by Gary Resnick, Mayor of Wilton Manors

In this election, both candidates have talked a lot about defending and supporting our children and families. But only one candidate, Hillary Clinton, recognizes that a family is not always just a man and a woman, and understands that there are families of all backgrounds.

Representing the values that our generation and our community care about the most, Hillary Clinton knows that we are stronger together when we lift each other up so that everyone plays a role in creating America’s future. She has spent her life fighting for children and families of all backgrounds, and getting things done that are good for the community.  Hillary believes that LGBT parents deserve equal protections under the law, and when she was a U.S. Senator, she successfully advocated for an end to restrictions in New York blocking LGBT Americans from adopting children.

In Florida, we know these struggles firsthand.  Florida was the last state to legalize adoption by gay and lesbian couples, overturning legislation against gay adoption in 2010 and then codifying it into law in 2015.  As the Mayor of one the most LGBT celebrated communities in the nation, proudly named “the second gayest city in America,” I know that these are rights and freedoms earned through decades of struggle, and that we must fight to protect them.

In this election, there has not been a clearer choice for voters who believe in equality for all, regardless of their sexual orientation. The Republican candidate for Vice President, Mike Pence, previously described LGBT as a “lifestyle choice,” and consistently opposed marriage equality and other legal protections for the LGBT community and families. These are the types of people that Donald Trump has selected.

Donald Trump wants to “make America great” by turning back the clock to a time when the LGBT community was deprived of rights and freedoms, including the right to openly raise a family with the equal protection of the law.   The US Supreme Court narrowly determined that marriage equality is a Constitutional right.  With an opening pending and more to come on the Supreme Court, the President’s selection of Supreme Court Justices is incredibly important to our community.  As we recognize the 5^th year anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” let’s send a clear message that we are not going back in the closet and we are not going to be treated as 2^nd class citizens.

This election, we need to make sure our voices are heard, and that we support Hillary Clinton, the only candidate committed to defending and expanding our rights.  Three simple things you can do:  1) make sure that you are registered in Florida, 2) make sure your friends are registered in Florida; 3) VOTE!!! — make sure you and your friends vote – you can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail or early vote.  Once Early Voting starts, Wilton Manors City Hall will be an early voting site for anyone who lives in Broward County, or vote on Election Day, November 8.  You don’t have to wait until November 8 to exercise your Constitutional right to vote.

The post Hillary Clinton: The Only Candidate for LGBTQ Families appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Dear Editor, and fellow LGBT warriors:

Yesterday I had the honor of attending the very first LGBT Pride celebration at Fort Benning, GA, home of Army Infantry, Queen of Battle.  Brigadier General Tammy Smith, the first openly LGBT general officer in the United States military, shared a profound personal story about her own career in the Army under policies that kept her from being the “authentic leader” that she wanted to be.

She told about how she met her wife, Tracey Hepner, and how she decided that she could no longer hide such an important part of her life from the Army.  As a colonel, she had submitted her retirement papers until she heard Admiral Mike Mullen’s famous testimony before members of Congress in which the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs gave a heartfelt recommendation for the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.  Tammy Smith remained in the military, was promoted to general officer, and was able to introduce “her wife” Tracey to her comrades in the Army after repeal.

Yesterday BG Tammy Smith called me up on the stage at Fort Benning for a special presentation.  She personally thanked AVER for all our efforts, and she presented me with a beautiful rainbow challenge coin in recognition of our efforts to allow her to become the authentic leader she had always wanted to be, the type of leader that the US military values as the very core of the armed services.  I was deeply honored to accept this special award on your behalf.

It has been a difficult Pride Month with the attack in Orlando that was quite simply a hate crime against all of us who live and love in the LGBT community.  In the midst of a divisive political season, the arguments very quickly devolved into concerns about terrorism and assault weapons.  We know better.  We have had to fight for our existence before.  And we have prevailed.  This month, AVER color guards led parades from New York City to Columbus to Denver.  LGBT veterans joined us in record numbers.  We are the voice and the proud face of LGBT veterans across the country, and from people like General Tammy Smith our leadership and our work has been recognized and honored.

It is quite possible that on Friday of this week the US military will honor its promise to open service to Transgender patriots who volunteer to defend our nation’s freedom.  That will be one more major victory for AVER and all Americans who have worked for so long to bring about LGBT service.   It will be a day to celebrate, and to consider our future mission.

Last week, I attended a Pride event at the Atlanta VA Hospital here in my hometown of Decatur, GA.  At that event, I made some great contacts and we talked about programs targeted specifically to LGBT veterans.  We shared ideas.  They listened.  We made plans to meet again.

You as dedicated members of AVER have been recognized for your efforts in bringing about the changes we see in the US military.  Our efforts as both the nation’s LGBT Veterans Service Organization and the oldest LGBT group to challenge and defeat the 100-year-old policy against our service must continue.  We must be vigilant, thoughtful, and compassionate caretakers of what we have achieved and what we have yet to imagine as LGBT people become integral and valued members of the US military and honored recipients of the VA benefits and care that we have earned.  Our mission must continue.  It is a vital and honorable duty.

BG Tammy Smith is moving on to a command in Korea.  In saying goodbye she and Tracey thanked me for AVER’s efforts on their behalf. “You are my victory,” I said to them.  General Smith turned with a smile and replied “Thank you for winning.”  That is a message that I send along to you all tonight as members of American Veterans for Equal Rights.  Thank you for fighting.  Thank you for winning.  You are the best.

Happy Pride

Danny Ingram, National President Emeritus

on behalf of President Steve Loomis and your national board

Editor’s Note: American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) is the oldest and largest chapter-based, all-volunteer national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Veterans Service Organization in the United States, and the nation’s only LGBT VSO recognized by the Veterans Administration. The organization just celebrated it 26^th anniversary.

The post American Veterans for Equal Rights Recognized at Fort Benning Pride appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

It is very sad that Tim Evans is so jealous of the hard work that I did that he has to make such as sad mention and he should be embarrassed to call himself one of our own. I am also ashamed at the Florida Agenda for printing such untrue trash. If Tim Evans wants names- I turned them in to city hall with the names of all donors. This idiot is insane and a freakin moron. Thats all i have to say on this subject for my Community knows the hard work and dedication to a great cause that i have done with my communities help. Also i have emails from both Justin and Gary dating back two years prior to October! Unlike Tim I have never asked for recognition of my work, just wanted the pride flag up in my city!! We as a community need to focus on working together not against each other. And to Tim Evans if you think this hurts me, it doesn’t It just shows just what an ASS you truly are!! So congratulations on winning that award!!

The post Jaclyn St. James Shouts Back on Pride Flag appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Dear Publisher|Editor|Columnist:

In regard to the page 5 paragraph about Raising the Rainbow Pride Flag let me make a couple comments since I was the person who initiated the Permanent Raising and in concert with Commissioner Justin FLIPPEN who brought forward the measure to the City:

1. West Hollywood California’s City does NOT sanction the Rainbow Pride Flag display officially nor does it have a City dedicated monument or Park that has been approved unanimously;

2. The Drag Queen Jaclyn St. James had NOTHING to do with the introduction or the reason to Permanently Display the Rainbow Pride Flag in October 2015; she actually caused divisions between organizers and the community due to her self absorbed idea that it was her idea for self purposes;

3. Jaclyn St. James initiated a GO FUND ME ACCOUNT to gather donations for the City and its Flag pole etc., and presented a check to the City; was the total amount collected turned over and where is the accounting of who donated what. I didn’t hear anything except there was a donation from this individual and not a group of supporter/donations.

4. Covering LGBT news as a filler for advertising in newsprint should be accurate and responsible in 2016;

Finally in defense of the Florida Agenda, they were the ONLY local LGBT publication to even print and display a picture in this regard. It is embarrassing to see the other local publications claim they are the biggest supporters of the LGBT Local and National issues and show their true colors when a Inclusive forward action to promote and bring non discrimination to an end doesn’t even bother to use a few inches of space in a book or a so called newspaper. Shame on you and we all know who they are.

I welcome any rebuttal positive or negative. ?#?Embarrased? ?#?Disapointed? — in Wilton Manors, Florida.

Editor’s Note:
Since 2014, The City of West Hollywood has allotted an item within its annual budget for “The maintenance and display of multiple LGBT Pride Flags set or positioned on the medial strip on Santa Monica Boulevard within the City’s borders. While no official proclamation has been issued, the budget is reviewed and approved by the full city council.

Photo Credit: google.com

The post Raising the Rainbow Pride Flag appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

By Dominic M. Calabro

While most Floridians are working and going to school this week, elected officials in Tallahassee are considering how to spend an eye-popping $80 billion of your hard-earned tax money. That’s nearly $4,000 for every adult and child in the Sunshine State.

Too few Floridians have the time to keep an eye on Tallahassee to make sure lawmakers are making prudent decisions with your money. That’s why Florida TaxWatch – the state’s premier independent government watchdog group – is on the job. It is part of our mission to ensure that your money is invested wisely in schools, transportation and many other areas while protecting the public’s right to know.

Lawmakers are finalizing their spending plans for the 2016-17 fiscal year. It seems likely that spending on education will be higher than ever and that other critical investments will be made as well.

Lawmakers often add funding for projects in their home district into the budget. Such funding for local projects does have a place in the state budget; however spending with statewide impact should be the priority. When the Legislature decides state money should be used locally, Floridians deserve to have these decisions scrutinized and prioritized.

Unfortunately, in the last days of the budget process, the budget is often stuffed with member projects, some that were never discussed or debated in public. Once the stuffed budget reaches the floor to be voted on, lawmakers cannot vote on individual projects or offer amendments, but only vote up or down on the whole budget. These “budget turkeys” skirt the budgeting process, diminishing transparency and accountability.

Florida’s hard-working taxpayers have the right to know when their tax dollars are being appropriated for special projects behind closed doors.

Every Legislative Session, Florida TaxWatch holds lawmakers accountable by bringing attention to these member projects through the release of our annual Budget Turkey Report. Florida TaxWatch’s “Budget Turkey” label is not a judgment of a project’s worthiness nor does it target specific members, but rather follows a strictly defined set of criteria, as follows:

• A project that circumvents established review and selection processes, such as a low-priority project funded ahead of high-priority projects;
• An appropriation that is inserted in the budget during the conference committee process and did not appear in either the Senate or House final budget; or
• An appropriation from an inappropriate trust fund; a duplicative appropriation; or an appropriation contingent on legislation that did not pass

In the interest of transparency, Florida TaxWatch delivered each lawmaker a letter at the beginning of session explaining these criteria so that they understand what exactly we will be looking for when we craft our list for this Legislative Session. Our goal with this report is to encourage legislators to give every appropriation the scrutiny and deliberation that our hard-working taxpayers deserve. Please visit our website – www.floridataxwatch.org – to sign up for our updates and learn more about what we are doing to make sure lawmakers remember every day to put you and your fellow taxpayers first in their minds and in their decisions.

Dominic Calabro is the President & CEO of Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier taxpayer watchdog for more than 35 years.

The post Florida Budget Taken To Task appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Dear Editor:

Hello. First, a compliment: I enjoy reading the Agenda, and appreciate that you cover a wide range of topics, frequently with well-written and interesting articles.

I was excited to see the cover of your most recent issue, proclaiming an exclusive article on the first gay cruise to Cuba. Since I am interested in going there soon, I was curious to read the article.

The article started off well enough, but after the first couple of paragraphs, it quickly devolved into some generalities that shed no light on what the rest of the trip entailed–with this exception: we learned the price of all items on the sex menu at Cabaret Las Vegas, and that haggling is expected. Really? The most explicit description of anything from the entire trip is a listing of prices for sex at one of the clubs? That’s the best you could come up with in this “exclusive” on Cuba? Very disappointing.

Rest of the issue was great, as usual–but this article, not so much.

Glen Sterling Fort Lauderdale

Editor’s note: Thank you for your interest in our exclusive article on gay travel to Cuba. Our coverage of the trip and the country, rules, regulations, and issues is a three-part piece. The cover story you referenced actually had complete information about accessing the internet sites which would provide you an opportunity to explore future cruises heading to the region. This week’s As I See It column continues the dialogue for those curious about heading to Cuba as an individual. The following week, we’ll be featuring a review of the actual CubaCruise vessel, the M/S Celestyal Crystal. Hope this helps. R

The post Commenting On Gay Cuba appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Hi

The post Letter to the Editor appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

On January 5th, President Obama announced that he was taking executive action to increase the safety of Americans by regulating guns.   His actions don’t reflect reality nor will they keep us any safer.  All Americans should be very afraid of the implications of where the president and the Democrats will go to shred the 2^nd Amendment and our right to medical privacy.

Americans are rightly grieved by the actions of madmen and terrorists who caused the slaughter of innocent children at the Sandy Hook School and the shootings at San Bernardino, California.  If you watch 24-hour news channels all day, you might think the dead were piling up in our streets.  I would suggest that the president’s actions are designed to tap in to the emotional fear created by this environment and encroach on the rights of law abiding Americans to own and carry firearms and shred our medical privacy rights.

Statistics constantly suggest that violent crime is at a 36-year low (Time, 2014).  Gun deaths have declined by 31% since 1993 (Pew Research, 2015).  You are more likely to die from cancer, lung problems, heart attack, or car crash than a gun assault (National Safety Council, 2011).

While crime and violence are at historic lows (with the exception of some metropolitan areas), the 24 hour media circus would have you believe that people are being shot, hanged, knifed, assaulted, murdered, and raped on every street corner all the time.  Statistics reveal that is a misperception, not a reality.   It is this media led misperception that President Obama and those opposed gun ownership are seeking to capitalize on.

The 2^nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear that law abiding Americans by right are allowed to keep and bear arms:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2008 in District of Columbia et. al. v. Heller and later in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that gun ownership is an individual right unconnected with a militia and that this individual right is applicable in all states and cities.

Despite violent crime at historic lows and the individual right to own guns well established, President Obama has announced dangerous executive actions which fly in the face of liberty, practicality, and reality.

His proposals include background checks on private sales of guns between individuals, expanding the list of persons prohibited from purchasing guns to include those on the Terrorist No Fly List, and hiring new government agents to investigate gun transactions.

The most dangerous proposal would include putting your medical and mental health records in a database from which information could be used to end your right to own a gun.

According to the New York Daily News (January 5, 2016), “Attorney General Loretta Lynch has also sent a letter to states highlighting the importance of receiving complete criminal history records and criminal dispositions of persons disqualified from buying firearms because of a mental illness.”

It would seem rational that we would want to prevent lunatics from owning guns.  But how do we define mental illness?  Anyone who takes Xanex?  Anyone who has sought therapy in the last five years?  Think of this: your therapist, doctor, or lawyer may one day be forced to “mandatory report” you to the government if you actually seek help for a mental health challenge.

According to Reason Magazine (January 5, 2016), the president’s plan would:

“Among other things, the gun-related “executive actions” that President Obama is announcing today aim to ‘increase mental health treatment and reporting to the background check system.’ To put it another way, the president wants to encourage more people with mental problems to seek professional help while increasing the likelihood that doing so will result in the permanent loss of their Second Amendment rights. Those two goals may prove hard to reconcile.”

We all should be frightened of the ramifications of this quotation.  Americans have long enjoyed the privacy of our medical records enshrined in the Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act (HIPAA).

Passed in 1996, HIPAA it is this federal law that sets a national standard to protect medical records and other personal health information. The rule defines what is “protected health information” and how this information is shared with others such as doctors, insurers, caregivers and when and how your permission is required for such sharing of information.

The possible implications of President Obama’s executive gun play could lead to our protected health information being breached, in violation of HIPAA, to decide who should have guns, drive a car, be teacher, or an airline pilot.  Imagine that your visit to a drug rehab or trip to your counselor now being the basis upon which your rights, privileges, and future employment are denied.

The president wants those on the Terrorist No Fly List to also be barred from purchasing firearms.  The problem is that this is the same Terrorist No Fly List that stopped then Senator Kennedy from flying (August 2004). According to CNN other dangerous terrorists flagged on the Terrorist No Fly List include singer Cat Stevens, U.S. Representative John Lewis, and an 18-month-old toddler trying to fly on Jet Blue (CNN, December 7, 2015).  No one really knows (except the CIA, maybe the FBI) who is on the Terrorist No Fly List or how you get off.  It’s all part of our national security apparatus and you have little recourse as a citizen if you are on it.

President Obama wants to broaden background check requirements to include more private transactions.  It’s impractical – some estimates hold that there are over 300 million guns in America.  If I give a gun to my father for his birthday, do I have to do a background check on him?  Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) passed a universal background check requirement in 1998 and as of this date, there have been zero – that’s right – zero prosecutions.

The president is dead wrong on this issue.  His executive action may be unconstitutional and none of the actions can prevent bad people from doing bad things.  Nothing in the president’s plan will stop another Sandy Hook or terrorist attack on our shores.

In each and every case where those who committed heinous acts of violence with guns did not commit suicide, it was good guys with guns who came to the rescue.   Good guys with guns are protecting President Obama and Mrs. Clinton (who don’t seem ready to give up their protection).  Americans deserve the same protection as our officials who enjoy armed security at our expense.  That protection is embodied in our right to keep and bear arms for protection.  Remember those who would take your rights away from you when you vote in the upcoming November elections.

The Rev. Gus Kein is a retired pastor and civil rights activist living in Fort Lauderdale. 

The post Obama Goes Mad On Guns appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

First of all, I am writing this to the readers of SFGN, Hot Spots!, and the Agenda in my capacity as the chairman of Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

As you know, we just finished running a festival in Holiday Park last month. While it was marginally successful in balancing our budget, we failed to generate enough revenue to fulfill our mission of seeding other non-profits.

Apart from finances, the festival broke no new ground. Administratively and financially challenged, we offered more of the same, and little that was vibrant, new or inspiring. Essentially, it was a routine music festival with modest acts, subject to the elements, which served us well this year.

There were numerous events and seminars for adults and children, but the truth is there was nothing we did that was so striking or creative or innovative that it warrants starting the process all over again.

Once again, it was a small, core few who were immensely dedicated at making the festival run successfully. This is unacceptable. The same few people can’t manage Pride Fort Lauderdale year in and year out. It is time for a sea change.

Unfortunately, it was that same small group of people who gathered on Monday to hold its annual elections. Asked to submit their names in advance for nomination, less than six of a dozen board members did.

Accordingly, I concluded the best interests of the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT community were not being served. In order to recruit new names and new blood, and find new nominees, I asked to suspend the operation of the group, and postpone any elections until the beginning of the New Year.

My goal was to ask that nominees for the Board of Pride Fort Lauderdale be opened wide to everyone in the community. My aspiration was to publicize to the local media that our doors were open, and volunteers were needed to enhance the stature and success of the organization.

Many were not receptive, and the meeting was contentious. But that is the democratic process. It was not a unilateral decision. Ironically, it came down to a tie vote.

As chair, I broke the tie by deciding in favor of my own motion. Accordingly, Pride of Fort Lauderdale did not elect anyone, but is now in fact open to everyone, regardless of its old rules.

Pride Fort Lauderdale now has a chance to represent the diversity and breadth of our community. YOU have a chance to step up to the plate and help build an organization which better represents the ethnic diversity and the cultural cross section of our gay and lesbian community. Candidly, the organization I chaired did not.

In early January, we will hold a community forum asking for public participation and input on the direction Pride Fort Lauderdale should engage going forward. The media, businesses and community leaders need to be part of that process.

Not surprisingly, last month the City of Wilton Manors dissolved its much-heralded Stonewall Entertainment Group. The truth is all of us have to ask difficult questions about these events and our organizations.

For example, do two pride groups working at opposite ends of the same fence make any sense? Should these events be more than music festivals and vendor fests?

Do these products in fact drain local businesses of limited resources by holding street fairs on weekends when there is Mack mixers and a host of other business groups holding meetings every week? How do we get a group of professionals to come together and create a board that is truly representative of the ethnic and cultural diversity of our community?

The holidays give all of us a time to reflect on new directions for the future. We can set new ground rules, create new parameters, and find new leaders and voices to move us forward. You learn in life that sometimes you have to let go in order to hold on. We need to start over and get it right.

The people who have run Pride of Fort Lauderdale, and Stonewall, too, should not be dissed. They should be celebrated for their contributions, volunteerism and community spirit. No one got paid, and many gave hours of time and personal energy. But we have seen childish and immature behavior fracture many noble causes. Our group was no different than many others. It can be a thankless task.

Our last task this year is to honor next week the organizations that underwrote our efforts this year, the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Fort Lauderdale and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Our honorees will be Nikki Grossman and Michael Kahane. Join us for a wine tasting at the Best Cellar in Wilton Manors between 5 and 7 pm with the awards presentation at 6.

Let me know if you are interested in building a new pride organization that reflects this community in all its parts. Send a resume and statement of interest to norm@pridefortlauderdale.org.

The post An Open Letter To The LGBT Community From Pride Fort Lauderdale appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

The post Fly That Flag, Mayor appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.