comedy show, "Ellen." She is the recipient of the People's Choice Award, the 
American Comedy Award, the Cable ACE Award, 1991's American Comedy Award, and 
was named "Funniest Person in America" by Showtime Network.

Her partner Anne Heche made her acting debut on TV's Daytime Soap "Another 
World" at the age of 17. The Emmy-award winning actress has appeared in more 
than 25 feature films, including Psycho, Return to Paradise, Volcano, Donnie 
Brasco, Wag the Dog, and Six Days, Seven Nights.

"We are also honored that Melissa Etheridge will be returning for her second 
appearance at a national GLBT March on Washington," said Donna Red Wing, 
another MMOW co-chair. Etheridge first appeared at the 1993 March on 
Washington. "Melissa's music has been a powerful vehicle for social change 
and understanding," said Red Wing.

In 1989, Etheridge was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Bring Me Some 
Water," a hard-charging blues-rocker that mined her now-familiar themes of 
longing and jealousy. In 1992, she won a Grammy Award for "Ain't It Heavy" 
and in 1993 the media proclaimed her a superstar for her catchy hit "Come to 
My Window" and the searing "I'm the Only One."

The Stage Rally on the National Mall will follow a morning civil rights march 
through the streets of Washington, DC.

DeGeneres, Heche, and Etheridge will also appear at Equality Rocks, a rock 
concert presented by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on Saturday, April 
29, 2000, at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, DC. Billed as "The Rock 
Concert for the New Century," tickets for Equality Rocks are available 
through TicketMaster.

The Millennium March on Washington, scheduled for April 30, 2000, is the 
fourth national GLBT civil rights march and the first human rights march of 
the new millennium. A free e-mail newsletter is available upon request by 
writing [email-masked].

For more information on the March on Washington for Equality, visit the 
official website at www.mmow.org or write to [email-masked].

(END)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR PRESS INTERVIEWS, CONTACT:

Malcolm Lazin, MMOW Co-Executive Director
Tel: 215-732-FEST
Fax: 215-732-7376
E-Mail: [email-masked]

Dianne Hardy-Garcia, MMOW Co-Executive Director
Tel:  512-474-5475
Fax:  512-474-4511
E-Mail: [email-masked]

Ann DeGroot, MMOW Board Co-Chair
Tel:  612-822-0127, Ext. 107 
Fax: 612-822-8786
E-Mail: [email-masked]

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