Black Gay Pride South Florida celebrates Blackout Weekend Friday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, Feb. 24:
Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade celebrate 25th anniversary of Miami City Ballet
Miami City Ballet has teamed with Miami Heat for a photo campaign celebrating the dance company's 25th anniversary.
News release from Friday, Feb. 8:
MIAMI – The Miami HEAT has teamed up with the Miami City Ballet to celebrate 25 years of basketball and ballet. On Sunday, February 10th, the team will welcome Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers, sisters and Miami natives Jeanette and Patricia Delgado, who will be present for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. HEAT game, and who will participate in various in-game activities.Earlier this season, the two dancers were paired with HEAT superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in a series of unique photos that showcase the world class athleticism of icons from both sports and dance. The artistic photos, which feature the dancers in various ballet poses interacting with the players, underscore the parallels between basketball and dance: grace, fitness, strength and passion. Jeanette, who is paired with James, was heralded by The New York Times as “one of the world’s most marvelous ballerinas.” And Patricia, who is paired with Wade, “can catch the audience’s heart from her first entry and hold it” according to The New York Times.
The photos will serve as a centerpiece of a local and national campaign to promote the arts scene on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard, and to highlight the world-renowned Miami City Ballet.
“The Miami HEAT plays at AmericanAirlines Arena, which is mere blocks away from one of Miami City Ballet’s home theaters, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations. “They’re our neighbors and our friends and we’re delighted to celebrate 25 years of being part of Miami’s cultural landscape, and more specifically, the arts and entertainment district located along Biscayne Boulevard.”
During their shared 25-year history, the HEAT has earned two NBA Championships (2006 and 2012) while the Miami City Ballet, among the best ballet companies in the world, has evolved into an internationally acclaimed artistic powerhouse with a repertoire of more than 90 ballets and 45 dancers that hail from all over the world.
"Ballet and basketball are both about grace under pressure and the pursuit of perfection," said Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. "No Miami City Ballet dancer stands alone just as HEAT players can’t win alone. It requires team work—and that's Miami! We are talking about tremendous pride in the place we call home and being the best together."
Kobe Bryant Tweets to Canadian teen: 'Using "your gay" as a way to put someone down ain't OK'
NBA star Kobe Bryant on Sunday Tweeted to a 16-year-old Canadian boy:
Just letting you know@PacSmoove@pookeo9 that using "your gay" as a way to put someone down ain't ok! #notcool delete that out ur vocab.
Shortly after, @pookeo9's Twitter timeline "exploded," he said:
lol but it was all a harmless joke blown out of proportion.. in reality, all of this shouldn't have happened
DignityUSA LGBT Catholics on Pope Benedict XVI's resignation: 'Call for a Leader who will Listen, Reconcile'
News release from DignityUSA, upon the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI:
Boston, MA, February 11, 2013. DignityUSA, the nation's largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, responded to the news that Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of February with the following statement:
Like all Catholics, we appreciate that Pope Benedict put the needs of the Church first in determining he is no longer able to meet the demands of his position. We wish him a peaceful retirement.
At this time of significant transition, we hope that the Cardinals who will elect the new Pope take time to listen to the people of the Church, and that they hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling for a Pope who will be a Shepherd to all of God's people. We hope for a leader who will work to heal the divisions of recent decades, and who values dialogue above conformity.
As members of the Church who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, as well as family members and allies, we call on the Cardinals and the new Pope to enter into a true dialogue with our community. We call for an end to statements that inflict harm on already marginalized people, depict us as less than fully human, and lend credence to those seeking to justify discrimination. We call on our Church not onlyto embrace but to champion the dignity and equality of all humans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
We call on all members and friends of DignityUSA to enter into a period of prayer and reflection as we prepare for the conclave.
Vibraphonist Gary Burton of Fort Lauderdale wins seventh Grammy with Chick Corea for 'Hot House'
Out vibraphonist Gary Burton won a seventh Grammy award on Sunday: Best Improvised Jazz Solo with Chick Corea for their album Hot House.
Burton, who lives with partner Jonathan Chong in Fort Lauderdale, also was nominated with Corea in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category.
Hot House won a second Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition, Mozart Goes Dancing, written by Corea.
Also Sunday: Out folk singer Janis Ian won a Spoken Word Grammy for reading her autobiography, Society's Child.
Ian is scheduled to perform two South Florida concerts in May.
Military announces some benefits for same-sex partners
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Monday that the military will extend benefits to same-sex partners.
Panetta's statement, via the White House:
"Seventeen months ago, the United States military ended the policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We have implemented the repeal of that policy and made clear that discrimination based on sexual orientation has no place in the Department of Defense.
"At the time of repeal, I committed to reviewing benefits that had not previously been available to same-sex partners based on existing law and policy. It is a matter of fundamental equity that we provide similar benefits to all of those men and women in uniform who serve their country. The department already provides a group of benefits that are member-designated. Today, I am pleased to announce that after a thorough and deliberate review, the department will extend additional benefits to same-sex partners of service members.
"Taking care of our service members and honoring the sacrifices of all military families are two core values of this nation. Extending these benefits is an appropriate next step under current law to ensure that all service members receive equal support for what they do to protect this nation.
"One of the legal limitations to providing all benefits at this time is the Defense of Marriage Act, which is still the law of the land. There are certain benefits that can only be provided to spouses as defined by that law, which is now being reviewed by the United States Supreme Court. While it will not change during my tenure as secretary of defense, I foresee a time when the law will allow the department to grant full benefits to service members and their dependents, irrespective of sexual orientation. Until then, the department will continue to comply with current law while doing all we can to take care of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their families.
"While the implementation of additional benefits will require substantial policy revisions and training, it is my expectation that these benefits will be made available as expeditiously as possible. One of the great successes at the Department of Defense has been the implementation of DADT repeal. It has been highly professional and has strengthened our military community. I am confident in the military services' ability to effectively implement these changes over the coming months."
The secretary's memorandum extending these benefits can be viewed at: http://www.defense.gov/news/Same-SexBenefitsMemo.pdf
Outserve-SLDN praised Panetta's announcement:
(Washington, DC) Army Veteran and OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson today praised outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta for his decision to extend to nearly the full extent permitted under current law the benefits available to gay and lesbian service members and their families. Though Panetta’s announcement did not include a number of important items that could have been granted - including burial rights at national cemeteries and some overseas travel for spouses, which remain under consideration - Robinson called the package “substantive” and acknowledged that the Pentagon has done almost as much as it can with the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) still on the books.
“Secretary Panetta’s decision today answers the call President Obama issued in his inaugural address to complete our nation's journey toward equality, acknowledging the equal service and equal sacrifice of our gay and lesbian service members and their families. We thank him for getting us a few steps closer to full equality - steps that will substantively improve the quality of life of gay and lesbian military families,” said Robinson.
OutServe-SLDN has called on the Department of Defense to issue these benefits for more than two years. In recent weeks, the organization has increased pressure on the Pentagon by calling on Secretary Panetta's presumptive successor, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, to commit to offering the full slate of benefits available under DOMA upon taking office. Senator Hagel did so in a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) last month and reiterated his commitment during confirmation testimony.
The package of recognition, support, and benefits - which includes the issuance of military identification cards, access to family support initiatives, and joint duty assignments - does not address the larger issues of health care, housing, and survivors’ benefits restricted by DOMA and other federal statutes. The Supreme Court is set to consider DOMA next month, and is expected to issue a ruling later this year.
“As encouraging as this step is for our military families, the passing yesterday of U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan and the needs of her family - needs in danger of going largely unmet because of the Defense of Marriage Act - reminds us of how far we still are from true equality.” said Robinson.
Morgan passed away on Sunday from breast cancer after a two-year battle with the disease.She came out publicly on MSNBC on September 20, 2011, the day of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal, and became a nationally recognized advocate against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bars her wife, Karen, from receiving military, Social Security and other benefits to help her care for their five-year-old daughter Casey Elena. The Morgans are plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by SLDN in October 2011 challenging DOMA and other federal statutes that prevent the military from providing equal recognition and support to same-sex military spouses. They currently do not receive the same protections as their straight, married peers, and Karen is not entitled to survivor's benefits in the wake of CW2 Morgan's death.
“In light of Charlie Morgan's untimely passing and the Pentagon's long-awaited move toward equal treatment, the harm DOMA inflicts on gay and lesbian service members and their families, and on the strength of our military, could not be clearer. I hope our Supreme Court Justices are watching as these events unfold, and that they see that striking down DOMA is the only way this unjust and untenable situation can be rectified. The forces that defend 'liberty and justice for all' must be freed to embody that principle as well, and our nation must be allowed to offer our LGBT troops and their families the respect and support that their sacrifice is due," said Robinson.
