Florida Agenda

By Cliff Dunn

ATLANTA, GA – On Tuesday morning, after American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer began propagandizing the alleged “documented” health risks of being gay, CNN anchor Carol Costello terminated the interview, offering tepid thanks for his opinions, which included the claim that a majority of Nazi Germany’s SS storm troopers were gay.

During her regular midday broadcast of “CNN Newsroom” (which airs Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Eastern time), Costello hosted an interview with Fischer, who serves as Director of Issues Analysis for the Tupelo, Miss.- based AFA. Their discussion opened with Fischer’s criticism of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) “Mix It Up at Lunch Day” project, which promotes tolerance in school lunchrooms in an effort to combat the nationwide bullying epidemic.

According to Fischer, the event, which SPLC launched in 2001 and is held in 2,500 schools nationwide, is an effort by the progressive advocacy center to force students “to accept homosexuality as a normal, healthy alternative to heterosexuality.”

Fischer said that the Mix It Up initiative is “toxic” to students’ “moral health,” and compared it to “poisoned Halloween candy” that has been injected with cyanide. “The label looks fine, it looks innocuous, but once you internalize it, you realize how toxic it is.”

Costello later quoted from the transcript of an earlier radio interview with Fischer, in which he claimed that “Hitler recruited homosexuals around him to make up his storm troopers. They were his enforcers. He discovered he could not get straight soldiers to carry out his orders, but homosexual soldiers had no limit to the savagery and brutality Hitler sent them after.”

“That spells agenda to me,” remarked Costello, who noted that what Fischer was saying could be considered “hate speech.” After Fischer called SPLC—which is best known for its legal victories against white supremacist groups, and its monitoring of extremist organizations— the real “bullying group,” he claimed that “they’re the ones that want to silence any view that would criticize the normalization of homosexual behavior.”

When he added that “homosexuality has the same risks associated with it as intravenous drug use,” an exasperated Costello cut him off, noting, “That’s just not true. I’m going to end this interview now, sir, because that’s just not true.” She added: “Thanks for sharing your views, I guess.”

FORT LAUDERDALE – What a difference a year has made to the policy positions of Rep. Allen West (R-FL), at least in terms of marriage equality. On Friday, April 6, the freshman congressman, who represents Florida’s 22nd Congressional District—which includes parts of Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors—was asked by CNN host Kyra Phillips if he believed that gay marriage was an issue for the federal government to decide.

West, a social conservative who is seeking to win the newly created 18th Congressional District seat created by the redistricting that followed the 2010 U.S. Census, surprised the news anchor by sidestepping the question, saying that there “are a lot people that try to take you down a rabbit hole to discuss things that really aren’t that important.”

Registering both her shock and her familiarity with West’s previous public comments on the issue of marriage equality, Phillips interrupted the House member. “Wait a minute. “Are you saying gay marriage is not important?” she asked.

Said West, who appeared uncomfortable with the question, “I think if you poll the American people—I don’t think they’re going to bring up gay marriage as one of the top concerns. The American people are concerned about where they’re working.” That answer marked a departure for the former Army lieutenant colonel, who told the Eagle Forum Collegians 2011 Summit in Washington last year that gay marriage was a slippery slope with one destination: the end of society as we know it.

“The term ‘gay marriage’ is an oxymoron,” West told the Forum last June. “Because marriage is a union and a bond between a man and a woman to do one thing: the furtherance of society by procreation, through creating new life.” He cautioned that by continuing to permit the existence of nontraditional institutions, “it just becomes a matter of time before you don’t have society.”

BOSTON, MA – Last week, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) told CNN’s Piers Morgan that the gay marriage debate has been “settled” in Massachusetts, and said that opponents of marriage equality should “move on” and focus on economic matters.

“It’s settled law in Massachusetts. Quite frankly, everybody’s moved on,” said Brown on the March 19 broadcast of “Piers Morgan Tonight.”

In the past, Brown has said that he opposes marriage equality, but he has never made it a campaign theme. The Republican split with his party in supporting President Obama’s repeal of the Pentagon’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy.

“We’ve moved on. I encourage everyone else to move on,” Brown told the CNN host. “It should be decided state by state basis. I’m focusing on those other things.”

Democrats say that Brown’s record on LGBT rights leaves much to be desired. They point to his opposition of non-discrimination legislation for LGBT persons, and his refusal to take part in an anti-bullying video.

“If Scott Brown thinks marriage equality is settled law in Massachusetts, he should talk to the thousands of gay couples whose marriages aren’t recognized by the federal government,” said Kevin Franck, spokesman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Brown is in a re-election race for his U.S. Senate seat, the one formerly held by the late Ted Kennedy.

His presumed Democratic opponent, Harvard law professor and former U.S. Treasury Department official Elizabeth Warren, has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.

CNNMoney reported this week that same-sex spouses pay as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes than their straight counterparts, in large measure because Uncle Same doesn’t recognize gay marriage. According to an analysis conducted by tax specialists at CNNMoney, same-sex families don’t receive the same benefits because they are prohibited from filing their federal returns jointly.

As CNNMoney reported on December 26, “the imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed–for the first time–that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.”

The federal government, by contrast, is restricted from doing likewise by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). “Even as more same-sex couples are able to file jointly at the state level, they are still forced to file as single when submitting federal returns to the IRS,” the report noted.

This means they can’t combine their income and deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates. It’s also harder for them to qualify for certain tax breaks because the credits phase out sooner for single filers.

Ken Weissenberg, a partner at the accounting firm of Eisner Amper and himself in a same-sex marriage, told CNN: “It’s costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotional pain and suffering.”

The single light in the tunnel for same-sex spouses is

the so-called marriage penalty. As CNNMoney reported, for same-sex spouses in higher tax brackets who work and have no children, filing tax returns using the “single” status makes their liability a little lower than that of heterosexual married couples.

And CNN points out that even same-sex families, who live in states where gay marriage is legal, typically have to file four separate returns — including mock federal returns — to cover both state and federal tax burdens.

“But it shouldn’t stop anyone from getting married,” Weissenberg insisted to CNNMoney. Although he says he pays $5,000 more in taxes per year, he notes, “If I had to pay twice as much in taxes to be married to my husband, I would.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Vice President Dick Cheney said on CNN’s “State of the Union” last Sunday that he supports the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Cheney has been a regular recently on the news talk shows promoting his new book “In My Time.”
Shortly after that, Cheney turned his attention to the recent Republican presidential candidate debate where the audience booed a gay service member. “I’m not sure that it was all focused on that particular issue,” Cheney told “State of the Union” hostess, Candy Crowley.

MIAMI, FL – In January, Shawn Loftis, a Miami-Dade County substitute teacher, was suspended from his position. In April, Loftis’ teacher’s certificate was revoked despite his insistence that his porn days were over.

Loftis also worked as a citizen reporter for CNN.

Loftis, who went by the stage name Collin O’Neal, resigned his porn career in 2010 but is still widely known for his porn work. His video work included Mirage, Lord of the Jungle, Humping Iron, Crossing the Line, Rising Sun, Desperate Husbands, Scorched, The Hard Way, Mo’ Bubble Butt, Perfect Fit and Skuff II: Downright Filthy.

However, Loftis/O’Neal also produced and directed his own series, known as “World of Men,” where, as O’Neal, he visited various exotic locations looking for sex. These locations included London, Lebanon, São Paulo, Miami, Spain, Edinburgh, Berlin and Serbia. O’Neal’s videos not only served as sex films, but were also travelogues showing some of the famous sites in the various cities.

It is from these locations that, as Loftis, he submitted some of his iReport segments for CNN.

O’Neal’s hard-core performances won him several awards. The “World of Men” series has been nominated many times for awards and World of Men: Lebanon has won a GayVN Award for Best Pro/Am Release and a Grabby Award for Best Videography jointly for Collin O’Neal and Dan Fox, again for Lebanon.

O’Neal said that CNN knew about his porn past and didn’t have a problem with it, but can’t believe that the Miami-Dade School Board would, since he gave up the business.

By Alex Vaughn

Photo: LZ Granderson poses backstage with his award during the 20th Annual GLAAD?Media Awards in 2009.

LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine and CNN contributor. He writes a weekly column for both CNN.com. and ESPN.com. He also regularly appears on both networks. He was recently named the 2011 Journalist of the Year by the National Lesbian Gay Journalist Association and was a 2011 and 2010 nominee and the 2009 winner of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award for online journalism. He was also a Hechinger Institute Fellow at Columbia University.

Where were you born?
In a manger … or Detroit. Whichever sounds more dramatic.

How was early life for you?
I grew up poor, surrounded by crime outside of the home and physically abused inside the home. My stepfather provided for the family as best he could but often times took his frustrations out on me. But I was smart and I was tough and made it out of that situation to earn a college scholarship. Once I got out, I really didn’t look back. I`ve had my hiccups like anyone else, but for the most part I was able to stay out of trouble and move on from a rough beginning. I actually talk a lot about my upbringing in my columns.

Have you ever experienced bullying as a result of your sexuality?
My stepfather was a bully but it wasn’t about my sexual orientation. I’ve been in work environments where I felt as if bigots were trying to marginalize me but I never felt as bullied as I did growing up.

When you discover a passion for writing?
Gosh, early, maybe 1st grade. I won poetry writing and playwriting contest in elementary school but didn’t find journalism until college.

Who was your mentor in publishing?
Who wasn’t? I turned to all of my professors in college for guidance outside of the classroom and then once I was a professional writer, watched the people whose work I admired most. Gary Bond, a longtime sportswriter for The Grand Rapids Press and Prentis Rogers from the Atlanta Journal Constitution were particularly important to me. Sadly both men passed away before they saw my career really take off. I grew up reading the Free Press’ Mitch Albom and Nathan McCall’s “Make Me Wanna Holler” is probably the reason why I write as honestly as I do.

Please tell our readers about your incredible career? The steps you have taken to get to where you are.
You know, I’m not really sure how I got here myself really. I just always tried to be authentic and let my work speak for itself. I was blessed to have Mike Lloyd at The Grand Rapids Press take a chance on me out of grad school, but from there I was recruited by the Atlanta Journal and ESPN and CNN. There was a brief moment in which I chased, but when I returned to center and why I write in the first place, the other opportunities came. I also wrote for the South Bend Tribune and Kalamazoo Gazette.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Up until a few days ago, it was having beers with Kenny Chesney. but recently I was named Journalist of the year and that was really an emotional moment for me. I had worked so hard to be good and real and authentic and challenging, that being recognized by my peers was extremely gratifying.

Any low points?
It was late one night, I was on the police monitor, heard about a head-on collision that resulted in a fatality. I go out, talk to everyone, write the piece turned it in and the next morning when I woke I learned I had made a mistake and faulted the victim. It was gut wrenching to have done that to that family. My editor made me drive out and apologize face-to-face.

They graciously accepted my apology but to this day, that hurts. It also taught me the importance of being right over being first.

How do feel the gay community has changed over the years?
We’re getting comfortable in our own skin meaning, it’s OK to be splintered on issues. The running joke of taking our gay card away if we don’t like Madonna or Cher has fallen by the wayside. That’s a byproduct of no longer being ghettoized. We’re openly gay in the suburbs with our families, or in church or visible in cities other than NYC and San Fran. We’ve also benefited from having straight people be our allies so that we can correct bigoted legislation. There’s more work to be done, of course. AIDS robbed us of a lot of mentors and institutional knowledge and our rural brothers and sisters are still in hiding for safety reasons. But no doubt about it, things are much better than when I came out in the 90s.

What advantages do you feel there are within the gay community?
There are no inherent advantages to being gay, I don’t think.

What disadvantages?
Legal battles just to exist without fear of losing our jobs or paying extra taxes or being physically assaulted for simply existing.

Your career is extremely inspiring for many, but what inspires you and your writing?
Truth. I just want to tell the truth.

Do you feel you are a pioneer for gay journalists?
I don’t think about stuff like that.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a good father, husband, positive contributor to society and someone who strived to find the beauty in humanity.

To read some of LZ Granderson’s work, visit www.CNN.com or www.ESPN.com

ATLANTA, GA – CNN anchorman Don Lemon, in a statement released last week, came out as a gay man and dedicated his new book to Rutgers student Tyler Clementi

He wrote: “Today I chose to step out on faith and begin openly living my own truth. And let me say right up front that I hope many of you will be inspired to do the same thing in your daily lives.

Some of the things I’ve chosen to reveal in my book Transparent were very difficult to share with even those closest to me.

There was a time when I was terrified of revealing these things to the person I love most in this world – my own mother. But when I finally mustered the courage to tell her that I had been molested as a child and that I was born gay, my life began to change in positive ways that I never imagined possible. Yet I still chose to keep those secrets hidden from the world. I, like most gay people, lived a life of fear. Fear that if some employers, co-workers, friends, neighbors and family members learned of my sexuality, I would be shunned, mocked and ostracized. It is a burden that millions of people carry with them every single day. And sadly, while the mockery and ostracizing are realized by millions of people every day, I truly believe it doesn’t have to happen and that’s why I feel compelled to share what I’ve written in Transparent.

As a journalist, I believe that part of my mission is to shed light onto dark places. So, the disclosure of this information does not inhibit in any way my ability to be the professional, fair and objective journalist I have always been.”

Clementi was the Rutgers student who jumped to his death from a bridge last year after his dorm mate streamed his private business over the internet for others to see.

Documentary About Gay Adoption Shows Disgusting Side of Freedom of Speech

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

CNN, the only 24 hour news network that has chosen to stay bi-partisan on the political spectrum, is dedicating a significant amount of Internet bandwidth to an area called “Gay in America”. One of the first television hours dedicated to this subject was Soledad O’Brien’s documentary titled “Gary and Tony Have A Baby”, which aired last week during primetime.

The hour-long program followed Gary and Tony, a couple who had been in a monogamous relationship for more than 20 years wanted to have a child of their own. Gary had already donated his sperm to a lesbian couple and had a biological daughter, but him and Tony decided they wanted a child to raise on their own, make decisions for individually, and generally just love. They decided to go the route of surrogacy. They hired one lady to donate her egg.

They went to a doctor and had that egg mixed with Gary’s sperm and then have the resulting embryo implanted into another lady. Overall the process was more than a year-long and cost them upwards of $100,000. In the end, the couple ended up with a beautiful baby boy. After the hour-long special, CNN.com has blown up with more than 10,000 comments from people regarding the story. Right from the beginning, the commentators took a very negative slant.

“Gay people…for crying out loud…please think of the child first. You need to get selfish and think about how this child is going to handle such a situation.

You may be able to handle it ok. But remember that we all deal with the same situation differently,” said Mintymint.

“Heterosexuals is what keeps society going not homosexuals. It is a lifestyle that is against GOD, nature and everything that makes sense. 2 Men holding hands saying they are married in some kind of perverse ceremony makes no sense. So what they love on one another, who cares and what give,” said TootsMahone.

“Protect traditional marriage at all costs! Homosexuals are trying to destroy this with their alien lifestyle, while heterosexuals have already been destroying it through adultery, divorce, and gold-digging. Gays, straights, it doesn’t matter. Nobody cares anymore about universal traditional marriage which should be between a man and a woman, and until death do you part,” said BlackRifle.

“Here is an idea for a CNN documentary: “Todd & Mary want an open marriage and kids”, shows how Todd and his wife Mary traded in the archaic concept of monogamy (& adultery) for physically loving relationships with anyone who’s interested,” wrote Quest4Trueth.

Not only did the documentary show two loving, caring fathers, who were willing to pay six-figures just to be able to have a child, let alone the cost to care for one, but clearly it shows that no matter how willing a person is to be a parent, the majority of Americans still believe that gays cannot raise a child.

It’s amazing that so many people could write so many negative comments anonymously, but they would never say anything like this to a gay couple in person. It’s people like this that are helping to keep the Florida laws against gay parents adopting in place.

The commentator Aboveknee makes a valid point, “Oh come On! Do We Have to See This Sh*t!” No Aboveknee we don’t have to see your ugly hateful stuff. We will prevail.