Random Musings

This week Carlos and I attended the celebration of Mexican Independence — it’s September 15th, y’all, not Cinco de Mayo … that’s a whole other celebration — at CAM, the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. The event was sponsored by the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh — Carlos has worked with them here in South Carolina so that’s how we came to be invited — and was hosted by the Consul General of Mexico in Raleigh, North Carolina, Javier Diaz de Leon, whom we both met.

It was a fun night … great mariachi music and great dancers, along with some fabulous food and killer margaritas … I do love me a good tequila drink, you know. But this is more a Carlos story so let’s go with that …

We’d never been to Raleigh, so I Google Mapped it, with directions to our hotel. As we entered downtown Raleigh, Carlos began reading the directions to the hotel and he said, Continue straight and turn left on West Ln.

I continued on, and on, and on, and right on out of the downtown area and never saw West Lane so we turned back and headed downtown again. I said to Carlos, Now, I’ll turn right on West Lane, right?

He agreed. We stopped at a traffic light and Carlos said, This is it!

I pushed him out of the car. We were looking for W. Lane Street, not West Lane. Oy. We really are Lucy and Ricky only this time he was Lucy!

Ken Ham, the head of the new Creation Museum, will lead a conference for a group that advocates for a new Christian America to be carved out of the southern states.

Yes, he wants the southern states to secede from the United States and form their own Christian nation where only Christians can become citizens.

I guess he forgot what happened the last time the South decided to pull away.

Asshat.

Comedian and actress and gay icon and all-around fabulousness that is Lily Tomlin will be one of 5 recipients of this year's Kennedy Center Honors, making her the very first out lesbian to receive the award.

 Lily, and fellow openly gay comedian Ellen DeGeneres, have both received another Kennedy Center award, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, but this is a first for the Kennedy Center Honors.

Way to go Lily. And well deserved.

Speaking of fabulously gay and well-deserved, Neil Patrick Harris and his longtime partner David Burtka were married earlier this month in Italy.

NPH Tweeted:

“Guess what? @DavidBurtka and I got married over the weekend. In Italy. Yup, we put the ‘n’ and ‘d’ in ‘husband’.

They have been together for over ten years and have two children together, making for a very happy family wedding.

Eighty Utah state legislators have filed an amicus brief in which they warn the Supreme Court that upholding the Tenth Circuit's ruling on same-sex marriage will lead to the legalization of polygamous and incestuous marriages. 

Siddown. That’s an argument no one truly believes any more.

Thomas Guerra, a 29-year-old man who is accused of knowingly exposing an ex-boyfriend and potentially dozens of other men to HIV has been ordered by a judge to no longer use Internet dating sites.

Um, like that’ll stop him.

A criminal complaint against Guerra lists one alleged victim, and city attorney's say the investigation is continuing and more victims may be added. Guerra has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. However, his alleged victim is hopeful that additional text message records could prompt prosecutors to upgrade the case to a felony, punishable with up to eight years in prison.

I think that’s best.

Down there in Mississippi, Starkville mayor Parker Wiseman has announced that his city will begin offering domestic partner benefits for its LGBT city employees—a first for the state.

In Mississippi, y’all.

The measure was unanimously approved by the Starkville Board of Aldermen. Back in January, Starkville became the first city in Mississippi to officially recognize the dignity of its LGBT citizens.

The march goes on, in even the smallest of towns …

So, last year, a woman accused Cee Lo Green of drugging her with ecstasy and then raping her while she was barely conscious or completely unconscious; she remembers having a drink with him and then waking up naked in his bed.

First thing: ick.

But the DA did not believe there was enough evidence to bring sexual assault or rape charges against Green so those charges never happened. But last week Cee Lo pled “no contest” to the drug charge and agreed to perform 360 hours of community service and attend 52 AA meetings with a private therapist. He’s also on probation for three years.

And since he thinks he got off he decided to take to Twitter to talk about rape … uh huh … you know this won’t go well.  The tweets included these musings:

“Women who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!”

“If someone is passed out they’re not even WITH you consciously! so WITH implies consent.”

“When someone brakes on a home there is broken glass"

"Where is your plausible proof anyone was raped?”

The shiz hit the fan and splattered all over Cee Lo’s fat, drugging women’s face and he deleted all the Tweets, though not before several news outlets screen-grabbed them for posterity. And then he issued this response:

 “I sincerely apologize for my comments being taken so far out of context. I only intended on a healthy exchange to help heal those who love me from the pain I had already caused from this. Please forgive me as it was your support that got me thru this to begin with. I’d never condone the harm of any women. Thank you.”

Sit down, Cee Lo. You’re a rapist who got off on a technicality, that’s who you are, and instead of trying to help those “who love you” to heal, why not try helping the woman you forced your fat ass on to heal.

Then, go away, for good.

The Family Foundation, an anti-gay Christian group, has begun a planned 40-day ‘fast’ to oppose same-sex marriage in order to influence the US Supreme Court into rejecting same-sex marriage when it hears the first of a series of appeals cases in October.

However, they later quietly clarified that members don’t actually have to give up any food at all to take part in the ‘fast’ saying:

“We are asking the entire Body of Christ to join us for this feast – giving up physical food isn’t necessary – but feeding on the spiritual food provided is vital.”

So, the group that is opposed to what they call redefining marriage has decided to redefine what it means to fast?

Siddown. With Cee Lo.

Carlos and I started watching Outlander on Starz last weekend. I thought it was some kind of sci-fi time traveling thing, but it turned out to be some kind of love story time traveling thing.

But it’s beautiful to watch, and reminds me a great deal of something you’d see on Masterpiece Theater, or the BBC, but with nekkid people … though not the Cloud kinda nekkid.

And two men who’ve appeared shirtless, and pants-less even, are Tobias Menzies and Sam Heughan. With accents, too, and y’all know how much I loves me a man with an accent!

Why all the fuss over people reclining their seats on airlines? Three times in the last two weeks airlines have been diverted and forced to land because some got their knees knocked.

Seriously? I have a plan to stop this foolishness: charge those unruly dumbasses for the fees and fuel it costs to reroute an airplane to a different airport, and then allow every single other passenger on the plane to file a lawsuit to have their flight paid for by the asshats who don’t like to be crowded.

Maybe then this nonsense will stop.

The Little Town That Could, And Then Did

Collegedale.

It sounds like a town in a comic book, you know, but it’s a real pace in Tennessee, and starting today it has become the first city in Tennessee to offer benefits to same-sex spouses of its government employees.

A wee town; in Tennessee.

Of course, as happens, it didn’t come about without some joyful and noise and some disheartened weeping, after the meeting at Collegedale City Hall last Monday night, but the fact remains that this town is talking a stand toward equality.

Resident Dolly Fillman worries that the new policy is “condoning same-sex marriage,” when it’s really condoning equality.

See, for Collegedale Detective Kat Cooper, the new policy means her wife can finally have insurance coverage: “It is such a huge weight off our shoulders. We don’t have to constantly worry about health expenses or sudden emergencies. It’s hard to explain how much this means to us.”

It means equality.

Kat Cooper started this fight to change the policy after she was denied family health coverage for her wife, Krista; the women were married in Maryland last spring.

And, even better than the fact that Collegedale has changed its policy is the news that, of the five-member commission, all but one voted for the change. The lone ‘No’ vote was Mayor John Turner, who said he voted for the 74 people who had reached out to him opposing the policy: “That’s what we’re supposed to do as elected officials, represent the people of our district.”

True dat, Mayor, but, um, aren’t you supposed to represent all of the people?

The idea that Collegedale was planning this vote brought all kinds of people from out of the woodwork, and even from out of town.  Signal Mountain mother Juliet Jackson made signs urging people to “speak up for traditional marriage” and said, “I feel like the conservative voice isn’t heard. We’re bombarded by the other side. A disagreement is not hatred. … I think we should be able to respect one another.”

Respect me when you work to deny me equality? Tell me how that actually works Juliet.

But, not all conservatives had a dim view of the fight for equality. Neil Lane, a Collegedale resident who calls himself a Christian, said he was ashamed that people would take a stand against “just plain fairness.”

“The pulpit should be saved for the church,” he said.

Kat & Krista Cooper

Still, both sides were heard from during the debate that preceded the vote, but Kat Cooper stood up and talked about her struggle to have her marriage treated like other employees:

“It should be of no importance to my employer if my lifelong commitment is made to a man or a woman — both are equal. Small ripples can precipitate huge waves. In this case, a great opportunity lies in your hands.”

Another resident, Jeff Walton agreed with Cooper’s description, but admitted that “waves” would be detrimental, though he said, “Collegedale can look forward. Show them you are not a backwater little town.”

Well, you might be a backwater little town, but you’ve made a big splash, both in Tennessee, and around the country.

The march goes on ... from Collegedale.

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Post-Death To DOMA, A Michigan Judge Blocks A Ban On Domestic Partner Benefits

Oopsy. It looks like some Michigan lawmakers just got bitchslapped by a federal judge.

See, last Friday, U.S. District Judge David Lawson blocked Michigan's ban on domestic partner benefits for public school and local government employees because he believes that state lawmakers simply wanted to punish gays and lesbians.

Oh. But.He.Did.

Lawson said plaintiffs who have lost benefits or were forced to buy expensive private health insurance have made a "plausible claim" that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution:

"It is hard to argue with a straight face that the primary purpose — indeed, perhaps the sole purpose — of the statute is other than to deny health benefits to the same-sex partners of public employees. But that can never be a legitimate governmental purpose."

The ban on domestic partner benefits was passed in 2011 by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican-controlled governor’s off, AKA Rick Snyder, and effectively ended insurance coverage  for people whose domestic partners work for certain public employers.

Supporters of the law, i.e. homophobes and bigots, say it saves tax dollars and follows the spirit of Michigan’s 2004 constitutional amendment—approved, at the time, by 58% voters—that defines marriage only as a union between a man and a woman.

In his 51-page opinion, Lawson cited last week's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down the portion of DOMA that barred certain benefits to married same-sex couples.

Although the injunction doesn't end the case, Michigan ACLU legal director Michael Steinberg believes that the law is doomed, and adding that any public school district or local government can now choose to restore or create benefits for same-sex couples or unmarried heterosexual couples.

Governor Snyder's office said the governor will review the ruling and consult with the state attorney general "to determine any next steps," meaning he’ll stomp his feet and cry activist judges. And, the state itself could appeal; the attorney general's office, which defended the law in court, had no comment but Ari Adler, spokesman for House Speaker and Republican Jase Bolger said the law's supporters still stand behind it.

On a happy—can’t-wait-to-see-it-happen—sidenote, another judge is considering whether to strike down Michigan's nearly 9-year-old ban on same-sex marriage.

The march goes on.

UPDATE

That other Michigan judge--citing last week's SCOTUS ruling on DOMA--will allow a lesbian couple to sue the state for marriage rights:

"Plaintiffs’ equal protection claim has sufficient merit to proceed. The United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Windsor, No. 12-307 (U.S. Jun. 26, 2013), has provided the requisite precedential fodder for both parties to this litigation.

Plaintiffs are prepared to claim Windsor as their own. And why shouldn’t they? The Supreme Court has just invalidated a federal statute on equal protection grounds because it “place[d] same-sex couples in an unstable position of being in a second-tier marriage.”

Moreover, and of particular importance to this case, the justices expressed concern that the natural consequence of such discriminatory legislation would not only lead to the relegation of same-sex relationships to a form of second-tier status, but impair the rights of “tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples” as well. Id. This is exactly the type of harm plaintiffs seek to remedy in this case."

The trial date will be set later this month.

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An Early Christmas Gift: Wisconsin Court Upholds Domestic Partner Registry

So, up there in Wisconsin, LGBT rights advocates scored an early Christmas victory when an appeals court ruled that state’s domestic partnership registry was constitutional. But the bad news is that, as sometimes happens at Christmas, the gift might be returned.

Conservatives vow to take the case all the way the Wisconsin’s GOP-leaning Supreme Court because, they say, the domestic partner registry is a little too much like marriage, and that it violates a 2006 state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage or anything that even remotely resembles marriage equality.

And while the 4th District Court of Appeals disagreed with the right-wingnuts, and actually listed all the rights that opposite sex couples enjoy that same-sex couples don't, including joint property ownership, joint adoption and the ability to share health benefits even after a divorce, the GOP is still unhappy. And will likely stay unhappy until they make absolutely certain that gay and lesbian couples remain legally unequal. 

Members of the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action—isn’t it odd that every single anti-LGBT group feels the need to use the word family in its name?—filed a lawsuit in 2010 claiming the registry created a legal status a little too similar to marriage for same-sex couples and therefore violated the constitutional ban on gay marriage. And they did not like it. Gay folks marrying and being all equal and stuff? Well, I never…..

So, naturally, Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to defend the registry, declaring it was clearly unconstitutional, which forced former Governor Jim Doyle, a Democrat, to appoint private attorneys to defend it. But when GOP asshat, wingnut and Republican Scott Walker became governor in 2011, he instantly fired those attorneys.

But, last summer, Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser ruled that the registry was constitutional and not substantially similar to marriage.

Wisconsin Family Action members appealed, and when the 4th District tried to send the case directly to the state Supreme Court, that body—dominated by conservative justices—refused to hear the case and sent it back to the appellate level. And the appeals court issued a unanimous decision, saying voters believed the marriage equality ban amendment wouldn't block benefits for same-sex couples, in part because Republicans who sponsored the amendment said as much in news releases and newspaper stories.

In fact, one of those GOP led groups that, at first seemed to support the registry, is that same Wisconsin Family Action group, whose president, Julaine Appling, wrote in an article about the marriage equality ban that legislators could consider some "legal construct ... that would give select benefits to co-habiting adults." Only now she’s saying that the registry is too much like marriage and, therefore, must go.

Flippety-flop.

It's a bit like a tennis game,, following this story, but now that it seems headed back to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, maybe this time they'll rule, and maybe this time the domestic partner registry will stick. At least until marriage equality in passed in the Land Of Cheese.

And it will pass, my friends, one day it will pass.

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The Supremes Are Going Gay

Not those Supremes, silly, the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has returned from summer vacation--I hear they all went to Aruba and tossed those black robes on the sand and went skinny dipping--and they will begin considering a number of issues near and dear to the LGBT community, and it's allies', hearts. Some of these cases could have a major influence on the country and, well, it's about effing time, no?

The Court meets this week to decide which cases it will hear, and three big deal LGBT cases are on that agenda, with the first being the decision of the Ninth Circuit court of appeals to uphold Judge Vaughn Walker's 2010 ruling that struck down California's Prop H8, which banned marriage for same-sex couples.

The second is a decision from the U.S. District Court in New York striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA], which prohibits the federal government from recognizing the legal marriages of same-sex couples for any purpose. The Court will also review three other challenges to DOMA, and those cases will be on the Court's conference calendar in the coming weeks.

The third is another Ninth Circuit ruling, which said that an Arizona law that stripped domestic partner benefits from state employees is very likely unconstitutional, so Governor Jan Brewer cannot enforce the ban on benefits until the federal courts issue a final decision in the case.

What could happen is the big secret. The justices' conference on which cases they will hear is secret, and we never learn how the justices vote, unless one of them chooses to write a public dissent expressing disagreement with the Court's decision to turn down a case, so we won't know which cases they'll hear until their issue their verdict.

So, let’s say that, on October 1st, the Court denies review of the Prop 8 case, is it over, and can same-sex couples once again marry in California? Well, that would be a grand, big-time, flag-waving, parade-starting, boa-wearing, 'Yes'; with a caveat.

Even though the Court may deny a review of the Prop 8 case, it will go back to the court of appeals, and their original decision will not go into effect until it issues a "mandate," a document saying the case is finally over, which could happen within days of the SCOTUS decision.

So, it could happen this week--which would be grand and about damn time--or it could happen later in the year. But something is going to happen, and I'm leaning toward good news.

UPDATE:

The Supreme Court released its list today of cases they will take up this session and none of the DOMA cases nor the federal Prop 8 case is on the list. That doesn't mean they won't hear the cases, in fact, they could release their decisions on whether to hear the cases or not next week, or perhaps later in the term.

Fingers crossed. 

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Domestic Partnership Bill Moves Forward .... For Now

The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners of federal civilian employees, and is sponsored by senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins, was approved by the Senate's Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee last week.

 If it makes its way long way to the president and is signed, the legislation would provide the same benefits that married heterosexual spouses receive, such as participation in some retirement programs, life and health insurance benefits, and family and medical leave.

And is one more step on the path toward full marriage equality, federally, in the United States.

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said the government should follow most of corporate America, which already offers such benefits: "Equal workplace policies, like those DPBO would enact, will help attract and retain the best and brightest talent, which is exactly what our federal workforce needs. We call on the full Senate to pass DPBO."

Of course, the bill would have to work its way through the House, which is controlled by the Do-Nothing-GOP, and since they make no bones about being anti-gay, it may never come to fruition.

And when that happens, know who did it, remember their names, and vote them all out.

via The Advocate

It's Gettin' Gayer In Orlando

It's pretty common to find gay folks in Florida; it's a pretty gay place. And, by Florida, I mean, of course, South Florida, mainly Ft. Lauderdale, South Beach and Key West, a veritable trifecta of HomoDom. North Florida, though? Gay? Not so much.
Except now, maybe The Gay is gaining a foothold up north. The Orlando City Council voted unanimously to enact a domestic partnership registry. And while the measure stops just shy  of marriage it does grant gay couples some of the same rights as marriage. it's marriage-like, marriage-lite, everything but marriage, kinda.
Attorney Mary Meeks, who helped push for the registry, says, "This is an historic event for Orlando, and it is a monumentally important event for our community. It will be the first time in our lives that our families are recognized by our government. At least here in Orlando, our relationships are recognized as real, and they are valued and they are accepted."
Once the registry opens next month, unmarried couples--gay or straight--will be able to record their relationship in a government database for a $30 fee. Registered couples will then have some of the same rights that married people take for granted: the ability to visit one another in the hospital or jail, to make health care decisions for an incapacitated partner and to make funeral plans.
Like couples do for one another.
One snag, is the the would apply only to hospitals, funeral homes and other institutions within the Orlando city limits, although couples who live outside the city are free to sign it. And it seems that Orange County, where Orlando is located, is considering bringing similar legislation that would apply countywide.
Though the registry doesn't start for 30 days, gay activists have begun encouraging gay men and women who vacation in Orlando to stop at City Hall and sign the registry.
So, if you're headed for gay Florida, you can now add Orlando to the mix.
Disney World, South Beach, Wilton Manors, the Lighthouse Court in Key West. It's gettin' good, and gay, and good for gays, down there.

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I Love Lisa Turner

In El Paso the City Council decided to offer domestic partner benefits to gay and heterosexual unmarried couples. Lisa Turner went to a city council meeting to discuss the budget, but when people began to criticize to council over the domestic partnership decision, Lisa began saying something else entirely.

This is what Lisa Turner said:

I'm not going to sit here and be attacked. You've got all these preachers who came up here and talked. These are the people who are teaching hate (sound of laugh). In the house of God you're teaching hate. Their parishioners, these are the people who teach their kids, and teach ... (pauses) I'm sorry, I'm getting emotional.

These are the people in their church who say it's wrong and they teach this ... this is why an 11-year-old goes and hangs himself, because the children of these ministers and people who go to the church have berated this child, because he's perceived to be different, he's perceived to be gay, and there's so much pressure the child hangs himself. And he's 11-years old. 

You tell me where in your Bible that's OK. It's not. You speak about your Bible. Well, the Bible says if you work on the Sabbath, you're to be stoned in public. I don't see a public stoning place. We don't stone anybody in public. 

It says you're allowed to have slaves as long as they're not of our nation. We don't do that any more. We are a country where all men are created equal. Not according to somebody's Bible, somebody else's religious text. I don't care if it's the Torah, the Koran, the Bible; teachings from Buddha, Hindu, Native American, I don't care, we're all equal, we're to be treated the same and a lot of what you heard today, if you turn the clock back 40 years, it's what they were saying about people who were black. The same thing. 

Don't say no. I grew up in there. I heard it all. I lived in the south. I heard this stuff. This is a civil rights issue. I will not stand silent while people preach hate and I've had to suffer the violence of such hate. These are the very people who make me carry a weapon with me at all times. I have to protect myself from the violence that these people instigate. (laughter)

You think it's funny? (voice, "Yeah it is.") What do you think the family of Matthew Shepard thought when their son was assaulted, tortured and staked on a fence. Yeah, that's the Bible. Then we can go back to the inquisition and the burning of women in this country because they were witches. You know what? You all using the Bible for your justification has done more harm to mankind then it does to help. And when it comes to marriage it's not the gays and lesbians and transgendered people who are at fault for your failure to stay faithful to your partner. It's your fault. 

Go look in the mirror; over 50 percent of heterosexual marriages end in divorce. You have men running around impregnating teenage girls and they walk away from it. It's called responsibility. I believe that's somewhere in the Bible too. 

In the Bible, God is about love. It's not about hate. But this Satan patrol in here is preaching one thing and that's hate. They have to have somebody to look down on. And if they don't have somebody to look down on they feel inferior. They blame gays for the failure of their heterosexual marriage and it's not. It's their failure. It's the failure of the church to make sure that people who are getting married understand what they're getting into and are there for them when they're having problems and they're not and now we have to pick up the crumbs where they have failed, and it's not my responsibility to pay taxes for your rugrats who go to school who don't bother to study who don't work hard better themselves in school and learn what they're supposed to learn I shouldn't have to pay that bill that's your responsibility you brought them into this world you pay for it.

(City clerk: Ms. Turner, your time is up)

No Lisa, your time is far from over. The time is just beginning.

They Say It's The Same But It's Not The Same

In Wisconsin gay couples are now able to register as domestic partners.

I don't like this. Not one bit.

Oh sure, it sounds well and good on paper. The registry will afford same-sex couples some 40 legal protections previously extended only to married couples, but it falls short in making all couples equal.

And there's the rub. Not equal is not good. But not equal was enough to get the Wisconsin Family Action's granny pants in a bunch. They've filed suit, claiming the registry violates the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Okay, I'll say this once asshats, and i want you to remember it: A domestic registry is not marriage, so it doesn't violate anything. It.Isn't.Marriage.

Clear?

But still, it pisses me off. What's to stop people from denying the LGBT community in Wisconsin the full rights and benefits and privileges and equality of marriage one day if they have domestic partnership registries now? All they have to say is Look, we gave 'em a registry! We don't need to change that and make 'em all equal and stuff. We have marriage, they have a registry.

I don't want to register my partnership. I want to register my china pattern for my wedding. What they've offered in Wisconsin is the crumb off the rosette off the top of a wedding cake, and it isn't right, or fair, or equal.

See the difference?

Separate is not equal.

S'about Time Miami

Having lived in Miami for several years, and been witness to all it excesses and madness, where politics runs the gamut from being elected to being arrested then re-elected, strip clubs and gay bars, haute cuisine ti Cuban sandwiches, haute couture and dollar stores, Cuban festivals along Calle Ocho to decadent South Beach galas, I can safely say it is one of the gayest cities in America.

And yet it is only now coming out of the closet.

I mean, you don't get much gayer than South Beach, and yet Miami had it's first Pride Celebration last year. Palm Beach has been having PrideFests for years; Ft Lauderdale and Key West, too. But not in Miami. So I was pleasantly surprised that the City of Miami Commission voted unanimously to adopt a Domestic Partnership Ordinance; this makes it the third municipality in Miami-Dade County to do so.

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; a similar ordinance was adopted by the City of Miami Beach and the City of North Miami, and Miami-Dade County offers similar benefits to its employees.

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff: “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.”

Chairman Commissioner Joe Sanchez: “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.”

Congratulations, Miami, you're coming along. One day it'll be Anita, who?