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MIAMI BEACH 25/7 WOWS NEW YORKERS AT NY PRIDE PARADE
by: The Treister Murry Agency, Miami Beach 25/7
MIAMI BEACH – The City of Miami Beach showcased its rainbow pride and support of the LGBT community as a sponsor of the recent New York Pride Parade & Festival held on June 27 in New York City. More than 1.5 million parade spectators from all walks of life were exposed to the "Miami Beach Proud 25/7" message, communicating that Miami Beach is so proud, LGBT visitors need an extra hour in the day to fully experience the diversity and accepting attitude of this world-class destination.
The parade commenced with a "step-off" at 39th Street and Fifth Ave and finished at 9th Street and Greenwich Street. Divas Miss Elaine Lancaster and Lauren Foster led the Miami Beach street team, waving from a vintage butter cup yellow Rolls Royce Corniche convertible. Also representing Miami Beach were Commissioners Jerry Libbin and Michael Gongora with street team dancers passing out fans to help cool off spectators in the summer heat as well as sunscreen sprays and temporary tattoos. New Yorkers could be seen from Harlem to Battery Park with the colorful "Miami Beach Proud 25/7" fans and cheering "Miami Beach" as the car and team rolled by.
"Miami Beach has long been a city of diversity and acceptance for the LGBT community," said City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez. "Beyond being an unparalleled vacation destination, Miami Beach is a city of pride and we look forward to continuing to welcome our LGBT visitors from the Northeast to our dynamic and diverse city."
Along with parade and festival participation, the City invited spectators and fans to share their favorite "Proud 25/7 moment" with a Facebook photo contest where the winner will receive a two-night stay and spa treatments from the Shore Club. To enter the photo contest, log onto www.miamibeach25-7.com, click on the Facebook link at the bottom of the page, and upload a photo to the Miami Beach 25/7 fan page. Another way to enter is by following the video instructions linked to the Neo Scan tag on the back of the "Proud 25/7" fans.
For the Proud 25/7 campaign, the City of Miami Beach again partnered with Cre8tiv Juice Group to develop branding strategy, and The Treister Murry Agency for public relations and social marketing. Both firms are based in Miami Beach.
For more information about the City of Miami Beach, to follow Miami Beach 25/7 on Twitter, or to fan 25/7 on Facebook, visit www.miamibeach25-7.com.
[7/26/10]
PRIDELINES HOSTS VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT
Pridelines Youth Services is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who want to make a difference in the lives of South Florida's LGBTQ youth. Anyone interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities with Pridelines is invited to an informal volunteer recruitment event on Saturday, July 31, from 11 a.m. to noon, in the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's LGBT Visitor Center, 1130 Washington Avenue, First Floor North, Miami Beach. > Full Story. [7/22/10]
SOUTH BEND, IND., CONSIDERS LGBT EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS
South Bend Common Councilmember Oliver Davis has co-sponsored a measue that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in Indiana's fourth largest city. > Full Story. [7/22/10]
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL SCREENING OPPORTUNITY
The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina is very excited to be participating in the inaugural Triangle Black Pride.
The Alliance will be providing free and confidential HIV/STD testing during the Triangle Black Pride Expo on Saturday July 31, 2010, 9:30am-1:30pm. Please come out, get tested, and join us in welcoming the first annual Triangle Black Pride.
Triangle Black Pride takes place July 29th - August 1st in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC. The host hotel and location of the Triangle Black Pride Expo is the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, 4500 Marriott Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27612 (Across from the Crabtree Valley Mall)
Discounted room rates are $99/night, with group code TSPTSPA. Book your room today via http://tinyurl.com/TBPMarriott or by calling toll free (with group code). All persons registed with this group code is automatically entered into a drawing for a 1 week resort stay in Central Florida. Additional raffle tickets may be purchased to increase your chances of winning.
> Full Story. [7/21/10]
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL SCREENING OPPORTUNITY
The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina is very excited to be participating in the inaugural Triangle Black Pride.
The Alliance will be providing free and confidential HIV/STD testing during the Triangle Black Pride Expo on Saturday July 31, 2010, 9:30am-1:30pm. Please come out, get tested, and join us in welcoming the first annual Triangle Black Pride.
Triangle Black Pride takes place July 29th - August 1st in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC. The host hotel and location of the Triangle Black Pride Expo is the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, 4500 Marriott Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27612 (Across from the Crabtree Valley Mall)
Discounted room rates are $99/night, with group code TSPTSPA. Book your room today via http://tinyurl.com/TBPMarriott or by calling toll free (with group code). All persons registed with this group code is automatically entered into a drawing for a 1 week resort stay in Central Florida. Additional raffle tickets may be purchased to increase your chances of winning.
> Full Story. [7/21/10]
ADVENTURE SKYDIVING TENNESSEE HOSTS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FUNDRAISER
A group of skydivers are raising money in support of the MS Society and MS research by organizing a group jump at Adventure Skydiving Tennessee (AST). On Sunday, July 25th, local and visiting skydivers will be gearing up and boarding airplanes to jump in support of the MS society. > Full Story. [7/19/10]
TRANSGENDER WOMAN WINS SUIT AGAINST GEORGIA LEGISLATURE
The Georgia General Assembly engaged in sex discrimination when it fired Vandy Beth Glenn after she announced she was transitioning from male to female, a federal judge has ruled. > Full Story. [7/8/10]
VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON PROHIBITS GLBT DISCRIMINATION
(Wellington, Florida) The Village of Wellington (pop. 55,584) has amended its Equal Employment Opportunity policy to prohibit discrimination based on both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression" in Village employment. The policy covers the Village's 258 employees. > Full Story. [6/30/10]
SECOND MAN ALLEGES ASSAULT BY MARINES ARRESTED FOR BEATING SAVANNAH MAN
The Savannah Chapter of Georgia's largest LGBT Group, Georgia Equality, has brought forward a second case that may implicate Keil Cronauer and Christopher Stanzel in a second attack on a gay man, this time in February of this year. While this assault may never be prosecuted due to the tentative nature of the identification, anonymous sources with the FBI and NCIS have indicated that the assault in February and the assault on Keiran Daly may not be the only ones. At least one other may have occurred. Unfortunately, the Chatham County police were reluctant to bring forward any charges on Cronauer or Stanzel, or to even open up an investigation into their alleged actions, this past February. > Full Story. [6/21/10]
SLDN ISSUES VIRGINIA ACTION ALERT HOLDING SEN. JIM WEBB ACCOUNTABLE FOR VOTE AGAINST REPEAL
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national, legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), issued a Virginia action alert today to members and supporters urging them to write letters to the editor and opinion pieces holding Sen. Jim Webb accountable for his Senate Armed Services Committee vote against repeal on May 27. An amendment to allow for the repeal of DADT was successfully attached in committee to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. The bill is expected to reach the Senate floor for a vote later this month or July.
"We hope that Virginians will not give Senator Jim Webb a pass on his vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee to keep 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' on the books," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "His vote was against equality, and fair-minded Virginians should take loud and strong exception. It is our hope that Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia will do the right thing when the defense bill is debated and voted on the Senate floor."
Earlier this month, SLDN issued a national action alert urging supporters of repeal to contact their senators ahead of a floor vote. To view the June 8 action alert visit: http://bit.ly/cNO5Tr
"We need repeal supporters to contact their senators and tell them to support repeal and follow the lead of Chairman Carl Levin who will be managing the defense bill on the floor, and will oppose any attempts to strike repeal or weaken the language," said Sarvis. "It is critical that we beat back any filibuster threat, defeat attempts to strike repeal, and defeat any crippling amendments. Senators need to hear from us now."
Full text of today's Virginia alert:
Friend,
In the recent Senate Armed Services Committee vote allowing for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) stood on the wrong side of history. Sen. Webb was the only Democrat on the Committee to vote against the path to repeal and in doing so threatened his legacy. Now, we must hold him accountable.
SLDN is working to drive letters and opinion pieces into the media, and working with our coalition partners and local groups to make sure Senator Webb knows his vote was on the wrong side of history.
As Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for SLDN, recently said: "We hope that Virginians will not give Senator Jim Webb a pass on his vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee to keep 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' on the books. His vote was against equality and fair-minded Virginians should take loud and strong exception. It is our hope that Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia will do the right thing when the defense bill is debated and voted on the Senate floor."
We need your help writing and placing letters to the editor in your local newspapers, calling Senator Webb to task for his vote against equality and demanding that he stand with us when the vote comes to the Senate floor.
Letters to the editor and opinion pieces can range in length and other requirements based on your local paper. Many letters are less than 150 words. Please focus on your personal experience and why repeal must pass the Senate.
Some key points:
--Please use a respectful tone
--Please name Senator Webb so that his office can track it
--Please add your personal story - including if you served - to your letter
--Please do NOT copy and paste the following points as form letters are never published:
• Repeal advocates have made significant progress this past year, especially over the past two weeks, but we could still lose the fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
• The first repeal vote on the floor of the Senate could come later this month or July.
• I urge Senator Webb to strongly support repeal and follow the lead of Senator Carl Levin on any attempts to strike repeal or weaken the language.
• Our gay and lesbian troops deserve their support.
• The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee both passed a historic roadmap to allowing open military service, but it doesn't end the discharges. We now look to the full Senate to pass DADT repeal by mid-summer and bring the defense bill to the President's desk by October 1.
• Repeal is moving forward with the support of the President and the Pentagon, including JCS Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
• The repeal provisions in the amendment allowed for Congress to act while respecting the ongoing work by the Pentagon on how to implement open service for lesbian and gay service members. Nothing would happen until the Pentagon Working Group completes its report and the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the President certifies repeal.
• Congress and the Pentagon need to stay on track to get repeal finalized, hopefully no later than first quarter 2011.
After your letter is published in your local paper, let us know about your success! Please send us an email at sldn@sldn.org with a copy of your letter.
Now is the time to put pressure on Senator Webb as we approach this momentous vote. Help us hold the Senator accountable for his vote in committee, and ensure that he will do the right thing on the Senate floor.
Thank you,
Elizabeth A. Shirey
Grassroots/Policy Advocate
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (www.sldn.org) is a national, non-profit legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." A journalists' guide is available here.
> Full Story. [6/17/10]
CLEAR CHANNEL REJECTS BILLBOARDS PROMOTING ST. PETE PRIDE
Clear Channel, which has advertised St. Pete Pride Street Festival on several of its billboards in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties the past few years, deemed two billboards as "inappropriate." > Full Story. [6/14/10]
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