Ru'ach 10th annual LGBT Pride Seder Wednesday, June 15, at Temple Israel of Greater Miami

From Temple Israel of Greater Miami:

10TH ANNUAL PRIDE SEDER 

Wedneday, June 15, 2011

 

5:30pm-6:00pm Holy Schmoozing

6:00pm the Seder Begins

$25.00 per person

 

RSVP HERE

 

Please help us celebrate this very special event with guest speaker, Idit Klein, Executive Director of Keshet, as she speaks about:

 

 

Risk and Responsibility: Building an LGBT Inclusive Jewish Community 

 

Idit Klein

 

Idit Klein has served as Executive Director of Keshet since 2001. During her nine year tenure, Klein has built Keshet from a one-person, local organization with an annual budget of $35K to a ten-person, national organization with an annual budget of over one million. Under her leadership, Keshet developed a comprehensive training curriculum for GLBT inclusion and trained educators in 100 Jewish communities around the country to effect change. In Massachusetts, Klein mobilized over 30 congregations to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Klein also served as the Executive Producer of Keshet's award-winning documentary film Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School.

 

To RSVP for this event, please contact Marla Towbin at 305-573-5900 ext. 404 or marla@templeisrael.net.

Unity Coalition State of Hate workshop on Saturday, June 11, at Miami Beach Police

From Herb Sosa:

 

Join Unity Coalition|Coalicion Unida for our STATE OF HATE Workshop for a rountable discussion on Hate Crimes, Labels & Discrimination |

Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 10am-3pm- in Miami Beach. Participating Community  Groups include Miami Beach Police Dept., Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, Gay American Heroes Memorial Foundation, Safe Schools So. Fla, Pridelines Youth Services, PFLAG and many more - Don't miss out! For more info, visit: http://www.unitycoalition.org/

Video | It Gets Better - Writer Janet Mock reveals trans history

On YouTube:

Learn more about Janet Mock and her story: http://janetmock.com/

Janet Mock, a writer living in New York, tells her story of growing up transsexual in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she was born male and transitioned from Charles to Janet during her freshman year of high school.

Due to her adolescent transition, she was bullied, teased and taunted through the halls of her school. Janet shares her own story of transition and living in her truth as part of the It Gets Better Project to urge kids to ask for help and be certain in who they are and most importantly to dream big and realize that four years of high school is not their entire lives.

"You can become your dream," Janet urges to kids like her. "I promise that it gets better. I can say this because I am you."

This video was directed and produced by Janet's partner Aaron Tredwell, who continues to inspire her to be courageous and to follow her dreams.

Learn more about Janet Mock, her upcoming memoir Fish Food and her journey through genders: http://janetmock.com/

Gallery | Richard Cortez and friends perform at The Manor in Wilton Manors

 
Singer-musician Richard Cortez and friends performed Thursday night at The Manor in Wilton Manors. Above, from left: Ukulele player Eric Jaffe, Cortez, singer-actress Lisa Braun and award-winning LOGO artist Tom Goss.

Click the picture to view a gallery from the performance. All photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.

Harvey Milk Day celebrates life of slain gay icon; celebration, candlight vigil Sunday in Broward

Sunday is Harvey Milk Day, designated in 2009 by the California legislature. A local celebration will be held 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Jaco Pastorious Park in Oakland Park. A candlelight vigil will take place at 7 p.m. in front of Georgie's Alibi in Wilton Manors.

The following is published with permission from Broward's Stuart Milk, nephew of Harvey Milk and founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation:

Click here to enlarge

Gallery | SAVE Dade 2011 Champions of Equality reception with U.S. Reps. Wasserman Schultz and Ros-Lehtinen

Hundreds of LGBT activists and allies attended SAVE Dade's annual Champions of Equality reception Friday night at Ice Palace Studios in Miami.

Above, SAVE Dade board chairman Joe Falk, honoree U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her daughter Shelby, former state Sen. Dan Gelber and SAVE Dade Executive Director C.J. Ortuño.

Other honorees: the ACLU of Florida and law firm Greenberg Traurig for helping overturn Florida's adoption ban by gays and lesbians.

SAVE Hall of Champions inductees: philanthropist Liebe Gadinsky, former SAVE Foundation board chairman Juan Talavera and SAVE Dade co-founder Damian Pardo, pictured with U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen at the event.

Four Miami-Dade mayoral candidates participated: Carlos Gimenez, Farid Khavari, Marcelo Llorente and Gabrielle Redfern.

Click photos to view a gallery from the reception. All photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.

Video | More Blondie ... 'Rapture'

Just because ...

'Don't say gay': Tennessee Senate OKs ban on teaching of homosexuality

By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II, Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.

Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it's unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic.

The bill isn't likely to be taken up by the House before lawmakers adjourn this spring, but the sponsor there has said he would push it forward in 2012 when the General Assembly comes back for the second year of the session.

Passage would make Tennessee the first state to enact such legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2003, Washington defeated a proposal similar to Tennessee's, as did California in 2005 and 2006. A Louisiana law forbids the use of sexually explicit materials depicting homosexuality in sex education classes.

Under the proposal, any instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school would be limited to age-appropriate lessons about the science of human reproduction.

The legislation was amended from the original version, which said no elementary or middle schools will "provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality." Republican Senate sponsor Stacey Campfield of Knoxville said some of his colleagues were uncomfortable with that language.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat," Campfield said after the vote. "I got what I wanted."

He said the language is appropriate because "homosexuals don't naturally reproduce," and he said it's necessary because the state's curriculum is unclear on what can be taught.

However, a critic said the new wording could create other problems.

Sen. Roy Herron, D- Dresden, said it "may inadvertently prevent the teaching of ethics, morality and abstinence."

Stephen Smith, assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, also said he's unaware of homosexuality being taught anywhere in the state. He said there is nothing in the state's curriculum standards that allows students to be taught about homosexuality.

Video | 'Mother' from Debbie Harry's upcoming Blondie album, 'Panic of Girls'

Official Video for Mother, the first single off the upcoming Blondie album, Panic of Girls.

FDA approves new HIV drug from Johnson & Johnson

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it approved a new HIV drug from Johnson & Johnson for patients who have not been treated with other medications for the virus.

The once-a-day pill Edurant works by blocking the virus from reproducing. It is designed for use as part of a drug cocktail that reduce levels of HIV in the blood.

"Patients may respond differently to various HIV drugs or experience varied side effects. FDA's approval of Edurant provides an additional treatment option for patients who are starting HIV therapy," said Dr. Edward Cox, FDA's director of antimicrobial products.

The FDA approved the drug based on a study of 1,368 patients showing it was as effective as Sustiva, an older HIV drug already on the market. After 48 weeks of study, 83 percent of patients taking Edurant had undetectable viral levels, compared with 80 percent of patients taking Sustiva.

The most common side effects with Edurant included depression, trouble sleeping, headache and rash.

Edurant is manufactured by Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Johnson & Johnson's Ortho Biotech Inc.