Inweekly June 25 2020 Issue

Pride Isn't Cancelled

Independent News | June 25, 2020 | Volume 21 | Number 26

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winners & losers

outtakes

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5

news 6

I just don't want to be part of the problem.

feature

buzz

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contact us info@inweekly.net

publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, C.S. Satterwhite

a&e 17

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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FLATTENING THE CURVE? During the

JUANITA WILLIAMS During the June school board meeting, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas announced Williams was that Escambia County's School-Related Employee of the Year for 2020. Williams has been with the district for 22 years as a bus assistant serving Sherwood Elementary, where her bus has been named "bus of the month" for seven consecutive months. The Florida School-Related Employee of the Year program recognizes outstanding educational support personnel for the significant contributions they make to their schools and district school systems.

JACKSONVILLE President Donald Trump

oldest Rotary Club recently gave a $5,000 donation to Manna Food Bank to help provide food for those in need due to the COVID-19 virus and loss of jobs. Each year, the club gives community grants by selecting several nonprofits who submit applications for grants to help their organization with annual operating expenses. This year, the club distributed $15,000 to the 30 Million Words Sailing Regatta Pensacola Yacht Club Satori Foundation, Gulf Coast Kid's House, AMI Kids, Rotary Youth Camp, ECARE, Ronald McDonald House, Council on Aging, YMCA NW FL, Emmaus Road Outreach and Alfred Washburn Center.

ADAM WHITE The Emmanuel Sheppard &

Condon (ESC) attorney, and member of the Inweekly Rising Star class of 2016, has been installed as president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar. Since joining ESC in 2014, White has primarily practiced general civil litigation with an emphasis in construction law, contract and commercial litigation and employment law. He became a shareholder of ESC in 2019. The Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar stimulates and encourages the interest and participation of division members in the purposes of The Florida Bar.

SALTMARSH, CLEAVELAND & GUND

The Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) presented the CPA firm with its first Marketing Achievement Award, which recognizes firms that find effective and innovative ways to connect with clients and prospects. Saltmarsh won the coveted "We AAM to Serve" Award in recognition of their "Road to 1,944 Service Hours" campaign in 2019, which challenged the firm's 150 employees located across the country to contribute 1,944 hours of service in celebration of the firm's 75th anniversary.

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losers first days of June, state and local health officials declared mitigation efforts had succeeded in flattening the curve of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Florida and Escambia County moved into Phase 2 of the governor's reopening plan. However, as the cases began to rise steeply, Gov. Ron DeSantis had to admit that he's concerned about the daily records being set for new positive cases. On Saturday, June 20, the Florida Department of Health issued a Public Health Advisory calling for everyone in the state to wear a face mask in response to increased COVID-19 cases. Gov. DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to increase inspections to ensure that businesses are adhering to applicable Phase 1 and Phase 2 guidance. No one is bragging about flattening the curve any longer. The uptick has been troubling. Fortunately, the death rate hasn't increased. pushed to move the 2020 Republican convention from Charlotte, N.C., to the county seat of Duval County, to the delight of Gov. DeSantis and Mayor Lenny Curry. Curry, a former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, tweeted, "We welcome the opportunity to host the GOP convention in Jacksonville. A $100 million local impact event would be important for our city as an event/convention destination."

Within three days of the announcement, COVID cases began to climb, setting daily records.

STRATEGIC NATIONAL STOCKPILE

The federal government is stuck with 63 million doses of hydroxychloroquine after U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday, June 15, revoked permission for the drug to be distributed to treat coronavirus patients.

The government started stockpiling donated hydroxychloroquine in late March, after President Trump touted it as "very encouraging" and "very powerful" and a "game-changer."

MARK INCH The Miami Herald reports

that at a Black History Month luncheon in February, Department of Corrections Secretary Inch spoke to a largely Black audience, describing how he fought and distrusted Black people growing up and suggested Americans should celebrate "Scottish Heritage Month" in addition to Black history, according to a corrections employee who filed an internal complaint about Inch's remarks.

The employee was fired a month later. inweekly.net

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outtakes

By Rick Outzen

LISTEN TO CHANGE Social justice begins when those in the majority start to listen to those in the minority. Through listening, we gain insights and better understand the trials, tribulations and challenges of the minority. And our society becomes more robust and vibrant.

Protecting the rights of the minority is essential to our republic. The rights outlined in the First Amendment— freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly and the right to petition the government—guarantee the minority will be protected and ensure our nation will not become a dictatorship.

Those in the majority must stop and listen from time to time and check to see that the rights and freedoms of the minority haven't been trampled. We too often rush to judgment when the speaker hits triggers, which are the specific words, looks or situations that challenge our views.

Samuel Clemens wrote, "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (pause and reflect)."

In today's world, we often feel compelled to voice opinions without pausing to hear others' views and reflect on them.

We've seen leaders in business and media called out for their racist tweets and thoughtless decisions. Greg Glassman, the founder and chief executive of CrossFit, announced two weeks ago that he would step down after a tweet made light of George Floyd's death. Andrew Alexander, the CEO and co-owner of Second City, The New York Times' Opinion Editor James Bennet and Philadelphia Inquirer Editor Stan Wischnowski also resigned this month.

In the aftermath of the killing of Floyd, we need to take Clemens' advice and pause before we speak. We need to listen.

Inweekly reporter Jeremy Morrison recently interviewed Cedric Alexander, retired law enforcement professional and CNN analyst whom Mayor Grover Robinson brought in to help train the Pensacola Police Department after the shooting of Tymar Crawford. Alexander has been

tapped to organize and facilitate the mayor's police oversight committee.

Alexander believes the killing of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was the catalyst that set "everything off for us to now say enough is enough." The protests forced us to put ourselves in timeout. The question moved quickly from whether racism exists to how do we deal with it.

The mayor's new committee has a chance to work if we listen to each other.

"I think one of the benefits of the local committee here is going to be having an opportunity to work closely with the law enforcement community," Alexander told Inweekly. "And being able to communicate things around law enforcement that will be for the overall benefit of the community and for the agency itself."

By bringing citizens, law enforcement and city government together, he expects the committee to come up with a myriad of ideas as to how to enhance public safety and policing law—"not just as a committee because that committee is going to get information from the communities in which they represent."

The ideas will be processed and compiled into a list of recommendations to the mayor that will either be approved by Mayor Robinson or sent to the Pensacola City Council if ordinances need to change.

Alexander said, "I think it's an opportunity for community voices to be heard in a very coordinated type of way."

He does not doubt that reform and change are coming. He said, "Every department, everywhere, no matter how small you are, it's coming. And so you have an opportunity now to either get ahead of this, by implementing training inside your organization, by looking at policies, by bringing people in from your communities—community committee, helping us to take a look at ourselves because you represent the entire city."

The first step to change will be for all of us to listen. {in} rick@inweekly.net

In today's world, we often feel compelled to voice opinions without pausing to hear others' views and reflect on them. We've seen leaders in business and media called out for their racist tweets and thoughtless decisions.

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ON THE SAFE SIDE

Jen Knight / Photo courtesy of End of the Line Cafe

By Jeremy Morrison Restaurants are a tricky business. And then came the coronavirus.

Like all businesses weathering the impacts—health, economic and otherwise— of this pandemic, restaurants have been in uncharted territory during this uncertain season. But the very nature of businesses that prepare food and pour drinks, where social interactions are a core ingredient, make them especially vulnerable in the face of something like COVID-19, which can pass through the air and linger on surfaces.

In Florida, restaurants have been phased back onto the playing field along with retail businesses. In May, they opened the doors back up with a 25% capacity cap.

This month, that rose to 50%.

In addition to capacity limits, there are also the advised sanitation and safety measures, but restaurants throughout Florida have presented a diverse spectrum of compliance during the state's Phase One and Phase Two reopening periods. In some establishments, it's all masks and tape lines and social distance

spaced seating. In other places, summer's on and it's party time.

While the state has pushed forward into Phase Two, deeper into the Petri dish of this large-scale public health experiment, it does so against the nagging data indicating sharp spikes in positive test results.

Numerous restaurants in Florida have had to close again temporarily due to positive test results among staff or patrons, including Restaurant IRON locally.

They are currently closed for two weeks following an asymptomatic employee's positive test.

This Wild West, let's-see-where-thisis-going atmosphere has given some local restaurant owners pause. They've decided to take it slow, to try to play it safe.

Two such local restaurants are The Magnolia and End of the Line Cafe (EOTL). Owners of these establishments spoke recently about their guarded navigation through the waters of this pandemic.

"Our employees and customers deserve our best," said Bill Manning, owner of The Magnolia. "Exposing them to an avoidable threat felt like a personal and professional misstep."

"I just don't want to be part of the problem," said Jen Knight, owner of EOTL.

FOCUSING ON TO-GO

The Magnolia was ahead of the curve when coronavirus shutdowns began in the spring. Its owners saw the writing was on the wall.

"We closed to on-site dining a few days before the official order in part because of the certainty it was coming as well as a safety precaution," explained Manning, who operates The Magnolia with his wife, Kiley.

The restaurant's dining room became

home to stacks of to-go containers. The owners braced for what was to come— whatever that might be.

"We had no idea what was going to happen," Manning said. "It was our goal to simply keep the business oiled and keep our employees paid."

When Florida gave restaurants the goahead to open back up, the folks at The Magnolia were plenty excited. But in the weeks since, the restaurant has dialed it back a bit.

"We decided to close the dining room again due to the spike in cases," said Manning.

The Mannings closed their dining room again in mid-June, putting their focus back on to-go orders. COVID cases at the time were beginning their upward trend, setting records daily, rocketing past 2,000 and 3,000, before setting a record Saturday, June 20, with just over 4,000 new daily cases reported.

At EOTL, Knight initially attempted to steer her customers toward observing social distancing measures, but it proved to be a difficult task—despite the use of traffic cones and lines of tape mapping out acceptable distances.

"People were just kicking over the cones, walking over the tape line," Knight said. "It was like herding cats."

Realizing she couldn't maintain an environment that met her standards, earlier this month, Knight decided to retreat from Florida's Phase Two battlefield. She closed EOTL's dining room and tried to keep her employees and customers as safe as possible.

"I feel like it's going to keep us on the safe side," Knight said. "We wear gloves and masks; we bring food out to the car."

A TIME TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER

Knight looks around at other restaurants and understands why they are forging ahead toward the normalcies of pre-pandemic days. She too yearns for those days, for the filled dining room, the healthy bottom-line.

"I think people got scared, and I was too, of the lack of income," Knight said.

"You look at the money coming in and the bills—you're sweatin' it."

But Knight can't square the potential for raising EOTL's numbers when she watches the overall COVID numbers climb in Florida. And she knows where this is going, as the state jumps headfirst into tourism season.

"It can only escalate, obviously," Knight said. "I think we live in a vacation, resort state, so people are going to flock here. It was destined to be a hotbed."

EOTL's owner does blame other restaurants for jumping fully into these initial reopening phases, but rather feels state officials should have offered more prudent guidance during this pandemic.

"I think it was irresponsibly done by the people in charge," Knight said. "If someone says that it's OK to go out, yeah, that's saying, the world has healed; go out and do what you want."

And some people have been pretty upset that they were unable to go out and do what they want when it comes to eating at places like EOTL. They don't understand why the restaurant isn't fully opening back up like everything else. Maybe if they kept an eye on the COVID count, they'd understand.

"If we had a live feed on the front of our door of the numbers," Knight said, "if that was common knowledge and on everybody's mind, I think it would make a little more sense."

For now, folks like Knight are watching those numbers and plan to gauge the reemergence of their restaurant accordingly.

"I don't know how long it's going to last, but I want to keep everybody safe," Knight said.

This sentiment echoes the philosophy over at The Magnolia, where they recognize the unfolding severity and uncertainty of this landscape and "have little to no reference on how it will work or how long it will last."

"This is a difficult time for many other reasons," Manning said, "but also a moment in our lives that we can all choose to care about each other." {in}

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ity began at the end of May following the death of George Floyd.

Ari Weil, a terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago's Chicago Project on Security and Threats, has tracked vehicleramming attacks.

"The message they're trying to send is, 'You need to get out of the street and stop these protests,'" Weil told NPR. "They're trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters, to stop their movement."

PPD investigators might want to check the driver's social media history.

REMOVAL DOESN'T ERASE HISTORY

Grover Robinson / Photo courtesy of City of Pensacola

OVERSIGHT APPOINTMENTS Following the July 5, 2019 death of Tymar Crawford, a Black man who was pulled over by local police officers, community organization Pensacola Dream Defenders issued a list of demands to the city. Key on that list was the formation of a citizen oversight committee to focus on the city's police department.

Mayor Robinson recently announced that Cedric Alexander, a retired law enforcement officer with a national reputation, will facilitate the committee, which will hold town halls beginning in July.

At his Monday, June 22, presser, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson announced the 12 members of the advisory. Each city council member appointed a citizen: •District 1 Councilman P.C. Wu—Lara McKnight, former president of the Scenic Heights Neighborhood Association •District 2 Councilwoman Sherri Myers—Charles Bare, former Pensacola City Council president •District 3 Councilman Andy Terhaar— Drew Buchanan, 2018 candidate for mayor •District 4 Councilman Jared Moore— Scott Remington, managing partner of Clark Partington law firm •District 5 Councilman John Jerralds—Joseph Marshall, pastor of St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church •District 6 Councilwoman Ann Hill—Jonathan Green, 2018 candidate for mayor •District 7 Councilwoman Jewel CannadaWynn—Kendra Carr-Pineda, pastor of Redemption Faith International Ministries 88

Mayor Robinson made five appointments: •Hale Morrissette, regional organizer for Dream Defenders •Kyle Cole, protest organizer and head of the KYLE Project Inc. •Kyle Kopytchak, member of the city's Environmental Advisory Board •Vin Durant, analyst at the Florida Department of Revenue •Autumn Beck Blackledge, attorney In an interview with Inweekly reporter Jeremy Morrison, Alexander said of the committee, "I think it's an opportunity for community voices to be heard in a very coordinated type of way."

VEHICLE-RAMMING ATTACKS On

Saturday, June 6, Jason Uphaus, who was attending a Black Lives Matter protest at Graffiti Bridge, made news when he was carried on the hood of an SUV across the Pensacola Bay Bridge.

Ten days ago, the daily newspaper reported Uphaus might face one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief for property damage worth $200 or less, as well as a health and safety misdemeanor count for obstructing the highway.

Pensacola Police Department spokesman Officer Mike Wood informed Inweekly on Monday, June 22, that the case is still under investigation.

NPR reports right-wing extremists are increasingly using cars as weapons, as 50 vehicle-ramming incidents have been reported since protests against police brutal-

The nationwide call for racial justice and equity has brought renewed attention to the Confederate monuments in many communities. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America's historic places, last week issued a statement in support of the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces.

"Although Confederate monuments are sometimes designated as historic, and while many were erected more than a century ago, the National Trust supports their removal from our public spaces when they continue to serve the purposes for which many were built—to glorify, promote, and reinforce white supremacy, overtly or implicitly," wrote the non-profit.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation noted most such monuments were intended to serve as a celebration of Lost Cause mythology and to advance the ideas of white supremacy.

"Many of them still stand as symbols of those ideologies and sometimes serve as rallying points for bigotry and hate today," said the organization. "To many African Americans, they continue to serve as constant and painful reminders that racism is embedded in American society."

The trust doesn't see the removal as erasing history but as a necessary act to "achieve the greater good of ensuring racial justice and equality."

The trust added, "And their history needs not end with their removal: we support relocation of these monuments to museums or other places where they may be preserved so that their history as elements of Jim Crow and racial injustice can be recognized and interpreted."

OFFER TO TAKE MONUMENT Eric Stevenson, president of St. John's Cemetery, Inc., sent a letter to Mayor Grover Robinson and the Pensacola City Council offering a space at historic St. John's Cemetery for the statue's relocation should the city move the Confederate Soldiers Memorial from Lee Square.

"St. John's Cemetery has the highest

number of Confederate soldiers and the most Confederate generals buried in a public cemetery in Florida," wrote Stevenson on behalf of his board of directors. "Placing the statue there would be consistent with that part of our city's heritage."

The cemetery is where Gov. Edward Perry, who first led the campaign for the monument in the 1880s, is buried.

"If you choose to relocate the statue to St. John's, we would recommend it being located in the first roundabout, near the graves of other Confederate soldiers," said Stevenson. "Given the limited resources of the St. John's Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, we propose that the city continue to own and maintain the monument. We will be happy to work out an arrangement for city workers to come on to our property for maintenance of the monument."

FINDING NEXT SUPERINTENDENT

As the Escambia County School District searches for its next superintendent, transitioning from an elected to an appointed position, there's a few qualities on the wish list. District leaders are looking for someone with "high integrity," someone who "has great drive and takes on challenges," someone who will be "accountable," a "good communicator" with "deep listening skills" who is also a "visionary" who is "committed to diversity."

"We're very aware of how important this decision is," said Patty Hightower, chairman of Escambia's school board, during a virtual town hall Monday, June 15, hosted by CivicCon. For the past 12 years, the district has been led by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. Last year, voters decided to switch to an appointed superintendent, a change that will take place as Thomas's term wraps up in the fall.

Hightower noted the school district's improvements under Thomas, nodding towards his "hard shoes to fill."

"Where he's moved us from good to better," she said, "we're looking for someone who's going to move us from better to best."

That statement seemed to dance around an awkward reality—for decades, Escambia has languished in the bottom third of school districts across Florida.

Janet Pilcher, managing director of Huron Consulting Group and senior executive at Studer Education, who moderated the virtual forum phrased this another way— "There's great opportunities through challenges in Escambia County."

Even with such challenges, the search for a superintendent is aiming high in hopes of snagging a candidate who is, in the words of CivicCon Executive Director Terry Horne, "the kind of person that can make a difference here." inweekly.net

"How attractive do you think this position is for someone who's already a topranking superintendent," Horne wondered, "to make them want to jump ship and come to Escambia County?"

Pilcher said she felt the position—based in a mid-size, coastal district and with a salary range between $145,000 and $175,000— was "pretty attractive" but also noted the "competitive landscape" of the mission.

"I hope we open our minds to find the best person," she said. "I want us to be the best in Florida, but I'd like to see us be the best in the country."

Several times during Monday's town hall, the "diversity" within the Escambia school district was referenced. The district spans both urban areas, as well as more rural stretches. It serves students from varying backgrounds, with varying needs.

Hightower said that any candidate looking to fill the position would need to be able to demonstrate a track record of improvements within a struggling system. Officials want to know the candidate is able to successfully work with less-advantaged or lower-performing students in an effort to "close the achievement gap."

"I want to see the evidence, where they've moved students," Hightower said.

Andrea Messina, executive director of the Florida School Board Association, which is assisting Escambia in its search, agreed. She stressed the importance for the district to take a deep dive into the data of a candidate's career.

"Show us the data; tell us how you did it and were you able to replicate it," she said.

"We look at the data. You have to look at data. There's no avoiding it if you're looking for proven success."

The Escambia County School District currently has 13 applicants vying for the superintendent position. Because of Florida's Sunshine Law, which throws a candidate into public records territory the moment they apply for the position, Messina said that the

district should expect the bulk of candidates to apply at the last minute. But she said she's reached out to a number of people who have expressed interest in the job and is optimistic about the final field of candidates.

"I think they're going to have a hard time choosing," Messina said.

Whoever the district selects, Hightower tempered immediate expectations, "Give them some time. Don't expect them to change the world tomorrow."

FAMILIES AND CARPOOLS Dr. John

Lanza, director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, gave the Board of County Commissioners an update on the COVID-19 pandemic at their June 18 regular meeting.

"We've seen an uptick in the number of cases across the state," said Lanza. He added that he was seeing the same sort of situation locally.

"Part of that is due to the fact that we are doing a lot more testing," he said. Lanza estimated that about 300-400 people were being tested daily. He estimated the county is "significantly above" the goal of testing 2% of its population in June.

Lanza continued, "So why do we have the uptick? Part of it was the fact that we are doing more testing, but we are seeing an increase in numbers of family-related cases. Between June 1-8 and June 9-15, there was a 320% increase in the rate of cases within a family unit."

He said DOH Escambia had detected nine families that had two or more cases, and one family had six cases where someone brought it into the family and infected five other people.

"The vast majority of the increase for us, other than the fact that we're doing a lot more testing, is the fact that it's spreading amongst family members," said Lanza.

Some of the other cases are workrelated. He said, "We have an issue with construction workers going from Escambia

County to Santa Rosa County to Destin to do construction work over there in a vanpool with more than just family members and more than one person in the vehicle who are not family members."

"The vast majority of the increase for us, other than the fact that we're doing a lot more testing, is the fact that it's spreading amongst family members." Dr. John Lanza ECAT DRIVERS TESTED Mike Lowery, who was relieved of his employment with the Escambia County Area Transit in April, but continues to serve as ECAT's union representative, isn't too surprised about the entity's current COVID-19 scenario.

Last week, Escambia County confirmed that one public transit employee had tested positive for the coronavirus and that other employees were being tested by the Florida Department of Health.

"I'm praying there are no more people that are positive," Lowery said Thursday, June 19. "It's a sad situation because I think everybody's getting comfortable."

Escambia County, which manages ECAT, announced that a driver had tested positive for COVID the day prior. The employee had just returned to work after a more than two-month absence.

Lowery, who said he knows the impacted employee and considers her a friend, reported that the driver spent a couple of days in training sessions before covering a shift over the weekend. He said that due to the specifics of the shift, the employee spent a lot of time in the break room awaiting a turn behind the wheel.

Although drivers are wearing masks while on the bus, it's a different story inside the ECAT station, the union president said.

"She shows up and sees everyone's not

wearing a mask, so she doesn't wear one," Lowery said. "It's like this comfort zone."

Compounding the situation, Lowery said that social distancing isn't being observed within employee areas and that other employees were naturally glad to see this driver after her absence, leading to close contact.

"A lot of physical contact and hugs and kisses on the cheek," he said. "At one point, she and other employees are sharing a box of chicken at the table."

Since learning that the driver tested positive for COVID-19, the Florida Department of Health offered tests to all ECAT employees. Lowery estimates that between 20 to 30 other employees came into direct contact with the impacted driver.

"They've agreed to test everybody," he said, "but you're not required to take the test."

Lowery said in April at the time of his firing that he felt it was for his sounding the alarm regarding COVID precautions at ECAT. Escambia County issued a statement at the time indicating the termination was due to other issues, including an incident during which the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1395, AFL-CIO, granted WEAR 3 an interview on ECAT property.

Lowery, who is currently awaiting arbitration over his firing, said at the time he felt the move was necessary after management failed to enact certain safety measures for riders and employees—"I had to do something."

"I was the jerk on the property," Lowery recalled. "I was the one going to management saying, 'Hey, there's people congregating in the break room.' But this was a reason why."

After the announcement of the infected driver, Lowery pointed to what he described as a lax environment and laid the blame at the county's door.

"Employees are human," the union president said. "They follow what management tells them to do." {in}

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010 1

inweekly.net

Pride Isn't Cancelled Every June, Pride celebrates the progress made by the LGBTQ community. It also presents a platform to raise political awareness about current issues and reminds us all that the fight for equality is an ongoing battle.

It might look a little different this year, but Pride is still happening, and we couldn't let the month come to a close without celebrating it.

June 25, 2020

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Pride in Their Own Words

From left to right: Ariel Jean, Julie Still-Rolin, Andrew "Merlin" Knight, Claudia Lebrun, Devin Cole

The first Pride event started with a riot.

Officers of the now-defunct Public Morals Squad raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City, after midnight on June 28, 1969. Some who were there recalled being violently slammed against the wall, called names. Some were even asked to submit to anatomical inspections. Days of street protests followed, marking the beginning of the gay rights movement.

By

Ariel Jean

I

started medically and socially transitioning in 2017. The first people I came out to were my daughters, who are now 8 and 9. Their reaction to the news? "Aww, now you can wear princess dresses with us." They were completely unphased and have been my biggest supporters from the start. They would aggressively refer to me with she/her pronouns and correct other family members when they would misgender me.

Around this time, I started writing my

By

Julie Still-Rolin

C

oming out was difficult for me, not because I was ashamed, but I knew there would be consequences. I remember the day my mom came to my house, asked if I was queer and walked out of my life forever.

She said it was a choice, but what she did not

Fast forward to June 2020, where different protests are taking over the streets as the Black Lives Matter movement spreads to cities across the world following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Even in a pandemic, people are showing up, masks on their faces and fists in the air, to fight for justice. They do

this for Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for Ahmaud Arbery, for Tymar Crawford and for countless others.

The gay rights movement and the civil rights movement are similar movements.

At their core, the protests are about human rights. The civil rights movement started with sit-ins and protests. The result was the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion,

sex or national origin. And just last week, on June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same law protects gay, lesbian and transgender employees from discrimination.

With so much going on the world, we felt it was only right to give a platform to those who are living those stories and fighting those fights.

We didn't give them a prompt. We just asked them to share what's on their mind right now.

This is Pride Month, in their own words.

first book on the biology, sociology and history of the gender spectrum, titled "Talk Softly and Carry Your Big Stick with Pride"— Roosevelt would be so proud. I wrote this mainly to help me understand myself, to help normalize who I am and recognize what a rich history non-cisgender identity actually has—there's nothing new about it. But since then, it seems to have helped others in their journeys as well, so, hey, that's cool.

In 2019, I lost my insurance and could no longer afford my hormone replacement therapy (HRT) appointments or medications. After going a little over a month

without meds and slowly watching my body essentially de-transition and my emotions go haywire, I reached out to Dr. Hillman at Pensacola Osteopaths, asking if they do HRT. She said no but was excited to learn. During our conversations on transgender health care, I wound up asking if she needed an assistant, since I had experience as a Navy Corpsman.

So she brought me onto the team to help her develop our current Informed Consent model, meaning that we don't require therapist approval. We also regularly treat nonbinary patients and don't deny trans women hormones for "not being gay enough"—yes, doctors and

therapists in this area will legitimately tell patients that.

Even with keeping our prices low and offering sliding-scale pricing, though, some of our patients struggle to afford lab fees and medications, so I developed the nonprofit Transacola to help trans people pay for those health care costs. Prior to "the Plague," we were having weekly support group meetings.

We intend to bring those back as soon as it's safe to do so. In the meantime, we're still available for virtual support in any way we can be.

understand was that the only choice was to embrace who I really am. I remember being told that my full-time position was being dissolved after working at the college for over 10 years. However, the pain from these experiences has passed. I now see them as moments of learning and change. Before I came out, I was only a fraction of the person

I am now because I was saying, "You're right," to those who wanted to stifle my voice, and that is not who I am. Now, I am loud and proud. I learned not only that I needed to come out to really embrace who I am but also that not coming out had negative impacts on my health. I explore this in my book, "Coming Out in the South," and I am working on a

documentary that tells other people's stories about coming out and being happy and successful. These stories show that no matter how hard coming out is, it is worth it to say, "I love who I am—all of me—especially the parts that raise questions about what is socalled 'normal.'" I hope that these stories help others embrace their own pride.

For more information on Transcola, visit transacola.org.

Rub elbows with those who take their leisure time seriously.

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Andrew "Merlin" Knight

you are seems to be up for judgment constantly—even beyond high school. I'm rowing up, I realizing that the only felt a total lack validation that means I'm realizing that the of connection anything is my own. At only validation that to people of my skin the end of the day, all I means anything is color and my sexualhave is me, and that has ity, to people of my my own. to be worth it. The true gender and opposite. healing seems to come It's a struggle when the through authentic self-love. Every day input around you tells you how unworshould be "Treat Yo Self Day." thy you are of love. How you look or who By

G

By

Claudia Lebrun

T

he world is changing, and we are experiencing it. The fact that Pride parades and events have been canceled and that the "spotlight" isn't on Pride reminds me exactly what this month is all about. Pride was created due to a riot that led to us having rights. It was the rise of

By

Devin Cole

R

ecently, the Supreme Court passed down a ruling that says people in the LGBTQ community are protected from job discrimination. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against someone based on their "sex." The SCOTUS ruling made it to where this also covers sexual orientation and gender identity. Many longtime LGBTQ advocates are praising this as a major victory—and for many, it is.

However, what many more of us advocates are asking is, how is this to be enforced?

Many of us have experienced not only homophobic or transphobic coworkers but the same from bosses. What then?

Many of us have been discriminated against in the hiring process for being visible but have no way to prove it. What then?

Florida is an at-will state; this allows companies to fire people for any reason. Many companies can (and do) fire those of us in the LGBTQ community but don't have to say that outright because they don't have to give a reason. They can simply say, "It isn't working out," when really the only issue is their hatred toward gay and transgender people.

What then?

Black transgender people, gay disabled people and a lot of other intersecting factors that make up the LGBTQ community are also subject to the same discrimination but tenfold. Discrimination based on any of these statuses happens regularly—I have been harassed on the job for my sexual orientation, I have been rejected from jobs for being transgender and I have been fired from a job for being disabled. I cannot prove any of these in any legal setting due to one or more aforementioned reasons above. As such, I am not one of the many LGBTQ advocates cheering on this decision from SCOTUS. For many of us, there is still an uphill battle in which we cannot yet see the summit.

My great-grandmother never said something was "dumb" or "stupid"—she said it was June 25, 2020

the oppressed; now we are doing the exact same thing in order to bring justice to the Black community and give them the respect and lives they deserve. The Black Panthers came to the Stonewall Riot, and I am proud to be living a time where we, as the LGBT+ community, can now show up and support them. I am proud of being gay, and I am proud of what my history as a member of the LGBT community has taught me. "foolish." It seemed to pack more of a punch than simply calling something or someone "stupid." I must echo that here—it is foolish for white people in the LGBTQ movement to not support the Black Lives Matter movement. I can't speak for any other race as a white person, and I won't, but for white people in the LGBTQ movement, condemning or attacking the Black Lives Matter movement shows not only your complicity in white supremacy but your ignorance of your own queer/transgender history.

You condemn uprisings in Minneapolis and wag your finger and say, "This isn't the way!" to protesters in New York City? You are gay, divorced from reality. Look at your own movement—the gay rights movement. Far from its original intent as it is, the gay rights movement owes its existence to Black and Latina transgender women and uprisings.

Where would we be without the Compton Cafeteria Riots? Where the hell would we be without the Stonewall Riots? Where would this movement be if not for the Black and Latina trans women, queens and other queers of all races, sexualities and genders, who moved as one against the corrupt NYPD that night of June 28, 1969? Who took to the streets of New York City for five days, fighting the cops, fighting the mafia and fighting the oppressive establishment that controlled them?

Why don't you see the connection between that then and this now? Four hundred-plus years of oppression against Black people is far past enough, as the centuries-long oppression against queer/transgender people is far past enough; we have a duty to support this movement wholeheartedly, for Black queer youth like Nigel Shelby, for Black trans men like Blake Brockington, for Black trans women like Muhlaysia Booker, Dominique Fells and Riah Milton, for Black non-binary people, for Breeona Taylor, for George Floyd, for Ahmaud Arbery, for Delbert Africa, for Dr. Mutulu Shakur, for Assata Shakur, for all Black people.

Black Lives Matter. All Black Lives Matter.

The Black Liberation Struggle and the LGBTQ Liberation Struggle are bound together by a million threads.

13

For Your Specialty

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Pride and Protection from Discrimination

By Rick Outzen

from my work meeting. My partner and I were together and saw some strange things going on the blog … it started to crash.

And somebody finally posted, they said, 'I can get part of the first page.' As my partner and I started to read the words, we just looked at each other and said, 'Oh, my gosh, we did this.'

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Last week, many were surprised when the conservative Supreme Court had delivered a landmark victory for LGBTQ rights. The justices ruled, by a 6-3 vote, that firing individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the court's opinion with Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor assenting, and Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas were in the dissent.

One person who wasn't surprised, though, was the only living plaintiff in the case—Gerald Bostock.

Clayton County, Ga., fired Bostock in 2013 for conduct "unbecoming" a county employee shortly after he began participating in a gay recreational softball league.

"I try to leave politics out of this as much as I can and could," Bostock told Inweekly in a phone interview last week. "I've been optimistic from day one, and I believe in our judicial system. I believe in what that building in Washington stands for. In my heart, I just knew the justices would make the right decision here."

He continued, "But I'll tell you, when I walked out of that courtroom after oral arguments [in October of last year], I was even more optimistic based on the conversations that were being had—the questions, the responses. So quite honestly, I really wasn't totally surprised."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bostock was working at home when the decision was announced. He and his partner had been tracking the SCOTUS blog for the past couple of months in anticipation of an announcement.

"My partner and I had put up the SCOTUS blog on our television in our den, around 10 a.m. as always," shared Bostock. "And sure enough, someone posted they're about to announce Bostock versus Clayton County. So, of course, my heart, I know it skipped a beat."

He continued, "I quickly excused myself

In 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act made it unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire or to discharge any individual because of their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. So the question before the court last week was should those same workplace discrimination protections extend to sexual orientation or gender identity.

In addition to Bostock v. Clayton County, the ruling focused on two other cases, one involving Aimee Stephens, a transgender funeral director, and the other Donald Zarda, a gay skydiving instructor.

R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes fired Aimee Stephens, who presented as a male when she was hired, after she informed her employer that she planned to "live and work full-time as a woman." Altitude Express fired Donald Zarda days after he mentioned being gay.

Unfortunately, Zarda died in 2014 and Stephens last month, leaving Bostock as the only surviving plaintiff to see the case's outcome.

In his opinion, Justice Gorsuch wrote a statutory violation occurs if an employer intentionally relies in part on an individual employee's sex when deciding to discharge the employee.

"Because discrimination on the basis of homosexuality or transgender status requires an employer to intentionally treat individual employees differently because of their sex, an employer who intentionally penalizes an employee for being homosexual or transgender also violates Title VII," Gorsuch wrote. "There is no escaping the role intent plays—Just as sex is necessarily a but-for cause when an employer discriminates against homosexual or transgender employees, an employer who discriminates on these grounds inescapably intends to rely on sex in its decision making."

While some observers were surprised to see Gorsuch, a President Trump appointee, agree with the decision, Bostock's attorney, Tom Mew, wasn't.

"It was our belief from the beginning that the arguments we advanced in this case were very much tied to the plain language of the statute that is Title VII and

subsequent interpretation and treatment by the Supreme Court," said Mew, who sat in on Inweekly's interview with Bostock.

"And those are the key points that justices and textualist-driven justices look at when they make decisions about what a statute's meaning is."

He continued, "So I felt from that standpoint, from a textualist standpoint, we had the stronger side of the argument."

CELEBRATING PROTECTION

"Today is not just a day to celebrate progress for LGBTQ people; it's a day to thank Aimee, Don and Gerald for putting themselves forward through these cases in order to help millions of people all across the country," the American Civil Liberties Union stated in a release when the decision was announced.

"And it's a day to thank Aimee and Don's families for continuing their cases in their honor. Without heroes like them, the protections in our legal system would not work."

Stephens, who worked for six years as a funeral director at a funeral home in Detroit, died in May from kidney failure that the ACLU has asserted was exacerbated by her loss of health insurance when she was fired because she was transgender.

The victory was bittersweet for Bostock because Stephens and Zarda weren't alive to hear the decision.

"I am very saddened, especially with the recent passing of Amy Stevens, but fortunately, I did have the privilege and honor of meeting her in Washington when we went for oral arguments," said Bostock. "And more importantly, I got to hear her story from her, and I got to know her. I also got to know the Zarda family, his sister and his former partner."

He added, "It was just a privilege and an honor to be there with them and to be a part of making this moment in history.

I stood proudly by their side, and I stand proudly now. And I have no doubt that Amy and Don are both looking down from heaven with a big old smile."

STILL MORE TO DO

Jeff Nall, the president of Emerald Coast Equality, told Inweekly that he was pleased with the ruling.

"There are an estimated 8.1 million LGBTQ workers in the U.S. who contribute to our economy and deserve equal protection under the law," said Nall. "Prior to today, Florida was not among the 22 states that provided this protection."

But more work is left to do for true equality.

"Florida must pass the Competitive Workforce Act and Congress pass the Equality Act. In addition to workplace protections, these pieces of legislation also prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in housing and public accommodations," he said.

Nail added, "Everyone should be able to live, work and play with dignity and respect." inweekly.net

Pride at Home

By Jennifer Leigh

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Just because the festivals and events are canceled this year doesn't mean Pride is.

There are plenty of ways to show your support for the LGBTQ community from the comfort of your own home. This June, in particular, it's important to remember that Black members of the LGBTQ community have always been particularly vulnerable to the issues at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement like police brutality and discrimination in the legal system.

So no matter what your socially-distant Pride plans look like, make sure you find some ways to learn from and support the Black LGBTQ community this month and beyond. Here are just a few ways to show up while still staying safe.

IT GETS BETTER: A DIGITAL PRIDE EXPERIENCE A three-day digital Pride

event featuring musicians, artists, drag queens and more. Names such as Jujubee from "RuPaul's Drag Race," YouTuber Benji Krol and Rebecca Black are just some of the talent you'll hear from. The event streams Wednesday, June 24–Friday, June 26. Visit itgetsbetter.org for more information.

COVID-19 CAN'T CANCEL PRIDE

Stream the Can't Cancel Pride concert on the iHeartRadio Facebook page or Instagram at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 25. Big Freedia, Katy Perry, Ricky Martin, Sia and Kim Petras are all scheduled to take part in the event.

The big goal of the night is to raise $5 million for organizations such as The Trevor Project, National Black Justice Coalition and Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). For more information, visit cantcancelpride.com.

WRITE YOUR SENATORS Last year, the House of Representatives passed The Equality Act, which amends existing civil rights laws—including the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act—to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. While you're sitting at home listening to virtual concerts, send letters to your senators—Florida Senators are Rick Scott, rickscott.senate.gov, and Marco Rubio, rubio.senate.gov—to ask for June 25, 2020

their support. The Human Rights Campaign is also collecting personal stories of LGBTQ Americans and their experiences of discrimination to help advance the movement. To submit your story, visit act.hrc.org.

PORCH PRIDE: A BLUEGRASS PRIDE QUEER-ANTINE FESTIVAL Porch Pride is

a digital music festival with more than 10 hours of live music happening Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, highlighting LGBT+ roots musicians. Watch musicians such as Molly Tuttle and Amythyst Kiah live on Facebook and YouTube. And as musicians are facing economic difficulties during the pandemic, Bluegrass Pride is collecting donations to be shared among festival musicians. You can make a suggested $10 donation and see the entire festival lineup at bluegrasspride.net.

JOIN THE PFLAG NICEVILLE LGBTQ BOOK CLUB The Parents and Families

CARMEN

JANUARY 22 & 24, 2021

H.M.S. PINAFORE MARCH 12 & 14, 2021

of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a national organization with more than 400 chapters across the country. The Niceville chapter was founded last year, bringing more inclusion to the Okaloosa County area at monthly support meetings. On Sunday, June 28, PFLAG Niceville will be hosting their regular book club, discussing part two of James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room." The Zoom meeting will begin at 6 p.m. For the meeting link, visit facebook.com/pflagniceville.

LISTEN UP Listening to stories that foster

intersectionality is something we all need more of, and because of podcasts, that goal is easier than ever to achieve. To get you started, there's a roundup of some Black LGBTQ podcasts at player.fm/podcasts/black-lgbt.

STUDY UP Allies, now's as good a time

as any to learn how to better support the LGBTQ community. You can find plenty of information online and lists of books to read.

If you're just starting out, a few places might be the GLAAD Ally's Guide to Terminology (glaad.org), An Ally's Guide to Issues Facing the LGBTQ Community from the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) and A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth (thetrevorproject.org). {in}

Follow your heart. Love Opera.

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Your health and safety remain our TOP priority.

At Bodacious, all cooking classes are demonstration style (hands off) at this time. Food and beverage staff are practicing the highest safety standards with daily temperature readings and wearing medical-grade face masks and gloves at all times.

Guests will remain at recommended distances while enjoying a gourmet meal, a delicious glass of wine and a fresh Bodacious cooking experience. Due to limited product availability during COVID, our Chef may have to make menu substitutions based on the availability.

July Cooking Classes Hibachi: Steak, Pork & Shrimp July 1 6 pm $65 Join us for an interactive demonstration on how to make the amazing Hibachi dishes, sauces, and sides. Serving a full plate of the chef’s creation.

Mexican Street Food Lunch & Learn July 10 Noon $25 Take a break for lunch and learn how to make Mexican street food favorites at home.

FUMANA Wine Dinner July 16 6 pm $86 Enjoy a 5-course dinner paired with 5 wines from FUMANA International. Founded in May 2002 by Moira Henkel, a South African foreign national, FUMANA is a woman owned and family operated purveyor of South African wines. Enjoy selections from their boutique vineyards in the coastal mountain regions of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Ahi Tuna: Seared, Poke, and Raw July 17 6 pm $65 From seared Ahi Tuna loin to chopped Poke Tuna, learn how to master this seafood while also enjoying a filling meal of the chef’s creations.

Celebrating Crab July 22 6 pm $65 Master a few different dishes with our Chef demonstrating how to make a Crab Salad over Spring Mix with Chef’s Choice Protein topped with Crab Oscar and a decadent Chef’s Choice Dessert.

Crab Stuffed Flounder July 31 6 pm $65 Come and learn with us how to create a beautiful Balsamic Glazed Crab Stuffed Flounder over Lemon Risotto with Chef Roasted Vegetables, Chefs Choice Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette and a decadent Chefs Choice Dessert.

Cooking Class Participant Tips & Details: Culinary enthusiasts are encouraged to participate or observe during the class.

• Wine & beer service available.

• Participants receive 10% off shopping at SoGourmet on day of class. Credit and debit card only for purchases.

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Cooking Class Cancellation Policy: Classes must meet a minimum of 10 reservations. We reserve the right to cancel and undersold classes will be rescheduled.

Reservation fees will be refunded within 24 hours. Full refund if cancellation is 48 hours before the date of the event. If cancellation is not 48 hours before the event, you can transfer your credit to an upcoming class. You cannot receive a full refund after the 48-hour mark. Thank you for your understanding!

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WEEK OF JUNE 25-JULY 1

Arts & Encouragement Vintage Retail Meets the Modern Pandemic hope, help and other signs of humanity at a time when we really need it...

By Savannah Evanoff

started a business not in a pandemic, but starting this business in a pandemic was 10 times harder than it would be normally— emotionally, financially, all ties into it.

I've built something I'm very proud of, to be honest."

Doucet fell in love with vintage items and the concept of conscious consumerism in the last few years. But her love for secondhand shopping dates back even earlier.

"I've been shopping secondhand, going to yard sales Michelle Doucet / Photo by Sarah Coleman Photo and thrift stores— treasure hunting, Local retail stores might be open again, basically—since I was younger," Doucet but they're still dealing with COVID-19 said. "We had those church rummage sales in lots of ways, like supply chain issues and safety protocols. But when your busi- at our church. I have very vivid memories of things I bought." ness relies on scouring places like estate Doucet still has a few of those treasales for inventory, the coronavirus closures, she said—among them a silver sures and cancellations present a unique necklace with small, wrinkly fortune teller's set of issues to navigate. To dig a little hands holding a crystal ball that she found deeper into that topic, we talked to two when she was 6. new retail shops that focus on upcycled "It's always been a part of life—shoppieces and restored vintage furniture to see ping secondhand, shopping vintage—and how they're responding to the pandemic. you just wind up truly with cooler stuff that's better quality," Doucet said. "You don't really end up with the same stuff as everybody Michelle Doucet launched The Seaelse. It gives you that unique factor." shellmichelle Shop on Instagram in June When it comes to her shop, Doucet of 2019 but opened a brick and mortar considers herself something like a middlelocation last month—around the same time man. The tagline is—A thoughtfully curated many other businesses were reopening afshop with a beachy meets bohemian vibe. ter the coronavirus outbreak had shut them "There's so many people out there who, down. While other businesses were closed, they work all the time and they don't have Doucet was single-handedly renovating time to thrift, so I do that work and curate it her new space to hold clothing, décor and a specific way—similar colors and similar sty. furniture, along with being a showroom for It all goes really well together," Doucet said. specialty rentals.

"Everything's very curated and it's a little bit "There was a lot of anxiety of course easier. It helps people get on board with living and a lot of fear leading up to that. ‘Are a little bit more consciously and getting some people going to show up? Do people have super cool stuff in the process." money to spend? Is this going to work?'"

Doucet is happy she started her busiDoucet said. ness on social media. Word of mouth on "Those are always questions entresocial media is how she survived COpreneurs and small businesses will have, VID-19, she said. but especially in the beginning. I've never "The locals around here, they have been

THE SEASHELLMICHELLE SHOP

June 25, 2020

so supportive and such a blessing," Doucet said. "That's how I got through. Making money was through having, of course, reasonable prices, great furniture, great products, but also having a great support system here and people with good taste."

What she learned from the pandemic about business is simple—Show up, she said.

"Show up for your business," Doucet said. "Show up imperfectly. Show up even when you don't feel like you can—like during the shutdown. Fear crept in. Anxiety crept in. All the what-ifs and concerns crept in. Keep showing up. If you don't believe in your business, who will?"

SUPERTOUCH VINTAGE

period because of the pandemic, he said, but it didn't last.

"I always buy the stuff when I see it, so I have storage full of projects," Keaton said. "I used that free time I had to finish all my products, and I blew through it pretty quickly."

When Keaton shops for secondhand furniture, he considers the style, designer and demand. A sideboard, dresser—anything people can rest a TV on—is popular.

"People love media consoles," Keaton said. "There's certain things that are high in demand that I will pick up and are treated just terribly. I'll basically refinish them and make them new again."

Keaton's own home is filled with nothing but mid-century furniture, he said. He likes it not only for its simplicity and style but also the quality.

Like Doucet, Zachary Keaton's business, Supertouch Vintage, is rooted in Instagram. He started it as a side hustle, then opened his storefront in February. The shop, which specializes in mid-century modern furniture, thrives because of its social media origins.

"I've always done basically a no-contact thing anyway," Keaton said. "Before I had a storefront, I would always post things on social media and people would buy things basically sight unseen—just from pictures—and it would get shipped out. So that's what I went back to when I had to close for a Photo Courtesy of Supertouch Vintage month—heavy social media posting and "It's basically an investment," Keaton sales through online and shipping." said. "How I see it is if you buy a piece of Keaton offered free delivery for an entire furniture from here or from that era in that month, he said. And his sales maintained. style, it's already lasted 60 years and it will "I offered delivery to everybody so they continue to last if you take care of it." {in} wouldn't have to leave to come pick it up," Keaton said. "I was still selling to locals a THE SEASHELLMICHELLE SHOP lot. I'm guessing people were stuck at home 1001 Gulf Beach Highway, Unit E and they had no choice but to rearrange @seashellmichelle.thrift their home and clean."

Keaton normally travels three days SUPERTOUCH VINTAGE a week, while the store is closed, to buy 3960 W. Navy Blvd. #18 furniture across the country. He did hit a @supertouch_vintage dry point with finding furniture for a brief 17

a&e happenings Attending "normal" events might not be happening yet—but that doesn't mean local businesses and nonprofits aren't still keeping the community connected in creative ways.

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

YARD SALE FOR THE ANIMALS Look

for treasures and help support Everett Animal Welfare Group at this weekend's yard sale from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at 1117 E. Hernandez St.

DOGGIE BATHE-INS RESUME The Pen-

sacola Humane Society 2020 Doggie Bathe-In season has begun, with proceeds going to fund its foster program and kitten supplies.

Bathe-ins offer low-cost dog bathing and flea dips during the warm weather season.

Events are held the third Saturday of the month, April through October, and continue as follows: July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 19 and Oct. 17 Charges are based on the dog's weight and range from $8-$11. Please bring your own towels, or you may rent a towel for a $1 donation. Pensacola Humane Society is located at 5 N. Q St. For more information, visit pensacolahumane.org.

SWIFFER SPONSORS Through Satur-

day, June 27, Swiffer is covering $50 of the adoption fees for 50 approved adopters at Pensacola Humane Society. A downloadable "Get Pet Ready" Guide, co-authored

by Swiffer and NSALA, makes it easier than ever to prepare any home for a new pet. To learn more about Swiffer's "Adoption Sweep" and download the guide, visit animalleague.org/getpetready. Pensacola Humane Society is located at 5 N. Q St.

ARTS + CULTURE

PMA THERAPEUTIC ARTS SERIES: VIRTUAL SELF-CARE WORKSHOP The PMA Virtual Self-Care Workshop focuses on art and activism in light of recent events and tragedies.

Guided by Art Therapist Anne-Marie Collins with Madewell Art Studio, LLC, participants will first write their intention of this process, make art around that intention, craft a written response to their own work and then share their art with the group in an effort to connect and heal together.

The event will be held virtually through Zoom on Tuesday, June 30, at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolamuseum.

MUSEUMS UPDATES+ NEW EXHIBITION Starting this week, the T.T. Wentworth and Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) are now open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Both museums are operating at limited capacity. In order to ensure social distancing guidelines are kept, visitors must reserve a $5 timed ticket online. The tickets are good for both museums for one day only.

PMA also just opened a new exhibition—"A Question of When." It responds to the changing world during the COVID-19 818 1

global pandemic. Throughout history, art has played a unique and crucial role in times of change. Featuring works by Marc Chagall, Walker Evans, Joan Miró and other artists from the museum's permanent collection, "A Question of When" is a visual representation of the collective grief and ongoing sense of hope felt by many as this situation unfolds. The show represents over 100 years of art making across a variety of media.

Other exhibitions on display at PMA include Poppy Garcia's "Bless Your Heart," the annual Members Show, and "DocuFlorida 3" and "Lessons in Ink" at T.T. Wentworth.

You can also still enjoy virtual tours of exhibitions and collection highlights. For more information on both, visit pensacolamuseum.org and historicpensacola.org.

ARTEL GALLERY'S EXHIBITIONS ON DISPLAY Artel's latest exhibition is titled

"Keep it 100." In the award alcove are works from artists Randy New, and in the vault is pottery from Larry Manning. Dates of the show are now through July 23. For more information, visit artelgallery.org.

COLLECTION UNCORKED: AT HOME

The Pensacola Museum of Art has teamed up with Wine with Hilary Shaffer and Pot Roast & Pinot to bring their popular "Collection Uncorked" wine tasting into your home.

Collection Uncorked invites visitors to learn more about our permanent collection through curated wine and art pairings. Chief Curator Anna Wall and Shaffer, a certified specialist of wine, are collaborating to match works of art with wines whose flavor profile or origins complement the art, artist or subject matter. This limited-edition curated box of three wines allows you to recreate the experience at home. Inside, you'll find reproductions of the works of art with narratives to guide you on your journey.

Each box is $65. Order by noon on Wednesday of each week and pick up at Pot Roast & Pinot the following Saturday. For more information, visit potroastpinot.com/ product/collectionuncorked.

BALLET PENSACOLA VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING The Ballet Pensacola Virtual

Programming Series gives ballet fans a look at performances in the comfort of their own homes—or anywhere their devices take them.

Utilizing a new soundstage built by the ballet's technicians, the artists will reimagine, repurpose and relaunch two beloved ballets from the Ballet Pensacola repertoire—"Alice in Wonderland" (a 2017 premiere) and "The Matrix " (a 2013 premiere). For more information, visit facebook.com/balletpensacola.

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA "VIRTUALLY TOGETHER" Be sure to follow Pensacola Symphony Orchestra on Facebook to see videos of orchestra musicians performing special works from their homes. To watch, visit facebook.com/pensacolasymphony.

OPERALIVE Pensacola Opera is keep-

ing patrons connected through their new online series OperaLIVE.

Episodes typically include things like interviews and performances with artists, plus appearances by Pensacola Opera staff.

For updates on new episodes or to watch past ones, visit facebook.com/ pensacolaopera. You can also subscribe to their channel on YouTube.

WORKSHOPS AT STUDIO SOUTH Faceto-face workshops have resumed at Studio South. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road, Ste. 101. For more information and to see a complete list of June events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com.

SINGERS' CINEMA Every Friday afternoon

through August, enjoy a movie pick from the Choral Society of Pensacola. Information on each week's movie and where to find it online will be available on their Facebook page, facebook.com/choralsocietyofpensacola.

Some can be viewed free; most are available for rent for under $5. Watch the movie over the weekend, and then join the Choral Society Monday evenings for a Zoom session to share your thoughts.

CALL FOR ARTISTS

POSTER COMPETITION FOR 2020 GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL

The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is accepting submissions to its 2020 poster design competition through Aug. 7.

The winning artist receives a $1,000 cash award. The winning design will be featured on posters, T-shirts and other GGAF promotional items for the festival. This year's event is Nov. 6, 7 and 8 in Seville Square and Bartram Park in historic downtown Pensacola.

Competing artists can find the complete list of rules and requirements at ggaf.org/poster.

Entries need to be mailed or delivered to Duncan McCall Advertising, 4400 Bayou Blvd., Ste. 11, Pensacola, FL 32503.

PIECES ADRIFT ART SHOW Keep

Pensacola Beautiful is recruiting artists to participate in their Pieces Adrift Art Show and Silent Auction. Pieces Adrift is a Keep Pensacola Beautiful programming fundraiser and pollution awareness event. Artists are welcome to participate with any level of experience, whether hobbyist or professional.

Each piece submitted should be comprised of at least 50% litter. Due to COVID-19, KPB recommends using your discretion when picking up litter off the ground. Art pieces may also be created using trash from your home. Artists may also pick through sorted bins of trash at the KPB office left over from last year.

"Pieces Adrift is a creative and unique way to unite the community in achieving a common goal—making Pensacola a beautiful place to live, work and play. It brings awareness to the perpetuating issue of litter and ocean pollution on our beaches and roadways. By repurposing trash as art, we hope to inspire our community to be mindful of what and how they throw it away," says Madelyn Newton, Marketing and Development, VISTA.

The deadline for submissions is Sept. 1.

For more information, please email marketing@keeppensacolabeautiful.org.

LIVE MUSIC

LIVE MUSIC AT THE SANDSHAKER

The Shaker is back with live music through the month of June. Raising Karma plays June 25, Hollard is June 26-27 and Mid-Life Crisis is June 28. For more information, visit sandshaker.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT PARADISE BAR & GRILL Six Piece Suits performs 6 p.m. on

June 26, The Blenders on June 27 and Hash Cabbage on June 28 and June 30. For more information, visit paradisebar-grill.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH Live music is back at Red Fish Blue Fish 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. on Sundays. For a calendar of bands, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES Blues Society of Northwest Florida and Seville Quarter present Monday Night Blues every week at 7 p.m.

On Monday, June 15, Tyler Mac will be the featured act. The opening act will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the host band at 7:30 p.m. and the Blues Jam at 9 p.m. For more live music times, visit facebook.com/sevillequarter.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ Tuesday Night is Jazz Night at Seville Quarter. Listen to smooth jazz with saxophonist Noah Hall and other artists at 6 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/sevillequarter.

FITNESS + RECREATION

PERFECT PLAIN RUN CLUB Perfect Plain

now has a weekly running club. Tuesdays at 6 p.m., meet up at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., for a 5K run through downtown Pensacola. All runners will receive free beer at the end of the run. For more information, visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

YOGA CLASSES AT EVER'MAN Stretch your muscles with this Beginner Yoga with John at 10 a.m. on June 25, 4:30 on June 30 and 11:45 a.m. on July 1. Funky yoga is at 6 p.m. (eight-person limit) on June 30, and Vinyasa Yoga Flow is at 6 p.m. on July 1. All classes at Ever'man, located at 327 W. Garden St. For more information, visit everman.org.

MEDITATION CLASSES AT EVER'MAN

Twin Hearts & Healing Energy is at 6 p.m. on June 25, and Transmission Meditation World Service is at 7:15 p.m. on July 1. Both are located at Ever'man, located at 327 W. Garden St. For more information, visit everman.org.

YOGA WITH ADRON CHAMBERS Yoga with Adron is back on Thursday and Saturdays with Asher & Bee Apothecary and Tea House. Classes are 6 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. Cost is $11. Classes are open to everyone including beginners, novices and masters. Asher & Bee is located at inweekly.net

a&e happenings 3014 N. Ninth Ave. To register for classes, email 11adron56@gmail.com.

NOCHE TROPICAL LATIN NIGHT IS BACK Get in step with the weekly Latin

night at Phineas Phogg’s on Wednedays.

Bring your dancing shoes to learn salsa, bachata and merengue music. Dance lessons begin at 6:15 for $5. No partner required.

From 7 p.m. to midnight, put your lessons to the test with a live DJ playing the best Latin pop. Phineas Phogg's is located inside Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

BLUE WAHOOS AND BUBBA WATSON OPEN STADIUM DISC GOLF COURSE The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and team co-owner Bubba Watson have partnered to bring disc golf to Blue Wahoos Stadium. The course covers the entirety of the stadium and is open to the public from noon-8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Admission is $5 per player per round.

Children ages 6-12, seniors, military members and first responders will receive a $1 admission discount. Children 5 and under receive free admission with a paid adult.

To ensure the safety of participants and in adherence with COVID-19 guidelines, new groups will be allowed to begin playing the course every 15 minutes. Players are encouraged to bring their own discs or to purchase a three-disk starter pack from

June 25, 2020

the Blue Wahoos for $25. Disc rental is not available in accordance with safety. Go to Wahoos Stadium and visit the Bait & Tackle Store behind home plate to register. A scorecard and course map will be provided to each player. For more information, visit bluewahoos.com.

MOVIE NIGHT AT WAHOOS STADIUM Take in a movie at Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium, located at 351 W. Cedar St. Stay after the credits roll for a post-movie fireworks show. Tickets are $4 for children and $5 for adults. Future dates will be announced at bluewahoos.com.

BIKE PENSACOLA SHARES SLOW RIDE ROUTES If you're missing the monthly slow rides, here's a chance to enjoy the routes. Bike Pensacola is sharing slow ride maps from popular events. Find the maps on Facebook at facebook.com/bikepensacola.

You will still need to adhere to safety and social distancing guidelines.

OCEAN HOUR BEACH CLEAN-UPS

Ocean Hour has picked up its weekly beach clean-ups in the Pensacola area Saturdays at 8:45 a.m. Supplies will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own.

For locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300

Berryhill Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@gmail.com.

PALAFOX STREET SUNDAY STROLLS

Enjoy vehicle-free Palafox Street (from Garden to Main Street) and take a stroll, ride your bike or jog without having to navigate around traffic. The Sunday Strolls will be every Sunday in June.

THE ODDLING TROT: ODD COLONY RUN CLUB Mondays at 6 p.m., meet at

Odd Colony, at 260 N. Palafox, for a threemile route around Pensacola. Post-run pints are $2 off after the run. For more information, visit facebook.com/oddcolony.

FOOD + WINE

200 SOUTH ANNIVERSARY PARTY CRAWFISH BOIL Celebrate World of

Beer's eight-year anniversary with a crawfish boil, located at 200 S. Palafox. Enjoy crawfish from 3-11 p.m. Saturday, June 27. Ben Loftin & the Family will be playing music from 5 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/wobpensacola.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET Enjoy food trucks and local vendors at Dunmire Village Plaza, located at 7201 N. Ninth Ave., Ste. A5. The market is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 27. For more information, visit uptown.market.

THE VINEYARD DRAG BRUNCH The

monthly Drag Brunch at The Vineyard is 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 27. There is a $10 cover, and reservations are suggested. Call 435-4567 to reserve a table. The Vineyard at 12th Avenue is located at 1010 N. 12th Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolavineyardbistrowinebar.

EVER'MAN SPRING MEMBERSHIP MEETING Ever'man Natural Foods Coop.,

Inc. is holding its annual Spring Membership Meeting on Monday, June 29. This meeting is open to all current members and will be held at 6 p.m. in the Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St.

HEALTHY WHOLESOME LIVING WITH JORDAN Class is 11 a.m. on June 26 at Ever'man, located at 327 W. Garden St. Visit everman.org for more information.

DINNER WITH STRINGS ATTACHED

Jackson's Steakhouse and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra bring you an evening of good music and good food. There will be two seatings, at 5 and 7:30 p.m. on June 25. Full dinner menu plus a special feature from Chef Irv Miller will be available. Jackson's Steakhouse is located at 400 S. Palafox. For reservations, call 469-9898.

19

a&e happenings EVER'MAN CLASSES ON FACEBOOK LIVE Learn to make healthy drinks with

Jordan Zeman of Honey Wholesome in the Ever'man kitchen every month on Facebook Live. The tutorials are scheduled for the fourth Friday of the month at 11 a.m.

Register for free on Eventbrite.

You can also give quarantine cooking a boost with an online cooking class with Becca Fritschle at 11 a.m. on the first Friday of the month. The next class is Friday, June 5. And the Backyard Bohemian, Sherry Brubaker, will be doing classes the second Friday of the month. The next class is June 12.

Visit facebook.com/evermancoop for more information. You can also find a calendar of June classes at everman.org.

FATHER'S DAY CELEBRATION ON MAIN STREET Join Chef Nick at Boda-

cious as he shows the guests how to get the perfectly prepared meat and sides from the Main Street balcony at Bodacious from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on June 27. Enjoy a delicious meal of espresso-rubbed ribeye, crab cakes, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, chef veggies, salad and a delicious bread pudding for dessert with a whiskey sauce. Each ticket comes with one drink ticket. Cost is $50. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com.

CEVICHE: 2 WAYS COOKING CLASS

Learn how to pick fresh and local ingredients to make two different ceviche dishes.

Class is 6-8 p.m. on June 29. Cost is $65.

Cost is $50. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com.

HIBACHI: STEAK, PORK & SHRIMP

Learn how to put on the best Hibachi menu from the comfort of your home kitchen, including all of the classic side dishes and sauces. Class is 6-8 p.m. on July 1. Cost is $65. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART VIRTUAL SHOWINGS The theatre is still closed, but

Pensacola Cinema Art (PCA) is making sure you can stream select independent films and support a local nonprofit from the comfort of your own home. Even as theaters open, PCA's small size does not allow for proper social distancing, so the theatre will continue to be closed. Any fees collected through virtual showings help support Pensacola Cinema Art. Movies starting Friday, June 26, include "Ella Fitzgerald" and "One Small Step." For more information on movies and links, visit pensacolacinemaart.com.

PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS Learn the basics

of acting or improv from the comfort of your own home with online classes from Pensacola Little Theatre. Acting for Adults is a weekly introductory class with local actor Kyle Golden

from July 9 to September 10. Cost is $200. You can also sign up for adult improv workshops, just $25 per session. The online workshops are taught by PLT Education Director Jay Bixler and are offered June 15 through June 27. For more information and registration, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS NORTHWEST FLORIDA TRIVIA NIGHT: HARRY POTTER Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida for their fifth Virtual Trivia Night Thursday, June 25, featuring questions from every Harry Potter movie and book. To make a suggested donation of $10 for the game entry fee, visit netdonor.net/ page/22470/donate/1. Fishbein Orthodontics is matching up to $500 in donations.

Harry Potter Virtual Trivia Night will start out on a Zoom link that will be emailed to you after you register, and questions will run through the game-based platform Kahoot! app. You will need to download the Kahoot! app on your mobile device prior to playing.

For questions, please contact Special Events Coordinator Felicia at frabb@bbbsnwfl.org.

SHIPWRECKS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA ZOOM PRESENTATIONS Florida

Public Archaeology Network's "Zoom into Archaeology" series is a great way to learn history from the comfort of your home. "Zoom into Archaeology" is a free online series that features a short presentation by an archaeologist

via Zoom and an opportunity for participants to ask questions at the end of the presentation (duration is about one-hour total). For more information, visit flpublicarchaeology.org/nwrc.

The next Zoom event, "Passing through History: The Tales that Turds Tell," is June 25 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. FPAN's Tristan Harrenstein shares how ancient feces reveal stories of the past.

KID-FRIENDLY

BECCA'S STORYTIME AT PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Kids get to be a part of

their very own stories in this day camp series with Broadway Babies instructor Becca Fristchle. Social distancing and masks will be in use. Classes are Mondays 10-11:30 a.m. July 6 through July 27. Cost is $200. For more information, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

PENSACOLA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM PROJECTS Pensacola Children's Museum

is posting weekly downloadable projects on their website. So far, topics have ranged from rockets to jellyfish to computer coding.

All past projects are still available online.

Visit historicpensacola.org and click on the Children's Museum under the Plan Your Visit tab to find them.

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21

free will astrology WEEK OF JUNE 25 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): In addi-

tion to being a magnificent storyteller, Aries author Barbara Kingsolver raises chickens at her home. "There are days when I am envious of my hens," she writes, "when I hunger for a purpose as perfect and sure as a single daily egg." Do you ever experience that delightful rush of assurance, Aries? I suspect that you're likely to do so on multiple occasions in the coming weeks. And if you are indeed visited by visions of a perfect and sure purpose, your next task will be to initiate practical action to manifest it in the real world.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Nobel

Prize-winning Taurus physicist Richard Feynman got his undergraduate degree from prestigious MIT and his Ph.D. from prestigious Princeton University. Later, he taught at prestigious Caltech. But his approach to education had a maverick quality. "Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible," he advised his students.

I think his strategy will work well for you in the coming weeks, which will be a favorable time to gather valuable information and polish your existing aptitudes.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): You're entering a phase when you'll have the potential to upgrade and fine-tune your relationship with money. In the hope of encouraging that prospect, I offer you the counsel of author Katharine Butler Hathaway. "To me, money is alive," she wrote. "It is almost human. If you treat it with real sympathy and kindness and consideration, it will be a good servant and work hard for you and stay with you and take care of you." I hope you'll consider cultivating that approach, dear Gemini— expressing benevolence and love toward money, and pledging to be benevolent and loving as you use the money you acquire.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): "Who

would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant?" Author Diane Ackerman asks her readers that question, and now I pose the

By Rob Brezsny

same inquiry to you—just in time for your Season of Transformation. "We are all shapeshifters and magical reinventors," Ackerman says. I will add that you Cancerians now have the potential to be exceptional shapeshifters and magical reinventors. What new amazements might you incorporate into your life?

What dazzling twists and twinkles would you like to add to your character? What will the Future You be like?

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Qabalistic teacher Ann Davies asked, "If you stick your finger in the fire, do you then complain that it is unfair when your finger gets burned? Do you call the fire bad?" I offer you this caution, Leo, because I want to encourage you not to stick your fingers or toes or any other parts of you into the fire during the coming weeks.

And I'm happy to inform you that there are better approaches to finding out what's important to learn about the fire. The preferred way is to watch the fire keenly and patiently from a modest distance. If you do so long enough, you'll get all you need.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): In accor-

dance with upcoming astrological portents, I urge you to engage in a vigorous redefinition of the term "miracle." That will open you up to the full range of miraculous phenomena that are potentially available in the coming weeks. For inspiration, read this passage by Faith Baldwin—"Miracles are everyday things. Not only sudden great fortune wafting in on a new wind. They are almost routine, yet miracles just the same.

Every time something hard becomes easier; every time you adjust to a situation which, last week, you didn't know existed; every time a kindness falls as softly as the dew; or someone you love who was ill grows better; every time a blessing comes, not with trumpet and fanfare, but silently as night, you have witnessed a miracle."

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): When Libras become authoritative enough to wield clout in their own sphere of influence, it's often due to three factors—1. the attractive force of their empathy; 2. their abilities to listen well and ask good questions, which help enable them to accurately read people's

emotional energy; 3. their knack for knowing specific tricks that promote harmony and a common sense of purpose. If you possess any of these talents, dear Libra, the next eight weeks will be a favorable time to employ them with maximum intensity and ingenuity and integrity. You're primed to acquire and wield more leverage.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): There is only one kind of erotic intimacy between consenting adults that can truly be called "unnatural"—an act that is physically impossible to perform. Everything else is potentially vitalizing and holy. No one knows this better than you Scorpios. You're the champions of exotic pleasure; the connoisseurs of blissful marvels; the masters of curious delight and extraordinary exultation. And from an astrological perspective, the coming weeks will be a time when these aspects of your character could be especially vivid. But wait a minute. What about the pandemic?

What about social distancing? What about being cautious in seeking intimate connection? If anyone can work around these constraints so as to have sexual fun, it's your tribe. Use your imagination!

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): When he was 22 years old, Sagittarian-born Werner Heisenberg received his doctorate in physics and mathematics from a German university—even though he got a grade of C on his final exams. Nine years later, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics because of his pioneering work on quantum mechanics. What happened in between?

One key development—He was mentored by physicists Niels Bohr and Max Born, both of whom also garnered Nobel Prizes. Another factor in his success was his association with other brilliant colleagues working in his field. I hope this story inspires you Sagittarians to be on the lookout for catalytic teachers and colleagues who can expedite your evolution. The planetary omens are favorable for such an eventuality.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): You Capricorns aren't renowned for causing controversy. For the most part you're skillful at managing your reputation and keeping it

orderly. But there may soon be a departure from this norm. A bit of a hubbub could arise in regard to the impressions you're making and the effects you're generating. I'm reminded of Capricorn author J. D. Salinger, whose book "Catcher in the Rye" was for a time widely taught in American schools but also widely banned because of its allegedly controversial elements. These days, the book is regarded as a beloved classic, and I suspect you will weather your commotion with similar panache.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Novelist Tom Robbins articulated a vision of what it means to be bold and brave. He said, "Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness."

I'm hoping you will make that formula your keynote in the coming weeks. The time is right for you to summon extra amounts of fortitude, determination and audacity. What new possibilities are you ready to flesh out in ways that might prod you to revise your beliefs and welcome transformation and expand your awareness?

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Joan of Arc performed her heroic and magical feats in 1430 and 1431. But she wasn't canonized as a saint until 1920—almost five centuries later.

It took a while to garner the full appreciation she deserved. I'm sure you won't have to wait as long to be acknowledged for your good deeds and fine creations, Pisces. In fact, from what I can tell, there'll be a significant honor, enhancement, or reward coming your way sometime in the next four months. Start visualizing what you'd like it to be and set your intention to claim it.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: What's one thing you could do to enhance the well-being of a person or people you don't know?

freewillastrology.com

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2020

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news of the weird AWESOME! The Boston Typewriter Orchestra has been performing its unique brand of music throughout New England since 2004 and will now be releasing its first vinyl album later this summer. Self-proclaimed conductor Tim Devin and a group of friends founded the ensemble as a joke, reports Ripley's Believe It or Not, and after premiering at Boston's Art Beat Festival, the idea took off. Using vintage machines to rhythmically clack, roll, spin and bang out "music," the typist-musicians say different models produce different sounds. "A SmithCorona Galaxy 12 has a power space function that makes a nice metallic clang sound," explained Brendan Emmett Quigley.

ANIMAL ANTICS In Oakland, California's Grand Lake neighborhood, Gerald the turkey has been an institution for some time, regularly queueing up with carpool riders near Morcom Rose Garden. But lately, Gerald has grown grumpy and started attacking park visitors, reports KGO, prompting complaints to Oakland Animal Services. "I swear I was getting flashbacks to the velociraptor scenes in 'Jurassic Park' as he was 'cooing' at me, sizing me up," one said. Others said Gerald charged them, clawing and pecking as they tried to run. In response, the city closed the rose garden at the end of May and asked people not to feed Gerald or any other wildlife, as it "may have contributed to the male turkey becoming more aggressive," the parks department said. Animal control officers are also trying to "train him to revert to natural behaviors," but have had limited success keeping him socially distanced from humans.

•Kalua, an infamous alcoholic monkey in Kanpur, India, has been sentenced to live out his days in isolation, Gulf News reported.

The animal once belonged to a local occultist who would give him alcohol. After the owner died, Kalua couldn't get his fix and became aggressive, sinking his teeth into more than 250 people, one of who died of his wound.

The Kanpur zoo took Kalua in, trying to acclimate him to captivity and other monkeys, but zoo workers are throwing in the towel. "It has been three years since he was brought here," said zoo doctor Mohd Nasir. "He will remain in captivity all his life."

DESPERATE TIMES In April, following the cancellation of basketball madness, a Twitter account called March Madness of Flags was launched "for the love of vexillology," pitting banners from all over the world against one another in a fearsome bracket to determine which was the "coolest flag." During the final four, held over the weekend of June 13-14, the St. Louis (Missouri) flag beat out Stuttgart's entry, then went on to clinch the championship in a commanding 625-49 victory over the standard from Yaroslavl Oblast, a Russian federal district north of Moscow. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the city's flag, a

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

relative newcomer, was designed by Yale University art history professor Theodore Sizer and adopted in 1964 for the city's bicentennial.

•For those missing travel abroad, Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, is offering 90 people the opportunity to tour the airport and "pretend to go abroad." On July 2, 4 and 7, participants can spend a half-day going through immigration, boarding an airplane, and then getting off the plane and reentering the country through immigration.

"People who didn't have the opportunity to take international flights at Songshan (can) use this chance to experience and learn more about the boarding process and relevant service facilities," Chih-ching Wang, deputy director of the airport, told CNN Travel. Tour customers will also get to take home "exclusive mysterious gifts."

AWWWWWW Seniors from Glens Falls High School near Tulsa, Oklahoma, pulled a classic prank on what would have been the last day of their high school career: On June 12, they hung a large sign from the school saying, "For Sale! Vacant Since March," along with some of the school's attributes, such as "2 full size gyms" and "swimming pool." But Principal Tammy Silvernell could hardly be mad: Attached to the back of the sign was a letter from students she characterized as "the most polite pranksters ever," according to The Daily Gazette. "This was all in good fun," the letter read. "We hope to have made you laugh and miss us a little more ... thank you all for an amazing four years at GFHS!" The students also offered to remove the sign and included a phone number to call.

THE FOREIGN PRESS The Associated Press reported that an unnamed man in Vienna, Austria, was hit with a 500 euro ($565) fine for "offending public decency" when he broke wind following an encounter with police on June 5. Authorities said that "of course no one is reported for accidentally 'letting one go,'" but after behaving "provocatively and uncooperatively," the man rose from a bench and "let go a massive intestinal wind apparently with full intent. And our colleagues don't like to be farted at so much."

RIP The Hollywood Reporter announced on June 16 that puppeteer Pat Brymer, 70, passed away in April. As a puppet builder, Brymer worked with ventriloquist Shari Lewis on "Lamb Chop's Play Along" and with Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "Team America: World Police," but he is best remembered for bringing to life Bill Murray's pesky nemesis gopher in 1980's "Caddyshack." {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2020 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com June 25, 2020

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Independent News | June 25, 2020 | inweekly.net