Florida Agenda » NEWS

Soldier Saved from Antigay Attack by Prince Harry

Grant James — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:48:18 +0000

London, England – According to gay British Lance Corporal James Wharton, when he was harassed and threatened by six other soldiers, Prince Harry came to his defense. When the six soldiers verbally harassed him and even threatened to beat him, Wharton went directly to Harry, his tank commander at the time (circa 2008, according to the Daily Mail). Wharton told Harry, “I think I’m going to be murdered by the infantry.” After telling the prince everything that happened, Harry said, “Right, I’m going to sort this s*** out once and for all.” He left the tank to talk to a senior officer, and when Wharton looked out to check on the incident, he said he saw Harry “having a go.” Wharton’s life is chronicled in his new book, Out In The Army, where he tells tale of being out in the military as well as his camaraderie with Prince Harry.

Remembering Mrs. Beasley

Grant James — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:24:57 +0000

Jay Lynch – better known as Mrs. Beasley – passed away at the age of 74, leaving behind a personality that will be remembered for years to come. Lynch was known for his sense of humor and gossip columns throughout the years for publications like HotSpots and Scoop, in addition to some syndicated pieces as well. According to Pompano Bill, the entertainment and gossip columnist named his personality after his dog, Mrs. Beasley. While he had one written book under his belt, he was planning on writing another: a tell-all covering the various personalities around town.

Bobby Blair Memoir Confirmed

Grant James — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:00:02 +0000

“I’m very excited to announce that I’ve been asked to write former tour professional and junior tennis standout Bobby Blair’s still untitled memoir. It is such a privilege to be asked to write what we know will be an important book that helps generations of young male athletes in so many ways in the years to come.”

The statement from author Barry Buss comes as a major triumph for Bobby Blair, who’s memoir is confirmed to be published later this year. Buss says, “This is will be the story of one brave and courageous man. I couldn’t be more honored than to be asked to help tell such a private and personal story.” When asked why Bobby’s story is particularly special, Buss says, “It ties in to the homophobia and intolerance within the field of male contact sports. There’s no way that you can be the best athlete you can be without being yourself. The story aims to help young athletes especially. It encourages them to be themselves, without fear of judgement.”

He goes on to say, “We want the closeted community to overcome their fears. To be themselves in an intolerant society. We want to engage the gay community openly, while removing the taboo, fear and stigma surrounding the gay community. When a straight community envisions someone like Bobby, they picture a straight male. It’s time to grow up.”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” Martin Luther King Jr.

INTRODUCTION

April 29th, 2013. Sports Illustrated breaks the big scoop. The first male athlete in a major American team sport is to announce he is gay. Rumors of such an announcement were swirling for a few weeks now in the sports world. Who would it be? Which sport would it be? Would it be well received? Would this be the beginning of more and more gay males across the entire athletic spectrum to come out?The story breaks. It’s professional basketball player Jason Collins. Never heard of the guy. Huge let down. I read his “story” in Sports Illustrated – a glorified diary entry with no back and forth. It reads like a drive by. Within 24 hours, the media circus is in full effect. All the usual suspects chime in with their words of support; even the President gets in on the act with a high profile public phone call. Oh the evolution of it all.

Something about the whole event didn’t seem right to me. I dug in a little deeper in to who Jason Collins is. 34, career lows in statistics on one of the worst teams in the NBA, and a free agent to-be on July 1st, 2013. He came out after his season was over, he does not have a contract for next season, meaning he really is not the first active athlete to come out in one of America’s four major team sports. All the talk of this being some kind of game changing moment just didn’t seem justified to me and now I was starting to see why.

It didn’t take long before some high profile public figure failed his tolerance test. Chris Broussard, some two bit, back bench, anchor at ESPN pretty much declared that Collins was going straight to hell according to Broussard’s Christian orthodox views. Super. Now this was the story less than 48 hours after Collins declaration. I sensed the gravity and game changing moment slipping away as all the attention shifted to Broussard’s backward ass views. Thousands of young gay male athletes hide in plain sight daily from the intolerance and homophobic cultures that are male team sports. How was this ever going to change when the media can’t stay with the true story for more than a news cycle? I put my head down that night encouraged by Collins’ courageous act but disappointed at what I sensed was going to be little more than just another in a long list of individual acts.

I’ve followed the process of male athletes coming out for some time now. Every act of coming out is equally powerful to me, showing great courage by the individual, but in so many ways, it is always the righting of a profound wrong, addition by subtraction, the truth emerging by the cessation of the big lie. But these acts of individual courage are sporadic, random, with no cohesive plan of action associated with them to make the environment that is professional sports a safe and inclusive environment for young gay male athletes. Why could the LGBT community not get organized behind these scattered acts and employ a program to aid and support all the closeted gay athletes suffering in silence in high school and college team sports the nation round?

We keep waiting for that marquee name to come out at the pinnacle of his sporting career. But what if he doesn’t appear? What if he doesn’t exist? Society just runs the numbers and assumes statistically he is there. Matter of fact, they’re damn near certain about it. However, I know a few things about trying to become an elite athlete. I played some serious tennis back in my day; was one of the top American junior tennis players of my era, have a marquee victory over a grand slam champion at a former grand slam venue.

I intimately know the complexities of trying to build a strong and unflappable sense of self while living a lie. And I am absolutely certain my growth and development as a young professional athlete was hampered by my not feeling safe to be my true self in my sport’s culture. And I’m also absolutely certain that if the Jason Collins of my era came out as this one did, it would have felt so awesome to know I was not alone in loving who and how I loved but also know his coming out would have been grossly inadequate as a source of strength and motivation for coming out myself.

It’s because tolerance is not a concept that gets paid lip service in the abstract by wildly successful professional athletes when the cameras are rolling. Tolerance is a mindset that gets challenged in every encounter, every conversation, every handshake, every look and glance far away from the tape recorders and bright lights of our mass media, day after day, week after week, year after year. Most in our day and age are increasingly hip and with it that gay people are no different than anyone else. It’s the fear of the repercussions from those who are not ok with the fact that we are exactly like you in every way except in the one detail: that being who we were born to love. Its those repercussions; the smears, the devaluing, the ostracizing, the hate, or even worse, that we fear of coming out. It can be such a lonely place, all those years knowing that if I can never get over my fears, how can I ever expect them to.

I knew the community needed to do more, and then I realized I am my community and that I needed to do more. I’ve been out to my family, friends, and in my professional life, but not in the tennis community that I spent so many productive years chasing excellence at the highest levels of our sport. I needed to tell my story to the tennis community, but not as some isolated act of “coming-out” courage, but as the first important act in a program of concerted action to help make professional sports, and in particular my sport of tennis, a safe, inclusive and tolerant environment for the next generation of young up and coming gay athletes.

For the numbers are staggering. Thousands on top of thousands of young players at the junior, college and professional ranks, and not a single gay male tennis player out in the open about his sexuality. Tennis culture can say whatever it wants about being tolerant of those with different sexual orientations, but the gaping disparity between the openness of women associated with our sport as compared to men over the same time span speaks loudly that all is not right for young gay males trying to live lives of dignified authenticity in and around the sport of tennis. A lot needs to change and I have set my near future sights on being an integral part of that change by firstly telling my story and secondly being part of future courses of action to change tennis culture so young players no long have to live in shame and fear while pursuing their athletic dreams.

Coming out is not about you getting to know everything about my private life. It’s about not having to keep private one of the most important aspects of my life. It’s about no longer having to hide an essential aspect of who I am while standing in plain view. It’s about being able to honestly and with courage being able to tell my story to you here now, about being able to share my experience with you now in the hopes that it helps this next generation of aspiring gay athletes, it’s about being able to declare with pride and confidence that my name is Bobby Blair, a former a professional tennis player, and a gay male. This is my story.

Twin Sisters With Two Gay Moms Make Their Mark

George Dauphin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:06:40 +0000

Key West, FL – In the cover of a weekly Florida Keys publication, Conch Color, twin sisters donning graduation gowns were featured. Twin sisters Liz and Erin Czerwinski made history by becoming the first sisters to become Valedictorian and Salutatorian at Key West High School, achieving GPAs over 4.7. Liz and Erin were raised by two gay moms, proving that same-sex parents can raise children just as well as heterosexual parents. The two sisters credit their community for their success, stating that it’s always been there for them and was always accepting of their family. “It’s definitely different being raised by two moms, but the community of Key West has always been supportive. We have a lot of loving people down here that have made Liz and I feel very comfortable. I wouldn’t want to trade my family experiences for anything,” says Erin. Sister Liz says, “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow up.” When asked what it has been like to be raised by two moms, Liz says, “It’s hard to say anything other than amazing. It has always felt normal to me and sometimes I even forget that it’s something unique. I feel very lucky to have had such supportive and loving parents.”

Kaitlyn Hunt Rejects Plea Deal

Grant James — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:03:28 +0000

The eighteen-year-old charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery, Kaitlyn Hunt, rejected a deal on Friday that would have forced her to plead guilty to child abusem, CNN reports. While Hunt’s family claims the relationship with her fourteen-year-old girlfriend was consensual, Florida laws state that a person under the age of 16 is not legally able to give consent to sex. The case created a big splash that drew support from the whole country, including a petition to “free Kaitlyn,” that racked up hundreds of thousands of signatures. The plea deal would have required Hunt to plead guilty and spend two years on community control, which involves a strict supervision and one year of probation. Hunt’s attorney, Julia Graves, released a statement saying that Hunt was rejecting the plea deal, stating, “This is a situation of two teenagers who happen to be of the same sex involved in a relationship. If this case involved a boy and girl, there would be no media attention to this case.” Graves went on to say, “Our client is a model citizen. She has been placed in an environment of school with her classmates where they go to school together, have lunch together, and play on the same team and are allowed to have communication and contact without barriers. Then when something develops between the two as a result of this environment created by the state, it leads to criminal prosecution.”

Rufus Wainwright & Husband Speak Out for Binational Couples

Grant James — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:15:02 +0000

Los Angeles, CA – Rufus Wainwright and husband Jorn Weisbrodt are in the same boat that many bi-national LGBT couples are facing. While Wainwright and Weisbrodt are legally married in New York, German-born Weisbrodtare still can’t get a US citizenship. In a statement released by the couple through domaproject.org, their concerns are loud and clear: “When we married in New York State, we made a vow to be together and support each other for the rest of our lives. In 50 years we will look back at this day as we look back at the 1967 legalization of inter-racial marriages in U.S. – with disbelief that it took this long to recognize equality. Our vow should be protected by the federal government allowing bi-national couples like us a path to a green card.”

First Openly Gay Bishop Elected by Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grant James — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:13:01 +0000

Los Angeles, CA – Reverend Dr. R. Guy Erwin was elected as the first openly bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Erwin, who is also the church’s first Native American bishop, was elected Friday, May 31, by the Southwest California synod, an area that covers the greater Los Angeles area. Erwin is currently a pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Canoga Park, and also teaches religion and history at California Lutheran University. Erwin works on the board of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, a supporter of LGBT pastors, and is part of Proclaim, an association of LGBT Lutheran pastors. The board’s executive director, Amalia Vagts, says, “This is a great day for the Southwest California Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. [He]‘s a wonderful leader from the LGBTQ and Native American communities.”

LGBT Ally Frank Lautenberg Dies at 89

Grant James — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:21:58 +0000

Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg died Monday morning at the age of 89 after a bout of viral pneumonia took a turn for the worst. The longtime supporter of the LGBT community, sponsoring the federal anti-bullying legislation following the high-profile death of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after his roommate saw an encounter Clementi had with another man. Lautenberg was also a lead sponsor of the bill that repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin released a statement honoring Lautenberg’s support for the LGBT community: “Senator Lautenberg was a beacon for equality in Congress. He fought for justice with more than simply his vote. He knew bullying in our schools is a scourge, and he stood up to end it. He knew that workplace discrimination and hate crimes erode the freedom of all Americans, so he worked to stop them, session after session.”

A California Bill Challenges The Boy Scouts’ Anti-gay Scout Leader Policy

Grant James — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:12:50 +0000

Sacramento, CA – California state Senate approved legislation that will deny nonprofit tax breaks to any youth organization that discriminates based on gender identity, race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. The bill passed with a whopping 27-9 vote. Sponsored by by Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara, the bill would make groups like the Boy Scouts of America ineligible for state tax breaks, due to their recent announcement to keep the gay-ban on scout leaders, but not on openly gay scouts below the age of 18. Sen. Ricardo says, “Equality does not have an expiration date – discrimination should not be subsidized.” If the bill is signed into law by the governor, any organizations that fail to comply would have to pay sales tax on food and beverages sold at fund-raisers, in addition to corporate taxes on donations and membership dues.

Same-Sex Marriage Bill Fails to Pass In Illinois

Grant James — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:57:00 +0000

Springfield, IL – When the Illinois marriage equality bill failed to come to fruition, local supporters were crushed. Bernard Cherkasov, the CEO of Equality Illinois, was particularly upset when he told LGBT paper Windy City Times, “They should be embarrassed of themselves.” In an email to The Advocate, Cherkasov said, “The Illinois House failed to act on its historic obligation. The lawmakers faced a clear majority of Illinoisans who had demanded the freedom to marry, and they choose to adjourn without acting. It is beyond outrageous; it is painful to tens of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who go to sleep [tonight] as second-class citizens. Yet again. But we are not going away. We go back into the field to continue to fight until we have the freedom to marry in Illinois.” According to Windy City Times, the bill’s chief sponsor, openly gay Rep. Greg Harris, said that he had the votes pledged for the bill, but some of the supporters inevitably backed out. There’s some hope for the bill as it will be reintroduced in the fall. Harris admits, “Fighting for equality in this country is the long game.”