Florida Agenda

“Do not be afraid, for behold: I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” Gospel of St. Luke A recently-reported controversy involving a New Zealand church that sponsored a billboard campaign that announced, “It’s Christmas. Time for Jesus to Come Out” is stirring old arguments about the sexuality—if any—of Jesus Christ. The billboards, sponsored by [...]

In January, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) closes a distinguished legislative career that began at the dawn of the modern gay rights movement. Frank, who chaired the House Financial Services Committee until last year, was the first Member of Congress to come out (in 1987), and is considered America’s most prominent LGBT elected official. Elected [...]

“All politics is local.” Tip O’Neill “You don’t sh** where you eat, and you definitely don’t sh** where I eat.” Tony Soprano Welcome to the relaunch issue of the Florida Agenda. We hope you like and find value in the improvements we have made to both this journal and its sister publication, Guy Magazine. Thank [...]

By CLIFF DUNN On Monday, December 17, Barack Obama will be officially elected President of the United States (I hope), when the Electoral College meets to approve the popular ballot results of the voters “in their several states.” In the decades since I first came to understand the import of the Electors and their role [...]

By Joseph Furner There is something about this quote from outgoing U.S. Rep. Allen West that doesn’t sit well with me: “In the United States, we are blessed with the freedom to pursue our dreams and to disagree on what they should be—loudly and passionately if we wish—but we must never, ever relinquish this freedom, [...]

I hope that you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. There were a couple of things that threw me off this year, one being its weird placement, seemingly mid-month, meaning that my Holi-gay-dar is off about a week. (I’m already starting to obsess about wrapping paper patterns: Which is better—reindeer-holding-candy-cane motif, or polar bear-wrestling-penguin-on-ice-flow?) Another thing that [...]

Imagine this: You’re one of millions of LGBT Americans, and questioning whether or not you are loved by God. (Some would settle for just being liked by God.) Some are so hurt by religion that they want nothing to do with God.  Where do you see yourself? Some 31 years ago, it was time for [...]

As National Adoption Day on November 17 approaches, individuals like Aaron and Matt from Pompano Beach have other plans for helping children: They are foster parents. “We became foster parents with the hope of adopting one day, and it has turned out that pursuing foster care instead has blessed us tremendously,” says Aaron. Aaron and [...]

“I am increasingly persuaded that the earth belongs exclusively to the living, and that one generation has no more right to bind another to its laws and judgments than one independent nation has the right to command another.” Thomas Jefferson I just had the pleasure of watching the Tom Hanks-produced DVD of “John Adams,” a [...]

Earlier this year—crikey, has it already been nine months?—actress Cynthia Nixon took a great deal of heat from LGBT activists after she told the New York Times Magazine that her homosexuality is “a choice.” It may come as a shock to some (and my boyfriend is still reeling from this himself), but the time span [...]