SAVE Blog on Mark's List
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Champion's of Equality |
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Save Dade presented the annual
Champion's of Equality Fundraiser and Awards
Ceremony. This year's recipients included,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Manny Diaz, Marc Sarnoff,
Bacardi USA. |
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Save Dade's Champions of Equality |
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Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian at Save's Fundraiser at the Clevelander
Miami Beach |
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Save Dade's Asylum |
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Save Dade's Asylum, a Halloween
ball, was a freak and hunk filled delight for
fans of the annual event. |
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Save Dade's Halloween Ball |
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Action Alert
Safeguarding
American
Values
for
Everyone
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Last
week SAVE Dade partnered with local allies to ensure two
police officers were taken off the streets pending the
investigation of alleged homophobic and illegal conduct by
the officers against a gay tourist. Several elected
officials and community leaders were instrumental in
ensuring this important step was taken to ensure the safety
of Miami Beach residents and tourists. Among these
were Mayor Bower, City Commissioners Exposito, Gongora,
Libbin, Tobin, Weithorn, and Wolfson, and Babak Movahedi,
Chair of the Miami Beach LGBT Business Enhancement
Committee.
SAVE Dade thanks each of these leaders as
well as the volunteers who contributed their time towards
this effort. But this is far from over.
TAKE ACTION!
We ask that you please do two things:
1 - Take the
time to thank the Miami Beach Mayor and Commissioners, and
city officials for their quick response and encourage them
to see this issue through to its resolution. Included in
this email is the contact information for the Miami Beach
Mayor, Commissioners, and other city officials who were
instrumental.
2 - Attend the meeting on Tuesday,
February 9, at Miami Beach City Hall, 4th Floor to learn
more and secure a firm commitment from police leadership to
ensure that this matter is addressed with all the seriousnes
it deserves.
Together we must continue to promote,
protect, and defend the rights of all
people
in Miami-Dade
Mayor Matti Bower
305-673-7035
Click here to email
Vice-Mayor Deede Weithorn
305-673-7105
Click here to email
Commissioner Jonah Wolfson
305-673-7102
Click here to email
Commissioner Jerry Libbin
305-673-7106
Click here to email
Commissioner Michael Gongora
305-673-7103
Click here to email
Commissioner Jorge Exposito
305-673-7104
Click here to email
Commissioner Ed Tobin
305-673-7107
Click here to email
City Manager Jorge Gonzalez
305-673-7000
Click here to email
Chief Carlos Noriega
305-673-7925
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Adoption Campaign Kick-off Party
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Photo by
Steven Sebring
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Only a few days remain, and space is limited for our
Adoption Campaign Kick-Off Party this Saturday, January
9 at the Shore Club in Miami Beach . Cynthia Nixon,
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL Senator Nan Rich, and
FL Rep. Mary Brandenburg will help us kick off our
three-year campaign to end the ban on adoptions by gays and
lesbians, and we hope that you will
join us at the Shore Club in Miami Beach for this
momentous event.
Florida 's Adoption Ban is the only law in the country that
categorically prohibits gays and lesbians from adopting.
This discriminatory law hurts thousands of children who are
languishing in Florida 's foster care system by denying them
a permanent home.
Please
join us on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at the Shore Club
in South Beach, for a cocktail party featuring Cynthia
Nixon, Sex and the City star and LGBT rights advocate. If
weather does not permit we will be warm and cozy inside the
hotel. Proceeds will support the ACLU's lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender rights work in Florida and across
the country.
Cocktail Party:
$25/person, 8:30-10:30 p.m.
Open Bar and hors d'ouevres
Guest DJ
VIP Reception:
$250/person, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Open Bar and hors d'oeuvres
Sponsorships available
Attire:
Miami Chic / Cocktail Party
Featured Guests:
Cynthia Nixon,
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,
Florida Senator Nan Rich,
Florida Representative Mary
Brandenburg,
Howard Simon , ACLU of Florida
Executive Director,
Robert
Rosenwald, ACLU of Florida LGBT Advocacy Project Director
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SAVE Dade
dares you to enter the Asylum
Asylum SAVE
Dade's largest and most spectacular Halloween event in its
history. |
| Posted
9/11/2009 at 5:00 PM |
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SAVE Dade's
most important fundraiser is re-imagined as Asylum for its
15th anniversary. "The concept was born out of the desire to
incorporate the scary and eerie aspects that have become
ubiquitous with Halloween, and the double meaning of the
word "asylum"as a place of sanctuary," explains CJ Ortuño,
SAVE Dade's executive director.
The high-octane event boasts a magnificent new location in
the heart of Miami's Design District at the 4141 Building.
With 12,000 square feet and two levels of industrial
designed space, 40-ft ceilings and glass elevator towers
that bolt towards large skylights creating a stark and
dramatic visual image, the 4141 Building promises to be the
premiere Halloween space for partygoers this year.
Part zombie infested insane asylum part dance club, Asylum
promises to be like no other Halloween event in Miami.
The party's guests will be treated to state of the art light
shows, macabre interactive performances, a costume contest,
and the latest electronic/dance music spun by world class
DJs Charlmix and Ivan D. VIP guests will experience premiere
treatment with access to an invitation only pre-event,
complimentary valet parking, a VIP exclusive 2nd story dance
floor, open bar, private "chill" lounge with catered gourmet
food and DJ Sayho spinning.
SAVE's annual Halloween fundraiser began as an intimate
house party in Belle Meade, in 1995. Since then, it's grown
year after year into an A-list event for South Florida's
LGBT community.
As SAVE Dade's largest fundraising event of the year, all
money raised at Asylum will fuel SAVE's efforts in fighting
for LGBT equality. Since 1993, SAVE has continued to protect
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals from
discrimination, and it has been thanks to the great
collaboration of members, volunteers, donors and sponsors at
such fundraising events like Asylum, that SAVE Dade's
momentum keeps going strong.
"We hope that Asylum will help us consolidate the reputation
and recognition that our annual Halloween fundraiser has
earned throughout these fifteen years as the best Halloween
party in South Florida. In the future, instead of saying
'I'm going to SAVE Dade's Halloween party', people will say
'I'm going to Asylum', concludes CJ Ortuño, "and everyone
will know what that means and want to be there."
Asylum is October 31st from 8 p.m. to 2am at 4141 NE 2nd
Ave, Miami, FL
Tickets are now on sale at $20 general admission and $75 VIP
through September 30th. From October 1st through the 30th,
prices will go up to $35 general admission and $90 VIP.
Prices at the door will be $45 for general and $100 VIP.
Free preferred valet parking for VIPs is only available if
VIP tickets are bought on or before October 30th and also
only available with a two ticket purchase. To purchase
tickets, visit 103109.com, savedade.org or
call (305)751-7283. For more information you can e-mail
questions to asylum@savedade.org.
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SAVE Joins with Other Local Groups Across Florida to Form
Organizations United Together, Inc.
(OUT),
a Statewide Federation of LGBT and Allied Organizations |
| Posted
1/6/2009 at 5:00 PM |
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New federation of local organizations aims to improve
communication and cooperation among existing local lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied organizations
across the state, and to assist community activists seeking
to form new local organizations where none presently exist.
January 6, 2009
Miami -Leaders
of several local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
allied organizations announced the creation of a statewide
federation of organizations: Organizations United Together,
Inc. ("OUT"). OUT Spokesperson Karen Doering explained
that, "OUT's mission is to connect and empower local
organizations to share resources, skills and
information, forging statewide strength in order to achieve
equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender Floridians." Several
local
organizations with successful track records have already
joined the new federation, including Sarasota Equality
Project, SAVE Dade and the Palm Beach County Human Rights
Council.The
leaders of Florida's local LGBT organizations will
be invited to attend OUT's next meeting in Orlando on
January 24, 2009.
"Local
organizations that join the federation will retain their own
autonomy and self-governance, and will have the opportunity
to cooperate on statewide projects which interest them,"
said C.J. Ortuno, Executive Director of SAVE Dade. "For
several years, local LGBT organizations have been working
together informally on common issues such as human rights
ordinances and domestic partner benefits. OUT will provide
a network to continue this work and to unite on important
statewide projects, such as passing a statewide
anti-discrimination law, repealing the ban on gay adoption,
and defeating the discriminatory charter amendment to be
considered by Gainesville's voters on March 24th."
"OUT will work
hand-in-hand with national and state organizations such as
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, HRC, Equality
Florida and others," said Michael Shelton, President of
Sarasota Equality Project.
Cathy James,
board member of Securing Our Children's Rights (SOCR), a
Tampa-based organization dedicated to repealing Florida's
ban on gay adoption, added, "There has never been a more
critical time for local groups to work together."
"As Tip O'Neil
used to say, 'All politics is local,'" said Rand Hoch,
President of Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. "After
the passage of Amendment 2, the leaders of several local
LGBT organizations around the state acknowledged the need
for better communication and cooperation. Fostering strong
local organizations will ultimately help us achieve success
on statewide issues." |
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| Miami Beach Domestic
Partner Policy Vote |
| Posted
12/11/2008 7:26 PM |
Yesterday
Miami Beach Commissioners along with community members
postponed the decision to take a vote on a resolution
sponsored by Commissioner Jerry Libbin to February. The vote
would have been a symbolic resolution to show the
commission's continued support of its already enacted
Domestic Partnership Policy from 1998, despite passage last
month of Amendment 2, the so-called Marriage Protection
Amendment. After deliberation from other commissioners and
the community, Commissioner Libbin, the sponsor of the
proposed resolution, decided to table the vote on the
resolution until February in order to come back with a
substantive measure that would strengthen the existing
ordinance. He will do this by asking the City of Miami Beach
Attorney, Jose Smith, and his team to compare Miami Beach's
Domestic Partnership legislation against nation-wide
Domestic Partnership Policies, and to analyze ways in which
Miami Beach's Domestic Partnership Policy can be further
strengthened.
Commissioner Victor Diaz vowed to assist the city attorney's
team through the February vote. SAVE will work with the
Commission as they continue to strengthen its domestic
partner policy.
Yours in service,
C.J. Ortuño
Executive Director
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| About SAVE |
SAVE was created in
1993 in order to defeat a proposed statute that would
have banned anti- discrimination ordinances throughout
the State of Florida. In 1998, SAVE successfully lobbied
for the Miami-Dade County Commission to pass an
ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual
orientation. The ordinance was challenged at the ballot
box in 2002. SAVE won the vote 53% to 47%. See our
Mission Accomplished for a list of additional successes.
Your
Local Voice for Equal Rights
SAVE Dade,
was created in 1993 to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender individuals from discrimination on the
basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
SAVE Dade and its education arm, SAVE Foundation, help
raise awareness about rights and protections for people
of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The
SAVE Dade Action PAC endorses local and state-wide
candidates seeking office who support our goals. Through
this process we educate candidates about the issues
affecting the LGBT community.
Your
Local Voice for Advocacy
Honored for
its human rights work by Amnesty International, SAVE
Dade is proud of its success in helping gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender South Floridians lead
productive lives free of discrimination in their homes
and workplaces. SAVE lobbies municipalities and county
government to pass legislation that improves the quality
of life for the LGBT community.
C.J. Ortuño
SAVE
Executive Director
cj@savedade.org
Telephone
305-751-SAVE (7283)
Facsimile
305-751-9649
U.S. Mail
12864 Biscayne Blvd S.338
North Miami , FL 33181
Physical
Street Address
6445 NE 7th Avenue
Miami , Florida
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Use this link to get information about
Hellrotika 2011
SAVE
Dade to honor
ACLU of Florida,
Greenberg Traurig LLP, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
as 2011 Champions of Equality.
SAVE Dade and SAVE Foundation announced
their 2011 Champions of Equality nominees to be honored May 20 at
their sixth annual awards event.
Established to honor people who have
significantly advanced the cause of equality for the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Miami-Dade County, the
event's honorees this year include the ACLU
of Florida, Greenberg Traurig LLP, and
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
For the past 33 years, the state of
Florida banned gays and
lesbians from adopting. In September of 2010, the ACLU of
Florida victoriously struck down this ban. The ACLU of Florida
has fought for the rights of children to have a "forever home," and
this victory continues to prove their commitment to the fight for
LGBT equality and rightfully earns them the 2011 Champions of
Equality Award., stated CJ Ortuno, Executive Director of SAVE Dade.
The ACLU of Florida’s victory, however,
was not its alone. Greenberg Traurig LLP, a for-profit
law firm, stepped up to defend , pro bono, the rights of the
two children who have now been legally adopted by Martin Gill.
Greenberg Traurig has publicly stated that
this case was the “most meaningful” for its team. Its willingness to
go above and beyond to protect the interests of these children
earns it the 2011 Champions of Equality Award.
The equality movement depends on the
support of our elected officials. South Florida Congresswoman
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, recently named head of the Democratic
National Committee has led the movement for equality on Capitol
Hill. Her actions include being a founding member and Vice-Chair of
the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, a co-sponsor in the effort
to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, a co-sponsor
of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, and a co-sponsor of the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Following last year's decision,
Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz stated, "As a mother of three
children, and as a founding Vice Chair of the GLBT Equality Caucus
in the United States Congress, I was overjoyed to learn that a Miami
appeals court has upheld the decision that struck down Florida's
painful and harmful anti-gay adoption ban as unconstitutional."
Congresswoman Wasserman-Shultz’s
unwavering support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
Americans provides needed leadership for her colleagues and advances
the dialogue on LGBT equality.
This year's event Champions of Equality
Awards will be held on May 20 at the Ice Palace, 1400 North Miami
Ave., Miami, FL, from 6 -9:30 pm. Tickets to the event, which will
include a cocktail reception and a silent auction, are $75 in
advance, $100 at the door, and can be purchased at
www.savedade.org.
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