NEW YORK — Grammy award winning artist Janet Jackson has signed on to be executive producer of a documentary covering the lives and struggles of transgender people around the world.

New York’s Brainchild Films announced that Jackson, 46, agreed to executive produce the documentary entitled “Truth,” as well as work behind-the-scenes.

Jackson is expected to sit for some on-camera interviews when the filming starts later this summer.

SAN DIEGO -- Ian Harvie was a little nervous as he sat in the "green room" at Martinis Above Fourth last night, in advance of his headlining performance as part of the monthly Laugh Out Proud.

But according to the 43-year old trans man, nerves are good.

"If I didn't get nervous I'd think that something is wrong, like I wasn't in it anymore," he told San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. "[That feeling] makes you commit to your art.

Small amounts of certain foods can reduce cholesterol.

Plant sterols occur naturally in a host of foods — primarily soybean oil, nuts, seeds, legumes and some fruits and vegetables.

Because plant sterols are chemically similar to cholesterol, the human body tends to absorb them and pass cholesterol out of the body as waste. The net result is that consuming foods rich in plant sterols can reduce the body’s blood cholesterol levels.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows food companies to declare the heart benefits of plant sterols on product packaging.

SAN DIEGO – Community members will gather tonight at The San Diego LGBT Community Center for the ninth Transgender Day of Empowerment, an event organized each year to celebrate the transgender community and its accomplishments.

The free event, which begins at 6 pm, will include a series of speakers, followed by community awards, entertainment and refreshments. This year’s celebration will explore “Then and Now,” taking a look at what it was like to be transgender 20 years ago, as opposed to someone who coming out today.