By Rick Andreoli at Gay.net

“An Honest Conversation” is a video series focusing on LGBTQ issues in the Latino community. It was produced by Cuéntame to create a direct, sober, honest and often painful portrayal of stories from LGBTQ Latino youth, their friends, families and the community in general. From bullying to abuse, struggle to triumph, this ground-breaking series aims to break taboos within the Latino community while changing paradigms within this fast-shifting demographic.

So far we’ve offered video stories from Giselle and her girlfriend Bianca. This week we focus on Ronnie, who lost his friends, some family, and got kicked out of the Army—all for being gay. Ronnie’s story is a journey of self-discovery, painful secrets and bridges cross. After being intimidated, threatened and bullied in the Army, suffering traumatizing experiences and learning painful truths about himself, he now saves lives as a nurse and has finally received an honorable discharge from the army that had once turned on him.

Check it out.

INFO
Website: mycuentame.org
Join the Conversation: anhonestconversation.org
Share Your Story: facebook.com/cuentame

As the debate on SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) heats up, CNN México invites Cuentame’s Axel Caballero to discuss the impact on free speech. (Interview in Spanish)

By Steve Williams at Care2

Cuéntame, a non-profit digital media organization founded in 2009 that focuses on Latino arts, media and advocacy work, has released a video series called “An Honest Conversation” where young Latino LGBTQs talk about the issues they face today.

According to the “An Honest Conversation” website the project is “a sober, honest, and often painful collection of stories from our LGBTQ Latino youth, their friends, families, and the community in general. From bullying to abuse, struggle to triumph, this ground-breaking series aims to break taboos within the Latino community while changing paradigms within our fast-shifting demographic.”

The three videos in the series introduce us to Bianca, a Salvadoran-American lesbian, her partner Giselle, and Ronnie, a Mexican-American former serviceman.  The videos tackle a number of issues including discrimination, HIV, and being LGBTQ in a religious household.

Below you can see Bianca’s story where she talks about her life and how she is a “triple threat” — “I’m Latina, queer and a woman!”:

By Daniel Alvarenga at GLAAD

Last month we featured Cuéntame’s trailer for their new video campaign which focuses on LGBT youth. The videos are now available for viewing. “An Honest Conversation,” aims to start a provocative and honest dialogue by looking into the lives of Latinos in America. The three videos introduce us to: Bianca, a Salvadoran-American lesbian, her Chicana partner, Giselle, and Ronnie, a Mexican-American former Army serviceman.  The videos are powerful and deal with a range of issues such as discrimination, abuse, HIV, and coming out in religious households.

Here is the first video in the series featuring Bianca:

By MSNBC The Ed Show Blog

The war is over…finally!

After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion, U.S. officials yesterday formally shut down the war in Iraq — a conflict that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the price in blood and money, as it set Iraq on a path to democracy.

Whether it was a success or a failure will be debated for years, if not decades.  But one thing’s certain, according to filmmaker and activist Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe, Political Director at Brave New Foundation — the Iraq War was a giant success for war profiteers who made out like bandits while the rest of us were stuck with a multi-trillion dollar bill.

In their excellent article on Huff Post, Greenwald and Crowe call out Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), a former Haliburton subsidiary, which racked up 22 instances of misconduct, including sexual assault and retaliation and wrongful death.

Despite that dismal record, KBR’s CEO William P. Utt made $9.6 million in salary and other compensation last year, putting him squarely in the richest 0.01 percent of Americans.

Something to consider the next time we debate whether to go to war.

The Iraq War is officially ending, but was it a success? Perhaps if you’re a war profiteer…Cenk Uygur and Robert Greenwald discuss on Current TV’s The Young Turks.

Robert Greenwald joins Ed Schultz on his radio show to discuss the end of the Iraq War, but who won?

By Sarah Seltzer at AlterNet

A new campaign called “An Honest Conversation” from Cuéntame has produced some amazing videos of Latino LGBT citizens telling their stories:

“From bullying to abuse, struggle to triumph, this ground-breaking series aims to break taboos within the Latino community while changing paradigms within our fast-shifting demographic. With these powerful, direct stories Cuéntame is starting a provocative and honest nationwide conversation that we hope will begin with your own discussions at the Holiday or Sunday dinner table and into the lives of many Latinos in America.”

In the below video, a gay HIV+ military veteran tells his heartrending story of courage in the face oppression at home, on the streets, as a soldier: “I’m tired of not being able to just say this.”

WATCH: Man Comes Out as HIV-Positive

By Lucas Grindley at The Advocate

When Ronnie came out as gay, his mother told him, “you better never come home with AIDS.” In a new online video, he’s finally coming out as HIV-positive.

“I begged with God,” Ronnie remembers spending time at a hospital chapel before getting his test result. “I’ll do this, I’ll do that. Just don’t let it happen.”

The video was shot as part of Cuentame, a new online campaign that’s trying to generate conversation among the Latino community about being LGBT.

“I’m tired of not being able to just say it,” Ronnie says, explaining why he’s coming out.

Watch the video below.

Occupiers in LA and Philadelphia have now been evicted. Ed Schultz, Robert Greenwald and Daily Kos blogger Jesse LaGreca discuss what’s next with the Occupy movement.