SAME-SEX PARENTS TO CREATE BABIES FROM SKIN CELLS WITHIN TWO YEARS
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FACEBOOK PHOTO
CORY BOOKER U.S. Junior Senator from New Jersey
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Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don’t tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all His children. Don’t preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as in how you choose to live and give.
“I am very proud of David [Denson] for having the courage to share his truth. First and foremost, he is a baseball player, and his dream is to make it to the big leagues. He had been struggling with this decision for a while, and it reminded me of my playing days. However, with the supBilly Bean port of his teammates, and the accepting environment created by the Milwaukee Brewers for their players, David made the decision to play baseball as his best self. He now becomes a role model in our sport, and I will be rooting for him everyday.” BILLY BEAN MLB Ambassador for Inclusion
The last 12 months have been very difficult for me to the point where I became concerned with my own mental health. Because of this I am going to step away from the game at this time. I thank the Alouettes for this opportunity and hope to be back on the field some day soon. Thank you all for your understanding and support.
OOPS... Just had a breakdown in hallway of my apartment building that would make both Joan Crawford and Linda Blair blush. I picked up my car earlier today and had not reattached the key thing to the other keys on my keychain and, of course, you know me... I get home after a long, rough sweaty day and what’s missing? My blessed house key, which most likely means I left it… at the office! I was dumping bags, I was chewing out emergency hotline service women. I screamed bloody murder. A nice lady down the hall (who I have never seen my life), offered me water. Angels wept, and I looked sweatier and messier than Whitney Houston at that final pre-Grammy Clive Davis party! Except for the fact that it is not the 1960s and I’m not a lesbian, I am absolutely the modern-day Kitty Genovese of Wilton Manors! EAT FRESH: Damn you, Jared from Subway! The Jewish chubby dork rights movement was gaining momentum until you shamed us with your paying for sex with a minor! My dreams are dashed! THE BRIGHT SIDE: Can’t sleep so I’ll just go over to the fabulous 7-11 near Fort Lauderdale High School to buy some breakfast. I love the clientele at this hour! America's finest! BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS: Is it just me or is every time an unfortunate traffic accident occurs here in Wilton Manors, the police decide that it’s the best decision not to put up a traffic light, but to station about 17 cop cars at every entrance and exit of the city? It’s making me feel like I live in some sort of weird 50s cultish gay Chinese martial law state, and I start worrying about driving 32 miles an hour.
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4 Tag Florida Agenda in your next witty post and your comments could end up on this page!
Random musings this week...
August 19, 2015
MICHAEL SAM NFL player and 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
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KEEGAN HIRST, British rugby player and married father of two children. who came out as a gay man this week.
By Adam Cohen
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“I’m comfortable in my own skin, probably for the first time ever.”
JUST ADAM...
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING... Random thoughts and quotes on Facebook this week
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NEWSWATCH
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WHAT HAPPENED TO DALTON
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of times for LGBTQ Americans. A little more than half a century after a drag queen in the West Village, New York City hurled a high-heel shoe in protest at a police officer, instantly igniting the Stonewall Riot and this nation’s historic fight for equality: 4Gay Americans serve openly and proudly in the highest ranks of elected government, public By office, military, law, PETER education and the private JACKSON sector. 4Same-sex marriage is now legal and recognized in every state. A pleasant consequence is that loving gay families with children are springing up everywhere. 4The majority of the nation, at long last supports, if not applauds, LGBTQ equality and non-discrimination in housing and the workplace. HESE ARE THE BEST
4Incidents of teen suicide, bullying in schools and youth homelessness are alarmingly common if not near epidemic levels.
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FACEBOOK PHOTO | MANDY STUMBO
“If no one ever steps up and says something about the way this stuff is happening, then nothing will ever change...” DALTON MALDONADO
in an interview with the Florida Agenda
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alton Maldonado, 19, has already felt the pain of society’s arrows of hate and discrimination. Dalton came out to a select few friends during his senior year at Betsy Layne High School in Beaver, Kentucky but remained largely closeted. For most of them, his sexuality was no big deal. But for the opposing team at a school basketball match in Lexington, in which Dalton played starter, the fact that he was gay was a big deal. After the game last December, it is understood Dalton was called a “faggot” by an opposing team player who suspected or heard he was gay. “Yeah, baby, can I have your number?” Dalton responded, trying to put on a brave face and diffuse the moment. Words were exchanged and the situation escalated to the point where Dalton and his supportive teammates were essentially chased back to their hotel under the threat of violence by members of the opposing team. Police were called. The hotel was put on lockdown. Reports appear to indicate that school officials minimized the story and pretty much came close to denying it even happened, despite evidence and eyewitness accounts to the contrary. Recently, just a few months after that incident, the school yearbook was published. Individual photos of the basketball team were published – but not the one of their starter. Photographs of Dalton appear elsewhere in the yearbook, but the most important one, proof in years to come of his youthful basketball prowess and athleticism, the one of which he would be most proud, was missing. According to the young man, school officials were unapologetic about the incident until the media, led by the web site Outsports.com, started calling the school board. Only then, under the glare of the national news spotlight, did Floyd County School Board Superintendent Dr. Henry L. Webb acknowledge the omission and offer an apology. He insists that the one missing photo from the school basketball team lineup was the result of human error. [See sidebar for the full statement.] “If no one ever steps up and says something about the way this stuff is happening, then nothing will ever change,” Dalton told the Florida Agenda this week in an CONTINUED 4
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THESE ARE ALSO THE WORST of times for gay Americans. 4In 29 states, you still can be fired from your job just for being homosexual. Transgender individuals have no protections whatsoever in 32 states. Discrimination still exists everywhere, from metropolitan America to small town USA. 4Ignorance, religion and hypocrisy have united in small but very vocal pockets of the nation and acts of hatred and violence against the LGBTQ community are at an unprecedented high.
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How ignorance, bullying and discrimination are affecting America’s 4 LGBTQ youth – and contributing to a homeless youth epidemic
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WHAT HAPPENED TO DALTON CONTINUED from previous page
exclusive interview. “One in four LGBT teens self-harm,” he pointed out. “LGBT teens are four to six times more likely to commit suicide, and nine out of every 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied in school. These numbers will never change if people don’t stand up and use their voice. That’s what I am doing.”
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ew support for LGBTQ homeless youth is coming now from an unlikely source. Singer Miley Cyrus, who raised eyebrows when she took a homeless runaway young man to the MTV Video Music Awards last year and had him accept her VMA for Video of the Year, has put her money where her mouth is by launching a foundation for LGBTQ homeless youth called the Happy Hippie Foundation. (www.HappyHippies.org). Founded late last year, the nonprofit organization is slowly gaining support. That support is badly needed. Some 40% of America’s 1.6 million homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and the suicide rate is reportedly as high as 50%. They are often turned away from homeless shelters because of their gender identity or sexuality. They have nowhere to go. These homeless LGBTQ youth are the product of societal unacceptance and cruel bullying in their early years of life. They are the product of cruel parents who praise the Bible but deny love to their gay children. And they are the product of school boards like the one in Floyd County, Kentucky that fail to support, protect and embrace young, gay Americans.
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NEWSWATCH
One in four LGBT teens self-harm. LGBT teens are four to six times more likely to commit suicide, and nine out of every 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied in school. These numbers will never change if people don’t stand up and use their voice...” EXCLUSIVE | IN HIS OWN WORDS
Dalton Maldonado speaks out Following are excerpts of an interview by the Florida Agenda with Betsy Layne High School student Dalton Maldonado who has turned a spotlight on what he perceives to be LGBTQ discrimination by the school officials in Kentucky.
being bullied in school. These numbers will never change if people don’t stand up and use their voice. That’s what I am doing. What people say about me won’t bother me… But nothing will ever change if someone doesn’t stand up!
Q: The Superintendent of the Board of Education Dr. Henry L. Webb has issued a statement saying any suggestion that the omission of your photo from the yearbook is “totally false and without merit.” Do you believe him? A: Do I think it could’ve been an error? Hmmm, well, I mean it’s possible, but if they overlooked it and all these people [proofed the year book prior to publication], how did they just keep missing me? I don’t understand, but [I feel] this is another story that the school board is willing to cover up. No one even talked about it…[they] just brushed it off until I spoke out...
Q: What advice would you give other kids in schools across the nation who are afraid to come out as gay for fear of bullying and discrimination? A: The most important take away [for LGBT teens] is to be true to yourself. Life may seem hard, and it may seem scary to come out — and it is. But everything will work out. Give it time and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to! There will always be negative [people] no matter who you love or what you do, so just be yourself. At the end of the day that’s all you can do.
Q: You came out as gay during your Q: What do you want to get out of senior year of high school. Tell us how this? classmates and faculty reacted. A: This has nothing to do with me. This A: The students were amazing and uplifthas to do with something much bigger ing! They never treated me any different, than my picture being omitted. When I and always had my back! The staff wasn’t asked the school [about the omission], all bad; some of the teachers were amazthey brushed it off without an explanaing and others were not. I would hear tion or an apology. what some of them would say [that was FACEBOOK PHOTO | MANDY STUMBO After I came out the school treated negative] but also had some that would let Dalton Maldonado has now graduated me awfully and covered up [a previous] me in with open arms! Betsy Layne High School and begins colincident that has affected me terribly. lege this fall at the University of Louisville. People can say I’m doing this for attenQ: What has the support been like to tion, but that’s not the reason. I’m doing this for all the other LGBTQ the yearbook omission by all the other members of the team teens. The way certain school officials treated me wasn’t right, and whose photos were published? the way they covered up my story, then not apologizing over my picA: Around the world I have had amazing support, very sweet peoture… something has to be done. ple and people who have supported and stuck up for me! As far as If no one ever steps up and says something about the way this my community, I have had really good, positive feedback — and stuff is happening, then nothing will ever change. One in four LGBT some extremely negative! I also want to make it clear that this doesteens self-harm. LGBT teens are four to six times more likely to n’t mean all of Kentucky or Betsy Layne High School — just a few commit suicide, and nine out of every 10 LGBT teens have reported [individuals with negative comments].
Photo omitted “through error”
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“Today my office has been contacted by several media outlets asking for our response to an allegation made in an article on the Outsports.com website. According to the author, there was an organized and deliberate attempt by school staff to omit an individual student athlete’s picture from the yearbook because the student athlete had publicly announced that he was gay. “A district level administrator was assigned to conduct an inquiry into the allegation and report his findings directly to me. Yes, the individual picture for the student athlete was omitted from the school’s basketball section through error. According to the photographer, the student athlete did have his picture taken along with other team members but he requested the digital file be sent to him for approval and editing and she did comply with his request. The file was returned by the student athlete to the photographer but the file that was sent by the photographer to the school did not contain a photo for this specific student athlete. During the review process at the school
which involved several different individuals the omission was not found. “As to the assertion there was a deliberate attempt to harass the student athlete by omitting his photograph from the yearbook, that claim is totally false and without merit. The student appears in the yearbook in fifteen separate photos. The photos are both group and individual and one is a Senior Superlative for School Spirit. There are also several photos of the student athlete taken during basketball games. We do acknowledge that none of these images may be as meaningful to the student athlete as his individual basketball picture and we apologize to him and his family for the error. “During this research we discovered that a very limited number of omissions occurred in other schools in our district with the 2014-2015 yearbook. To resolve these unintentional errors, I have directed that any pages where omissions occurred be reprinted as inserts. Any individual who purchased a yearbook and wishes a copy of the insert will be able to obtain one from our office. Expect additional information about that in the near future. “We teach our students that when you make a mistake that you acknowledge your error, express regret and if possible, correct your actions. We can’t expect our children to learn these lessons if we don’t model them.”
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Floyd County Superintendent of schools Dr. Henry L. Webb has issued an apology to gay student basketball player Dalton Maldonado whose photograph was omitted from the school yearbook’s basketball section.
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SCHOOL BOARD RESPONDS
AGENDA SURVEY Was this a case of discrimination? Was Betsy Layne High School’s basketball team member Dalton Maldonado’s photo deliberately omitted from his yearbook because he was gay? Do you have an opinion on LGBTQ teen homelessness? Give us your opinion is 20 words or less.
Q:
954-543-5941
August 19, 2015
SURVEY HOTLINE
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THE AGENDA INTERVIEW
Stampp Corbin served as an advisor to President Obama on LGBTQ issues.
THE MAN BEHIND OUR “GAY” PRESIDENT STAMPP CORBIN, one of President Obama’s LGBTQ advisors during the 2008 presidential elections, talks about the Commander-in-chief’s influence as the nation’s “gay” president, the power of the LGBTQ vote, and the chances of a Republican president in 2016.
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By PETER JACKSON Stampp Corbin is a nationally recognized political strategist who was the Co-Chair of the 2008 Obama National LGBT Leadership Council, and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign. He is currently the publisher of San Diego LGBT Weekly and LGBTweekly.com, as well as the former Chair of the Citizens’ Equal Opportunity Commission in San Diego. JACKSON: The issue of LGBT equality is
destined to be a hot topic in this presidential election with candidates divided roughly along party lines: Democrats basically supporting LGBT equality and Republicans not at all. How do you see this playing out at the polls? CORBIN: You would think the answer to this question would be easy. It is not. In the last presidential election close to 20% of LGBT people voted for the Republican candidate. I expect that the same percentage will vote Republican in 2016. There is not enough space here to psychoanalyze what that is all about. I would never vote for a candidate that was not
in support of African American civil rights since I’m African American, but members of the LGBT community voting for candidates who do not support LGBT rights is too common. Sure there are instances when you have no choice, but when you do why would you vote someone who declares they want you to be a second class citizen? In the end, I believe the 2016 Republican presidential candidate will lose. It is extremely difficult to win a national election when you have policies that do not resonate with the majority of CONTINUED 4
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THE AGENDA INTERVIEW
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CONTINUED from previous page
women, Latinos, African Americans, young Americans or LGBT people. It comes down to demographics and basic math. Q: It is widely acknowledged that the LGBT voters propelled Barack Obama to the presidency. Are LGBT voters increasingly becoming a force that political candidates can no longer ignore? A: The LGBT community has not been ignored. Candidates nationally and locally have mined the coffers and brains of the LGBT community for many years. The change is now they are doing so in the open. Barack Obama was not afraid to court our vote but he understood the power of building a coalition that included LGBT Americans. For decades our community was willing to be the candidate’s mistress; in the background, hidden. The LGBT community is no longer content to be in the shadows while making huge financial commitments and doing outstanding grassroots work on the ground. Our community will now take our rightful place at the table — all the while being open and honest about ourselves. The LGBT community will not be offering its support to candidates who do not voice full throated support of LGBT civil rights.
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Q: President Obama will be remembered as the first “gay” president with his unprecedented support for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. His views on these issues have evolved during his presidency. As one of his advi-
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sors during his race for the White House, what advice did you give him? A: President Obama is a brilliant man and understood the issues facing the LGBT community. I was one of the first people in the campaign focused upon the LGBT community, so I helped develop the LGBT issues that would be addressed by the campaign. For example, I am the person that said our community would be referred to as the LGBT community, not the GLBT or “gay” community. It seems like a big “so what” now, but then it was a major change. I mean on a national political standpoint we went from “gay” to LGBT, skipping the GLBT moniker because of the Obama presidency. I also placed the first presidential campaign ads in history in LGBT media. That was the beginning of publicly opening the door to courting the LGBT community’s vote. The ads were in Ohio and Texas. The president won Ohio and the LGBT community was a significant part of that win. I also was helpful in shaping the responses to some missteps during the campaign like gospel singer Donnie McClurkin. McClurkin is an “ex-gay” and our community was outraged that candidate Obama would have a fundraiser featuring him. To assuage LGBT community outrage and fear, the campaign had an LGBT affirming reverend give the invocation at the event but even that was not enough for some in our community who said they would never vote for Obama. Of course, no one would ever admit that now because of the incredible things that
President Obama has done for our community. Q: What advice would you give the next president of the United States with regard to the LGBT community? A: The LGBT equality page in history has turned because the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality is supported by the Constitution. The next president needs to focus upon ensuring that the message of equality sent by the Supreme Court is realized. I would tell the next president to support the addition of sexual orientation and gender expression into the Civil Rights Act. I would also counsel the next president to remember that equality is not a destination, it is always a journey. Just look at what has happened in the African American community over the last two years. That dream of a post-racial America with the election of President Obama was just that, a dream. I hope that the next president realizes that she, oops I mean, they need to remain vigilant in the pursuit of equal civil rights for LGBT people across all aspects of American life including employment, housing, immigration and adoption rights, to name a few. Q: If a Republican wins the White House in 2016, what are the chances that legislation could be enacted to define marriage as being between a man and a woman? A: Highly unlikely. The response of corporate America to the Religious Freedom Act in Indiana this year, as well as a similar law in
Arkansas, has put fear in moderate Republicans. If Walmart announces they do not support discrimination against LGBT Americans, I think we are beyond the possibility of a marriage amendment passing. Could it be brought to the floor for a vote? Maybe. Passed and enacted into law? No. That ship has passed. Q: What would a Hillary Clinton win in 2016 mean for LGBT equality? A: That’s hard to say. While Secretary Clinton has been a reasonable advocate for the LGBT community, she has not been a true leader in the sense she is clearly politically cautious. That is said with me being a supporter of Secretary Clinton. I believe she will continue to build upon the incredible advances made during the Obama administration, but the “big political win” with the LGBT community has already been accomplished; marriage equality. Secretary Clinton can advance other LGBT civil rights, but in the end, the LGBT civil rights legacy will always be Obama’s. Since I am a political realist, I expect that a President Hillary Clinton will have a number of LGBT civil rights items on her agenda but I think there are very few things on which she can take a bold political stand; perhaps transgender rights. So I expect her to achieve some important gains but they will not be as transformative as those achieved during the Obama presidency. Q: Tell us about San Diego LGBT Weekly. What motivated you to start a gay publication? A: LGBT Weekly was a way to
The LGBT community is no longer content to be in the shadows while making huge financial commitments and doing outstanding grassroots work on the ground...” STAMPP CORBIN
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President Obama is a brilliant man and understood the issues facing the LGBT community...”
keep me connected to LGBT advocacy while living in San Diego. I wanted to ensure that more San Diegans were committed to achieving LGBT equality whether working on the ground or simply writing a check to one of our advocacy organizations. The 2008 presidential election was the ultimate duality, the election of the first African American president and Proposition 8 winning. I was so surprised when 25,000 San Diegans demonstrated in the streets to protest the passing of Prop 8. In fact, I was dumbfounded. Where were all these people before the measure passed? They were not writing checks, they were not volunteering at the phone banks but they could get off their butts to protest after the fact. That and a series of other events led to my establishing San Diego LGBT Weekly.
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Q: You have been a driving force behind the formation of NEPA, the National Equality Publishers Association. What is the purpose and mission of NEPA? A: I am one of many who are the driving forces behind the National Equality Publishers Association. NEPA is an advocacy group for publishers serving the LGBT consumer across the nation. The organization’s mission is two-fold; to share best practices and to provide
an entity that Fortune 500 companies and media buyers can use to engage publishers that have a distinct and unique relationship with the LGBT consumer in local markets. There is going to be significantly increased interest in the LGBT consumer due to the recent marriage equality ruling and the increased acceptance of the LGBT community. At an educational session at our recent Las Vegas conference over 30 major advertisers attended to learn about the LGBT consumer and how to engage with them effectively. Each publisher serving a local LGBT community has expert knowledge about their community. It is this unique relationship that NEPA harnesses to allow advertisers to effectively engage with the LGBT consumer. Just like the journey that American industry has taken with respect to the Latino and African-American markets, NEPA expects to see a change in how many major companies reach the LGBT consumer. NEPA is poised to allow companies to take advantage of the new marketing landscape. NEPA has already achieved significant success. In the coming months, the organization will be announcing significant relationships directly with advertisers and media buyers across the country.
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PETER JACKSON President | Group Executive Publisher
RICHARD HACK Vice President | Content
KEVIN HOPPER Vice President | New York Publisher
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MAURA “MUMBALL” LANE National Advertising Director
A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY STOCK SYMBOL: MMPW
SO WHERE’S THE SUNSHINE?
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that goes by without a significant change happening on the LGBT landscape in Florida. We’ve endured dissent, intimidation, disrespect, and ultimately triumph and vindication. But this state is not without its conservative power brokers who have long since determined that they will not walk easily into the night. The latest insult to be served up from Tallahassee comes via the news that three By lesbian couples RICHARD with recent additions to their HACK families hit a dead-end with the Bureau of Vital Statistics that refused to list two female partners on their newborns’ birth certificates. Florida stands alone among all the 50 states in having this problem — the other 49 having made the appropriate wording changes on documents after the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage has been ruled legal and proper. It is absurd to think that any state department, let alone one which holds power over all of Florida’s health facilities as well as its documents and certificates, needs help to clarify its position. To hear them explain it, the Florida Department of Health doesn’t know what to do when faced with the birth of a baby that has two mommies or two daddies. It would be comical if it weren’t so tragic. Same-sex families are asking for no other rights than every other family is entitled to in the Sunshine State. If a baby has two mothers, list them on the birth certificate. Two fathers? List
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AS I SEE IT
ATELY, THERE IS SELDOM A DAY
August 19, 2015
Published weekly by
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BOBBY BLAIR Founder | CEO
Florida is proud of its reputation for flaunting its ignorance of the law. Certainly Attorney General PAM BONDI had zero problem doing it when she fought tooth and nail against allowing any chance that same-sex couples could possibly marry in this state... them on the birth certificate as well. Too simple? Apparently so. Instead of just getting on with business, Florida’s Bureau of Vital Statistics needs guidance from the courts. The Bureau filed a motion for clarification in Federal court on August 13. In its motion, the Bureau stated, “Florida Statutes require that if the mother is married at the time of birth, the name of the husband shall be entered on the birth record. The gender specific language of the statute appears to preclude married same-sex couples from being listed as parents on birth certificates.”
One could ask why it took seven months for the Bureau to realize that perhaps the wording on its statutes might need to be amended. Same-sex marriage has been legal in this state since January. If anyone was working in Vital Statistics after that point, it is hardly a stretch to expect someone, anyone, to bring up the glaring gaff that exists in the laws as written. But Florida is proud of its reputation for flaunting its ignorance of the law. Certainly Attorney General Pam Bondi had zero problem doing it when she fought tooth and nail against allowing any chance that same-sex cou-
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? The Florida Agenda welcomes signed Letters to the Editor, up to 400 words in length, on topics of general interest to our readers. You may e-mail submissions to Editor@MMPLGBT.com. We also welcome comments on our Facebook page.
ples could possibly marry in this state. She sued, and lost. She appealed, and lost. She appealed again, and lost. All of which brings us to today when the Attorney General’s office says that Bondi’s hands are tied. She can do nothing to bring order to this natural progression of events as samesex couples, now legally married and happily starting families, give birth. According to a spokesperson for Bondi, the Attorney General “is not a party to this lawsuit and has not discussed it with the health department.” Gee, Pam, do you think it might be time to pick up the telephone and actually lead? The Department of Health is administrated by Florida Governor Rick Scott, who relies on you, madam, as his Attorney General, to interpret the law. But no. That would be easy. Too simple. Too accommodating to samesex couples who the current administration just can’t accept. So our lesbian sisters, the very same ones who had to sue for the right to get married, now must sue for the right to have children who carry their names. Miami Beach attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, who with lawyers Mary Meeks of Orlando and Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco, is representing the six mothers. Schwartz had actually anticipated the problem and has been alerting the Bureau of the situation for months. “They have no excuse continuing to delay issuing accurate and lawful birth certificates. They haven’t even explained. Apparently there is some confusion on their part as to what the law is in the state of Florida. To me that is unfathomable,” Schwartz said. “We worked way too hard to win marriage equality in the state of Florida to now have our marriages treated as secondclass.” And they call this “Sunshine”?
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By BOBBY BLAIR
E’RE COMMEMORATING the 300th issue of Florida Agenda, and all of us at Multimedia Platforms Worldwide invite you to join in the celebration. It was just before Thanksgiving in 2009, when the Agenda made its debut, and it is hard to imagine how the time has flown and the progress we, in the LGBT community, have made. We launched our newspaper reporting on the opening of the first LGBT Visitors Center in America, headquartered in Miami. The state of Maine approved a ballot measure making same-sex marriage illegal. And Barack Obama, in the first year of his presidency, was pledging to remove “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from the military. Through the years, we have followed that story and hundreds more, expanding our coverage across the
state with over 150 distribution points—the most of any LGBT publication. As founder and CEO of Multimedia Platforms, I celebrate our progress both as the first publically traded LGBT corporation as well as our growth in the scope of our media and Internet coverage. It’s been a wonderful six years at the forefront of change. We are at the right place and the right time in history to document the transformation of LGBT acceptance and equality. Continue the journey and adventure with us. 300 and counting. I would like to sincerely thank our loyal LGBT readers, our incredible advertisers who have grown with us through the years, and my family at MMP Worldwide, who work tirelessly 24/7 to make this dream a reality. I am truly humbled and always grateful.
Love is still good medicine
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WE’RE 300 STRONG!
DR. DURRELL’S SPIRITUAL PRESCRIPTIONS
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A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER & CEO
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OPINION
August 19, 2015
A young friend of mine recently tested positive for HIV. I was heartbroken. Of course I’m relieved that he got tested, that he knows his status, and that he is seeking treatment. And, I am confident that he will respond well to the treatment and will live a long, productive life. By Rev. Dr. But I also know that care-free, medicationfree days are a thing of the past for him. I know DURRELL the life-saving medications might have inconside-effects. I know that he will worry WATKINS venient about who to tell and when to tell and how to tell about his HIV status, because even in 2015 people with HIV are still often stigmatized. My friend is single, and I know that revealing his status to prospective sexual partners might cause him some embarrassment, regret, and anxiety. And, I imagine that some people will back away from entering into intimacy with this beautiful, delightful young man because of his status. In an age of PrEP and of effective treatments that can help most people manage their HIV, AIDS is not the all-consuming terror that it was in my young adult days. Consequently, we’ve let our guard down a bit, and some in our community have become a bit judgmental of those who seroconvert in this day and age. But the truth is that HIV has not yet been cured (I, for one, continue to hope and pray to see the day when a cure is found and made accessible to all people), and until HIV is cured, some will continue to get it. While I hope that people will be very careful in their romantic lives, I also hope we will remember that HIV isn’t something that anyone deserves. It isn’t bad karma or divine punishment. It is a virus and viruses tend to spread. I don’t want anyone to get HIV ever again, but some will. And for those of us who are HIV positive, I don’t want any of us to ever give up hope for healthy, vibrant lives and I don’t want any of us to ever be ashamed of our health status or afraid that we are unlovable because of it. And because people still must live with HIV, I hope all of us will choose to be supportive, compassionate, and kind. Fear and condemnation didn’t do any good in the 80s and 90s when AIDS was ravishing our community, and fear and condemnation still won’t serve us well today. The old slogan, “Hate HIV, not People with HIV” still rings true for me. HIV will one day be completely defeated, but until that glorious and miraculous day, let us remember to love ourselves and one another. Love is still good medicine, and it is still very much needed.
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Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins is the Senior Minister of Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale.
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August 19, 2015
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CAPITOL BEAT
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By Linda Pentz
From Beefcake To Cupcakes: A Changing Dupont Circle
August 19, 2015
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“Gay cruising” in Washington DC
Photo credit: wikipedia.org
W
here is the gay hotspot in Washington, DC? “Wherever I am,” answered one lovable wise guy when a group of us was asked this question at the start of a historical walking tour conducted by the Rainbow History Project. Of course we thought we already knew the answer: Dupont Circle. But as it turns out, it’s an open question whether Dupont Circle remains the gay epicenter of the nation’s capital, or whether that even matters. Our walk through the neighborhood on a sultry Saturday morning in June, the weekend of Capital Pride, seemed more about what was gone than checking off a list of iconic gay landmarks. Tourists flocking to the District in August, the peak season for visitors, may seek out what they believe to be the city’s gay Mecca. And for many decades, Dupont Circle was indeed that place. But how did it come to be so? The answer
was surprisingly mundane: cheap real estate, explained our guide, Jeff Donahoe, who, with other volunteers at the Rainbow History Project, is collecting an oral history of LGBT Washington, DC, along with giving tours. “It was the late 1960s, there was white flight, and in April 1968, when the riots happened, smoke actually filled Dupont Circle,” Donahoe said. “Real estate was inexpensive, you could get a ratty apartment and find cheap social space.” And you could find other “subversives.” The area was already home in the 1960s to anti-war protesters, the Black Panthers and the alternative music scene among others. It became the perfect training ground for a new and emerging group of activists as the gay liberation movement began to find its footing. Cruising gay bars was still a million miles away, even though the ability to do so was eventually spawned right in the same neighborhood.
But cruising wasn’t an overnight sensation either. When the LGBT community first began to populate Dupont Circle, you could not stand in bars except to wait for tables (this rule applied to all bars not just gay ones.) Nor could you move your own drink, we learned, which had to be done by a waiter. This made bars a difficult place to meet anyone. But it was overcome, Donahoe informed us, by an ingenious idea. Booth numbers and telephones. And so began “gay cruising” — but in a rather sedate way. You could sit in booth 8 and eye a cute guy in booth 15 and give him a call on the phone conveniently placed in every booth. If you wanted to find a gay roommate or an LGBT-friendly hangout, you went to what was colloquially known as the community center, which evolved into Lambda Rising, perhaps the locale’s most important landmark, but which sadly closed
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out to the suburbs for those who want cheaper rent, their own home, or to raise kids. Nearby Logan Circle is vying to replace Dupont Circle as the new gay hot spot now, along with the adjoining 14th Street, NW which is also the capital’s new restaurant row, and offers a decided mixture of chic and eclectic. The drab normality of mattress discount stores on Connecticut Avenue has been eclipsed by upscale trendy furniture stores on 14th street. The annual high-heeled drag race down 17th Street, NW at Halloween now draws straight families and their kids who drive in from the suburbs to pack the sidewalk as spectators. But while DC has always more or less embraced grown men in frocks in their annual dash down 17th street in wobbly stilettos, there were never riots. No Stonewall. Donahoe paused, when asked why not, then explained the culture of DC to his tour group. DC is a political town, he said. Problems here are solved less on the street and more often in the law courts or on Capitol Hill. Rather than protesting, you put on your suit and tie and you deliver your grievance in person. It was an appropriately unexciting answer, rather like the explanation of Dupont Circle’s gay origins and its evolution into homogenous banality. So perhaps our witty wag was right after all. DC’s gay hot spot is now just wherever you happen to be.
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in 2010. Lambda was the inspiration of Deacon Maccubbin who opened it originally as a head shop and craft center called Earthworks. It occupied premises at 1724 20th Street, NW, a street that became the block party precursor to Capitol Pride. Lambda Rising eventually became a popular bookstore but retained its unofficial community center status throughout its existence. Not far away from its original 20th street location was the short-lived lesbian collective, the Furies, which also published a newspaper and where noted out author, Rita Mae Brown, lived while writing Ruby Fruit Jungle. Two moves later and Lambda Rising was, as Donahoe put it, “on main street,” occupying a large storefront on Connecticut Avenue, NW, a major DC thoroughfare. The huge picture windows in front meant that you could not go in or out without being seen. Dupont Circle was finally out. Nearby was Rascals, a drag club that was a distinct departure from more traditional venues and featured three levels of bars and dance spaces. Rascals followed loosely in the footsteps of the more formal training ground provided by The Academy, established in 1961 and which remains a major fixture in the DC drag scene. But at Rascals, smiled Donahoe, “if you had a boom box, a tape and a boa you were in. It was a much more porous way of doing drag.” And then, even before the 2010 closure of Lambda Rising, it all began to change. Where before you might seek out beefcake, today you find cupcakes. The bars and clubs and secret places are now pizza parlors and mattress stores. And although Dupont Circle remains home to a sizable gay population, there has been a new “gay flight”
“while DC has
always more or less embraced grown men in frocks in their annual dash down 17th street in wobbly stilettos.”
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@
Linda Pentz is the Washington correspondent of the Florida Agenda. She can be contacted at lindapentz@mmplgbt.com. Follow her on Twitter @CapitolAgenda
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n n n n n
CLIFF NOTES By Cliff Dunn
No Strings Attached:
Inexpensive Wireless Speakers
UE BOOM SPEAKERS
Last week, we talked about the popularity of wireless speakers and their utility value. The question is, which one is right for you? In the case of Bluetooth speakers, there’s a huge variance in terms of design, performance, and price. But good quality and reasonable price aren’t always far apart. Here’s a few that are worth a look-see:
TBOSE SOUNDLINK COLOR
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TCreative Muvo Mini
August 19, 2015
Weighing in at 1.2 pounds and with a wireless range of 30 feet, Bose SoundLink Color delivers an affordable device that packs full-throated sound and solid battery performance (8 hours). The SoundLink Color provides richer, more balanced sound than other speakers that can sometimes get overpowered by too much Digital Signal Processing (DSP). Unlike other Bluetooth speakers, the SoundLink Color is only a speaker: Lacking a microphone, speakerphone calls are no-go. But it in this price range, and sporting the name “Bose,” it would be a serious test to find something that sounds better. ($129)
Weatherproof and well-endowed (battery-wise: 10 hours), the Creative Muvo Mini sports a set of buttons and a site for tethering your device if it’s capable. This lightweight unit (just over a half-pound) packs a fierce
punch when it comes to sound output, and the under-$60 price tag requires at least a second look. ($59)
TJBL Charge 2 Plus This one is even better than last year’s model. Weighing 1.3 pounds, it’s about the size of a large can of soda, and its ability to tether with three devices (simultaneously!) makes it a must-have at your next spontaneous hall party. The wireless range is over 300 feet, with a whopping 12 hours to the battery life. (It’s also splash-proof and capable of charging your tablet or smartphone. The perfect man—er, speaker.) ($149)
TKoss BTS1 This is one of the more basic units, playing music without a lot of bells and whistles (pun intended). The sound quality is decent, so if low price and no frills is your bag, you won’t be disappointed. ($49)
TUE Boom Weighing just over a pound, the UE Boom has a 15-hour battery life and a wireless range of 50 feet. This unit packs loads of features and its own companion app for iOS and Android, allowing you to customize your own equalized sound and connect it with another UE Boom for a double-dose of surround sound. ($199)
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August 19, 2015
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NATION
Baseball’s David Denson Comes Out As Gay MILWAUKEE (AP)-- Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer David Denson has become the first openly gay active player on a team affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Denson, with the help of former major leaguer Billy Bean, reached out to the newspaper to tell his story. The 20-year-old first baseman plays for the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League. Bean, Major League Baseball’s first ambassador for inclusion, revealed he is gay after his playing career. “Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them,” Denson told the newspaper. “They said, ‘You’re still our teammate. You’re still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You’re still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don’t treat you any different. We’ve got your back.’ “That was a giant relief for me. I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to
know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality.” In June, pitcher Sean Conroy of the Sonoma Stompers of the independent Pacific Association revealed he is gay. The Pacific Association is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Denson was selected by the Brewers in the 15th round in 2013 after playing for South Hills High School in West Covina, California. He spent last season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Class A Midwest League, hitting .243 with four homers and 29 RBI in 68 games. He started this season with Wisconsin, hitting .195 with one homer and eight RBI in 24 games before being sent to Helena. In 42 games with the Montana team, he’s hitting .245 with four homers and 18 RBI. On Saturday night in a doubleheader at Idaho Falls, Denson was 1-for-3 in a 6-1, seven-inning loss and 0-for-5 with an RBI in an 8-7 loss in nine innings. “It’s a lot to take in right now,’’ Denson told the Idaho Falls Post-Register. “I’m a ballplayer first. That’s what I’m focusing on.’’
Brewers minor leaguer David Denson reveals he’s gay (Photo: nypost.com)
August 19, 2015
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Reluctant Kentucky clerk gets time for gay marriage appeal ADAM BEAM Associated Press MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky county clerk who objects to same-sex marriage was given room on Monday to continue denying licenses to gays and lesbians while she takes her case to a federal appeals court. U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis last week to issue licenses to two gay couples despite her objections, and on Monday, the judge said Davis is not entitled to any more delays. But because “emotions are running high on both sides of this debate,” he agreed to put off Monday’s decision while she takes her case to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal. Attorneys on both sides disagreed about the implications. Dan Canon, representing the gay couples, said Davis re-
mains under the judge’s order. But Mat Staver, who represents Davis and is the founder of Florida-based Liberty Counsel, said the convoluted order essentially grants her request for more time. “Nothing the court has issued says you don’t have to abide by this order right now,” Canon said. “We’re reinventing the wheel every day. Like most things we’re just going to have to see how this plays out.” “Their interpretation makes no sense,” Staver countered. “He indicates that he is granting the stay temporarily until the Sixth Circuit rules on our motion to stay, which means we’ve got a stay in the case.” The ruling means the Rowan County Clerk can continue refusing to issue any licenses to couples, gay or straight, thus preventing people from getting marriage
licenses in the county where they live, work and pay taxes, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Kentucky’s governor already told Davis to issue the licenses immediately, or resign. Davis refused to do either, saying she spent months consulting God before deciding that any use of her authority to endorse a same-sex marriage - even delegating the task to a non-objector - would be a sin. “It is comparable to forcing the religious objecting nurse to perform an abortion, the religious objecting company or non-profit to pay for abortions or abortion-related insurance coverage, the religious objecting non-combatant to fire on an enemy soldier, or the religious objecting state official to partici-
pate in or attend the execution of a convicted prisoner,” her attorney Jonathan Christman wrote. Stays of court orders are common to maintain the status quo pending appeals, but this delay only enables the continuation “of an unlawful policy,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys complained. Davis wants Kentucky lawmakers to pass a law allowing county clerks to opt out of issuing marriage licenses for religious reasons. But Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear has declined to call a special session to do that. Davis faces fines and a possible jail sentence for contempt of court if she loses the lawsuit, but she can only be impeached from her $80,000 a year job by the state legislature, and lawmakers won’t reconvene until January.
NATION
photo: arkansasonline.com
Hannah Resigning As Arkansas Chief Justice At End Of Month ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, AK (AP) - Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Hannah said Thursday he’s resigning at the end of August because of health problems, months after accusing other justices of unnecessarily delaying proceedings in a gay marriage case. Hannah announced he’s leaving the post more than a year before his eight-year term expires. Hannah had been widely expected to not seek re-election next year. “In recent weeks I have been challenged by a significant health issue,” he said in a prepared statement. “Having the utmost respect for my job as chief justice and the business of the court, I have made a decision to tender my resignation effective at the end of August 31, 2015 to focus full-time on addressing my immediate health condition.” Hannah and Associate Justice Paul Danielson earlier this year accused other members of the court of delaying the lawsuit over Arkansas’ gay marriage ban by creating a separate case over which justices could hear the appeal. The court eventually ruled that Justice Rhonda Wood, who joined the court in January, should participate in the case rather than a special justice who sat on the court during oral arguments last year. In a letter recusing from the spinoff case, Hannah wrote that the court’s majority “has created out of whole cloth an issue to delay the disposition” in the gay marriage case. Hannah said he’ll be “forever grateful” for his time on the court. “There is no greater honor that a person can receive than to have another person place his or her trust and confidence in you,” Hannah said. “I want to thank the people of Arkansas who placed their trust and confidence in me and allowed me to serve them on their Arkansas Supreme Court.”
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Donated blood is tested for safety and to detect diseases, yet blood from a gay person is treated differently, Rasmussen said. Blood donors for the sculpture include the Rev. John Moody, an 88-year-old gay, Episcopal priest; Kelsey Louie, the CEO of Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, a leading provider of HIV and AIDS prevention and care; and former Army Capt. Anthony Woods who served two tours in Iraq and was discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy before he was reinstated in 2014. Other donors include an LGBT activist from Nigeria who received political asylum in the United States and a transgender man who is married to another transgender man. Another sculpture will feature blood bags, collection tubes and other medical equipment used during the blood donation process. Eagles also collaborated with fashion designer Jonny Cota who created a flag made from material soaked in the blood of the nine donors. The Food and Drug Administration instituted a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay men in 1983 in response to the AIDS crisis. This year, the FDA proposed an updated policy allowing donations from gay men who have not had sex with another man in the last year. Opponents say the updated policy requires gay men to remain celibate, while heterosexuals are not held to the same standard, regardless of their risk for contracting HIV.
Chief Justice Jim Hannah
August 19, 2015
BRETT ZONGKER Associated Press WASHINGTON, DC (AP) - A Washington museum will exhibit a sculpture that uses the blood of nine gay, bisexual and transgender men to protest the federal ban on blood donations from men who have sex with other men. The American University Museum will showcase Jordan Eagles’ sculpture, entitled “Jordan Eagles: Blood Mirror,” in an exhibit opening Sept. 12. The artwork includes blood donations encased in resin. Blood for the exhibit came from nine accomplished people who are banned from donating blood. Eagles is known for using blood in his artwork. Showcasing blood in an exhibit may sound gruesome to some, but the piece is “quite elegant and beautiful,” said Museum Director Jack Rasmussen. The artwork is a three-sided rectangle that will allow visitors to step inside it. The idea is that viewers can see themselves reflected through the blood in the sculpture. The museum is staging the exhibit as a protest of the ongoing federal policy. “It was kind of shocking to hear that in this day and age we’re still stigmatizing people because of their sexual preference. It just seemed kind of outrageous,” Rasmussen said. “So this is kind of a way of drawing attention to what is no longer really acceptable - that you can discriminate against people by virtue of their sexual orientation. That’s all this is.”
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Artist Jordan Eagles photo: lista.20minutos.es
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Blood From Gay Donors In Art Exhibit Protesting FDA’s Ban
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August 19, 2015
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August 19, 2015
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SUNSHINE STATE LGBT anti-discrimination bill introduced
TALLAHASSEE—State senator Joe Abuzzo (D-Boynton Beach) and state representative Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) introduced the “Florida Competitive Workforce Act,” to amend the state’s existing anti-discrimination statue to include “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.” A business consortium called Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce is supporting the measure, saying a uniform law — rather than a patchwork of local ordinances, as is the case now — across the state is necessary for Florida to attract and retain talent and new jobs. “In order to remain economically competitive in a global marketplace, Florida must provide an environment that is welcoming to all,” Abruzzo said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Recruiting and retaining talent regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity will only serve to enhance our reputation and augment our economic viability.” Raschein, who represents the LGBT-friendly Florida Keys, stressed the economic impact of the bill, HR 95, as well. “It’s good for business. It’s good for recruiting the best and the brightest
Holly Raschein and Joe Abuzzo (Photo: floridapolitics.com)
... the Competitive Workforce Act makes good sense economically and benefits employers and employees by offering a law that is consistent across the state.
August 19, 2015
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Osceola County passes anti-discrimination ordinance KISSIMMEE--Osceola County unanimously passed a new human rights ordinance this week requiring business owners to serve anyone who walks in their doors, regardless of their sexual orientation. The County Commission voted after hearing arguments from the public on both sides of the issue Monday evening. The ordinance prohibits someone from denying a person employment, housing or public accommodations based on their sexual orientation. Supporters said they just wanted to make sure lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are given equal rights. “There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to do what they want to do,” said Jennifer Thomas, of St. Cloud. “Gay and lesbian people are just as normal as anybody else.” Religious institutions and their affiliates, lodge halls and other private organizations are exempt from the ordinance.
to Florida. We want to make sure Florida is as friendly as possible to all people, while bolstering a competitive advantage in today’s evolving marketplace,” said Raschein. Patrick Geraghty, leader of the FBCW coalition supporting the bill, lauded the lawmakers’ efforts. “Business leaders across Florida applaud Sen. Abruzzo and Rep. Raschein for filing this fundamental piece of legislation that will signal Florida as an inclusive state where success is determined by hard work, and not held back by legally sanctioned discrimination,” said Geraghty, CEO of Florida Blue. The business group, made up of 34 large Florida employers including CSX, Raymond James, and Walt Disney World Resort among others, said that although 55 percent of Floridians already live in a city or county that has passed a so-called “human rights ordinance” recognizing LGBTQ rights, a state law would send a clearer message that Florida does not discriminate.
Michael Sam Quits Pro Football (again) TAMPA (AP)— Michael Sam is stepping away from pro football. Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, has told the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes that he is leaving the team. “The last 12 months have been very difficult for me, to the point where I became concerned with my mental health,” Sam tweeted Friday. “Because of this, I am going to step away from the game at this time.” The Alouettes confirmed in a release that Sam has left the club for “personal reasons” and that he has been added to the team’s suspended list. Sam agreed to a two-year deal with the Alouettes this summer. He left training camp June 12, citing personal reasons, and sat out the team’s first five games. Sam was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Rams, did not make the team, and spent some time on the Cowboys’ practice squad before being released.
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SUNSHINE STATE
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Gay Couples Sue Florida Over Names On Birth Certificates
August 20, 7pm AIDS Museum Tour, RSVP at 954-610-5166 1201 N.E. 26 St., Suite 111, at Wilton Station
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to put an end to the harms the Bureau is causing. The children in these families deserve to be protected, and the State of Florida’s continuing disregard for their well-being is unconscionable.” According to Equality Florida, not having an accurate birth certificate denies children with same-sex parents the dignity, legitimacy, security, support, and protections available upon birth to children of married differentsex parents. It also prevents parents from taking care of their children’s everyday needs like obtaining healthcare, making medical decisions, signing up for daycare, and enrolling in government programs and benefits. The lawsuit asks the court to order the Department of Health and the Bureau of Vital Statistics to stop violating the law by refusing to issue birth certificates that list both parents when a child is born to a married same-sex couples, just as the State of Florida does for children born to married different-sex spouses. In August of last year, Judge Robert L. Hinkle issued a decision striking down Florida’s marriage ban and ordering state officials, including Florida’s Surgeon General, who oversees the Department of Health, to treat married same-sex couples and their children equally in all respects. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a nationwide ruling, confirming that state marriage bans are unconstitutional. Ironically, the new lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Linkle’s court. Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage ended Jan. 6.
August 19, 2015
TALLAHASSEE— The first couple issued a same-sex marriage license in Florida is suing the state, saying that its Bureau of Vital Statistics still won’t allow hospitals to list both samesex parents on birth certificates. Cathy Pareto and Karla Arguello filed the lawsuit last Thursday in federal court in Tallahassee. Pareto and Arguello recently had twins. Two other married, samesex couples also are part of the lawsuit: Debbie and Kari Chin of St. Petersburg; and Yadira Arenas and Alma Vezquez of Winter Haven. The plaintiffs are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Florida attorneys Mary Meeks and Elizabeth Schwartz. “Attorney General Pam Bondi could have avoided yet another costly lawsuit by directing all state agencies to simply comply with the law. Instead she turned her back on repeated requests to take action,” said Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida. “Birth certificates are the first official document that represent a new born baby’s family. Having an inaccurate birth certificate hinders parents’ ability to take care of their child and access important legal benefits and protections. Denying our families this is not only spiteful and harmful, it is illegal.” The State of Florida is violating the law every day that it denies accurate birth certificates to children born to married samesex couples,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR’s Legal Director. “After months of urging the Bureau of Vital Statistics to comply with the law, we are asking the court
August 19, 2015
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Business Directory /floridaagenda
CONTACT NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, MAURA “MUMBALL” LANE AT 954-543-5947 OR MAURALANE@MMPLGBT.COM TO GET ON THE LIST.
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Sterling Tax & Accounting 2435 N Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-667-9829 / sterlingandhart.com
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Law Offices of Caro Kinsella 20801 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 403 Miami, FL 33180 954-304-2243 / immigrationlawyerfl.com
Holy Angels Catholic Community 2917 NE 6th Avenue Wilton Manors, FL 33334 954-633-2987 / holyangelsfl.org
Dean Trantalis Attorney 2255 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-2226 / trantalislaw.com
Etz Chaim 1501 NE 26th Street Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-564-9232 / etzchaimflorida.org
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Bove Dental 2500 E Oakland Park Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954-564-0181 / bovedentistry.com Wilton Manors Dental 2517 N.E. 9th Avenue Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-564-4746 / wiltonmanorsdental.com
EVENTS I DO Custom Events PO Box 2357 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-626-0131 / idocustomevents.com Source Events 605 Lincoln Road, #410 Miami Beach, FL 33139 305-672-9779 / sourceevents.com
FITNESS Pump’n Inc Tom Bonanti 1271 NE 9th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-557-1119 / pumpnincgym.com
FINANCIAL Las Olas Financial Group 3000 NE 30th Place, Suite 206 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 844-779-7936 / lasolasfinancialgroup.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
SPA / MASSAGE
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HEALTH / MEDICAL
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Dennis Dean Images 3554 NE 12th Avenue Oakland Park, FL 33334 954-240-8307 / dennisdean.com
PROMOTIONALS
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INSURANCE We Insure 1975 E Sunrise Blvd, Suite 602 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-903-7519 / weinsurefl.com
OPTICAL Island City Eyecare 2301 Wilton Drive, Suite C1 Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-764-6906 / visionsource-ice.com
ORGANIZATIONS
Out of the Closet 2097 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-358-5580 / outofthecloset.org
UPHOLSTERY
Galleria International Realty 945 Las Olas Boulvard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-234-8759 / galleriarealtors.com Joe Grano Realtor 1881 NE 26th Street, Suite 212 Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-931-0031 / joegrano.com
PLASTIC SURGERY Dr. Daniel Man 851 Meadows Rd, Belle Terre Building Boca Raton, FL 33486 888-822-7543 / drman.com Take Shape Plastic Surgery, P.A. 4161 NW 5th St, Suite 100, Plantation, FL 33317 954-585-3800 / takeshape.info
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CREEP OF THE WEEK
By D’Anne Witowski
Todd Courser Michigan State Reps. Todd Courser (R-Lapeer) and Cindy Gamrat (R-Plainwell), two of the most rightwing and extreme members of the Legislature, have been doing it for quite some time now. Not surprisingly, Courser and Gamrat really didn’t want their affair revealed. Both are married, (not to to each other, duh) and both have multiple kids. But these things have a way of refusing to remain hidden. And so, on the day his affair was revealed, Courser lamented, “It’s a crushing day for those who believe in traditional marriage and traditional morality.” Just kidding. That’s what he said after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality while Courser was defending traditional marriage with his penis. Now, rumors about the affair had been swirling for months. Political sex scandals are a dime a dozen these days, but what makes this one interesting is that Courser and Gamrat are conservative Christians who seem to think they are holier than thou. Oh, and the gay sex Courser paid for “behind a Lansing nightclub!” Except that never happened. Courser just wanted people to think it had. Back in May, an anonymous email making all sorts of colorful allegations against Courser was sent to Republicans across Lansing. “He is a bi-sexual porn addicted sex deviant!” the email reads. “He is a gun toting bible thumping cock sucking freak! His whole (personality) is a sham!” The entire email is riddled with typos and grammar errors. It’s the kind of thing that even your most insane right-wing uncle wouldn’t forward. Courser has now admitted to sending the email out in order to cover up the news about his affair. “My actions in and around these events and the email that was sent to misdirect attention were my doing both in planning and execution,” he said in a statement on his website. See, the accusations in the email are so ghastly, that an affair with a female colleague seems tame by comparison. And, of course, what could be more
Photo: Michigan State Reps. Todd Courser by mlive.com
terrible than being gay or bisexual! Even Courser admits that it was a bad idea. “I was running on no sleep for days and no food and was simply on auto pilot” when he released the email, he says. Sounds a lot like the “Twinkie Defense.” Granted, Courser’s email blast might seem to many like a very immature, and totally crazy, way to avoid taking personal responsibility for his actions. And that’s exactly what it was revealed to be during a taped conversation Courser had with an aide during which Courser spilled the beans about the plan and wanted the aide to send out the email. And the aide was all, “Bro, that’s crazy,” and Courser was like, “Just do it,” apparently unconcerned that asking his aide to take a fake sick day to send out fake incriminating spam email is spending tax payer money for such a thing. Which is illegal. Courser has apologized and admitted to the affair, but claims the email was a very clever and calculated move to deal with some anonymous figure or figures trying to blackmail him to get him to resign. In other news, Courser is a very big fan of Spy vs. Spy. To borrow from a sage’s own words, “It’s a crushing day for those who believe in Courser’s bullsh*t.”
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HEALTHWATCH
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Heart Disease May Be A Choice By Dr. Don Fisher
In 2013, the International Journal of Epidemiology reprinted a landmark article from the ‘50s that started out with a shocking statement: “In the African population of Uganda, coronary heart disease is almost non-existent.” Our number one cause of death in the United States almost nonexistent in another country? What were they eating? According to the report: Plantains and sweet potatoes, other vegetables, corn, millet, pumpkins, tomatoes, and “green leafy vegetables are taken by all.” Their protein was almost entirely from plant sources, and they had the cholesterol levels to prove it, similar to modernday plant-eaters. “Apart from the effects of diet and of the blood cholesterol levels,” the researchers couldn’t figure out any other reasons for their freedom from heart disease.
These 50-year-old findings are still relevant today. They showed “dietary intake to be a key, modifiable, established and well-recognized risk factor for heart attacks. This contrasts with the rather desperate search in recent decades for even newer cardiovascular risk factors.” We have the only risk factor we need — cholesterol. We’ve known it for 50 years, and we can do something about it. According to the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, the only risk factor required for atherosclerotic plaques to form is elevated LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in our blood. Dr. William Clifford Roberts is the distinguished cardiac pathologist who doubles as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology.
TO DROP OUR LDL (BAD) CHOLESTEROL, WE NEED TO DROP OUR INTAKE OF THREE THINGS: ITrans fat (found in junk food and animal foods) ISaturated fat (found in mostly animal foods) IDietary cholesterol (found exclusively in animal
foods)
Heart disease may be a choice. Choosing to eat a whole food plant-based diet will significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.
@
Dr. Don Fisher, D.O., is a physician and the medical director of The Best Program, Inc., in Fort Lauderdale. Contact him online at www.TheBestProgram.net.
FAST FIT By Richard Hack and Andy Kress, Baby Boomers’ Guide to the Fountain of Youth
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The US is a country where 66% of the adults are either overweight or morbidly obese—the highest rate among developed countries in tthe he world.
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The body can naturally produce only 11 of the 20 amino acids it needs to survive. The other nine are only available through the consumption of food or supplements. s upplements.
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An obese person’s fat cells can grow 50 to 100 times larger than the fat cells of someone who is thin. Losing weight causes the fat cells to shrink to normal size.
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Stretching before exercise is not recommended. Abnormally elongating muscles that are cold and tight through stretching risks tears, strains, or tendon damage. Instead, warm up your muscles through slow and repeated movement. Save any stretching for post-workout.
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COME CHECK OUT OUR AWESOME SELECTION OF BALL WEIGHTS.
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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
Free the Bacon
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PUZZLE
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Across
45 Jolie of The Bone Collector 49 River near Michelangelo’s David 50 See 33-Across 51 Diana of The Avengers 52 Greek group, for short 53 Drag queen on the make 54 Not hard to get in bed 55 Lovers that you can’t get over 56 Mireille of World War Z
Down
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1 Canadian comedian Mort 2 Penetrating reed 3 Copped a tactile experience? 4 Group with a lot of athletic supporters 5 Depp’s cross-dressing role 6 The sky, for some 7 Nitty-gritty 8 Hansberry’s A Raisin in the ___ 9 Lover with a ladder 10 “Free bacon” 11 Big name in shoes 12 Longs, to a Samurai? 17 Ban targets 20 Hurler Hershiser 22 Golden showers cry? 23 Skater Sonja 24 Leaves out 25 1998 movie in which Kevin’s “bacon” was “free” 26 Have the big O 27 African tongue
28 Pasture population 30 Social activist Addams 33 Pirate’s treasure 34 Shakespeare’s Juliet, to Romeo 36 They have foamy heads 37 Track athlete 39 It gets delivered in the end 40 Ballet wear 42 Ready for drawing 43 Cab money on the nightstand 44 Aida solo 45 Kinky coif 46 Aerosmith’s “Love ___ Elevator” 47 Sea bottom captain 48 Biters of Caesar’s girlfriend 50 Frequently, to Emily Dickinson
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1 Love seat, e.g. 5 Desire Under the ___ 9 2015 award for Laverne Cox 13 His brother laid him in his grave 14 Deity to Debussy 15 Arsenic’s old partner 16 2000 movie in which Kevin’s “bacon” was “free” 18 Buck heroine 19 Cole Porter song that was a hit for Eartha Kitt 20 Begins, on Broadway 21 Blow the whistle 22 Little chirper 23 Disney lyricist Ashman 26 Angels with rosy cheeks 29 Eastern leadership 30 Grey of Cabaret 31 Morse bit 32 Zips 33 With 50-Across, HBO series in which Kevin says there should be more “free bacon” 34 “Come here often?” is one 35 “___ be a pleasure!” 36 Excellent 37 Dull surface 38 Getty of The Golden Girls 40 Emulate half of the Odd Couple 41 Tinted 42 Slick with lubricant 43 Blows it
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WEEK
By Patrick Robert
Jacksonville
Orlando
8/20
8/21
Matchbox Twenty lead singer and songwriter Rob Thomas has had a successful solo career apart from his work with the popular rock band. He earned three Grammy Awards for his collaboration with Santana on the 1999 single “Smooth” and has maintained a constant touring schedule. An article he wrote for the Huffington Post supporting gay marriage in 2009 went viral and solidified his status as a major LGBT ally. 7:00 p.m. Saint Augustine Amphitheatre. 1340 A1A South St. Saint Augustine. 32080.
Remember Senior Skip Day in high school? Well, Orlando has an entire City Skip Day in which workers are encouraged to take off from work in order to start the weekend early. The event offers free Yuengling until the kegs run dry along with street games hosted by the team from the Power 95.3 morning show. 12:00 p.m. Wall Street Plaza. 25 Wall St. Orlando. 32801.
Rob Thomas
8/20
Lyle Lovett & His Large Band The ex-Mr. Julia Roberts’ has had a career almost as important as his quick marriage to the Runaway Bride star. He has produced fourteen albums and won a slew of awards, including four Grammy Awards and the American Music Associations’ inaugural Trailblazer Award. His music spans and fuses the genres of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues. 7:30 p.m. ThrasherHorne Center for the Arts. 283 College Dr. Orange Park. 32065.
8/22
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Lil Duval
One of Cedric the Entertainer’s protégés, Lil Duval has appeared in videos for Three 6 Mafia, T.I., and Yung Joc. The Jacksonville native is well known on Twitter, having started the infamous rape culture trending hashtag “#itaintrape.” Despite this possibly offensive contribution to our culture, Lil Duval has remained a consistent part of today’s comedy landscape. 8:00 p.m. Florida Theatre. 128 E. Forsyth St. Jacksonville. 32202.
Orlando City Skip Day
8/22
2015 Red Bull Finals
B-boying is a style of street dance most popularly known as breakdancing, and Red Bull BC One is the most coveted prize in B-Boying. Tonight’s National Finals will include gravity-defying moves, rhythmic beats, and truly unbelievable performances from the country’s best B-boy artists. 7:00 p.m. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. 445 S. Magnolia Ave. Orlando. 32801.
8/22
Orlando Food Tour Downtown Orlando’s restaurant scene is experiencing a renaissance as foodie-favorite restaurants open on every block. The Orlando Food Tour allows guests to walk through Downtown and stop to enjoy tastings at five of the city’s best restaurants: Artisan’s Table, Fergs, Le Gourmet Break, Avenue Gastrobar, and The Golden Knife. 2:00 p.m. Orange Ave and Washington St. Orlando. 32801.
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8/21
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McGraw has been an outspoken supporter of LGBT rights, even before it was de rigueur in American society. He has also succeeded wildly in the country music world, winning almost every award imaginable for the genre. Tonight he will perform such hits as “It’s Your Love,” “Just to See You Smile,” and “My Best Friend.” 7:00 p.m. Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre. 601-7 Sansburys Way. West Palm Beach. 33411.
When not cameo-ing in good friend Adam Sandler’s films, Rob Schneider is creating his own commercially successful if critically panned movies. The late, great Roger Ebert once famously wrote in his review of a Schneider film, “Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movies sucks.” Despite these critical drubbings, the Saturday Night Live alum has amassed modest success and will be performing his stand-up comedy tonight at the Improv. 8:00 p.m. Improv Comedy Theater. 1600 E. Eighth Ave. Tampa. 33605.
Tim McGraw
8/21
Fleetwood Max Even though Fleetwood Mac’s tour stop in South Florida is long gone, their music still lives on in the area thanks to tribute band Fleetwood Max. Songs like “Don’t Stop,” “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Gypsy” and “Landslide” will be recreated Downtown at the Gardens. 7:00 p.m. Downtown at the Gardens. 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. Palm Beach Gardens. 33410.
8/22
RICKEY SMILEY
8/22 Funk Fest
Funk Fest features some of the best performers of old-school hip hop, travelling across the United States for daylong music festivals which celebrate top artists from the ‘90s. This year’s lineup includes Jodeci, SWV, Dru Hill, Trick Daddy, 8Ball, MJG, 2 Live Crew, and Demtria McKinney. 4:00 p.m. Raymond James Stadium. 4201 N. Dale Mabry Highway. Tampa. 33607.
8/23
Yes and Toto
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Two of the world’s most renowned rockers. Yes’ fourth album Fragile and subsequent hit single “Roundabout” catapulted them to superstardom. Some of their most popular tracks include the heavily played “I’ve See All Good People” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” Toto’s best hits include “Rosanna,” “Hold the Line,” and “Africa.” 7:00 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall. 1111 N. McMullen-Booth Rd. Clearwater. 33759.
August 19, 2015
Clean language standup comedian Rickey Smiley is best known for hosting the #1 hip-hop radio morning show, The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, in which he often conducts infamous prank phone calls on unsuspecting recipients. When not performing standup, Smiley has acted in several films, including a major role in Ice Cube’s Friday After Next. 8:00 p.m. Palm Beach Improv. 550 S. Rosemary Ave. West Palm Beach. 33401.
Rob Schneider
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WEEK
By Patrick Robert
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After literally quitting her day job (as an electrical engineer in 2003), Loni Love rose up the ranks in standup comedy. She was the runner-up on Star Search 2006; this accomplishment led to more opportunities, including a stint as the CNN correspondent for D.L. Hughley Breaks the News and her own one-hour Comedy Central special, America’s Sister. 8:00 p.m. Fort Lauderdale Improv. 5700 Seminole Way. Hollywood. 33314.
Telemundo celebrates U.S. Latino pop culture with this star-studded awards show honoring the musicians, telenovelas, actors, and sports stars that have contributed to Latino culture flourishing in the States. The night boasts an array of music, including special performances from Puerto Rican salsa singer Victor Manuelle, new Colombian urban music sensation J. Balvin, Mexican singer Regulo Caro, Jamaican singer Kymani Marley, and actor and singer Jencarlos Canela. 8:00 p.m. American Airlines Arena. 601 Biscayne Blvd. Miami. 33132.
Loni Love
8/26 Bug
In a seedy motel room outside Oklahoma City, Agnes hides from her abusive ex-con ex-husband. She begins a drug-fueled romance with possible AWOL Gulf War veteran Peter within the claustrophobic confines of her hotel room. Their relationship grows more and more intense, leading to mounting tension and an attack by real bugs. 8:00 p.m. Abyss Theatre. 2304 N. Dixie highway. Wilton Manors. 33305.
8/26 The Mix
8/22
Umphrey’s McGee Although it is a part of the same jam band scene as Phish and the Grateful Dead, Umphrey McGee’s music is much more influenced by rock artists like Yes, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and even Led Zeppelin. Throughout its eighteen-year career, McGee has experimented with a number of genres, including metal, funk and folk. Their albums include Death by Stereo, Similar Skin, and Mantis. 9:00 p.m. The Fillmore Miami Beach. 1700 Washington Ave. Miami Beach. 33139.
8/23 Lazy Fair
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A simple burglary turns into a lot more trouble than expected when a greedy man’s unshakeable avarice leads to more and more problems. The play explores the consequences of greed and whether enough is ever enough when it comes to money. Mad Cat members Ken Clement, Meredith Bartmon, and Andy Quiroga star in the play. 8:00 p.m. Miami Theater Center. 9806 NE Second Ave. Miami Shores. 33138.
August 19, 2015
Le Boy Bar hosts this month’s premiere LGBTQ networking event, The Mix. Each month, Guy Magazine and the Wilton Manors Development Alliance present two hours of cocktails and hors d‘oeuvres for Wilton Manors’ business professionals. Rub shoulders with lawyers, advertising agents, writers from this newspaper, and many other successful professionals from our glittering community. 6:30 p.m. le Boy Bar. 1243 NE 11th Ave. Fort Lauderdale. 33304.
Premios Tu Mundo
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