ReleaseWire

Lesbians Who Tech, the globally renowned organization that focuses on connecting technology-focused women in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, is hosting their second annual Summit in New York City, from October 1-4, 2015. The 4-day event is designed to emphasize the incredible women who cleared the path for more equality, as well as the newest generation of technological leaders. The City Director of the Lesbians Who Tech Philadelphia Chapter, CJ Bachmann, will be proudly attending the 2015 Summit to lend the City of Brotherly Love's support to the noteworthy occasion.

The Supreme Court declared on Friday, June 26 in a landmark 5-4 decision that same sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States. Gay and lesbian couples had marriage rights in 36 states as well as the District of Columbia. Friday's ruling means same sex marriage bans must be lifted in the remaining 14 states.

The Lesbians Who Tech organization focuses on helping women in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community connect with each other both individually, as like-minded lovers of all things tech, as well as professionally as a growing network of mentors and business investors. The group's founder, Leanne Pittsford, hosted the first Lesbians Who Tech happy hour after noticing how few technologically focused women were active in the community as mentors and role-models. The happy hours concentrate on the goal of improving that statistic, and have become renowned for their ability to reach out to gay women in the industry and create meaningful interactions and tech-related connections. Those interactions also help the organization better meet the needs of their members, as well as provide crowdsourced information that can help make their NYC Summit a success. In that regard, a new Lesbians Who Tech (and friends) Philadelphia August Happy Hour will take place August 27, 2015, from 5pm until 7pm, to gear up for and encourage participation in the upcoming Summit.

Detours Travel, the Gay Adventure Tour Operator has announced they are launching a 5th destination with 12-day group trips starting in Spain in May 2016. The new destination will give their loyal customers more adventure holiday destinations to choose from.

On Tuesday, July 14, 3-4 pm Pacific, host Beth Green will be interviewing two gay couples about the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage throughout the nation. The topic won't focus on the fight for the right to marry. It will focus on the impact of legalization on gay people themselves.

The Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association is a non-for-profit, volunteer organization whose focus is on making communities better places for everyone.  ARGRA fights to protect rural youth who do not have extensive LGBT resources as those do who are in the cities, offering a local camp that is a safe zone for these young people along with a rodeo school for training in cowboy and cowgirl techniques.  One of the events that helps support these efforts is the annual Canadian Rockies International Rodeo and Music Festival.

The Governor of Texas has signed into a law a bill ensuring religious ministers of all faiths can refuse to officiate gay marriages following the SCOTUS bill to legalize marriage for all, claiming "religious freedom is beyond the reach of government or coercion by the court", with the Texas attorney general claiming that the decision was made "in the face of increasing hostility toward people of faith in all walks of life". Despite this, many still celebrated the decision, and adoption In Texas has observed a spike in adoption enquiries, showing the decision gives hope of a family to thousands of children without one.

On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an epic 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The opinion of the court was that it is the legal duty of all states to issue a marriage license to a couple (of legal age) wishing to obtain one, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. The decision, in other words, made same-sex marriage legal on a federal level; states will no longer be able to deny same-sex couples the right to marry – if they do, they'll be in violation of federal law.

Gatlinburg is the most popular location for elopements outside Las Vegas. However, unlike Vegas, Gatlinburg offers authenticity and stunning natural beauty with the gorgeous Smoky Mountains as the backdrop. Elope to Gatlinburg is a company that specializes in organizing full wedding packages for those who wish for a stress-free wedding day, for couples with up to forty guests. Same sex marriage has just been legalized nationwide by the Supreme Court of the United States, and Elope to Gatlinburg is inviting couples of all orientations to celebrate by getting married in one of several picturesque locations.

In a historic case decision, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Friday, June 26, 2015 that it is the legal right of all Americans—regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation—to seek a marriage license from the state in which they live. While the Supreme Court's decision has been hailed by many as a long-awaited triumph for civil rights, many others—including some lawmakers in Texas—believe that the decision is a violation of states' rights.

It has been an exciting and historic week leading into the 6th Annual Harlem Pride Celebrations themed "Justice for All, The Movement Continues." Thousands of Same Gender Loving / Lesbian, Gay, Bi Sexual, and Transgender (SGL/LGBT) revelers, family and friends visited uptown Manhattan for a week of festivities heralding the marriage equality win and the great strides gained by the SGL/LGBT community within the United States.

On the heels of a successful inaugural May event, the Philadelphia Chapter of Lesbians Who Tech is announcing a second Lesbians Who Tech (and friends) Philadelphia Happy Hour, taking place this July 9, 2015, from 5pm until 7pm. The City Director, CJ Bachmann of 1SEO.com Digital Agency, arranged with one of her company's many clients to reserve space at the coveted City Tap House in Philly to create another opportunity for women who work in the technology industry, or who simply love everything tech, to network, land gigs and make new connections. As such, the group invites techies of every kind to join them in Philly and discuss advancements in the technological industry, as well as happenings in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

On Wednesday, June 3rd at Aloft Hotel Harlem the Harlem Pride 2015 Committee announced its 6th Annual Harlem Pride Celebration theme "Justice for All, The Movement Continues." A week of festivities (June 21st – 28th) is planned to take place throughout the upper Manhattan region to herald the great strides of national and global equality. The uptown enclave will open its arms to thousands of Same Gender Loving / Lesbian, Gay, Bi Sexual, and Transgender (SGL/LGBT) revelers, family and friends from the Tri State area and beyond.

Clients looking for a wedding film that is not just a documentary of their day, but tells the couple's unique story, should contact White Dress Films for more information. With many same sex couples having waited a number of years for the opportunity to get married, there are some wonderful stories to be told. White Dress Films offer a high quality videography service, meeting their clients before the date of their wedding to discuss their requirements, through to filming as much or as little of the wedding as required and coming up with a final edit.

New Yorkers have a reason to rejoice because the exciting news is Rainbow Fashion Week (RFW) returns to New York for 8 days from June 19 to June 26, 2015. The celebration, an official New York City Pre-Pride event, will be hosting its latest series of trend-savvy Queer Fashion Shows.

Lesbians Who Tech is a monthly meeting of women in the gay community who work or are interested in the technology industry. The community aims to create an effortless channel for lesbians with a love of all things tech to form connections and build networks of colleagues, associates and friends. While Lesbians Who Tech is a global community of more than 8,000 women in and around the tech industry, they have local chapters around the world for professional and recreational techies to meet like-minded individuals near them. Celebrating the establishment of the new Philadelphia Chapter of Lesbians Who Tech, the group is announcing a Happy Hour on Thursday, May 28, 2015.

Kenneth Rankins, up and coming film director, has finalized plans for the release of his groundbreaking cinema debut that was produced at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Research and development for the project has been underway since the beginning of the year, and is near completion. Proposed launch date for the short film is scheduled for October 22, 2015.

Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037) was the venue for a premiere of Patrik-Ian Polk's Blackbird presented by Harlem Pride and DBQ Magazine. The star studded Wednesday, April 22, 2015 event kicked off with a Red Carpet and VIP Reception followed by the 7:30 PM Screening which was introduced by Robert L. Johnson (Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television). The director and cast members participated in a special Q&A, followed by a Blackbird after party at Harlem's Cove Lounge.

Björn and Company returns to LIFE: The Place to Be in Ardsley, NY for the second year to produce what is sure to be a substantial event in both scale and vision adding to the fabric of Westchester food and wine events. Forks, Corks & Cocktails takes place on May 1, 2015 with a VIP Reception followed by the General Admissions event featuring over a dozen chefs from all over Westchester and a live cooking demo from FOX Master Chef Season 5 Contestants Christine Silverstein and Victoria Scroggins. A portion of the evening's proceeds will benefit WE ARE THE YOUTH, a national LGBTQ photo initiative.

Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037) is set to be the venue for a premiere of Patrik-Ian Polk's Blackbird presented by Harlem Pride and DBQ Magazine. The star studded Wednesday, April 22, 2015 event will kick off with a Red Carpet and VIP Reception followed by a 7 PM Screening which will be introduced by Robert L. Johnson (Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television). The director and cast members will also participate in a special Q&A, followed by a Blackbird after party attended by celebrity guests and the filmmakers. Scheduled to appear are Mo'Nique, Isaiah Washington, Julian Walker, D. Woods alongside the film's producers Carol Ann Shine and Keith Brown. Confirmed guests also include Bevy Smith, recording artist Chad B, Wade Davis, Carmen Neely, David Bridgeforth and recording artist M Bars. Additional celebrity guests to be announced.

The BFE, short for "The Boyfriend Experience", has announced the official launch of their date-booking website, thebfe.com. To celebrate, the company is giving away 5 dates! The BFE's beta launch took place on February 10th, 2015 and received a warm reception from Toronto and Montreal media outlets.

LA Speech Therapy Solutions offers dedicated programs for transgender voice therapy patients who are transitioning from either male-to-female or female-to-male, helping to transform the voice to match their external appearance. The organization offers a series of transgender speech therapy sessions that focus on vocal pitch, resonance, intonation, and non-verbal forms of communication that help patients to overcome the difficulties that transgender patients so often face.

Pastor and author Jay Bakker will join LBGT Christian leaders for the Out to the Nations Transformation Conference in April. Making an effort to reach across traditional religious lines, the pastor of Revolution Church in Minneapolis is no stranger to controversy. He is the son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker who saw the collapse of their ministry in the late 80s. A teen at the time, he watched Christian leaders walk away from his parents - two highly-recognizable and viable voices in their community. Having seen the destruction firsthand, Bakker picks up the torch and now brings his message of inclusive Christianity. The event will take place on April 17th - 19th in Asheville, North Carolina. Registration is now open.

GaysOne has new approach for the gay community on the NET, with an emphasis on socialising in communities and content sharing not just dating!

The first gay chat/hookup app (On The Low) exclusively catered towards bisexual black men, down low black men, and gay black males is launching in March 2015 in the iOS App Store.