“Pride is love, pride is respect for yourself.” – Aretha Franklin, “A Deeper Love”   You don’t have to be Gay or Lesbian to have pride, but you probably won’t see straight pride parades anytime soon. “We haven’t seen a straight pride parade because the world is 90-something percent straight. They don’t have to have a pride, because that’s already the way it is,” said local musical talent Lucifers Axe when I spoke to him at this month’s Gay Guy Happy Hour (G2H2).   G2H2 is a monthly event that ‘provides [...]

I arrived at Sarasota’s City Hall on Monday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. to support the creation of a Domestic Partnership Registry for the city, but I decided to take a trip around the block before parking to see if red shirts (supporters of the registry) were gathering at any other access points. To my surprise, my instincts were right: A sea of red shirts were sitting at the tables outside one of the entrances — “my people” had arrived. My people aren’t gay or lesbian. They aren’t liberal or [...]

This week Step Out Sarasota‘s Vice-President Carroll Hunter asked me to join him on “The Black Almanac” on ABC-7 to discuss gay marriage with Dr. Ed James, the host of the show for over 40 years. Dr. James contacted Carroll because of his history with Florida Legal, Inc. (a fraternal organization of Gay & Lesbian Law Enforcement Professionals) and his trailblazing experience as an advocate and activist for the GLBTQ community. Recently, when the City of Venice unanimously voted to add non-discrimination clauses for LGBT people into their city charter, Carroll was there representing Step Out Sarasota and our community. [...]

  Screening at the 2012 Sarasota Film Festival, “The Perfect Wedding” offers a heartwarming glimpse into a behind-the-scenes budding gay romance that takes place at a traditional run to the altar. Following the tale of Paul (Erik Aragon), a recovering alcoholic who takes interest in Gavin (the pretend beau of his ex) during the planning of his sister’s wedding, this gentle drama satisfies by playing it safe, offering audiences a new spin on an old premise, mainly in regard to the respect it lends its gay characters.   Unlike many [...]