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The Flirtations Nationally celebrated gay a capella singing group.
Dr. Jennifer & Dr. Laura Berman Experts on human sexuality and authors of For Women Only :A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming Your Sex Life. Jennifer Berman, M.D., one of the few women urologists in the country, and Laura Berman, Ph.D., a sex therapist, are formerly the co-directors of the Women's Sexual Health Clinic at BostonUniversity Medical Center, and currently co-directors of The Network for Excellence in Women's Sexual Health (NEWSHE) and the Center for Pelvic Medicineat UCLA. They appear regularly on "Good Morning America" and have appeared on"48 Hours", "Larry King Live", and "NBC Nightly News." They have been featured in cover stories in The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek,as well as in Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. They also host a television show, "Bermanand Berman: For Women Only" on the Discovery Health Channel.
Judge Marilyn Milian Judge Milian is probably the most popular judge on television. In her courtroom justice is fast, fair, and often fierce. She provides a compassionate voice for victims while verbally beating the bad guys. With humor, compassion, and a temper that can make grown men tremble, there is no doubt that Judge Milian owns the courtroom. I've been to two tapings and can tell you the show is run like a regular courtroom. You hear Curt Chaplin speaking as each litigant enters. Douglas swears them in and then asks the audience to rise and Judge Milian enters. The cases begin, and if it weren't for the cameras you would think you were in a regular courtroom. It's case after case until lunch break. Before going to lunch, the judge comes out and greets the audience, answering questions and posing for photos with fans. This is repeated after the last case of the day.
Kirstie Alley Kirstie Alley's career has encompassed success in top-grossing films and highly acclaimed television, garnering multiple awards. Most recently, she made her return to network television by producing and starring in the hit show, "Veronica's Closet." In the show's first season, Kirstie won a People's Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series as well as nominations for the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Awards. Kirstie first gained notoriety for her portrayal of bar-owner Rebecca Howe on the long-running television comedy, "Cheers." During her six years on the show, she won the Emmy, Golden Globe and People's Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She has an overall deal with Warner Bros. that encompasses features and television series. Her screen career includes recent performances in Woody Allen's acclaimed "Deconstructing Harry" and with Tim Allen in the romantic comedy, "For Richer or Poorer." She also stars in "The Mao Game," based on the New York Times bestseller, and reteamed with John Travolta with whom she starred in the "Look Who's Talking" series in the drama, "Common Ground."
Bill Baird Bill Baird is the next speaker for the Convention was abortion rights activist Bill Baird, who spoke on “The Politics of God, Government and Sex.” Known as “The Father of the Abortion Rights Movement,” he returns to the Convention on the 27th anniversary of the historic BAIRD v. EISENSTADT, the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision that liberalized birth control laws in the United States and helped to establish the cornerstone of ROE v. WADE. The BAIRD case was quoted six times in the ROE decision. He established the nation’s first birth control and abortion center on a college campus in 1965. Part of that time he spent in jail for teaching about birth control in New York. In 1967, he was sentenced to three months in prison for “crimes against chastity,” that is, for exhibiting birth control and abortion devices to an audience of two thousand individuals at Boston University and giving a non-prescriptive contraception to a nineteen-year-old college student. Baird described the contemporary abortion battle as “a holy war,” and noted that there have been over 200 firebombs and acts of vandalism against abortion providers. He then discussed indicators of the intensity of the present abortion-rights fight, and noted how anti-choice zealots often “demonize” and objectify those they disagree with. One example was a lurid posted used by Catholics anti-abortion activists which depicted Jesus re-crucified over the heads of aborted fetuses, with an American flag at half-mast as a distress signal.. Another item was a pamphlet, “Who Killed Junior?”, which included a picture of a knife stabbing into the depiction of an infant. Another illustration depicted a fetus writhing in pain with the legend: “Aborted babies at 13 weeks old will struggle for life after an abortion from 2 to 3 hours.” On the back page, text read: “No woman has a right over her baby’s body -- the baby is another person, a separate human being.”
Kate Dillon Plus-size model Kate Dillon talks about body acceptance and the necessity of having self-esteem- no matter what your size. Named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," she is also the founder of Echo, a nonprofit organization that develops programs in the arts for children. Kate Dillon started modeling and walking the Paris runways at age 16, landing such major campaigns as L'Oreal, Christian Dior and Missoni. Pegged to be the "New Cindy Crawford," she was, however, anorexic and run-down from years of starving herself. Finally, she began eating normally and gaining weight- against the advice of clients and her manager, who wanted her 5'11" figure to stay a bony size six. At first, she tried to lose the pounds again, but then had a revelation that she was free to look however she wanted and did not have to conform to the modeling business' standard of beauty. Now a natural, healthy size 14, Dillon is taking the full-figure market by storm and not limiting beauty to what the scale says. One of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," she was named the 1998 "Model of the Year" by Mode magazine and has been featured on a Times Square billboard. Called the "Curvy Comeback Kid" by Glamour magazine, she has appeared on several television spots, including The Maureen Boyle Show and Today, and has graced ads for Liz Claiborne, Gucci and Lane Bryant. Dillon is also the founder of Echo, a nonprofit organization benefiting arts programs for children. "We don't have enough role models who used to be skinny but gained weight and said, 'That's okay.' We're all different; we all have different bodies - so let's stop trying to make them all alike." -Kate Dillon
Eve Ensler Award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler has just completed a 20 North American cities tour from October 2005-April 2006 with her newest play The Good Body, following engagements on Broadway in NYC, at ACT in San Francisco. The Good Body addresses why women of all cultures and backgrounds - whether undergoing Botox injections or living beneath burkhas - feel compelled to change the way they look in order to fit in, to be accepted, to be good. Ms. Ensler's The Vagina Monologues has been translated into over 45 languages and is running in theaters all over the world, including sold-out runs at both Off-Broadway's Westside Theater and on London's West End (2002 Olivier Award nomination, Best Entertainment.) Her experience performing The Vagina Monologues inspired her to create V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Ms. Ensler's performance in The Vagina Monologues can be seen in the HBO original documentary of the play (2002). Ms. Ensler has devoted her life to stopping violence, envisioning a planet in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather than merely survive. The Vagina Monologues is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace the piece celebrates womens' sexuality and strength. Today, V-Day is a global movement that supports anti-violence organizations throughout the world, helping them to continue and expand their core work on the ground, while drawing public attention to the larger fight to stop worldwide violence (including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual slavery) against women and girls. V-Day exists for no other reason than to stop violence against women. In just eight years, it has raised over $35 million and was named one of Worth magazine's "100 Best Charities. "V-Day stages large-scale benefits and produces innovative gatherings, films, and programs to educate and change social attitudes regarding violence against women. These include the documentary Until The Violence Stops; Karama, a program to support ending violence towards women in the Middle East. Africa and Asia: community briefings with Amnesty International on the missing and murdered women of Jurez, Mexico; the December 2002 V-Day delegation trip to Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan; the Afghan Women's Summit; the Stop Rape Contest; the Indian Country Project. In 2006, more than 2700 V-Day benefit events - produced by local volunteer activists and performed in theaters, community centers, houses of worship, and college campuses will take place around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls and raising funds for local groups within their communities. Ms. Enslers play Necessary Targets, set in a Bosnian refugee camp, opened Off-Broadway at the Variety Arts Theater in February 2002, after a hit run at Hartford Stage. Other plays include Conviction, Lemonade, The Depot, Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man, and Extraordinary Measures. The Good Body, The Vagina Monologues. and Necessary Targets have been published by Villard/Random House. Vagina Warriors, words by Eve Ensler and photos by Joyce Tenneson, was published by Bulfinch Press for V-Day 2005.Ms. Enslers newest play, The Treatment, will premiere in September 2006 at the Culture Project in New York City. Her first book Insecure At Last: Losing It in A Security Obsessed World will be published by Random House in October. Ms. Ensler is the recipient of many awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship Award in Playwriting, the Berrilla-Kerr Award for Playwriting, the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, and the Jury Award for Theater at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, as well as the 2002 Amnesty International Media Spotlight Award for Leadership and The Matrix Award (2002). She is the Executive Producer of What I Want My Words To Do To You, a documentary about the writing group she has led since 1998 at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. The film had its world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival where it received the Freedom Of Expression Award and premiered nationally on PBSs P.O.V. She has received numerous Honorary degrees, including Doctor of Letters from her alma mater, MiddleburyCollege.
Judge Mablean Ephriam With over twenty years of experience behind her as a trial attorney and mediator, Mablean Ephriam brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the bench of DIVORCE COURT, the half-hour, relationship-oriented courtroom show by Monet Lane Prods., Inc. and Twentieth Television. DIVORCE COURT features real-life couples, real conflicts and powerful human drama in a compelling true-life courtroom setting where litigants abide by Ms. Ephriams legally-binding decisions. Ms. Ephriam began her legal career in law enforcement as a correctional officer at the Womens Division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Terminal Island. Pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, Ms. Ephriam, while raising a family, accepted a job as a legal secretary. Simultaneously, she attended and completed Whittier College of Law. (Ms. Ephriam is divorced and the mother of four.) After five years as a Deputy City Attorney in Los Angeles, where she served as Domestic Violence Coordinator for spousal, parent and child abuse, Ms. Ephriams hard work and dedication paid off. In 1982, she went into private practice emphasizing family law, personal injury and probate. She also served as a Hearing Examiner for the City of Los Angeles, Civil Service Commission. Formerly a member of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar and State Bar of California Family Law Sections, Ms. Ephriam is well known for her noteworthy contributions to the Los Angeles legal community. Additionally, her commitment and dedication to community service in the area of family law has earned her many prestigious awards throughout her career. In 1993, the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles recognized Ms. Ephriam with the Distinguished Service Award for her numerous contributions as co-founder of the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, a legal assistance program that provides services to indigent persons in the areas of family law, guardianship and paternity. Ms. Ephriam also received the 1995 Woman of the Year Award -- California State Assembly -- 48th District. The following year, the Los Angeles County Bar Association bestowed Ms. Ephriam with the Spencer-Brandeis Award. The Harriet Buhai Family Law Center paid tribute to her with the Zephyr Ramsey Award for her many years of exceptional service to the community. In 1997, Whittier College of Law, Ms. Ephriams alma mater, named her Alumni of the Year.
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of eleven books."Arianna Huffington is also co-host of "Left, Right & Center," public radio's popular political roundtable program. In May 2005, Arianna Huffington launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, Arianna Huffington was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the worlds 100 most influential people. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.
Jennifer Jako Jennifer Jako is a young HIV-positive filmmaker whose documentary, "True Life: It Could Be You," empowers HIV-positive youth who voice their confusion, grief and hope while educating others to avoid getting infected. The film, which accompanies her talk, premiered on MTV and has received numerous honors including a 1999 Ribbon of Hope Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Diagnosed with HIV in 1991 at age 18, Jako has taken her powerful message to thousands nationwide. Her personal story of infection and the making of the film are told with intelligence and an in-you-face sense of humor.
Donna Richardson Joyner Richardson Joyner is today's vibrant trailblazing pioneer for health and fitness, who has enjoyed enormous success in the workout video world. Widely known for her series of twenty five award-winning fitness videos, most notably the wildly popular "Sweating In The Spirit," and "Buns Of Steel," Richardson Joyner (wife of popular syndicated radio personality, the "Fly Jock," Tom Joyner), is a lively, gorgeous advocate for health, vitality and fitness. She's the ultimate, fit example of inner beauty combined with outer beauty and she's ushering in a new paradigm of fitness in America. A mover and a shaper with infectious spirit and energy, the Silver Springs, MD native created and produced her videos to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle among Americans. Her "Sweating In The Spirit" video, which combines spirituality with health, is the #1 gospel exercise video in the country, featuring live performances by gospel greats Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Shirley Murdock. "This is the music that gets your soul stirring," Richardson Joyner says, "you are giving praise to God and taking care of your temple at the same time."
Terry McMillan Terry McMillan's first novel, Mama, was published in 1987 by Houghton Mifflin Company and in paperback by Washington Square Press. Mama received a national book award by the Before Columbus Foundation. Ms. McMillan received her B.A. in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley and attended the MFA film program at Columbia University. She has been awarded a 1988 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Doubleday/Columbia University Literary Fellowship. She has been a guest columnist for The New York Times's "Hers" column and has reviewed books for The New York Times Book Review, The Atlanta Constitution, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has been a three time Fellow at Yaddo Artist Colony and the MacDowell Colony.
Petra Nemcova Petra Nemcova is a Czechoslovakian-born fashion model and author. She was featured on the cover of the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and has also modeled for Victoria's Secret, and for many other companies in the women's clothing market. On June 3, 2004, she was one of the telecast judges during the 53rd annual Miss Universe competition in Quito, Ecuador. Atlee was killed by drowning, and Nemcova a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries, and was stripped naked of her swimsuit, but she managed to hold onto the top of a palm tree, reportedly for eight hours, until she was rescued by Thai civilians and airlifted to an inland hospital nearby. Petra spent three weeks in a Thai hospital, and then flew home to the Czech Republic, where she spent an additional three weeks in the hospital. Her first interview after her near-death experience was with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime Live, on March 9, 2005. Petra has also told of her experiences on the "Coady Read Live" program on CNN television. Glamour magazine recently awarded N쭣ov "Survivor Award" for the tsunami ordeal, and how she has picked up her life since then (her comeback being complete with her appearance in the 2006 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue). She wrote Love Always, Petra, ISBN 0446579130, published December 2005. It tells of her early life under Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, her entrance into the field of fashion and modeling, and her breakthrough into Sports Illustrated, which was her springboard to becoming a supermodel. She also tells of her life with Simon Atlee and how they fell in love and became engaged to marry.
Wendy Shalit Wendy Shalit was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Williams College in 1997. Her essays have appeared in Commentary, Slate, the Wall Street Journal and other publications. Her first book, A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue, was published by the Free Press in 1999 and is currently in its 7th printing. Girls Gone Mild is her second book. She is the founder of ModestyZone.net and the group blog ModestlyYours.net, online forums for women who don't have a voice in the mainstream media.
Cosy Sheridan Sheridan is one of the pre-eminent songwriters on the folk scene documenting the lives of modern women. She places the fast-paced culture of 21st century America into a mythic context with insightful, energetic and at times comic effect. Sheridan first appeared on the national folk scene in 1992 when she won the songwriter contests at the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and released her critically acclaimed CD 'Quietly Led' on Waterbug Records. Folk Music Quarterly wrote "When she's accepting her Grammy, we can say we knew her when." Since then she has recorded 5 more CDs on the Waterbug and Wind River/Folk Era labels. In 2003 she created a one-woman show 'The Pomegranate Seed - An Exploration of Appetite, Body Image and Myth in Modern Culture' and released an accompanying CD of the music. The Salt Lake City Tribune described it as "a bold unflinching look at issues affecting womens' lives." New Mexico's arts magazine 'Alibi' called 'The Pomegranate Seed'"Sheridan's soul bled directly to disc." Is Cosy Sheridan "one of the best new singer-songwriters in the United States?" "A Buddhist monk in a 12-step program trapped in the body of a singer-songwriter?" "A very funny and enormously amiable entertainer, with a keen and wicked eye for the excesses of our fast-food, TV-happy and noisome culture?"
Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler Star of HBO's smash hit "The Soprano's" As Meadow Soprano on HBO?s blockbuster series The Sopranos, Jamie-Lynn Sigler portrays a smart but emotionally frustrated mob princess. In real life, there is much more to this Jewish Cuban American starlet, and she?s not afraid to communicate her feelings on issues that are important to her. Shortly after being cast in The Sopranos, Sigler began battling an eating disorder that turned her into a shadow of her former self. Jamie?s recovery inspired her to go public in an effort ?to reach young girls and let them know that there is a way out; there is help available.? She is now a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorders Association. Sigler's revealing autobiography, Wise Girl, illustrates both the perks and pressures that have come with overnight fame, and how uncertain times have made her stronger, more confident and able to face life?s challenges. She describes the emotional and physical toll from a vicious bout with Lyme disease, an obsession with her weight that nearly destroyed her career, and the darker side of instant fame. At the podium, Sigler speaks from the heart in a fun, engaging, and illuminating presentation. Her surprising and inspirational story demonstrates that the key to success isn?t just what?s on the outside ? it?s using your brains, going with your gut, and learning from your experiences every day. Sigler's optimistic philosophy is, ?What matters is that you make your life matter. Follow your dreams, challenge the odds, defy your critics, champion a cause, sing out until your voice is heard!? Born with a passion to perform, Long Island native DiScala has been acting and singing since the age of seven. She got her start in New York regional theater, and has since starred in over two dozen theatrical productions. Recently she starred in the touring production of Rodger?s and Hammerstein?s Cinderella, playing the lead opposite Eartha Kitt as her fairy godmother. She is currently making her Broadway debut as Belle in Disney?s Beauty and the Beast. For her work on The Sopranos, Sigler received the 1999 and 2000 Young Star Award for Best Young Actress in a Dramatic Television Series. She lives in New York City
Barbara Smith Barbara Smith is best known for her innovating work as a critic, author, activist and lecturer. She was among the first to define an African American woman's literary tradition and to build Black women's studies and Black Feminism in the U.S. She is also the co-author of Yours in Struggle: Three Feminist Perspestives on Anti-Semitism and Racism. Smith is a general editor of the Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History. A collection of her essays, The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race Gender, and Freedom was published in 1998.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth." She is the author of 15 books, the most recent being, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents. Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." It began in September 1980 as a 15-minute, taped show that aired Sundays after midnight on WYNY-FM (NBC) in New York. One year later it became a live, one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. on which Dr. Ruth, as she became known, answered call-in questions from listeners. Soon it became part of a communications network to distribute her expertise, which includes television, books, newspapers, games, home videos, computer software and a web-site. Born in Germany in 1928, Dr. Ruth was sent at age ten to a school in Switzerland that became an orphanage for most of the German Jewish students sent there to escape the Holocaust. At 16, she went to Israel where she fought for the country's independence as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters. Dr. Ruth then moved to Paris where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 where she obtained her master's degree in sociology from the graduate faculty of the New School of Social Research and a doctorate of education in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University. She worked for Planned Parenthood for a time and that experience prompted her to further her education of human sexuality by studying under Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. She later participated in the program for five years as an adjunct associate professor. She has also taught at Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Adelphi University, Columbia University and West Point. Dr. Ruth is currently an adjunct associate professor at New York University. A fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, she has her own private practice and leads regular seminars for residents and interns in pediatrics on adolescent sexuality at Brookdale Hospital. She lectures frequently at universities across the country and has been twice named "College Lecturer of the Year." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In addition to radio, her television career has spanned both broadcast and cable. In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth", syndicated by King Features. She is the author of fifteen books, the most recent of which, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents: Advice for Kids On Making the Most of a Special Relationship (co-authored with Pierre Lehu) was published in 1997. Dr. Ruth is currently at work on several projects. She is producing two documentaries: the first, No Missing Link, is about how grandparents transmitted values, particularly religious values, during the 70 years of communism in Russia and the second is about her 1997 visit to the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. Her books also include: Dr. Ruth's Pregnancy Guide for Couples, published in 1998, a human sexuality textbook published by Williams and Wilkins and Grandparenthood. The National Mother's Day Committee has honored Dr. Ruth as "Mother of The Year" and she received a Liberty Medal from the City of New York. She has been nominated for an Ace Award by the cable industry on five occasions and her program, The "All-New Dr. Ruth Show," won an Ace Award in 1988 for excellence in cable television. What's Up, Dr. Ruth was awarded the Gold Medal from the International Film and TV Festival for excellence in educational television. People magazine included her in their list of the "Most Intriguing People of the Century."
Vanessa Williams A former host of VH-1, Vanessa Williams was the first Black woman to win the Miss America Pageant. A talented actress and singer, her record albums, "The Right Stuff" and "The Comfort Zone," quickly climbed to the top of the charts.