SFGN 04/01/21 V12iss13

LOCAL NAME GLOBAL COVERAGE APRIL 1, 2021 VOL. 12 // ISSUE 13

THE NEXT

FIGHT

YOUNG TRANS ATHLETES IN THE CROSSFIRE ACROSS THE U.S.

By Steve Rothaus PAGES 18 - 19, 24

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NEWS HIGHLIGHT

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BSO LGBTQ+ LIAISON COMMITTEE CELEBRATES ONE YEAR

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April 1, 2021 • Volume 12 • Issue 13

2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

Publisher • Norm Kent Norm.Kent@sfgn.com

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Editorial

Christiana Lilly

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hen Lt. Paul Auerbach first joined the Broward Sheriff’s Office 18 years ago, he wouldn’t ask his colleagues what they did over the weekend — he didn’t want them to reciprocate the question.

As a gay man, he was afraid of being outed.

“I made two promises to myself: I’m not going to lie about who I am, but I’m not going to be forthcoming,” he remembers. But he realized that the people he worked alongside and trusted his life with were more than just his coworkers. Today, he jokes that he’s “fullon gay.”

Auerbach is one of about 15 BSO employees who are a part of the LGBTQ+ Liaison Committee, founded a year ago to improve outreach to the community. Members are a part of the community, allies, or affirming parents of LGBT youth who belong to different departments within BSO, including law enforcement, fire rescue, administration, detention, training, community affairs, and more.

Fire Rescue Public Education Manager Courtney Palmer is the chair of the committee alongside Communications Duty Officer James Moser.

“The sheriff, that was one of his major priorities that he asked of our group was to make sure not only were we looking at changes internally … but also reaching out to the community more than just, ‘We’re handing out some beads at a parade,’” Palmer said.

Currently, the committee is working on an intimate partner PSA, as well as training workshops, safe ambulances, and rewriting

Senior Feature Columnists

Brian McNaught • Jesse Monteagudo

Special to SFGN Steve Rothaus

Correspondents

Lt. Paul Auerbach. Photo via Broward Sheriff Office, Facebook.

policies to be more inclusive. The committee wants the LGBT community to understand that they can call BSO if they are in an abusive situation with a partner. Oftentimes, officers will hear from a person saying the abuser is “just their roommate,” for fear of being outed.

But unfortunately, the case would just be a simple battery and not move forward.

One of the founding members was the late Deputy Shannon Bennett, who died last year due to COVID-19. He was a school resource officer and was beloved by his students, so outreach to youth was important to him.

Another activity BSO members have done was serve as chaperones at the Halloween dance and prom for LGBT kids. The events were in partnership with Sunshine Cathedral and have grown.

“He reached out to several of his kids when he was at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School … some of those kids did come up to him because they identify as part of the community and

they were getting bullied,” Auerbach said of Bennett, who he considered one his best friends. “He made a point of reaffirming his existence. He told them to be who they are, to be strong, and the best revenge is to be a success and be true to yourself.”

However, Auerbach said that he noticed some kids were wary that there were cops at the event — he wants them to know they’re there as mentors and to keep them safe. In the future, they hope to present an award in honor of Bennett to one of the kids at each event. They also want the kids to know that they can be in law enforcement if they want to when they grow up.

This summer, the committee is planning a career meet and greet for anyone interested in learning more about working at BSO. “We want to let the teens know, and area groups, that we are affirming and accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and you can be a part of this community,” Palmer said.

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• 4 .1. 2021

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4 .1. 20 21 •

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NEWS LOCAL

LGBTQ NIGHTLIFE RELIEF FUND LAUNCHED TO HELP QUEER VENUES Everitt Rosen

Photo via Adobe.

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GBT bars and pubs across the United States have been forced to shutter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some venues fighting to remain alive or closing for good.

Many individuals are cash-strapped and unable to afford their rent or finance their business expenses. Many venues are already on the verge of closing, with an unknown future ahead of them.

GayCities, an LGBT travel website, launched the LGBTQ Nightlife Relief Fund at the 2021 Queerties, an annual award show produced by Queerty, which celebrates the best in LGBT culture and media.

“This is not only about preserving historic LGBTQ venues, it’s about saving these spaces for future generations to come,” said Scott Gatz, CEO of the LGBT media company Q.Digital.

Donations will be paid out as one-time $500 matching grants to qualifying LGBT venues before the fund is exhausted. The venues must already have a GoFundMe. The grant will cover business expenses and provide financial help to employees.

In order to qualify for the grant, the businesses must verify that the venue has been negatively impacted by a government mandate due to the pandemic. They have to have a new or pre-existing fundraiser that included the hashtag #savequeervenues.

The venues also must be independently owned and operated, and must not be nationally dominant in the field of operation.

In support of the relief fund, GayCities has partnered with Grindr, the queer dating app. Grindr has donated considerable advertisement space and has come on board as a fundraising teammate to GoFundMe. In turn, GayCities has donated $250,000 worth of free advertising space on its website to promote and generate funds for this cause.

In the description in its GoFundMe, GayCities emphasizes the importance of keeping LGBT spaces open during COVID. “Your local queer bar might be where a young person comes out for the first time.

A drag show at the closest city’s nightclub is where newfound acceptance and confidence are born,” as written on GoFundMe. “Individuals cast away from their families of origin who are seeking love and connection have found solace and sanctuary in these venues.”

In addition, GayCities stresses the role of LGBT venues in social and political campaigns, noting that the spaces have long become safe spaces for queer people to gather and mobilize in the face of racism and bigotry.

So far, the fund is approximately $7,000 away from their goal of $50,000. The fund has over 520 donations, with the top donation being $10,000 from the GoFundMe Team.

These donations are tax-deductible.

“For many, queer bars and clubs are the first safe space they found where they could meet people and find irreplaceable community,” Gatz said. “We need to step up to save these important venues.”

For venues interested in receiving this grant, visit GoFundMe and fill out the required documentation.

To donate and read more about the fund, visit GayCities on GoFundMe.

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• 4 .1. 2021

NEWS NATIONAL

DRAG QUEEN YARD SALE SFGN Staff

W

hat does a drag queen do when she retires? If she’s Charity Case (also known as Rick Karlin) she holds a yard sale, with all the proceeds from the sale going to LGBT charities. The sale will be held on Saturday, April 3 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at 1517 NE 1st Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Masks are required to participate.

Karlin, SFGN’s food editor, was an occasional drag performer in Chicago for 30-plus years, originally performing under

“... SINCE I MOSTLY WAS PERFORMING FOR CHARITY FUNDRAISERS, MY NAME OUGHT TO REFLECT THAT.” - Charity Case

the names Helen Highwater and Carlotta Nerve. “I then decided that since I mostly was performing for charity fundraisers, my name ought to reflect that. So I changed my name to Charity Case.”

In Chicago he founded the fundraiser “Night of 100 Drag Queens,” which, over 25 years, raised nearly $500,000 for various not-for-profit agencies. Since relocating to South Florida eight years ago, Charity has made appearances in fundraisers for Island City Stage and the Stonewall Museum and Archives and, Karlin adds, “Occasionally just to stroll down the street during Wicked Manors.”

Charity Case made her farewell appearance last year at a fundraiser for Stonewall Museum and Archives at Lips. Karlin is now ready to part with the clothing, shoes, wigs, jewelry and accessories that he has accumulated during the years, including some custommade gowns.

“I’m ready for them to move on and bring joy to others,” he said. “And I mean all sorts of others, the dresses range from size 12 to 20, so there’s something for everyone!

4 .1. 20 21 •

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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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• 4 .1. 2021

WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Husbands Dr. Ferdinand Cabrera and Dimitri Bakoulis, owners of the Genesis Health Institute.

Steven Shires of Shires Photography and Stephen Cascaes, membership specialist at the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber Of Commerce.

Alexander Sadeghi and Michael Connel, the owners at The Pub.

Latino’s Salud Miami’s Richard King, Miguel Rodriguez and Kevin Vargas fundraising for the Florida AIDS Walk at Nathans.

NEWS NATIONAL

ARKANSAS GOVERNOR TARGETS QUEER COMMUNITY WITH ANTI-LGBT BILLS Kim Swan

I

n a matter of one week, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed two bills that remove rights for LGBT people — making it easier to discriminate against them in sports and health care.

On March 25, Hutchinson signed a law that bans transgender women and girls from competing in school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, according to Keloland.

Medical and child-ware groups objected to the law, stating that it will have devastating impacts on trans youths, but Hutchinson ignored them.

“This law simply says that female athletes should not have to compete in a sport against a student of the male sex when the sport is designed for women’s competition,” Hutchinson said, according to Keloland. “As I have stated previously, I agree with the intention of this law. This will help promote and maintain fairness in women’s sporting events.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT rights groups, called Hutchinson’s decision “an affront not just to the transgender kids it is bound to hurt but to all Arkansans who will be impacted by its consequences,” Keloland reported.

“Hutchinson is ignoring the ugly history of states that have dared to pass anti-transgender legislation in years past, and by doing so he is exposing Arkansas to economic harm, expensive taxpayer-funded legal battles, and a tarnished reputation,” President of the HRC Alphonso David said in a statement.

If the law isn’t blocked by a legal challenge, it will take effect this summer. The law also states that if a student suffers from “direct or indirect harm,” they could take the school to court for violating the ban, according to Keloland.

Arkansas’ law, if it isn’t blocked by a legal challenge, would take effect this summer.

Under the new law, a student or school who suffers “direct or indirect harm” could take a school to court for violating the ban.

“This law is a discriminatory and shameful attempt by politicians to stigmatize and exclude transgender teens,” American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said in a statement.

Arkansas is one of three states without a hate crimes law.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Photo via Facebook.

The other law Hutchinson signed on March 26 grants doctors the option of refusing to treat a patient because of their religious or moral objections, PBS NewsHour reports. This gives doctors the power to turn away LGBT patients if they so please.

“I support this right of conscience so long as emergency care is exempted and conscience objection cannot be used to deny general health service to any class of people,” Hutchinson said, according to PBS NewsHour.

“Most importantly, the federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender, and national origin continue to apply to the delivery of health care services.”

The new law won’t take effect until late this summer as well.

“There is no sugarcoating this: this bill is another brazen attempt to make it easier to discriminate against people and deny Arkansans the health care services they need,” Dickson said, according to PBS NewsHour.

Types of health care that could be cut off include maintaining hormone treatments for transgender patients needing in-patient care for an infection, or grief counseling for same-sex couples. The law could also be used to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control, or by physicians’ assistants to override patient directives on end-of-life care, as reported by PBS NewsHour.

The HRC created a YouTube video in retaliation for the anti-trans law signed by Hutchinson.

“Trans kids are kids. They don’t deserve this cruelty,” the video says.

4 .1. 20 21 •

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LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENDALL LITTLE

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G Bisexual

MILEY CYRUS CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF ‘HANNAH MONTANA’ Fifteen years ago Miley Cyrus rose to fame by playing Miley Stewart, a seemingly normal teenage girl who lives a double life as pop star Hannah Montana. The show aired four seasons before ending in 2011.

After the sitcom ended, Cyrus took up a more modern and edgy music career. She ditched the good girl persona for a grunge, rebellious lifestyle after releasing her album “Bangerz” in 2013.

For the 15-year anniversary of her breakthrough role as Hannah Montana, Cyrus posted a handwritten note to the character on Instagram.

“Hi Hannah, it’s been a while. Fifteen years to be exact,” she wrote.

The letter goes on as Cyrus writes about her time playing the iconic character.

“Although you are considered to be an ‘alter

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• 4 .1. 2021

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Miley Cyrus on her new album, “Plastic Hearts.”

ego,’ in reality there was a time when you held more of my identity in your glove than I did in my bare hands,” she wrote.

Throughout the letter, Cyrus shared how she grew up while on set and will forever hold Hannah Montana in her heart.

... HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING IN THE LGBTQIA COMMUNITY

P

Pansexual

NEVADA LAWMAKER COMES OUT AS PANSEXUAL

Typically it wouldn’t be expected for a lawmaker to come out in a speech, but that’s exactly what Nevada Assemblymember Sarah Peters did.

Peters gave a floor speech to honor LGBT+ Health Awareness Week and showed her own personal connection to the week by coming out as pansexual.

“Today, as a pansexual, cisgender woman, I stand out for equity and remind us to be inclusive in our LGBT+ community as we work to make Nevada a more equitable place,” she said after discussing what health officials had been doing to make sure LGBT healthcare was up to standard.

After the speech, Peters took to Twitter to express her feelings about the public’s reaction to her coming out.

“Being celebrated for my queerness is

Sarah Peters. Photo via Twitter.

weird. Being bisexual and pansexual comes with so much guilt and questioning. Am I queer enough? Am I gay enough? What if I end up heteronormative, am I straight? Y’all, we are all enough and worth celebrating!” she said in her tweet.

LGBTQIA BITES

T

Transgender

TRANS WRESTLER DISCUSSES BEING FORCED TO COMPETE AS A GIRL

Mack Beggs started wrestling as an outlet after battling with self-harm. Now, he’s opening up about being forced to compete as a girl even though he does not identify as one.

Beggs loved wrestling, but struggled every time he stepped foot on the mat because of who his opponent was.

“You have to wrestle against girls — but you really want to wrestle against guys,” he said in an interview with Yahoo! News. “You beat girls, but technically you are a girl, but technically you’re not. It was a no-win situation.”

Beggs is now 21 years old and has had time to process what he went through and form opinions on bills surrounding transgender people.

“I think it’s revolting and honestly appalling that they’re trying to pass all these bills at the same time,” he told Yahoo! News. “Sports are supposed to be an outlet for kids. The most important thing about sports is learning these life lessons and getting these tools in order to go through life.”

Keep your eyes on

South Florida Gay News C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

SFGN.com Photo courtesy of Mack Beggs.

Beggs hopes that things will change in the future so that no transgender athletes have to go through what he went through.

@SoFlaGayNews

SouthFloridaGayNews

4 .1. 20 21 •

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NEWS STATE

WEEKLY TRACKING OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH FLORIDA Sean McShee

Full Charge Bookkeeping Services

CUMULATIVE KNOWN COVID-19 CASES IN Cumulative COVID-19 Cases in THREE SOUTHKnown FLORIDA COUNTIES: Three South Florida Counties:

MARCH 2424 THROUGH March through MARCH March 3030

Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 cases from 3/24 to 3/30 Palm Beach 1.7%, Broward 2.0%, and Miami Dade 1.6%

129,904

129,478

129,029

3/24

211,935

211,231

210,462

209,748

3/25

3/26

3/27

Palm Beach

213,880

213,158

212,641

131,235

130,904

130,727

130,358

444,487

443,207

442,337

441,275

439,970

438,704

437,452

3/28

3/29

Broward

3/30

Miami-Dade Source Fl DOH Dashboard

Source: Florida DOH Dashboard.

CUMULATIVE KNOWN COVID-19 DEATHS IN THREE SOUTH COUNTIES: Cumulative Known FLORIDA COVID-19 Cases Deaths COVID-19 inin Three South SouthFlorida FloridaCounties: Counties: Three MARCH 24 THROUGH MARCH 30 March 24 24through throughMarch March30 30 March

Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 deaths from 3/24 to 3/30 Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 cases from 3/24 to 3/30 Palm Beach 1.6%, Broward 1.0%, and Miami Dade 1.6% Palm Beach 1.7%, Broward 2.0%, and Miami Dade 1.6%

209,748 2,603

2,609

129,029

3/243/24

210,462

2,626 2,614

211,935

211,231 2,635

2,614

129,904

129,478

3/253/25

Palm Beach

130,358

3/263/26

5,814

212,641 2,635

2,635 2,623

2,624

3/273/27

Palm Beach Broward Broward

3/283/28

5,845

5,815

213,158

2,644 2,629 130,904

130,727

444,487

443,207

442,337

5,797

5,792

5,767

5,751

441,275

439,970

438,704

437,452

3/29 3/29

213,880

2,645

2,634

131,235

3/30 3/30

Miami Dade Miami-Dade Source Fl DOH Dashboard Source Fl DOH Dashboard

Source: Florida DOH Dashboard.

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• 4 .1.2021

NEWS LOCAL

TRAIN FOR THE WILTON MANORS RAINBOW RUN/WALK WITH COUCH TO 5K PROGRAM Kendall Little

L

earning to run has never been easier or more accessible.

As the Rainbow 5K quickly approaches, race coordinator Sergey Voronkin wants Wilton Manors residents to know that anyone can compete in the race.

To prepare for the event, Voronkin is leading a training program called Couch to 5K. “It’s a program for members, for friends, for anyone,” he said. “There are no requirements to be a runner, in fact I encourage everyone to join us.”

Voronkin believes that anyone can complete a 5K, even if they have no running experience.

“We have people who have never run before Sergey Voronkin. Photo via Facebook. and people who ran many years ago,” he said.

The program is seven weeks long, but Next, participants should expect to learn Voronkin said that there is no cutoff date for when people can join. Training began on about running methods.

“Running fast is actually not necessary at March 17, but participants can still sign up and all,” Voronkin said. “You’re not trying to catch reap the benefits.

People who want to participate in the someone or run from someone.”

He explained that thinking you have to run program can attend sessions twice a week: fast is a common misconception. Even if you Wednesdays and Sundays.

Due to COVID, only 10 people can gather at aren’t speedy, you can become a runner.

Voronkin encourages a time. Voronkin said that it’s not everyone to try this program, necessarily a bad thing though. even if they think they’ll fail.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not “First of all, it’s free,” he said comfortable with more than 10 with a chuckle. “Usually to get people because it’s not easy to decent training, you’d have give your attention to everyone,” to spend a decent amount of he said. money. This is free and what With a limited number of could be better than free participants, Voronkin knows things?” that he’ll be able to give everyone Even though it’s a shortspecial attention to make sure term program, participants can they’re performing at their best. expect to get a lot out of it — Participants can choose to including finishing the Rainbow wear a mask if they wish to.

- Sergey Voronkin 5K this year.

Voronkin assures that RACE COORDINATOR “If you commit to this and participants won’t start running do the training and do the marathons at their first session.

“We’re going to be talking about some homework, I can assure you that you’ll finish really basic stuff,” he said. “We’ll start with the 5K,” Voronkin said.

The Rainbow 5K takes place on May 23, regular warm-ups.”

Warming up is the most important part of 2021 at 7:15 a.m. To sign up for the race, visit the official race website. running according to Voronkin.

The first 400 participants in the race will “It doesn’t take very long and gives us less receive a free medal, t-shirt, and bag. chances for injury,” he said.

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“We have people who have never run before and people who ran many years ago.”

To sign up for the Couch to 5K program, visit www.FRWFL.org/couchto5k.

4 .1. 20 21 •

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NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

EUROPE

ASIA

IRELAND’S FIRST SAME-SEX COUPLE RECOGNIZED AS CO-PARENTS

TELEVISION CHANNEL IN BANGLADESH HIRES FIRST TRANS NEWS ANCHOR

Two women from County Cork in Ireland, Geraldine Rea and Niamh O’Sullivan, have become the first samesex couple in Ireland to be legally recognized as the co-parents of their children.

Following the enactment of the last sections of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, a birth mother and her spouse are recognized as parents when a child is conceived through donorassisted human reproduction.

According to Irish Central, male samesex couples and female couples who travel overseas to fertility clinics aren’t covered by the legislation. Though, this could change in the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, which is due to be published later this year.

“It’s hugely important for children to

Geraldine Rea and Niamh O’Sullivan. Photo via RTÉ, YouTube.

have a legal relationship from birth with their parents, with the ones who care for them and love them on a daily basis,” said LGBT Ireland Chief Executive Paula Fagan to the Irish Central.

Tashnuva Anan Shishir debuted on Dhaka-based Boishakhi TV on International Women’s day.

Shishir, a transgender woman, has previously worked as a human rights activist and an actress. On television, she reads a three-minute news bulletin.

According to Euronews, after she finished it, she burst into tears as her colleagues applauded and cheered.

Since 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has permitted trans people to register as a different gender. In 2018, they were granted the freedom to vote.

Boishakhi TV stated that it wanted to be a part of the changes and has hired a second trans person in its drama department.

“I was nervous, I was feeling so

Tashnuva Anan Shishir. Photo via Twitter.

emotional, but I had in my mind that I must overcome this ordeal, this final test,” Shishir told Euronews.

AFRICA

NORTH AMERICA

CAMEROON DENIES BAIL TO TRANS WOMEN FACING HOMOSEXUALITY CHARGES

CANADIAN EXPUNGEMENT LAW CLEARS ONLY NINE LGBT RECORDS

Two transgender women are facing charges of “attempted homosexuality” in Cameroon. On Wednesday, a judge adjourned their case and sent them back to jail, denying them bail.

According to Reuters, Mildren Loic, a local social media celebrity, and Moute Rolland were arrested for wearing women’s clothes while eating in a restaurant in Douala.

Two days later, they were taken to jail.

Loic and Rolland have pleaded not guilty in the charges of public indecency and not carrying identification.

Human rights activists have reported a series of acts by Cameroonian officials against the LGBT community this year and last, which culminated in the detention of scores of individuals.

Reuters states that Loic and Rolland’s

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EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

• 4 .1.2021

Mildren Loic, also known as Shakiro. Photo via Facebook.

case will be heard April 5, and a guilty verdict can carry up to a five-year sentence.

Three years after the Canadian government created a way for people convicted of committing gay acts to have their criminal records wiped clean, only nine people have benefited from it.

According to iPolitics, this represents only 0.1% of the 9,000 people the bill was supposed to help.

Only 40 applications for expungement have been received since June 2018.

The other 31 applications were rejected because the applicants didn’t meet the eligibility criteria of the law, which included applying to have convictions wiped that aren’t included on the expungement list.

The bill was originally created as a part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s apology to LGBT Canadians.

“This will mean that Canadians

SFGN file photo.

previously convicted of consensual sexual activity with same-sex partners will have their criminal records permanently destroyed,” Trudeau said in his apology speech on November 28, 2017, according to iPolitics.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY COREY ROSE

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

CALIFORNIA

PENNSYLVANIA

LGBT MARCH AGAINST ANTI-ASIAN RACISM DRAWS CROWDS

RACHEL LEVINE BECOMES FIRST TRANS FEDERAL OFFICIAL CONFIRMED BY US SENATE

Hundreds of LGBT community members marched to Chinatown to show solidarity and support for Asian communities. The protests were organized in just under a few days by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, and the Harvey Milk Democratic Club, in response to the eight people who were killed in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian women.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in a press briefing that the Biden administration partly attributes the spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans nationwide over the past year to former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting that it “has elevated threats against Asian Americans, and we’re seeing that around the country.”

GAPA Chair Michael Nguyen opened

San Francisco City Council Member James Coleman.

Photo credit: @JamesColemanSSF, via Twitter.

the event by acknowledging the pain felt by LGBT members of the Asian community.

“How are we going to transform our Asian community to fight back against Asian violence? I really think it’s a personal choice to just stand up and say enough is enough,” Nguyen told Outward Magazine.

Dr. Rachel Levine’s appointment as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services made history as she is the first and highest-ranking transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Levine previously served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, where her leadership in response to COVID-19 drew transphobic remarks from lawmakers and local officials. In her first welcome remarks as assistant secretary on Friday, she made it clear that her primary focus would be on bringing an end to the pandemic.

“We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is not the time to let down our guard,” Levine said.

Levine also addressed the health disparities highlighted by the coronavirus,

Dr. Rachel Levine. Photo credit: Penn State.

and will serve on the Health Equity Task Force created by the Biden Administration to make a range of recommendations to inform the administration’s COVID-19 response.

MINNESOTA

GEORGIA

SCHOOL DISTRICT SETTLES WITH TRANS STUDENT FOR 300K

OUT LAWMAKER ARRESTED AS GOVERNOR SIGNS ELECTIONS BILL

The Anoka-Hennepin School District will award $300,000 in the case of a transgender student whom the district targeted in 2016 while participating on the boy’s swim team.

When the school board relegated Nick H. to a segregated locker room to prepare for swim meets, he’d already been using the boy’s locker room with the rest of his teammates for months. According to Nick, the action by the district led to bullying and threats from his classmates.

In addition to the payout, the district must recommit to affirming students of all gender identities, and training all students, staff and board members on upcoming policy changes.

“I never want any student to experience the discrimination and cruelty I experienced from the adults

Coon Rapids High School.

Photo Credit: Joseph Wold, Wikimedia Commons.

at my school,” Nick said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. “It means a lot to see the courts protect transgender students like me.”

Georgia State Capitol patrols arrested state Rep. Park Cannon outside Gov. Brian Kemp’s office door as he announced the signing of SB 202, a bill that introduces dramatic changes to Georgia’s election system. Cannon is facing two felonies of obstructing law enforcement and disrupting a general assembly session after repeatedly knocking on Kemp’s door to witness the signing.

“I am not the first Georgian to be arrested for fighting voter suppression,” Kemp wrote in a tweet following her release from jail. “I’d love to say I’m the last, but we know that isn’t true.”

Videos of Cannon’s arrest went viral and sparked national outcry from those who compared the incident to the protests of last summer and the civil rights movement. President Joe Biden

Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon. Photo via Facebook.

condemned Cannon’s arrest and the passing of the bill.

“This is Jim Crow in the 21st Century.

It must end. We have a moral and Constitutional obligation to act,” Biden released in a statement on Friday.

4 .1. 20 21 •

13

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY ELLIOT RODRIGUEZ

GAY VINE THE

KEEP UP WITH THE CELEBRITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY

MUSIC

FILM

SINNER!

THE SQUAD RETURNS HARLEY QUEEN IS BACK

IS LIL NAS X A COPYCAT? Accusations that Lil Nas X copied a certain scene from FKA twigs music video “cellophane” has been going around ever since Lil Nas X dropped his music video for his track “MONTERO.” The scene that is getting all the attention happens to be the stripper pole scene. In “MONTERO,” Lil Nas X is seen descending a stripper pole that starts in heaven and leads to hell.

According to Out.com, “There’s no winning when this happens … Been copied before but this feels different. Lil Nas X’s label contacted me [at the] end of last year. Pivoted away then hired the same choreographer from ‘Cellophane,’” Photographer and Director Andrew Thomas Huang said in an Instagram story.

Lil Nas X. Image via YouTube.

Some fans have even taken it upon themselves to make side by side comparisons and posted them on Twitter.

While nothing has been mentioned by Lil Nas X or his crew at the moment, fans are left with no concrete answers.

The ever elegant, maniacal, and colorful bisexual antihero is back and ready for some more action. Yes we are talking about none other than Harley Quinn.

The mallet-toting maniac is set to appear once again on the big screen in “The Suicide Squad.”

Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, is set to take the mainstage with another big name, Idris Elba, who will play Bloodsport.

While these two are set to headline the flick, the roster for this movie is jampacked with colorful characters.

This Suicide Squad is taking place five years after the launch of the first “Suicide Squad” movie, where the audience got to see Robbie portray Quinn for the first

Photo via Warner Bros.

time on the big screen.

If the sequel is anything like the first, then the box office grosses are going to look good.

Suicide Squad also performed well at the box office, grossing 746.8 million globally, against a $175 million production budget, according to Arstechnica.

HISTORY

TURING HEADS! GAY MAN TO BE FEATURED ON UK POUND

Gay mathematician, cryptographer and biologist Alan Turing is the new face of United Kingdom’s 50 note.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said, “Turing is best known for his code breaking work at Bletchley Park, which helped end the Second World War. However … he was also gay, and was treated appallingly as a result. By placing him on our new polymer £50 banknote, we are celebrating his achievements, and the values he symbolizes,” according to Out.com.

Turing was treated terribly for being gay. He was treated so bad that he would be chemically castrated after his arrest in 1952, Out.com reported.

Out.com noted that Government Communications Headquarters Director Jeremy Fleming said, “His legacy is a reminder of the value

14

• 4 .1.2021

of embracing all aspects of diversity, but also the work we still need to do to become truly inclusive.”

The new note sports Turing’s face on one side in red, while a quote he gave The Times in 1949, is placed at the bottom of his picture. It reads “This is only a foretaste of what is to come and only the shadow of what is going to be.”

Turing was mistreated for being gay; his arrest would prevent him from cracking anymore codes for the British signals’ intelligence agency, Out. com reported. Turing would later take his life via cyanide capsule in 1954 when he was 41 years old.

“The choice of Alan Turing and the manner in which it was arrived at by public nomination marks another step in our nation’s long overdue recognition of this very great man,” actor and writer Stephen Fry said in a Youtube video.

The new Fifty Pound note. Image via the Bank of England.

NEWS LOCAL

POPULAR STORK’S BARISTA DIES OF LYMPHOMA John Hayden Photo via Stork’s, Facebook.

Norm.Kent@sfgn.com•954-530-4970

M

ornings 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.

Gonzalez had been the friendly face helping people start their day since joining Stork’s in 2013. Five or six days a week, he would show up at 5:15 a.m. to open the store and greet his loyal customers and new faces.

Stork’s posted a tribute to Gonzalez on Facebook saying he did more than pour coffee and make sandwiches, he also became a friend to people passing through the doors.

“Through the years, he built a rapport and friendship with so many of our loyal patrons, typically sharing stories about his much-treasured annual vacation trips with Roger, as well as their two beloved dogs,” the company wrote.

His friendliness was matched only by his skill. In 2019 and 2020,

Gonzalez won Best Barista in SFGN’s Best Of contest. When he first won in 2019, Gonzalez told SFGN that the job is “...about patience, listening, and understanding.” He would work with customers to create special orders that weren’t on the menu, and said a kind word from them such as “Daniel, thank you, the sandwich was great,” made it all worthwhile.

“Friendly, reliable, dependable, knew Stork’s products and kept the line down! Eight years of service at Stork’s with smiles, speed and humor,” Joe Grano commented on Facebook. “Before that an Argentine Attorney. His loss is so sad.

So young. My deepest condolences to Roger for the loss of his dear, life-long companion. Let us keep them in our thoughts.”

GONZALEZ HAD BEEN THE FRIENDLY FACE HELPING PEOPLE START THEIR DAY SINCE JOINING STORK’S IN 2013.

4 .1. 20 21 •

15

NEWS NATIONAL

GOP USES TRANS GIRLS IN SPORTS AS THEIR NEW WEDGE ISSUE “MAKING IT INTO A PROBLEM IS JUST TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR A PROBLEM THAT DOESN’T EXIST.” Steve Rothaus Special to SFGN

F

lorida’s Legislature is poised to ban transgender girls and women — kindergarten through college age — from competing throughout the state with cisgender female teammates.

“There is a real danger this will pass in Association (NCAA) each have policies to Florida,” said Gina Duncan, Equality Florida’s accommodate trans athletes, according to state director of Transgender Equality.

WUSF Public Media, but “this bill would Companion bills are being “fast-tracked” preempt those policies in Florida.” through the Florida House and Senate, Tuesday afternoon, Equality Florida held Duncan said. a Tampa news conference against the bill “Both of these bills are attacking featuring the local stepfather of a 10-year-old transgender girl athletes, prohibiting them transgender girl. from the opportunity to play sports that align “My stepdaughter tried a few different with their gender identity,” she said. sports and she said ‘I want to try gymnastics.’

The Senate version (S2012), So we went to a very large called by Republican sponsor gymnastics facility in the Tampa Kelli Stargel of Lakeland, Bay area, which I won’t call out, the “Promoting Equality of and we signed her up. We spent a Athletic Opportunity Act,” lot of money but this is what she would require “certain athletic wanted,” Martin McLellend said. teams or sports sponsored “My wife and I had a by certain educational conversation of ‘Do we talk to institutions be designated on the owners and tell them that the basis of students’ biological she’s transgender?’ Ultimately, sex” and prohibit “athletic we decided that we would,” teams or sports designated for McLellend said. “The owner, after female students from being talking with my wife, said, ‘She open to male students.” will never compete.’ That was - Martin McLellend The House version (H1475), his comeback. ‘She will never PARENT co-sponsored by seven compete.’ And my wife said, ‘Well, Republicans, goes further, is she welcome here?’ He said he “requiring the school or institution to request needed to talk to his wife and think about it. a certain health examination and consent And they went over it and the next day he form or other statement from the student’s called my wife back and they refunded all of health care provider to verify the student’s our money. And they washed their hands of biological sex under certain circumstances.” it.”

Duncan explained: “The onus on the Tearfully, McLellend continued: transgender athlete is to go through a number “And so we have to explain to our of review boards and committees to ensure transgender daughter that she can’t compete. they meet all the standards set forth by the She can’t be a part of a sports group because Florida High School Athletic Association.” she’s considered different than everybody The Florida High School Athletic else. Thankfully, she has an awesome school Association and National Collegiate Athletic and awesome teachers who have embraced

“NOT ONLY IS THIS STUFF HURTFUL, BUT IT’S HARMFUL. IT’S HARMFUL.”

16

• 4 .1.2021

Photo via Pixabay, edited by Brendon Lies.

her. And they have taken care of her.”

He pleaded with the Legislature not to pass the bill. “Not only is this stuff hurtful, but it’s harmful. It’s harmful. So I’m here advocating for my stepdaughter and all the transgender youth that might be out there. And we just ask you to consider dropping this bill to protect our youth and let them play.”

The proposed Florida ban is among more than 80 anti-transgender bills introduced in state legislatures since Joe Biden became president, according to the Washingtonbased Human Rights Campaign.

“This is an orchestrated national effort to marginalize transgender athletes,” said Duncan, who has two adult children.

On Monday, The New York Times published a front-page story titled “Transgender Girls in Sports Are New G.O.P. Culture War.” “It has been brought about by a coordinated and poll-tested campaign by social conservative organizations like the American Principles Project and Concerned Women for America, which say they are determined to move forward with what may be one of their last footholds in the fight against expanding L.G.B.T.Q. rights,” wrote Times national

politics reporter Jeremy W. Peters.

The National Institutes of Health in 2017 estimated that one in every 250 adults, or almost one million Americans, identify as transgender.

Dr. Dana Beyer of Chevy Chase, Maryland, a retired ophthalmic surgeon and longtime trans activist, makes clear that “the most important point about this [conservative political movement] is that trans people in sports are not a problem.”

“Making it into a problem is just trying to find a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Beyer, a national board member of A Wider Bridge, a North American organization that seeks to expand LGBT inclusion in Israel. “The vast majority of people who play sports are doing it to have fun.”

Beyer, part of a Washington Psychiatric Society team that in 2012 convinced the American Psychiatric Association to declassify being transgender as a mental disorder, believes it’s relatively easy for farright conservatives to seize the sports issue because so many people still know so little about being trans.

NEWS NATIONAL

The Florida State Legislature. SFGN file photo.

“Trans people have the brain sex of one sex and the genital sex of the other. That’s what distinguishes them. That’s what it comes down to. The problem in our society is that people equate sex and gender with genitals.

That’s always been the issue. It is still the issue. I think we’ve made progress by having people say trans women are women, trans men are men,” Beyer said.

“Unfortunately, many people either haven’t been educated or are willfully ignorant — or because of their own sexual desires — don’t see it that way. And I know a lot of gay men for whom being gay is really only about penises, and they don’t really want to hear about anything else, which is sort of unfortunate,” she said.

The move to ban trans girls and women from school athletics is based on the premise that they have an unfair competitive advantage over cisgender girls and women.

“In some respects, if you talk to the athletes themselves, they’ll tell you they believe they are in worse shape than they would have been had they just been cis girls from the get-go,” according to Beyer.

“That doesn’t get said enough. I’ve had that experience — and many others who

Dr. Dana Beyer, a retired ophthalmic surgeon and longtime trans activist. Submitted photo.

are far better athletes than I’ve ever been.

And it makes sense. Because when I hear the opposition talk about ‘Well, if you go through male puberty, you have male bone structure, male bone density and all that, and then you have the muscular structure which is on these larger bones, which gives you more leverage, etc.’ — building up muscle and then losing it puts you at a disadvantage.”

Beyer, who has two adult sons, said she knows this from personal experience.

“I used to run marathons before I blew out my knees. I ran marathons under the effects of testosterone, and then I transitioned and kept running marathons. My time dropped by 30 minutes just by doing that,” she said. “I could feel the difference. It was a huge struggle because when you’ve been on estrogen for a year — worse at two years, worse even at three years — your muscle mass decreases and your fat redistributes, so the leveraging of your larger, denser bones loses its impact.”

It’s important to talk about the trans experience and clear up cis people’s misconceptions, Beyer said.

“When I transitioned, I said to my parents, ‘Do you have any questions?’ And my father’s question was, ‘Well, are you still a doctor?’

“I told him, ‘I haven’t had brain surgery, Dad, and I’ve even gotten my diploma changed to my new name so we’re good there.’

“He’s a very smart guy. After I said that to him, he laughed. But this was something that was emotional to him, right? And he didn’t know because he hadn’t done any research on this. So it was a reasonable question.”

Beyer acknowledges she runs “counter to the ‘official dogma’ of the trans community, which is that sports is a human right and everybody should be able to participate, and trans women are women, therefore they can participate on the girls’ team.”

“I don’t accept that 100%. I believe that if you’ve undergone puberty blockers and then cross-sex hormones, then yes, there’s no question you are physiologically identical to the CIS girls. That should be a no brainer.”

But she adds: “If you’ve gone through a

male puberty, and now you’re a sophomore train. That’s why they work so hard. That’s in high school or a junior in high school, you why they are trying to be their best,” she said. can’t simply say ‘I’m a girl and I want to play “Now the question is, ‘Is their advantage on the girls’ team.’ You have to play by the disqualifying?’ What the research so far shows rules … You are at a physiological advantage is that yes, so far, there was a big difference for and you should not compete. It’s unfair. an athlete who is not on any kind of medical “I believe, and people can intervention and an athlete argue with me, I believe we who is. I can tell you from are where we are today as far just trying to carry a box or as acceptance goes in this opening a jar of pickles, I am country because we always not the person I was when I tried to be fair. I think gay started hormones 11 years people are where they are ago. My body has changed. because they always try to be My body is not the same as fair. Remember, we always it was, and I don’t have the used to say, ‘We don’t want same body fat or strength “THE PROBLEM IS special rights. We want equal that I did when I was living, THAT THIS IS NOT rights.’ Equal rights means we pretending to be a man.”

DIRECTED AT TRANS should not be able to take this Ennis, the widowed mom innate biological advantage of three children in their MEN, IT’S DIRECTED and use it to win a sports mid-teens and early 20s, AT TRANS WOMEN competition.” said that like most parents, AND TRANS GIRLS A physical advantage, she wants her kids “to win however, shouldn’t be used everything.”

BECAUSE THEY’RE to keep some trans kids “But I also have been PERCEIVED TO BE from participating in school telling them since they athletics, said Dawn Ennis, were very little that life is BOYS AND MEN, AND managing editor of Outsports. not fair and sometimes THEY ARE PERCEIVED com. you lose. And by losing, we TO BE REJECTING “Do you remember in learn something. We gain the Olympics, were there something.”

THE ALMIGHTY MALE men complaining that She is outraged that trans FIGURE.” Michael Phelps had an unfair people, especially children, advantage because of an have become political pawns - Dawn Ennis incredible wingspan? Because of the latest Republican MANAGING EDITOR OF OUTSPORTS.COM of incredible skill in the pool? culture war.

Nobody complained and “This is just a bogeyman said it was unfair or that he that they set up to rile up should be in a separate lane or a separate their base, to win elections and to have competition,” said Ennis, a trans woman and someone to hate.” longtime mainstream journalist.

Ennis said young trans athletes are “not “What about Elena Delle Donne? She’s transitioning to win” in high school and a WNBA player. She’s very tall. She’s quite college sports. muscular. But nobody puts her in a separate “They’re not transitioning to beat girls or category. Usain Bolt runs faster than almost because they’re bad at being a boy or because anyone on the planet, but no one’s saying, they’re inferior and they want to be superior,” ‘Well, it’s not fair for him to compete.’ The Ennis said. “This is about sports as a human problem is it’s misogyny,” Ennis said. “The right. This is about teamwork. Being your true problem is that this is not directed at trans self, giving everything you have, to do the best men, it’s directed at trans women and trans you can. girls because they’re perceived to be boys and “I’m no athlete,” she continued. “I was a men, and they are perceived to be rejecting terrible, uncoordinated athlete as a child. But the almighty male figure.”

I tried. I gave it my 100% best effort, and that’s Ennis said the issue of physical advantage what we are asking all the parents, and all the has been turned upside down. “Anybody who sports associations to allow trans athletes doesn’t think that advantage is an important to do: Let them compete to the best of their part of sports doesn’t understand sports.” ability. Putting trans girls in a boys league or “Every team, every competitor, every in a boys competition is ridiculous. It doesn’t athlete wants an advantage over someone make any sense because they’re not boys.” else so that they can win. That’s why they

Journalist Steve Rothaus covered LGBT issues for 22 years at the Miami Herald.

4 .1. 20 21 •

17

NEWS LOCAL

WORLD AIDS MUSEUM TO SCREEN DOCUMENTARY ON FAMILIES IMPACTED BY AIDS Everitt Rosen

T

he World AIDS Museum and Educational Center will be hosting a VIP benefit reception with photojournalist Smiley Pool at The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale on April 7 at 5:30 p.m. This is the only South Florida showing of “Through the White Door,” a documentary photo project that portrays the interconnected human experience of families that have been affected by HIV/AIDS. This project began with a life changing photo assignment in Romania for the Houston Chronicle.

“It’s one thing to see pictures of kids living in sewers. It’s another thing to crawl through darkness with them to get to their little nest, where they let you take pictures of their baby,” Pool said. “You can look at pictures of homeless kids in the snow, but the full impact of their reality pierces your heart when you stand there and feel the cold.”

Two newspaper stories stemmed from this trip in the 1990s and the rest of Pool’s work on the documentary was completed on his vacation time over the span of 20 years.

One of these articles, Worlds Apart, became a calling of his, which was to document the

“AFTER OVER TWO DECADES FOLLOWING THIS STORY, HERE’S WHAT I KNOW: WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” - Smiley Pool PHOTOJOURNALIST

1996 in Bucharest, Romania.

Credit: Smiley Pool.

disparities between children born with HIV in a fortunate country like the U.S. versus children elsewhere.

The project ended up becoming an oversized hardcover book with 212 pages of his photography. Pool’s wife, Jessica Johns Pool, is a writer specializing in health care, and she wrote the text for the book. “Through the White Door” is their way of sharing the inspirational stories of the people they have met along their way.

Pool also documented the formation and the rise of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, which is now the largest provider of care and treatment for HIV positive children in the world.

“After over two decades following this story, here’s what I know: We can all make a difference,” Pool wrote on his website. “It might be in a way you never expected. It might be in an arena you never explored before now.

Or, you might have been preparing for it all your life and never knew it. But when your chance to make a difference lands in your lap, I hope you’ll grab on.”

At the reception, guests will have a change to meet and speak with Pool and autographs will be available for purchase. All of the proceeds from this event will benefit the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center.

Tickets to this event are $25 and attendants will be required to wear a mask and practice safe social distancing. There will be a limit of 100 guests.

“Through the White Door” will be on exhibit at the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center from April 8 - 30. For more information about the “Through the White Door” photo exhibit, call 954-390-0550 or visit worldaidsmuseum.org.

18

• 4 .1.2021

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good friend in his personal life, a real estate king in his professional life, and an unpredictable character at all times. Larry Rowe, long a pillar of South Florida’s business and social scenes, has died. He was 80.

Rowe was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he had an active childhood, playing on his high school’s golf and tennis teams and raising his voice in Glee Club. After attending Ohio State University for Arts and Business, he made his way to Chicago. In 1964, while working in sales, he met a talented designer, Niko Gianopoulos*.

They spent 31 years together until Gianopoulos’ death in 1995.

In the late ‘60s Rowe and Gianopoulos decided they needed a break from the cold winds of Chicago and looked for a place in Florida, and eventually found a condo in Fort Lauderdale. Rowe decided to get his real estate license and in 1973 formed his own company and hired dozens of agents. He quickly became the go-to guy for real estate in the gay community.

Elliot Rosemon moved down from Pennsylvania and met Rowe in 1986 while buying a house.

Rosemon said Rowe and Gianopoulos quickly brought them into their group of friends. “They were very gracious. Larry was a character. He enjoyed having fun and having some cocktails.”

Ken Evans is another friend who met Rowe long ago but his memories are vivid. Evans once owned a little dive bar where Rowe would drive up in his Rolls Royce and come in to support his friend’s business. “He always had a smile on his face,” Evans said.

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Rowe was everywhere in the community.

Over his decades in South Florida, he served on the Board of Directors of the Fort Lauderdale Realtors Association, the board of the Florida Realtors Association, and was a founding member of the Charitable Association of the Fort Lauderdale Realtors Association. At one time he was president of the Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale South and served on the board of the Stranahan Museum.

He was also an active member of Fort Lauderdale Prime Gentlemen, inducted into their Hall of Fame as Mr. December. Happy and boisterous, Henry Penas, the group’s president, said you could always tell when Rowe was around. During their mixers on Zoom he was often asked to turn down his microphone.

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* SFGN could not confirm the spelling of Niko Gianopoulos’s name.

4 .1. 20 21 •

19

COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

STOP GASLIGHTING US ON CORAL RIDGE’S LONG HISTORY OF HATE The Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Photo via crpc.org.

In Neil Burmeister’s recent letter (We Forgave President Obama. Isn’t it Time to Forgive Coral Ridge?) to SFGN he attempts to gaslight the readers of SFGN and it begs a response.

While it is true that since the ‘90s the LGBT community has overwhelmingly supported Democratic presidential candidates Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden despite some of their past equivocations on full LGBT equality, we did so with a clear understanding that the Republican candidates were always far worse. Some were openly hostile towards us in their campaigns.

In the 2004 election against Kerry, George W. Bush touted his support for permanently banning gay marriages in the constitution. Many in our community were upset when Ellen DeGeneres defended her apparent friendship with Bush, not because we don’t believe in the power of forgiveness, but because Bush never apologized, nor did Ellen ever acknowledge the despair Bush inflicted on our people.

Which brings me to Burmeister’s main point: defending Fort Lauderdale’s gay mayor Dean Trantalis from attacks over his March 16 proclamation honoring the historically anti-LGBT Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.

Burmeister refers to the anti-LGBT work done on the Coral Ridge campus as just “different ideas.” He says, “We will never agree with every policy or opinion of every group.”

It saddens me to see a gay man who thinks so little of his own humanity, that he regards promoting bans on gay adoptions and shaming LGBT youth as mere “differences of opinion.”

How many suicides, how many families torn apart, how many hate crimes, how much mind-numbing drug and alcohol abuse, how much anger and desperation...can be traced to Coral Ridge ministry’s set of beliefs that teach LGBTs pose a dire threat to families, Christianity, and society itself?

Mayor Trantalis, Mr. Burmeister and Coral Ridge Pastor Pacienza, questioning the decency, humanity and equality of LGBT people and families in 2021 is not a benign set of beliefs. It is an ugly manifestation of hate. And whether a mayor is gay or straight, to suggest that it’s time the LGBT community “let go of resentment” towards a church with this history of atrocities against LGBT youth and adults, while they show no hint of contrition or a behavioral shift, is insulting and disrespectful to all LGBT people and allies.

Marc Paige

Fort Lauderdale

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!  Submit your own letter to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com 20

• 4 .1.2021

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Attorney at Law 2520 N. Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305

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CONVICTIONS

Mombian

A SPORTING CHANCE Conservatives are using fear to try to divide LGBT allies. We cannot let them. Trans women are women. Period.

Photo via PxHere.

Dana Rudolph

W

hen the Equality Act, a sweeping piece of LGBT civil rights legislation, had a Senate hearing on March 17, opponents made clear they are trying to use fear of transgender people as a way to defeat the bill. We must not let them do that — and we must act against the dozens of antitransgender bills now in state legislatures.

The Equality Act would provide explicit protections to ensure that all LGBT people and all women are treated equally under the law, including in foster care and adoption services, public accommodations, employment, housing, and many other areas.

Opponents, however, are stirring up old fears about transgender girls and women in sports and in female-only bathrooms and locker rooms, trying to make this a wedge issue to divide non-LGBT feminists, the LGB community, and the trans community from each other.

Opponents argued during the Senate hearing that extending equality to transgender women and girls will destroy women’s sports.

It’s awful but not surprising that are also now bills in 24 states that would ban trans girls from competing in girls’ sports in public high schools, according to the ACLU — but the bills’ sponsors are hard-pressed to cite any examples of their participation causing problems, as David Crary and Lindsay Whitehurst pointed out in an AP article on March 3.

As a former NCAA athlete, I’ll say this: trans girls are girls. Trans women are women.

Letting them play on girls’/women’s teams won’t mark the end of women’s sports, but will mark the beginning of women’s sports being open to all women. That’s something to be celebrated.

I’m a cisgender woman and stand 5’0”. I’m not too hefty. I’ve been an athlete all my life,

though, and have almost always competed against opponents who are taller and heavier, in both fencing and taekwondo. I have competed in both sports against cisgender women and men (mostly women, but occasionally in mixed-gender tournaments); some of the women were 6’ tall; some of the men were 5’6″ or under, and vice versa. I was good but not exceptional, and I’ve won and lost regardless of gender, height, or weight.

When I lost, I sucked it up and trained harder.

Tell me I’d lose just because an opponent was bigger or stronger and my instinct was to prove you wrong.

Yes, height and weight can be an advantage in some sports, but they can also be a disadvantage — and one learns to use what one has. (In fencing, my shorter arms gave me an advantage at close quarters.) And in sports where weight really matters, like wrestling, there are weight categories.

Then there are the middleschool sports leagues in which some kids have hit their growth spurts already and others haven’t, and the size/weight discrepancy among athletes is vast, even within a single gender. Do we tell the smaller kids they can’t play, or make the smaller boys compete on the girls’ teams? No. The point is to give all kids the opportunity to enjoy the many benefits of sport with their peers, which usually means with others of their gender.

For young athletes in particular, sports are as much about the social aspects as about the competitive ones. As Stella Keating, a 16-yearold trans girl, testified at the Senate hearing, the majority of trans youth who join sports “just want to hang out with their friends.”

A recent paper from the Center for American Progress noted, too, “Transgender students in states with fully inclusive athletic policies were 14 percentage points less likely

TELL ME I’D LOSE JUST BECAUSE AN OPPONENT WAS BIGGER OR STRONGER AND MY INSTINCT WAS TO PROVE YOU WRONG.

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• 4 .1.2021

to have considered suicide in the past year than students in states with no guidance.”

Policies that deny trans students the right to play on the team of their gender may purport to be helping children (by which, read cisgender ones) but are really saying that transgender lives don’t matter.

We also need to remember that sometimes a transgender girl will win, and that’s OK. Maybe she trained harder or simply has a natural talent for the sport. That doesn’t mean that all trans girls have an unfair advantage.

Sometimes a cisgender girl who is much bigger will also win over smaller opponents.

If we can accept the latter without breaking all sports into height/weight categories, then we should accept the former.

The other red herring from those opposed to the Equality Act, as we saw during the Senate hearing, is that they say they’re not really against LGBT equality, but are afraid that anyone can simply claim to be a particular gender and suddenly get access to spaces

reserved for that gender. I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t imagine that any court would support anyone with such a claim. There are already ways to assess that a person’s gender identity is genuine; health care professionals often use the metrics “consistent, insistent, and persistent” to evaluate whether a child is trans or nonbinary. Cisgender men who dress up as or speciously claim to be women in order to access women’s-only spaces would not be protected under the Equality Act. Rigid and archaic ideas of sex and gender have long underlain opposition to LGBT equality. That same mindset is now being used to attack transgender people at both the federal and state levels. To give in to it is to concede that the anti-LGBT forces were right all along. That’s not good for transgender people, particularly trans children, or for the LGBT community as a whole. Let’s show everyone what being part of a team is really all about, and work together to defeat anti-trans legislation and support the Equality Act.

Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory, with a searchable database of 600+ LGBTQ family books, media, and more.

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23

LIFESTYLE TWO GUYS AND A DOG

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS Grocery carts, dog poop, and doing the right thing Brian McNaught

O

ur nephew, and his fiancée, judge the kindness and character of a person, based upon whether they return their empty grocery cart to the store/assigned area, or leave it sitting in the middle of the parking lot. I was impressed that two 30-year-olds created their own criteria to observe and discuss the benevolence of others. “The Grocery Cart Test.”

“What’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done?” my friend, Alan, asked me over coffee at Stork’s, as I discussed with him an idea for a new book.

My mind immediately went to the most amount of money I had spent on another person, but that was more about generosity, although kindness was involved.

Probably the best example of true kindness would be picking up someone else’s dog poop in the dark, with no expectation of acknowledgement. True kindness, for me, is doing the right thing when I don’t feel like doing it. My friend’s favorite memory of kindness was driving teenage strangers three hours to their destination because he overheard them saying they missed their train, and didn’t have money to stay overnight.

“Did you enjoy it?” I asked. He smiled, and said, “Yes.” I believe kindness is its own reward. Even in bagging someone else’s dog poop, I feel good knowing no one will accidentally step in it.

I like the feeling of making life better for others. There are abundant ways to do so daily, including saying “please” and “thank you,” not honking, wishing strangers “happy birthday,” checking in on a friend, dropping off canned goods at a food pantry, picking up litter, etc. Our next door neighbor blows off our driveway when Ray and I are in bed at night. We bring each other soup, cupcakes, and cookies.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the components of my success in creating allies out of heterosexual people over the past

forty-seven years. When I began my work as an educator on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues, we just called it “gay issues,” and most straight people had never met an openly gay person. I now realize that I had a lot going for me, including sełfesteem, self-confidence, shared faith and values, an outgoing personality, a significant knowledge of sexuality and religious beliefs, and a good sense of humor. I was articulate and not unattractive. But, my most effective tool, I believe, was my kindness.

Most of us are disarmed by the kindness of others. It’s the bridge that allows people to cross over their fears of the unknown.

What is kindness? Is it innate or learned? Why are some siblings kinder than others? Are some groups of people more likely to be kind, women over men, gay over straight, American over British? My friend at Stork’s thought that people who are secure in themselves are more likely to be kind, which makes sense, but isn’t the opposite possible too? Aren’t some insecure people super kind in the hope of being accepted and esteemed?

I choose my friends by their kindness.

If I witness someone being rude or condescending to service personnel, gossipy about others, dismissive of pets and children, or litterbugs, they aren’t people I want in my life. My first live-in boyfriend was an Episcopal priest, so I assumed he was kindhearted, but I left him because he was a bully; emotionally abusive to me and to others.

TRUE KINDNESS, FOR ME, IS DOING THE RIGHT THING WHEN I DON’T FEEL LIKE DOING IT.

THERE’S MORE ONLINE! 24

• 4 .1.2021

Photo via PxHere.

True kindness involves thoughtfulness and generosity, without expectation of reward, or acknowledgement. It can be kind to open the door for the stranger coming your way, or from behind you, or it can be a set-up for resentment and hostility. If we feel obliged to be kind, as happens with some cultures, the courtesy they show can feel hollow, and even hypocritical. So, kindness needs to be genuine, from the heart, and without ulterior motive.

As a group, I find lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people to be kind, and my expectation is that they will be.

I coincidentally received this morning a Facebook message from an Italian friend that read, “‘Dear Gay Men, please stop being so much kinder, funnier, and more attractive than straight men. It’s depressing.’ Signed, ‘All Single Women.’” So, it’s not just me who suspects that the kindest boys in grade school were closeted gay kíds.

The flip side of that is the hurt of my unmet expectations. I’m often very disappointed by the lack of empathy, understanding, and benevolence found in some members of my community. I am embarrassed by the bad behavior of some LGBT people, especially of some gay men. But, the fact that we, as

a community, keep adding letters to the acronym of our public identity impresses me.

Gay men in leadership positions were very quick to affirm that lesbians needed their own designation, and that the “L” needed to precede the “G” to better highlight the importance of feminist issues. Both the “G”s and the “L”s embraced bisexuality as an important distinction, so the “B” was added, and though the basis of discrimination seemed different, the plight of transgender people, more often straight than gay, was brought into the fold with the addition of the letter “T.” People in my Baby Boomer generation grew up with the word “queer” being the most commonly used put-down for being homosexual. We were terrified of being labeled as such, but when young gay people said they preferred the term “queer,” the leaders of our community added the “Q” to the mix. It’s kindness, not political expediency, that motivates these efforts. The addition of the “T” to legislation in Congress is what has held up protections for gay people against discrimination in employment and housing. The empathy-based principles of our community’s leadership please me greatly.

It would be unkind of me not to include

CAN’T WE JUST FLY BOTH FLAGS? •A LETTER TO THE EDITOR BY LANDON (LJ) WOOLSTON Read SFGN.com to find out more.

LIFESTYLE TWO GUYS AND A DOG mention of the “Q” for those in the process of questioning their sexual attractions and gender identity, the “I” for Intersex, the “A” for asexual, and the whole issue of people who are non-binary or gender-queer. It would also be unkind of me not to say that the coupling of all of these issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and biological sex overwhelm heterosexual, cisgender people, as well as many who are gay, bisexual, and transgender.

Being aware of that confusion, not hostility, and acknowledging it out loud, is what helped me be successful as an educator on LGBTQQIA issues Being kind requires patience with oneself and with others. It requires love for oneself and for others. It helps if you genuinely like other human beings, unlike the “Peanuts” character, Lucy, who loves mankind but doesn’t like people.

In this fractured, uncivil culture of ours, kindness requires forgiveness, as well as the benefit of the doubt. When we find the empty

Fifteen Years Serving the CommUNITY grocery cart in the middle of the parking space that we’re trying to enter, we can immediately get angry at the selfish person who we imagine left it there, or we can accept the possibility that the cart is there because the mother of three small children who unloaded her groceries and her family into the car, placed it safely out of the way, and it rolled out after she drove off. I can pick up someone else’s dog poop with indignation, or I can allow for the possibility that the dog owner was mortified to realize that for the first time ever, they left home without a plastic bag.

That happened to me the other night. I was about to beat myself up for leaving home without a poop bag. Instead, with kindness to myself, I breathed slowly and deeply, forgave myself, and used my handkerchief to clean up after Lincoln. In answer to my friend’s question, maybe my greatest act of kindness has been to laugh with myself at my imperfections. Doing so makes it easier for me to build bridges to the imperfections of others.

Brian McNaught has been a leading educator on LGBTQ issues globally since 1974. He has made his many books and DVDs available for free at Brian-McNaught.com. The New York Times named him “The Godfather of gay diversity training.”

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4 .1. 20 21 •

25

CONVICTIONS

Mark My Words

‘RELIGIOUS FREEDOM’ IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION.

IT’S ABOUT MONEY

Mark Segal

Publisher of Philadelphia Gay News

H

ere’s a secret that has stopped the Equality Act in its tracks in the U.S. Senate. The Republicans and religious leaders have framed the subject as one of “religious freedom,” and have won that debate since our lobbyists aren’t addressing it as it should be: religious institutions wanting special rights to discriminate. And let’s not forget the boogieman/women they use is our trans community. But why, you might wonder, does the religious right put up so much of a fight against the Equality Act? The little dirty secret, the reason churches don’t like the Equality Act is that it will shine a light on their finances, and what they use our tax dollars for. Simply put: they are afraid it will take money out of their coffers.

The Equality Act has the support of many of the Fortune 500, unions, civil rights organizations, and human rights groups. So what’s the hold-up? Religious organizations, primarily the Catholic Church, Mormons and Evangelicals, are putting up a lobbying and publicity campaign against its passage under the guise of “religious freedom.” That is a red herring. However, organizations such as HRC have not called them out with a coherent message.

The Equality Act does not have any enforcement in religious practices. None of those freedom-claiming institutions would be forced to marry same-sex couples.

Preaching against LGBT people would still be allowed. They would still be able to use the bible, or other religious texts, as they please without changes.

Here’s what they are frightened of, and what they won’t be able to do. Many of the religious organizations have a good scheme going. The Catholic church, as well as others, have “charity organizations” which bring in big bucks: your tax dollars. Many are funded completely by taxes. To put it another way, many are funded by you, even though you don’t have a choice.

The religious right uses their funding to discriminate against the very people who fund them. They even pay for lawyers to lobby against the legislation such as the Equality Act.

Photo via Pixabay.

Among the religious charities include community centers, adoption agencies, child services, food pantries, and even counseling services that support conversion therapy. And let’s not forget The Boy Scouts, who refused to have gay members. Many Boy Scout Troops were involved with the church.

The Equality Act will ensure that these organizations, the community centers, adoption agencies, and so on, do not discriminate. How much is that worth? With the latest Paycheck Protection Program, which is supposed to support business, the Catholic church and its diocese received somewhere between 1.4 billion and 3 billion dollars.

That’s billions with a B, according to the Associated Press. They received this money even though they had 10 billion dollars in reserve. How many small mom and pop shops lost out on PPP so the church could fill its pockets?

So let’s put this in short form: if the Equality Act is passed, religious organizations will not have to make any changes in their churches, but the other organizations they have which receive tax dollars would not be allowed to discriminate. This is fair. This is just like any other organization or corporation that

HOW MANY SMALL MOM AND POP SHOPS LOST OUT ON PPP SO THE CHURCH COULD FILL ITS POCKETS?

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• 4 .1.2021

receives tax dollars. But the religious organizations don’t care about fairness. What they want is special treatment.

There is a case before the Supreme Court right now, Fulton vs City of Philadelphia. It’s about Catholic Social Services that will not place foster children with LGBT couples. They receive government funding. Since the Equality Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to that list of non-discrimination (you know, race, creed. religion, etc.), CSS would not be allowed to discriminate against LGBT couples if the Equality Act passes.

Ultimately, we’ve seen this play by the Catholic Church before. The Church wants to continue to spread discrimination, but more importantly, they want to do so using our tax dollars. At one point in time, they did the same to Black people and inter-racial couples, using the bible and “religious freedom” as the reason.

That happened until the 1964 Civil Rights Act … which is where the Equality act will be included.

Folks, it’s all about money.

HRC, which is doing most of the heavy lifting on the Equality Act, has to change its passive approach. It is not working. They need to get the truth out there and start the dialogue about the dirty secret of religious freedom. They need to change the debate and shine a light on what the religious organizations don’t want publicized: their finances.

Mark Segal is an American journalist. He is the founder and publisher of Philadelphia Gay News and has won numerous journalism awards for his column “Mark My Words,” including best column by The National Newspaper Association, Suburban Newspaper Association and The Society of Professional Journalists.

ind-2879-SFGN-3-AD02-v04-r01-MECH.pdf

LIFESTYLE SHOP WITH PRIDE

FROM WALLETS TO LEATHER HARNESS SETS -

JUNKMAILLE CAN DO IT ALL! Kendall Little

B

ecky Schmader’s leather goods business is uniquely tied to the LGBT community because of the art of drag.

“Junkmaille started by first making outfits out of chainmail for my friends who did drag and from there it shifted into leather goods just out of desire to learn more and make different things,” she said.

Though she mainly focuses on wallets and tote bags now, Schmader enjoys making chainmail chokers to connect to her roots as a chainmail artist.

“I also sell journals, coasters, keychains, hats, dog collars, and laptop cases,” she said. “But my favorite item that I created was a full leather harness set.”

Creating the full leather harness set tested Schmader’s limits, but she emerged victorious with a remarkable piece of art.

“It was the largest piece I had made out of leather at the time and it was a huge test of my skills,” she said. “I’m very proud of that piece and I feel as though it really cemented Junkmaille as a part of my life.”

Schmader, who identifies as a lesbian, said that she wants to inspire other LGBT people to take up the craft if they feel called to it.

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are women, non-binary, or LGBTQ+,” she explained. “I try my best to make my identity known so hopefully more people feel comfortable joining the community from all walks of life!”

Schmader said that the purpose of her business is to make affordable quality items available to people.

“I think everyone deserves nice things and I don’t want to ever overprice things,” she said.

This year, Schmader hopes to expand her business even further.

“I would really love to be able to have Junkmaille be my full-time job and be able to sustain my life off of it,” she said. “Being able to do [my] craft for a living would be an honor and bring me a lot of fulfillment and joy.”

To support this LGBT-owned small business, visit the Junkmaille website at junkmaille.com or follow Schmader on Instagram @junkmaille.

Got the itch to shop for more? Visit SFGN.com/ShopWithPride.

4 .1. 20 21 •

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LIFESTYLE FOOD

THAT’S PHAT WITH A P-H Rick Karlin

PHAT BOY SUSHI 4100 N Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale 954-533-4218 phatboysushi.com

W

hen it comes to sushi, there are two types of people: those who like it and those who are wrong. I’ll never understand those who are hesitant to eat raw fish but will eat a steak so rare it might as well have walked to the table on its own four legs. I understand many folks can’t eat raw fish because of compromised immune systems or because they’re pregnant, but there are plenty of sushi options with cooked fish, vegetarian, and even some that feature cooked meat or chicken.

For those unfamiliar, sushi usually features a slice of raw fish atop a small mound of sticky rice. Maki rolls contain fish or vegetables, or a combination of the two, and rice rolled in nori, a sheet of compressed seaweed and sliced. The variety of rolls has expanded to include flavors familiar to western palates, such as cured salmon and cream cheese, shrimp tempura, and even seared rib-eye.

Sashimi is just the fish portion of the dish, usually served with a side of sticky rice. When sushi and sashimi are made with fresh, sushi-grade fish, there is no fishy taste or smell, just a wonderful freshness. To my mind, a slice of sashimi-grade raw salmon is the perfect bite. Because the fish is raw, you want to order it somewhere where the chef is not only trained, but the fish is of the

highest quality and handled correctly. That means the tray from Costco isn’t going to cut it. It also means that if you walk into a sushi restaurant and you smell fish, turn around and walk out.

Phat Boy Sushi is a textbook example of how to do sushi the right way. The fish is fresh, minimally manipulated, and kept perfectly chilled. Sushi and sashimi average about $3-$5 a piece, simple rolls are in the $6 to $10 range, and rice-less rolls (for those avoiding carbs) are $9-$18.

If you’re looking for something exotic, check out the Phat Boy rolls. In addition to the usual combinations; rainbow, spider (soft shell crab), shrimp tempura, dragon roll, California, and volcano roll, there are more unusual offerings. The Bling-Bling roll is sure to win over many converts with its combination of whole lobster tail tempura, asparagus, and avocado topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce. For those who are undecided, there are combinations of sushi and sashimi, priced from $21-$25.

If you’re not yet won over to the sushi side of life, you can enjoy a variety of rice dishes topped with everything from chicken curry or fried chicken cutlets, to eel or the luxurious surf and turf which tops lobster fried rice with a grilled piece of ribeye. Noodle lovers will be more than satisfied by the gigantic bowls of ramen. Golden curry ramen combines rice noodles, tofu, shiitake mushroom, and mixed vegetables in curry coconut milk broth.

For those who like something bold, kimchi ramen combines egg noodles, pork, shiitake mushroom, egg, and vegetables in a spicy and

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Sushi at Phat Boy Sushi. Photo courtesy of Rick Karlin. savory pork broth. Bowls of ramen average $15-$16 and provide enough for a very hearty meal.

Plain grilled foods are anything but. The salmon arrived perfectly cooked; glazed with teriyaki sauce over grilled asparagus for $12. Other grilled items include misomarinated sea bass, whole grilled squid, and scallops wrapped in bacon. Desserts in Asian restaurants can be iffy. If you like mochi, Phat Boys version is perfectly acceptable, but you might want to check out the tempurabattered cheesecake served with chocolate sauce and ice cream, or similarly prepared

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

Oreos with green tea ice cream. Or go for the best dessert ever, peanut butter layer cake, served with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and crumbled Butterfingers over vanilla ice cream.

Our visit to Phat Boys’ newest location on North Federal showed that a restaurant opened only a few weeks can still have everything under control. Our family’s gettogether (the first since COVID) featured an unruly table of 10. Each dish came out promptly and our waiter Stu handled our group with aplomb, and the three separate checks didn’t faze him.

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.

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A&E FILM

JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHTS LGBT FEATURES, PREMIERES J.W. Arnold

L

ike many other festivals across the country, the Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF), April 14 – 29, has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with a hybrid mix of streaming and outdoor events.

The largest Jewish film festival in the world, MJFF is offering a record-breaking 140 films, including 100 features, eight world premieres and over 20 North American premieres, and 45 short films representing 25 countries, 39 first-time feature filmmakers and an unprecedented 47 films directed by women.

Drive-in and outdoor screenings are planned for locations in Wynwood and North Miami Beach, while all virtual screenings will be available for streaming within the state of Florida.

The 24th anniversary festival is also serving up seven LGBT-themed features and shorts and all films will be free. Among the LGBT films are:

“SUMMER OF ‘85”

FRANÇOIS OZON, DIRECTOR FRANCE | 100 MIN. | 2020 FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES Set in scenic coastal France in 1985, François Ozon explores the nostalgia-shaded, morosely romantic viewpoint of 16-yearold Alexis. Unsure whether to pursue his literary aspirations in school or get a job to appease his blue-collar dad, Alexis is desperate for affection when he is swept into the inner circle of an older, charming, Jewish stranger. Soon the boys’ flirtatious friendship blossoms into something much more.

“KISS ME KOSHER”

SHIREL PELEG, DIRECTOR GERMANY – ISRAEL | 101 MIN. | 2020 HEBREW, ENGLISH, GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES Sparks fly when two families from wildly different cultural backgrounds plan a same-sex wedding in this screwball romantic comedy. After a string of not-too-serious ex-girlfriends, Shira has finally found real love with Maria, a German who has moved just to be with Shira in Tel Aviv. The two women plan to marry, eventually. When Shira’s family inadvertently discovers the engagement, wedding plans kick into high gear.

“Summer of ’85” by director François Ozon is one of the LGBT-themed features being screened by the Miami Jewish Film Festival. Credit: Music Box Films.

“MARRY ME HOWEVER” MORDECHAI VARDI, DIRECTOR ISRAEL | 63 MIN. | 2020 HEBREW WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

This documentary explores the lives of Orthodox-Jewish LGBT Israelis who choose to marry heterosexuals in order to create a family and comply with their own and their communities’ expectations. Some shared their secret with their partners, some kept it hidden, and some lied even to themselves. After their divorces, they confront the conflicts they repressed.

“SURVIVING THE SILENCE” CINDY L. ABEL, DIRECTOR U.S.A. | 79 MIN. | 2020 ENGLISH

Years before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Col. Patsy Thompson presided over the board that dismissed Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer for being a lesbian. Thompson was forced to confront her own secret and moral dilemma: she, too, was a lesbian. While Cammermeyer’s memoir was adapted as a 1995 television movie produced by Barbra Streisand, Thompson’s story remained a secret — until now.

Organizers promise the virtual screenings and talkback sessions will “give storytellers and audiences alike the opportunity to come together, experience artists’ new work, connect with one another, and participate in more than 70 conversations with filmmakers, stars, and scholars from around the world.”

All Miami Jewish Film Festival films will be available to stream online for free, Thursday, April 15 – Thursday, April 29. More information and a complete schedule at miamijewishfilmfestival.org.

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• 4 .1.2021

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LIVE MUSIC RETURNS! IN TWO EXCITING PROGRAMS APRIL 17 - 18 — A CLASSICAL RETURN APRIL 22 - 23 — CINEMATIC CLASSICS Concerts are outside and socially distanced (masks required) at Broward Center’s Back Lot Live!

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Orphans sing and dance at Kanego AIDS Support Organization in Malawi, 2005, one of the featured photos in “Through the White Door,” a free documentary photo exhibition opening at The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale on April 7. Credit: Smiley Pool.

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WORLD AIDS MUSEUM DEBUTS PHOTO EXHIBIT AT GALLERIA The World AIDS Museum and Educational Center will present “Through the White Door,” a documentary photo project by photojournalist Smiley Pool from April 8 – 30 at The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale, 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. The exhibition, consisting of 40 poignant images captured by Pool in South Africa, Romania, North Carolina, Texas and beyond, and depicts the life struggles and triumphs of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Most of the photos also appear in Pool’s book of the same name.

An opening reception with the photographer will be held on Wednesday, April 7, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and are available online at bit.ly/ WAMThroughTheWhiteDoor. Proceeds benefit the museum’s exhibits and programs.

LGBT VOICES SPEAK IN VERSE April 1 rings in that annual month-long celebration of all things Miami in rhyme, the “O, Miami” Poetry Festival. The mission of the annual festival is for every single person in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem through readings, workshops and creative public events. On April 7 at 8 p.m., LGBT poets Gregg Shapiro, Caridad Moro-Gronlier and Maureen Seaton are among a group of writers featured in an online reading, one of 40 presentations and 20 projects planned this year. For more information, go to OMiami.org.

“THE NICETIES” ON STAGE AT ISLAND CITY Race, history and power clash in a riveting, provocative confrontation between a brilliant Black student and her lesbian professor in “The Niceties,” opening April 2 at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. In this taut drama by Eleanor Burgess, as “the niceties” are stripped away, audiences find it harder to choose a side and are left wondering if winning is really an option.

Director Michael Leeds is passionate about the play: “What struck me about ‘The Niceties’ was realizing that even the most progressive and educated people in our community have allowed systemic racism to thrive, often while claiming that they didn’t have a racist bone in their body.

We spend so much of our time berating the far right for being racist, but we don’t often look to ourselves to see how we might be perpetuating the system … That’s why this is great theater; it forces us to think about how to create change in ourselves and our society.”

Tickets for “The Niceties,” April 2 – 18 at Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors, are $35 at IslandCityStage.org. Masks are required and social distancing is observed at all performances. A professionally recorded performance will also be available for streaming online from April 16 – 25.

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• 4 .1.2021

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