Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida

2008 United States Conference on AIDS Comes to Fort Lauderdale

Editorial by Paul A. Kawata, Executive Director, National Minority AIDS Council - Sponsor of the 2008 United States Conference on AIDS, Set for September 18-21, at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center:

Dear Residents of Ft. Lauderdale:

We at the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) are so excited to be holding our 12th annual United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) this September 18-21 in your beautiful city. We moved the conference to the Greater Broward/Ft. Lauderdale Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale after our original venue in Miami informed us in August that it would not open in time for our meeting.

I just celebrated 19 years as Executive Director at NMAC, which gives you a lot of perspective when it comes to challenges like this. While I never doubted that we could overcome this obstacle, my hat is off to the Ft. Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward Convention Center, NMAC staff and USCA Miami Host Committee members. They took this year's conference theme, "Looking Back, Moving Forward," to heart, seamlessly transitioning USCA and its 4,000 participants from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale in less than four weeks! Without their incredible know-how and dedication, we wouldn't be holding USCA at all – a meeting that has never been as important to the AIDS community than now.

USCA is not just any professional health care meeting. It is the largest annual AIDS-related meeting in the United States, bringing together HIV/AIDS professionals working on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic throughout the nation, its territories and Native American reservations together to learn new skills and build partnerships. The information they take home will enable them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively, and help improve – and save – countless lives. Indeed, we estimate that information shared among our participants probably touches the lives of over 100,000 people.

NMAC also leverages USCA to help raise awareness about the continued impact of HIV/AIDS domestically – especially in a time when many so many people think AIDS is "something happening somewhere else." That idea couldn't be farther from the truth – or more deadly to the health of this nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that HIV incidence rates are approximately 40% higher than previously thought, with 56,300 – not 40,000 – new HIV infections occurring in 2006 alone. Even more alarming is the disproportionate impact of AIDS continues to have on communities of color. Of these new infections, African Americans accounted for nearly half, at 45%, followed by Latinos at 17%. Native Americans and Asian and Pacific Islanders reported alarming increases in overall HIV incidence.

The state of Florida has been heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS, and was second only to New York in the number of HIV cases reported in 2006. It ranked third, after New York and California, in the number of cumulative AIDS cases that year. Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to bear the largest
share of AIDS cases in the U.S. – and Florida. In Miami-Dade County alone, approximately 1 in 6 MSM are living with HIV. And with a large retirement and senior citizen community, Florida also faces the challenge of the increasing number of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in people 50 and older.

But education is the key to stopping AIDS in its tracks, and I hope you will join us in the struggle to make AIDS history. To learn what you can do, visit us online at www.nmac.org, or become a friend of the National Minority AIDS Council on Facebook! And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) or info@nmac.org.

Yours in the Struggle,

Paul A. Kawata

National Suicide Prevention Week runs through Sept. 13

News release from Switchboard of Miami:

Did you know that, in the United States, one person commits suicide every 16 minutes? Or that it’s estimated that more than 5 million people in the United States have been directly affected by a suicide?

Experts believe that most suicidal individuals do not want to die -- they just want to end the pain they are experiencing. Professionals also know that suicidal crises tend to be brief. When suicidal behaviors are detected early, lives can be saved. September 7 through September 13 is National Suicide Prevention Week. Please join Switchboard of Miami, Inc. in supporting suicide prevention.

While there is no single predictor of suicide, there are some warning signs. These may include:

1. Talking about suicide or death.

2. Being preoccupied with death and dying.

3. Withdrawing from friends or social activities.

4. Experiencing a recent, severe loss or threat of one.

5. Displaying drastic changes in behavior.

6. Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, etc.

7. Unexpectedly creating a will or final arrangements.

8. Giving away prized possessions.

9. Previously attempting suicide.

10. Taking unnecessary risks by being reckless or impulsive.

11. Losing interest in one’s personal appearance.

12. Increased use of alcohol or drugs.

13. Expressing a sense of hopelessness.

14. Facing a humiliating situation or failure.

15. Having a history of violence or hostility.

16. An unwillingness to "connect" with potential helpers.

If you or someone you know experiences any of these, please contact 1-800-784-2433 immediately. Our confidential services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Together we can reduce the number of lives shaken by a needless and tragic death.

Sincerely,

Catherine F. Penrod, CEO

Switchboard of Miami, Inc.

Palin church promotes converting gays

BY RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

"You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

Palin's conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain's candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.

Focus on the Family, a national Christian fundamentalist organization, is conducting the "Love Won Out" Conference in Anchorage, about 30 miles from Wasilla.

Palin, campaigning with McCain in the Midwest on Friday, has not publicly expressed a view on the so-called "pray away the gay" movement. Larry Kroon, senior pastor at Palin's church, was not available to discuss the matter Friday, said a church worker who declined to give her name.

Gay activists in Alaska said Palin has not worked actively against their interests, but early in her administration she supported a bill to overrule a court decision to block state benefits for gay partners of public employees. At the time, less than one-half of 1 percent of state employees had applied for the benefits, which were ordered by a 2005 ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court.

Palin reversed her position and vetoed the bill after the state attorney general said it was unconstitutional. But her reluctant support didn't win fans among Alaska's gay population, said Scott Turner, a gay activist in Anchorage.

"Less than 1 percent of state employees would even apply for benefits, so why make a big deal out of such a small number?" he said.

"I think gay Republicans are going to run away" if Palin supports efforts like the prayers to convert gays, said Wayne Besen, founder of the New York-based Truth Wins Out, a gay rights advocacy group. Besen called on Palin to publicly express her views now that she's a vice presidential nominee.

"People are looking at Sarah Palin as someone who might feasibly be in the White House," he said.

Miami-Dade gay-rights group SAVE names Carlos 'CJ' Ortuño executive director

SAVE news release:

Miami, Florida -Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) has named Miami fund-raiser and business executive Carlos "CJ" Ortuño as its new executive director.

Ortuño's selection follows an intensive, nationwide search involving more than 120 individuals in Miami-Dade and beyond.

CJ Ortuno was the Director of Development for Hands On Miami, a nonprofit social entrepreneurial organization engaging citizens in over 100 monthly volunteer action projects. There he was responsible for raising Hands On Miami's 2 million dollar budget. By developing sustainable partnerships with individuals, corporations, government agencies, and foundations, CJ helped create synergistic solutions to community problems in the form of cash contributions.  The first to achieve a college degree in his family, he graduated from Florida International University with a BA in History.

Raised in Miami, Florida, CJ now lives on South Beach with his wife Charlene and four-month-old daughter, Amalia. Recently, CJ graduated from Leadership Miami class of 2008.  His passion and dedication to the public sector has benefited children, the environment, and the disadvantaged.

"CJ is just the person we need to build on our successes of these last 15 years," SAVE Board Chairman Juan B. Talavera said. "With his experience, reputation and know-how, we're well positioned to meet our most pressing challenges: defeating Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution on Nov. 4th and securing more protections for all Miami-Dade County citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
Ortuño succeeds Interim Executive Director Orlando Gonzales, who chaired the search committee.

"I am thankful these wonderfully dedicated professionals were willing to participate in an intensive grassroots approach to identifying and recruiting qualified candidates," Gonzales said. "The committee represented the talent and diversity of the greater community of Miami-Dade County."
Committee members included community leaders Leslie Bowe, Cindy Brown, Dennis Edwards, Liebe Gadinsky, Hemly Gonzalez, Juan del Hierro, Lorenzo Lebrija, Steve Leidner, Eddie Padilla, Damian Pardo, Sheldon Roy. Mark Steinberg, Elizabeth Schwartz, Juan Talavera, and Jose Vilanova.

Gonzales will resume his post on the board of directors and will transition day-to-day operations to Ortuño in the coming weeks.

"The next few months are critical as SAVE remains focused on defeating Amendment 2," Ortuño said. "The deceptively named 'marriage protection' amendment to the Florida constitution threatens hard-won protections for gay and heterosexual couples in communities across the state. This is a threat to all Floridians, and I am proud and determined to lead SAVE in helping defeat it. Beyond this, I'm looking forward to advocating for systemic change for the LGBT community, making Miami-Dade County a national model of advocacy for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation."

SAVE is spearheading the get-out-the-vote drive in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, working closely with Florida Red and Blue and other organizations to persuade voters to "Say No to Amendment 2."

SAVE is Miami-Dade County's premier organization dedicated to protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals from discrimination on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Gay marriage opens new chapters on good manners

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

Two beautiful, meant-to-be-together souls become one.

Two hearts. One promise.

Partners in life and love . . .

With gay marriage a reality in two states, Hallmark Cards has made it easier for those wanting to send the very best to Mr. & Mr. California or Mrs. & Mrs. Massachusetts.

''It's a wonderful thing for people who don't know how to pen those words,'' said Dear Abby herself, Jeanne Phillips, who often hears from confused readers wanting to know the proper way to address gay and lesbian partners, how same-sex couples manage to procreate, and which gender pronoun to use when a co-worker has transitioned to another sex.

''You'd be amazed where I get [these questions] from,'' Phillips said. ``My doctor called me once. He said his wife's niece was being married to another woman. They were giving a shower and they didn't know who to list first.

'You know what I said? `Call them and ask.' He laughed and said that's why you do what you do.''

Hallmark's line of gay-oriented greeting cards will soon launch in dozens of franchise Gold Crown stores and Walgreens, company spokeswoman Sarah Kolell said from headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.

''We are just in the very, very, very beginning,'' Kolell said. ``The cards are part of a larger revision. Across the country, there's about 40 stores now that are getting the revision.''

MEETING RESISTANCE

It's up to individual franchises whether to sell the gay merchandise. ''Eventually, all the Gold Crown stores will have the option to carry these cards,'' Kolell said.

Several franchisees in smaller markets have already said they won't carry the cards. And the American Family Association based in Tupelo, Miss., has called for a Hallmark boycott. ''Ask them to stop promoting a lifestyle that is not only unhealthy, but is also illegal in 48 states,'' according to an association member alert.

Kolell said Hallmark, which began offering same-sex and opposite-sex domestic-partner benefits to employees in 2005, was prepared for a backlash.

''The line was announced in response to a consumer need,'' she said. ``It's not a political statement. We knew it was a sensitive issue.''

Dear Abby says the protests demonstrate exactly why the cards are needed.

''I wish the self-righteous would not inflict their feelings on others,'' said Phillips, who succeeded her mother Pauline as syndicated advice columnist ''Abigail Van Buren'' in 2002. ``People who don't want to buy those cards -- and don't know any gay people -- they're free to not buy them.''

Phillips supports gay marriage and relishes her opportunity to touch millions of readers. She recalls when her mom began writing the column a half-century ago:

'They didn't even use the `H' word (homosexual). My mother was the first to put it in her column,'' Phillips said. ``Honey, this wasn't talked about. They might whisper about it, but they sure didn't have it in a family newspaper. In those days, it wasn't equal treatment, it was about compassion. Now, it sounds a little patronizing to say the word. It's all a progression you know.''

MAKING REVISIONS

Things have moved so quickly that Steven Petrow (pictured), former president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, is busy revising his 1995 guide, The Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette.

''When I did the original edition of Gay Etiquette, it was really clear that the purpose was not to skate rules, but to help people in circumstances and situations when they don't know,'' Petrow said. ``It's a guide to make people comfortable.''

Petrow said his book addresses ``the ins and outs of marriage, divorce, adoption.''

'If I hear one more time, `Where did your baby come from? Who is the father?' It's as if the parenting partner is not the father. And the whole gender pronoun thing is so confusing: When does he become she and she become he?''

Another hot topic: What to call a gay person's legally wed partner?

''A lot of gay people are uncomfortable referring to a spouse as a husband or a wife. I know married couples having a tough time wrapping themselves around those words,'' Petrow said. 'And think of straight people: `We're going out with the husbands.' ''

Petrow, a former executive editor of Time Inc., believes ``a lot about etiquette is about language, and language is how we convey our values.''

Dan Savage, whose edgy advice column appears online and is syndicated in alternative newspapers, said he also gets ``these really sweet letters from straight people who want to do the right thing.''

Straight people are not the only ones adjusting to modern gay etiquette. Many gay men and lesbians are, too.

''When we got married we felt ridiculous,'' said Savage, who years ago wed his male partner in a private commitment ceremony. ``When I see two women at the altar in two extravagant Cinderella gowns, it seems a little off. Or two men in tuxes.''

COMMERCIALIZATION

He fears ``the marital industrial complex is going to try to grind us down and our rituals will be subjected to the same banalification that heterosexual rituals have been subjected to. There is money to be made.''

Hallmark's move suggests to Savage that gay people have fully arrived.

''That's it. We win. Game over,'' he said. 'What Hallmark should do is create a line of cards for people being boycotted. `Congratulations, you're being boycotted by the American Family Association. You're doing something right.' ''

Photo 1: Actress Portia de Rossi, left, and television personality Ellen DeGeneres married last month in California. CHRIS WEEKS / AP

Photo gallery | Miami Beach Gay Bowling League

From Edison Farrow:

Miami Beach Gay Bowling League
Martini Tuesdays at Lucky Strike Lanes
DJ Jenni Foxx

Photos by Edison Farrow

For more photos, click here.

Gay-oriented Safe Schools South Florida: Don't cut TRUST counselors to save money

Message from Safe Schools South Florida:

Dear Friend of SSSF,

Our students cannot afford to lose their TRUST!

Miami-Dade County School Board is under pressure to make significant budget cuts and have set their sights on our student's first line of defense against bullying and harassment. For years now, TRUST (To Reach Ultimate Success Together) Counselors in Miami-Dade have worked tirelessly to keep all students safe.

At an August 28th budgetary committee meeting, Miami-Dade County School Board members placed the elimination of the TRUST Counselor program on the list of considered abudget cuts. While this item has been taken off the official agenda for next week's School Board meeting, the program is still in jeopardy and needs your support.
Tell the School Board to keep our TRUST counselors! http://ga4.org/campaign/TRUSTcounselors

We know that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender youth are among those who are most often the targets of bullying and harassment. The TRUST Counselor Program provides award-winning peer counseling programs that that have proven effective in changing the culture of entire schools. Combined with their serving as sponsors of GSAs (Gay Straight Alliances), the TRUST program has become essential in the effort to keep Miami-Dade Public Schools safe for all students.

Write your school board members TODAY http://ga4.org/campaign/TRUSTcounselors and ask them to support our TRUST counselors and keep our schools safe!

Sincerely,

Safe Schools South Florida

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Safe Schools South Florida (formerly GLSEN South Florida) is a 501c3 non-profit agency committed to making schools safe for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. We train educators to recognize and address anti-gay bullying. We empower youth by supporting GSAs and holding annual GSA conferences. We educate the public through a speakers bureau and we monitor the success of our efforts through research and surveys. We rely on grants and donations from people who are concerned about children and education. For information about Safe Schools South Florida, our events, or to make a tax-deductible contribution please visit www.SafeSchoolsSouthFlorida.org  or email us at safe@safeschoolssouthflorida.org or call 954-771-4799.

Miami Beach gay rainbow flag resolution on Wednesday's agenda

The Miami Beach City Commission is scheduled on Wednesday to hear a resolution that would allow gay rainbow flags to fly along with all other recognized flags.

Here's the resolution (click photos to enlarge):

259 major companies score 100 percent on HRC's gay Corporate Equality Index

From HRC:

2009 Corporate Equality Index Released

On Tuesday, September 2, HRC released the 2009 Corporate Equality Index. The report measures the extent to which the 583 rated employers protect their LGBT employees. Ratings are based on factors like non-discrimination policies, diversity training and benefits for domestic partners and transgender employees. The findings of this year's report include:

• 259 major U.S. businesses achieved the highest rating of 100 percent - up from 195 last year.
• 66 percent of rated businesses provide employment protections based on gender identity or expression, a 12 fold increase since the first CEI in 2002 when only 5 percent of rated businesses prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.
• Of the 255 Fortune 500 companies rated in the CEI, 120 received perfect scores. The average rating of Fortune 500 companies was 83 percent.
• In 2006, the first year law firms were invited to participate in the CEI, 13 achieved a score of 100 percent. That figure has leapt to 64 in the 2009 report, eclipsing banking and financial services firms.
• Ninety-nine percent of CEI-rated employers now offer employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation.

For more information: www.hrc.org/cei