Florida Agenda

NEW YORK, NY – The man who provides the voice for the popular Sesame Street character Elmo is denying reports that he had gay sex with a teen. Officials with the Sesame Street Workshop, producers of the successful public television program, have confirmed that Kevin Clash has taken a leave of absence while he defends himself against allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy.

According to reports, the accuser, who is now 23, claims that he and Clash engaged in sexual activity seven years ago, when he was 16 years old and Clash was 45. Clash has admitted that he and the person had sexual relations, but only after he reached the age of consent.

“I had a relationship with [the accuser],” acknowledged Clash, who added that, “It was between two consenting adults, and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.”

The producers admitted, “In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a young man who alleged that he had a relationship with Kevin Clash beginning when he was 16-years-old.” They insisted that, “This was a personal relationship, unrelated to the workplace. We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action.”

“Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate, and inspire children around the world,” the producers added.

“I am a gay man,” Clash said, commenting about his present difficulties. “I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter.”

Last week, city commissioners in the Broward municipalities Oakland Park and Hallandale Beach approved individual ordinances that grant certain benefits to domestic partners. In Hallandale Beach, commissioners green-lighted a yearly $500 tax reimbursement for city employees who receive domestic partner health coverage, a benefit that offsets federal taxes.

As previously reported (Florida Agenda, October 31, 2012: “Hallandale to Support Tax Equity for City Employees with Domestic Partners”), Commissioner Alexander Lewy sponsored the resolution. “After learning about this injustice earlier this year, I knew I could make a difference” said Lewy, who was elected in 2010. “Providing a fair and equitable workplace is the American way. Everyone should be treated fairly and there is no reason to tax domestic partners differently,” he added.

The City of Hallandale Beach provides health benefits to domestic partners, but benefits are taxable under federal tax laws, which translates to city employees enrolled in domestic partnerships paying more federal taxes than their colleagues with different-sex spouses.

Under the new measure, city employees who enroll their domestic partners under the city’s plan can offset the impact of the additional tax. Lewy said the new program will cost the city about $2,500 annually. It is the first city in Florida—and possibly the nation—with such a policy.

In Oakland Park, companies employing more than 25 people that bid on city contracts in excess of $100,000 must now offer their employees in domestic partnerships the same benefits offered to married couples.

The ordinance, which was sponsored by Commissioner Shari McCartney, makes Oakland Park the fourth Florida municipality to pass an equal benefits measure (after Broward County, Miami Beach and Key West).

In terms of dissecting the things that went wrong last week for Mitt Romney (and the more sweeping conservative agenda), we have to sift through—like the man said—an embarrassment of riches. Not only is the political and social right dealing with Romney’s defeat, it is also faced with an overwhelming rejection of its agenda, including same-sex marriage, the defeat of anti-abortion candidates to the U.S. Senate, and a more progressive attitude towards the recreational use of marijuana.

The Christian Right has been a political force in America since Ronald Reagan brought them into the GOP’s tent. In recent years, that tent has come to include conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists (not the same thing, incidentally), Orthodox Jews, African-American Southern Baptists, and anti-choice Roman Catholics, among others.

As R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Kentucky told a reporter, “An increasingly secularized America understands our positions, and has rejected them.”

That rejection is reflected in demographic shifts. A Pew Survey last month found that about 20 percent of the U.S. population has no religious affiliation, and a third of American 18-to-22 year olds identify as atheists, agnostics, or nothing in particular. According to exit polls conducted on Election Day by Edison Research, 70 percent of voters who claim no religious affiliation selected President Obama in the voting booth.

Another sign of the shift is that this year, progressive and moderate clergy spoke in favor liberal policy positions, including marriage equality and ObamaCare.

In addition, the Christian Right would seem to be a natural ally to the nation’s Latinos, many who embrace conservative religious values. Most Hispanics are Roman Catholic or evangelical Protestants, which faiths overwhelmingly oppose abortion rights and gay marriage. But Obama won the Latino vote by a staggering 44 percent. Rock beats scissors; immigration trumps religion.

Where does the GOP go from here? That’s a great question, and even the party mandarins are hard-pressed to decide where the fault is best laid. On CNN, after Romney’s loss to Obama, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told panelists that the Republican Party will never embrace LGBT or women’s rights.

“The big issue that Republicans are going to have to wrestle with is the Hispanic issue,” the Bush-43 spokesman said. “You’re not going to make the party pro-choice and pro-gay rights and think you’ve made the Republican Party the party that’s the popular party,” Fleischer added. “We have a party like that. It’s the Democratic Party.”

That seems to have been the Republicans’ biggest problem.

Last week, voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state approved measures supporting marriage equality, while those in Minnesota rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The four made history by becoming the first states to approve—or not reject—gay marriage at the ballot box.

In Maine, voters changed course for a second time concerning same-sex marriage, as a previous effort at passage of marriage equality had failed. Maine is the first state where measure supporters collected enough signatures to have the issue placed on the referendum. In 2009, Maine voters overturned a measure supporting marriage equality that had been passed by state lawmakers. The new law’s effective date will be no later than January 4, 2013.

In Maryland, voters narrowly affirmed the state’s marriage equality law. They were asked whether to uphold the gay marriage law championed this year by the governor that was put on hold after opponents gathered enough signatures to force a public vote.

In the Old Line State, a phalanx of Hollywood muscle—included A-Listers Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Leonardo di Caprio—threw their muscle and fundraising clout in support of the battle for same-sex marriage.

“This is an historic day for Washington, an historic day for our country and, most of all, for families across the state who have dreamed of this day and the wedding celebrations to come,” said Washington United for Marriage campaign manager Zach Silk.

In February, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, signed into law a voter-approved marriage equality measure, which would have taken effect in June. But opponents filed more than 200,000 signatures to get the issue placed on the ballot.

In Minnesota, voters killed an amendment to the state constitution that would have defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman—the first state to reject a constitutional amendment limiting marriage equality.

While same-sex marriage remains illegal in Minnesota, the absence of a constitutional amendment prohibiting it removes a major obstacle to its eventual adoption.

Elsewhere in the Union, same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, where measures were enacted by lawmakers or through court decision. Before last week, 32 states had rejected marriage equality initiatives.

DEERFIELD BEACH – The parents of a Deerfield Beach High School student have accused one of their daughter’s teachers of “turning” her gay. The teacher, Juliet Hibbs, is on medical leave from the Broward County School District.

Records indicate that she was investigated and cleared last year for misconduct, after the school principal was contacted by the girl’s parents to complain of her involvement with their daughter. The school district investigation found that the teenager, who was 18 years old, was the subject of harassment from her mother and stepfather after their learned about her sexual identity.

Hibbs reported the abuse to officials. Later, the girl’s parents accused the teacher of contributing to their daughter being gay, and of advising the girl to run away. According to the district investigation, the teen told officials that an abuse counselor told her that being 18 years old meant she didn’t have to legally return to her parents’ custody. The daughter also said that Hibbs was straight and therefore had nothing to do with her own coming out.

Hibbs, a teacher for 10 years, has filed suit against the school district, the principal, and assistant principal with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that her career is in tatters and that her health has deteriorated as a result of the ongoing intimidation from school administrators.

The national bullying epidemic knows no age boundaries, with stories of its tragic consequences reported in the halls of higher learning (as witnessed by the Rutgers’ bullying/suicide) as well as on the playground.

One man who has made a local commitment to bring the crusade against bullying to a younger segment is Norman Rea, the creator of the “Wishaphants,” a campaign that features a group of superhero elephants who combat bullying where it starts, at the earliest of ages.

The Wishaphants campaign targets children in grades K-3, which Rea and Steven Billing, the campaign’s coordinator, say is the ideal age to curb negative behaviors.

As Billing notes, providing a support system for kids who don’t have one is just the beginning. “The Wishaphants are targeting children K-3, much younger than anyone,” he explains. “We will be educating them through books, traveling musical, activity sheets.”

According to Billing, “education is the key.” He notes that the national awareness of the importance of combating bullying when it first starts makes the Wishaphants campaign so appealing. He reports that in “a blind study done with an independent college,” the campaign “received 100 percent positive feedback.”

The idea for the characters and their interaction with bullied kids (or “wishers,” in the lingo of the campaign) began with the headlines of the past two years. “With so many bully-related deaths and suicides, we felt something needed to be done, so we incorporated the characters into a campaign,” Billing explains. The Wishaphants are portrayed as relatable to kids who may be targets of bullying. “Even our mascot has glasses!” he says.

Billing says that the consequences of bullying strike especially close to home, for both him and the campaign’s creator. “We were also victims of bullying. Norman Rea was bullied on a daily basis, both mentally and physically.”

Billing says that they plan to promote the Wishaphants’ anti-bullying, positive choices messages through a variety of media. “We are in the process of developing a traveling musical, mixed with animation,” he says. “We are also planning a web or TV series, as well as creating animated, non-violent video games.”

But what about the elephants? “Norman and I love elephants,” Billing acknowledges with a laugh. “In 2004, we had a musical on Broadway called ‘Tusk.’ Elephants are so spiritual. They protect the young, work as a team, grieve for the death of their family, and they are just wonderful communicators. “For such a large animal they have such a gentle caring side.

Since a large part of hate and other negative reactions is learned, Rea and Billing hope that the Wishaphants can serve as a counterpoint, encouraging tolerance, acceptance, and non-violence among children in a world that very much needs it.

For more information about the Wishaphants, visit www.indiegogo.com/wishaphants.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA) – After more than four decades since he was the victim of homophobic bullies, a British Columbia man has finally received an apology.

Last Monday, Robin Tomlin received an apology in person from North Vancouver school district Superintendent John Lewis, who offered his regrets that officials had allowed the word “fag” to appear next to his name in the 1970 Argyle Secondary School yearbook.

“They just said how sorry they were and how it slipped through the cracks,” said Tomlin, who is now 60. “And they’ll institute remedies so that it won’t happen again.” Originally, officials had offered to reprint the offensive yearbook page, but had refused to make an official apology.

Tomlin, who has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, said he was regularly bullied in high school, usually by a group of student athletes who called him “You little faggot,” as they physically pushed him “out of the way.”

Tomlin acknowledged that the bullying was so severe he was afraid to attend his high school. In recognition of this, Tomlin’s friends held a “graduation ceremony” in front of the Argyle School—complete with cap and gown.

The newly-vindicated man says that he satisfied with the formal apology, but said that he has not from any of his former harassers, or from the yearbook editor. “I hope it bothers them,” Tomlin admitted, adding, “It doesn’t bother me.”

FORT LAUDERDALE – On Sunday night, Broward got its first look at Florida’s first two openly-gay state legislators during the annual awards gala hosted by Equality Florida at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale.

State Representatives Joe Saunders (D-Orlando) and David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) were joined by gay-friendlyBroward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger (who was accompanied by her gay son and daughter, Ron and Jude), as she accepted the organization’s 2012 Voice for Equality Award, which was presented by Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith.

“Through her leadership, again and again, Broward County has raised the standard for equality in our state,” the LGBT rights group said about Gunzburger.

WILTON MANORS – On Friday, November 16, the Island City Art Walk launches its seventh season, with what the organizers call “a great opportunity to spend an evening exploring new artists, and strolling along Wilton Drive, the heart of Wilton Manors’ Arts and Entertainment District.”

The new ownership team of Tony LoGrande and Krishan Manners has plans to expand the format of previous art walks to offer more installation art, sculpture, and new media. The result, says Manners, “will be an engaging evening of art for all.”

“Island City Art Walk has stood the test of time, and represents another reason to visit Wilton Drive,” said LoGrande, adding, “whether you are from other parts of Broward or neighboring counties, the  art walk is expanding, inclusive and entertaining. It’s a great night out.”

Island City Art Walk is held on Wilton Drive, on the third Friday of each month, from November through April.  For more information, visit islandcityartwalk.com.

During the Dark Ages, the people of Wales would wear leeks in their hats, in ordr to distinguish themselves from their enemy during the wars between the Welsh and the Saxons. The leek became an emblem of pride in Wales, and Welshmen, or “Taffys,” wear leeks to commemorate their victory on St. David’s Day, March 1.

In Hebrew, the leek is called karti, which is a pun on another Hebrew word yikartu, meaning “to be cut off.” Thus, the Jews eat leeks at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a wish for their enemies to be “cut off.”

The Roman Emperor Nero regularly ate leeks with olive oil, thinking they were good for his singing voice. Maybe he got the notion from Aristotle, who claimed the clear cry of the partridge was due to its diet of leeks. Oh, men.

Try this hearty and delicious soup containing leeks, potatoes, and other delights.

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small leeks (about 1 lb)

2 tablespoons of butter5 cups of chicken stock

1 ¼ lbs of russet potatoes, diced

Salt and pepper

¾ cup of crème fraiche or heavy cream (if preferred)

2 tablespoons of chopped chives or parsley, to garnish

Using a sharp knife, halve the whole leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water (to rid the leek of any sand). Slice thinly crosswise into one-inch pieces and set aside. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the chopped leeks. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, and potatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart.

Remove the bouquet garni, and working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the crème fraiche and adjust the seasoning. (You don’t have to use cream, I never do.) You are the chef!

Serve immediately, with some snipped chives or parsley sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.