SFGN’S PICKS FOR THE TOP 50 PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO DESERVE RECOGNITION
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Who are the biggest lgbt heroes in South FLorida?
OUT 50 March 2018
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SouthFloridaGayNews.com South Florida’s OUT 50 • March 2018
Welcome to SFGN’s Out 50 Welcome to SFGN’s fifth OUT50 list. When we decided five years ago to move forward with this idea we thought it would be difficult putting together enough names. It turned out the difficult part was narrowing it down to only 50 individuals. Each year since I’ve worried that we were going to start running out of people. But after five years the hard part is still cutting our list down. There are just too many LGBT people in South Florida who are making a difference. We’ve already recognized 200 local LGBT leaders, activists, business people, artists and others. And now we’re adding 50 more. SFGN is proud to tell these stories and honor them in this year’s OUT50 list. Stories of gay men like Andis Tamayo, an activist who is working to save child slaves in Haiti; lesbians like Rachel Simpson who is tackling substance abuse in the LGBT community; drag performers like Sushi, the famous queen shown around the world each New Year’s Eve as her shoe drops on Key West; and non-binary activists like Jack Lee Jordan, who leads a leadership program for local queer youth and Logan Meza, who helped organize the Florida March for Black Women and LadyFest Miami. Those are just five people in this issue. Make sure to read through them all. These folks aren’t important because they are LGBT, they’re important because of their accomplishments and the work they do. But because they are LGBT they serve as role models for our community — and for future generations. These individuals prove that we are no longer a sideshow, but nowadays, the main show. I hope these people inspire you – as they have inspired me. So welcome to the 2018 South Florida OUT50, a list of activists, business leaders, organizers, and other out and proud members of the local LGBT community.
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Contributors
Brittany Ferrendi, Tucker Berardi, John McDonald, Denise Royal, Michael d'Oliveira, J.W. Arnold, Jesse Monteagudo
Photography by Steven Shires Photography www.StevenShires.com Photography by J.R. Davis
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Past Out50 Honorees 2014 Andy Amoroso Richard Alalouf Anthony Timiraos S.F. Makalani-MaHee Robin Bodiford Cindy Brown Charlie Fredrickson Craig Stevens Deidre Newton Dean J. Trantalis Emilio Benitez Elizabeth Schwartz William F. Collins George Castrataro Michael C. Gongora Glen Weinzimer Rand Hoch John Castelli Joe Pallant John Paul Alvarez Lisa Porter Jowharah Sanders Ken Keechl Kim Ehly Kristofer Fegenbush Lea Brown Robert Lee Lillian Tamayo Leslie Tipton Miriam Richter Michael McKeever Meredith Ockman Michael Rajner Mike Silver Nikki Adams Chuck Nicholls Noah Kitty Pat Burnside Tony Plakas & Jaime Foreman Pompano Bill Ralph Wolfe Cowan Robin Schwartz Sebrina Maria Alfonso Steve Rothaus Steve Stagon Toni Armstrong Jr. Tony Finstrom Tony Lima Victor Diaz-Herman William Green
2015 Steve Adkins Jessica Aguilar Roya Amirniroumand Dan Bassett Nick Berry Vanessa Brito Brice Brittenum Mark Budwig Kerensa Butler-Gile Marsharee Chronicle Peter Clark Enbar Cohen Andrew Eddy Electra Stephen Fallon Luigi Ferrer Justin Flippen Debbie Frazier Jorge Gardela Jason Gibson Robert Griffin Ron Gunzburger Steve Haas Sabrine Johnston Brett Karlin Andrew Kato Jason King Nate Klarfeld Lea Krauss Aryah Lester AL Magdaleno Carol Moran Michael Murphy Penny Johnson & Julie Seaver Gary Richmond Gordon Roberts Luiz Rodrigues Rick Rose Lee Rubin Ted Scouten Victoria Sigler Carla Silva Theo Smith Will Spencer Melissa St. John Karen Stephens Nicole Waters Bruce Williams LJ Woolston Heather Wright
Want to nominate someone in our community for next year's Out50?
Visit sfgn.com/out50nominations
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Christopher Bates Ruth & Connie Rodney Briguglio Katharine Campbell Leticia Carrazana Heather Carruthers Carly Cass Orlando Castellano Chapman/Quattrone Danny Eguizabal Ken Evans Sue Gallagher Lacey Camper Rod Hagwood Dan Hall Tom Hantzarides Brenda Hartley Suzi Hollis Randy Katz Mark Kent Leland Kolbert PJ & Mary Jeff Lehman Velvet Lenore Arianna Lint Jacqueline Lorber Carol Lynn Listron Mannix Chad Matthews Cathy & Karla Mimi Planas Atticus Ranck Shanna Ratliff Lorenzo Robertson Andy & Michael Chris Rudisill Det. Sanchez Josue Santiago Rob Shore Heidi Siegel Mark Silver Paul Smith Steve Smith Terry Stone AJ Wasson Davy Whims Bryan Wilson Keith Hart
John Adornato Paulette Armstead Chris Caputo Julie Carson Myron Davidson Harold Dioquino David Dunlap & Wesley Pennington Kezia Gilyard Emery Grant Mandi Hawke Jarad Gibson Robert Lamarche Julia Landis Marvin Shaw Morgan Mayfaire Miik Martorell Rajee Narinesingh Jodi Reichman Roger Roa Tom Runyan Tiffany Arieagus Tatiana Williams Denise Spivak Durrell Watkins Victor Zepka Caspian Cassidy Steve Torrence Susan Kent May Sifuentes Annie Segara Maria Dominguez Gabriel Garcia-Vera Victor Giminez Trey Jones Johnnie Mejia Parker Phillips David Richardson Charo Valero Johnathan Welsh Howard Grossman Jess Blackman Shirley Herman & Joan Waitkevicz Mason Phelps Tia Jolie Tonya Johnson Trent Steele Rolando Barrero Michael Grattendick Jana Panarites Michael Woods
Read their stories, and see how this year's honorees compare. View 2014 honorees online at SFGN.com/2014out50
View 2016 honorees online at SFGN.com/2016out50
View 2015 honorees online at SFGN.com/2015out50
View 2017 honorees online at SFGN.com/2017out50
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SFGN’s OUT50
Some Departed Greats Jesse Monteagudo
F
ive years ago, South Florida Gay News began an annual tradition when it published its first “Out50” issue. This week SFGN reveals its fifth list; and it is to our community’s credit that SFGN managed to find 50 qualified individuals who were not featured in previous years. And while there might be arguments about who was included and who was left out, the fact remains that SFGN does a pretty good job in its selection process. Still, by featuring 50 individuals who are still active members of our community, SFGN’s annual list leaves out qualified people who did a lot for our community but who are no longer with us. There are enough departed greats in our community’s grateful memory to fill more than one Out50 list. Here are just a few.
demand these unjust laws be removed,” Ramos said. “Only when we come together and stand up for what is right will change ever come. Our community has become complacent in its way of life and this can be very dangerous.”
JAMIE BLOODWORTH, who passed away in 2005, was a political activist who was active in South Florida LGBT and women’s movements. Bloodworth was president of the Broward County National Organization for Women and the Gwen Cherry Women’s Political Caucus, the Broward County Commission on the Status of Women and the Broward County Human Rights Board. Together with her life partner, Beverly Cothern, Bloodworth was a founder (1982) of the Dolphin Democrats, and was instrumental in the passage of Broward County’s domestic partnership TONY RAMOS, who died in ordinance. Bloodworth was inducted 2014, did enough in his 47into the Broward County Women’s year lifetime to deserve a Hall of Fame in 1998. After she place in any Out50 list. passed away, the Dolphin Ramos was President of Democrats created the There are enough GUARD - Gays United to annual Jamie Bloodworth departed greats in our Attack Repression and Leadership Award to honor community’s grateful Discrimination - from women who have “shown memory to fill more 1906 to 2003. Under his excellence in leadership than one Out50 list. leadership, GUARD played and/or sponsorship of issues a leadership role in South improving the human rights of Florida’s LGBT community. the LGBT community at large.” According to Art Greenwald, “under Ramos’s watch, GUARD flexed its DIANE ARNOLD, who died in 2009, muscles and affected change without the was an early trans activist and pioneer. radical militancy, the antagonism and Arnold was the first trans person to be unruliness that epitomized other LGBT elected (1999) area leader for Broward activist groups throughout the country. The County Democratic Executive Committee mild-mannered, polite and unflappable and the Dolphin Democrats’ Board of Ramos favored a more low-keyed and Directors. “In April there was an opening for cooperative diplomacy to confrontation an area leader for the Democratic Executive and problem-solving.” Committee, and I decided I wanted to be the Ramos led community protests against area leader,” Arnold told Out and Elected in Fort Lauderdale’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian the USA. “The people who voted for me, they Church, which under the late Rev. D. knew who I was before, they knew David. James Kennedy was a leader of the anti- But they still voted for me because they felt I LGBT religious right. He also forged could do the job, which is why I was elected. bonds between the LGBT community, the I wasn’t elected because of the fact that I Broward Sheriff’s Office, and local police was a transsexual or gay or anything. I could departments. “Many laws in the state of do the job. The person before me didn’t do Florida need to be repealed, but instead the job, and he was gay! I knew I could do of wondering what others are doing about the job.” In addition to her political work, them every member of our community Arnold was a trendsetter and a role model should be calling, faxing and writing to our who paved the way for generations of trans city, county and state elected officials and activists who came after her.
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Michael Robert Greenspan.
The last departed great that I want to mention is personal. When MICHAEL ROBERT GREENSPAN, my partner of 32 years, died in 2017, he left behind a legacy of activism, education and music. Michael was an active member of Congregation Etz Chaim, which he served as cantorial soloist for 25 years, and other LGBT groups in South Florida. As an educator in Broward County schools, he was a finalist for
Broward County Teacher of the Year (1999). Michael was also a talented accordionist, singer, composer and recording artist; who delighted audiences as a solo artist and member of the American Balalaika Company. In 2008 the Pride Center honored Michael with one of its Stars of the Rainbow awards. If he was alive today, he would surely be in SFGN’s Out50 list.
Thanks to all of our contributors for this special issue... Denise Royal Brittany Ferrendi Michael d'Oliveira Ryan Lynch John McDonald Jose Cassola J.W. Arnold Donald Cavanaugh Special thanks to our photographers: Steven Shires Michael Cushman J.R. Davis Larry Blackburn ... and to everyone who submitted a photo! Thank you to Compass GLCC, the Pride Center in Wilton Manors and the LGBT Visitor's Center in Miami for allowing SFGN to host its photo shoots!
Broward OUT 50
an, tt Herm ski, Sco w lo s o K Anne Casey Mar tin, i Cobb, ra, Naom eter K aldez, Tim : Steven Shires. d u M a credit guez, P : Tabath Pictured son, Rich Rodri i-Dade). Photo p m ia im S M ( l e Rach i Mar tin and Kish Atwell,
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Javier Gonzalez The Veterinarian
When he’s examining one of his patients, Dr. Javier Gonzalez likes to get down to their level –the floor. Gonzalez, a veterinarian and owner of Fort Lauderdale Veterinary Center, said most of his canine patients are more comfortable on the floor, at least at first. So, that’s where he tries to examine them. He said it’s a way to build trust. “It’s just another way to get to know the patient and get them more comfortable, as opposed to putting them up on the table right away. If you get down to their level, they’re not as intimidated.” Gonzalez, who has been married to Jarad Gibson for three years, opened Fort
Lauderdale Veterinary Center six years ago. “I never really had a plan b. I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I’ve always liked animals and helping them out, even though I was never allowed to have dog or cats in the house when I was a kid. It’s always been my passion.” The majority of his patients are cats and dogs, but he also treats hamsters, gerbils, ferrets, and some birds. In addition to helping animals, Gonzalez said he also enjoys that no two days are alike. “Even though we might have similar appointments, they end up not being the same. It keeps it fresh.” – Michael d’Oliveira
Donna Watson The Animal Activist
Donna Watson began her life involved in multiple sports, including tennis, golf and triathlons. Around her late teens, she was in an auto accident that eventually hurt her ability to move like she once did. “A year later I woke up and I could barely walk, I was in so much pain,” Watson said. “So I couldn’t do any of my activities. So my mother, god bless her, took me to one of the best orthopedist in North Miami Beach and the guy did whatever he did and said there's really nothing I can do to help you, just kind of live with the pain and take pain pills.” Watson’s mother later learned of a North Miami chiropractor by the name of “Doc Bailey.” The doctor saw Watson and later helped her get back to playing sports. After an 11-year career as a police officer, Watson later bought the practice from Bailey.
She’s now had a career which has spanned 23 years of doing work with patients throughout the area with massage, acupuncture and nutrition. On top of her chiropractic work, Watson also helps dogs with her organization Dr. Donna’s Pet Foundation. The group helps with getting better abuse prevention laws and assisting with the amount of dogs that come through shelters in the area. “It’s my two loves. I’m so split in my heart,” she said. “I’m 100 percent committed to my human work with the chiropractic and medicine while enhancing and enriching people's lives, but my love and commitment to these animals, especially the ones who have been abused or neglected, that is something that keeps me awake at night.” – Ryan Lynch
Andis Tamayo
The Traveling Philanthropist Before Andis Tamayo and his husband, Renato Silva, started the Renand Foundation three years ago, he was looking for a way to help people in Africa. He had fallen in love with the continent when he was working for the U.S. government there. “I always wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to do something more in Africa and it just didn’t work out,” said Tamayo, who serves as president of the Renand Foundation. Instead, he ended up helping in Haiti. “It was sort of like one thing led to another.” Now, he and his husband, who serves as chairman of the Renand Foundation, work with others to help people in Haiti with education, housing, health, and other needs. When SFGN contacted Tamayo, he was in a small village, Bassin Bleu, located in the southern
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peninsula of the country. He was already there for two weeks and has plans to leave and return to the island multiple times between now and the summer. “I came here because a friend of mine was moving down here to take over an orphanage. I found out there was child slavery [children either forced into physical labor or sexual servitude] and I wanted to do something about it.” He said his drive to do something is something very personal. “I know that if I were a child I would not want to be a child slave or sexually exploited by anyone.” So, every morning, he wakes up and takes it one child at a time. “That’s what keeps me going.” – Michael d’Oliveira
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Photo courtesy of Tabatha Mudra.
Tabatha Mudra The Filmmaker
Tabatha Mudra is an artist with a purpose. The photographer/videographer is part of a mostly-female team of filmmakers called 1310 Bandits. The Broward-based film crew consists of women from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and many, like Mudra, are part of the LGBT community. Having a female-led crew makes a difference. “When leadership comes from a woman, we tend to get a fuller communication style and productivity empowering them,” Mudra said. “Where they may not have had the same roles at male-dominated sets.” Inclusion is a big part of Mudra’s mission both onscreen and off. Mudra holds her work to high standards—it must pass the Bechdel Test that evaluates the portrayal of women in film and the
Vito Russo Test that examines LGBT representation in movies. 1310 Bandits recently made a film "Kali Mah Tina" reflecting and honoring those we lost during the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Future screening locations include Provincetown and South Florida. “This is a special movie. Because it was a hyperspeed cinema challenge, we had only 48 days to write, cast, produce, shoot and edit it,” Mudra said. “We want to be inherently now. Unfortunately, the theme of mass shootings is not a part of our past in Florida.” Stay up to date with Mudra on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @1310bandits. – Denise Royal
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Denise Yoezle
The Public Works Director Denise Yoezle said she’s able to be herself because of her LGBT-friendly work environment and that allows her to put more of herself into her work. The public works director of Cooper City for almost three years, Yoezle, who has been married to Donna Cook for two years, has been in the public works field for 30 years. Cooper City, she said, is the best environment she’s ever worked in. “The city is just a wonderful place to work. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. It’s the best environment I’ve ever had in terms of feeling like family. I am who I am. Everybody knows me, knows of my wife and it’s been that way since day
one. It’s very normalized. And that makes it easier to focus on her job. “As a public works director, I need to be able to make decisions and policy decisions that we can consistently carry out with many different residents . . . as long as we’re consistent and fair across the board. That’s who I am and that’s how I operate as work. It makes decision-making easy. But our commonality and our common ground is just coming to work every day and doing a good job.” – Michael d’Oliveira
Naomi Cobb
Photo: Steven Shires.
The Advocate
“I do this kind of work because it is necessary. Because I am a woman. Because I am gay. Because I am black. Because I am a partner. Because I am a parent. Because I am a sister.”
Naomi Cobb is an advocate and activist. Before retiring from public service and teaching about 18 months ago, Cobb spent more than 40 years working to change health disparities around people of color and people in the LGBT communities. As a cultural anthropologist, she also worked to train court systems, specifically judges on how people communicate culturally and cross culturally. These days, most of her time is focused on philanthropy. She is a Board Chair of the L.A. Lee YMCA. “As a board chair, I look at the same issues that I look at in my personal life in terms Photo: Steven Shires.
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Casey Koslowski
The Guest House Owner Casey Koslowski is a successful resort owner and real estate agent. “I learned from my parents to treat your employees right and to treat them like family,” Koslowski said over drinks at Infinity Lounge in Wilton Manors. One of South Florida’s most eligible bachelors, Koslowki owns the Grand Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale Beach. He took over the property in 2001, not long after arriving in South Florida from his native Wisconsin. “We’ve had quite a few notable guests,” Koslowski said of The Grand. In real estate, Koslowski has sold more than $300 million in the condo market, closing deals at venerable projects such as The Setai, Ten
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of access, care and ways to engage teens,” she said. “For people with health issues, I look at ways to get them directed towards better health care. So even my community service work is still in the arena of my paid work.” Cobb is also an HIV/AIDS activist, involved with the LGBT Cancer Consortium and Volunteer at Gilda’s Club. “I do this kind of work because it is necessary,” said the Miami native. “Because I am a woman. Because I am gay. Because I am black. Because I am a partner. Because I am a parent. Because I am a sister.”
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Museum Park, 900 Biscayne Bay, Paramount Bay, the W South Beach, Auberge and 100 Las Olas. Koslowski credits multi-lingual skills as one of his strengths. He’s signed off on deals with Spanish clients and routinely travels to Germany to promote the greater Fort Lauderdale area as a tourist destination. Koslowski grew up in the Milwaukee suburbs and came out while attending the University of Wisconsin. He said he knew he was gay after seeing a television commercial for Tab Cola. “This guy was in a swim suit coming out of the pool and that was it, I knew I was gay,” he said. – John McDonald
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Photo courtesy of Hell's Kitchen.
Robyn Almodovar The Celebrity Chef
Robyn Almodovar is cooking up a culinary dynasty. The celebrity chef is the co-owner and executive chef at Rumors Bar and Grill in Wilton Manors and also owns Palate Party Gourmet Food Truck. She recently wrapped up a season on “Hell’s Kitchen All-Stars.” (She also won Season 24 of the Food Network's "Chopped” “CutThroat Kitchen,” and has competed on CHOPPED Impossible and Camp Cut Throat.) A self-described triple threat—lesbian, Latina, and woman, Almodovar is showing no signs of losing her competitive edge or slowing down. A private chef for celebrities including Timbaland, John Corbett, and DJ Irie, Almodovar is in the process of writing a cookbook
that she hopes to publish at the end of the year. She is humbled by being named one of this year’s OUT50. “I am really glad that I am a staple in South Florida, especially the Wilton Manors area since I live there,” she says. “I want to give as much back to the community as possible.” Almodovar’s culinary delights are available at Rumors – it has a weekly Sunday brunch; in April it turns up a notch for a Drag Brunch. Stay up to date with Almodovar by following her on Twitter at @chefrobynHK and Facebook @chefrobynalmodovar. – Denise Royal
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Gary Santis The Promoter
For promoter Gary Santis, looking at the planning of an event can be a lot like how one looks at life. “I think every little situation you get into, you have to look for some kind of positive. Everything in life is about growing and learning . . . no matter what you’ve gone through. Sometimes, it’s difficult to see. But there’s always an opportunity.” Santis, owner of Gary Santis Events & Design, which he started in 1988, is the general manager of The Manor and in charge of event planning for The Venue. Both are under the same roof on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Santis has been there for eight years. “I oversee the business as a whole,” said
Santis, who is engaged to Michael McClurkin. “Creatively, it takes a lot of thinking. You have to produce an event and think of all the demographics.” For every patron who enters The Manor and The Venue, Santis said he doesn’t want them to soon forget the visit. “I see night clubs, experiences, and events as cars. Which car you want to operate that week?” For him, a very high end party or event is like a Rolls Royce. Everything has to look amazing. But, even if the party or event is a lesser model, it still has to perform to its utmost potential. “Everything has to be perfect.” – Michael d’Oliveira
Johnny Diaz The Writer
The author of six books, Johnny Diaz writes stories to inspire gay men. “I decided to write my books because I didn’t see a lot of positive portrayals of gay men – especially gay Latino men -- in fiction,” Diaz said. “And so all my characters are out, they’re professionals and are all good friends that support each other. So when people read my books hopefully they walk away with a good feeling or think of their own friends. Whether they are in Wilton Manors, or P-Town or San Francisco, my books are about celebrating the power of friendship and love among gay men.” In his latest book, “Six Neckties,” Diaz
writes from the perspective of a gay man watching all his friends get married and wondering when his time will come. When he’s not writing books, Diaz works for the Sun Sentinel. He prefers to report on trends in social media and society. A Coral Gables resident, Diaz recently overcame a battle with bladder cancer that left the 45-year-old cherishing the little things like his love for running and drawing. “I really appreciated not letting things get to me as much and not stressing out as much,” he said of his recovery process. – John McDonald
Photo: Steven Shires.
Scott Herman The Veteran
Scott Herman took over Florida’s oldest LGBT political club last year and the results speak for themselves. “Under my leadership, the Dolphins have increased membership, improved diversity and become a fully functional and relevant organization,” said Herman, President of the Dolphin Democrats. Herman, 46, arrived in Broward County 12 years ago from North Carolina. A disabled U.S. Army combat veteran, Herman is no stranger to politics. He ran for the Florida House of the Representatives twice – once as a Republican and more recently as a Democrat. Herman credits former Vice President Joe Biden with motivating his changing of party. “When the Vice President came out for
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marriage equality and Republicans banned it from their party platform that was it for me,” said Herman, in an interview with SFGN from the Dolphins’ second floor office inside Pride Center at Equality Park. Herman married his husband, Cale Choi, in 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. Choi is an airline pilot. Herman is also a pilot. He was disabled as the result of his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, when his helicopter was shot down and Herman was exposed to nerve gas. Still keeping a busy schedule, Herman serves on various veteran’s committees and boards in Miami, Oakland Park and Wilton Manors. – John McDonald
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Photo: Julie Slater (right) and Karen Carroll. Courtesy of Chic Optique.
Julie Slater and Karen Carroll The Eye Specialists
Chic Optique has been through multiple hurricanes and multiple recessions. But owners Julie Slater and Karen Carroll have kept it going through it all. Both women, who have been in the optometry business since before Chic Optique, Carroll in New York and Slater in Davie, cite their passion for customer service and wanting to help people as a big part of who they are and why they’re successful. “We believe in customer service. We are always there to try and lend a hand,” Slater said. A lot of it, they say, is listening to people and what they need. They also believe in being a part of the community and contributing to it, including SunServe, Broward House and other local organizations.
When Carroll opened Chic Optique in 2002 and Slater became her business partner in 2003, the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, where they’re located, was having problems with crime and most of the storefronts were empty. Now, 15 years later, there are a couple empty storefronts, but, overall, the shopping center is in much better shape and Slater says Chic Optique is right where she and Carroll wanted it to be years ago. “We’re a staple here. We are known in the gay community, at least nationally,” said Carroll, who said that being in the community is as much a passion as being in business.
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Josie Smith
The Restaurateur Openly gay “human and fluid” Bubbles + Pearls business owner Josie Smith came to Wilton Drive to bring something new to the scene. “I was inspired by the need to diversify the options for food in an already diverse town,” she said. “Every gay city I’ve ever know has everything so why not Wilton Manors too? Plus, we have plenty of burger and wing spots.” Bubbles + Pearls is a raw bar focusing on oysters. Her favorite part about owning a business on the Drive is being an active part of the community. “My entire life is about being a contribution in this world and of course I want to be a contribution to my LGBT community as
well. I am proud to represent the community here in South Florida. Plus, I love seeing all my Wilton neighbors strolling the Drive.“ For other LBT women who want to take a step into the world of business ownership, Smith offers this advice: “Go for it! Look into grants for women and put your whole heart into it! Don’t forget you have an entire community to support you. Oh and don’t leave anyone out, be inclusive.” Smith’s background is full of inclusivity; her mother is Puerto Rican-Italian, her father Filipino. Smith is also known for appearing on season 2 of Bravo’s Top Chef series. – Brittany Ferrendi
Rachel Simpson
The Addiction Specialist Rachel Simpson never planned to work in the recovery field. “I started out as a psychiatric nurse specialist,” she said. “I lost a brother to addiction when he was 26-years-old. After that, I knew I was meant to work in this field and bring my perspective. My wife was in the field when we met, and it’s been a desire of mine to serve our community.” Simpson is the CEO of Dynamic Recovery Center, a family-oriented rehabilitation center with an LGBT affirming team of professionals committed to transforming the standards of what has always been the norm of treatment services. LGBT communities have a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction., according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. “This community is underserved and in need of help,” says Simpson. “There are many subcultures in the gay community when it comes to addiction, and we have found our home doing this work.” Dynamic Recovery is putting a renewed focus on patient aftercare. “It’s amazing to see what recovery is like for our clients when they have each other and a treatment center that’s wrapped around them in love, kindness, and dignity. Because of our LGBTQ specialty, people here are comfortable sharing their truths, when they haven’t been at other treatment centers.” – Denise Royal
Michael Mendillo The Arts Executive
When someone takes a new job, they’re often told they “have big shoes to fill.” That’s definitely not the case with Michael Mendillo, the new executive director of Slow Burn Theatre Co. in Fort Lauderdale. He’s actually the first person to step into the newly created position with the critically-acclaimed theater company in residence at the Broward Center. I’m excited because Slow Burn has grown so quickly in such a short time. I’m really looking forward to strengthening the relationship with the Broward Center,” he said. “Since I moved here two years ago, I’ve admired their artistic vision...I’ll be tackling the challenges on the business
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side, matching the administration with the artistic quality.” The former Pittsburgh resident and Shenandoah Conservatory graduate originally moved to South Florida to work as director of development for the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, another strong regional arts organization. During his tenure, contributions more than doubled. “What I’ll miss most about the chorus is that it’s such a brotherhood, a family and, as a staff, we were very close-knit. But, I see that with Slow Burn Theatre Co., as well,” he said, and he’s ready to get to work. – J.W. Arnold
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Photo: Steven Shires.
Rich Rodriguez The Leather Man
Donating money to worthy causes and people is a good thing. But for Rich Rodriguez, president of the Lambda Men's Brotherhood, seeing the impact on people is the most rewarding part of what he does. In particular, Rodriguez, who has been president of Lambda for almost four years, thinks about sending a family with a transgender child to Tertium Quid, a camp in New Jersey for families with transgender children. “It was one of the most heart-warming things we ever did. It was fantastic to really help people . . . see a direct benefit in someone’s life.” It’s just one of many things Lambda Men's Brotherhood does for the LGBT community. Essentially, the organization raises money for other LGBT organizations. The brotherhood is also closely tied to the leather
community hosting the annual Leather Masked Ball. Rodriguez, who said he likes to think in ambitious ways, wants Lambda to also think along the same lines. “We’re getting away from merely being the producer of the Leather Masked Ball to one that’s more broadly looking to invest in the community, identify critical needs in the community.” It’s a change he gives the entire organization credit for, but one he also said he had a part in. “Well I certainly think the ambitious aspirations are something I engender. The organization itself, we make decisions as a group. But the leader at the top of the organization is going to have an impact.” – Michael d’Oliveira
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Bernadette Zizzo The Cancer Survivor
Photo by Brittany Ferrendi.
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Openly lesbian Bernadette Zizzo kicked breast cancer in the butt and she’s been riding that energy into staying active and social. When she’s not giving back to the community at her co-owned Wilton Manors gallery Art Frenzie, Zizzo is singing her heart out at her weekly karaoke nights at gay adult entertainment bar Boardwalk. “I always promote diversity,” she said, noting people of all genders and sexualities come out to sing. “I always promote the love, peace, and bringing people together.” Her Sunday night karaoke sessions bring nostalgia to the band she was in four years ago, Altered Ego. Her group played for years at various
gay pride events like Stonewall Pride. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago and spending the majority of that time in treatments, Zizzo has a handful of projects going on. She’s currently organizing a quality of life program to help people with autism by providing haircuts, facials and more. She’s also working on a magazine meant for all with a focus on diversity and education. Zizzo sticks to her motto: “Stay humble and kind. Stay positive. Give good vibes. All you need is love — that’s all you need for life.” – Brittany Ferrendi
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The Entrepreneur Timing, Tony Dee says, is everything. “Being in the right place at the right time and things just happen,” Dee replied when asked the secret to his entrepreneurial success. Dee recently resurrected Chardees Lounge on the northeast section of Wilton Drive. He brought with him three bartenders with over 27 years of experience and had entertainers knocking at the door on the first day of business. “We are very, very comfortable here,” Dee said. “The name is what brought them in.” Dee, 83, grew up on Long Island, New York and took his first job as a barber. He eventually styled men’s
hair for performers at the Westbury Music Fair and was even married, albeit briefly, to a woman. “I signed a one year lease but didn’t pick up the option after that,” he joked. Moving to South Florida in the 1970s, Dee got into the real estate business. “My partner and I built 60 condos together in the 1980s,” Dee said. Dee and his current partner, Andy Martin, have been together for five years. The couple owns several properties in Wilton Manors. “I’ve worn many hats in my life,” Dee said. “What I am is a work-a-holic.” – John McDonald
Gloria Stein The Mentor
For Gloria Stein, her life has taken her more places than a junked-up car. The speaker and LGBT activist was born in 1935 and worked in a vehicle graveyard in Ohio while marrying twice. In 1997, she changed her name to Gloria. “I’ve always loved women, to me women were the greatest things on the face of the earth,” Stein said of her transition. “I had the time, I had the money, I had no one to answer to, I said ‘why the hell not?’” Stein is now retired and lives with her partner Dan Friedman. She serves as a mentor to LGBT people in South Florida. When she does talk to people, she said she likes to kibitz (Yiddish word for joking) with people. “I have a good time whatever I do, I always bring a joke in it,” Stein said. “One of the main things I say to people is ‘look, if I did what I did at 67 years old,
if there is something that you wanna do, as long as it’s not hurting someone or breaking the law, then go ‘what the hell’ and do it.’” Stein has been featured in a 2013 memoir titled “My Uncle Gloria,” which was written by her nephew Steven Shulman. She also was the focus of a 2016 documentary titled “Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride” directed by two-time Emmy winner Robyn Symon. Outside of her speaking work, Gloria and her partner take care of four cats and are active in Congregation Etz Chaim and the Unitarian Universalist Church. Gloria also still has a love for vintage automobiles. “Do you know how fortunate and lucky I am?” she said of her life. “How many 83-year-old people do you know that can say this?” – Ryan Lynch
Samantha McCoy The Pansexual activist
Samantha McCoy takes a lot of pride in her work at the Pride Center at Equality Park. If you’ve ever attended an event at the Pride Center, McCoy likely helped organize it. The Florida native is the Customer Service Coordinator—she manages groups, rentals, volunteers and more. “I make sure our calendar is managed, and we have events seven days a week,” she said. “I take on as much as I can, as often as I can.” McCoy has been at the Pride Center for seven years and cannot imagine working any place else. “I want to continue for another 700 years,” she said. McCoy started as a volunteer—working
with the Beta Phi Omega sorority. Her work also changed her life in many ways. “I have met so many amazing people, and I have learned a lot about the community,” said McCoy, who identifies as pansexual. “I had no idea what pansexual was before working here. I learned so much during our community conversations. Working here has shaped the way that I think and the way that I am in the community. I am very open in speaking with people about race, sexuality and different ways to identify if that’s what they choose to do.” – Denise Royal
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Peter Kaldes
The Aging Expert Peter Kaldes’ path to non-profit work started in the White House. Kaldes worked with then-president Barack Obama in the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as the White House’s National Security Council from 2010 to late 2013. His finance background led him to JP Morgan Chase, where Kaldes managed a $20 million account which provided funding to nonprofits. When Kaldes moved down to the area in late 2015 with his husband, he later was hired to work at non-profit Impact Broward (now the South Florida Institute on Aging). With the institute, Kaldes leads a “think-andact” tank which does work regarding the need of older adults within South Florida. This includes caregiving and other engagement work to tackle isolation as well as technology training for older adults. “Particularly with the older adults we work with,
who historically do not self-identify as LGBT, I think it’s been refreshing for the population we serve to have someone who’s out and comfortable in a leadership role of an organization that has been around for 50 years,” he said. Outside of work, Kaldes sits on the board of a local theater company at the Broward Center. He also loves to travel, with one of his favorite destinations he has been to being the island of Mykonos in Greece. “My family’s from Greece, but I remember growing up, I would visit Mykonos and was still struggling with my sexuality it was hard for me to have fun on what was otherwise regarded as an accepting island,” he said. “Only as an adult when I finally came out was I really able to appreciate Mykonos as an accepting island.” – Ryan Lynch
Photo: Steven Shires.
Tim Martin
The Softball Enthusiast On Sunday afternoons Tim Martin can likely be found at Mills Pond Park playing games. Softball to be exact. The former journalist turned recreation league chairman coaches the Alibi Angels -- the fourth-longest running gay softball team in the nation. Martin took over the team in 2011. This spring will be the Angels' 21st year. “As Chair, I am the face of SFAAA with our league sponsors and represent Fort Lauderdale on a national level,” Martin said. SFAAA stands for South Florida Amateur Athletic Association, a league Martin describes as “very healthy” with 28 teams,
three divisions and close to 450 participants. Martin was born and raised in Detroit, the son of a fireman. He came out while attending the University of Michigan. In 1987, Martin began his journalism career at the Ann Arbor News. He moved to Florida in 2005 and worked for the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, providing an out gay voice in the newsrooms and on the sports desks. In addition to softball, Martin is an avid bowler and a member of the International Gay Bowling Organization. As an IGBO member, Martin has bowled two perfect 300 games. – John McDonald
Martin Childers The Theater Man
Marty Childers was perfectly happy in Kentucky, where he had managed the Jenny Wiley Theatre, an award-winning regional company, for 14 years. Then he saw the announcement of an opening for an executive director with Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. “I thought if I’m ever going to leave, I’m going to leave now,” he recalled. Childers submitted his resume and got a phone call the very next day. He was hired soon after. There was a little bit of a learning curve. His previous employer was more than 50 years old and had an established reputation. During his tenure, he worked to transform the organization from a summer stock theater company performing in an amphitheater to a year-round producing company with a new $4 million indoor venue.
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“Island City was only five years old—it’s in its sixth season now—and they wanted to grow,” he said, a mission he has tackled whole-heartedly for the LGBT-centric theater company. “They are doing thought-provoking, really good work and winning awards and I knew I could work there.” Childers admits it is a time-consuming challenge: “When I’m not working theater, I’m hardly ever unconnected from the phone, every day. It doesn’t matter, whether I’m in the office or not,” he said. When he’s not working, he spends time with his partner, Harold Dioquino, the artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, and enjoys theater, architecture and design. – J.W. Arnold
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He freely admits to helping others – at his own cost. “I’m not a good selfpromoter,” Mark Ketcham said. Ketcham is sitting in a swivel chair behind a long desk in the headquarters of SunServe, an organization he helped build into a $2.2 million agency with 38 fulltime employees. This gruff, bear of a man came to Florida from New York, where he started his LGBT career working for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. In Manhattan, Ketcham served as Central Operations Manager for the famed Bailey House on Christopher Street during the early days of AIDS. “That changed my life,” he said. Ketcham, 57, has been Executive Director at SunServe for seven years,
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growing the agency and adding key programs for women, seniors and the transgender community. He wants SunServe to be known as a place where people can “get help.” Ketcham flirted briefly with a career in politics, running for the Fort Lauderdale Commission but said his talents are best suited as a candidate’s body man. “I remind them who they are meeting and who they represent,” he said, jokingly adding, “I stand in the background and point.” Ketcham and his partner, Werner Lutz, have been together for 30 years. The couple own a home in Fort Lauderdale, “with the required dog and two cats,” he said. – John McDonald
Bryan Carstensen The Radio Personality
Bryan Carstensen’s days start early. The radio producer and co-host for Cox Media’s ratings leader HITS 97.3 rolls out of bed at 3 a.m. and he is in the studio by 4 or 4:30 a.m. to prepare for the morning broadcast. Granted, he wraps up his “work day” by 12:30 or 1 p.m., but then he devotes much of his free time promoting the station at community events. He’s particularly passionate about organizations that help youth and combat bullying. For years, Carstensen had dreamed of a career as a disc jockey, but “unfortunately, a former boss told me that I sounded too gay and I took that to heart. I decided it wouldn’t be for me.” Then he got the job at Cox’s
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Hollywood station as a producer. “They were so open to me being me,” Carstensen said, and when the chance to work on air arose, he jumped at the opportunity. “Miss Bryan” was born and has since become one of the region’s most recognizable personalities. “It started as a funny joke because I’m often mistaken for a woman on the phone or the drive-thru speaker and addressed as ma’am or miss, but I like it because it sets me apart,” he explained. “The community here is so diverse and welcoming and I’m really proud to be a part of that.” – J.W. Arnold
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Emily Cohen
Photo: Emily Cohen (left) with her daughter.
The Women's Empowerment Leader Emily Cohen has a lot going on, and all of it is directed toward helping LBT women develop a sense of community. “We connect women with really anything they need in the community,” she said as the director of women’s services for SunServe. “It’s mainly healthcare navigation for women. We just started in July, and so we’re just picking up steam and doing some great things.” Those great things include helping trans women by “connecting them with competent care they didn't know they can get where they don't feel like they're under a microscope. Where they’re being treated as human beings by doctors who really care.”
On top of her director position at SunServe, Cohen also co-founded an organization called Ignite Women South Florida to connect a community for LBT women. They host mixers on the first Thursday of every month, with info available on their Facebook page that showcases events in the community beneficial for women. “Creating that sense of community is really what I think we’re lacking in the women's community. I think that's what women want. It's not about a bar for us — a place — it’s about having a community. So that’s what I’m doing.” – Brittany Ferrendi
Dawn Holloway “Creating that sense of community is really what I think we’re lacking in the women's community. I think that's what women want. It's not about a bar for us — a place — it’s about having a community. So that’s what I’m doing.”
The Sub Maker
When it comes to labels, Dawn Holloway couldn't care less. “I just identify as me,” she said. “You just can’t help who you love — black, white, Hispanic, male, female, trans.” But regardless of how she identifies, one thing is clear: she loves pride. Holloway is one of six voting board members of Pride Fort Lauderdale, travelling the country on her own dime to connect and learn from other pride events. “I love being on the board. It gives me a chance to get involved with everybody all over.” Beyond pride, the Wilton Manors family knows and loves Holloway for her food. She opened
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Anne Atwell
The Spiritual Leader The Reverend Anne Atwell followed the call to ministry in 2008. That’s when the former human resources representative left Corporate America and made a home for herself at Sunshine Cathedral. Atwell is now the Minister of Connections—a role that allows her to link people in the congregation with resources at church and in the community. “It’s a kind of human resources to benefit our community, rather than the bottom line of a large corporation,” she said. Atwell also oversees the foodsharing program that provides more than 130 lunches each week and leads a weekly bereavement group
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Pink Sub on Wilton Drive, and nine years later the gourmet sandwich shop is still going strong. “Pink Sub is my bitch. That is my life,” she said. “Making the best 8 inches on the drive. But I should say making the best 8 inches, period.” She’s now moving the shop to a new location on Oakland Park, and hints she will open the shop by the end of April to serve breakfast and lunch. “We’re going to serve you a mild six inches in the morning, and then eight inches in the afternoon. Everyone should be loose enough to take that by then.”
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for LGBT members. She is also in talks to create a caregiver support group, specifically for the LGBT community. “The work that I do is living out the gospel message that we care for others,” she said. “We care for those who are marginalized. We care for those who are hurting. So frequently in the LGBT community, there are people who are hurting, who want to talk and who have needs, but all we hear about are the rich and the famous, and that’s not all of our community. I try to reach out to the people who don’t have a lot and help in any way that I can.” – Denise Royal
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Camille Lewis The supporter
Camille Lewis loves helping people. That’s why her job at Empower U Community Center in Miami is such a great fit. Lewis oversees the Translluminati programs for young transgender persons of color, their sexual partners, and friends. The activities are in a safe and welcoming environment. “I help transgender individuals get on HRT. I help link them with legal services. I help with anything that I can,” Lewis said. “The work that I do is rewarding. I have had the opportunity to touch, hug, cry and help many people. I wouldn’t change anything about it.” Most recently, Lewis was a speaker at TransCon 2018,
a conference held at Barry University. When she's not advocating for others and inspiring them with her story, Lewis stays busy by feeding the homeless and doing what she can to help others in need. “Camille D. Lewis is a modern-day phoenix that continues to blaze high in her own authenticity,” said her friend Lorenzo Lowe, Director of HIV Prevention at Compass, the LGBT Community Center of the Palm Beaches. “Her personal story and dedication to our community are what's needed to create change and promote advocacy.” – Denise Royal
Photo: J.R. Davis.
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Eddie Orozco
The HIV ambassador Eddie Orozco was diagnosed with HIV more than 30 years ago at a time when survival rates were at its lowest. “My diagnosis was back in 1987, so I am a long-term survivor,” said Orozco, a program facilitator at Pridelines, who appeared as one of the top 100 long-term survivors in “POZ Magazine” back in 2016. A community and national activist working in the HIV field for the last 20 years, Orozco has worked as a Greater than AIDS ambassador to put a face to the HIV epidemic — primarily in the Hispanic community, where infection rates continue to rise among homosexual men. Orozco is board president of the Miami-Dade HIV Planning Council. He
has also participated in the Florida AIDS Walk and has been involved with The Smart Ride charity cycling event for the last 10 years. At Pridelines, Orozco coordinates a monthly educational lecture for people living with and affected with HIV in Spanish and English. Additionally, he facilitates gay/ bisexual men HIV support groups. “Giving back to organizations who serve people and families living and impacted by HIV....these are causes that are close to my heart,” Orozco said. “I love community involvement because I know I am making a difference in my community.” – Jose Cassola
Herb Sosa
The Latinx Activist Herb Sosa serves as Founder, President and CEO of Unity Coalition|Coalición Unida. The organization lives up to its name by producing workshops to empower the community. It also brings local, state and federal law enforcement together with our community to reduce crime. UC|CA offers tools and programming, like its 4th annual ELEVATE- a day of being Nicer; LGBT Scholarships for the Arts, Design, Education & Cosmetology; 4th annual TRANSART series – showcasing Transgender art & artists; the 8th annual Celebrate ORGULLO Hispanic Pride festival, and various other workshops, services & empowerment for the community.
“What inspires me to lead the work we do Unity Coalition|Coalición Unida, is the injustice, hate and inequality that we all wake up to each day – some much more than others – and my never ending passion to influence positive change,” Sosa said. “In certain circles and settings, I am considered privileged because of situations and conditions I had little or no control over - my skin tone, birth gender, nationality, economics …and I do know I am... The ability to use this privilege and position for good, for positive change, for equality and to strive to give everyone a seat at the table – That is what inspires me each day. – Denise Royal
Jack Lee Jordan
The Young Revolutionary Jack Lee Jordan is a 23-year-old non-binary demiboi who identifies as black-latinx born and raised in Miami. Jordan uses they/them/ their as their pronouns. They started doing activism work at the age of 13 to help medical professionals, teachers, social workers and most important of all, parents, accept their queer and trans children. Jordan continued this work until they were 19 when they changed the framework of a local queer youth leadership program, Changemakers, to be led by queer youth activists to teach other queer youth activists about a variety of topics. They also created a trans youth support group called Spectrum in the following years. Jordan helped lead a few queer youth
enrichment programs that centered on the development of queer youth leaders while “giving them the language they needed to grow as activists,” they said. “I’ve used my experiences to try and independently educate folks on risk awareness, safer sex education, youth empowerment, intersectionality, queer liberation and mental health while dismantling transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism, ageism and other systems of oppression so they can bring it back to their communities,” Jordan said. Jordan believes that “there is no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” – Jose Cassola 3 . 2 1 . 2018
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Jason Hagopian
Photo: J.R. Davis.
The Architect
Jason Hagopian began his career as an architect at TSAO Design Group more than 20 years ago as a project coordinator. Now the managing principal of the group’s Miami office, he is responsible for establishing and growing the organization’s hospitality, private and public projects sectors. A registered architect in Florida, California, New York and Georgia, Hagopian is also a director on the board of The Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors. “I have been instrumental in assisting the Pride Center in their master plan and senior housing projects,” Hagopian said. “The board is immensely talented and inspires me every day to be a better person and a stronger voice for our community.”
Hagopian, who has been with his partner for 17 years, has been an out gay man since he lived in San Francisco back in 1993. “Since [then], I’ve done what I can to make up for the lost time of being afraid and closeted,” Hagopian said. Hagopian says he’s always given back where he can, specifically to such causes as the STOP AIDS project in San Francisco and the AIDS Ride in California. “I’ve done more MS, cancer and AIDS rides than I can count and raised a great deal of money and awareness for these organizations as a result,” Hagopian said. – Jose Cassola
Michelle Solomon The Editor
“We are building a movement for queer and trans people of color and our allies that radically redefines leadership, the spaces we occupy and the impact we have.”
Perhaps more than any other journalist in South Florida, Miami ArtZine editor Michelle Solomon has her finger on the pulse of the region’s arts scene. Even though her online magazine is headquartered in Miami Beach, Solomon covers performances and events from South Miami-Dade all the way to Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. She supervises a team of writers and photographers, too. “South Florida doesn’t get its due for all the arts that are going on. I could go to three really good, professional performances on just about any night— theater, dance, visual arts, all that. It’s a whirlwind, we can barely keep up there’s so much constantly going on.” Solomon, who studied drama in college, got her start as a cub reporter at her local newspaper in northeast Photo: J.R. Davis.
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Corey Davis
The QTPOC Trainer When Corey Davis and Daniel Anzueto launched Maven Leadership Collective last April, they did so to create a vehicle to promote intersectionality centered on queer and trans leaders of color. “We believe meaningful inclusion is the best way to build effective community organizations,” said Davis, co-founder and executive director. “That wasn’t part of the narrative in our community when it came to QTPOC, and no organization was making it its singular focus. We are building a movement for queer and trans people of color and our allies that radically redefines leadership, the spaces we occupy and the impact we have.” Maven Leadership Collective is a social impact organization which offers
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Pennsylvania with an arts beat including a new performing arts center with a varied and full calendar. “They needed somebody who could cover everything from soup to nuts. Every single night, I was on deadline. I’d go to the show—it could be Polish dancers or Chinese acrobats one night and Johnny Mathis or Eddie Money the next—and then I’d have 45 minutes to write my review. That’s breaking news! I never went back to New York to become an actress,” she recalled. After stints as the arts editor for the Albany Times Union, Detroit Free Press and a Detroit television station, she came to South Florida and worked as the online executive producer for WPLG-TV, before landing at Miami ArtZine more than five years ago.
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a free capacity building program that “creates more resilient social impact leaders.” An advocate for meaningful inclusion for more than 20 years in the nonprofit and private sectors, Davis has volunteered for Miami Beach Gay Pride, The National LGBTQ Task Force and the Miami Gay Men's Chorus. He said Maven’s work is important because “without harnessing all available talent, there is no way we can tackle complex issues facing South Florida.” “Together we can find sustainable solutions for improving our quality of life and making our community more prosperous, vibrant and just,” Davis said. – Jose Cassola
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Logan Meza The Grassroots Organizer
As the youth community organizer for SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective, Logan Meza plays an active role in mobilizing people while “providing safe, affirming and radical spaces in the efforts to achieve true liberation and equity for all folks of color.” Meza uses they/them/their pronouns. They have co-organized the Florida March for Black Women and LadyFest Miami and facilitated workshops, front porch conversations, restorative circles and more. After their mother’s death in December 2013, Meza said they had two options: sell narcotics to take the first bus out of Miami and disappear or attempt to find their purpose in honor of their mother. Meza chose the latter. Soon thereafter, they stumbled across SOUL Sisters, thus beginning their journey in
the world of professional organizing. “As a queer, trans-masculine, non-binary person, [I’m] very intentional and passionate about carving out spaces for other queer and trans/non-binary folks, especially in movements and spaces that tend to forget about trans/non-binary folks,” Meza said. “[I’m] also very committed to the health and wellness of the trans and non-binary community because in order to fill the cups of others, your cup must first become full.” Meza says they are “extremely committed” to the world of grassroots organizing. “[I] plan to be a part of this organizing world for many years to come,” Meza said. – Jose Cassola
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Kishi Chad Martin, 29, has been a health promotion outreach educator for four years. He has spent the last six months of that time as a peer navigator at Care Resource, performing community outreach, condom distribution, internet outreach, linkage to services, PrEP navigation and working on the youth advisory board. “This job has given me an opportunity to help others empower themselves and make their health a priority,” Martin said. “It has also taught me accountability, boundaries and self-care.” Martin has volunteered for the Pride Center, Pride Fort Lauderdale, Pridelines, CampOut, Impulse South Florida and The M Project. He has also served as president of the Broward College Gender
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Sexuality Alliance, as an adult advisor for the SunServe Youth Group and on the Planned Parenthood board on the Broward County Youth Council. Martin’s biggest inspirations have been members of his family. His sister, who died of sickle cell anemia in 2016, was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe in 2011. His mother has been supportive of the LGBT community, dedicating herself to several causes. Martin said his studies in psychology and journalism have done him well in life. “Psychology helped me embrace my sexuality when I had low self-esteem in my teens. Journalism gives me a creative outlet to express my passions,” Martin said. – Jose Cassola
Tracy Young The DJ
When Tracy Young began her career in the DJ and production industry 25 years ago, she said she didn’t give much thought to how male-dominated the field was. “I just had this passion inside me to play music and that had to be released,” Young told Billboard’s Patrick Crowley in August 2017. A quarter of a century later, Young has remixed more than 100 musical artists and has racked up nearly 50 No. 1 Billboard club hits. She has more than seven musical compilations on her record label, FEROSH. Throughout her career, Young says she has always strived to empower the LGBT community through her music, events and associations with Pride organizations. “From my empowering anthems and remixes for over 100 artists, my goal is to send a positive message of peace, love and music for everyone,” Young said. As an on-air host for iHeart Radio, 93.9 MIA, Young engages in community outreach for the LGBT community within the Miami and Fort
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Lauderdale area. She has supported domestic and international Pride organizations GLAAD and the Diversity Honors and contributes to many causes, including the Trevor Project, Care Resource and The Pride Center in Fort Lauderdale. This April during Miami Beach Gay Pride, Young will be joining forces with the It Gets Better Project for an evening of music at The Standard Hotel. “All organizations that empower change for the LGBTQ-plus community are important to me,” Young said. “I love giving back to the community that has given me so much. Even though we all get busy in our lives, I try to make giving back a top priority.” Young says she is also a “huge animal lover” who works with animal charities as often as possible. “I believe that animals give us so much and are often overlooked,” Young said. For more information about Tracy Young and upcoming events, visit TracyYoung.com. – Jose Cassola
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David Mittleman The Eye Doctor
Dr. David Mittleman grew up in White Plains, New York, where he experienced little homophobic discrimination as a youth. He knew he was gay by age 5 and he came out to his parents when he was 20. “It was no big deal,” he said. “Besides, having a straight younger brother should have taken care of the grandkids issue.” “But it didn’t,” he said. “No kids from the brother.” Mittleman earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He did his ophthalmology residency at The Wills Eye
Hospital in Philadelphia. Mittleman was surprised to observe antigay discrimination at Johns Hopkins when he attended in the late 80s to early 90s. “If they knew you were gay you could get a horrible residency,” he said. But he attributed it to the times and society’s mores. Mittleman moved to South Florida in 1992 and has built a highly regarded practice of more than 45 employees offering a wide range of ophthalmologic services. He lives with his partner of five years, Michael Fowler. – Donald Cavanaugh
Elayna Toby Singer The Natural Artist
Elayna Toby Singer used a love of nature to fuel both her professional and artistic careers. Her artwork started with jewelry that incorporated seeds and branches she found in nature. Singer said that her larger artwork, which includes long chains of those hanging elements, allows the wind to interact with it to change how people experience it. “I’m looking for people to have an interactive experience with either the object or a piece for your home or garden,” Singer said. “My real love is that you can have an individual connection with a piece in your home or garden, but the community creating I do, I really love that.” She currently works as the first-ever administrator for Palm Beach County's “Art in Public Places” initiative, which involves placing artwork in locations throughout the community. Singer has done work planning and composing public gardens in Philadelphia, Chicago and Naples and also working
with the Urban Land Institute’s Creative Placemaking National Working Group and the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals board. She believes that nature ties into celebrating both cultural and biological diversity. She said without that diversity, both cultures and organisms will struggle. “Without sounding cliche, ‘celebrate diversity’ is one of my life mantras.” she said. “I come to that from a love of otherness, and appreciation of otherness and also it ties in with my environmental background.” Singer’s connection with nature also extends outside her artistic works. She loves to garden and spend time outside as well as volunteer with the Rainbow Connection, a group who works with multiple age groups to create artwork. – Ryan Lynch
Lee Edmondson The Hairstylist
Lee Edmondson was born and raised in Erie, PA. Like many of his generation, he knew he was gay at an early age. He started dating around age 16. He came out to his family when his mother asked him if he was gay. “It was pretty easy,” he said. It was interesting that his father ended up owning the only local gay bar. Edmondson entered a relationship that lasted 23 years. They joined the flocks of snow birds on their annual trips to light and warmth. After four years of migrations, they moved here permanently and wound down their relationship to just be friends. Edmondson met his current partner, JP
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Hawksley, about 2 years ago. Hawksley has a son who is on the Autism scale. Hawksley has been diagnosed with an incurable cancer so Edmondson has been granted a guardianship to protect the youth’s interests. Edmondson owns a salon in Palm Beach Gardens called “Sheers. Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” Lots of people know his name for his philanthropy, supporting organizations as diverse as Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, Toys for Tots and MCC Palm Beach to name a few. – Donald Cavanaugh
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Janis Kidder The Rocket Scientist
Janis Kidder is a retired rocket scientist. She is also an out lesbian. Pretty impressive for a 1969 graduate of Belle Glade High School and Auburn University in Alabama. “Coming out to family was OK,” Kidder said. “My parents were divorced and dealing with their own issues. There were the usual concerns about grandchildren, etc. but mostly it was OK.” “I spent 26 years on the team at a Lockheed Martin facility in New Orleans where we designed and built the fuel tanks you see on either side of the shuttle,” she said. “Later I came back to South Florida and spent 8 years at the undersea systems in Riviera Beach.”
In response to a question about coming out at Lockheed, Kidder indicated that it was no big deal. In fact, she was instrumental in obtaining LGBT domestic partner benefits from the company. Kidder met Toni Armstrong Jr. in 2001. They were married in Canada in 2005. She assists Armstrong managing the BLAST (Bi, Lesbian and Straight Together) Meet Up group. She is also working with the We Want The Land Coalition to buy 650 acres of pristine forestland in Michigan "for women, for girls, forever." – Donald Cavanaugh
Photo: Michael Cushman. 3 . 2 1 . 2018
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Steven Caras The Image Artist
Steven Caras agrees that he has had a charmed life. When he was 18, George Balanchine invited him to join the New York City Ballet Company launching 14 years as a dancer and through Balanchine’s recognition of his skills in photography, forty years as a photographer and image artist with global recognition. “I’ve never worked in an anti-gay atmosphere,” Caras said when questioned. “It wouldn’t work in the arts.” “I also disagree with identifying myself as a gay man,” he added. “Rather, I prefer to be known as a man who happens to be gay.” He came out to his parents when he was
Adrienne Percival
18 although he knew from birth. His mother “lost it” with wailing and self blame – the usual. His father took it all in stride and told his son that he knew he was gay. “I was raised in a Catholic home and now have no interest in formalized religion,” Caras said. “But I do pray for 45 minutes every day." In the early ‘90s, Caras joined the Miami City Ballet to help with development. He has done development, fundraisings and other similar functions for organizations as diverse as Rosie O’Donnell’s Rosie’s Theater Kids, Dramaworks, the Kravis and others. – Donald Cavanaugh
Photo: Michael Cushman.
The Community Organizer
“I joined Compass and took a very visible job and I’m proud to work under the rainbow.”
Adrienne Percival was born in Maryland and grew up in central Virginia. She attended Oglethorpe University in Atlanta whence she subsequently migrated to South Florida and Lake Worth, joining Compass Community Center. She is currently taking a program on Women’s Studies at FAU. During school years in central Virginia, sexual orientation was rarely discussed so she had little experience or information. “I went to the library to see what I could learn - not a lot,” she said. When she got to college she met a particular professor who “blew me away.” “I ran back to the library,” she chuckled.
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Myra Koutzen
The Small Town Mayor She came from a family of musicians, but Myra Koutzen eventually became a politician and Mayor of Palm Beach Shores. Koutzen started out as a lighting designer for theatrical productions, but eventually got her master's degree in finance and worked in marketing. Her political start came from an issue close to home for her. “There was an infrastructure problem in the town that affected the building I was in and the whole corner of the town I lived in,” Koutzen said. “I wasn’t getting satisfaction from the town commission, so I ended up running for the commission and we eventually got the issue fixed.” As an openly LGBT elected official, Koutzen said that factor is not the main thing that defines her.
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As a self employed person before joining Compass, discrimination was hardly on her radar. “Then I joined Compass and took a very visible job and I’m proud to work under the rainbow,” she said. Adrienne and Jennifer Percival had a wedding in 2013 so Jennifer’s grandmother could attend. They made the marriage legal as soon as possible after the law was changed. One of Percival’s major functions is managing the Pride Business Alliance which has grown significantly in her care. “You just couldn’t do this job if you were in the closet,” she said.
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“The people in my town all know who I am and it doesn’t seem to play a role in whether they vote for me, don’t vote for me, support me, don’t support me,” she said. “It’s a very small town, so I have a personal relationship with many of the voters.” Koutzen said her work includes protecting the barrier island community from natural elements like sea level rise and hurricanes. This includes upgrading the infrastructure within the town to prepare for those events and keep property safe. As well as her mayorship, Koutzen likes to ride her bike in the community to stay in shape. With her musical background, she also like to play piano and go to concerts. – Ryan Lynch
Sarah
The Bus in
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Sarah Malega (Nee Parr) has been out since age 18 when she shared her life with her grandparents, the people she called family. “I wanted them to know who I am and they were great,” Malega said. “They just wanted me to be happy and know I was always welcome in their home.” Malega has had a number of careers including the creation of two businesses: The Zoo Health Club in downtown Lake Worth and PersonalAutoShoppers.com. Her wife, Dawn, operates the club while Malega handles the auto shopping business. The couple was married in December 2013 at Lake Tahoe, CA. When they returned to Florida, they
were denied the right to use their California marriage license to change Sarah’s name. “It diminishes you,” Malega said. “I’m so glad those days are gone.” She recently jumped in the politics arena when she ran for Lake Worth City Commission District 1, but lost with 45 percent of the vote. The Malegas attend The Church by the Glades and in response to a question Sarah says that the only place where they’re wont to go back into the closet is when traveling in countries and counties where LGBT people are unwelcome. – Donald Cavanaugh
Photo: Michael Cushman.
Marcie Hall
The Unlikely Activist Marcie Hall didn’t choose activism. Activism chose her. She found her voice as an advocate after her application to Palm Beach Atlantic University, a private Christian college in West Palm Beach, was rejected. She attended the school’s master’s program as a closeted gay woman for one semester earning high marks. She dropped out because she hated not being able to talk about her sexuality. She then decided to reapply, because no other school in the area offered the program she wanted. But that time around she openly discussed her sexuality in her application. She was rejected. The Palm Beach Post would go on to feature her story in their newspaper. “That was when I said I need to make a stand for younger people’” she said. “So I said ‘go ahead and print this.’” Hall’s work with Palm Beach County Human Rights Council started shortly after that.
Since then she’s helped the organization stop gay conversion therapy on minors and pass more LGBT friendly ordinances in Delray Beach. “For me, that work has been so huge,” Hall said. “To kind of represent my lifestyle in a way that we don’t always have to be flying the rainbow flag, but we do have to represent ourselves to businesses and others who are looking up to us.” Hall previously served in the military from 1976 to 1979 as part of the last class of the Women's Army Corps. Although she was not fully sure of her sexuality, Hall did find her first love there, sharing a room with her. Hall also sat on the board of the Delray Beach Playhouse, a community theater company which hosts local productions of plays. She recently produced a play based on the life of AIDS awareness advocate Ruth Coker Burks to raise funds for the World AIDS Museum in Wilton Manors. – Ryan Lynch 3 . 2 1 . 2018
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The Keys
Pictured: Gary "Sushi" Marion, Laurie Thibaud, and Dennis Beaver. Photo Credit: Larry Blackburn.
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Photo: Larry Blackburn.
Sushi
The Grand Dame of Drag While Gary Marion — known to his fans as Sushi, the Key West drag queen — has spent the better part of the last two decades as the “Grand Dame of Drag” at 801 Cabaret on Duval Street, it’s his New Year’s gig on CNN that made him a household name nationwide. For 20 years, Sushi has been ringing in every new year at midnight being lowered in a big red shoe over the Bourbon Street Pub along Key West’s main street. The veteran drag entertainer, who married her longtime partner in 2015, says she won’t be giving up the gig anytime soon. “I'll be doing the shoe till the day I die, darling,” Sushi said. “I'm turning into the old lady in the shoe.” Sushi said she has been a “proud drag queen” for 34 years. For more than 18 of those years, she
said she has been “fortunate enough” to run the 801 Cabaret to support her fellow drag queens. Besides drag, Sushi is a frequent volunteer for several causes. She says she’s always tried her best to help others. “When I was in my teens, I found myself homeless like other young drag queens in the 1980s, so I've always tried to help people in need because I remember what it was like,” Sushi said. Sushi helps with with a lot of benefits in town, mostly AIDS Help and the Sister Season Fund. “Key West as a whole raises money for people in need. That’s why I love it here,” Sushi said. “Helping others in need should be a requirement rather than a choice.” – Jose Cassola
Photo: Larry Blackburn.
Laurie Thibaud The Volunteer
A bartender at Aqua Nightclub in Key West, Laurie Thibaud has been active in the LGBT community for many years. She has chaired events, including Womenfest, and has assisted with numerous fundraisers for a variety of organizations, raising money for AIDS Help, Breast Cancer Research, Wounded Warriors, the Florida Keys Animal Shelter and the Sister Season Fund, among countless others. Most recently, Thibaud has spent all of her free time volunteering with hurricane recovery efforts in the Keys. “My life changed after Hurricane Irma,” Thibaud said. “The devastation that affected the Keys made me acutely aware of our housing crisis in the middle and upper Keys, directly affecting the service industry down here.”
While working with the crisis relief team and Keys Strong during the aftermath, Thibaud said she developed a new appreciation for her fellow Keys residents. “Their resilience and sense of community continue to inspire me in all that I do,” Thibaud said. A resident of the Keys for more than 15 years, Thibaud says she has “embraced and been embraced by our Keys motto of ‘one human family.’” “My mother was a huge influence in my life. As a result, I don’t feel complete in my daily life if I’m not being of service,” Thibaud said. – Jose Cassola
Photo: Larry Blackburn.
Dennis Beaver The Curator
Dennis Beaver first visited Key West in 1978. He was so taken with the quaint community, he returned to New York, sold his business and moved down. Soon thereafter, he ran into another of the island community’s residents, famed playwright Tennessee Williams. Williams lived in Key West as an openly gay man with his partner Frank Merlo, and had a pivotal influence on the island’s literary culture. He penned classics including “The Glass Menagerie,” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” in his charming cottage on Truman Ave. In 2011, the Key West Art and Historical Society (KWAHS) asked Beaver to organize an exhibit commemorating Williams’ centennial. The exhibit and month-long festivals that followed became popular with tourists visiting the keys during the 3 . 2 1 . 2018
winter months. Last December, the Tennessee Williams Museum opened in the playwright’s former home and features the largest permanent collection of Williams memorabilia available to the public. “Because Tennessee was here so long and he wrote at least part of every major work here, it’s important that we, as locals, understand this important history,” Beaver said. “Fortunately, I don’t have to work, I just give tours. The visitors keep me on my toes, and I can’t make a mistake because they’ll catch me.” Michael Gieda, executive director of the KWAHS, credits Beaver with preserving this important history: “Part of the story of the museum is the story of Dennis Beaver.” – J.W. Arnold
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Publisher's Editorial
Convictions
Why the OUT50 Issue is So Special to Me Norm Kent
norm.kent@sfgn.com
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hen people ask me, what is special about my life, I point them to this paper, and the Express Gay News before it. We are all on this planet for a short time, and if we are lucky, we find a niche that makes a notch, for ourselves and our community. Publishing a community newspaper celebrates not just your own deeds but documents the lives and loves of others; their losses and their victories, their successes and their failures. Each year, this paper selects 50 people from all walks of lives who illuminate and illustrate the diversity and the depth of the LGBTQ community. Each year we find ourselves paring down the names and excluding more than we can include. However, each year the list grows. So now I stand here as publisher of our community’s leading vehicle of gay news with a special sense of pride and purpose. I look at the list of those selected over the past five years and I realize that this paper has given light to so many others, individuals who otherwise may never have made a headline, been acknowledged for their achievements, or celebrated for their successes. As I do each year, I congratulate the honorees, reminding everyone else your name can be on this list next month or next year. The selectees do not come out of thin air. They come from a broad base of nominees proposed by a cross section of community leaders at every level. The OUT50 does not come from some magical list created by Norm Kent. As a matter of fact, while I might have been influential in naming 80 percent of our choices in our first year, today I barely know 20 percent of our selections. We wait to hear from you. Now in year 9—God knows how—SFGN has now published over 400 issues, 52 weeks a year for over 8 years. And now we are
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online daily at www.sfgn.com. We drop the paper off at over 375 physical locations in four counties. For better or worse, your work and your deeds become our voice. Of that, I am very proud, even though some of our history is not always so. That is just the way the chips fall. What a lot of community leaders do not understand is that our duty is not to only be a cheerleader for our achievements but be a newspaper first and foremost. Like it or not, we give life to our warts and wounds as well as our wins. We are not here just to pat your back and please you. Steal from a charity and you will find that out soon enough. Gay life has changed in this community over these past decades. We have stood up to disease and discrimination. We have gone from being outcasts to just being out. We have made a difference in our community that you can be proud of. We are now the mayors of this town. Think about Dean Trantalis for a moment, elected last week as the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, arguably one of the most significant cities on the landscape of southern America—the Venice of America; an epicenter for gay life. Forty years ago, he helped launch tiny groups of barely a dozen people fighting for human rights ordinances. He helped foster a political organization which fought for the rights of gay people. He not only spoke out against gay discrimination as a rare legal voice, he fought for domestic partnerships and marriage equality. Look where those dreams have taken him. So, as the older gay man not doing AIDS walks but using walkers, here is my advice. Don’t you dare die wondering. If you have not already, stand up and be yourself. There is not enough time left to live out the future to remain stuck in a lying past. While you are here, open your heart to the hopes and
You don’t have to be the community leader, you can be the caretaker, the carpenter, the cook or the cookie cutter. You must only be yourself.
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dreams you always sought to pursue. You can’t when you are gone. 50 years ago there was no OUT50. There were closets and electro shock therapy. There was deviancy and denial. There was excommunication and freaks, homosexuals denied their place at the table, not celebrated as chefs and community leaders, but instead demeaned with indignities and kicked into corners. It never should have been that way, but it always was. Why, you ask? We were too silent, too timid, too afraid to stand up to the status quo. Please though, don’t come out of the closet only to find a new pocket of security where you are approved and accepted for doing what others think is normal and all right. Affirmation? Let it come from within. Conform not to society’s norm, but your own. Create your own universe. Play your own drum, and like Henry David Thoreau
said, march to a different drummer. If you do, you may find those chords on the pages of OUT50 one day, because the lives we try to illuminate are not the ones you were supposed to have led. They are the lives you have made on your own. You don’t have to be the mayor, you can be the mechanic. You don’t have to be the community leader, you can be the caretaker, the carpenter, the cook or the cookie cutter. You must only be yourself. That makes life matter. Don’t wait for the miracle to come. Be the miracle. Time is limited and precious. It disappears so swiftly, and can be taken so quickly, you don’t know whether the future will be 20 minutes or 20 years. We are all day to day. So, my message is to beat back the demons, and celebrate the moment; the here and now. You control the day in front of you. Make it count while you still can.