Halo Lounge in Miami Beach seemed a fitting venue for Omar Gonzalez’s 5^th Annual Holiday Toy Drive party held this past weekend. While no round ‘solar discs’ were visible above the heads of the gay bars’ patrons, the massive pile of new toys in front of the DJ booth was evidence enough that Christmas angels were present.   

In the 2007 Miami Beach City Commission election, Ed Tobin beat Michael Gongora by a thin margin of 33 votes by painting Gongora as an ethically challenged gay party boy.  But if an ethics complaint filed last week against Tobin with the Miami Dade County Commission on Ethics is true, the old adage that says “That’s like the pot calling the kettle black!” has never been more apropos. 

Mayor Matti Bower joined over 500 gay rights supporters Saturday on the steps of Miami Beach City Hall to protest the recent passage of  the anti-gay Amendment 2.