Agenda 042915 issue 284 by Multi-Media Platforms

SAME-SEX PARENTS TO CREATE BABIES FROM SKIN CELLS WITHIN TWO YEARS

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From the Desk of Founder Bobby Blair

MMP Worldwide To Buy Next Magazine FORT LAUDERDALE—Multimedia Platforms Worldwide (MMPW) has issued a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Next magazine, New York’s leading gay lifestyle weekly, from RND Publications. Next began publishing in 1993, the result of collaboration between publisher David Moyal and event promoter John Blair. “As the first gay lifestyle magazine to be carried on newsstands in Manhattan, Next magazine has a legacy that provides a perfect fit with MMP’s on-going acquisition effort,” said MMP founder and CEO Bobby Blair. “As a result of the acquisition, MMPW will have the ability to promote its Florida advertisers in its print and online versions to the LGBT community in New York as well as showcasing New York businesses to Florida travelers who frequent the Greater Northeast New York market.” “I have been crisscrossing the United States in a determined effort to expand our imprint. With its circulation in New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island and New Jersey, Next will anchor our brand in the Northeast as we expand across the country.” On the global front, “Multimedia Platforms’ mission is to give a strong and cohesive voice to the global LGBTQ community, both internally, providing news, information and connections within the community, and externally, delivering the community’s messages and input to the rest of the world in a framework that cannot be overlooked,” added Blair. “Technology is our best friend on this mission, allowing for the instantaneous delivery of communications to any part of the globe – we intend to harness it’s potential to create stronger relationships, more accountability, and streamline the flow of information,” added Blair. Pink Banana Media is heading up the development of the soon-to-be-launched MMP Social Media Network, bringing a complete suite of news, entertainment, travel, and messaging/photo/video sharing forums directly to

members’ mobile devices. Prior to engaging Pink Banana Media, MMPW’s online traffic has increased over 400%, in the first quarter of 2015, largely due to focus being brought by celebrity writers and spokespersons, strategic acquisitions and partnerships, and freshly designed web portals. The launch of the Social Media Network is intended to create an ever-increasing traffic flow to a complete suite of online services, giving the LGBTQ community a one-stop destination for online information and connections. “Our Social Media technology, combined with MMPW’s news and entertainment networks, and public company resources, create a perfect partnership to maximize the potential of both companies,” said Matt Skallerud, President of Pink Banana Media. “Advertisers, network members, and the mainstream media will benefit from the tremendous flow of information and the ability to quickly send their messages ‘viral’ throughout the connected world.” MMPW is a publicly traded industry-leading Multimedia Technology and Publishing company that integrates print media with social media, and related online platforms, to deliver information and advertising to niche markets.

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Judge Sides With Kentucky Shop That Refused To Print Gay Pride T-Shirts LOUISVILLE (AP) - A judge in Lexington on April 27 ruled in favor of a shop that refused to print gay pride festival T-shirts. The ruling by Fayette County Circuit Judge James Ishmael overturned a decision by the city’s Human Rights Commission. The commission had ruled in 2014 that the print shop, Hands On Originals, violated a city law that bans discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation. The shop says it has refused several jobs because of its Christian beliefs. Ishmael said the Human Rights Commission went beyond its statutory authority in siding with the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization, a gay rights advocacy organization. The judge’s ruling said that the shop’s refusal to print GLSO’s pride festival shirts in 2012 was based not on the sexual orientation of its members but on “the message advocating sexual activity outside of a marriage between one man and one woman.” GLSO President Christopher Bauer said that he was disappointed in the ruling. “We feel that this is just a reminder that there are still many out there who feel that their citizenship is worth more than that of members of the (gay, lesbian and transgender) commu-

nity,” Bauer said in a statement. Both the group and the Human Rights Commission said they are considering an appeal of the ruling. Ishmael said the business never inquired about the sexual orientation of the representatives from the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization. The owners of Hands On Originals have “treated homosexual and heterosexual groups the same,” Ishmael wrote, noting that the business has in the past turned down orders for shirts promoting strip clubs and containing violent messages. The shirts were intended for the 2012 Lexington Pride Festival, an annual event promoting gay rights. The group later found another printer to produce the shirts, according to the ruling.

Texas GOP Bills Stall After Public Outcry Against Religious Rights, Groups Say AUSTIN (AP) - Proposals that critics say could be used to discriminate against gays have largely gone nowhere in the Texas Legislature, a bastion of conservatives, and some gay rights activists believe a big reason is because of the backlash over religious objection laws passed in Arkansas and Indiana. Two bills passed out of Texas House committees this week, the first measures that limit activity for gays and lesbians to progress to either chamber.

But it’s not a given that more hearings or votes on bills will follow, said Corsicana Republican Rep. Byron Cook, who chairs a committee overseeing bills that would repeal local nondiscrimination ordinances already in place, dictate which bathrooms transgender adults and students must use and target same-sex marriages. “It’s more improbable to get them passed this late in the session,” Cook said. “We still will need a majority.” Republican lawmakers took notice in February when a Travis County clerk in Austin issued a lesbian couple the first gay marriage license since a 2005 same-sex marriage ban. They responded a few days later with a sheet cake commemorating the ban’s 10-yearanniversary, angering Democrats. While such back-and-forth played out outside the House and Senate, inside those chambers bills backed by the GOP haven’t moved much. Neither have many Democratic measures that would expand legal protections for gays and lesbians, other than one bill that protects teens under 18 in consensual relationships from criminal charges. “After robust public opposition to passage of anti-equality bills in Arkansas and Indiana, I think lawmakers in other states including Texas are looking at these bills and wondering whether now is the right time,” said Jeremy Pittman, a deputy field director for the Human Rights Campaign. The bills that moved this week aren’t as sweeping as many other proposals. One bill passed out of Cook’s committee would bar state and local government employees from licensing or recognizing same-sex marriages - even if the U.S. Supreme Court authorizes them this summer. The other measure would allow children’s services social workers who contract with the state to discriminate based on sincerely held religious beliefs. Lawmakers said they detect a reluctance of the legislative leadership to move a slew of other bills. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage in Texas, but has not made hot-button social issues a priority in his first legislative session as the state’s chief executive. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Neither did Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick or House Speaker Joe Straus. Jonathan Saenz, president of the conservative group Texas Values, said the three leaders have all, “at one time or another, expressed strong support in defending our marriage laws.” Pittman said he “is hopeful that anti-equality bills are not a priority for leaders” in Texas. He added that he doesn’t anticipate much more movement on bills that would limit legal protections for gays and lesbians. Equality Texas, a gay rights group, has been particularly concerned about two proposed constitutional amendments it says will promote anti-gay discrimination. Texas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1999 allows a Texan to sue state and local governments if he or she feels that a government entity is burdening their religious beliefs or practices. But the proposed amendments do not explicitly say the law can’t be used to justify discrimination based on sexual orientation, which causes opponents concern.

Arizona Governor Allows Same-Sex Couples To Be Adoptive, Foster Parents

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has overruled a legal opinion from the attorney general’s office and instructed the state’s child welfare agency to allow all legally married couples, including same-sex couples, to jointly be adoptive and foster parents. The move by the Republican governor reverses the Department of Child Safety’s decision in February to stop giving same-sex couples licenses to be foster parents and adopt those children. The department had been allowing same-sex couples to be foster parents and adopt children previously in state care since shortly after a federal judge overturned the state’s ban on gay marriage in October. “We’ve been clear and we’ve been consistent - we want to be pro-adoption,” Ducey said Thursday. “There’s 17,000 kids that are in the care of the state. I want to see them in loving homes under the legal structure.”

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Rutledge’s certification means supporters of the measure can begin gathering the roughly 51,000 signatures from registered voters needed to put the proposal on the 2016 ballot. The signatures must be submitted by late July, when the law is set to take effect. David Couch, the Little Rock attorney who submitted the proposal, said he hoped to begin gathering signatures as soon as this weekend. “I think there’s an overwhelming amount of support not only from the groups of people who might be affected by the law, but the support from the business community has been surprising,” Couch said. “I think the people who do business in this state realize this law could be a black eye for this state.” Arkansas was the second state after Tennessee to enact such a restriction on local governments, and it came in response to a Fayetteville anti-discrimination ordinance that was later repealed by that city’s voters. Residents of the northwest Arkansas city of Eureka Springs are voting next month on whether to keep a similar ordinance prohibiting the city and businesses form discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The lawmaker behind the state law said he wasn’t worried about the possibility of it being repealed.

Louisiana Governor Bid To Repeal Arkan- Blasts Companies Opposed To Relisas Law On Local Objections Bill Anti-Discrimination gious BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Moves Forward Bobby Jindal said Thursday that busi-

nesses opposed to religious objections laws are entering an “unholy alliance” with the same liberal elites who support more taxes, regulation and “demonize” profit-making. In a meeting with reporters, the Republican governor said he was alarmed when business groups united with LGBT advocates to oppose such laws in Indiana and Arkansas, prompting lawmakers to make changes. Jindal, whose building a possible presidential campaign on an appeal to social conservatives, is backing a religious objection bill in Louisiana. Critics of those laws say they could allow

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LITTLE ROCK (AP) - An effort to repeal a new Arkansas law preventing local governments from extending anti-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians moved closer toward appearing on next year’s ballot Thursday after the state’s attorney general gave initial approval to the referendum. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge certified the proposed ballot measure, which would have voters decide whether to keep the law prohibiting cities and counties from banning discrimination not covered in state law. Arkansas’s civil rights law doesn’t include sexual orientation or gender identity.

discrimination of same-sex couples, and businesses have expressed concerns about the Louisiana bill, which is a cornerstone of the governor’s legislative agenda. In a Thursday opinion piece published in The New York Times, Jindal called out business leaders for betraying what have historically been their conservative allies. “You had what I’d term an unholy alliance between big business and radical left groups trying to infringe on religious liberty rights,” Jindal said of opponents of the Indiana bill. “I felt strongly enough about it, I wrote an op-ed, warning these corporate boardrooms that this is a temporary alliance that is not going to benefit them.” Jindal said the “national radical liberal groups” that fought Indiana’s bill “are the same groups that demonize industries, are for more taxes, are for more regulations, that don’t believe businesses should be making profits.” He suggested business leaders should remember who their friends are: “Those who believe in religious liberty also believe in economic liberty.” The number two ranking member of the Louisiana House suggested Jindal was spreading a “message of divisiveness.” “It is truly a sad day for Louisiana, when one must look to New York to hear from the Governor of Louisiana. Hopefully the legislature will address the truly urgent issues and work to improve and strengthen our communities and economy in a display of fairness, equity, and opportunity for all Louisianians,” Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, an opponent of the religious objections bill, said in a statement. Gay marriage is banned under Louisiana’s constitution, though the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to soon issue a ruling that could strike down such bans nationwide. As written, the “Marriage and Conscience Act,” sponsored by Rep. Mike Johnson, a Bossier City Republican, would prohibit the state from denying any resident or business a license, benefits or tax deductions because of actions taken “in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction” about marriage.

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neys from a legal mandate to help with adoptions. The law was seen by some as a way for county attorneys to avoid helping gay couples with adoptions. Ducey said he vetoed the bill that was pushed by Montgomery because he wants to see more adoptions, regardless of who the parents are. Montgomery spokesman Jerry Cobb declined to comment on whether he had responded to the ACLU’s demand. He did say Montgomery didn’t advise Brnovich regarding the same-sex adoptions legal issue.

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The child safety department halted giving licenses to same-sex parents after Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office provided what it called “clarification” on adoption because the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing court rulings on same-sex marriage. That legal advice mirrors the tack taken by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, who is refusing to help same-sex couples with step-parent adoptions. Montgomery’s office provides those services for free to non-same sex couples, a policy that led the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona to threaten to sue him for violating the Constitution’s equal protection clause. ALCU spokesman Steve Kilar said Thursday that Montgomery failed to respond to their letter by a Monday deadline and they are preparing a lawsuit. The ACLU also had sent letters in February to the Child Safety Department demanding that it resume offering foster care licensing to same-sex couples, but there was no change in policy. Ducey’s reversal came within hours of publication of an Arizona Capitol Times story (http://goo.gl/rz2Nhc) on the Child Safety Department’s policy. Ducey said he acted immediately upon learning of the policy. ACLU executive Director Alessandra Soler praised Ducey for his quick response. “The Department of Child Safety was preventing children in foster care from being placed with loving parents at a time when Arizona’s child welfare system is in crisis,” Soler said in a statement. “Gov. Ducey’s unapologetically pro-adoption stance is in the best interest of Arizona children and serves to advance the U.S. Constitution’s equal protections principles.” Speaking after attending the annual Arizona Governor’s Prayer Breakfast at a downtown Phoenix hotel, Ducey declined to address how his action might be seen by Brnovich and Montgomery, two fellow Republicans who have supported the governor but broke with him on adoptions. “What I want to talk about is what I’m for, and it’s been being for adoption, putting these kids in homes of permanency and care, and that’s how we acted,” Ducey told The Associated Press. Just last week, Ducey vetoed a bill that would have freed county attor-

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KINGSTON (AP) - When Angeline Jackson and a friend were ambushed at gunpoint and sexually assaulted

unit, said investigators have never received a report of someone targeted because of their homosexuality and she believes that “all the people who are raped come forth.” Sometimes, female victims of sexual violence wait to leave Jamaica before revealing their experiences. Reggae singer Diana King, who in 2012 became the first Jamaican musical artist to publicly come out as gay, recently tweeted from her Florida home that when she was a 13-yearold on the island, she was “gang raped for looking at a girl too long.” In her 2010 memoir, Brooklyn-based writer Staceyann Chin writes she was ostracized after coming out as a lesbian on a Kingston college campus, and one day was herded into a bathroom by several male students, who sexually assaulted her while telling her that women were created for men to enjoy. The Associated Press doesn’t normally reveal the names of sexual assault victims, but the women in this story have come out publicly to discuss their ordeals.

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Jamaican Woman Brings Attention To Rapes Targeting Lesbians

There’s no clear definition of what constitutes a hate crime and police do not specifically record threats or sexual attacks targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Activists say Jamaican homosexuals targeted because of their sexual orientation prefer not to formally report attacks or threats, fearful of being stigmatized or blamed. Human Rights Watch last year reported it knew of 10 cases of sexual assault in Jamaica targeting eight lesbians, one transgender woman and one gay man, including cases of rape at knife or gunpoint. “It is clear from victims’ testimonies that anti-LGBT animus is a factor,” said Graeme Reid, LGBT program director for the New York-based group. Even when attacks are reported, prosecution is difficult in Jamaica’s inefficient, overwhelmed criminal justice system. The main alleged assailant in Jackson’s case, in fact, was acquitted in 2011, though he previously was accused of a number of rapes and sexual assaults. Police Superintendent Enid RossStewart, head of the island’s sex crimes

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NAIROBI (AP) - Kenyan judges on April 27 ordered a government agency to register a human rights group representing the country’s gay people.The Kenyan constitution recognizes and protects the rights of minorities, the three judges of the High Court said in their ruling. The Non-Governmental Organization Co-ordination Board had refused to register Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Intersex QueerKenya rights group on religious and moral grounds. The Attorney General, the NGO Board and religious groups had opposed the registration of the gay association but the judges said the Kenyan Constitution does not allow limitation of rights on moral or religious grounds. “In Kenya, the Constitution is supreme,” stated the ruling of the ruling of Judges Isaac Lenaola, Mumbi Ngugi and George Odunga. The judges said the state “cannot rely on religious texts or its views of what the moral and religious convictions of Kenyans are to justify the limitation of a right.” Rights activist Eric Gitari tried to register the non-governmental organization whose objective is to address the violence and human rights abuses suffered by gay and lesbian people. After the NGO Co-ordination Board rejected Gitari’s application, he went to court in September 2013 claiming that his rights had been infringed. In Kenya, homosexuality is not a crime, but the law forbids sodomy and same sex partners are likely to receive extra attention from police. The Kenya gay community has complained of harassment, which in some cases is violent.

on a wooded trail outside the Jamaican capital, police initially seemed less concerned about the attack than the fact she is a lesbian. “The first policewoman I spoke to told me I should leave this lifestyle and go back to church,” Jackson recalled of the 2009 attack, shaking her head in frustration. It is an attitude all too common on the island, where gay rights activists say homosexuals suffer pervasive discrimination and occasional attacks. Activists say some LGBT people have even been the victims of brutal sexual assaults intended to force them into becoming heterosexual or punish them for not fitting societal norms. Jackson says she was targeted by a small group of anti-gay rapists who posed as lesbians on an Internet chatroom and lured the two women to the remote footpath. The response to her attack inspired Jackson to take action. Now, the 25-year-old woman directs Jamaica’s only registered organization for lesbians and bisexual women. Jamaica has long had a reputation for intolerance of male homosexuality, with many on the island seeing it as a moral perversion imported from abroad. But the stigma against Jamaican homosexual women and the underreported crime of targeted sexual assault of lesbians is receiving growing attention. Last year, Vice President Joe Biden mentioned Jamaica’s struggle with “corrective rape for lesbian women” while speaking about global gay rights. The phrase emerged years ago in South Africa where attacks targeting lesbians have occurred again and again in predominantly poor neighborhoods. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama singled out Jackson’s advocacy during his 24-hour visit to Jamaica, telling a crowd that she courageously chose to speak out even though “as a woman and as a lesbian, justice and society were not always on her side.” With a population of less than 3 million, few incidents of sexual attacks are reported to LGBT activists. The island’s main gay rights group, J-FLAG, has documented several cases over the years and Jackson’s burgeoning organization has heard of about a dozen. The scope of the problem is impossible to gauge with accuracy in Jamaica.

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Kenya Court Orders Government To Register Gay Rights Group

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SUNSHINE STATE

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April 29, 2015

Florida Still Sorting Out Gay Marriage Issues Ahead Of U.S. High Court Arguments TAMPA-- As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments on same-sex marriage on April 28, there is perhaps no better example of Florida’s internal divisions on gay rights than the competing bills recently proposed in the Tallahassee legislature. One bill would repeal the state’s ban on adoptions by same-sex couples, a holdover from the Anita Bryant era that has been unenforceable since 2010. A second “conscience” measure would allow private adoption and foster care agencies to reject same-sex couples. While the legislature has passed the former and sent it to Gov. Rick Scott, the fate of the conscience bill in the Senate remains in doubt. A third bill before lawmakers that would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity never made it out of a subcommittee. Although 10 counties in Florida, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, have passed similar laws, it remains legal throughout much of the state to fire people or deny them housing for being gay or transgender. “You can get married today in Florida and fired the next day for being gay,” said Jim Brenner, a plaintiff in the

federal lawsuit that successfully challenged Florida’s same-sex marriage ban last year. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.” Florida began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Jan. 6. Rights advocates say that hundreds of gay and lesbian couples have exchanged vows or had their out-of-state marriages recognized here. Some gay couples “wedlocked” in broken marriages have been able to get divorced, and the adoption process has become significantly simpler for married same-sex couples. The state bureaucracy has been slow to adjust. Today, marriage licenses still refer to a “bride” and “groom,” and despite repeated inquiries, the Department of Health, which oversees the license forms, has been unable to answer basic questions about whether it plans to replace the gender-specific language. Elsewhere, there are signs of change — another state agency will soon allow married same-sex couples who work for the state to include spouses in their pension plans. Polls suggest that across the southeastern United States, states remain roughly split on whether gay couples should be able to marry. Since January, more than a dozen Florida clerks of court have chosen to stop holding marriage ceremonies for anyone rather than extend them to gay couples. Unlike some other states, where gay marriage became legal because of state court or legislative decisions, gay couples can get married through-

out Florida because a federal judge in Tallahassee declared the state’s same-sex marriage ban to be a violation of the U.S. Constitution. If the U.S. Supreme Court disagrees, that ban, which was supported by more than 60 percent of voters in 2008, could go back into effect. Gay couples’ marriages would likely remain valid, though in other states that have experienced windows of legal gay marriage, the state governments have not always recognized those unions. This situation would put same-sex marriage advocates in the position of having to decide whether to initiate another statewide referendum, or work through the state courts. Anna M. Phillips of the Tampa Bay Times contributed to this report.

Jacksonville Mayor Calls For Comprehensive Review Of Discrimination Policies JACKSONVILLE--Mayor Alvin Brown has directed the city’s general counsel to review discrimination policies at all levels of government, raising the possibility of a future proposal to expand local protections for gays and lesbians. The study is expected to be completed after the May 19 general election. “This would ensure that the new city council has the information it needs to guarantee discrimination doesn’t exist in Jacksonville and is able to take the actions it deems necessary to prevent discrimination,” said Brown, who announced the move via a video release. It’s not clear the action will satisfy local activists who have criticized the mayor for not supporting a 2012 effort to expand the city’s human-rights ordinance. Some of those same activists supported third-place finisher Republican City Councilman Bill Bishop in the March primary — votes that are now potentially up for grabs between Brown and his Republican opponent

Lenny Curry, who has also not pledged to expand the human rights ordinance. Bishop was the only one of the three major candidates to support the expansion. Brown’s campaign touted the support of some local pastors. “I fully support Mayor Brown’s leadership on this issue and thank him for doing the right, ethical thing,” said Lee Harris, pastor of Primitive Baptist Church, in a news release. “It is our Christian duty to ensure that all people are treated fairly and equally.” One activist applauded the decision. “I think it’s great,” said Jimmy Midyette, chairman of gay rights political committee, the Northeast Florida LGBT Leadership PAC. “I think it shows that the mayor acknowledges that there is discrimination in Jacksonville. A study by the Office of General Counsel to study state, local and federal protections will clearly reveal that the only categories that are not covered are sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. If that study reveals what I know to be true that would lead to the city council passing the ordinance.” Midyette said Brown doesn’t directly address sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. “We’re left to assume that,” he said. “In the past, he’s said that he is against discrimination of all kinds and who isn’t? The tone today has changed... It is absolutely a change in tone and change in tactic for the better. Having the mayor direct the general counsel is a clear sign that he wants to see this discrimination remedied.” A major outside advocacy group also welcomed the decision. “We commend Mayor Brown for calling for this study that will show exactly how far behind Jacksonville is compared to other cities in Florida and across the country in protecting its LGBT residents and visitors from discrimination,” said Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, in a prepared statement. Last November, the Human Rights Campaign’s annual scorecard of cities gave Jacksonville 20 points out of a possible 100 on policies for LGBT residents. The city was well below the national average of 59 and the Florida

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Miami Beach Gay Pride 2015 Hits Record High Attendance A record 130,000 guests attended this year’s 7th Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade & Festival, organizers said. Miami Beach Gay Pride started out merely as a street scene in 2009 with only 15,000 attendees showing up for one day. Now it’s grown into the city’s largest, free LGBTQ event. This year marked the first time that the program expanded from two to three days, featuring everything from circuit parties and live entertainment to sponsored booths and cultural attractions for the whole family.

Miami, Ft. Lauderdale Film Fest Unveil New Name After 17 Years

MIAMI--After 17 years, the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival unveiled a new name during the festivals’ opening night on April 24. Organizers believe the new name,

“MiFo,” will strengthen the joint festivals’ branding on the international LGBTQ film circuit. “Just as SoBe has become synonymous with South Beach and WeHo indicates West Hollywood, we believe that MiFo will become the moniker for one of the hippest, strongest and most important film festival duos in the world,” said Mark Gilbert, the festivals’ president and interim director. “This new evolution of the name brings our two festivals into the 21st Century and implies the vibrancy and relevancy of the films we present to our audiences.” The new name was announced via a special video trailer at the opening night screening of late actor Robin Williams’ last dramatic film, “Boulevard,” and was played before the screening of each film this year. A new logo and website will be released soon. This year’s combined festival featured 75 films from 26 different countries including feature-length movies, documentaries and short films that chronicle the LGBTQ experience. Included in the line-up were five world premieres, one international premiere, 11 North American premieres, one U.S. premiere, seven East Coast premieres and 12 Southeast premieres. This year’s MiFo was presented by SHOWTIME, Merrill Lynch and Miami-Dade County.

April 29, 2015

ORLANDO--An attorney is demanding that a lesbian couple who were allegedly fired from a Winter Park pre-school for being gay get their jobs back, receive an apology and get compensated for damages. Jaclyn Pfeiffer, 29, was a teacher at Aloma Methodist Early Childhood Learning Center and said she was let go from the school after her girlfriend, Kelly Bardier, began working as a parttime substitute teacher at the same school. When rumors of their relationship began.to circulate, Bardier, 33, was also released. Pfeiffer worked at the school for two years, said Bardier, and kept their relationship quiet at work. But on March 18, Pfeiffer was called into the director’s office to discuss it. “At the end of the day, when (the couple) could finally talk, we realized neither wanted to work in a place that would give you that kind of ultimatum,” Bardier said. “They said the only way to not get fired is to not live your life this way (as a gay couple).” Pfeiffer was terminated March 19. Bardier said they received a number of

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Lesbian Teachers Take Legal Action After Being Fired From Methodist Day-Care Center

phone calls that morning because the school sent a letter to parents and teachers announcing Pfeiffer’s firing. Bardier said when they went to the school later that day to pick up Pfeiffer’s things, they were”made to use the back door, weren’t allowed to go in the same door as the parents. (The school) didn’t want us talking to anyone.” A week later, when they went to pick up their final paychecks, Bardier said the school issued Pfeiffer a termination letter stating she was fired for not showing up for three days. “They fired her illegally, realized they did something wrong, then attempted to try to fix it and made up a false reason to fire her legally,” she said. The couple is working with Orlando attorney Mary Meeks on legal recourse. Meeks said the first step is a letter claiming the terminations violate an Orange County human rights ordinance and the federal Civil Rights Act, not to mention the Methodist Church’s own stance on LGBT discrimination. “The terminations of Jaclyn and Kelly were nothing more than blatant acts of homophobic discrimination, proscribed even by the Methodist Church’s own governing principles,” the letter reads. According to the United Methodist Church website, the church opposes ” all forms of violence or discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual practice, or sexual orientation,” and “Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation.” Meeks said her plans include an U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim and maybe a lawsuit if the school doesn’t retract the terminations, issue apologies and compensate for their damages. Pfeiffer said that before the controversy, the director had told her that she was one of the best teachers of two-yearolds the school had ever had. “I don’t think about the job, but whenever I think about the kids, I still cry now, two weeks later,” Pfeiffer said. “I still miss them.” Jamie Hyman of watermarkonline. com contributed to this report.

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average of 65 for cities assessed by the report. Curry’s campaign dismissed Brown’s move as mere political expediency. Brian Hughes, Curry’s campaign spokesman, said the announcement, made less than a month before the election, amounted to little more than Brown shoving off a decision he didn’t want to make onto the city’s attorney and future council members. Yianni Varonis, a Brown campaign spokesman, said Brown is taking action on the issue now because it’s “clear that over the last few months, Jacksonville citizens wanted action to prevent discrimination.” Nate Monroe of The Florida TimesUnion contributed to this report.a.”

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SUNSHINE STATE

April 29, 2015

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April 29, 2015

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COVER

BY RICHARD HACK

The Right Side of History: The Supreme Court Tackles Same-Sex Marriage

April 29, 2015

egardless of the outcome, these are historical times in the United States Supreme Court. For two and a half hours, the court heard arguments from both side of the same-sex marriage issue, offering the first public indication of how the justices might rule in the dispute over whether states can continue defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, or whether the Constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. During the court’s last foray into the issue in 2013, the justices struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act during Windsor v. The United States, in a 5-4 vote. That decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy who is expected to play an integral part in deciding the cases currently before the court. As advocates and protesters demonstrated outside, the author of the court’s three prior gay rights rulings talked about the touchstones of dignity and concern for children in same-sex households that drove his favorable earlier opinions. But he also worried about changing the definition of marriage from the union of a man and a woman. When responding to arguments presented by Mary Bonauto, representing same-sex couples, Kennedy said, “The word that keeps coming back to me in this case is millennia, plus time. ... This definition (of marriage) has been with us for millennia. And it’s very difficult for the

court to say ‘Oh well, we know better.’” The 78-year-old justice’s likely role as a key, perhaps decisive, vote was reinforced during arguments that appeared to divide the court’s liberal and conservative justices over whether the Constitution gives same-sex couples the right to marry. Yet, none more so than Chief Justice John Roberts. “You’re not seeking to join the institution; you’re seeking to change what the institution is. The fundamental core of the institution is the opposite-sex relationship and you want to introduce into it a same-sex relationship,” Roberts said about the institution of marriage. Even as outside the courthouse demonstrators gave the street a festival atmosphere, proclaiming that the world was coming to an end, Justice Kennedy brought things back into prospective by lamenting, “Same-sex couples say, of course, ‘We understand the nobility and the sacredness of marriage. We know we can’t procreate, but we want the other attributes of it in order to show that we, too, have a dignity that can be fulfilled.’” Kennedy was speaking in an exchange with lawyer John Bursch, who was defending the state marriage bans. Bursch argued repeatedly that states could prohibit same-sex unions because marriage always has been about biological bonds between parents and their children. “If this court ensconces in the Constitution a new definition of marriage,” Bursch said, “and it reduces the rate that

opposite-sex couples stay together, bound to their children, because of that different understanding, even a 1 percent change ... is many, many children.” This argument was lampooned by Justice Elena Kagan who countered, “It’s hard to see how permitting same-sex marriage discourages people from being bonded with their biological children.” Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor both said marriage was a fundamental right and a state would need a truly compelling reason to deny it to a class of people. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said heterosexual couples would retain the same marriage benefits they currently have, whether or not same-sex couples also could marry. Justice Samuel Alito suggested that basing marriage on lasting bonds and emotional commitment - instead of providing stable homes for children might open the right to marry to siblings who live together, close friends who are not romantically or sexually involved and groups of more than two people. “What would be the logic of denying them the same right?” Alito asked. Justice Antonin Scalia said he worried that a court decision in favor of same-sex marriage would force ministers to stop officiating at weddings altogether if they refused to perform same-sex weddings. Scalia also said the issue is not whether there should be same-sex marriage “but who should decide the point,” embracing the states’ argument.

Justice Clarence Thomas asked no questions, as is his custom. The session was interrupted once by a protester who yelled that supporters of gay marriage “will burn in hell.” He was removed by security. In the last part of the session, devoted to whether states have to recognize same-sex marriages from elsewhere, both Kennedy and Roberts directed skeptical questions to a lawyer for same-sex couples, Douglas Hallward-Driemeier. Why should one state “have to yield” in recognizing a marriage from another state? Kennedy asked. And Roberts suggested that states’ rights would be undermined if residents of states that forbid same-sex unions could get married elsewhere, then return home and demand recognition. “One state would basically set the policy for the entire nation,” he said. The cases before the court come from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, four of the 14 remaining states that allow only heterosexual marriage. Those four had marriage bans upheld by the federal appeals court in Cincinnati in November, the only federal appeals court that has ruled in favor of the states since the Supreme Court 2013 ruling. The Supreme Court decision is expected in late June. Mark Sherman of the Associated Press contributed to this article.

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AS I SEE IT BY RICHARD HACK

April 29, 2015 • ISSUE 284

from 18 percent a decade ago to 46 percent now. Not a majority, but getting closer every year Republicans as a group still failed to see the wisdom of allowing same-sex weddings. Six out of 10 oppose allowing gays to marry. Among conservative Republicans, that number grows to 71 percent. This number will prove to be increasingly relevant as the country moves into the Presidential election months since primaries and caucuses are heavily governed by the conservative

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April 29, 2015 21

for gays and lesbians to take the plunge. CNN focused on business’ obligations to provide a wedding service for samesex marriage ceremonies, centering on florists, bakeries, caterers and venues. The topic, of course, has been covered extensively of late in the news by way of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed into law in late March by Republican Governor Mike Pence. Pence insisted that it was never his intent to discriminate against the LGBT community with the law, nevertheless a bill to change the original law was signed in early April. In the CNN/ORC Poll, most Democrats (70%) and independents (60%) say wedding-related businesses should be legally required to sell goods and services to samesex couples just as they would different-sex couples. Republicans, on the other hand, are equally as adamant in the opposite direction with 67% saying religious reasons are a valid justification for refusing service. Even among conservative Republicans, element within the party. however, the majority of the younger Democrats have traditionally been voters in the polling sample (56 percent) more liberal in their views, and that felt that denial of service to same-sex fact is revealed in the numbers as well. couples was wrong. This is a significant Seventy-six percent of registered Demo- number which Republicans will likely crats feel strongly that gays and lesbians consider when nominating a candidate should be able to marry as opposed to for President. 21 percent of Democrats who think they Both polls were conducted from April should not. 16-19 and canvassed via phone, quesAll races consistently voted at the 60 tioning those with land lines as well as percent plus level in favor of same-sex cell phones. The sample size was 1018 marriage, with the exception of the heav- people with a margin of error at plus or ily Catholic Hispanic population, where minus 3 percent. only 55 percent thought it a good idea

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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s the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the legality of same-sex marriages beginning last Tuesday, there were dual surveys conducted by both CNN/ORC International and ABC/Washington Post. CNN was curious whether Americans thought marriage-related businesses (i.e., florists and caterers) should be required to serve gays and lesbians in the same way they serve heterosexuals. ABC was eager to discover how many U.S. citizens now favor allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry. In both cases, the results were a landslide, and represented another win for the LGBT community. An overwhelming 61 percent of Americans polled thought that gays should be allowed to marry in the ABC poll, with only 35 percent opposed. Not surprisingly, an exact same number said that individual states should not be allowed to define marriage as just between a man and a woman. What a difference a decade makes. Back in 2005, a full 58 percent thought same-sex marriage should not be allowed (compared to only 39 percent in support). Equally as amazing is that support for gay marriage is not limited to one age range or political group. Young adults (under the age of 30) have increased their support from 57 percent 10 years ago to 78 percent currently. Seniors (65 and over) have seen their support grow

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Marriage Debate Is About Rights Not Religion Says U.S. Congressional Candidate Jamie Raskin

April 29, 2015

an a true progressive and flag bearer for LGBT rights get elected to — and survive — in the U.S. Congress, in an environment that many local cynics refer to as the “District of Corruption?” Maryland State Senator, Jamie Raskin thinks so. Raskin, 52, is running for the U.S. Congressional seat to be vacated by Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen who is campaigning for U.S. Senate. If elected, Raskin says, “we will demand a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United, to restore the democratic sovereignty to the people.” His rallying cry for “effective, progressive leadership to renew the momentum of popular democracy in this country” includes a call to “take the Constitution back from the Tea Party.” But especially important to Raskin, who is married to Sarah Bloom, current U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury with whom he has three children, is to see the Supreme Court make the right decision on marriage equality. When Raskin first announced his decision to run for the Maryland Senate in 2006, he emphatically included marriage

equality in his stump speech. But he was momentarily taken aback when a supporter advised him to “take out the stuff about gay marriage. Because it’s never going to happen. It makes you sound extreme and like you’re not in the political center.” Raskin, a professor of constitutional law for 25 years, recounted this story during his April 19 campaign launch at packed restaurant near his Takoma Park, Maryland home. Part charming firebrand, part Woody Allen, Raskin quipped: “I had to swallow hard because I didn’t have that many supporters at the time.” His response then was to state his ambition “not to be in the political center,” but “in the moral center.” And as the Supreme Court now begins to consider whether the Constitution forbids states to limit marriage to a man and a woman, and whether states are required to recognize samesex marriages performed where they are legal, Raskin remains right there. Raskin’s leadership helped Maryland pass the dream act, abolish the death penalty, decriminalize marijuana, lower the voter registration age to 16 and pass a two-year moratorium on frack-

ing. More than 100 of his consistently progressive bills have passed in the Maryland Senate since he took office in January 2007. But it was during the March 1, 2006 Senate hearing on a proposed Republican Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, that Raskin, not yet a Senator but speaking as a constitutional law expert, had one of his finest hours. At the end of Raskin’s testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs asked him: “Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?” Raskin replied: “Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.” The moment was more than just a witty sound bite. It was a sea change not only for Maryland, but for the country. As Raskin explained it: “The debate was not about different religious faiths. It was about the rights of citizens in society. It’s not a question of who gets married in the church hall, because that’s up to the church. It’s a question of who gets married in city hall. That

exists under the Constitution and it’s got to be everybody. Everybody’s got to have the right.” Maryland has come a long way since 1973 when it was the first state in the country to ban gay marriage. In 2012, Maryland became “the first state legislature in the country to pass marriage equality without being told they had to do it by the state supreme court,” Raskin recalled. It became law in 2013 after it also passed a statewide referendum launched by opponents the previous November. “And so we became the first state in the country where the people upheld marriage equality in a poll,” Raskin added. “We helped turn the tide.” If elected to the U.S. Congress, Raskin will join a hopefully growing handful of other progressives attempting to hold back the tide of bigotry being advanced by anti-LGBT conservatives across the country. Raskin is counting on the voice of the people to speak again. And he is counting on the Supreme Court to rule the right way and help move the country forward to true inclusivity.

BY DANIEL HICKS

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despite where he lived. He was told to speak to his employer about his predicament, consider Saturday deliveries or ask friends to accept the deliveries on his behalf, all of which enraged him. So he called lawyer Alan Mansfield at Whatley Kallas for help. The case is now pending before Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who John Doe said he assumes is gay because the judge has been associated with a number of local LGBT events and causes. “I’m an insurance professional and was a litigation claims manager for a property & casualty insurance carrier for a number of years,” said Doe. “I know both sides. They’re screwing the insured to get the best bottom line possible. And now my (current employer) is paying for this. They are supposed to be a service provider but I’m not getting the service applicable to my situation.” Jerry Flanagan, an attorney with Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica, California, explained that insurers like CIGNA provide patients with access but then make them jump through flaming loops to get their life-saving medications.

Clients like John Doe do not want the whole world to know they are sick, they want HIV experts as pharmacists and want to avoid vital shipments getting lost or stolen. The bottom line continues to be how America’s health insurance industry is structured. When ACA passed, the industry’s profit motive did not. Paying a medical bill is still considered a loss on an insurer’s balance sheet. An insurance company’s profit motive is diametrically opposed to the welfare of patients and aligned with the fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, a debate that flared up in Congress. Much like banking, energy, defense and now health insurance, our profit-driven economic system perpetuates a trend by which whole industries eventually submit to only a handful of firms. Barring some change in that basic structure, the CIGNA case is only one of many that will need to be filed under Obamacare in order to better reconcile the health needs of average Americans with the quarterly earnings of federally subsidized insurance giants.

CIGNA health plans by forcing them to obtain their medications by mail-order, putting their health and privacy at risk. Law firm Whatley Kallas and nonprofit advocate Consumer Watchdog already settled two similar lawsuits against United Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross. Under those settlements, HIV/AIDS patients have a right to opt-out of a mail-order program that lies at the heart of the current legal action. Another lawsuit filed last December against Aetna is still pending in California. The plaintiff in the CIGNA lawsuit is John Doe, a 55-year-old resident of Fort Lauderdale, who has been HIV positive for 23 years. He had been a United Healthcare customer but was able to opt up of the mail-order program thanks to the John Doe in that case. But then he wound up changing employers and health insurance companies. When he went to fill his first prescription, he was told by a CIGNA representative that he had to use the CIGNA-owned, mailorder service and could not opt out,

April 29, 2015

hen the Affordable Care Act became law in March 2010, it was the biggest overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the birth of Medicare in 1965. ACA was supposed to increase access to health insurance, lower the number of uninsured Americans by expanding coverage and reduce the overall cost of healthcare. It introduced mandates, subsidies, and insurance exchanges, requiring health insurers to provide applicants with basic coverage. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of one the law’s core provisions -- a mandate that required every individual American to have insurance. As of mid-2015, the percentage of uninsured Americans dropped from 18 percent to as low as 11.9 percent, according to recent estimates. This is a remarkable development in only a few short years. Moreover, with one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country, Florida now has 1.6 million Obamacare enrollees, more than any other state in the union. Despite the fact that Obamacare has become an integral part of the landscape here, the new law still has a way to go in rebalancing the playing field between medical patients and insurance companies. One central component of ACA -- the so-called “guaranteed issue” provision -- prohibits insurers from denying people coverage for pre-existing conditions. But now, CIGNA, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, has been accused of discriminating against patients with HIV/AIDS by trying to circumvent this provision, according to a class-action lawsuit filed this week. According to the lawsuit, CIGNA is discouraging these patients from enrolling in or remaining enrolled in

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Despite High Enrollment In Florida, CIGNA Lawsuit Shows Obamacare Still Has A Way To Go

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LEFT COAST

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Jesse Durko:

South Florida’s Wizard of the Horticultural Arts

BY CLIFF DUNN

THE WEEK

WILTON MANORS BY PATRICK ROBERT

5/02 The Color Run – 5K

The Color Run is a ubiquitous part of social media: Facebook profiles, Instagram feeds, and Twitter tweets are full of pictures of vividly colored individuals sweating, smiling, and running. This 5k puts the emphasis on the one of a kind experience that comes from running while being sprayed with color. The Fort Lauderdale Color Run has chosen Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale as its partner charity, making this event as much about having fun as supporting a good cause. 7:30 a.m. Huzienga Plaza. 32 E. Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale. 33301.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

April 29, 2015

5/06

Something happens when you talk to Jesse Durko about his life’s passions, botany and horticulture. It’s almost as if he is weaving magic, casting a botanical spell. That’s because his boundless enthusiasm for plants and flora is contagious. “Gay people love beautiful things, and plants are beautiful,” explains the owner of Jesse Durko Tropical Garden and Nursery (5151 SW 70th Avenue/Viele Road, Davie, FL) as if offering the most basic of truths. “This is a great community of plant lovers,” he adds. A native of the Princeton, New Jersey suburb of Franklin Park, Durko attended Rutgers University on an art scholarship, before transferring his major to Landscape Architecture. Despite New Jersey’s moniker of the Garden State, Durko bolted for warmer climates almost immediately upon graduating. Not for the last time in his life, it was all about the horticulture. “If you’re majoring in landscape architecture, why would you want to landscape for only half a year?” he rhetorically wonders aloud. Trading up (horticulturally speaking) from the Garden State to the Sunshine State, in Florida Durko found both the climate and plant life more conducive to yearlong pursuit of his passion and his newfound work at the University of Florida (UF) New Plant Research Unit in Fort Lauderdale. After leaving UF, Durko worked as Horticulture Director for Flamingo Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary in Davie, before deciding in 1990 to open his own nursery and landscaping showcase. His goal was as ambitious as it was inspired: To make a better world through horticulture. “After Flamingo Gardens, I realized that I loved plants, and I loved the idea of sharing

my love and knowledge with other people who love and appreciate beautiful plants. “I think people should realize that your home’s landscape is an extension of your taste, your style, and your life,” Durko explains. “It is as diverse as the way a person dresses, or decorates his home, and it should reflect a person’s uniqueness,” he adds. “In essence, your landscape is a way for people to perceive who you are. “I’m not just a garden center. When you walk onto our nursery, you are transported into a world of color, and beauty, and variety. I don’t just have 200 different palm trees—I have 200 different kinds of palm trees.” Over the last 25 years, on what started as two acres of land, Durko has now assembled a 10-acre, unparalleled array of tropical and subtropical plants, collected during his many travels across the globe. Visitors come into contact with—literally—a world of color and flora, including fragrant flowers, colorful shrubs, aroids, Heliconias, gingers, bromeliads, palms, bamboos, orchids, and flowering trees. Jess Durko the man is happy that Jesse Durko’s Nursery has become a destination for so many people who have been ensnared in the magic of growing things. In 2014, the nursery was twice recognized on television station Local 10 WPLG-Miami’s Top Ten List, in the Garden Center and Flower categories. In the nursery, a diverse collection of Florida native plants is showcased and blended with showy exotic plants, selected and tested for their hardiness, as well as ease of maintenance and beauty in the landscape. These come together in a breathtaking display. “We are as much a botanical garden as we are a nursery,” Durko explains, with just a touch of pride.

BeachBear Weekend

No one parties harder, smarter, or more discerningly than the bears, and they’re coming to town for an entire weekend of events. BeachBear Weekend was found to bring the best men to greater Fort Lauderdale to experience our city’s unique offerings. Last year’s weekend was by far its most successful, bringing in $500,000 to our city. This opening party of BeachBear Weekend takes place tonight at Rumors Nightclub; it’s a chance for the bears, cubs, otters, and all those who love them to party and discuss the current issues facing the subculture. Discounts are included for those wearing their BeachBear ID tag. The party continues throughout the weekend with parties all across Wilton Manors. 7:00 p.m. Rumors. 2426 Wilton Dr. Wilton Manors. 33305.

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BAR MAP

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6) DAPUR 1620 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale

11) LE PATIO 2401 NE 11th Ave Wilton Manors

2) B BAR AND GRILLE 2209 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

7) HUNTERS NIGHTCLUIB 2232 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

12) LIPS 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd Oakland Park

8) INFINITY LOUNGE 2184 WIlton Drive Wilton Manors

13) THE MANOR 2345 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

4) CORNER PUB 1915 N Andrews Ave Wilton Manors

9) JMARK’S 1245 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale

14) MONA’S 502 E Sunrise Blvd Fort Lauderdale

5) CUBBY HOLE 823 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale

10) LE BOY 1243 NE 11th Ave Fort Lauderdale

3) BOARDWALK/ BEEFCAKE’S 1721 N Andrews Ave Fort Lauderdale

15) MONKEY BUSINESS 2740 N Andrews Ave Fort Lauderdale 16) NAKED GRAPE 2163 Wilton Drive Wilton manors 17) NEW YORK GRILLED CHEESE 2207 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 18) PJ’S CORNER POCKET 2340 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

19) PROGRESS 2440 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 20) RAMROD 1508 NE 4th Ave Fort Lauderdale 21) ROSIE’S BAR & GRILL 2449 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 22) RUMORS BAR & GRILL 2426 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

23) SCANDALS SALOON 3073 NE 6th Ave Wilton Manors 24) SCARFONE’S 2150 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 25) SIDELINES 2031 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 26) SMARTY PANTS 2400 E Oakland Park Blvd Fort Lauderdale

27) THE STABLE 205 E Oakland Park Blvd Fort Lauderdale 28) 13 I EVEN 2037 Wilton Dr Wilton Manors 29) TROPICS 2000 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors 30) VILLAGE PUB 2283 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

April 29, 2015

1) ALIBI 2266 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors

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THE WEEK

TAMPA/ST.PETE

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BY PATRICK ROBERT

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4/30 Jerry Seinfeld The king of observational humor takes a break from enjoying his millions earned from Seinfeld’s syndication in order to tell jokes at this sold-out show at Mahaffey Theater. Seinfeld’s 1990s eponymous sitcom catapulted his humorous take on life’s little peculiarities to the masses—something that allowed him to become one of the most famous comedians in the world. 7:00 p.m. Mahaffey Theater. 400 First St. S. St. Petersburg. 33701.

5/02 Tampa RiverFest This annual event will celebrate Tampa’s new Riverwalk in Tampa Heights and Downtown Tampa. Presented by Friends of the Riverwalk and the City of Tampa, RiverFest 2015 hopes to highlight Tampa’s cultural institutions, local music, and restaurants with a series of events throughout the weekend. Among the most interesting events are a mac and cheese throwdown, a penguin waddle, a pet festival, and a jazz concert. Various times and locations throughout Downtown Tampa. 33602.

5/06 Beauty and the Beast

The Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation

ERE

NCE ONE

LIF

E A T

April 29, 2015

provides complimentary Health and Wellness services to financially challenged people living with HIV/AIDS and offers a global LGBT athletic mentoring program for amateur and professional athletes ranging from grade school to the professional ranks.

A 501(c)3 organization providing services to financially challenged people living with HIV/AIDS in Fort Lauderdale

2435 North Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305

BRIANNEALFITNESS.ORG

The classic Disney film is transformed to the stage for this elaborate musical. Belle, a bookworm and alienated villager, is trapped by a cursed prince and his eccentric, enchanted household. The prince must rid himself of his selfish ways and, in turn, win Belle’s love in order to reverse the curse before the townspeople destroy him. Songs “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” “Something There,” and the title track have become contemporary classics. 7:30 p.m. Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. 1010 N. Maccines Place. Tampa. 33602.

Text By Peter Jackson, CPT

YOUR 10-STEP PLAN This is a re-cap of our series designed to help Florida Agenda readers improve their fitness and nutrition.

WEEK 5: WHAT ARE YOUR DRINKING? No more sodas, including diet brands, if you are serious about losing weight! Get in the habit of drinking more water as well as healthier drinks like unsweetened teas including green, mint and ginger, vegetable-based smoothies, protein shakes, and coconut water. Beware added sugar in store-bought fruit drinks.

WEEK 1: CUT YOUR SUGAR CONSUMPTION Most Americans consume twice or more the amount of sugar on a daily basis than they should. This makes it much more difficult to lose weight and leads to a variety of major health problems, including diabetes. Ways to cut your sugar consumption include eating more protein (which makes you feel full longer and less likely to crave sweets), saying no to sodas of all kinds and re-discovering the natural sweetness of a variety of fruit.

WEEK 7: WORK YOUR BUTT! Your butt, or more precisely the gluteus maximus or “glutes”, is a group of three muscles located at the back of each hip. Of the 639 named muscles in the body, they are the largest and potentially the strongest and need to be worked hard. Master the Squat in its different forms. To perform a Dumbbell Squat: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding a pair of dumbbells in each hand, palms facing one another. Your back should be naturally arched. Push your hips back, bend at the knees and lower your body as low as you can. Pause, then use your hips and knees to lift your body back to the starting position.

WEEK 8: INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM To lose weight and incinerate fat, WEEK 6: THE BIG GUNS you will have to increase your metaboHere are 4 of the best exercises lism. Metabolism is the number of caloto build huge arms: OVERHEAD ries (energy) your body burns to sustain TRICEPS DUMBBELL EXTENlife. Muscle burns more calories than SION: Sitting comfortably on a bench fat does, so people who are musculike potatoes, pasta, bread and crackers. with your feet flat in front of you, grasp lar (low body fat) and exercise have a the inner plate of a dumbbell and higher metabolic rate than people who extend it fully over your head. Bend your have far less muscle (high body fat) WEEK 3: SEVEN STEPS TO GO elbows to lower the weight until your and don’t exercise. The average person FROM FAT TO FIT arms are at a 90-degree angle behind burns about 10 calories per pound of Get past all the self-limiting excuses you. Repeat, squeezing your triceps as body weight per day. Dieting (calorie about why you can’t exercise or lose your extend upwards. CONCENTRA- restriction) without exercising is one weight. Start these steps: 1) Drink a gallon of water a day; 2) Cut out alcohol TION CURL: Place a dumbbell on the of the most common mistakes people during this program; 3) Get moving with mat in front of you as you sit on a bench make. When you lose weight by dieting, muscle tissue accounts for about 20% calorie-burning activities like brisk-walk- with legs wide open. Lean forward to of what is lost. Consequently, dieting ing, hiking, biking and swimming; 4) Cut place your right elbow against your inner right thigh and pick up the dumb- without exercising to maintain or build out all processed foods; 5) Lift weights muscle actually slows your metabolism – resistance training is essential to your bell with an underhand grip. Squeeze and can lead to weight gain in the long success; 6) Elevate your heart rate with your biceps at the top as your lift the weight up. Lower and repeat, then term. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), short, intense bursts of aerobic intervals switch to the left side. HIGH CABLE WEEK 9: REVV UP YOUR between less intense bouts of aerobics, (“SUPERMAN”) CABLE CURL: WORKOUTS such as a 30-minute sprint sandwiched Stand feet shoulder-width apart in the center of two cable pulleys equipped Push a little harder, lift a little heavier, between 2 minutes of walking, repeatwith “D” handles. Raising your elbows and your determination will power ing this for 20 minutes. parallel with your shoulders, grab the success. Failure is a good thing – in handles with an underhand grip. Keepthis case, being unable to complete WEEK 4: MAKING YOUR ing your elbows high in position, curl safely one more repetition of the exerWORKOUTS EFFECTIVE your forearms until your hands are just cise. Efficient workouts lasting 30-45 Investing in even a handful of minutes are better than 90 minutes sessions with a personal trainer is worth behind your head. Be sure to squeeze spent haphazardly wandering from one the investment to learn the correct form your biceps at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position machine to the next. and benefits of specific exercises. If that’s not an option, find a knowledge- and repeat. ROPE TRICEPS PRESSPeter Jackson is a fitness and nutrition able gym. Compound exercises – multi- DOWN: Face a pulley with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold one end of expert and the owner of Push Fitness joint exercises which recruit multiple in Fort Lauderdale. He welcomes your the rope with each hand. Your palms muscles or muscle groups – should be and comments at Info@Pushthe staple of all of your workouts. These should be facing each other. As you pull questions FitnessFTL.com. the rope down, rotate your wrists and include exercises such as the Seated

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WEEK 2: CLEAN UP YOUR DIET If you are trying to lose weight and get fit, the place to start is actually not the gym but your own kitchen. Toss out all the unhealthy, carb-rich, sugar-filled snacks and desserts and replace with them with fruit, vegetables, nuts and similar healthy treats. Track your eating habits and caloric intake for a week or longer using an app like My Fitness Pal to understand how you are eating. The Rules of Thumb for Healthy Nutrition: 1) Eat only foods that have been grilled, baked, broiled or steamed; 2) Build all your meals around protein; 3) Include fiber with each meal in the form of salads, vegetables, fruit and legumes; and 4) Cut back on the starches – foods

palms toward the floor. Return to starting position and repeat.

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Row, Bench Press, Lat Pull-down, Chinup and Squats. Machines restrict your range of motion and are less effective than free weights and cables in building muscle. Use free weights such as dumbbells or an Olympic bar with weight plates and learn all the ways you can use a Cable (pulley) station. Plan workouts in advance and track everything. Many cell phone apps now offer the ability to track your workouts. Your goal is to progressively increase your weight.

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Change Your Body, Change Your Life

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A FITNESS AND NUTRITION TRANSFORMATION BLUEPRINT

FITNESS

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Distribution Locations FORT LAUDERDALE/ WILTON MANORS

April 29, 2015

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Critters with A K Crunch CTR Spiritual Living Cubby Hole CVS Dapur DaVinci Real Estate Decades Furniture Deep Tissue Therapy Dennis J’s Barber Shop Double Dippers Dunkin Donuts Ed Lugo resort Elysium Resort Fetish Factory Flip Flops Floridian Fredrick Fine Art FTL Pizza Fusion Galanga’s Gateway Cinema Gay Mart Genesis Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar Grand Resort Green Jade Spa Hidden Treasure Holiday Park Library Humpy’s Pizza Hunters I.C.E Infinity Inn Leather Inn On the Drive Intense Fitness Island Sands Inn J. Miles Java Boys Jenkins Law Jet’s Pizza Joe’s Barber Shop Juice Blendz Karl Grace Ins Latino Salud

Le Patio Restaurant Leatherwerks LeBoy Lemon Grass Lips Lotus Chinese Manor Manor Inn Mattress Expert Mind your Manors Mix Clothing Mojo Barber MoJo Restaurant Mona’s Monkey Business Naked Grape North Point Medical Nuts About Yogurt Office Out of the Closet… Wilton dr Out of the Closet… Sunrise Out of the Oven PJ’s Palm Plaza Peter Pan Pharos Hair Oasis Pineapple Point Pink Submarine Plush Royale Resort Ponciana Car Wash The Pride Center Pride Factory Pride Pharmacy Progress Bar Pump N Inc Rainbow Laundromat Ramrod ReMax Realty Rendez-vous Bakery Richard’s Hair Rock Hard Ron’s Barber Shop Rosie’s Bar & Grill Rowan Tree Medical

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ORLANDO

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ST. PETE

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THE WEEK

season of MTV’s 2000 reality show Making the Band. Although only enjoying temporary success from BY PATRICK ROBERT their novelty as a reality-show designed music group, a re-launch in 2013 produced last year’s album Lines and Circles. Current members include Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Dan Miller. 8:00 p.m. Underbelly. 113 E. Bay St. Jacksonville. 32202. Even if a real video arcade has become a relic of the past, Doug Titus and Steven Moritz hold onto the nostalgia. These local video game collectors have created a three-day event filled with more than 100 pinball Tchakiovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty machines and video games, free is his longest ballet and one of his to play for attendees. Video games most famous. It contains a prologue throughout the decades—even some and three acts of captivating music from as far back as the 1970’s—will be and dancing, focusing on the two available. 4:00 p.m. University of North conflicting forces of good and evil. Florida. 12000 Alumni Dr. Jacksonville. Dancers from Jacksonville’s own First Coast Nutcracker will be featured, 32224. performing the ballet in its entirety. 8:00 p.m. Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. 300 Water St. Jacksonville. 32202. Lou Pearlman’s boy band O-Town was officially formed from the first

JACKSONVILLE

5/01 2nd Annual Jax Arcade Expo

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5/02 Sleeping Beauty

O-Town

SCREEN SAVOR

popular and beloved 30 years after its initial theatrical release. The story of five suburban high school students spending almost nine hours in detention on a Saturday(!) in the library at fictional Shermer High School, still rings true, striking a nerve in viewers in and out of high school. The students – popular girl Claire (Molly Ringwald), jock/“sporto” Andy (Emilio Estevez), stoner/punk Bender (Judd Nelson in a career-defining performance), nerd/brain Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and weirdo Allison (Ally Sheedy) – represent the `80s social strata that still exists today. Over the

teen suicide, sexuality and drug use. Hughes’ use of music (also essential in his Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), is in full effect here. The Breakfast Club is an ensemble film in the truest sense, but by the end, you realize that it is methodactor Nelson’s movie. Even though he never quite achieved this level of performance again, he can take comfort in what he served up in The Breakfast Club. Blu-ray+DigitalHD bonus features include a pop-up trivia track, feature commentary by Hall and Nelson, a 12-part doc about the movie featuring cast and crew interviews

an unexpected journey of bonding and self-discovery when she agrees to be a troop leader for the Beverly Hill chapter of the Wilderness Girls of America. That doesn’t sit well with butch Velda (Betty Thomas, who would go on to direct Long in the Brady flicks), a competitive and condescending troop leader determined to crush Phyllis. Phyllis’ ragtag troop, including Hannah, Chica (Carla Gugino in her big screen debut), Emily (a pre-Life Goes On Kellie Martin) and others, rally around their well-intentioned but clueless leader. However, in between, Phyllis must endure a series of degra-

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The Age of Adaline

(Courtesy of Facebook/ The Age of Adaline)

titled Sincerely Yours and a featurette about the origins of the Brat Pack. There’s so much wrong with Troop Beverly Hills (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), from 1989, that it’s easy to understand why lead actress Shelley Long’s career went into a tailspin for several years afterwards. Long, who managed a successful comeback in the mid-`90s, playing Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and The Very Brady Sequel, and has been seen more recently in ABC’s Modern Family, deserved better than this comedy without the laughs. Phyllis (Long), a wealthy and entitled Beverly Hills mom of Hannah (Jenny Lewis before she was an indie rock superstar) and soon to be ex-wife of Freddy (Craig T. Nelson), embarks on

dations and insults. The adults, including Phyllis’ maid Rosa (a pre-Will and Grace Shelley Morrison), Jackie Collins-knockoff Vicki (Stephanie Beacham), Velda’s mousy assistant Annie (Mary Gross), Filipino dictator Bong Bong (Ramon Sison), are essentially caricatures of people populating late `80s Beverly Hills. The coke-fueled cameos, including Pia Zadora, Cheech Marin, Robin Leach, Joyce Brothers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ted McGinley are laughable, and far from funny. Blu-ray bonus features consist of two featurettes (including “Shelley Long Remembers Troop Beverly Hills”) and previously unseen deleted scenes.

course of the film, they begin to open up to each other, slowly and reluctantly at first, and discover that they have more in common than they first thought possible. Under the watchful eye (and verbally abusive mouth) of Mr. Vernon (the late Paul Gleason), the quintet are given an essay assignment and forced to stay in their seats. Much to Vernon’s chagrin, his rules are bent and broken. Bullying awareness is at an all-time high now, and The Breakfast Club is a perfect microcosm of bullying at its root. Andy and Bender are both bullied at home, for different reasons, and naturally take it out on each other, as well as Brian. This is one of Hughes’ more insightful career moments. He also deftly handles the subjects of

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arration and exposition go together in a book like paper and ink. But too much of both or either in a movie can be the equivalent of melting celluloid. The Age of Adaline (Lionsgate) tests those waters with its convoluted story about the titular Adaline (Blake Lively), a woman born in the early years of the 20th century who stops aging while in her late 20s following an automobile accident and a lightning strike. The movie somehow manages to stay afloat. The pressure is on Lively here as the fate of Adaline and the movie rests on her shoulders. She has the kind of oldschool Hollywood style that works well in the period scenes stretching from her 1929 wedding to World War II to the McCarthy era through the Summer of Love to the present day. The Adaline we first encounter goes by the name Jenny and lives in 2015 San Francisco with her dog Reese. It’s New Year’s Eve, which also happens to be Adaline’s birthday. She’s more than 100 years old but you’d never know it looking at her. She’s making plans to see her blind pianist friend Regan at a party where she is performing before returning home to finalize plans for her move to the Oregon countryside to be closer to her grown daughter Flemming (Ellen Burstyn). Wouldn’t you know it? Jenny meets and falls in love with hot tech zillionaire and do-gooder Ellis (Michiel Husiman). Here is where the movie gets really interesting. Among the many hearts Adaline shattered over the years, all in the interest of keeping her secret a secret, is that of Ellis’ father William (a mostly restrained Harrison Ford). So when Ellis brings Jenny home to meet the folks (and William recognizes her), things take a seriously dramatic turn. Saying any more would spoil the surprises that come next. All in all, The Age of Adaline isn’t a bad way to spend a couple of hours in a movie theater. There are many reasons that The Breakfast Club (Universal), the late John Hughes’ second film, remains so

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Time Machines

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BY GREGG SHAPIRO

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THE WEEK

MIAMI/ MIAMI BEACH BY PATRICK ROBERT

5/01 The Magnificents

Critically-acclaimed magician Dennis Watkins stars in this story about an extraordinary family that brings magic to the masses. Their popularity begins to fade so the aging star must find a new avenue of expression. He mentors and reveals all of his tricks to a young boy. The show includes both magic and aerial circus acts. 7:30 p.m. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami. 33132.

5/02

Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Closing Night Party Tonight’s closing film, Death in Buenos Aires, uses the backdrop of the liberated, flourishing artistic expression of high society 1980s Buenos Aires to tell the story of two detectives penetrating the gay underground. Agent Gomez becomes the right-hand man of Detective Chavez as they try to solve a murder in this erotic thriller inspired by Brokeback Mountain. 8:30. Colony Theater. 1040 Lincoln Rd. Miami Beach. 33139.

April 29, 2015

Alison Wonderland

Alison Wonderland has begun breaking through the mainstream with both a sold-out national tour and a critically acclaimed debut record titled Calm Down. Her first single “I Want U” was an immediate viral sensation, clocking in half a million plays within the first month on soundcloud. Tonight she will be performing at Grand Central. 10:00 p.m. Grand Central. 697 N. Miami Ave. Miami. 33136.

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P U Z Z LE Lady Sings The Blues

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Across

56 Madonna’s “Truth or ___” 57 Cockpit predictions 59 Novelist ___ Mae Brown 60 If that fails 61 Small pooch, briefly 62 Pronto, in the OR 63 Hidey-hole 64 Colette’s price

Down

For the solution to this puzzle, go to www.floridaagend.com/puzzle

1 Passes on Broadway 2 Brooks with some lettuce heads? 3 Kind of stand 4 Cristina of Grey’s Anatomy 5 Gods and Monsters subject 6 Migratory guys 7 “Yeah, right!” 8 The M in SMU (abbr.) 9 Your Movie Sucks author Roger 10 Disney dog Old ___ 11 Myles of lines of poetry 12 Terence’s family 20 Mouth-to-mouth pro 21 Moore costar 22 Florist’s wheels, often 26 Ian McKellen and Elton John 27 “Why should ___ you?” 28 Switch positions 31 Chew like a mouse 32 Fairy-tale monster 33 Screw royally 35 Valuable strings 36 Adorer of Clay Aiken? 37 Marinade type

40 “___ who?!” 41 Jim, who did a Pyle of acting? 42 Cry of success 43 Jeremy Irons flick of 1997 45 Glide on snow 47 Skirt fold 48 Porno mag on a trunk? 49 Trim and graceful 52 East of ___ 53 Holy headgear 54 Ed Wood star Johnny 58 Leading cause of birth

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1 Rev. Perry 5 George Michael’s old band 9 Herbert’s Fortune and Men’s ___ 13 New York college 14 Hoover hookup that sucks 15 Words after so 16 McKellen’s Magneto movie 17 What’s in the stallion’s mouth? 18 Enchanted girl of film 19 U2 tribute song to 51-Across 22 Seven on the sundial 23 Month for Kahlo 24 Hard to mount 25 Woody woe 27 Pax network, now 29 Dr. Kerry Weaver’s helpers 30 Old fruit drink 31 Patty Sheehan, for one 34 Song by 51-Across that protested racism and lynching 38 Hurts a lot 39 Date for Caesar 41 Not a thing 44 Blow away 45 Make noise in bed 46 Take as one’s own 48 Chiding sound 50 Designer Claiborne 51 Singer born April 7, 1915 55 Garfield’s whipping boy

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CARGOKILTS

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NEW!!

1226 NE 4TH AVE FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304 954.761.1236

LEATHERWERKS.COM

April 29, 2015

Copyright © 2015 The Werks Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Werks, LeatherWerks, PaddleWerks, Lifestyle Club, BootWerks and “Where Leather is a Lifestyle” are Registered Trademarks of The Werks Company, LLC

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42 April 29, 2015

TRAVEL BY JAMEER BAPTISTE

Havana, Cuba Is Calling Your Name

t wasn’t long ago when travel to Cuba was restricted. In fact, it was just this past January that the embargo was lifted by President Obama. The détente between the two countries has opened the door for Americans to explore the widely uncharted Caribbean island and experience its culture and customs. It’s a perfect getaway destination for South Floridians. It’s one of our closest neighboring Caribbean islands and it might very well soon become a weekend retreat on a fast ferry just like speedy cruises to the Bahamas. However, booking a trip to the sun-soaked island needs to start with self-certification. Even though the embargo has been lifted, some travel limitation still exist-mainly vacation travel. Nonetheless, there are 12 categories sectioned by the OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) that okay travel to Cuba. As the traveler, you most make an informed decision into which category you fall. Although the government no longer requires licensing for travel to Cuba, your bank and/or airline might request documentation for category verification and the government does expect travelers to save an itinerary of their activities while there for at least five years. Now that you’re ready, set your sights on Havana, Cuba, the tropical islands’ capital and gay-friendliest destination. And don’t worry about where to stay because the détente has ushered in a host of new accommodations. Most recently, the U.S. company Airbnb has fostered connections with homeowners in Cuba who offer lodging in their houses. According to the Business Insider, Airbnb has secured a thousand properties on the island with 40 percent of them in Havana. Lodging prices range anywhere from $20 to $50 a night for a single room and up to $500 per night for a five-bedroom home in one of the affluent areas of Havana. Just remember that Cuba’s accommodations tend to be old-fashion and not like modern day American accommodations. Your lodging and neighborhood will have character and charm with

(Photo’s Courtesy of Facebook/ Cuda Travel)

a colorful and post-revolutionary aesthetic, but you will most likely have to visit a staterun Internet center or use a hotel lobby since, for the most part, there is no Wi-Fi in private houses. And the only American credit card accepted there, as of right now, is MasterCard. So come prepared. Travelers can found suitable gayfriendly or gay owned accommodations on purpleroof.com. The website also provides a couple of travel agencies, both in the U.S. and in Cuba. Or plan a trip with a private gay guide, Yunior Crespo, at www.gaycuba.me. Crespo is a fun-loving young gay guy who’s from Cuba and knows all about the culture and history there. Contemporary Havana is divided into three major districts: Old Havana, Vedado and the new suburban district. The new suburban district is home to the wealthy and elite with mansions and luxury stores. If you happen to be in Miramar, Havana’s exclusive area, stop into Café Fortuna (Calle 3ra e/ 28 y 26 Miramar Havana CU; +53-7203-33-76) where the crowd is said to be mixed and very welcoming. It’s a cozy West Village flat with a full bar and one of the only places that still allows indoor smoking in Havana. (And in Havana, home of the cigar, they smoke a lot!) Most of the gay activity can be found in Old Havana and Vedado. Old

Havana (in Spanish, La Habana Vieja) is the downtown city-center of Havana. The baroque and neoclassic buildings are beautiful and the city is filled with history as Spain’s 17th century gateway from the old world to the new world. Spend a Friday night on the town and party with the gay young adults at the popular disco club Escaleras al Cielo (Zulueta #660 e/ Apodaca y Gloria Habana Vieja CU; +53-7-861-9198). Every Friday, the hip club opens its door to the LGBT community. Be entertained by pole dancers (both male and female) while you jam out to the laser light system and a live DJ. Want to watch a drag show? You can head to Fashion Bar Havana (San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate Habana Vieja CU; +53-7-867-1676) on a Saturday. While there, you are sure to be entertained by their fabulous performers and their juicy homoerotic dance show after 11:00 pm. Spend your days in Malecon, Havana and walk the seawall (starting at Havana Harbor in Old Havana) in the morning and witness a picture perfect sunrise. Take the afternoon to visit the historical monuments and snap photos of the famous statues. Stay until the evening and catch wondering eyes of local straight men that are said to be fond of gay travelers. Experience Vedado, the booming

Havana city, which is surpassing Old Havana as the new nightlife destination and commercial area. In the Art Deco style city, you can find amazing museums (most are located in Old Havana) and great restaurants and shops to occupy your day. At night, venture out to Humboldt 52 (e/ Infanta y Hospital Centro Habana CU; +53-5-330-2989) for an opera performance (on Wednesday), karaoke or a drag show. Then walk to the state-run hole-in-the-wall, Cabaret Las Vegas, (Infanta #104, e/ 25 y 27 Vedado CU; +53-7-870-7939) for Cuba’s wellknown drag act, Divino. Go to Café Bar Madrigal (Calle 17 #809, e/ 2 y 4 Vedado CU; +53-7-8312433), a local hangout for young adults and middle aged gay men and lesbians. The café, bar serves food and visitors have praised their mojitos. The atmosphere is said to give off a San Francisco vibe. To relax on a beach and feel totally at ease, visit Mi Cayito Beach. It’s outside of Havana but not too far, and it’s known as the gay beach of Cuba. A taxi can take you there for an affordable price. Gay tourists and locals alike flock to this blue-water paradise for fun in the sun. On any given day, you can find a crowd of people celebrating life and couples embracing affectionately.

ORLANDO

BY PATRICK ROBERT

Rising star John Mulaney has slowly made his comedic presence known throughout Hollywood and popular culture. He is a former Saturday Night Live writer and “Weekend Update” correspondent who transitioned into his own FOX sitcom Mulaney this year. Like most sitcom stars, his start came in the stand-up world, having broken ground by performing sets on important shows Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. 8:00 p.m. The Plaza Live. 425 N. Bumby Ave. Orlando. 32803.

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John Mulaney

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THE WEEK

5/01 Taylor Dayne 1980s songstress Taylor Dayne hit it big with her debut single “Tell It to My Heart,” which reached number seven on the Hot 100. From there, her strong voice led to other hits like “Love Will Lead You Back,” “Don’t Rush Me,” “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” and “With Every Beat of My Heart.” One of the best things about this hit singer: she has been a gay rights activist for her entire career. Tonight she performs at Epcot Center. 5:30 p.m. Epcot Center. 200 Epcot Center Dr. Orlando. 32821.

5/05 Neutral Milk Hotel

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Alternative rockers Neutral Milk Hotel are known for their criticallyacclaimed late nineties album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, considered one of the greatest albums from that decade in music. Songs like “Holland, 1945” and “Two-Headed Boy” are classics routinely making “best singles” lists in hipster music magazines. Their recent reunion tour stops at Beacham Theatre tonight. 7:00 p.m. Beacham Theatre. 46 N. Orange Ave. Orlando. 32801.

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