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We’re now a full section at the new MiamiHerald.com, including local, national and foreign stories of interest to the LGBT community.

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Documentary on gay rights, ‘The Day It Snowed In Miami,’ wins Aurora Award

The Day It Snowed In Miami, a documentary showcasing South Florida’s role in the gay rights movement, has won a 2014 Aurora Award.

The documentary, by director Joe Cardona in association with the Miami Herald Media Company, was recognized for “great technical execution, good variety of material sources, clear, in-depth interviews.”

The Day It Snowed In Miami which has been broadcast nationally on PBS and screened at South Florida theaters, covers the political battle lines in Miami in 1977 when gays sought approval of a then controversial human rights law. Singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant led the opposition.

The Aurora Awards recognize excellence in film and video in international competitions

Award-winning poet L. Lamar Wilson headlines Saturday at Reading Queer festival in Miami Beach

BY STEVE ROTHAUS

[email protected]

L. Lamar Wilson's headline performance Saturday at the Reading Queer festival in Miami Beach will tell his personal story through music and poetry.

"I have a book of poems called Sacrilegion," said Wilson, originally of Marianna in Florida's Panhandle. "It's a book about language of the Bible and the music of the church I grew up in, the Missionary Baptist Church."

Sacrilegion (Carolina Wren Press, 2013) is "a complex book because it's dealing with three things," said Wilson, a copy editor at the Charlotte Observer (a Miami Herald sister paper) and doctoral student at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

"It's about coming of age in the era of AIDS," said Wilson, who won the 2012 Carolina Wren Press Poetry Series.

"I say that with intention. When you are growing up with this thing that kills people, who are like what you are discovering you are … it impacts the way that you think about what it means to be a queer body. It’s not something to embrace, to be joyful about."

The book's centerpiece poem is Legion: Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which Wilson will perform Saturday at Reading Queer.

Sacrilegion's second pillar is about race upheaval, Wilson said.

"The aftermath of Jim Crow violence in my hometown of Marianna, Florida," he said."With that kind of violence happening to young black bodies. My book is exploring the violence that is pervasive or institutional in these small towns."

Wilson will read his poem, Resurrection Sunday, about the real-life lynching in 1934 of Claude Neal.

Sacrilegion is also about body image, said Wilson, whose left arm and hand were damaged at birth.

"Growing up with this physical difference, Erb’s palsy, and coming into his own, realizing he is queer and finding the kind of acceptance in a culture that’s obsessed with the perfect chiseled body," Wilson says in the third person.

He later adds a fourth pillar: "What it means to embrace being decidedly rural & Southern in metro cities -- for me, Milwaukee, Chicago, D.C., Atlanta -- when that means you'll be mistaken as slothful and simple-minded. Sacrilegion complicates that narrative," he says in a text message. "It also blurs the lines between English, Spanish, & other Native languages that inform it. I am multiethnically black; my ancestors were master & slave, Mascogo & possibly Latino."

Reading Queer

L. Lamar Wilson performs with Carl DuPont (an assistant professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte), bass-baritone Lloyd Reshard Jr. & tenor Kunya Rowley from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Miami Beach Botanical Garden. 2000 Convention Center Dr. Free (suggested donation of $20).

Click here for more information.

Health-care fears loom large in gay marriage cases

BY RICK CALLAHAN

ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Niki Quasney felt a piercing pain in her ribcage in March, the oncologist treating her advanced ovarian cancer told her to get to an emergency room immediately.

But instead of making the short drive to a hospital near her home in Munster, Indiana, she drove alone for more than 40 minutes to one in neighboring Illinois. Quasney said she was "terrified" her local hospital might not allow her and her partner of more than 13 years, whom she wed last year in another state, to be together if she suffered a health emergency.

Quasney and her partner, Amy Sandler, are among dozens of couples challenging Indiana's and Wisconsin's gay marriage bans in a case being heard Tuesday in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Looming large in the case is the issue of medical emergencies faced by same-sex couples.

The couples are suing for the right to marry or to have their out-of-state marriages recognized in their home states. They argue that powers of attorney and domestic partner registries don't guarantee they'll be allowed to make critical end-of-life or life-saving decisions. No legal document, they say, can provide the same protections as a marriage certificate.

Click here to read more.

Aqua Foundation Executive Director Robin Schwartz to step down after four years running organization

Robin Schwartz, executive director of Aqua Foundation for Women since 2010, has announced she is stepping down this fall.

Here's the official news release:

As Aqua Foundation for Women announces the resignation of its Executive Director, Robin Schwartz, they offer immense thanks for her dedication and leadership. Schwartz’s history with the organization dates back to its founding days when she was among the small group of women who formed the first foundation focused on the needs of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in South Florida. This group went on to become Aqua Foundation for Women. Schwartz served on the Board of Directors for over seven years before being appointed as Executive Director in 2010.

"My goals when becoming Executive Director four years ago were to diversify and grow Aqua's income, increase awareness of its programming, develop internal processes , improve external communications, but more importantly, assure Aqua's work addresses the needs of LBT women in South Florida", says Robin Schwartz.

Aqua Foundation has achieved much under Robin’s leadership:

• High impact initiatives such as the LBT Health Directory and the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Initiative

• Increased annual scholarship giving from $28,000 to $60,000

• More balanced fundraising. In 2009: 16% of a $285,000 budget was raised outside of Aqua Girl, AFW's largest fundraiser. In 2013: 55% of a $485,000 budget was raised outside of Aqua Girl

• Created an Aqua Men group to welcome and encourage male involvement and support

• Improved structure in administration, programming and event management

• Higher visibility of the foundation's work

• Stronger relationships with other LGBTQ and ally organizations leading to valuable collaborations

• Created new community events and programs such as the annual LGBTQ Family BBQ, Aqua Ally Awards and the LBT Emerging Leadership Conference

“Robin’s dedication, passion, and hard work to maintain the purpose of AFW in the LBT community has elevated the Foundation and positioned us for continued growth and positive impact for those who need it most for years to come.  We wish her all the best and remain forever grateful for her work”​, states Nicole Waters, AFW Chair.​

“We are extremely proud of where Aqua is today and know the foundation is poised to continue to flourish, grow and have a positive impact on the LGBTQ community. AFW's board is actively searching for a new Executive Director.  We look forward to this next step in AFW's amazing journey and know that Robin will always be a part of our Aqua family,” says Waters.

Aqua Foundation's 10-year anniversary celebration will be 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 20 at Gale South Beach. Click here for $75 general admission tickets.

Video | 'I am Gustavo ... and I am Impulse'; South Florida safe-sex group to host reception Sept. 13

The latest Impulse Group South Florida  "I am" video:

I am Gustavo and I am Impulse

I am… Unstoppable

Gustavo is a board member of the Impulse Group South Florida Chapter - As the Director of Advocacy, Gus works closely with the Advocacy team to craft and deliver the most effective messaging for the community and demographic. This results in a combination of impactful and memorable education and advocacy that bring all our marketing and events to life.

"i am" will be Impulse SoFl's most powerful event yet! Since its inception as Impulse South Florida, and through its rebranding and expansion as Impulse South Florida. We have strived to bring impactful education to the LGBT community through provocative, sexy, unique marketing. I am will be an experience like you've never seen. Audio and Visual presentations will delve you into 6 stories that are all intimate, compelling, and personal testimonies.

Stay tuned as each Tuesday leading up to the event, we unveil more about who we are, why we do what we do, and all about our next event in the I am Impulse interview series.

Join us Saturday, September 13 at 6:00pm
at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Join us for complimentary cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music and an advocacy message presented like never before…… as we present to you.... i am

Tickets Available at: http://iam-impulsesofl.eventbrite.com/

Impulse Group presents ‘I Am’ videos to promote cocktail reception Sept. 13 at Broward Center

From Impulse Group South Florida:

Impulse Group South Florida brings our most powerful event yet. We invite you to join us to be a part of our efforts in pushes boundaries and giving you an experience unlike anything you've been a part of.

Join us for complimentary cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and live music as we present to you.... i am.

We are going to share with you intimate, personal, and compelling testimonies in a way you've never seen before. This isn't going to be an event....its going to be an experience!

I am a friend, I am supporter, I am fighter, I am boyfriend, I am HIV negative, I am educated, I am out of options, I am promiscuous, I am in a serodiscordant relationship.

We are Impulse Group

Make sure to arrive early as you dont want to miss the presentation and seats our limited.

To promote I Am, Impulse is posting a weekly series of videos by members:

I am Steve and I am Impulse

I am… Supportive

Steve is a board member of the Impulse Group South Florida Chapter - As a Director of Events, Steve closely with his team, Ensuring everything from Venue Selection to Event details works with Marketing and Advocacy to put on spectacularly memorable events!

"i am" will be Impulse SoFl's most powerful event yet! Since its inception as Impulse South Florida, and through its rebranding and expansion as Impulse South Florida. We have strived to bring impactful education to the LGBT community through provocative, sexy, unique marketing. I am will be an experience like you've never seen. Audio and Visual presentations will delve you into 6 stories that are all intimate, compelling, and personal testimonies.
Stay tuned as each Tuesday leading up to the event, we unveil more about who we are, why we do what we do, and all about our next event in the I am Impulse interview series.

Join us Saturday, September 13 at 6:00pm
at the Broward Center for the Preforming Arts
Join us for complimentary cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music and an advocacy message presented like never before…… as we present to you.... i am

Tickets Available at: http://iam-impulsesofl.eventbrite.com/

Here’s the July 29 video:

I am Richard and I am Impulse

I am… Loving

Richard is a board member of the Impulse Group South Florida Chapter - As a member of the Advocacy team, Richard is responsible for creating the messaging that will reach and impact the South Florida gay community.

AP: U.S. sent Latin youth undercover, running an HIV clinic, in anti-Cuba ploy (with video)

An AP investigation reveals that USAID, which set up a Cuban Twitter-like social media network, also ran an HIV clinic in Cuba as a front to recruit potential political activists against the Communist regime.

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BY DESMOND BUTLER AND JACK GILLUM AND ALBERTO ARCE AND ANDREA RODRIGUEZ

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- An Obama administration program secretly dispatched young Latin Americans to Cuba using the cover of health and civic programs to provoke political change, a clandestine operation that put those foreigners in danger even after a U.S. contractor was hauled away to a Cuban jail.

Beginning as early as October 2009, a project overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development sent Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Peruvian young people to Cuba in hopes of ginning up rebellion. The travelers worked undercover, often posing as tourists, and traveled around the island scouting for people they could turn into political activists.

In one case, the workers formed an HIV-prevention workshop that memos called "the perfect excuse" for the program's political goals — a gambit that could undermine America's efforts to improve health globally.

But their efforts were fraught with incompetence and risk, an Associated Press investigation found: Cuban authorities questioned who was bankrolling the travelers. The young workers nearly blew their mission to "identify potential social-change actors." One said he got a paltry, 30-minute seminar on how to evade Cuban intelligence, and there appeared to be no safety net for the inexperienced workers if they were caught.

"Although there is never total certainty, trust that the authorities will not try to harm you physically, only frighten you," read a memo obtained by the AP. "Remember that the Cuban government prefers to avoid negative media reports abroad, so a beaten foreigner is not convenient for them."

Click here to read more.

Register now for 2014 Ujima Men's Collective conference, for ‘Black same gender loving men’

From Lorenzo Robertson, conference coordinator of the Ujima Men’s Collective.

“Our conference is scheduled for October, but we need people to register now,” Robertson says.

According to the website: “The Ujima Men's Collective was formed to create a collective of Black same gender loving men and those that love and work with them to meet, educate and build a strong network where they live to address issues of equality, enlightenment for our greater community, safety and health concerns in their community.”

Robertson has provided details of the conference:

The Ujima Men’s Collective will hold its annual conference at the Westin Hotel Fort Lauderdale, October 24-26, 2014. The conference theme is Dare 2B AWARE, and keynote speaker Phill Wilson (CEO, Black AIDS Institute) will address delegates and lead discussion on the importance of genuine social equality, enlightenment for our greater community and health and HIV concerns in the Black same gender loving (SGL) community. Filmmaker Amir Dixon will screen his award-winning documentary, Friend of Essex at the conference and entertain a Q and A with conference attendees.

The Ujima Men’s Collective believes that personal responsibility is simply a moral choice. In addition, The Ujima Men's Collective conference comes at a critical time when more Black same gender loving men are plagued with challenges of health issues, bullying, homophobia and self-hatred.

During the past ten years, the Ujima Men’s collective initiated a number of sustainability initiatives, and committed to a prominent campaign to build a network of Black SGL men. These men are dedicated to making strides in areas of leadership, advocacy, spirituality, relationships and health & wellness.

Alongside the keynote addresses, delegates to the conference will also have access to a range of workshops on leadership, advocacy, spirituality, relationships and health & wellness. This is an initiative of Ujima Men’s Collective Conference Coordinator Lorenzo Robertson, who believes Black SGL men and their supporters should have the opportunity education, empowerment and encouragement in a non-threatening environment. Contact us, if you are interested in facilitating a workshop.

"Learning techniques and applying them to your personal life can create significant changes for Black same gender loving men and their supporters; and the conference will give many a unique opportunity to learn from other Black same gender loving men," he says.

"This is something I believe that the conference is an exceptional occasion for Black same gender loving men learn and grow, and I am proud that Ujima Men’s Collective is taking a determined lead to address the issues concerning Black same gender loving men."

The Ujima Men’s Collective Conference, Dare 2B AWARE will be held at the Westin Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Friday-Sunday, October 24-26, 2014. We will have a keynote address and discussion by Phill Wilson. Register early for attendance and/or facilitating a workshop, log onto www.ujimamen.com.

Thirtieth anniversary White Party 2014 to be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, at Perez Art Museum Miami

BY STEVE ROTHAUS

[email protected]

This year’s 30th-anniversary White Party seeks to return to its white roots: Lots of glamour and no torn shorts or T-shirts.

“Oh, no! I want this to be the highest level of formal wear so they can show their elegance,” said Jonathan Welsh, marketing and development manager of Care Resource, the agency that presents and benefits from the annual fundraiser. “A fantastic world of white.”

White Party, from 7 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Nov. 29, also has a new outdoor venue: Perez Art Museum near downtown Miami.

“We have hundreds of international visitors who come from Brazil  and France and Israel and they want to be outside,” Welsh said. “They want to see the bay, they want to see the city, they want to see Miami.”

White Party is centerpiece of White Party Week, which runs during the Thanksgiving holiday from Nov. 26 through Dec. 1.

For more than 25 years, White Party was an early-evening soiree at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens popular with thousands of middle-age gay men.

In 2010, Miami-Dade County sought nearly $60,000 to rent Vizcaya for the 2011 event and Care Resource said no.

White Party moved to Miami Seaquarium, then to a club in Wynwood. The event also shifted from early evening to late night, hoping to attract thousands of young gay men in club attire.

Results were lackluster and this year Care Resource has decided to shift back to an early-evening party it hopes will attract a more diverse audience.

“Our goal is to bring in a larger spectrum of people from Miami,” said Steve Beko, Care Resource’s events coordinator. “White Party isn’t just an LGBT event, it’s a Miami event. Something our city can be proud of.”

White Party is centerpiece of White Party Week, which last year grossed  nearly $600,000 for Care Resource. For decades, the agency has been known for HIV/AIDS care, but now also provides adult primary medical care, women’s healthcare, dental and pediatric care.

“We are a federally qualified health center,” Welsh said. “White Party Week grossed $592,425 in 2013 with 86 cents of every dollar going back towards programs and services offered to our South Florida community.”

Entertainment this year will be provided by a 30-piece White Party Symphony conducted by Miami musician Sam Hyken, along with a one-hour performance by DJ David Knapp.

Returning to White Party will be drag queen Elaine Lancaster, acting as emcee for the 16th year.

“Sixteenth year in a row. Can you believe it? I’m still here honey,” said Lancaster, who has done HIV/AIDS fundraisers since the early 1980s.

“AIDS is still important, still a crisis,” Lancaster said Thursday. “People are not even practicing safe-sex anymore because they don’t think it’s a crisis. What idiots!”

Miami/Fort Lauderdale is No. 1 nationally in new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, according to recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“White Party started 30 years ago with an urgency to save lives,” Beko said. “It’s 30 years later and this pandemic is something that can be medically treated. But the urgency still exists because people are getting infected more and more in our community.”

If you go

White Party Week tickets go on sale Aug. 1 at www.whiteparty.org

Admission to White Party at Perez Art Museum, 1103 Biscayne Blvd.: $200, including all-night open bar and hor d'oeuvres from 7 to 9; $250 day of event.

There will be no welcome center this year. All event tickets should be printed from the website at time of purchase. Wrist bands will be mailed until just before White Party Week.