SPOTLIGHT News STORY Natalie Nonken
Newsmakers | Connecticut Articles from The Constitution State “KINKY BOOTS” COMES TO TOWN AND TEAMS UP WITH TRUE COLORS HARTFORD Broadway’s “Kinky Boots” visited Waterbury’s Palace Theater in December. As reported by the Hartford Courant’s Christopher Arnott, the theater held a cocktail party before the show on December 8. The party was to benefit True Colors Hartford, a Connecticut LGBT organization, and was hosted by WFSB’s Scott Haney, playwright Jacques Lamarre, and Maryellen Fillo. The musical “Kinky Boots,” with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, shares messages of love and acceptance. Connecticut State Comptroller Kevin Lembo PHOTO courtesy oscct.gov
AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION UNDER INVESTIGATION BY CT OFFICIAL As reported by David Badash of The New Civil Rights Movement, Connecticut’s comptroller Kevin Lembo recently started an investigation into the American Family Association. Lembo aimed to verify that the anti-gay group is truly qualified to receive money from the Connecticut State Employee Campaign for Charitable Giving program, as he doubted they lived up to nondiscrimination requirements. The AFA responded on their website by claiming, “State official demands AFA discard its Christians beliefs.” The site also provided information for readers to contact Lembo and fight against his investigation. According to Badash, Lembo began the investigation in November when an employee made him aware that the AFA was taking part in this program. Lembo then wrote to the AFA explaining how it seemed they did not live up to program’s nondiscrimination requirements. As explained on its website, employeegiving.ct.gov, The Connecticut State Employee Campaign for Charitable Giving program “allows Connecticut State Employees to contribute to nonprofit charities at the workplace through the convenience of payroll deduction.” Lembo urged in his letter, “We have a responsibility to donors to ensure that participating organizations abide by the rules and regulations.”
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True Colors Hartford is a nonprofit that works with other social service agencies, schools, organizations and within communities to ensure the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are recognized and competently met. Training more than 2,400 people annually, True Colors Hartford is the largest LGBT youth conference in the country with more than 3,000 attendees and manages the state’s only LGBT mentoring program.
CT LOCALS JOIN WOMEN’S MARCH HEADING TO WASHINGTON Judy Benson of The Day reported in December that Rod Cornish, owner of New London’s Hot Rod Cafe, has planned a bus trip for customers to join the Women’s March on Washington this January. Cornish has
Rod Cornish, owner, Hot Rod Cafe PHOTO courtesy snaphappyfoodie.com planned bus trips to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park in the past, and planned this trip to Washington as per a costumer’s request. According to Benson’s article, Cornish was at the Million Man March in 1995 and is attending the march on January 21 along with his customers. The 1995 event was a positive experience for him, and, with regard to the Women’s March, Benson quotes Cornish as saying, “I’m a strong believer that women’s rights are human rights.” Benson also quotes Mary Gorton, a Waterford woman who is signed up for the bus trip, as saying, “We have to push back against the hate and the trampling of rights that’s coming towards us.” “I have a gay daughter, and friends who are immigrants and friends of different races, and we have to watch out for them,” Gorton continues. “There’s such a threat now to our environment and women’s rights and gay rights, it’s very frightening.” [x]