Florida's First Gay Adoption

Earlier this month I posted about the Circuit Court judge in Florida who had struck down the state's ban on gay adoption in order to allow a foster parent in Key West to adopt the son he had been raising. Here's more from the Miami Herald on Wayne Larue Smith and partner Daniel Skahen and their 12-year-old son:

"The two men have fostered more than 30 children since DCF accepted their application nine years ago, from a 2-day-old newborn to a 17-year-old. Still, there was something missing. The little boy who had come to their home in 2001 wanted a real father, Smith said. Not a foster dad. Not a permanent guardian -- a legal nicety that occurred in 2004 granting Smith the ability to make decisions on the boy's behalf. At the doctor's office, at the grocery store, at an airline ticket counter, the boy seemed to visibly deflate every time a stranger asked Smith, 'Is that your son?' Smith said. Smith and Skahen were, in most respects, model foster parents, records showed. 'The applicant is seen as nurturing, stable and devoted,' a social worker's home study concluded. 'As an individual, he is considered to hold high moral character and is known to be gentle and patient.' The 12-year-old boy's teacher testified the couple were among the most involved and nurturing parents in her class. 'I must confess,' she told a judge, 'the first year I had him, knowing he was of gay parents, I looked for things, and I found nothing.'"

Also, check out the video here...

A gay father finds victory in his family [miami herald]

Previously
Judge Rules Florida Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional [tr]

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Judge Rules Florida Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional

A Florida Circuit Court judge has ruled Florida's gay adoption ban unconstitutional. The ban has been in place for 31 years:

"At the heart of the Monroe case is a 13-year-old boy with learning disabilities and special needs who has lived in his Key West foster father's two-story home since the Department of Children & Families placed him there in 2001. The boy is identified as John Doe. The father, 52, is not identified. Audlin appointed the foster father as guardian for the boy in 2006. At a recent hearing, the boy testified he wanted the man to be his 'forever father' -- like all the other kids had -- 'because I love him,' the order says. A home study by a social worker 'highly' recommended the guardian and his partner be allowed to adopt the boy, saying the two men provided a 'loving and nurturing home,' provided 'fair and consistent' discipline and are financially secure, the order says. Miami attorney Alan Mishael, who represents John Doe's guardian, declined to discuss the ruling, since Audlin has not yet published it formally. He said the ruling is less about public policy than the welfare of a former foster child who wants a father of his own."

According to the Miami Herald, Judge David J. Audlin Jr. wrote: "Contrary to every child welfare principle, the gay adoption ban operates as a conclusive or irrebuttable presumption that ...it is never in the best interest of any adoptee to be adopted by a homosexual."

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School of Stingrays

Here's the coolest photo I've seen all day.

Shot in Key West, apparently.

These are likely cow-nose rays, which often swim in large groups close to the surface.

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Sun Halo Captured in Key West

Folks in Key West were treated to a rare atmospheric phenomenon yesterday afternoon when a strong halo appeared to encircle the sun. It was caught on camera by Timothy Cox at the Naval Air Station there. The effect is caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere.

Similar events involving light pillars can happen at sunrise or sunset.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #192: Halloween Edition

UFOs: From last night's debate. Dennis Kucinich says he's seen a UFO, and more people in America have seen a UFO than approve of Bush.

THE WIDE STANCE EXPRESS: Key West recently had its Fantasy Fest. One of the entries in its parade was this tribute to Senator Larry Craig.

CAR TROUBLE: A creepy Halloween entry from the gay horror flick Hellbent.
(source: tottyland)

THE WITCH MIX: A treat from Eartha Kitt.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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News: Bingham Cup, Ricky Martin, Stonewall, Gay Penguins

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refuses to take a stand on same-sex marriage: "Some observers think his actions are aimed at safeguarding his conservative base. But the governor's confidants say the stance isn't calculated to duck political shrapnel. In fact, even the governor's close gay advisers disagree on the marriage debate. His allies believe his stance makes perfect sense for a man who cares more for the tangible -- say, allowing domestic partners to file joint state tax returns -- than the symbolic, even if it makes history."

Ricky Martin offers a brief description of his assets.

Ann Coulter drops the "F" bomb a second time at church, to gasps from the congregation. She also "understands" how doctors who provide abortions get shot.

Historic Stonewall Bar reopening...

Fired apprentice Derek Arteta says Trump not homophobic: "He didn't know about me until we went to dinner at Spago and he asked about my wife or girlfriend, and I told him, 'I used to have a boyfriend.' It kind of threw him for a loop and I said, 'I'm gay, Mr. Trump.' And he said, 'Oh, so Ivanka does nothing for you?' I said, 'No, not really.' I was about to say, 'No, but Don Junior does,' but I decided that wouldn't be appropriate."

Irish thighs are smiling: 2008 gay rugby Bingham Cup to be held in Dublin, Ireland.

Justin Timberlake's mission to save Britney's career.

Anti-gay Baptist minister Lonnie Latham, whom I reported on early last year, has been acquitted of propositioning an undercover male police officer: "A judge found Lonnie Latham not guilty of the misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness. If convicted, he would have faced up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Latham, 61, was arrested Jan. 3, 2006, outside a hotel in Oklahoma City. Police had accused Latham of asking the undercover officer for oral sex, which Latham denied."

Key West quest: become gay spring break capital.

Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's wonderful gay-themed children's book And Tango Makes Three tops American Library Association's 2006 list of most challenged books: "The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received a total of 546 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."

Calvin Klein to release "technosexual" fragrance CK in2u.

You couldn't swing a Radar magazine at the Beatrice Inn last night without hitting a gay man.

More than 30 Vermont towns have passed resolutions to impeach President Bush.

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News: Key West, Brazil, Beckham Scientology, Wax Cowell

Michael J. Fox will attend George W. Bush's upcoming "State of the Union" address at the invitation of Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin, who has been confined to a wheelchair for most of his adult life.

Meet Mr. Brazil 2007.

Heidi Cullen, the Weather Channel's foremost climatologist, says AMS should not approve meteorologists who disagree with scientific theories on global warming: "Meteorologists are among the few people trained in the sciences who are permitted regular access to our living rooms. And in that sense, they owe it to their audience to distinguish between solid, peer-reviewed science and junk political controversy. If a meteorologist can't speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn't give them a Seal of Approval. Clearly, the AMS doesn't agree that global warming can be blamed on cyclical weather patterns. It's like allowing a meteorologist to go on-air and say that hurricanes rotate clockwise and tsunamis are caused by the weather. It's not a political statement...it's just an incorrect statement."

While David Beckham bides his time in Spain taking phone calls from Tom Cruise, Victoria Beckham says she wants nothing to with Scientology. "Tom spoke to David for hours about Scientology. He feels it could help to lift him out of the blues over his football career. But Victoria is having none of it. She can’t see the point of joining something like that where you have to donate money."

Diana Ross to be American Idol mentor this season.

Idol frightfest: wax likenesses of Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell make their debut.

While some threats to high school gay-straight alliance groups have been quashed in Virginia, they are struggling in gay-friendlier Toronto area.

Focus on the Family has its sights set on Key West Gay Spring Break. (via fundie watch)

Scientists reveal how 1918 flu epidemic killed over 50 million: "Essentially, people are drowned by themselves."

Still on tap for Apple? Widescreen video iPod and tablet Mac.

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Lewis Payton Gifts Us with Todd Sanfield

Just in time for gift-giving, Lewis Payton shakes us out of our holiday stupor with a preview of his most recent spread for DNA magazine. It features one of his latest finds, Todd Sanfield.

Lewis chatted with me a bit about this latest shoot: "DNA shoots are normally pretty intense, two day affairs, but this time, I decided to take a somewhat more relaxed approach. We shot on location in Miami and Key West over five days. I know very few people have any sympathy for my job, but it really can be a huge amount of pressure to shoot up to 20 pages of editorial and a cover on the usual schedule of two days. It was so great to actually have the time to enjoy the location and the people on the shoot. Key West has got the best of the tropics and a distinct southern charm and architecture.

This was my third visit to Island House - it's becoming somewhat of a second home for me here in the U.S.! In a funny twist, a lot of guests didn't know what we were doing there and a rumor spread around the resort that I must be either a)incredibly well endowed or b) a sexual dynamo, or both, to have landed such a hot guy! It pained me to shoot that one down...well, the fact that it was a work only relationship, not a) or b)!

I have absolutely no doubt that Todd Sanfield is going to be huge. He has an intense work ethic and drive and a really amiable and generous disposition. Oh yeah, and there's the body chiseled from stone and the smoldering good looks...and did I mention he's smart? Todd was pre-med before deciding to give modeling a run for a couple of years. He got snapped up by IMG about an hour after sending them some digital photos from his home state of Michigan."

Click to enlarge. More shots after the jump.

No reprints without permission. Lewis wants to thank: Jon Allen at Island House and Stephen Smith at Key West Gay Travel. We'd like to thank Lewis and DNA for the exclusive preview.

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News: Gay Spring Break, Morrissey, Peru, Princess Diana

American Family Association unleashes attack dogs on Sears for running pro-gay ad on LOGO.

Guys Gone Wild: Gay Spring Break to get official welcome in Key West. Photo from Nathaniel Welch's Spring Broke available in our gift store...

USA was bugging Diana's phone on the night of her death, according to a report by former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Stevens: "In a move that raises fresh questions over transatlantic agreements on intelligence-sharing, the surveillance arm of the US has admitted listening to her conversations as she stayed at the Ritz hotel, but failed to notify MI6. Stevens is understood to have been assured that the 39 classified documents detailing Diana's final conversations did not reveal anything sinister or contain material that might help explain her death."

University of Vermont suspends fraternity for anti-gay hazing: "Phi Gamma Delta is accused of serving drinks to underage students and making prospective members wear cowboy outfits while they were taunted with homophobic language during a party that had a theme based on the gay-themed movie 'Brokeback Mountain'."

Morrissey can still pack em in at Wembley.

Peru sees first same-sex union under auspices of British embassy: "Although the legal union between two adults of the same sex is not permitted in Peru, the couple was able to legally validate their partnership under British law. Peter Goad, a British citizen, and Marco Bretoneche, his Peruvian partner, both 42 years old, were wed last Thursday according to Mhol. 'Let this marriage serve as a precedent to Peru and let our union be recognized under the eyes of Peruvian law. We have the right to happiness, respect, and legal equality,' stated Bretoneche in a statement released by Mhol."

Lake Tahoe wants to see gays on the slopes, money in the bank.

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Hanns Ebensten, Traveler and Activist, Has Died

Hanns Ebensten forged a path for the gay rights movement that didn't consist of protests or parades in the street, but rather raised the visibility of gay men around the world through travel.

David Alport of Upright and Stowed describes Ebensten's as "fearless in his willingness to go where no group of gay people had gone before, and to do it standing proud and (very) tall."

This shot comes from Alport's trip up the Peruvian Amazon with Ebensten in 1996, but his travels with gay men began long before that: "In 1972, Hanns led his first group of gay men on an organized river rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. Hanns was a true revolutionary … and he was also a scholar, penning eight books on his adventures."

After traveling for years in the closet with his late partner Brian Kenney (the pair were together for 41 years), Ebensen made reality out of a wish he related in a keynote address to the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association World Conference in 2004: "We thought, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful to do this with a group of congenial men, who instead of getting dressed up in cowboy hats and jeans and boots to go to the bars, would wear that right here in the real Wild West?'"

Hanns Ebensten lived in Key West, where he owned a travel company, Hanns Ebensten Travel. Said colleague Phil Sheldon: "Hanns was the first to say that gay men want to travel together and do so joyfully." Ebensten died after a bout of pneumonia. He was 82.

Hanns Ebensten: Gay Travel Pioneer [upright and stowed]
Gay Travel Pioneer Hanns Ebensten Dies [planet out via yahoo]

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NYT: The New or Not So New Wave of Gay Destinations

The New York Times today covers the lesser-known gay destinations: Douglas and Saugatuck, Michigan; Ogunquit, Maine; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Guerneville, California; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Asbury Park, New Jersey; Pahoa, Hawaii; Asheville, North Carolina; and Sullivan County in upstate New York, noting that the internet has caused these pockets of gay culture to become more well-known.

The Times makes sure to note, of course, that despite the far-flung aspect of some of these destinations, there's still the requisite go-go boy, which is either sad, hot, or hysterical depending on your perspective.

So, if you're not up for the well-trod destinations of Provincetown, Key West, Fire Island, or Laguna Beach, and you're looking to be around gay people you may have more choices than you think. It's great to see these smaller destinations covered. I grew up in Chicago and visited Saugatuck a handful of times when I was a child, but I've always wanted to revisit.

Anybody know of other small gay destinations around the country that aren't covered in the article? If so, or if you'd like to voice your opinion about some of the places covered in the article, please do so...

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Fire Scorches Fully Occupied Gay Key West Guesthouse

An early morning fire on Monday at the Oasis Guesthouse destroyed a third floor balcony and widow's walk at the 20-room resort which was fully occupied at the time the blaze broke out. The Key West Fire Department said that the entire building would have been "fully engulfed" in a matter of minutes had the fire not been caught in time.

The Keys News reports that sleeping guests were evacuated and back at the pool Monday afternoon. Oasis manager Gerry Tinlin said "There is water damage, but nothing significant." The damage in the photo above looks pretty significant to me. Glad everyone got out safely.

The Key West Fire Department is working to determine the cause of the blaze.

Fire Chars Old Town Guesthouse on Monday [keys news]

Related
The Southern Sun: A Key West Trip [tr]

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