Ben Patrick Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in the studio, 2006 | |
| Born | June 30, 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Foundation director, voice actor, writer, activist, blogger, author |
| Years active | 1991–present |
Ben Patrick Johnson (born June 30, 1969, in Tucson, Arizona) is an American voice actor, author and blogger, Foundation Director, and human rights activist.
Early in his acting career, he participated in voice-over workshops with Joan Gerber.
Johnson appeared on CBS (promoting Survivor, CSI: NY , Numbers and other shows), Fox (for House M.D. , Bones , Family Guy , The Cleveland Show and Raising Hope ), the cable channels Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Starz, NFL Network, Big Ten Network, The 101 Network, N3D and others. His voice has been used to promote movies such as Ice Age , Marmaduke , The Whole Ten Yards , Gulliver's Travels , Sleepover , Alvin and the Chipmunks , Planet 51 , Night at the Museum , Hot Tub Time Machine , Diary of a Wimpy Kid , Sonic the Hedgehog , Ferdinand , Detective Pikachu , Sherlock Gnomes , The Pianist , Minority Report , Signs , and Apocalypse Now , Adam Sandler movies like Eight Crazy Nights and 50 First Dates promos for Judge Maria Lopez , and in commercials for Burger King, Kellogg's and Old Navy.
In 1998, after a brief stint at E!, Johnson moved to Extra's rival entertainment magazine Entertainment Tonight , where he was that show's signature voice [1] for the next four seasons. From 1998 to 2005, he was the announcer on the syndicated court show Judge Joe Brown .
Johnson's newest novel, "If the Rains Don't Cleanse", was published in August 2009 by Havenhurst Books. [2] It is a historical novel detailing the experiences of Johnson's parents while Christian schoolteacher missionaries in Belgian Congo in the 1950s and addressing themes of Christianity, spirituality and European Colonialism.
Previous novels include In and Out In Hollywood, a roman à clef about a celebrity news show anchor whose fortunes change after he comes out, Third and Heaven, and One Size Fits All, which details the excesses of a young fashion designer dressing three Best Actress nominees for the Oscars.
In 2006, Johnson launched a webcast called Life on the Left Coast. The video blog featured news, celebrity friends and humor segments. Johnson's political commentaries, another staple of the webcast, upset a variety of Christian Right Organizations including The Capital Resource Institute [3] after Johnson condemned the CRI for its position on a bill pending in the California Legislature. CRI issued a statement denouncing Johnson, Equality California, and the webcast. After more than a million views on YouTube, [4] Johnson put the show on hiatus to focus on writing and activism via Facebook and Twitter. Johnson is on the board of Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.
In September 2010, Johnson wrote and produced two political TV spots for Equality California, Whitman Shame and Cooley Shame. [5] The ads, directed at CA Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and Republican Attorney General candidate Steve Cooley, address the candidates' pledges to defend CA Prop 8 in a potential court challenge. [6] [7] Writing about EQCA and Johnson's ads, gay activist blogger Rex Wockner suggested that this was the first time a major LGBT organization had gone on the political offensive by playing hardball in TV ads about same-sex marriage. [8]
The Ben Patrick Johnson Foundation, launched in 2006, benefits LGBT Issues, Human Rights, Education and Interfaith Dialogue. Shortly after its inception, the BPJ Foundation partnered with the organization Live and Give to fund housing for an elementary school in Thailand's Chiang Mai province. [9] The Foundation also passes funding to Habitat for Humanity, the micro-loan organization Kiva, Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing, and The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for its interfaith initiative, The Institute for Welcoming Resources. [10]
Johnson's first national exposure came in 1994 when he was chosen as co-host for Extra , an entertainment magazine show. Extra demoted Johnson to Senior Correspondent [11] shortly after he came out as gay in the LGBT press and on KABC Talkradio, where he had been Director of Production prior to Extra. [12] Warner Bros. Television, the producers of Extra, declined to comment on the demotion.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals, including advocating for same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.
PFLAG is the United States' largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and those who love them. PFLAG National is the national organization, which provides support to the PFLAG network of local chapters. PFLAG has nearly 400 chapters across the United States, with more than 350,000 members and supporters.
The American Family Association (AFA) is a conservative and Christian fundamentalist 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States. It opposes LGBT rights and expression, pornography, and abortion. It also takes a position on a variety of other public policy goals. It was founded in 1977 by Donald Wildmon as the National Federation for Decency and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi.
LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. As of 2022, LGBT History Month is a month-long celebration that is specific to Australia, Canada, Cuba, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Charles S. "Chuck" "Pooch" Poochigian is an American jurist serving as Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. A member of the Republican Party, he is also a former California State Senator.
Equality Mississippi is a statewide LGBT civil rights organization founded March 2000 in Mississippi. The organization closed in December 2008 but reopened in April 2013.
Equality California (EQCA) is a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California. It is the largest statewide LGBT organization in the United States and the largest member of the Equality Federation. The organization is based in Los Angeles.
The Greater Seattle Business Association(GSBA) is an LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce based in Seattle, Washington. The majority of the organization's membership are small businesses located throughout the Puget Sound area. The association's stated mission is "to combine business development, leadership and social action to expand economic opportunities for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and those who support equality for all."
Equality NC(ENC) is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in North Carolina and is the oldest statewide LGBT equality organization in the United States.
Equality Utah is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which is Utah's largest LGBT rights group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
Queer Liberaction (QL) is a Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas-based grassroots organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. The group was founded in November 2008 following the international attention surrounding California's Proposition 8, which changed that state's Constitution to deny marriage rights to any LGBT couples who are not defined as "a man and a woman", passed by a slight majority. The organization is a proponent of same-sex marriage rights for LGBT couples, considering civil unions and domestic partnerships as less than full equality.
Lawrence Stuart Milk is an American LGBT human rights activist and political speaker. The nephew of civil rights leader Harvey Milk, he is the co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation. He has engaged in domestic and international activism, including work with LGBT movements in Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
EqualityMaine is Maine's oldest and largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political advocacy organization. Their mission, outlined on the organization's website is to "secure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Maine through political action, community organizing, education, and collaboration."
Harvey Milk Day is organized by the Harvey Milk Foundation and celebrated each year on May 22 in memory of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist who was assassinated in 1978. Milk was a prominent gay activist during the 20th century. He ran for office three times before becoming the first openly gay person elected to California public office, where he served as a city supervisor. Harvey Milk Day came about as a day to remember and teach about Milk's life and his work to stop discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community.
The David Bohnett Foundation is a private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and voter education, gun violence prevention, and animal language research. As of 2022, the foundation has donated $125 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives.
Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth, there is a large lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Since 2005, DFW has constituted one of the largest LGBT communities in Texas.
Rick Chavez Zbur is an American attorney currently serving in the California State Assembly.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
