Miami Beach OKs pride flags
MiamiHerald. com reports that Miami Beach residents recently got the go-ahead to fly rainbow pride flags, but only after they acquire a city permit.
“The problem is the businesses just went out and bought a flagpole and in an expression of their pride, put up the flag,” said City Commissioner Victor Diaz, adding that a number of business owners have been fined and taken their flags down.
Flying any flag in the right of way without a permit is a violation of city code.
Due to the upcoming Miami Beach pride celebration on April 18, the commission took immediate action and made an exemption for April.
“We’re solving it in the short term with the temporary permit,” Diaz said. “But we need to find a more permanent solution.”
Cohen comedy gets NC-17 rating
Variety.com reports the MPAA has given an NC-17 rating to the upcoming Sacha Baron Cohen comedy, in which he plays a gay Austrian fashionista, because of numerous gay sex scenes.
The studio plans to edit the film to land an R rating for “Bruno” before its July 10 release.
The deleted sequences will likely be saved for the DVD release.
Cohen’s previous film, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” also received an NC-17 rating when first submitted to the MPAA but eventually garnered an R.
Gay foe appointed to Cinn. NAACP board
365gay.com reports the president of the NAACP’s Cincinnati chapter has appointed an antigay lawyer to its board.
New board member Chris Finney wrote Article 12, a 1993 city charter amendment that prohibited city officials from passing laws that protected gays and lesbians.
It was repealed in 2004 after a national boycott resulted in $45 million in lost convention business.
Christopher Smitherman, the Cincinnati NAACP’s president, said that no one should be judged on one issue alone.
“I cannot be concerned with the interests of any other constituency group. I must look out for the interests of our membership,” Smitherman said.
— Larry Nichols