As the company embarks on our most aggressive growth effort since our founding in 2007, Richard will be a beacon to position the Agenda as the LGBT content leader and newspaper of choice, staying ahead of the news and analyzing its potential impact on the LGBT community. There will be a complete redesign of the newspaper, which is published weekly on a Thursday.
Richard has written 17 books, three mini-series, and over two-dozen audio recordings including the New York Times bestselling “Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters” which was used as the basis of the film “The Aviator.” His later book, “Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover” was translated on the big screen as “J. Edgar” starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. He has written about the rich and notorious in numerous other biographies including “Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie” and the Michael Jackson story “Jackson Family Values.”
Richard served as the West Coast Programming Editor of TV Guide at a time when it was the largest magazine in the world (with 40 million readers and 50 separate local editions per week). Later, he served as the TV Editor for the Hollywood Reporter daily trade paper, producing 3,000 columns syndicated to over 600 newspapers across the country. He has appeared on over 200 television programs and series including “Oprah Winfrey,” “Larry King Live,” “60 Minutes,” “48 Hours,” “Good Morning America,” “Today Show,” “Tonight Show,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Inside Edition” and “Charlie Rose” among others.
“I am delighted to help guide a team of incredibly dedicated and supportive writers, photographers, designers and sales people who all share our single vision,” Richard said. “Bobby Blair, Kevin Hopper, and their supporting staff have given me a gift. Beginning today, both the Agenda and Guy Magazine will be on the forefront of LGBT politics, entertainment, social media, and opinion–seamlessly merging Internet content (with its instant availability) with the sensibilities of print (with its permanency and archive potential). I look forward to meeting our readers personally at Wednesday evening’s Mix at Sidelines Sports Bar from 6:30-8:30.”
As part of our restructuring, we will be moving our corporate headquarters to new offices, providing the largest production, layout and sales space of any Florida LGBT media company. With the current buying power of adult LGBT individuals projected to reach $800 billion in 2014, Multimedia Platforms and its associated publications and social media sites are posed to take the leadership position in supporting our community with socially relevant entertainment choices, and political analysis and explanation, while our travel guides, film reviews, and fashion layouts will renew the creative posture of our readership.
My vision over the years has always been to create a media company that could offer our readers and advertisers every component available in the marketplace from newspapers, magazines, websites, social media outlets, etc. I am proud to say we are reaching our goals.
Rediscover the new Agenda, Guy Magazine, and their associated web platforms as we move into an exciting tomorrow.
]]>
Senator McGovern’s critics saw his proposal as a reversal of his opposition to our involvement in Southeast Asia. But what they could not understand was that what the Khmer Rouge was doing in Cambodia, under the ruthless leadership of dictator Pol Pot, was quite different from the legitimate civil war that had taken place in Vietnam a few years earlier. While war is never an ideal option — and, in fact, should be the last resort in any situation — it does occasionally serve a noble purpose.
The proof is that, while McGovern was being ridiculed in this country for his apparent change of mind, it was an independent Vietnam, after having thrown Americans out of its territory, that put an end to the mass killings in Cambodia, one of the worst cases of genocide in history. (It is estimated that as many as three million people — roughly one-third of the population of Cambodia — were killed during Pol Pot’s reign of terror.)
Yes, sometimes war serves a noble purpose. I can think of no greater example than the invasion of the European continent by the United States that put an end to the great Holocaust of Jews, homosexuals and other minorities. Without the American Civil War, it might have taken centuries to bring an end to slavery in the Southern States. In those historical cases, both Roosevelt and Lincoln recognized the horrible necessity of military action to bring about the ideal result to save human beings. Their greatness was to understand that they had no choice but to stand firm and guide a reluctant people to do the right thing.
Reserving the option of war for only cases where it is morally compelling is compulsory in understanding and applying this “noble purpose” concept. A government that goes to war all too frequently for dubious purposes will have difficulty getting its people to support the next war, no matter how noble the purpose may be. So it was for Roosevelt, who had to wait for the attack on Pearl Harbor to seize the opportunity to enter the struggle for freedom in 1942.
Today, we face a similar situation. Having exhausted the resources of our military — most importantly, the lives of the finest of this nation’s servicemen — in ill-conceived recent wars, the American People are weary of any new military involvement.
Yet, all the signs of a crisis that would call for intervention are beginning to be apparent. Most symbolically, the Russian Duma is likely to pass a law that will require all HIV patients to be fingerprinted. The parallel to the pink triangles that homosexuals were forced to wear under Nazi occupation is very apparent. We may as well extend that comparison to the numbers that were tattooed on the arms of concentration camp prisoners. What does the Russian government intend to do with a database of fingerprints of HIV positive individuals who live and visit their country? It can’t be anything good.
Just as disconcerting is the report of flyers being distributed in Eastern Europe demanding that all Jews identify themselves. Nothing good can come from that either.
As if the recent laws essentially making homosexuality illegal in Russia (if not in fact, then in implication) weren’t enough, we hear reports of the persecution and execution of such individuals by organized thugs with the blessing of the Russian government. This trend is rapidly spreading to other countries surrounding Russia. The message is, “It’s OK to bash gays.” In most of the former Soviet satellite states, there are reports of persecution of LGBT individuals and official laws being passed to discriminate against homosexuals. These things, we are told, are being influenced by the Russian example and by Vladimir Putin himself. Some of the groups that are active in the persecution proudly admit to being neo-Nazis. And so it seems that history has a way of repeating itself.
While it is premature to advocate — or even predict — war, it’s wise to learn the lessons of history and to be open to the possibility that it may again come to that. I certainly don’t wish for any kind of military action. But it’s the duty of our government to be prepared for such a possibility.
In the meantime, we can put pressure on the Obama Administration to adopt a polity of asylum for all homosexuals who live in areas such as Russia, Crimea, Georgia and the Ukraine — in fact, wherever LGBT individuals may be in danger throughout the world. That, at least, would be a start and may be the thing that allows us to avoid war altogether.
Note: At press time, the Pentagon has announced that the United States is sending 600 troops to Eastern Europe. The troops will be deployed to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
]]>Social media was ablaze with cynical comments from users, ranging from “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” to “I’m going to urinate on his grave!” While Phelps and his church posed a threat to the LGBT community by instilling fear, I was shocked to see so many hateful comments. Sure, Phelps was a hateful, angry person who lead a religious cult into dark territory, but why do people think they’re any better when threatening to urinate on his grave?
Rachel Maddow was of course vocal during her new episode of The Rachel Maddow Show (all Rachel, all the time), where she was quick to make the following statement regarding the estranged leader’s death: “Who cares, right? Who cares?”
The bold statement from Maddow also claimed that the organization was a cult, and the more they tried to pressure the right-wing into disliking LGBT people, the greater the backlash was. “Psuedo-religious hate-cult leader fails, dies,” read the headline for the clip from Maddow’s show.
Using Biblical justification, Phelps’s church was anything but forgiving. True, he did picket the deaths of gay individuals (as well as anyone else they saw fit to protest), but seeing the gay community react with such a hateful, narrow mindset is disturbing to say the least.
The head of the Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, made headlines last week when he told Vice that he would be performing a ritual on Phelps’s grave that would make sure the estranged leader was gay in the afterlife.
“The Satanic Temple exercised its own right to offensive Free Speech in our performance of the Pink Mass at Fred Phelps’s mother’s grave this past summer,” said Greaves in a statement. “After having two same-sex couples (one male, one female) engage in homoerotic activity at the grave site, we declared Fred Phelps’s mother a post-mortem homosexual conversion.”
Greaves went on to say that he made a statement at the time that he would be presiding over Fred’s “own Pink mass before too long.” He says since he made a promise to a dying man, he intends to do his “very best to see it through.”
By making threats and rejoicing in Phelps’s death, we lower ourselves to an unreasonable level, matching the hate of the Westboro Baptist Church. Remember, as Martin Luther King once said, “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
]]>When Jonsson decided to join the women’s division of CrossFit, she was told she has to instead participate in the male side instead. Months after Jonsson sent the letter to the fitness giants, a response was issued by Dale Saran, CrossFit’s General Counsel.
In the letter, Saran made several strange claims, both legal and medical. He said that since Jonsson was born as a male, with both X and Y chromosomes, and therefore, she is male and must train with males. When mentioning Jonsson, he says that her lawyer’s claims that she is legally and physically a female, are wrong. If this is true, I’m sure Saran is testing each and every athlete involved in the massive fitness program, both transgender and nontrans (or cis).
“This is simply wrong as a matter of human biology and if you can’t see that, there really isn’t much to talk about,” Saran writes in the letter. “Chloe was born, genetically – as a matter of fact – with an X and a Y chromosome and all the anatomy of a male of the human race. Today, notwithstanding any hormone therapy or surgeries, Chloie still has an X and Y chromosome. Thus, you’re [sic] statement is categorically, empirically, false.”
According to a study (transathletes.org/skeletal), transgender women who have been on hormone replacement therapy for a number of years have no physical advantage against cisgender women. As time goes on, hormone therapy depletes muscle and actually makes bone density and soft tissue equivalent to that of a regular woman. If anything, transgender fighters are at a disadvantage against other women due to their lack of testosterone. After hormone therapy, trans individuals no longer produce testosterone, whereas cisgender women continue to produce the hormone via ovaries. It’s probably important to know that testosterone boosts bone density and aids in muscle development.
At 5’4”, Jonsson is now suing the company and I couldn’t be happier. Last year’s female winner of the CrossFit Games was Samantha Briggs, who by the way, is taller than Jonsson.
]]>
I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Because of you, our loyal readers, viewers and advertisers, we have had the most successful year in our history! When we decided at the end of last year to become your premier South Florida publication and focus specifically on Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park for our pin point circulation, local content, neighborhood business features, your response was amazing. Our advertisers realized what a niche-marketing giant we really are with our ability to reach local consumers.
Our valued advertisers realized they do not need to pay a premium in other publications to reach a market that will rarely, if ever, patronize their businesses. We recognized on behalf of our advertisers that over 90 percent of their business is derived from this 20-mile reach with our circulation and dynamic local content. Even most tourists stay within 20 miles of Wilton Drive. Likewise, we also realized our local readers and viewers love having a pure local reading and viewing experience every week plus 24/7 access to our two online platforms—www.guymag.net and www.foridaagenda.com.
For the past 18 months, we have been investing passionately to create the first-of-its-kind ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA MAGAZINE for readers and viewers to interact in real time with our advertisers and each other. I am thrilled to announce at our Holiday Party, December 12th at 6:30 PM at Dapur Restaurant, I will be launching and showcasing this amazing and innovative first-to-market online experience.
We have created a platform where our advertisers social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc are connected to their GUYMAG.NET social media response pages in real time. Every comment, picture and video about local businesses is immediately populated to their GUYMAG.NET social media response page. This results in the first-ever current, online business marketing pages for our advertisers and for our readers and viewers to have up-to-the-second information on special offers, exciting events and everything else our advertisers want known about their clubs, bars and businesses.
Consumers can upload pictures and videos to their favorite businesses social media response pages and enroll to receive special offers on their mobile phone in real time, redeemable on-the-spot. All readers and viewers will be able to watch a dynamic 60-second video on each business, and write real time reviews and comments on their own experience with the establishments. Additionally, consumers will be able to map each business through our Google mapping experience, so finding a location has never been easier. Currently we have tens of thousands of unique monthly visitors and this audience is growing every day.
In my seven years of publishing LGBT content, never have I been more thrilled and excited, and quite honestly proud, to announce that we have created a way to keep our print publications innovative and on the cutting edge for years to come. Every one of our advertisers will have the opportunity to have their print advertisement GO LIVE on our GUYMAG.NET Mobile Application.
Here’s how it works. You simply download our mobile application “Engage Mobility.” By scanning the logo of the advertisement you are reading, you activate a business video of the establishment showcasing everything relevant about the business. This also works on our clients’ business cards, brochures, post cards, menus, etc, etc. This is amazing and game-changing for our company and for our loyal print readers who now have the ability to experience a business and make a buying decision with a GUY MAGAZINE or FLORIDA AGENDA newspaper print advertisement like never before. This is a monumental opportunity for our print advertisers to have the ability to communicate a message in the most powerful and proven way–VIDEO.
Being first to market with America’s first LGBT ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA MAGAZINE experience is exciting for those of us at Multimedia Platforms. Our readers, viewers and advertisers will be unique in their ability to enjoy and benefit from this new and exciting experience. The world is ever changing, and in order to serve you best, we must continue to invest and change with it. Only then can we work to earn your continued loyal support. Businesses can subscribe to our monthly Online Social Media Online Magazine platform beginning January 1, 2014. It’s an exciting time to be leading the massive LGBT marketing push.
I wish everyone a safe and rewarding holiday season. Your incredible support over the years has been truly inspiring to me. It is because of you, we are where we are today and have the platform to provide you the best LGBT Multimedia experience anywhere. THANK YOU!
Bobby Blair
Florida Agenda, Publisher
]]>
City Hall was stunned two weeks ago when a local attorney entered its meeting Chambers and declared in a thunderous and accusing manner that I had somehow violated an ethical code by not disclosing that I was going to make money off a deal should his client’s hotel project on the beach not be approved that night. And as a result, he demanded that I should recuse myself from voting on the project.
This was no ordinary lawyer. His name is William Scherer, a Republican stalwart who’s never shown any love towards the gay community, and, might I add, best buds with my former political opponent, Charlotte Rodstrom. Our Commission meeting stopped dead in its tracks, a recess was called, and everyone was trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about.
Here’s a little background: Sometime during the beginning of my campaign last fall to fill Charlotte’s seat after she quit to run for County Commission, the developer for a hotel called the Vintro came to the beach neighborhood board meeting (the CBA) to discuss their plans to build a hotel on a quarter acre lot they just purchased right behind the Casablanca Restaurant. Everything about it sent up red flags–the size of the lot, the location on such a busy corner, you name it, and I told them at the time that as-is, in my opinion, it may be difficult for them to get neighborhood approval. It was an interesting design and the developers were new to the area, so I offered them some suggestions on how to help them out. They looked at me with an unflinching gaze and said, “It’s either this or nothing.” Whatever, I still needed to win my race, and I thought nothing more of it.
Once elected in March of this year, some weeks had passed and I get a call from my former partner, Richard Smith, a realtor, letting me know that a mutual client was interested in that same parcel to convert the historic home that was on the property to a restaurant. I told him that I had no information on the intentions of the developer, and if the client was interested, he would have to call the developers attorney directly because I could not be involved. I gave him the name of the attorney, a Scott Backman, and that was the last I heard from Richard for a while.
Apparently, from papers that have been shown to me, Richard did make contact with the attorney and Richard prepared a letter-of-intent (LOI) on behalf of his client in order to submit it to the developer to see if there was any interest in selling the property. My his own admission, Richard mistakenly used a form that I had once prepared for him on a different project which still had my name on it as the closing agent. I don’t know exactly when I discovered his error, but as soon as I saw it, I immediately told him to remove my name because I could have no involvement with the transaction. He said he would and we left it at that.
The developer is now accusing me of talking against his project so that I could do a real estate closing if Richard’s buyer decided to buy the property. The claim is that I was planning this even before the election, back when I first met this developer, which is before this client ever expressed an interest in the property. In any case, buyer or no buyer, the design and the site plan of the hotel had problems.
Apparently the developer had been talking with Richard all summer long about putting a deal together to sell the property, and in an actual contract offer that was submitted to the developer, my name was nowhere to be found on any of the documents.
Not in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought this would be an issue.
Mr. Backman met with me several times during the year and each time, it was congenial, I spoke about how we might still save the deal if his clients would just acquire some additional land around the site, but he said his clients refused. Never did he disclose to me that he was working with Richard nor that he thought that I might have been working behind his back to squeeze his clients out. In fact, a couple of times when Richard would ask if there was any progress on the hotel moving forward for approval, I kept telling him to move on and find another location for his client because I believed the developer was set on getting it built on the original site.
A disclosure of this nature is not normally contemplated when we as commissioners are asked to disclose our communications with the principal parties. Being so far removed in time and in person from those who were directly involved in the project, there really was nothing to disclose.
Nevertheless, at the Commission meeting, I agreed that, in order to avoid even the appearance of an impropriety, I would recuse myself. I not only did not vote, I did not even participate in the discussion.
Despite all the blustery accusations made by Scherer and having now succeeded in denying me my right to vote, the hotel was still defeated–unanimously. The developer had not one vote in his favor. So what attorney worth his salt would ever ask for a vote from a governing body unless he had all his votes counted and was assured success. What was really going on here? Why was knocking out my vote so important?
One reason is possibly because the developer knew he was going to lose, so he was looking for some way to justify a basis for an appeal. Whatever the Commission wouldn’t give him, maybe a court would. It’s a common tactic and Scherer is no stranger to it because he sued me once before as a Commissioner and personally when another project of his client’s was turned down back in 2005. Scherer lost. He just doesn’t like me.
The strategy becomes more apparent when you realize that he has been plotting this scenario for months. For example, over the past year, he sent two young associates ( his own children, no less) to my agenda review meetings. When I asked their names, they sheepishly revealed who they were but also confessed that they did not live in the district but were there to “learn about city government.” Really? You sent them to me so that I could mentor them? Spies in our midst. Go figure.
What now concerns me about what has since occurred is that the news media have taken some of these facts, made up some of their own, and have tried and convicted me across three counties all knowing that I recused myself and there was no other goal but that intended by Mr. Scherer. Of course, it still didn’t stop him from filing an ethics complaint against me, but that’s all part of his show to his client for the fact that his efforts at success went down in flames.
What Scherer doesn’t realize is that I am no shrinking violet. I chose to serve elected office to empower our community and achieve goals that were being ignored. People all over town have come to my side, whether we have agreed on issues or not. This experience has only strengthened my resolve.
Now it’s time to get back to work.
]]>Unfortunately, in addition to all of the lazy costumes we have to deal with, offensive costumes are becoming quite the go-to. A couple years ago we saw the Casey Anthony costumes. This year we saw the Boston marathon victim costume. Now, a highly disturbing trend has made a recent comeback: blackface. While I was convinced that blackface would never really return, it’s clearly been on the rise for the past few years. This year seemed to be the worst, with Julianna Hough dressing as “Crazy Eyes” from Orange is the New Black. The actress received major backlash from her costume, eventually addressing a sloppy apology via Twitter.
During Wicked Manor, a Broward New Times photographer captured a bizarre and crude costume – blackface. The unidentified man was dressed in all pink women’s clothes, with a necklace on that read “Just Married,” accompanied by another man in pink, sans the blackface. The couple was spotted in New York Grilled Cheese Co., where they began posing for photos with patrons. New Times was unable to identify the couple, and chalked it up to an “interracial gay marriage thing.”
To see this in such a liberal city is disheartening to say the least. When we are fighting for equality, this is the last thing that the media needs to see. Obviously this unidentified man does not represent the gay community, but let’s face it: it’s usually always that one person that ruins things for everyone. Will there be guidelines for costumes at next year’s Wicked Manor? Probably not, but why risk it for one night of recognition? Would you think it’s funny
We are a divided nation. We need all of the help that we can get. Banding together in times of need is crucial. Why are minorities segregating their selves when they should be uniting?
Remember: “United we stand, divided we fall.”
Photo by Michele Eve. Courtesy of New Times Broward.
]]>Wasserman Schultz told a story about the year her son was in 4th grade. After seeing a commercial that alluded to homosexuality, her son asked what it meant to be gay.
“I [was] standing on a crossroads here in my child’s life,” she said. “This is the moment when people either turn their children into bigots and narrow-minded individuals or they have an opportunity to open their eyes to tolerance. Of course, I had always intended to choose tolerance and understanding. And so I explained to [my son] that there are some people who are born, and they are attracted to the opposite sex, like your mom and dad, and there are other people who are born that are attracted to the same sex. Neither is preferable – they’re both normal.”
A few years later (two years ago), when same-sex marriage was a topic on virtually every radio and television station, Wasserman Schultz and Jake were driving in the car, listening to a news broadcast. Of course, it involved gay marriage and equality. As the program played, Jake blurted out “Who really cares who people marry?!” Wasserman Schultz says that she knew her job was done.
Explaining gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues to a child may appear difficult, but Wasserman Schultz proves otherwise. Sometimes taking the more simple route is the best route. Honesty is key, and informing children of social issues is no exception. Why should parents explain heterosexuality to their children so young, but homosexuality and transgender are subjects that are too murky to navigate through? While in kindergarten, I gave a girl a kiss on the cheek. It was harmless. There was clearly no sexual attraction. I thought she was pretty and I wanted her to know it. I immediately learned (from everyone standing around me) that I apparently had a “crush” on the girl.
Now don’t get me wrong, the birds and the bees talk is a horse of a different color, but basic sexuality should be a topic explored when the child asks, not when the adult is ready to talk about it. Anyone with a child should take notes from Rep. Wasserman Schultz – homosexuality should be celebrated not condemned.
]]>When Schaefer found out his son, Tim, was gay back in 2000, his stance on gay marriage changed completely. Though his church wouldn’t exactly welcome his 18-year-old son with open arms, Mr. Schaefer and his wife accepted their son for who he was. They embraced him. And thank God (quite literally) that they did, because at one point, their son even contemplated suicide.
Fast forward to six years later. In 2006, Tim was finally in love. He found love, and wanted to devote the rest of his life to him. When Tim asked his father to preside over his marriage, Schaefer was taken aback. “We just love him so much – it was an honor to be asked,” Schaefer told Penn Live. “Had I said no to him, it would have negated all the affirmations we gave him for all those years…that we believe you are just as worthy and precious in God’s sight as anybody else.” The ceremony took place in Massachusetts, who at the time had just legalized gay marriage.
Now, 26 days before the church’s statute of limitations on breaches of the Book of Discipline expires, one of his congregants is filing a complaint against him. Schaefer must stand trial, and possibly risks losing his ordination credentials.
The story is particularly touching to me, as I grappled with acceptance in a religious household as well. I remember thinking to myself – “Will my mom and dad accept me for who I am, or will they kick me to the curb?” Thankfully, they accepted me with open arms. I was extremely fortunate. I knew the stories. I had friends who were kicked out of their homes for coming out. Now they’re either still on the streets or they bounced back and severed ties with their family. Neither seem ideal to me.
The Schaefer family story offers a glimmer of hope for the future of LGBT youth: Schaefer’s love for his son outweighs any personal bias or belief (as it should). “To me this is a uman rights issue,” Schaefer said during an interview with his parish office, according to Penn Live. “If being of a certain sexual orientation is who you are as a person, if that is genetic, who are we to say these persons do not have the same rights as everybody else? I’m supposed to minister to everybody. That I feel is my call.”
]]>Verbally sparring online is expected in this day and age, mostly due to the accessibility and obsession with social media outlets. We know Cheney is human, so it’s understandable that she would take to Facebook to address a problem. Hell, even Lance Bass took to Twitter this week to announce his engagement. Bass tweeted an emphatic “He said YES!!” to followers, followed by “Love this man.” Social media was once a private place to speak and with friends and share information and updates with a tight-knit group. Now that personal privacy is gone, especially for celebrities, though they seem to have done it to themselves. Celebrities, politicians and major corporations use Facebook to advertise and promote their own personal brand, in lieu of print. I know you’re thinking that it was inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any less of a shame.
The Cheney family’s issues are now front and center, for all of the world to see, but don’t feel bad for them, feel bad for all of us. After all, it was Mary Cheney who addressed the issue on Facebook instead of speaking to a publication. While Liz Cheney’s stance on marriage equality is likely just for “politics” in anticipation of her run for the Senate in 2014 (Wyoming), Mary Cheney isn’t exactly doing the world any favors by being a Chatty Cathy on Facebook. She could have just as easily made a statement to a major news outlet, especially as the daughter of a former vice president. Sophocles once said, “Foolishness is indeed the sister of wickedness,” and boy was he right.
Hopefully they make amends before the holiday season. If not, I foresee a new reality show on E! premiering in 2014. “Keeping Up with the Cheneys” anyone?
]]>