RECAP: Key West Pride, Day One

Yesterday Father Tony and I arrived in the mid-afternoon and were whisked to our Cypress House accommodations with instructions to quickly prepare for the Key West Pride kickoff party at Island House. After a few hours of poolside menz and frozen drinkies, we were hustled off to dinner at The Flaming Buoy (heh) where the co-owner related how a recent positive mention from the New York Times nearly sank the joint with business it wasn't yet ready to handle. Fantastic char-grilled scallops, by the way. After dinner, the irrepressible Father Tony continued onward to some of the bars on Duval Street, but I was zonked on the bed by 10:30pm. I am the party animal.

DISCLOSURE: As I mentioned when I first posted about this trip, our entire Key West shebang is being funded by the Key West Business Guild - airfare, hotel, meals, nightclubbing, hookers...everything. (OK, maybe not hookers.) As always for these things, press junketeers are not "required" to review or even mention any of the places we visit. If we do, hey, that's nice of us. If we don't, oh well. I usually only mention the joints that I liked. Just so you know.

Afternoon View - MIA To EYW

Father Tony and I are about to board our little prop plane for the hop from Miami to Key West, where we'll be celebrating Gay Pride Week. Nonstop.

Winter Party 2011

Yesterday Father Tony and I were joined by my dear Orlando friend Thomas for the 16th annual Winter Party on South Beach. This (I think) was my 11th time attending and once again the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and their volunteer staff delivered a flawless event. Huge kudos to Task Force head Rea Carey, Winter Party event chair Chad Richter, and their army of smiley helpful volunteers. And we loved the trampoline stunt show.

I was especially pleased (of course) by the high turnout of bears this year and made it point to get some of their photos for those who complained yesterday about the smooth aesthetic of Saturday's pool party. Hit the slideshow at the bottom of this post for photos of many, many hotties of all ages, races, body types, and fur distributions. Full-screen versions here.

SLIDESHOW: Under One Sun

Yesterday Father Tony and I spent the afternoon at the Winter Party Festival's Under One Sun event at Miami Beach's Surfcomber Hotel. As you can see, it was quite the festive mob scene, so I spent much of the party comfortably removed in one of the poolside balcony cabanas. And I still got sunburned.
SLIDESHOW: Many hotties within. Full-screen images here.

Morning View - Fort Lauderdale Beach

I'll be in Fort Lauderdale for the next five days to hang with Father Tony and do some oceanside blogging from his high-rise balcony in between trips to South Beach for Winter Party events. Tough life.

Evening View - Lobster Attack

Father Tony and I stopped off on Islamorada on our way down to Key West. His ear lobe fell in the deep!

Afternoon View - Fort Lauderdale Beach

I'm in Florida for the next two weeks and tomorrow Father Tony and I will spin his tiny convertible down the Overseas Highway for a week of poolside blogging at Key West's fabulous Island House. There will be a JMG reader meet-up in Fort Lauderdale upon our return (details to follow) and then I'm off to spend Xmas in Orlando with the bio-fam. Postings will be relatively light tomorrow and may be heavily influenced by frozen cocktails thereafter.

SPECIAL TO JMG: Father Tony Interviews CT Lt. Governor Candidate Nancy Wyman

As the CFO of a state agency in Connecticut for many years, I attended monthly meetings of the State Bond Commission where I would present and explain projects needing funds to a panel including the Governor, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and Nancy Wyman, the State Comptroller, or her openly gay Deputy, Mark Ojakian. I developed a respect for these two dedicated public servants who delivered many years of efficient financial management and who made diversity and safety for LGBT people in the workplace look natural and easy.

Now, Nancy Wyman is in the final week of her campaign to become Connecticut’s Lieutenant Governor as the running mate of Dan Malloy, the Democratic candidate for Connecticut Governor. I was delighted that she agreed to answer a few questions for the readers of JoeMyGod.

Has same-sex marriage changed Connecticut?

Same sex marriage has been legal in Connecticut for two years with no bad effects. And, because it is legal in Connecticut we have enjoyed an influx of visitors from other states coming here for celebrations. This has had a significant and positive economic impact on Connecticut. Some people in other states that are still debating same-sex marriage fear its repercussions.

Any message for them?

I just have no idea what they are afraid of. It just makes sense to not stand in the way of letting people love and live as they prefer.

Have you always been supportive of the concept of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in general?

I’m proud to say that Dan Malloy and I were among the very earliest supporters of first civil unions and then same-sex marriage in Connecticut. Both of us didn’t need any convincing. We both testified in favor of civil unions and for same-sex marriage while many others hesitated. It’s how we believe things should be. I never dreamed I would officiate at a same-sex marriage but I have, and it’s wonderful.

As a straight married wife and mother, why were you always such a strong advocate for LGBT rights?

It might be due in part to the way I was brought up by my parents. Everyone was welcome in our home. I learned the importance of taking time to get to know people. Once you know somebody, you respect and value them. It might be due in part to the fact that my husband was passed over for promotions in a large Connecticut insurance company because he is Jewish. We had to fight for our rights just as you had to fight for your right to be out and comfortable as a state employee. I’ve been very happy to see the state government workplace improve over the years for LGBT employees. I’ve been lucky to have Mark Ojakian who was the highest ranking out state employee as my Deputy. I’m proud of Kevin Lembo who is also an out gay man and was in my agency and is now running for my previous position as State Comptroller.

We still need to do more outreach to young LGBT people who get bullied. We are just now realizing how extensive and serious a problem this is. It’s shocking and sad and we have much work to do to change this.

Any final message for the readers of JoeMyGod?

Yes. Please vote. No matter what state you live in.

Catholics For Equality Launches

A group of LGBT activists and allies have formed Catholics For Equality. From their about page:

Drawing on the rich tradition of Catholic social justice teachings, American Catholics are among the strongest supporters of equality for LGBT people of any religious group in the U.S. Yet the official voice of the hierarchy is increasingly one favoring discrimination and opposing just, humane, and reasonable efforts to secure legal equality for LGBT Americans. Far too often, that anti-equality voice is portrayed as representing the values of American Catholics. We believe this trend is a repudiation of Catholic teaching about the equal dignity of every person as well as the American and constitutional values of fairness and equality under the law. Catholics for Equality was founded in 2010 to support, educate, and mobilize equality-supporting Catholics to advance LGBT equality at federal, state, and local levels. We’re here to help pro-equality Catholics make a difference.

Catholics For Equality's board of directors includes our own Father Tony Adams and DC activist Phil Attey, who also serves as Executive Director. Yesterday the Catholic News Agency took note of the group in a fairly even-handed story. An excerpt:

Issues listed on the Catholics for Equality website include “marriage equality.” Claiming that same-sex “marriage” does not coerce any religious faith, it invokes the “separation of Church and State” and says “we affirm civil marriage for same-sex couples throughout the United States.” The group criticizes the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and advocates opening military service to open homosexuals. “Catholics in the United States live in this social context that allows the free exercise of conscience rather than enforced scriptural fundamentalism or bishops’ and pastors’ exhortations in making decisions regarding homosexuality and gay rights— as is often exercised in Protestant fundamentalist and evangelical denominations and now by increasingly doctrinaire Catholic bishops,” the website argues. It also claims that Catholic priests rarely mention homosexuality or homosexual issues in sermons “except when forced to by the bishops,” saying this coercion happened during the campaign to pass California’s Proposition 8 and Maine’s Proposition 1. Both successful ballot measures restored the definition of marriage to be a union of a man and a woman.

REMINDER: Vote For Father Tony!

GayTravel.com's contest to select their North American gay travel guru is in its last few days and our own Father Tony remains a strong contender to become a finalist. Hit the link (they make you register, ugh) and find "Tony Adams" under the "guru" button. Be sure to award him the full five points. Trust me, Father Tony's the man you want uncovering the hot, the not hot, and the seamy underbelly of gay travel destinations. (And he used to live in Montreal, so he knows Canadia too.)

Vote For Father Tony!

Now that he's a retired man of leisure, our beloved Father Tony has entered GayTravel.com's contest to become their Gay Travel Guru, a six-month gig which would take him all around North America to sample and review gay hotspots. The contest has now entered its second round and is open to voting from the public. Please click over and view Father Tony's sample videos and consider throwing him your support. (Make sure you rate him a "5.") And here's his direct plea for support from JMG readers, shot from his oceanside balcony in Fort Lauderdale. Tough life, I know.

Photo Of The Day - Mark Foley

The ostensible purpose of this post is to pimp my beloved Father Tony's South Florida Gay News profile of the good Mark Foley, who is a Fort Lauderdale park ranger and environmentalist and should not be confused with disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley, who also lives in South Florida. But to be truthful, I just wanted to post this photo of my favorite bartender at the Ramrod, where Mark moonlights on weekends.

NYC Gay Bloggers At Pride 2010

Oh what a difference Section Two makes, as yesterday we crossed the finish line at 2:30pm, four hours earlier than last year. At times we moved so quickly it felt like a Pride run, so kudos to the volunteers and organizers at Heritage of Pride. As is our tradition, near the end of the route we posed for the above shot in front of the historic Stonewall. Visit Queer New York Bloggers for the names and blog URLs of some of this year's participants. Thanks to everybody for your cheers and waves, we felt the love. And feel free to embed any photos in the comments of this post.

[Photo credit - Baad Lamb]

Joan Rivers On Dying

"I’ll tell you how I want to go. On stage in the middle of a set. I just want to fall off the stool in the middle of a one-hour routine. I have written instructions that I am not to be resuscitated unless I am capable of doing 60 minutes of stand up. Oh wait. I should fall off the stool after 31 minutes because they don’t pay you unless you do at least 30 minutes." - Joan Rivers, in a great interview with our own Father Tony for South Florida Gay News. The documentary Joan Rivers - A Piece Of Work is in theaters now.

SLIDESHOW: New York City Scissor Sisters Listening Party At Rockbar

Last night's listening party for the upcoming third album by Scissor Sisters, Night Work, was a blast. In the house: Jake Shears, uberblogger Andy Towle, promoter Joe Fiore, and our own Father Tony. Plus lots of familiar faces and DJs from Manhattan nightlife. Big thanks to Fly-Life's Martha and Carmen Cacciatore for putting it all together. As always, the slideshow below is by JMG staff photographer and bon vivant Dr. Jeff.

HomoQuotable - Larry Kramer

"People think I’m the one who demanded that gay men stop fucking altogether, but you have to realize that in 1981 or 82, one had to be something of an alarmist. People would say you’re going to scare us to death and I’d say that’s what I want. Somewhere in your unconscious brain the specter of AIDS lurks, no matter how stoned you are and even with a condom. When ACT UP was in its ending years, I remember one of its most important members, Jim Eigo, saying to me that we haven’t finished our work until we bring sex back again." - Larry Kramer, in a fascinating South Florida Gay News interview with our own Father Tony. Kramer tells Father Tony that he is astonished to find himself horny again at the age of 75.

Read the complete article.

JMG: The Father Tony Interview

This weekend I was in Fort Lauderdale where I spoke on a panel at the Gay & Lesbian Literary Arts Festival at the wonderful Stonewall Library & Archives. I'll post a slideshow about the event later today. My beloved Father Tony was a fabulous host and even submitted to my unreasonable demand that we tour pretty much every gay bar in Wilton Manors. (And there are maaaany.) Today he repays me for that "disco death march" with an interview in South Florida Gay News in which he recounts our meeting five years ago and tells a few stories on me. I usually say "I hope I don't took like too much of a tool" when I link to interviews with me, but for this one, that ship has sailed.

Afternoon View - North Over Birch Park

Afternoon View - Intracoastal Marina

Father Tony tells me that the yacht with the dark hull is owned by Richard Branson.

Morning View - Fort Lauderdale Beach