Wire Magazine Traveling Brunch today at Baires Grill and Argentinean Steakhouse on Lincoln Road

From Rafa Carvajal of Wire Magazine:

Gallery | Live from the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber LGBT Expo at Miami Beach Convention Center

Michael Vita, secretary/treasurer of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and Edwin Scharlau of Route 7 Productions at Saturday's LGBT Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The expo runs through 5 p.m. today, followed by the Taste of Miami.

Photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff. Click the picture to view a gallery of photos.

Gallery | Martin Gill and sons celebrate end of gay-adoption battle as McCollum decides not to appeal court decision

Frank Martin Gill and his sons, above in Halloween costumes, celebrate the decision Friday by Attorney General Bill McCollum not to appeal a court decision ending Florida's 33-year ban against gays adopting.

"This is the first time I felt a sense of closure, finality," Gill told me Friday night during an ACLU reception at the Shore Club hotel in South Beach. "I really felt relieved for the first time -- and a sense of pride for what we accomplished for the state of Florida.''

Photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff. Click the photo above to view a gallery of pictures from the party.

Equality Florida, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force applaud decision not to appeal adoption ruling

From Equality Florida:

Adoption by Gay People Legal Throughout Florida

The following is a statement by Equality Florida executive director, Nadine Smith regarding today’s announcement by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum that he will NOT appeal the Third District Court’s ruling that found Florida’s ban on adoption by gay and lesbian prospective parents “unconstitutional.”

“Since Sept 22nd, Florida’s ban on gay people adopting has been over. We are pleased to learn that Attorney General Bill McCollum has decided not to squander more taxpayer dollars and muddy the waters on a matter the courts have decided unanimously.

We continue to celebrate the end of a ban that has literally torn families apart and denied children permanent loving homes for over 33 years. The courts have been clear that this ban is irrational and puts anti-gay prejudice ahead of the needs of children.”

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From the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

Florida attorney general chooses not to appeal court ruling declaring ban on gay adoption unconstitutional

MIAMI, Oct. 22 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responded today to the decision by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum not to appeal a court ruling that declared the state’s gay adoption ban to be unconstitutional.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

“For far too long, senseless discrimination has prevented children in Florida from receiving the stability and permanence they so desperately need. We applaud Florida’s attorney general for doing the right thing and not appealing this ruling. This decision means that more children will be allowed to be part of a loving and permanent home.”

McCollum: Someday Florida's Supreme Court will decide whether gays can adopt

Here's a statement posted on Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's official website:

Attorney General Releases Statement on Decision to Not Appeal the Gill Case

Attorney General Bill McCollum today released the following statement on his decision to not appeal the Gill Case. This will be the only comment provided by the office on this matter.

"The constitutionality of the Florida law banning adoption by homosexuals is a divisive matter of great public interest. As such, the final determination should rest with the Florida Supreme Court, not a lower appellate court. But after reviewing the merits of independently seeking Supreme Court review, following the decision of our client the Department of Children and Families not to appeal the decision of the Third District Court of Appeal, it is clear that this is not the right case to take to the Supreme Court for its determination. No doubt someday a more suitable case will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to uphold the constitutionality of this law."

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum won't appeal gay adoption ruling

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum just announced that he would not challege a court decision throwing out the state's 33-year-old gay adoption ban.

McCollum had until today to appeal the case. Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Department of Children and Families previously said they would not challenge the decision.

Here's a news release from the ACLU of Florida:

Florida Attorney General Won’t Challenge Ruling Striking Down Gay Adoption Prohibition

McCollum’s Decision Brings Overdue End To Notorious Law After 33 Years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2010


MIAMI – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that he will not appeal last month’s ruling by a state appellate court striking down a state law barring gay people from adopting. Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) had already announced that they would not appeal the decision. Attorney General Bill McCollum’s announcement puts a final end to the law after 33 years on the books.

The appellate court ruling arose in an American Civil Liberties Union legal challenge to the ban on behalf of Martin Gill, who wanted to adopt two foster children he and his partner have been raising for almost six years.

“This law, by baselessly branding gay people unfit parents, was one of the most notorious anti-gay laws in the country, and we are delighted that it has been ended once and for all,” said Leslie Cooper, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project, who argued the case before Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. “This victory means that the thousands of children in Florida who are waiting to be adopted will no longer be needlessly deprived of willing and able parents who can give them the love and support of a family.”

In November 2008, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cindy Lederman held that the statute barring adoption by gay people is unconstitutional and granted Martin Gill’s petition to adopt the now six- and ten-year-old brothers after a four-day trial featuring experts who established that research confirms that gay and straight people make equally good parents. Last month, the Third District Court of Appeal agreed, recognizing that the scientific evidence shows that “there are no differences in the parenting of homosexuals or the adjustment of their children. . . [and] the issue is so far beyond dispute that it would be irrational to hold otherwise; the best interests of children are not preserved by prohibiting homosexual adoption.”

“We are relieved that this process has finally come to an end, and that we can focus on being a family,” said Gill. “Our boys have overcome difficult beginnings to become happy, healthy kids. All children deserve a chance at finding a stable, loving and permanent home. Over the 33 years of the ban, this archaic law has harmed countless foster children by denying them a forever family.”

“The children in Florida’s foster care system waiting to be adopted deserved better than this cruel policy,” said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida. “This ban was nothing more than prejudice propped up by junk science. We are thankful that, as a result of this victory, the Gill family can move on with their lives and children trapped in our state’s foster care system will have the opportunity for a better life in the permanent homes they deserve.”

For more information on the case, including a video of Martin Gill explaining how this law has harmed his family, visit: www.aclu.org/gill or www.aclufl.org/gill

The ACLU will be holding a celebration this evening at the Shore Club in South Beach from 8-10 p.m. If you are not able to join us, you can watch the event live on the web from 8:30-9:30 at www.aclufl.org/live


Martin Gill is represented by senior staff attorney Leslie Cooper and Director James Esseks of the ACLU LGBT Project, and Legal Director Randall Marshall and staff attorney Shelbi Day of the ACLU of Florida. The children are represented by Hilarie Bass, Elliot Scherker, Elaine Walter, Brigid Cech Samole and Ricardo Gonzalez of Greenberg Traurig, and Charles Auslander, an attorney and former District Administrator for DCF.

CNN video | Dan Savage speaks about President Obama's 'It Gets Better' YouTube video

Gay-Straight Alliance Network applauds President Obama's anti-suicide video, 'It Gets Better'

News release from the Gay-Straight Alliance Network:

San Francisco, October 21, 2010 - Gay-Straight Alliance Network applauds President Barack Obama for his historic contribution to the national dialogue on anti-gay bullying and youth suicide.  The heartfelt message he issued today offers a message of hope to LGBT youth who have been bullied or to anyone who has felt different.  We commend President Obama for his statement that bullying can no longer be an acceptable rite of passage in this country.  In Obama's own words, "We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids."

Gay-Straight Alliance Network applauds the President for reminding our nation that while yes, it can get better, we have a responsibility - an obligation - to make schools safer right now. 

"We are grateful that the President is committed to making schools safe for every student," said Carolyn Laub, Executive Director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network.  "We call on the President and all elected officials to do everything in their power to  make schools safer for LGBT youth.  Our nation's leaders can make it better for LGBT youth by ending discrimination against LGBT people in our country."

GSA Network was founded on the principle that school should be safe for every student, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.  GSA Network empowers young people in middle schools and high schools to start and strengthen Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to combat bullying and end the isolation that is too often felt by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.  Students in schools with a GSA club report less anti-LGBT bullying than students at schools with no GSA. 

Following the wave of recent youth suicides and the development of the It Gets Better Project, Gay-Straight Alliance Network launched the Make It Better Project to give youth and adults the tools they need to combat anti-LGBT bullying and make schools safer for LGBT youth right now.  The Make It Better Project is now endorsed by over 75 organizations around the country, including the Trevor Project, GLSEN, PFLAG, and GLAAD, among others.

The Make It Better Project includes a website and YouTube channel where students and adults can upload video messages to share what they are doing to combat bullying and make schools safer.  New videos are being added every day.  The website offers resources and action steps for youth and adults who want to address bullying and prevent suicide.  You can follow the project on Twitter and Facebook.

The Make It Better Project is sponsored by GSA Network.  GSA Network empowers youth to fight homophobia and transphobia in school by training youth activists and supporting student-led Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in California and throughout the country.

Video | Obama to gay youth: It gets better

Posted by the White House to YouTube:

As part of the It Gets Better Project, President Obama shares his message of hope and support for LGBT youth who are struggling with being bullied.

Academy of Arts & Minds GSA invites Steve Rothaus to speak at the Coconut Grove school

Students at Academy of Arts & Minds in Coconut Grove invited me to speak Thursday to the high school's gay-straight alliance. We had a great discussion about bullying, teen suicide, "don't ask, don't tell" and other relevant gay issues, as well as the news business today.

I had a great time and look forward to visiting A&M again sometime soon.

(Click photo to enlarge.)