Agenda 042116 issue 335

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

1

April 21, 2016

2 /floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

3

April 21, 2016

4 /floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

5

April 21, 2016

6 /floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

RALEIGH, NC (AP) - The agency that promotes tourism in Raleigh says losses have reached $3 million because of cancelations prompted by the protests of the state’s LBGT law. The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau told local media Monday the economic losses from the law have quadrupled in the past week.

The biggest cancellation is $1.7 million from the Community Transportation Association of America. nn

Florida ordered to pay over $500,000 in same-sex legal fees

Wilton Manors Bans Travels to North Carolina and Mississippi

WILTON MANORS-Wilton Manors became the first city in Broward County to ban government travel to North Carolina, Mississippi, and any other states that have passed anti-LGBT discriminatory laws. The policy resolution, sponsored

by Mayor Gary Resnick and Commissioner Justin Flippen, was unanimously approved at the commission meeting last week. The resolution prohibits city-funded travel to states and jurisdictions that adopt laws that allow discrimination against LGBT individuals by mandating that persons use public restrooms based upon their biological sex.

floridaagenda.com

North Carolina takes a loss of $3 million in bookings

FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE (AP) Florida’s fierce fight to keep intact a voter-approved ban on gay marriage is going to wind up costing taxpayers.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who declared the prohibition unconstitutional nearly two years ago, has ordered the state to pay the fees of attorneys who filed federal lawsuits challenging the ban.

nnnnnnnnnn

/floridaagenda

Go to floridaagenda.com to read more about these stories.

/floridaagenda

News Briefs Gay ABC News correspondent ties knot in Miami

MIAMI--ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez is officially a married man. The host of the website Fusion’s edition of Nightline is based in New York, but he selected his hometown of Miami for his wedding to fiancé Tommy DiDario at the historic Walton House, an English cottage built in 1917 and surrounded by seven acres of gardens. Benitez and DiDario met on the social app Instagram. nn REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR WON’T VISIT NORTH CAROLINA CONVENTION SANTA FE, NM (AP) - New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is canceling plans to travel to a state Republican convention in North Carolina amid controversy over a new law there affecting access to public restrooms by transgender people.

Transgender Advocates Fear Bill’s Fallout Even If It Dies

RALEIGH, NC (AP) - Pearl Jam is canceling its concert in North Carolina later this month because of the state’s new law on LGBT rights. In a statement issued Monday on the band’s website, Pearl Jam called the new law “a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination against an entire group of American citizens.” nn

Anti-transgender bathroom bill fails in Tennessee legislature

Cirque de Soleil Snubs North Carolina Over Discrimination

NEW YORK (AP) - The Canadian-based circus company Cirque du Soleil is cancelling upcoming stops in North Carolina by two of its touring shows to protest a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.

The company will scrap plans for “Ovo” to play Greensboro from April 20-24 and Charlotte from July 6-10, and “Toruk The First Flight,” which was scheduled to play Raleigh from June 22-26. nn 7

NASHVILLE, TN (AP) - A transgender bathroom bill in the Tennessee legislature failed Monday after the House sponsor said she was withdrawing the legislation while waiting to see how legal challenges play out in other states that have passed similar measures. The bill’s demise follows intense lobbying from both supporters and opponents of the measure and questions economic fallout if it were to become law. nn

April 21, 2016

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - Transgender people said Thursday they fear a South Carolina bill that would require them to use the public bathroom for their biological sex will stoke misguided fears and endorse restroom vigilantism, even if the bill ultimately dies as expected. The measure mimics part of a North Carolina law passed last month that’s caused economic fallout and debate nationwide. nn

Pearl Jam cancels North Carolina show over LGBT law

floridaagenda.com

[ JUST ADAM /floridaagenda

The week reflected back through fabulously funny eyes

/floridaagenda

FIRST MAN OF THE WHITE HOUSE. Obviously I love Hillary and I’m overjoyed that she won New York. But let’s call a spade a spade, I’m more excited to see Bill Clinton back in the White House and what kind of shenanigans he will get into as First Hubby/pu**y magnet.

THE NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKIT. Wait... So Donald Trump is really going to be the Republican nominee for president? I’m waiting for the moment when he rips a mask off and is really an alien body snatcher underneath.

WHERE IS MY BLUE DRESS MONICA? I’m proud of her in a weird way. Sometimes when you feel insecure as a young person, be it about the way you look, or if you “ fit in” anywhere, sometimes all that it takes is acknowledgment from somebody you perceive to be “unattainable” to make you do things to try and please them, be it sexually or otherwise. I’ve been there before, and I’m glad that at the end of the day, she’s using her fame/notoriety towards a positive cause.

PREACH GIRL PREACH. B*tch please! I’m sure Jennifer Aniston is not using her $5 Aveeno moisturizer before falling asleep on her flight to Saudi Arabia where she sleeps in a private, walnut-paneled stateroom, after she showers with a loofah and makes fun of poor people with the bartender, while delicately sipping a martini.

WHEN DO I GET MY HAPPY ENDING? My dating life is so dead; I’ve gotten more Amber Alerts this past weekend than text messages from potential Prince Charming.

SWEET DREAMS. Awful night’s sleep, but I do remember a dream where I was having cocktails with Isaac Mizrahi, Naomi Campbell, and Drew Barrymore. Don’t remember much more of it, but can you imagine the conversation? Lol.

April 21, 2016

8

HOW I FEEL ABOUT TED CRUZ. He is dangerous. I don’t care how many Ivy League degrees you have on your walls, Teddy or how many debate teams you were captain of. This lame answer justifies exactly why you should never be elected president of this country. You claim to want to protect everybody’s rights yet overturning a Supreme Court decision on gay marriage would severely damage the right of a married gay couple to live wherever they choose in this country. How foolish that people would only be welcome in states that have marriage laws enacted. So I could legally get married in Florida but not in Georgia?

That’s discriminating my right to live in Georgia and last time I checked I was a tax-paying member of society.

Adam Cohen is South Florida’s favorite and most fabulous social commentator. He’s also single. Find him on Facbook to keep up with his hilarious take on the week’s headlines.

/floridaagenda

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING...

Random thoughts from social media and beyond this week

“I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE INCREDIBLE TEAM AT GMA,” STRAHAN, 44, SAID IN HIS STATEMENT. “IT IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO BRING UNIQUE STORIES AND VOICES TO THE AUDIENCE.” HE WILL START HIS NEW GIG AT GMA IN SEPTEMBER.

NEXT MAGAZINE’S ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AND SPONSORED BY MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS NICOLE T. PHILLIPS, “HELLO EVERYONE, I AM YOUR NEWLY CROWNED MISS FLORIDA F.I. AT LARGE 2016!

THANK YOUS WILL BE COMING SOON! I HAVE TO MAKE A LIST SO I DON’T LEAVE ANYONE OUT.” LOL

floridaagenda.com

Michael Strahan Quits Live To Join ABC’s Good Morning America

/floridaagenda

Anderson Cooper to join Live, “Anderson Cooper is the show’s top choice to replace him,” according to sources. “Kelly adores Anderson and she is pushing hard to get him the job. He can still work at CNN but will no longer be able to travel. He had his own morning show and knows how to do this. They are trying to lock down a deal.”

On CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Republican presidential hopeful John Kasich suggested that, “For the

time being at least, LGBT people need to ‘get over’ being discriminated against by anti-gay businesses who argue they cannot serve gay customers because to do so would violate their ‘sincerely-held religious beliefs.’”

a

April 21, 2016

Rand Hoch, President and Founder of Palm Beach County Human Rights Council on discrimination, “If you open up any kind of business here in the USA, you should not be able to pick your customers. You are either in business -- or you are a bigot and should have to face legal consequences.”

Super Bowl champion and LGBT ally and activist Brendon Ayanbadejo, “I think it’s a big step backwards for our country. You see people are refusing to perform in those states. We’ve done so much work to go forward and then to go backwards as Americans it says something – that in certain states they don’t want to treat people equally.” Asked if athletes should do more, Ayanbadejo replies: “I think they should; I think they could.

Will they do it? They probably won’t…I like it when an athlete or an artist takes it into their own hands and releases comments and say things that directly oppose bigotry and treating people unfairly.”

9

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

Florida Agenda’s Top Ten Straight Allies pays tribute to a group of heterosexuals who have rallied behind the cause of equality for the LGBT community. These business leaders, politicians, law enforcement personnel, and homemakers are unique in their determination to step outside of their sexual orientation to proudly stand alongside their gay counterparts.

We hold them as standard bearers who inspire and encourage the best in all humankind. Through the work of these men and women, America is reminded of its place as the country where “All men are created equal.”

Here then is our list of Top Ten Straight Allies in Florida 2016.

Congratulations to all!

April 21, 2016

10

BY RICHARD HACK

/floridaagenda /floridaagenda floridaagenda.com

ARNOLD EVANS

Central Florida Division President for SunTrust Bank, Orlando

A

tal markets at JPMorgan from 1995-2005.

Evans graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army for five years, stationed in Europe and Saudi Arabia in addition to the United States. He currently serves as a Trustee for the Darden School Foundation (Charlottesville, VA) and as head of that entity’s Investment Committee.

He and his wife Joyce have two daughters, Asha and Aaren.

A member of the Jacksonville-based We Are Straight Allies non-profit, Evans is an open supporter of LGBT Equality, saying, “Inclusion and diversity are not only good for business, but the way good business is conducted. We don’t have the luxury to exclude anyone. By embracing and leveraging our different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, we become more innovative, productive and profitable.”

“

Inclusion and diversity are not only good for business, but the way good business is conducted. We don’t have the luxury to exclude anyone. By embracing and leveraging our different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, we become more innovative, productive and profitable.”

April 21, 2016

s the Central Florida Division President for SunTrust Bank, Arnold Evans calls Orlando home.

Originally for north Georgia, Evans’ father owned a soul food restaurant, where he was exposed to a diverse customer base, as well as a talent for customer service.

A respected administrator, the executive leads a team that provides a full range of traditional and capital markets products for privately-owned companies, and not-for-profit, educational and governmental entities.

Before reaching the top tier of executives at SunTrust,. Evens was the Regional President for SunTrust in Jacksonville. Prior to his move to commercial banking, he spent 17 years as an investment banker, including nine years in the Equity Originations Group at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Atlanta, GA. He previously was vice president of equity capi-

11

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda

PATRICK J. GERAGHTY

Chairman and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc.

/floridaagenda

J

ELIZABETH “LIEBE” GADINSKY National LGBTQ Task Force Foundation

C

April 21, 2016

12

ommunity activist Liebe Gadinsky has been on the board of directors of the National LGBTQ Task Force Foundation since 2010, and once served as its co-chairwoman. She also served as Vice Chairperson of Dade Community Foundation, and continued in that position when it was renamed the Miami Foundation. A community leader and determined activist, Gadinsky is the daughter-in-law of the late state Representative Elaine Gordon of North Miami, one of the best known feminist lawmakers from the 70s and 80s.

She is a community leader with a deep-rooted passion for supporting numerous causes.

This includes SAVE Dade, where she worked tirelessly for passage of the Miami-Dade Human Rights Ordinance. In addition, she served on the

Foundation’s GLBT Community Projects Fund Advisory Board.

Her active engagement helped secure the success of this grant-making initiative, a collaboration with the Task Force, as it provides support to local organizations serving the community. She has been with her husband, Miami real estate mogul Seth Gedinsky, for over three decades. Together they are the parents of two grown daughters, Naomi and Natasha.

“

I didn’t think I had anything to offer. I thought all men were created equal, didn’t realize that discrimination was embedded into the law.”

acksonville’s Pat Geraghty already had a lifetime of experience in the health insurance industry, before being named chairman and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida in 2011. As the employer of nearly 5,000 workers, Geraghty is the standard bearer for the Florida Business for a Competitive Workforce (FBCW), a coalition of corporations calling on Florida lawmakers to make the Sunshine State a leader by making it a place where gay and transgender people can live, work and visit without fear of discrimination.

The coalition is comprised of 35 of Florida’s major employers plus 400 local businesses, including Fortune 500 companies Darden Restaurants, Disney, CSX, Wells Fargo, Marriott, NextEra Energy, Office Depot and Tech Data.

These corporations, as well as Florida Realtors, and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, support passage of the Competitive Workforce Act. “In order for Governor Rick Scott to continue to sell Florida as a place with the right climate for business, we need to step up our game here to make sure our laws reflect the diversity of our state and recognize that our quality of life and our economic health are linked to being a welcoming environment for everyone,” Geraghty says.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the state’s largest health plan serving more than 7 million people in Florida and providing Medicare payment services to beneficiaries across 15 other states. Geraghty and his wife Heather are celebrating 25 years of marriage this year and have three children: Sean, Briege and Kiera.

/floridaagenda

“

/floridaagenda

Our guests and our staff are our family.

And we do what we do as much for them as ourselves.”

floridaagenda.com

DON GRANATSTEIN AND SUSAN UNGER Owners, Parliament House Resort, Orlando

T

shape. We were approached to invest in it for time shares and ended up getting the entire place. It was a giant leap of faith,” Granatstein said.

Even more than the physical property, the pair had and continue to have faith in the LGBT community in Orlando. “We are the core,” Granatstein said. “Our guests and our staff are our family. And we do what we do as much for them as ourselves.”

In addition to the renovations at the resort, the couple has concluded a deal with a major hotel chain to build on a portion of their ten-acre lakefront property to the north side of the complex. “It’s going to become the destination that Susan and I have always envisioned it to be.”

Recipients of the

FLORIDA MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD April 21, 2016

“

In order for Governor Rick Scott to continue to sell Florida as a place with the right climate for business, we need to step up our game here to make sure our laws reflect the diversity of our state and recognize that our quality of life and our economic health are linked to being a welcoming environment for everyone.”

he husband and wife team of Don Granatstein and Susan Unger have been at the core of the LGBT scene in Orlando since purchasing the iconic Parliament House Resort 17 years ago. And while the 130-room hotel was already a legend in town for its multiple gay bars, a full-service restaurant and a theater at that time, the Granatstein/Unger one-two punch has brought renewed life to the place as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Having moved to Florida from Toronto, the couple has poured millions of dollars into renovating the resort, and have confirmed that the roomby-room project is currently half completed. “When we first bought the Parliament House, it was in awful

Presentation will be on Monday April 25 at the Dancing With The South Florida Stars Event.

13

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

SUZANNE GUNZBERGER

Retired Broward County Commissioner

T

April 21, 2016

14

hroughout her 32 years in elected office, former Broward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger was a determined advocate for the LGBT community. During her years of service on the County Commission, she was at various times the Commission Vice Chair (1993–94 and 1998– 99), Commission Chair (1994–95 and 1999-2000), Broward County Vice Mayor (2009–10), and the Broward County Mayor (2010-11).

Unfailingly, in each position, Gunzburger spearheaded movement toward total equality in services and benefits.

She received her Bachelors degree in Education from Wayne State University and her Masters of Social Work degree from Barry University. Originally a public school teacher, Gunzburger became a social worker and family therapist in the 70s, before becoming a long-time community and political activist. President Jimmy

Carter appointed her a delegate to the White House Conference on Families in 1980.

In 2011, when Gunzburger was the mayor of Broward County, she led the effort to get the Broward County Commission to unanimously vote to approve Florida’s first countywide Equal Benefits Ordinance, a measure that requires the county’s vendors to provide domestic partners with benefits equal to those offered to spouses of married employees.

For the state of Florida, it set the tone for future domestic partnership and LGBT non-discrimination ordinances. At the time that the Equal Benefits Ordinance passed, Equality Florida labeled it “one of the nation’s most significant policies furthering workplace equality.”

Gunzberger, whose husband Gerry died in 2009, is the mother of a son and two daughters, and has lived in Hollywood, Florida, since 1968.

“

ROW ILIESCU

Equality Florida—Fort Lauderdale

I am so grateful for having a job that provides me with such a sense of meaning and purpose: where I get to educate people about LGBT issues and what Equality Florida and others are doing about them.”

R

ow (short for Rowena) Iliescu is Equality Florida’s South Florida Development Director, and oversees the galas and fund-raising events in three regions: Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. Row’s activism began as a volunteer for Equality Florida in 2008 when she tirelessly canvassed voters at the polls on Amendment 2.

Originally from Toronto, Row has been a weather refugee in South Florida for almost 20 years. She arrived as a successful trainer and exercise rider of thoroughbred racehorses, but following a serious riding accident went back to school earning a Masters Degree in Social Work and beginning doctoral studies in HIV prevention.

Finding that she preferred fieldwork, Row worked in the non-profit sector as a therapist to children and

families in the foster care system for ten years before joining the Equality Florida team, where she says she feels, “at home.”

“I am so grateful for having a job that provides me with such a sense of meaning and purpose: where I get to educate people about LGBT issues and what Equality Florida and others are doing about them,” Row said.

Row is a modern example of a straight ally. “I had been on the job only a couple of months,” she remembers, “when our Deputy Director was honored with the Harvey Milk Award at a brunch in Miami Beach. Seated to my right was a self-identified transgender lesbian woman and next to her was a heterosexual cross-dressing man.

Both of them asked me out!

What a wonderful introduction to the concepts of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression!”

/floridaagenda /floridaagenda floridaagenda.com

SCOTT ISRAEL

Broward County Sheriff

S

Democrats, the sheriff has walked the streets of Wilton Manors in order to keep his finger on the pulse of what city officials, business owners and their LGBT patrons expect from the man entrusted with ensuring public safety. This handson approach to engagement has been mirrored internally as well. The command staff that surrounds him include openly gay and lesbian law enforcement officers and administrators.

“Surround yourself with lions who share the same mission,” said the sheriff, who prides himself on bringing different points of view to the table.

Israel holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Cortland State University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He and his wife Susan are the parents of triplets Brett, Blake and Blair. The Israel family resides in Parkland, Florida.

April 21, 2016 15

“

Surround yourself with lions who share the same mission”

cott Israel was elected as Sheriff of Broward County in 2012, having previously served as the Police Chief of Florida’s North Bay Village.

As Sheriff, Scott Israel has successfully implemented new policies and approaches to public safety that have sharply reduced violent crime and burglary rates. He has worked to combat gun violence and diversified the agency at all levels to better reflect our community. Impressively, in 2014, BSO won the prestigious civil rights award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police for the homeless outreach program which helps direct our homeless population to the services they need.

His record on LGBT rights is impeccable, having worked steadfastly to improve relations between the gay community and the sheriff’s office. A household name among county

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

ELEANOR SOBEL Florida State Senator

F

April 21, 2016

16

G

reg and Jeanette Jennings are an exciting example of allies in action. The parents of TLC’s transgender reality star Jazz Jennings (I Am Jazz), were your typical South Florida family until they had their fourth child, a boy. Their oldest daughter, Arial, and twin sons Sander and Griffen, welcomed the new arrival, and all was idyllic until their youngest turned four and expressed that he was a girl trapped in a boy’s body.

The incredible Jennings not only took the revelation in stride, they embraced the news with love and advocacy, forming the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (TKPRF) to educate schools, peers, places of worship, the medical community, government bodies, and society in general, in an effort to seek fair and equal treatment for all transyouth.

TKPRF reaches out to the homeless youth as well and those that have nowhere else to turn. Funds for healthcare and scholarships can be made available to transyouth in need.

After Jazz expressed her concern about experiencing male puberty, Greg and Jeannette consulted physicians about beginning hormone therapy with estrogen. The process is expensive, but as testament to their support of their child, Greg told ABC News, “Jeanette and I are in 100 percent agreement as to how we should raise Jazz. We don’t encourage, we support. And we just keep listening to what she tells us.”

In an effort to protect their personal privacy, Greg and Jeanette use the last name Jennings for public purposes. However, there is nothing secret about their advocacy in proclaiming their support of the transgender community.

GREG AND JEANETTE JENNINGS Parents of transgender teenager Jazz Jennings

“

We don’t encourage, we support.

And we just keep listening to what she tells us.”

lorida State Senator Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood) was elected to office in 2008, She formerly served as a member of the Florida House of Representative and has been an active advocate of equality throughout her political career.

First arriving in the state from her native New York in 1976, Sobel worked as a school teacher and community activist before being elected to the Hollywood City Commission (replacing fellow 10 Top Straight Ally Suzanne Gunzburger).

In 2013, Sobel was honored with Equality Florida’s “Voice for Equality Award,” recognizing her steadfast support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

“Florida is on the brink of change.

The majority of Floridians stand with me for equality and the civil rights of all its people. The business community recognizes that equality and fairness are economic mandates. And even in Tallahassee, the tide is turning,” said Sen. Sobel.

Senator Sobel has been an unwavering advocate for LGBT equality.

As chair of the Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs, she introduced the “Families First” bill in 2013, garnering bipartisan support. She also participated in the first-ever Florida LGBT Town Hall, in Wilton Manors, to discuss LGBT legislative issues that uniquely affect Florida’s LGBT community.

“Senator Sobel is our number one champion in the Florida Senate,” said Stratton Pollitzer, Deputy Director of Equality Florida.

Eleanor is married to Dr. Stuart Sobel and holds a Masters degree from Columbia University.

/floridaagenda

DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ U.S. Representative (D)

/floridaagenda floridaagenda.com

D

acts including those which provide protection against identity theft, and protection to victims of sexual and domestic violence. She is in favor of providing health care for all Americans, including those with HIV/AIDS. She is currently the head of the Democratic National Committee, and as such will be leading the Democratic convention which opens on July 25 in Philadelphia. As part of her commitment to diversity, 35 percent of the contracts awarded for the four-day convention will go to women, veterans and minorities including gays, lesbians and transgenders.

April 21, 2016

emocrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who lives in Weston, Florida, has been a United States Representative since 2002. A strong advocate for equal rights, Wasserman Schultz has served as the vice chair of the LGBT Caucus in Congress.

She has consistently voted on the side of expanding civil rights for the LGBT community including ensuring federal protection from hate-motivated violence and providing legislative remedies for unfair discrimination in the workplace. The Congresswoman continues to be an ardent supporter of same-sex marriage equality in Florida and nationwide, and was outspoken in favor of repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell as well as ending Florida’s ban that prohibited gay and lesbian parents from adopting children.

She has three children with her husband Steve, who left an executive position in banking to become a stay-at-home dad, thereby allowing his wife to continue her fight for the gay community as well as sponsoring other

17

floridaagenda.com

2000 Oakland Park Blvd. Suite 106 | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 Phone: 954-380-8563 | www.floridaagenda.com

Editor-In-Chief Richard Hack richardhack@wirld.com

Art Director Kevin Broady

AS I SEE IT

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

Publisher Maura Mumball Lane

THE ULTIMATE STRAIGHT ALLY



April 21, 2016

18

Straight allies in Florida are lauded in this special edition of Florida Agenda as the heroes they are. Articulate, committed, and undeniably heterosexual, these advocates have deliberately stepped away from the pack to share their passion for equality. Their numbers are growing and are hardly concentrated just in South Florida. These warriors for fairness cross gender and sexual identity lines as they continBy ue to speak Richard out across Hack the country.

No one does it better than the ultimate ally, Democratic presidential candidate better than former Secretary of State, Senator, and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

In last week’s Democratic debate, the leading Presidential candidate took on her rival, Bernie Sanders, on a variety of topics, but it was when speaking of the push for non-discrimation against the LGBT community that the wife of former President Bill Clinton coalesced her campaign in clear, vibrant terms that resonated with gays everywhere.

While Sanders has centered much of his campaign rhetoric on the power brokers on Wall Street, and the massive profit mongering occurring there at the expense

of those living on the edge of poverty, Clinton opened up the debate and therefore the campaign by looking beyond the country’s economy.

“We agree that we’ve got to get unaccountable money out of politics.,” Clinton said. “We agree that Wall Street should never be allowed to wreck Main Street again. But here’s the point I want to make tonight. I am not a single issue candidate, and I do not believe we live in a single issue country,” she said.

“I think that a lot of what we have to overcome to break down the barriers that are holding people back, whether it’s poison in the water of the children of Flint, or whether it’s the poor miners who are being left out and left behind in coal country, or whether it is any other American today who feels somehow put down and oppressed by racism, by sexism, by discrimination against the LGBT community, against the kind of efforts that need to be made to root out all of these barriers, that is what I want to take on.

“Does Wall Street and big financial interests along with drug companies, insurance companies, big oil, all of it, have too much influence? You’re right. But if we were to stop that tomorrow, we would still have the indifference, the negligence that we saw in Flint. We would still have racism holding people back. We would still have sexism preventing women from getting equal pay.

We would still have LGBT people who get married on Saturday and get fired on Monday.

wing agendas to go unchallenged.

So I’m going to keep talking As we salute South Florida’s about tearing down all the barriers own straight allies who are doing that stand in the way of Americans so much to enlighten our neighfulfilling their potential because bors and haters, we pause to I don’t think our country can live acknowledge the ultimate ally. up to its potential unless we give —Hillary Rodman Clinton. a chance to every single American to live up to theirs.”

A strong affirmation from undeniably the most powerful woman Richard Hack is the award-winin the world today. ning author of 26 books, and the While it is true that her competiVice President of Content for Multor in the race for the Democratic timedia Platforms’ publications. candidate for President, Bernie Sanders, has been a steadfast LGBT supporter, he has not made it an issue during A PUBLICLY-TRADED LGBTQ COMPANY the on-going STOCK SYMBOL: MMPW campaign and debates. corporate And though he has sided PETER JACKSON consistently President, COO & Group Executive Publisher with equality when the Kevin Hopper Maura “Mumball” Lane issue has been Vice President l Operations VP l Sales & Marketing put up for a vote, he has Richard Hack Dennis Dean not actively Vice President l Content Vice President l Creative legislated for equality. It Jeff Sterling Michael Turner is one thing President l Digital Media Ventures Vice President l Finance to be able to count on a Keith Chamlee Tim Hart vote when Corporate Circulation Director Chief Financial Officer required; it is entirely another to lead a C. Lawrence Rutstein Chairman of the Board charge against the religious bigots and ROBERT “BOBBY” BLAIR allow right Founder & CEO

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

/floridaagenda



pose Pronunciation: /pōz/ 1. a : to set forth or offer for attention or consideration <let me pose a question> b : to come to attention as : present <smoking poses a health risk> 2. a : to put or set in place b : to place (as a model) in a studied attitude MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.

Bisuito, who was the host for the event. Dawn Tallman, Scarlett Santana and Justin Utley put on wonderful performances.

If you’re not familiar with Justin Utley, he is a singer/songwriter/activist from Utah. Justin told about his two-year experience enduring exgay conversion therapy while with the Mormon Church. He went on to talk about the things we are seeing happen at home and around the world to the LGBT community.

Justin then told the audience something I have said many times--it’s time for people to stand up, speak out and not leave it up to others to fight for what should rightfully be ours. I felt as if I was hearing my own words being spoken by someone who has far more of an impact than I do, and here we are on the same page. It was a great way to end a wonderful night. Miik Martorell, Rocky Bowell, Shawn Manning and the rest of the Pride Fort Lauderdale team of volunteers did an incredible job of showcasing our Pride and our city.

I will end by saying even in dark hours it is possible to pull through when the odds are against you, but it takes many people to make it happen. GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY, GET INVOLVED IN YOUR WORLD. Pose (the other kind) with pride and make a difference! 

Rev. Joel S. Slotnick is an ordained Interfaith minister and full time digital court reporter. He can be found on Facebook and followed on Twitter.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks so much Joel. We did not know about the gala and we would have missed covering the event if it were not for your participation. Thanks for sharing, and for everything you do to make the world a better place. Far too often, when we do good deeds well, they appear less than the sacrifice they are. Your wisdom, your generosity of time and money, and your counsel are an invaluable addition to our community.

We too often fail to stop and say thanks.

We want to correct that error this moment.

Thanks Joel Slotnick for being you.

April 21, 2016

Many who know me, know I am what is called a habitual volunteer. I’ve said before and will gladly repeat, it is up to each of us to give back. It’s easy to complain about things that are wrong today, but it’s just as easy (and less stressful) to step up to the plate and (try to) make a difference.

Sharing “treasure” ($) sure helps, but time and talent

By Rev. do as well.

Back in 1993, I first Joel volunteered for Pride One Slotnick of Broward County, Inc., which most of us knew for years as Pride South Florida (PSF), where I soon became the treasurer. After a few years, I left the board.

However, I remained a volunteer when time permitted. PrideFest was always a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

Years later in 2009, PSF had realized their treasurer at the time, Mike Cruz, had taken funds that were not only from the organization, but, as many of us saw it, as taking funds from the community. After a long hiatus from the Pride board and 27 1/2 years of banking under my belt, I was asked to return as the treasurer, which I did without hesitation.

Now, I will say that being part of any organi-

zation where you try to keep the best interest of the community first and foremost, and do good, can be a thankless, sometimes nasty undertaking.

People are quick to criticize what goes or went wrong, yet few will step up to the plate to make the next time better. I saw a lot of this being part of Pride. At the time I came back, at one point, only 2 of us were left to decide whether to keep the organization going or to use what money was left and donate it to the community, by saying it’s been a great 32 years, but we’re done. Of course, that didn’t happen. Slowly but surely the board was rebuilt and though $47,000 less in our bank account, we vowed the show must go on. I offered to stay on board to see the financial situation had been taken care of and the court proceedings took place, which they eventually did and monies are being paid back.

Over the next few years, as in any board, there were disagreements. Some stayed on, others left.

Some used it as a time to show disdain for others.

Some like myself only volunteered at event time.

But for years, one of the things many board members talked about and wanted most was to highlight Fort Lauderdale, show that PSF was a viable organization and prove even the darkest of times couldn’t stop them from going forward.

Now back to the word POSE. What I am referring to is the acronym for Prides of The Southeast. This past weekend, our own Pride Fort Lauderdale, now in their 39th year (yes, 39) was host to the 2016 POSE Conference and Gala, of which I was privileged to play a small part. 55+ persons of various leadership roles came to South Florida representing 19 Pride organizations, and some four million combined attendees. There were over 25 workshops and a host of speakers, which included some of our local heroes--District 2 Commissioner Dean Trantalis, Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee, Kevin J. Clevenger, Cindy Brown, Bryan Wilson and many others from various organizations.

It was three days of education, encouragement, empowerment, and excitement. This kind of sharing has been occurring for years within the organization. The Saturday night Gala was a wonderful evening of great food, a 50/50 and silent auction. All funds raised will go toward various scholarships.

The entertainment was a wide variety. DJ Jalil Z was in the house along with new Fort Lauderdale resident and well-known comedian Peter

floridaagenda.com

POSE With Pride

Something tells me when you first saw the word POSE, you thought what most of us would, one of the variations of its meaning aside from S&M (Stand and Model).

One of my favorite resources, Merriam-Webster, defines it :

[

/floridaagenda

OPINION

19

CAPITOL BEAT

floridaagenda.com

“

WE’RE VERY HAPPY THAT OUR SON IS HAPPY WITH WHO HE IS. AND THAT’S A BLESSING TO US.”

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

n n n n n

20 April 21, 2016

Rep. Carlos Curbelo does not see his support for LGBT rights as at odds with his party’s core beliefs.

“Last year I joined over 300 Republican leaders to sign an Amicus brief arguing that the freedom to marry is a conservative value,” Curbelo told me.

“Most Republicans revere the Constitution – as we should,” he added. “Well, if we want to be true to our constitutionalism, that begins by recognizing the Godgiven rights of every person – no matter their sexual orientation.”

Curbelo could have stayed on the sidelines rather than draw attention to his views by signing on with the LGBT Equality Caucus. So why did he join?

“I believe in promoting a society that values the dignity of every person,” he replied. “The government should not allow any type of discrimination, and no one should be unfairly treated based on their sexual orientation.

Most people in my age group agree: it’s long been time to turn the page on prejudices and the exclusion of the past.”

The value of straight allies like Curbelo, Ros-Lehtinen, and Democrat Rep. Mike Honda of California who chairs the LGBT

“

d

n

What’s with Florida all of a sudden? There are only two Republican members of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and both represent Florida constituencies.

Both are also straight allies.

The more senior of the two (in age, and longevity on the Caucus) is Rep. Ileana RosLehtinen, 63, whose LGBT support has a more clearcut personal connection.

Ros-LehtinBY en has a LINDA transgender PENTZ son.

“It’s a tragedy that a great proportion of young people who pass through this transition are rejected by their families,” Ros-Lehtinen told Telemundo in an interview with her and son Rodrigo last October. “We’re very happy that our son is happy with who he is.

And that’s a blessing to us,” she has said.

The other is considerably younger at 36 and only joined the Caucus late last year. But

d

WHY FLORIDA REP. CARLOS CURBELO SUPPORTS LGBT EQUALITY

What’s important to always remember is that the issues we’re fighting for – equality, respect, the right to love who you love – those aren’t gay or straight issues, they’re basic American values.”

Equality Caucus and whose granddaughter is trans, cannot be under-estimated, says Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) who is gay.

“It’s simple math,” he said.

“There are only six openly gay members of the House, so in order to make any progress on issues of importance to the LGBT community we need to work hand-in-glove with our straight allies.

“And what’s important to al

ways remember is that the issues we’re fighting for – equality, respect, the right to love who you love – those aren’t gay or straight issues,” he continued.

“They’re basic American values.

And true progress for LGBT issues comes when members of all sexual orientations come together to fight for those values.”

Unlike Ros-Lehtinen, Curbelo had no personal motivation for joining the caucus. “I just think it’s the right thing to do,” he

/floridaagenda floridaagenda.com

Linda Pentz is the Washington correspondent of the Florida Agenda. She can be contacted at lindapentz@mmplgbt.com.

Follow her on Twitter @CapitolAgenda

@AIDSWalkMiami

facebook.com/ aidswalkmiami

April 21, 2016

PAUL BERGE

“I remember at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, those of us in the LGBT community did not have many friends,” wrote Mo Baxley last month in New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor. Baxley is a former state representative and former executive director of N.H. Freedom to Marry and now works on the Sanders campaign.

“I remember fighting the bill that would make donating blood a class B felony, and a state senator saying he didn’t mind if we donated our blood as long as we gave every last drop. This is the treatment we got from elected officials,” she continued.

“At the same time across the Connecticut River, then-Mayor of Burlington Bernie Sanders was banning housing discrimination against gays and lesbians, and signing city proclamations for Burlington’s Gay Pride march,” she wrote.

Setting that “good example” says Curbelo, is how he sees his role – and that of other straight allies. “The focus has to be on inclusion rather than diversity – meaning not merely a “check-thebox” exercise,” he said. “Acceptance must be full and complete – not just superficial.” nn

/floridaagenda

said. “My wife and I teach our girls to judge people by the content of their character – not their religion, the color of their skin, their accent or their sexual orientation. Every human being deserves the opportunity to thrive and flourish.”

This must make the current rash of discriminatory bills in places like North Carolina and Mississippi particularly challenging politically, given their Republican origins.

“The mistreatment and harassment of individuals in the LGBT community because they don’t ‘fit’ into heteronormative standards is a travesty,” Curbelo said when I asked him what he viewed as the most pressing LGBT issue of the moment.

“By promoting acceptance in our schools and universities we can continue raising social standards and eradicating the legacy of discrimination and bigotry inherited from our past,” he said.

Maloney said straight allies played a crucial role in the progress made recently.

“Straight allies in Congress were essential in repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, taking the fight on marriage equality to the Supreme Court, and passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law – a bill of deep personal significance to me from my time in the Clinton White House,” he said.

We may yet see another Clinton White House, but the Sanders campaign would argue that their candidate has the stronger – and longer – record as a straight ally.

21

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

22 April 21, 2016

Laws Decried As LGBT Discrimination Proposed Across Country

Legislation has been proposed in states across the country to protect those who - due to religious beliefs - decline to employ or serve certain people. Critics say the laws are aimed at the LGBT community and are discriminatory.

Recent laws denounced as discriminatory in North Carolina and Mississippi has prompted a growing backlash from opponents. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at legislation around the country as followed by the Associated Press:

/floridaagenda

STATES IN THE MIDWEST

/floridaagenda

ILLINOIS Lawmakers are considering legislation that would require school boards to designate separate boys and girls’ bathrooms, changing rooms and other facilities being used during school-sponsored activities. The legislature defines sex as a student’s gender at birth and not their gender identity.

IOWA A proposed bill to prohibit the government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion similar to legislation being considered in many other states was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives in January. The proposal has been referred to the judiciary committee.

KANSAS A new law prevents colleges and universities from denying religious student associations the same funding or benefits available to other groups because of requirements that its members follow the association’s religious beliefs, standards or conduct. The law will take effect July. Bills were also introduced to order public schools and colleges to designate restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities for use by males or females according to students’ gender at birth.

KENTUCKY The Republican-led Senate passed a measure that would expand the state Religious Freedom Restoration Act by barring penalties against those who decline to provide “customized, artistic, expressive, creative, ministerial or spiritual goods or services” to people that would infringe on their “right of conscience” or religious freedoms.

The bill is pending in the Democratic-led House.

MICHIGAN Michigan Sen. Tom Casperson says he’s firmly committed to introducing legislation to prohibit transgender students from using a bathroom other than the one matching the sex listed on their birth certificate. Casperson said his proposed bill, which has not yet been introduced, would allow transgender students to use staff restrooms in the school, or single occupancy unisex bathrooms, but only with the consent of the student’s parent.

TENNESSEE Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation exempting counselors and therapists from providing services to clients related to behaviors that conflict with “a sincerely held religious belief,” as long as they refer the clients to someone else. The American Counseling Association has said Tennessee would be the only state to allow counselors to refuse to treat patients if the bill is signed into law.

WISCONSIN The only bill introduced in the Republican-led Legislature dealing with gays, lesbians and transgender people was a measure to force transgender students in public schools to use bathrooms and locker rooms assigned to their gender at birth. GOP leaders never brought the bill up for a vote before the two-year session ended.

MISSOURI The Senate passed a proposed amendment to the state constitution in March that would bar government penalties against individuals and business such as florists or photographers who cite “a sincere religious belief” while declining to provide “services of expressional or artistic creation” for same-sex weddings and receptions. The protections also would apply to clergy and religious organizations that decline to make their facilities available for same-sex weddings. If passed by the House, the proposal will go before voters. The proposal has generated backlash from more than 60 businesses and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.

floridaagenda.com

INDIANA Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill last year barring government entities from substantially burdening the religious exercise of individuals, organizations and businesses, unless by the least restrictive means to further a compelling government interest. After businesses raised concerns, Pence signed an amended version stating that the law cannot be used to deny services, public accommodations, employment or housing based on race, religion, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.

OTHER STATES HAWAII A bill to prevent insurers and health care providers from discriminating against transgender patients has passed both chambers of the Legislature, and they’re currently working out differences on the amendments.

The measure prohibits denying, canceling or limiting coverage for services including care related to gender transition, under certain conditions. Several lawmakers also introduced bills to protect the freedom to express religious beliefs by prohibiting the state from taking discriminatory action based on the person’s moral convictions, but the bills were never granted a hearing.

April 21, 2016

ALASKA In Alaska, bills barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity have gone nowhere since being introduced last year.

Bills in the House and Senate would allow clergy to refuse to solemnize a marriage without being subject to criminal or civil liability but so far have not gotten legs. The legislative session is scheduled to end Sunday.

23

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

STATES IN THE SOUTH ALABAMA: Alabama lawmakers are pushing a measure to prevent the state from refusing to license childcare service providers who decline services that conflict with their religious beliefs. Religious organizations contract with the state to provide some childcare services, and opponents of the proposal have argued that the bill could be used to exclude gay and lesbian couples from adopting children or being foster parents. The proposal comes after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down an Alabama Supreme Court order that invalidated a lesbian couple’s adoption in Georgia.

ARKANSAS Arkansas lawmakers last year approved a revised version of a religious objections measure after the initial version faced widespread criticism that it was anti-LGBT. The Legislature also enacted a law aimed at preventing cities and counties from passing anti-discrimination measures that include sexual orientation or gender identity.

FLORIDA Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed a law stating that clergy, churches, religious schools and other religious organizations cannot be required to marry people or allow their facilities to be used for marriage celebrations that violate “a sincerely held religious belief.” The law takes effect July 1.

GEORGIA Republican Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the government from imposing penalties on religious schools and organizations that chose not to employ or serve people based on their sincerely held religious beliefs. The proposal would have also protected clergy who declined to perform weddings for gay and lesbian couples.

April 21, 2016

24

LOUISIANA Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an executive order providing state employees and contractors with protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and more. The order recognizes exemptions for churches and religious organizations. Edwards also rescinded an order former Gov. Bobby Jindal signed that prohibited state agencies from denying licenses and contracts to businesses that take actions because of religious beliefs against same-sex marriage.

MISSISSIPPI A new law prohibits the government from taking “any discriminatory action” against religious organizations that decline to host marriages, employ people or facilitate adoption or foster care based on a religious belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman, sex outside marriage is wrong or that sexual identity is determined by a person’s anatomy at birth.

Several states and cities have banned travel to Mississippi and rock singer Bryan Adams canceled a concert in the state to protest.

TEXAS Before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states must allow gay marriage, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law last June stating that clergy and religious organizations cannot be required to marry people or allow their facilities to be used for wedding celebrations that violate a “sincerely held religious belief.” Texas did not hold a legislative session in 2016, but the previous year, a Republican-backed bill repealing local ordinances banning discrimination against gay and transgender people failed without reaching a floor vote in either chamber. The proposal attempted to roll back such ordinances that already existed in all the state’s largest cities. Instead, the all-Republican state Supreme Court heard a legal challenge to an anti-discrimination ordinance approved by Houston’s City Council, and ruled that it had to be put to a referendum. Houston voters soundly defeated the ordinance in a November 2015 election featuring very low turnout.

STATES IN THE NORTH MINNESOTA A bill was introduced in late March to require employers and public facilities to designate separate restrooms and changing rooms for men and women. A portion of the bill reads, “No claim of nontraditional identity or ‘sexual orientation’ may override another person’s right of privacy based on biological sex.”

NEBRASKA A bill to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity was defeated in the Nebraska Legislature this year. Lawmakers have shelved the bill for the rest of the year.

NORTH DAKOTA North Dakota lawmakers have defeated measures in each of the past three sessions to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.

SOUTH DAKOTA The Legislature passed a bill to require students to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender at birth, but GOP Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed it. The House also passed legislation barring government from taking “discriminatory action” against people, organizations or businesses based on religious beliefs that marriage should be between one man and one woman, sex outside marriage is wrong or that sexual identity is determined by a person’s biological sex at birth.

The bill did not pass before the legislative session ended.

VIRGINIA Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a Republican-backed bill stating that clergy and religious organizations cannot be penalized for declining to participate in same-sex marriages.

WEST VIRGINIA The Republican-led House passed a bill modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, stating that government “shall not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion” unless by the least restrictive means for a compelling government interest. The bill was amended and then defeated in the Senate.

d

The Obama administration is considering whether North Carolina’s new law on gay and transgender rights makes the state ineligible for billions of dollars in federal aid for schools, highways and housing, officials said. Cutting off any federal money — or even simply threatening to do so — would put major new pressure on North Carolina to repeal the law, which eliminated local protections for gay and transgender people and restricted which bathrooms transgender people can use. A loss of federal money could send the state into a budget crisis and jeopardize services that are central to daily life.

floridaagenda.com

PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month signed an executive order barring state contractors and grant recipients from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

State Sen. Mike Folmer says he wants to vet the bill in committee to make sure it does not violate anybody’s religious liberties or freedom of conscience.

MASSACHUSETTS The Legislature is weighing a bill to expand a 2011 state law banning discrimination against transgender people in the workplace and in housing by also banning discrimination in restaurants, malls and other public accommodations, including restrooms.

/floridaagenda

NORTH CAROLINA A new law prevents local and state government from mandating protections for LGBT people in the private sector or at stores and restaurants. The Legislature held a special session in March to overturn an ordinance in Charlotte that would have allowed transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Lawmakers then blocked all cities and counties from passing rules that targeted LGBT discrimination.

/floridaagenda

STATES IN THE NORTHEAST

STATES IN THE WEST COLORADO Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill in February that would have blocked the state from taking any action that may burden a person’s religious freedom unless it was the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling governmental interest. A House committee indefinitely postponed discussion on the bill.

WASHINGTON Multiple pieces of legislation concerning sex-specific restrooms were introduced

by Republicans in both chambers of Washington’s legislature. A bill that would have blocked the Washington Human Rights Commission from initiating any rule-making procedures involving gender segregated bathrooms died in a Senate committee.

UTAH Utah in 2015 passed an anti-discrimination law that makes it illegal to base employment and housing decisions on sexual orientation or gender identity. Gayrights advocates had tried for years to pass similar legislation but only succeeded last year when the measure won support of the Utah-based Mormon church and included religions protections.

April 21, 2016 25

OKLAHOMA A new law states clergy and other religious officials cannot be required to perform marriages or provide marriage counseling, courses or workshops that violate their conscience or religious beliefs. On March 14, gay rights advocates in the state celebrated the failure of 27 bills in the Legislature that they said unfairly discriminated against LGBT people.

NEW MEXICO Three New Mexico lawmakers in December 2015 introduced a measure “to prevent discriminatory action by a person or a government agency in response to a person’s free exercise of religion.” The proposal died during the 2016 regular session.

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda /floridaagenda

“The event of the year”

Friday, May 13 • 7 pm Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Cocktail Reception • Seated Dinner • Live Entertainment • Black Tie Optional Tickets $175 per person available at diversityhonors.com

Special Presentation by Stuart Milk Global Human Rights Activist and MSNBC contributor

2016 HONOREES

Peter Clark

Enbar Cohen

Dr. Mark Denker

Guest Host Omar Lewis Weekend Morning Anchor, WSVN

Rae Franks, Esquire

Robert Runcie

Judge David Young

Featured Performer Levi Kreis Tony Award-winning Actor/Singer

2016 Milk Foundation Milan Rosza Youth Award Honoree

Ryland Whittington

Presenting Sponsor

Benefitting These Organizations:

For sponsor information and tickets: 954.463.9005, x105 or diversityhonors.com

MARK GRIFFIS

April 21, 2016

26

Recreate PMS(from pdf )

fast printz

SINCE 1980

LOCAL NAME. GLOBAL COVERAGE.

SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNE WS.COM

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

27

April 21, 2016

28 /floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

29

/floridaagenda

Tom Casperson

BY D’ANNE WITOWSKI

n

April 21, 2016

30

Recently a friend of a friend posted an Advocate article to Facebook about a woman being kicked out of the women’s restroom at Fishbone’s restaurant in Detroit because she looked like a man. She wasn’t a man. She was a cisgender woman with short hair who apparently liked comfy clothes. And so a security guard allegedly assaulted her, throwing her out onto the street.

The person who posted it made a comment somewhere along the lines of, “Is anyone surprised to see this happening now?” She was referring to the rabid anti-trans climate nationwide spurred on by the so-called bathroom bills that are seeking to keep trans men and women out of public restrooms.

These bills stoke the fears of people who don’t understand what transgender means and/or think it’s some kind of perverted sin against God. Following the link to the article, I noticed it was from June 2015 and felt compelled to point out the date. I thought it important that this event occurred nearly a year ago, when anti-trans bathroom policing wasn’t quite at the hysterical point it is today. The incident at Fishbone’s is, I pointed out, a harbinger of what’s to come.

Because an anti-LGBTQ law like the ones passed in states like North Carolina and Mississippi could be coming to Michigan.

Being debated right now in Michigan is a draft by the State Board of Education of guidance for creating “Safe and Support-

ive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students.”

My first thought when I heard about this: it’s about time.

Unfortunately, the first thought a lot of other people had was of boys putting on dresses so they could use the girls’ locker room to look at titties. This is not only ridiculous, but it’s insulting to the trans or gender fluid students who face the possibility of harassment and even violence every time they have to pee or change for gym.

State Sen. Tom Casperson, REscanaba, is one of those people with visions of sexual deviants dancing through their heads. And he thinks Michigan should make it illegal to use a locker or rest room that doesn’t match your birth gender. Which is totally stupid.

According to the Detroit Free Press, “Casperson said transgender students should be able to use staff facilities or their own bathrooms only with parental consent, and that they should be barred from using bathrooms that don’t match their birth certificate.”

Making trans students use staff restrooms (or even a bathroom of their very own!) might seem like no biggie. But the key here is “only with parental consent.” For some trans students, school is their safe space. Some aren’t out to their parents or have parents who don’t accept their identity. All that aside, however, it is blatantly discriminatory to make trans students

use segregated restrooms.

Casperson was pretty clear about what he thinks of trans students. “Maybe, there’s something there that’s just not normal,” he told the Free Press. “And normal’s not the right word. Maybe there’s something there that’s just not right, where we’re mixing these kids together.”

I’d be very curious to know who Casperson thinks “these kids” are and if he’s ever met and spoken with a trans student. Then again, it’s hard to imagine that Casperson would be interested in such an audience considering he has already dismissed them as people.

State Board of Education President John Austin told the Free Press that the “guidelines were prompted in part to make sure Michigan schools comply with federal civil rights law.”

In other words, these guidelines didn’t just come out of nowhere, demanded by a cabal of powerful trans plants (see what I did there?) on the board. States who pass discriminatory laws face the possibility of billions of dollars in federal funding being cut.

Because federal civil rights law is not messing around.

Casperson doesn’t care. Better to address the false problem of trans predators in toilet stalls than the very real problems of trans students’ high rates of being bullied and of depression and suicide.

Casperson would likely argue that they brought it on themselves by choosing not to be “normal.” nn

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

CREEP OF THE WEEK

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

[

OPINION

WHO IS

Tom Casperson Tom Casperson (born July 20, 1959) is a politician from the State of Michigan. He currently serves Republican member of the Michigan State Senate, representing the 38th district, which includes much of the Upper Peninsula. He previously served in the Michigan State House of Representatives, representing the 108th District.

Casperson was born in Escanaba, Michigan in 1959. He graduated from Escanaba High School in 1977. He has worked in his family’s log trucking business, Casperson and Son Trucking, for the past 25 years. He has owned the business for the past 10 years. He is married to Diane Casperson. They have four children.

Casperson was elected to the Michigan State House in 2002.

He is the vice chair of the House Transportation Committee and is a member of the Agriculture and Resource Management; Land Use and Environment; and Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security committees.

In 2013, while on a radio talk program, Casperson said he was not sure President Barack Obama was actually born in the United States. Casperson is also trying to enforce a law, which forces transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender stated on their birth certificate. He has received criticism for pushing this law, which many argue is insensitive, even though it has negatively affected trade and financing for Michigan.

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

31

n n n n floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

ENTERTAINMENT

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

/floridaagenda

BUT BACK TO THAT PENIS SONG…

KING TITUSS

April 21, 2016

32

‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ actor on being out, Tina Fey pushing his limits and that ‘ode to black penis’ The Internet loves a good penis pun.

One of 2015’s biggest breakout stars, Tituss Burgess, discovered this fact last year, when the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actor’s already-escalating showbiz profile reached new heights thanks to a song he sang called “Peeno Noir: An Ode to Black Penis.”

So Burgess can retire now, right?

“Oh no, I’m just getting started,” says Burgess, who originated “Sebastian the Crab” in the musical version of The Little Mermaid. “There are so many races to love on!”

Not to mention, there’s also the second – and hopefully third, fourth and eighth – season of Netflix’s Unbreakable.

The 37-year-old plays Titus (a variation on his real name, with just one “s”), an aspiring and very gay Broadway performer who lives with an unworldly doomsday-cult survivor named Kimmy (Ellie Kemper).

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING “PEENO NOIR” TAKE OFF THE WAY IT DID? I don’t know that I gave it as much thought or attention as attention was paid to it, and that’d be the honest truth. I mean, obviously I paid attention because I launched my own line of Pinot Noir (called “Pinot by Tituss”), but it was lovely to know that people thought it was funny and had taken ownership of it, but it’s become something other than what it initially was. People recite those words and tell me that their office breaks out into it just as release – no one’s thinking about what it actually meant – so it’s taken on a life of its own separate from the show. But it’s awesome and I love it, and I hope they find something as equally exciting and satisfying about this season as they did last season.

WE GET TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TITUS’S “STRAIGHT LIFE” THIS SEASON. WHO WERE YOU DURING YOUR STRAIGHT LIFE? Gay! (Laughs) Honestly, I had a formal conversation with my mom when I was 19, but I don’t know that I was ever in the closet, if I’m being perfectly honest. I never had the “I have to tell the world” mindset.

HOW MUCH OF THE CHARACTER IS YOU? I’m gonna be honest with you: very little. We share a similar wicked sense of humor and we both, of course, love musical theater and Diana Ross, but my energy lives a lot lower to the ground than his does and I don’t yearn for the spotlight the way he does. The fact is, I really, really enjoy my alone time, so I don’t

crave that the way my character does. In fact, by the time we’re done filming the season, I’m quite exhausted. He requires such a high level of vibration, and so by the time it’s done, I’m happy to hang him up for a few months.

TITUS’S BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT THIS SEASON INVOLVES HIM IN GEISHA GARB. I’M JUST WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. Oooh lord. When I read that script I thought, “Jesus. Last year it was the wolf (Jacqueline, who is “American Indian,” unleashed a primal howl during the finale); this year it’s gonna be the geisha.”

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU FOR ANY BACKLASH? Oh, I’m prepared. I’ve had six months to prep for the harsh criticism. The thing about (creators) Tina (Fey) and Robert (Carlock) is, they don’t shy away from the current climate of the country, and while on a surface level, it might seem like they’re giving these silly stereotypes a platform, I think it’s just sort of exacerbating what we have become so sensitive to. But if it’s a headline, my friend, it is fair game.

Tina and Robert are two of the most informed people I’ve ever met, and sometimes we get scripts and I think, “Surely this has not happened somewhere,” or, “Surely this is something that they’ve made up.” So I’ll get on the Internet and there it is. The transracial storyline – people feeling as though as they remember past lives – when I read these headlines, it’s funny because it’s so unbelievable. So yeah, it’s a fine line, but they treat it with great sensitivity and great class – and it is, after all, a comedy.

Continued on page 34

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

33

floridaagenda.com

entertainment calendar

/floridaagenda

T he Week

/floridaagenda

nevents ntheatre

ARE THERE EVER TIMES WHERE YOU’RE LIKE, “TINA, NO, NO – TOO FAR.” Yeah – the geisha episode! I didn’t wanna do it.

WHAT WERE YOU HESITANT ABOUT? I’m in white face, man! I didn’t want anyone to think I was disrespecting a culture. But what we did was make certain that, while it’s funny, he’s extremely sincere about what has happened to him. He’s for real, and as long as he’s for real in his interpretation and his acknowledgement of his past lives then it’s not offensive. There’s something oddly touching about the end of that episode, and I think it also serves a greater storyline, which is, Titus has finally taken the initiative to take control of his career. No one else is giving him a job, so he wrote one for himself, so that is what’s smart about it.

April 21, 2016

DAVID SEDARIS

n

BUSH

n

NOFX

THURSDAY 4/21 @ 7:30PM Parker Playhouse David Sedaris is recognized across the country as one of the wittiest writers working. In 1992 his essay “SantaLand Diaries” was broadcast on NPR, pushing him into worldwide fame. . Some of his most popular collections include Naked, Holidays on Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris is openly gay and often writes about how his sexuality has affected both his jobs and his family life. 7:30 p.m. Parker Playhouse. 707 NE Eighth St. Fort Lauderdale. 33301.

are living lives unfulfilled. Most Americans don’t have the money that Jacqueline has. Most Americans, especially black people, don’t get away with committing murder like Lillian did. So they’re not paying attention, that’s what I think.

YOUR PERFORMANCE OF DIANA ROSS’S “BELIEVE IN YOURSELF” WHILE ACCEPTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S VISIBILITY AWARD LATE LAST YEAR WAS SO MOVING. WHY IS BEING OUT AND VISIBLE IMPORTANT TO YOU? Honey, how much time do you have? (Laughs) I know what dark places feel like and I know what the absence of love and community feels like, and if I had a me when I was growing up to see, I would have perhaps been familiar to you guys a lot sooner than two years ago. For that reason, I don’t want any young person or any old person to not acknowledge who they came into the world being through all of their past lives. This current one that you’re experiencing is one that should be fully realized – otherwise, you are the walking dead and what is the point?

34

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN PEOPLE CALL TITUS A STEREOTYPE? I think they didn’t see the same show that I filmed. Titus is more everyman than Jacqueline, Kimmy or Lillian. He’s broke, he can’t afford to pay his rent, he’s chasing this career that has not materialized, he has trouble in relationships, at least last season, and he is not a size 32 in the waist. He gets rejected when he attempts to do something good with his life, even if it’s one of his bizarre “this is gonna make me famous” excursions. Most Americans

n

nexhibits nnightlife

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. He once made Jane Fonda cry. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

FRIDAY 4/22 @ 8:30PM Filmore Ex-husband of Gwen Stefani and Roger Federer best friend Gavin Rossdale heads this early 1990s band which found immediate success with their 1994 album Sixteen Stone. That debut album sold over 10 million records in the United States on the strength of singles “Everything Zen,” “Comedown,” “Little Things,” and “Glycerine.” The band would dissolve in 2002 before reuniting in 2010 and releasing the album The Sea of Memories. Doors opens. 8:30 p.m. Fillmore. 1700 Washington Ave. Miami Beach. 33139.

FRIDAY 4/22 @ 7:00PM Revolution Live Los Angeles based punk band NoFX was formed in 1983 and since have become one of the longest-running and most prolific punk acts. In 1994 the American public gained renewed interest in punk rock as bands like Bad Religion, Green Day, and The Offspring garnered success. NoFX’s seminal album Punk in Drublic was released that year and became their most successful release. Some of their most popular singles include “Bob,” “The Brews,” and “Linoleum.” 7:00 p.m.

Revolution Live. 100 SW Third Ave. Fort Lauderdale. 33312.

/floridaagenda

y

SECRET RECIPE SERIES

By Maura Mumball Lane

Passover has a wealth of meanings. There’s the religious aspect, the historical aspect, the social aspect, and the family aspect. The brisket is a traditional Passover food, but itself has no religious meaning.

You’ll have to eat the matzo for that. But a good brisket can bring folks together, and when your friends and family taste this brisket, it will make its preparation worth your while.

Happy Passover!!

floridaagenda.com

Happy Passover Rabbi Noah Kitty Congregation Etz Chaim

/floridaagenda

BRISKET

Photo: Pinterest

INGREDIENTS: One large brisket 5-7lbs. Make sure it has sufficient fat marbling, otherwise it will be tough).

One large bottle of plain spaghetti sauce. Plain, really. I like Prego.

One can jellied cranberry sauce (regular, do not bother with sugarfree. If you need sugar-free, you should use another recipe, because it won’t taste right.)

Large glass pan to cook brisket Electric knife (easier), or good sharp knife Aluminum foil Appreciation for the animal that provided the brisket, and love for the folks you are going to serve it to.

April 21, 2016

PREPARATION: Sear the brisket on both sides (no oil, you’re searing, not cooking) In a bowl, mix the spaghetti sauce and the cranberry sauce, to taste. (That means put in some spaghetti sauce, then mix in a few tablespoons of cranberry, taste it.

In the end, you should have used at least half of the spaghetti sauce and at least half of the cranberry, but it’s your taste buds that count.)

Preheat the oven to 225-250

degrees (depends on your oven, it should be low.)

Put the brisket in the glass pan, and pour about a third of the sauce over it, covering it well. (Do not oil the pan.)

Place it in the oven covered (I used aluminum foil), for 1 1/2 hours.

Take out the brisket and let it cool for a bit.

Slice the brisket against the grain-this is essential! Slices should be no wider than 1/4 inch.

You will need to take a couple of breaks, unless you are accustomed to this kind of slicing.

Drain the pan of most of the juice (this is all fat, which is delicious and if you have some nice bread handy, you can go to town.)

Put the sliced brisket back in the pan, neatly, so that all the slices are leaning against each other. (It should resemble what it looked like before you sliced it) Pour the rest of the sauce over the brisket, making sure that each slice has some sauce on it, and inbetween the slices as well.

Put it back in the oven, covered, for another 1 1/2-2 hours (still on low).

Take it out, let it cool for a bit.

Dig in!!

35

/floridaagenda

n

nevents nnightlife ntheatre nexhibits

MY BIG FUNNY PETER

SATURDAY 4/23 @ 7:30PM Broward Center Peter Bisuito bills himself as the world’s ONLY Gay Bodybuilding Muscle-Bear Comedian. With such a complicated identity, Bisuito has much material to mine in his one-man show My Big Funny Peter.

He discusses sex, life, and the gay community from a hilariously unique perspective.

There will be an after-party at Hunters Nightclub with drink specials for audience members. 7:30 p.m. Broward Center for the Performing Arts. 201 SW Fifth Ave. Fort Lauderdale. 33312.

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

SCREEN SAVOR

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

n KING LEAR

SATURDAY 4/23 @ 7:00PM Studio One Theatre at FAU Shakespeare’s most complicated tragedy involves an aging king’s convoluted way of divvying up his kingdom amongst his three daughters. He requires their flattery but when the youngest and the favorite daughter Cordelia refuses, he kicks her out of the will. Soon he learns that he made a mistake as the other sisters turn against him, causing his slow descent into madness and depression. Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Theatre and Dance present one of Shakespeare’s most revered plays. 7:00 p.m. Studio One Theatre at FAU. 777 Glades Rd. Boca Raton. 33431.

n THE MINISTER’S WIFE

SUNDAY 4/24 @ 8:00PM GableStage George Bernard Shaw’s Candida is given the musical adaptation in The Minister’s Wife, a new musical that explores the fires burning beneath the surface of a marriage. Energetic socialist Reverend James Morrell believes he is in a happy marriage with his wife Candida. Their relationship is thrown for a loop when a young, romantic poet enters the scene and unearths the resentments simmering underneath the surface.

The show recently premiered at the Lincoln Center to rave reviews. 8:00 p.m. GableStage. 1200 Anastasia Ave. Coral Gables. 33134.

n DANCING WITH THE SOUTH FLORIDA STARS

d

36

MONDAY 4/25 @ 7:30PM The Manor Complex It’s kind of fun watching Hollywood celebrities perform the foxtrot and the passé doble, but it’s so much more fun watching local celebrities (mostly drag queens) attempt similar dance routines, especially with the proceeds donated to homeless teens with HIV. Tiffany Arieagus and Kitty Meow host the sixth installment of Dancing with the South Florida Stars, with red carpet commentary provided by Velvet Lenore and Deja Devonier.

Different teams of dancers have formed from South Florida establishments such as Boardwalk, Hunters, Progress, and Rumors bars, plus Fast Printz, Unite, Club One Athletics, World AIDS Museum, and Wolfe Real Estate.

Dancing, catty commentary, and a tribute to Parliament House’s Don Granatstein and Susan Unger—this event is sure to sweep you off your feet.

7:30 p.m. Manor Complex. 2345 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, 33305.

April 21, 2016

By Patrick Robert

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

T he Week entertainment calendar

SCREENING ON 4/27 AT REGAL CINEMAS SOUTH BEACH

S

et in the slums of Havana, a region we will no doubt be seeing more of onscreen and elsewhere with the change in U.S./Cuban relations, Viva (Magnolia) is a touching film about Jesus (Héctor Medina), a young gay man just trying to survive. Jesus does hair and has a variety of regular clients. There’s elderly Nita (Paula Andrea Ali Rivera), who promised Jesus’ late grandmother and late mother that she’d look after him.

Jesus also does the hair and wigs for Mama (Luis Alberto García) and his drag troupe of performers including Pamela (Renata Maikel Machin Blanco) and Cindy (Luis Manuel Alvarez).

Jesus, who has “no one, nothing,” and “wants something for himself,” asks Mama if he can audition for the troupe. Mama agrees to let him audition, on the condition that he still has to do Mama’s wigs. Choosing the name Viva, Jesus shakily passes the audition. The night of Viva’s debut performance, Jesus didn’t tuck properly, and Cindy and Pamela observe that “they can see her cock from Cienfuegos.”

Everything changes on the night of Viva’s second performance. Angel, who has been missing since Jesus was three, has returned to town and is in the audience. He assaults Viva during her number as a way of reintroducing himself to his son. With nowhere to go, he not only insinuates himself into Jesus’ apartment, but also forbids his son from performing. This leads Jesus to hustling as an alternate means of making money.

From here on, Viva, which could also be called The Cuban Girl, becomes an intimate examination of the father/son dynamic. The two men struggle to find a way to accommodate each other while also continuing to stake out their own territory and identities. (Screening on 4/27 at Regal Cinemas South Beach.)

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

37

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda

Does Back Pain have you Frustrated…..

Are You Worried You Will Have to Take Pain Pills For The Rest of Your Life?……..

If this is you or someone you love, keep reading to learn about an amazing free report helping back pain sufferers!

Wilton Manors, FL Are you one of the 100 million Americans who are suffering from chronic back pain? Is your back pain stopping you from doing the things you enjoy? Are you using pain pills regularly just to get through the day? Are you afraid this may eventually lead to surgery? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we can help. We have put together a free report filled with tips to help you avoid the most common mistakes made by back pain sufferers. Back pain is not something you have to learn to live with. There are solutions, and we can help you find them.

Claim your copy of “Erasing Back Pain: How to Avoid the 9 Most

Painful Mistakes and What You Should Be Doing Instead” today to take charge of your pain and get back to doing the things you love! In this report you’ll find  The 3 things you can do to avoid back surgery that will cost you nothing.  How to save yourself time and money by making the right choices for your back pain today.  How to avoid the biggest mistake made by back pain sufferers.

Call (954)-351-2299 now for your FREE report or request it online at www.oceantherapycenter.com/ back.php

WWW.LEATHERWERKS.COM

/floridaagenda

ADVERTORIAL

LEATHER

April 21, 2016

38

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Copyright © 2016 The Werks Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Werks, LeatherWerks, PaddleWerks, Lifestyle Club and BootWerks are Registered Trademarks of The Werks Company, LLC

entertainment calendar

nevents ntheatre

After pursuing Clement, Elliott is thrilled that he doesn’t mind hanging out, helping him and his mother pack up the house. It also does Beatrice some good to get some attention from hot Clement as she senses that the sale of the house is another loose thread in her unraveling marriage to Philip (Finbar Lynch). Clearly Clement doesn’t mind being fawned over either, which includes a kiss from Beatrice and a hand job from Elliott.

But Clement is a complicated guy, ill at ease dealing with feelings, and struggles to cope with his mother in hospice in Paris.

WEDNESDAY 4/27 @ 6:00PM Marlins Park Queen Bee has had quite the career since leaving popular girl group Destiny’s Child.

Her debut album Dangerously in Love received critical and commercial success, skyrocketing Beyonce to the upper echelons of music royalty and allowing her to rule the music industry, along with her husband Jay-Z. In the end of 2013, she secretly released her well-reviewed, personal cd Beyonce with zero prerelease press. The “visual album” became the endof-the-year conversation piece and a new staple in the gay community, proving that there was nothing she couldn’t do. 6:00 p.m. Marlins Park. 501 NW 16th Ave. Miami. 33125.

39

Volatility is the name of the game and dishes are being broke, punches are being thrown and memorabilia is being burned. The problem is that everything is too drawn out – we already feel their pain, we don’t need to drown in it. Still, Stephenson and Lawther are a convincing mother/son duo and Brossard is simply a delight to observe.

(Screening on 4/26 at Regal Cinemas South Beach.)

n BEYONCE

d

thinks nothing of skinny dipping, at a moment’s notice, in the questionable reservoir.

SANTIGOLD

TUESDAY 4/26 @ 7:30PM Revolution Live Philadelphian and Wesleyan University graduate Santigold may always be compared to music rival M.I.A., but the hip-hop pop singer certainly has a more elegant voice and less of a penchant to create controversy about third world problems.

Santigold burst onto the scene with her debut album Santogold, which contained the wellreceived singles “Creator” and “L.E.S. Aristes.”

7:30 p.m. Revolution Live. 100 SW Third Ave. Fort Lauderdale. 33312.

April 21, 2016

When he’s not worrying about the possibly wounded deer in the woods, he’s jerking off to his image in a mirror, writing poetry and plays in his journal at a café, helping his mother pack up the house because it is being sold, or pining over stunningly beautiful Clement (Phénix Brossard), a perfect specimen of modern day old-school rough trade. The kind of guy who

floridaagenda.com

MONDAY 4/25 @ 7:30PM Broward Center When author and raconteur Garrison Keillor created the fictional Minnesota town Lake Wobegon for his books and his Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion literary magic happened. He has written about the setting throughout his career, including in the well-received novel Lake Wobegon Days and the monologue collection Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon. He has won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Album in 1988. 7:30 p.m. Broward Center for the Performing Arts. 201 SW Fifth Ave. Fort Lauderdale. 33312.

The programmers of the Miami portion of the 2016 MiFo Film Festival, running from April 22-May 1, have stumbled upon an interesting cinematic trend. At least four of the best films showing during the first week deal with queer teens and the coming out process in various parts of the world. Below are reviews of two films, one set in the South of France and one set in Cuba. (Advance tickets are available at mifofilm.com).

Beatrice (the amazing Juliet Stephenson) and her son Elliott (Alex Lawther, young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game) are driving to their holiday home when they hit something. It’s dark, and there’s nothing in the road, but Elliott is convinced it was a deer. In fact, he spends much of the rest of the movie dwelling on that fact.

nnightlife nexhibits

n GARRISON KEILLOR

n

D

/floridaagenda

T he Week

SCREENING ON 4/26 AT REGAL CINEMAS SOUTH BEACH

eparture (BFI), the feature length debut from writer/director Andrew Steggall, in English and French with English subtitles, poses an interesting question. Can you know something, good or bad, before you know it? It’s not clear whether or not it answers the questions, but most of it is worth watching to find out.

/floridaagenda

FILM

n n n n n BY GREGG SHAPIRO

floridaagenda.com

Pet Murderer

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

PUZZLE

April 21, 2016

40

Across

1 Mamma Mia! band 5 Acted like 9 Prefix with sexual 14 Susan Feniger preparation 15 Irene of Fame 16 Illicit love affair 17 Problem for skin 18 Send tumbling 19 ‘69 disturbances at Stonewall 20 Ed OíNeill’s character on Modern Family 23 Marlon Brando’s hometown 24 Fran Drescher show, with The 25 Sound of Scarecrow’s foe 28 Stimpy’s pal 29 U-turn from NNW 31 Sometimes pierced flap 33 Funny Cheri 35 Tops a cupcake 36 Mitchell’s pet snake that 20-Across “murdered” 40 Boat bottom 42 Mullally of Will & Grace 43 Communicating regularly 47 Dick, for short 48 They made laws against O. Wilde’s love life 51 1950 film noir 52 Male deliveries?

54 Layer at Hamburger Mary’s 56 Mitchell’s pet bird that 20-Across “murdered” 58 “...a ___ deferred” (Hughes) 61 Ball of film 62 Illegal block by Esera Tuaola 63 Greek triangle 64 Pink on the inside 65 Windy day toy 66 A turnstile swallows it 67 Boob 68 Takes advantage of pupils?

For the solution to this puzzle go to: floridaagenda.com/puzzle

Down

1 Scale with three sharps 2 Turned into 3 South Pacific tree 4 Alpha, to the circumcized 5 Beginning of Hairspray 6 Wife and wife, e.g.

7 Susan in All My Children 8 Moon over the Niles?

9 Saint Joan or Saint Sebastian 10 Send off 11 When repeated, campy 12 Wheel track 13 Areas for Dr. Kerry Weaver 21 Jamaican cultist 22 Old Spanish queen 25 Partner of Caesar, in comedy 26 Prez linked with Joshua Speed 27 Bentley of American Beauty 30 Remarks, slangily 32 Pride member 33 Northern capital 34 Descartes’s conclusion 36 Chicago’s Catherine ___-Jones 37 Use your head 38 Well-kept secret, for some 39 Painter Francis 40 Dan Savage memoir, with The 41 Bowie collaborator 44 Tracey of Tracey Takes On 45 Queerly shy 46 Sand or water, to Sheehan 48 Broadway’s “Thoroughly modern” woman 49 Like Miss Manners 50 Wesley of To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar 53 Start of a religious title 55 Head attachments 56 It has a fickle finger 57 Don Juan’s mother 58 It can kill the queen of a colony 59 Vintage vehicle 60 “Horny” animal

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

41

April 21, 2016

42 /floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

43

floridaagenda.com

HEALTHWISE

/floridaagenda

n n n n n

/floridaagenda

IV Nutrient Therapy For A Healthier, Happier Life

n

If you’re considering IV nutrient therapy, you may be wondering what symptoms and groups of people can benefit the most from it.

While there are many practices that offer IV nutrient therapy for general health, at Genesis Health Institute, we use different combinations of nutrients to specifically target many different By medical issues Dr. Ferdinard and sympCabrera toms. Common reasons patients seek IV nutrient therapy include:

April 21, 2016

44

Recent gastric bypass surgery, Lactose intolerance, Irritable bowel syndrome, Diabetes, Arthritis, Chronic fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Coronary artery disease, Heavy metal toxicity, Before and after surgery of any kind, and Inflammatory disease such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

IMPROVE BEAUTY AND ENERGY Along with these issues, we have formulated nutrient “cocktails” to treat different symptoms, ranging from severe medical problems to everyday issues. One of our most popular treatments is Hangover Therapy, which helps hydrate the body and replenish nutrients lost to alcohol overindulgence. The result is a faster recovery from your hangover.

Another popular cocktail is our Beautify Treatment, which is a mix of nutrients that will enhance collagen production to improve your skin texture.

Most Americans are constantly on the go. We suffer from high stress levels that can disrupt the healthy functioning of our bodies and minds. To combat the negative effects of stress, we offer the Executive Stress Treatment. This infusion contains a high concentration of vitamins C and D, and it replenishes amino acids to restore energy and balance.

For patients who want to feel young and healthy, we offer the Super Antioxidant cocktail, which removes free-radicals and

prevents cellular aging. Other infusions can help remove heavy metals, such as mercury, from the body, or reduce the amount of plaque in the arteries, lowering the risk of a heart attack or a stroke.

GENERAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING Even if you don’t have a specific diagnosis, IV nutrient therapy can help prevent disease and increase metabolic energy production to keep you disease free. IV Nutrient Therapy can also act as a potent agent for detoxifying the body and restoring cellular function. This is because the nutrients go directly into the bloodstream, allowing your body to absorb much higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants that decrease cell death, and minimizing your body’s deterioration and illness.

The most common ingredients delivered through IV nutrient therapy are magnesium, B5, B complex, B12, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin C. All of these nutrients can be delivered in different concentrations and combinations to achieve optimum

results for treating and preventing problems caused by the loss of metabolic function.

INTERESTED IN IV NUTRIENT THERAPY? IV nutrient therapies can improve the way you feel and how quickly you heal from illness. If you are interested in pursuing one of these therapies, find a qualified doctor who works from a safe, clean facility. Ask as many questions as you can to be sure you’re working with the right doctor for your needs.

When you receive therapy, ask detailed questions about the contents of your injection: Where and when was it manufactured?

What is the expiration date?

Never allow anyone to inject you with anything you have unanswered questions about. Most importantly, be sure to work with a doctor who specializes in nutrient therapy to get the best possible results. nn

Have more questions about IV nutrient therapy? I am Dr. Ferdinand Cabrera, the founder and president of Genesis Health Institute, which provides expert treatment in Functional and Anti-Aging Medicine. I have 33 years of experience as a general internist, and am available to answer any questions or concerns. Please contact me at 954-561-3175, or via the Internet at www.ghinstitute.com.com.

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

45

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

Market Place /floridaagenda

CONTACT NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, MAURA “MUMBALL” LANE AT 954-543-5947 OR MAURA@WIRLD.COM TO GET ON THE LIST.

ACCOUNTING

FURNITURE

Sterling Tax & Accounting 2435 N Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-667-9829 / sterlingandhart.com

OPTICAL

HEALTH Ocean Therapy Center 2530 NE 15th Avenue Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-351-2299/oceantherapycenter.com

ATTORNEYS

Island City Eyecare 2301 Wilton Drive, Suite C1 Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-764-6906 / visionsource-ice.com

ORGANIZATIONS

Dean Trantalis Attorney 2255 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-2226 / trantalislaw.com

The Pride Center 2040 N Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-463-9005 / pridecenterflorida.com

CHURCH / SPIRITUAL

Out of the Closet 2097 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-358-5580 / outofthecloset.org

PHOTOGRAPHY FOOD / GROCERY

Dennis Dean Images 3554 NE 12th Avenue Oakland Park, FL 33334 954-240-8307 / dennisdean.com

Diana’s 12001 Avalon Lake Drive Orlando, FL 32828 407-207-0205 /dianasbakeryandcafe.com

HEALTH

Best Books and Taxes 2201 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-565-1041 / bestbooksandtaxes.com

Center for Spiritual Living 1550 NE 26th Street Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-2868 / cslftl.com

INSURANCE Dunham Fort Lauderdale 2601 E Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 303 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954-564-7772 / dunhamins.com

Holy Angels Catholic Community 2917 NE 6th Avenue Wilton Manors, FL 33334 954-633-2987 / holyangelsfl.org

MASSAGE

EVENTS

46 April 21, 2016

FITNESS

Pump’n Inc Tom Bonanti 1271 NE 9th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-557-1119 / pumpnincgym.com

REAL ESTATE Robert Geary MacKilligan on Las Olas Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-234-8759 / rgmsell@aol.com Joe Grano Realtor 1881 NE 26th Street, Suite 212 Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-931-0031 / joegrano.com

We Insure 1975 E Sunrise Blvd, Suite 602 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-903-7519 / weinsurefl.com

Etz Chaim 2038 N Dixie Hwy Pride Ctr Bldg B Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-564-9232 / etzchaimflorida.org Source Events 605 Lincoln Road, #410 Miami Beach, FL 33139 305-672-9779 / sourceevents.com

INCOME TAX

Genesis Health Institute 1001 NE 26th Street Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-561-3175 / ghinstitute.com Better Hearing-World of Sounds 2450 E Commercial Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954-491-2560 betterhearingworldofsounds.com

SPA 11 Lic#MA75718 2000 E Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 103 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954-945-5133 / spa11massage.com

MUSIC Sell Us Your Records!

We Buy Collections.

5130 N. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale 954-671-9482 / wegotthebeats.biz

Proudly serving the LGBT community since 2002

1400 E Oakland Pk Blvd Ste 201B Oakland Park FL 33334

WOLFE REAL ESTATE GROUP

Directly Across from LIPS Call us today!

954. 839. 8330

WolfeRealEstateGroup.com

/floridaagenda

/floridaagenda

floridaagenda.com

April 21, 2016

47

floridaagenda.com /floridaagenda

BEST WATERFRONT VALUE IN SOUTH FLORIDA

/floridaagenda

96% SOLD OUT!

Artist Conceptual Rendering

state-of-the-art gym & spa

3 & 4 story luxury designer residences

resort-style amenities

48

Developed by

April 21, 2016

Exclusive Sales & Marketing by

954.547.8700 KOIPOMPANOBEACH.COM

Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating the representations of the developer, for correct representations, make reference to this brochure and to the documents required by section 718.503, Florida statutes, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee. Obtain the property report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits of value, if any, of this property.