Posted by Expedia to its website:
Every trip is unique. On this trip, Artie Goldstein travels across the country to attend his daughter's same-sex wedding, a journey that will test him, challenge him, and ultimately change him in unexpected ways
Expedia video 'Find Your Understanding' depicts dad's trip to lesbian daughter's same-sex wedding
Gay travel helps boost tourism in Israel
BY ARON HELLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
But that doesn't seem to be deterring hundreds of thousands of tourists from flocking to Israel each month. Despite the region's turmoil, Israel is enjoying an unexpected tourism boom, and 2012 is shaping up to be a record year.
Nearly 300,000 tourists arrived in July, a record for the month and an 8 percent increase over the previous July, according to the Tourism Ministry. The trend is nothing new: The ministry says each month of 2012 so far has set an all-time record for that month.
Gay travel has helped provided a boost. Tel Aviv was recently crowned by readers of the travel website GayCities and American Airlines customers as "Best Gay City of 2011," ahead of New York, Toronto and London.
Click here to read more.
'Running in Bed' cover model Pablo Hernandez of Miami makes it in New York's Times Square
Miami model Pablo Hernandez, who appears on the cover of Jeffrey Sharlach's new gay novel, Running in Bed, shares the above photo with his Facebook friends.
From Pablo's photo post Tuesday:
Someone once told me,
"You know you've made it when you're on a billboard in Times Square". I guess I've made it.
Author Sharlach is founder and CEO of JeffreyGroup, a large marketing and corporate communications company based in Miami Beach, with offices in New York, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
Read the top stories: Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida now available by email in free newsletter
Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida is now conveniently available in a free Miami Herald newsletter.
Just enter your email address in the Email Newsletter Sign-up field on the left rail with my photo, just below the Facebook icon. Thanks and enjoy!
Gay activist fined in Russia for propaganda
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nikolai Alexeyev told the Associated Press that a city court in St. Petersburg fined him 5,000 rubles ($170) for breaching the law, which was controversially introduced by lawmakers in Russia's second-largest city in February. He pledged to appeal the decision.
"Who can pay my fine for propaganda of 5000 rub - 130 euros - 180 usd?," Alexeyev posted on Facebook Friday.
Gay rights activists say the legislation could be used to ban public demonstrations.
Discover America, the U.S. tourism group, releases gay-inclusive Rosanne Cash music video
Discover America, the official United States tourism website, has posted a gay-inclusive music video about travel to the U.S. featuring a new song by Rosanne Cash. (Watch carefully from 1:14 to 1:18.)
Here are the details on Discover America's YouTube page:
Watch the music video for "Land of Dreams," the original song written by Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal and performed by Rosanne Cash and guest artists Los Lobos, Bebel Gilberto and TREME. Encouraging travelers to come and find your "Land of Dreams," they are featured in the first ever global tourism campaign for the United States.
You can download the song for free here: http://www.discoveramerica.com
Russian police arrest 17 gay activists during May Day rally in St. Petersburg (with video)
The Guardian in London reports that 17 Russian gay rights activists have been arrested during a May Day rally in St. Petersburg:
Members of the group were detained while trying to unfurl rainbow flags at a rally organised by opposition groups, activists said. Police said they were to be charged with failing to co-operate with officers.
South Florida fitness trainer Rachel Robinson offers Aqua Girl workout for women
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
Personal trainer Rachel Robinson says that when she was a teen in Miami during the 1990s, there were few other visibly fit lesbians she could identify with.
“I grew up as an athlete. I was always involved in some kind of training,” said the former MTV Road Rules star, who ideally works out five times a week, 30 minutes a session. “But realistically, most people can’t, so I suggest three or four times a week for an hour.”
Robinson, 29, on Friday offered free body toning tips during Aqua Girl, an annual five-day festival in Miami Beach for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.
“The gay men’s community is definitely healthier than the women’s,” Robinson said. “There are so many more parties where they’re ripping off their shirts. I can’t tell you how many gay men are training for a particular pool party. The lesbian community definitely needs more programs centered around fitness and health.”
Robinson said staying fit doesn’t mean obsessing about weight.
“When you’re working out and staying active, it’s how good you feel,” Robinson said. “People focus too much on a number.”
Robinson said her “ideal weight is when I know that week I’ve exercised and eaten healthy. That’s when I feel good.”
While living in Los Angeles during the mid-2000s, Robinson stopped working out.
“I realized that not only did my mental stability decrease, my confidence went down,” Robinson said about that three-year period in her life. “There were a lot of times I didn’t feel good about myself. When I started working out, I started feeling great again. … I was just a happier person.”
Robinson attended her first Aqua Girl about 10 years ago and says most tourist-oriented circuit parties are not conducive to good living.
“It surrounds a weekend that could be pretty unhealthy, like drinking,” she said. Aqua Girl only allows cigarette smoking in a few designated outdoor areas.
Robinson will offer personalized fitness programs for Aqua Girl attendees.
“I take their body fat, everybody gets a packet on nutrition. I talk to them about realistically what it takes to be healthy.”
Aqua Girl is produced annually by Aqua Foundation for Women, which awards grants and scholarships throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“Wellness is part of our mission statement,” said Executive Director Robin Schwartz, adding that last year, Aqua Foundation awarded $40,000 in South Florida grants and $40,000 in scholarships for 11 women.
One $4,000 grant was given to University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, to learn about the health risks of transgender women in South Florida. A $15,000 grant to the Pride Center in Wilton Manors will pay to create an online directory of LBT-friendly healthcare professionals.
“A lot of women, LBT women, don’t go to the doctor proactively. They’re not doing their preventative health,” Schwartz said. “The reasons are financial and fear of discrimination. Something as simple as going to a gynecologist and one of the first things they ask is whether you’re on birth control.
“I have no problem telling a doctor that I’m gay. But others, they don’t know the reaction from the doctor. ... Imagine being a transgender female to male. You look like a male on the outside but still have ovaries. Can you imagine the doctor’s reaction?”
IF YOU GO
Aqua Girl 2012 runs May 2-6 at various venues. www.aquagirl.org.
Galleries | View hundreds of photos from the 2012 Miami Beach Gay Pride parade along Ocean Drive
I've posted hundreds of photos from Sunday's Miami Beach Gay Pride parade on Ocean Drive featuring Chaz Bono as grand marshal. Feel free to tag and enjoy!
Click the photo above to view gallery one.
Click the photo above to view gallery two.
All photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.
