Demanding Superwoman. Vain superstar. Anal white woman. As she touches each woman's hair, Novelette sees into their soul, unmasking their beauty and their pain.   Shirelle, the Superwoman, is falling apart from desperately trying to meet everyone's demands as if her life depended on it.  Sharmaine, the superstar, is heartbroken because her ever-supportive mother rejected her for falling in love with a woman. The white woma is torn between her black son and her racist father.

As she transforms their hair, Novelette transforms her clients' lives with powerful love. Laughter, dance, music and ceremonial water wash away the pain. In Novelette's salon, everyone is welcome and everyone belongs.

After seeing the play last night, I have a dream. I am being held by a huge beautiful woman, as black as God Herself. Today, I don my Da Kink in my Hair red baby tee and crawl into bed to seek the Novelette within. I cry for the Shirelle, the Sharmaine, and the hurt child in me. I touch my own hair and I find peace. 

What if everyone could see people with the loving eyes of Novelette? What if the world were like Novelette's salon, where everyone is welcome, and everyone belongs? May you find the  Novelette in you. May you heal your heart. May you heal your world.

If you get a chance to see the play in Toronto, it's closing tomorrow. Run, don't walk to get tix. It got another standing ovation the other night, and I expect it to sell out.

***
Thank you, Trey Anthony.  You have changed my life with your play. I wish Oprah would invte you on her network, because you could heal the world with Da Kink.

My sister, who works in film & television, recently gave me Ellen DeGeneres' manager's contact information.  I'd love your feedback on this letter I'm planning to send to Ellen to invite her to speak on our on-line event. 

Please comment below and share this blog.  Together, we can reach ten million people with gay-friendly events that inspire freedom and pride worldwide. By the way, you  can enjoy these events for free (you can sign up on the link to the right).    What do you think of this...?

Dear Ellen, 

You make an OUTstanding difference!  Thank you so much for inspiring me to create a 2,100,000 (yes, over 2 million) member network* that LOVES you.  Could you please spare 60 seconds to support same-sex marriage and save the world's biggest fb group for equality? 

Yes, you inspired me to create this network for same-sex marriage.  We'd love you to speak to our members on our on-line radio show & events. Even if all you have is 60 seconds to talk with us, it will be much appreciated by our members, especially the OUTstanding Youth members.  If you speak to us soon, hopefully you will help give us media attention to save the group, so facebook doesn't archive it (delete it).*

Thanks for inspiring me to create the world's biggest gay-friendly facebook group*. Over and over, I said to myself, “Ellen came out, and everybody loves her.”  I love your show, your humour and your brilliant approach to making a difference for LGBT youth. Our new goal at OUTstanding Lives Network is to reach ten million people with gay-friendly events that inspire freedom and pride worldwide.  We are a social purpose enterprise with a goal of doing well by doing good.  We’d love to have you as a guest on our phone-in global radio show. It would mean so much to us and to the LGBT youth in our network (if you can spare five minutes or more we will be ecstatic). All it takes is a quick phone call. Please call me at 416-693-5683 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              416-693-5683      end_of_the_skype_highlightingto let me know when you have a minute or two).

I’ll never forget howling at your coming out
episode with a room full of lesbians, all thrilled to watch you make history by reaching 46 million viewers in one night. After, I walked around downtown holding my girlfriend’s hand and beaming with pride. You changed the world, and my life, forever that night.  Over and over I say to myself, “Ellen came out, and everyone loves her.” When I saw you win all those awards, I had tears of bliss pouring down my face.  At that moment, I knew that I could make a big difference, too.

Our programs also save lives of LGBT youth. I wish
my cousin had seen your success; he might have made a different choice had he had your example when he was in his 20s (he took his life soon before your coming out episode). Ever then, I was obsessed with saving lives of bullied gay youth.  I vowed to create a place on-line where youth could go from around the world to find a sense of belonging, self-esteem and support.  It took me eighteen attempts and thousands of hours of volunteer work before I managed to create the world’s biggest gay-friendly facebook group.  I faced death threats, but I didn’t lose hope. Repeatedly, I said to myself, “Ellen came out, and everyone loves her.” 

Now, I’m writing a book about Secrets of the World’s Greatest Leaders, and you are my primary example. We’d so love to have you as a guest on our phone-in global radio show, OUTstanding Lives Network. It would mean so much to us and to the LGBT youth in our network (if you can spare five minutes or more we will be ecstatic). All it takes is a quick phone call. Please call me at 416-693-5683to let me know when you have a minute or two).  Just name a time, and I will create an event about you.  For more information, you can visit outstandinglives.org (please note the .org and look for the rainbow banner so you get the right site).  

By the way, I’d also love to be on your show some
day, to help save our 2 million member group so that facebook doesn’t archive it (delete it).  Thank you so
much.  You make an OUTstanding difference!

* Here's the link to to our group... http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=283600686512


Sincerely,

Sharon Love, M.Ed., President
OUTstanding Lives Network
outstandinglives.org
Phone: 416-693-5683

Great news!  Two days ago, President Obama called for "the United
Nations' top human rights body to combat discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world."

Obama wants "nations to end any criminal punishments against lesbians, gays
and bisexuals." He asked "the global body to review how governments treat
them in the UN's human rights assessments. "

Deputy assistant secretary of state for international
organizations Suzanne Nossel said,
 
"We are very concerned that individuals continue to be killed, arrested and
harassed around the world because of their sexual orientation or gender
identity. This statement sends a strong message from across the globe that such
abuses should not be tolerated."

So far, Obama's declaration has gained support from over 80 countries.  I will also send a copy of our OUTstanding Lives Network human rights petition, with over 60,000 signatures, to Suzanne Nossel. 

A lesbian couple saved 40 lives in Norway, putting their own lives at risk when a Norwegian gunman  massacred dozens of
students on Friday. 

Hege Dalen and her partner Toril Hanse made four trips back and forth in their small boat, picking up injured young people and saving their lives. According to local media, “Every now and then bullets almost hit the boat". 

Click here for more details.

Discuss: Would you risk your life to save the students, if you were this couple?

For immediate release

 OUTstanding Lives.org Celebrates over

Two Million Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage Worldwide

 “Gay is good.”  The Bilingual Training Manager tried to sound calm as she replied to a homophobic remark at work.  Those three simple words got her fired.  Cold and alone, she walked by the lake, tears creating icy rivers down her face.  She heaved a stone into the water, trying desperately to throw away her feelings of rejection.  She picked up another stone.  She had to do something.  Anything. 

“Somehow, I will make a difference,” she vowed, staring at the rock, holding it tight.  She thought of youth in the community.  She wondered how they could possibly manage rejection, with no work experience, no education, and sometimes no family to help them.  She looked up, remembering her late cousin Ted.  “Some day, I will raise millions of  dollars for gay-friendly youth programs,” she promised.   With one long arc, she threw that stone into the smooth lake. Ripples spread. 

Last spring, the first half of that promise came true.  After seventeen attempts and thousands of hours of volunteering for the LGBT community, Sharon Love launched a gay-friendly Facebook group that attracted over two million people in just over two weeks. 

“The day we hit two million was one of the most exciting days of my life,” raves Love.  Support was pouring in from all around the world.  Every time you clicked “refresh”, the numbers and the wall completely changed. Everyone was ecstatic”.  The wall was teeming with posts things like this:

“Click refresh… ten thousand more people just joined!  Click again… ten thousand MORE joined!!!  OMG… we’re almost at TWO MILLION!  This is better than New Year’s!... Click again…  YES!!!  We did it!  TWO MILLION PEOPLE!”  

Today, Love’s group, “I bet we can find 1,000,000 People who Support Same Sex Marriage” is known as the World’s Largest Gay-friendly Facebook group.  Love’s little hobby, OUTstanding Lives Network, suddenly grew into a worldwide social movement.  Over 60,000 people signed a petition, which Love sent to the United Nations and the White House.  Over 13,000 subscribed to an e-newsletter.  In December, the United Nations reversed a discriminatory decision, and LGBT people won the right to live. 

People have been calling OUTstanding Lives Network from Turkey, Uganda, India, the Netherlands, and more.  Network members have voted to hold a global conference called Marriage Pride, next summer in Toronto. 

“I believe that same-sex marriage worldwide will also help save lives of LGBT youth,” explains Love.  It sends a very strong message of equality.  Legal equality builds belonging, respect, and self-esteem.  In Canada, for example, equal marriage laws have helped to create a much friendlier, more open culture of acceptance.  “When we humanize the community with an event focused on love, people are more likely to respect our rights as equals,” explains Love.  “I’m very excited to bring our global network together through an event.”

In order to raise funds for Marriage Pride, Love is holding on-line Master Classes called “OUTstanding OUTreach; You, Too, Can Inspire Millions”.  The introductory class is free.  “People kept asking me how I reached over two million people in just over two weeks,” explains Love.  “I finally realized that I should answer that question.  Our affiliate program aims to raise funds for LGBT charities and even help create jobs for community.” 

For more information, to join the affiliate program or to join the Free Master Class on-line, visit www.outstandinglives.org .