WSVN anchor Craig Stevens to be grand marshal at Stonewall Summer Pride in Wilton Manors

News release from Stonewall Summer Pride:

Stonewall Summer Pride has announced that WSVN Channel 7 News Anchor Craig Stevens will be this year’s Stonewall Summer Pride Twilight Parade Grand Marshal.  Stevens, originally from Falmouth, Massachusetts originally moved to South Florida in 1992.  In addition to his Anchor duties at Channel 7, he is also an Adjunct Professor at Barry University teaching an introductory course in news writing.

Stevens is active in a number of charities and organizations.  In 2009, He was elected to the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Miami-Date.  He also serves as Channel 7’s spokesman for Habitat for Humanity, which seeks to improve our community by promoting home ownership.  Stevens serves as a vice-president of the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences where he also chairs a committee that specializes in mentoring young TV professionals throughout the southeastern United States.

Stevens will serve as this year’s Grand Marshal to the Stonewall Summer Pride Twilight Parade which takes place at 7:30 pm on Saturday, June 22nd.  The parade, featuring an extra-ordinary display of fabulous floats and costumes will run along Wilton Drive, beginning on the south end of the drive at 20th Street and running north ending at 5 Points.

Stonewall Summer Pride 2013, “Journey to Equality” comes to Fort Lauderdale on June 22ndand 23rd in Wilton Manors. The event begins on Saturday evening with the Twilight Parade and entertainment on the main stage and continues on Sunday June 23rd with the annual Street Festival, Vendor Marketplace, a full schedule of Live Entertainment, Kid’s Zone and a whole host of other activities.

For more information on Stonewall Summer Pride, please visit stonewallsummerpride.com.

Harry Reid reveals his niece is a lesbian, gives push to Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

From Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has long been a supporter of legislation to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. But on Wednesday, he revealed a more personal reason for his support.

"My niece is a lesbian," Reid said during a sit-down with reporters. "She's a school teacher. Her employment shouldn't be affected with that. We should have a law that says that, not just the good graces of wherever you work."

Click here to read the complete article.

ThinkProgress: Mondale, Dukakis join every living Democratic presidential nominee for marriage equality

From ThinkProgress.org:

Former Vice President Walter Mondale and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis told ThinkProgress this week that they support marriage equality. With their endorsements, every living former Democratic presidential nominee is now on record in support of same-sex marriage.

Every other living Democratic nominee had previously made their support explicit.

Click here to read the list.

Video | Jason Collins and Jarron Collins joke on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jason Collins would always make excuses for why he wasn't interested in the women his twin brother and sister-in-law would set him up with on dates.

Jarron Collins still never figured out that Jason was gay.

Jarron joked Wednesday on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that he missed "red flags" about Jason, who recently came out as the first active gay male athlete in one of the major U.S. sports.

The brothers, who played together at Stanford before playing in the NBA, appeared together on the show and discussed how Jason finally let Jarron know after being hesitant for so long.

"He's my best friend and any time you come out to someone, you always have that apprehension that they're going to reject, even though I knew that that wasn't going to be the case," Jason Collins said.

Jarron was supportive but said he botched his response at first, saying things such as "Are you sure?" and "Since when?"

"He's my twin brother, of course I was going to be supportive of him all the time," Jarron said.

Jarron said since Jason's announcement, he's been approached by other men asking if he is Jason. To help clear that up, Kimmel gave him a T-shirt that read: "I'm the straight one."

ACLU: Time for 'Modern Family' gay couple to wed

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- The ACLU is lobbying for the gay couple on "Modern Family" to get married.

ACLU Action started a campaign to urge the show's producers to write a wedding episode for Mitchell and Cameron, fathers of an adopted child and one of three couples at the heart of the show.

The ACLU says it is appealing to the fictional family to draw more attention to the real issue as it awaits Supreme Court decisions on two important marriage equality cases.

"Mitch and Cam are a couple that America has come to know and love, and seeing them get married, and seeing the characters in the story grapple with their desire to get married, makes it real for a bigger part of America," said James Esseks, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project at the ACLU.

Supporters are invited to "RSVP" to the wedding online. The ACLU plans to deliver the online "guest list" to the show's producers but said it had not yet contacted the show.

Esseks said the petition was a departure for the group, but that along with filing lawsuits, lobbying for bills or organizing ballot initiatives, the group saw public education and changing the culture as part of its mission. He applauded what "Modern Family" has done already for public perception of gay couples.

"It's a popular show, they're a lovable, very real couple, and it would be great to see them walk down the aisle," he said.

ABC referred questions to 20th Century Fox Studios, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Show creator Steven Levitan tweeted a link to the campaign with a simple "Wow." Jessie Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell, tweeted: "Love this! Thank you ACLU! Maybe once Prop 8 is overturned!"

North Miami mayoral candidate -- with 56 votes -- says voters chose Lucifer ‘over Jesus’

BY NADEGE GREEN, NGREEN@MIAMIHERALD.COM

A North Miami mayoral candidate who did not make it into the runoff is not going away quietly.

Anna Pierre, who has said Jesus Christ endorsed her campaign, sent out a rambling mass email Wednesday morning warning the city chose Lucifer “over Jesus.” She also posted the message on her Facebook page.

The two top vote-getters, Lucie Tondreau and Kevin Burns (North Miami's gay former mayor), will head to a runoff on June 4 since both were shy of the more than 50 percent needed to win outright.

Pierre received less than 1 percent of the votes, but she said does not believe the numbers. Of 6,786 ballots cast for mayor, she captured 56 votes.

“They claimed I only have 56 votes, you can believe them if you want. I know they are corrupted and some members of the current administration were ready to do anything to have their protégé elected to (perhaps) prevent their butt from going to jail in the near future. But I never expected them to go this far,” she wrote.

Click here to read more.

Brazilian must register gay unions as marriages (with video of men celebrating council's decision)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Brazilian notary publics must register same-sex civil unions as marriages if the couple requests it, the country's National Council of Justice said Tuesday.

The council that oversees the country's judiciary said in a statement that notary publics cannot refuse to marry gay couples or convert a same-sex civil union into a marriage if that's what the pair wants.

The council based its decision on a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that recognized same-sex civil unions. The court said at the time that gay couples are entitled to same legal rights as heterosexual pairs when it comes to alimony, retirement benefits of a partner who dies and inheritances, among other issues.

Those opposed to the council's ruling can file an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Fourteen of Brazil's 27 states so far have legalized same-same marriages.

Efforts in Congress to approve a bill legalizing gay marriage across the nation have been thwarted by conservative evangelical legislators.

Gay rights movements cheered the council's decision.

"It is a major step that will ensure equality among heterosexual and homosexual couples," Carlos Magno Fonseca, president of the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association told reporters.

Last year, 1,277 same sex couples registered such civil unions with notary publics.

Hallandale Beach may require companies doing business with city to offer domestic partner benefits

BY CARLI TEPROFF, CTEPROFF@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Any companies doing work for the city of Hallandale Beach may soon be required to offer domestic partnership benefits to their employees if they provide equivalent benefits to married couples.

On Wednesday, the commission will decide whether to beef up its procurement code to match Broward County and several other cities that will hire only companies that offer equal rights to all employees.

“Everyone should be treated equally,” said Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Alexander Lewy, who is sponsoring the requirement.

“I do not support spending our tax dollars on companies that discriminate based on whether you can or cannot be married,” Lewy said.

Hallandale Beach began offering equal benefits to domestic partners in 2006.

Wednesday’s proposal — which applies to businesses with five or more employees, and for contracts over $100,000 — comes on the heels of Hallandale Beach becoming what is believed to be the first in the nation to offer a tax reimbursement to employees in domestic partnerships.

In November, the commission agreed to give employees with domestic partners what could amount to be between $500 and $900 to offset federal taxes that the employee pays on benefits for a partner.

Click here to read more.

Video | 'My Boyfriend is Gay' by Hailey Rowe, who performs this week at Driven Music Conference

Singer Hailey Rowe, whose YouTube hit, My Boyfriend is Gay, has had more than 150,000 views since Feb. 1, performs this week at Driven Music Conference in Fort Lauderdale.

Click here for more information.

White Fort Lauderdale starring DJ Abel on May 26

From Hilton Wolman Events:

Only 2 more weeks until the 15th Annual WHITE FORT LAUDERDALE with DJ Abel at Revolution Live.

Gary Santis and Hilton Wolman are proud to present a spectacular indoor/outdoor event at one of Fort Lauderdale's largest venues, right in the heart of the downtown district.

DJ Abel will be spinning the entire event and will be able to take you on the ultimate musical journey, complete with performances by Kitty Meow and the Florida Acrobats, designed to be part of the journey and not interrupt the flow.

200 Early Bird Tickets priced at only $25 were released, but most of those have already sold so visit www.showclix.com/event/white2013 before prices increase.  The longer you wait, the more you will pay!!

Start the summer with Fort Lauderdale's biggest party of the year. This is one event you don't want to miss.