Florida Agenda

TALLAHASSEE — It was an eventful week for Florida’s LGBT rights advocates and straight allies, as activists and other stakeholders arrived in Tallahassee for two days of lobbying the state’s lawmakers in support of legislation that would create domestic partnerships for unmarried couples, regardless of their sexual identity. (See full lobbying story in this week’s [...]

ATLANTA, GA — On Sunday, March 3, doctors announced that for the first time in history, a baby had been cured of an HIV infection, a surprising development that could lead to changes in the treatment of infected newborns, and dramatically reduce the number of children living with the virus, which causes AIDS. The doctors, [...]

WASHINGTON, DC — In what amounts to a direct challenge to Speaker John Boehner and the conservative leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, dozens of prominent Republicans, including several with senior ties to former President George W. Bush, have signed a legal brief in support of the constitutional right of gay Americans to marry. [...]

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Former Utah Governor and 2012 Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman, Jr. used a prominent conservative journal to announce his full support for same-sex marriage. Writing in The American Conservative on February 21, Huntsman insisted that, “There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge a marriage with [...]

A Palm Beach County judge has set the trial date for a Wilton Manors man and former television weather announcer arrested last year on charges of sexual activity with minors, lewd and lascivious battery, computer pornography, and child exploitation. Former WPTV Channel 5 weatherman Robert J. Lopicola, 42, is scheduled to return to court for [...]

Agenda Investigation Wilton Manors Man Defrauded many LGBT Investors WILTON MANORS – Last week, in what sounded more like a whimper than a bang, accused Ponzi schemer Jim Ellis pleaded guilty to charges that he had solicited over a dozen investors since 2004 with the intent to defraud them. Appearing before Judge Kathleen Williams in [...]

WILTON MANORS — What began as a seemingly routine administrative disciplinary procedure has gained momentum—and, for some, symbolism—after the termination and subsequent reinstatement of a Wilton Manors city employee (who happens to be a long-time resident) in a process that was initiated by her supervisor (who happens to be part of the ‘new guard’ in [...]

WASHINGTON, DC — Proclaiming “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,” President Barack Obama was sworn in for a second term on Monday, declaring his allegiance and intent to promote a progressive policy agenda. “We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle [...]

PEMBROKE PINES — Two Pembroke Pines men have been arrested for several counts of sexual assault of a minor and failing to reveal their HIV status after allegedly providing drugs to a 16 year old boy, and engaging in unprotected sex, at the same time failing to reveal that one or both of them is [...]

FORT LAUDERDALE — Former Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Dean Trantalis is heading for a runoff in March for the city’s District 2 Commission seat, in a race that will pit him against another former City Commissioner, Charlotte Rodstrom, who had given up the seat to run unsuccessfully for Broward County Commission. Trantalis and Rodstrom finished [...]