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EQUALITY FORUM PRESENTS EXUBERANCE!
AT ITS ANNUAL ART EXHIBIT RUNNING APRIL 23-MAY 4

Photography Exhibit of over 300 Images at The University of the Arts

Equality Forum presents its fourth annual art exhibit, Exuberance! in collaboration with The University of the Arts, running April 23 through May 4. Equality Forum, formerly PrideFest America, presents the world's most comprehensive programs about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community on April 28-May 4 in Philadelphia. Equality Forum features 76 programs and social events by 95 regional, national and international GLBT organizations.

Exuberance!, running at the Sol Mednick Gallery, showcases over 300 photographs of GLBT youth by Mike Glatze and Benjie Nycum of Young Gay America and The University of the Arts graduate Rachelle Lee Smith. Young Gay America's road trips across the United States document gay youth in both rural and urban locales, capturing the uniqueness, vitality and pride of these teens. Set against a stark white background, Smith's photographs allow her subjects to appear naturally and reveal raw emotions without environmental influences. The subject then writes his or her personal story in the white space of the portrait, thereby completing the work. In the same way that Young Gay America offers a suggestion of the vast number and diversity of GLBT youth, Smith encourages her subjects to express their own powerful ideas and thoughts. Harris Fogel, Chair of the Media Arts Department at The University of the Arts, is the curator.

"These photographs are about the reality of young people on the brink of a new life, fighting for identity, survival, acceptance and normalcy. There are faces and words of their friends, neighbors, family and classmates telling them that they are not alone," said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. "Benjie, Mike and Rachelle's work provide proof of how far we still have yet to go in guaranteeing the rights of the gay community. Yet, at the same time, the fearless representation of GLBT youth is evidence of how far society has already come."

"Today we are seeing youth celebrate their sexuality, associating it with freedom and possibility rather than with struggle," continued Lazin. "Decades of hard-fought battles have resulted in a world where a GLBT teen can feel normal, yet special."

Since March, 2001, Benjie Nycum and Mike Glatze have taken road trips around North America documenting the lives of GLBT youth for Young Gay America's website at www.younggayamerica.com. The pair founded Young Gay America to educate and inform GLBT youth about their importance in society by featuring their personal stories on the internet; encouraging public discourse on issues pertinent to them; providing a GLBT youth forum; and promoting an overall sense of promise, positive self-image, and sense of belonging. Since their journey began Nycum and Glatze have interviewed over a thousand young people, taken over 8,000 photographs, visited 60 towns and cities, and driven over 46,500 miles. Their recent trip is featured in Equality Forum's documentary film JIM IN BOLD which receives its world premiere on May 2. Nycum and Glatze will be further honored at Equality Forum with the 8th annual National Role Model Award.

Rachelle Lee Smith received her BFA from The University of the Arts in 2002. As a student her photographs were published in Curve Magazine and DDI, and received the Fuji Documentary Award two years in a row. Since graduation, her work has been published in The Photo Review, Girlfriends, and The Advocate. Smith was recently invited by Syracuse University to give a guest lecture and exhibit her photographs in a solo show. Recent group exhibitions of her work include The Photo Review's "Best of 2002", "The Kids Are Alright", "Arts for the Masses", and the Society of Photographic Education's "Pleasure and Terrors of the City". She has also collaborated with local artists in an exhibition at the Gallery at the University of Florida.

Exuberance! is one of ten programs sponsored by Equality Forum for GLBT youth. Other highlights include the world premiere of the documentary film JIM IN BOLD about the profound impact of homophobia on GLBT youth; the 6th annual Jim Wheeler National Youth Panel and five panels by regional organizations focusing on health, education and social issues of concern to GLBT youth; and several non-alcohol youth-only parties.

Since its founding in 1993, Equality Forum has become the world's largest annual gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) symposium and festival. It has expanded from a three-day conference of 15 regional organizations to a full week of events featuring international, national and regional leaders on a broad range of compelling issues. With 76 programs and social events presented by 95 regional, national and international non-profit organizations, Equality Forum is the most in-depth program of the emergence of a vibrant international GLBT community and its civil rights aspirations.

For further information, call 215-732-3378 or visit the website at www.equalityforum.com.

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