FLORIDA: Major Cities File Joint Amicus Brief In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

The cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Miami Beach today jointly filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs suing for same-sex marriage in a Tallahassee federal court. Also joining the brief are the popular LGBT tourism town of Wilton Manors, the tiny Miami-Dade County town of Biscayne Park, and the government of Broward County (home to Fort Lauderdale, which approved a resolution in support of same-sex marriage in June, but which is not party to the brief). Notably absent from the brief are the city of Miami and all major cities north of Orlando, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those city governments remain in support of Florida's ban.

Afternoon View - Gaysha Sushi

Directly across from Wilton Manors' all-gay strip mall and next door to the popular bear bar is Gaysha Sushi, whose menu includes the Wilton Rainbow Roll.

FLORIDA: World AIDS Museum Dedicated In Wilton Manors, Magic Johnson Attends

The dedication for the World AIDS Museum took place in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Wilton Manors yesterday. Father Tony Adams took the above photo and he sends us this email:

I just went to the dedication of the fledgling World AIDS Museum in Wilton Manors. Magic Johnson was the special guest. He donated a jersey. He said that today is the 22nd anniversary of his coming out as HIV+. Steve Stagon, the founder, said that the museum will increase awareness and decrease the stigma of HIV/AIDS. A board member who came out as gay to his parents and got tested for HIV said that Magic Johnson inspired him to do it. He also made the point that the 9/11 museum honors the 3000 who died because of the attack, and the Holocaust museum honors the 6 million who died because of the Holocaust, but there have been 26 million deaths worldwide because of HIV/AIDS. There is much justification for this museum. This museum will have an education center to provide treatment and prevention information.

You can donate to support the museum here.

Press Release Of The Day

From the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau:

It’s not the size of the city that matters, with Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Wilton Manors beating worldwide competition to be named “Gayborhood of the Year” in the 2013 ManAboutWorld Editors’ Choice Awards. At the same time, the destination was recently cited to be the city with the highest concentration of same-sex couple households by the U.S. Census, edging out traditional frontrunner San Francisco and recent newcomer Seattle.  In the beating heart of Greater Fort Lauderdale, the vibrant community of Wilton Manors, known as “Island City” due to the winding waterways that flow through the city, was praised by ManAboutWorld as a “triumph over assimilation.” Wilton Manors continues to evolve and features the largest Pride Center and a soon to open World Aids Museum and Educational Center, the only museum dedicated to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"Triumph over assimilation." That's an...interesting way to put it. The press release goes to list a couple of dozen gay bars and restaurants in Wilton Manors.

For Grindr Emergencies

At a Wilton Manors gay club last night I noticed this machine, which for $2 will charge your cell phone a whopping "25% faster than a wall charger."  I'm betting we'll start seeing these in airports and train stations right away. Unless they're already out there and I just haven't seen one.

FLORIDA: World AIDS Museum Proposed For Tourism Mecca Wilton Manors

Wilton Manors, Florida is arguably the hottest gay vacation spot in the nation and it may one day be home to the World AIDS Museum & Education Center. The proposed museum is the brainchild of local long-term HIV survivor Steve Stagnon, who unveiled the plans at a ceremony this week.

Tony Adams reports at South Florida Gay News:

Having managed the complex challenges of 501c3 incorporation, and having enlisted the support, partnership and funding of community leaders, Stagon led an enthusiastic crowd through a sampling of proposed displays, and through an outline of the structure and purpose of the museum. In his speech, he noted that Fort Lauderdale has eleven museums, but Wilton Manors has none. He made a convincing argument for finding a Wilton Manors location for the project—ideally on Wilton Drive within the cluster of gay shops, bars and restaurants—citing demographics and tourism numbers (a million annual gay tourists spending $1.2 billion).  Although it might be difficult to find anyone in south Florida whose life has not been touched by the disease and who might need convincing (Broward County has the highest new infection rate in the country,) Stagon offered statistics that support the need for an AIDS Museum. “Since 1980, 60 million people have contracted HIV and 25 million people have died of AIDS worldwide,” he said. “Since 1980, more than 600,000 Americans have died from AIDS complications making it a worse killer than World Wars I and II and Vietnam combined. AIDS is still a crisis. People become complacent about it but every year 17,000 people die of AIDS.”

Hit the link for a description of the museum's five proposed galleries.

Seen In Wilton Manors

Make your organist jokes now.

Afternoon View - Santorum Sign Hack

Submitted from Fort Lauderdale by Father Tony.

Afternoon View - The Island City

Although it's a couple of miles inland, gay gay gay Wilton Manors calls itself "The Island City," because its boundaries are defined by canals.

Wilton Manors is known as a gay village, although its population is extremely diverse. Wilton Manors ranks 2nd in the U.S. for its percentage of gay residents as a proportion of total population, with 140 gay residents per 1,000 residents. The Fort Lauderdale area ranks 4th in metro areas (per capita). Neighboring Oakland Park is ranked sixth on the list. Wilton Manors has approximately 1270% more gay men per capita than the national average.

CENSUS: America's Ten Gayest Cities

That is, gayest in terms of the percentage of self-identified same-sex couple households. I'm surprised that Wilton Manors is behind Provincetown, but that's probably due to migration to the recently popular-with-the-gays Oakland Park, which is next door and comes in at #10.

Homocons Back NOM On Allen West

The quislings at Gay Patriot are backing NOM's contention that "homofascists" forced a Florida business group to rescind its speaking invitation to noted homophobe Rep. Allen West.

Bowing “to pressure from gay activists who threatened a business boycott“, a gay South Florida business association has cancelled a meeting with U.S. Rep. Allen West. Seems that that Republican’s views on gay issues don’t perfectly align with those of gay activists. Or maybe it’s that (R) after his name which designates him (to some gay lefties) as a horrible, no good, very bad person. With the Wilton Manors Business Association succumbing to the threat of a boycott, gay entrepreneurs won’t have the chance to meet West, a champion of deregulatory/small government policies which help small businesses, including gay enterprises.

Gay Patriot blogger B. Daniel Blatt, pictured and quoted above, goes on to describe West as a "pretty tolerant" person. Let's go to the record, shall we?

-"When I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool."
-"The U.S. military is not there as a social experiment and for those who will sit up there and say, Congressman, you should understand because you’re black. Unless I’m Michael Jackson, I can’t change my color. But people can change behavior."
-"The term ‘gay marriage’ is an oxymoron. Because marriage is a union and a bond between a man and a woman to do one thing: the furtherance of society by procreation, through creating new life. "

More Ridiculous Lying Lies From The Lie-Tastic Liars At Lying NOM

Local activists in gay-gay-gay Wilton Manors, Florida threatened to stage a boycott after a local business group invited virulently anti-gay Rep. Allen West to speak at one of their meetings. Under pressure, the business group rescinded their invitation to West. Story over? Nope. The unrepentant and inventive liars at NOM are trying to escalate this little low-level bit of local theater into some kind of rallying cry about HOMOFASCISTS shutting down debate. In fact, a casual glance at NOM's blog headlines and tweets on this story give the impression that West has suffered personal, physical intimidation and/or threats.

As usual, when boycotts work AGAINST the Christianists, they are "intimidation" and "homofascism" and "harassment." When THEY boycott, that is GOD'S PLAN, people.

RELATED: NOM has a public relations firm on call to field media inquiries about this "outrageous attack on Rep. West."

FLORIDA: Cops Capture Suspect In Murders Of Wilton Manors Gay Couple

Florida police have captured a man driving the stolen vehicle of the Wilton Manors gay couple they suspect he murdered on Christmas weekend.

Peter Serge Avsenew, 26, was captured near Dundee, Fl., miles away from where police said he murdered Kevin Mark Powell and Stephen Adams on Sunday. The couple was found dead in their home by police. Avsenew, who is from Hollywood, was spotted by cops in Powell's black 2003 Saturn Vue.

Police have not yet revealed how the victims died and have not speculated publicly on what relationship the suspect may have had with them. The victims had been together for 29 years.

UPDATE: Avsenew has an extensive criminal history. At the time of his capture, he was already wanted on a probation violation in the Keys.

Across the state, Avsenew has been taken into custody more than a dozen times since 2003, state records show. He has been convicted of vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft and engaging in fraud through bounced checks. He also has pleaded no contest to marijuana possession, loitering, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence. Avsenew also relies on about eight different aliases, including the name Peter Avsenen, according to the state Department of Corrections.

According to Avsenew's Facebook page, he has a newborn son. Below a recent posting of the boy's photo, a woman with the same last name (probably the suspect's mother) warns: "Peter, Look at these pictures does this baby deserve anything but the best? then think before you do anything stupid."

(Tipped by JMG reader Greg)

FLORIDA: Gay Couple Found Murdered In Their Wilton Manors Home

South Florida Gay News reports that a gay couple was found murdered in their Wilton Manors home this weekend.

The two men whose bodies were found inside their rented home at 2513 NE 8th Avenue in Wilton Manors were domestic partners Kevin Mark Powell, 47, and Steve Adams, 52, former residents of Hollywood, Florida. Their bodies were discovered by the sister of one of the victims, who had called police when her brother had not arrived to her home for the holidays. Kevin Powell had been very ill with Diabetes and she was doing a wellness check. Powell, whose hobby was arts and crafts, had once been featured on the Home and Garden channel after creating a home for his dogs within his home, including pet sized lighting and furniture.

Wilton Manors police are seeking the couple's missing car. JMG readers who may have information about the couple should call detectives at 954-390-2150.

FORT LAUDERDALE: JMG Reader Meet-Up At Georgie's Alibi, Tomorrow At 9PM

Just a reminder that we'll be having our Fort Lauderdale JMG reader meet-up at Georgie's Alibi in Wilton Manors tomorrow night at 9PM. My apologies that this one is on a weeknight, but anything else doesn't work with Xmas falling over the weekend. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of you tomorrow!

FORT LAUDERDALE: JMG Reader Meet-Up At Georgie's Alibi On Dec. 21st At 9PM

We'll be having our Fort Lauderdale JMG reader meet-up at Georgie's Alibi in Wilton Manors on Tuesday, December 21st at 9PM. Apologies that this one isn't on a weekend night, but that doesn't work out during Xmas week. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of you there!

WILTON MANORS: Massive Gay Resort Announced For Fort Lauderdale Area

Wilton Manors, the very gay small town just north of Fort Lauderdale, is slated to get a massive new resort.

New York-based G Worldwide plans to break ground on a 700,000 square-foot resort at an estimated cost of $80 million in Wilton Manors. The luxury resort, scheduled for completion in 2011, will bring over 500 new jobs to the area and is the first in a series of projects for the company catering to the LGBT community. David Holzapfel, COO of G Worldwide, is enthusiastic about the project. “The reason we chose Wilton Manors for our first project is because we felt that South Florida is a wonderful location.” Holzapfel likes the community of Wilton Manors, stating that the company has already garnered a great deal of support for the project. The resort will feature numerous lavish amenities. “We will have a fitness center, spa, nightclub, and a variety of dining options, all on property,” Holzapfel says. In addition, the resort also plans to offer a rooftop lounge and garden, as well as an art gallery and banquet center. The property, located at 1224 NE 24th Street, will only be a short walk from the Wilton Drive entertainment district, offering visitors an array of shopping and nightlife options. G Resort Wilton Manors also plans on attracting 25 major events to the resort, including conferences that will ultimately generate revenue for local businesses.

The resort will feature 172 all-suite rooms, including a number of 3000 square-foot penthouse triplex suites. It'll be interesting to see if Wilton Manors' bustling gay business environment can support such a behemoth, particularly in this economy. (I seem to recall a similar gay condo project, Wilton Station, having problems selling their units several years ago.) And some are concerned that such a big resort will crush some of local gay guesthouses. But who knows, every time I go back it seems like there are a dozen new gay businesses on Wilton Drive.

Afternoon View - Target Marketing

South Beach: Hate Crimes Soar, Gays Flee

The spiraling down of the formerly fast glittering gay life in South Beach has been discussed on this blog many times over the years. This week the Miami News Times published a lengthy feature on the issue, citing not only the greatly diminished gay nightlife there, but a parallel and frightening spike in the number of violent hate crimes.

In the span of two months — inside a small South Beach radius — at least three violent attacks against gay men have taken place. One victim was a European tourist who walked away with bruises. Another was a popular club owner's boyfriend, who was told, "Get out of here, fag" before an attack. The violence is a symbol of what the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) circle has felt for years: South Beach isn't the free-spirited haven of gayness it once was. According to state records, 75 percent of countywide gay hate crime in the past year occurred in Miami Beach, a place the rest of the world sees as a big, happy gay rainbow. In a five-year span, the State Attorney's Office reported 26 incidents, half of which were in Miami Beach. Victims include a lounge singer who was stripped naked and hogtied and a magazine publisher who was viciously beaten.

Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors is where many have fled.

As Fort Lauderdale moved away from its raucous spring break image, city officials took note of the new demographic. Gays and lesbians — most of whom are childless — had extra money to spend. So the town began to court gay club owners with this offer: Set up shop where parking is easier, leases are cheaper, and tourists are everywhere. By 2006, Fort Lauderdale ranked number six nationally for gay travelers, according to the city's tourism board, surpassing Miami. The following year, gay vacationers accounted for about $800 million in tourist dollars — 11 percent of the city's annual tourism-based income. Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors now claim 150 gay-owned shops and establishments. The area also hosts the largest PrideFest in the state, with more than 40,000 attendees and 250 vendors, many of them corporations.

Other than the alarming hate crimes issue, none of this is breaking news to regular JMG readers, but the article is worth the read at least for its history of SoBe nightlife. One quibble, the Warsaw Ballroom didn't open in 1992, that was 1989, when I was going there three nights a week.

Shoppes Of Wilton Manors

Ernie over at Little.Yellow.Different recently visited Fort Lauderdale, where he took this picture of the marquee of the Shoppes Of Wilton Manors, which I believe is the only all-gay strip mall in the world. (Aside from the SSA office, of course.) Poverello is a thrift shop that benefits HIV/AIDS charities and the rest are self-explanatory. I can recommend Georgie's Alibi as a great place to start your night in Wilton Manors. Their iced teas are killer. The downside is that the massive parking lot is usually completely full.