Florida Agenda #131

A MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS COMPANY

MAY 24, 2012 H ISSUE 131 H FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Florida’s Largest LGBT Newspaper and Entertainment Source

THE BARRACKS CLOSET EDITORIAL PAGE 10

LOCAL DESK

CELEBRITY CHEF LOVES HUMPY’S PIZZA

PASTOR: BUILD FENCE FOR GAYS POLITICAL DESK PAGE 8

inside: MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMs/ CYBERMESH INT’L ANNOUNCE MAJOR JOINT VENTURE. pAGE13

SUNSHINE STATE SAME SEX STORM

PAGE 2

WORLD DESK

WHERE GAY MARRIAGE REIGNS

By CLIFF DUNN

PAGE 9

NAACP Board Endorses Marriage Equality in Miami …and a Majority of Florida Voters Oppose Gay Marriage (But Say it won’t Affect Their Votes)

TRAVEL

MIAMI – In a week where the national conversation continued to focus upon same sex marriage, much of that conversation was focused on events occurring here in Florida. During its annual meeting last weekend in Miami, the board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) voted in favor of a resolution to support marriage equality for LGBT Americans. The endorsement of the nation’s oldest and most prominent civil rights organization came barely a week after President Obama publicly announced his support for gay marriage, and is seen as a show of solidarity for the group with the nation’s first African American chief executive.

Sources say that all but two of the board’s 64 members voted for the resolution, which read in part, “We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth

ROBERT ELIAS DEATON TAKES SLC IN PART II PAGE 18

cinema

DOES “DARK SHADOWS” BITE? PAGE 17

Amendment of the United States Constitution.” Roslyn M. Brock, chairwoman of the NAACP board, said in a statement, “We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.”

According to Julian Bond, the former NAACP chairman and a lion of the 1960s civil rights movement (he was also the first President of the Southern Poverty Law Center), the “tipping point” for many board members was Obama’s televised announcement in support of marriage equality for gay Americans.

Bond also noted that the NAACP’s vote dispels the notion of purported opposition within the African American community towards gay marriage. “This proves that conventional wisdom is not true,” said Bond.

While the cultural reverberations of the NAACP board’s actions were starting to be felt, a new Quinnipiac poll of Florida voters this week indicates that a majority oppose marriage equality.

The survey results, which were released yesterday, show that 50 percent of Sunshine State voters oppose same-sex marriage, and 40 percent support it.

Those numbers become less gloomy when a third option—civil unions—is introduced into the equation, with 36 percent of Florida voters saying that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, another 34 percent supporting legal unions other than marriage for gay couples, and 23 percent saying that no legal recognition should be afforded same sex relationships. In 2008, Florida passed an amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage as union between a man and a woman.

Seen in the light of the survey results, the question of President Obama’s recent support of same sex marriage having an impact on how voters will cast their ballots has a surprising answer: 63 percent say Obama’s support for marriage equality will make no difference as to how they cast their vote, and 59 percent said that Republican Mitt Romney’s opposition to civil unions will also not be a factor. The Quinnipiac poll also showed Romney beating Obama in Florida, 46 percent to 41 percent. H

2 H MAY 24, 2012

Manors Mayor, Development Czar Host Business Roundtable Eat-andGreet WILTON MANORS – On Thursday, June 7, Mayor Gary Resnick will host the Second Annual City of Wilton Manors Small Business Roundtable Breakfast, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Hagen Park Community Center. Topics will include a discussion of the city’s economic development plans, and questions and answers with Resnick and Wilton Manors Community Development Director Heidi Shafran. Also in attendance will be local business and networking groups, a small business lending expert, and representatives from the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Alliance Small Business Assistance Program.

A light breakfast will be served. To RSVP, contact to Gina Ray at (954) 390-2120.

Celebrity Chef Art Smith Drops by Humpy’s for Slices, Sweets

Lady Gaga and Art Smith on the set of “Oprah” .

WILTON MANORS - Celebrity Chef Art Smith made a surprise visit to Humpy’s Pizza on May 18, stopping by with partner of a dozen years Jesus Salgueiro. The two, who tied the knot in 2010, enjoyed a couple of slices of Humpy’s internationally famous pizza, and sampled the restaurant’s cupcakes that Smith had heard so much about. Smith, who was private Chef to Oprah Winfrey until 2007, is currently working on

LOCAL DESK

a new venture with Lady Gaga— Joanne’s, an Italian trattoria in midtown Manhattan. Smith and his artist spouse were in South Florida to deliver the commencement address at Johnson and Wales University, for its 2012 graduating class. During their sojourn at Humpy’s, Smith logged on to Twitter, and tweeted praise for the restaurant’s garlic shrimp pizza and carrot cupcakes.

SAVE Dade Honors “Champions of Equality”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Left), Sen. Bill Nelson (Right).

MIAMI – On May 11, the LMNT gallery hosted the SAVE Dade Champions of Equality Awards Reception and Silent Auction, to honor individuals who have “significantly advanced the cause of equality for the LGBT community in Miami-Dade County.” Among this year’s honorees were U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, and the Miami office of the law firm of White and Case.

Nelson’s support in the Senate was crucial to dismantling the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military ban, which prohibited gay Americans from serving openly in the armed forces.

White and Case, a New York-based for-profit law firm, represented— pro-bono—the rights of existing and future gay service members by arguing for their client, the Log Cabin Republicans, that the federal government needed to prove the “important government interest at stake to intrude on the personal and private lives of homosexuals.”

Also honored were six popular Miami-Dade County activists, who were inducted into SAVE Dade’s Hall of Fame. They included Dennis Edwards, Mark Steinberg, Elizabeth

Schwartz, Joan Schaeffer, Eric Hankin, and Richard Milstein. More than 600 guests were in attendance, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami), MiamiDade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, and other lawmakers and officials.

Sarasota Group Wants Domestic Registry SARASOTA – Residents of Sarasota are calling for the establishment of a “domestic registry” that would bestow rights upon both gay and straight couples in issues of healthcare, funeral decisions, and other matters. The gender-andsexual-orientation-neutral measure would grant to couples certain legal rights in a partner’s life, and would not challenge existing laws governing civil unions and gay marriage. not a marriage,” said business owner Grace Carlson at a Monday night meeting of the Sarasota City Commission. “This is definition that is recognized by the state of Florida,” she added. “It’s defining a relationship between two loving, committed adults who share a residence and a common life, who provide and care for one another and immediate family members.”

Carlson and former city commissioner Ken Shelin presented language for a proposed ordinance, which would then require public hearings before commissioners make their determination. The city currently recognizes domestic partnerships for city employees, under which couples can participate in health and life insurance coverage, among other benefits.

The Sarasota proposal defines domestic partners as “two adults who have chosen to share one another’s lives in a family relationship. Two persons are considered to be domestic partners if: They consider themselves to be members of each other’s immediate family. They agree to be jointly responsible for each other’s

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

welfare. Neither of them is married under the laws of the State of Florida, is a member of another domestic partnership, or civil union with anyone other than the co-applicant.”

According to U.S. Census data, more than 12 percent of American households have domestic partners, a five percent increase since the previous U.S. Census in 2000.

Womyn’s T-Cruise Sets Sail on Memorial Day FORT LAUDERDALE – The exclusive Womyn’s T-Cruise will embark for a three-hour party cruise on Monday, May 28, from 2 to 5 p.m., leaving Fort Lauderdale on the south side of the New River, in Smoker Family Park. The Memorial Day event features music by DJ Jeanine Baisi, and host Tara T., with an afternoon of dancing, food, drinks, and fun, aboard the charter “Musette.”

The three-hour cruise will feature a tour of the Intracoastal Waterway and Fort Lauderdale’s beautiful inland islands and sights. Tickets are on special for $38 for adults, $10 for children. Fort more information, visit facebook.com/womynstcruise.H

FOR MORE NEWS THAT IS RELEVANT TO OUR COMMUNITY,

SCAN HERE TO JUMP TO FLORIDA’S LEADING LGBT NEWS WEBSITE

.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 3

4 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 5

6 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

NATIONAL DESK

and its nine electoral votes in 2008.

Gay Families Push for Marriage Equality with Members of Congress Cruising for Justice: Mayer (Left), Hart (Right).

Arrested Gay Tourists Admit to Sex during Cruise Stopover

PALM SPRINGS, CA – Two gay men, who were arrested in March on the Caribbean island of Dominica for public indecency, have admitted to having sex on the balcony of their stateroom while their ship was in port. John Robert Hart, 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer, 53, of Palm Springs, told gay blog site Queerty that they were engaged in sexual intercourse shortly before their arrest during the gay cruise to the Caribbean, which is operated by Atlantis Events.

“We simply went on what should have been the vacation of a lifetime but instead, it turned out to be a very frightful nightmare,” the couple told Queerty in an exclusive interview. “When you have these types of incidents, people just want to talk about the salacious details.

So let’s talk about it: Yes, we were having sex on the balcony. We were [deleted].

There, I said it.”

Mayer, 53, and Hart, 41, say that of greater concern is the question of safety for LGBT visitors to countries with a history of homophobia. “The real question is not what we were doing on our balcony, but why is one of the largest promoters of gay cruises and events taking folks from the LGBT community to these countries with laws against homosexuals on their books?

Why are they financially supporting these countries? These countries have laws against consenting adult gay men and women who engage in intimate contact and in some cases just for the existence of their sexual orientation.”

The men were charged in late March with “buggery,” a criminal charge that dates to 19th Century British colonial rule. Dominica, which has

one of the poorest economies in the western hemisphere—and is sometimes confused with the Dominican Republic—criminalizes consenting same-sex intimacy.

Will Gay Rights Define Colorado’s 2008 Electoral Calculus?

DENVER, CO — the same day that President Obama endorsed same sex marriage, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced a special session for the state legislature to debate a civil unions bill that Republican lawmakers had stalled. Although the measure was defeated by House Republican leaders, who refused to allow it to come to a vote, Hickenlooper said that the matter was a “fundamental question of fairness and civil rights.”

Democrats plan to use the bill’s defeat in November in a bid to gain control of the House. “My family is the same as every one of yours,” said state Rep. Mark Ferrandino, the openly gay Democratic House Minority Leader and co-sponsor of the civil unions bill. Republicans hold a 33 to 32 seat majority in the House, and the GOP leadership has refused to allow floor debate on the civil unions bill, killing it twice through procedural measures.

In 2006, Colorado voters banned same sex marriage, but the civil unions legislation would grant similar rights as marriage, including hospital visitation and caretaking rights, along with greater latitude in inheritance and parental matters. President Obama—who delivered a commencement address yesterday at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs—carried Colorado

WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, May 17, dozens of LGBT families from across American descended upon the nation’s capital to lobby their U.S. Senators and Members of Congress in support of the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman for federal purposes. The gay, bisexual, and transgendered parents and their children—members of the Family Equality Council—held meetings with about 50 Members of Congress, discussing a range of issues from same sex marriage to adoption and hospital visitation.

Zach Wahls, an Iowa man who spoke emotionally last year to lawmakers in his state about the rights, was among those in attendance. He told CNN, “The fact is that not all people who are opposed to same-sex marriage are bigots or hateful or ignorant.” Wahls, 20, is the author of “My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength and What Makes a Family.”

“I think if we can move past some of these stereotypes on both sides, we’re able to have this real conversation and understand that at the end of the day, my family isn’t looking for some radical change to the law, we’re looking for due process and equal protection,” Wahls added. Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray proclaimed May 17 as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Family Equality Day,” and called upon citizens to support justice and equality for all families.

30-Day Sentence for Rutgers Webcam Suicide Defendant

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ —On Monday, Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student whose roommate committed suicide after learning that Ravi had used a Webcam to spy upon his encounter with another gay man, was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Ravi, 20, a legal resident of the U.S.

MAY 24, 2012 H 7

born in India, was convicted on March 15 of 15 criminal counts, including bias intimidation and invasion of privacy, which is considered a hate crime in New Jersey.

The case, which began with 18-yearold Tyler Clementi’s September 2010 leap off the George Washington Bridge, raised national awareness about the suicides of gay teenagers who have been subjected to bullying, and focused LGBT advocates and opponents alike on the law’s application of hate crimes statutes.

Judge Glenn Berman spent several minutes admonishing Ravi for the behavior he had exhibited towards Clementi. “You lied to your roommate who placed his trust in you without any conditions, and you violated it,” Berman said. “I haven’t heard you apologize once.” The judge’s verbal workingover of Ravi made the relatively light sentence all the more surprising when it was announced. Prosecutors were shocked at the sentence, and say they will appeal.H

Ravi: Time to reflect

FOR MORE NEWS THAT IS RELEVANT TO OUR COMMUNITY,

SCAN HERE TO JUMP TO FLORIDA’S LEADING LGBT NEWS WEBSITE

.COM

8 H MAY 24, 2012

North Carolina Pastor Calls for Death of Gays, Virginia Republicans Deny Judgeship to Gay Lawyer

POLITICAL DESK

baby killer and a homosexual lover,” adding that “It makes me pukin’ sick to think about—I don’t even know whether y’all can say this in the pulpit or not—can you imagine kissing some man?”

During a 1978 sermon, Worley also preached about violence against LGBT persons, protesting that, “We’re living in a day when it saddens

By Joe Harris my heart to think homosexuals can go around, bless God, and get the The pastor of a North Carolina applause of a lot of people, lesbians Baptist congregation this month and all the rest of it. Forty years ago denounced homosexuality, and called they would’ve hung, bless God, from for the extermination of all gays and a white oak tree, wouldn’t they,” he lesbians, through the construction of asked, before adding, “Amen.” an electrified fence, and waiting for North Carolina has been at the them to die. center of LGBT rights-related news A video posted on YouTube in May. Voters there amended the this week shows the sermon from state constitution this month to Sunday, May 13, at Providence Road define marriage as between a man Baptist Church, in which the pastor and a woman, and another pastor of the Maiden, North Carolina- suggested that parents beat their based parish, Charles Worley, tells children for displaying homosexual his congregation, “I figured a way to characteristics. get rid of all the lesbians and queers.

“Dads, the second you see your son Build a great, big, large fence — dropping the limp wrist, you walk over 150- or 100-mile long — put all the there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give lesbians in there, do the same thing him a good punch,” Bearean Baptist for the queers and the homosexuals, Church pastor J Sean Harris advised and have that fence electrified so during a sermon. they can’t get out.”

He later said that although he “In a few years they’ll die. Do you doesn’t advocate abuse, “effeminate know why? They can’t reproduce,” behavior is ungodly.” added Worley, who has served as Elsewhere in the Old South, pastor of Providence Road Baptist despite bipartisan support for since 1976. The minister also his nomination, a gay Virginia condemned President Obama’s prosecutor’s judicial appointment endorsement of marriage equality was blocked last week by Republican and support for reproductive rights, members of Virginia’s House of saying that he couldn’t vote for “a Delegates. Tracy Thorne-Begland, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, lost his bid for the judicial vacancy by a vote of 33 to 31, with 10 abstentions.

The vote came as a shocker to Richmond pundits, who saw the broad bipartisan support for ThorneBegland’s candidacy as a signpost of success. But after heavy lobbying from the Family Foundation, a socially conservative group which opposed his candidacy, and strongarming from conservative legislators, Worley: Missing the “good old days” the May 15 vote—which was called

by GOP House leaders after 1 a.m., when many lawmakers had already gone home—ended in defeat for the 45-year-old father of twins, who had disclosed his sexual orientation almost 20 years ago during an appearance on ABC’s “Nightline” to protest the military’s policies towards gay servicemembers.

Following that disclosure, ThorneBegland was honorably discharged from the Navy, after which he was reinstated by a federal court, and then re-discharged again under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. He also served on the board of Equality Virginia, a gay rights nonprofit group.

Conservative Republicans criticized Thorne-Begland’s biography, and pointed to it as a possible challenge to his impartiality on the bench. “It’s about a pattern of behavior that is just notorious for homosexual advocacy,” argued Delegate Bob Marshall, a Republican who opposed the

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Prosecuted? Thorne-Begland

nomination. “The fact that he defied his oath and could not have been candid on the application—that’s highly problematic, and it stays with you,” Marshall added. H

.COM .COM .COM .COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Special Report: Latin America Braces for Impact of Obama Same-Sex Marriage Endorsement BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – President Barack Obama’s historic endorsement of same-sex marriage is expected to have lasting impact on the nations which border and neighbor the U.S. to the south. Although Argentina legalized marriage equality in 2010, and state courts in Brazil last year held that legal civil unions there could be “rolled over” into fullfledged marriages, the issue remains a volatile one in Latin America, which has a strong tradition of conservative cultural and religious values.

A 2010 Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University survey found that, on a scale of 100, support for gay marriage averages approximately 27 points for citizens of Latin America, while marriage equality received an average support of just over 47 points in the U.S. The same survey data shows high support for gay marriage in Argentina and Uruguay—both of which ranked higher than the U.S.— with El Salvador and Guyana near the bottom of the rankings.

Mexico City—at a population of over 21 million people, the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere—likewise legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. Although culturally, many gay rights advocates say that Latin Americans—who view marriage as more of a state function than a religious imperative—are just as susceptible to demographic shifts as their U.S. neighbors, there remains widespread conservative opposition south of the border for recognition of full marriage equality.

“Barack Obama is an ethical man and a philosophically confused man,” Martha Chavez, a Member of Peru’s Congress, said to reporters after the president’s announcement last Thursday. “He knows that marriage

WORLD DESK

isn’t an issue only of traditions or of religious beliefs. Marriage is a natural institution that supports the union of

two people of different sexes because it has a procreative function.”

Special Report: Worlds Apart— Where Marriage Equality Reigns BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – President Obama’s announcement last week that his “evolving” views on same sex marriage had led him to support full marriage rights for all Americans has placed the topic squarely in the forefront of political topics in this presidential election year. However, his personal endorsement aside, it has no weight of law behind it (unlike, for instance, an Executive Order signed by the Commander-in-Chief ). At present, ten countries have expanded their laws over the past dozen years to include same sex marriage: The Netherlands (2000): The Low Countries made history at the dawn of the new millennium by becoming the first nation to pass marriage equality. At the time, 62 percent of the Dutch population supported it, and over 2,400 gay couples took advantage of the new law within 9 months of its passage.

Belgium (2003): LGBT rights had support in both Belgium’s Frenchspeaking south and Flemish-speaking north, and the Belgian parliament extended tax and inheritance benefits to gay couples three full years before

they permitted same-sex partners to adopt children.

Spain (2005): Although the Roman Catholic Church mounted strong opposition to its passage, Spanish lawmakers legalized same sex marriage by adding a single line to existing matrimonial statutes: “Marriage will have the same requirements and results when the two people entering into the contract are of the same sex or of different sexes.

Canada (2005): Court rulings had made gay marriage legal in nine of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories by the time Members of Parliament passed the national law. Although Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper had promised to upend the apple cart when he became prime minister in 2006, the law remains in effect.

South Africa (2006): The first and so far sole African nation to codify marriage equality. The measure was passed by lawmakers after a 2005 decision by the nation’s Constitutional Court, which ruled that the nation’s constitution— which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation—guarantees marriage rights to same sex couples.

The law, however, allows civil officials and members of the clergy to refuse to perform gay marriage ceremonies for reasons of conscience.

Norway (2008): The country with the world’s highest human development index ranking (which measures a nation’s comparative quality of life, including life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living) gives same sex couples the right to marry and adopt children, among other things.

Clergy have the right—but are not required—to perform same-sex marriages.

Sweden (2009): In the 1990s, Sweden became one of the world’s first countries to permit “partnership” rights to same sex couples. Three years ago, lawmakers passed—in a landslide 226 to 22 vote, full

MAY 24, 2012 H 9

marriage equality, with 70 percent of Swedes supporting passage. After its approval, the Lutheran Church of Sweden decided to allow its priests to officiate at gay marriages unless they abstain for reasons of conscience (in which case another priest will perform the ceremony).

Portugal (2010): Portugal’s Socialist parliament passed legislation permitting gay marriages, over the stiff objections of President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, a member of the Iberian nation’s conservative Social Democratic Party. “I feel I should not contribute to a pointless extension of this debate,” the Portuguese head of state offered resignedly when he signed the law.

Iceland (2010): Iceland passed marriage equality (unanimously, in a 40 to 0 vote) a year after electing the world’s first openly gay head of government, Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, who became one of the first citizens to wed under the measure, marrying her civil partner of nearly a quarter century, Jónína Leósdóttir.

Argentina (2010): The first Latin American country to pass gay marriage (see previous article), in spite of strong Roman Catholic opposition. At the time, Mexico City, which became the first Latin American metropolitan area to legalize same sex marriage the previous year, offered an allexpenses-paid trip for the first same sex Argentine couple who wed.H

SCAN HERE

TO JUMP TO FLORIDA’S LEADING LGBT NEWS WEBSITE

.COM

EDITOR’S DESK

10 H MAY 24, 2012

Coming Out of the Barracks Closet

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 • ISSUE 131

CLIFF DUNN, EDITOR

“Ye lads of grace and sprung from worthy stock, do not

begrudge brave soldiers: speak to them with your beauty.

In cities of Chalcis, Love—who spreads

legs—thrives side by side with Courage.”

Aristotle, 4th Century B.C.E.

I

will never forget a moment some years back when I was waiting in line to use the men’s room at a local Irish bar, when I noticed the guy standing in front of me. I was looking at the ground when I noted that the color of his pants was a U.S. Army dress green, as, I observed, was his shirt (and the other military accoutrements upon his collar and epaulets confirmed his occupation as an armed servicemember). He must have intuited that I was taking in the back of his collar—I swear, it was the back of his collar—because he glanced to his periphery and—busting me in actu—nodded politely.

Having finished his business inside the stall, the young corporal—whose rank I determined from his collar insignia and whose age I placed around 25—smiled with what I thought was an expression of politeness, but which quickly dawned on me was more akin to that of familiarity. (Although this is going to sound like a story about how cool I am, the fact is that, when I am dressed a certain way, and under the right lighting—squinting helps, too—I am occasionally mistaken for ex-military—or, in even worse light, an officer of the law.) As I squeezed past him into the stall, I nodded in acknowledgement, and he gave me the briefest of winks. And then I heard him say, very softly—but in a tone that clearly carried his words in the short distance separating us—“Don’t ask,

don’t tell, don’t swallow.”

Memorial Day, like many of our most cherished celebrations, has been diluted through the years until its raison d’être has lost all meaning. Originally called Decoration Day, it commemorated the nation’s dead from both sides of the violent and bloody (625,000 total dead, over 400,000 wounded) American Civil War. Its theme eventually evolved into one that celebrates America’s exceptional place in the world, along with our international role as—in the words of President Ronald Reagan— “the arsenal of freedom.”

I would offer, as well, that as gay men and women, we have a duty to honor the brave and pioneering individuals whose willingness to risk both professional and personal safety in coming out of the barracks closet helped to dismantle the egregious and un-American Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. It was their courage in coming out, while under orders not to do so, that provided the impetus for removing an unfair and irrational obstacle that stood in the way of future openly gay patriots. As Adm. Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2010, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”

The opponents of repealing DADT were blinded by bigotry, and the desperation to defend what was clearly a lost cause, two things that prevented them from seeing the long view of history, which records thousands of years of open homosexual service in the military forces of antiquity. The most often-cited example of homosexual soldiers in the ancient world is that of the Sacred Bands of the Greek city-state Thebes (“a band cemented by friendship grounded upon love is

never to be broken”), a kind of Bronze Age “special forces” who were said by Plutarch to have died to the last man— all 300 paired lovers—against the forces of King Philip II of Macedonia in 338 B.C. The king—whose son, Alexander the Great, is another “gay icon” from antiquity—was said to have been so moved when seeing their bodies, that he exclaimed “Perish miserably any man who suspects that these men either did, or permitted, anything unseemly.”

The ubiquity of “gay” relationships in the militaries of the ancient world was cause for scandal in its day, as well, but only because it made some generals nervous that too much emphasis was placed on “gay unit tactics.” “Placing your loved one next to you seems to be a sign of distrust,” rebuked the 4th Century Greek commentator Xenophon, adding rather smugly— in comparison, that “[we Spartans] make our loved ones such models of perfection, that even if stationed with foreigners rather than with their lovers, they are ashamed to desert their companion.”

The greatest warrior-statesman of ancient Thebes, Epaminondas, had two male lovers, one of whom, Caphisodorus, died with him in battle.

The couple was buried together, a practice that was reserved for husbands and wives in Greek society. The warriorlovers Aristogiton and Harmodius are credited with the downfall of tyranny in Athens, and became the emblem of the Greek city-state.

As we celebrate this Memorial Day, let us commemorate these great warriors, for having lived and died in the manner and as the persons they were born, and let us thank Col. Marguerite Cammermeyer, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, Lt. Dan Choi, and so many other LGBT patriots for their service and their commitment to freedom for us all. H

FOUNDER MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS Bobby Blair – CEO / MANAGING PARTNER

PUBLISHER Bobby Blair

EDITOR ClIFF DUNN

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS TOM BONANTI, 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

PRODUCTION

Creative Director • alexandre’ ferbeyre

ADMINISTRATIVE CHRIS HAMEL, SILAS THEBERT SALES & MARKETING Sales Manager KEITH CHAMLEE keithchamlee@guymag.net - 954-465-1563 Client Services Executive MARVIN NATHAN marvinnathan@guymag.net - 702-479-8233 Client Services Executive KEITH NORRIS keithnorris@guymag.net - 727-743-7581 Client Services Executive – justinhudson@guymag.net - 954-822-3604 classifieds classifieds@guymag.net - 954-465-1563

National Ad Representative RIVENDELL MEDIA: 212-242-6863

DIsplay ad DEADLINEs:

Camera Ready Artwork by Mondays, Noon Placement by Mondays, 5 p.m.

CLASSIFIED ad DEADLINEs:

Placement by Mondays, 5 p.m. Artwork by Mondays, Noon

ALL MATERIAL in the Florida Agenda is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Florida Agenda. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred or implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons.

Although this paper is supported by many fine advertisers, the Agenda cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. editorial positions of the Florida Agenda are expressed in editorials and in editors’ notes as determined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Florida Agenda or its staff.

To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words; commentaries should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address and phone number for verification. Send submissions by e-mail to Editor@floridaagenda.com by fax to 954-5667900 or by regular mail to the Agenda office, attn: Letters/Commentary.

MAIN OFFICE/ SALES & CLASSIFIEDS: 2157 Wilton Drive • Wilton Manors, Florida 33305 Phone 954-903-4771 • Fax 954.607.5712 www.floridaagenda.com Printed by Forum Publishing Group (954) 574-5321 © 2012, Mutimedia Platforms LLC. All rights reserved.

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 11

12 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Multimedia Platforms and Cybermesh International Announce Joint Venture

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—On Wednesday, Cybermesh International Corp (OTCBB: CYTL), a technologybased company focused on supporting media industries with online distribution, analysis and revenues protection, and Multimedia Platforms

SPECIAL REPORT • Q-POINT

LLC (MMP), publishers of the Florida Agenda and Guy Magazine, announced a joint venture, effectively combining the individual strengths of both companies.

Multimedia Platforms Worldwide LLC (MMPW ), will be managed by Bobby Blair, MMP’s current CEO and managing partner, and Publisher of the Agenda and Guy, who will serve as the new venture’s CEO. “This joint venture provides MMPW the perfect positioning for our long-term goals as a company to expand at a steady targeted rate. In the next few months, we will be acquiring existing online and print publications while developing platforms to lead and support positive change and

Bobby Blair : Named CEO of MMP Worldwide

Q -Point:

equality in the growing LGBT business community,” Blair said. “In addition, we are excited about leading the industry in mobile and online vehicles to showcase the entertainment, travel, and lifestyle segments of the markets we serve.”

Research conducted by WiteckCombs Communications, Inc. and Marketresearch.com indicates that the collective buying power of the LGBT community is poised to top $800 billion by 2013. “MMP expects to capture a healthy share of that business, and fully intends to function as the essential source of information for the growing LGBT segment of the American and world populations,” said Blair.

Sam Porter, CEO of Cybermesh, shares Blair’s enthusiasm. “We believe that Robert Blair has built the most dynamic, inclusive, and integrated media company in the LGBT marketplace, and is positioned for infinite expansion potential. This joint venture will allow Multimedia Platforms Worldwide LLC to access the public capital markets to build resources and seize growth opportunities now and in the future.”

As part of the terms of the joint venture, MMP will receive 12 million restricted shares of common stock in CYTL. Boris Epshteyn, a popular commentator on CNN, and Managing Director of Business and Legal Affairs at West America Securities Corp., is advising MMP.

MAY 24, 2012 H 13

MMP has built an all-inclusive media platform consisting of newspaper, magazine, entertainment, and news website formats, and has recently expanded to include video and mobile applications to reach all facets of the international LGBT community. MMP’s top brands include Florida Agenda, the Fort Lauderdale-based weekly LGBT newspaper that covers world, national, and local news and events, and Guy Magazine, a weekly entertainment and lifestyle publication that features and blankets through distribution the burgeoning South Florida LGBT marketplace. According to Blair, MMP’s focus is to reach new consumers with the latest technology and market expertise, delivering the highest quality news and entertainment information via a variety of platforms.

Cybermesh International is a technology-based company that focuses on developing technologies to assist the entertainment, telecommunications, and media industries, through online distribution, analysis, and revenue and copyright protection. Currently headquartered in Southern California, Cybermesh International will be relocating to Fort Lauderdale as part of the joint venture. H

Is Marriage Equality in Young Adult novels

A “Question” of Time?

BY B.J. EPSTEIN

More countries around the world now allow gay marriage, so it seems as though same-sex marriage is becoming a more accepted phenomenon. But do young LGBTQ people see it as an option? According to books for children and young adults (“YAs”), the answer is “no.”

Robin Reardon, who has written several YA novels with gay male protagonists, has her main character in “A Secret Edge,” Jason, consider gay marriage. He thinks, “I’ve never given [marriage] much thought before. But now--I guess it’s out of the question for me. I mean, you hear about two guys getting married, sort of, but it seems a little far-fetched to me. And suddenly a lot of things most people take for granted seem a little far-fetched for me.

Living with someone you love. Having kids.”

Jason’s sad ponderings might make a reader pity gay people and their limited opportunities for a happy and fulfilling romantic relationship. Jason’s uncle, who raised him, is sorely disappointed when he learns that his nephew is gay. He thinks, “No one should have to live like

that. He’ll be hated, ostracized. He won’t be able to marry or have children.”

Like Jason’s uncle, Liza’s father in Nancy Garden’s “Annie on My Mind” worries about what being gay will mean for his daughter. Although not as disgusted by her lesbianism as some of her teachers are, Liza’s father says that he doesn’t want this for her, because it will mean she can never marry or have children.

In Maureen Johnston’s “The Bermudez Triangle,” Avery thinks about her girlfriend, “’What if Mel wanted to get married and have a commitment ceremony and play Ani DiFranco and k.d. lang songs and have cats as bridesmaids?’ That would be great for Mel, but it just wasn’t something Avery could picture. The thought scared her. A lot.”

While it’s great to see that there’s some recognition that there are opportunities for gay couples to show their commitment to one another, this passage stereotypically mocks what lesbians are like (cat-mad avid Ani DeFrancolisteners) and also suggests that the idea of a ceremony isn’t too appealing.

If you look at preeminent queer writer for children Lesléa Newman’s oeuvre of picture books (including “Mommy, Mama, and Me,” “Daddy, Papa, and Me,” and “Heather Has Two Mommies”), you won’t find any marriages.

Similarly, Michael Willhoite’s “Daddy’s Roommate”—which relies on the euphemism “roommate” rather than employing “boyfriend,” “partner,” or, heaven forbid, “husband”—and Hedi Argent’s “Josh and Jaz Have Three Mums,” don’t seem to consider the possibility that the two mothers or two fathers could actually be wife-and-wife

or husband-and-husband.

One of the few picture books to feature gay marriage is Ken Setterington’s “Mom and Mum are Getting Married.”

The story here is about how Mom and Mum just want a small ceremony while their daughter Rosie wants to be the flower girl in a big event. It’s a refreshing change to see a picture book normalize gay marriage and show a gay couple making a legal commitment.

One could argue that authors reflect society within their writing and if young people are taught to believe that marriage is not an option for gay people, there is actually little incentive for a government’s policies to change.

Regardless of whether it’s up to the authors or the politicians to take the first step, the solution is clear: legalize gay marriage and portray it in books for children and young adults. It needn’t be “out of the question” any more. H

B.J. Epstein is a lecturer in literature and translation at the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), where she specializes in children’s literature, queer literature, and literary translation.

14 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 15

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

What’s Inside: Memorial Day weekend means the unofficial kickoff to summer, and as traditional as the return of hot weather and—and hotter men—to South Florida’s haunts, is the annual WHITE FORT LAUDERDALE WEEKEND event, produced by the legendary (and yet, still very much alive) Gary Santis. With such names as DJs Manny Lehman and Daisy Deadpetals, Prince Poppycock from TV’s “America’s Got Talent,” Kitty Meow, Daisy D, Sasha Lords, Erika Norell, TP Lords, Joe Posa (as “Joan Rivers”), and WSVN-7 anchor Craig Stevens scheduled to perform or appear—and that’s just on Sunday!—this will be a must-go-to event to remember, and you’ll find out more about it and everything else under the South Florida sun, in this week’s OUT in Florida.

Who are the people in your Gayborhood? There are many individuals in our community for whom “giving back” is more than just a watchword or phrase. Many of them belong to South Florida’s large (no pun intended) and civic-oriented leather men, who have donated tens of thousands of dollars to local and national charities and service organizations. Dale Madison takes a look at the men who “Keep it Real (Military) All Year ‘Round” in a new Spotlight. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has a mission as big as its name: to bring the world (or at least the gay part of it) to our neck of the planet and experience all that Greater Fort Lauderdale and its gay village, Wilton Manors, have to offer.

See what the organization’s own Keith Blackburn and Co. have up their sleeves to make it a reality, inside.

Johnny Depp is back on the big screen, in the type of role he loves to get his acting chops around: as the vampire Barnabas Collins, in Tim Burton’s retelling of the 1970s cult classic daytime drama, “Dark Shadows.” Warren Day has a Cinema review into which you’ll want to sink your teeth.

Tom Bonanti—who was honored at this week’s “Dancing with the South Florida Stars II” benefit and extravaganza, for his commitment to the health and fitness of the LGBT community—has some thoughts for you on keeping your workout real as we move into the REAL summer months, in a new Fitness column this week. There’s also an all-new Love Jones and lots more.

Have a safe and memorable Memorial Day! CD

SALT LAKE CITY, PT 2 The Gay Gem of the Intermountain West.

Travel PAGE 18

“DARK SHADOWS” A Bite too far?

Cinema

PAGE 17

Summer fitness primer

bailey’s bistro

Fitness PAGE 23

Dining PAGE 25

STYLE NEWS • STUDY

16 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

YOUR WEEKLY

STYLE NEWS BRIEFING: Village People Singer Wins “Termination Rights” Case over Song Rights

L

OS ANGELES, CA – A federal judge last week ruled in favor of recording artist and songwriter Victor Willis, the former lead singer of 1970s disco band the Village People, dismissing a lawsuit brought by two music companies that sought to prevent him from exercising ownership rights over hit songs he wrote, including “YMCA, “In the Navy,” and “Go West.”

Last year, Willis tried to invoke “termination rights,” a provision of copyright law that allows singers and songwriters to reacquire the ownership of their work themselves after 35 years. The music publishers, Can’t Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, sought to prevent that, arguing that Willis had “no right, title or interest in the copyright” to 33 songs recorded by the Village People.

On May 14, Los Angeles Federal District Court Chief Judge Barry Moskowitz ruled for Willis, rejecting the companies’ argument that he had created “works for hire” as a songwriter employed by the Village People’s management company.

“The purpose of the act was to ‘safeguard authors against unremunerative transfers’ and address ‘the unequal bargaining position of authors, resulting in part from the impossibility of determining a work’s value until it has been exploited,’” wrote Moskowitz in his 10-page ruling. “Under [the music publishers’] interpretation, it would be more difficult to terminate an individual grant than it would be to make it in the first place.”

The “termination rights” clause was added during a revision of copyright law that took effect in 1978. It says that—beginning in 2013—recording artists and songwriters can regain ownership of work they had signed away early in their careers.

In his decision, Judge Moskowitz wrote that there are circumstances in which the creators of musical works—both singers and songwriters—have the right to “recapture” their ownership of a musical composition after a lapse of 35 years, even if their original contract specifically prevents them from doing so.

More Twists in Alleged John Travolta Sexual Battery Cases LOS ANGELES, CA – The sexual battery and harassment cases against actor John Travolta have moved with rapid speed from the sublime to the ridiculous, with one of the anonymous masseurs named in the suits being “fired” as a client by his attorney, and that lawyer in turn filing suit against another attorney he accuses of “stealing” another client who is involved in the cases.

Travolta, 58, is accused by at least six separate male masseurs of making inappropriate advances during massage sessions. One of them, a Texas man identified in court documents as “John Doe #1,” was dropped by Los Angeles attorney Okorie Okorocha after admitting that he had misidentified the date of his alleged Beverly Hills encounter with the “Saturday Night Fever” star (credit card records indicate that Travolta was in New York at the time).

John Doe #1 also claimed that Travolta admitted to

having achieved early career successes as a result of “sexual favors” he had performed for Hollywood execs.

A day later, a second accuser—identified as “John Doe #2”—came forward, stating that Travolta had made unwanted advances during a stay in Atlanta, in which the actor “had a full erection,” and tried “to force [John Doe #2] to touch his anus.” On May 10, a former cruise ship employee, Fabian Zanzi, became the third accuser, alleging that in 2009, Travolta had offered him $12,000 for sex. Another man—a former masseur at the Eden Roc in Miami Beach—has also reported that the actor accosted him for sex during a 2000 massage in the actor’s hotel room.

The man, who spoke with the New York Daily News and was identified only by his first name, “Jeff,” says that Travolta put “his hands where he wanted me to work and kind of [grinded] on the table,” adding that the actor “actually pulled my hand between his legs, up to his scrotum.” After “getting aggressive and [grabbing] my hand again,” Jeff alleges that Travolta left a mere $20 tip. The suits are seeking approximately $2 million in damages against the actor.

“Summer” of Love: Singer’s Passing Marks an Epoch’s Ending NAPLES, FL – The passing of Donna Summer, 63, last week brought to a close a decades-long love affair between the singer and her gay fan base, one that began in 1975, when the 26-year-old singer (who was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines) broke onto the charts with “Love to Love You Baby,” a 17-minute song that would result in a profound transformation for both music and for LGBT Americans.

Summer’s relationship with her gay fans was a two-edged sword, one she would come to resent because of its “bad girl” implications. As she told Ebony magazine in 1977, “I’m not just sex, sex, sex. I would never want to be a one-dimensional person like that.” That perceived ambivalence was reciprocated in kind, after the performer allegedly blamed the AIDS epidemic on divine wrath aimed at the immoral lifestyle of her largest audience, allegations she denied in a 1989 interview with The Advocate.

Summer was emphatic in her denial. “I never said, ‘If you are gay, God hates you.’ Come on.

Be real. I don’t understand that,” she told The Advocate. “Anybody who really knows me knows I wouldn’t say that.” Although there was a reconciliation of sorts, the damage had been done, and the singer enjoyed her final Top-10 hit, “This Time I Know It’s for Real,” that same year.

Summer—who died on May 17 from cancer at her Naples home—was an accidental LGBT icon.

The performer never courted gay audiences, but her music reverberated in America’s libidinously adventurous, post-Sexual Revolution 1970s, and although it wasn’t created for the gay market, it was for that market segment that her sound hit closest to home, and for which she will be most missed. H

Donna Summer 1948 -2012

CINEMA

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

“Dark Shadows:”

Sometimes, Too Much is Too Much By warren DAY

N

Burton can sometimes pull off making style

obody plays an oddball character

look like substance, but not in this case. Here

as convincingly as Johnny Depp,

is a P.T. Barnum-inspired, three-ring circus of a

and it’s a good thing, too, since

vampire story, about as subtle as a World Wresting

oddballs comprise most of his roles.

Entertainment championship bout. It’s as if Burton

Throughout his film career—from such characters

was a celebrity chef who went into the kitchen

as the extremity-challenged Edward Scissorhands,

without any clear idea of what he’s cooking, and

to the worst-movie-director-of-all-time, Ed Wood,

just starting throwing in every ingredient at hand,

as well as a mental hospital patient who thinks

so that instead of his usual distinctive style, you

he’s Don Juan, the demon barber Sweeny Todd,

end up with mush. With “Dark Shadows,” more

the ever-so Mad Hatter, and the swishy Capt.

money has been thrown into this concoction than

Jack Sparrow—Depp has done what many stars

originality.

only dream of doing – maintaining his status as a

As always, Johnny Depp is good, although here

leading man while playing the quirky roles normally

he aims for the jocular more than for the jugular.

relegated to character actors.

It’s also refreshing to see Michelle Pfeiffer back

In his latest walk on the “Wilde” side, “Dark

on the silver screen, even portraying the matriarch

Shadows,” Depp portrays a character as adept at

of this Addams Family clone. Unfortunately, Eva

chewing upon necks as he is chewing the scenery, a

Green (“Casino Royale”) seems to have been told

love-sick, blood-sucking vampire named Barnabas

by Burton to play Depp’s nemesis like an imitation

Collins. Once again, this ain’t the boy next door.

of Lisa Marie (the director’s former girlfriend)

“Dark Shadows” is Depp’s eighth outing with

impersonating Vampira. It is a caricature too far.

director Tim Burton. Among their collaborations,

When “Dark Shadows” first appeared as a “daytime

this movie feels more like “Sleepy Hollow” than

drama” on ABC-TV in 1966, it was something of an

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” meaning it

original, the first gothic-inspired, supernatural soap

falls noticeably short of their best work together.

opera. Since then, vampire stories have become a

As is true with all Tim Burton films, the look of

vein—pun intended—that’s been mined to death.

“Dark Shadows” is never less than stunning. No

In films, we currently have the “Twilight Saga” and

one uses CGI (computer generated images) better

the “Underworld” series, television viewers can

to set a mood, particularly in a gothic tale like this.

get their blood-drinker fix with “True Blood” and

In every detail, the film is a feast for your eyes.

“The Vampire Dairies,” and this summer, a popular

Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, “There’s a lot

novel-turned-blockbuster-movie depicts honest

of sizzle, but where’s the steak?” In the end, “Dark

Abe Lincoln as a vampire hunter. Enough already!

Shadows” takes you in all directions without really

It’s time for the living dead to become the dead

going anywhere.

dead—at least for a merciful while. Let them all Rest in Peace. H

MAY 24, 2012 H 17

18 H MAY 24, 2012

TRAVEL • SPECIAL FEATURE

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Salt Lake City Gone Wild (Sorta)

By ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

Part 2 of 2

T

his week we return to Utah, land of the Mormons, clear skies, mountain ranges, and little bluestem—which is not the name of an small Indian Chief but rather a beautiful scrub grass which is indigenous to the Salt Lake City area and whose seeds feed flocks of migrating songbirds this time of year.

Now, before we launch into our discussion of the Salt Lake City gay nightclub scene, let’s clear up a little confusion. You’ve probably heard that Mormons don’t believe in drinking alcohol

UNDIE RUN UTAH

(or coffee or tea, for that matter). But just because the church controls much of Salt Lake City does not mean that it is hard to find a gay club serving liquor in the city.

Up until 2009, it was a bit more difficult, since clubs and restaurants serving liquor operated as private establishments requiring guests to pay a membership fee. While many current guidebooks still claim that this is the case, the liquor laws changed several years ago and membership fees are the stuff of memory.

That’s the good news and the bad news. Rather than lose the income that membership fees provided, gay bars now charge a cover fee, which is typically more than the old membership fee—between $5 and $10, depending on the club. Not a deal breaker, of course, but still a factor when putting together your budget for a nightly cruise.

Our personal favorite of all clubs in Salt City City is JAM (JamSLC.com) in the Marmalade Historical District at 751 N 300 West. This sophisticated eco-friendly joint has bamboo floors, stone-topped bars, and an ambiance that throws off strong shades

of a Manhattan loft. Don’t be intimidated by the wash of attitude that occasionally floods from the cuter clientele here. It’s a protective illusion that quickly crumbles when picked at like a fresh scab. On Friday nights, the well drinks are $5.00. So, too, are the Long Island ice teas.

Club Try-Angles (www.clubtry-angles. com) is located at 251 W 900 South. It’s a small neighborhood space that has a fun Sunday barbecue, and a naughty underwear night the third Saturday of every month. There’s zero attitude at “The Try,” strong drinks and an always-busy pool table. Keep a look out for the drag queen pool shark before you write your name on the chalkboard.

The Trapp (www.thetrappslc.com) is a wood-paneled nightclub with no cover charge and great music from a house DJ called D. Mosey up to the bar and you’ll discover a pleasant mix of older guys and the boys who like them—really like them from the looks of things. Great outside barbecue on Sundays in the spring and summer; a buffet for the rest of the year.

Find the excitement at 102 S 600 West.

While there are many, many great places to stay in the area—including a wide selection of gay B&B’s—the holy grail of hotels is the Grand America. (www. grandamerica.com). Built in 2001 and located at 555 S Main Street, this five-star luxury palace of opulence is 775 rooms worth of excess. Yes, it’s over-the-top by anyone’s standards, with many of the accommodations including full kitchens, washer and dryers, and microwave oven.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the spectacular Wasatch Mountain Range and all of downtown Salt Lake City.

The Grand Spa in the hotel offers a lavish fitness center with cardio and strength training equipment, plus executive services including hot-towel shaves, full back and chest waxes, facials, pedicures, manicures, and expert haircuts at very reasonable rates. Brigham Young would be pleased.H Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things in life.

Keeping it Real (military) All Year ‘Round: South Florida’s Leather Men

By Dale Madison

O

ne of the most organized and activist groups in the LGBT community is our “leather men,” those Levi’s and leather hombres who sport a look that is two parts Schwarzenegger in “Commando,” three parts Brando in “The Wild One,” and ALL parts man. Known for their generosity to those in need, South Florida’s Leather

Community has been extremely generous over the years, sponsoring and participating in numerous activities, building floats for the Stonewall Street Festival and Pridefest, conducting the “Sleazy Awards,” and hosting dozens of military-themed leather and jeans events. In December, the Leather Man’s Brotherhood donated $20,000, which was divided between Broward House’s gay teen suicide prevention efforts and the Chicago-based Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M).

The donation totals a full five percent of LA&M’s operating budget, according to its executive director, Rick Storer.

The spring’s hottest leather event was the Black Heart Uniform Ball, which was held in April at BOOM! nightclub, in Wilton

Manors. The Uniform Ball, sponsored by Fort Lauderdale Leather Pride (FTLLP, Inc.), a Florida not-for-profit corporation was held as a community-building event, by which standard it was hugely successful, along with benefitting Broward House’s new cancer support initiative, and the Leather Archives & Museum.

Bear Man, Eric Lawrence, and Ira Smith, are well-known faces among South Florida’s leather men, and they have seen many changes and taking part in many socials and fundraisers with the Boys in Levi’s and Chaps. “There were so many participants in the past, that we have had to grow to a couple of events a year,” explains Lawrence, who serves as FTLLP’s president. “Years ago, Marie Wansiki—with the now defunct Wansiki Foundation—began a leather party, which consisted of mostly guys in uniforms. It grew into what is now the Leather Mask Ball.”

The group’s first Black Heart Uniform Ball more than exceeded expectations.

“This year, we divided the proceeds from the Black Heart Ball—$10,000—between

the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago and Broward House for their youth services program,” notes Bear Man. “Later this year we will be having the mortgageburning party for the Museum, and we will announce that date soon,” he adds.

Lawrence, Bear Man, and Smith are philosophical about the portrayal of “bears” and leather men, and say that their object is to have a great time while making a difference in the lives of their— and our—community. “People may have the incorrect perspective of the Bear community,” Smith offers. “It’s all about being informed and educated.” H

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 19

bar guide

20 H MAY 24, 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.

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.

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?

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.

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).

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)!

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.

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.

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 Dr. Now serving tapas nightly. Social Hour features $5 house wine glasses, $1 Barcelona Bites, and In The Biz all the time.

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!

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?).

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

1625 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach 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.

1502 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 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

Azalea Lounge

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

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

407 Brevard Ave., Cocoa, FL Nestled in Cocoa Village, this bar has a full coffee bar,

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

JACKSONVILLE

The Metro

bar guide • GUILTY PLEASURES

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!

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.

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.

Boot Rack Saloon

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!

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.

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

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.”

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!”

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

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

MAY 24, 2012 H 21

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 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.

Guilty pleasures: sean david Taking Johnny’s to the Next Level

I

By Dale Madison

t’s hard to imagine any business surviving and thriving for over 30 years in South Florida. Through changes in location and ownership, the bar that was once called Johnny’s Village Inn—a small beer and wine (and stripper) bar on 2nd Street in Fort Lauderdale, in the current digs of Dicey Riley’s—has persevered and adapted to changes in times and tastes.

Sean David, who purchased the landmark nightclub from original owner and founder Johnny Moses, says that managing the only gay nightclub in downtown Fort Lauderdale is “a delicate balance.” David has conducted several major expansions at its present and permanent West Broward Boulevard venue—which also prides itself in a brand new sister location in downtown Miami, but more on that later—including upgrading the bars and redecorating the interior in both major club rooms.

“We have illusionists, entertainers, DJ’s— and, of course, we have the dancers,” notes David, explaining the many and diverse tastes to which his club caters. “I try to make everyone happy. It’s a tight rope to walk. But,

we try to keep it upbeat,” he adds.

That diverse entertainment includes hot dancers seven nights a week, as well as Johnny’s Friday night Illusionist Show (which is followed by the always crowded Hip Hop Party). On Saturday, Johnny’s showcases the dancers for which the club has become synonymous, hosted by Gemini Storm.

Sundays, bartender Mike hosts Sinful Happy Hour with no cover charge, and then karaoke commences at 9 p.m., hosted by DJ Miik.

Sunday night is also Johnny’s world famous Amateur Strip Contest.

David, a native of Israel and a former co-owner of the Boardwalk Bar and Nightclub, says that his success merits returning something to the people who keep him in business.

“One thing that I have also tried to do is always give back to the community,” David offers. “We do fundraisers [at Johnny’s] all of the time.” A much abbreviated list of the charities and service organizations to which David and Johnny’s contribute includes Kids’ in Distress, Disaster Relief, local agencies serving the HIV/AIDS

community, and The Poverello Thrift Store and Food Bank.

“You might remember that when Father Bill from Poverello needed a new car to continue his ministry, we held the benefit at Johnny’s,” recalls David. “Father has been a friend to many of those who have needed comfort over the years. It was an honor and privilege for us to provide a forum to raise money for him to continue to provide his service,” he adds, noting that Father Bill has been a local treasure for a quarter century.

“We invite any non-profit that wants to stage a fundraiser, either inside the club or in the parking lot,” David says by way of invitation. “A car wash, a dunk tank—anything that we can do, we are here for the community.” David says that a major focus of his efforts is promoting awareness of the dangers of substance abuse, especially among young gays.

David’s expansion has included opening a location in downtown Miami, near the city’s arts district. Now fully one year old, Johnny’s Miami presents world class talent

and adult entertainers, and a weekly schedule to keep you coming back over and over again (and when you do, please let them know you heard about them from the Agenda). H

22 H MAY 24, 2012

OUT IN FLORIDA • LOVE JONES

Love Jones

Fort Lauderdale GEORGIE’S ALIBI/“LA CAGE AUX FOLLES” NIGHT Bringing to life the Saint-Tropez club setting of the Tony Awardwinning musical, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents “La Cage Aux Folles” Night, on Friday, May 25, from 5 to 9 p.m., at Georgie’s Alibi in Wilton Manors. This festive event will feature promotional item giveaways, drink specials, a drag hostess, and chances to win free tickets to “La Cage Aux Folles” with George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber, running at the Broward Center from June 12 to 24, and “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays,” which plays from June 21 to 24.

A grand prize winner will also receive dinner at Georgie’s Alibi, VIP opening night seats to “La Cage,” entry into the postshow cast party at the Alibi, and transportation to it all in a limousine. There is no cover charge to attend the event at Georgie’s Alibi, located at 2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors.

For more information, visit browardcenter.org.

WILTON MANORS: GARY SANTIS PRESENTS “WHITE FORT LAUDERDALE” The annual event that traditionally kicks off the summer season in South Florida returns on Sunday, May 27. For 2012, White Fort Lauderdale will be hosted at The Manor Restaurant and Complex in Wilton Manors, and will feature DJs Manny Lehman and Daisy Deadpetals with a special concert

by Prince Poppycock from TV’s “America’s Got Talent.” Many of South Florida’s greatest drag entertainers will also perform, with Kitty Meow, Daisy D, Sasha Lords, Erika Norell and TP Lords currently scheduled to appear.

Joe Posa (as “Joan Rivers”) will be the event emcee, with WSVN7 anchor Craig Stevens serving as host. For more information, visit themanorcomplex.com.

Miami MIAMI BEACH BRUTHAZ Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22. Founded in July 2006 as an annual summer lifestyle event for gay men and women from around the world, Miami Beach Bruthaz includes a series of social, educational, and personalized activities that

Who Made This Guy?

By JUSTIN JONES

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Miami promote unity, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging. The event is focused around central themes of Knowledge, Culture, and Fashion.

Miami Beach Bruthaz features an upscale White Party with a celebrity guest, a serious hip hop party, a rooftop pool party, and a men’s fashion show. The Saturday night party features the sounds of Brazil, and Sunday brunch at the Palace on Ocean Drive is surely not to be missed.

For more information, visit shop. miamibeachbruthaz.com.

Orlando

S

ome say he was born on a shooting star. Others swear that he descended from a midnight moon.

There are those who tell stories of him arriving on a summertime snowflake. A few insist that he just popped into existence out of a cloud of glitter. But no matter how he got here, his arrival in this world was fantastic. And gay. REAL gay.

Our guy in question starts his day with Whitney and Britney, to the accompaniment of hair flips and “BAMs” (wink). For breakfast, he eats little-to-nothing, and he takes pride in it. Although he’s more straight-laced at work—of course—he still gossips about the cutie who took over Cindy’s old cube (“Girl, did you see that ass?”). Later, he’ll be on the town for happy hour. He’ll kiss his friends when he greets them, order a passion fruit martini, and eye guys like he eyes shoes.

On weekends, his attention is focused on helping his girlfriends do their shopping (and discussing their men). He helps decorate houses and entertains with stemware that costs more than his sofa.

And the parties—oh, the parties! Those fabulous parties that start with dinner, and end at breakfast. They’re filled with men!

Shirtless, perfect, and tan men. Men he’ll bed in excess. Men who’ll give him as much love as a few hours will allow.

You know this guy. What a darling he is, this man from the Land of Rainbows and Unicorns. His style is fiery flamboyance. He’s a fairytale prince(ss) wrapped in a candycolored, Swarovski Crystal-emblazoned, techno-centric version of Man. He is “The Stereotype,” the representation of who we as gay men “are” in the minds of those who have no clue that this is precisely what most of us “aren’t.”

What makes him so ever-present in the minds of certain people? Is he the “spokesman” they hear for “our side” when it comes time vote for or against LGBT rights? What is it exactly that turns

people against him (and, incidentally, the rest of us)?

And you—do you fit “his” mold? Or are you one of the masculine-guys-onlycrowd? Does his description resonate with you, turn you on, or make you sick? And, either way, why does it matter?

On the matter of his birth, shooting stars and midnight moons played no part. His arrival instead hastened in the glistening of an evolving society’s hesitant sweat.

The caricature was born from a melding of partial truths, and a sampling of the most flamboyant element of the gay masses.

Traditionalists “painted” his “picture” and labeled us all, incidentally telling us that if we didn’t fit this portrayal of a gay man, we should hide our truths. If we disobeyed, we automatically became “him” in their eyes.

Today, although this clownish image has waned (and “evolved”), the essential “portrait” of this cartoon-like gay man lingers. It follows older generations into voting booths, and acts as easilyaccessible, graphic propaganda to harden the opposition (so to speak).

Personally, I couldn’t care less. Well, no less than thinking at length about the subject, and then writing about it. For me—and for what I hope is this “evolving” society of ours—these images are images alone. They do not speak to the hardship of our teens, the contribution of our soldiers, the science of our doctors, or the creativity of our artists. The image forgets to inform that we are human beings, each with as much individuality as any of our straight counterparts, each with as much hope— and love—as anyone has ever known. H

Justin Jones is a Minneapolis-based writer.

Facebook.com/JustinJonesWriter

GAY DAYS ORLANDO From May 31 through June 4, at various venues in and around Orlando. With over 150,000 in attendance, Central Florida parties like no other place for boys of every shape and stripe: twinks, studs, bears, military, leather and biker daddies, butch and fem lesbians, pre- and postop transgender persons, gayfriendly straights, teens, tweens, and the young at heart (and their admirers).

Specific parties/events include Orlando Wonderland (markbakerevents.com), Girls in Wonderland (its counterpart for gay women, girlsinwonderland. com), Gay Days (gaydays.com), Girls at Gay Days (girlsatgaydays. com). Each event offers a host hotel with the most indescribable pool parties and activities that cater to the individual demographic.

Other events include One Magical Weekend (onemagicalweekend. com), and the local scene will roll out the ready carpet for world class entertainers including Chaka Khan and Mya. HOUSE OF BLUES/BAD ROMANCE—LADY GAGA TRIBUTE Bad Romance is a large-scale, live concert musical production that pays tribute to the music of Lady GaGa—the first of its kind!

Featuring the music industry’s most talented musicians and dancers along with an amazing storyline, sound, and light show to bring you a full production of the hottest artist of this decade. The musicians and dancers of Bad Romance were carefully selected because of their professional and eclectic backgrounds and will bring their unique presence to the production.

OUT IN FLORIDA • FITNESS

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

Summer Fitness

Orlando Each performance brings sexy attitude, high-octane energy, heart-pounding music, and visually stimulating theatrics. This is an experience that will excite your senses and wet your palette for more. Attendees can expect superior musical entertainment, energetic dancing, and a visually stimulating light show with every performance. Bad Romance wants attendees to feel they are a part of the show, dancing and singing along; even dressing the part.

The Bad Romance team has spent countless hours developing a production that will have you out of your seat. Bad Romance is a celebration of music and an opportunity for fans to unite and party under one roof. Friday, June 1, at House of Blues/Orlando.

For more information, visit badromanceshow.com.

Key West PRIDEFEST Key West has a lot to be proud of: the southernmost U.S. city 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.

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.

WOMENFEST 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.

Survival Stuff

S

By tom bonanti

ummer is a time to slow down and chill out, and to strip off those pesky clothes—all of them—to reveal that body of yours in all its glory. We have a season full of excellent South Florida events that neither locals nor visitors should miss. This summer, in addition to packing your sunscreen, relaxing and enjoying the action, take some extra time in the gym to fine tune your workouts. Here are a few of my top summer fitness tips. They are simple and easy to follow, so heed my advice, and enjoy. .

11.

To jumpstart fat-burning, try 20 minutes of cardio—treadmill, elliptical, etc.—on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. Make sure to eat breakfast soon after your cardio, and always before a major workout.

12. Before trying any new supplement for weight loss or bodybuilding, make sure you thoroughly research it. Check with your physician before trying anything new.

13.

Good nutrition, weight training

1.

Remember, stretching is a vital component of overall fitness. Stretch vigorously, and for several minutes, before doing any cardio routine like cycling, running, and swimming. For weight training, stretch lightly before working out, as well as between sets, and after your workout.

6.

Music can rev you up, and motivate your workouts. If your gym is playing “tired” tunes, bring your own music source.

7.

Carry a clean towel with you to the gym, as well as a few antibacterial wipes, to keep equipment clean for yourself and others.

8.

Stay hydrated throughout the day, and during your work-outs. Chug water regularly, but don’t wait until you are thirsty.

For the most part, sports drinks contain too much sugar, and for our purposes, good old H2O is tops.

9.

Beginning at age 25, most people begin to lose about half a pound of muscle per year. Regular and progressive weight training helps to maintain and build lean muscle.

10.

Consistency and regularity at the gym add up to success in achieving your goals. Even if your workout isn’t stellar, it’s still better to do something than nothing.

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.

SPLASH BEACH FEST At Park East on Pensacola Beach, Friday, May 25 through Sunday, May 27 from noon to 7 p.m. Entertainment, food, and fun will be capped by a lineup of the hottest DJs under an 11,000 square feet pavilion. Free admission for ages 18 and up, and open to the public. Bring your tents, cabanas, and beach gear.

3.

Modalities like hydro-therapy, massage, and acupuncture, can aid your fitness lifestyle, by relieving pain, speeding recovery and adding to your overall well being. Treat yourself this summer.

5.

Summer colds are a bitch, so never workout when you’re sick. It’s counterproductive. Stay home and get well.

St Pete

Pensacola

2.

A cocktail or glass of wine is a delight around the pool or cabana, but overdoing it can pack on the pounds, deplete your energy, and prove fatal to your workouts.

4.

A professional massage can relax sore and tight muscles, lower blood pressure, increase circulation, and moisturize your skin.

MAY 24, 2012 H 23

(free weights and machines), and cardiovascular training (running, swimming, cycling) are the three elements of any sound fitness program. You need all of these to succeed, and to look fabulous.

14.

Do some core training on the job.

Replace your regular office chair with an exercise ball while you attend to your work.

Do dumbbell military presses, arm curls, etc., on the exercise ball in order to really workout your core.

15.

Warmer weather is better for joints and muscles while exercising, just don’t overdo it. Use sunscreen, and chug plenty of water. And, let me repeat—always remember the importance of stretching and warming up.

Use your down time to get an extra pump in the gym, and enjoy your summer—while staying fit and happy. For more ideas on summertime fitness, contact TrainerTomB@ aol.com H

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

On Friday, DJ Dewight Barkley kicks off the SPLASH Beach Fest Welcome Party at 2 p.m. The weekend continues on Saturday when DJ Jay-R turns up the heat for a sizzling afternoon of fun in the sun starting at 2 p.m. DJ Tim Pflueger rounds out the weekend on Sunday at 2 p.m. with Pensacola’s hottest tea dance ever!

The highlight of the weekend will be Saturday night’s much anticipated WAVE dance party, from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. and featuring the international talent of DJ/Producer Joe Gauthreaux.

And direct from New York: the infamous Bianca del Rio. The “glowing” theme for this year’s party is a Black Light Beach Bash.

Tickets to WAVE can be purchased in advance for $40.00 at our website or at the Hampton Inn on the beach Welcome Center on Friday & Saturday from noon until 6pm.

24 H MAY 24, 2012

CANDIDLY • SPOTLIGHT

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

international LGBT media company is like winning the U.S. Open: I love it!

CANDIDLY: bobby blair

6.

What is your idea of misery? When I was younger I would feel scared and nervous about my future. Now I feel misery when I feel I am not reaching my true potential, both as a loving partner to Brian [Neal] or in business. I work on doing my best every day to be the best partner in my personal life and the best leader in my businesses.

1.What is your favorite virtue? Believing that the best part of your life is ahead of you and that the best way to have a great life is to always be that person who makes people feel great and know that they are important. It’s amazing how many wonderful relationships are built mutually on this concept of living.

2.

What are your favorite qualities in a person? Never quitting or making excuses when things do not go well. Believing that the “No’s” we are told in life as we pursue our dreams are just the necessary steps to a big “YES,” which equates to our dreams coming true. Thomas Edison failed 2,000 times when he tried to create the light bulb. Then it happened. He said the 2,000 times showed him 2,000 ways the light bulb would not work. It was just a matter of time for him to find the “YES,” and now we have lights!

3.

What do you appreciate most in your friends? When they recognize that I really care for them and about how their lives are going.

4.

What is your main fault? I dream up what I feel is a great idea, and then sometimes leave the follow through process too early in the project to someone who does not have the skills to execute. Consequently I end up having to do what I do not do best: day to day execution, which ultimately hurts project. Today I make sure I have the best team possible in place to execute so ideas can FLOURISH. I believe I have done that with Multimedia Platforms, LLC over the last 60 days and the results are telling me this is true.

5.

What is your favorite occupation? When I played professional tennis all over the world from the time I was 17 until I was 25. Now, trying to build an

7.

If not yourself, who would you be? As a tennis player in the 80s, it would have been Jimmy Connors. As a real estate investor in the 90s and 2000s, it would be Donald Trump. As a publisher and media executive, it would be Oprah Winfrey.

8.

Who are your favorite authors? Joel Osteen, Robert Schuller.

9.

Who are your heroes in real life? My mom, who died when I was 18. She started in me in tennis when I was eight. She taught me to always work the hardest, dream the biggest and never quit. My tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri. He convinced me I could do anything I wanted to in life. I believed him then and I still do.

10.

What is your present state of mind? I feel so energized and blessed to have the opportunity to live as the person God put on this earth. Most of my life I battled my sexual orientation. Today I am out and free with an incredible life partner who understands me and loves me for exactly me.

11.

What is your personal motto? “HEAD UP AND SHOULDERS BACK.” Having a “gratitude list” that I work on every week has kept me focused on my strengths and my struggles. My strengths continue to strengthen my

Bobby Blair is the Founder and CEO of Multimedia Platforms, LLC, and is the Publisher of the Florida Agenda and Guy Magazine.

SPOTLIGHT: KEITH BLACKBURN Man on a Mission

W

By Dale Madison

hen you sit down with Keith Blackburn, the President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GFLGLCC), you know you are facing someone who is on a mission. That mission—one that Blackburn has defined for himself and for the Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors area—is to create the world’s go-to tourism destination. His own personal experience as a business and community leader in South Florida has helped shape his expertise and his brief as a leading promoter of gay international tourism to Greater Fort Lauderdale.

In 2005, Blackburn opened Mary’s Resort near downtown Fort Lauderdale, a guest house catering to a specific LGBT clientele. When he opened Mary’s, Hurricane Wilma had recently wreaked havoc in parts of Broward County, and Blackburn’s new resort was without power for six weeks.

One of the first key relationships Blackburn would forge would be with Roger Handevidt, at that time the owner of the Orton Terrace guest house and the energizing force behind the Rainbow

Carpet Lodging and Hospitality Association (RCLHA), an organization that promoted gay tourism to South Florida, and which would become the Rainbow Alliance.

“Roger was one of those who promoted everyone in this community,” Blackburn offers in praise, adding, “He has been a great influence.”

After having his “boots on the ground” for a while, Blackburn says that he and other interested business owners and community leaders saw an opportunity to promote Greater Fort Lauderdale and its “gay village,” Wilton Manors, to the wider international gay and lesbian community.

Partnering with other, like-minded movers and doers in the LGBT business community, they floated the idea of establishing a more permanent organizational structure to promote the area to tourists and to coordinate efforts with allied agencies and organizations.

“I saw that there was a great potential, and I also looked at other business professionals who operate in the area,” recalls Blackburn. “We teamed up, and really felt a need to build a ‘Gay Chamber of Commerce,’ and that is what we have built.” The organization that grew from

that dream, GFLGLCC, was formed in 2011, as a 501 c (6) non-profit, with a mission to “promote business and economic opportunities for the LGBT and LGBT-friendly community, and to serve as “an advocate and resource for all member businesses that promote equality.”

Blackburn says that the task of GFLGLCC is too big for any one person or organization, and to this end, he and his board members, along with active partners in the local business market, have built close ties to other groups, including the Miami Beach Gay Pride, the Fort Lauderdale International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), in order to better get the message out about the beauty and fun of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

“We have affiliate chambers [of commerce] throughout the country,” says Blackburn, who notes just how much the gay tourism dollar means to the area’s economy. “Nearly 28 percent of travel in South Florida has been related to the LGBT community—that’s huge,” says Blackburn. “I just came back from Berlin with the IGLTA, and am getting ready to go to Orlando Gay Days in June,” an event he

predicts will be “the biggest ever.”

Blackburn and his fellow chamber members have high hopes for the organization they have built and its plans for the future, including stronger ties to other like-minded organizations. For more information about the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, visit gogayfortlauderdale.com.

dining • recipe

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 25

bailEy’s bistro THE GIRLS HAVE IT.

By RICHARD DAVID CHAMBERLAIN

T

here once was a Labrador Retriever named Bailey. While Baily died a little over a year ago at the ripe old age of 17, rumor has it that this faithful pet provided the kind of unconditional love that gives the dog breed its reputation as friendly, energetic, good-natured, and smart. You can add to that “wellmeaning,” ‘cause occasionally a Lab will tramp through the garden, root through the garbage or otherwise make a mess of things, while all the while giving you that “I’m really, really sweet” look that insists on forgiveness. So too is it with Bailey’s Bistro, the new restaurant named after the aforementioned Lab.

BAILEY’S BISTRO 2037 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors FL 33305 954-533-3252

Able to feed about 40 in comfort, this small and feisty bistro had been open for several months before its recent Grand Opening party a few days back.

The place was packed with mostly gals who all seem to know one another and the two female co-owners, and from the noise level being generated—this group knows a great party when they find one.

The menu is basic bistro food, with everything prepared with organic ingredients to order. Translation: expect a wait for the food, and expect it to be harvest fresh. There’s a small bottledbeer menu; an even smaller wine list; and bottled soda and water.

The house specialty is sirloin tips.

You’ll find it in its Sirloin Tip Marinade ($14), a tasty tender portion served over housemade mashed potatoes, and includes a side salad or soup, plus beans, broccoli or corn. (A lunch portion is $10 without a side dish). The sirloin tips are back in the bistro’s excellent Hot Cheese Steak Sandwich ($7) with grilled onions,

eggs en cocotte

This Week’s Delicious Recipe

A

By JEAN DOHERTY

re you looking to impress—and even undress—your better half? Want to make this Sunday Brunch romantic and delicious?

Try this simple and easy recipe that is sure to please you both, in more ways than one.

• ¾ cup bacon, cut into lardons • 1 potato, chopped into ½-inch cubes • 1/3 cup of spring onion or leek, diced • A pinch of fresh thyme • 2 large eggs • 3 tablespoons of heavy cream • 1 tablespoon of butter • Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste • Chives, diced (for garnish)—or you can use some of the green from the spring onion • 2 (6-ounce) cocottes or ramekins Preheat your oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle. In a medium sized, nonstick sauté pan, cook the lardons over a moderate heat until it they are nice and crispy. Let them drain on a paper towel. Meanwhile, pour off and discard all but one tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat. To the sauté pan, add the spuds, onions or leeks, and thyme, and cook until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Divide and layer the mixture between the two cocottes. Add a layer of lardons to each dish (reserving a few of the lardons to garnish the cooked dish). Spoon one tablespoon of heavy cream into each serving. Crack an egg into each cocotte and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon one

teaspoon (or two teaspoons, if you dare) of cream over each egg. Cut the tablespoon of butter into small pieces, and dot the top of each cocotte with butter.

Put the cocottes in a baking tin and bake, rotating halfway through, until the whites are just set, but the yolks are still runny—just about 15 to 20 minutes.

Garnish with chopped chives and a few lardons, and serve with toast and a Bloody Mary, or go for a Mimosa—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.

green peppers, mushrooms and cheese (a choice of provolone or mozzarella).

Making this entrée extra tempting is the side of housemade potato chips….very crispy and very good.

Less exciting is the Turkey Sandwich ($7). While the turkey tasted freshroasted, there wasn’t enough of it to really tell. Ditto, the Italian Sub ($7) with a minimum of Genoa salami, capicota, proschutto and provolone. A foot-long from Subway, this ain’t.

The most expensive dish on the menu is the $16 Beef Stroganoff. We’re Stroganoff fans and would give the version served at Bailey’s Bistro an A for effort, but a C for taste. While the cream sauce is wonderfully flavorful, there’s simply too much of it in proportion to the sirloin beef.

We were impressed by the inclusion of Shepherd’s Pie on the menu. At $13, it’s one of Bailey’s best bargains as well as its biggest mystery. Classic Shepherd’s pie is a ground lamb dish. Here the selection

is made with ground sirloin (with corn and beans) and topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. That would officially make is a Cottage Pie in anyone’s cookbook. Call it what you will, it’s an excellent choice, particularly if you’ve got a hearty appetite.

The walls at Bailey’s Bistro are hung with musical instruments—all played by the place’s co-owner Kelly, occasionally on the stage set on the sidewalk side of the restaurant, from which karaoke belts every Friday night. On Saturdays, Bailey’s is home to various live performances, with the stage available to local musicians who care to have a venue for their talents.

Bailey—the lab—has its portrait hung front and center on the north wall, in memory of the Bistro’s namesake. The lab has been replaced by another rescue these days, a mix known as Mocha. Tell him the Agenda sent you. H

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

Reasonable rates. Call Mike (954) 817-3883

26 H MAY 24, 2012

COUNSELING

CLASSIFIEDS

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 03-08-12 STYLE_Layout 1 3/8/12 2:31 AM Page 21

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

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

CLASSIFIED

ACCOMMODATIONS

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 / Same-Sex Battering / Domestic Violence.

Most Insurance and Credit Cards accepted.

METH PROBLEM? EMPLOYMENT

www.SouthFloridaCMA.org

Male Cosmetologist or EAsthetician Florida licensed professional wanted for all male guesthouse. We do it all except hair services! Reception, exceptional ADVERTISING THE 47 MARCH 08, 2012 INand clientFORservice, spa OPPORTUNITIES maintenance sales FLORIDA AGENDA CLASSIFIEDS CALL aptitude a plus. Submit your resume to: KEITH CHAMLEE AT 954-465-1563 Spa@thecabanasguesthouse.com or call 954-565-2307.

H

Home Improvement Derek’s 24-Hr Handyman Service

PLACE TO PALACE - Home improvement and handyman - Introducing our new cabinet shop! For all services. Best rates, and smart solutions. Drywall, Painting, your custom made cabinetrycountertops Tile, Doors, Wood Decks, Masonry, Purgolas, and Ceiling laminates.

Youintomust work, Fans.

Turn windows doors!see Truckour available for just yard ask our clients.maintenance All electrical code, clean-up or apartment and moves.toFREE esti-

ANY & ALL plumbing work, Drywall finish work / repair. Crown/ baseboard promates!

Lic. &interior/ Ins. CC#11-FC-16297-X Cert. Ctrl#11-18694 install, exterior painting, demo Ben (954)565-9674 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 & ACCOUNTING TAXES - Best Commercial /Cleaning

TAX PREPARATION individuals and selfCleaning for SERVICE your for buck.

Reliable & employed.

Electronic Fees, Personal Affordable.

Ten Filing, yearsReasonable in business.

1 BR, Service.

Located Fort $60.00, Lauderdale/Wilton $50.00, 2 inBR & 3 Manors BR $70.00 area.

Call Tom (954)764-0221 or e-mail Manny (954) 560-4443 taxpreparationservice@yahoo.com

Professional Cleaning to take care rates **OPTIMA** COMPUTER REPAIRthe- COMPLETE IN and references.

Serving community HOME SERVICE. Get the performance, protection & for over 5 years.

Callbest Gerardo @ (954)224value from computer investment, *A+ Hardware & 5769 or your (954)441-5770

COMPUTER SERVICES of your home and office. Excellent

OS CERTIFIED. *Friendly, professional, RELIABLE service.

Reasonable rates. Call Mike (954) 817-3883

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 /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 - 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

CLASSIFIEDS

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

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

Licensed Massage Recession Relief - $40 per 90 MINS - Out Calls Higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, Specialty Back, Lower Body & Feet. Couples Discounts. Seniors Welcome. Delray Beach, 16 yrs Experience. MA18563 Dennis (561) 502-2628

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: 954.975.8660 www.elitemoving.com

ALWAYS MOVING - Moving and Storage Know What You’re Paying Before You Move Flat Rates, Free Estimates, Family Owned Free Wardrobes-Licensed and Insured 305650-9080 www.alwaysmovingsofla. com

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) 9270090 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.

RENT / LEASE

Wilton Manors – East Fort Lauderdale RENTALS, SALES|

Spirituality

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 2 Bed, 1 Bath Apt. All Tile, Crown MLDG, Laundry, very clean avail Now. $ 850 731 nw 1st Ave. Gay Complex.

954.805.1195 1/1 close to all major expys.

Airport & Downtown. Private Deck, 1st last & security. $695 James 305-213-3473 N.E. Ft. Lauderdale- Wilton Manors Area Large Efficiency, Quiet Comlex, Tile Floor, New A/C and Refrigerator, Private Patio, Cable Ready, Pest Control included, No Pets Please. $585 By Appoitment (954)592-3772 Riverland close to Downtown 2/1 House with large Pool. New Kitchen, Screened in Porch, Large Back Yard, New A/C Unit also a 1/1 Efficiency apt w/Utilities included. Call Butch 954-632-6639

The Parish of Sts. 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 - StsFrancisAndClare.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 Calling all Queens, Bears, Twinks, Guppies, Trannies, Fairies, Spiritualists, Yoga Folks, LGBTQ’s, Poets, Dancers, Actors and all our Straight Allies.

WIG the Gay Empowerment/Spiritual Revival awaits you every Wed. 8PM at The Manor Complex, $10 Donation Call 754-444-1944 Miami Herald, “The next generation’s spiritual Stonewall.”

MAY 24, 2012 H 27

28 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

AS SEEN ON HGTV’s

(954) 396-3223

Tops@SellingWiltonManors.com List with us and 25% of our listing side commission will be donated to the local charity of your choice!

Check out our website

MAY 24, 2012 H 29

HOT NEW LISTING - Manor Grove Village Four

Beautifully updated 2 bedroom/2 bath condo in the most desirable section of Manor Grove! Bright & open kitchen, spacious rooms & LOTS of storage! Your just steps to the riverfront pool, sauna, clubhouse & tennis courts & just a few blocks to THE DRIVE! Cat friendly & washer/dryers permitted in unit! Now is the time to MAKE YOUR MOVE to Wilton Manors!

Asking $159,900

and Fort Lauderdale...and Oakland Park...and Palm Aire...and...

Globally connected. Locally respected.

Office Phone: 954-564-8182 2039 Wilton Drive * Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (visit our Business Cafe!)

30 H MAY 24, 2012

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM

MAY 24, 2012 H 31

32 H MAY 24, 2012

SIGNING OFF

FLORIDAAGENDA.COM