Lady GaGa Makes a Score (Visit) in Miami

Enjoying a late night out on the town, Lady GaGa was spotted arriving at the gay nightclub Score in Miami on Saturday night (January 2).

Donning her eye-catching blonde wig, the “Poker Face” singer was fresh off of performing at the southern Florida hotspot’s James L Knight Center as part of her Monster Ball Tour.

More at: Celebrity-Gossip.net!

Gay Adoptive Dad in FL Gets Help to Receive Fed Subsidy

As a Miami appeals court ponders the fate of one gay adoptive father, federal child welfare regulators may step in on behalf of another.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administrators have written an e-mail backing the efforts of Wayne LaRue Smith, the first openly gay person in Florida to legally adopt in decades, who is seeking a federal subsidy given to Floridians who adopt a foster child.

In February, the Department of Children & Families said Smith was not entitled to financial assistance because his adopted son already was in his custody through a permanent guardianship.

The federal dollars, DCF said, only are available to children who are in foster care.

But in an e-mail to Smith’s lawyer, Alan Mishael of Miami, federal regulators called DCF’s position “inconsistent with federal law.”

Read more of this story by Carol Marbin Miller at the Miami Herald!

City of Miami Supports Ending D.A.D.T.

Miami City Commission votes 4-0 for Resolution in Favor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Miami – The City of Miami voted unanimously, 4-0, in favor of a resolution supporting passage of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and lift the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. military.

“Picture a person with the skills, expertise and bravery to protect an entire platoon of soldiers in the battlefield. The current rules prevent that would-be hero from sacrificing it all to protect our Democracy – simply because his or her sexual orientation,” Commissioner Joe Sanchez said. “We must change the rules, so all of our best and brightest can serve our military.”

Passed by Congress in 1993, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a law mandating the discharge of openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members. Under the law, at least one individual per day on average is fired because they are gay or lesbian. Almost 13,000 service members have been discharged since 1994.

Reintroduced in 2009 by Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA) which would repeal the ban, today has 164 cosponsors, with Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) as lead sponsor. In addition to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under Bill Clinton, John Shalikashvili, USA (Ret.), more than 100 retired admirals and generals support repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the national organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, approached SAVE Dade for assistance in their efforts to repeal the ban. SLDN is determined to show Congress and the President that the country is in favor of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. To this end, SAVE Dade urged the Miami Commission to take up the resolution, which passed without opposition. Earlier, on July 13th,SAVE Dade also successfully urged the Miami Beach City Commission to vote on a similar resolution, also resulting in a unanimous vote.

“We are proud of the City of Miami for taking a stand against discrimination. We can’t allow prejudice to weaken our national security by excluding from service patriotic Americans who are ready to risk their lives for their country,” declared CJ Ortuno, executive director of SAVE Dade.

About SAVE
Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) advocates for equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and educates the community about human rights with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. Established in 1993, SAVE accomplishes this mission through education initiatives, outreach, grassroots organizing, and advocacy. Starting with the landmark passage of Miami’s Human Rights Ordinance in 1998 to recent enactments of domestic partner benefit policies, SAVE continues to lead the fight for LGBT equality in Miami-Dade County.

Mailing Address | 4500 Biscayne Blvd. Ste. 340 | Miami, FL 33137

305-751-SAVE (7283) | 1.800.396.8709 f | www.savedade.org | savedade@savedade.org

Miami Passes Domestic Partnership Ordinance

Courtesy of SaveDade.org:

MIAMI, FL – Thursday, June 11, 2009 – The City of Miami Commission voted unanimously, 5 – 0, to adopt a Domestic Partnership Ordinance this morning, becoming the third municipality in Miami-Dade County to do so. Commissioners Sanchez, Sarnoff, Regalado, Gonzalez, and Spence-Jones voted in favor of the Ordinance.

The new Ordinance will allow the City of Miami to offer health benefits to the declared domestic partners and their children of city employees in the same manner as the city offers such benefits to spouses of married heterosexual employees. The Ordinance was similarly adopted by the City of Miami Beach and the City of North Miami. Miami-Dade County also offers similar benefits to county employees as the result of work done by SAVE Dade and its partners for an ordinance passed in May of last year.

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff said, “Providing employment benefits, including healthcare, to the domestic partners of our City of Miami employees is a common sense idea that has been far too long in coming. This is nothing more than treating people equally. I am proud to say our City is doing the right thing.”

Asked about the ordinance, Chairman Commissioner Joe Sanchez replied, “This allows us to recruit and retain the best and brightest workers for the City of Miami by offering benefits to domestic partners. This reaffirms our strong belief that all people are equal in Miami, the City of diversity.”

One such employee is Melissa Llera, a City of Miami Firefighter and SAVE Dade volunteer, who has been in a committed relationship with her partner Christie for over 12 years. They have a child together and now both her partner and child will be eligible for health coverage as a result of this Ordinance.

“We thank the Miami’s city commission’s leadership in recognizing that the families of all city employees deserve fair and equitable treatment,” said SAVE Dade’s Executive Director, C.J. Ortuno.

It was the combined efforts of Executive Director C.J. Ortuno, former Executive Director Heddy Pena, SAVE Dade’s Political Committee, and many volunteers that built the support needed for the Ordinance’s successful passage. SAVE Dade also received assistance in developing the language for the ordinance from the LGBT Advocacy Project of the ACLU of Florida, and received assistance in turning out supporters for the commission hearing from other organizations, including Equality Florida.

C.J. Ortuno worked closely with the Ordinance’s co-sponsors, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff and Mayor Manny Diaz, to ensure the Domestic Partnership Ordinance was properly vetted and complied with all legal requirements. After legal review by the city attorney, the Ordinance passed first reading on May 14, 2009 with a 4-0 vote.

About SAVE

Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) advocates for equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and educates the community about human rights with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. Established in 1993, SAVE accomplishes this mission through education initiatives, outreach, grassroots organizing, and advocacy. Starting with the landmark passage of Miami’s Human Rights Ordinance in 1998 to recent enactments of domestic partner benefit policies, SAVE continues to lead the fight for LGBT equality in Miami-Dade County.

Mailing Address | 12864 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 338 | North Miami, FL 33181

305-751-SAVE (7283) | 305-751-9649 f | www.savedade.org | savedade@savedade.org

2008 Not-for-Profit Organization of the Year | Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

PRESS CONTACT:

CJ Ortuno

Executive Director

SAVE Dade

(o) 305-751-7283

cj@savedade.org

Cleveland in Running for 2014 Gay Games

As reported late last year on GA, the Cleveland Synergy Foundation held a press conference in Cleveland, Ohio after they decided to bid on hosting the Gay Games IX in 2014.

According to the official website:

Cleveland Synergy Foundation is a public benefit corporation that shall be organized and operated to measurably enhance the economy, image and quality of life in the greater Cleveland GLBT and Straight community by attracting and creating significant cultural, athletic and benevolent events and festivals.

Out of the 14 original cities that bid on hosting the games, Cleveland, along with Washington D.C. and Boston are the three finalist.

The next gay games will be held in Cologne, Germany in 2010.

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