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Flamingo Award Winners Announced

Florida’s LGBTQ Tourism Convention & the Florida OutCoast Convention have announced this year’s recipients of the Florida Flamingo Awards. This prestigious recognition honors tourism leaders, LGBTQ organizations & marketing experts who exemplify allyship & inclusion. These leaders have created welcoming spaces for LGBTQ travelers, making significant strides in fostering a more inclusive world in these challenging times. Awards are based on visible engagement with our LGBTQ community, inclusive marketing efforts, feedback from LGBTQ community members & partnership experiences through OutCoast. The winners are: Flamazing Trailblazer Award: Richard Gray, Visit Lauderdale, Flamazing Ally Award: Georgia Turner, Visit West Volusia, Flamazing Creator Award: FabStayz in Partnership with Visit Tampa Bay, Flamazing Destination Award: The City of St Petersburg, Flamazing Event of the Year: Girls in Wonderland (Pandora Events), Flamazing Hospitality Award: The Sawmill, Flamazing Face of Pride Award: FayWhat?!, Flamazing Partnership Award: The Joy Ride (Previously The Smart Ride), Flamazing LGBTQ+ Experience Award: RHouse Wynwood & Lifetime Achievement Award: Alan Beck, Fun Travel Guides. The Flamboyance Award Reception takes place Monday August 12th from 4:30P to 8P at the Loews Coral Gables to celebrate the winners. Flamboyance tickets are $199 & include food, bar, entertainment & networking. Dress Code is come as you are but bonus points for wearing flamingo pink. Last April I talked with Flamazing Event of the Year winner Alison Burgos about the 23rd anniversary of Girls In Wonderland in Orlando, Florida in this exclusive audio interview. Girls In Wonderland was founded in 2000 by the trio Amy Alonso, Yesenia Leon & Burgos the women behind Pandora Events. LISTEN  
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Kids Online Safety Act Is LGBTQ Unsafe

Despite widespread opposition from dozens of LGBTQ, civil liberties & human rights groups Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer intends to file cloture & move the dangerous & misguided Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to a floor vote in the Senate. Hundreds of parents of transgender youth have begged lawmakers to consider alternatives to KOSA. Fight for the Future Evan Greer stated, “This is not about protecting kids. This is about Senators getting to claim they’re protecting kids ahead of the election. It makes me sick to my stomach. Experts have repeatedly warned that KOSA would make kids less safe, rather than more safe. Lawmakers could have advanced strong privacy, antitrust & algorithmic justice legislation to actually address the harm of Big Tech & crack down on surveillance-driven business practices that harm young people & adults. Instead, they’re advancing what amounts to a blank check for censorship that can and will be used to suppress lifesaving online resources. LGBTQ youth have led the charge against KOSA & they’ve succeeded in forcing some important changes to text. But despite misleading claims from supporters, the changes to KOSA have not addressed the fatal flaws with the bill. Leader Schumer’s decision to put KOSA on the floor is deeply cynical. With vocal opposition from the chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, House leadership & even the youngest member of the House, Maxwell Frost, KOSA currently has no path to becoming law. The recent Supreme Court decision makes it clear even if it somehow did become law, it would be almost immediately overturned because it’s blatantly unconstitutional. So Big Tech will continue getting away with murder, because Senate leadership are choosing to score political points rather than advance thoughtful legislation. 
For shame.” 
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Harmful Bills Targeting LGBTQ Kids Pass

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has signed a series of discriminatory bills that directly target our LGBTQ youth especially transgender kids in the “Live Free or Die” state. These measures are not only a step backward but a blatant attack on the rights & dignity of young people creating division & perpetuating harm. Devon Chaffee, ACLU of New Hampshire Executive Director stated, “These unconstitutional bills - now signed into law - are cynical attacks on some of the most vulnerable youth in our state & will have devastating impacts on transgender & LGBTQ+ students who already face discrimination & isolation just for being their authentic selves. Our politicians are continuing to fail trans youth: these laws are not actually about fair sports, healthy classrooms or overall wellbeing, but rather imposing discriminatory views & pushing transgender people out of public life. We condemn Governor Sununu’s signing of these bills & stand with transgender & LGBTQ+ Granite Staters & their families - we cannot & will not allow politicians to strip away their rights.” Melanie Willingham-Jaggers GLSEN Executive Director concluded, "Governor Sununu’s decision to sign a series of bills that target LGBTQ+ youth is deeply misguided, especially on the eve of updated Title IX protections that specifically protect LGBTQ+ students from discriminatory school policies. The laws approved by Governor Sununu are designed to marginalize & stigmatize some of our most vulnerable children, denying them the basic right to a safe & supportive learning environment. This is a betrayal of New Hampshire's values of freedom & fairness. To our LGBTQ+ youth in New Hampshire: we see you, we stand with you & we will never stop fighting for your right to live authentically & without fear. These cruel policies will not go unchallenged." 
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LGBTQ Youth Inclusive Learning Update

GLSEN the fabulous org that creates safe & inclusive K-12 schools & learning environments for our LGBTQ youth has released its “Inclusive Learning Research Brief” providing crucial data on the importance of inclusive instruction, school books & school media centers as school resumes this fall. Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN Executive Director stated, "At GLSEN, we believe that every student deserves a learning environment where they feel seen, valued & respected. The findings in our new research brief highlight the undeniable positive impact of LGBTQ+ inclusive learning on LGBTQ+ youth. We call on educators, administrators & policymakers to act on these insights & commit to creating classrooms where all students can thrive." Chris Schmeckpeper-Kobzina, GLSEN Collier County Chapter Lead concluded, “In Florida, the surge in censorship, book bans & attacks on LGBTQ+ youth has created an increasingly hostile environment for our students. The need for inclusive resources has never been more urgent. When LGBTQ+ youth see themselves reflected in their curriculum & library books, it not only validates their identities but also fosters a sense of belonging & safety. This research brief underscores the critical need for educators & policymakers to champion inclusivity & ensure that all students have access to supportive & affirming resources in our schools.” For decades GLSEN has examined the relationship between being taught any positive representations of LGBTQ people, history & topics at school & LGBTQ youth wellbeing & educational success. The new “Inclusive Learning Research Brief” utilizes important data to evaluate the impacts of LGTBQ inclusive school libraries, textbooks & other instructional materials as well as school internet access. 
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Elon Musk Making America Unsafe Again

After pledging to donate $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee backing former president Trump's reelection campaign he also announced plans to move SpaceX & Twitter/X from California to Texas. Musk identified the SAFETY Act which bans schools from outing transgender & nonbinary students who opt to use their preferred pronouns in the classroom as his last straw with the state. Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN Executive Director stated, “Elon Musk’s recent efforts to spread misinformation about a California law designed to support transgender youth are deeply troubling. The SAFETY Act recognizes that families, not state officials, are best positioned to navigate the conversations about a child coming out & their gender identity. This law prevents school staff & politicians from intervening in these deeply personal discussions, ultimately protecting & strengthening the relationship between parents & their transgender children. We commend Governor Newsom & the California legislature for their leadership in advancing these essential legal protections. By spreading misinformation about this law, Musk perpetuates a harmful pattern of promoting transphobia & using his platform to attack the LGBTQ+ community. GLSEN left Twitter last year due to its increasing hostility towards LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly youth, under Musk’s leadership. His actions—both through policy changes that facilitate anti-LGBTQ+ attacks & through his own rhetoric—create a hostile environment. At GLSEN, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ youth & advocating for inclusive school environments where every child can thrive.” GLSEN is the leading education organization dedicated to creating safe & inclusive K-12 schools & learning environments for LGBTQ youth. 
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Mime Troupe Performs American Dreams

The San Francisco Mime Troupe kicked off their 65th Season with AMERICAN DREAMS - A New Musical now through September 8th. The American Dream used to mean a job, a house, a car, a spouse, 2.5 kids & a 4 dog but what does it mean now? For some it is a good tide raising all boats, for others it is a tsunami that destroys everything. For some it is unity, for others it is dissolution. A handshake or a gun. One citizen’s dream has become another’s nightmare & those who fan the flames of the differences will gladly profit while democracy burns. AMERICAN DREAMS - A New Musical features a four-person cast that includes veteran SF Mime Troupe collective members Andre Amarotico (Oliver, Harold), Michael Gene Sullivan (Gabriel Pearse, Chancellor Quisling) & features Lizzie Calogero (Meliae Higgins, Emma) & Mikki Johnson (Paine Pearse). The musical is about Gabriel Pearce a Black man tired of liberal failures on the day after the presidential election. Giving up on progressivism wasn’t easy but casting his vote for a Conservative who promises to be grateful could mean a dream come true. However, for his daughter Paine - a teacher at a university caught between protesting students & threats to funding it’s a nightmare or was the lost election just a dream or will A.I. catch fire like Paine’s boyfriend Oliver sees in his nightmares. Whether you’re asleep or Woke what some see as nightmares others see as… American Dreams. AMERICAN DREAMS – A New Musical was written by Michael Gene Sullivan, Music & Lyrics by Daniel Savio with Velina Brown director & Dred Scott musical director. 
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Boston Pride Drag Cruise Island Escape

We are entering very challenging times in America as reality & fantasy merge into the theatre of the absurd. How we move forward from here is completely up to our individual perceptions & common sense. Before the political events of the weekend I had fortunately signed up for the Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park Pride in the Park Community Cruise to Spectacle Island. The ferry departed promptly from Boston’s Long Wharf North at 4:30P at the Ferry Center building & Gate A2 adjacent to Christopher Columbus Park & the Long Wharf Marriott. The line to board extended the length of the wharf as friendly organizers checked in hundreds of passengers placing rainbow beaded bracelets on our wrists. Escaping from the summer heat & nonstop redundant news coverage of the weekend political events this cruise became the perfect diversion to regroup with the Boston LGBTQ community for a free 3-hour getaway. Once the ferry departed from the gate & the sea air washed over me, I knew I was at the right place at the right time surrounded by like minds & friends. As we approached Spectacle Island I felt my heart open & embraced an unforgettable evening filled with music, art activities & drag performances hosted by the iconic Mizery! We packed a picnic dinner but purchase food & snacks were available from Zaz. The event on Spectacle Island was non-alcoholic but there was a DIY mocktail bar & water was provided. Then we were entertained for hours by the fabulous Mizery & her team of drag queens lip synching & dancing to classic disco. As adventure came to an end we returned to Boston watching the sun set over the skyline & knew that after our 3-hour tour we were ready to take on tomorrow. Catch Mizery tonight at Club Cafe for Drag Bingo.
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Flamingo Award Winners Announced

Florida’s LGBTQ Tourism Convention & the Florida OutCoast Convention have announced this year’s recipients of the Florida Flamingo Award...

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