It’s not the gay people or the straight people who stand out at the SAVE’s Champions of Equality awards gala. It’s the Republicans.
Only three Republicans are listed among the two dozen electeds on the honorary host committee 
for this May event, which recognizes community leaders for their efforts to make LGBT equality a reality. And that’s especially disappointing this year, when one of the honorees is Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, a transgender advocate who was born Amanda Lehtinen. That’s right, the son (former daughter) of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
The congresswoman, who has long represented the rainbow agenda, will be making a special presentation, according to the invitation — and you just know it’s going to be emotional. Take tissue.
You might think that IRL would be joined by her colleagues, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos “Crybaby” Curbelo, who has come out in favor of marriage equality, on such a momentous occasion. And even if they can’t show up because of a “conflict in the calendar,” at least just support her on paper. Ladra thought they did everything in lockstep anyway.
But noooooo. The only Republicans on the list with Ros-Lehtinen on this
special day are State Rep. Holly Raschien (R-Key Largo) and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Mr. Giveaway” Gimenez , who talked about switching to no party affiliation. But that’s it. The rest of the hosts are a bunch of Democrats, headlined by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shulz and punctuated by state reps, senators, mayors and city commissioners or town councilpersons, including the Hillary-hugging Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.
What a difference 20 years — and maybe SAVE — has made, huh? I remember a time when it was political suicide to go to these “homosexual-promoting” shindigs, let alone be on the host committee.
“Slowly but surely over the last five years, and more so over the last year or two, elected officials have wanted to represent their community at large, and not leave pieces out of it,” said SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima.
He credits the push on education, the increased exposure in mainstream media and pop culture and last, but not least, the national discourse on marriage equality. “It gave people the go ahead to be more accepting,” Lima said.
It’s all very kumbaya and, really, the Champions gala is one of the nicer events of the political party season. Clap, clap. Yawn.
Ladra has a better idea that might generate more interest and SAVE can use it as a fundraiser, too! Let’s do an “award” for someone who most deserves attention as a hating, homophobic hemorhoid home. We can call it the Haters of Equality award. After all, championing equality ought to be the norm.
And Ladra nominates State Rep. Frank Artiles for the first year, for being so backwards as to propose a law that makes it illegal for moms to take little boys into the bathroom with them at the mall. Or for women to use the men’s room at the nightclub because the line to the ladies’ room gos all the way outside.
Of course, it’s intended to target the transgender community for whatever hate-mongering reasons percolate inside those pecs Artiles probably loves to check out in the mirror.
Read related story: Human rights transgender debate becomes bathroom joke
Since we can have a few winners, or losers, each year, I think Anthony Verdugo and Jose Armesto — who fought the amendment that added gender identity and expression to the county’s human rights ordinance — ought to be noted for their homophobia the first inaugural year, also.
Wait, oh, I know why we can’t do it.
But when SAVE Dade can find a bevy of honorary electeds to serve as host for that kind of “awards” program, then you’ll know the LGBT community has finally arrived.
Rare Republicans on long host list for SAVE awards gala added by Ladra on
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