Gay Rodeo 2007

This past weekend once again the annual Gay Rodeo came to Fort Lauderdale and all the clubs were hopping with hot cowboys and cowgirls. Here are some pics of the opening party at Steel, the rodeo itself and the closing party at Scandals.

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Emerging Cinemas present Air Guitar Nation from April 27 - 29, at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE 6 Street). The feature rock-doc is about the year that air guitar swept America from New York to Los Angeles and then all the way to northern Finland. Air Guitar Nation chronicles the birth of the US Air Guitar Championships and the personal journeys of those talented contestants who vied to become the first World Air Guitar Champion from the United States. To kick-off the film, FLIFF is holding an Air Guitar contest prior to the 8:00pm show on April 27.  Grand Prize is a $100 Gift Certificate from Guitar Center.  Entrants can register in advance by calling 954-525-3456 ext 101 or register at Cinema Paradiso beginning at 7:45pm on April 27. Any one who enters the Air Guitar Nation will be able to see the film for free. Tickets: General Admission $8.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00

When Saving Marriage makes its Florida premiere at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on Saturday, April 28, you can expect a preview of what is headed for the Sunshine State this election season. The documentary film follows the gay marriage debate in Massachusetts that pitted family members against each other, strained life-long friendships and created tensions in communities throughout the state.  The debate reached its pinnacle in 2004 when a state constitutional amendment was introduced to outlaw same sex marriage. “You can expect to see a similar amendment on the Florida ballot in 2008,” says Stratton Pollitzer, Deputy Director of Equality Florida. “We’re sitting on the eve of a hugely visible campaign in Florida,” says Pollitzer.  “It’s going to be high profile and it’s going to be ugly.” The film Saving Marriage begins with a court decision in Massachusetts that legalizes gay marriage.  Almost immediately, conservatives move to amend the state constitution and thus override the court’s decision.  The film follows dramatic events over the next two years, as passionate activists -- seasoned and rookie alike -- work feverishly to change minds across the state before the amendment goes up for a cliffhanger vote. Florida and Massachusetts amendment processes differ in that the latter requires votes in the legislature before a proposed amendment can go to the people.  In Florida, an amendment goes directly to the ballot, and must pass with a sixty percent majority. However, those differences don’t change the formula needed to defeat a 2008 amendment in Florida, says Mike Roth, the co-director of Saving Marriage. “The key to success is real people – gay and straight – telling their personal stories,” says Roth.  “While making this film in Massachusetts, we watched thousands of gay people and their allies engage their communities and foster the understanding of how important it is to be able to get legally married.  That’s why they won.  And in that respect, Massachusetts could be a model for Florida.” Pollitzer, who is already preparing for the amendment campaign in Florida, agrees. “In watching poll numbers across the country, wherever the conversation is the most intense, that’s where the numbers move in our direction,” he said. Roth continues that peoples’ passions will be ignited when they realize how much they gain by having the ability to get married. “Many people understand that a lot of legal rights come with marriage,” says the Los Angeles filmmaker.  “But Saving Marriage delves into the intangibles you get when society recognizes that your relationship is just as valid as everyone else’s. I don’t think gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts fully realized what they were being denied until they started to marry.”  Massachusetts is the only state that fully recognizes gay marriage.  However, like Florida, the New England state may also face an anti-gay marriage amendment in 2008. Saving Marriage will screen only once on Saturday, April 28 at 3:15 p.m. at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.  Tickets are available at http://www.mglff.com.  You can also visit the film’s official website at http://www.SavingMarriageTheMovie.com.

When Gay Day at Walt Disney World celebrates its 17th anniversary this year, Gay Day Family will ensure that alternative families have a place in the festivities. The new events, held June 1-3 in Orlando, will unite gay parents and their children with other families just like theirs. Event co-producers Alison Burgos, Amy Alonso and Yesi Leon, the team behind seven years of successful Girls in Wonderland parties during Gay Day at Disney, often had single moms ask if they had a day care option or if they could bring a child under the age of 18 to their events. Rather than just saying "no," they realized they needed to provide a different, more inclusive option – and Gay Day Family was born. "Disney is a place for kids and families," Leon says. "We didn't want gay families staying home, because they felt excluded. We're creating a weekend that feels safe and welcoming for everyone."  Whether your family includes toddlers or teens, the Gay Day Family weekend has fun-filled offerings guaranteed to bring smiles to their faces. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends are welcome too! The vacation package includes: accommodations at the Fairfield Inn at Marriott Village host hotel; roundtrip airport transfers; admission to the Magic Kingdom and roundtrip transportation from the hotel; admission to the Gay Day Family Luau (buffet style dinner, entertainment, non-alcoholic beverages); Shamu picnic at SeaWorld (picnic style buffet, non-alcoholic beverages), park entry and roundtrip transportation; a Gay Day Family T-shirt; complimentary breakfast each morning at the Fairfield Inn; and complimentary use of the Treasure Cove Kids Club on Friday and Saturday evenings for children 4-14. Additional child care services must be arranged independently. Information about local vendors providing in-room babysitting and detailed information on the entire weekend is available at www.gaydayfamily.com. 

The Unshakable belief that all of us are here for a purpose, are equal parts of the universe, and have to use our time here to fulfill destiny is the driving force behind the creation of John Patrick Kelly's artwork. His "surrealistic" oils and bronze sculptures combine fantasy, eroticism, humor, and a deep esoteric understanding of life into a visual potpourri that leaves a lasting impression on most viewers. Born in Denver, Patrick began painting in oils at the age of six and executed his first bronze sculpture at age fifteen, by then having become the youngest member of the Rocky Mountain Liturgical Arts Association. In 1989 he was invited by Italian artist, Marco Santoro, to collaborate in bronze in the form of a cathedral door in Viggiano, Italy. He has had shows in Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Santa Fe, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he has chosen to make his home. His work is in private collections around the world. The environment of the studio he lives and paints in is as bizarre as the mad, intuitive, and satirical fantasy pieces he creates. Surrounded by two dogs and his Roommate, books, tapes, CD’s, and lots of paint and canvases, Patrick creates sumptuous worlds, allowing the viewer a rare opportunity to participate in visions usually confined to an individual and private consciousness’. Patrick is awed by the individuality of people and uses that along with genuine respect and a lighter, more humorous element in the creation of his characters, showing an admirable ability to laugh and to dream. Art Expressions Gallery proudly invites you to join them on Saturday, May 12, to meet John Patrick Kelly as he presents his latest work. A wine and cheese reception will be held that evening…1212 NE 4^th Ave., Ft Lauderdale from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.  Admission is free. For more information call 954-527-7700. Gallery Hours: Mon. - Sat. 11:00 am - 7:00 pm. The exhibit runs from May 12th – May 31^st.