SFGN 04/21/22 V13iss16

LOCAL NAME GLOBAL COVERAGE APRIL 21 2022 VOL. 13 // ISSUE 16

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• 4 . 21.2022

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lorida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee this week for a special session called by the governor to finalize congressional district maps.

“We don’t even have congressional maps,” said Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith in a telephone call with SFGN last week. “We are pretty late in the process here. It’s really bizarre.

We’re getting ready to head to Tallahassee on Monday for a special session on congressional redistricting because the governor is insisting on eliminating majority Black congressional districts which is illegal and completely tramples the state constitution which protects the rights of racial and language minorities to elect the candidate of their choice.”

Smith, the fiery gay Latino activist from Orlando, is not one to turn a blind eye to injustice. First elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, Smith, a Democrat, is the dean of LGBT state elected officials and quick to counter attacks on the community.

“I have always believed that representation for the LGBTQ community matters, I just didn’t realize how much it would matter under the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis,” Smith said. “He has declared war on LGBTQ people to advance his own political ambitions in a way that is very frightening to a lot of people.”

- Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith

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

Editorial

John McDonald

“I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT REPRESENTATION FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY MATTERS, I JUST DIDN’T REALIZE HOW MUCH IT WOULD MATTER UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOV. RON DESANTIS.”

@SFGN

April 21, 2022 • Volume 13 • Issue 16

Senior Feature Columnists

Brian McNaught • Jesse Monteagudo

Special to SFGN Steve Rothaus

Correspondents

Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith. Photo Illustration by Greg Bistolfi.

Smith recently announced he will seek reelection in the newly drawn House District 37. The district covers parts of Seminole and Orange counties and is more of a swing or purple seat, Smith said.

“The reality is my values and the things that we have always fought for are not going to change — fighting for the freedoms and for the equality of everyone, not just some,” he said. “We have always stood for environmental protection and clean water and gun safety laws and people with disabilities and housing affordability and that will continue and I know these are issues that Seminole County voters care about as well.”

Smith said Republicans’ strategy in Florida has been to distract the public from essential services by obsessing over LGBT children.

As a result, the state is mired in a property insurance crisis and teacher shortage with disparities in affordable housing and health care, he said. Tactics deployed by DeSantis’

team, Smith noted, have sunk to an all-time low.

“This type of homophobia and bigotry must be confronted head-on and we have confronted it head-on,” he said. “The governor has used the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill [that is now law] to smear and defame LGBTQ people.

These baseless accusations of grooming and pedophilia are just unconscionable.”

As for who Democrats should nominate to oppose DeSantis, Smith declined to issue an endorsement.

“I am still evaluating all of the different candidates,” Smith said. “We have a lot of good candidates for governor and I very much hope we pick the candidate that has the best chance to win the governorship against DeSantis, but also that will help us make inroads with voters across the state of Florida that we may have lost traction with over the years. We need someone who is going to take the governor head-on and hold him accountable.”

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NEWS LOCAL

NEW HEALTH CRISIS HITS GAY/BI COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA: MENINGITIS John Hayden

A

push is on to get vaccinated, but not for COVID. A new health crisis is spreading through South Florida’s gay and bisexual community: meningococcal disease.

Twenty-one cases have been diagnosed in Florida this year. While that doesn’t sound like many, there were only 27 cases in 2021 and 17 in 2020. Symptoms often feel like the onset of flu, and include fever, headache, a stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, a deep, purple rash, and confusion. There have been anecdotal reports of people mistaking it for COVID and not going to a doctor until it’s too late.

Health officials are encouraging men who have sex with men to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The CDC says meningococcal disease is a bacterium that is spread through respiratory and throat secretions (saliva or spit) during close contact, such as coughing or kissing.

People who live together are especially susceptible to giving it to one another.

It can be treated with antibiotics, and it’s important to see a doctor as soon as symptoms set in. The disease can quickly spread to the bloodstream and get much worse, very quickly. Even with early treatment, there is still a chance of longterm problems or even death.

The best path is to stop it before you get it.

The Centers for Disease Control is urging gay, bi and MSM and people living with HIV to get vaccinated. Most people will need only one dose, but HIV-positive patients will get two doses. If you got a vaccine more than five years ago, your doctor may recommend a booster.

The original source of the outbreak isn’t known. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, Jeremy Redfern, told the Miami Herald, “This is

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Image courtesy of CDC via Facebook.

just something that happens periodically, and we just get an outbreak every now and then and it’s usually among the menwho-have-sex-with-men community and sometimes it’s just random.”

Just two months ago SFGN reported on the death of a local server, Nick Coleman, who died from bacterial meningitis. He

was 32. It’s unclear how he got the illness, or if his death was included in the numbers mentioned above.

“It was about two days of symptoms that he thought was COVID,” his friend, Gary Hill, said at the time.

For those wanting the vaccine, CVS offers them and is taking appointments.

Latinos Salud, which offers HIV/STD treatment and prevention services in Wilton Manors, is looking to add the vaccine to their services.

“We’re looking in to bringing the vaccine to Latinos Salud, said Executive Director Stephen Fallon. If feasible, we will be adding this to our free services.”

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Clockwise from top left: Yevhen Makarenko, Vladyslav Makarenko, Inna Makarenko, and Oleh Makarenko.

Courtesy of Broward Sheriff’s Office.

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he Broward State Attorney’s Office announced April 12 that it is filing hate crime charges against a family of three who beat a gay man so badly he is permanently blind.

The victim, a 31-year-old man, was kidnapped and beaten in Pompano Beach in August 2021, and prosecutors believe it was because of his sexual orientation.

Inna Makarenko, 45, Yevhen Makarenko, 44, and their son, Oleh Makarenko, 21, were arrested March 10 and were charged this week with attempted first-degree murder, battery during the burglary of a dwelling, and kidnapping. According to the state attorney’s office, the max penalty for each crime is life in prison.

A second son, Vladyslav Makarenko, 25, was extradited from Tallapoosa County in

Alabama and is being investigated for any involvement in the crime. According to the State Attorney’s Office, no charges have been filed against him yet.

The office did not provide more information, and the public records for the case did not reveal details of the incident.

Inna is being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility while Yevhen, Vladylav and Oleh are at the Main Jail. All four are being held without bond and the three with charges against them have pleaded not guilty.

They are being represented by a public defender. The case is being handled by Assistant State Attorney Darryl Torres of the office’s Hate Crimes Unit, which was created

by Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor.

If you have information regarding this case or would like to report a hate crime, call the Hate Crimes Hotline at 954-831-8059.

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4 . 21. 20 22 •

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NEWS LOCAL Jenny De Leon, left, and Linda Harris were both stabbed to death in 2021.

Photo via Iriss De Leon, Instagram, and courtesy of Tampa Police Department.

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Progress has been made in the murder of a Tampa transgender woman, with the alleged killer being indicted with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a weapon.

Damien Marshall, 41, was indicted for the murders of Jenny De Leon and Linda Harris on March 24 and is scheduled for a hearing before Judge Lyann Goudie on June 22.

De Leon was 25 when she was found stabbed to death on Nov. 2 outside of a home in the Tampa neighborhood of Sulphur Springs. Harris was also found stabbed to death in a Tampa home on Sept. 27; according to the criminal report, the person who called 911 told the operator that the home was set for demolition that day.

Construction workers were doing a walkthrough of the property when they came across her body, WFLA reports.

Marshall was already on probation for dealing in stolen property and was arrested for “unrelated charges.” During questioning with police, he identified himself in a surveillance video near the murder scene. He also told

HIS DNA MATCHED SALIVA LEFT ON HARRIS’ BODY AND SKIN FOUND UNDER DE LEON’S NAILS.

Damien Marshall.

Courtesy Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

police that he was aware the two women were stabbed to death; that information was not made public. He claimed in both cases that he was with the women but that they were alive and unharmed when he left them.

He agreed to a mouth swab, and his DNA matched saliva left on Harris’ body and skin found under De Leon’s nails. A Mickey Mouse belt with a red stain, identified as belonging to Harris, was also found in his home.

Marshall is being represented by a public defender and pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

Due to the heinous nature of the crimes, he is being detained until trial.

De Leon was one of 51 transgender or gender non-conforming people who were killed in 2021, the highest number of murders on record since the Human Rights Campaign started tracking the data in 2013. Since 2015, 23 of those cases involved people in Florida.

When news of her murder came to light, PFLAG Tampa wrote in a Facebook tribute, “Jenny was an enigmatic, bright soul with enough energy to fill any room.”

NEWS LOCAL

NEWS LOCAL

AHF PROGRAM CUTS TIES WITH BROWARD HEALTH

PRISM TO CELEBRATE TWO YEARS OF SUCCESS

John Hayden

John Hayden

S

H

Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Photo via aidshealth.org.

IV-positive patients in South Florida are seeing their healthcare options shrink. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) said they are no longer working with Broward Health in conjunction with their Positive Healthcare Partners (PHP) Medicare Advantage health plan.

AHF said Broward Health was unwilling to negotiate a reasonably affordable contract to continue seeing patients as part of their network of “safety-net” hospitals. In a statement, AHF said, “Broward Health’s continued focus on profits over people, will result in the access to health care services of even more individuals being compromised, specifically, now those living with HIV in South Florida.”

AHF SAID BROWARD HEALTH WAS UNWILLING TO NEGOTIATE A REASONABLY AFFORDABLE CONTRACT TO CONTINUE SEEING PATIENTS AS PART OF THEIR NETWORK OF “SAFETY-NET” HOSPITALS.

PHP serves patients in Broward, Duval, and Miami-Dade counties, and has had a contract with Broward Health since 2008. AHF said other hospitals in their network charge much less than Broward Health for similar services.

“It is appalling and unacceptable that Broward Health, a public health system, wants to continue to [gouge] a non-profit insurance plan that has over three decades of providing life-saving services to those living with HIV,” stated Donna Stidham, AHF Chief of Managed Care. “Given the continued increase in the number of individuals diagnosed and living with HIV and other health challenges, we need to all be working together to ensure nothing inhibits anyone from having access to care and possibly falling out of care, especially publicly funded hospitals like Broward Health.”

Broward County and South Florida continue to lead the country in new HIV infections, making treatment that much more critical to the region.

The contract is scheduled to finish at the end of May 2022. AHF said all Broward Health hospitals, Broward General Medical Center, Broward Health North, Imperial Point and Broward Coral Springs, will no longer be a part of their network.

SFGN reached out to Broward Health and, as of press time, has not heard a response.

tarting a nonprofit is tough. Being able to nurture and develop it long enough to celebrate a second anniversary is an accomplishment. PRISM is ready to celebrate that milestone with a PRISMVersary.

“The PRISMVersary is an opportunity [for everyone] to experience our resources and the power of the voices behind them in ways never seen before,” founder Maxx Fenning said. “As PRISM heads into its third year as a nonprofit organization, we wanted to do what we do best, but in a physical space: creating new and exciting ways for people to engage with LGBT-inclusive education and sexual health resources. Our vision is to let people of PRISM founder Maxx Fenning at Palm Beach Pride. all ages experience what it’s like to be a young Image via Facebook. person again, with all of the whimsy and curiosity that comes with it.”

The event is Saturday, April 30, from 7-10 said. “Our mission is to expand access to p.m. in the Hotspots Art Gallery at 3500 NE LGBT-inclusive education and sexual health 12th Ave. in Oakland Park. With interactive resources, but what that looks like is always art and exhibits, the party will be more than tailored to the current moment.” your average pat-ourselves-on-the-back PRISM and Fenning have also engaged in anniversary soiree. social activism, including “Using augmented reality, the fight against the new attendees will be able to “Don’t Say Gay” law. take a step into our social “Being at the forefront media and fully immerse of some really high-profile themselves in what PRISM battles such as the ‘Don’t Say has to offer. From sexual Gay’ [law] has shown me how health trivia to powerful much work there still is to be testimonies and footage of done for LGBT youth. What us on the ground — not to I do know is that PRISM will mention free food — this continue to be at the front really does have something lines to fight those battles.” for everyone,” Fenning said.

The group was also drawn In addition to interactive into the battle of online exhibits, the night will queer censorship. Their feature a silent auction, food Instagram account was and drink, live performances flagged and it took weeks and a live model painting by to resolve the issue, which legendary airbrush artist Avi significantly impacted their Ram. - Maxx Fenning fundraising. Fencing said PRISM FOUNDER they still haven’t gotten a A LONG ROAD good explanation as to why.

“After requesting PRISM began at the start of the pandemic information from Meta’s internal to celebrate and empower queer youth. They investigation, they told us it was something want to empower young people to maintain about ‘data scraping.’ We have no clue what their physical and mental health, and make we have ever done that constitutes data sure they have access to the resources they scraping. However, this sharpened our focus need to begin their best lives. on queer censorship as a whole, both online “Part of the reason that PRISM has had and offline. Given what we’ve seen in Florida so much success is that we are extremely since, that couldn’t have happened at a more adaptable. Because we’re youth-led, we’re pressing time.” able to see new struggles and concerns that Tickets for PRISMVersary are $50 on their young people have as they happen,” Fenning website, and $60 at the door.

“OUR MISSION IS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO LGBT-INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND SEXUAL HEALTH RESOURCES, BUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS ALWAYS TAILORED TO THE CURRENT MOMENT.”

4 . 21. 20 22 •

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LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENNEDY MCKINNEY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G Transgender

T

TALISA GARCIA BECOMES FIRST TRANS ACTOR TO BE CAST IN LUCASFILM PRODUCTION British actress Talisa Garcia has been cast in Disney+ series “Willow” making this the first known time a trans actor has been cast in a production from Lucasfilm.

“Willow” is a spinoff of the 1980s fantasy classic. It follows a princess who assembles a party to join her on her quest to rescue her twin brother.

Garcia will play queen and mother to Tony Revolori’s character, who is one of the members on the quest. While her role may be small and she might only appear in one episode, this is a big jump for Disney and Lucasfilm.

Talisa Garcia. Photo via Facebook.

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

L

Lesbian

KRISTEN STEWART JOINS LESBIAN BODYBUILDING ROM-COM

Kristen Stewart has signed on to director Rose Glass’ A24 drama centering around lesbian bodybuilders entitled “Love Lies Bleeding.” The film is described as “a romance fueled by ego, desire, and the American dream.”

While Stewart isn’t set to play a bodybuilder, she will be the love interest of one of the main characters.

The film is fueled by A24 and Film4 and they are still looking for the person who will play Stewart’s love interest.

Fans are taking to social media to put in their bids.

This announcement comes after Stewart’s highly acclaimed role as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Kristen Stewart. Photo credit: John Bauld via Wikimedia Commons.

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• 4 . 21.2022

LGBTQIA BITES

B

Bisexual

‘THE ULTIMATUM’ STAR COMES OUT AS BISEXUAL

“The Ultimatum: Marry or Move Out” star Rae Williams came out as bisexual during the show’s reunion episode.

Williams and Zay Wilson were already dating going into the show. They then split to pair off with members of other couples by their own choosing.

During Williams’ season, although they were a couple, she revealed they are no longer together. She explained the two have since ended the relationship and ever since then she has been on a journey of discovery about her sexuality.

“I have been with one person, she’s amazing, and I had a really good connection with her but we kept it casual and I’m kind of figuring out myself and my sexuality, because I was very uncomfortable with being bi for a very long time,” she said. “Since Zay and I have been done I’ve just been with one girl, and it’s kind of been great, honestly.”

Rae Williams. Photo via Instagram.

4 . 21. 20 22 •

9

NEWS NATIONAL

BY KIZZY AZCARATE

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

TENNESSEE EDUCATORS FORCED TO MINIMIZE, ELIMINATE LGBT HISTORY Instructors in Tennessee are having Cassie Norton, a teacher in Nashville, difficulties with accurately portraying told Chalkbeat that her students are LGBT history like Oscar Wilde’s lover “so overwhelmed” due to the ongoing and the role LGBT advocates restrictions that states are played during the civil rights making to eradicate LGBT EDUCATORS movement. rights, people, and history.

“It felt kind of like turning The Senate Bill 1229 was ARE EXPECTED something that’s a fact of passed under the premise TO SEND THEIR that parents should make the history, and life, and my life, into something secret STUDENTS WITH decision on when and who or taboo,” Aneshka said to should be able to tell their child OPT-OUT FORMS about LGBT people, sexuality, Chalkbeat.

Educators are expected and gender topics.

TO NOTIFY to send their students with However, Norton allowed PARENTS THAT opt-out forms to notify students to choose which parents that LGBT topics may movements during the LGBT TOPICS MAY similar arise in class. According to civil rights era they’d like to Chalkbeat, one teacher placed ARISE IN CLASS. research, allowing her not to a disclaimer in her syllabus to send students home with an make parents aware when LGBT lessons opt-out form, while still complying with would be taught. the law.

MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY WINS BIG AFTER REFUSING TO TAKE DOWN BOOKS Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee of Mississippi alluded to withholding $110,000 until LGBT children’s books were removed from the library last January.

Since then, the city of Ridgeland and the Madison County Library System have put out a joint statement citing their support of diverse stories within the library.

“Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Our libraries are a repository of knowledge and culture, providing far more than access to books,” said the statement according to CTV News.

McGee said that “sexual connotations are not appropriate” for young readers and therefore should not be accessible in the library. McGee, known for his conservative views, has been the mayor since 1989.

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• 4 . 21.2022

Photo via www.ridgelandms.org.

“The new contract says nothing about the city controlling the contents of the library,” said John Scanlon, one of the attorneys representing the city, in an interview with WLBT-TV. The library’s funding had previously been approved in the fall by the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen. Alderman Ken Heard said that it is not the mayor’s authority to withhold approved funds.

Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1893. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

ALABAMA PARENTS AND PHYSICIANS SUE FOR TRANS CHILDREN RIGHTS Alabama is being sued by parents of trans children in an effort to overturn a law that would not allow health providers to give 19 and under children hormone or puberty blockers.

Four sets of parents and a physician, who treats trans children, have two lawsuits against the state.

“The level of legislative overreach into the practice of medicine is unprecedented.

And never before has legislative overreach come into pediatric examination rooms to shut down the parent voice in medical decision making between a parent, their pediatrician and their child,” Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, a medical provider and a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits, told The Associated Press according to PBS. During a campaign stop, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey referenced her faith and

Gov. Kay Ivey. Photo via Facebook.

morals saying that Alabamians should focus on making the youths “become healthy adults just like God wanted them to be rather than self-induced medical intervenors.”

Ivey told reporters to “wait and see” if the law will be overturned. The law will take effect May 8 if the court decides in the state’s favor.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

ASIA

EUROPE

LGBT COUPLES LONG FOR CHANGE

ATTACKS ON LGBT NGOS AFTER REFERENDUM IN HUNGARY

Felix Tan believed having children was a fantastic idea when he was younger.

Then he looked into the options for samesex couples in Singapore.

Surrogacy, in which a woman conceives, bears, and gives birth to a child for another person or couple, is illegal in Singapore, and legal guardianship of such children is not assured if the procedure is performed elsewhere.

According to Eco Business, a draft law was introduced to clarify who can adopt children and to extend eligibility checks to individuals adopting local youngsters.

It comes following a study that began in 2019 when a gay man won a court fight to adopt a surrogate kid born in another country. Despite the legal victory, samesex parenting in the city-state is still uncommon.

Photo via Adobe.

“You just don’t want to think about it anymore. It’s too much of a hassle,” said Tan, who is in his 40s and works in the education sector.

The referendum on LGBT issues planned by Hungary’s Fidesz-led government was declared null and void since it failed to meet the 50% threshold for any of its four questions (“yes” or “no”). Each of the four questions, in turn, received a majority of illegitimate votes, resulting in its invalidation. A huge number of voters purposefully cast invalid ballots in protest of the referendum, demonstrating that they disagree with the government’s targeting of the LGBT community and the poll’s deceptive questions.

According to a press release from The European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup, despite the government’s failure to mobilize individuals to legitimize its antiLGBTI policies and law making, it is now suing anti-referendum NGOs, aiming to

Photo via Budapest Pride Facebook.

limit their freedom of speech.

“Hungarian voters do not support this government’s anti-LGBTIQ stance, but Orbán persists. This highlights why the values of the EU such as democracy and fundamental rights are under siege in Hungary,” stated LGBTI Intergroup VicePresident Maria Walsh.

AFRICA

NORTH AMERICA

LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OPEN SPARKS MEDIA DISINFORMATION

JALISCO APPROVES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

When Ako, whose name has been changed to protect their identity, learned that an LGBT community center would be opening in Ghana’s capital, Accra, she immediately set up a date. Then there’s the matching clothing.

On the day of the opening, she ordered an Uber and typed in the phrases “LGBT community center” and there it was. There was a little location on the map in a metropolis of magnificent mosques and megachurches where she felt acknowledged that she existed and deserved attention.

According to Open Democracy, foreign ambassadors who were present at the opening ceremony posted photos to social media. They had been picked up

by Ghanaian media. And now, her face, half-covered by a mask, was appearing

Photo via Adobe.

on television stations, in broadcasts expressing amazement and indignation that LGBT individuals existed in Ghana and that they had established a center to help one another.

The journalists in question, together with other anti-LGBT activists, demanded that the center be closed. It was eventually raided and shut down by authorities.

The Mexican state of Jalisco’s Congress passed reforms to its Civil Code that would enable equal marriage, as well as recognize trans people’s identities and sanction socalled “conversion treatments.”

Jalisco became the 27th state in Mexico to offer conjugal legal connections to same-sex marriages after the revisions were passed.

According to Mexico Daily Post, the amendments describe marriage as the voluntary union of two people in a community characterized by mutual respect, mutual assistance, and equal rights and duties. With 26 votes in favor, 10 votes against, and 1 abstention, the modified wording was accepted.

The Jalisco Congress also approved recognizing trans rights to gender identity and revised the Civil Register Law to allow

Photo via Adobe.

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GAY COUPLE WITH CHILDREN HARASSED ON TRAIN, CALLED PEDOPHILES Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law blamed for hateful incident

Kim Swan

W

hat was supposed to be a fun family trip turned into a nightmare when a man walked up to a gay married couple calling them “pedophiles” and accusing them of stealing their two young children.

Robbie Pierce recounted the horror of the observing the interaction. Officials then held verbal attack that caused both of his children, the Coast Starlight Train 14 at the Diridon ages 5 and 6, to cry, and his husband, Neal Station and contacted the Santa Clara Broverman, to get up to shield them from the Sheriff’s Office to respond. unidentified man as Pierce took the children Another passenger, Jennifer Parker, said away. the man continued to threaten passengers “All of a sudden there was a man there, when Pierce and his family moved away, and just standing there and shouting,” Pierce told refused to get off the train when ordered to.

BuzzFeed News in an interview. “’Remember “If they kill me I’m ready to die!” the man what I told you! They stole you! They’re shouted, according to Parker. pedophiles!’ At that point I was like, this is “It was extremely distressing to say the something really awful and least,” she added. “People in homophobic.” the car were offering verbal “I HAD TO EXPLAIN The incident occurred support [to the family] but April 12 on the Amtrak it was drowned out by his BIGOTRY IN TERMS train traveling to San Jose, yelling. A woman said that THAT A PRESCHOOLER California.

Pierce said if she were a man she’d get the man kept shouting up and punch him.”

AND KINDERGARTNER homophobic rhetoric.

Before this encounter, CAN UNDERSTAND: “He was standing there Pierce and Broverman’s for probably a full minute,” 6-year-old son told them SOMETIMES PEOPLE Pierce said. “I told him, ‘Get that the man approached DON’T LIKE OUR away from us, get away, him while he was in the FAMILY BECAUSE THEY bathroom hours earlier and stop talking to my son, get away from our family!’ Both told the boy that he had DON’T KNOW US.” children were just sobbing.” been “stolen” by his adopted The man continued to parents, according to Pierce.

- Robbie Pierce yell.

“I asked him, ‘Is that why “That’s not a family! you were scared to go to You’re rapists and pedophiles. You steal Black the bathroom again?’ and he just cried and and Asian children and you rape them.” hugged me,” Pierce said.

Pierce detailed most of the incident in a Amtrak officials called the event an “act of Twitter thread, which has since gone viral hate” in a statement. with 30,000 retweets and almost 160,000 “We apologize to the family onboard who likes. were involved in this heinous incident,” This isn’t the first time Pierce encountered the statement reads. “Amtrak strongly anti-gay and racist remarks. He spoke about condemns this act of hate and will conduct other incidences that were sparked by the a full investigation to ensure our customers fact that he is Hispanic and his son is Black. feel valued and respected when riding our “If we were of the same race, I don’t think trains.” some people would jump on it,” he told Amtrak officials said they’re considering BuzzFeed. “Other times, they knew that we banning the customer from its trains in the have legal custody of them. They just didn’t future. It’s not clear if the man was arrested approve of it.” or issued a citation by law enforcement.

A spokesperson for Amtrak told BuzzFeed Pierce said that what stood out for him on the conductor reported the incident after that day was not another attack his family

Neal Broverman and Robbie Pierce. Photo via Facebook.

faced again, but the language the man used, according to BuzzFeed.

Words like “stole,” “pedophiles” and “rapists” sound like QAnon conspiracists and right-wing rhetoric that create false and hateful accusations about LGBT people, even painting them as “groomers.”

Many LGBT activists believe laws like the “Don’t Say Gay” one in Florida are fueling this type of rhetoric and are worried incidents such as this one will become more frequent.

Brandon J. Wolf, press secretary for Equality Florida, said in a text message to the Los Angeles Blade, “Remember, it was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team that injected this ‘groomer’ messaging into the public in a massive way to justify his ‘Don’t Say Gay’ classroom censorship and book banning legislation. He has stoked hatred, division, and violence.”

The Parental Rights in Education law bans all classroom topics on sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3. However, it is so vaguely worded that it could apply to any grade level.

“He just seemed like he came preloaded with catch phrases from Fox News or DeSantis, or whoever was out there,” Pierce said.

Pierce told BuzzFeed that his children continued to cry and kept asking if the man was coming back.

“I had to explain bigotry in terms that a preschooler and kindergartner can understand,” Pierce said. “Sometimes people don’t like our family because they don’t know us.”

But he couldn’t promise his kids they wouldn’t face something similar again.

“I wish I could tell them this wouldn’t happen again. I wish I could stop it,” Pierce said. “I wish I could stop it.”

The family plans to try to enjoy the rest of their vacation for now. They don’t have any specific plans or activities beyond letting their children dictate what they want to do.

“I know a large goal is to just drive us into our homes and make us not come out,” Pierce said. “And we’re not going to do that. We’re going to go out and continue to be brave.”

Besides the hate-fueled exchange with the man on the train, Pierce also noted on Twitter how some people are calling his accusations fake and denying the incident ever took place.

“I don’t care about the ‘It didn’t happen’ [...] crowd, but if you do, BuzzFeed did their research,” he tweeted, referring to the BuzzFeed story SFGN used as the basis of this article. As noted above, BuzzFeed interviewed an eyewitness who corroborated Pierce’s story.

4 . 21. 20 22 •

13

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.

14

WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Marcus Ramsay, bartender at Oasis Wynwood with boyfriend Efrain Robinson Reyes, head bartender at R House Wynwood, and SFGN Best Of winner, at the Miami Beach Pride Legends Ball.

Steven Stewart with friend and co-worker Luis A. Rodriguez, office manager at Twist, at Miami Beach Pride Legends Ball.

Alex Orta, pharmacy operations manager at Walgreens, with husband Alejandro Estrada, an interior designer, at the Miami Beach Pride Parade.

The WPB Roosters Guys — manager Phillip Parks, general manager David Zen, and owner AJ Wasson — at the Palm Beach Pride Festival forecasting a fall 2022 reopening.

• 4 . 21.2022

NEWS STATE

DESANTIS SPREADS LIES TO JUSTIFY ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW

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ov. Ron DeSantis has been sharing a story about a family’s lawsuit against a school for the need to back the “Don’t Say Gay” law. However, his version of the story is not true, according to reports.

Since signing the “Parental Rights in Education” bill into law, DeSantis has been sharing a story about a Leon County mom suing a school for not fully consulting with her about the school’s gender-affirming plan for her child, according to CNN. “We had a mother from Leon County, and her daughter was going to school and some people in the school had decided that the daughter was really a boy and not a girl,” DeSantis said during a news conference April 5. “So they changed the girl’s name to a boy’s name, had her dress like a boy and on doing all this stuff, without telling the mother or getting consent from the mother. First of all, they shouldn’t be doing that at all. But to do these things behind the parents’ back and to say that the parents should be shut out. That is wrong.”

However, according to emails, DeSantis’ version of events is false. On Aug. 27, 2020, January Littlejohn, a Republican, emailed a teacher to notify that her child wanted to change pronouns and would allow her child to use a different name at school.

“This has been an incredibly difficult situation for our family and her father and I are trying to be as supportive as we can,” Littlejohn wrote. “She is currently identifying as nonbinary. She would like to go by the new name [redacted] and prefers the pronouns they/ them. We have not changed her name at home yet, but I told her if she wants to go by the name [redacted] with her teachers, I won’t stop her.”

The teacher thanked Littlejohn and asked if she should share with other teachers. CNN reported that Littlejohn said the situation was “difficult and confusing.”

“Whatever you think is best or [redacted] can handle it herself’” the parent said.

In another email, Littlejohn told the teacher, “This gender situation has thrown us for a loop.

I sincerely appreciate your support. I’m going to let her take the lead on this.”

Littlejohn did not respond to requests from CNN about the emails.

After two months of the exchanges, Littlejohn and her husband, Jeffrey, filed a lawsuit against the Leon County School Board over how the school handled their child’s gender identity.

The parents claim that school officials met

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with their child and created the Transgender/ Gender Nonconforming Student Support Plan that includes which pronouns the child preferred, which restrooms the child would use and “expectations regarding rooming for any overnight trips,” and denied them access to meetings and information while also concealing information about their child, according to CNN. “From the moment Mrs. Littlejohn first emailed her child’s teacher to inform our staff of the situation, this has been handled together in partnership with clear communication,” Chris Petley, Leon County Schools communications coordinator, told CNN. “We understand that outside entities have now become involved, but the family clearly instructed the school staff via email to allow their child to ‘take the lead on this’ and to do ‘whatever you think is the best.’

“Additionally, our superintendent met with the family and committed to amend any vague or unclear policy language — of which we have created a committee and are working on currently. We truly hope for a swift outcome in this case in order to allow the student to continue to succeed in school.”

The parents hired attorneys from the Child & Parental Rights Campaign that was founded to defend parents’ rights to “shield their children from the impacts of gender identity ideology.”

A spokesperson for DeSantis said that his office has not seen the email exchange but pointed to other news stations that have reported the same story, and apologized for how the situation was handled, CNN reported.

“In the initial meeting with the family the superintendent apologized for everything the family was going through,” Petley said.

“He was unaware of the email directing the teachers to let the child ‘take the lead.’”

The governor’s office did not specifically respond to a question about the differences between what Littlejohn’s emails reveal and how the governor portrayed her story.

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NEWS NATIONAL

DISNEY HEIR COMES OUT AS TRANS, REGRETS NOT DOING MORE TO FIGHT ANTI-LGBT BILLS Kim Swan

C

harlee Corra, a member of the Disney family, recently came out publicly as transgender.

“I had very few openly gay role models,” Corra, 30, told the Los Angeles Times. “And I certainly didn’t have any trans or nonbinary role models. I didn’t see myself reflected in anyone, and that made me feel like there was something wrong with me.”

They came out privately four years ago and use “he” and “they” pronouns.

Corra said that their family would match up to $250,000 in donations to the Human Rights Campaign as a way to publicly come out, according to the L.A. Times.

Corra told the L.A. Times that even though they have a lot of support and privilege, their journey still has been difficult.

Now that they have come out, they condemned the anti-LGBT bills that have been introduced across the U.S. and regret not doing more to fight them.

“I don’t call senators or take action,” they said, noting that they don’t have much experience with public speaking or advocacy.

“I felt like I could be doing more.”

They also noted that LGBT kids are already dealing with higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and bullying.

“Then to put something like this law on top of that? They can’t learn about their community and their history at school, or play sports or use the bathroom they want to use?”

Corra told the L.A. Times.

Roy P. Disney, Corra’s stepfather and the grandson of Roy O. Disney, a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, raised the money to $500,000.

“Equality matters deeply to us,” Disney said, according to the L.A. Times, “especially because our child, Charlee, is trans and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Roy also said the family was “heartbroken” when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Act that prohibits classroom instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity with students in grades K-3 and is so vaguely worded it could apply to any grade level. However, the company came under fire after donating to sponsors and co-sponsors of the “Don’t Say Gay” law when it was still a bill, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

In fact, the Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus threatened to boycott an upcoming

18

• 4 . 21.2022

Charlee Corra. Photo via Facebook.

gala at Disney if Democrats went ahead with their plans to host it at the resort. After backlash ensued they canceled.

“Our timing was not ideal,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz said in a statement March 22. “We also acknowledge that in our fight for freedom and fairness, we can always do more. In that spirit, the Florida Democratic Party will choose new dates and venues to hold Leadership Blue. We will share information about new arrangements once we have explored available options.”

Bob Chapek, Disney’s CEO, said in an email that he and the company’s leadership “unequivocally stand” with LGBTQ employees, but didn’t condemn the bill, arguing that corporate statements “do very little to change outcomes or minds,” according to CNN. After criticism from employees internally, Chapek announced that the company would pause all political donations in Florida and apologized for his first statement in a letter published on Disney’s website.

“It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” he wrote.

“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.”

Roy said his family wanted to donate to HRC because the organization refused to accept a $5 million donation announced by Chapek last month, according to the L.A. Times. Jodi Madison, HRC’s interim president, said HRC wants to see Disney “build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates” to get dangerous laws like the “Don’t Say Gay” law “off the books.”

Sheri Disney, Chorra’s mother, said the matching donation was meant to remind people that LGBT children need support.

“I have a trans kid, and I love my kid no matter what,” she told the L.A. Times.

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4 . 21. 20 22 •

19

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

LGBT BEACH HAVEN MAY NOT LAST LONG Everitt Rosen

A

calm exodus begins as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean in this picturesque beach resort on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. A group of people, the majority of whom are gay men. ambles along the beach toward a towering rocky outcrop.

For decades, this former fishing hamlet turned hippie hangout has served as a haven for the LGBT community, who are lured to its golden beaches, countercultural ambiance, and practice of nudism, which accepts bodies of all kinds and sizes.

According to the New York Times, as the town’s popularity has grown, attracting increasing numbers of gay and straight visitors, the town is beginning to change: foreigners are snatching up land, hotels are multiplying, influencers are flocking to the beach, and many residents and visitors

Zipolite in Oaxaca Mexico.

Photo credit: Adam Jones Wikimedia Commons.

now fear that the magic that once defined Zipolite may be lost forever.

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ride Sports UK, Athletics Pride Network, Pride In Water, and the team behind Pride House Birmingham, the venue devoted to welcoming all people from LGBT communities and their allies at this summer’s Commonwealth Games, are hosting the Sporting Pride Conference, which will unite people from across the LGBT-inclusive sport and physical activity sectors in the U.K. According to Sports Media LGBT+, one of the goals of the GSK-sponsored conference is to encourage NGBs that have already established LGBT networks for employees, athletes, coaches, and administrators, as well as to provide pertinent information and direction to those that have yet to do so.

Meanwhile, the event’s programming places a strong emphasis on LGBT-inclusive community and grassroots sport, with workshops and sessions on topics such as how to start and grow regional clubs, how

SFGN file photo.

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Galindo, 37, has been working in recreation for 22 years. Starting as a lifeguard in California, Galindo rose through the ranks of local government, eventually moving to West Palm Beach. During his time, he served in many roles in many jurisdictions including recreation coordinator, recreation supervisor, management analyst, and now assistant director for parks and recreation. Galindo

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• 4 . 21.2022

LGBTQ+ community connection sparked the conversation with others about starting a running group, leading to the formation of night Runners WPB,” Galindo explained.

“Being asked by Mayor Keith James to fill the role of LGBTQ+ liaison was an honor and felt like a perfect fit with my experience and connection to the community,” Galindo continued.

The LGBT liaison position was created by former West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio. The previous liaison, Robert Telford, was selected by both Muoio and James, though James took some time to reappoint the role after his election since he had not been informed that it needed appointing. Telford left his role in February and Galindo was appointed in March.

“Looking forward to dealing with Rudy,” said Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

Hoch said he’s expecting Boynton Beach to appoint an LGBT liaison to their city with the recent election of its first out mayor.

THE

GAZETTE VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 8 APRIL 21, 2022

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

WILTON MANORS FIRE REIGNITES INTEREST IN ABANDONED FORMER CHURCH PROPERTY

By John McDonald Days after a fire ripped through an abandoned building in Wilton Manors, questions linger as to what started the blaze and what will become of a prized property.

Described by officials as the largest fire in Wilton Manors in two decades, the former Center for Spiritual Living, 1550 Northeast 26th St., went up in flames in the early morning hours of April 13. The church has been shuttered for years and the current owners, UDC Manors LLC, have failed to redevelop the 4.9-acre site.

“I would consider it an attractive nuisance,” said Rabbi Noah Kitty, who lives in the city’s east side. “Circumstances have determined that now is the time that something needs to be done and hopefully it will move from the back to the front of the line.”

With almost all of Wilton Manors built out, developers and entrepreneurs have long coveted the old church property that, before the fire, had a just market value of $2.2 million.

Built in 1974, the building was slated for demolition later this year, Fort Lauderdale Fire Battalion Chief Stephen Ballon told reporters.

“Circumstances have determined that now is the time that something needs to be done and hopefully it will move from the back to the front of the line.”

- Rabbi Noah Kitty

Remains of abandoned former church after fire. Image courtesy of John McDonald.

A total of 25 units and 75 firefighters responded, Ballon said, making the incident a two-alarm fire. At the scene, Ballon said no one was found inside. John Fiore, the former mayor of Wilton Manors, told reporters homeless people had been camping on the property.

“My guess is that some homeless people did something and it set something on fire,” Fiore said.

Kitty, campaigning for a seat on the Wilton Manors commission, said it was unfortunate to lay blanket blame on the unhoused population.

“The truth is people have broken in there

consistently,” Kitty said.

Roger Cruttenden, president of the Three Bridges Neighborhood Association, declined to speculate as to how the fire started.

“I’ve heard it being said, ‘oh how convenient,’ Cruttenden said. “But I think we need to let the professionals look at this and have an appropriate investigation.”

Larry Baum, a managing partner of Sunny Isles Beach based UDC Manors, said all utilities were disconnected and the property had been abandoned for almost 11 years.

Broward County Property Appraiser records show UDC Manors bought the property in 2014 from First Church of Religious Science

www.WMGAZETTE.com

for $3.2 million.

A proposal to redevelop the property into a 100-unit condominium complex was met with swift resistance and ultimately defeated by eastside residents.

“People cost money and businesses bring money,” Kitty said. “The only way you can make money there is through density and the neighborhood isn’t interested in density.”

Wilton Manors police first reported the fire, Ballon said. The Gazette has reached out to WMPD and the State Fire Marshal’s office for comment and more information and will provide updates as they become available.

4 . 21. 20 22 •

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WILTON MANORS

WILTON NEXT

OPINION

By Sal Torre

Back in January of this year residents of the Island City were asked to participate in the Wilton Next Branding Strategy Study.

Our city’s Economic Development Division reached out to area businesses, neighborhood associations, and residents city-wide to take part in this study and to help shape the future vision of our Island City. This past week the results of this outreach were presented to the city commission in a draft presentation

by Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA). Many residents following the project were left scratching their heads. Westside residents in particular were questioning the data that supported Andrews Avenue being promoted as the new Medtail and Wellness District of the city.

In case you haven’t kept up with branding lingo or marketing catch phrases, Medtail is the new buzzword that refers to medical or healthcare tenants located in a retail setting.

The pitch done by RMA sounded wonderful, clean, healthy and futuristic. Medtail and Wellness businesses will create a vibe for the “Avenue,” bringing in daytime foot traffic and saving us from the vacant retail storefronts plaguing so many communities. As with most advertising and branding strategies the goal is to sell something, to make you believe, and to get you hooked. Not all Westsiders were ready to drink the Kool-Aid. Boutique health, wellness, and dentist offices lining Andrews Avenue is not what most Westside residents are looking for. Of the over 300 survey responses received from residents — none of them mentioned a health, wellness and medical district.

What they did mention were more cafes, restaurants, retail options, along with thriving mixed use zoning areas that would bring in new residents and neighborhood–oriented businesses.

In our little two square mile city, perhaps it might be best to promote the entire city as a health and wellness opportunity and not just along a distinct corridor of the city. The east side of town already hosts an Urgent Care Center, a veterinary hospital, the Marrison’s Independent and Assisted Living Residences and numerous other health and wellness businesses. The central area

April 21, 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 8 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

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Editorial

Graphic Designer • Greg Bistolfi artwork@sfgn.com Oakland Park Editor • Christiana Lilly Wilton Manors Editor • John McDonald

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Sal Torre • James Oaksun

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along Dixie Highway has numerous gyms, yoga studios, pet day care and similar Medtail and wellness operations. Why not incorporate all that exists already in a city-wide promotion rather than recreating the wheel with RMA’s suggestions to have Andrews Avenue become the Medtail and Wellness District?

There is plenty in the presentation to be excited about. Many of the suggestions have already been worked on or in the planning stages for some time and others were a welcome addition to highlighting this special place we call the Island City. Gateway signage and unique lighting features to make people know they have entered our Island City was a welcome inclusion in the study. This idea is not anything new but all part of our Wayfinding Project approved years ago and with much public input. Hopefully one day soon, now that the funding should be in place, we will finally see this vital project transform our city. Glad to hear it supported so strongly in the branding strategy.

Another goal that many residents would like to see included in future city planning would be a high priority placed on bicycle and pedestrian safety. Now that we have successfully established our mixeduse zoning corridors throughout the city, it’s time we think about making them pedestrian

friendly with shade structures, trees, wide sidewalks and gathering spaces. Bike lanes should not only exist within certain areas but should have total connectivity throughout our city and tied into neighboring cities pathways and bike lanes.

An upcoming Bike Safety Day sponsored by the Community Affairs Advisory Board highlights our city’s deficiency when it comes to safe connectivity of bicycle lanes. The event includes a Bike Scavenger Hunt, but organizers did not look to include the entire Westside Community due to safety concerns of the bikers crossing Andrews Avenue. This reality sums up the concerns many on the Westside have been expressing for years, to have safety issues addressed not just on Andrews Avenue but along Powerline Road and throughout our community. These concerns are not just limited to vehicular traffic but also need to address the shared usage of our roadways with bicycles and pedestrians. Hopefully the Westside Traffic Study will produce a roadmap for necessary improvements and not just offer sidewalks as the solution. Creating fully connected, clearly marked, dedicated bike lanes that transverse our Island City and connecting to neighbors across our waterways would do wonders in promoting and branding our city as a great place to live, work and play.

Asking residents to participate is great, but you also have to listen to what they are saying.

Working together and creating a plan for Wilton Manors next 75 years needs to include what residents want for our Island City. Having this conversation and debate is what makes life just better here.

www.WMGAZETTE.com • 4 . 21.2022

GAZETTE Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Associate Publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com

"Asking residents to participate is great, but you also have to listen to what they are saying."

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APRIL 21, 2022

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COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

BICYCLE LANES, SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS AND MORE FROM THE COMMISSION

‘WELLNESS CORRIDOR’ RECOMMENDED FOR ANDREWS AVE.

By John McDonald

By John McDonald At their regular meeting on April 12, Wilton Manors commissioners were presented with a market analysis and branding strategy report that called for a focus on wellness.

Redevelopment Management Associates delivered a 216-page report to the commission, recommending the city embrace a wellness trend that carries a $4.4 trillion global economic impact. Lynn Dehlinger, RMA Director of Economic Development, said some of Broward County’s top medical groups are interested in moving to Wilton Manors.

“They are highly visible businesses and they pay top dollar rents,” Dehlinger said.

Andrews Ave., RMA determined, was the ideal place to designate a wellness corridor.

Those findings, however, were greeted with skepticism. Resident Hunter Stephens said surveys of residents show a desire for more restaurants, retail and hospitality developments.

“I am concerned that the very detailed work on market analysis hasn’t really been laid up against what residents want and need in terms of development in these commercial corridors,” Stephens said.

Fellow westside resident Jake Valentine echoed Stephens’ concerns about a medical district branding, recalling previous developments that resulted in the CSL plasma donation center on Andrews Ave. “Don’t wish too hard for something because you just may get it,” Valentine cautioned commissioners. “CSL has been an issue with our side of town for years and they’re not going anywhere.”

RMA, a Pompano Beach based firm, was paid $74,500 for the report, titled WiltonNext.

Other notes from the April 12 meeting: Police Chief Gary Blocker announced 19 graduates of the city’s 2022 Citizen’s Police Academy. Mayor Scott Newton congratulated the group on completing the 10-week program.

“It’s amazing when you live in a city and you find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a city, because there’s a lot more you don’t know until you go through that class. I’m glad you went through it and see what a lot of us go through every day,” Newton said.

Commissioners, on a 4-1 vote, approved an amendment to the city’s general planning consulting agreement with Calvin, Giordano & Associates Inc. This is the 11th amendment

COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

Image from SFGN library.

of the agreement that began in November of 2017. The city will pay the community development firm a lump sum of $14,980 to study the impacts of an additional 1,000 midrise units in the transit-oriented corridors of Wilton Dr., Dixie Hwy. and Northeast 26th St. Commissioner Gary Resnick voted against the amendment.

Resident Boyd Corbin asked the city to remove a pile of bricks near the parking lot at Don Eislee Park. Corbin said a brick was thrown through his vehicle’s window and his iPhone was stolen. A jurisdiction tussle between the Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors Police Departments ensued before Corbin tracked the device to a machine inside the Walmart on Broward Blvd. and with the assistance of Fort Lauderdale police, successfully retrieved the phone. In his speech to the commission, Corbin, who is considering a campaign for mayor, called for cameras and routine patrols at the park.

“We need some big changes with the Wilton Manors Police Department starting from the top,” he said.

City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson proposed ending Zoom broadcasts of meetings.

The meeting lasted three hours and 32 minutes. The next regular commission meeting is April 26.

Three transportation projects were greenlighted by the Wilton Manors commission, part of an overall effort to advance mobility plans for better pedestrian connectivity.

Commissioners voted unanimously to enter into a construction and maintenance agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for work on Northwest 29th Street between Powerline Road and Andrews Avenue. The project calls for lane width reduction to include bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the street.

The project, however, does have its detractors.

“I think it is ridiculous to add four-foot wide bicycle lanes on both sides of the very busy and narrow NW 29th Street,” said resident Paul Kuta. “I oppose narrowing heavily trafficked roads in Wilton Manors because they cause problems for trucks and service vehicles and cause back-ups.”

City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said a door-knocking outreach effort was made on the street with two more public meetings planned. Construction, Henderson said, begins in late summer.

Commissioner Gary Resnick asked for designs for the project and suggested city management approach Somerset Academy Village about the incoming changes.

“Maybe you could talk to the church or the charter school and get them to do something about their fence,” Resnick told Henderson. “It looks more like a prison fence than a fence for a school.”

On another unanimous vote, commissioners approved an agreement with planning and design consulting firm Kimley-Horn for improvements to Northeast 26th Street between Dixie Highway and Middle River.

Broward County surtax funds will be used in redesigning the current sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The third project, approved on another unanimous vote, calls for installation, maintenance and repairs to the existing Wilton Drive landscaping and irrigation system. Green Construction Technologies won the contract for phase two work on the Wilton Drive Lane Elimination Project.

Other notes from the March 22 meeting: A classification and compensation study was presented to the commission by HR Compensation Consultants. The study found 28 employees fell below the minimum pay range and 73 employees needed equity

www.WMGAZETTE.com

Photo Credit: wiltonmanors.com

adjustments. The cost of the adjustments is $351,824. Commissioner Chris Caputo expressed concerns over turnover, noting the city recently lost three Leisure Services Department employees to Dunkin’ Donuts.

The city approved an event permit for the Stonewall Parade and Street Festival. The annual event, which draws an estimated 35,000 people, is scheduled for June 18.

Former Commissioner Julie Carson and police officer Nikki Cox were presented with awards in honor of Women’s History Month.

Carson, attending the meeting with her mother Louise, who recently celebrated her 95th birthday, said she was “touched” by the honor.

Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker said Officer Cox’s passion for her profession and commitment to service is “next level.”

Vice Mayor Paul Rolli asked City Attorney Kerry Ezrol to keep the commission updated on the status of an elections bill that passed both the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. SB/HB 524 creates a new bureau to investigate election crimes and awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature. Ezrol said the new law prohibits the use of ranked choice voting.

Commissioner Mike Bracchi asked for city staff to review code to determine which laws are not being enforced. Bracchi referred to the use of plastic straws as an example.

Resnick asked for a revision of the city’s vacation rentals regulations to include that at least one adult age 21 or older be on property while the unit is rented. Mayor Scott Newton said he suggested the minimum age limit be 25.

Resident Michael Rajner said the city is preparing to disband its Civil Service Board in November without providing an alternative for employees who may need recourse.

“I continue to be alarmed that there is a referendum to sunset the Civil Service Board,” said Rajner, who phoned in to the meeting via Zoom from Brazil.

The meeting lasted two hours and 47 minutes. The next regular commission meeting is April 12.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 3 •

APRIL 21, 2022

4 . 21. 20 22 •

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NEWS

WILTON MANORS

FDOT TO HOST PUBLIC MEETINGS ON WESTSIDE STREET PROJECT

By John McDonald Construction on the $1.5 million project begins in winter, FDOT officials said, and is expected to take one year. Work will be done in phases with no construction allowed at night or on weekends.

For more information, contact Humberto Arrieta, project manager at (954) 777-4152.

PROJECT LOCATION

Andrews Avenue

Renderings of NW 29th Street Complete Streets Improvements. Images courtesy of FDOT.

Powerline Road

Two public meetings are scheduled next week for residents to learn more about the upcoming Northwest 29th St. Complete Streets Project.

The Florida Department of Transportation has scheduled a virtual meeting for Monday, April 25 at 6 p.m. followed by an in-person meeting on Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at the Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, 600 Northeast 21st Court.

The project’s proposed improvements include repaving the street, repairing a damaged sidewalk and constructing a new sidewalk to fill gaps, adding green painted bike lanes, modifying drainage structures, adding signs and pavement markings and upgrading pedestrian crossing signals at both intersections.

Northwest 29th St. connects SR 845/ Powerline Rd. and Andrews Ave. with 100 single family homes and five businesses facing the corridor.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WILTON MANORS

WILTON NEXT IS A GOOD START, BUT WE CAN DO BETTER SFGN recently shared with readers the initial results of RMA Associates study, which has been referred to as WiltonNext. In John McDonald’s article from April 15 (https:// bit.ly/3uU7RF6), John points out that RMA has recommended Wilton Manors embrace Wellness as a brand identity and business focus along Andrews Avenue. I am glad to see that feedback from Hunter Stephens, President of the Westside Association of Wilton Manors, was included. Hunter states, “I am concerned that the very detailed work on market analysis hasn’t really been laid up against what residents want and need in terms of development in these commercial corridors.”

I believe RMA Associates did an excellent job of identify the demographics of our city,

"Our city needs to focus on Community Development — not economic development — along the Avenue."

existing business mix, comparable cities, and industry trends in general. They are not incorrect that Wellness is going to play an important part of our mixed use and commercial real estate throughout the city in the future — just as well throughout Broward County and the State of Florida. Where I believe their recommendations have fallen short of meeting the need is in their desire to classify the Avenue (as we affectionately refer to Andrews Ave) as the ideal corridor for a new Wellness district.

The trend for Wellness related businesses — doctors, MedSpas, fitness studios, anything health related — is a nationwide trend. It is not a need limited to a particular corridor in our city. I am strongly concerned about the idea that all these businesses might be focused in one neighborhood. As residents of Wilton Manors, all of us need Doctors, many of us use fitness studios, and I certainly enjoy visiting a med spa now and then!

More importantly, the residents on the west side have been very clear. They are not interested in economic development for economic development’s sake. This is their

backyard. As someone who is as close of a walk to the Avenue as I am to the Drive, I couldn’t agree more. Don’t take my word for it but review the community feedback surveys residents submitted. I didn’t find one single west side resident expressing an interest in more medical buildings along the Avenue, but I did read a lot of requests for the kind of businesses that make neighborhoods more livable and improve quality of life.

Our city needs to focus on Community Development — not economic development — along the Avenue. There is certainly room for a yoga studio, a gym, and a chiropractor along the Avenue as part of a larger mix of businesses that residents can use. What we want as residents is also great restaurants, specialty, and upscale retail stores, and so forth.

At a future meeting, my fellow commissioners and I will discuss any desired modifications to the plan and our city’s implementation strategy. At that time, I will express my desire to avoid the Avenue becoming solely focused on “Wellness.” I ask residents to continue remaining involved and

www.WMGAZETTE.com 26

• 4 . 21.2022

4 •

APRIL 21, 2022

Graphic created with images via RawPixel.

engaged in the process. Please share your feelings with my fellow commissioners who are interested in hearing from you.

If you’d like to share your feedback on the WiltonNext project so far or request a copy of the WiltonNext project report and community data, you can email me at ccaputo@wiltonmanors.com.

— CHRIS CAPUTO

WILTON MANORS CITY COMMISSIONER

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Jesse’s Journal

CONVICTIONS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK? Jesse Monteagudo

R

ecently New York City Mayor Eric Adams took advantage of the plight of LGBT people upset by Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law to promote his city. Adams partnered with advertising firm Kinetic to erect digital billboards in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach that describe the Big Apple as a queer Mecca.

“This political showmanship of attempting to demonize a particular group or community is unacceptable,” said the mayor, referring to “Don’t Say Gay.” “We are going to loudly show our support and say to those living in Florida, ‘Listen, we want you here in New York.’” The ads, which invite us to “come to the city where you can say whatever you want,” are good promotions for Gotham and also, in the words of New York City Council Member Chi Osse, “a big FU to Governor Ron DeSantis for his lack of leadership and solidarity to the LGBTQ community.” The ads run from April 4 to May 29.

The idea of New York City as a gay paradise is nothing new. For more than a century, queers from Florida and elsewhere have moved to New York, New York for economic opportunity, artistic or intellectual fulfillment or, most importantly, freedom. LGBT-friendly gayborhoods like Greenwich Village, Harlem or parts of Brooklyn welcomed newcomers regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Though they were FOR MORE THAN A not as supportive of racial or ethnic minorities.) New CENTURY, QUEERS York City’s queer record was FROM FLORIDA AND far from perfect: it had more ELSEWHERE HAVE than its share of police raids MOVED TO NEW (remember Stonewall?), antiLGBT violence as well as run YORK, NEW YORK of the mill prejudices. But, FOR ECONOMIC compared to other places, in OPPORTUNITY, Florida and elsewhere, New York City was the place to be.

ARTISTIC OR We made it there when we INTELLECTUAL could not make it anywhere FULFILLMENT else.

OR, MOST Despite all that, I doubt that Mayor Adams’s hopeful IMPORTANTLY, campaign will succeed. At least FREEDOM. since 1980, LGBT migration to NYC has been minimal.

Like other groups, queer people are more likely to move from New York to Florida than vice versa. (Many of my Florida friends were once New Yorkers.) Despite the antics of Ron DeSantis and his ilk, the Sunshine State’s population keeps growing while the Empire State’s population keeps shrinking. This is due to a variety of reasons, like Florida’s warm weather or its lack of a state income tax. Many newly arrived Floridians were stationed in

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• 4 . 21.2022

Photo via Adobe.

Florida or visited this state during their vacations, liked what they saw, and returned to stay. Others just refused to leave.

We do not want to buy winter clothes or pay state taxes. And while we are justly upset by the hateful and repressive laws that come out of Tallahassee, we are not angry enough to pack up and leave. I know I am not. (I know this contradicts an anti-Florida article that I wrote a while ago, but I can hate Florida and still love it.)

Perhaps DeSantis thought his laws will give him the best of both worlds. His Trumper base will love them while

LGBT Floridians and our allies will just ignore it. After all, he thought, they will only affect a few prepubescent kids, their teachers, and trans girls who seek to compete in high school or college sports. DeSantis could not have been more wrong.

What hurts one of us hurts all of us, and the rights of a trans girl of color are as important to this cisgender Cuban man as it is to them. I will not pack up and move to New York City, as tempting as it might be. But I will continue to fight like hell for the rights of all Floridians, despite our state government’s ongoing campaign against us.

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and journalist. He has been an active member of South Florida's LGBT community for more than four decades and has served in various community organizations.

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29

CONVICTIONS

Mombian

‘AND TANGO MAKES THREE’ AUTHORS REFLECT ON NEW WAVE OF BOOK BANS Dana Rudolph

J

ustin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s Parnell recently took their 13-year-old daughter award-winning picture book, “And Tango to the musical “The Music Man” where, he Makes Three” (Simon & Schuster), based summarizes, the con man in the opening on the true story of two male penguins who scene said, “You’ve got trouble, your kids have hatch an egg together, has been one of the got a pool table and that’s going to lead them most-challenged books in the country since to ruin. I can save you all by selling you this shortly after it was published in 2005. Yet the bill of goods.” Richardson explained, “That’s current surge of book bans and challenges the oldest con in the book. That’s what we’re sweeping through the U.S. is different from seeing. We’re seeing politicians fomenting anything they’ve seen before, they told me in anxiety about books like ours and lessons that an interview. use books like ours in order to get support in “It really feels that the landscape has the polls. It’s a totally different animal from changed fairly dramatically,” Richardson said. the kinds of challenges we had before, which, Earlier challenges were mostly handled locally, however wrong-headed they were, seemed he explained. A school would typically refer the sincere. There’s no sincerity here.” complaint to the school board, board members As for their own reaction to the bans, and school administrators would decide on Richardson said, “As gay men who grew up a review process, “and at a in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, certain point an attorney would we’ve had a lifetime to learn step in and say, ‘Hey folks, FYI, how to manage our feelings it’s against the Constitution of stigma and shame and to remove this book from the being attacked.” Instead, he school library,’ and that would said, they focus on, “What put an end to it, for the most are we going to do about part.” this?”

Earlier challenges, too, were They have some usually by an individual parent suggestions. “In the past, or citizen “wanting to ‘protect’ responses to challenges their own child from the book,” have been two-pronged,” Richardson continued. “What Richardson explained. The we see now are politicians first prong has been letters exploiting the fears of parents from national organizations - Justin Richardson for their own political gain” such as PEN America, the COAUTHOR OF “AND TANGO MAKES THREE” and “organized attacks on ALA’s Office of Intellectual intellectual freedom from Freedom, and the ACLU. members of the government.”

Parnell noted, however, Previously, “the government was on our side,” that such letters, pointing out relevant case law, he said. “We felt confident the courts would may not be enough these days. “Now, I think find in our favor, but unfortunately what we’re it’s going to go more towards the courts,” he seeing in Texas, in Florida, and more and more said, as those behind the bans try to challenge states is that it is legislators themselves that are existing law. launching attacks on the book and doing so in The second prong has been “local an organized way.” organizations like grassroots groups of parents Parnell added that in legislating, politicians or LGBTQIA associations’’ in the community are creating “a more unified idea behind where the challenge happened, Richardson parents protecting their children” and “a kind said. What people respond to, he explained, of extreme reaction that comes out of fears that “are locals, are their neighbors.” For example, parents have and that they have now placed at he said, recent walkouts in Florida schools over the feet of teachers, of librarians, etc.” the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill “were Richardson offered an analogy. He and effective in getting a great deal of attention to

“AS GAY MEN WHO GREW UP IN THE ‘50S, ‘60S AND ‘70S, WE’VE HAD A LIFETIME TO LEARN HOW TO MANAGE OUR FEELINGS OF STIGMA AND SHAME AND BEING ATTACKED.”

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“And Tango Makes Three” book cover.

the issue,” even though they could not stop the bill from becoming law. He added, “Our one hope will be that folks in communities where this is happening can find their voice and organize and protest.”

Richardson advises that authors facing challenges today work both prongs, first getting support from the national organizations because “they’re experts.

They’ve been around the block so many times they can tell you what to do.” Then, he said, “find the local folks to whom this matters in the community where the challenge has been made and support them in whatever efforts they think they can make that make sense.”

For parents wondering how to explain the wave of anti-LGBT bans and bias to their children, Richardson (who is also a practicing psychiatrist) said much depends on the age and personality of the child, but suggests addressing it as a family, finding a way that

“becomes an opportunity to have a moment together, whether that’s reading a book or an op-ed piece. You can say whatever they’re doing out there in the world, they’ve brought the three of us or the four of us or the two of us together for these 15 minutes, and that’s a win.”

Sometimes, too, family reading can even be a form of public action. What Richardson called “one of the most powerful political actions” around “Tango” happened in Singapore in 2014, when the government said it would destroy every copy of “Tango” and two other LGBT-inclusive books. Parents who supported the books, however, “took their children to the National Library of Singapore in their pajamas” and “read our books quietly to their kids. They got it on film and it was extremely effective.”

The government backed down.

“It was a beautiful thing, it was a local thing, and it was parents and kids,” he said.

“Those are the kinds of actions that just speak volumes.”

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 900+ LGBTQ family books, media, and more.

LIFESTYLE TWO GUYS AND A DOG

I’VE HAD MY TURN AT THAT Brian McNaught

G

o ahead, walk through our home, spot a picture of me when I was young, and say, “You used to be cute.” My turn to have a young face, a young body, is over. It’s someone else’s turn. It’s my turn for gray hair, and maybe the descriptive word “distinguished.”

Yes, it’s my turn to be 74 ½ years old. Not everyone gets their turn at that, including my mother and three of my siblings.

Those who do get a turn each experience being 74 through their own lens of judgments, expectations, and awareness. It’s my hope to live each day of the rest of my life with moment-bymoment exhilaration for the turns I get to have, and gratitude for the turns that I have had.

Whenever I catch myself reminiscing about my youth, and envying the lifestyles of those who are younger than me, I remind myself that I’ve already been where they are, and done what they’re doing. I’ve been a carefree, innocent child, a rebellious teenager, and a college student who wondered what my future held. I’ve had my turn at getting rock hard erections, having a razor-sharp memory, and being pain free.

SOMETIMES, I My turn is up for being 7, 18, 32, 45, 59, and IMAGINE GOING 70. I hope I took advantage of being all of those ages. I have few regrets, and I don’t BACK AND live a life of “What ifs?”

DOING IT ALL I’ve had a privileged life that allowed me to experience the preceding stages as OVER AGAIN, Photo via PxHere. fully as I could as a gay man growing up BUT WITHOUT in the U.S. Now, I get to figure out what being 74 is possibly about. What is lost THE ANGST, THE stages of life change with the evolution of the to still be healthy, active, fulfilled and happy. What I most and what is gained by being at this stage of CONFUSION, AND world. For instance, I colored with crayons at the like about my life is my desire now to manage incessant my life? Sometimes, I imagine going back same age as youngsters today surf the internet. thoughts, and to be aware of all of my senses in the moment. and doing it all over again, but without the THE INSECURITY But physical and emotional development is not all I love that there is less drama, less desire to squeeze in every angst, the confusion, and the insecurity I HAD THE FIRST that different from generation to generation. activity before I die. I don’t need to skydive in order for my I had the first time around. Those are It’s a privilege to be 74, and there’s no rule book life to feel complete. feelings I don’t now miss at all. But I can’t TIME AROUND. on how I should experience it. When I was finished I expect that several generations of humans in the future go back, and it would be selfish of me to gardening today, I felt very satisfied with my work, will see and be grateful for all of the work we Baby Boomers try. It’s someone else’s turn.

There are some seemingly consistent characteristics it was fun and meaningful to me, but my body screamed at have done to expand the culture’s understanding and to the stages of life, influenced of course by our sex, race, me that I had overdone it. And yet, when I jumped into the appreciation of the full spectrum of sexual attraction and nationality, religion, education, physical ability, and economic pool, I felt as if I was 12. Each time I climbed the steps to get gender identity and expression, as well as our growth into opportunity. Having pimples as teenagers, for example, is out of the pool, I allowed myself to fall backwards into the a spirituality that is free of doctrine and dogmas. We have probably to be expected, as is peeing without difficulty for water. So, my being 74 allows for my body to perform but successfully linked spirituality, mental health, and selfmost young people. We go through stages of infancy, of with risk of overdoing it, and a spirit of fun that I’ve not left love. What we may also contribute to the evolution of our species is an awareness of, and an embrace with gratitude dependence upon our parents, of questioning authority, of behind in childhood.

Some people resent their age, and their stage of life. It of, the dynamics of each of life’s stages. We seniors have the a desire to experiment, to push the envelope, and of a need to settle down. There’s a time for drinking too much, playing saddens me that many others my age spend their days and opportunity to model the ease with which we can release our music too loud, and staying up all night. I’ve had my turn at nights fighting against it being their turn to experience life designated time slot and move on to new, exciting, fulfilling all of those stages. Other people are experiencing them now. as a senior. It’s a great, unearned gift to live for 74 years and experiences.

It’s their turn. My turn for being an adolescent is over, as is my turn for being 30 and middle-aged.

There is a Circle of Life. We are born and we die. In Brian McNaught has been a leading educator on LGBTQ issues globally since 1974. He has made his between, we grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. many books and DVDs available for free at Brian-McNaught.com. The New York Times named him “The The beginning and the end are what they are supposed to be, Godfather of gay diversity training.” Brian has a weekly YouTube/FaceBook podcast called, “Are You as is each decade of life. The characteristics of the various Happy Without the Movie?”

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LIFESTYLE FOOD

JUICY MEAT & NICE BUNS!

BIG BUNS 221 S.W. 1st Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-686-8181 •Eatbigbuns.com

Rick Karlin

D

o you remember backyard picnics and how good those hamburgers tasted?

Completely different from those hockey pucks between two mushy pieces of bread you’d get from fast food places. The meat actually had flavor and there was a little bit of char on the edge. You didn’t need a lot of toppings to make it sensational, just a little catsup and mustard and maybe some lettuce and tomato if you were feeling fancy.

Craig Carey felt the same way, so in 2005 he teamed up with chef Tom Racosky, and they started to mold their vision of a modern “burger joint” with a rotating selection of delicious burgers and craft beer that felt more like a backyard party than a restaurant.

Two years later they opened their first BIG BUNS in Arlington, Virginia. Other locations in the D.C. area followed. They’ve just opened their first South Florida location along the riverfront just south of West Las Olas.

BIG BUNS offers a well-made burger, and its river-front patio adds to the backyard party atmosphere if you can find it. The restaurant’s address is 221 SW 1st avenue, but it is a block south of that in a storefront of the Society Las Olas and around the corner from 1st Ave. It may be difficult to find, but once there, you will be rewarded with tasty burgers and chicken sandwiches. In addition to colorful indoor dining, there’s a large patio with bright colors, murals, and bold sound (sometimes too bold; we often found ourselves shouting over the music and the trains passing by a few yards away).

There’s everything from the simply dressed classic burger to a wide array of specialty combos topped with anything from bacon and onion strings to sauteed mushrooms, BBQ sauce, grilled poblanos and serranos, and a variety of cheese options. The same goes for chicken sandwiches, which can come grilled or breaded and deep-fried, simply dressed or adorned with toppings.

There are also the options of house-made veggie burgers and Impossible patties, which can be subbed in any sandwich or bowl. For those looking for a healthier alternative, bowls offer several varieties of bases, which can be topped with a patty of any sort or

THERE’S MORE ONLINE! 32

• 4 . 21.2022

enjoyed simply as a salad. Among the options are: Beet Sprouts & Harmony (arugula, crispy brussels sprouts, barley, roasted beets, candied pecans, sea-salted sweet potato chips, with maple Dijon vinaigrette), the Hollaback Bowl (chopped kale, quinoa, house falafel, dried cranberries, shredded carrots, toasted almonds, and parmesan Caesar dressing), and the Southwest Smoke Show (napa, red cabbage, romaine, quinoa, avocado, shredded carrots, pico de gallo, and corn tortilla strips, topped with cilantro lime chipotle vinaigrette).

Side options are limited but just as tasty.

Starting with simple fries to loaded versions.

There are also fried Brussels sprouts topped with a spicy sriracha sauce. Be forewarned when things are listed on the menu as spicy, they aren’t kidding. We could barely eat the queso fries. The specialty milkshakes are good for putting out any fires. I was a tad disappointed when my peanut butter cup shake arrived. The picture on the website showed it adorned with Reese’s Pieces and pieces of real peanut butter cups. My shake was merely peanut butter-flavored.

Beverage options are a pleasant change of pace; fountain drinks are not the usual Coke or Pepsi products but more unusual Mexican colas, regional root beers and fresh juice blends (strawberry and watermelon tastes artificial, but the pear and ginger combination was quite refreshing).

The prices are a bit higher than other fastcasual burger joints: about $12 for a plain burger and fries to more than $20 for the works on both. One of the reasons for the higher prices is the quality of the ingredients.

The beef is premium grass-fed, and the chicken is antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed from Nature’s Sensation. Burgers are served on a brioche bun (a gluten-free version is available) and fries are prepared in a designated gluten-free fryer. The housemade veggie burger is vegan and gluten-free.

In addition to quality ingredients, Big Buns pays its workers above the going rate. We all give lip service to paying people a living wage, but that comes at a cost. We’ll see if people are willing to pay that.

Big Buns on Las Olas Riverfront. Image via Facebook.

NEW SPOTS TO CHECK OUT

Even as we wind down from season, we have dining destinations popping up in the area. CHECK THESE OUT: KAVA JIVE, an “elite elixir bar,” will open in June in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors.

2242 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors.

MAMMA MIA ITALIAN BISTRO, an Italian bistro set to open in the former Via Vai space. 2043 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors • Instagram: @mammamia.bistro THE FITZ BAR & LOUNGE, cocktail focused with food trucks.

503 S.W. 2nd. Ave., Fort Lauderdale • Instagram: @thefitz.bar GELATO & CO., the 14th location of a high-end gelateria chain.

1201 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale • GelatoEco.com WOW WING HOUSE, boasts 123 flavors of wings.

4231 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac • WowWingHouseTamarac.com TACOCRAFT opened a new location in the new Plantation Walk.

321 North University Dr., Plantation • Tacocraft.com I HEART MAC & CHEESE, at Cypress Creek Station plaza.

6317 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale • IHeartMacAndCheese.com

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

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.

The views Rick expresses are his own and do not represent the opinion of SFGN.

GAY COUPLE OPENS THEIR DOORS TO UKRAINIANS FLEEING THE WAR Read SFGN.com to find out more. | Photo: James and Robert Moon with Dasha Shareiko and her mother, Vita Dagaeva, at MB Pride. Credit: Carina Mask.

LIFESTYLE READING WITH PRIDE

‘AN UNEXPECTED KIND OF LOVE’ Aurora Dominguez

C

oming out is tough for some people.

Therefore, if you’re interested in books about characters coming out for the sake of love, then check out “An Unexpected Kind of Love” by Hayden Stone.

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR MOST RECENT NOVEL? “An Unexpected Kind of Love” was sparked by a love of ‘90s Hugh Grant films like Notting Hill, and ‘80s John Hughes films with cheery appeal like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Some Kind of Wonderful. There’s something timeless, light, and very appealing to me about those story worlds. Then I thought — cool vibes, but make it queer. The novel was also inspired by a summer when I was caught in a heatwave in London that I couldn’t escape one summer, and that made an impression.

WHAT DOES “READING WITH PRIDE” MEAN TO YOU? “Reading with Pride” means reading LGBT and queer books. I love reading queer romance, which makes me so happy. I want to see queer characters who get to have their happily ever afters in romances.

To me, it means reading works by queer authors and queer themes in any and all genres. There’s always so much to learn and inspire by reading broadly. I want to see all of the queer stories out there.

WHY DO YOU FEEL REPRESENTATION OF A VARIETY OF PEOPLE IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING BOOKS AND CHARACTERS?

“An Unexpected Kind of Love” by Hayden Stone.

more introverted and I also have loads of books. I definitely prefer staying out of the limelight to finding myself in it.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM YOUR BOOK?

I love seeing a diversity of characters in their identities, sexualities, cultural backgrounds, and abilities — and their intersectionality. The world is a diverse place and I believe stories should reflect that world around us. Personally, I want to see more queer characters and experiences in the mainstream, as well as other underrepresented characters and stories, in adult fiction, as well as in young adult fiction, which is leading the way in diversity in my opinion. I’m seeing it more and more in adult fiction across genre, and it’s very exciting to me.

There’s a shy, quirky London bookseller who crashes quite literally into an American C-list actor. What follows is a light-hearted romp through a sultry London heatwave where opposites attract, and where my main character Aubrey Barnes has to decide whether he might take a chance at coming out of his defensive shell for love. Read for some fun and escape, and shenanigans around London!

WHICH CHARACTER DID YOU RELATE TO THE MOST AND WHY?

I have a second stand-alone book in the same London neighborhood coming out later this fall — stay tuned for more news! You can sign up for my newsletter at haydenstonebooks.com or follow me on Twitter @writerhayden or Instagram @ haydenstoneauthor for updates.

Between my two lead characters: Aubrey, a serious introvert, and Blake, an extrovert of the first order, I have to say I’m more like Aubrey. I’m

WHAT’S UP NEXT FOR YOU IN THE BOOKISH WORLD?

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33

A&E APPOINTMENTS

OTLIGHT BUSINESS SPO

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

‘THE CODE’ RECEIVES WORLD PREMIERE AT FOUNDRY

FELLOW TRAVELERS

Welcome to Business Spotlight, the column that thanks advertisers who support SFGN. We invite you to support them, because without their outreach to us, we would not be here to reach out to you. We are a free newspaper that survives on the success of our advertisers so we encourage our readers to support those who support us.

Andres Acosta and Hadleigh Adams in Florida Grand Opera’s production of Gregory Spears’ ‘Fellow Travelers’ (Source: Courtesy Florida Grand Opera)

Y

ou’re a devout Catholic, recent college grad, exploring your place in the world of 1950s Washington DC. He’s a handsome, older man, an established State Department official.

He helps you get your first job. He teaches you about DC. He is your first male lover.

There’s just one problem. You’re in Washington, DC, in the midst of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s witch hunts against Communists and homosexuals in the government. There are enemies all around, suspicious and spying. If you’re discovered, you could lose your job, your friends, your family … everything.

The betrayal, when it comes, is stunning and unexpected.

Fellow Travelers is based on the 2007 novel

by Thomas Mallon. Gregory Spears’ haunting score set to Greg Pierce’s taut libretto tells the stories of Tim and Hawk in sixteen intimate and poignant vignettes. You won’t want to miss this contemporary classic based on

an important yet relatively unknown piece of recent American history. April 23 , 25, and 26 at 7:30 and April 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center. Free transportation provided from Miami. Visit www. fgo.com for tickets and transportation.

FREE PREVIEWS Join us on April 12, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual in Broward, or on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 6:30 PM at the Art Deco Museum in Miami Beach for a prosecco welcome, a performance of Fellow Travelers selections by the FGO Studio Artists, and two different panel discussions about the creation of the book, the opera, and this production. The April 12 event features the opportunity to speak with novelist Thomas Mallon and composer Gregory Spears about their work.

Both events are free and open to the public, but space is limited and reservations are recommended.

Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/fellow-travelers-the-journey-inbroward-registration-303039036917 to register for April 12.

Use code FT241 for 50% Off 34

• 4 . 21.2022

J.W. Arnold

W

hat could happen when the two most powerful gay men in 1930s Hollywood bump into each other at a cocktail reception…and are joined by an outrageous and outspoken actress?

That’s the plausible premise of playwright Michael McKeever’s latest play, “The Code,” receiving its world premiere April 21 – May 8 at the Foundry in Wilton Manors.

Billy Haines, a gay man, was the most popular box office star of his era, while Henry Willson, was the deeply closeted gay agent who discovered Rock Hudson, Troy Donahue and Guy Madison and made them stars.

“I thought what fun it would be to put both of these men in one room and have them go at it,” said McKeever, a multiple Carbonell Award-winner whose plays have been produced Off Broadway and around the globe. “Haines was huge and lived outside of the closet, while Wilson was enormously self-loathing.”

The men would certainly have belonged to similar social and business circles and dealt with the same people, McKeever pointed out, but there is no documentation of them being together.

At a pre-dinner cocktail party, the men encounter brassy actress Tallulah Bankhead.

“She was brilliant and hysterical and I knew she would be a funny addition to the night,” he explained. “I found that she was incredibly insightful and heartbreaking at the same time. This was a woman who greeted strangers with, ‘I’m a lesbian and what do you do?’ She played any way that she could and, in some ways, she preferred women.”

After several years of fits and starts, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown of theaters offered him the opportunity to finally finish the play. (He actually finished three plays during the pandemic — “since I had all the time in the world.”)

McKeever tapped industry veterans for the first production, including director Christopher Renshaw and Carbonellwinning actors Tom Wahl and Mia Matthews as Haines and Bankhead, respectively. And, the playwright will do

Playwright Michael McKeever’s latest comedy, “The Code,” opening this weekend at the Foundry, imagines a meeting between three Hollywood icons. Credit: Courtesy.

double duty on stage as Willson. They are joined by Gabriell Salgado as an upand-coming young actor who arrives with Willson.

“Chris is a Tony-nominated director who I worked with two years back before the pandemic … He read the play and fell in love with it,” McKeever said, noting he understands his place on another director’s stage. “As an actor, that makes me a better playwright, and being a playwright makes me a better actor. As an actor in the play, I never fall back on also being the playwright. I take that hat off and take the notes from the director.”

Because the Foundry maintains an open season, “The Code” was able to be worked into the schedule on relatively short notice for the premiere, but McKeever expects other productions soon.

“It’s already gotten interest in New York,” he hinted, “but I don’t want to jinx anything. [This play] has so much potential and we’re having so much fun. Everybody involved appreciates the message about being true to yourself.”

Michael McKeever’s “The Code” will be presented April 21 – May 8 at the Foundry, 2306 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets start at $35 at RonnieLarsen.com.

A&E FILM

BOCA EXHIBIT UNVEILS

BACKDROPS OF FILM HISTORY J.W. Arnold

G

et your selfie sticks ready because the Boca Raton Museum of Art is the place to get unique social media photos — especially if you’re a classic film buff.

“Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema’s Creative Legacy,” open now through Jan. 22, is celebrating unsung heroes who created the monumental canvases that served as the backdrops during the golden age of the film industry.

The exhibit features 22 monumental scenic paintings created between 1938 and 1968 for “Singing in the Rain,” “North by Northwest,” “Ben Hur,” “The Sound of Music,” “An American in Paris” and more.

The exhibition was originated at the museum and is curated by Thomas A. Walsh and Karen L. Maness, who played pivotal roles among a group of passionate Hollywood insiders to salvage these American treasures.

The result in the Museum’s galleries is a magical portal that takes the terms “largescale,” “immersive,” and “virtual reality” to a whole new level.

Walsh and Maness said in notes on the exhibition: “This is a well-deserved moment in the spotlight for the dozens of unidentified studio artists. Their uncredited craftsmanship made scenes of Mount Rushmore, Ben-Hur’s Rome, the Von Trapp family’s Austrian Alps, and Gene Kelly’s Paris street dance possible.”

The show’s immersive components include interactive video reels created in Hollywood specifically for this exhibition, telling the stories behind each backdrop. Soundscapes have been engineered to surround visitors to the museum, including atmospheric sound effects related to the original movies and the scenic vistas.

“It is miraculous that these historic monumental paintings were not lost forever, as so many Hollywood treasures have disappeared. The concept for this show had its genesis with a ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ segment that called attention to the campaign to preserve scenic backdrops that had laid rolled up in the basement of MGM’s studios,” said Irvin Lippman, the museum’s executive director.

J.C. Backings Corporation acquired over 2,000 backdrops from MGM Studios storage in the 1970s. In 2012, the Art Directors Guild Archives, then under the direction of Walsh, launched the Backdrop Recovery Project, a partnership with the company.

The backdrop for “The Sound of Music” is one of 22 iconic film paintings on display at the Boca Raton Museum of Art through Jan. 22.

Credit: Boca Raton Museum of Art.

The goal was to preserve the backings and make them available for study. One of the recipients of this cache of gigantic paintings was the University of Texas at Austin, where Maness teaches.

During a media tour, Maness explained that more often than not, because the backdrops were painted and stored on the studio soundstages, once filming of a scene was complete, the backdrops were then painted over for the next project.

Many of the artists came from a family tradition of the craft, with lineage spanning three generations. Most were trained as professional artists, yet they remained uncredited, sometimes due to union agreements but mainly because the studios wanted to keep a firm grip on the secret techniques that were handed down from master to apprentice.

Both Walsh and Maness emphasized the backdrops were painted for the camera lens, not the human eye. Up close, the backdrops seem to be impressionistic in style, but become photo-realistic when viewed from a distance.

“This show is about the joy of reliving something you grew up with, that you always thought was real. It’s about getting as close to that magical moment in time as you can.

Being in the same space with that giant, familiar scene. It is difficult for people to get their minds around the awesome size of these magical spaces, until they see them in person.

People are often shocked and surprised by the scale and visual impact of these massive creations,” concluded Walsh.

“Art of the Hollywood Backdrop” is on display through Jan. 22 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real in Boca Raton.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Tickets are $12 at BocaMuseum.org.

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A&E NEWS

A&E CABARET

Jerrod Carmichael. Courtesy of HBO.

Q-MUSIC After Marianne and Melissa Gregg Shapiro

COMEDIAN COMES OUT AS GAY L ‘I Rebelled Against it My Whole Life’ Kim Swan

W

hen Jerrod Carmichael told the appreciating the love” and how his “ego audience that he was gay, he feared wants to rebel against it,” Yahoo! News their reaction. But instead of reported. booing, they clapped in acceptance, to his “I rebelled against it my whole life. I relief. thought I’d never, ever come out. At many Carmichael, a 34-year-old comedian, points I thought I’d rather die than confront came out during his new HBO the truth of that, to actually special “Rothaniel” April 1. say it to people. Because I HE TALKS ABOUT know it changes some people’s “Rothaniel” tells the stories of his family history with his own perceptions of me. I can’t THE WEIGHT coming out process, according control that.”

OF KEEPING to Yahoo! News. He talks about Even though Carmichael the weight of keeping his secret only now has officially come HIS SECRET hidden, and how coming out has out, he has in the past spoke HIDDEN, AND changed his relationships with about having sexual encounters friends and family for better or with other men. During a 2019 HOW COMING worse.

HBO special “Home Video,” OUT HAS Carmichael also shared a he confessed to his mother, story about his father cheating saying, “I’ve hooked up with CHANGED HIS on his mother for years. before,” according to RELATIONSHIPS dudes “After that was out in the TVline.com.

WITH FRIENDS open, I was left alone feeling like He’s admitted that his a liar, because I had a secret,” he relationship with his mother AND FAMILY told his audience. “One that I became more fraught since he FOR BETTER OR came out in “Rothaniel,” but kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you. has hopes for the future.

WORSE. Professionally, personally. And “As much as she believes the secret is that I’m gay.” in God, I believe in personal After a long silence the audience claps. growth and feeling free,” he said. “And I do He also said that he’s “accepting and feel freer.”

36

• 4 . 21.2022

esbianism dabbler Marianne Faithfull is the very definition of a survivor. She triumphed over Mick Jagger and drug addiction. She returned from obscurity with the brilliant “Broken English” comeback album in 1979 and has gone on to record several albums since then. One of those albums, 1999’s “Vagabond Ways” (BMG) has just been reissued on 180-gram vinyl, marking the recording’s debut in the format. The 10 songs, sung in her trademark late-in-life growl, find Faithfull leaving her distinctive mark on songs by Elton John and Bernie Taupin (“For Wanting You”), Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (“Incarceration of a Flower Child,” previously unrecorded by the prog-rock legends), and Leonard Cohen (“Tower of Songs”), and Daniel Lanois (“Marathon Kiss,” featuring Emmylou Harris on backing vocals), as well as a pair of songs — “File It Under Fun From the Past” and “Wider Shores of Love” — on which Faithfull is reunited with “Broken English” collaborator Barry Reynolds. It’s also worth mentioning that in 2020 Faithfull kicked COVID’s ass!

Lesbian rock icon Melissa Etheridge released her eponymous debut album almost 35 years ago. In that time, she went from being a midwestern roots rocker to a full-fledged superstar, as well as an outspoken LGBT icon.

Sure, it’s been a while since she’s topped the charts, but that doesn’t mean she’s been sitting idle. Her latest release, “One Way Out” (BMG), is an interesting project in which she reunited with her original band members (the then and now photos are fab!) to record seven songs she composed in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Additionally, the album closes with a pair of vintage (2002 is vintage, right?) live recordings.

In many ways, Faithfull and Etheridge paved

Hurray for the Riff Raff will be playing at the The Filmore Miami Beach May 27, 2022. Photo via Facebook.

the way for countless queer artists who came after them. New Orleans-based Bronx native Alynda Segarra aka Hurray for the Riff Raff is one such performer. On “Life on Earth” (Nonesuch), HFTRR’s first LP since 2017’s universally acclaimed “The Navigator,” Segarra has created a “nature punk” narrative over the course of 11 songs. With its “don’t turn your back on the mainland” mantra, the first single “Rhododendron,” as well as the irresistible “Pierced Arrows,” are message songs you can dance to if so moved. The haunting title cut warns of leaving the planet “beyond repair,” and the spoken word anti-I.C.E. statement “Precious Cargo” is every bit as powerful as you might imagine. In a queerly poetic movie, Segarra is joined by acclaimed gay writer Ocean Vuong on “Nightqueen.”

Queer LA-based female post-rock trio Gypsum makes a memorable impression with its years-in-the-making eponymous Sonic Ritual Records debut LP on limited edition 180gram opaque vinyl. Distinctive and shimmering guitar work and percussive drumming combined with mesmerizing harmonies result in a modern sound with echoes of the past.

This is especially true on the songs “Lungs,” “Gull Lake,” the kaleidoscopic “Kaleidoscope” and lightly funky “Satisfied.”

Chicago-based trans musician Zvarra calls on techno and house influences for their five-track new EP “Array of Light” (Whited Sepulchre). The songs, numbered 1-5, share their name with the EP title, but each one offers its own unique electronic experience.

The first recalls classic Paradise Garage disco, while there’s a dark wave aspect to the second, and the closing track is glittered with glitch.

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

Join us for masked, socially distanced in person worship.

11 AM Sundays. Services also LIVE-streamed on Facebook and posted on website for safe at home viewing.

“Love without judgement” Holy Angels National Catholic Church 1436 NE 26th Street Wilton Manors. 33305 Facebook.com/HolyAngelsFL www.HolyAngelsFL.org

In Person Worship Resumes Join us for live services

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

954-633-2987

A home for your spirit.

Mass Schedule: Sabado 6:00 PM misa en español • Sunday Mass at 11 AM in English • All are welcome!

SPIRITUALITY

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

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

Shabbat services Friday night at 8pm.

Find us online at our Facebook page!

Congregation Etz Chaim SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNEWS.COM

LISTINGS

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

A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH AND

PRIDE ALL ARE WELCOME

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

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

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

SFGN is here for you, no matter who — or what — keeps you going. Check out the Spirituality Section each week to stay in touch with your local religious LGBT community. The only requirement? Be yourself.

SEE MORE ONLINE AT SFGN.COM/TABLE/NEWS/RELIGION 4 . 21. 20 22 •

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A&E APPOINTMENTS

CONVICTIONS

EDITORIAL CARTOON

By Mike Luckovich

A performance piece being debuted on April 29 during the O, Miami poetry festival pays tribute to the Harlem Renaissance author Richard Bruce Nugent.

Credit: Bookleggers Library.

ARTSBEAT SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE BIG APPLE J.W. Arnold QUEER PERFORMANCE ART CELEBRATES HARLEM RENAISSANCE “Smoke, Lilies and Jade,” a multimedia performance inspired by the Harlem Renaissance and celebrating Black queerness, will be presented Friday, April 29 at 7 p.m. at the Underline Sound Stage Plaza, 800 S.W. 1st Ave. in downtown Miami.

Featuring song, dance, instrumentalists and animation, the multidisciplinary work by Kunya Rowley is inspired by gay Harlem Renaissance author Richard Bruce Nugent’s 1926 short story. Rowley is a 2017 Knight Arts Challenge grant recipient for his performance series, Hued Songs, which explores and celebrates Black history through the lens of Black music and artists.

The performance is sponsored by Bookleggers Library, the Underline and Hued Songs, as part of the monthlong “O, Miami” poetry festival.

PACS ANNOUNCE 2022-23 BROADWAY SEASONS The Broadway touring season at the three South Florida performing arts centers may still be in full swing, but the Arsht Center in Miami, Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale and Kravis Center in West Palm Beach recently announced their upcoming seasons.

Both the Arsht and Broward Center lineups include the latest hot ticket musical from New York, “Six,” the rock opera that chronicles the stories of Henry VIII’s six wives. And the Kravis Center will feature the regional debut of “Hadestown,” the 2019 Tony-winning best musical.

Here’s a look at the upcoming Broadway season in South Florida:

MASTERWORKS V

Arsht Center “Six” Oct. 25 - 30

Beethoven | "Eroica" Symphony Copland | Clarinet Concerto featuring David Shifrin Mahler | “Adagietto” from Symphony No. 5

April 27

The Parker Fort Lauderdale

April 28

Temple Israel of Greater Miami

TICKETS FROM $15 southfloridasymphony.org | 954.522.8445

Disney’s “Aladdin” Jan. 3 - 8 “Wicked” Feb. 15 to March 5 “My Fair Lady” March 28 to April 2 “Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations” May 9 - 14 For tickets, go to ArshtCenter.org.

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Broward Center

Kravis Center

“Six” Oct. 11 - 23

“9 to 5 The Musical” Nov. 15 - 20

“Hamilton” Nov. 22 to Dec. 11

Disney’s “Aladdin” Dec. 14 - 23

“Riverdance” Jan. 13 - 15

“Hadestown” Jan. 3 - 8

“Tina - The Tina Turner Musical” Jan. 17 - 29

“Tootsie” Feb. 7 - 12

“Chicago” Feb. 14 - 19 “To Kill a Mockingbird” March 28 to April 9 “Mean Girls” May 2 - 7

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” March 7 - 12 “Wicked” March 29 to April 9

“Beetlejuice” June 13 - 25

“Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations” April 26 - 30

For tickets, go to BroadwayInFortLauderdale.com.

For tickets, go to Kravis.org.

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