SFGN 05/5/22 V13iss18

LOCAL NAME GLOBAL COVERAGE MAY 5, 2022 VOL. 13 // ISSUE 18

SUPREME DISASTER THE

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NEWS HIGHLIGHT

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FORT LAUDERDALE RALLIES TO PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

- Jasmen Rogers

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• 5. 5. 2022

Publisher • Norm Kent Norm.Kent@sfgn.com

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hey chanted. They waved signs. They refused to accept the seemingly inevitable.

A rally supporting women’s reproductive rights was held May 3 in Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The quickly organized event was in response to a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would obliterate Roe v.

Wade from the legal landscape.

“Tonight is not the culmination of this fight nor is it the beginning of this fight,” Emma Collum, founder of Engaged Communities, said. “We’ve been out. We’ve been mobilizing voters and working with municipalities to get resolutions passed to have local elected people express their opposition to any kind of opposition to abortion rights.”

“We want to turn anger into action,” Jasmen Rogers, founder Folding Chair Consulting and rally organizer said. “It’s about voting, but it’s beyond that. Tonight is to hear their stories and to hear that we are not going out with a whimper. This fight isn’t over. Give people a place to be angry. Give people a place to express it and keep going.”

The draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito

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“WE WANT TO TURN ANGER INTO ACTION.”

@SFGN

May 5, 2022 • Volume 13 • Issue 18

Senior Feature Columnists

Brian McNaught • Jesse Monteagudo

Special to SFGN Steve Rothaus

Correspondents

Kendall Little • Everitt Rosen • Donald Cavanaugh Deon Jefferson • David-Elijah Nahmod Aurora Dominguez • Gillian Manning Denise Royal • Corey Rose • Kennedy McKinney

Contributing Columnists

The Rally for Reproductive Rights in Fort Lauderdale on May 3. Photo by J.R. Davis.

and cosigned by four other justices, appears to have enough votes to strike down Roe, which has been a cornerstone for nearly 50 years when it comes to protecting women’s rights. The draft was obtained, verified, and published by Politico on Monday. SFGN has not seen or verified the draft. Everyone from Chief Justice John Roberts down to grassroots activists were caught off guard by the leak.

“When this blindsided everyone, all of our group chats went crazy. People who could give birth wanted to know what they could do and what happened next,” Rogers said.

Part of the opinion reads, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. We hold that Roe and Casey [an opinion that reaffirmed Roe] must be overruled.”

Later he wrote, “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion

to the people’s elected representatives.”

What is especially remarkable is that this is the first time a draft of an opinion has been leaked. The Supreme Court is investigating how this happened. As for motives, it’s unclear. No one has claimed responsibility.

But given how polls have consistently showed support for abortion rights to be around 60%, some speculate that by leaking the draft, public backlash may prompt Alito or other conservative members of the court to soften the opinion.

Rogers put an explanation point on what this one ruling could mean for other issues, including marriage equality, going forward.

“We need to be outraged because everything is at stake right now.”

An official ruling is expected by the end of June.

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AHF Healthcare Centers

5. 5. 20 22 •

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LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENNEDY MCKINNEY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G

B

BISEXUAL

STUDENT SHOWS OFF PRIDE FLAG AT RELIGIOUS SCHOOL’S GRADUATION CEREMONY Jillian Orr, a bisexual student at Brigham Young University, found a way to display her sexuality at the school’s graduation ceremony.

BYU is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a ka the Mormon Church). The school forbids dating or displays of affection between members of the same sex. The school is able to implement this rule and receive government funding because it’s a “religious exemption.”

However, Orr found a way to express herself by sewing a Pride flag to the inside of her graduation gown.

“I wanted to do something that was a protest in a civil manner that showed that we would be seen and we would be recognized,” Orr said.

After she flashed the flag she said she

Jillian Orr. Photo via Facebook.

“blacked out.”

“I texted my sister and said, ‘What happened? Did I just do it?’” Orr said.

A student praised Orr’s bravery.

“One student stopped me and she was like, ‘My girlfriend just saw you on live TV. She wanted me to thank you, meet you, and say that she’s proud of you,’” Orr said.

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

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LESBIAN

LESBIAN MAKES ‘JEOPARDY!’ HISTORY

Mattea Roach, a 23-year-old from Canada, is already making “Jeopardy!” history. She played her 12th game, bringing her winning streak to $270,000 and already putting her in the Top 10 for most consecutive games won in the show’s history.

“That’s a momentous milestone that’s been rarely achieved since we lifted the five-game limit back in 2003,” said co-host Ken Jennings.

Roach told “The Morning Show” she applied because she was bored and figured she didn’t have anything to lose.

“The worst thing that happens is I don’t hear back, and the best thing that happens is maybe I got on the show, so there’s literally no downside to taking the test. Then I got the best possible outcome,” she said.

Mattea Roach. Photo via Twitter.

By the second game, Roach already won enough to pay off her student loans, opening up the door for her to now continue her education debt-free.

FOURTH ANNUAL PRIDE DAY JOIN US FOR FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN ALL DAY LONG!

JUNE 25, 2022

Our day-long event is filled with colorful fun and educational activities for everyone.

WHAT CAN FAMILIES DO AT THE MUSEUM? • Activities Participate in the rainbow science lab and make-and-take a Pride flag, prisms and tie-dyed t-shirt (purchase a white shirt for $5)!

• Exhibits, Shows and Demos

See an explosion of colors with a special Pride KaBOOM! Show and attend a storytime with a drag queen.

• Career Connection

See healthcare, legislative affairs and local diversity community partners in action.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022 • 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. FREE for MEMBERS and city of Fort Lauderdale residents with proof of address at the box office.

NON-MEMBERS: $5 General Museum admission.

For more information and to register, please visit mods.org/2022pride 401 SW 2nd Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637

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• 5. 5. 2022

Sponsored by

LGBTQIA BITES

T

TRANSGENDER

ZAYA WADE PUBLICLY DEBUTS PARTNER FOR EASTER

Zaya Wade, daughter of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, has debuted her boyfriend, Hudson, via an Instagram post.

Zaya wrote, “I’ve had the best weekend spending quality time with my family and s/o for Easter. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter today and a wonderful Passover this week! I love you guys.”

Hudson, who identifies as trans and goes by he/him pronouns, also posted on social media in the form of selfies via Snapchat with the caption, “Passover and Easter have never been more fun. I Love You.” Zaya’s sexuality has been under the microscope since she came out as trans back in 2019 at the PRIDE parade in Miami.

Her family has been very outspoken about their continued support for both Zaya and the community.

“It’s important for us to live and love out loud,” Union said. “We didn’t exactly understand why [supporting Zaya’s trans identity] was a thing, because it’s like, we

Zaya Wade. Screenshot via @gabunion Instagram.

love all our kids out loud.”

Zaya and her family continue to break the stigma among LGBT youth and African American families.

5. 5. 20 22 •

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NEWS NATIONAL

BY KIZZY AZCARATE

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

MINNESOTA

ENDORSEMENT PROCEEDINGS CONTINUED WHILE CANDIDATE WAS IN LABOR

Erin Maye Quade’s campaign for the Minnesota Senate took an unlikely turn during the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party when she experienced intense labor contractions. Maye Quade began experiencing contractions earlier in the morning but decided to continue on with the DFL Party nomination day.

During her speech, Maye Quade could be seen embracing her belly when a new contraction began.

“While her opponent continued on answering the question, she was bent over in the chair holding her wife’s hand — and then immediately afterward was handed the mic and expected to answer a question, which she did and she did flawlessly,” said Political Director of Women Winning Emma McBride, according to the Washington Post.

Her opponent, Justin Emmerich, ended

Erin Maye Quade. Photo by Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States., via Wikimedia Commons.

up winning the nomination after Maye Quade decided to forfeit because she needed to get to the hospital. Emmerich said to the Post that because a formal request was not presented, he did not suspend the proceedings.

Maye Quade said that because he did not accept her personal request to suspend the endorsement she didn’t see why a formal one would be any different.

WISCONSIN WISCONSIN WILL NOT BE TAKING PART IN ANTI-LGBT BILLS

Won by Biden by a .63% margin in the 2020 Presidential Election, Wisconsin proves to align with Democratic states regardless of its previously Republican stance. In a slew of anti-LGBT bills plaguing the nation, Wisconsin has struck down the single bill that was proposed on the senate floor.

The “Parental Bills of Rights” would have “allowed parents to sue school officials for not using parents’ requested pronouns and gender identities for their children,” according to KPVI. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the bill citing that the bill would be “dividing our schools.”

Bills that would require children to play on sports teams according to their gender assigned at birth, as well as physicians and health-care providers being unable to

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Photo via Adobe.

provide gender-transitioning procedures, either had a hearing and did not proceed or never got a hearing.

“I can’t tell you the amount of fear and worry that I’ve heard people express about not just the sports bills but the health care ban bills both in Wisconsin and around the country,” Megin McDonell, executive director at the LGBTQ rights organization Fair Wisconsin, told KPVI.

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

WASHINGTON D.C.

D.C. MAY GET ITS FIRST HISPANIC WOMAN AND LGBT JUDGE

Ana C. Reyes is one of the nominees in President Joe Biden’s latest round of judicial nominations. If confirmed, Reyes will be the first Hispanic and LGBT judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Reyes is an immigrant from Uruguay, but was raised in Kentucky. She has been working at Williams & Connolly LLP, since 2001 and is currently a partner there.

“She focuses on cross-border litigation and international arbitration, while also taking on pro bono work to represent asylum seekers and refugee organizations,” according to Yahoo! News.

Biden hopes to confirm her and his other three nominations swiftly, however, since Reyes could face limitations similar to those Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson did

Ana C. Reyes. Photo via wc.com.

in her Supreme Court Justice confirmation.

The Judicial Committee that oversaw Jackson’s own historical nomination was the “first tie on a high court pick since 1991, the last one occurring during Justin Clarence Thomas’s nomination,” according to Yahoo! News.

The president has nominated 78 federal judges in his term so far.

OREGON ‘2022 SAFE SCHOOLS AWARD’ NOMINATES COMMUNITY LEADERS AND EDUCATORS

The Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition has nominated “nine individuals and one organization for their 2022 Safe Schools Awards,” according to Pamplin Media Group.

OSSCC is an organization that is trying to minimize suicide and self-harm among LGBTQ children.

Five of the nominees, Rebecca Piros, Brandy Penner, Ines Pená, Joe Morelock, and the Newberg Education Association, were nominated for going against the conservative schoolboards’ efforts to ban political gay Pride and Black Lives Matter symbols in local classrooms, wrote Pamplin Media Group.

“I am sure it was because they all took a stand to help make sure that LGBTQ+ students felt safe in school and objected to eliminating all references to Black

Photo via Adobe.

Lives Matter, gay Pride flags, etc., in the schools,” Joy Wallace, chairwoman on the OSSCC board said to Pamplin Media Group.

Piros said that she would continue to fight for “fundamental human rights” within her community while celebrating the students and staff.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

ASIA

EUROPE

TOP COURT IN SOUTH KOREA OVERTURN CONVICTION OF LGBT SOLDIERS

POLISH COUNTY TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST LGBT COMMUNITY - AGAIN

The Supreme Court of South Korea has overturned a military court ruling that found two gay soldiers guilty of having sex outside military facilities, claiming that the ruling stretched the interpretation of the country’s widely criticized military sodomy law.

According to AP News, human rights campaigners applauded the court’s decision to remand the case to the High Court for Armed Forces, which had long opposed Article 92-6 of the country’s 1962 Military Criminal Act, which outlaws same-sex behavior among troops in the country’s largely male military.

In a press release, the court later said the decision was meaningful as a “declaration that consensual samesex sexual activity [among military

Republic of Korea Armed Forces. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

service members] could no longer be considered as punishable in itself.”

A local authority in Poland has initiated a legal case to make itself “free from LGBT ideology” once more after a resolution was invalidated earlier this year by a court that judged the policy to be discriminatory.

According to Notes From Poland, following a campaign by the nationalconservative PiS and portions of the Catholic church against what they label “LGBT ideology,” Tarnów county, a region in southern Poland with a population of over 200,000, was among hundreds of local authorities that enacted anti-LGBT resolutions in 2019.

Due to the risk of losing European funds, a few of the resolutions have now been withdrawn. In response to lawsuits brought by Poland’s previous

Equality March in Warsaw, 9th of June, 2018.

Photo by Klarqa, via Wikimedia Commons.

human rights commissioner Adam Bodnar, court rulings have nullified others.

AFRICA

SOUTH AMERICA

MURDER OF LESBIAN CITIZEN UPSETS KENYANS

PERUVIAN LGBT COUPLES CELEBRATE SYMBOLIC WEDDING

Human rights organizations are urging Kenyan authorities to investigate the death of a non-binary lesbian, which has caused the hashtag #JusticeForSheila to spread on social media.

According to BBC News, Sheila Lumumba’s body was discovered a few days ago.

In Kenya, where homosexual intercourse is banned, the death has sparked an online debate about LGBT rights.

Members of the LGBT community in Kenya experience persecution and stigma on a regular basis, and efforts to decriminalize homosexual sex have been unsuccessful.

Lumumba’s body was discovered when their coworkers at a hospitality firm noted their absence days after they went

Sheila Lumumba. Photo via Facebook.

missing.

Kenyans who identify as LGBT or who support LGBT people have gone to social media to expose the injustice they suffer.

The motive for Lumumba’s murder has yet to be identified by police.

In Lima, Peru’s capital, the Peruvian Network of Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People hosted a symbolic wedding for three couples.

According to Republic World, the pair said “I do” in a tiny ceremony that advocated for equal rights for LGBT couples.

In Peru, LGBT couples do not have the same civil rights as heterosexual couples.

Because the state does not recognize same-sex partnerships, couples do not have access to inheritance, insurance, or pensions.

Political support for gay marriage has been mixed, but many officials are afraid of offending the Catholic church if they endorse same-sex marriage.

LGBT groups have urged the authorities to separate the church’s viewpoint from

Photo collage by JP. via Adobe & Rawpixel.

the state’s duty.

President Pedro Castillo has stated that he opposes same-sex marriage and that LGBT issues “are not a priority” for him.

5. 5. 20 22 •

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NEWS LOCAL

J.R.’s SNAPSHOTS

OF THE

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

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WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Board member for Equality Florida and Our Fund Barbara Signer with wife, Fran Epstein, very active with Equality Florida and the community, at The Sage and Friends event held at The Grateful Palate.

Director of sales at Creative Edge Parties in Florida Jeff Fowler with partner Brandon Ray, designer and business development for Elements and Surfaces of Delray, at Palm Beach Pride.

Husbands Albert Dastoli and Victor Alarcon, owner of Hair By Victor, at the Miami Beach Pride Parade.

Pride Center board member Paul Smith with husband Gerry Kennedy at the Stonewall Celebration held at The Pelican Grand Beach Resort.

• 5. 5. 2022

NEWS LOCAL

MELISSA ETHERIDGE, ADAM LAMBERT GET POLITICAL AT SUNFEST TALK LOVE, HATE AND FEAR

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Jason Parsley

Adam Lambert at SunFest on Saturday. Photo by J.R. Davis.

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wo LGBT musical icons had a few that’s the only way we’re going to fight fear choice words for the current anti-LGBT and ignorance in this world,” he said. “We environment in Florida at SunFest, the got to accept each other. We have to try to annual music festival held in West Palm Beach. understand each other.”

Nowadays Lambert, 40, regularly performs Both performers took the stage Saturday.

Etheridge, who performed first, told the with Queen.

Lambert also spoke about the “Don’t Say crowd not to focus on hate.

“As we move forward, let us understand Gay” bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law asking the that there are people that are crowd what it could mean to afraid and their fear comes LAMBERT ALSO LGBT youth. out in all kinds of different “Imagine me as a ways, and sometimes they SPOKE ABOUT THE kindergartener. Imagine me get elected to office and understanding the feelings bring that fear in with them,” “DON’T SAY GAY” not I was feeling, as I was growing the “Come to My Window” up. Not understanding that singer said. “I’ve been out BILL THAT GOV. those feelings were OK. If I for almost 30 years now.

RON DESANTIS had had teachers that could I’ve seen the world change just acknowledge the reality in amazing ways. I’ve seen RECENTLY SIGNED of the world,” he said, as children grow into beautiful audience erupted into human adults who have gay INTO LAW ASKING the applause. “Some children parents. I’ve seen all kinds of things — so don’t spend THE CROWD WHAT have two mommies, and some children have two daddies, your time on hate. Keep IT COULD MEAN and some children have a looking forward because the mommy and a daddy, and beauty is in that diversity TO LGBT YOUTH. some just to have a mommy that awaits us in the future.” or just a daddy. If a teacher Etheridge, 60, publicly couldn’t just explain these came out in 1993.

Meanwhile Adam Lambert, who rose to things, maybe that would have saved me all of fame during the eighth season of “American that negative shame and confusion and fear Idol” in 2009, told the crowd to focus on love. and sadness that I found when I was a child, “The way that I live my life is through and I’m not alone. Queer kids have it hard love and celebration and acceptance. And enough.”

and

and

5. 5. 20 22 •

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NEWS LOCAL

UNITY COALITION LOOKING TO ELEVATE COMMUNITY’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS Jose Cassola

U

nity Coalition | Coalicíon Unida — Miami’s Latino LGBT organization working on issues affecting the community through advocacy, community leadership and education — is hosting its eighth annual ELEVATE day of workshops, tools and inspiration on Saturday, May 7 at Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park, 1725 NE 135th St., in North Miami.

ELEVATE — billed as a “day of being nicer” vendors, food, community resources and — includes 30 free workshops, activities, health screenings from Care Resource and tools and inspirations via an assortment of Empower U Health.

45-minute segments, all focused on being ELEVATE begins at 9:30 a.m. and runs nicer to your mind, body, soul, planet and through 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be music, others. dancing and performances by singer and “The 2022 lineup of topics and events guitarist Mike Michel and the Miami Gay is filled with a day of health, wellness, self- Men’s Chorus. care and lots of fun,” said Herb Sosa, CEO In the Crafts Village, learn about native and executive director of UC|CU. “Think of plants, seeds and being a responsible it as a day at summer camp for grown-ups. gardener with Corrine Mariposa; learn how Everything from perfume-making in the to create amulets with copper and shells with garden, dancing, poetry, jewelry-making, Xilef DeCastro; learn the history of perfumemeditation and nutrition.” making and how to make Sosa said attendees can your own fragrance with learn about the Tequesta Marco Beria; design your “THINK OF IT natives that lived on this own art and jewelry from AS A DAY AT land, enjoy the horse found and discarded objects SUMMER CAMP stables, life coaches and with Emilio Aponte Sierra; motivational speakers, a and learn about the Lucumí FOR GROWN-UPS. health and wellness village, religion with Olosha/Oni EVERYTHING FROM onsite healthcare testing, Chango Lazarus.

PERFUME-MAKING a crafts pavilion, dance DeCastro will also offer classes, Starbucks breakfast, life advice and lead a IN THE GARDEN, various food vendors and beginners’ class in fluid DANCING, POETRY, much more. motion fan dancing at 10 “This year, we are proud a.m. Kishi Martin will lead JEWELRY-MAKING, to partner with the City of a beginners’ class in global MEDITATION AND North Miami, Starbucks and dancing in the main pavilion NUTRITION.” more,” Sosa said, “bringing at 11 a.m.

ELEVATE to the Enchanted Martin says his global Forest Elaine Gordon Park dancing workshop is about - Herb Sosa — a lush, 22-acre green moving at your own pace, CEO AND EXECUTIVE space along a creek featuring stretching carefully and DIRECTOR OF UC|CU pony rides, nature trails and correctly and learning picnic areas — providing proper breathing techniques a free event with workshops, activities for while “adding your own flavor and sauce and the whole family, yummy food and plenty having fun.” of fun that is easily accessible by public “I am ready for Saturday to be here already. transportation and free onsite parking.”

I’m ready to dance!” Martin said. “I hope Among the highlights at ELEVATE are you all will be there with me for my global an all-day green village, equestrian center, dancing workshop at 11 a.m.” petting zoo, horseback riding, yoga, art, Meet freelance journalist Yariel Valdés

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• 5. 5.2022

Photo courtesy of ELEVATE.

Gonzalez and listen to author Caridad MoroGronlier give tips on writing in the Writers Gazebo on the Lawn. Moro-Gronlier will also read from her latest book of poems entitled “Tortillera;” Terry Dyer will read from his book, “Letters to a Gay Black Boy;” and trans activist, author and reality television personality Rajee Narinesingh will do poetry readings.

Carlos Anaya Charan Singh leads a discussion on sexual health, love and intimacy at 1 p.m. in the main pavilion.

Come ready to stretch, sweat and exercise with Tommy Murrell in the 3T Fitness Lifestyle Workout on the Lawn at 3 p.m.

Latonya Hopson ends the day with a workshop at 4 p.m. on the importance of physical fitness and meditation at any age.

ELEVATE is open to all communities and averages a demographic of varied races and incomes, including 55 percent men ages 17-65; 30 percent women ages 20-65; and 15 percent transgender and non-binary individuals.

In 2017, ELEVATE had more than 250 attendees. Organizers and committee members — including Sosa, DeCastro, John Buckley, Melba DeLeon, London Porrazse and George Coronado — expect to substantially increase that number this year with the move to North Miami.

Courtesy of Miami Gay News.

NEWS STATE

A

DESANTIS PRESS SEC. SPREADS ANTI-LGBT RHETORIC ON TWITTER Kim Swan

SPINE & PAIN

C

hristiana Pushaw, press secretary to Gov. Ron DeSantis, has proven herself to be a lightning rod on Twitter. She regularly does her best to attempt to offend various communities, including LGBT people.

In March she tweeted: “If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4–8-year-old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules.”

But now it appears her anti-LGBT convictions go even further. Pushaw regularly interacts with a Twitter account that has a reputation for attacking LGBT people.

“Libs of TikTok,” which started on TikTok but then moved to Twitter, singles out TikTok users, including teachers, for ridicule and harassment in tweets that often go viral, according to Media Matters. The anonymous account accuses LGBT people of “grooming” children into becoming LGBT or engaging in sexual activity. It has also misgendered public figures and content creators repeatedly.

Although Twitter suspended the account for violating its policy against hateful conduct April 13, the account has since been restored.

Pushaw has been interacting with the anti-LGBT account since at least July 2021, according to Media Matters. She credits the account for “opening her eyes” to educators teaching about sex, sexuality, and LGBT issues.

According to the tweets by “Libs of

“IF YOU’RE AGAINST THE ANTIGROOMING BILL, YOU ARE PROBABLY A GROOMER OR AT LEAST YOU DON’T DENOUNCE THE GROOMING OF 4–8-YEAROLD CHILDREN. SILENCE IS COMPLICITY. THIS IS HOW IT WORKS, DEMOCRATS, AND I DIDN’T MAKE THE RULES.” - Christiana Pushaw PRESS SECRETARY TO GOV. RON DESANTIS

PEX

TOM MACEK, MD

1164 E Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 201 Oakland Park, FL 33334

Christina Pushaw. Photo via Twitter.

TikTok,” the account used “groomer-related language” in 46 tweets and posted videos targeting LGBT people. The tweets received over 220,000 interactions — almost double the average interaction of the account’s other tweets.

Twenty-four of the 46 tweets were posted before March 4, when Pushaw tweeted similar rhetoric, Media Matters reported.

She has mentioned “Libs of TikTok” in 97 tweets, with 70 of them posted before March 4. The account also mentioned her in 41 tweets, praising her as “one of the greatest accounts” on Twitter. Pushaw also praises the account, calling it “one of the best accounts on here.” She also encourages other users to check out the account.

“Libs of TikTok” has also replied to a tweet

by Pushaw praising the “Don’t Say Gay” law for “exposing creeps” or “those that identify themselves as pro-grooming.” The law bans classroom topics on gender identity and sexual orientation in K-3, but is so vaguely worded that it can include any grade level.

One tweet by the anti-LGBT account shows a photo of a list of terms for nonbinary people with the caption, “This is an employee training from a hospital in Florida.

These people are in charge of medical care.”

They tagged Pushaw, asking if these types of training are outlawed in Florida.

“Not at this time, but any trainings that are discriminatory would be prohibited under Stop WOKE, and the bill just passed the legislature,” Pushaw replied. “Gov. DeSantis is excited for it to hit his desk.”

The influence of “Libs of TikTok” has become a problem, as Media Matters puts it. The anonymous user spreads antiLGBT rhetoric like calling LGBT identity “narcissism” that is based on “delusions,” and has called for all LGBT teachers to be fired.

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5. 5. 20 22 •

11

NEWS NATIONAL

LEAKED OPINION SHOWS SUPREME COURT OVERTURNING RIGHT TO ABORTION Lisa Keen

I

n an unprecedented development, a purported draft of what is believed to be the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on abortion indicates not only that the court is poised to overturn its long-standing decisions protecting the right to abortion but that it is also laying the groundwork to overturn landmark pro-LGBT decisions.

“LGBTQ people should recognize that we are once again in the crosshairs and that all of our hard-won protections are under serious threat,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

“If this really is the judgment of a majority of the Supreme Court,” said Jenny Pizer, law and policy director for Lambda Legal, “we have entered an era of arrogant judicial activism unlike anything this country has seen for a hundred years.”

Nan Hunter, a veteran of many legal battles for LGBT equality, said the draft would almost certainly unleash “a rush by right wingers to get a challenge before the court” to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision which struck down state bans on marriage for samesex couples. The abortion decision draft, first reported by Politico.com Monday night, appears to be authentic. But it is dated February, leaving open the possibility that it is not finalized.

At least five justices must sign onto the final decision to carry the majority. Votes on some decisions in the past have changed very late in the process. Justices have sometimes voted with a majority view at first, then later changed their vote after reading the majority’s proposed decision. Also in the past, attempts to report the outcome of cases before the decisions were released have turned out to be wrong.

But most legal analysts Monday night said they believe the draft released Monday is authentic and that its being leaked represents a dramatic departure from the court’s efforts to avoid being influenced by political pressure.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” states the draft decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, referring to Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Roe, in 1973, said there is an implied right to privacy and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution that covers the right to choose an abortion. Casey, in 1992, said that states could regulate abortion once a fetus becomes viable as long as the regulations did not create an undue burden to women who seek an abortion.

In language especially troubling to LGBT legal activists, the draft opinion in Dobbs, apparently

12

• 5. 5.2022

penned by Justice Samuel Alito, states, “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision,” including the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

According to Alito, the only implicit rights the 14th Amendment due process clause protects must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”

Alito’s draft says abortion is not one of those rights and, in language reminiscent of a 1986 decision that allowed states to ban same-sex sexual relations, he notes that three-fourths of states made abortion a crime when the 14th Amendment was adopted. The opinion further echoes the Bowers v. Hardwick decision when it notes that a right to abortion was “entirely unknown in American law” before the latter part of the 20th Century.

“If our due process rights to ‘ordered liberty’ are to be limited now to those rights respected by white male landowners wearing wigs and tricornered hats, the Constitution will fail utterly to do the job our founders intended it to do,” said Lambda’s Pizer. “And while it’s true that abortion is unique in some ways, its use as a political weapon to drive extreme-right voters is anything but, as state legislatures have proved again and again in recent times with frenzies of anti-LGBTQ bills.”

Alito’s draft also says that abortion is “critically different” and “fundamentally different” from some other rights that have been protected by the 14th Amendment — such as intimate sexual relations, contraception, and marriage — because abortion takes the life of an “unborn human being.”

But activists were not much comforted by that distinction.

Evan Wolfson, a gay legal activist who was a key player in the legal and political battle for marriage equality, said Alito “leans on the distinctiveness of abortion and doesn’t necessarily go further [though we know he would like to].”

Nan Hunter was blunter: “Justice Alito badly wants to overrule Obergefell. What this opinion

The Rally for Reproductive Rights in Fort Lauderdale on May 3. Photo by J.R. Davis.

tells us is that he doesn’t have the votes to do so. If there were three other justices — beside him and Thomas — willing to end same-sex marriage, that would have been part of this decision.”

The apparent leaking of the draft decision has stirred almost as much controversy as the 98-page draft decision itself. The U.S. Supreme Court has a long-standing protocol of not signaling to the public how its decisions are developing. The assumed motivation behind this tradition is to prevent outside politics from putting pressure on the court’s legal analysis and reasoning. Some legal commentators Monday night were characterizing this leak as a blatant attempt to play politics with the final formulation of the court’s abortion opinion.

But the pressure could have come from either side — from Alito, attempting to discourage any justice from abandoning his politically aggressive opinion, or from a pro-choice justice hoping public pressure would rattle any majority justice who was concerned about the far-reaching consequences of the opinion.

“That someone leaked this opinion — violating the court’s most sacrosanct rule of confidentiality — speaks volumes about how extreme and dangerous much of the court’s jurisprudence has become,” said NCLR’s Minter.

“We don’t know if this will be the final decision, but it is shocking to read this assault on an established fundamental right.”

The case in question is Dobbs v. Jackson, in which an abortion clinic challenged a new law in Mississippi that banned abortion at any time after 15 weeks, unless there is a medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality. Most

observers following the case and the court’s oral argument have predicted the Supreme Court majority would likely overturn Roe and Casey.

But nearly everyone expected the decision to be released in late June, when the court typically releases its most controversial decisions.

During oral argument Dec. 1, the court discussed the implications for this case on two major LGBT decisions: Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges. Lawrence ruled that states could not ban sexual relations between samesex couples; Obergefell ruled that states could not ban same-sex couples from marrying.

“A court that would issue an opinion like this — if it does — is a court that has abandoned any pretense of protecting individual freedom,” said NCLR’s Minter. “We have become too accustomed to counting on the courts for protection, and we must realize the days when we could safely do so are past. Our hope lies in joining forces with others who are fighting to protect democracy and the rule of law and to prevent our country from sliding into the same authoritarianism that is rising across the globe.”

“Whether or not this draft makes it into a majority opinion, and whether or not it later gets invoked in assaults on other rights, it’s already a fire bell in the night,” said Evan Wolfson. And he said it underscores “the importance of voting out the Republicans who have conspired, lied, and court-packed to get our country to this ugly, divisive, corrosive moment.”

“The cure,” said Wolfson, “is to vote in representatives who will defend Americans’ rights and our constitutional democracy itself.”

Lisa Keen is the Chief Correspondent for Keen News Service, a professional news organization specializing in national political and legal news that involves or affects gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

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NEWS INTERNATIONAL

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bout 200 spectators were removed from the Estadio Jalisco after anti-gay shouts were heard during a Liga MX match between Atlas and Mazatlan.

Referee Ismael Rosario Lopez delayed the game during injury time of Mazatlan’s 2-1 away triumph when chanting was heard at Atlas’ home field.

According to ESPN, Liga MX issued a statement after the game claiming that “close to 200 fans” were expelled from the game due to “discriminatory shouts.” The stadium ejections were “carried out by elements of public security with the support of private security and in coordination with the commissioner of Liga BBVA MX,” according to the statement.

This was the second day in a row that an anti-gay shout was heard during a Liga MX match. After the chant was heard at the end of a 3-1 loss for the hosts, four individuals

Photo via Pixabay.

were expelled from a Chivas vs. Monterrey game across town in Guadalajara. The game was halted, but restarted at Chivas’ Estadio Akron.

THE

GAZETTE VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 9 MAY 5, 2022

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

CONTROVERSIAL WITNESS IN MURDER

OF WILTON MANORS COUPLE DIES BEFORE RETRIAL

By Christiana Lilly The mother of a man on trial for the murder of a Wilton Manors couple has died, adding to an already complicated case.

Jeanne Avsenew died of cancer in April and was a key witness against her son, Peter, in his first trial in the murders of Steve Adams and Kevin Powell.

Her testimony came under question by defense attorneys because she testified remotely due to her illness and could not physically see her son. Peter’s attorneys felt it went against their defendant’s rights; the Florida Supreme Court agreed and Peter will be getting a retrial.

In a motion filed on April 22, the attorneys asked that her testimony be precluded from the pending trial, citing that the Florida Supreme Court deemed that it “constituted harmful error.”

Jeanne testified that days after the murder, her son came to her house driving the couple’s car and admitted he stole it. He also allegedly

“It is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence … homosexuals are a disease to mankind and must be put down. I can’t put into words the feeling of ending a life; it’s euphoric at the least.”

- Peter Avsenew

told her he got rid of his gun and that “he had done something violent, something that was the worst thing he had ever done, and that he could not get out of it if he was caught,” according to court records.

She also testified that her son said he had not slept in three days, had a bruise from fighting, and that “he got rid of the smell of bleach after taking a shower.”

Peter currently sits on death row for the murders of Adams and Powell, who had been together for 29 years before being shot and bludgeoned to death in December 2010. Marci Craig, the sister of Adams, told SFGN in 2013 that she was scheduled to pick them up from the airport in Ohio for a visit, but they never showed up. She called the police when no one answered their home phone, leading to the discovery of their bodies.

Peter was a new roommate to the couple weeks before their murder and they reportedly met through Craig’s List. His attorney stated

Jeanne Avsenew.

Screenshot via CBS Miami, YouTube.

Peter Avsenew. Screenshot via CBS Miami, YouTube.

that Avsenew did not kill Adams and Powell, but discovered their bodies and then stole their credit cards and car. He also said Peter was traumatized by the murder of his sister in the ‘90s and that he was the victim of sexual abuse.

However, Peter tells a different story. In 2017, he told the court during his death row sentencing “that he had no regrets and I’m proud of every decision I’ve ever made.” He made waves when he hand-wrote a letter to Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes, bragging that, “it is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence … homosexuals are a disease to mankind and

www.WMGAZETTE.com

must be put down. I can’t put into words the feeling of ending a life; it’s euphoric at the least.”

In March, Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker asked the public for their thoughts and prayers for the families who would have to relive their loved ones’ murders.

“We believe the killer murdered Stephen and Kevin because they were gay,” Blocker said during a city commission meeting.

“We will stand up for Stephen, Kevin, their families, our community and the greater LGBTQ+ community and our allies working toward a second conviction. Anything less would be unacceptable.”

5. 5. 20 22 •

17

OPINION

WILTON MANORS

GREETINGS FROM NEW JERSEY

THE

GAZETTE May 5, 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 9 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre I ventured north out of the Island City this week to visit family and friends up here in New Jersey. Birthday celebrations this past week were big events, both here and back in Wilton Manors. As family and friends gathered to celebrate my father’s 93rd birthday, Islanders were gathering at Hagen Park Community Center to begin celebrations for Wilton Manors’ 75th birthday bash during the month of May. Thanks to the Wilton Manors Historical Society for hosting the kick-off event last Thursday to a packed house.

The next big event will be on May 21 with the Annual Canoe Race and Birthday Bash all coming together at Richardson Park.

Life here in New Jersey during this time of year is a bit magical. Spring-time brings out bright beautiful colors as trees begin to blossom, flowers bloom, and outdoor life begins to kick back in motion coming out of the cold winter months. Nights this week were still dipping into the low 40s, but plenty of sunshine during the daytime hours warmed us New Jersey will ban single-use plastics and polystyrene. Image created by Greg Bistolfi. all back to anticipating hotter days ahead.

New Jersey is unique in many ways. One can pull up to a gas station and have an attendant start of the civil trial of Bergeron vs Waste common ground to move the agenda forward pump your gas — the only state in the union Management. This civil case lays out the might be the best option for all. Getting bogged that mandates attendants to pump gas for all history of the decline of recycling throughout down in beating a dead horse will not help customers. Going out to dinner with friends, Broward County, the monopoly created by move our Island City forward with a workable Waste Management, and the economic branding strategy. bring your own wine and beer Residents were also making some noise over failure of the Florida Attorney to your favorite restaurant General Office over the past the Complete Streets project moving ahead and enjoy. Recreational use of Perhaps Governor six years. Cities like Wilton on NW 29th Street. This busy road serves marijuana is now permitted, Manors have no real choices as one of the only main direct connections controlled, taken out of the DeSantis will turn for trash and recycling due to between Andrews Ave and Powerline Road hands of criminals, and his attention away the current near monopoly from Oakland Park Blvd all the way to NW 16th taxed. The news gets better, by Waste Management. Street in Fort Lauderdale. This stretch of road starting this week the State from attacking Mickey Solutions need to come from needs pedestrian and bicycle safety measures of New Jersey will ban the Mouse and start going county, regional and state- as well as vehicular speed safety elements, use of single use plastic bags wide cooperation. Perhaps exactly what this MPO project will bring to the and polystyrene foam food after corporations that Governor DeSantis will turn his community. This project was proposed and containers. Think about how attention away from attacking approved so many years ago I thought it got a single trip to a grocery store have monopolized Mickey Mouse and start going lost on the shelf of the MPO offices. Now that can leave you tossing at least industries and that after corporations that have it is ready to break ground, some new residents 10 plastic bags away as a result monopolized industries and along the project are voicing concern over no of the cashier putting only one now exploit Floridians that now exploit Floridians public outreach to address their concerns. or two items in each plastic bag Unfortunately, that all took place a few throughout the state. before reaching for a new one throughout the state.

Other news making its way years ago. as they hand you the practically up north is the continued mess Well, it is time for me to get back to enjoying empty bag to put in your cart.

Over and over, day after day, plastic bags are concerning the city-wide branding study. Why time with family and friends; it will not be too multiplying everywhere. Thankfully this were resident responses to related surveys not long until heading back to the Island City this state-wide ban will begin to make a difference clearly acknowledged? To make matters worse, coming weekend. Progressively embracing residents’ responses were not just overlooked new ideas that will improve a community’s in decreasing the use of single use plastics.

No such luck back home in South Florida, but totally misrepresented. These concerns quality of life is what is making life just better where residents have no clue what is have created a serious credibility issue for here in New Jersey and is what makes life happening to the contents of their co-mingled city staff involved. Taking responsibility, back home in Wilton Manors just a whole lot recycle containers. This past month saw the addressing concerns honestly and seeking better too.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 18

• 5. 5.2022

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MAY 5, 2022

Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Associate Publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Webmaster • Kimberly Swan webmaster@sfgn.com

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

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Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.

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NEWS

WILTON MANORS

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

WILTON MANORS CELEBRATES 75 YEARS

By John Hayden

Raising the bar for Telehealth

Residents gather to celebrate the history of Wilton Manors. Image by J.R. Davis.

From empty tracts of land and no property land.”

A Message From the Past & A Message For taxes to a nearly fully developed island supported by a tax base, Wilton Manors has the Future One of the key activities was a focus on time come a long way in 75 years. They’re marking capsules. During the city’s 50th anniversary the occasion over the next few weeks.

On April 28 at Hagen Park, the city hosted in 1997, leaders created a time capsule with a look back at the city’s history and growth. documents of the time and letters from leaders. No one could A meticulously created have known that the city timeline was presented to was on the precipice of the crowd. While Wilton tremendous growth.

Manors officially became There was no Stonewall a city in 1947 (primarily Festival yet. In fact, the to avoid being annexed main parade in 1997

by Fort Lauderdale), its was a 50th anniversary role in South Florida’s celebration. Alibi was about evolution stretches back the only game in town for much farther. What is now the LGBT. Former Wilton within city limits used to Manors Mayor John Fiore be a rail depot and land for has seen the changes first sale at a very reasonable hand. cost.

“When I was elected Adrienne Foland is mayor in 2000, it made Vice President of Wilton world news,” he said. “I Manors Historical Society, knew if I could get Alibi, and she led the group once we got that it just down the timeline. started snowballing. It’s “We began with the just beyond what I thought.

Native Americans,” she I never thought it would be said after the presentation.

- Adrienne Foland like that.”

“We do have a history of VICE PRESIDENT OF WILTON MANORS HISTORICAL SOCEITY Now the city is collecting the rivers passing through items for residents in 2047 here and using this as a transition point. Then all pioneers that came to discover and continue the celebration. here, the early founders of Wilton Manors Wilton Manors will hold its 29th Annual and how much they were involved in our Island City Canoe Race and Birthday Bash on community, donating buildings, donating Saturday, May 21.

“We do have a history of the rivers passing through here and using this as a transition point. Then all pioneers that came here, the early founders of Wilton Manors and how much they were involved in our community, donating buildings, donating land.”

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5. 5. 20 22 •

19

PHOTOS

Celebrating Wilton Manors

By J.R. Davis

Wilton Manors celebrates it’s 75th anniversary at Hagan Park, April 28.

20

• 5. 5.2022

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Wilton Manors celebrates it’s 75th anniversary at Hagan Park, April 28.

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5. 5. 20 22 •

21

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WILTON MANORS

TRAFFIC SAFETY IS A TOP PRIORITY As a city, we are blessed to have engaged neighborhood associations and citizens who are passionate about ensuring Life Is Just Better Here in the Island City. Prior to joining the commission, I had never really thought deeply about how much my quality of life is dependent on our roadways and transportation. I have heard from many residents recently about road safety and accessibility.

When the 3 Bridges Association released their 2022 Important Issues survey results (https://bit.ly/3w4nAR5), I couldn’t help but notice three of the top 5 issues related to our streets. Crosswalks/walkability ranked 2nd, calming traffic and reducing speeding ranked 3rd, and increasing landscaping/ streetscapes ranked 5th.

As someone who cycles, scooters and jogs along our roadways daily, I recognize the need for us to continue to work towards transportation options that work safely for everybody. Our roads need to be efficient for motor vehicles and be safely accessible for those who choose not to drive. Following the Broward Complete Streets model, we need to focus on moving more people with different modes of transportation, reducing congestion, and benefiting all users of all ages and abilities, including walkers, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders.

There are a variety of ways we are working to make progress on this front including performing traffic calming studies, allocating police personnel and equipment to traffic control, redesigning our streets as funding becomes available, and the creation of a transportation/mobility master plan. Today, specifically, I want to share with residents some of our recent efforts to address traffic violations on our roadways.

Over the last month you’ve probably spotted WMPD’s Traffic Officer Rowles performing speed checks throughout our community. Officer Rowles has been assigned full-time to traffic control within our city to keep our streets safe. Following the tragic accident on Powerline Road, residents have called for increased speed control efforts throughout the west side. I’m pleased to report the officer’s effort has been equitable spread throughout the city with just a little more than 1/3rd of their efforts being on the west side based on the April

Photo via PixaBay.

efforts log I reviewed — an increase from prior year reporting.

In addition to allocating a full-time officer to traffic enforcement activities, we’re also using speed indication equipment to encouraging traffic calming and provide valuable data on speeding throughout the city. You’ve probably seen the mobile unit; it shows your speed as you pass by and collects data about the frequency and speed of vehicles over the speed limit. We’re using this data, along with accident data, to ensure we allocate enforcement measures where they are most needed — on the streets where speeding occurs most frequently.

Beyond these traditional traffic control measures, we’re also taking an innovative approach to engineering safer streets. At a recent commission meeting, we approved a beautiful manatee mural design for the bridge on Powerline Road. Painted bridges and beautified streetscapes have been shown to reduce the speed of traffic as motorists approach them. They make our neighborhoods more attractive and safer for everyone!

In the coming weeks, I’ll share more about our efforts to address our transportation and mobility challenges. In the meanwhile, I welcome your comments and suggestions via email at ccaputo@wiltonmanors.com or text at 954.557.2801.

— CHRIS CAPUTO

WILTON MANORS CITY COMMISSIONER

WILTON MANORS GOES BACK TO DRAWING BOARD

OVER VACATION RENTALS

By John McDonald Wilton Manors officials discussed multiple scenarios during a workshop in the city’s longrunning attempts to regulate vacation rentals.

On April 26, commissioners mulled over changes to chapter 10 of the city’s code of ordinances. The chapter covers licenses, permits and business regulations with an article dedicated to vacation rentals.

Community Development Services Director Roberta Moore asked the commission for definitions on hotels, motels, transient public Edited Image from PixaBay. lodging establishments, capacity calculations, vacation rentals and inspections.

Bad behavior and billionaire investment “The ULDRs [Unified Land Development Regulations] dictate the locations of where firms were also cited as concerns. hotels and motels can be located, however Commissioner Gary Resnick reminded the what we have found recently is the need to commission of the costs from the recent clarify differences between vacation rentals opioid overdose involving college students at a westside Airbnb. Resnick said he is and hotels and motels,” Moore said.

City Attorney Kerry Ezrol said modifications contemplating a move because of the wild in the code are needed to keep up with antics in his neighborhood from vacation changing technology in the marketplace. rentals.

“I live next to one of those now and I’m Regulations to vacation rentals haven’t seen thinking about moving out of the city,” Resnick major changes since 2012, Ezrol said.

“We were unintentionally providing certain said. “I just don’t wanna live next to that.”

While Airbnb, the San Francisco-based rights to property owners that we were not vacation rentals and tourism activities required to do,” Ezrol said. platform, took a lot of hits The proposed definition for during the hour-long workshop, hotels, Moore said, is sleeping it did have defenders. rooms and accommodations Tim Theisen, a member of for 25 or more guests with the Planning & Zoning Board, industry recognized services. advised against removing an Motels would be defined by exemption for permanent having at least six rental units residents who may want to rent with an outside exit and onsite out a room in their home. management office.

“Most people who list a spare Some of the regulations bedroom on Airbnb are not proposed for vacation rentals typically bad actors or manage were having a resident age hedge funds,” Theisen said.

25 or older on property at all Resident Jake Valentine said times, procedures for noise rules are meaningless without complaints, fines, parking, Commissioner an adequately funded response. communications and garbage.

“If we don’t enforce it, none Commissioner Chris Caputo of this means anything and disclosed he had co-owned an Airbnb out of his home in Wilton Manors we can’t enforce it with two code officers,” in the past, but not currently. Caputo said he Valentine said.

Mayor Scott Newton said the police manages an Airbnb outside of the city and asked for a caveat that would allow large-scale department should be fully staffed and road housing developments to have up to four units ready by the end of the year.

“We are constantly working on it,” Newton designated as vacation rentals.

Caputo’s request was voted down as Vice said. “We are funding them, but things happen Mayor Paul Rolli noted the dwindling affordable to people who leave for some reason and we have to hire again and it takes a while.” housing stock for full-time residents.

Commissioner Mike Bracchi asked Moore to “We’re in a crisis here with housing affordability,” Rolli said. “And that whole engage with local Realtors associations before Airbnb process doesn’t add to the value of the bringing code changes back to the commission for further readings. property.”

www.WMGAZETTE.com 22

• 5. 5.2022

COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

"I live next to one of those now and I’m thinking about moving out of the city."

- Gary Resnick

www.WMGAZETTE.com # 6••MAYMAY5, 2022 5, 2022

NEWS

WILTON MANORS

WILTON MANORS HONORS TOP VOLUNTEERS

CASTILLO AND WAXMAN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WILTON MANORS

WILTON MANORS & PUBLIX

By John McDonald Artist Claudia Castillo and nurse Amy Waxman were recognized as outstanding volunteers by the City of Wilton Manors.

The Colombian-born Castillo owns a popular art studio on Wilton Drive, and Waxman administered COVID-19 vaccinations for city residents during the height of the pandemic.

The women received their Skip Stadnick Community Spirit Awards at the city commission meeting on April 26. The annual awards, named in honor of the late Stadnick, a jovial Army veteran and reliable volunteer, are selected by the Community Affairs Advisory Board.

Other notes from the meeting: Assistant Police Chief Darren Brodsky announced a department detective will partner with the FBI Miami Division on its task force for civil rights and public corruption.

In other police issues, Commissioner Mike Bracchi asked for data on the number of vacation rentals operating in the city, and Commissioner Gary Resnick requested more information on the increasing number of

Claudia Castillo. Image from SFGN library.

vehicle accidents.

During the public comments portion of the meeting, multiple residents criticized the x WiltonNext report, specifically the designation of Andrews Avenue as a wellness corridor.

City Attorney Kerry Ezrol said HB 7, also known as the “Stop WOKE Act,” goes into effect July 1, 2022.

“Some of the commentary that I’ve seen from labor lawyers is that it’s basically gonna shut down diversity training within places of employment, but that will remain to be seen,” Ezrol said.

Mayor Scott Newton asked to begin talks on rules for smoking in parks.

The next regular commission meeting is May 10.

“ Broker

Since 1985

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dollars and uses them against our community, morals, and residents.

Sadly, a child has more insight and integrity than a city that professes to lead in acceptance, education, and making life just better here for everyone. High school student activist Jack Petocz is a brave young man who should receive a proclamation at our next commission meeting because he TRULY toes the line; the adults in the room should be ashamed!

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7 •

MAY 5, 2022

5. 5. 20 22 •

23

NEWS

OAKLAND PARK

Hyundai Ioniq 5 using a fast-charging station. Image courtesy of Greg Bistolfi.

ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS COMING TO OAKLAND PARK’S NEW CONSTRUCTION

By Christiana Lilly After a year in the works, the Oakland the Planning & Zoning Board approving the Park City Commission approved for all new measure in April 2021 and the commission construction projects to be required to include approving it as well in the first round.

However, they wanted adjustments made to charging stations.

The ordinance goes into effect June 30 and the ordinance, which city officials brought would not be applicable to projects that have back before the commission on April 20.

A resident shared his already been approved by the concern about the safety of city. the charging stations, as there “I’m glad to see this came to have been cases of cars blowing fruition,” said Commissioner up. Pete Schwarz, the director Matthew Sparks, who of community and economic initiated the ordinance. development, said he is He noted that he confident in how the ordinance reached out to Secretary of is written.

Transportation Pete Buttigieg “The industry standard regarding incentives or grants right now allows for interior that the city can provide to installations,” he explained. companies as they bring their “The currents aren’t any higher business to Oakland Park. than any other electrical The ordinance requires that devices or internal combustion 10% of parking spaces in new devices.” multi-family housing have Commissioner Jane Bolin electric charging capabilities. encouraged the city to educate However, as an incentive the public on what would be to buildings that provide Director of Community considered new construction, fast-charging stations (180 and Economic Development as it includes major renovations miles per hour of charge), of existing homes. Mayor they would only require 5%.

Michael Carn also asked that Charging stations must be indoors or wherever is the least visible if there there be safety measures in place so that curious children wouldn’t be able to meddle is not a garage available.

The conversation began last year, with with the outlets.

“The currents aren’t any higher than any other electrical devices or internal combustion devices.”

- Peter Schwarz

www.WMGAZETTE.com 24

• 5. 5.2022

8 •

MAY 5, 2022

CONVICTIONS

Off The Wall

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very evening at six my husband and I turn on the local news, we call it the “killing fields” and we count the number of shootings in our area and the number of dead.

It is a constant senseless slaughter. The irony is that some of the commercial breaks are paid by “Smoke Free Florida” where voice overs tell us how bad cigarettes are.

Well, we all know smoking is not a healthy habit, but how many innocent people have been killed by someone shooting a round of Marlboro Reds? Smoking is a personal choice, the same personal choice people claim when they don’t want to wear a mask or get the vaccine. Smokers are pariahs, banned from public places and public transportation while many states allow open gun carriers to walk in wherever they want.

This country is more tolerant of guns than cigarettes, which are more regulated than weapons. Go figure.

Why isn’t there a commercial for “Gun Free Florida”?

Movie theaters and malls are shooting galleries, school massacres are regarded as class size reductions, and big city murders, most of them senseless and random, are sharply on the rise. The media and the “experts” focus on finding the “motive” as if, when it is found, and explained, everything is OK. Looking for simple answers is just one way we try to make sense out of a complicated world. Balloon makers, teddy bear manufacturers, florists, candle stores and card stores make a fortune every time a makeshift memorial is set up at the scene of one of these tragedies. It is the only way we, futilely, seem able to respond to the madness around us. We have become desensitized to the bloodshed. We shrug and think, “Oh this cannot happen to me.” We are adapting,

Stonewall’s nationally-renowned virtual programming series features LGBTQ artists, writers, thinkers, curators, and advocates.

Past guests have included Jeffrey H. Jackson, Allen Ellenzweig, and Sarah Shulman.

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memory grows shorter each day, and yesterday’s massacre is old news.

We hit that delete button in our shortterm memory and move on. But, if we are honest with ourselves, underneath our public veneer there is a growing streak of fear. Aren’t we becoming constantly afraid that suddenly, out of nowhere and without notice, any of the strangers you brush up against at the mall might grab, in a fit of inexplicable rage, that readily available AK47 and mow us down?

What kind of life is that? Is it the direction humanity is going?

To survive we need to have faith and trust in someone, anyone. We were raised to believe we depended on one another.

We crave “normalcy.” Today it is just a probability, the roll of a dice. A Russian roulette.

Instead of that Ralph Lauren polo shirt we might have to start considering investing in a bullet proof vest to go to Publix or Walmart.

Perhaps it is the final stage of the evolution of our species as we know it. Even Darwin would be speechless. In an age of madness believing we are immune to it is in itself a form of madness.

Please pass the Marlboros.

Pier Angelo was born in Italy, moved to England at the age of 17 and learned English at the Nelson School of English. He attended college and graduate school in Manhattan. In 2009 he founded SFGN with Norm Kent. Now he’s retired with his husband Tom and his Affenpinscher Cabbage. He still enjoys writing his column Off The Wall for SFGN.

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A resource to scholars, historians, researchers and writers, the Archives preserve our existence for future generations.

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25

3/8/2022 7:48:59 AM

CONVICTIONS

Mombian

‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’ AND THE BEST GIFT FOR MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S DAYS Dana Rudolph

M

other’s Day is almost here, with Father’s Day on its heels. As we head into this year’s season of parenting holidays, I am thinking about the concept of “parent’s rights” that underlies many new laws and bills around the country — laws that are often overtly or covertly anti-LGBT, such as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” (or trans or queer…) law, officially known as “Parental Rights in Education.”

This legislation is geared towards restricting materials in the curriculum and ensuring parents have complete control over what their children read and learn. This year alone, more than 80 bills in 26 states were pre-filed or introduced to expand parents’ rights in schools, according to Georgetown University think tank FutureEd. These bills are duplicitous because, on the face of it, what parent wouldn’t want the right to make decisions about how to bring up their children?

Here’s the thing: From the instant one becomes a parent parenthood is the gradual process of teaching our children not to need us. As our children leave our arms and walk on their own, head to daycare, playdates, and school, make friends, learn to drive — they are becoming their own people and taking responsibility for themselves.

The fundamental goal of parenthood, I believe, is to facilitate their doing so.

Yes, there are times when we must say no to something they wish to do; Internet sites we block; dubious friends whom we wish to guide them away from. Through all of this, however, we parents must recognize that we cannot and should not control every aspect of our children’s lives. Children will often encounter things we might not want them to, or do so at a younger age than we would wish. Our job as parents is to prepare them for this by helping them develop a strong

moral compass (whatever that may mean to us), and by letting them know they can come to us when they see or read something that feels confusing or wrong.

I am glad my son, now grown, experienced things that my spouse and I did not control to the letter, especially as he grew older. I’m thankful that his worldview wasn’t limited just to our opinions. I hope we instilled core values, but I also know he read books in school, played games at summer camp, and saw movies at friends’ houses that weren’t even on our radar to suggest — and that broadened his horizons. Granted, sometimes things he saw made me uncomfortable (Is he really old enough to watch that horror movie?), but I also knew that kids mature faster than we think, especially in this mediasaturated age. Within some reasonable range of age-appropriateness, I tried to relax, knowing these things gave him a wider view of the world and enabled him to relate to what many of his peers were already watching and reading. I trusted that we had prepared him to evaluate them for himself or ask us if he had questions.

Parents, in other words, are absolutely necessary, but we are not sufficient. Children need to experience people and opinions beyond just those in their families in order to learn judgment and how to respond when faced with different viewpoints. These skills are foundations for moving in the world as an adult.

So while some may rage about “parental rights,” I invite all of us to consider what that really means. Parent’s rights, to my mind, only exist to facilitate children’s rights — rights to care, safety, and a loving home where they can learn and grow into

HERE’S THE THING: FROM THE INSTANT ONE BECOMES A PARENT PARENTHOOD IS THE GRADUAL PROCESS OF TEACHING OUR CHILDREN NOT TO NEED US.

26

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Photo via Adobe.

responsible adults. And part of helping our children do that means learning to let go as they venture forth into the world.

That can be scary. It may mean discussing uncomfortable (to some) topics like LGBT identities, race, and racism as our children encounter them.

But it shouldn’t mean passing bills restricting the curriculum or, as one nowdead Florida bill had proposed, putting video cameras in classrooms, because of some parents’ fears. And banning discussion of topics because they upset some parents just infringes on the rights of other parents who would argue that these topics should even be required in the curriculum as part of a full education for today’s world.

“Parental rights” are also a sensitive topic to me as a queer parent, since I had to pay a lawyer and go to court to secure my rights as a legal parent of my own genetic child, whom my spouse carried. If the right-wing is so concerned about parental rights, maybe

they should start by ensuring all states follow Connecticut and the handful of other states that have updated their parentage laws to ensure all children have access to the protections of legal parentage, no matter the gender or marital status of their parents or the path they took to parenthood.

That’s a lot of serious stuff to think about during the holidays when many of us just want breakfast in bed or a new tie (regardless of gender). But conservatives have made parents’ rights a battle cry right now. We need to consider what such rights really mean so that we can fight back. Certainly, take a break and celebrate whichever holiday feels best to you (and please also celebrate #LGBTQFamiliesDay with me on June 1, between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day) — then see what you can do in your state or community to ensure schools are really serving children in all families. That’s the best gift I can think of for any of us during the parenting holidays this year.

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 850+ LGBTQ family books, media, and more.

CONVICTIONS

EDITORIAL CARTOON Andy Marlette

5. 5. 20 22 •

27

Guest Column

CONVICTIONS

EXPECTED ABORTION RULING BY ILLEGITIMATE SUPREME COURT SHOULD BE RESISTED, NOT RESPECTED Wayne Besen

A

t the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama achieved celebrity with his unifying speech.

“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America,” he intoned with soaring rhetoric.

Obama’s vision will now be put to the test.

A leaked memo previewing a Supreme Court decision to apparently overturn Roe v. Wade will sharply divide states based on the abortion laws they enact. It will have far reaching consequences that place hardships on women and cause deep economic and social pain for Red States poised to return to the Dark Ages.

The decision itself is shameful. An illegitimate Supreme Court, deliberately and underhandedly packed with extremists, is imposing the personal religious beliefs of its radical members on all Americans. These zealots are brazenly acting against the wishes of the people. A May 2021 Gallup Poll showed that 58% of Americans do not want Roe overturned, while only 32% do. A more recent CNN poll found that 69% percent of Americans did not want to see Roe ended.

There is only one reasonable response to such perfidy and that is determined, sustained and unrelenting resistance. Are mainstream Americans ready to fight back, or are they still traumatized by Trump-era fatigue? In January, I wrote a column anticipating Roe being overturned: “I’m placing my bets on all hell breaking loose if Roe v. Wade is eliminated or downsized to the point of irrelevancy. With gay marriage I’ve seen what happens when rights that people enjoy are stripped away by a right-wing fundamentalist minority. Unlike gay marriage, reproductive choice impacts far more people and will have a significantly greater political fallout. An overconfident Republican Party might find that by winning in court this Summer, their dreams of winning back Congress are swiftly aborted.”

If my prediction is wrong and the reaction

28

• 5. 5.2022

The Rally for Reproductive Rights in Fort Lauderdale on May 3. Photo by J.R. Davis.

to this monstrosity is lethargic, America as we know it is finished. If conservatives get away with overturning Roe, gay rights are next on the chopping block. Just like with abortion, the High Court will rule that marriage equality and legalizing sodomy were decided incorrectly. They will use their cynical and ridiculous interpretation of constitutional law to say, “Where does it mention sodomy or gay marriage in the constitution?”

In their warped minds, the U.S. Constitution is a dead document forever frozen in a time when some of the country’s founders owned slaves, women couldn’t vote, and LGBTQ people were considered “sodomites” who were punished with imprisonment and death.

A weak reaction to overturning Roe would

also further imperil abortion rights nationwide.

If anyone is naïve enough to think that these religious nuts will be content with allowing abortion to be legal in Blue Sates, think again.

According to the New York Times: Leaving abortion law to state legislatures has been a goal of the anti-abortion movement, though some would prefer to go further, establishing a national policy that would end abortion throughout the United States. Such a goal cannot be achieved simply by overturning Roe. It would require federal action — or a different Supreme Court ruling that grants constitutional rights to fetuses.

What the American majority needs to do is stand up and fight back against such tyranny.

This starts with large protests in front of the

Supreme Court in Washington, DC, as well as in major cities and in all 50 state capitals. Next, lawmakers in blue states need to strengthen laws affirming abortion, while adding protections to woman who flee Red States to terminate pregnancies. Blue States should also add laws criminalizing any vigilante, private investigator or state employee who crosses state lines to investigate whether a woman who resides in a red state had an abortion.

Next, we should commit to radical noncompliance and work to undermine the effectiveness of the ruling. The Supreme Court wants to limit abortions, we should ensure they are easier to get than ever. The abortion pill exists and must be made widely available. If the U.S. government is unable to

CONVICTIONS

Guest Column

stop tons of cocaine, marijuana and crystal Republicans and stop being so damn nice. Cut meth from entering the country, despite the “my friend and esteemed colleague” crap spending billions of dollars on interdiction, and start referring to Republicans as “coat how would they stop the distribution of tiny hanger conservatives”. The Freedom Caucus abortion pills that fit in envelopes? National should henceforth be known as the “Coup and international networks need to be Caucus”. greatly expanded and legally protected by Democrats should also promise to impeach Blue States. the illegitimate Amy Coney Barrett and Neil A decisive factor in this battle will be how Gorsuch the very moment they have the corporate America reacts. The Republican numbers to do so. It’s time to unsparingly Party has veered towards authoritarianism go after these fascists who are working and is increasingly at odds with Big Business. to delegitimize the court, undermine our The most vivid example is Florida Gov. Ron institutions, decimate human rights and DeSantis punishing Disney for speaking out abolish democracy. Furthermore, every single against the state’s odious “Don’t Say Gay” “moderate” that gave cover to Republicans who law. We ought to use the abortion ruling to orchestrated this abortion ruling, such as Sen. hasten the split between corporate America Susan Collins, needs to be excoriated. and the Republican Party.

Finally, we can all do our part by highlighting Corporations must be pressured to move on social media the ill-impact of laws banning their headquarters from Red States into Blue abortion. In the early 1960s, Cook County ones that respect women’s Hospital in Chicago was rights. If they refuse to treating more than 4,000 IN THEIR WARPED relocate, they need to, at women a year for lifea bare minimum, offer threatening effects of MINDS, THE U.S. the option for employees botched illegal abortions.

CONSTITUTION IS A to work remotely. No one Let’s ensure that the should be forced to live in contemporary era of such DEAD DOCUMENT Gilead to earn a living. abortions are aired on FOREVER FROZEN IN Much of corporate Tik Tok and Instagram.

A TIME WHEN SOME America’s decisions to leave We should also take the will be voluntary and dictated opportunity to expose OF THE COUNTRY’S by market necessity. Top hypocritical anti-abortion FOUNDERS OWNED college recruits with options, conservatives who take SLAVES, WOMEN particularly women and their daughters to Blue liberal men, will not choose to States for abortions. There COULDN’T VOTE, work in oppressive, backward will be no shortage of such AND LGBTQ PEOPLE states. Faced with losing the two-faced charlatans who WERE CONSIDERED brightest and best minds, don’t practice what they corporations, particularly preach.

“SODOMITES” WHO in tech, will conclude that If Roe is abolished, the WERE PUNISHED WITH Center for Reproductive states outlawing abortion and limiting LGBTQ equality Rights estimates that IMPRISONMENT AND are no longer viable. The abortion clinics in 22 DEATH. decision to overturn Roe states would immediately will likely harm tech friendly close, representing 42 cites with unfortunate Red State geography – percent of American women of childbearing such as Austin, Atlanta and Miami. Blue state age. Roughly half of women who are unable to governors should accelerate this process by access a legal abortion would probably instead actively and publicly courting firms who are bear children, additional research suggests. open to moving.

This is a do-or-die moment for the In terms of politics, Democrats were just continued existence of a free, democratic, handed a gift in a difficult midterm election pluralistic America. We simply cannot allow a year. They now have a simple but effective McConnell installed right wing Supreme Court, message to impart: The Republicans are too representing a minority of Americans, to forceradical and risky to trust with power. The GOP feed us it’s archaic, religious worldview. This is the party of insurrection and ending Roe, ideologically based ruling and activist court imagine what they would do if handed power should not be respected but resisted. If we don’t in Washington? show some fight now, we can forget about the Democrats need to steal a page from future.

Wayne Besen is an author, talkshow host and LGBTQ advocate. He is Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, an LGBTQ organization that fights the Religious Right and monitors “ex-gay” conversion therapy programs.

5. 5. 20 22 •

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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

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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!

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

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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.

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LIFESTYLE FOOD

M IS FOR (CINCO DE) MAYO Rick Karlin

C

inco de Mayo is a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride, but mostly it’s a great reason to party! Much like St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest, Cinco de Mayo’s roots have been lost in the desire to reveal ethnic food and alcoholic beverages.

Whatever your reason, you’ll find plenty of ways to celebrate not only on the holiday itself, but well beyond, with parades, festivals, and of course margaritas.

TULIO’S TACOS & TEQUILA will be open early on Cinco de Mayo day for lunch starting at 11 a.m. and will party all the way through until closing with $9 house margaritas, an outside bar, and a mariachi band.

BIG BUNS DAMN GOOD BURGERS located on the waterfront south of Himarshee, parties with $1 off regular and boozy shakes, and $2 off beer, wine and craft cocktails from 3-6 p.m. Margarita lovers can enjoy the 16 oz. fan favorite Beltway Bandito Margarita on the rocks or as a kit (no ice) with salt and a lime.

From 3-7 p.m. LONA COCINA & TEQUILERIA is celebrating its Mexican roots with $5 tacos and $5 Lona Margaritas served in a special keepsake glass, plus margarita pitchers for $11. While guests indulge in tacos, margaritas and stunning views, they will also enjoy upbeat tunes from a live mariachi band.

Victoria Park’s TACOCRAFT TAQUERIA & TEQUILA BAR will host its Second Annual Block Party. From 3-11 p.m. it will showcase mariachi and DJs, along with a variety of handcrafted margaritas including jalapeño cucumber, passionfruit, watermelon, prickly pear and strawberry basil. The full menu of guacamoles, tacos, snacks, entrees, and sweets will also be available.

LA MEXICANA TACO BAR in Wilton Manors is turning Eucalyptus Gardens into a street fair with several performances and a live DJ. It’s sure to be a fun time for all, so don’t miss out!

Honor The Hispanic Unity of South Florida with a Cinco de Mayo party featuring unlimited tacos and draft beer on May 5 at QUVO TACOS & CRAFT BEER. Tickets are $65, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the charity. There will be two sessions: 5-7:30 and 7:30-10 p.m.

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• 5. 5.2022

AMERICAN SOCIAL will feature food and drink specials — and lots of tequila. Knock back $6 Espolon shots, sip on margaritas, palomas, or enjoy a $25 Corona bucket with mix and match favorites such as mahi tacos, buffalo chicken, ropa vieja, and guac and chips ($10).

CARLOS & PEPE’S will be hosting its 42nd annual Cinco de Mayo Four-Day Fiesta, a funfilled event taking place from May 2 through May 5. The party starts daily at 11:30 a.m. with delicious Mexican fare, free giveaways, a mariachi band, tequila specials and samples.

THE WHARF’S Piñata Party will feature live mariachi bands, luchadores, free sombreros, and drink specials.

YELLOW GREEN FARMERS MARKET, South Florida’s one-of-a-kind destination for fresh fruit, vegetables, delicious food and drinks, leisure, and retail, consisting of over 325 local, small businesses, is celebrating on May 7 from 1-8:30 p.m. Enjoy the entertainment and learn how to salsa with professional dancers along with a live band. Watch vendors compete in a taco competition from 12-2 p.m. and enjoy traditional beats of a mariachi band throughout the market.

On May 7 from 3-6 p.m. CRAFT BEER CELLAR’S Cinco de Mayo day-after party will feature goodies from food truck kitchens, Master Feathers DJ, Antidote hot sauce, and giveaways all day.

Oakland Park’s TATTS & TACOS doesn’t have anything listed for Cinco de Mayo on its website, but since it’s Thursday that means $2 house margaritas with an entree purchase, $15 Camarena tequila margarita pitchers, $5 Camarena Margaritas, $5 Camarena shots, and $5 house tequila shots from 4 p.m. to closing, which sounds like a party to me.

MATCHBOX, the new riverfront dining destination, offers festive and unique pizza creations, available throughout the month of May. Guests can indulge in the Taco Pizza, the Nacho Pizza, and the Hangover Burrito Pizza. Margarita lovers can pair these pizzas with delicious craft cocktails including the strawberry rosé Margarita and the chili spiced Margarita.

Image courtesy of La Mexicana Taco Bar. If you’d rather stay home, check out the ONLINE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY at allevents. in/fort lauderdale/cinco-de-mayo-virtualmixology-night. Join Chef Jorge Montes and DJ Rio for a free class where they’ll be leading viewers through a Mezcal pairing and tasting to kick off the party. Follow that up with learning how to mix a Paloma with smoky Mezcal and torched fresh grapefruit and a Miami-Rita. A link to join the class, as well as the ingredient list, will be emailed after your registration is complete.

M IS ALSO FOR MOM Making plans for Mother’s Day? Some local eateries are offering special events in honor of mothers.

BURLOCK COAST hosts a Mother’s Day brunch with an a la carte brunch and a fresh raw bar. For $39 per person guests can add on a bottomless beverage package, and if your mom is like my mother-in-law, you’re going to need it!

MORÉA’S Mediterranean oceanfront dining features a special brunch with dishes such as

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

avocado toast, Florentine eggs, and waffles with berry compote. Complement the meal with a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar with all the accouterments of your choosing.

PIZZA CRAFT dishes up a decadent Mother’s Day brunch with lemon ricotta pancakes; brunch pizza panettone French toast and burrata toast. Toast Mom with a one-of-akind Spritz Bar, served bottomless for $18, or individually for $12.

Mediterranean taverna YA MAS! invites guests to celebrate Mom with an indulgent Santorini Sunday brunch. Enjoy a la carte brunch items including short rib hash, prosciutto benedict, French toast, falafel chicken & waffle; and a signature breakfast gyro.

CORVINA SEAFOOD GRILL in Boca Raton will feature fresh jumbo lump crab cakes as a special for Mother’s Day dinner. Mothers will receive a complimentary departure gift: a bag of dark chocolate sea salt popcorn.

If you’d rather indulge Mom at home, try one of WILD FORK’S curated bundles that include the best breakfast and brunch essentials.

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.

STUDENT QUITS JOB ATPUBLIX FOR ‘LACK OF SUPPORT’FOR LGBT WORKERS Read SFGN.com to find out more. | Photo via Twitter.

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A&E APPOINTMENTS

A&E REVIEW

FGO TELLS SEARING LOVE STORY IN TROUBLED TIMES J.W. Arnold Hadleigh Adams and Andres Acosta star in “Fellow Travelers,” an opera based on a gay love story during the 1950s lavender scare. Credit: Florida Grand Opera.

W

hether old adages or worn clichés, “the more things change the more they stay the same,” and “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” almost always ring true. That’s certainly the case with the story behind Gregory Spear’s opera “Fellow Travelers,” presented by Florida Grand Opera at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center.

Based on a 2007 novel, “Fellow Travelers” is the love story of two gay men in the 1950s during the height of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s reckless campaign to root out communists in American society and an ensuing “lavender scare” to out the “sexual deviants” who might undermine the security of the government.

Sound familiar? Nearly 70 years later, state governments are passing laws that ban “inappropriate” speech (“Don’t Say Gay”), ratcheting up pressure on public employees and castigating political opponents as groomers who desire to harm young children.

All unsubstantiated and set against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(Back then, the Soviets had rolled tanks into Hungary to quell popular uprisings.)

The parallels are unmistakable. Sure, same-sex marriage is legal and LGBT people have fought for and earned a place in society and culture, and yet their security feels unbelievably tenuous against this right-wing onslaught. Accusations were largely confined to whispers and innuendo back then; today they’re broadcast globally via Twitter with little responsibility or repercussion — especially after Elon Musk completes his purchase of the social media channel.

At times during the FGO performance, the lines between the conditions created

by McCarthy’s ambitions and modern demagogues like Gov. Ron DeSantis blur and cannot be ignored. A lesser production might not have been nearly so successful in provoking such thoughts.

New Zealand baritone Hadleigh Adams is Hawkins Fuller, a state department bureaucrat, who happens upon young intern Timothy Laughlin (Andres Acosta) in a cruisy Washington, D.C. park on the afternoon of Senator McCarthy’s wedding. The sparks

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fly and quickly erupt as the men fall in love, all while struggling to avoid the notice of their nosy colleagues. “Hawk” is surprisingly carefree with his lifestyle while his “Timmy” must still deal with Catholic guilt and the mortal consequences of his choices. And they know that McCarthy’s protégé, gay attorney Roy Cohn, will soon be the latest victim of the mob.

The production is clean and crisp, set inside a massive colonnade that softens the hard edges of mid-century government-issue office furniture, and the harsh fluorescent lighting is filtered by metal blinds. The cast change the sets disguised in drag trench coats, amplifying the cold bureaucratic atmosphere.

Yet, the chemistry between Adams and Acosta transcends their environs, amplified by their soaring baritone and tenor voices. They performed these same roles in a pre-pandemic production several years ago and it’s easy to feel like an unwanted interloper during the several steamy lovemaking scenes.

Spears’ score is lush and romantic, also antithetic to the setting on stage. His musical vocabulary is rich and colorful, relying extensively on the brass and winds in the orchestra to provide unusual timbres during the most emotional points. Conductor Emily Senturia is nearly as interesting to watch as the singers, shifting between meters and offering deft cues from the pit.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, FGO certainly took a risk with this opera. At a time when the reliable patrons are just looking to get out of the house and enjoy live music again, General Director Susan Danis took a risk with a contemporary opera and one that blatantly addresses a potentially controversial subject.

As always, audiences were treated to a topnotch production, but in “Fellow Travelers” they got so much more. FGO should be commended for championing opera and also bolstering the LGBT community with an appropriate message during this crucial juncture in the culture wars.

Now, let’s just hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

“The Mayor of Broadway” Sirius/XM Radio personality Seth Rudetsky will be the host of a concert by the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble and Island City Stage at the Broward Center on May 14. Credit: SethRudetsky.com.

ARTSBEAT GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY J.W. Arnold

CONCERT CELEBRATES BROADWAY’S GREATEST MUSICALS The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble and Island City Stage are teaming up for “Tales from Broadway,” a special one-night-only concert at the Broward Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. Sirius/XM host Seth Rudetsky, the ultimate Broadway insider, will be the host for an evening of show tunes and showbiz stories.

Performers from Island City Stage will perform selections from some of Broadway’s greatest hits, including “Chicago,” “West Side Story,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats” and “Wicked,” all accompanied by the instrumentalists of South Florida’s critically-acclaimed LGBT band.

Tickets are $35 at BrowardCenter.org. The concert will be streamed live at SouthFloridaPride.streamally.live and a $25 donation is requested.

More info at PrideWindEnsemble.org.

CHORUS CELEBRATES 35 YEARS Tickets are still available for “Why We Sing,” the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus (FTLGMC) 35th anniversary concert and retrospective exhibit, Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at United Church of Christ, 2501 N.E. 30th St. in Fort Lauderdale. The program will showcase favorite songs from the vocal group’s past and present repertoire, along with a historical display of banners, art, posters and other ephemera, costumes and photographs.

FTLGMC was founded during the height of the AIDS epidemic in South Florida to sing at the funerals of gay men who succumbed to the disease and had no family or friends to honor them. The chorus continues to represent the LGBT community at public events and perform 3-4 concerts each year.

Dr. Gary Keating will conduct the eclectic program, including “Walk Hand in Hand,” “Somewhere Only We Know,” “Where the Boys Are” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. Former members will be invited to the stage for a special surprise finale.

Tickets are $35 at FortLauderdaleGayMensChorus.org.

THINKING CAP THEATER MAKES A MOVE After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole Stodard’s critically acclaimed Thinking Cap Theatre (TCT) is reopening in residence at MAD Arts in Dania Beach. Formerly the Gallery of Amazing Things, MAD Arts, a 56,000 square foot, state-of-the-art venue, is an incubator, studio and gallery space.

TCT’s first production at MAD Arts will be “Fefu and Her Friends” by Maria Irene Fornés. An eight-time Obie Award winner, Fornés (1930-2018) was a prolific author of nearly three dozen plays, a pioneer of the 1960’s Off-Off Broadway movement and an originator of site-specific and immersive theater.

The production opens June 4 and runs through June 19.

Tickets are $40 – 50 at ThinkingCapTheatre.org.

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