Trish Bendix will be moderating a panel discussion entitled ‘LGBT and the Media’. Confirmed panelists include famous faces from different areas of entertainment.
About our moderator
Trish Bendix is a writer, living in Portland with her wife, pug and two cats. She writes about the intersection of queer women and pop culture/media as managing editor of AfterEllen.com and is the Girl on Girl columnist for The Frisky.
Trish has written on queer life & art, music, pop culture, media and feminist issues for publications such as The Village Voice, Time Out Chicago, Out, Punk Planet, Planet Out/Gay.com, Rockpile, The Chicago Tribune’s ChicagoNow and Bitch. Her fiction has appeared in The Q Review, CellStories and she has an essay in the 2010 Seal Press anthology, Dear John, I Love Jane. She was also the co-host of a regular podcast on lesbian and queer women in music called Chick Habit.
Find Trish on Twitter @trishbendix
The Confirmed Panelists
Gigi Gaston is an American writer-director who directed her first documentary, The Cream Will Rise, in 1998 about singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins. The Cream Will Rise is a documentary that exposes the turbulent and troubling side of singer/songwriter Hawkins’s early years, when a confrontation with her mother forced her to come to terms with some of the demons and darker moments of her childhood. Gaston and Hawkins are in a long-term relationship and have a son together, who was born in 2008.
Gaston’s great grandfather was William Gaston who was mayor of Boston and then governor of Massachusetts. She was on the US Olympic team for Equestrian Show jumping and a top notch rider as a child. Gigi has also sold several scripts, one to Drew Barrymore and another to Steve Tisch. Her mother is Theodora Lynch Getty, the last wife of J Paul Getty. @missgigigaston
Writer and Director Katherine Brooks is also joining the LGBT panel. Well known for her feature films ‘Loving Annabelle‘ and ‘Waking Madison‘ and the upcoming ‘Face 2 Face, Katherine is very well-loved and respected in the LGBT community. Her extensive list of television credits include three seasons of the Emmy-Award winning “The Osbournes” and the highly-acclaimed show “The Real World”. She produced and directed MTV’s “Meet the Barkers”, two seasons of “The Newylweds” starring Jessica Simpson and directed “The Simple Life” with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. On November 6, 2011, Katherine was honored with the Power Up Award for being a strong voice and activist for the LGBT community. We are proud to welcome Katherine to this amazing panel. @thekatbrooks
NOH8 Co-Founder & Photographer Adam Bouska was recognized by Instinct Magazine’s Leading Men of 2009, The Advocate’s 40 Under 40, Frontier’s 25 Angelinos Making a Difference, and most recently the 17th Annual Out100. Celebrity & Fashion Photographer Adam Bouska is known for his unique style, currently operating his photography studio in Los Angeles. Award-winning Celebrity & Fashion Photographer Adam is known for his unique style, currently operating his photography studio in Los Angeles, California. He is noted for his work from magazine covers to book covers with celebrities including Jane Lynch, Barry Manilow, Meghan McCain, Alexa Rae Joel, Deepak Chopra, Lisa Ling, Hayley Hasselhoff, James Kyson Lee, and Jai Rodriguez.
Creating the NOH8 Campaign with partner Jeff Parshley is Adam’s proudest work to date, and he hopes to continue traveling the world putting a face to the fight for equality. @bouska
NOH8 Co-Founder & Executive Producer Jeff Parshley‘s work with the campaign includes coordinating celebrity involvement in both NOH8 photos and videos, producing and overseeing the NOH8 public service announcements, planning and coordinating upcoming open photo shoot locations, and much more.
When he laced up his shoes and ran out of the house one November night in 2008 to join the post-Proposition 8 protests with his partner Adam Bouska, Jeff Parshley (born in Nashua, NH on February 23, 1981) had no idea he was about to become an activist. The experience moved him to speak out, and that spirit inspired him to create the concept of a NOH8 photo with Adam. Having enjoyed that small taste of what it felt like to be an activist, Jeff has found his true calling as a leader of Team NOH8. @JeffParshley
The NOH8 campaign can be found on Twitter @NOH8Campaign
Note: Sophie B. Hawkins will no longer be appearing on the panel in readiness for her performance at the RizzlesCon party later on the Saturday.
Other Speakers
Crime Prevention Workshop led by Beth Fedorenchik
As an serving Police Officer of 9 years, Beth has vast experience when it comes to handling difficult situations. Take some time to sit with Beth to discuss rape prevention techniques, protecting yourself outside of the home, bullying in the workplace and dealing with troubled youths.