Equality NC Launches New Websites Designed to Better Serve LGBT Community & Allies

Raleigh, N.C. — Equality NC and Equality NC Foundation today launched two dynamic new websites to better serve the informational and interactive needs of North Carolina’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and allies. The revamped online presences mark the first major website redesign for Equality NC, North Carolina’s leading LGBT advocacy organization, and the organization’s educational arm, Equality NC Foundation.

The new sites, www.equalitync.org and www.equalityncfoundation.org, both feature access to an array of fully-shareable LGBT news (“The Latest”), multimedia projects (“Know + Love”), easy access to a vibrant Twitter feed of the latest LGBT commentary, resources, and information, as well as a robust set of online tools to organize and mobilize grassroots education and activism (“Take Action.”)

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a surge in online activity surrounding the Amendment One campaign, and now Equality NC has a website that really allows us to amplify the voices of North Carolina’s newly-energized LGBT community and allies,” said Jen Jones, Equality NC’s Communications Director. “This new website is not only an online companion to our education and advocacy work on the ground, it compliments the new and exciting work we’re doing in multimedia, interactive media and social media.”

The new website launch corresponds with Equality NC’s ever-increasing online membership base, which has now grown to over 50,000 online supporters. In only one year, Equality NC has also become the second-most popular state equality site on Facebook, quadrupled its Twitter followers, amassed thousands of online video and image views and shares on YouTube and Flickr, and added new presences on popular social networking sites like Pinterest and Tumblr.

“The launch of these websites is an exciting development for North Carolina, as it will provide every fair-minded individual or group, working towards LGBT equality, to have the tools to strengthen our various networks and the ability to benefit from each other’s work,” said Stuart Campbell, Executive Director of Equality NC. “Our coalition partnerships are our most important asset moving forward after Amendment One, and these new online channels allows us to communicate, educate and mobilize those communities and allies—like never before.”

To rebrand the website, Equality NC worked with Plus Three—the online engagement team behind many of the nation’s most engaging web presences—to build an entirely new site, better serve the organization’s pre-existing online channels, and expand on current statewide LGBT fundraising, activism and educational efforts.

With the unveiling of the new Equality NC site, the organization also launches its latest political action committee fundraising campaign, the Equality NC Action Fund “PAYBACK CHALLENGE,” encouraging fair-minded North Carolinians angered by the Amendment One outcome to contribute from now until September 20, to support pro-equality candidates, oppose anti-LGBT politicians, and sponsor grassroots activism leading up to the 2012 general election. Learn more at equalitync.org/pac_challenge.

Read the full article here.

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Shakira and Ronaldo Top Plus Three's 2012 Latino Social Media Ranking

Posted on 05/03/2012 @ 06:00 AM

Tags: Hispanic strategy

Musicians and athletes dominate @Plus_Three’s semiannual analysis of leading Latinos in social media #2012LatinoRanking

WASHINGTON, DC – @Plus_Three, the leading online marketing firm for Hispanic causes and organizations, today released its 2012 Latino Social Media Ranking (#2012LatinoRanking) analysis. The list was dominated by singers and soccer stars with singer Shakira, who boasts over 49 million Facebook likes and 15 million Twitter followers, leading the way. Real Madrid soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, singer Selena Gomez, FC Barcelona soccer player Lionel Messi, and singer Enrique Iglesias rounded out the top five Latino celebrities, totaling over 223 million followers and likes.

The international list of 40 influential Latinos spans nine countries. Half of the social media icons were born in the United States, including six Puerto Ricans, while seven were born in Spain and six in Brazil.

"The list showcases the extraordinary reach of Latino celebrities who, together, have over 600 million followers on Facebook and Twitter,” stated Plus Three President and Co-Founder, Juan Proaño. “That is a fanbase larger than the populations of the United States, Spain, and Brazil combined. With the celebrities adding at least ten thousand new followers each day, the power of Latinos in social media is vast and expanding."

Plus Three’s 2012 Latino Social Media Ranking:

Rank	Celebrity		Likes	Follows	Total
1		Shakira	49,625,034	15,799,014	65,424,048
2		Cristiano Ronaldo	43,304,330	9,243,571	52,547,901
3		Selena Gomez	29,715,261	11,493,252	41,208,513
4		Lionel Messi	33,777,955	268,838	34,046,793
5		Enrique Iglesias	28,100,724	1,989,419	30,090,143
6		Bruno Mars	22,676,969	8,848,139	31,525,108
7		Ricardo Kaka	16,194,399	10,215,421	26,409,820
8		Pitbull	19,248,556	4,691,710	23,940,266
9		Demi Lovato	12,881,940	6,738,858	19,620,798
10		Jennifer Lopez	12,018,588	6,388,156	18,406,744
11		Daddy Yankee	11,690,226	2,790,294	14,480,520
12		Mariah Carey	7,773,544	6,652,384	14,425,928
13		Wisin Y Yandel	11,900,800	852,864	12,753,664
14		Andres Iniesta	9,596,634	3,102,100	12,698,734
15		Rafael Nadal	10,445,345	2,030,560	12,475,905
16		Paulo Coelho	8,249,259	4,074,194	12,323,453
17		Luciano Huck	6,437,443	5,042,611	11,480,054
18		Don Omar	10,409,599	850,000	11,259,599
19		Charlie Sheen	2,558,502	7,209,805	9,768,307
20		Fernando Torres	9,272,710	276,297	9,549,007
21		Kid Cudi	8,649,403	490,747	9,140,150
22		Ricky Martin	3,227,620	5,909,468	9,137,088
23		Ricardo Arjona	7,354,192	1,598,722	8,952,914
24		Luis Fonsi	6,064,983	2,858,370	8,923,353
25		Juanes	3,918,731	4,945,510	8,864,241
26		George Lopez	6,947,527	1,391,171	8,338,698
27		Christina Aguilera	6,767,820	1,356,441	8,124,261
28		Taio Cruz	7,215,665	859,047	8,074,712
29		Ivete Sangalo	1,806,329	6,176,243	7,982,572
30		Alejandro Sanz	1,900,313	5,652,963	7,553,276
31		Gerard Piqué	4,036,412	2,730,864	6,767,276
32		Claudia Leitte	657,710	5,085,893	5,743,603
33		Tony Dize	5,327,128	352,556	5,679,684
34		Iker Casillas	5,566,298	51,555	5,617,853
35		Anahi	1,272,211	4,138,673	5,410,884
36		Victoria Justice	3,144,226	2,026,846	5,171,072
37		Rey Mysterio	4,721,917	403,219	5,125,136
38		Camila	4,055,527	1,025,832	5,081,359
39		Michel Teló	3,393,175	1,570,498	4,963,673
40		Chayanne	2,734,292	2,031,621	4,765,913

The 2012 Latino Social Media Ranking is one example of Plus Three’s expertise in navigating the latest in technology, identifying trends and opportunities, and building movements to help clients achieve their goals.

To learn more, visit Plus Three’s website at plusthree.com, or contact Alice Lincoln at (866) 945-4889 ext. 707.

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Plus Three Sponsoring Half-Day Training Session for Nonprofits at Hispanicize 2012

Posted on 04/06/2012 @ 07:00 AM

Tags: Hispanic strategy, Social media

American Latino Museum will be the Featured Case Study on Non-Profit Social Media Innovation led by Plus Three Co-Founder, Juan Proaño

WASHINGTON, DC — The Friends of the American Latino Museum, a 501(c)(3) created to support the American Latino Museum initiative, has joined as a sponsor in presenting the 3rd annual convening of Hispanicize 2012. The yearly gathering, held this year at Miami’s JW Marriot Marquis from April 10-13, will bring together Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, marketing, entertainment and innovation. The events will include a half day training session for nonprofits co-sponsored by Univision and Plus Three, a leading website and social media company that with The Raben Group currently directs the social media strategy for the Friends.

Juan Proaño, Co-Founder of Plus Three and website designer for the Friends, will lead a panel during the Latino Social Media for Social Good Half-Day Training session. The panel is entitled: “The Ultimate Guide for Non-Profit Organizations Serving Hispanic & Multicultural Communities,” and it will examine as a case study the Friends’ remarkable success in social media outreach. On March 22, the Friends announced that it had surpasses 100,000 followers on Twitter and had accumulated 70,000 fans on Facebook and 67,000 supporters through its website, bringing its total reach to over 237,000 supporters. Current supporters surpass 240,000.

Click here to register for Latino Social Media for Social Good @ Hispanicize 2012.

The intensive half-day session, held on April 10 from 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm, will be hosted exclusively for non-profit organizations, and is provided free of charge for the first 100 nonprofits that register. The session will explore how communications can help non-profit organizations serving Latino and multicultural communities maximize their use of public relations and social media. The training will have a deep focus on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other popular outlets.

Panelists include: Estuardo Rodriguez, Principal at The Raben Group and Friends Staff; Patricia Perez, Principal, VPE Public Relations; Eva Smith, Partner, Latina Mom Bloggers; Audrey Ponzio,Senior Vice President, Edelman Multicultural; and Juan Proaño, Co-Founder of Plus Three and the Friends website designer.

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Noncitizens Sue Over U.S. Gay Marriage Ban

Five legally married same-sex couples filed a lawsuit on Monday to challenge the 1996 law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, arguing that its impact is particularly harsh on couples that include an American citizen and a foreigner.

The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, was brought by Immigration Equality, a gay rights legal organization that focuses on immigration issues. Same-sex marriage advocates said it was likely to become the most prominent suit seeking to overturn the law, known as the Defense of Marriage Act, based on its effect on gay or lesbian immigrants who want to gain legal residence through marriage to American citizens.

Under immigration law, a citizen can apply for a foreign spouse to obtain legal permanent residency, with a document known as a green card. Since unlike many other visas, there are no limits on the number of green cards available to spouses of citizens, those applications are among the fastest and most straightforward procedures in the immigration system.

Under the marriage act, which is called DOMA, federal authorities do not recognize same-sex marriages, even from states that allow them. In recent years, as same-sex marriage became legal in several states, gay and lesbian couples have come forward to say they were facing a painful choice: either deportation for the immigrant or exile to life in a foreign country for the American.

“I’m a citizen of this country just like anybody else,” said Heather Morgan, 36, a plaintiff in the lawsuit together with her spouse, María del Mar Verdugo Yañez, 42, who is from Spain. After a 13-year friendship that evolved into a romance, the couple was married in August 2011 in New York City, where they live.

“I’m very proud of this country,” Ms. Morgan said in an interview. “I don’t want to feel like I have to leave here in order to be with the person I love. I shouldn’t have to choose.”

Rachel B. Tiven, the executive director of Immigration Equality, said the group tried during the past year to persuade the federal government to put a hold on consideration of green card applications from same-sex couples, while several challenges to the marriage act made their way through the courts. But federal authorities did not agree to the hold and had continued to deny the applications, she said, prompting the group to proceed with the lawsuit.

In February 2011, the Obama administration announced that it regarded the central provision of the marriage act as unconstitutionally discriminatory, and said officials would no longer defend it in the courts.

On Wednesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston will hear arguments in the first marriage act case to advance to the appeals level. That case contends that the act is unconstitutional because it denies federal benefits to same-sex couples married in Massachusetts, the first state to make same-sex marriage legal.

Justice Department officials have said that they will not defend the core provision of the marriage act in that hearing, but will dispute other claims in the case. A conservative legal group appointed by the House of Representatives will argue in favor of the act.

Amid legal jargon, the unusual complaint filed Monday recounts five love stories, describing people who married after years of courtship. Most of the immigrants have been here legally on temporary visas that will soon expire.

Ms. Morgan said she and Ms. Verdugo would like to raise children. “But we live every day with the uncertainty that we will be separated because the government didn’t recognize that we are a family,” she said.

Read the full article here.

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Friends of the American Latino Museum Surpasses 100,000 Followers on Its @LatinoMuseum Twitter Account

Posted on 03/22/2012 @ 04:30 AM

Tags: Hispanic strategy, Social media

Led by the web-based technology and social media leaders at Plus Three, the Friends of the American Latino Museum continue to lead among museum related social media sites

Washington, DC – The Friends of the American Latino (Friends), a 501(c)3 created to support the American Latino Museum initiative, surpassed 100,000 followers on Twitter and has accumulated 70,000 Fans on Facebook, 67,000 through its website, bringing its total reach to over 237,000 supporters. A renewed energy and hope for the museum is increasing rapidly since the introduction of the Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act earlier this year in the House and Senate. The Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act would designate and hold the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building as the official site for the museum.

"The history of Latinos is woven into American history going back to a time before the first pilgrim ever set foot on this land," said Emilio Estefan, Commissioner, National Museum of the American Latino Commission and President of Estefan Enterprises. "This is the story we want to tell. These are the gaps in American history that we are trying to fill, so that all Americans have a better understanding of our shared history and legacy. It is wonderful to know, through our social media efforts, that there are thousands that support our telling this story."

The museum would be devoted to the preservation, presentation, and interpretation of American Latino art, cultural expressions, and experiences. It would take its place among the treasury of museums within the Smithsonian Institution and would establish a new model in its integration of programs, training, research and personnel within the family of Smithsonian museums. The goal of Friends is to create a museum truly national in operational scope as well as prominent in Washington to educate the public and support the Latino community.

“It is amazing and heartening how much support this museum is getting from across the country. It shows how important it is for us to share all of the important and, many times, untold stories of the history of Latinos in building this great nation,” stated Maria Cardona, Friends Board Member and CNN Contributor. “The public is excited about the progress of the American Latino Museum initiative, and now that support can be seen in our 100,000 followers on Twitter and over 70,000 on Facebook. All supporters of the museum should join with us in asking Congress to pass the Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act now.”

“Latinos are using social media to stay connected to family, friends, and their cultural identity. Through Facebook and Twitter Friends has immediate access to one of the largest Latino communities online in the country. Friends is redefining what a successful media strategy looks like for a diverse audience.” stated Juan Proaño, President and Co-Founder, Plus Three.

The Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act was introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and has been co-sponsored by 17 other Senators including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) also introduced the bill in the House. In addition to growing public support through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, celebrities such as Eva Longoria and Emilio Estefan have lead efforts to pass the bill.

Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino (www.americanlatinomuseum.org) Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, Inc., a 501(c)(3) incorporated in Washington, D.C., strives to create a museum in our nation’s capital to educate, inspire and encourage respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience within the U.S. and its territories by highlighting the contributions made by Latino leaders, pioneers and communities to the American way of life.

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