The Brickell Reporter 2

“ordering online has never been easier” www.mealeo.com Junio 1- 15 2012 P. 12 VOGUE EDITORS TAKE A STAND P. 9 SUMMER SKIN CARE TIPS The Brickell Reporter | Edition 12 www.BrickellReporter.com BY CRISTINA RESTREPO MUSEUM PARK CONTROVERSY The 30+ acres of prime real estate that is Bicentennial Park boasts 2,600 feet along the bay, which faces the Port of Miami, Watson Island and the Atlantic Ocean. Both museums joined forces to stay on with Bicentennial Park, raised funds with different Boards of Trustees, and received opposing reactions from the community. The Miami Science Museum was approved $165 million from the voters to support its design and construction. In March 2011, Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost donated $35 million to the museum, with the stipulation it would be named after them. Their donation, combined with the donations from other private supporters and taxpayers is building the: Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. They have raised $70 million of the $100 million needed to complete construction. Its breaking ground ceremony was covered It is now the home of Museum Park, a project that will bring The Miami Science Museum and The Miami Art Museum together under the mission to enhance art, culture and science with two state-of-the art centers featuring outdoor and indoor facilities. P. 13 CALENDAR Miami now has the opportunity to join the ranks of other major cities by boasting signature art and science centers.They will be world-class services to attract tourists and residents alike, and the power to become a Miami epicenter. A project that represents one more step towards strengthening the identity and building the foundation of a city that may be young, but has an irrefutable strong style. Continued on page 5 BY CJ ORTURO VOTING FOR LGBT BY BJØRN LOMBORG TEACHER OF COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL, FUNDERS AND DIRECTOR OF THE COPENHAGUEN CONSENSUS. THIS ELECTION SEASON THE LGBT COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BE FOCUSED ON SUBSTANTIAL AND SUSTAINABLE CHANGE PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI FL PERMIT NO.3236 on substantial and sustainable change. As most Americans continue to care about keeping their jobs and the price of gas,most local and state lawmakers believe elected office is an opportunity to impose their social beliefs on the rest of society, and unfortunately LGBT people don’t always have a place in those beliefs. Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll shows that 59% of Protestants and 47% of Catholics believe marriage equality should not be legal. Let us remember that on May 22nd, Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California during the 1970’s, and one of the movement’s icons, would have turned 82. At about the same time Harvey was making progress on the West Coast, in Florida, Anita Bryant was wreaking havoc on the lives of gays and lesbians as she launched a crusade to root out homosexuality. She attempted to equate LGBT equality with the “recruitment” of children to turn them gay, as if being gay were a choice, even though I still can’t remember the day I decided to be heterosexual. What is most ironic is that Harvey would often start his public appearances with the phrase, “Hi I’m Harvey Milk, and I’m here to recruit you.” We have made great progress in just37 years, and I know this because it is election season and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Floridians are engaging in the political process more actively than ever before. There are more fundraisers being held in the homes of gays and lesbians, openly gay people are talking about running for office, and LGBT people continue to be recruited to play a role in appointed positions of government. It is also this time of year that reminds me of what Harvey Milk’s story as an openly gay man running for public office meant. His candidacy and eventual election provided every gay and lesbian person a voice in the arena of democracy. After his IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION LAW Gustavo Tellez, ESQ Attorney at Law Tellez & Associates, P.A. experience, we’ve seen LGBT people reach some of the highest ranks in elected and appointed office. Representation and participation are what this great experiment we call America is built upon. However, even though Florida has the 4th highest population of LGBT people, we are still only one of four states that has yet to elect an openly gay or lesbian person to state office. The LGBT community has a lot to lose in this election cycle and Florida is ground zero for the LGBT movement’s fight for equality. Florida’s recent victory in granting adoption rights to gay and lesbian parents is still under attack by the religious right. Florida is one of the 29 states where an LGBT person can be fired for being openly gay, and is one of the 37 states where a person can be fired for being transgender. For instance, Miami-Dade County only protects gays and lesbians from being fired while the rest of the state’s 66 counties leave an individual guessing whether or not they are protected from discrimination. And like 30 other states, Florida has its own version of good ol’ fashion prejudice as our state Constitution defines marriage as only between a man and woman. Much has changed since Harvey and Anita, but the work continues with our need to elect qualified, openly gay and straight pro-equality allies into office to carry our American values to the state legislature and beyond. With less than 160 days to go until Election Day in November, please get educated on the issues, register, and VOTE! If you happen to be a member of the LGBT community, remember that your vote means so much more than support of HOW MUCH CAN SAVING THE WORLD COST? Four Nobel laureate economists believe that a good inves