HLN host and veteran television news journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell will moderate a dynamic discussion about the history and impact of increased openness upon LGBT communities ¿ as well as how greater LGBT openness has impacted American society.  ¿Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender: Has More Openness Led to More Acceptance?¿ a CNN Dialogues event, will be held in Atlanta¿s Grady High School Theater, 929 Charles Allen Dr.,  on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.   

The panel will examine how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities have rich histories of activism and creativity within America.  As television and pop culture have engaged wider audiences into discussions of gender orientation, marriage equality, religion in civic life, politics, workplace discrimination, and teen bullying as related to LGBT communities, have these cultural touch-points led to greater acceptance for gays, lesbians and transgendered people?  Joining this discussion are:

• Robin Brand, deputy executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund & Leadership Institute;
• LZ Granderson, ESPN writer and CNN Contributor;
• Transgender activist and author (¿Wrapped in Blue,¿ 2006), Donna Rose; and,
• Olympic and U.S. champion figure skater Johnny Weir.

This is the third CNN Dialogues program of the three-part series of forums to be presented during the 2011 calendar year.  Tickets for this program are $25 per person, and may be purchased online, or obtained by calling the James Weldon Johnson Institute at 404.727.2515, or the National Center for Civil and Human Rights at 404.991.6988.   

Profits from ticket sales will support the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University.  

About CNN Dialogues

CNN Dialogues represents a partnership between CNN, Emory University¿s James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study for Race and Difference and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for a series of community discussions on major topics shaping our times, led by leading thinkers of the day.  The planning committee for CNN Dialogues includes writer Pearl Cleage, Morehouse College President Robert Franklin, president and trustee of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Penelope McPhee, vice president for communications and marketing for Emory University Ron Sauder, executive vice president and director of programming for Atlanta¿s World Affairs Council Cedric Suzman, president and CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Tisha Tallman, and Eric Tanenblatt of the Atlanta-based law firm of McKenna, Long, and Aldrich.