Oakland Park city commission to discuss gender identity at Wednesday meeting

From the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida:

Oakland Park City Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue has introduced a proposed ordinance (agenda item no. 18) to include "gender identity" and "gender expression" as part of the city's non-discrimination policy. The item must first come before the Oakland Park City Commission as a discussion item then again, in approximately one month, as an actual motion.

Please support equality and fairness by attending Oakland Park's City Commission meeting

When: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 at 6:30

Where: City of Oakland Park
City Hall Commissioner Chambers
3650 NE 12 Avenue
Oakland Park, FL 33334

Nicole Martin Operations Manager email: [email protected] phone: 954-463-9005

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida

Community meeting set for Wednesday night at GLCC

Open notice from Americans for Equality:

YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION IS REQUIRED!

Dear GLBT supporter:

In 1996 and again in 2001, you, along with many others, joined Americans for Equality in the fight to preserve GLBT rights in Broward County.

Because of your efforts, the Broward County gay and lesbian community enjoys protection from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations as well as domestic partner benefits.

As the political consultant who worked with Americans for Equality, I remember, all too well, the negative remarks in the press by anti-gay activists and elected officials, the anti-gay protests and the polarization of the entire community from the divisive campaign.

Unfortunately, we now find ourselves facing another potential repeal initiative referendum.

It is imperative you attend a community meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, August 1 at 7 p.m. at the Ft. Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 1717 N. Andrews Ave., (1 mile south of Oakland Park Boulevard).

Your immediate action is required.

With your help, we can greatly minimize the potential risk to the GLBT community and save our hard fought rights.

A coordinated effort now may spare the GLBT community from fending off another repeal referendum in 2008.

We can't do this without your support.  Please come and bring a friend.

Your attendance is critical.  We will give you all of the information you need to take immediate action.

Take the opportunity to forward this E-mail to anyone you believe is concerned about preserving the hard fought rights of the GLBT community.

I look forward to seeing you there. 

You may contact either myself or Robin Bodiford, Past Chair, Americans for Equality, at the numbers below, if you have any questions.

Your partner in the battle,

Richard Giorgio

Patriot Games, Inc.

561.651.1499

or

Attorney Robin L. Bodiford

Past Chair, Americans for Equality

951.630.2707

www.robinbodifordlaw.com

Dear Community Members: 

Prior to 1995, gays and lesbians in Broward County had no legal rights, at all.  We were afraid to identify ourselves as gay at work, when applying to buy a home, or condo:  it took real nerve to check into a hotel and ask for one king size bed.  We were afraid because we could lawfully be excluded from places of public accommodations, denied housing, and fired for no reason other than our sexual orientation. 

Many of us remember vividly how it was, and how happy we were when we passed the amendment adding protections for gays and lesbians to the Broward County Human Rights Ordinance.  And, in 1999, we passed the Domestic Partnership Ordinance, allowing us to register as domestic partners.  The rest is history:  an openly gay mayor of Wilton Manors, an openly gay Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner and now, an openly gay County Commissioner; gay open air cafes like Rosie's, the New Moon and Georgie's, guys and girls walking hand in hand down Wilton Drive.  No more hiding behind windowless walls like Chardees with parking and entrance in the back.  We have arrived in Broward County. 

But, wait....

Now, a handful of GLBT activists, only some actually living in Broward (and none of whom worked with us in the past campaigns) are in the process of  risking the entire GLBT community's rights to protection in employment, housing and places of public accommodation with a proposed amendment to add "gender identity and expression" as a protected class, which may go before the Broward County Commission Agenda in early September. 

Based on prior experience, we expect an immediate effort to repeal all of our hard won rights.  If passed now, our rights will go before the voters on the 2008 ballot.  A disaster in an election year, for many reasons, not the least of which there have been no preparations to fight a campaign of this kind on short notice.

The proponents of this ill conceived plan are completely unwilling to agree to postpone the commission vote until May, 2008, and thereby avoid a vote before 2010.  If we do not act now, all of our hard won rights may be lost.  This group has moved forward behind all of our backs, with no outreach to Broward's GLBT community (other than the small insider circle of gay politicos).  Contrary to the mistruths that have been circulated, no one is questioning whether gender identity should be protected. We are only urging a strategic change in timing to avoid the 2008 ballot. 

Please join us on Wednesday, August 1st, at the meeting at the GLCC (at 7 p.m. at the Ft. Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 1717 N. Andrews Ave., 1 mile south of Oakland Park Boulevard) to discuss the issue, and learn what all of us, acting together, can do to forestall this pending disaster.

Warm regards,

Robin

P.S.  PLEASE FORWARD THIS NOTE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND COME ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1st TO THE MEETING AT THE GLCC.

Law Offices of Robin L. Bodiford, P.A.
2550 North Federal Highway, Ste. 20
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305
(954) 630-2707
robinbodifordlaw.com

Coral Ridge Ministries Offers Strong Support For Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle

News release:

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, (July 31, 2007)- Coral Ridge Ministries today expressed strong support for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle.

"Mayor Naugle is to be commended for his courage in identifying a public health and public morals crisis in Fort Lauderdale," said Jerry Newcombe, Coral Ridge Ministries' spokesman and Senior Producer of The Coral Ridge Hour.

"Broward leads the nation in the number of new AIDS cases arising from men who have sex with other men. By drawing attention to that disturbing fact, Naugle is demonstrating more compassion for homosexuals than local homosexual leaders who seem to have no problem with the reckless spread of sexually transmitted diseases."

Many local politicians, some in the local media, and members of the homosexual community in Fort Lauderdale harshly condemned Mayor Naugle last week for stating that male-to-male sexual encounters take place in city park restrooms and elsewhere in the city, and that homosexuals are not happy.

"Mayor Naugle has the facts on his side," said Newcombe, the coauthor with Dr. D. James Kennedy of numerous books. "Despite vague dismissals in media accounts, 'cruising' in public places for anonymous male-to-male sexual encounters is taking place in Fort Lauderdale. This activity makes public restrooms dangerous and unhealthy-particularly for unsuspecting children."

Newcombe noted that an Americans for Truth report cited a "Cruising for Sex" website that offered a lengthy list, complete with recent user reports, of Fort Lauderdale parks, shopping malls, department stores, and bathhouses, where anonymous homosexual encounters take place. The AFT report may be accessed here.

"Anonymous homosexual encounters in public places are a well-known reality within the homosexual subculture," said Newcombe. "Lambda Legal's 'Little Black Book,' counsels men, for example, 'If you cruise in parks, bathrooms or other spaces open to public view, trust your instincts, be aware of your surroundings....'"

"Individual homosexuals may be happy," Newcombe said, "but as a group, social science research indicates they are more troubled than the population as a whole." He noted that a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found, according to a Family Research Council summary, that "Those classified as 'gay,' lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely to have had mental health problems."

"There is nothing happy about anonymous sexual encounters in public places," said Newcombe. "That is why it is so wonderful to hear the reports of people like Tom Cole, who we have featured on The Coral Ridge Hour, and many others who have walked away from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ. Christ brings deliverance and true happiness from the self-destructive behaviors that are so often associated with the 'gay' lifestyle."

"Mayor Naugle has performed a true public service," said Newcombe, "by exposing to public view a hidden reality. His opponents are trying to bury that reality underneath an avalanche of criticism. The public-and those who put themselves and others at risk by engaging in public sex-are ill served when leaders ignore a real threat. These leaders, not Mayor Naugle, owe the community an apology. It's one thing for Fort Lauderdale to be a 'gay' capital in our country. It's quite another thing to be the HIV/AIDS capital-and that's what this mayor is courageously fighting."

Task Force: Democrats 2008: Déjà vu, all over again?

News release:

BY MATT FOREMAN, executive director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The Democratic candidates for president, as a group and individually, express more support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues and legislative and policy initiatives to improve our lives than any prior set of presidential candidates in the history of American politics. These new standards of support for LGBT people are worthy of our applause, our appreciation and our accolades.

Still, no major Democratic candidate has made the kind of sweeping statement of inclusion as did Gov. Bill Clinton in 1992, when he declared to a huge crowd of LGBT people in Los Angeles, “I have a vision for America and you are part of it.” His words brought tears to the eyes of the audience and rang out across the United States. Even the most skeptical of us in the LGBT community knew that we heard something previously unspoken by any major political figure.

We also know and painfully remember that Clinton’s vision of America did not translate into much of anything positive for us at the federal level. We can recount our bitter disappointments during Clinton’s time in the White House: the crash and burn of the effort to rescind the Department of Defense policy of discharging gay and lesbian service members, the secret late-night signing of the Defense of Marriage Act, and an ushering in of abstinence-only sexuality education in the public schools. Clinton couldn’t or wouldn’t deliver on the specifics, but at least he held us in his larger vision of a healthy society.

Since 1980, we have suffered the gross indignities of defamations and slanders from a ravenous and rapacious right-wing anti-gay movement, a veritable industry churning out anti-LGBT propaganda at every turn. We endured the AIDS epidemic and the Reagan administration’s cruel indifference while our people fell to illness and then to death. We saw the U.S. Supreme Court uphold state laws that branded us criminals for our sexuality. We have been clubbed by an onslaught of ballot questions that put our lives up to popular vote. Time and again, we’ve been thrown under the political bus by politicians either in the White House or those who want to get there.

All of this misery has been exacerbated exponentially by the spinelessness or unwillingness of all but a few national leaders to take a stand for us and denounce the animus unleashed on us. Many of our “friends” have simply looked the other way.

We bear our scars and yet remain unbowed. But, we are still waiting for the country’s political leadership to defend our right to live and thrive as a matter of principle, not parse our dreams as a matter of misguided political calculation.

This far into the 2008 race, things don’t look all that good. People who think GOP candidates are backing away from using us to inflame and divide are simply wrong. Republican rhetoric is peppered with code that thinly disguises — and affirms — anti-LGBT sentiment with references to safeguarding the family, the sanctity of marriage, the foundation of civilization. For example, Mitt Romney said in Derry, N.H., “The source of America’s strength is the American people…family oriented American people.” And, John McCain on his official Web site: “The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman.” Let’s be clear: Romney and McCain do not include our families when they speak of “the family.” The Web sites of other Republicans, except for Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani’s, explicitly reject full and equal recognition of our relationships.

But, what of the Democrats? Sadly, mostly silence. You can find our issues explicitly referenced on only three candidates’ sites (Kucinich, Richardson and Gravel). Frontrunners Clinton, Obama and Edwards carefully parse their support of our people into specific reforms. We find no evidence that the Democratic frontrunners counter Republicans’ anti-LGBT speech with routine and positive inclusion of LGBT people in their visions for a whole and healthy society.

It’s déjà vu all over again — the GOP often slyly and sometimes audaciously whips us for political gain. The Democrats include us — sorta — but only in response to a direct question and typically in the language of careful legislative reform.

This must change, starting now, because at this moment in history, reforms are both important and insufficient.

We deserve and we must demand from the Democratic 2008 presidential candidates the simple and straightforward statement that our humanity requires full respect and fair treatment by all and, further, an equally simple and straightforward condemnation of those who seek to use our lives for political gain. This needs be said in front of all audiences — not just in front of us.

We need leadership. We need strength of vision. And we need to know that the promises of reform come from the candidates' understanding of LGBT people as inseparable from the national community in which we live. There can be no more equivocating or silence about the goodness of our personhood, our families, our relationships. Period.

Psychotherapist: Excellent article about public sex

Reader reaction to "public sex" story:

Excellent article I wanted you to know it was handled very well I enjoyed it.

I linked to it on my blog www.straightguise.com I hope it gains some attention especially the part where it talks about not all the men being gay.

Warmly, Joe

WOULD THE SMALL CHILD YOU ONCE WERE LOOK UP TO THE ADULT YOU HAVE BECOME? Joe Kort, LMSW

JOE KORT & ASSOCIATES, PC
248-399-7317

www.joekort.com        www.straightguise.com

Joe Kort, MA, MSW, ACSW,Psychotherapist
Psychotherapist/Author/Speaker/Professor

Equality Florida: LGBT community outraged by Daytona murder

News release:

Represents the Latest Victim of Brutal Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes in Florida

DAYTONA -- Equality Florida today expressed deep sorrow and outrage at the Sunday morning murder apparently motivated by anti-gay and anti-transgender bigotry.

Troubling also are early reports that the accused killer is using the "homo-panic" defense, claiming an unwanted sexual advance led to the shooting.

According to police reports, Oscar Mosqueda, 34, was shot in the head around 2:20 a.m. following an argument with Cesar Israel Villazano, 18, of DeLand, the police report stated. Mosqueda was transported to Halifax Medical Center, and died about noon Sunday, police said.

Details remain sketchy. News accounts describe Mosqueda as "a man in a mini-skirt and heels" increasing the likelihood that this is yet another in a long line of transgender murders.

The Daytona Police Department told Equality Florida that the murder has not been classified as a hate crime.

“We will continue to gathering information from the community and work to ensure this case is properly investigated and that appropriate charges are brought,” said Brian Winfield, Equality Florida spokesperson. “We will not allow yet another brutal murder apparently spurred by bigotry to go ignored."

According to the Florida Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Report, physical assaults against LGBT people in Florida have increased in 6 out of the last 7 reported years.

In 2003, Attorney General Crist described anti-gay hate crimes as increasing “relentlessly over the past 5 years.” The following year saw an additional 21% increase in the number of physical attacks against LGBT people.

During 2005, the most recently reported year, 62% of hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people were in the most violent categories. No other group came close.

Equality Florida is also working in partnership with Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to challenge any media coverage of this horrific murder that is not respectful of the victim and accurate in the portrayal of Florida’s LGBT community.

Equality Florida is Florida’s only statewide human rights organization dedicated to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Through education and advocacy, the organization is committed to building a state of equal rights for all Floridians, inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Free August Ambiente magazine available online

Click here to read.

Steve Rothaus' "public sex" story on Queerty

From Queerty:

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle may want to do his homework. The Fort Lauderdale mayor made waves when he suggested installing $250,000 for so-called robo-toilets, which allow occupants a limited amount of time before popping open and giving the world a show. Why would Naugle make such an outrageous request? Because his queer constituents simply can’t stop fucking in the bathroom. Or so he says - he also refuses to use the word gay, because “homosexuals” aren’t “happy”. Needless to say, the homos weren’t “happy” about Naugle’s claims and launched a campaign to unseat the sex-obsessed politico.

Journo Steve Rothaus, meanwhile, has taken his protest to the papers and reveals Naugle’s greatest fear: he’s wrong.

The way Naugle sees it, every toilet in Fort Lauderdale’s overflowing with homo-sex. According to Rothaus, who interviewed local coppers, public sex remains a negligible “problem”: South Florida law enforcement agencies say they receive occasional complaints and make a few arrests, but they don’t spend much time cracking down on it.

To read the rest, click here.

Edison Farrow thanks Sandra Bernhard

Open letter from Edison Farrow of SoBe Social Club:

Edison Farrow and Sandra Bernhard backstage at the Colony Theatre

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the four Sandra Bernhard performances this past weekend at the Colony Theater.

It was quite a whirlwind weekend for me acting as Concert Promoter/Producer for the first time. But over all, things went smoothly. There were several fun moments over the course of the weekend. Commissioner Michael Gongora surprised Sandra Bernhard and me with a "Key to the City" for each of us at the closing of the Friday night 10pm show. Maryel Epps even made a surpise guest appearance for the closing song at the two 10pm shows as she used to sing back-up vocals for Sandra.

On Saturday, hundreds of people tried to purchase tickets for that night, but both performances were already SOLD OUT. Tickets went on sale three months ago!

I have plans to bring more arts and entertainment to Miami, so join the email list or keep checking the website for more information coming soon.

Edison
Email: [email protected]

Gay activist insists Beenie Man, colleagues signed deal denouncing violent lyrics

BY KERIL WRIGHT, Jamaica Observer

Montego Bay, St James - The UK-based gay rights group Outrage! says DJ Beenie Man's denial that he signed the group's Reggae Compassionate Act denouncing violence against gays is irrelevant and has invited anyone doubting his claim to view the document on the Outrage! website.

"The denials are irrelevant," said founder and spokesman Peter Tatchell in an e-mailed response to Observer. "We have the signed documents and anyone can view them on the web."

The Grammy-winning Beenie Man denied signing the act following his closing act on the opening night of Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest. At the time the DJ made it clear that although he did not support the gay lifestyle, violence against gays was unnecessary.

But according to Tatchell, the important issue is that signed copies of the act bearing the DJ's signature and the signature of other leading dancehall artistes are posted online for worldwide viewing.

Tatchell said that if needs be the documents, bearing what he insisted were the signatures of Beenie Man, Capleton, Sizzla and Buju Banton - available at www.petertatchell.net - could be authenticated by handwriting experts.

He said the signatures were obtained on the organisation's behalf by a UK reggae promoter and he believed them to be authentic. "I have total confidence that he obtained the signatures of the singers themselves," said Tatchell.

Beenie Man and several other local Reggae artistes suffered severe setbacks to their careers in recent years when gay rights groups, under the Stop Murder Music banner, boycotted their concerts and led a campaign that saw many of them being dropped from a number of European and US tours.

Since the publication of Beenie Man's denial, several gay rights activists have expressed their disappointment with what they view as a move to save his career on the European scene while maintaining the status quo in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.