Bambi Weavil is founder and CEO of Out Impact, Inc and publisher of its online magazine Out Impact. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Bambi spends her days and her nights working to raise money for LGBTQ issues...while also squeezing time to write about pro wrestling and her guilty pleasure, "American Idol."

Here's Bambi...

Can you describe your role as founder and CEO/Publisher of Out Impact, Inc? How do you see yourself as leading the mission of the organization?
Thank you first of all to you and Feministing for requesting this interview! I describe my role as very hands on in pretty much every decision that needs to be made in regards to Out Impact, Inc. I founded this company back in June 2007 because I couldn't keep fighting the idea within that there needed to be this voice in the LGBT media world that gave a full perspective for both gay men and women, as well as our allies, that had a philanthropic connection. I didn't want to single out one sexual preference over another and cater to them, because that's being done and has been done. In my mind, we will never get where we need to be unless we all find some common ground.

I want Out Impact to appeal to anyone who considers themselves a part of the LGBTQ community. I wanted to create what I wasn't seeing as existing, and that's an omnimedia company that made every part of its business model connected to non-profit and activism in some way. I see myself leading our mission, which is to make a positive impact in the gay community and encouraging others to do the same with their own voice and talents, by leading by example. I'm honored to have a small talented, passionate and dedicated staff who believe in my vision and I believe this is only the beginning.

How does Out Impact stand out from other online publications geared towards the LGBTQ community?
We are a unique brand because we give every aspect of our progressive company a philanthropic connection, as well as marketing to both gay men and women, instead of marketing to a specific niche in the gay community. Our brand advantage is appealing to the entire gay community, raising awareness for philanthropy causes as well as
providing quality content that is easily accessible to everyone on entertainment, style, news in our community, and everyday life for both gay persons and their allies. An important aspect for our company is also our national events that raise money and awareness for various non-profits.

What role does philanthropy play in LGBTQ activism? What are some common misconceptions about philanthropy?
Philanthropy I think is pretty important in LGBTQ activism and I'm unable in my mind to separate the two. We have come so far, but it's not a time to be complacent. There's so much left to do. We have homeless kids on the streets that from our own community. We have the right to be partnered to still fight for and have it honored by the government, and so much more.

It starts home, too, for all of us. I encourage anyone reading this to give time and attention to your local LGBT community centers if you are fortunate enough to have a gay community center in your area. Never let that be taken for granted. Think about all the kids growing up wondering who they can go to, and where they can find safety to be themselves. I also think it's important to give time and attention to your passions and connect them
philanthropically when you can. I wouldn't have started my company unless I knew I'd be helping non-profits out in awareness, funds and encouraging others to do what they can as well.

I think the biggest misconceptions are that non-profits can keep going without volunteers and money from the general public. I know grants for LGBTQ programs are getting cut based on the work we're doing to help non-profits like Sylvia's Place and the Ruth Ellis Center. We all experience PRIDE in major cities, if we could give a fraction of what we spend on those weekends to help various non-profits, or even doing something small as being a yearly member of your local gay community center, there wouldn't be so much struggle. We tie every event we do to help non-profits in some way because we believe we can encourage others to give back by living life and having fun with us. Good times for a good cause is something we feel very strongly about.

What did you find as the Marketing and PR Manager of the popular lesbian magazine, Curve? Which members of the LGBTQ community are marketed to most?
I want to thank Curve for my experience with them. I learned a lot from my time working for them, and I will always be thankful for them for taking a chance on me and allowing me to grow in my talents and ultimately find my own voice. As far as what members of the LGBT community are marketed to most, that's really a tough call to make because Curve's target audience are lesbians. That's their niche, just like Out is more toward gay men.

Mainstream-wise, I think there is great potential for both gay men and women to be marketed and I hope 2009 will be a strong year. Meanwhile, companies like mine, have a responsibility to market toward the entire LGBTQ community to the best of our ability, to be inclusive as possible and progressive.

None of the presidential contenders, Democrat or Republican, are for legalizing same-sex marriage. With that said, do any of the presidential contenders stand out from the pack as being the one who supports LGBTQ rights more? Who supports LGBTQ rights the least?
There's so much fog when it comes to politicians. I believe it's important that readers take the time to research the candidates this year and vote for the person who most vibes with their personal beliefs, not only as a gay-American but as a complex person who is concerned about the war, health care, taxes, women's rights,
terrorism, the fight against AIDS and much more.

My personal choice is leaning toward Hillary Clinton. On a gut level, I feel she has more heartfelt ability to connect to the LGBT community than Obama. But on the other hand, I have plenty of friends who are behind Obama. I believe that Hillary looks at us more than just a voting block she can count on.

I think the one thing that would seal the deal for people is knowing who are their vice president picks, but this is such a close and exciting election. I believe John Edwards is going to show up again as a Vice Presidential candidate. This is a great time to be voting in this country! I had no idea I'd see so early in my life a woman running for President of the United States, a African-American man running for President of the United States, or a
openly gay man running for Senate (Jim Neal) in my home state of North Carolina!

As far as the person who supports LGBT rights the least, all you have to do is look at some of the choices on the Republican ticket. It would never be in my best interest to vote for someone like Huckabee.

How do you find time to also be both a wrestling columnist and music columnist? What have been some of your favorite columns to write? Why?
It's a really good question -- finding time. Besides my work in the LGBTQ and philanthropy communities, I try to make time for my passions, which happen to be pop culture, music, pro wrestling, poetry and art. It's important and surprising to most people how eccentric I am. I pretty much don't get the proper amount of sleep recommended to
get everything done and I'm a good multi-tasker. I'm also a big fan of coffee and I try to give myself time to slow down, meditate and count my blessings.

My favorite columns to write change constantly because both music and pro wrestling are based on what is going on at the time. I got to interview one of the greatest minds in the wrestling industry for
PulseWrestling.com, Jim Cornette. In music, interviewing Cyndi Lauper for my company is the celebrity interview I'm most proud of. She is one of our best advocates in our community and she's straight. For MachineGunFunk.com, I love to be able to review mainstream and independent artists on another platform, as well as write about my guilty pleasure, "American Idol." Idol honestly is my break from stress.

Is there anything you would like to add?
I wanted to mention that I'm proud that we are co-sponsoring UNC-Wilmington's production of the Vagina Monologues this year this upcoming Sunday (February 17th)! I'm proud to be performing and proud of everything that V-Day stands for. All proceeds are benefiting The Wilmington Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, Inc. and The Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons, Inc.

I wanted to also mention that we are creating and producing events throughout the country that will benefit various non-profits, and we are looking for dedicated advertisers, sponsors and supporters to keep us going. We are creating an art benefit for the Out Wilmington Community Center in my hometown of Wilmington, NC on March 20-22nd, and on April 3rd, we are producing our first national event in New York City! On April 3rd, we are helping celebrate the 5th anniversary of Sylvia's Place. Sylvia's Place is one of only five emergency homeless shelters in the entire country dedicated to helping LGBTQ youth who are displaced. Helping the homeless is a very
important mission to us this year. We are working with the talented and award-winning DJ Reed McGowan, and this will be taking place at Kush Lounge. Five dollars of every ticket will benefit Sylvia's Place and we are looking forward to having a good time with everyone participating. We are open to going wherever we can help, and if your readers are interested in having us raise awareness for issues they are concerned with, I encourage them to please contact us at OutImpact.com and give us feedback. Your readers can purchase tickets now at http://www.outimpact.com/events and I hope I will meet some of you there!

Finally, we created our first AIDS Awareness media campaign that we are very proud of called, Empower All People, back in December that will remain up for the rest of the year. We featured YouthAIDS and Annie Lennox as our featured headlining non-profit and performer for all the work they do in raising awareness for AIDS. We also featured one non-profit a day from non-profits all over the world, as well as volunteers fighting on the front lines, performers for AIDS awareness and amazing people who are living with HIV that told their personal story to us. You can visit it's home on a sub-portion of our site at http://aidsawareness.outimpact.com.