The LGBTQ fight for equal rights became organized in 1969, after the riots at New York City's Stonewall Inn.  LGBTQ civil rights activist and author Mark Segal has been involved in the movement from its beginning.  Mark joins Robert Traynham for a candid and intimate discussion about his life, his role in the fight for equality, and the state of LGBTQ rights across America and around the globe. Mark is the publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News.  This discussion continues in part 2 (Journey Toward LGBTQ Equality). Visit the Philadelphia Gay News on the web, on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Interview recorded on May 17, 2017.  Hosted by Robert Traynham.  Part 1 of 2. Read a partial transcript of this interview below: Traynham: The fight for gay rights has been hard-fought for decades. Close to 50 years ago, that fight became organized after the riots at Stonewall Inn in New York City. Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Comcast Newsmakers." I'm Robert Traynham. Joining me is LGBTQ civil rights activist Mark Segal. He's also the founder and publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News. Mark was at Stonewall, as well as many other key events, and he joins me now to share his perspective on the state of equality and the evolution of the LGBT community. Mark, it is an honor to have you on the program, and it's good to see you. Thank you for joining us. Segal: Robert, great to see you again. Traynham: You are a living legend. Let me just be completely honest and transparent about it. Segal: I'm just old. Traynham: You're not old. You are a living legend. As I mentioned a few moments ago, you have been at the forefront of so many trials and tribulations -- peaks and valleys -- within the community. So, one, thank you for being you, thank you for standing up for people like you and I. And just as importantly, I want to chat with you about where we are today, in 2017. Do you feel as though we've made some significant progress over the last 50 years Segal: I think each of us has our own perspective on that. I think I'm lucky enough to have been someone who joined this movement when there weren't more than 100 out gay people in America. Think -- before Stonewall, the largest demonstrations were in Philadelphia every July 4th, and no more than 100 people showed up at those demonstrations. After Stonewall, which was held just two weeks after that last 1969 demonstration in Philadelphia, a couple hundred gay people rioted. I was lucky enough to have been a witness to that -- or participant. And one year later, we held what we called the first Gay Pride march. At that first Gay Pride march, we had somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 people. Now, taking a movement, in one year, from 100 to 5,000 to 15,000 is amazing. But then take a look at where we've come in just 50 years. We have gays in the military. We have marriage equality. We have 30 states that now have nondiscrimination. We've moved, and we've moved incredibly well as a community. Traynham: So, you can say that the needle has been moved in the positive direction. I want to go back to the 1970s and early 80s. I think this is important. You mentioned how there were a lot of people that were in the closet, I assume, out of fear. I assume they came out of the closet because of people like you that had the courage to stand up. Was it conviction Was it courage Was it a combination of both Why did you do what you did back in the '˜70s Segal: For me, I give credit to my parents and my grandmother. My grandmother, who was an immigrant -- because of the pogroms in Russia, came to the United States -- she joined the -- she was a suffragette -- joined the women's rights struggle. She took me on my first civil rights demonstration when I was 13 years old. Standing outside the Stonewall that night in June of 1969, my mind easily said to me -- I watched as women were having their rights, I watched as African-Americans were having their rights, I watched as Latinos were having their rights -- and something clicked in me that night and said, "Why not us " And so in an instant, I guess, standing there, I said, "This is what I'm going to do with my life." So, it's been a conviction of me, but that conviction comes from my family.  

"Compared to 35% of those without children, 65% of adults in the U.S. with a serious mental illness are parents. And while these parents are in need of medical care, many refuse to seek the attention they need in fear of losing custody.  Evan Kaplan, Founder and Director of Child and Family Connections shares a discussion on the resources available to families living with parental mental illness. Interview recorded November 30, 2017.  Hosted by Robert Traynham. Read a partial transcript of this interview below: Traynham:  More than one million parents in the United States have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness. The impact on children They're twice as likely to live below the Federal poverty level. Hello, and welcome to ""Comcast Newsmakers."" I'm Robert Traynham. With me is Evan Kaplan. He's the founder and executive director of Child & Family Connections. He joins me to discuss how his organization provides emotional support and resources to parents with mental illness. Evan, welcome to the program. Kaplan: Thank you for having me. Traynham: You know, I... These stories are always tugging at the heart because I assume that most parents want nothing but the best for their children... Kaplan: Sure. Traynham: ...and when there's a bit of a disconnect from an illness standpoint, I'm sure it's devastating, particularly from a mental standpoint. Kaplan:  Right, absolutely. The statistics and the research tell us that these are families that are in great jeopardy from the point where the child is born -- at risk from birth. They are 76% more likely, as you said, to have food and security, they're three times more likely to either lose custody of their children or be in the custody system. They are twice as likely to be living below the poverty level, and they are 30% to 50% more likely than other children of having a serious mental illness themselves. So they're at great risk. Traynham: Evan, is it usually one parent -- or perhaps maybe both parents may have the mental illness -- and I guess my question really is, is who in the family structure system -- because clearly the infant might not be able to do this -- is able to raise their hand and says, "Something is not right, something is wrong, We need to seek help " Kaplan: Right. Oftentimes nobody does that, and that's one of the things that my organization is working towards. One of the reasons that parents don't come forward and partake in either mental health or social services is the fear of losing custody of their children. It's a very palpable and real fear, obviously, and we're working to reduce custody loss in these families, and to bring parents out, get them into the healthcare system, and build some trust along the way. "