Orlando: Going for laughs, going for gold

Kiss my Chick-Fil-A
A Facebook group going by the name National Same Sex Kiss Day is taking their distaste for the fast food chain Chick-Fil-A offline. They've marked Friday, August 3, as National Same Sex Kiss Day. For those unaware, Chick-Fil-A has a long history of fighting marriage equality and in July, it’s CEO Dan Cathy proudly proclaimed the company was “guilty as charged” for donating to anti-LGBT equality organizations. The NSSKD page reads, â┚¬Å”In honor of their support for love, equality, and the real definition of family, we’re holding a National Same Sex Kiss Day at Chick-Fil-A’s around the country. So grab a friend (or 20) and head out to your nearest Chick-Fil-A!â┚¬Â

Laugh OUT Loud
The Human Right Campaign (HRC) is hosting Out for Laughs starring openly gay comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer at The Abbey Thursday Aug. 16. Bold, bawdy and just plain hilarious, Westenhoefer is not afraid to ask tough questions to uncover the laughs underneath. The iconic lesbian comedian has made a career out of telling the truth since 1992â┚¬â€and the truth isâ┚¬â€life is funny. Coming out in the early 90s, she is frank about her comedic influences.  â┚¬Å”All the women and men who thought to stand up and be gay in front of an audience before I did; I bow to them…As I expect Ellen and Rosie bow to me now,â┚¬Â she laughs. A master of satire and pure wit, Westenhoefer is sure to break all barriers performing her timeless stand-up. To purchase tickets contact Sue Bee at suebeegal2@aol.com or purchase online at PandoraEvents.com.

Going for the Gay Gold
With the Olympics underway in London, Orlando is in a race of its own. This past March, Orlando submitted a bid to host the 2018 Gay Games and this week received word that the Federation of Gay Games has chosen the city beautiful as one of seven cities in the running to host the 10th Edition of the event. The International Federation of Gay Games (FGG) has announced Orlando as the only U.S. city to clear the first round of site selection for the tenth edition of the Gay Games. According to the FGG the other six cities are from the European and South American continents and include: Amsterdam, Limerick, London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Converge Orlando, Inc., the official LGBT Convention and Visitors Bureau of Orlando, has been working for months to bring the games to the Central Florida in an effort to help the local economy and bring a change in equality rights to the state. Earlier this year, Mikael Audebert, Executive Director of Converge Orlando, Inc., the official LGBT convention and visitor bureau for Central Florida, represented Orlando at the Annual Global Gay and Lesbian Travel Convention in Brazil. â┚¬Å”It is amazing the level of interest in stepping up tour activity to Central Florida,â┚¬Â Audebert said in a statement.