Supporters are hopeful for the bill’s legalization, likely due to the recent shift in politician’s views on marriage equality. The bill has a bi-partisan backing in the House of Representatives: Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla). The lawmakers held a press conference on Tuesday, accompanied by same-sex couples. National Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby from Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) stated, “Why should more than 400,000 children remain in foster care – 104,000 of whom are eligible for adoption – when they could receive this support from loving, capable, and qualified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents? This is truly discrimination at its worst: hurtful to the people who are being denied the opportunity to become parents, and harmful to thousands of vulnerable children being denied the opportunity for stable, loving, permanent homes.”

Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) regrets his vote to ban same-sex marriage in D.C. circa 1999. He now says, “I do believe that if there are children who are orphans who do not have a loving person or couple, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that. Period. I would vote that way.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics came out in to publicly support same-sex marriage, as well as full adoption and foster care rights for all parents, regardless of sexual orientation. They concluded that there’s no scientific evidence to suggest that children raised by a homosexual couple are any worse off than those raised by hetero parents.

Chair of the AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Dr. Benjamin Siegel, released a statement reinforcing the need for gay-marriage:

“Children thrive in families that are stable and that provide permanent security, and the way we do that is through marriage.”

http://floridaagenda.com/2013/04/05/on-solid-ground-u-s-sen-bill-nelson-endorses-marriage-equality/

WASHINGTON, DC — Although a growing chorus of national law- and policymakers of both major political parties have voiced their support for same-sex marriage, Florida’s senior United States Senator, Bill Nelson, remains one of just a handful of prominent Democrats who continue to withhold their support for marriage equality for gay Americans.

Within the last week, three Democratic U.S. Senators—Jon Tester of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania—have announced that, like President Obama, their views on gay marriage have “evolved” to supporting full marriage rights for gay men and women.

But Nelson, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000 after serving for a dozen years in the U.S. House and a stint as state Insurance Commissioner, remains committed to the traditional definition of marriage.

“My personal preference is that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Nelson, 70, said last week. After serving in the U.S. Army in the late 1960s, the Miami-born Nelson became a lawyer and was elected to the state House of Representatives, and then to Congress. In 1986, he became one of only two sitting Members of Congress to travel into space, undergoing NASA training and serving as a Payload Specialist aboard the space shuttle Columbia during a seven-day mission.

Including Nelson, only eight Democratic U.S. Senators remain opposed to marriage equality: Tom Carper (Delaware), Joe Donnelly (Indiana), Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota), Tim Johnson (South Dakota), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Joe Manchin (West Virginia), and Mark Pryor (Arkansas).

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (Pennsylvania), a pro-life Roman Catholic Democrat who opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger, announced his support for marriage equality.

“We’ve always known that there are some Democratic lawmakers who are social conservatives and who still take issue with the idea of full civil rights for gay Americans,” Michael Emanuel Rajner, Legislative Affairs Director for the Florida Democratic Party GLBT Caucus, told the Agenda.

“We are now seeing many of those who opposed marriage equality for political reasons are finally coming around to speaking the truth,” he added.

So what is Nelson’s “problem?” In spite of his opposition to marriage equality, Nelson is consistently ranked (including by the respected National Journal) as a liberal-to-moderate lawmaker on matters relating to the economy and social issues.

“For a long time, Nelson has stated that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states,” Rajner noted.

That position has been shared by many other prominent Democrats, including President Obama, who last year announced his own personal “evolution” towards supports for full marriage rights for gay Americans.

Rajner says that despite Nelson’s national credentials as a liberal, his support for civil unions leaves LGBT Americans out in the cold.

“Even where civil unions are permitted, married gays are denied over 1,000 federal benefits that DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] prevents them from receiving. And Nelson’s refusal to co-sponsor legislation—like the Uniting American Families Act—which would narrow that gap for gay families casts him in a particularly suspect light,” added Rajner.

He also noted that Nelson refuses to endorse the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), proposed legislation to repeal DOMA and require the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages. Among those who support RFMA are President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, who signed DOMA into law in 1996, and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, the Georgia Republican who was the original House sponsor of DOMA.

“If Nelson supported RFMA, it would truly make it a states’ rights issue. Where’s the disconnect?”

Roman Ragazzi, Arpad Miklos, Erik Rhodes, Josh Weston, Tanner Hayes, and Wilfried Knight all ended their lives in the last 12 months.

When news spread about 35-year-old Knight—an adult star who worked extensively with Lucas Entertainment—producer and gay adult star Michael Lucas circulated a letter to industry colleagues.

“Like so many others, I am heartbroken by the news that our beautiful friend and colleague Wilfried Knight has committed suicide,” he wrote. “Beneath his tough exterior, Wilfried was, like many guys in the adult film industry, a sensitive and intelligent man.

But he acknowledged that “like many” of his colleagues, “he struggled to maintain his external image and his sense of self worth.”

According to Lucas, porn actors are especially vulnerable to the tragic epidemic because there are no support systems in place for men in the adult industry.

Lucas shared his candid thoughts about the steps needed to stop these tragic off-camera endings.

Should we be concerned with this recent wave of suicides in the gay adult business?

It’s important to remember that these were all very different people with specific stories behind their individual tragedies. Many gay men outside the sex industry have done similar harm to themselves. To the extent that this is a trend, it’s one that extends well outside the porn world.

Michael Musto of the Village Voice said, “Many porn stars—who successfully create fantasies for a living—can’t seem to deal with reality.” Do you agree?

Sex work is a very hard job. I should know. There is nothing glamorous about it. As with many physical jobs, it wears on you. Also, porn performers travel constantly. It’s hard for them to build a solid, stable support network of friends and people to go to when things feel wrong.

Is the adult industry to blame?

I think much of the damage to these guys’ sense of worth comes from being dismissed as human beings.  Every time I write a column [about] political or social issues, I receive harsh comments that a gay porn star does not deserve to have opinions. The hypocrisy is revealed by the gay-sex scandals of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, Rev. Ted Haggard, and so many others—not to mention the openly-gay men who consume porn for entertainment but have judgmental attitudes toward the men who perform in it. There is still quite a bit of institutional discrimination against porn, as well.  Often, performers react by retreating into a gay porn bubble within the industry, which can be an unhealthy way to live.

On his blog, Wilfried Knight wrote about fighting against stereotypes. He said many people assumed he was a ‘druggie’, but that he was “happier hiking or climbing,” and that he had never attended a circuit party.

Precisely. There is an image out there of the typical porn actor as a drugged-out mess who tumbles from one bed to another. It comes, I think, partly from a need to cut down people that we admire. But there are many more who lead perfectly ordinary lives centered on their studies, their boyfriends, the outdoors, their cultural interests and whatever else. Some performers, like the late Erik Rhodes, do contribute to the party-boy stereotype, but I don’t think we should judge them too harshly either. There are larger social issues—and often family issues—at play.

Lucas encourages men in the porn industry to talk more openly about their problems, and to be there for each other. In his letter, Lucas advised “anyone in the porn world who is reading this: If you are feeling depressed, or despairing about the future, please know that you’re not alone. If you’re in trouble, contact me.”

Friends and Loved Ones Still Feel Loss from Bouthillette’s Passing

WILTON MANORS — In the January 30, 2013 Agenda (COVER STORY, “Manors Tragedy: M.E. Ruling Pending on Popular Bodybuilder/Model’s ‘Unattended Death’”), we reported on the death of popular local bodybuilder, fitness trainer, and one-time Colt model, Christian Bouthillette, who died January 28.

According to the police report, Bouthillette, 52, was found in his bathroom, dead from an apparently self-inflicted injury.

Bouthillette, a Montreal native, won numerous bodybuilding competitions, including the 1995 Canada Cup, the 1998 National Physique Committee (NPC) New York Grand Prix, and the 2004 NPC East Coast.

Ken Hunt, the owner of Steel Gym Fort Lauderdale, was both a friend to Bouthillette for more than a decade, and employed him as a fitness trainer in New York and Miami. “Christian was a very dear friend,” he told the Agenda. “Like a lot of truly generous and loving people, he struggled with self-acceptance and the things that can come along with that. He still means so much to so many people.”

The study authors, lead by Professor Asier Sáez-Cirión of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, identified 14 adults who have controlled their HIV infection after they ceased taking the antiviral drugs prescribed for their treatment. The report suggests that other patients may also be able to achieve this so-called functional cure.

The French findings, which were published this week in the journal PLOS Pathogens, come just two weeks after study authors in the U.S. published data concerning a baby with an HIV-positive mother that was born in Mississippi and had apparently been cured of the HIV virus through an aggressive regime of anti-viral drugs that were administered within an hour of birth.

In the case of the French patients, the researchers say that treatment began within months of their infection, which is still faster than in most adult cases.

The French study authors suggest that as many as 15 percent of diagnosed patients who begin early treatment—and who continue it for at least a year—may be able to control the virus without further treatment, sparing them of a lifetime of administering drugs on a daily basis.

Dr. Sáez-Cirión, the study’s lead author, said that the French patients are experiencing “remission” rather than a cure, because the virus is still present at low levels in their bodies.

But using the data to determine why some people are able to “control” the HIV virus may lead to an actual, functional cure—one that would allow individuals to enjoy healthy lives without drug therapies, even if the infection is not completely eradicated.

Experts say that the chief barrier to an actual cure for AIDS is that even when drugs sharply reduce the levels of the HIV infection in the blood, the virus can still stay hidden in the body’s so-called reservoirs. The French study noted that the viral reservoirs in post-treatment controllers were smaller than those for a typically-infected individual, and that these reservoirs had a smaller proportion of long-lived immune cells.

A fraction of people infected with HIV—less than 1 percent—are known as elite controllers, whose bodies keep the virus in check without the use of antiviral drugs. Some of the French study patients may be in this group, and never needed drugs in the first place, although that will never be known since their treatment began so soon after infection was detected.

But the French study authors say that these “post-treatment controllers,” are different from elite controllers, in that the post-treatment controllers tended to have very high viral loads soon after infection, whereas elite controllers are more likely to keep their virus levels down, even at the start of treatment.

One possible outcome of the French research is that people who are taking antiviral drugs may safely be able to stop that treatment. Other experts caution the report does not provide enough information to accurately predict which patients might be able to stop, and that patients should be warned not stop treatment on their own. They point to previous clinical trials which show that, in general, interruption of treatment leads to negative consequences.

The study also suggests that treatment for most people diagnosed with HIV should start earlier. But that isn’t always possible. Many infected persons live for months or years without knowing their HIV status, and some who are aware don’t or can’t start immediate treatment because of the cost of the medications or concerns about the associated side effects.

In the French research, the patients began treatment soon after becoming infected; many of these patients had already exhibited symptoms that alerted their doctors to the presence of infection.

They were each on therapy from between one year to seven and a half years, and have been off treatment for between four and 10 years.

According to the study authors, most of the patients were involved in research to learn if they could take “drug holidays.” But others did stop the treatment on their own.

Since their treatment ended, most of the patients have had viral blood levels below 50 copies per milliliter (CPM), a number that is considered undetectable. Some of them have reported measurements of up to a few hundred copies.

Despite caution about the long-term implications of the research data, experts not connected with the study say that although the “post-treatment controllers” may not be cured, they possess some physiological advantages that research needs to understand further.

They also note that new testing that measures viral loads in the body is accurate and sensitive enough that it might be possible to take people off treatment for short periods, and put them back on medications if their condition rapidly changes.

The two-day celebration features non-stop local, regional, and national entertainment, an outdoor marketplace featuring over 150 vendors, over 25 food booths, frozen drinks, beer, and cocktails, a dance/karaoke tent and many more fun and exciting surprises. 2013 marks the 36th Annual Pridefest, with all ticket sales benefitting our community.

2013 Pridefest takes place at the War Memorial Auditorium and Holiday Park (800 NE 8 St., Fort Lauderdale), from 12 to 7 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and Sunday March 10, 2013. Tickets for each day are $10. Weekend Pass for both Saturday and Sunday are $15. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting showclix.com/event/pridefest2013, or at ticketmaster.com/war-memorial-auditorium-tickets-ft-lauderdale/venue/106951.

This year will also feature the return of the Pridefest Parade, which will run from the softball fields to the Parking area.

This year’s Pridefest stage will be located outdoors, and will feature local, regional and national performers from 12-6 p.m. each day.

That’s Entertainment

The producers of 2013 Pridefest have announced the Headline Performer for this year’s 36th annual event, American pop duo Karmin, best known for their song “Brokenhearted,” which earned 14,000,000 views on YouTube and reached the top 20 in the U.S., and the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., and the song “Hello,” which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart in the U.S. Karmin—which features 26 year old performers Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan—will perform on Sunday, March 10 at 6 p.m.

Although entertainers and performances are subject to change without notice, at press time the scheduled performers include Billboard Top 100 recording artists Karmin, “American Idol” performer Frenchie Davis, comedian/hypnotist Jon Simon, “American Idol” Season 9 performer Michael Lynche, Alexis Salgado, No Angel, Yovanni Medel, Philip Alexander, the Tropical Wave ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, the Church of the Holy Spirit Song Choir, the Sunshine Cathedral Choir, the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, Miss Pride South Florida 2013 Porsha Chambers, and many others.

The hosts for the 36th Annual Pridefest weekend are WSVN-7 news anchor Craig Stevens, Sirius XM Satellite Radio personalities Derek & Romaine and local celebrity drag performer Nicolette (Saturday, March 9), and local TV personality Charles Perez of WPLG Local 10 and celebrity entertainer Jennifer McClain (Sunday, March 10).

Weeklong Pride

Official Pridefest events kick off the week, including a couple of new events. The Taste of Pride on Thursday, March 7, showcases local LGBT and LGBT-friendly restaurants, cafés, bars, and specialty shops.

Pride Comedy Night, a co-promotion with The Broward Center for the Performing Arts at Parker Playhouse, will be held on Friday, March 8, featuring nationally-known comedians Jason Stuart and Jessica Kirson.

Also on Friday, March 8, Scandals Saloon hosts Pride comic and special guest Jason Stuart at 10 p.m.

On Saturday, March 9, the Official Pridefest After-Party takes place poolside at The Depot Cabana Bar & Grill, co-hosted by the Pride Factory, at 7:30 p.m., featuring a special meet-and-greet with Frenchie Davis and a 10-year anniversary Bon Voyage Party hosted by Derek & Romaine of SiriusXM OutQ 108.

On Sunday, March 10, Sidelines Sports Bar hosts the Official Pridefest Closing Party at 7 p.m., with special guest Yovanni Medel and music by DJ Silvio.

A complete list of official Pridefest events and parties is available online at pridesouthflorida.org.

Although the official ruling from the county Medical Examiner’s office upon the manner of Bouthillette’s death—including a toxicology report—could take up to two weeks to be released, official sources close to the case who declined to be identified told the Agenda that the 52 year old Montreal-native was discovered “unattended” in his bath tub.

The management of the luxury apartment building—which is located behind Dairy Queen and Tropics restaurant, near the south end of Wilton Drive—expressed sadness for Bouthillette’s death, and Community Manager Heather Sparks posted a note of condolence and sympathy near the building’s elevators, explaining the cause of his passing as a massive heart attack.

The source close to the case told the Agenda that Bouthillette’s exact cause of death won’t be known until the toxicology is completed, but that source referred to an online report that Bouthillette had been arrested last weekend in Miami-Dade County for cocaine-related offenses. The same source also stated that a note had been found on the scene by investigators.

Bouthillette, whom neighbors say was warm and friendly, was an award-winning bodybuilder, a nationally-recognized trainer, and a popular Colt model whose images are available online.

He welcomed visitors to his fitness Website (bodyimagefitness.us) with a friendly open manner that his friends say was second nature to him. “Hi. My name is Christian,” he wrote on the site.

Bouthillette, a Montreal native, graduated from high school in 1977. According to his self-written Web bio, “I started bodybuilding at the age of 21 in Spain. I studied science of education in Montreal, and was a track and field athlete. After being diagnosed with periostitis (the inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connecting tissues that surround the bone) my tibia was affected and I could no longer jump or run. So I turned to bodybuilding to keep fit and healthy.”

After winning numerous bodybuilding competitions—including the 1995 Canada Cup, 1^st Place in mixed pairs, the 1998 National Physique Committee (NPC) New York Grand Prix 1^st Place in super heavy weight, and the 2004 NPC East Coast, 1^st Place in super heavy weight—Bouthillette “started [his] dream job” in 1998 as a personal trainer.

Ken Hunt, the owner of New York City-based Steel Gym, knew Bouthillette for more than 10 years, and had employed him in both New York and Miami. “Christian was a very dear friend of mine,” he told the Agenda. “He was a sweet person whose biggest muscle was his heart.”

Hunt told the Agenda that plans were being made to hold a memorial event in Bouthillette’s memory.

He says he had spoken with Bouthillette’s partner, and been told that his friend had died from a massive heart attack.

Hunt described Bouthillette as a “friendly” and “serious” person, who was sometimes “guarded” around others, especially those who only saw him at face value.

“I remember being at Fort Lauderdale Beach with him last year,” Hunt recalled. “He was very friendly, but I remember him saying that it was funny how most people only saw him as this big muscular guy, how they felt they ‘knew’ him from his fame as a Colt model. But that wasn’t the deeper part of Christian. It’s really a terrible loss.”

While officials wait the official ruling from the medical examiner, his loved ones try to make sense of their loss, and take comfort from the memories they retain of their friend. On his training Website, Bouthillette himself wrote that he gained tremendous satisfaction from “Helping people get what they want and reach their goals like I did; using the experience and knowledge I’ve acquired during my career in bodybuilding.”

WILTON MANORS — What Boyd Corbin says what started as a joke has turned into anything but.

Corbin has been charged by the Broward State Attorney’s Office for an alleged Halloween assault on at Georgie’s Alibi on Michael Walters, who emcees at the popular nightclub under the professional name Florida’s Dame Edna.

Corbin, who was decked in KKK a outfit complete with a tiki torch, wooden cross and a sign that read “Stop the race war against whites: Vote for Romney,” has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. If convicted on both charges, Corbin could be sentenced to a minimum of five years.

Corbin was arrested on Nov. 12 and has been out on bail ever since.

“I’m taking this deadly serious,” he told the Agenda.

But on Halloween night, he says he was just having a little fun and being ironic.

“Hey, it’s a joke. I’m a hundred percent Democrat and I support Obama.”

Walters, according to a Wilton Manors Police Department report, accuses Corbin of trying to light him on fire with the tiki torch. Walters also accuses Corbin of grabbing his wig and pulling Walters off the three-foot stage upon which he was hosting Alibi’s costume contest.

Walters declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that he sustained a leg injury “that hinders my daily life and my ability to do my job. I know little or nothing about Mr. Corbin and I have only seen him on the evening in question as he was assaulting me. I believe it’s only fair that the police investigate this matter and that the responsible party face[s] some sort of consequence for his wrongdoing. I’m thankful to the Wilton Manors Police Department for their swift and careful assistance.”

According to Corbin, Walters told him to put his torch out and then blew it out himself. After that, he says, Walters grabbed the torch and started “crushing” it. “I let him grab it. I didn’t move it at all,” said Corbin, who claims that he is the one who was assaulted.

“I stepped back and pulled harder. Instead of releasing my tiki torch, he stepped down off the stage and knocked my hat off. I pulled his wig off with two fingers and threw it on the floor.”

After that, Corbin says that Walters punched him, scratching his nose with one of his sharp rings. “I couldn’t back up any more so I pushed him with my left hand and he fell down for the first time. He was wearing high heels. He stood up and kicked me in the groin with his right leg. I blocked most of that kick and caught his knee with my left hand, and he fell down a second time.”

To represent him, Corbin has hired Fort Lauderdale attorney Thomas Morse and is urging anyone who saw the incident between him and Walters to contact him at (321) 278-1718, or his attorney at (954) 522-3205.

FORT LAUDERDALE— On his final day in office, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti told the Florida Agenda that as the county’s chief law enforcement officer, he was proud of the national attention he helped draw to hate crimes against some of the most vulnerable and often-overlooked members of our society, including the homeless and even LGBT persons.

In an exclusive interview conducted on January 7 Lamberti, who was appointed Sheriff in 2007 by then-Gov. Charlie Crist following a 35-year career with the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), said that the report this week by the Florida Attorney General’s office ranks Broward County as fifth in the state for total hate crime offenses reported in 2011, the last year for which data is available.

He credits the dramatic drop two “the tenacious attention to this issue that we have shown, and the commitment of our agency to letting the victims know that they can feel comfortable reporting these crimes to law enforcement, and that we have done something about it. In other jurisdictions, that number is skewed,” Lamberti added.

As we reported last year (Agenda, January 12, 2012, “Broward Sheriff on Hate Crimes: We Don’t Want to Be Number One”), “Broward County again led the state in overall reported hate crimes with 19 cases, three less than in 2009. Of the 32 reported hate crimes in Florida that were motivated by sexual orientation, eight of them—25 percent—occurred in Broward.”

“Simply put: we don’t want to be number one in terms of these stats,” Lamberti told the Agenda at the time. That wish was fulfilled last week by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s report.

The state of Florida defines a hate crime as an act committed or attempted by one person or group against another –or that person’s property –that in any way constitutes an expression of hatred toward the victim based on his or her personal characteristics.

As he took in his last day in office, Lamberti said that he is especially proud of the recent National Coalition for the Homeless Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Report, which credits BSO with helping secure passage in 2010 of House Bill (HB) 11 to protect Florida’s homeless, which made attacking one of that vulnerable group a hate crime. Advocates insist that BSO support for the law has led directly to a dramatic drop in the number of attacks against the homeless.

“This was the same legislation that had tried and failed four times before,” Lamberti explained. “I read the hate crimes reports in 2006 and saw that we led the state and said, ‘This isn’t acceptable.’”

Lamberti appointed Capt. Rick Wierzbicki, a former Chief of Police of Wilton Manors, as commander of the BSO Hate Crimes/Anti-Bias Task Force, a unit that has been recognized as one of the foremost in combating hate, fear, and bias.

Among the other accomplishments of which he is most proud, Lamberti noted the fight to close Broward County’s “pill mills,” those clinic and health care facilities that are believed to play fast-and-loose in prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances.

“Kids were dying,” Lamberti told the Agenda. “Broward was ground zero. We went overnight from four of these places to 130,” he stressed. “Something needed to be done. We have managed to cut deeply into that number, with the result being that today there are about 50.”

Lambert’s appointment in 2007 came shortly after former Sheriff Ken Jenne was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and fraud. Elected to a full term in 2008 against former North Bay Village Police Chief Scott Israel, Lamberti once again faced Israel in November, but with the opposite result. The new Sheriff officially took office on January 8.

Lamberti capped his 35-year career with a press conference at the Sheriff’s Headquarters on January 4.  Joined by representatives from several local organizations including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as well as Pride Center CEO Robert Boo, Lamberti echoed his comments from precisely one year earlier.

“I am pleased to say we are no longer number one.”

Lamberti noted that when crimes are reported, there is inevitably a spike in the statistics. “Victims are coming forward—very much like what happened in the case of domestic violence. When victims knew they could report without fear, there was a surge in the number of new cases. These cases weren’t real ‘new,’ they just hadn’t been reported before,” he explained.

“This is precisely what will happen in the case of hate crimes. We are going to see victims feeling safe enough to report their crimes, and then the numbers will begin to even off as society begins to deal with educating people on the evils of bias and hate.”

Lamberti says he has no immediate plans for the future (“Maybe CIA Director,” he joked), but says that for now, he is pleased to have accomplished what he set out to do with the agency he once helmed, and with the positive impact he made for some of the most vulnerable members of his charge.

“Victims aren’t Democrats or Republicans, they aren’t gay or straight: They are people,” he noted.

WILTON MANORS — When he was diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2010, Marty Kildea still considered himself a lucky man. His cancer was operable and curable, and he had the support of a gay community that had grown to know him through his involvement with Sidelines Sports Bar, a popular Wilton Drive club recognized for multiple flat-screen TVs airing football, soccer, tennis, and baseball as well as mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling.

Sidelines opened May 12, 2006 in the former location of Circuit Bar, and was an immediate hit with a gay clientele that mixed easily with the occasional lesbian and heterosexual sports fan.

During its first years of operation, Kildea was featured along with lawyer Laurie Whittaker in publicity releases and published articles listing them as “co-owners,” celebrating the success of what was an obviously well-run and appreciated Drive destination.

With Whittaker handling the financial transactions of the business and Kildea managing the bar, Sidelines drew much-needed traffic to the south end of Wilton Drive, and benefited many other businesses along the route.

After Kildea’s cancer surgery, however, he says that his ability to continue his day-to-day obligations was impacted by his ill health, which took a second hit when further cancer surgery and treatment was required in July 2011. It was then that things began to unravel—amid the bowls of peanuts and freshly made popcorn—inside the once happy Sidelines.

And allegations began to fly.

“On a Tuesday in July, Laurie [Whittaker] came to me and offered to buy me out of the business for $50,000.” Kildea told the Florida Agenda. “Wednesday, Laurie had to have surgery on her throat for polyps, so she couldn’t talk. Her brother started to call me, demanding to know if I was going to take the offer. He said, ‘You need to just accept this because you’re not going to win on this.’”

Kildea claims that he was blindsided by the offer, particularly given that the bar had grossed $7 million during its first five years in business.

“I told him that I wasn’t accepting the offer. Thursday night, I received a text from Laurie saying, ‘Do not come back to the bar. I’m changing the locks on the doors, and you’re not welcome there anymore.’ Friday, I went and found a lawyer,” Kildea said.

On legal documents, Laurie Whittaker is listed as the sole owner of Sidelines Sports Bar LLC and holds the liquor license to the club. According to Kildea, despite the fact that they went into the business relationship together, and he is a co-signer with Whittaker on the lease, he was told that he couldn’t “officially” be listed on any documents because of an arrest for cocaine possession prior to the opening of the bar. He was eventually convicted of the charge on August 8, 2007.

“After we had opened the bar, and were still getting things in order, [Laurie] brought me a piece of paper that she had printed out that said because of the Florida Division of Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco rules, with my pending drug charge, I could not be listed on anything,” Kildea said.

“We worked it out that I would get a bi-weekly check for my services, with a larger amount in cash.” Additionally, Kildea says that Whittaker split the cash take from the dart games and pool tables with Kildea on a 50-50 basis for the entire time he was connected with the establishment.

Kildea alleges that Sidelines Marketing Director Jennifer Morales was being paid in cash, as well.

“We were paying Jennifer under the table because she was getting SSI (Supplemental Security Income)” for a diagnosed case of pulmonary hypertension, as well as ataxia, a progressive neurological disease. In his suit, Kildea alleges that Morales, whose real name is Jennifer Mojica, was paid $750 a week “for her marketing efforts despite the fact that she is collecting disability and Medicare,” a claim that Whittaker denies.

Complicating the ownership issue, in printed releases from Morales’ own office during the first five years of the bar’s operation, Kildea is referred to as a “co-owner” along with Laurie Whittaker, Morales’ longtime girlfriend.

Articles in both the Agenda and South Florida Gay News referred to him as co-owner as late as April 2011. Three months later, Kildea was out.

In his court case, originally filed July 27, 2011, Kildea alleges that Whittaker knowingly misled him about the liquor license and their partnership. Additionally, he claims that Whittaker, by “taking $10,000 per month more than agreed to, misappropriated assets of Sidelines for her own personal gain,” and that she took “travel advances, expensing lavish parties and dinners,” and “personal vacations, which were paid with credit cards” issued in Sidelines’ name. Whittaker denies that allegation as well.

While “respectfully” refusing to comment for this story, in her sworn answers to Kildea’s lawsuit Whittaker takes the position that his allegations “are based upon and completely emanate from an alleged oral contract that is illegal and against public policy in the State of Florida.” She further denies his right to examine the corporation’s bookkeeping records.

To further complicate the Sidelines’ saga, Whittaker announced last August that she was moving the bar from its current location at 2031 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors to a new location in Fort Lauderdale at 2104 E Oakland Park Blvd, the former location of the Jib Room.

In making the announcement, Whittaker noted that the new location will have nearly double the square footage of the current 3,600 square foot club, plus have kitchen facilities the present location lacks.

A story in the December 17, 2012 edition of the Agenda reported that, “Sidelines Sports Bar broke ground last week in their new location,” with the anticipated opening “in the early part of Winter 2013.” A visit to the site that once housed the Jib Room shows no sign of activity, and a thick blanket of dust covers unused kitchen equipment and duct work. Furthermore, the City of Fort Lauderdale has only a single open building permit for the site—one that has been active since 1998 for the construction of a dumpster enclosure.

Whittaker and Kildea’s landlord Tony Dee described an encounter with Whittaker while she was eating at the popular Tropics Restaurant and Piano Bar, which he owns.

According to Dee, he asked Whittaker about her plans to move out of his building, which houses the current Sidelines location and was told that she “hadn’t made up her mind what she was doing.” In that conversation, which Dee says took place within the past two weeks, Whittaker claimed that she might have two locations or might move.

“I hadn’t heard a word from her before that,” Dee said. “And I wanted to know about all the rumors I had heard, just like everybody else.”

Dee, who owns more than 40,000 square feet of space in Wilton Manors, added: “Laurie Whittaker is an excellent paying tenant.”

He said that he’s had multiple enquiries about the space and has tentatively agreed to lease it to “the guys from Bill’s,” if and when the property becomes available. The current lease runs through April 2014.  Kildea has also expressed interest in the property.

Regardless of the outcome of the suit or the eventual move of Sidelines, Dee told the Florida Agenda that there would soon be a sign advertising “3,600 square feet for rent” posted above the currently empty space next door to the bar.

As for Whittaker and Kildea, they are due back in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court this month.