Miami City Ballet offers free admission (with RSVP) to end-of-season party at PAX nightclub in Miami

From Miami City Ballet:

On Friday, May 18, 2012 Miami City Ballet’s Upper Room (the organization for dance lovers between age 21 to 40) is hosting its end of the season party at PAX nightclub (337 SW 8th Street in Miami) from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

There will be complimentary cocktails, live music by the Latin funk band Palo, and food trucks serving tasty dishes.

Plus you can meet several Miami City Ballet dancers!

Admission is FREE if you RSVP to upperroom@miamicityballet.org or RSVP by calling 305-929-7000, ext. 1406 – please do so no later than Friday, May 18 at 12 noon.

Video | Gay son of Colorado lawmaker who cast deciding vote, killing civil unions, speaks out

From ThinkProgress:

When Colorado Rep. Don Coram (R) cast the deciding vote killing civil unions Monday night in committee, he oddly referenced that he has a gay son — perhaps trying to sugarcoat how anti-gay his decision was. Now, that son, Dee Coram, has spoken out about his father’s failure of leadership.

Click here to read the complete ThinkProgress posting.

Log Cabin Republicans oppose leaving LGBT Americans out of the Violence Against Women Act

News release from Log Cabin Republicans:

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans call upon House Republicans to vote against H.R. 4970, a version of the Violence Against Women Act which leaves LGBT Americans unprotected.

“Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support under the leadership of Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID). Unfortunately, the bill presented by Congresswoman Sandy Adams (R-FL) guts important provisions out of the legislation, and therefore this watered down version of VAWA should be rejected,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director. “Nobody should be able to get away with domestic abuse just because their victim is gay, transgender, an immigrant or Native American, and nobody should be denied help in recovering from abuse. Log Cabin Republicans thank Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL), Tom Cole (R-OK) and Bob Dold (R-IL) for their leadership in supporting an LGBT-inclusive version of VAWA in the House of Representatives.”

House voting on Violence Against Women bill, draws veto threat from President Barack Obama

BY LAURIE KELLMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are pushing ahead with their bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act, despite opposition from President Barack Obama and hundreds of advocacy groups who say the measure doesn't go far enough to protect battered illegal immigrants, Native Americans or gays.

The GOP proposal, which is narrower than a Senate-passed version, takes "direct aim at immigrant victims of domestic violence and sexual assault" and jeopardizes victims by placing them "directly in harm's way," the White House said in a statement.

An armada of groups advocating for women, immigrants, Indians and gays said they were taking names and holding accountable lawmakers who vote for the Republican bill, arguing that such a vote is akin to voting against the Violence Against Women Act.

"If Congress cannot stand up for all victims, we cannot stand up for our representatives," the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center wrote on its Facebook page.

Republicans say they are cracking down on fraud by making the grant process more accountable and maintaining the constitutionality of criminal procedures on Indian land.

Click here to read the complete article.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist says Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer tried to extort him in 2011

• Listen to the voicemail left by Jim Greer to Charlie Crist

Contacted Wednesday, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said he has not heard from Greer since he contacted FDLE and does not know what “hurtful things’’ Greer was referring to when he said bad things about Crist and his wife were going to come out.

“I just don’t know what he is talking about,’’ Crist said.

BY LUCY MORGAN, TAMPA BAY TIMES SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

The message to former Gov. Charlie Crist from good friend and confidante Jim Greer was ominous-sounding:

“Listen I just wanted to call and tell you something as a man, not like these other people that have put knives in your back and never had the courtesy of calling you directly or talking to you.”

Just about a year after Greer was indicted on felony charges of organized fraud, theft and money laundering, Crist found the voice mail and a text message on his cell phone from the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida.

To Crist, it sounded like Greer was attempting to extort money from him and he called the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to report the messages.

“Hey guy, it’s Jim,’’ the June 2011 voice message from Greer began. “I’m sure you know our friendship has ended. Is over. And I’m just very saddened by that, but I wanted you to know personally from me, in the future there’ll probably be things coming out that are going to be very hurtful to both you and Carole (Crist’s wife), but I’ll be honest with you, I don’t care any more because I did everything I could for you: I paid every bill you and Carole ever gave me, I defended every decision you ever made, I almost got in a fist fight the times some people said some personal terrible things about you.’’

Click here to read the complete article.

Video | Gay Republican Scott R. Herman of Wilton Manors makes ballot to run for Florida Legislature

An email today from Scott R. Herman, a gay Republican candidate for the Florida Legislature, District 94 in Wilton Manors:

The voters and residents of South Florida have spoken. To make the ballot we needed 518 verified petitions and we have obtained over 560. The count as of May 16, 2012 is Broward County 478, Miami-Dade County 61, West Palm Beach County 23 making it a total of 562 of which 518 were needed.

On May 10, I interviewed Herman inside the Miami Herald newsroom. Here's the video produced by Kristofer Rios / Miami Herald.

Gallery | National Gay and Lesbian Task Force kick-off reception for 2012 dinner honoring Elizabeth Schwartz

South Florida supporters of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force gathered Tuesday evening at the Shore Club hotel for a kick-off reception in advance of this year's 16th annual Miami Recognition Dinner on Oct 16 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel.

This year's honoree on Oct. 6 will be attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, right with her longtime partner, journalist Lydia Martin, at the reception.

Click here to buy tickets to the dinner.

Click here to view more pictures from the reception. All photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.