Stories were shared. Rallies were held. Petitions were signed. Doctors spoke up. But it wasn’t enough for the Florida Board of Medicine.
As of March 16, doctors can lose their license to practice medicine if they treat minors for gender dysphoria, whether it be through puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgery. The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s own rules align with the Board of Medicine, and its rules will go into effect on March 28.
People who began gender-affirming hormone therapy prior to March 16 are exempt from the law and can continue their treatment. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida shared on its site that unfortunately, it cannot treat new patients, but provided resources for where families can seek care outside of Florida.
However, Florida legislators want to block parents from being able to do that. Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Republican, has introduced a bill that would “protect the child from being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or producers in another state” and could impact a parent’s custodial rights to their children.
The Compass Community Center in Lake Worth Beach responded with care to families impacted.
“We know people and families are scared and worried. We are here for you, and we will work together to find solutions for families who need help,” they wrote on Facebook.
To lawmakers, they wrote, “We realize you may not understand the medical science that confirms the importance of this care. We are here to answer any questions you have.”
The road to the ruling began last summer,
when the Florida Department of Health called on the Florida Board of Medicine to create standards of care for youth with gender dysphoria. The board met multiple times throughout the fall, including August in Dania Beach, and made its final decision on Feb. 10 in Tallahassee. After two hours of testimony, the boards voted in 10 minutes to not allow doctors to conduct gender reassignment surgery or any surgical procedures that alter one’s primary or secondary sex features. It also eliminates the prescription or puberty blocking hormones and hormone antagonist therapy.
“Despite a mountain of evidence and testimony, Florida officials give every impression that they are moving toward a preordained result, ignoring the very real harms that this rule would impose on a vulnerable
population,” Sarah Warbelow, the Human Rights Campaign’s legal director, said in a statement at the time of the vote.
Governors in Alabama, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah have signed into law restrictions on treating gender dysphoria, according to NBC News. However, the bans in Alabama and Arkansas have been blocked by federal judges as lawsuits have been filed.
These rulings and laws go against a litany of health organizations who approve of gender-affirming care, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of Social Workers, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Endocrine Society, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
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Former pansexual actress Caitlin Stasey divulges on “unexpected” career change to directing “intense” adult entertainment.
Stasey disclosed these details on news. com’s “I’ve Got News For You” podcast.
Stasey announced her new profession in 2021 and has released several erotic films.
Besides directing, she is the writer at the woman-owned pornography studio Afterglow and says she “has no regrets.”
In December 2021, Stasey released lesbian film “Eau de Pussy” on the XConfessions erotic website.
“So I kind of came up with the concept of a perfume commercial that then becomes a lesbian threesome,” said Stasey.
The former “Neighbours” star who played Rachel Kinski has no plans of returning to acting. However, Stasey will do “a Zoom in”
Kristen Browde, a lawyer from New York, has gone viral on TikTok with a series listing people accused/convicted of sex crimes on children.
Browde argues her lists are not “overwhelmingly” LGBT people, despite claims from politicians that “trans people prey on kids.”
“The series has shown that with politicians and tabloids screeching about transgender people and drag queens, they’re looking in the wrong direction,” Browde said to Insider.
guest appearance on “Neighbours” as she continues to direct and write adult erotica.
In the past month of the series, Browde notes that most people in her lists have been “pastors, not drag queens or trans people.” Browde has listed two police officers, three politicians, four school officials, and 38 religious figures.
“In the past week there have been 17 arrests
or convictions of adults accused of having sex with children,” Browde said on TikTok. “Of those 17, 14 were pastors or youth pastors at Christian churches. One was the husband of a youth pastor. One a police officer. None were drag queens.”
There have been LGBT child sex crimes before, but they’re “below the occurrence in general society,” Browde argues.
Troy Germain
I’ve been using Pallant since 2014 and they have provided great service and guidance while navigating all of the insurance challenges that Florida residents encounter.Kristen Browde. Photo via Linkedin. Caitlin Stasey. Photo via Twitter.
JoJo Siwa was invited to try the “TRON” Lightcycle/Run ride before it opens on April 4 at Disney’s Tomorrowland. Siwa was interviewed by PEOPLE for the occasion and revealed shocking information.
“I fell in love for the first time at Disney World. I realized I was gay at Disney World. I went through stages of heartbreak at Disney World. There’s been a lot in my personal life that Disney World has really attributed to,” said Siwa.
Siwa came out as lesbian in January 2021, but announced last year that she identifies as gay, pansexual, and/or queer.
“I was here for 14 days with a girl that was my really good friend and I realized that, ‘Oh, I like her.’ And having all those feelings while just being in the most magical place in the world and the happiest place on Earth was so cool. We’re not together anymore, but we did have some really fun, happy memories here,” Siwa said.
enjoyed her trip and was excited to ride “TRON” Lightcycle/Run for the first time.
YOU CAN VIEW THE ISSUE AT HTTPS://RB.GY/USSYT0
One of the most famous pieces of art forced a principal in Florida to resign after complaints with one parent comparing the sculpture of David to pornography.
Hope Carrasquilla showed the image of David to her sixth-grade class. Normal protocol involves a letter being sent to parents in advance. But due to “a series of miscommunications” the letter never got sent this year.
The Tallahassee Classical School board chair, Barney Bishop, had a lot to say to Huffpost regarding the school’s ideology and culture.
“Parental rights trump everything else,” Bishop told the outlet. He added the pandemic gave parents an inside look at their children’s education. “They didn’t like the woke indoctrination that was going on. We don’t use pronouns. We don’t teach
CRT and we don’t ever mention 1619 — those are not appropriate subjects for our kids.”
The Tallahassee area school is a public charter institution.
Michelangelo’s 16thcentury sculpture is one of the Renaissance’s most famous pieces of art.
According to the Washington Post: “[The school], which follows a curriculum from Hillsdale College, the conservative, Christian institution in Michigan that has helped launch dozens of ‘classical’ charter schools nationwide, is required to teach Renaissance art to sixthgraders.”
Former state representative Joe Harding, the architect behind Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, pleaded guilty to three federal charges of fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief loans.
The Ocala Republican was indicted in December on two counts each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements. Harding originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, but negotiated a plea deal announced on March 21.
“In pleading guilty, the defendant acknowledges that were this case to go to trial, the government would present evidence to support the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” the plea deal read.
In February of 2021, Harding received $150,000 in pandemic assistance. On his application for a federal Economic Disaster Injury loan, Harding claimed his company had four employees and gross revenues of
THERE’S MORE ONLINE!
Momma Ashley Rose, an Orlando-area drag queen, had no plans to perform at a high school in central Florida – just speak to students from the LGBT club.
But even that was too much for some parents. The event, “Drag and Donuts” at Boone High School, was canceled after complaints.
“It’s just donuts y’all. It’s just donuts,” Rose told WESH. “It’s an after-school club. They can invite a sports person to come in and speak to a sports team. What’s the difference in inviting a queer person to speak to the queer youth?”
The principal of the school sent this message to families.
“The event ‘Drag and Donuts’ was not a drag show but an opportunity for
students to hear a positive message of acceptance. This was to be the third year that the speaker would address this club. After receiving a call from the Florida Department of Education today, we have canceled the event. The Department questioned whether the event was age and developmentally appropriate and indicated any administrator, teacher, or staff member in attendance may be investigated and jeopardize their professional license.”
more than $420,000.
He later admitted to investigators of lying on the application, knowing his company had been dormant.
Shortly after his indictment, Harding resigned the District 24 house seat, which covers southwest Marion County. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wasted no time in scheduling a special election with a winner to be declared May 16.
Before his fraud scheme was caught, Harding orchestrated what is now the Parental Rights In Education law, which bans classroom instruction on gender and sexuality in public school grades kindergarten through third grade. Republicans in Tallahassee are currently working on proposals to expand the law to 12th grade.
A sentencing hearing for Harding is scheduled for July 25 in Gainesville.
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Undercover agents were sent to watch a performance of “A Drag Queen Christmas” at The Plaza Live theater in Orlando in December in order to document whether children were being exposed to lewd acts.
Their report: Nothing to see here.
“Besides some of the outfits being provocative [bikinis and short shorts], agents did not witness any lewd acts such as exposure of genital organs,” the brief report stated, as reported by the Miami Herald. “The performers did not have any physical contact while performing to the rhythm of the music with any patrons.”
Agents took photos of three minors who appeared to be accompanied by adults.
Despite the report the DeSantis administration targeted the nonprofit that runs the venue and has threatened its liquor license.
Russell Cormican, a local attorney who specializes in First Amendment law, sees a larger goal.
“The danger presented here is not confined to only the venue targeted in the complaint. When the government violates the First Amendment rights of a segment of its population the result is a ‘chilling effect’ on others engaged in similar expression,” he said. “It is likely that other venues will shy away from presenting drag shows and that performers may elect to change their routines or abandon drag altogether. The fear of enforcement will cause people to curtail their constitutionally protected expression.”
According to the Miami Herald, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation claimed “Plaza Live had allowed children to see ‘acts of sexual conduct, simulated sexual activity, and lewd, vulgar and indecent displays’ — in violation of state laws that ban showing ‘lewd or lascivious’ materials to minors under the age of 16.”
Losing its liquor license would be a
devastating blow to The Plaza Live, potentially forcing it to shut down. The Herald pointed out that even though the complaints asserted the venue broke state decency laws, prosecutors have not filed any criminal charges. Instead the state is handling it as a license-compliance issue.
Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former Democratic state legislator from Orlando, told the Herald the report shows the outrage over drag shows is a “hoax.”
“What you see here is the governor sending in investigators and then dismissing what the investigators have to say because it doesn’t fit into his narrative,” said Guillermo Smith, who now works for Equality Florida. “It’s more evidence that all of this … is contrived, it’s politically motivated. And it’s not about protecting children. It’s part of an ongoing effort to marginalize LGBT people and their allies because that’s the vehicle that will get him to … the GOP nomination.”
Recently the DeSantis administration has revoked the liquor license of the Hyatt Miami over a drag show and is investigating the Broward Center for Performing Arts as well.
“The actions taken by Gov. DeSantis and the DBPR are not only an affront to LGBTQ rights, but also show a complete lack of respect for the rights and freedoms protected by the First Amendment. Drag performance enjoys a long theatrical history and is an important part of gay culture. It is also a form of expression that receives protection from government interference under the First Amendment,” Cormican said. “The reality is that these performances are no more explicit than a PG movie, a WWE wrestling show, or a beauty pageant swimsuit competition. The fact that DeSantis has singled out drag shows for this type of enforcement speaks volumes about his true motive.”
They marched, they chanted, they sang. It was more than your average “Sunday Funday” along Wilton Drive, as up to 1,000 people came out for the March In Heels rally and protest.
LGBT rights are, once again, under attack by Republican super-majorities in the state legislature. The march was designed to educate the community about the immediate threats to LGBT rights, including the expansion of “Don’t Say Gay,” efforts to shove drag entertainment into the closet, and attacks on trans rights.
“As I started to dig into the legislation,” organizer Chris Caputo told the fired up crowd. “I realized just how crazy and unbelievable the assault is on us. I was beginning to feel a little bit hopeless.”
After a 30-minute rally at the Pride Center, the crowd was separated into four groups to march up Wilton Drive and rotate through four different action stations, each one with a different message.
One stop was at LIT bar, where local drag icon Nicole Halliwell addressed the packed room about the lack of threat drag entertainment holds to the community and how attacks on them are to assert fear. “These bills are based on ignorance and based on misinformation,” she told SFGN between groups. “They figure by doing this, they look like they’re doing something. They’re not taking care of infrastructure. They’re not taking care of homelessness. They’re not taking care of children in our country.
They’re only focusing on targets based on fear mongering.”
Other stops included Bona Italian, where people could register to vote or re-register for mail-in ballots. Mail-in must be done every two years and every time you move because ballots can’t be sent to a forwarding address. Wilton Collective hosted Tatiana Williams from Transinclusive Group, and Pub On the Drive had speakers discuss the threats to teachers at all levels, including universities.
Many groups were at the rally, including SunServe, TransInclusive, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF). “The chorus is against any LGBTQ+ legislation that could be happening in Florida,” Edward Otto Zielke, GMCSF’s Director of Marketing, said. “We protest through song.”
In addition to education and registration, marchers were also able to send emails not only to politicians but also to family operated businesses in Florida. Many are LGBT supportive, but also make donations to the Republican politicians sponsoring hate-filled bills. One organizer told SFGN more than a thousand emails were sent due to the march.
Caputo said that even though he felt defeated before, the size and enthusiasm of the crowd gives him hope.
“I look around and see the power of us coming together. There is no more powerful a group than a group of LGBTQ people who are pissed off and aren’t going to take it anymore.”
Florida GOP Rep. Randy Fine called gender-affirming care for transgenders individuals “evil” and people who support such it “baby butchers.” He also compared it to an infamous Nazi doctor who conducted medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
“You all know I am Jewish and I study the Holocaust. … And I will tell you that when I hear this discussion [...] and I hear these medicines [...] I think of Dr. Mengele who was another doctor,” Fine said, referencing Dr. Josef Mengele. “So I will tell you this, I say these panels are often a predicate of what’s to come. That’s exactly what today was. And I promise you, you’ll like the bill that’s coming.”
The American Jewish Committee blasted Fine on Twitter.
“To compare gender-affirming care to the deranged human experiments conducted by the Nazi Josef Mengele is highly inappropriate. @VoteRandyFine should know better. We urge him to rescind these comments and avoid such comparisons in the future.”
The Brevard County legislator responded: “@ajcglobal should stick to antisemitism and leave the justification of baby butchers to others.”
Fine filled House Bill 1421, titled “Gender Clinical Interventions,” that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors and adults. Under the proposed legislation puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries will be outlawed for trans minors. Meanwhile trans adults would be required to submit a
In terms of the debate of the trans community in Florida, GOP lawmakers have made it a point to focus on minors –until now.
If signed into law, House Bill 1421, titled “Gender Clinical Interventions” would restrict gender-affirming care for adults.
Among some of the provisions:
• Trans adults would be required to submit a written consent form to their doctors each time they have an appointment.
• The legislation would make it easier for patients to sue their doctors within a 30-year statute of limitations.
• People born in Florida would not be allowed to amend their birth certificate to reflect a sex that is different from their sex assigned at birth.
to file it.”
Equality Florida slammed the bill.
“HB 1421 is an assault on medical freedom and will do immeasurable harm to trans Floridians. The vile commentary spouted in today’s hearing underscores the transphobic animus at the core of this legislation,” the organization tweeted. “This is cruelty being used as political currency.”
- The American Jewish Committee
written consent form to their doctors each time they have an appointment, among other restrictions.
Equality Florida slammed the bill
“This cruel bill is a trans ban. It goes beyond denying us medical freedom to policing who we can be. Republican leadership is saying that from the moment of birth, you should not — and in important ways cannot — be recognized by anything other than your genitals,” said Nikole Parker, Director of Transgender Equality, in a statement. “And from that bigoted place of denying the very humanity of trans Floridians, they are ruthlessly bending the power of government to erase the community altogether. Trans people are neighbors, friends, family members. We exist and we matter. This bill to rip away lifesaving health care, shred insurance coverage, and bar birth certificate access will cost lives.”
Fine tweeted in early March.
“The butchering of children will be illegal in Florida, Florida citizens will not be obligated to pay for the sexual mutilation of adults, and those tricked into this evil will have 30 years to sue those who misled them,” he wrote.
“That’s HB 1421 and I am proud to file it.”
House Bill 1421 cleared its first legislative hurdle last week being approved in a 12-5 vote by the House Healthcare Regulatory Subcommittee.
Gender-affirming health care for trans individuals is supported by most major accredited medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The butchering of children will be illegal in Florida, Florida citizens will not be obligated to pay for the sexual mutilation of adults, and those tricked into this evil will have 30 years to sue those who misled them,” GOP Rep. Randy Fine tweeted. “That’s HB 1421 and I am proud
House Bill 1421 cleared its first legislative hurdle last week being approved in a 12-5 vote by the House Healthcare Regulatory Subcommittee.
Gender-affirming health care for trans individuals is supported by most major accredited medical organizations including the American Medical Association, and American Psychological Association.
Drag no more.
The Florida GOP is now looking to ban drag shows where children might see them in restaurants, bars, or other venues.
House Bill 1423 states adult performances that a child may see constitute an “immediate, serious danger to public health, safety, or welfare.”
The bill itself does not mention the word drag but specifies “the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts when it:
1. predominantly appeals to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest;
2. is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community of this state as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for the age of the child present.
3. taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for the age of the child present.”
“We all know that this bill is really about drag performances and attacking the queer community,” Jackson Oberlink from Florida Rising, said at the House Commerce Committee meeting. “That is the true intent behind it. It is not some altruistic parental rights bill or about protecting children.”
Chip LaMarca, Broward’s lone House Republican, voted for the bill in the House Commerce Committee where it passed along a party line vote for 13-6.
‘SERIOUS DANGER TO PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY’Photo via Adobe.
“TO COMPARE GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE TO THE DERANGED HUMAN EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED BY THE NAZI JOSEF MENGELE IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE. @VOTERANDYFINE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. WE URGE HIM TO RESCIND THESE COMMENTS AND AVOID SUCH COMPARISONS IN THE FUTURE.”
After taking a mental health break, Rachel Griffin Accurso is back on social media helping children grow.
Ms. Rachel, a TikTok creator and teacher, has become a viral sensation for helping children by using musical and educational content, according to NBC News. She posts on YouTube, which has over 3.6 million subscribers, and TikTok, where she has over 2.7 million followers.
In one of her videos, she featured Jules, a musician who uses they/them pronouns, and faced backlash because of this. Parents deemed the content “inappropriate.”
One parent said in a video that she “had to stop watching” Accurso because of the pronouns.
“The fact that she has Jules on the show is enough for me,” the “traditional mother” said in another video.
The same mother attacked Jules on their TikTok account, where they sang about
bravery over an upcoming operation, NBC News reported. The video doesn’t mention their gender identity. Jules described the procedure as a “major surgery” and “a good thing.”
Accurso took a break because of the backlash.
“Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you [what] you want,” she captioned in a video on Feb. 27. “Only love can do that.”
Fans were quick to defend her and Jules.
“Actually Karen, some of us APPRECIATE a friendly face in the parenting," one wrote in a video caption.
“They’re educating your kids. They’re not indoctrinatingthem. Stop reaching, and we’re not canceling Ms. Rachel,” another TikTok creator said in a video.
Accurso started posting videos again on March 6.
Ted Nugent kicked off Donald Trump’s rally on March 25 with a homophobic insult aimed at the president of Ukraine.
“I want my money back, I did not authorize any money to Ukraine to some homosexual weirdo,” he said to cheers about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The former president held a kick-off rally in Waco, Texas, for his 2024 presidential campaign. Nugent, a famous musician, has become known for his conservative causes and being a provocateur.
“His remarks, amazing about Zelensky, and I want my money back. He is channeling what a lot of Americans feel,” Ed Henry, host of Real America’s Voice, said on his newscast.
The war in Ukraine has become a flashpoint on the right with some Republicans calling for the U.S. to essentially abandon the country.
“Europe isn’t helping itself. They are
relying on the U.S. to largely do it for them. That is very unfair to us,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. The former president blamed the war on “a new lack of respect for the U.S.” and made the bold claim “that horrible war would end in 24 hours, or less,” if he were president.
Yet another “Kill The Gays” bill was approved last week in the Ugandan parliament. The East African nation has for years attempted to criminalize samesex relations.
Once again there’s globalist outrage over the country’s latest anti-LGBT legislation.
According to the Washington Post, the law would expand “existing restrictions and punishments for same-sex activity, criminalizes doing business with LGBT rights groups and calls for the application of the death penalty in certain cases for gay sex carried out by ‘serial offenders.’”
The law now goes to President Yoweri Museveni, who recently described homosexuals as “deviations from normal.”
“The passing of this discriminatory bill — probably among the worst of its kind in the world — is a deeply troubling development,” said Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement. He added: “If the bill is signed into law, it will render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are. It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other.”
The U.S. condemned the proposed law with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken saying on Twitter: “The Anti-Homosexuality
Russell Cormican
Act passed by the Ugandan Parliament would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We urge the Ugandan Government to strongly reconsider the implementation of this legislation.”
According to the Post though right-wing religious activists in the U.S. have for years campaigned in Africa pushing the country’s enacting anti-LGBT legislation.
“Versions of the bill have been around since 2009, and in 2014, Museveni’s government passed a similar law, whose first iteration included the death penalty for HIV-positive people and for engaging in gay sex with a minor. It was ultimately struck down by the court for not following due parliamentary process,” the Post writes
Foreign Policy did a deep dive on the subject recently in a story, “How U.S. Evangelicals Helped Homophobia Flourish in Africa.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest attack on drag shows illustrates not only his contempt for LGBT culture, but also his disregard for the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Drag performance has long been recognized as an important form of artistic expression in our country. From Milton Berle to Dustin Hoffman to Robin Williams to RuPaul.
For decades, performers have appeared in drag on movie screens and stages across the nation. In the LGBT community, drag has been imbued with an even greater degree of cultural importance and is woven into the fabric of gay culture.
Drag enjoys the same level of protection under the First Amendment as other types of artistic expression. The actions taken by the DeSantis administration amount to unconstitutional restraints on those First Amendment freedoms. By threatening the Hyatt (and other venues) before the performance even occurred, the administration has engaged in a prior restraint on the performers’ exercise of their constitutional rights.
By making good on that threat and seeking to punish the Hyatt venue, the administration has engaged in outright censorship.
As moral crusaders often do, the DeSantis administration has attempted to portray their assault on the First Amendment as being necessary to protect children.
The same tactic was employed against Elvis Presley’s hip shaking and 2 Live Crew’s rhymes. However, the performances targeted here are no more explicit than many other forms of mainstream entertainment that have not been targeted. The only difference is that drag shows are symbolic of LGBT culture and are therefore targeted by an administration trying to score points with its base.
As is often the case with efforts to suppress free speech, the danger extends far beyond just the production being targeted. The governor’s actions are likely to cause a chilling effect on the expression of other performers and venues who have not yet been targeted. The fear of enforcement will cause more venues to choose not to present drag shows, and performers will alter their performances.
The result is a slow erosion of free expression. The chilling effect of these unconstitutional actions is why it is imperative for performers, venues, and patrons to join together and oppose these attacks on our freedoms.
THE CHILLING EFFECT OF THESE UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS IS WHY IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR PERFORMERS, VENUES, AND PATRONS TO JOIN TOGETHER AND OPPOSE THESE ATTACKS ON OUR FREEDOMS.Russell Cormican is a criminal defense lawyer in Fort Lauderdale. He also focuses on First Amendment law.
Kent
Iwas first diagnosed with damage to my cerebrum and cerebellum in June of 2021, and had to cancel a trip with John Fugate and Brian Swinford to the summer all-star game in Denver. it was rough.
We were going to popularize the SFGN van and promote our paper and magazine, The Mirror, at gay festivals nationwide, from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles. Life is what happens when you are doing other things.
If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans for next month. Or even next week.
Fate intervened and we watched the AllStar Game from the Hospital at the University of Miami on NW 12 Avenue, where a team of brain surgeons from Dr. Ashish Shah and Ricardo Komotar performed life-saving brain surgeries, from biopsies to brain drains because of swelling on the brain.
But nothing worked perfectly. It is science after all. So, I bit the bullet in a life-or-death surgery, where we decided the best chance at life or death was to risk everything and remove the entire brain tumor. It worked. It was successful and here I am two years later.
Thanks to the advice of people like my brother Alan, and his partner, Phil, who taught me about free will and independent choices, and of John and Brian, their courage and conviction.
Yes, even my older brother Richard who inadvertently gave me a stone from my Dad’s gravesite to bite into, instead of the biscuit I thought it would be.
I was lucky. The repeated scans for brain cancer revealed a very early stage of pancreatic cancer, which by an operation for extraction was survivable.
Most people my age are just not so lucky. They find out the stages of cancer and what condition their condition is in too late and too deep into the pancreatic cancer to do anything about it. They are gone in no time.
American health care? First, I remember being placed in a special government protocol, but ran into bad luck there too. The sample physicians took from the surgery was not large enough for a concrete observation so at best they would have to do another biopsy and
maybe further surgery, which it did.
Too boot, when we got the letter from the government for the protocol, they said it could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000 a month, a tad bit more than your monthly Master Card bill, though I am not sure about your new Wilton Manors rent. Ask Jimmy Cunningham.
Through my stressed-out body and brain, it was easier to watch the Marlins finish in last place, though they played adequate major league ball during COVID. Thank you, manager Don Mattingly.
I endured, and doctors complimented me on my “fight.”
But to me, it was just not a “fight against cancer.” It was an episode of the play called “Life.” We all go through it.
Everyone is challenged somehow and somewhere. Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s not how many punches we take. It’s how hard we can hit back.”
I refused to look back. You never saw a downhill skier look behind. Always forward. Like “Annie,” the sun will come out tomorrow.
I fast forwarded through many procedures, often in freezing emergency rooms, cold hospitals, and nurses so overwhelmed they could not just get to you in time, though they care, are compassionate and our first line of defense, for love and life in a time when there was already too much death in America. When they were bagging bodies behind Broward General in 2022. Unreal.
Last week, the doctors told me about a new and invasive cancer and tumor that would require even more sudden and maybe midnight trips to the ER and hospitals, ending the day with newer needles in my arms and weakening veins.
Doctors everywhere were super kind, saying I have already fought the good fight, that I have not gone gentle “into that good night,” that I have fought amazingly against the “dying of the light.” That I have earned the right to make the most peaceful decision.
Interestingly, I heard them say in-between the lines of their wise admonitions that it would take more courage and conviction to
allow them to use a DNR order - a “do not resuscitate order” to let me live and stay at home and be treated there in comfort, with quality of life mattering more than longevity; with loved ones by my side holding my hands, giving me hugs and hot apple cider, with my labs playing in the house, the baseball games on TV, and even watching a life-long comedy tribute to Adam Sandler, laughing and loving with close friends nearby. Or rushed to yet another hospital maybe far way for yet another procedure. The final call is still in John’s hands. But I think you see where I am.
Nope, no more. I think I have done my share for here and now. An activist for gay rights and your rights; for NORML and human rights. Your body. Your life. Your call. I hope I have made you proud.
On this end, with my sports collections and dreams mounted by my side, I love it all. Always will. Friends and family, too.
Blessed forever, knowing even that when someone comes to visit me at the Star of David, Mom and Dad are living there as well, and if a dog comes to visit me, he jumps out of the back door of my 1978 Lincoln Continental, he can take a piss on the side of my grave freely, hopefully not wetting the 1959 Vin Scully transistor radio in my casket, which might pick up a Dodgers game or two, maybe a Nathan’s hot dog bursting with hot juices, or order me some hot fries and a cold Yoo-Hoo. Listening to Carole King from Brooklyn sing “You’ve got a friend.”
I have been lucky. I have had many, including John and Brian holding my hand all these last beautiful months, from Sea World to
Snowshoe, West Virginia. And all the people from the Wilton Manors Business Association. All of you everywhere over the years and past decades. Too many, I hope you see - too many to mention in one column.
By the way, that mountaineer cheddar cheese popcorn was sure good in West Virginia. You see, you are not leaving one chapter. You are just entering a new one. We don’t know which yet.
So folks that all brings me to home health care hospice, like President Jimmy Carter has just done. It’s, not to say goodbye, but to thank you for the many hellos. From the many memories; from your local hospitality establishments and homes and businesses. And friends like Marc Possien, too, Catalog X was started in a spare bedroom in my house. I was Dildo Central! From Laguna Beach in California to the Southport here. Ever special. Always loved. So many can’t ever be forgotten! Even Paul, Victor and the Manor.
With your faith in SFGN and my law partner, the people here and everywhere, you have made it a cherished calling for me. Leaving behind for you to see a book entitled “Ruminations from Chairman Norm,” and a collage of pix one of you can display at Stonewall very soon. It’s love and laughter over five decades.
Keep on doing what is right, remembering what is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right. You will always find a path belonging just to you.
Like Yogi Berra, New York Yankees Hall of
I HAVE BEEN LUCKY. I HAVE HAD MANY, INCLUDING JOHN AND BRIAN HOLDING MY HAND ALL THESE LAST BEAUTIFUL MONTHS, FROM SEA WORLD TO SNOWSHOE, WEST VIRGINIA.Don’t assume this is automatically a way to die. It’s a way to live, authentically and honestly, in the here and now. here and now. And for a news writer- transparently.That’s healthy for all of us.
Florida’s latest “parental rights” bill would force students and school employees back into the closet so that the forced lack of diversity will make their majority cisgender, heterosexual students feel more comfortable.
Orwellian as it sounds, TIME reports that it’s likely to pass into law.
This bill, HB 1223, aims to expand upon the Parental Rights in Education Act passed last year, which prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms from kindergarten through third grade. If it passes, the prohibition will be expanded through eighth grade.
The bill also bans the use of pronouns that don’t align with sex assigned at birth, both for students and faculty. It would put into law the assertion that “it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex.”
The bill has passed its first reading and now advances to the Education & Employment
Committee.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rep. Adam Anderson stands by the claim that the bill protects “the rights of all parents.”
Anderson has said that regardless of whether a different set of pronouns is appropriate for one student, “we have to recognize that in that classroom there’s 19 or 20, 25 other students … and it may not be appropriate for those kids.”
Supporters of the bill are not shy about favoring homogeneity over the celebration of diversity and protection for minorities.
he George Washington Initiative recently had the pleasure of attending Rise Up, the 2023 Winter Conference of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus. We were inspired by the dedication and activism of LGBT activists and elected officials in strategizing and planning for the issues facing the community. We were inspired by the level of attention and understanding given to the problem of disinformation and misinformation (DisMis). However, we were not shocked by this.
The LGBT community is frequently the first to be targeted, causing fear, anger, and distrust, which can lead to violence. This is evident across Florida and the Country, where we hear stories of people apart of the LGBT community being afraid to be true to themselves for fear of being rejected by the ones they love or being estranged from their family after they come out to them. With the dismis-fueled attacks against the LGBT community, it’s easy to see why 45% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor
At GWI, we are dedicated to combating disinformation and misinformation (DisMis) campaigns, combining technology with disruption tactics developed by the information warfare community. Our patentpending system, Revere, ingests information
from an industry leading 29 different platforms, amalgamates the data, processes it for analysis, and produces visualizations of network pathways. With Revere, we can view activity in the breeding grounds of DisMis, track its pathway across the social networks’ ecosystem, and target weak points in the network to disrupt the flow of DisMis. We couple this with a groundbreaking approach to go on offense with everyday Americans to disrupt the flow of DisMis on mainstream social media platforms. The volunteers undergo extensive training led by retired intelligence and information warfare officers to learn the technical and social skills required to combat DisMis. This approach empowers individuals and organizes them to take action against DisMis that affects themselves and their communities. In short, GWI is building America’s first information civil defense force.
Florida is ground zero for DisMis, and the LGBT community is one of the most vulnerable communities affected by weaponized false information. DisMis can damage personal health, relationships, and entire families. However, by recognizing the dangers of false information and fighting back against DisMis, we can create a society where everyone feels safe being true to themselves and accepted by their friends and neighbors.
The Florida Legislature has become a parody of itself.
A state Capitol that was once a place of stirring debate on the overriding issues of the day is now all about “prosthetic genitals.” Tallahassee has lost its way. That’s what happens when one party has total control.
The latest illustration of the Legislature’s flight from reality came March 24 in the House Commerce Committee as Republicans pushed ahead with a bill they say is for “protection of children.”
The hypocrisy is staggering.
Too many Florida kids go to bed at night hungry, and too many others die or suffer life-altering trauma from gun violence.
But some of the same House members who a few hours later voted to legalize the permitless carrying of concealed weapons have decided that the real danger to our kids is not loaded guns.
It’s drag shows.
You may have been canceled by your property insurance carrier, or someone you care about is couchsurfing to avoid living on the streets. But the supermajority in Tallahassee is fighting to protect kids from, among other things, “the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.”
things,” he said.
The bill makes it a crime for a business to allow a minor child into a live show that “predominantly appeals to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community of this state as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for the age of the child present; and taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for the age of the child present.”
It’s already illegal for a person to knowingly allow a minor into a show with “nudity, sexual conduct, (or) sexual excitement.” That’s how Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to revoke the liquor licenses of a Hyatt Regency hotel in Miami and at Plaza Live in Orlando, both of which hosted “A Drag Show Christmas” over the holidays (in Miami, for the eighth year in a row).
IF KIDS AT DRAG SHOWS ARE OFF LIMITS, FINE WAS ASKED, WHAT ABOUT A GATHERING AT HOOTERS WHERE THE WAITRESS SINGS HAPPY BIRTHDAY?
Democrats call the bill overly subjective. They pelted Fine with questions for more than an hour, asking him to define “knowingly,” and “lewd,” and what constitutes a “live” performance, and whether Pride parades with drag performers might be outlawed.
lawmakers.
They said they raise money for charity, that politically charged attacks on them have led to hateful messages and ugly threats from Neo-Nazis and others and that widespread cancellations will follow if the bill becomes law. They testified that they don’t approve of kids being at their shows, but that it’s a decision for parents to make.
“Drag is theater. Drag is artistic. Drag is flamboyant. Drag is outrageous,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, who voted against the bill. “Drag is about radical love and acceptance. That is why it exists. That is why I support it.”
creating a “manufactured moral panic” in Florida.
The vote was 13 to 6. Every yes vote was cast by Republicans, and every no vote was cast by Democrats.
Supporters included Broward’s lone Republican lawmaker, Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point, along with Reps. Webster Barnaby of Deltona, Toby Overdorf of Palm City, Bob Rommel of Naples and Tyler Sirois of Merritt Island.
That’s the precise language of House Bill 1423. Its sponsor, Rep. Randy Fine of Palm Bay, said his bill is necessary because too many parents don’t have enough sense to protect their own kids from indecency.
But his bill won’t punish parents. Rather, a bouncer or ticket-taker who allows a kid into a drag show could be jailed for up to a year.
Fine acknowledged he’s not an expert on the subject of his own bill.
“Fortunately, I personally have very little personal experience with these kinds of
If kids at drag shows are off limits, Fine was asked, what about a gathering at Hooters where the waitress sings Happy Birthday?
“It’s not a show in front of a live audience,” Fine said.
Drag performers pleaded with the state to leave them alone. An offensive undercurrent running through the hearing was that performers are pedophiles. “Erica” said she became a performer as a tribute to her late mother, who died of cancer.
“This bill is just shutting us down and putting us back in a closet,” she told
Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami, called Fine’s bill “state-sponsored homophobia” and added: “It’s bludgeoning businesses over the head for supporting a community that needs our help more than ever.”
Opponents accused Republicans of
Democrats who voted no were Eskamani, Joseph, and Bruce Antone of Orlando, Kristen Arrington of Kissimmee, Christopher Benjamin of Miami Gardens and Kimberly Daniels of Jacksonville.
Under HB 1423, it could be a crime for a child to attend a live show “without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
That sounds a lot like the House Commerce Committee.
First, he wrote in his own advance obituary: “Always moisturize your neck. You never know. Someday it may be your face.”
And secondly: “When you look back on life, the greatest successes and worst failures will both feel very much the same. What is important is that you live and not have any what might have beens. Go out there and fight for your dreams ... dare to do it … give it your best shot. And in that way, whether you succeed or you fail, you succeeded.”
Leddick’s friends and colleagues all agree: He succeeded grandly.
“David Leddick was straight out of Central Casting as a ‘bon vivant’ and a person here in Miami, who we revered as a world traveler with accomplishments and a storied career, sharing lessons with us all,” said Broadway director Richard JayAlexander, who first worked with Leddick in As Time Goes By ... Our History in Song,
a 2001 South Beach Gay Men’s Chorus concert at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road.
Before the concert, Jay-Alexander said he was a bit nervous directing Leddick, a retired New York advertising exec who had written several best-selling photography books – especially popular with gay readers – including Naked Men and The Male Nude
“I’m a huge fan of David Leddick’s writing,” Jay-Alexander told the Miami Herald in 2001.
A year later in Miami Shores, JayAlexander directed Leddick in The Nature of the Beach, a play written by David Sexton, then a local fitness trainer, and co-starring other gay South Beach personalities of the era including former professional baseball player Billy Bean and Martini Tuesdays party planner Edison Farrow.
Leddick “loved holding court,” recalls Jay-Alexander, who a year ago relocated from Miami Beach to Rancho Mirage, California.
“The cast was composed of actors with experience and some with none. It’s what made the play work. David was in the latter category, but he was a personality and his own creation who brought a unique charm to the role,” Jay-Alexander said after Leddick’s death. “He loved to perform and the experience set him on fire to continue acting, singing and dancing in his own creations. David was truly in the category of ‘one of a kind.’”
Leddick was born Jan. 13, 1930, in Detroit. He grew up during the Great Depression and World War II.
Even as a child, Leddick lived the gay life. “I had my first boyfriend when I was 4,” he told the Herald in 2003, when he published The Secret Lives of Married Men, a book that featured interviews with 39 gay men
who had been married to women.
During the early 1950s, Leddick served as a U.S. Navy officer in Korea. After returning to the U.S., he lived in New York City and performed as a dancer at the Metropolitan Opera.
“His military service had a profound impact on his life, as it helped him to understand the importance of discipline
and teamwork, which he later applied in his advertising career and literary life,” Leddick wrote in his own third-person obituary. “In his later years as a prolific writer, he would sit at his manual Royal typewriter and push out at least one page of written work per day.”
During the mid-century Mad Men-era, Leddick worked three decades in the ad
“DAVID LEDDICK WAS STRAIGHT OUT OF CENTRAL CASTING AS A ‘BON VIVANT’ AND A PERSON HERE IN MIAMI, WHO WE REVERED AS A WORLD TRAVELER WITH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND A STORIED CAREER, SHARING LESSONS WITH US ALL.”
- Richard Jay-Alexander BROADWAY DIRECTOR
business, rising to Worldwide Creative Director for Revlon at Grey Advertising in New York.
The self-described “grand raconteur” loved to reminisce about living nextdoor to the movies’ Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone; his long friendship with gay English media personality Quentin Crisp (who years later he portrayed on stage); and the June 1969 Stonewall uprising.
At the time, Leddick lived in Greenwich Village, down the street from the Stonewall Inn. A police raid there sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Leddick usually underplayed the moment’s historical significance, sardonically saying in his own obituary that he “slept through it.”
In 2001, he told the Miami Herald that he watched the clash from his apartment across the street.
“It did not seem like a major event. There were a lot of police raids at the time. Yes, there were a lot of drag queens out there throwing bottles. It was a highspirited, aggressive kind of brawl. … It wasn’t the French Revolution, but it was a turning point.”
In the 1980s, Leddick bought a South Beach apartment behind “a dilapidated flop house” soon to become the renovated Versace Mansion.
During early retirement in his new hometown, Leddick wrote several gaythemed novels including My Worst Date and In the Spirit of Miami Beach.
After performing with the gay men’s chorus and in The Nature of the Beach (which has never been revived professionally), Leddick starred in another David Sexton play, a 2003 Christmas-themed musical with some lasting popularity among LGBTQ+ theater groups across the U.S.
It’s a Fabulous Life (It’s a Wonderful Life with a gay twist) has been frequently performed in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Leddick starred in productions throughout the 2000s.
“He played Arthur, the angel who comes back and shows Joe, the protagonist, what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been gay,” said Sexton.
“The lesson that I learned from David became incorporated into the show, when Joe realizes there’s so much he loves about being gay,” Sexton said. “At the end of the show, he wishes he was gay again.”
For much of the 2010s, Leddick performed solo cabaret shows. He also
wrote a full-length musical, Rent Boy, which had a brief 2013 run in New York.
Rent Boy was based on Leddick’s 2011 nonfiction book, Escort: 40 Profiles with Photographs of Men Who Sell Sex
“Forty profiles with photographs of men who sell sex. I’m not taking a moral position myself. It’s fascinating,”’ Leddick told the Herald, saying he found the escorts in magazine and website ads.
Each featured escort was paid $100 and given their David Vance photos shot for the book, Leddick added.
Throughout his later years, Leddick split time between Miami Beach, Montmartre in Paris and in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Sexton said he spent time with Leddick last year on his 92nd birthday.
“We had lunch and he was in great spirits. Very funny and very sharp.”
Six months ago, Leddick moved to Alabama to live on a farm with family.
“He got COVID soon after he moved to Alabama. That was the beginning of his decline,” Sexton said. “It was the second time he had COVID, even though he was fully vaccinated. He was in and out of the hospital most of the time he was in Alabama.”
Sexton said Leddick “showed me what a fully lived gay life could be” and always cherished his greatest role, being a gay role model.
“He really embraced his place as an elder of the tribe and was not shy at all about telling his story, because he felt it was important,” Sexton said. “More than not afraid, he was really fucking proud to be as old he was and how alive he was.”
Saint Mark’s the Evangelist Church and School is a vibrant and diverse place that is intentionally welcoming. Having moved from a small town in South Carolina where Sunday was probably among the most segregated days of the week, to Fort Lauderdale and Saint Mark’s, I can say that our church reflects our community. The Episcopal Church has a motto of “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You”, and our church lives that motto and strives to be inviting and inclusive. We would describe our church as being very LGBT friendly.
Saint Mark’s School is our largest ministry, and we serve more than 500 students during the school year and provide an incredible education from PreK1-8th grade. Our academic programs are among the most innovative around. We have a tidal Sea Lab that is the only one of its kind in the country.
Coming out of COVID, many things have changed in how we gather, worship, and serve our local community. We became technologically savvy and have a live stream of our services. We have people from all over the world watching our streams. We are working hard to find reasons to gather in the community because of the pandemic, and we recognize that people were isolated and are starving to be with people.
We invite you to join us for our Holy Week services. We will have Morning Prayer on the beach at the end of Commercial Blvd. and A1A at 8:30 on Monday of Holy Week, and services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Our Easter services begin with the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening and two Easter services on Sunday.
Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church invites and welcomes you to connect with other travelers on our Easter Journey.
John McDonald
Walter W. Cole, the world’s oldest working drag queen, passed away at a Portland, Oregon hospital from natural causes on March 23.
He was 92.
Cole created Darcelle XV, a big-haired and bejeweled queen who became an icon on the west coast drag circuit. Shows continued throughout the weekend as fans flocked to Portland’s Old Town neighborhood to pay their respects.
Kevin Cook, who performs under the drag name, Poison Waters, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that Darcelle was a mentor and great friend.
“Darcelle was very generous and so didn’t keep anything back as far as lessons were learned and how to be a person,” Cook said. “He taught me how to be a person. You know –a wild drag queen on the street – and just a very giving person.”
Cole had been performing until a few weeks before his death. He recently collaborated with the band Pink Martini and had his own beer flavor introduced. In February, Darcelle spoke with SFGN about the crackdown nationwide on drag shows.
“Those damn Republicans,” Cole growled over the phone. “Well, go ahead and screw it over and people will wise up and leave.”
A self-described, “four-eyed sissy boy,” Cole grew up in Oregon, married his high school sweetheart at 19 and served overseas in the Army during the Korean War. After his discharge, Cole started a family and went to work at the local grocery store, Fred Meyer.
In 1969, he fell for a Las Vegas tap dancer, Roxy Neuhardt, and came out as gay.
“There was a click that happened, like a light switch went off,” Cole said.
Together they transformed a dingy old tavern into an entertainment destination now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Neuhardt died in 2017.
Cole is survived by his wife, Jean, their two children, grandchildren and great
Worship Sundays @ 8 am and 10:30 am
*during our 10:30 service we are joined by the choir and an organist. ASL accessible. Find us on YouTube.
grandchildren.
“I can honestly say, and I mean this from whatever part of the heart that handles this sort of thing, I would not change one day of my life,” Cole told SFGN in February. “I’m happy and happiness will make you live a long time.”
You can listen to John McDonald's interview with Darcelle XV on spotify
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM
2038 N. Dixie Hwy (Pride Center Building B), Wilton Manors
954-564-9232 - etzchaimflorida.org
congregationetzchaim1974@gmail.com
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
CHECK WEBSITES AND FACEBOOK PAGES FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION REGARDING IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE OF SERVICES, AS WELL AS VIRTUAL VIEWING OPTIONS. SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNEWS.COM
CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOR, MCC Church of Our Savior, MCC 2011 S. Federal Hwy. Boynton Beach. churchofoursaviormcc.org | 561-733-4000
Sunday Service 10AM
SAINT MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND SCHOOL 1750 East Oakland Park Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
954-563-5155 | www.saintmarksftl.com
Worship Sundays @ 8am and 10:30am ST. NICHOLAS
CHURCH 1111 E. Sample Road Pompano Beach, FL 33064 954-942-5887 | StNicholasFL.org
Sunday Service 9:30AM
J.W. Arnold
Truman Capote was an internationally acclaimed writer, notorious name dropper and social climber. The Alabama transplant infiltrated the glitzy Park Avenue and Hollywood social scenes. The rich and famous adored him until he allowed Esquire magazine to publish a chapter from a semi-fictionalized novel that exposed the deepest and darkest secrets of his pals.
Charles Baran-Bookman portrays “Tru” in Jay Presson Allen’s one man drama as Capote copes with the aftermath of that lifechanging decision. The play opens April 14 at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale and runs through May 7. Baran-Bookman’s husband, lighting designer Kirk Bookman, is producing and Island City Stage’s Andy Rogow directs.
“Kirk and I have been working on the play for over a year and we are excited that our goal of bringing it to life is happening,” explained Baran-Bookman. “It is a wonderful play, wildly entertaining and full of interesting stories and facts [from] Capote’s extraordinary life. There are laughs for certain, but also moments of pathos as Capote’s life were marked by personal struggles.”
Set over the course of two evenings in December 1975 following the publication of the chapter “La Cote Basque” from the unfinished novel, “Answered Prayers,” Tru stews alone in his Manhattan apartment where – without his best friends Babe Paley and Nancy “Slim” Keith to entertain him – he struggles to maintain his dignity in the face of rejection.
Fighting to anesthetize himself with pills and booze, he reflects on his triumphs and recounts the events that led him from tiny Monroeville to the pinnacles of New York society.
Baran-Bookman remembers those days firsthand: “I grew up in Queens, then Manhattan in the ‘60s and ‘70s and Truman Capote was a figure who loomed large in the daily life of the city. For a gay teenager like myself, he was a symbol of success, what I could become if I applied myself. At that point in my life I was unaware of how troubled and unhappy he was. It all seemed so glamorous and I was attracted to that.”
To prepare for the role decades later, he did a deep dive into the life of the writer, reading and re-reading Capote’s short stories, letters and George Clarke’s definitive biography. Baran-Bookman also viewed the countless appearances Capote made on talk shows in the ‘70s and ‘80s, which were all posted on YouTube.
“As an actor, I then had to tap into the similarities you have with the person you are playing,” he added. “What I related to mainly was his struggles as a gay man yearning to be accepted.”
Baran-Bookman said that the director also plays a critical role in the success of oneman shows such as “Tru,” with an unbiased perspective and citing only one word for Rogow’s leadership, “amazing.”
Even for audiences who may be familiar with Capote’s story, Baran-Bookman hopes they will take away a couple of lessons.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is that success does not equal happiness. The second, and even more important one for me, is to love yourself unconditionally. Accept who you are and embrace it, warts and all,” Baran-Bookman concluded. “We are all special and beautiful in our own way. If only Truman had realized this, we would have enjoyed his amazing wit and spirit for many more years than we did.”
GUY FIERI, host of Food Network’s "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" bought a house in Lake Worth Beach last year and has been covering more restaurants in the area recently.
The show kicked off its new season in March and among the South Florida eateries visited so far are the Italian trattoria, ROSE’S DAUGHTER in Delray Beach, sandwich shop THE BUTCHER AND THE BAR in Boynton Beach, hamburger-and-fries food truck CHEFFREY EATS, the Puerto Rican fare at LA COSINITA LATINA in West Palm Beach, and HELLENIC REPUBLIC in Coral Springs. I don’t think we’ll see him featuring any of the places in Wilton Manors, given the fact that Fieri has repeatedly been called out for his homophobic behavior.
1800 E. SUNRISE, FORT LAUDERDALE
954-524-1800
ILMULINOFL.COM
As much as everyone loves being on our “Best Of” list, the sheer numbers mean that we can’t say more than a few sentences about each recipient. So we thought we’d expand our coverage of the winners in the food and dining category. Since its opening in 1989, Il Mulino has been a welcoming favorite of the LGBT community.
With recipes made in-house that date back three generations, Il Mulino is one of Fort Lauderdale’s go-to Italian restaurants. Whether you are looking for a hearty Italian classic, something lighter, or just to relax with an appetizer and a good glass of wine, Il Mulino fits the bill.
In addition to its regular lunch and dinner menus, Il Mulino also offers a kid’s menu, a lite-fare menu, and a listing of plant-based
offerings. At dinner, pasta and meat-based entrees range from $16 to $30, pizzas run $17-$20, and entrée salads are in the $15$25 range. Shave about $10 off that for the lunch menu. The lite fare and plant-friendly dishes both top out at about $20. The wine list is impressive, both for its variety and its reasonable pricing. No gouging here. There is also a very expansive selection of wines by the glass. Finally, if you can’t get enough, Il Mulino offers catering services.
A few columns back I asked, “What makes a gay restaurant?” and asked readers to submit a list of their favorite gay restaurants. Here’s one from John Caminiti: ROSIE’S, GEORGIE’S ALIBI, TROPICS GRILLE, EMPANADA LOCA, LOTUS KITCHEN, CHRISTINA WAN&’S, MASON JAR, VOO LA VOO CAFÉ, BONA, and LE PATIO. Thanks for the info, John! Send your list to SFGNfeatures@gmail. com.
THE HAMPTON SOCIAL DELRAY BEACH, debuted March 15 at the new Atlantic Crossing shopping village in Delray. Another outpost is slated for Miami’s Mary Brickell Village later this spring or summer. Its menu touts mostly trendy seafood fare. The owners are Chicago’s Parker Hospitality Group. Pompano Beach’s 5TH ELEMENT INDIAN GRILL will also open an outpost in Delray Beach. There are already locations in Daytona Beach, Palm Coast and Jacksonville.
Speaking of Pompano, THE BITE EATERY, finally opened after a three-year pandemic and supply- chain delay. Nine food vendors and one cocktail bar have finally filled this food hall in Harbor Village Plaza near the Intracoastal Waterway. The 9,000-square-foot space has offerings from DELI SHACK, MAMA MIA PASTA & MORE, ABUELITA’S CUBAN BISTRO, CAPTAIN LOBSTAR, CEVICHE TIME, BEEF BOYZ, MOOP GELATO, TACO VIBEZ, and PAPA’S PIZZERIA.
BARILOCHE GOURMET recently opened just off Fort Lauderdale beach. It specializes in gourmet Argentine fast-food with signature dishes such as sandwiches de miga, empanadas, pizzas, pastries and desserts.
Oakland Park’s BREWLIHAN, a 1,700-squarefoot mead house, decorated with science flasks and honeycomb motif, is a salute to its signature beverage, the honey-sweetened wine, known as mead. Another new-ish place in Oakland Park is MAGGIE’S FAVORITE COFFEE AND BAKESHOP. The menu features crepes, cupcakes, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, and Italian roast coffee. The breakfastlunch cafe soft-opened in January. Other offerings cake by the slice, cinnamon rolls, acai bowls, savory crepes and sandwiches and avocado toast.
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