SFGN 01/13/22 V13iss2

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AMY SCHNEIDER, TRANS ‘JEOPARDY!’ CONTESTANT, TOPS $1 MILLION

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G

oing into Friday night’s episode of “Jeopardy!” Amy Schneider needed $22,600 to hit $1 million on the longrunning game show.

It was clear after her answer and wager were revealed she was setting herself up to make history no matter what happened.

Going into the final round, Schneider, who has now won 30 consecutive games in a row as of press time, wasn’t in any danger of losing since she was almost $30,000 ahead of the next contestant.

With $32,400 she could afford to lose $9,800 and still hit $1 million. And that’s what she wagered.

In the end though she got the answer correct, giving her $42,200 for the evening.

Her grand total is now $1,057,800. “[...] The nerves really kicked in. I was getting close to that million, and it would be *so* disappointing to get this close and not make it,” she wrote on Twitter on how she felt leading up to her record-breaking win.

Schneider is a history-making contestant.

She is the first transgender contestant to qualify for the tournament of champions, a yearly tournament featuring players who won the most games from the past season.

“It’s a strange thing to think that I have made history as the first trans person to qualify for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions,” she wrote in an editorial in Newsweek. “It was inspirational for me to see transgender contestants on the show before I became a contestant and I hope that I am now doing that same thing for all the other trans ‘Jeopardy!’ fans out there.”

Schneider has won more consecutive games than any other female and was already the highest-grossing female contestant on the

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January 13, 2022 • Volume 13 • Issue 2

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Amy Schneider. Photo via YouTube.

show, which means she’s also the first female contestant to win more than $1 million.

That designation is sure to trigger some right-wing conservatives since Schneider identifies as a transgender woman. She’s already faced some backlash online for her history-making run on the game show.

In an article titled “Erasing Women: Trans ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Takes Crown for Highest-Earning Female Win Streak,” Brietbart writes, “The claim that Schneider holds the women’s record is rejected by advocates for women’s status and rights.”

Schneider though has brushed off the blowback on Twitter.

“I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man,” Schneider tweeted.

“Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind.”

Larissa Kelly, the previous female record

holder for most winnings, congratulated Schneider on her success.

“Well, it was fun to hold a ‘Jeopardy’ record for a few years ... but it’s been even more fun to watch @Jeopardamy set new standards for excellence, on the show and off,” Kelly tweeted. “Congratulations to Amy on becoming the woman with the highest overall earnings in the show’s history!”

Julia Collins meanwhile held the record for consecutive games won by a woman with 20 in a row back in 2014.

Currently Schneider sits in fourth place for consecutive games won and fourth place for highest winnings in regular-season play.

Schneider needs to win five more games to crack the top three in most consecutive games won and about $500,000 to crack the top three in highest winnings in regularseason play.

Schneider gives regular game recaps on Twitter and offers up other behind-thescenes tidbits for fans of the show.

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1.13. 20 22 •

3

LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENNEDY MCKINNEY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G

B

Bisexual

BISEXUAL ‘BACHELOR’ SHOW IN THE WORKS “The Bachelor” franchise, known for its yearly competitive love shows, has been criticized over the years for its heteronormativity, but the Australian version is about to change that.

On Jan. 6, a casting call was sent out looking for single women and men who are “looking for a shot at true love.” The Australian spin-off was previously praised for its inclusivity last year with its bisexual “Bachelorette,” Brooke Blurton. Although ratings were low, the network isn’t blaming the change but rather believes the entire franchise needs to be reworked.

“Often with those legacy formats, there are pivots that you can make, there are things that you can do, and shows like ‘MasterChef’ and ‘The Block’ that have been on the air for more than a decade

prove that a format can go for a long time when you carefully manage it, and sometimes it’s cyclical,” Beverley McGarvey, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand executive president and chief content officer, told Mediaweek last November. “So now we need to go, ‘What do we do with ‘The Bachelor?’”

The new season will begin filming in May 2022 and will air late August.

“Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole is so 2020,” a Bachelor spokesperson told the Daily Mail. “Love is love and we look forward to casting our next Bachelor, whoever they may be.”

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‘REAL HOUSEWIVES OF MIAMI’ REBOOT INCLUDES LESBIAN COUPLE

After an eight-year hiatus “The Real Housewives of Miami” is back featuring the first gay housewife to appear on any of the franchise’s 11 incarnations.

Former Russian model Julia Lemigova, who is married to former tennis superstar Martina Navratilova, joined the cast for the show’s fourth season.

“Being a visible part of our LGBTQ community is quite new to me and I would not even try to pretend I am a spokesperson for it,” Lemigova told NBC News in an email. “What I am happy to be is a spokesperson for myself and my family and hope that as a family we represent our LGBTQ community well.”

She added that being a pioneer on such a popular television franchise is “a lot of responsibility” and she hopes she can “live

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• 1.13. 2022

A

LGBTQIA BITES

T

Transgender

MJ RODRIGUEZ BECOMES FIRST TRANS ACTOR TO WIN A GOLDEN GLOBE On Sunday, Michaela Jaé “Mj” Rodriguez took home a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama for her role as Blanca on the FX show “Pose.”

It marks the first time in history a transgender actor has won a Golden Globe.

This is also the first Golden Globe win for “Pose” which premiered in 2018. While “Pose” has been hailed for the largest transgender cast in a scripted series, the show’s stars have been vocal regarding the lack of award recognition they have received, making this a huge win for the cast as well.

“Wow! You talking about sickening birthday present! Thank you! This is the door that is going to open the door for many more young talented individuals,” she wrote on Instagram. “They will see that it is more than possible. They will see that a young Black Latina girl from Newark, New Jersey who had a dream, to change the minds others would WITH LOVE. LOVE

Michaela Jaé “Mj” Rodriguez. Photo via Facebook.

WINS. To my young LGBTQAI babies WE ARE HERE the door is now open now reach the stars!”

Rodriguez also shouted out her fellow nominees: Uzo Aduba, Jennifer Aniston, Christine Baranski and Elisabeth Moss.

“To the nominees we are Queens,” she wrote. “I’m so happy to share space with you! Each and every last one of you women are phenomenal.”

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1.13. 20 22 •

5

NEWS NATIONAL

BY GILLIAN MANNING

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

SOUTH CAROLINA

MAN CHALLENGES SEX OFFENDER STATUS GIVEN UNDER ANTI-SODOMY LAW

He was convicted 20 years ago under South Carolina’s anti-sodomy law. Now he’s filed a lawsuit to challenge his status as a sex offender. Identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe,” he said that he was convicted for having consensual sex with another man.

The anti-sodomy law was rendered invalid in 2003, two years after the man’s conviction, when the U.S. Supreme Court determined that Texas’ anti-sodomy law was unconstitutional. He received a pardon in 2006 but has remained on the sex offenders list, the Post and Courier reported.

One of the attorneys filing on the man’s behalf, Matthew Strugar, said that his status as an offender has had a negative impact on the man’s life and that he was denied professional licensing because

Photo via PxHere.

of it. Twice a year the man has been required to report to his local sheriff’s office to provide information such as his residence, his employment, fingerprints, etc.

“The registration obligations, sort of, take over your life,” Strugar said.

There are at least 18 other people in South Carolina on the sex offenders list due to the prior anti-sodomy law.

ARIZONA REPUBLICAN PROPOSES BILL TO JAIL DOCTORS WHO PROVIDE TREATMENT TO TRANS YOUTH

Sen. Wendy Rogers proposed a bill that would criminalize doctors who treat individuals under the age of 18 experiencing gender dysphoria with gender-affirming care such as prescribing hormones and puberty blockers or gender confirmation surgery.

If passed, Senate Bill 1045 would make these treatments a felony punishable by one to three years in prison, according to Metro Weekly.

The bill has an exception for intersex children, allowing doctors to perform medically unnecessary genital surgeries in order to make the child’s body “conform” to the gender binary.

LGBT advocates argued that in most cases gender confirmation surgery is rarely provided to people under 18 in the U.S. and that most doctors require a patient to go

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• 1.13. 2022

Credit: The Gender Spectrum Collection by Broadly, VICE.

through at least 12 consecutive months of hormone treatments before considering surgery.

The bill would also require that teachers, nurses, counselors, and administrators report children to their parents if they express gender dysphoria and if they want to go by another name or pronouns that were not assigned to them at birth.

Rogers has introduced another bill that would restrict transgender athletes from participating in school sports.

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

MICHIGAN

JUDGE RULES AGAINST GAY OFFICERS IN LAWSUIT

On Jan. 7, a federal judge ruled against the gay security officers who filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2020.

The lawsuit alleged that for years, Officer Michelle Wood was called homophobic names, taunted, was denied promotion, and was subject to retaliation after filing a complaint about her treatment. Sgt. Loretta Smith, Wood’s partner, also alleged that she endured hostile treatments and was demoted in retaliation for Wood’s complaints, Detroit Free Press reported.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts said in her ruling that many of the women’s claims were either past the statute of limitations or were unproven.

Wood said a supervisor would talk about his disgust for homosexuals and refer to her using derogatory, homophobic

Michigan Department of Corrections. Photo via Facebook.

names. Roberts said these claims would demonstrate a hostile work environment, but Wood was not able to provide proof of these complaints.

Roberts also said that the Corrections Department was able to show a nondiscriminatory reason for Wood to be denied promotion.

“We are very disappointed by the ruling and my clients are devastated,” Jonathan Marko, the Detroit attorney representing the women said. “They feel revictimized today.”

NEW JERSEY FIRST LGBT MAN APPOINTED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The New Jersey LGBT Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced that Augusto Penaranda Jr. will be the chamber’s first executive director. This will also make Penaranda Jr. the first LGBT and Latino man to hold the position. The chamber is a business organization that aims to better the quality of life of local LGBT professionals and businesses.

As the director, Penaranda Jr. will be setting agendas with the main goal of holding Governor Phil Murphy accountable to the commitments made to the LGBT community, Al Día reported.

He previously worked as the chief external relations officer for the American Red Cross of New Jersey and as a public information officer for the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs. While with the American Red Cross, he worked as a

Augusto Penaranda Jr. Courtesy photo.

bilingual communicator and disaster volunteer in Florida and Texas for Hurricane Irma and Harvey relief.

“We are very excited to welcome Augusto Penaranda as the Chamber’s first executive director. The board has great confidence in his ability to help persuade Governor Murphy’s team to build greater economic opportunities for the LGBT community,” Stephen Blazejewski, president of the NJ LGBT Chamber of Commerce, told Insider NJ.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

ASIA

EUROPE

INDIAN MARRIAGE SITE TO START MATCHING LGBT COUPLES

RIGHTS COURT REJECTS GAY DISCRIMINATION IN CAKE CASE

Shaadi.com, one of India’s most popular websites for singles looking for marriage, has announced that it will expand its services to include LGBT people.

Anupam Mittal, the company’s founder and CEO, revealed the news in an interview with Business Insider. The ruling comes four years after the Indian Supreme Court decriminalized same-sex partnerships.

“We see ourselves as a platform for companionship and matchmaking …

That could mean for different markets, different regions, different countries, different sexes,” Mittal said, according to Pink News.

Despite the fact that the move is an attempt to incorporate the LGBT community into larger Indian cultural

Photo via Adobe.

standards, it has been met with opposition. The announcement elicited a wide range of reactions from Twitter users.

“Anything we do, we have to do with serious dating, finding a companion, or finding a life partner,” Mittal asserted.

In 2014, Gareth Lee requested a cake from a Belfast bakery with a pro-gay marriage statement, but the proprietors refused to make it. His allegation of discrimination was deemed inadmissible by the European Court of Human Rights eight years later.

According to Courthouse News Service, the Strasbourg-based court determined that Lee’s case was doomed because it relied on Northern Ireland’s antidiscrimination statute rather than the 1953 agreement that established the rights court. The ECHR determined the ruling would usurp the power of state courts.

Lee purchased the 36.50-pound ($49) cake from Daniel and Amy McArthur’s Ashers Baking Company for an event commemorating International Day Against Homophobia.

Photo via Facebook.

Lee submitted a design depicting Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the statement “Support Gay Marriage” to the bakery. Though the order was initially accepted and paid for, two days later, the bakery contacted Lee and told him they would be unable to make his cake because they disagreed with the message.

AFRICA

SOUTH AMERICA

BID TO TOUGHEN ANTI-LGBT LAWS FAILS IN SENEGAL

‘QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE’ SPEAKS OUT ON LGBT VIOLENCE IN BRAZIL

Senegalese MPs blocked a draft measure that would have toughened existing harsh rules against samesex relationships from being put to a legislative vote on Tuesday.

According to a 2020 worldwide assessment by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, gay sex is punishable by up to five years in jail in Senegal, where arrests and convictions have increased dramatically.

According to Reuters, a group of legislators has proposed a new measure that would increase jail sentences to up to 10 years and criminalize LGBT activity in particular. Anyone who commits an “act against nature” with people of the same gender is subject to the present law.

Assemblée nationale du Sénégal. Photo via Wikipedia.

Ghana is also considering enacting anti-LGBT legislation that would increase prison sentences and require certain people to undergo “conversion therapy” to change their sexual orientation.

The first season of “Queen of the Universe,” the worldwide drag queen singing competition created by the founders of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” was won by Brazilian artist Grag Queen.

Grag beat out Ada Vox and Aria B Cassadine, both from the U.S., in the final vote to take home the lavish $250,000 prize and the coveted title of Queen of the Universe.

According to Pink News, the Brazilian queen told Variety that she already had plans for the prize money and that she intended to use her title to advocate for LGBT rights in her homeland.

She claimed her first thought after being crowned was of the gay community since “we’ve been through a lot.” Because she felt like “no one cares

“Queen of the Universe.” Credit: Paramount.

about us,” she hoped to “be like a door to bring some joy to my people.”

1.13. 20 22 •

7

NEWS NATIONAL

SAY THEIR NAME 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR TRANS COMMUNITY 51 trans people were killed across U.S.; 4 in Florida Kim Swan

FIFTY-ONE.

That’s the number of transgender people murdered last year across the U.S. – the deadliest year on record since the Human Rights Campaign began tracking the murders of trans people in 2013.

The transgender community, and particularly trans women of color, face a high rate of violent crimes compared to their cisgender peers. Such violence often leads to their deaths.

Reporting on this loss alone is not enough to heal the community or give back the lives that were taken away. However, by remembering their names and who they were, the community can help preserve their legacy within the LGBT community, as well as educate others about the struggle of the trans community just to survive.

For as painful as it is to report such detailed information about their death, there is also the chance that these details will lead to the arrest of any criminals surrounding their deaths who may still be at large.

In 2020 a then record of at least 44 trans or non-conforming people were killed.

“We say at least because too often these stories go unreported — or misreported,” the HRC website states. “In previous years, the majority of these people were Black and Latinx transgender women.”

THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY, AND PARTICULARLY TRANS WOMEN OF COLOR, FACE A HIGH RATE OF VIOLENT CRIMES COMPARED TO THEIR CISGENDER PEERS.

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• 1.13. 2022

Trans Day of Remembrance in Wilton Manors in November of 2021. Photo credit: Nic Zantop.

TRANS PEOPLE KILLED IN FLORIDA ALEXUS BRAXTON, a 45-year-old Black trans woman, was killed on Feb. 4 in Miami. The police described her murder as a “violent and vicious attack.” Although the police shared footage of a person of interest, no arrests have been made.

KERI WASHINGTON, a 49-year-old Black transgender woman, was killed on May 1 in Clearwater by her long-time partner Arthur Benjamin Jr., who confessed to the crime, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

ROYAL POETICAL STARZ, a 26-year-old Black trans woman,

was fatally shot in Miami Gardens on Oct. 2. Her murder comes after she earned a business degree from Florida Career College vocational school in July. Starz’s body was returned to Omaha, Nebraska, to be buried close to her family.

The investigation into her murder is still ongoing.

JENNY DE LEON was a 25-year-old Latina transgender woman who was found dead in Tampa on Nov. 2. De Leon was an active member of her local PFLAG group, who said that she was an “enigmatic, bright soul.” The police have not shared her cause of death and the investigation is still open.

Read more about the above victims as well as updates on all of the transgender people murdered in Florida since 2015 by visiting sfgn.com/TDoR2021.

NEWS NATIONAL

TRANS AND NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE KILLED ACROSS THE U.S. TYIANNA ALEXANDER

NATALIA SMUT

TIERRAMARIE LEWIS

28, Chicago

24, Milpitas, California

36, Cleveland, Ohio

SAMUEL EDMUND DAMIÁN VALENTÍN

IRIS SANTOS

MISS COCO

22, Houston, Texas

44, Dallas, Texas

in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

BIANCA “MUFFIN” BANKZ

TIFFANY THOMAS

POOH JOHNSON

38, Dallas, Texas

25, Shreveport, Louisiana

31, Atlanta, Georgia

JAHAIRA DEALTO

DISAYA MONAEE

42, Boston, Massachusetts

32, Chicago, Illinois

FIFTY BANDZ

WHISPERING WIND BEAR SPIRIT

BRIANA HAMILTON

21, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

41, York, Pennsylvania

CHYNA CARRILLO

SOPHIE VÁSQUEZ

24, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

36, Georgia

SIBLINGS JEFFREY “JJ” BRIGHT

DANIKA “DANNY” HENSON,

16, Ambridge, Pennsylvania

31, Baltimore, Maryland

DOMINIQUE JACKSON 30, Jackson, Mississippi

JASMINE CANNADY

SERENITY HOLLIS

22, Ambridge, Pennsylvania

24, Albany, Georgia

JENNA FRANKS

OLIVER “OLLIE” TAYLOR

34, Jacksonville, North Carolina

17, Gervais, Oregon

DIAMOND KYREE SANDERS

THOMAS HARDIN

23, Cincinnati, Ohio

35, York, South Carolina

RAYANNA PARDO

POE BLACK

26, Los Angeles

21, Niland, California

JAIDA PETERSON

EJ BOYKIN

29, Charlotte, North Carolina

Lynchburg, Virginia

DOMINIQUE LUCIOUS

AIDELEN EVANS

26, Springfield, Missouri

24, Port Arthur, Texas

REMY FENNELL

TAYA ASHTON

Charlotte, North Carolina

20, Suitland, Prince George’s County,

TIARA BANKS 24, Chicago, Illinois

25, Chicago, Illinois

KIÉR LAPRÍ KARTIER 21, Arlington, Texas

MEL GROVES 25, Jackson, Mississippi

ZOELLA “ZOEY” ROSE MARTINEZ 20, Maple Valley, Washington

JO ACKER 26, Boise, Idaho

JESSI HART 42, Banks, Oregon

RIKKEY OUTUMURO 39, Centralia, Washington

MARQUIISHA LAWRENCE 28, South Carolina

ANGEL NAIRA 36, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

DANYALE THOMPSON 35, Memphis, Tennessee

Maryland

CRIS BLEHAR 65, Kentucky

SHAI VANDERPUMP 23, Trenton, New Jersey

All of the above information comes from HRC.

1.13. 20 22 •

9

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1.13.

22 PM • 3/31/212012:11

11

NEWS LOCAL

J.R.’s SNAPSHOTS

OF THE

From your life... into our pages! SFGN takes a weekly look at a community that has stood together through countless trials and victories in the past year alone.

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• 1.13.2022

WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Compass Chief Development Officer Julia Murphy with Marketing Director Michael Riordan.

Miracle of Love, Inc. Executive Director Angus Bradshaw with Operations Manager Janitra Dariso.

Husbands Kevin Murdoch and Carlos Prado, IT project managers and SMART Riders.

Melissa Reesor Martin, licensed social worker at Archways Behavioral Health, with her husband Robin Martin, executive director of Rebuild Together Broward.

NEWS NATIONAL

2022

IT’S OFFICIAL

WASHINGTON BLADE GETS DESIGNATED SEAT IN WH BRIEFING ROOM Staff Reports

Washington Blade

T

he Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest LGBT newspaper, has secured an officially designated seat in the White House James S. Brady briefing room, marking the first time an LGBT publication has been afforded the honor.

The White House Correspondents Association, which is responsible for the seating assignment in the briefing room, made the announcement Friday as part of the updated seating chart, which will take effect on Jan. 3.

Chris Johnson, White House reporter for the Blade, will be responsible for filling the seat for the LGBT news outlet.

According to the WHCA, the seating assignment represents 65 different news organizations and entities, and of those outlets, a total of 14, or 22%, are receiving their first-ever assignment.

Steven Portnoy, WHCA president and White House reporter for C-SPAN Radio, said in a memo changes were made “to enhance diversity in the briefing room,” including seat designations for “organizations that target Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ audience” as well as publications “across the ideological spectrum.”

“THIS WILL ENABLE US TO DEVOTE MORE FOCUS TO NATIONAL POLITICAL NEWS IMPACTING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.” - Kevin Naff EDITOR, WASHINGTON BLADE

OUT 50 WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE FEATURED? SEND IN YOUR NOMINATIONS!

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS TO JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM Chris Johnson, White House reporter for the Blade.

Photo via Chris Johnson, Twitter.

The Blade is set to share a seat with the Boston Globe. The two publications have made an arrangement to rotate a presence in the seat on a weekly basis. The seat is in the seventh group and next to a seat shared with the Daily Caller, a conservative publication, and EWTN, a social conservative news outlet billing itself as a global network for Catholicthemed programming.

The seating assignment marks the latest development in the Blade’s reporting on the White House and integration in the White House press corps.

“Thank you to the Correspondents Association for this designation,” said Blade editor Kevin Naff. “This was decades in the making and a credit to the hard work of Chris Johnson and Lou Chibbaro Jr. before him.

This will enable us to devote more focus to national political news impacting the LGBTQ community.”

In 2013, the Blade earned a spot in the White House in-town pool rotation, a system giving reporters the responsibility of shadowing the president of the United States and reporting back on his movements and statements in the form of pool reports for the entire White House press corps.

SFGN and the Washington Blade are media partners.

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13

NEWS NATIONAL

NEW HIV PREVENTION WEAPON

INJECTABLE PREP Damon Scott

T

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month approved the firstever injectable PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to prevent HIV transmission: Apretude.

PrEP is typically taken orally each day as a pill; its most common forms are Truvada and its more recent cousin Descovy. Apretude first requires two shots one month apart, and then one shot every two months.

“Just as with oral PrEP, regimens to prevent HIV do not require as much potency as HIV treatment regimens,” Stephen J. Fallon, executive director of Latinos Salud in Wilton Manors, said. “It’s easier to block HIV from getting in than it is to chase HIV around the body once it’s already in.”

Fallon said Latinos Salud plans to offer its patients any PrEP option that becomes available.

“The only limitations that come may be insurance companies’ formularies or denials from patient assistance programs,” he said.

“Typically, our staff finds a way to get our patients the form of PrEP they choose.”

Latinos Salud and other organizations spend considerable time and resources on HIV prevention methods as South Florida consistently has one of the highest rate of HIV diagnoses in the country. The state had the highest rates in 2020.

“Today’s approval adds an important tool in the effort to end the HIV epidemic by providing the first option to prevent HIV that does not involve taking a daily pill,” Debra Birnkrant, director of the Division of Antivirals at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release.

Birnkrant said Apretude “will be critical to addressing the HIV epidemic in the U.S., including helping high-risk individuals and certain groups where adherence to daily medication has been a major challenge or not a realistic option.”

According to a report by LGBTQ Nation, PrEP is currently recommended for about 1.2 million people who are considered at high risk, but as of 2020, only 25% were taking it.

While it’s a big increase from the 3% who were taking PrEP in 2015, it still means that most of the at-risk population remains vulnerable.

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• 1.13.2022

Photo via Adobe.

The pharmaceutical company behind Apretude is GlaxoSmithKline. It conducted an initial Apretude trial that involved cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men and compared Apretude to Truvada. Those using Apretude were 69% less likely to get HIV. An additional trial involving cisgender women found that those taking Apretude were 90% less likely to get HIV than those taking Truvada.

Meanwhile, NBC News recently reported that Apretude currently costs $3,700 per dose. Insurers currently are not required to cover the costs, but virtually all companies are required by the federal government to cover Truvada.

Kenyon Farrow, managing director of the advocacy group PrEP4All, told LGBTQ Nation that Apretude is a positive development but that its implementation will be difficult and could take years to reach most people.

“Due to COVID, public health systems are already overburdened and much of the workforce needed to implement this large scale are leaving the field due to burnout,” Farrow said. “Because it will need to be administered in clinical settings, it won’t be treated as a pharmacy benefit by payers, but instead as a clinical benefit, which will take time to implement the proper coding for billing, as well as education and training for nurses who will likely bear the brunt of the work to implement.”

NEWS LOCAL Left: Royal Poetical Starz. Photo via Facebook.

Right: mugshot of Duvon Russell Jr. Courtesy Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

NEEL AMIN, MD

Double Board Certified in: ANESTHESIOLOGY PAIN MEDICINE

SUSPECT ARRESTED IN MURDER OF TRANS WOMAN ROYAL POETICAL STARZ

T

Police say that a Black male suspect wearing an orange T-shirt or hoodie and dark pants was seen leaving the crime on foot.

Starz was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sandy T. Fox, a friend of Starz, said in October that she was allegedly shot in the face and then her body about 20 times. It’s unclear whether Russell and Starz knew each other or what their interaction was prior to her death.

“It shows to me a very high level of premeditation and anger,” Fox said.

He also said that she was “always the life of the party” and drew attention for her outfits, hair and nails. Last summer, she proudly graduated from Florida Career College with a business degree. Starz’s friends offered to pay for her funeral in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and a GoFundMe was also created.

Starz was one of at least 51 transgender or gender nonconforming people killed in 2021, the deadliest year on record since the Human Rights Campaign started tracking the information in 2013.

Already, there are at least two murders in 2022, including Duval Princess, a trans woman from Jacksonville.

IT’S UNCLEAR IF RUSSELL AND STARZ KNEW EACH OTHER OR WHAT THEIR INTERACTION WAS PRIOR TO HER DEATH.

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Christiana Lilly he Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man suspected in the murder of Royal Poetical Starz, 26, who was shot to death in October.

Duvon Russell Jr., 28, was arrested on Dec. 31 on unrelated charges by the department.

He currently has six charges against him, including second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and robbery with a firearm.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, an officer responded to a Crime Stoppers tip and found him at a Davenport home — he had arrest warrants from MiamiDade County, Polk County, and Columbia County. When police asked him to leave the home, Russell did not respond and instead tried to hide in the attic.

He was previously wanted by the department for robbing a liquor store with a gun in September 2021.

CBS4 reports that Russell will be extradited to Miami-Dade County.

Starz was found dead in her Hummer in the 4600 block of Northwest 185th Street in Miami Gardens on Oct. 2, 2021, during the late morning. She lived in Pompano Beach but was originally from Nebraska. Miami Gardens

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15

NEWS LOCAL

HOLLYWOOD TO HOST FIRST PRIDE ACHIEVES TOP HRC SCORE Damon Scott

H

ollywood may not immediately come to mind when people think of gay-friendly cities in South Florida, but that’s changing.

For one, the city’s first-ever Pride event (a street festival) is scheduled to take place Jan. 22. Hollywood has also achieved a perfect 100 score on the latest Human Rights Campaign municipal equality index.

There have been 10 years of HRC indexes thus far — a way to rank cities that support the LGBT community, separate from what state and federal governments are doing (or not doing). Cities are scored on whether there are non-discrimination laws on the books, if there are inclusive health benefits, on how much law enforcement engages with the gay community, and on the attitudes of city leadership, among other markers.

Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale also scored 100 in the 2021 report, while Miami scored an 89. The 100 score for Hollywood is all the more impressive when you consider that the city scored an 83 in 2020, 70 in 2019, and a measly 46 in 2018. It’s one of the most improved scores within a four-year period of any city in the country.

One example that helped Hollywood improve its score: the city recently

changed its procurement code and now any contractor bidding for work must have nondiscrimination protections for their employees.

LGBTQ+ COUNCIL ON THE RISE A big part of the city’s gay-friendly ascension can also be credited to the work of the Hollywood LGBTQ+ Council, which launched in April 2019,= and is led by its president, Todd Delmay. Delmay said Hollywood already has a large transgender community and continues to grow its “gay vibe.”

Delmay is currently in the race for Florida’s House District 100 seat, which covers an area from Fort Lauderdale to North Miami. (The primary is Aug. 23.) “[The Council] caught on fire in many ways,” Delmay said. “Membership is at about 500 and 80% identify as LGBTQ. Sometimes you don’t know where your LGBTQ siblings are until you put something together.”

The Council has kept a steady presence through all the challenges of the pandemic.

There have been social events in person and online, town hall meetings, trainings, and a focused effort not only to build connections with area residents, but also with the faith community, business owners and city officials.

Delmay and his husband, Jeff, have already made a name for themselves in Florida’s gay circles. The couple was one of six plaintiffs who sued the state for the right to marry. In January 2015, they became the first gay men to be married in Florida.

‘MY HOLLYWOOD PRIDE’

Todd Delmay. Photo courtesy of Todd Delmay.

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• 1.13.2022

Delmay and the Council have led the charge for Hollywood to host its inaugural Pride event. With so many renowned Pride events in South Florida already, he wanted to make it a bit different.

“It’s really what equality, diversity

Todd Delmay with his husband Jeff. Photo courtesy of Todd Delmay.

and inclusion are all about — crafting a Pride with familiar elements — but also complementing it with other things to communicate and educate the public a little more,” Delmay said.

There will be film showings and discussions at Cinema Paradiso — which is about a one-minute walk from where the Pride-street festival runs along Hollywood Boulevard near ArtsPark at Young Circle. The Stonewall National Museum and Archives and the World AIDS Museum are partners in a large display, exhibition and vendor area.

Delmay said he’s particularly excited about Anniversary Park, which bookends the street festival. He said the park would be transformed into a “kids’ zone” with youth ambassadors from SunServe and others helping with art projects and face painting.

The younger kids can occupy the park until later in the day when it becomes a space for teenagers, Delmay said.

“We know we don’t have the marketing reach that you really need to fill the streets, so we’ve been very strategic,” Delmay said.

“We tell all our partners that this can only happen if they’re helping us get the word out.”

A main stage will feature an eclectic lineup of performers, musicians, drag queens and DJs. “It’s going to be a fun, festive day. There won’t be a parade this time, but maybe someday,” Delmay said. “For now it’s a street festival with, education, music, fun and families. What it looks like to be LGBTQ has expanded in so many ways so that everyone feels included and welcome.”

For more information on Hollywood Pride, go to myhollywoodpride.com.

For more on the Council, go to lgbtqcouncil.com.

NEWS NATIONAL

BLACK TRANS WOMAN KILLED IN JACKSONVILLE Christiana Lilly

Duval Princess. Courtesy of the HRC.

A

transgender woman, Duval Princess, was shot and killed on Jan. 3 in Jacksonville.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, she is the second known trans or GNC person to be killed in 2022.

The 24-year-old was shot in her car around 1 a.m. at the Highland Square shopping center; her family tells First Coast News that she went there to meet someone she knew and they believe that person killed her.

FAMILY TOLD THE NEWS OUTLET THAT PRINCESS WAS THE ELDEST OF 10 CHILDREN AND A PARENTAL FIGURE TO HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS.

Family told the news outlet that Princess was the eldest of 10 children and a parental figure to her younger siblings. She was well known in the LGBT community and was skilled in creating wigs and weaves, according to Action News Jax, and had an “outgoing personality.” Throughout Facebook, friends and loved ones wrote tributes and shared videos of their time with Princess.

Her mother, Shemeika Robinson, called for justice for her child, who she said “didn’t deserve it.”

Princess’ family has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for her funeral costs.

Last year, the Human Rights campaign recorded the deaths of 51 transgender or gender non-conforming people, the highest since the organization started tracking deaths in 2013 — however, the agency notes that the number is probably even higher.

SFGN followed up on cases in Florida since 2015 and found that in 2018, at least four trans or GNC murders took place in Jacksonville alone. Of the 23 cases in the Sunshine State, half of them are still open.

Anyone with information on the death of Duval Princess should call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

News outlets, police reports, and even friends and family often deadname or misgender transgender and gender non-conforming people. In this report, we used the gender and pronouns as reported by the Human Rights Campaign.

Join us in celebrating 12 years of illuminating the lives and loves of our LGBT community

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18

• 1.13.2022

KNOW YOUR STATUS

1.13. 20 22 •

19

NEWS NATIONAL

REMEMBERING 10 LOCAL LGBT PEOPLE

WE LOST IN 2021 In 2021, at least 10 local LGBT people have died. Now we honor their memories.

SFGN Staff

ROBERT NEU South Florida is mourning the loss of a beloved friend and talented stylist.

Robert “Bob” Neu died suddenly, leaving his friends, family, and coworkers stunned.

Bob was a barber at Dick’s Service Station in Oakland Park and had worked there since it opened in 2016.

Owners Chris Santiago and Eric McKnight told SFGN that Neu was a master barber and had a big, loyal following. On their Facebook page they said, “He was the kind of guy who was always there, so much so that we all expected him to always be there.

Making each memory we shared with him feel that much more valuable.

PAT BURNSIDE Patricia Burnside, a personally loved and professionally respected local business broker, has died. She was 73.

Known to the hospitality industry as the “goto” person for buying or selling a nightclub, she specialized in marketing properties with hard-to-obtain licenses, including nightclubs, sports bars, restaurants, liquor stores and adult entertainment-related businesses.

20

• 1.13.2022

STEVE VIANEST Steve Vianest (pictured left), 64, passed away from COVID-19 only 14 days after being hospitalized for the illness. Despite being vaccinated in March, Vianest’s earlier struggles in life with cancer and leukemia took a greater toll on his body and heart than he could now bear. He leaves behind his husband Howard and son Brad.

BRAD CASEY One of the first and influential voices of South Florida’s LGBT community passed away.

Brad Casey died in November at Holy Cross Hospice after losing his fight with an aggressive liver tumor.

NEWS NATIONAL

VINCENT FOSTER

RAEJEAN COX Earl Bunning, known throughout South Florida as Drag Queen extraordinaire RaeJean Cox, passed away. His death was announced on Aug. 25, nearly three weeks after a horrific car crash.

Vincent Foster, who in 2016 led Log Cabin Republicans of Miami when the group bucked its national parent and endorsed presidential candidate Donald Trump, died Aug. 16 at age 31.

“Vinny was very good. He was a good friend, a good leader, and a good person,” Miami attorney Jihan “Gigi” Soliman posted Aug. 20 on Facebook.

To read about these ten lives, visit SFGN.com/10LostLives2021

CHARLIE FREDRICKSON Wine, birds, stars, church and photographs — lots and lots of photographs.

Charlie Fredrickson was a man of many interests and who wore a lot of hats over the years, but was best known as an ambassador for the LGBT community in Palm Beach County.

DANIEL GONZALEZ Mornings aren’t as bright these days at Stork’s Bakery & Coffee House, as the employees and regulars mourn the loss of Daniel Gonzalez.

He passed away March 15 after a five-month battle with lymphoma (lymphatic cancer).

Roger, his husband and partner of 19 years was at his side when he passed. He had been off work receiving chemotherapy since October.

PAUL GALLUCCIO He was the best friend to “man’s best friends.” Now animal lovers across South Florida are mourning the loss of Paul Galluccio. He was 83.

Galluccio served as the Board President of The Pet Project, an organization dedicated to helping animals find new homes when their owners can’t take care of them anymore. It was founded in 2002, originally established to assist individuals with HIV. In 2007 they expanded their services to include the terminally ill, the elderly and the disabled.

PAUL FASANA Paul Fasana, a man who helped the LGBT community thrive by keeping its history alive, died at age 87.

The Stonewall National Museum & Archives, where he volunteered his time and knowledge for more than 20 years, announced the news, saying he died about a week after going to the hospital for an unspecified illness.

1.13. 20 22 •

21

NEWS LOCAL

Elijah Manley. Photo via Facebook.

ELIJAH MANLEY LOSES CONTEST FOR HOUSE DISTRICT SEAT FORGES ON DESPITE HOMOPHOBIC TACTICS John McDonald

E

lijah Manley is not giving up.

Manley, the young queer political activist, placed third in the special election for Florida House District 94 on Tuesday, but remains undeterred in his quest to win public office.

“It may be a little dark where I am, but the sun is always shining in my heart,” Manley tweeted on Wednesday morning. “I’m proud of the clean campaign we ran. We didn’t allow a nasty campaign’s homophobia out west to beat us down. They won last night, but today is a new journey.”

Daryl Campbell, 35, won the special election for Florida House District 94 on Tuesday evening, taking the universal primary with 40% of the vote.

A behavioral therapist and social worker, Campbell received 4,985 votes to defeat Josephus Eggelletion III who came in second with 3,617 votes for 30%. Manley was third with 2,157 votes for 25%. Rod Kemp closed out the four-candidate field with 711 votes for 6%.

All four candidates are Black and Democrats.

No other party fielded a candidate in the election.

This was Manley’s second attempt at the District 94 Seat. He finished second to outgoing Representative Bobby DuBose in 2020, taking 30% of the vote in a head-tohead matchup against DuBose. Manley cited low turnout (12%) and homophobic tactics that foiled his chances this time around.

“I faced a nasty homophobic whisper campaign about my sexuality in the Caribbean part of the district,” Manley said.

Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes and parts of Plantation have precincts with heavy Caribbean registration. Manley did well in the district’s eastern sections, winning precincts

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in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park.

“I thank the residents of Wilton Manors for coming out the strongest for me,” Manley said, adding the campaign will continue.

“This is not a loss and I’m not going anywhere, except forward,” he said.

Redistricting will change the legislative map in Florida and Manley said he intends to file for the newly formed House District 99 which will include many of the precincts in Wilton Manors that he won. That election is scheduled for August.

“I wake up every day, proud to be a Broward boy, and even more proud of the progress I’ve made in my own life,” said Manley, who turned 23 last week. “I’ll continue to fight for you all and the values of this district. Let’s continue to build together.”

Manley said he called Campbell after the election, revealing their conversation was “short and to the point” and did not mention the homophobic tactics deployed during the campaign, which Manley said were in the form of text messages, emails and mailers.

It remains to be seen if Campbell, who was DuBose’s chief-of-staff, will be seated for the 2022 legislative session, which started this week in Tallahassee. Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott has called on the Speaker of the House to seat Campbell due to his margin of victory. There are not enough registered voters in the district serving in the military overseas whose votes would surpass Campbell’s lead in the next 10 days.

The latest campaign finance reports show Campbell raised $74,799.18, spending $60,941.82 compared to Manley who received $31,927.59 in contributions and spent $10,388.28.

CONVICTIONS

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23

LIFESTYLE FOOD

HOG-TIED Rick Karlin

The Hen & The Hog. Courtesy of Rick Karlin.

THE HEN & THE HOG 3003 N Federal, Pompano Beach 954-366-1572 thehenhog.com

Located in a quaint roadside shack, The On a recent visit, with our friends Jeff and Hen & The Hog in Pompano Beach offers top- Eva, I ordered the “Pig’s Pen” and was rewarded quality southern comfort food without the with a three-egg omelet stuffed with chunks of top-quality price. The restaurant boasts an ham, bacon, pulled pork, onions, peppers, and impressive variety of foods such as flatbreads, cheese. It was served with a choice of oatmeal, sandwiches, platters of smoked meats, pulled grits, or excellent home fries. Oddly enough, it pork, and an all-day breakfast menu. does not come with any sort of bread. I ordered The rustic atmosphere is enhanced by a biscuit, and it was the only disappointing tables made from reclaimed wood and even a item on the menu. The tiny circle of dough long live-edge wooden table. Vintage Edison was sad. It looked (and tasted) as if it was prelight bulbs are in every wall sconce and packaged and was served cold. ceiling fixture. Kitschy signs adorn the room, We enjoyed our first foray there so much including one that proclaims, “Don’t Go Bacon that later in the week, we stopped by for lunch My Heart.” The servers are all with our friends Steve and Chuck. professional, yet friendly, and are The lunch menu is just as vast, THE LUNCH quick to offer refills on soft drinks with a dozen or so sandwiches and MENU IS JUST and the best cup of coffee I’ve had nearly as many burgers, salads, AS VAST, WITH here in South Florida. flatbreads, and platters from A DOZEN OR SO The majority of the menu is which to choose. There is also a SANDWICHES AND breakfast fare (offered all day) section with a combo choice of NEARLY AS MANY with the remainder taken up by soup or salad with half a sandwich.

BURGERS, SALADS, sandwiches, platters, and even a My friend Steve opted for this, and FLATBREADS, selection of salads. And, unusual he was surprised to get a full-sized AND PLATTERS for a place with fare like this, a good Reuben sandwich accompanying FROM WHICH TO selection of vegetarian dishes, his velvety sweet potato soup.

CHOOSE. including plant-based breakfast Chuck elected for my first choice, sausage patties.

The Hen and The Hog platter, The breakfast menu includes categories which combines pulled pork and country offsuch as classic egg and meat combos, omelets, the-bone ham, accompanied by a choice of as well as bowls (shrimp and grits, fruit salad, two sides. I went with my second choice (and and about four varieties of oatmeal), and a healthier option), the pecan-crusted chicken breakfast sandwiches, all of which offer some salad. The enormous bowl of mixed greens unusual variations on the theme. Benedict arrived blanketed by a perfectly prepared variations circle the globe with an Irish version chicken breast filet crusted with pecans. The (corned beef hash), Rancheros (refried beans), house balsamic vinaigrette added just the right and a Caprese among the offerings. piquant note needed to offset the naturally Pancakes come plain or adorned with sweet pecans. Pecans were also featured in my dulce de leche, cannoli filling, apple compote, husband’s sandwich; a toasted brie and honey banana nut, strawberry cheesecake, or “The combination served on crusty multigrain Works,” which is basically a turtle candy bread. disguised as a pancake. Waffles are just as We’ll be timing our next visit to check out creative, with the waffle slider BLT taking the the dinner menu, which leans heavily on prize for the most unusual menu item. barbecue and smoked meats.

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MARKET FRESH There’s no better way to kick off the new year than to freshen up our taste buds. Nothing improves a dish like fresh-from-the-farm produce. Check out these local farmers’ markets.

YELLOW GREEN

GREEN MARKET POMPANO BEACH

1940 N. 30th Road, Hollywood 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays YGfarmersmarket.com

50 W. Atlantic Blvd.

9 a.m.-2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

PompanoBeachArts.org/programs/greenmarket-pompano-beach

DELRAY BEACH GREEN MARKET 51 N. Swinton Ave. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays DelrayCRA.org/green-market

PLANTATION FARMERS MARKET 12050 W. Sunrise Blvd.

Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Plantation.org/government/go-green/ farmers-market

LAS OLAS OCEANSIDE PARK FARMERS’, ANTIQUE AND ARTISAN MARKET Las Olas Oceanside Park, 3000 E. Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.

Facebook.com/oceansideparkmarket

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

TAMARAC COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKET 7825 Southgate Blvd.

Sundays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tamarac.org/231/Special-Events

VISIT SFGN.COM/FOOD!

Rick Karlin is SFGN’s food editor.

Visit SFGN.com/Food to read his previous reviews. Have a culinary tip to share? Email Rick at RickKarlinFL@gmail.com.

CHECK WEBSITES AND FACEBOOK PAGES FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION REGARDING IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE OF SERVICES, AS WELL AS VIRTUAL VIEWING OPTIONS.

Shabbat services Friday night at 8pm.

Find us online at our Facebook page!

Congregation Etz Chaim 2038 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, on the Pride Center campus www.EtzChaimFlorida.org / RSVP HERE: info@etzchaimflorida.org

Church of Our Savior MCC 2011 South Federal Hwy. Boynton Beach, FL 561-733-4000 www.churchofoursaviormcc.org

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In Person Worship Resumes Join us for live services

our beautifully7th updated Joininus November at 10 AM also continue for sanctuary. services inWe ourwill beautifully updated streaming theWe service on Facebook! sanctuary. will also continue streaming the service on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/ ChurchofOurSaviorMCC. Visit our web site for more details & updates.

LIFESTYLE BOOKS

ON BEING GAY AND GRAY SFGN columnist’s latest book out now

LISTINGS CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM 2038 N. Dixie Hwy (Pride Center Building B), Wilton Manors 954-564-9232 - etzchaimflorida.org RabbiNoahKitty@etzchaimflorida.org Friday Night Shabbat Service 8p.m.

HOLY ANGELS CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 1436 NE 26th St Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-633-2987 - HolyAngelsFL.net Sunday Mass at 11AM

CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOR, MCC Church of Our Savior, MCC 2011 S. Federal Hwy. Boynton Beach. churchofoursaviormcc.org | 561-733-4000 Sunday Service 10AM TEMPLE BAT YAM 5151 NE 14th Ter Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954-928-0410 Friday Night & Saturday Morning Streaming Online at templebatyam.org

SFGN Staff

Brian McNaught, pictured right, poses with his newly released book, “On Being Gay and Gray: Our Stories, Gifts, and the Meaning of Our Lives.”

The book is a deeply intimate tribute to the wisdom gained throughout life as an open LGBT person, and how that shapes their journey as an LGBT senior.

“This book, ‘On Being Gay and Gray,’ is intended to be that friend who helps take care of the senior members of the gay community by validating their experiences of courage, mirroring their strengths, and celebrating the significance of their unique contributions to the world,” said McNaught.

“On Being Gay and Gray: Our Stories, Gifts, and the Meaning Of Our Lives” is available now on Amazon for $19.95 (hardcover) or $14.99 (paperback).

Brian McNaught. Courtesy photo.

1.13. 20 22 •

25

A&E APPOINTMENTS

Raising the bar for Telehealth

Jasmin Savoy Brown and Liv Hewson host the new Netflix podcast “The Gay Agenda.” Credit: Simone Thompson.

ARTSBEAT THE GAY AGENDA REVEALED J.W. Arnold

SO, WHAT’S ON THE GAY AGENDA?

Netflix launched its first LGBT podcast, “The Gay Agenda.” According to the streaming network, “The new podcast takes an entertaining and honest look into the lives of LGBTQ+ creatives at the top of their fields across different industries and celebrates their success stories in the community through a loving and humorous lens.” The first episode is available, and new episodes will be released weekly.

“The Gay Agenda” is created and produced by lesbian actress, singer/songwriter and podcaster Jasmin Savoy Brown (“The Leftovers,” “Scream” (2022)). Her co-host is producer and nonbinary actor, comic and playwright Liv Hewson (“Santa Clarita Diet,” “Yellowjackets,” “Bombshell”).

On the show, Brown and Hewson interview queer trailblazers, including Bex Taylor-Klaus, Natalie Morales, Ally Beardsley, Javicia Leslie, Caleb Hearon, Carmen Maria Machado, Leo Sheng and Fortune Feimster.

Listen to “The Gay Agenda” at Netflix.com.

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Delighted Tobehere, the drag sensation who won the hearts of “America’s Got Talent” viewers, is returning to Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Dr. in Fort Lauderdale, with her new show “Drag 101,” Jan. 20 – 30.

Find out exactly what it takes to be a drag queen in her hilarious onstage transformation.

Everything that happens in the dressing room happens right in front of the audience — hair, makeup and even the infamous tuck. Delighted Tobehere will leave nothing to the imagination as she reveals all of drag’s best kept secrets.

Tickets are $35 at EmpireStage.com. Save $5 by using code EMPIRE.

MORE COVID-19 CASUALTIES “Summer,” the high energy jukebox musical featuring hits by disco diva Donna Summer, has been rescheduled and will be coming May 20 - 26 to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

The original run planned for Jan. 5 – 9 was canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the touring cast and crew. For more information and tickets, go to Kravis.org.

The Cleveland Orchestra canceled its annual winter residency at the Arsht Center in Miami “for the safety of the Orchestra and traveling staff.” Additional performances at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and Artis – Naples have also been canceled. Ticket holders will be refunded.

MASTERWORKS III TCHAIKOVSKY | Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” GOTTSCH | Princess Yurievskaya – World Premiere

JAN 19 The Parker Ft. Lauderdale

JAN 20 Temple Israel of Greater Miami

JAN 22 Tennesee Williams Theatre, Key West

TICKETS ON SALE NOW southfloridasymphony.org | 954.522.8445

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A&E APPOINTMENTS

FESTIVALS CELEBRATE FOOD AND WINE

IN SOUTH FLORIDA J.W. Arnold

T

he holidays may be over, but there are still plenty of opportunities to eat, drink and be merry. Two upcoming food and wine festivals in Broward County celebrate local chefs and restaurants, fine wines and creative cocktails.

GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL Despite a disruption from COVID-19 last year, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival (GFLFWF) is officially celebrating its third anniversary, according to co-founder Kate Reed. The first local celebration was held in 2019 and had just wrapped up a successful repeat performance when the pandemic hit in March 2020. Last year, a series of gourmet dinners was held throughout the county, but the festival is now back in a big way, Jan. 10 – 16.

“We had this plan all the way along — one-year, two-year and five-year plans.

COVID changed that, but it also allowed us more time to build relationships with restaurants and chefs,” she said. “It definitely was the time now to grow into the week-long festival that we wanted and the response has been amazing.”

Among the signature culinary events are “Cocktail Confidential,” Wednesday, Jan. 12 at Rooftop@1WLO in downtown Fort Lauderdale, an opportunity to sample signature cocktails created by The Restaurant People (YOLO, Boatyard, S3), and “Poolside BBQ Battle,” Friday, Jan. 14 at the Hyatt Centric Las Olas, featuring Fox TV’s “Masterchef” winner Shaun O’Neale and Food Network’s “Chopped” champion Ed Randolph to judge entries from local barbecue joints.

The GFLFWF main event, the Grand Tasting on Saturday, Jan. 15, returns for a second year at a new location, Las Olas Oceanside Park on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Up to 3,500 guests will sample food and wines, take in cooking demonstrations and enjoy live entertainment in a relaxing, resort-like setting.

“We’re so excited by our new home at the beach, but you don’t have to deal with sand, which is a bonus,” Reed explained. “It’s all about the experiences, games, seating all over, music to listen to, but not so much a walk down the line to get a lot of samples. It’s an all-day experience to hang out with friends and eat and drink and relax.”

Visit Lauderdale, the Broward County tourism agency, is putting its marketing muscle behind the festival.

“Greater Fort Lauderdale is in fact a foodie destination and Kate and Phil [cofounder Phil Marro] have done such a great job growing the festival and showcasing our food scene,” said CEO Stacy Ritter. “One of the things we focus on at Visit Lauderdale is our diversity and one of the great benefits of having so many cultures in our destination is the variety. You come to Greater Fort Lauderdale and you can literally eat around the world.”

Tickets and a full schedule are available at GFLFoodWine.com. Water Taxi is offering a 20% discount for rides to the Grand Tasting on Jan. 15 - 16 with code FOODWINE22 at WaterTaxi.com.

28

• 1.13.2022

The food of local chefs and restaurants will be featured this month at two local festivals.

Credit: Greater Fort Lauderdale Food and Wine Festival.

SEAGLASS ROSÉ EXPERIENCE If you like to look at life through rose-colored glasses, then Seaglass, Jan. 21 – 23 at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, is not to be missed.

“Rosé is a lifestyle,” said Founder Carlos Suarez. “It’s more than a drink, it’s more than a daytime drink. Years ago, there were two or three rosé brands, now there are hundreds of them. I didn’t want this to be another food and wine festival, but a rosé experience.”

Suarez, who also launched Venice magazine in Fort Lauderdale eight years ago, had the idea for Seaglass several years ago, but it was a cancer scare in 2019 that pushed him to make the festival a reality. It seemed particularly appropriate as the pinkish hue of rosé wines suggested the color typically associated with cancer awareness. He quickly recruited AutoNation and the DRV PNK campaign as title sponsor.

“At the time, there really were only a couple of big events on the beach, Tortuga and Riptide [music festivals], and after much thought, I knew we could do it on the beach,” Suarez recalled.

The first Seaglass was held in 2020, just weeks before COVID-19 hit, and was a huge success. One of the keys, he said, was keeping the event small and intimate — without the long lines associated with other festivals. And he knew 2022 was the perfect time to revive the festival.

Guests will be able to sample more than 30 rosé varieties over three events on Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Dean Max, José Mendín, Steve Martorano and Paula DaSilva are among the local celebrity chefs Suarez has recruited to cook for the parties. He’s also lined up international DJ Anna de Ferren, Tatiana Blades & The Collektives and Atlanta-based ‘70s/’80s band Yacht Rock Revue to entertain.

Tickets are available at SeaglassExperience.com.

A&E THEATER

TOOTSIE PROVIDES LOTS OF LAUGHS FOR SMALL AUDIENCE AT BROWARD CENTER J.W. Arnold

The stage adaptation of the 1981 film “Tootsie” is currently playing at the Broward Center. Credit: Evan Zimmerman.

J

ust as life seemed to be returning to normal at performing arts organizations and venues across the region, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 arrived, forcing cast changes and cancellations and shaking the confidence of already hesitant audiences.

This was certainly the case at the Broward Center on the opening night of “Tootsie.” The cavernous Au Rene Theater with more than 2,500 seats appeared to be less than half full as the lights dimmed and the pit orchestra sounded the first notes of the Broadway hit’s overture.

Prior to the pandemic, the Broadway in Fort Lauderdale series regularly sold out 10-day runs of touring musicals, and despite strong COVID-19 protocols for performers and ticket holders (proof of negative test or vaccination), audiences don’t seem to be rushing back to the theater.

That’s a shame because “Tootsie” is a fast-paced, entertaining comedy with a tuneful score and lots of clever wisecracks (and F-bombs, too) that appeal across demographics.

The show, with a score by David Yazbek and book by Robert Horn, follows a popular formula on Broadway for the past couple of decades — secure the rights to a wellknown film (often adapted from novels), tweak the story a little or a lot, and throw in splashy chorus numbers. It worked for “The Producers,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Bridges of Madison County,” “The Color Purple,” “Rocky,” “Newsies,” “9 to 5,” “Hairspray,” “Kinky Boots” and “Mean Girls” to name just a few.

In this version, Michael Dorsey (Drew Becker) is a frustrated “thespian” whose high ideals and strong opinions about his craft have left him unpopular with directors and ultimately unemployable. While coaching his girlfriend Sandy (Payton Reilly) for an audition

for a new Broadway musical, he decides to pursue the role himself — disguised as a woman, “Dorothy Michaels.”

From there, the plot roughly follows the same course as the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role. Michael finds himself attracted to his co-star Julie (Ashley Alexandra), but cannot pursue her as Dorothy.

An inadvertent kiss from Dorothy confuses their relationship, while the male co-star Max (a ripped Lukas James Miller), a lovestruck former reality competition winner, pursues Dorothy’s affections.

Jeff (Jared David Michael Grant), a frustrated playwright and Michael’s roommate, warned him early on, “In what world does this end well?” Let’s just say there has to be a happy ending on Broadway, even if it takes more than 20 musical numbers and nearly two and a half hours to get there.

The setting is contemporary, rather than the early ‘80s, and confronts current issues of gender discrimination and identity that the LGBT community has raised with Hollywood in particular (equity for women, straight actors playing gay or transgender).

The mostly young non-equity cast made up for experience with their boundless energy, projecting confidence to the further corners of the theater and easily executing Denis Jones’ original choreography. Yazbek’s likable score is more reminiscent of “The Full Monty” than his 2018 Tony Award-winning score to “The Band’s Visit.” Conductor Andrew David Sotomayor was nearly as fun to watch as the performers on the stage as he guided the relatively large pit band, including five reed and brass players.

There are still plenty of tickets available throughout the run and “Tootsie” is worth a trip to the Broward Center, if you are comfortable. Just don’t forget your vaccination cards and masks.

“Tootsie” plays through Jan. 23 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Tickets start at $35 at BrowardCenter.org.

THE

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1.13. 20 22 •

29

A&E THEATER

10 BEST MOVIES OF 2021

“Swan Song” movie poster. Photo via IMDb.

Gregg Shapiro

L

et’s face it, the experience of going to see a movie in a theater has changed forever.

With streaming services becoming the dominant platform for most movie watching, theatricalonly releases are feeling the pinch (see “West Side Story,” which is considered to be a “box office bomb,” as an example). The unvaccinated and the Greek alphabet of variants also add to the strain. Nevertheless, 2021 proved to be an exceptional time for film, and the following list highlights some of the year’s best.

1

“SWAN SONG” (Magnolia): If the mayor of Sandusky, Ohio hasn’t done so yet, he should present gay filmmaker and native son Todd Stephens with a key to the city. Stephens has managed to make Sandusky, which Charles Dickens described as “sluggish and uninteresting…something like the back of an English watering-place out of the season,” somewhat captivating in his masterful, award-winning “Swan Song.”

“Inspired by a true icon” (Pat Pitsenbarger, 1943-2012), “Swan Song” stars the brilliant out actor Udo Kier as Mr. Pat, the formerly famous gay hairdresser known for the magic he worked with a brush, a comb, and hairspray on the heads of the city’s socialites, in what is essentially a road movie on foot.

2

“ZOLA”

(A24): Every few years, a movie comes along that completely flips the script, so to speak. Sean Baker’s 2015 masterpiece “Tangerine,” shot on an iPhone, is one example. So is Janicza Bravo’s “Zola.” Based on the tweets of Aziah “Zola” King and the article “Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted” by David Kushner, the movie is original, immediate, fresh, futuristic, and certain to inspire countless imitations, due in part to the gusto of Taylour Paige’s gutsy performance as the titular character, as well as out actor Colman Domingo.

3

“TOGETHER TOGETHER” (Bleecker

Street/Obscured Pictures): Writer/ director Nikole Beckwith’s marvelous and heartwarming comedy “Together Together” has the potential to do for surrogacy what

30

• 1.13.2022

Gillian Robespierre’s “Obvious Child” (from 2014) did for abortion. Not only is it a smart and sensitive movie, but it features one of the great performances of 2021, given by trans actor Patti Harrison.

“PIG” (Neon): Nicolas Cage, an actor many had written off following his disappointing output from the mid2000s to the mid-2010s, has experienced an impressive career resurgence that extends into the early 2020s. “Pig,” the first porcinecentric movie since “Babe,” puts Cage high on the hog. It’s hard to imagine another actor who could have done what Cage did with the part of eccentric loner Rob. Even vegans will find something to like about “Pig.”

4

5

“SUBLET”

(Greenwich Entertainment): Since Eytan Fox’s 2002 breakout film “Yossi & Jagger,” the gay Israeli filmmaker has consistently made films of the highest quality, including the 2012 “Yossi & Jagger” sequel “Yossi” (which greatly improves on the original), as well as 2007’s “The Bubble.” With “Sublet,” Fox breaks new ground by featuring an American actor, John Benjamin Hickey (who is gay), in the lead role. Additionally, most of the dialogue is in English, with the remainder in Hebrew. Hickey and co-star Niv Nissim are marvelous, making “Sublet” a successful and welcome addition to Fox’s canon.

6

“LANGUAGE LESSONS”

(Shout!

Studios): An intimate, essentially two-person story that balances comedy and tragedy, “Language Lessons” is presented via Facetime and video messages and speaks directly to the heart. Costa Rica-based Cariño

(Natalie Morales, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay) is hired by the husband of Oakland-based Adam (Mumblecore pioneer Mark Duplass, who co-wrote the screenplay) for 100 weekly online Spanish immersion lessons. It’s the first in a series of surprises, not the least of which is the way these two characters learn so much from and about the other.

7

“MINYAN”

(Strand Releasing): Screenwriter/director Eric Steel’s feature debut “Minyan,” set in an orthodox Jewish enclave in Brighton Beach in the mid-to-late 1980s, opens fittingly enough with family and friends reciting the mourner’s prayer. David (Samuel H. Levine in a breakout performance), the grandson of the deceased, becomes increasingly aware of his attraction to other guys, despite his religious upbringing. As coming out stories go, “Minyan” is atypical in many ways, and given both its chronological and geographical locations, is a unique experience.

8

“MOFFIE” (IFC Films): Set in Apartheid-controlled South Africa in 1981, the bleak and brutal “Moffie” (another word for faggot), follows gay 16-year-old Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer) at the beginning of his two-year compulsory conscription in the South African military.

“Moffie” is a non-traditional horror movie in which the monsters are human. If you’re able to tolerate the depiction of the emotional and physical cruelty (the explicit homophobia is soul-crushing), then you have a chance to watch an exceptional film achievement.

9

“LITTLE FISH” (IFC Films) As timely

as a movie can get, “Little Fish,” artfully directed by Chad Hartigan from a screenplay by Mattson Tomlin (based on Aja Gabel’s short story), gives us a variation on a familiar theme. Set in the near future, NIA (neuroinflammatory affliction), a virus spread by unknown means, is wreaking havoc on the population. Causing total loss of memory, NIA can infect anyone, and there’s no cure.

Both a love story and a horror story, it draws unavoidable parallels to the AIDS crisis, as well as the current pandemic, as the horrors of the virus dominate almost every frame.

“THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS” 10 (Neon): Cinematic depictions of the dissolution of marriages are nothing new.

Some can be comedic (“The War of the Roses,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “A Serious Man,” and 1939’s “The Women”) and some can be serious (“Kramer Vs. Kramer,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Carol” and “Marriage Story”). Writer/ director Robert Machoian’s “The Killing of Two Lovers” falls into the latter category. Even at only 84 minutes, it’s the kind of emotionally draining movie that is difficult to watch in one sitting. It is, nevertheless, well worth seeing, especially for the mesmerizing first 13 minutes.

HONORABLE MENTION: “Belfast” (Focus Features), “C’mon, C’mon” (A24) and “Passing” (Netflix) - These three stunningly rendered black and white films, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Mike Mills and Rebecca Hall respectively, remind us that when combined with the right cast and the right script, they can be as colorful any other movie.

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South Florida Gay News exists to meet the needs of the South Florida LGBT community. When you give, your donation directly benefits you, as well as everyone else.

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Help us evaluate a new approach to HIV treatment

with the DYNAMIC (research) study.

If you recently learned that you are living with HIV, joining a clinical research study may be one option for you to consider.

You may qualify for the DYNAMIC study if: • You are at least 18 years old.

• You have been diagnosed with HIV. • You have not started treatment for HIV.

Participation is voluntary. If you join this study, you can change your mind and leave at any time. It is always best to discuss a research study with your doctor first so he or she can help you decide if the study may be right for you.

There are other requirements you will need to meet. The study doctor will review these with you.

Investigational medications and study-related tests and procedures will be provided at no cost.

The DYNAMIC study is testing an investigational medication in combination with an approved HIV medication. By joining a study like DYNAMIC, you can help move HIV research forward.

To learn more, visit dynamichivstudy.com or call:

Triple O Research Institute PA Rebbeca Stremel 561-855-7871

GSK212483_DYNAMIC_Print Ad_V1.0_15Jul2021_US_ENG