Proposed sitcom title: "Jesus & Crist"

Speaking of gay Republicans ...

Yesterday, blogger and columnist Bob Norman of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times published another exposé on the subject of the governor's sexual orientation, as Crist's name continues to be floated as a possible running mate for Huggy Bear.

The story goes that the Florida governor frequented the Green Iguana, a bar in Tampa, back in the early 1990s when he was just starting his political career. He was less careful back then, people say, and during his partying at the Green Iguana, he was openly gay.

When I got Rick Calderoni, the bar's well-known owner, on the phone, I expected him to stonewall me about it.

He didn't.

Calderoni, who is gay, confirmed that Crist came into his bar quite often and that the two of them became friends.

Getting to the point, I asked him if he knew Crist to be gay.

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "I just wish he would come out and admit it. That would be a great thing if he did."

I asked Calderoni if he was certain that Crist is gay. He told me that Crist socialized with a gay clique of friends but conceded that he'd never actually seen Crist become intimate with another man.

So how can he be sure Crist is gay?

"The way he acted," Calderoni said.

How did he act?

Calderoni laughed and said, "Very feminine."

True, it's never been confirmed beyond statements by observers and, in a couple of cases, claims by men who allegedly had affairs with Crist. But this isn't going away anytime soon.

And, for the record, I think it's a shame. I don't care one way or the other whether or not Gov. Crist, or any politician, is gay. What I care about is hypocrisy: if a gay politician consistently votes or speaks out against gay rights, gay marriage, etc., then the truth ought to come out. Not to emphasize sexuality, but to emphasize hypocrisy.

The real shame is that one's sexual orientation remains a topic for tabloidish speculation -- and for many, derision -- in 2008.

(h/t Ybor City Stogie)

Happy trails to Stuck on the Palmetto

I'm a few days late, but I've been out of the loop ... anyway, I was sorry this morning to see that Stuck on the Palmetto has taken the off ramp out of the south Florida blogosphere. Mustang Bobby at Bark Bark Woof Woof has the details, from the Miami Herald, along with some commentary.

Stuck on the Palmetto has slammed to a halt, disabling its archives and covering the keyboard after some 5,800 posts in its two-year existence. South Florida's blogosphere, as varied and lively as the real world here, lost one of its most popular sites.

Why? Its author worried he'd be outed by a fellow blogger who knows his full name and job.

Those details are still shrouded, but "Rick" says the damage is done and he's not going back to his weblog, where readers could expect to find multiple posts a day opining on news and life in South Florida.

"The blog is done and I'm moving on," Rick wrote in an e-mail to The Miami Herald.

It's especially unfortunate to learn that Bob Norman of The Daily Pulp apparently is the "fellow blogger" in question, as I read and respect both blogs and their authors. Norman defended himself on Tuesday:

Back from out of town and saw that Stuck on the Palmetto closed shop Sunday night. My initial reaction was disappointment. But just in case you're confused, I didn't kill that blog, Rick did. His overreaction speaks volumes. Not only did Rick spike the blog over a vague comment, he basically blotted out all evidence that it ever existed.

I don't know the background of the controversy beyond what the Herald described, so I won't comment on that. All I know is that the blogosphere in America's Glans™ is a little less vibrant without SotP to kick us around.

Gov. Crist: the early years

Found this choice pic over at Bob Norman's blog, The Daily Pulp. That's Our Guv in the middle (in case you were wondering ...).


I'm sure there's a Greek joke in there somewhere ...

For those of you outside Florida, here's Gov. Crist today (right).

Psst, Charlie ... fix your tie, d00d.