Florida Agenda

ROME, ITALY – Italy’s state TV and radio network is at the center of a censorship controversy after a manager instructed the staff not to mention the word “condom” during programs about World AIDS Day on Thursday.

In an email to staff, reported by Italian daily Corriere della Sera, manager Laura De Pasquale wrote that Italy’s health ministry had requested that “in no broadcast should the word condom be explicitly mentioned. We must limit ourselves to the generic concept of prevention in sexual behavior and the need to undergo HIV testing in the case of potential risk.”

By PAUL RUBIO

Photo: Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Last month, I ventured to the Holy Land on the sophomore voyage of the new Celebrity Silhouette (celebritycruises.com) cruise ship. With an itinerary that includes Italy, Israel, and Greece, the ports for Celebrity’s Holy Land tour are a far cry from the cheesy same-old, same-old like Nassau and Cozumel. Two of my favorite ports are highlighted below.

Rome
Never one to turn down time in the Eternal City, I often opt for a few nights of pre or post-cruise fun in Rome, the common point of embarkation for European voyages on the high seas. For my Celebrity Silhouette sailing, I arrived in Rome three days early, giving me enough time to adjust for jetlag and tear up one of my favorite cities in the world!

Upon arriving, I checked into my exclusive hotel, smack in the heart of the city in the shadow of the Spanish Steps – Portrait Suites Rome (lungarnocollection.com). This exclusive fourteen room micro hotel, above Rome’s famed Ferragamo store, bursts with the eclectic personality and refinement of its shoe-making, show-stopping owner, Salvatore Ferragamo. These fourteen “Portrait Suites” exude understated elegance, but the best part of this hotel isn’t even the superb design-driven rooms. The view from the hotel’s rooftop lounge, exclusive to its discerning guests, is one of Rome’s most inspiring nooks. Absorbing the timeless rapture of Rome’s rooftops and the zenith of the Spanish Steps at sunrise, sunset, and every hour in between, while indulging in Portrait Suite’s fabulous full-scale rooftop honor bar, could easily go down in your personal history as your greatest moments in Rome! I did all the obligatory Rome sight seeing, including the gorgeous Trevi Fountain, camera in hand, snapping away at the hot security guards in action. I wandered for hours on what I like to call a “Piazza crawl” – losing and finding myself in and around Rome’s greatest piazzas (e.g. Navona, Venezia, and Minerva). I eventually ended up in Vatican City at St. Peter’s Basilica, splendidly quiet on a Sunday in August, giving me that much more time for sinful thoughts over the Vatican guards.

Come nightfall, I was practically lip locked with the Coliseum and loving every second of it. How? It’s called AROMA (palazzomanfredi.com) – the rooftop restaurant of the Palazzo Manfredi hotel, situated across from the Coliseum. Flush with the top arches of the historic relic, situated at just the right distance from this postcard-perfect panorama rapture, AROMA delivers a mouth watering multi-course tour de force while you gawk at the Coliseum’s authority and fantasy about its history. This intimate experience with global grandeur never grows old! What’s more? AROMA is adjacent to one of Rome’s most popular gay bars, which fills the streets on weekends and Sunday evenings.

Santorini

Unlike neighboring Mykonos, Santorini is more about immersion in the foremost examples of traditional Greek architecture and culture rather than long days on the gay beach and late night parties with European couples looking for hot threesomes.

Santorini is undeniably sleepy compared to Mykonos, but it’s as impressive in person as it is in postcards. When I arrived in Santorini, I took the first tender off the ship to get a head start up to the cliff tops of Fara, the island’s capital city. I wanted to climb the massive zig-zagged staircase; but after a few dozen donkeys nearly decapitated me and I slipped on an unavoidable mound of donkey doo, I opted for the easier cable car option (an animal rights advocate, I didn’t have the heart to ride a donkey in 100 degree heat). Once on the touristy hilltop, I rented a car at Hertz for 65 euros, grabbed a map, and Santorini was my oyster. I traversed most the island in a single day, spending the majority of time in the north, at Oia, the picture-perfect town you see in every ad for Greece tourism. Blue capped, white-washed buildings stacked along the mountainside, peering over vibrant aquamarine waters, flanked by bustling tavernas and colorful small fishing boats. This is the Greece of timeless romance and unwavering culture – somehow frozen in time despite the pressures of globalization. I gorged on my best meal of 2011 at Taverna Kristina – a small restaurant on the waterfront, serving the classics better than ever– tzaziki, grilled calamari, eggplant salad, Greek salad – the works! I asked the jolly and stocky owner if she had a website to share for this travel article, but it was soon clear that nobody on this old school pier had probably ever used the internet!

St. Peter’s Basilica

Italy Rejects Anti-Homophobia Bill

ROME, ITALY – By a vote of 293 to 250, Italy’s parliament has rejected a bill to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from discrimination. Italy already bans discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and nationality, but activists say rising numbers of homophobic attacks means LGBT people need more protection.
Gay rights activists have called on the European Union to step in.

Kiwi Lesbian Couple Forced From Home after Attacks

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – A lesbian couple from New Zealand have been forced to relocate after a string of anti-gay attacks left them terrified. Police are investigating an arson attack which destroyed Lindsay Curnow and Juliet Leigh’s flower business, Blooming Bulbs. The business was torched seven days after being defaced with homophobic graffiti. The pair had also had their homes and car vandalized days earlier.

Now the couple is fleeing to Auckland, where they hope to escape the constant persecution they have suffered for seven years.

Malawi’s LGBT Advocates Threatened with Arrest

LILONGWE, MALAWI – Two of Malawi’s leading LGBT rights advocates are in hiding after being threatened with arrest for treason. Malawi is a small republic located in the middle of Africa.

According to LGBT Asylum News, the two leaders, Undule Mwakasungula, Human Rights Consultative Committee chairperson, and executive director of Centre for Development of People, Gift Trapence, are the strongest advocates for LGBT human rights in Malawi and have long been targeted by the government. The government has blamed withdrawals of foreign aid on them personally.

India’s First Married Lesbian Couple Require Protection

GURGAON, INDIA – India’s first married lesbian couple has been given police protection and moved to a safe house fearing the two women would be targeted in an “honor” killing. Savita, a 25-year old student at Choudhary Charan Singh University and her 20-year old wife Veena were married by a court in Haryana, close to New Delhi, earlier this month.

Savita had been forced to marry a man against her will earlier this year and left her husband just five months after her forced marriage. The court granted her a divorce and gave its approval for her to marry Veena. In the court ceremony on July 22, Savita was designated “husband” and Veena “wife” in India’s first lesbian marriage.

The couple later returned to court after receiving threats from friends and relatives in their village. Their lawyer said the court had served notice on 14 of Veena’s relatives and villagers who had threatened them with “dire consequences”.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police said that the couple has been shifted to a safe house and have been provided enough security.

Durban Declared South Africa’s Gayest City

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – Durban has declared itself the “gayest” city in the county, according to the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community Health Center. The Center contends that, compared with other big cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban was the most accommodating towards the LGBT community and that Durban has the smallest number of reported hate crimes.

Cuba to Consider Marriage Equality

HAVANA, CUBA – According to CNN, Cuban authorities are considering legislation legalizing same-sex civil unions.

The announcement was made by Mariela Castro, daughter of Raul Castro and the director of Cuba’s national sex education center, during an interview with Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser earlier this month. Castro, the island’s leading gay rights advocate, said Cuban authorities are already studying the proposal in preparation for the upcoming Community Party conference in January 2012.

Six other Latin American nations already recognize same-sex civil unions: Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and certain states in Mexico (in certain states).