Florida Agenda #127

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APRIL 26, 2012 H ISSUE #127 H FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDA’S LARGEST LGBT NEWSPAPER AND ENTERTAINMENT SOURCE

TRIBALISM VERSUS PROGRESSIVISM EDITORIAL PAGE 10

COURTYARD CAFE SPOTLIGHT PAGE 25

PARKING: BY THE NUMBERS Padgett and Negrete Offer Honest Alibi in Towing Mess

WORLD NEWS

PAGE 09

Q-POINT

RABBI NOAH KITTY IS BLESSED PAGE 12

TRAVEL

ROBERT ELIAS DEATON TALKS BERLIN PAGE 18

By CLIFF DUNN

Photo: DUNCAN WALKER

COLUMBIA GRANTS RIGHTS TO GAY COUPLES

WILTON MANORS – Jackson Padgett wants patrons of his bar and the other businesses at The Shoppes of Wilton Manors to know something: “It’s safe to park your car at Alibi.”

The owner—along with his business and life partner Mark Negrete—of the venerable Georgie’s Alibi bar and restaurant in Wilton Manors, Padgett finds himself in the center of a local storm in which freedom to parkwherever-you-want collides with the freedom to find-a-parking-spot, and in which shopping center tenants are being held to account for a landlord’s actions in much the same way someone might be asked to apologize because his apartment manager voted a certain way.

The Shoppes of Wilton Manors’ parking issue was first reported in three Agenda pieces: an opinion written by former editor Alex Vaughn (Agenda, April 5, 2012 Q-POINT: “Parking in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors: A Death Wish?”), in an April 19, 2012 Letter to the Editor, as well as last fall, when the new shopping center towing policy went into effect. Padgett and Negrete say neither they nor any of the managers at Alibi—nor any of the other tenants at The Shoppes for that matter, as far as they know—had any role in making that policy, which was enacted eight months ago by the property management company and ‘TOWING’ continues on Page 8

MARK NEGRETE & JACKSON PADGETT

THE WEEK IN GAY POLITICS Gay Romney Aide in Hot Water; NC Democrats Embroiled in Gay Sex Scandal

By PHOEBE MOSES

DINING

FUEGO LATINO GRAN ALIMENTO CUBANO PAGE 24 GRENELL: HAVING A GAY OL’ TIME ON TWITTER

WASHINGTON, DC – Less than a week after being appointed to serve as the foreign policy face of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, openly gay spokesman Richard Grenell is under fire for hundreds of online comments he had posted which reflected less than flattering personal opinions of women in politics from both sides of the political aisle.

Although he jibed on Twitter that Secretary of State “Hillary [Clinton] is starting to look liek [sic] Madeline Albright,” a reference to the first female

secretary of state, who served under Bill Clinton, he likewise quipped that Republican candidate New Gingrich’s third wife, Callista “stands there like she is wife #1,” and wondered if her “hair snaps on.”

Grenell also attacked Michelle Obama, who has waged a national campaign against childhood obesity, claiming that the First Lady was “sweating on the East Room carpet” after a workout, and called MSNBC host Rachel Maddow a “dead ringer” ‘GAY POLITICS’ continues on Page 13

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SUNSHINE STATE Christian Conservatives Rally Against Gays, Obama, and “Socialist Agenda” WINTER PARK – While the rest of the country observed a National Day of Silence to commemorate the victims of anti-gay bullying and hatebased violence, Christian conservatives descended upon Central Florida on April 20 to participate in a two-day gathering called “The Awakening,” a multipurpose affair meant to develop a political strategy based upon conservative religious principles to defeat President Obama in November and put a stop to the momentum that has advanced LGBT rights and other progressive causes.

ORLANDO’S CALVARY ASSEMBLY MEGA-CHURCH

The Awakening kicked off on Friday at Orlando’s Calvary Assembly megachurch with all the trappings of a religious revival meeting (with the giant tent substituted in favor of a gargantuan air-conditioned tabernacle). Billed as a “federation of multi-racial, multiethnic and multi-generational faithbased and policy organizations,” the mostly-white attendees were told about the importance of retaining the Latino vote within the conservative fold, although polling data suggests that Hispanics still favor Obama over a potential Republican rival. Latino pastors lectured about conservative values while stressing the need to show compassion towards immigrants (although not for gays).

On Saturday, the meeting broke into strategy sessions that focused on important issues, including “Winning the Battle” against gay rights, and “Families under Attack” from such familiar bogeymen as abortion rights, pornography, and sexual promiscuity.

Among those scheduled to speak at the

LOCAL NEWS

event were Rep. Allen West (R-FL) and Rep. Jon Mica (R-FL), as well as Lou Engle, the Kansas City minister and head of The Call Ministries, who has applauded Ugandan lawmakers for their “courage” calling for capital punishment against persons with HIV/AIDS and those who engage in consensual gay sex. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) appeared via satellite from Washington.

Organizers said they expected about 1,000 people to attend the conference, which was sponsored by the Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal advocacy group that supports and litigates right wing causes. The group is affiliated with Lynchburg, Virginia-based Liberty University, which was founded by the late Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell as a training ground for future social conservative lawyers and public policymakers. “The trajectory we are now on is counter to the vision of our founding fathers, counter to the biblical principles on which our nation was founded,” said Matt Barber, vice president of Liberty Counsel Action.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN VS. THE MAGIC KINGDOM

minds through LGBT characters in video games, they also want to impact a captured audience of tens of thousands of children during the first Saturday of Summer Break.”

As it did last year, the organization is trying to raise money to rent a banner plane to fly over the Magic Kingdom and “warn families about this offensive event before they [arrive] at the park on Saturday.” The group claims that last year’s “banner influenced mainstream family attendance at Disney during Gay Day to DROP between 50 percent to 60 percent.”

“We believe this aircraft banner warning to families SPARED TENS FloridaFamilyAssociation OF THOUSANDS of children from the unexpected exposure to Condemns Orlando this coming out party,” the Web site ‘Gay Days’ warns. Among the things FFA hopes TAMPA – The Florida Family to prevent by the campaign is to help Association (FFA) is calling the prevent parents from exposing “their upcoming “Gay Days” event “offensive” children to same-sex revelry.” The and has condemned those parks and group says they have raised about half facilities that welcome the LGBT of the $8,400 cost to fly a banner plane tourists who will be attending. around the park.

The Tampa-based conservative Designer Men’s organization’s Web site asks “How MIX Opens in would you feel if you entered the Clothing Magic Kingdom anticipating a normal Shoppes of Wilton day of fun with your family only to Manors witness thousands of same-sex couples WILTON MANORS – Guests holding hands, hugging, kissing and wearing tee-shirts that promoted their and local celebrities attended the Grand opening on Friday, April 20, lifestyle?”

Walt Disney World does not of MIX Designer Men’s Clothing in participate officially in Gay Days, The Shoppes of Wilton Manors. The which began in 1991 and will be held store, next to the Alibi on Wilton this year from May 29 through June 4. Drive, is the brainchild of owners Since 2010, organizers say that more Barry Scheiner and Merv Brody. The than 20,000 participants attend the business partners have opened a store weeklong schedule of parties and events with brands including Gucci, Armani, at Central Florida area theme parks Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, and Cavalli.

“We’re looking to attract gentlemen and hotels. FFA’s Gay Days warning alerts supporters that “ust like activists’ who are seeking designer clothing at attempt to gain access to youthful affordable prices,” says Scheiner.

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“What is different about Mix is that the clothing will be in sizes to fit everyone—not just those with a 28 inch waist—which has long been an issue with haute couture.”

Brody and Scheiner bring to the Drive a lifetime of knowledge and experience in the fashion industry.

Brody was an icon of Italian sportswear on Las Olas Blvd. for nearly 30 years.

He pairs this with Scheiner’s sense of style and awareness of the buying audience from Palm Beach to South Beach. Customers can expect the latest fashions to be just that: the latest and current crop that can be seen on the fashion runways of Milan and Naples.

“Discounted clothing is often from the prior year’s line,” notes Scheiner. “I personally spent a few weeks in Italy selecting our inventory and it is from the current season.”

Krishan Manners, President and CEO of Wilton Manors Main Street, says that Mix is the perfect fit for the Island City at the perfect time. “Upscale menswear is an under-serviced market on the Drive,” he offered. “Barry and Merv have done their research and they know their market.”

Swinging Richards Club Files Suit after City Attempts to Dress Dancers NORTH MIAMI – Swinging Richards has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of North Miami Beach claiming the city’s officials are discriminating against gays by attempting to stop nude dancing at the nightclub, open since November 2011.

City Attorney Darcee Siegel notified Swinging Richards that on May 16 the city would begin enforcing a 1994 county ordinance banning nudity in all establishments serving alcohol.

Jamie Benjamin of the Fort Lauderdale law firm of Benjamin & Aaronson is representing Swinging Richards, located at 17450 Biscayne Blvd. Under different ownership, the club had previously operated as Miami Gold, a heterosexual all-nude strip club, dating back to 1988. Swinging Richards is seeking an injunction preventing the city from its planned enforcement of the law. H

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BENEFITING SunServe Latinos Salud Broward House South Beach AIDS Project AIDS Healthcare Foundation The Pride Center at Equality Park The Center for Positive Connections Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center Minority Development & Empowerment, Inc.

FLORIDAAIDSWALK.ORG Presented by:

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NATIONAL NEWS

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Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Compares Anti-Gay Bullying and Obama Administration Violence to “Teasing” Endorses Federal AntiALBUQUERQUE, NM – In a Bullying Measures rebuke to the suicides of gay teenagers

NATIONAL DESK

EDUCATION SECRETARY ARNE DUNCAN

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House announced last week its full support of a pair of measures that would offer federal protections against bullying to LGBT students.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) would address anti-gay bullying and harassment and require that school initiate and enforce anti-bullying policies.

On Friday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan condemned the quiet culture of anti-gay harassment in the public schools. “Bullying can no longer be seen as a normal rite of passage,” Duncan said. “As a country, we must all work together to take action against bullying and improve the safety climates of our schools and communities.”

The April 20 announcement came on the heels of news last week that President Obama has decided against issuing an executive order that would require federal contractors to implement nondiscrimination policies based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The administration has been widely criticized

by LGBT advocacy and human rights groups for its inaction on the issue.

Senate votes on SNDA and SSIA could take place later this year. The bills’ sponsors, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), have said they will introduce their measures as amendments to the larger Elementary & Secondary Education Act reauthorization when that bill comes to the full Senate for a vote.

who were subjected to harassment and violence, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from New Mexico has added her voice to the anti-gay bullying chorus, claiming that proposed federal legislation to provide similar civil rights protections to LGBT students in cases of bullying “as those that currently apply to students based on race and gender” would be like criminalizing “teasing.”

The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would establish federal protections for children against harassment based upon gender identify and sexual orientation. The measure requires schools to implement policies of nondiscrimination and to take immediate action to investigate and address cases of bullying and harassment.

It has 37 Senate co-sponsors and 157 House co-sponsors.

At a candidates’ debate on April 12, for U.S. congresswoman Heather Wilson said that “With respect to this particular agenda we have to recognize as parents that children tease each other because you’re short or you’re tall or you’re a redhead or because you’re ugly or because you’re smart or because you’re dumb or all kinds of differences and as parents we have to deal with that and strengthen our children to be comfortable with themselves and also to show empathy and acceptance towards others, but that particular act is so broad it would actually punish children and say that it’s prohibited to express an opinion with respect to homosexuality in the schools. I just think that’s wrong and it’s a violation of the First Amendment.”

Wilson said that the logic behind SNDA was “misplaced” because, she claimed, pre-pubescent children don’t know if they’re gay. She was also uncomfortable with legislation that “criminalizes bullying” of gay children.

“It basically makes federal funding dependent on school board policies that will not tolerate bullying of people based on their sexual orientation or, you know, even when kids are below puberty,” Wilson claimed. H

Frequently Asked Questions Who are our beneficiaries?

The Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation is targeting financially challenged people living with HIV/AIDS and other life threatening illnesses like heart disease and diabetes to name a few in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Foundation provides an all inclusive infrastructure that educates, motivates and encourages people to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle while continuing to fight HIV/ AIDS and other illnesses.

How many beneficiaries do we currently have?

The Foundations has funded 41 currently active members in the Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation. They all received a Foundation paid gym membership at the Island City Fitness and Health Gym in Wilton Manors. There is a wait list for interested parties. You can apply online by clicking on the APPLY ONLINE Link on our website HYPERLINK “http://www.BrianNealFitness.org” www.

BrianNealFitness.org.. All 41 participants also received a journal to help track their workouts and meals. They also get a personal sign in to a health and wellness website that allows them to track all changes to measurements that are done after each workout, which foods to eat,etc. The basic measurements are weight and then body fat measurement. Once a month their entire body is measured and recorded. Neck, shoulders, chest, biceps, forearms, middle, hip, thigh and calves are all measured and recorded. This provides for a tangible and measurable benefit of the Foundation participation through proven and realized results.

What classes do we offer?

We currently have bi-weekly nutrition and life mentoring classes at the Pride Center on Wednesday’s at 4:30PM. We are working on offering additional classes at different time slots. We offer two group work-out classes every week.

What times and days are the classes?

The group workout classes are held on Thursday’s at 4:30 at the Island City Health and Fitness Gym, and the second group workout session is held on Saturday’s outdoors at the Mills Pond Park on Powerline Road at 10AM. In case of bad weather we use the B Hall at the Pride Center on Dixie Highway.

The nutrition classes are on every second Wednesday of the month at the Pride Center on N. Dixie Highway at 4:30PM. This is followed by the live mentoring classes at 5PM. We also have an hour long weekly walk through Wilton Manors that is open to everybody that wants to join in. This is at 12PM every Saturday. We start and end at Richardson Park on Wilton Drive.

Where are the gyms that are used by our beneficiaries?

We are currently using Island City Health and Fitness Gym in Wilton Manors. The one requirement is for beneficiaries to attend the gym at least once a week unless there is a valid reason for not doing so.

We have also have an agreement with Push Fitness on Floranada Road in Oakland Park to allow persons who require more personal attention to attend weekly group workout session with licensed personal trainers.

Testimonials:

“I feel healthier and more energized. I am looking forward to every boot camp that I attend. Other people have remarked about the changes in my body. I have lost weight and have seen other changes. I enjoy the classes, and follow the nutrient guidelines to eat better and to be more aware of bad eating habits.” Lazaro

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FROM THE FRONT

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‘TOWING’ continued from Page 1

owner, Rivercrest Realty.

What they will own up to is a concerted effort since August to raise awareness of the zero tolerance policy towards unattended vehicles in The Shoppes. On tabletop cards and on signage displayed prominently in the Alibi and its surrounding parking lot, the bar owners alerted their patrons that Rivercrest had “contracted with EMS Towing, and have instructed them to tow any car should they park in the lot and walk away from the Shoppes. This is at the vehicle owners’ expense.”

There are several “camps” in this most local of Gayborhood conflicts: One of these (exemplified in Alex Vaughn’s April 5 “Q-POINT” piece, which can be viewed online at floridaagenda.com) believes the property management is within its rights to tow cars “abandoned” for a few hours (or rounds of drinks) by their owners as they walk down Wilton Drive, but that the selection of a towing yard in the middle of a “tough” urban neighborhood (as evidenced by EMS Towing’s location near Sistrunk Blvd.) is unconscionable. (Editor’s Note: After the Q-POINT piece ran, Rivercrest Realty cancelled its business arrangement with EMS Towing, and now employs the more communityactive—and neighborhood safe—Sal’s Towing.)

Another camp sees the actions of the property company (often misinterpreted as being the actions of the bars and other businesses in The Shoppes themselves) as a gross infringement on patrons’ right to “bar crawl:” What matter—they argue— if you start at Alibi for a drink, then make your way to Boom, and—leaving your car to the convenient care of The Shoppes’ security and parking spaces— stroll up towards Matty’s, Rosie’s, and points north- (or south-) ward?

Other “camps” are more fragmented in that they comprise individuals who work at or patronize establishments in the area other than those within The Shoppes. These can include those with business at any of the more than two dozen bars, restaurants, boutiques, salons, and professional offices that dot Wilton Drive within a five-block strip between Wilton Manors City Hall and Five Points.

“We always have the welcome mat out for people who want to come

and enjoy The Shoppes,” emphasizes question of the growth of business on Padgett. “The problem for all of the Wilton Drive, something which will tenants in the shopping center is that have long-range benefits for the city for years it has been ‘ground zero’ and its merchant tax base, as well jobs for people who wanted to park their and housing opportunities that may be cars and enjoy a day of shopping and created by the growth of commerce on strolling down the Drive, and over the city’s main thoroughfare. the years it has eaten up much of the Of the allegation that they or their parking—not only for us but for Craig managers and employees are initiating at Boom and Gay Mart, and for Java calls to the towing company, Padgett Boys, Island City Health and Fitness, and Negrete are emphatic. “Absolutely and the boutique stores.” not,” says Padgett, and Negrete agrees.

Reece Darham, the owner of Island “This was instituted by Rivercrest City Health and Fitness (ICHF)— eight months ago, as was their hiring located just yards from Alibi— of Strike Force Security to enforce the confirmed Padgett. “There are days policy. As a courtesy to our patrons, we when I have [gym] members who can’t hired two security guards to let them find a place to park,” agreed Darham, know about the towing policy, and to be who also serves as co-chair for the aware that their cars would be towed if R a i n b o w they left them Business unattended— Coalition that was on (RBC), the top of the business and signs, flyers, community and magazine association ads we ran to for LGBT announce the and LGBTtowing policy.” f r i e n d l y In spite of Greater Fort the numerous Lauderdale. “friend of a “There are days friend” stories when I can’t that relate even find a s e c on d - h a n d spot.” accounts Pa d g e t t ’s of towing partner, Mark experiences Negrete, points within The to the area’s Shoppes, grow th—and Padgett says GEORGIE’S ALIBI’S a difficulty that of all the “TOW AWAY” NOTICE CARD in managing complaints that growth— he has as one element contributing to the investigated, he has yet to have parking foul-up. “When I first came someone who was towed produce to Wilton Manors, people compared a receipt showing that they were at it to ‘Mayberry,’” Negrete said, making Alibi, or Tee Jay sushi, or another reference to a mid-20th Century establishment in The Shoppes. metaphor for small-town living. “This Island City Health and Fitness’ isn’t Mayberry anymore.”

Darham supports this. “I have had at Padgett, Negrete, and other business least two occasions where someone owners are rightly concerned that a told me they had been towed, and in property owner policy is inaccurately performing my due diligence I went to painting them as being unwelcoming check their entry records, and found to guests. “We bought a location that no swipe [of their member card]. had great parking,” explains Negrete, Both times when I followed up with trying not to sound apologetic for the guests, it proved to be something making a good business decision— they had been told by a friend, and one that has been turned against him the member who complained hadn’t and Padgett because the landlord is actually been to the gym that day.” trying to err on the side of facilitating Darham’s eyebrow arched, registering customer parking. There is also the disappointment and seeming to say

“oh well, human nature.”

“I respond personally to every email I receive, both the good and the critical ones,” says Padgett, noting that he and Negrete are open to criticism from well-meaning patrons and community members.

“When something happens—a meal is unsatisfactory or the experience isn’t completely enjoyable—that will happen when humans are involved,” he says. “It is what we do about those mistakes or experiences that make all the difference, and why we do our very best to make our customers feel welcome, and why we make every effort to give back to this community of which we are very much a part.”

Padgett and Negrete employ over 125 people, and they offer health, dental, and vision insurance to their employees. “We love our staff and we believe in treating them with the same dignity and respect that we expect them to show our customers,” Padgett emphasizes. The pair have also contributed close to half a million dollars to support local charities and service organizations, not an easy row to hoe in this economy. Although both are adults and businessmen, they are hard-pressed to hide an underlying sense that they are being penalized for owning two of the most prime establishments on the Drive: Alibi, and Bill’s Filling Station—which is starting to experience its own parking pinch—across the street. They are unapologetic, though, about refusing to own the label of “parking police.”

More than anything else, Padgett is philosophical. “A customer of Alibi, or Tee Jay, or Boom, or Island City Fitness should be able to find a space when he needs one. That’s why we have the best parking lot in town,” he adds, well aware of the irony of that same ample parking being both a draw and a source of so much local contention.

He also is aware of the subtle injustice of much of the negative buzz. “I have gone to Rosie’s when there was no valet parking available, and although I could have parked in the Publix lot and walked across the street, I felt it wasn’t appropriate for me to use one of their spaces without doing business with them,” offers Padgett, and without words, he communicates something foundational: most adults probably understand this same unspoken rule, even when they are breaking it. H

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INTERNATIONAL DESK ColombianCourtGrants Inheritance Rights to Gay Couples

PALACIO DE JUSTICIA (PALACE OF JUSTICE) HOME OF THE COLUMBIAN SUPREME COURT

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – Last week, Colombia’s highest court granted the right to same-sex couples to inherit their partner’s pension fund and compensation packages. The ruling by the Constitutional Court said that gay couples meet the legal definition of a “family,” which gives them the same protections and access to their partner’s legacy as for heterosexual couples. The surviving partner must need only offer proof of prior cohabitation.

In its decision, the court noted “The part of the Constitution that treats the concept of family as solely the union between a man and a woman is blatantly wrong, because the family bond is achieved from a variety of diverse situations including the free will to form a family, regardless of the gender or orientation of its members.”

WORLD NEWS

votes to advance to a second round.

Although Hollande beat Sarkozy in the vote count, under France’s constitution the two candidates must face each other in a run-off.

The fight for LGBT rights in France has taken a different path than the one fought in the U.S., including subtle homophobia communicated from several of the far-right presidential candidates, according to European LGBT advocacy groups. In its 2011 annual report, the French organization Sos Homophobie reported that the amount of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity has increased over the last few years. Last year, there was an 18 percent increase in the number of reported cases of anti-gay discrimination in France, and the number of hate-related assaults in public places increased 43 percent between 2009 and 2010.

In the run-up to this year’s French presidential contest, Sos Homophobie submitted a list of questions to the candidates concerning equal rights and the fight against discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Another question concerned the laws dealing with blood donations.

As in the U.S., French blood banks may not accept blood from self-identified MSMs (a clinical term meaning “men who have sex with men”), in order to help contain the risk of HIV contamination.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, the incumbent who came in second in Sunday’s balloting, said he supports allowing MSMs to donate blood only if they have not had sex in the past twelve months. The Green Party candidate, Eva Joly, and the anti-capitalist candidate, Philippe Poutou, both support a relaxation of the moratorium

LGBT Rights Figure based upon individual medical histories. in French Presidential LGBT-Fr iend ly Campaign Jamaican Premier PARIS, FRANCE – On April One of Time Mag’s 22, French voters cast their ballots to decide who among 10 candidates 100 Most Influential will be the next President of France. of 2012 When Sunday’s results were tallied, two candidates—Socialist François Hollande, the challenger, and the incumbent president, conservative Nicolas Sarkozy—had garnered enough

KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Gay rights groups are calling the inclusion of Jamaica’s prime minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, in TIME magazine’s

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British Lawyer Says Churches Will Be Forced to Perform Same-Sex Marriages under New Law LONDON,UNITED KINGDOM – A prominent British barrister says that rulings in favor of marriage equality by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Appeal mean that British churches will soon be compelled to perform same-sex marriages, despite promises to the contrary by Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron’s government issued a consultation document last month that said a marriage equality law will “make no JAMAICAN PM PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER changes to religious marriages.” The “100 Most Influential People of 2012” document said that church marriages positive reinforcement for what the “will continue to only be legally possible publication called “her brave stance” in between a man and a woman.” support of LGBT civil rights.

Neil Addison, the director of the The article entry for Simpson-Miller, Thomas More Legal Centre in London, which was penned by U.S. Rep. Yvette which represents religious and social D. Clarke (D-NY), cites the prime conservative organizations in court, says minister’s courageous support for this isn’t the case. “The Government will LGBT equality during the election, be obliged to permit same-sex marriage which resulted in defeat for the island on religious premises on exactly the nation’s ruling party. same basis as it permits heterosexual Simpson-Miller, the candidate of marriage,” said Addison. the People’s National Party (PNP), “Certainly a good legal case can be was clear in her message calling for made that any place or person who is an end to violence against LGBT registered to perform marriage must be persons, and the persistent homophobia willing to perform same-sex marriage that permeates much of Jamaica’s on the same basis as they conduct mainstream and pop cultures, including heterosexual marriage since, in law, “murder music” played in the clubs that there will be no difference between the encourages violence against and even two,” he added. the killing of gay people.

Addison pointed to the recent “No one should be discriminated decision in a European Court of against because of their sexual Human Rights case involving two orientation,” Simpson-Miller said French lesbians which found that, during the election. “Government although no country has an obligation should provide the protection and I think to legalize marriage equality, once such we should have a look at the buggery a law is passed, the state must apply it law and that members of parliament equally to all citizens. should be given an opportunity to vote “Churches which perform with their conscience on consultation heterosexual marriages will have to be with their constituents.” willing to perform same-sex marriages Jamaica’s anti-sodomy, or “buggery,” and they will have no legal grounds to laws date to colonial times. Time’s resist since the courts have determined inclusion of Simpson-Miller in its list that the ‘orthodox Christian view of stands in contrast to its 2006 profile of marriage’ is not a ‘core’ part of Christian the island country, in which it posited belief,” Addison noted.H whether Jamaica was “The most homophobic place on earth?”.

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EDITOR’S DESK

TRIBALISM, PROGRESSIVISM, AND THE CULTURE’S TOLERANCE OF HATE

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APRIL 26, 2012 • ISSUE #127 FOUNDER MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS BOBBY BLAIR – CEO / MANAGING PARTNER

CLIFF DUNN, EDITOR

“Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.” -Heinrich Heine

L

ast week, hundreds of thousands

of students at thousands of schools across the U.S. participated in the 2012 National Day of Silence, a day established to draw awareness to the evils of bullying and homophobic violence.

It began in 1996 with just 150 University of Virginia students who possessed a degree of character and courage that crude words could never hope to capture. They did it at a time that seems like only yesterday but might as well have been a century or more in terms of the prevailing attitudes and by the measure of the strides we have made towards more complete LGBT civil rights.

Sadly, in 1999 the event was also used to commemorate the killing of Matthew Shepard, the gay University of Wyoming student who was tortured and murdered because of his sexual identity in October of the previous year. This is just the sort of thing that many of us were raised to believe rallies people to their humane best, giving pause to even the most ardent in spite and vitriol for just a moment as they connect with their humanity—that part of it that rails against injustice and violence in the service of no cause other than mean-spiritedness and senseless destruction.

Then reality sets in—in the form of the religious and socially conservative Right, who use the opportunity to strike fear into the under-informed, the ignorant, and the intellectually lazy. The cartoonish Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council—an oafish and hungry Sylvester to the LGBT community’s bird-in-atenuous-cage Tweety—regurgitated to the choir last month that “we cannot allow

these programs like the Day of Silence to come into our schools as a cover for the promotion of homosexuality,” with no thought to the bashed and broken body of a 21 year old who was left to die a lonely death on a lonely strip of rural road.

Was Connecticut pastor James Loomer thinking of a comatose Matthew Shepard—his precious life slipping away with the drops of his precious blood as he died slowly, tied to a fencepost—when he condemned the Day of Silence as “promoting vile, graphic, foul language, and child sex”? It seems to me that he was anything but Christ-like, invested as he was with something akin to the foulness of Shepard’s killers, who justified their actions with the “gay panic defense,” and temporary insanity induced by a sexcrazed Shepard’s sexual advances.

These good, God-fearing, churchgoing men have truly created a Christ in their own image if He tolerates such “spokesmen” as Fred Phelps. This muscular brand of Christianity fuels an Americanized version of the style of hatred that was exhibited by doting fathers and husbands during the 1930s Nuremberg Rallies of the Nazi Party.

It certainly bears no relation to Christ’s injunction of “a new command I give you: Love one another.”

How do such sanctimonious and unChrist-like men as Perkins and his Florida clone, David Caton of the Florida Family Association, reconcile their support for “bullies’ rights,” and the hellish treatment so starkly depicted in the film “Bully,” with the unsettling statistic that close to nine out of 10 LGBT students report harassment at school during the past twelve months, based solely upon their sexual identity? Another 30 percent say that they regularly miss school because they fear for their personal safety: Do Perkins and Caton realize the irony that they are endorsing the very sort of behavior that Christ himself was subjected to in his final extremity? Do they care?

During last Friday’s commemorations, students handed out palm cards that read: “Please understand my reasons for

PUBLISHER BOBBY BLAIR

not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies.

My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment.

I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.” Not exactly a call to storm the Principal’s Office and get “gay” all over the file cabinets. Yet Loomer, the Connecticut pastor who attempted to ban the Day of Silence in his small suburban parish, astonishingly said about these handouts that “If parents came to know the inappropriateness of materials they’d be enraged,” adding, “It’s revolting.”

The actions of the Extreme Religious and Social Right compare to nothing so much as the corruption of moral principles in the service of evil that is regularly engaged in by the practitioners of Islamo-fascism. Indeed, they share the same cultural and philosophical heritage that all proponents of tribalism practice: Terrified by the encroachments and ideas of a “modern” world that challenges their medieval outlook and way of life, they retreat to their actual and ideological strongholds and await the wrath of a righteous and angry God, and then— disappointed by His centuries of inactivity on that front—determine themselves to bring the fight to the infidel. The result: twin towers aflame and in rubble, and thousands of innocents dead.

I think the comparison between Christo-fascists and Islamo-fascists is apt, as both promote intolerance, bigotry, hatred, ignorance, humorlessness, and fanaticism against the “western” ideals of freedom, tolerance, creativity, science, literature, humanism, and love of learning.

Who do you admire more, Salman Rushdie, or the man who condemned him to death, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini?

Who do you think they admire more?

God help them, and us. H

EDITOR ClIFF DUNN

EDITORIAL News Writer • BOB KECSKEMETY Contributors: TOM BONANTI, JAMES MICHAELS, WARREN DAY, JEAN DOHERTY, ANDY KRESS, PHOEBE MOSES, ROBERT ELIAS DEATON, RICHARD DAVID CHAMBERLAIN, DALE MADISON, ARLEN LEIGHT, JUSTIN JONES Photography • STEPHEN KUTTNER, ALEXANDER MAXWELL, PAUL LESCAULT

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THE DOUBLE BLESSINGS OF BEING

GAY AND JEWISH

By RABBI NOAH KITTY

eing both LGBT and Jewish is to be twice blessed, say Christie Balka and Andy Rose, and I believe them, although I have to admit that there are days when—as Woody Allen might quip—it doubles my chances of getting beat up in the schoolyard. Growing up Jewish taught me many lessons about self-esteem, taking comfort in my minority community, and accepting the fact that there really were people out there who hated me, and learning how to handle that.

Studying Jewish history, I learned much about Christian and Muslim Europe and what we now call the Middle East.

“Muslim Europe?” you ask. Yes: before the Christians were in Spain, the Muslims held the Iberian Peninsula, and no: they didn’t leave willingly. Not only might this tidbit win you a prize on a game show, it might also help you keep your head on your shoulders—and the rest of your body reasonably intact—when you have a runin with the aforementioned people who

hate you. Like any other skill, it needs to be developed, which is what being Jewish did for me when I came out as a lesbian.

Another thing being Jewish taught me was an appreciation of time and history.

Jews regularly talk about how things were a thousand years ago, mostly in conjunction with holiday celebrations.

Moses and the Egyptians, Esther and the Persians, Judah Maccabee and the Romans: it could have been yesterday from the easy way these names fall off our tongues. So in Jewish time, the dawn of LGBT rights happened an hour ago.

It used to be that mainstream Jewish institutions did not welcome LGBT Jews. While there was less of the “burn in hell” variety of condemnation, we were lumped together with alcoholics, drug addicts, thieves, and other sorts of ne’er-do wells. In other words, it wasn’t something that Jews “did.” Regarding the Jewish Orthodox folks who did condemn us, I just didn’t accept their authority over my life. Coming out, I met a whole

bunch of Jews who indeed did “do” gay, and during those heady times we relished how our parents had prepared us to be successful in a world eager to see us fail.

How times have changed! LGBT folks are welcome members of almost all synagogues in the U.S. For the most part, it’s a non-issue, except for programming social events and being asked if an LGBT speed-dating casino night might be successful. Lesbian and gay Jewish couples regularly have their unions blessed in a religious ceremony at their synagogue, and get married, if state law permits.

True, it’s sometimes downright dangerous being gay, especially if you’re a young person growing up in a difficult environment, but it’s not easy being Jewish either: and who told you it was going to be easy anyway? Unfortunately too many people get the message that life should be easy, and when it’s not, they figuratively sit back on their tuchas. Better I think to teach that life is hard, and here

are the many ways you can navigate it.

Most of the members of my congregation have done a magnificent job of navigating through their lives, sometimes to the point of claiming that there is no longer a need for an LGBTdirected synagogue. True for them, perhaps, but certainly not for the many young folks coming up and needing a place to call their own, or the adults coming out after a lifetime of living as a straight person and not knowing where to turn for community or advice. So, until the world is perfected, Etz Chaim intends to continue our mission of service to the community, however you may identify yourself.

Rabbi Noah Kitty grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1994. She is the Executive Director of Congregation Etz Chaim in Wilton Manors, and looks forward to serving on the Women In Networking (WIN) Board.

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FROM THE FRONT

APRIL 26, 2012 H 13

‘GAY POLITICS’ continued from Page 1

for teen idol Justin Bieber. Grenell, a former Bush aide, apologized last Friday for the posts, and said that he would remove the offensive comments.

“My tweets were written to be tonguein-cheek and humorous but I can now see how they can also be hurtful,” Grenell told Politico. “I didn’t mean them that way and will remove them from Twitter. I apologize for any hurt they caused.” Approximately 800 tweets were removed from Grenell’s accounts over the weekend.

MSNBC’s Maddow speculated on Friday’s broadcast about the long-term impact on the Romney campaign, and if the presumptive GOP nominee and his advisors “understand that a long string of really nasty, sexist tweets about

MSNBC’S RACHEL MADDOW

Callista Gingrich’s appearance might be alienating to people who might otherwise consider voting for Mr. Romney.”

Democrats have had their own perilous week, with David Parker, the chairman of North Carolina’s Democratic Party announcing last week that he will not seek re-election after a week of pressure from party elders—including the state’s outgoing governor—to resign after allegations of male-on-male sexual harassment surfaced last week in the state party’s Raleigh headquarters.

Those allegations concern former state party executive director Jay Parmley, who himself resigned last week after it was disclosed that a complaint had been filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against him

by Adriadn Ortega, a former party employee who alleged he was fired from his job after Parmley sexually harassed him, despite assurances from party officials that he would not be punished for coming forward with a complaint.

Parker, the state chair, had resisted a week’s worth of cajoling from Democratic leaders to resign because his leadership of the party had become a

distraction so close to the May primary and the election of a successor to Gov. Bev Perdue. “The party must move quickly to select a new chair and a new executive director,” she said. “It’s time to resume our focus on the core mission of the Democratic Party: strengthening our schools, creating jobs, and ensuring more opportunity for all North Carolinians,” said Perdue after Parker’s announcement.

In his EEOC complain, Ortega said that he was sexually harassed between early September and late November.

He claims that he spoke to the party’s administrative director about the harassment in September, and that after speaking with another party official he was told that there would be no retaliation for his actions. Although Ortega says he was subjected to no further harassment, he was fired from his job in November.

Parker said that an investigation into Ortega’s claims found several of his allegations to be either false or open to interpretation, noting that they weren’t included in Ortega’s EEOC complaint.

All that was left were allegations of Parmley touching Ortega’s leg while the latter slept during a road trip and

NC DEM. PARTY CHAIR DAVID PARKER

of the executive director giving Ortega inappropriate shoulder massages. “We’re down to a whack on the leg to wake him up,” said Parker, “and unwanted shoulder rubs that don’t amount to a hostile environment.”

Democratic National Committee Executive Director Patrick Gaspard said that Parker’s decision was “in the best interest of the party,” as the scandal’s backlash threatened to hurt preparations for the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in September in Charlotte. Strategists for both parties also note that the Tar Heel State will be a battleground in November’s presidential election, and that President Barack Obama won the state in 2008 with just a 0.3 percent margin of victory. H

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APRIL 26, 2012 H 15

Cinema | Fitness | Nutrition | Travel | Dining | Bar Guide | Recipe | Classifieds

WHAT’S INSIDE:

T

here’s lots to do in South Florida this week, with the return of the Lauderdale Air Show this Saturday and Sunday on Fort

Lauderdale Beach (OK, OK, this is the inaugural year of this incarnation of an old local favorite— but who cares, with the hunky U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

aerial

team

protecting

BERLIN A ‘Round the Clock Welcome

the

homeland?). See what else is happening in town and elsewhere, OUT in Florida.

Who says Sundance and Cannes get all the world’s best indie films? Warren Day has a look at some of the best LGBT-themed offerings being screened at the Miami Beach International

TRAVEL PAGE 18

Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which runs from April 27 through May 6, this week in Cinema.

It’s safe to say that Berlin–city of music, culture, and jackboots, and capital of the German Federal Republic—has come a long way from its post-World War II and Cold War past, and Travel writer Robert Elias Deaton takes you on a gay old tour of the city of Marlene Dietrich, the

FUEGO LATINO Cuban Cuisine Comes to Town

Brothers Grimm, and Frederick the Great.

As Gilbert and Sullivan might have written (with apologies to “The Mikado”): “Refrain! Refrain!

From eating-off-the-plate-of-the-Chamberlain!”

Resident foodie Richard David Chamberlain takes us to the Havana of Old Cuba, with a stopover at Fort Lauderdale’s Fuego Latino restaurant, in this week’s Dining.

Dale Madison talks about two of his favorite subjects—comfort food and Wilton Drive—with Nick Berry and Shawn Bombard, owners of

Dining

PAGE 24

THE GAMES WE PLAY

HUMMUS AT HOME

Love Jones PAGE 16

Recipe PAGE 25

one of the Gayborhood’s landmark eateries: Courtyard Cafe, in this week’s Spotlight. Who is “That Guy at the Bar?” Justin Jones spends a lot of time reflecting on just that (and him) in an all new Love Jones.

See you at the Air Show—up, up, and away! CD

LOVE JONES

16 H APRIL 26, 2012

YOUR WEEKLY

Love Jones

THAT GUY AT THE BAR

By JUSTIN JONES

T

here he is, standing at the bar, looking at you with gorgeous, promising eyes. You like him. His lips are full, his features masculine. He looks like he’s a passionate lover, like he’ll throw you around a little, degrade you in a way that turns you on. He’ll call you a name or two, and tell you what to do, but then he’ll kiss you. He’ll cuddle with you and make you feel safe. This will be a good night.

You exchange glances for what seems like too long. You want to lure him to you, so you first try acting bashful. He makes eye contact with you and you smile, look down at your drink, and bite your lip. He returns the smile and nods his head to the rhythm of the music playing, but he doesn’t approach you.

Then you try a more manipulative approach, paying him little attention. You dance a little and laugh and wave at people.

He’ll perceive you as popular and desired.

You tell him through this ritual “I can have anyone I want, and everyone wants me.”

This will get him to come over and say hello to you.

Nothing.

Frustrated but determined, you become a little more aggressive. You look at him while you dance, maybe as if you’ve just noticed him and are telling him he’s your pick for the night. Your dance becomes more and more suggestive.

Still, he stands at his place at the bar, smiling and nodding approvingly.

What the f**k? These are brand new jeans. “I know my ass looks good in them,” you tell yourself. “Why isn’t he coming to me?”

At this point, it’s a matter of principle.

You’re NOT going up to him. HE should come up to YOU. He’d be lucky to have you.

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

And what’s he doing? He’s standing there and nodding. Which is kind of creepy now that you think about it.

You suck your teeth and bitterly sip your drink. Screw this.

No. You know what? He’s probably shy.

You shouldn’t be angry. Maybe you should go say hello to him. Maybe he’s that awkward kind of cute. The thought makes you feel better. You take a deep breath, another sip of your drink, and you start approaching him.

He starts moving, too: toward you. At last!

He’s going to tell you how gorgeous you are and what an honor it would be if he gets to take you home tonight. So you stop halfway to him. Butterflies fill your stomach (which you suck in extra hard to give yourself the illusion of a bigger chest and smaller waist), and there he is. Right beside you. And... He’s passing you.

He walks past you and to the spot you were standing, which happens to be in front of a cute young couple dancing far more suggestively than you were. They’re practically humping each other.

You stand in shock and embarrassment, immovable. He wanted THEM: The. Whole.

F**king. Time. You consider dropping your drink for dramatic effect, but you take a sip of it instead. (Instinct, my love. Instinct.)

“You know what,” you tell yourself, “I didn’t like him to begin with.”

Sip. Justin Jones, 25, is a writer based in Minneapolis. In addition to his column lovejones, Justin pens Through These Eyes, a bi-weekly column for Lavender Magazine. He writes about things like being alive, being in love, and drinking too much. Facebook.com/JustinJonesWriter.

STYLE NEWS BRIEFING: SNL Alum, Turned Right Wing Activist, Decries Positive Portrayal of Gays on “Glee” DAVIE – Comedian Victoria Jackson, a former sketch comic on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” has condemned the FOX Network’s program “Glee” for its positive portrayal of gay characters and the potential negative impact it could have on children.

Jackson, 52, a Miami-Dade County native who performed on SNL from 1986-1992, has in recent years joined the Tea Party movement and become an outspoken critic of President Obama, progressive causes in general, and LGBT rights in particular. “This election coming up will decide whether we’re going to be capitalist or communist, tyranny or liberty,” she told supporters this month at a meeting of the Davie-Cooper City Republican Club.

The Miami-based Jackson also condemned the portrayal of families on the hit musical show “Glee.” “There is no family unit.

There are no fathers. Now, goats can marry people,” she complained. “And children are being—okay get this—I said on the Internet that I was very upset that the show ‘Glee,’ which is a fantastically entertaining show of talented kids and writers had two story lines that are [related to] homosexuality. Eightyear-olds are watching this in their living rooms. It’s primetime TV. They’re being taught that homosexuality is normal. And you know what, that’s child abuse.”

In March 2011, Jackson told “Showbiz Tonight” that she though the gay kiss portrayed on “Glee” was “sickening,” citing moral concerns. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” said Jackson. “What matters is what the Bible says.” The Tea Party heroine said that she was “really concerned about our country because immorality is, well, let’s see: Secular humanism rules the airwaves, and it’s stealing the innocence away from this whole generation of children. My daughter is a teenager and I can’t find any show that she can watch.”

Jackson, who says that President Barack Obama is a communist, in her song “There’s a Communist Living in the White House,” also sees a United Nations-backed conspiracy taking hold across the U.S., and believes that the country will soon be under the rule of Sharia—Islamic law as defined by the Quran.

Of accusations that she is homophobic, Jackson told “Showbiz Tonight,” “That’s a cute little buzzword of the liberal agenda.

Basically, the Bible says homosexuality is a sin.” Jackson decried the priorities of network programmers. “They should have a celibacy campaign and tell kids that 50 percent of teenagers now have this new STD from oral sex. That’s what they should be doing instead of trying to make kids gay.”

Locked in a verbal tailspin, she continued “I just want to know why the liberals are pro-Muslim and pro-gay. Muslims kill gays.

That’s what’s confusing to me. And the only thing I can come up with is that the Muslims hate God and the gays hate his word.”

Jack Black Says Gay Rights Are “No-Brainer” LOS ANGELES, CA--In the dark comedy “Bernie,” actor/comedian Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede, a Texas man convicted of the 1996 murder of wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent, who had left him $10 million in her will. Although most people who were personally acquainted with the real-life Tiede—who is currently serving a life sentence in prison—speculated about sexual identity, the convicted killer has never come out of the closet, so Black was able to make creative choices in the role that enabled him to convey the real Tiede’s flamboyance and persona without rendering a caricature.

In an exclusive interview with PrideSource. com, Black discussed his opposition to California’s Proposition 8, which outlawed marriage equality in the Golden State. “It’s a rights issue,” said Black. “I’ve got a lot of gay and lesbian friends and family, so it’s personal to me when people and the government start talking about them as ‘less than.’”

“It just seems like one of the no-brainers in our society,” added Black. “There are not a lot of no-brainers where you’re like, ‘This is right and that is wrong and I’m definitely on this side,’ where you want to go out and sing about it and do things. But it feels good to be on the right side of history.”

Black, 42, previously played the role of Jesus in the production of “Prop 8: The Musical,” which also starred George Clooney and was staged to raise money for California marriage equality.

Gay Adult Content Pre-empts Canadian Newscast HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA - A local Ontario TV morning newscast was interrupted last Friday by roughly three minutes of hard-core gay adult content. The April 20 broadcast of “Morning Live” on Hamilton station CHCH was pre-empted by what station officials are calling “technical errors.”

Although the television station’s owner, Channel Zero, also offers adult broadcast content, management insists that the contraband content that interrupted the morning news didn’t originate at CHCH. “The content did not originate at CHCH but was the result of a switching error at one of the cable companies that distributes our signal,” officials tweeted on the “Morning Live.”

One station viewer—presumably with tongue planted firmly in cheek—tweeted: “Thinking about filing a lawsuit with #CHCH for making me question my sexuality.”

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

APRIL 26, 2012 H 17

BORN FOR THE BIG SCREEN:

The 14th Annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

E

By WARREN DAY

ven in places that are LGBT friendly, such as South Florida, you wouldn’t get the chance to see many of the gay films if it weren’t for special festivals, such as the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) running from April 27 through May 6 in South Beach.

From production to distribution, making an independent gay film is still an arduous task, so it’s important the GLBT community support the people who are venturing forth to tell our stories. As the first major gay film festival in the calendar year, MGLFF is a platform for numerous World, North American and East Coast Premiers with over 65 movies from 15 countries. There’s literally something for everyone.

Films in this year’s festival continue to be dominated by the trials and tribulations of being gay, but there’s at least one major exception in the exceptional documentary “Out for the Long Run” (see below). It’s an interesting phenomenon that in recent years the better gay films have been documentaries, and that’s certainly bore out with the offerings of this year’s MGLFF. I was able to see four of the films in advance, and you’ll find an asterisk (*) by their titles.

The opening picture on Friday, April 27, is from New Zealand and is called “Kawa.” It tells the dramatic story of a successful businessman who finds the courage to tell his wife, children, parents and traditional Maori community that he’s gay.

On April 29 is “SeventhGAY Adventist,”* a remarkable documentary dealing with the conflict that happens, “When your church says the only way you can be true to God is by being false to yourself.”

Seventh-Day Adventists is a very conservative denomination believing in the literal interpretation of the Bible.

It’s more than a religion for it provides a rather encompassing culture for its members to grow up – Sabbath on Saturdays, Friday nights devoted to family, vegetarian in diet, its own scout movement called Pathfinders, a close knit community, and so forth.

The result is that by being openly gay, you risk your relationship with both the church and the culture, as also happens with Orthodox Jews, Mormons, Missouri Synod Lutherans, Southern Baptists and some other religious groups. The film follows three gay couples (two male, one female) as they confront these issues with good character and courage, and find support in surprising places.

“SeventhGay Adventist” is an inspiring and upbeat film.

That same day finds my favorite film of the festival, “Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same,” is both a spoof of sci-fi B movies and straight romantic comedies.

One of the two documentaries set in Florida is shown on April 30.

“Unfit: Ward vs. Ward” tells the true story of how a Pensacola judge ruled that a convicted killer, who didn’t even know which grade his daughter was in, was more fit to raise the child than her lesbian mother.

In the cliché clustered “Naked As We Came”* (May 2), a self-absorbed brother and sister are called to their mother’s rural home due to her failing health and find an

attractive young man living with her.

A lot of confusion and some forced resolutions follow with a none-tooconvincing relationship developing between the brother and the young man. This movie is not particularly gay in either sense of that word.

“Taking a Chance on God” (May 3) is also a documentary about the conflict between the church and being honest about who you are, and is the second festival film dealing with a Florida resident. Eighty-five year old John McNeill has often been a voicein-the-wilderness as he confronted the anti-gay doctrines and powers of the Roman Catholic Church. This nonfictional film is a moving testament to McNeill’s influence as a priest, writer, and untiring activist.

“Out for the Long Run”* (May 5) is one of the best gay documentaries ever made and I urge you to see it because it’s that rare stereotypebreaking GLBT film that focuses on the positives rather than the usual angst of being homosexual.

Expertly made, it follows four openly gay young athletes, two of high school age and two in their first years of college.

Like the excellent documentary “Bully” (showing in theaters now), the parents are totally supportive and provide a constructive counterpoint to the images often portrayed in films (as do the gay young people themselves). Austin is a high school senior and long-distance runner who, unlike many of his straight friends, has never had a relationship, and then, through Facebook, he meets Taylor in North Carolina, another openly-gay athlete who will also be attending Brown

University. The camera is there when they meet for the first time in person and the look on Austin’s face is worth any trouble to see this movie. All four of these young people set a stirring example, not only for their peers, but also for the older generation.

This movie will give you hope for the future.

The beautifully photographed and acted “North Sea Texas”* is a Belgium film in Dutch with English subtitles (talk about diversity) and is the closing night event on May 5. Pim is a lonely 14-year-old dreamer, ignored by his crass mother who works in a bar named Texas. It’s a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of his crush on the older boy next door who may or may not return his affection. Filled with poignant emotions, “North Sea Texas” proves there’s still power in a well-done coming of age drama. Bavo Defume has previously directed only short films with gay themes. In this his first feature-length production, he raises great expectations on what gay films we might expect from him in the future.

These are just eight of the over 65 movies being shown throughout the 14th Annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. For a complete list of the movies, showtimes, special events, and venues, go to mglff.com.

And then go see some of these films yourself.

Send comments or questions to AgendaReviews@aol.com

TRAVEL

18 H APRIL 26, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Berlin

The City Without Walls

By ROBERT ELIAS DEATON Part One—In and Around

B

erlin is a city best approached with a very open mind. Forget any image you might still possess of a graffiti-covered Berlin wall being toppled, or guarded gates separating East and West. While Berlin of the present is one very much rooted in its past, there is a sense of celebration in the air here that carries with it the scent of liberation.

Getting There There’s good news and there’s good news about flying to Berlin. The city is not only easy to reach by non-stop flights on Air Berlin from Miami, it happens to be more affordable than any other European city to book. Round trip airfares can be purchased for just over $900 any time of the year directly through Air Berlin’s website (www. airberlin.com).

Until a few years ago, there used to be three airports in Berlin—Tegal located five miles northwest of the city; Tempelhof to the south; and Schönefeld, outside the city in Brandenburg, bordered by the famous gate. Tempelhof was closed to the pubic in 2008, and the first week in June 3, 2012, Tegal and Schonefeld will close as well.

On the same day, a new airport called Berlin Brandenburg will open in their

place using the airport code BER. Like all things German, it will be executed with precision, having been in the planning stages for years.

The rail system has already been rerouted to include a stop directly underneath the new main terminal, with trains to the center of Berlin taking just under a half hour, and departing every 15 minutes. It’s about the same amount of time to make the journey by cab, but far less expensive. So if you don’t mind a little hassle with carting your bags, use the train and save the dough for some Wiener schnitzel.

The Neighborhoods To get your bearings in this metropolis of some 300,000 gays, think of the city as a big round pie. In the center is the neighborhood known as Mitte, German for “middle” and the hub for tourist traffic.

It’s the place to find what little remains of old Russian rule, including Alexanderplatz,-the center of the old Communist Berlin— as well as Checkpoint Charlie—the crossing point at the Berlin wall, and now a museum that’s you’ll definitely want to make a point to visit.

On the West side of Mitte is the Tiergarten district, famous for the botanical gardens whose groomed lawns are the perfect place to find nude sunbathers—all perfectly legal in this city of abundant decadence.

On the East side of Mitte is Friedrichshain. This is a transition area that was once the center of East Berlin’s concrete slab dwellings and warehouses.

Consider this neighborhood as Berlin’s version of New York’s Lower East Side and Soho combined.

For those who like it on the rough side and want to see skinheads and white supremacists in the wild, continue east at your own risk.

Prenzlauer Berg is to the northeast of Mitte, an historic neighborhood of lovely old townhomes and trendy street cafes and coffeeshops that will appeal to the more traditional artistic types and classy gays of a certain vintage. There’s yuppy wealth all around the place in Prenzl’berg, so prepare to spend some cash while there.

Aim for the south of Mitte and find Kreuzberg, home to the area’s largest lesbian population and a growing commune of anarchic punks. Even under the former Communist rule, it was always a place where the cool congregated. That much hasn’t changed; just gotten a bit more gentrified.

Head further south still and reach Neukölln—Kreuzberg on steroids. Artists find the inexpensive housing a draw, and there are lots of local galleries to prove the point.

And then there is Schöneberg. We’ve saved the best for last for a good reason. To think Gay Berlin is to think Schöneberg.

It was in front of Schöneberg’s town hall that John F. Kennedy made his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, and meant it. You too will feel at home. This is a neighborhood with more rainbow flags than cafés, and first-time visitors may never venture outside its confines, so plentiful is the assortment of goodies provided within.

But that would be a shame. Berlin is a city that needs to be explored for all its flavors.

It’s a huge, sprawling wonderment of variety and inbred tolerance. So inbred, in fact, that it was over ninety years ago that the first gay club was opened here. It was in Schöneberg that Christopher Isherwood wrote his “Berlin Stories” that became the hit musical “Cabaret.” And you, too, will be singing “Willkommen” before you can stop yourself.

Grub and Such While most Germans speak fluent English, the majority of German restaurants will print their menus in their native tongue.

This is particularly true in the smaller kaffees, which you should not hesitate to frequent. These small restaurants are not only some of the best places to meet the locals, they are also the source of some fantastic regional cuisine.

There are over 1,500 types of sausages in Germany, with some 300 of them made in Berlin alone. Look for the word wurst if sausage is your thing. Bratwurst is usually made from pork; blutwurst is as well, though it’s been darkened with blood; and darker still is schwarzwurst, which

often is made using the blood from geese.

Fortunately, it tastes better than it sounds.

If you’re in the mood for fish, look for local trout or salmon listed as forelle and lachse. Spargel is the local name for white asparagus; spätzle is a large, flat noodle; knödel is a delicious potato dumpling; Kartoffelpüree are mashed potatoes; and pizza is, well, pizza. Some things are just too good to change.

German breads are as fantastic as they are plentiful. Look for roggenbrot if you like rye; mehrkornbrot if multi-grain is your taste; and kürbiskernbrot if the concept of pumpkin seeds inside dark rye sounds interesting.

Since Berliners and the tourists that love them play night and day, fast food is available 24/7. While you’ll notice the familiar signs for McDonald’s and Burger King, the real favorite here is doner kebabs, the German version of gyros served on pita bread with a yoghurt sauce.

All the better to eat and run.

Next week, Part Two—the Clubs, the Hotels, the Adventure. It’s worth the wait, liebling.

Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things in life.

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

APRIL 26, 2012 H 19

BAR GUIDE

20 H APRIL 26, 2012

FORT LAUDERDALE/WILTON MANORS ALIBI 2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Gayborhood tradition since 1997. Comfortable, inviting atmosphere with indoor video bars, outdoor drinking and dining. Drink specials all week, with mammoth 22-ounce Long Island Iced Teas for $3 on Thursdays.

PJ’S CORNER POCKET 924 N Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale Friendly neighborhood interracial bar with drinks specials every night of the week including, “In the Biz Mondays” at 9 p.m. with 2-4-1 drinks and $3 Cosmos and Apple Martinis, “Splash Friday’s” wet underwear contest, and Sunday’s pool tournament, both with a $50 cash prize!

BILL’S FILLING STATION 2209 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Videos, pool tables, dart boards, dance floor, happy hour, live shows, Tuesday and Thursday karaoke – and great burgers, to boot. Fun and friendly truck-stop-themed bar.

RAMROD 1508 NE 4th Ave., Fort Lauderdale Voted World’s Favorite Leather Bar. Pig Dance first Saturday of the month – South Florida’s Busiest, Craziest Monthly Party (with caged hunks at Midnight on Saturdays – is there a downside to this?).

BOARDWALK 1721 N Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale Over 100 of the sexiest men from all over the world. Go-go dancers, cages, billiards, 2-4-1 Happy Hours. Drag emcees and did we mention the Boys?

ROSIE’S BAR & GRILL 2449 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors Nexus of the A-Gay List. Be Seen in the Scene (without making one). Food, folks, libations, and a killer Sunday Funday.

BOOM 2232 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors The bar with two names features a dance club and Gayborhood bar. Drag Bingo on Mondays, karaoke Mondays and Tuesdays, dance music Fridays and Saturdays, and (indoor) Sunday T-Dance.

SCANDALS SALOON 3073 NE 6th Ave., Wilton Manors A line-dancin’, tight blue jeans-wearin’ good time. Country and western music, two-steppin’, three-steppin’, pool tables, and themed events year ‘round. Cowboys and Indians was never this much fun, Pilgrim.

CORNER PUB 1915 N Andrews Ave., Wilton Manors Friendly atmosphere, unpretentious clientele and staff.

Next to Island City Pizza (so you can get your drink AND your slice on).

SIDELINES 2031 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Where Sports come first. Nationally known destination sports bar with TVs streaming NFL, MLB, NBA and college games. Pool tables, dart boards and large indoor (and now smoke-free) facility. Outdoor patio features area for smokers. Mixed crowd of gay men and women (who would have thought?). Featured in Bloomberg Businessweek and recommended by LOGO.

CUBBY HOLE 823 N Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale Butch bar and grill with a rockin’ daytime crowd (and a fun nighttime one, too). Fifty cent pool, 2-for-1 drinks all day every day, video games, hot movies on HDTV and DirecTV. Thursdays it’s Bare Bear Chest Night, and every Friday and Saturday the fur flies with Hot Bears on Poles (where their Grizzlies Grind)!

STABLE 205 E Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Levis-and-leather neighborhood bar, where the bears line dance and the cowboys are VERY friendly.

DEPOT CABANA BAR AND GRILL 2935 N Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale Adjacent to the America’s Best Inn and Suites. Pool open daily – No Cover or Day Pass. Great food, daily happy hour, Sunday afternoon T-Dance Poolside. Karaoke and live music. Open daily at 11:30 a.m.

SMARTY PANTS 2400 E Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Cozy neighborhood bar with daily happy hour, and regular patrons. Show night Thursdays at 9 p.m. Karaoke Friday and Saturday nights, and with matinee on Sunday afternoon.

DUDES 3270 NE 33rd St., Fort Lauderdale Men dancing for men. Hot go-go boys in an upscale atmosphere, piano lounge for more quiet interludes.

Steamy shower shows.

TORPEDO 2829 W Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Dance, shoot pool, drink til 4 a.m., 7 nights a week. Doors open at Midnight; dance til Dawn.

JOHNNY’S 1116 W Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Club, bar, lounge. Male dancers and the men who love (to ogle) them. Sunday amateur strip contest (and karaoke!).

LIPS 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park The Ultimate in Drag Dining. Dinner and shows six nights a week. Sunday Gospel Brunch with the Sisters of Sequins.

THE MANOR 2345 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors WeHo vibe (think: LA’s The Abbey) in the heart of the Gayborhood. Dine, drink, dance, play, mingle. Theme rooms (salsa and merengue every weekend in the Latin Quarter!).

Live dancing and dining.

MATTY’S ON THE DRIVE 2426 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Drink specials, billiards, and a chill gayborhood vibe. 75 Cent drinks on Wednesdays. No Drama, No Smoking.

MONKEY BUSINESS 2740 N Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale Cozy neighborhood bar. Karaoke, drag shows, Patio Bar – and open at 9 a.m. daily.

MONA’S 502 E Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Cocktail Lounge in the heart of Searstown. Fun customers, fun bartenders and fun proprietor (the Legendary Jerry).

Outside patio. Wednesday karaoke, Thursday Speedball Tournament.

NAKED GRAPE 2163 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors Relaxing, friendly, hip, unique – the alternative gathering place on Wilton Drive. Wine tastings and events. Tuesday and Wednesday Late Night In the Biz.

WHISKEY BLUE 401 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale In the W Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach, downstairs it’s the elegant Whiskey Blue, upstairs the luxe Living Room: hot dance and social settings in a distinctive atmosphere with signature cocktails and upscale patrons. Indoor and outdoor lounges.

WILTON’S BIER GARDEN 2245 Wilton DriveWilton Manors German cuisine meets Der Gayborhood, in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Upstairs dining, downstairs outdoor patio and bar, DJ music, and a fun staff make one of Wilton Manors’ newest venues a good time to be had by all.

MIAMI/MIAMI BEACH ­ CLUB BOI 777 NE 79 St., Miami With an urban vibe on the weekends, a diverse crowd and a diverse musical format, including Hip Hop, R&B, House, Reggae, Soca, Latin and Old School. Go-go bois and drink specials.

CLUB SUGAR 2301 SW 32nd Ave., Miami Gay Latin scene, with Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton, Hip Hop and House music always playing.

DISCOTEKKA 950 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Hot music, hot scene, hot bartenders, and hot patrons in the hot heart of Downtown Miami.

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On Miami Beach’s famed Lincoln Road, never a cover.

Drink specials all week long, live DJs, high energy music and a fun crowd getting their dance on til late.

Exposed brick, cold beverages and friendly staff are the mainstays of the recently bloomed Florida Avenue flower!

Neighborhood bar, pool tables.

PALACE BAR 1200 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach This bar and restaurant in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco District. Mouth-watering burgers, boys (and girls!).

Weekend cabaret shows Thursday through Sunday.

BAXTER’S LOUNGE 1519 S Dale Mabry, Tampa, FL Tampa Happy Hour Tradition. Serving up some of the hottest dancers Wednesday thru Saturday nights at 10PM.

SCORE 727 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach Dance, drink, party all night on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road. Tons of events throughout the year, including fundraisers for Winter Party, White Party, and Miami Beach Gay Pride.

SPACE 34 NE 11th St., Miami Mingle and mix with gays and str8s in the heart of Downtown Miami. Indoor dance floors and outdoor rooftop bar, spectacular light show.

TWIST 1057 Washington Ave., Miami Beach Great music, friendly staff, hot tourists and locals. Never a cover, always a groove. Bungalow Bar = Hot Men. In SoBe’s Art Deco District.

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA HANKS 5026 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL Friendly local bar with a cruisy attitude. One of Orlando’s oldest and friendliest Gay bars. Beer and Wine. Pool Tables, Video Games and a Large Patio area.

HAMBURGER MARY’S BAR & GRILL 110 W Church St., Orlando, FL Eat, Drink & Be Mary! Tuesday BINGO with Miss Sammy & Carol Lee, Wednesday Trivia with Doug Bouser and Leigh Shannon’s Cabaret Dinner Show is every Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

PARLIAMENT HOUSE 410 N Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL All gay entertainment complex with 130 newly-remodeled hotel rooms. Cruisy Hotel, Nightclub, Pool Bar, Bear/Leather Bar. NEW PHOENIX 7124 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, FL Winter Park’s ONLY Gay & Lesbian Bar. Been There Forever!

Karaoke every Tuesday and Friday at 9 p.m. Drag shows every Saturday night. Home of the $1 Jello shots.

PULSE 1912 S Orange Ave., Orlando, FL Orlando’s Premier Gay Bar & Nightclub with Ultra Lounge, Jewel Box Dance Floor, and Adonis Dancers. Twisted Tuesdays with $10 All-U-Can Drink, College Wednesdays (18+) and 2-4-1 every Friday for Happy Hour.

SAVOY ORLANDO 1913 N Orange Ave., Orlando, FL “The hottest” gay bar and nightclub in Orlando. The MEN OF SAVOY Dancers from 6 p.m. til 2 a.m. every night in the main bar! Video Bar, Pool Tables.

WYLDE’S 3557 S Orange Ave., Orlando, FL Neighborhood bar South of Downtown Orlando. Jukebox, Video Games, Pool Tables and Dancers.

PARADISE ORLANDO 1300 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL Orlando’s casual Gay & Lesbian bar and nightclub. Patio, Tiki Bar and Pool Tables. Happy Hour 4 til 9 p.m. and drink specials every day til 9 p.m.

BAR CODES (FORMERLY BEAR BAR) 4453 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL Friendly Bar, Real Men and Bears... Oh My! Beer and Wine.

Tends to attract the after work Happy Hour crowd.

TAMPA BAY

JOHNNY’S MIAMI 62 NE 14th Street, Downtown Miami Club, bar and lounge. Johnny’s Miami boasts the best sound system in town! Plenty of safe, secured parking.

Open 5pm to 5am daily. Hot male dancers and daily drink specials.

2606 2606 N Armenia Ave., Tampa, FL Tampa’s favorite Levi/leather bar has two floors (dimly lit), with the upstairs being the more cruisy. There’s Hog House shop on-premises, and the 2606 is home to the Tampa Leather Club. Monday is Underwear Night, Tuesdays are $1 drinks and on Wednesdays, Longnecks are just $1.50.

MOVA LOUNGE 1625 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach

AZALEA LOUNGE 1502 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL

FLIRT NIGHTCLUB & SHOWBAR 1909 N 15th St., Tampa, FL (Ybor City) Get that hometown feeling. Amazing lazer shows, big headliners and has been around for 6 years.

CITY SIDE 3703 Henderson Blvd., Tampa, FL Tampa Bay’s “Best Happy Hour” til Midnight every night of the week.

GBAR 1401 E 7th Ave., Tampa (Ybor City), FL Dance Club & Video Bar. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. til 3 a.m. No cover before 10 p.m., $5 after with ID. VALENTINES NIGHTCLUB 7522 N Armenia Ave., Tampa, FL Voted #1 Nightclub in Tampa. Open 7 days a week 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday, Latin Night, Tuesdays are Boys Night Out, Wednesdays are Karaoke Night, Thursdays, No Cover Dance Party, Fridays feature Hot Go-Go Girls, Saturdays are Latino Night “Uncut” and Sundays are Hip Hop Night.

KI KI KI III 1908 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL One of The Oldest Bars (beer and wine). A plain bar without pretention with its share of young regulars.

RAINBOW ROOM 421 S MacDill Ave., Tampa, FL A mix between a neighborhood bar and a community center. Main bar with pool, darts, jukebox. Outdoor Tiki patio has a full volleyball court and live bands. Beer & Wine.

ST. PETERSBURG GEORGIES ALIBI 3100 3rd Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL One of the most popular gay bars in St. Pete. It’s always busy! Great VJ’s play Top 40 music. Mondays are Drag BINGO and Talent contest, Pool tourney Wednesdays, and the legendary Long Island Iced Tea nights on Thursdays.

Ages 21 and over, never a cover!

FLAMINGO RESORT 4601 34th St. South, St. Petersburg, FL Florida’s “largest, luxury all gay resort.” Non-stop entertainment, great menu, and drinks served poolside at the Cabana. Weekly events and 2-4-1 Happy Hour daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday Happy Hour ($1 off) 11 a.m to 9 p.m.

GEMINI LOUNGE 2315 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL Gemini Lounge aims to serve a variety of tastes; music, karaoke, Internet access, poetry readings and sports on TV. OAR HOUSE BAR & LIQUOR STORE 4807 22nd Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL Fun, friendly, laid-back atmosphere where you can get great drinks at cheap prices! Drama free! Happy Hour daily from 2 p.m. til 9 p.m.

HAYMARKET PUB 8308 4th St. North, St. Petersburg, FL More of a Men’s bar. Showing hot videos, beer specials, Saturday Underwear Night, and different events each week.

HIDEAWAY 8302 4th St. North, St. Petersburg, FL The oldest Womyn’s bar in the country. Where music is always the main entree! Coldest selection of beer in town.

DETOUR 2612 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL The hottest club in St. Pete. Daily specials, karaoke nights and gogo boys from Rico’s Men. Noted for it’s Saturday Drag shows and Karaoke nights. Full liquor bar.

MELBOURNE/COCOA COLD KEG NIGHTCLUB 4060 W New Haven Ave., Melbourne, FL Largest Gay Club in Melbourne Florida and the Premier Gay Bar & Nightclub in Brevard County.

ULTRA LOUNGE 407 Brevard Ave., Cocoa, FL

BAR GUIDE

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Nestled in Cocoa Village, this bar has a full coffee bar,

serving espresso, lattes, cappuccinos as well as draft beers & wine.

JACKSONVILLE

THE METRO

2929 Plum St., Jacksonville, FL The Metro Entertainment Complex has been serving the GLBT community for 17 years. Features a total of 7 different venues under one roof to choose from. Lesbo-A-GoGo, monthly Tea Dances, special quest performers, female impersonators and live musicians.

BOOT RACK SALOON

4751 Lenox Ave., Jacksonville, FL Your Neighborhood Gay Bar - the place for men. Cold beer, music and a warm and cozy atmosphere. Hot men and cheap beer... We all know where that leads!

AJ’S BAR & GRILL 10244 Atlantic Blvd., Jacksonville, FL Annie and Janie invite you to stop by and see some old friends and meet some new ones! Great food, awesome service, delicious mixed drinks and live entertainment.

PARK PLACE LOUNGE 931 King St., Jacksonville, FL A fun and comfortable gay bar that’s accommodating to both gays and non-gays. A great place to watch your favorite game, or enjoy playing Wii while the liquor flows!

The Norm 2952 Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, FL A neighborhood bar. Everyone is welcome, but remember it is a girls bar! Beer and Wine only.

616 BAR 616 Park St., Jacksonville, FL A warm and friendly atmosphere with a Patio bar. Karaoke on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thursdays the Jax Bears are here for happy hour. Fridays and Saturdays enjoy the “Beer Blast.”

THREE LAYERS CAFE 1602 Walnut St., Jacksonville, FL The name Three Layers comes from their large variety of delicious three layer cakes. An inviting loft style cafe located in Springfield. Enjoy a bistro style lunch or just stop in for your morning coffee.

BO’S CORAL REEF 201 5th Ave. North, Jacksonville Beach, FL

There are great shows Thursday through Sunday with the best of female impersonators. Pool tables, video games, and a large outdoor patio. The only gay bar on the beach!

INCAHOOTS 711 Edison Ave., Jacksonville, FL This club offers good crowds every night. Recently remodeled with three bars and a friendly staff. Everyday is a different special. A fun place anytime. Full Liquor bar. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except for special events.

KICKBACKS GASTROPUB 910 King St., Jacksonville, FL This is a top class venue serving over 600 different bottled beers, 84 beers on tap, breakfast, lunch and dinner 20hrs a day 7 days a week!

PENSACOLA THE ROUNDUP 560 E Heinberg St, Pensacola, FL A neighborhood gay men’s bar... Pensacola’s Cowboy Bar. Open 2 p.m. til 3 p.m. daily.

CABARET 101 S Jefferson St. #E, Pensacola, FL Not strictly a gay bar, the charming and friendly Cabaret is very much a fixture in Pensacola’s GLBT community, drawing a mixed bunch each evening for happy hour, karaoke, videos, comedy shows, live music, and all-around hobnobbing and socializing.

KEY WEST BOURBON STREET PUB 724 Duval St., Key West, FL Opened in October of 1995 and has continued to grow ever since, it is now part of the larger collection of gay action in The Bourbon St. Pub Complex. Hot Go-Go boy dancers and a busy crowd. “Where the boys are!”

801 BOURBON BAR 801 Duval St., Key West, FL Cabaret shows upstairs with nightly performances by famed performers Sushi, Kylie, RV Beaumont, Margo, and others. This legendary establishment has been around for over 30 years, and host Happy Hour specials daily from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

AQUA NIGHTCLUB 711 Duval St., Key West, FL Aqua features the “Reality is a Drag” show six days a week, followed by dancing. Monday is karaoke night and don’t

miss the great happy hour specials from 3 to 8 p.m. daily.

KWest 705 Duval St., Key West, FL Daily Happy Hour from 3 to 8 p.m., and a piano sing-along every Wednesday night. Men dancing for men after 10 p.m. Weekly drink specials and “Wet Jockey” contests on Fridays.

SALOON ONE 801 Duval St., Key West, FL (Behind 801 Bar) This is the only gay leather bar in Key West. Conveniently located behind 801 Bourbon Bar. LA TE DA 1125 Duval St., Key West, FL An upscale hotel complex with 3 bars, cabaret and restaurant.

PEARL’S PATIO BAR FOR WOMEN 525 United St., Key West, FL Tropical themed women’s bar for gay women and gayfriendly women alike. Patio bar with a full bar featuring drinks like “Cosmopearlitans” and “Pearl’s Passion”.

BOBBY’S MONKEY BAR 900 Simonton St., Key West, FL The gay Cheers style neighborhood bar of Key West. Happy Hour from Noon to 7pm, Karaoke on Sunday nights, pool tournaments on Tuesday nights at 7pm. Free Wi-Fi access.

GARDEN OF EDEN 224 Duval St., Key West, FL A Rooftop Bar with the BEST VIEWS in the city & “BEST Long Island Ice Teas made by Melinda!” Gay, straight, fat, or skinny... Doesn’t matter! Clothing optional - gay friendly!

WEST PALM BEACH H G ROOSTERS 823 Belvedere Rd., West Palm Beach, FL Dark bar that attracts a fun party crowd. Camp is in at H.G.’s, where drag shows and bingo nights pack in crowds looking for laughs and fun.

THE LOUNGE 517 Clematis St., West Palm Beach, FL Sushi, tropical views and tasty cocktails are accompanied by acclaimed resident DJ Daisy DeadPetals.

FORT DIX BAR & CLUB 6205 Georgia Ave., West Palm Beach, FL

APRIL 26, 2012 H 21

Mostly local crowd looking to mingle and relax. The bar is a bit on the dark and dingy side, but who knows--that could be a plus.

FORT MYERS OFFICE PUB 3704 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, FL Oldest gay bar in South West Florida with a festive attitude. This bear-friendly Office likes to have fun with underwear parties, drag shows, Wii bowling! Check out their country and western music night on Saturdays.

TUBBY’S 4350 Fowler St., Fort Myers, FL Where men come to compete (in tournaments). “Never a cover... always a smile” Tubby’s is a no-frills video bar with a total of 10 TVs and two projection screens available for patrons to use as they wish. Add a six-hour 2-4-1 Happy Hour during the Wii tournaments on the big screen!

THE BOTTOM LINE 3090 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL This gay entertainment complex is one of the longest running clubs in southwest Florida at over 20 years, The Bottom Line features 7 bars, pool tables, drag shows and occasional guest appearances by porno stars.

VENICE TOTI: TAVERN ON THE ISLAND IN VENICE 127 Tampa Ave. East, Venice, FL This South Beach inspired gay bar, boasts a dance floor and a game room with pool tables and dart boards. It’s clean, the music is mixed and the staff are friendly. A mixed crowd can be found most nights... younger, older (duh, this is Venice), gay and straight. Did you know that in the Caribbean, TOTI is slang for a beloved male appendage? How apropos.

GAINESVILLE SPIKES 4130 NW 6th St., Gainesville, FL It is a laid-back kind of place, with friendly bar staff. The crowds vary depending on the night. The bar has a nice open air patio area that is rarely used, but would be nice if it was.

UNIVERSITY CLUB 18 E University Ave., Gainesville, FL This is a fairly average small college town gay bar. It is usually busy and crowded on Thursday nights.

TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS AND CHART YOUR SUCCESS!

E

By TOM BONANTI

ver wonder if all that hard work in the gym is really paying off?

Do you ever doubt your progress because you always seem to look the same in the mirror, even though others tell you that you look marvelous? Why not consider taking your measurements and chart the course of your workouts?

Such vital statistics as Body Mass Index (BMI), your weight relative to your height, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the baseline amount of calories you need each day for your body to function, and body fat percentage are important for you to know and they can be tabulated with formulas you can get on line, or better yet, get a skilled personal trainer to take them for you. It may take a little time to calculate them accurately, but it is important for you to know these numbers so that you can gear your training accordingly.

There are other important measurements you need to know and you can take these on your own very simply. Here’s how to go about it. First, get a full-length mirror

if you don’t already have access to one.

Second, buy a flexible tape measure available in the sewing department of most stores. Third, take off all your clothes and be ready to be perfectly honest with yourself as you stand naked in front of the mirror.

Make mental notes of areas or muscle groups that need work, i.e. droopy butt, jiggly belly, the dreaded man boobs, etc.

Don’t be overly harsh or critical. You’ve also got some good points to your physique.

Note them also: broad shoulders, beefy forearms, etc. Take note of your posture as well and how you can look better by simply standing straighter, throwing your shoulders back, keeping your head up, stop slumping, etc. The more confidant you are in your appearance, the better you will look to the rest of the world!

Aware now of the raw material you’ve got to work with, use the flexible tape and measure each muscle group.

Measurements should be taken before working out on relaxed muscles. It is

best to measure in the morning after you shower, before you get dressed. No tensing up or flexing, please! Be sure the tape is held snugly and evenly against the skin at all times. Write each measurement down and keep them on file.

• Measure your neck right under the Adam’s apple all the way around.

• The shoulder measurement is taken at the widest point.

• Measure the chest across the nipples while breathing normally.

• Measure upper arms around the widest point without flexing your biceps or tensing triceps.

• Forearm measurements should be taken at the widest part of the arm below the elbow.

• The waist is measured at the naval.

• Hip measurements should be taken across the widest part of the buttocks.

• Calves should be measured at their widest point. Ditto your thighs.

These assessments can be done solo or with a friend if you are prepared to handle some honest criticism. Retake these measurements every three months as you change your workout routine. Knowing whether or not you’re making progress by honestly charting your results can help you to set new goals or re-evaluate old ones.

Remember your body (you’ve got to love it!) is a work of art in progress. Training, eating right, measuring honestly, etc. are the tools you use to become the best that you can be. Contact TrainerTomB@aol.com today with any or all questions regarding measurements, fitness or anything about your daily workouts.

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc Gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale. For more tips on how to get bigger beefier arms by summer, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

22 H APRIL 26, 2012

OUT IN FLORIDA

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale

Following a five-year hiatus, the Lauderdale Air Show returns to sunny Fort Lauderdale Beach, April 26-29, with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headlining the event. Sunrise Blvd. will provide a center for the activities, which will include many of the world’s premier military and civilian acts.

Enjoy this thrilling example of AllAmerican fun and South Florida’s waterside beauty.

Schedule of Events: Thursday April 26 7:00 p.m. Performer Welcome Party (open to the public). Location TBD. Parachute Team Jump.

Schedule of Events: Friday April 27 7:00 p.m. Air Show Take Off Party (open to the public). Sea Level Restaurant beachside at the Marriott Harbor Beach. Navy Seals Parachute Team Jump.

Schedule of Events: Saturday April 28 8:00 a.m. Display Village Opens 9:00 a.m. Show Center Beach Premium Viewing opens 10:00 a.m.

Waterfront Clubhouse, Colonel’s Club VIP Stand and Chalets open 12:00 p.m. Lauderdale Air Show 2012. Show Center at Sunrise Blvd & A1A 4:00 p.m. Air Show After Party (open to the public) Location TBD – near Show Center 7:00 p.m. Saturday Night Performer Party (open to the public) Location TBD Schedule of Events: Sunday April 29 8:00 a.m. Display Village Opens 9:00 a.m. Show Center Beach Premium Viewing opens 10:00 a.m.

Waterfront Clubhouse, Colonel’s Club VIP Stand and Chalets open 12:00 p.m. Lauderdale Air Show 2012. Show Center at Sunrise Blvd & A1A 4:00 p.m. Air Show After Party (open to the public) Location TBD – near Show Center 7:00 p.m. Air Show Afterburner Party (open to the public) Location TBD BEACHBEAR WEEKEND The annual BeachBear celebration in Fort Lauderdale will be held May 10 through 16.

The host hotel is the Courtyard

by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, 440 Seabreeze Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.

Thursday, May 10 - Afterburn: Windamar Resort from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tea-dance,

drink specials.

- BearBust: Scandals from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., happy hour prices.

Friday, May 11 - Rehydrate: The Windamar Resort from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tea dance, drink specials.

- Growl: Bill’s Filling Station, 8 p.m. $5 donation at the door includes one free drink.

Saturday, May 12 - BeachBearFest: Granada Street, noon - 5 p.m., marketplace, food and drinks.

- Where the Bears Are: Coconut Cove Guest House, private party, visit www.bosfl.org.

- UnderBear: Boom, retro-disco, $10 beer bust, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

- The Meat Ball: Ramrod, starts at 10 p.m.

Sunday, May 13 - BearBQ: Richardson Park, barbeque, beer, drinks from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

- Fuzz at Depot: Dance or play BINGO, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

- Bearlicious: Tea dance, The Manor, doors open at 8 p.m.

Monday, May 14 - Bear Eats and Beats, Recovery brunch: Wilton Bier.

- Big Bear Beer Bust: Ramrod, $10 all you can drink draft beer and $3 Absolute drinks.

For more information and tickets, beachbearweekend.com FLORIDA AIDS WALK The Florida AIDS Walk is a 10k walk (or optional 5k) fundraiser to raise awareness and help reverse the continuing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in South Florida. 100 percent of the funds raised from the Florida AIDS Walk stay right here in Florida and will benefit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Broward House, the Pride Center at Equality Park, SunServe, Latinos Salud, the South Beach AIDS Project, the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center, and other local service organizations. This community fundraising and awareness event helps ensure the expansion of HIV/AIDS testing, education and prevention initiatives in South Florida, and throughout the State of Florida.

The Florida AIDS Walk also benefits: LGBT education, advocacy and services; specialized services that meet the needs of the economically disadvantaged, marginalized youth, seniors and peoples of differing abilities; specialized, comprehensive care of children and youth with HIV/AIDS in a family-centered

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environment; and improving the lives of individuals living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. Sunday, May 20, 2012, registration and checkin at 8:00 a.m. on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

A Note About Sponsoring Walkers with Checks: Make checks payable to Florida AIDS Walk. Also, be sure to include the name of the person you are sponsoring and the team that they are a member of to ensure proper credit.

A Note About Matching Gifts: Matching Gifts are an easy way to sometimes double the amount you have raised for the Florida AIDS Walk. Please click here for a list of participating companies and how to take advantage of this easy way to make your contributions count more! More information at floridaaidswalk.org.

AQUA GIRL For Women Who Love Women, May 2 through 6. Now in its eleventh fabulous year, Aqua Girl™ continues to attract women from all corners of the country, the Americas and around the globe. The week continues to grow with an ever-expanding variety of events that enhance its appeal and have created what is now one of the hottest Women’s festivals in the country. From dance parties, to comedy shows,

recently tied with San Francisco for the title of Best City for Unity Between Gays and Lesbians, and they won hands down in Best City for Unity Between Gays and Straights. Both their city and county official mottos are “One Human Family. Their LGBT leaders serve openly, and visitors are welcomed throughout the island.

Key West shows their pride every day, and this is your chance to be a part of the celebration.

Miami to live music, to pool parties, to a bowl-a-thon, jazz brunch, dine-out event, VIP reception, art show, and celebrity meet-andgreets and so much more. Having so much fun never did so much good, with 100% of the proceeds from Aqua Girl benefitting the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit-foundation whose primary mission is to promote the equality, strength, health, and visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Monies raised during the Foundation’s signature week, as well as through individual and corporate donations go directly to educate, empower and foster the lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women’s communities throughout South Florida. For more information, visit aquagirl.org PRIDEFEST Key West has a lot to be proud of: the southernmost U.S. city

Key West Come out for Key West Pride, June 6 to 10, and enjoy dance parties, drag shows, bike tours, water excursions, a street fair, and even a parade through town.

Their Miss Pride, Mr. Pride and Ms. Pride competitions are infamous for their fun and their skin.

Make your plans now to attend Key West Pride. Most events are All Welcome. All events are uniquely Key West. For more information: keywestpride.org.

ST. PETE PRIDE The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride Street Festival and Promenade returns Saturday, June 30. The diversity of Southwest Florida’s LGBT community and visitors from around the world join local allies, business and community leaders, and supporters for a day of food, fun, dancing, music, and fun.

St. Petersburgh’s Grand Central District transforms into Carnivale with an attendance estimated near 100,000.

Following in the great tradition of the Stonewall Riots and the start of the modern gay rights movement, St. Pete Pride has grown into one of the country’s largest Pride events. In 2009, the number of attendees topped 80,000. For more information: stpetepride.com.

KEY WEST: WOMENFEST The 20th Annual Womenfest will be held in Key West from September 4 through 9. Parties, dancing, film festival and outings for women. For more information: womenfest.com.

DINING

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FUEGO LATINO

Good Eats - Cuban Style

By RICHARD DAVID CHAMBERLAIN There was a time, not too long ago, when the only way to get great Cuban food in Fort Lauderdale was to leave the city and drive down to Calle Ocho in Miami. That was BFL, of course.

Before Fuego Latino, that is.

The Cuban restaurant opened in a strip mall that’s also home to the Zoo Gym and a martial arts school, and became such an immediate hit that the owners had to start posting a sentry seated on a lawn chair out in the lot to make certain their hungry customers had a place to park. While Fuego Latino serves some Mexican dishes, it’s the Cuban fare and reasonable prices that will keep you coming back for more.

To get an instant sense of the place, order a Bandeja Fuego ($16.99), and prepare for a feast. The platter-sized portion is enough to feed two or three, piled high with Mariquitas, Tamal con Lechón, Chiccharrones de Pollo, Jamon and Pollo Croquettas, Yuca Frittas, and

two Empanadas. For the uninitiated, that’s plantains with garlic sauce, pork tamales, fried chunks of chicken breast, ham and chicken croquettes, yucca fries, and stuffed turnovers. In any language, spell that “yummy.”

Often, a Cuban restaurant is judged by its Palomilla Steak, and Fuego Latino has a superb version with thinsliced, spice-marinated and mouthwatering beef. At $9.99, it’s not only a bargain, it’s a sautéd-onion-topped masterpiece of flavor. It is served with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains. It’s a bounty that will not only fill you up, it’s delicious enough to have you licking your plate.

Juliana de Cerdo ($13.99) is a specialty of the kitchen—a julienned filet of pork tenderloin that’s been marinated in a blend of spices that’s so secret, the recipe is locked in a safe.

Grilled with bell peppers and onions, this dish alone will make Cuban cuisine your new favorite.

Traditional paella is a Spanish specialty that’s reinvented at Fuego Latino into a Cuban delicacy that takes some pre-planning. Since this dish-for-two takes a full sixty minutes to prepare, call ahead and order Paella Valenciana ($35.99) by phone before your arrival. The Cuban interpretation of this rice dish mixes chicken, shrimp, clams, mussels and grouper. While the flavor is anything but traditional, the dish is a lavish treat you can give yourself and your sweetie.

The most popular dishes at Fuego Latino are their assortment of Fajitas-Vegetable ($8.99), Chicken ($10.99), Steak ($11.99), Chicken and Steak combo ($12.99), Shrimp ($13.99), and the Fuego Fajita (Chicken, Steak and Shrimp) ($16.99). The table presentation of these sizzling platters is a sense sensation—steam, aroma, and crackling hot. It’s garnished with tomato, sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole, plus a stack of warm tortillas. Fast, fresh, and fragrant.

A unique feature here is the Fuego

Latino Cantina. For $30 per week, businesses and individuals can select one meal a day, Monday through Friday, from a rota ting set of seven entrées per day plus up to three side dishes from a ten-side dish selection. Among the choices are Pork Chops, Ground Beef Casserole, ½ Chicken, Palomilla Steak, Ropa Vieja, Beef Stew, Chicken Breast, Breaded Chicken Filet, Pork Chunks, or Grouper Fillet--all served with rice, beans, yucca, sweet plantains, chicken soup, chicharos, ajiaco, lentejas, and/ or mixed vegetables. For six dollars a day, can you afford not to eat at Fuego Latino?

It’s a relaxed, clean and fun atmosphere here, where you’ll feel like family even if you’ve never been to Habana or habla español. Come early and tell them Florida Agenda sent you.

Fuego Latino 1417 E Commercial Blvd Oakland Park, FL 33334 954-351-7754

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SPOTLIGHT

Comfort Food For Thought: Courtyard Café Serves up Heaping Helpings of Food and Friendliness

By DALE MADISON

L

ong a fixture on Wilton Drive, Shawn & Nick’s Courtyard Café has been known for years as a great place for breakfast and lunch, or a late-night, post-weekend-bar-crawl snack. The story goes well beyond that. When was the last time—especially in South Florida—that you heard of a business deal being made over a handshake?

When owners Nick Berry and Shawn Bombard first discussed the idea of purchasing the venerable restaurant from former owners Norman and Judy, Bombard recalls “I wanted to buy a cleaning business and a laundromat, but Nick had other ideas. Bombard, who had a professional restaurant background,

had been looking for a change. “It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the food business, but I thought perhaps it was time for a change,” he remarked over iced tea.

“Now 10 years later, here I am still at it.

Funny, some things as we go through life just don’t change.”

For years, Bombard had been the selfdescribed “caustic and loud” waiter whom everyone requested to be sat in his station, just for a chance to be insulted and yelled at. It was just a tradition that longtime patrons had come to expect and, frankly, for this writer, Sunday just wasn’t the same without biscuits and gravy—and Shawn asking “Is that enough for you fatty?”—always with a laugh. (Those days of biscuits and gravy are long gone: now it’s black coffee and fruit salad.)

The Comfort Food Kings Berry and Bombard also participate in the

HUMMUS

This Week’s Delicious Recipe

H

By JEAN DOHERTY

ummus is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips. I tasted it for the first time on a visit to Lebanon and fell in love. It’s usually served with fresh or toasted pita bread, but you can use Baguette, chips or crackers if you like. Hummus is essentially mashed chickpeas and is great for a snack or as an appetizer. Tahini is an important part of the hummus recipe and can’t be substituted, however, it can be omitted and I don’t use it in my recipe.

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas drained • ¼ cup of liquid from the can of chickpeas • 3-6 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on your taste) • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

• ½ teaspoon salt • Fresh ground pepper • A good splash of Tabasco • 4 tablespoons of good olive oil Drain the chickpeas and set aside the liquid from the can. Combine all the ingredients in your blender or food processor. Add the 1/4 cup of liquid from the chickpea can. Blend for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Taste, rectify the seasoning if necessary, adding more of this or that… you are the chef!

Although born in Dublin, Ireland, chef Jean Doherty spent most of her life in Lyon, France, the gastronomical capital of the world. Together with Vero, her partner of 25 years, Jean has owned and run multiple restaurants including Fort Lauderdale’s Le Patio.

community that patronizes them.

Full disclosure: when I worked for a local non-profit, Shawn called and offered a special dinner menu with 10% of the sales donated to the organization. The business pair has also supported numerous other local organizations, and they do so during their busiest nights. For Bombard and Berry, giving back is serious business.

Bombard says that he would like to see more boutiques and similar businesses make their way to Wilton Drive. “I miss the retail stores,” he offers. “It seems that the Drive has been just focusing on bars and restaurants. I really preferred when we had a good mix of retail and food and bars.” As for other changes on the Drive: “Honestly, the meters have hurt all of the businesses. I know the city needs revenue, but it has hurt.”

The growth of business at Courtyard

Café’s flagship location (they have a satellite at The Depot bar in Fort Lauderdale and also own and operate Gelato Station, just down the Drive) from 60 meals (“covers” in the business) a day when Berry and Bombard purchased the restaurant to 120 covers today, and from 150 sold on Saturday and Sunday to 300, is a Drive success story worth reflecting upon in leaner times. “Here is the bottom line,” says Bombard. “Good food, good prices, get ‘em in, get ‘em out, but never let them feel neglected. It’s all about customer service.”

value from your computer investment, *A+ Hardware & OS CERTIFIED. *Friendly, professional, RELIABLE service.

Reasonable rates. Call Mike (954) 817-3883

26 H APRIL 26, 2012

COUNSELING

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A MIND AT PEACE/ THERAPEUTIC SERVICES/ RON "DOC" CHAMBERS, MSW (954) 627-0103 1975 East Sunrise Blvd., Suite 629 Fort Lauderdale. HIV Related Issues /Anxiety /Depression /Schizophrenia /Relationship Problems /Anger Management Problems /Same-Sex Battering /Domestic Violence. Most Insurance Accepted /Credit Cards Accepted.

MOVING

ELITE RELOCATION MOVING & STORAGE We've provided quality moves for over 30 years. It's always a smooth move when you choose Elite Relocation. Contact us today at (954)975-8660 - www.elitemoving.com RED BOX MOVING -FLORIDAAGENDA.COM OWNER IN TRUCK ON EVERY MOVE. CALL NORBERT DIRECTLY. Affordable, Reliable, Careful.

MV#567/INSURED. (954) 305-9176 or (561) 506-5540 www.redboxmoving.com

COMPUTER SERVICES

EMPLOYMENT

RETAIL SALES POSITION ON WILTON DRIVE- Full and Part Time Positions Available Now! Call 954-873-3889 PT / FT ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE NEEDED - We are a streaming / internet LGBT radio station, south florida based.

This a commissioned sales position. For more info do contact us via email; Info.MyGayRadio@gmail.com SALES ASSOCIATES - The Florida Agenda, Mark Magazine are looking for dynamic salespeople to join our team. Are you energetic, proactive, and passionate about sales? Then this could be the “Star Role” for you! Seeking true “go-getters” with a great work ethic. Existing accounts available for immediate income.

Contact Bobby @ 954-336-0436 or Bobby@bobbyblair.com JOHNNY's MIAMI HUNTING FOR BEARS - GREAT $$$ South Florida's Favorite Male Strip Club is seeking BEAR DANCERS for new Special Event. Great Pay + Tips. Send photo and contact info to JohnnysBarMia@gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT

JOHNNY's MIAMI LOOKING FOR DANCE MANAGER MINIMUM 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE. GREAT PERSONALITY A MUST. If you have experience in nightclub personnel management… Join our growing team! Send your resume to JohnnysBarMia@gmail.com

DENTAL HOME IMPROVEMENT

Derek’s 24 HR HANDYMAN SERVICE. Introducing our new cabinet shop! For all your custom made cabinetry countertops laminates. YOU MUST SEE OUR WORK, just ask our clients. All electrical to code; ANY & ALL plumbing work, Drywall finish work / repair.

Crown / baseboard pro-install, interior / exterior painting, demo work, Pressure washing, Decor tile install, Complete home up-dates. For large jobs, 4-man crew available. WE CAN HANDLE IT ALL! Instant call back, direct service response. No job is ever too small.

Excellent references. Derek (954) 825-5598

ACCOMMODATIONS

COMPLETE COMPUTER REPAIR FREE ESTIMATES - No extra charge for Inhome. FREE Computer tune-up with any service. Laptop screen and keyboard screen replacement. Viruses, Spyware, Data Recovery, Lockouts and more! SAME DAY SERVICE - LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE Call Ernesto: 754-234-5598 WHERE’S PCLAUDERDALE? Anywhere you want us to be! Computer support for the home or office. We deliver! South Florida’s Premier Tech Solutions Provider 954.636.3322 www.PCLauderdale.Com “OPTIMA” COMPUTER REPAIR COMPLETE In - Home Service. Get the best performance, protection and value from your computer investment, A+ Hardware & OS Certified. *Friendly, professional, RELIABLE service. Reasonable rates 954817-3883

COUNSELING A MIND AT PEACE/THERAPEUTIC SERVICES - Ron “Doc” Chambers, MSW 954-627-0103, 1975 East Sunrise Blvd. Suite 629, Fort Lauderdale. HIV related issues/ Anxiety / Depression / Schizophrenia / Relationship Problems / PROBLEM? Same-Sex METH Battering / Domestic Violence. www.SouthFloridaCMA.org Most Insurance and Credit Cards accepted.

EMPLOYMENT MALE COSMETOLOGIST OR EASTHETICIAN FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE

AGENDA CLASSIFIEDS wanted CALL FloridaFLORIDA licensed professional for CHAMLEE ATWe 954-465-1563 all maleKEITH guesthouse. do it all except hair services! Reception, exceptional client service, spa maintenance and sales aptitude a plus. Submit your resume to: Spa@thecabanasguesthouse.com or call 954-565-2307.

HOME IMPROVEMENT DEREK’S 24-HR HANDYMAN SERVICE - Introducing our new cabinet shop! For all your custom made cabinetrycountertops laminates. You must see our work, just ask our clients. All electrical to code, ANY & ALL plumbing work, Drywall finish work / repair. Crown/ baseboard proinstall, interior/ exterior painting, demo work, Pressure washing, Decor tile install, Complete home up-dates. For large jobs, 4-man crew available. WE CAN HANDLE IT ALL! Instant call back, direct service response. No job is ever too small. Excellent references. Derek (954) 825-5598

CLEANING SERVICES CLEAN IT RITE RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CLEANING - Best Cleaning for your buck. Reliable & Affordable. Ten years in business. 1 BR, $45.00, 2 BR $55.00, & 3 BR $65.00 Manny (954) 560-4443 PROFESSIONAL CLEANING to take care of your home and office. Excellent rates and references. Serving the community for over 5 years. Call Gerardo @ (954)2245769 or (954)441-5770

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PLACE TO PALACE - Home Improvement and handyman services. Best rates, and smart solutions. Drywall, Painting, Tile, Doors, Wood Decks, Masonry, Purgolas, and Ceiling Fans. Turn windows into doors! Truck available for yard clean-up or apartment maintenance and moves. FREE estimates! Lic. & Ins. CC#11-FC-16297-X Cert. Ctrl#11-18694. Call Ben (954) 5659674

Wilton Manors – East Fort Lauderdale RENTALS, SALES|

LICENSED MASSAGE RECESSION RELIEF - $40 per 90 MINS - Out Calls Higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, Specialty Back, Lower Body & Feet.

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MOVING ELITE RELOCATION & MOVING STORAGE - We’ve provided quality moves for over 30 years. It’s always a smooth move when you choose Elite Relocation.

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RENT / LEASE FORT LAUDERDALE/IMPERIAL POINT - Well-maintained, quiet 1-bedroom apartment in Georgian complex on NE 62nd Street. Convenient to downtown, beach and Wilton Manors. Nice grounds and pool. Credit check required, $700/mo.

Call owner: (917)334-1146 FORT LAUDERDALE - CONDO QUALITY 2/1 - Walk in shower, Designer bath, Open Granite Kitchen, Smooth-top Range, DW, Icemaker, very spacious unit, CAG. $1250/ mo. 1 yr Lease, F/S. Call 954-448-9811

WILTON MANORS - LARGE 1 BD APT. Located on quiet cul-de-sac one block from Shoppes of Wilton Manors. CAG, ceiling fans, tile floors, fireplace, lots of storage.

12 ft. sliding glass doors lead to screened pool and patio. W/D on premises. Rent, which includes electric, water & propane is $975/mo. Sorry no pets. (954)563-4442.

RENT/LEASE FURNISHED PERFECT RELOCATION RENTALS 3-6 MONTHS From $325/week & $1300/month. Beautiful Studio, 1 & 2 BR Apts. Turn-key, fully furnished & equipped, clothing optional pool, laundry, parking. Close to Gay & Nude Beaches. Pets Welcome. Incl. utilities, cable, tel., Wi-Fi Internet. (954) 927-0090 or visit www.LibertySuites.com

ROOMMATE WANTED DANIA BEACH. Share a charming home and lamai. Lush tropical setting. Lakeside, quiet and safe comm. Furnished Room includes: Utilities, Direct TV, W/D. $500/ mo Non-smoker/drugs Call Ron (954)965 7759 or (315) 857-7759.

SPIRITUALITY THE PARISH OF ST. FRANCIS & CLARE 101 NE 3rd Street - Just North of Broward Blvd. and E. of Andrews Ave. Mass Times: Sat @ 5 PM; Sun @10:30 AM ; WED@7PM. Where we Welcome & Appreciate Diversity - a Progressive Community in the Catholic Tradition. (954)731-8173 StFrancisAndClare.org CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SONG Welcomes you to come and worship with us every Sunday Morning at 10AM and every Wednesday Night at 8PM. We meet at the SpiritSong Worship Center at 2040B North Dixie Highway Suite 3 in Wilton Manors (Building B on Equality Park Campus behind the Pride Center.)

God Loves You Just The Way He Made You. Come discover His purpose for you.

For more info: (954)418-8372 WE ARE HERE FOR YOU…DIVINE MERCY CHAPEL- The American New Catholic Church 2749 N.E. 10th Ave., Wilton Manors, FL, 33334 (954)567-1930 www.newdivinemercy.org Sunday Mass 10:30AM, Friday Holy Hour 7:00PM WIG WILD INSPIRATIONAL & GATHERINGS Looking for Lip/Sinc Choir members (Glee Style). Mon&Wed 7pm-10pm. Have energy and a fun spirit, call 754-444-1944 or email (info@ wigministries.org)

pick up your every week

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SIGNING OFF

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