Florida Agenda

Editor’s Note: On April 4, 2013, Doug Blevins, a Wilton Manors resident and former President of Wilton Manors Main Street (now the Wilton Manors Development Alliance) sent the following email to Mike Durham, who manages the Shoppes of Wilton Manors for the owner, Rivercrest Properties, concerning the new fence that has been installed around the […]

Those who invoke the Bible to defend hetero-normative and homophobic views need to understand that the text can be understood in more complex ways than would make them comfortable. There are Biblical heroes who form non-traditional families of choice, there are couples who have covenantal relationships outside the cultural definition of marriage, and plenty of […]

Last December, Florida’s former Republican Governor, Charlie Crist, told a group of reporters who asked if he regretted signing a petition banning same-sex marriage in the state constitution, “I think the best way to judge where my heart is, is to look at the deeds that I have done, whether as attorney general [or] as […]

When it comes to community involvement, I’ve experienced my share over the years. Our early marches were based on a simple message of equality. We didn’t want to be fired from our jobs or not allowed to eat in a restaurant because we were gay. We often found ourselves adapting to the look and speak […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Edward Irving “Ed” Koch died on February 1, 2013. The politician, political commentator, and reality TV judge served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977, and, in three terms from 1978 to 1989, as Mayor of New York City. I remember the first time I met Ed Koch. It was during […]

By DEAN TRANTALIS Editor’s Note: On January 6, 2013, Greater Fort Lauderdale attorney Dean Trantalis, Esq. sent the following email to Gary Resnick, the Mayor of Wilton Manors, in which city Trantalis’ legal practice is based. In addition to being a former Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor, Trantalis is a candidate for the Fort Lauderdale City […]

The Dream and the Promise of Greater Fort Lauderdale  By ERDAL ERKUS  When my friends told me that they have moved to a town called Fort Lauderdale, Florida I had a laugh. I thought they would be back soon, knowing that the heat and the population would not make their job easy, being both gay and Muslim. […]

Intersex Babies are a Community Matter There are two types of babies: There are boys and there are girls. Correct? Most people would probably answer, “yes,” but they would be leaving out 1.7 to 4 percent of the population, according to a 2009 study from researchers Zeiler and Wickstrom. That’s the estimated amount of children […]

“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 […]

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, […]