Finally! A professional group of gay women come together to form one of the most encouraging organizations of our time. A lot of credit is given to the entertainment industry for shaping our future, and if this trio gets their way, we will be able to overcome incredible odds in the near future.

The company was founded by Hollywood producers Stacy Codikow (producer/writer), Amy Shomer (producer) and K. Pearson Brown (publicist/producer). They met while working with the 2000 GLAAD Media Awards Show, an event that hosted over 2,000 attendees and raised over one million dollars. The show was featured on the E! Entertainment Television special "The Stars Come Out." That fateful meeting sparked the forming of this special organization. Now, Power Up has an impressive board of directors including Jan Oxenberg (producer "Chicago Hope," "Once and Again"); Lee Rose (director "Truth About Jane"); Andrea Sperling (producer "But I'm a Cheerleader"); Jamie Babbit (director "But I'm a Cheerleader," "Popular"); Leslie Belzberg (executive producer "Honey I Shrunk the Kids," "Coming to America") and several other industry "powerhouses."

The POWER Up (Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching UP) mission is to promote, encourage, and support the vision and integration of women in the entertainment industry through career-building resources including a resume bank, membership directory, networking events, roundtables, seminars, mentors and grants for filmmaking.

I had the opportunity to find out a little more about the newly formed "Girls' Club," from its founders, Stacy Codikow, Amy Shomer and K. Pearson Brown.

Now that you have established POWER UP, are all of your efforts focused in the Gay entertainment industry? (Stacy Codikow) The efforts of POWER UP are focused on gay women being integrated into mainstream Hollywood, arts, music and new media. It's about a group of people coming together for the common goal of networking, connecting, sharing, growing and supporting.

What are you, as individuals, gaining from this organization? (Pearson Brown) POWER UP is the same resource for us as it is for our members - a great way to meet people who share our interests. In the short time since our formation, we have met dozens of interesting people - gay, straight, men, and women - who are just as excited as we are about having a networking group like this where everyone is welcome and gays can feel comfortable being "out." (Amy Shomer) It is as important a resource for us, as producers, as it is for our members and associates. We gain access to new talent on many levels and access to established talent on many levels. We are bringing people together, and we are part of ! those people. (Stacy Codikow) A personal sense of sharing, being able to contribute in a positive way to the community.

Is there a gay male entertainment group? [Pearson Brown] A few similar groups have organized informally through the years. None that we're aware of actually incorporated, had an office, established officers, or had a long-term business plan like POWER UP. There are many more "out" men in the industry than women, and it is much easier for them to meet each other without a formal group.

Do you think they are more afraid of being labeled "Gay"? Certainly, there is alway a concern that being labeled as "gay" may hurt your career, but being different can also be a plus. That's what POWER UP is capitalizing on -making being gay a positive, or at least not a negative.

Has POWER UP received negative feedback from Hollywood? (Amy Shomer) No. Nothing negative. One person was confused as to our mission and was afraid that we were setting up a situation that doesn't benefit everyone and we were able to clarify that right away. We have been overwhelmed with support that so many groups (GLAAD, The Gay & Lesbian Center, Outfest, Universal Studios, Paramount, Showtime, Warner Bros. to name a few) have given to our mission, our group.

Do you think that the women that join POWER UP and state they are "Openly Gay" will receive any discrimination from mainstream Hollywood? (Amy Shomer) No. I think they will have the golden opportunity to learn that diversity is welcome in our industry. When we are fearful, the message we give is mixed. If you're afraid, shouldn't I be afraid? Or, I personally have experienced a kind of indignation - why didn't you trust that I like you for you and the content of your character?

What are you trying to do to combat discrimination issues? (Amy Shomer) By being who we are, normal positive creative forces that bring a lot of expertise to the table and benefit whatever project we are involved in...we combat the stereotypes and fears.

How do you feel about straight actors playing Gay roles? [Pearson Brown] Acting is acting. It shouldn't matter what your sexual orientation is for a role. Gays have been playing it straight for years, so I wouldn't want to say straight people shouldn't have the same opportunity to stretch themselves as actors.

Will you and your group seek talented Gay actors instead of straight actors for future entertainment roles? (Amy Shomer) We will not discriminate. The best person for the role gets the role.

Why did you choose the term Gay Woman instead of Lesbian? [Pearson Brown] Choosing what to call yourself is a personal choice. It's unfortunate that it's necessary at all to have to choose a label for ourselves. Labels can be limiting and fraught with baggage. Personally, I like "gay" for myself because I feel it is less limiting. "Gay" is an adjective to describe how a person is, whereas "lesbian" is mostly used as a noun, a thing, a description of what someone is. I thought it was interesting that Ellen used "gay" when she came out on the cover of Time magazine. She may have chosen that word for completely different reasons than I do. It's a personal matter.

What would you like us to know about POWER UP? (Stacy Codikow) We have nearly 200 members in the six weeks since we launched. The entertainment industry has been really supportive. Both trade papers (Hollywood Reporter & Variety) have done extensive coverage on our group. I have been making movies for 10 years and all the press of my industry work together; pales by comparison to the overwhelming support POWER UP have been given. Important people know about us and like what we are doing. We have major players both straight and gay in our organization, which is a testament to the Power that Women working together for a common goal can achieve.

Sandee Birdsong is She Magazine's Executive Editor.