5/25/16 V7i21 by South Florida Gay News

local name global coverage May 25, 2016 vol. 7 // issue 21

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May 25, 2016 • Volume 7 • Issue 21 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com

Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli

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Art Director • Brendon Lies Artwork@sfgn.com Designer • Charles Pratt Editorial Assistant • Tucker Berardi TBerardi2014@fau.edu Internet Assistant • Brittany Ferrendi webmaster@sfgn.com Arts/Entertainment Editor • JW Arnold jw@prdconline.com News Editor • John McDonald john.mcdonald@sfgn.com Miami-Dade Reporter • Anthony Beven Food/Travel Editor • Rick Karlin Gazette News Editor • Michael D'Oliveira Senior Photographer • J.R. Davis jrdavis12000@hotmail.com

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Dennis Jozefowicz Internet Director 2010 - 2016 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 SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright © 2016 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

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May South Florida AIDS Network Report Sean McShee

New HIV and AIDS Cases in Florida in 2014 by Transmission Category

The South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN) functions as the networking and advisory body for the FloridaDepartment of Health, Ryan White Care (FL-DOH RWC) grant in Broward County. Its monthly meetings are open to the public.

his meeting began with Marlene LaLota, HIV/AIDS Section, Florida Department of Health (FL-DOH) reporting by phone from Tallahassee. The meeting also included a report on toxoplasmosis and a possible expansion of the pharmacy network for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). LaLota announced FL-DOH’s “Four Point Plan to Get to Zero New Infections.” The four points consist of the following: 1) test and treat, 2) PrEP and PEP, 3) routine HIV screening, and 4) messaging and community outreach. LaLota set an ambitious goal for linking HIV testing with antiretroviral treatment (test and treat): begin antiretroviral treatment within 48 hours of testing positive. This generated much discussion. Some people suggested consolidating ADAP and Ryan White Care (RWC) certifications. Joey Wynn suggested that FL-DOH needs community input, as “People have many different paths to treatment.” Some people will have liver, kidney, or drug resistance problems, but providers may not know this within just 48 hours. All these problems would require a different antiretroviral treatment than the standard. Wynn suggested a town hall meeting to provide that community input. The second point concerned the biomedical interventions, PreExposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). LaLota considers them “game changers,” as behavioral interventions may have reached the limit of their effectiveness. She reported that FL-DOH is “mixing and matching” to resolve payment issues. The third point concerns routine HIV testing in healthcare settings and HIV testing

20%

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Gay, Bi and other Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) Injection Drug User (IDU) MSM/IDU

Het Contact

Other Risk New HIV Cases

New AIDS Cases

targeted to people at high risk, such as gay and bi men. FL-DOH wants to make testing for HIV is as routine in healthcare settings as testing for high blood pressure. The fourth point concerns prevention messaging and outreach to communities. LaLota rejected a single message to everyone. Instead, she emphasized the importance of getting “the right message to the right people, at the right time, and in the right places.” Next Josh Rodriguez reported on ADAP. He reported that FL-DOH had selected CVS as the pharmacy benefits manager: FL-DOH is now negotiating with CVS to add more pharmacies to their network. If they succeed in this, it would resolve a longstanding problem with ADAP. The current network restricts patient choice and excludes many HIV specialty pharmacies. A representative from Turing Pharmaceuticals reported on toxoplasmosis, caused by a common brain parasite. About 60 million people in the U.S. have this parasite. A functioning immune system can control it. However, a person with both a weakened immune system and this parasite can develop encephalitis or an eye infection. Handling cat feces, including changing the litter box, or eating contaminated meats, fruits, or vegetables can transmit the virus. According to the CDC, person-to-person transmission does not occur. Providers should test people living with HIV for toxoplasmosis, if they show symptoms of central nervous system disorders. Treatment is available.

Announcements Next SFAN Meeting: Friday, June 3 at 10 a.m., at the Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56th Street, Ft. Lauderdale. Newcomers are encouraged to attend. Next Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) Meeting, June 7 at 1 p.m. at 780 SW 24th St, Tobacco Building., Fort Lauderdale. A client survey for people living with HIV is now available https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ BCHIV2016. Please only complete one survey per person. HIV treatment “drop-outs” are especially encouraged to complete a survey. For more information on toxoplasmosis, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/ toxoplasmosis/.

• 5.25.2016

news highlight

Feds: Fort Lauderdale Mortician Abused Female Employees John McDonald

cWhite funeral home in Fort Lauderdale was hit with a $85,000 fine by the federal government after it was discovered its owner was abusing employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found Albert McWhite, Sr. violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The EEOC, alleges, McWhite, Sr. engaged in sexual harassment, constructive termination based on sex and retaliation – all illegal practices under Title VII of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Albert McWhite, Sr.’s sexual harassment of female employees was constant and overt,” said EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Robert Weisberg, in a news release. “The objective of this settlement is to change the culture of this workplace, allowing female employees to work, without stress and fear of enduring sexual harassment and retaliation.” EEOC’s lawsuit details McWhite, Sr.’s offensive activity, including creating a work environment of sexual innuendo, unwanted touching, and sexual overtures. One witness told the EEOC that McWhite, Sr. often became violent in his behavior and would grab breasts, slap buttocks and strike female employees across the face. One of McWhite Sr.’s typical pick-up lines, reportedly, was to place his hand on his crotch and ask female employees if they wanted to “take care of her bills.” In its consent decree with the government, McWhite, Sr. is to pay $85,000 to the victims, hire an independent consultant to receive and investigate sex discrimination complaints and initiate sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training, policies and procedures at the funeral home. 5.25.2016 •

Compiled by Tucker Berardi and Brittany Ferrendi

Padres Under Fire For Mishandling Gay Chorus’ Anthem (EDGE) The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus is criticizing the San Diego Padres for mishandling the group’s scheduled performance of the national anthem. The chorus said on its Facebook page that 100 of its members gathered to perform the song before the game Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers when the Padres instead played the recorded voice of a woman singing the anthem. Their statement said no attempt was made to stop the recording and that the group received “homophobic taunts” while being escorted off the field. Chorus members called for the Padres and Major League Baseball to investigate whether anyone intentionally played a woman’s voice “with the purpose of denigrating and/or ridiculing gay men.”

hurch of Scotland allows same-sex marriage for clergy

(AP) The Church of Scotland has voted to let its ministers enter same-sex marriages – though saying it “maintains its traditional view of marriage between a man and woman.” At its general assembly, meeting in Edinburgh, voted May 21 to allow congregations to “opt out” from traditional teaching if they wish to appoint a minister or a deacon in a same-sex marriage. However, Church of Scotland clergy will not be allowed to conduct same-sex weddings. A debate on whether to sanction gay marriages within the church won’t be held until the church’s Theological Forum presents a report next year. Gay marriage has been a divisive issue for religious groups around the world. Scotland’s official church is a Presbyterian denomination with about 400,000 members.

The Padres issued a statement Saturday night saying a mistake was made that prevented the chorus from performing and that “we apologize to anyone in the ballpark who this may have offended.” The Padres said they’d reached out to the chorus “to express our deep regret for the error.” Billy Bean, an MLB vice president for social responsibility and inclusion, tweeted Sunday that “it was very unfortunate that there was a technical error” that prevented the chorus from performing but added that the Padres “have supported our inclusion message at MLB without hesitation.” Bean, a former Padres player, revealed he was gay in 1999, four years after his final major league season. Photo: Facebook.

irst transgender delegate elected in Florida

(WM) Florida is making history with the state’s first transgender delegate. According to Florida’s LGBTA Democratic Caucus, Monica DePage of Jacksonville has been elected to the Democratic National Convention. On May 7, DePage was elected as a district-level delegate from Florida’s 4th Congressional District. She will be one of 30 delegates from the LGBT community meeting in July at the convention in Philadelphia where the Democratic candidate for President of the United States will be nominated. DePage is from Jacksonville and is pledged to Senator Bernie Sanders.

wants to impeach Obama Oklahoma because of trans bathroom laws

(LGBTQ Nation) Oklahoma has introduced a new discriminatory bill that calls for schools to provide a “religious accommodation based on the student’s sincerely held religious beliefs” if their public schools allow transgender students access to the facilities that match their gender identity. The bill, Senate Bill 1619, does not once use the word “transgender,” rather it uses terminology such as “the physical condition of being male or female, as identified at birth by that individual’s anatomy.” The bill therefore reduces every student to their anatomical gender and disregards any claim to a different gender identity. Lawmakers insist that those who request religious accommodation not be given a single-occupancy option, but instead given full access to the facilities matching their gender assigned at birth. There are no alternatives provided for gender-nonconforming students other than the

• 5.25.2016

authorizing Oklahoma’s attorney general to file suit against a public school that does not adhere to the proposed policy. Along with the bill, new Senate Concurrent Resolution 43 urges Oklahoma’s two U.S. senators and five representatives in the House – all Republican – to “file articles of impeachment against the President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of Education, and any other federal official liable to impeachment who has exceeded his or her constitutional authority,” based on their efforts to open facilities up to gender nonconforming students.

Time magazine ran a feature this week on the current bathroom struggle sweeping the nation. Pick it up, it's a good read.

News Briefs

Continued

ajor HIV vaccine study planned in South Africa

(WM) Scientists are planning a major study of an experimental HIV vaccine in South Africa later this year. The shots are based on the only attempted HIV vaccine ever to show even marginal effectiveness, in Thailand in 2009. The U.S. National Institutes of Health said May 18 its study in South Africa will use shots modified for better protection. Planned to begin in November, 5,400 adult volunteers would receive five injections over a year, either vaccine or dummy shots. Results are expected in 2020. In the 2009 Thai study, a twovaccine combination cut the risk of HIV infection by 31 percent over 31/2 years, but it was more effective the first year. NIH said a small safety trial in South Africa found the new modified shots promising enough for expanded study.

ew LGBTQ facilities are coming to LA and NYC

(LGBTQ Nation) Los Angeles and Ney York City, which have two of the largest LGBTQ populations in the country, are about to welcome two exciting new facilities geared toward those communities. In Los Angeles the LGBT Center will build a new campus with 100 affordable housing units for seniors, up to 35 units of permanent supportive housing for youths and a large industrial kitchen and 100 beds for homeless young. The city’s LGBT Center is doing its second round of fundraising for the project and hopes to open the campus in early 2019. The future Anita May Rosenstein Campus will also include medical services. In NYC, the Bronx Trans Collective, opening next month, will be “the city’s first major multi-service center dedicated specifically to transgender people, offering program and services that were previously scattered across different sites,” according to the New York Times. The center will offer a number of services to transgender people such as surgeries, hormone treatments, mental health counseling, assistance with legal name changes and other services. The center also plans on hosting regular

support groups, youth counseling, yoga classes and meditation and cookouts. The goal of the center is to have all transgender-focused services available under one roof. The Space for the center is being donated for the first year by the building’s management, and various LGBTQ groups throughout the city are chipping in other needs and expenses.

5.25.2016 •

news national

Gay Army Secretary Confirmed

John McDonald

Eric K. Fanning.

On May 17, on a voice vote, the United States Senate confirmed President Barack Obama’s nomination, Eric K. Fanning, to serve as Secretary of the Army. Fanning is openly gay. “Eric Fanning’s historic confirmation today as Secretary of the U.S. Army is a demonstration of the continued progress towards fairness and equality in our nation’s armed forces,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, in a news release. “Eric Fanning has spent his career serving this nation with tireless dedication, skill and ability, and as secretary he will bring that same commitment to the men and women of the U.S. Army.” Fanning has served in many roles in the Obama administration, Pentagon and Defense Department. His confirmation was a long time coming and shepherded through by U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain, the Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Presidency in 2008, convinced U.S. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas to lift his hold on Fanning’s nomination. “He will be a tremendous leader as Army secretary and will do great by our soldiers at Fort Levenworth and Fort Riley,” Roberts told the Army Times. “I look forward to voting for Mr. Fanning, who has always had my support for this position.” Scott Herman, a U.S. Army combat

• 5.25.2016

veteran from Broward County, welcomed the confirmation. “He (Fanning) may not have served in uniformed which was a major concern on the surface,” Herman told SFGN. “However, his background which includes DOD postings show on paper he is justified in being confirmed.” Fanning was nominated by President Obama in September of 2015 and his confirmation was held by Roberts who had concerns of over transfers of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba prison. The Human Rights Campaign is declaring Fanning’s confirmation to be historic. HRC notes Fanning is the first openly gay leader of a U.S. military service and the highest ranking openly LGBT appointed official to be confirmed by the Senate. Prior to going to work for the Army, Fanning served as undersecretary for the U.S. Air Force from April 2013 to February of 2015. Chief among his duties for the Air Force was overseeing a $110 billion budget. “Honored by today’s Senate vote and confirmation as 22nd Secretary of @USArmy. Let’s get to work And #BeatNavy!,” Fanning tweeted on Tuesday. Fanning is a graduate of Dartmouth College. From 1997 to 1998, he worked national and foreign desk assignments for CBS National News in New York.

News Briefs

tudy of HIV Prevalence Among Gay Men in U.S. Reveals Trouble in the South

The numbers are revealed for HIV prevalence in the United States — and the South tops most of the results. According to a report in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, researchers determined that 15 percent of the 4.45 million gay men in the U.S. have HIV positive, according to POZ. The results in the South were staggering, with 21 out of 25 metropolitan statistical areas coming from that region. Jackson, Mississippi and Columbia, South Carolina topped the list. “These refined results are an additional tool for regional and local public health action and provide further evidence for the need to prioritize HIV prevention efforts for MSM and particularly for MSM living in the South,” said Eli Rosenberg, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and the study’s head, in a press release. Within Florida, the Miami-Fort LauderdaleWest Palm Beach area had over 3,100 gay men diagnosed with HIV, POZ claimed. The report also specified that Florida had 0.93 percent diagnoses with HIV per year. “By pinpointing where HIV strikes the hardest, we have a key piece of the puzzle highlighting the largest disparities within states and the South,“ Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a

press release. “We hope these data empower local public health officials, community-based organizations and everyone fighting HIV to bring resources to the gay and bisexual men who need them the most.”

Continued

ranian Women Dress Up As Men To Avoid Country’s Sexist Morality Laws

Some women in Iran have had enough with their strict dress code and extremely limiting morality laws. So what do they do? Dress up as men. “I am an Iranian girl,” said one of the women via Facebook. “In order to avoid the morality police, I decided to cut my hair short and wear men’s clothes so that I can freely walk in the streets in Iran.” According to Pink News, many of the women do not identify as transgender, but choose to cut their hair short and wear masculine clothes in order to be free in public without facing harassment. The Facebook page “My Stealthy Freedom” features several of these women escaping Iran’s morality laws. “Iran is a country where certain young women who do not believe in the compulsory veil have now started dressing up as men to enjoy the liberty of going to stadiums or to even walk in the streets without having to wear the headscarf,” the page reads. “We sincerely hope for the day when women in Iran will no longer be obliged to live in fear and their moments of stealthy freedom will be transformed into real ones.” The page also shares the personal stories of women in Iran, showing photos of the women in their masculine attire. “I myself choose what to wear, how to study, how to exercise, how to live and how respect others in society,” one woman explains. “I am

HOMEOWNERS

not afraid of the system, but they are visibly very afraid of me. I will do my best to be successful in the sports that I am practising (sic) and represent Iran in a way that people of Iran want to be represented so that the rest of the world can get to know the real ‘us.’ I won’t give up. Iran belongs to all of us.” Recently, eight models were allegedly detained for posting “vulgar” photos of themselves on social media with their hair uncovered, according to Independent. As a result, many women are changing their Facebook profiles to private.

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politics out on the trail

news national

Wasserman Schultz Blasts House Republicans

• 5.25.2016

Submited Photo

twisting the arms of their own Members until they switched their votes in order to defeat the amendment. Shame on Speaker Ryan and the House Republican Conference for this pathetic display of cowardice and bigotry.” Congressman Steve Russell, a Republican from Oklahoma, inserted the anti-LGBT provision. Russell’s provision reverses an executive order issued by President Barack Obama in 2014, which made it illegal to discriminate against federal contractors and their employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Submitted Photo

ouse Republicans were up to their old tricks, proposing an overinflated defense spending bill last week while failing to ensure protections for society’s most vulnerable. In passing its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the United States Congress, controlled by Republicans, allocated $602 billion to the country’s defense in 2017. The bad news comes via a provision in the bill, which removed previous protections for federal contractors who identify as LGBT. U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Pembroke Pines) expressed outrage over the tactics of her House colleagues. “I have been in public service more than 25 years, and today was one of the most shameful days in any elected body I have ever been a part of,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement to the press on May 19. “House Republican Leadership – lacking courage, principle and fortitude – held open a vote so that their Members could stand in favor of discrimination against our LGBT brothers and sisters, by

Photo: David Scott Holloway/CNN

John McDonald

New Jehovah’s Witness Video Teaches Children How to Preach Their Anti-Gay Stance Others Christiana Lilly

nonprofit of the Jehovah’s Witnesses released a video for children discussing the church’s stance against samesex marriage and families, and encourages youngsters to talk to their friends about why it is wrong. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society released the video on the church’s website under the children’s section earlier this month. The animated two-minute short starts with a little girl looking at her classmates’ drawings of their families, when she notices one picture of a family with two mothers. When she returns home and tells her mom that her teacher said, “All that matters is that people love each other and that they’re happy,” her mother corrects her. “People have their own ideas about what is right and wrong, but what matters is how Jehovah feels,” the mother explains. “He wants us to be happy and he knows how we can be happiest. That’s why he invented marriage the way he did.” She continues with Bible verses and likens getting to Paradise as going through an airport – if you have something bad in your baggage, you can’t get through. Luckily, “people can change,” and that’s why Jehovah’s Witnesses share their message. The ad ends with the little girl and mother happily planning how to best explain to her classmate what Jehovah wants for her and her same-sex family. The site gives viewers the option to translate the video into more than 40 languages. Cesar Arguelles, who left the church six years ago, found out about the ad on an ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses Facebook group. As a gay man, he wasn’t so surprised or bothered by the antigay message, but that the ad was encouraging children to preach to others. “It’s that they indoctrinate children to go out and to talk to this little girl about her having two

mommies. It’s one thing is for you to say, well, this is my home and this is what we believe in,” he said. “Another thing is to tell my kids, now you have to go back to school [and say] that what she’s doing is against God’s will. It doesn’t sit well with anyone in today’s society.” Arguelles said he was drawn to the church when he was struggling with his sexuality as a teenager. He was married for years, had triplet girls, but when the marriage failed, he came to terms with his homosexuality and came out of the closet. Per church rules, he had the choice to be kicked out or leave on his own accord. He chose the latter. Since then, most of his friends and family have completely cut ties with him, to the point that some pretend they don’t see him when they are in the same room. Jehovah’s Witness was founded in Pennsylvania in the late 1800s by a group of men who studied the Bible and promoted Christianity the way the Jesus intended. They consider Jesus to be the founder of the religion. “Jehovah’s Witnesses come across as a very nice, loving, religious organization that knocks on people’s doors on Saturday morning giving people hope,” he said. “In reality it’s a very destructive cult that once people are in it, they can’t get out because they face the challenge of being ostracized and losing their whole social network.” Luckily he is still able to see his children, but he fears when they get married their husbands may decide to cut him out of their lives. “It says it in their literature that family members are not supposed to have any association with people who have decide to leave their faith,” he explained. “There’s lots of individuals who are still inside the religion because they don’t want to get shunned, they don’t want to lose their families.”

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

lgbtqia bites

Lesbian

Lesbian couple awarded $80,000 after being arrested for kissing in public (Pink News) Two lesbians, Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero, are being awarded $80,000 to settle a lawsuit after claiming to have been wrongfully arrested by a police officer who didn’t like them kissing in public. The couple, on vacation last year in Honolulu, Hawaii, were holding hands and kissing in a shop when officer Bobby Harrison told them to “take it somewhere else.” Their lawsuit alleges that when trying to check out, the officer grabbed Wilson by the wrist. The couple, who are now just friends, were eventually arrested and charged with felony assault. After spending three days in jail the charges were dropped. The Honolulu Police Department launched an investigation after the lawsuit was filed against the officer. The plaintiffs said they are happy with the settlement, but that they had hoped that Harrison would face more repercussions.

• 5.25.2016

Photo: Facebook.

Compiled by Tucker Berardi

Queer

Christian school to expel students if they have queer relatives

(LGBTQ Nation) Trinity Academy, a Christian school in Wichita, Kansas, will now expel students if they have a queer relative. Heterosexual students at the school are now at risk of expulsion if they have a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender relative, as the “practice or promotion of the LGBT lifestyle or alternative gender identity” is “counter to the school’s understanding of a biblical lifestyle,” according to the school’s statement of understanding and agreement.

Students and parents are required to accept that the Bible is the “proper human standard for all human conduct,” as stated in the agreement, and must agree to abstain from alcohol, smoking, and sex before marriage. Now the school has added abstinence from a queer-friendly environment to that list. According to Patheos, this even applies if they are celibate, which is usually an exception to the rule at many fundamentalist schools.

lgbtqia bites

continued

Transgender

At Billboard Awards, Demi Lovato Shows Support for Trans Community Photo: Wiki user Shanarae1.

(Edge) According to Edge, Demi Lovato took a stand at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night when she performed her hit single “Cool for the Summer” while wearing a shirt that featured an inclusive bathroom symbol. The singer wore a black top with the bathroom symbol, which is in reference to North Carolina’s anti-LGBT measure, House Bill 2, which prohibits transgender people from using public facilities, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, that correspond to their gender identity. Lovato has been vocal about LGBT rights throughout her career. After her performance Sunday night, GLAAD

President and CEO Kate Ellis released a statement, lauding the singer. “Demi Lovato continues to be a fearless ally for LGBT equality and acceptance,” Ellis said. “By wearing her support for the transgender community, Lovato is raising critical visibility for vulnerable LGBT North Carolinians and sending an invaluable message of support to transgender people everywhere.” A replica of Lovato’s trans equality shirt will also be sold at Lovato and Jonas’ Honda Civic Tour: Future Now, as revealed by GLAAD. The proceeds will be donated to LGBT rights organizations in North Carolina.

5.25.2016 •

feature

Trans on Campus

Alumna Hila Case

FAU students share their college experiences Brittany Ferrendi Photos by Mohammed Emran.

Photo: facebook

Roman Alexander

lumna Hila Case never considered herself a male, discovery,“ said the alumna. even though her birth certificate said otherwise. Although Case received support, not everyone was In 2012, one semester into her graduate positive. bioengineering program at Florida Atlantic University, “There was only one time where someone got very Case made the decision to transition fully into a woman. close to me and said ‘You’re f*cked up,’ as he walked by,” “I felt desperation, but also a sense of hope. I knew I had she said. “I was really shook up. It made me feel very to do it if I ever wanted to feel happy,” she said. “Everything shattered.” seemed very time critical ... It was an intensely emotional When it came to her experiences in the classroom, Case period of my life.” described everyone as kind. “I never told any classmates I Case isn’t alone. Whether “out” as transgender or not, was trans, but would some days show up presenting as a there are students who feel they weren’t born in the right different gender. It was never an issue.” body — and several of them choose to Brendon Lies, a former FAU student who transition while attending FAU. left in 2014 and a former art director of the Transgender students have resources University Press, went through a similar “Transitioning available on campus to get support, such as process during his transition on campus. on campus Lambda United, a student-run organization “Honestly, the on campus support that has attempted to meet the needs of changed my life,” he said. “At the time was a helpful lesbian, gay, transgender, queer/questioning when I came out, I was living with my experience for and intersex students since 1990. (male) fiance, who was very aggressively me, because it Case said, “Transitioning on campus was opposed to the idea of his pretty little felt safer than a helpful experience for me, because it felt woman cutting her hair and not shaving. “ safer than anywhere else I knew and I had According to Lies, he had to stay with anywhere else I places to go for support.” his then-fiance so he could continue going knew and I had to FAU — and he felt he had to stay in the Students also have the LGBTQA Resource places to go Center, a safe space for all students closet. To make sure his fiance wouldn’t located on the second floor of the Student find out, Lies slowly cut off half of an inch for support.” Union within the Office of Diversity and of his hair every three days and had to keep Multicultural Studies.The resource center his everyday appearance a secret. -Alumna Hila Case has been a part of the Office of Diversity & “In the morning, I would wake up and Multicultural Affairs since spring of 2011. do my makeup very lightly, dress in a skirt, ”The Resource Center is a place but the throw on a cute hat, and shove a plaid shirt people are who make it a safe and welcoming environment and jeans in my pocket,” he said. for the students,” said Artie Jamison, the associate “As soon as I kissed my fiancé goodbye, I’d get in the car, director of Enrichment Programs for First-Generation and drive 30 minutes to school, then change clothes in the car Underrepresented Students, via email. and remove my makeup. And before heading home that “As a part of the larger ODMA office family, we make a night, I’d make sure to change back.” conscious effort to ensure that the space is one in which It was for this reason that Lies loved the LGBTQA students feel they can come and share their experiences Resource Center with others who might be facing similar challenges.” “Not just because it gave me support from other students Case said of her home life: “I had to know everyone’s going through the same thing, who didn’t hesitate to call schedules and determine what days and what hours it was me Brendon or hang out with me, but because I had a safe for me to present as a woman. I really didn’t like it.” place where I could be myself without feeling ashamed.” She said she felt that transitioning on campus was Jamison said she feels safe outside of the resource center, easier than transitioning anywhere else. but could not account for all transitioning students. “I was just learning how to be me, and I’m sure I came “I have not been made aware of any specific incidents off incredibly awkward. That didn’t seem to matter, and I however I cannot say that every student who identifies as would guess many people were in a similar place of self- trans feels safe,” she said via email.

• 5.25.2016

feature Similar to Case, Lies was not very open initially about his transition to his classmates on campus. “To be honest, I was afraid that everyone would harass or hate me if I came out, so I kept it to myself until the last day of the semester.” This fear grew when it came to which restrooms Lies would use. “I didn’t feel like I belonged in the women’s room but I felt too feminine for the men’s room,” he said. “I was heading towards a stall when I began to double guess myself — and suddenly a woman walked in. I bolted from the women’s room, and I didn’t stop running until I was halfway across campus.“ Lies explicitly came out to one of his classes — and received a supportive response. “There was only one class I came out to [out loud], because we were very close and it was actually shocking how kind my classmates were to me! It made me wish I had come out sooner,“ he said. Even though Lies still had to change in his car to hide his transitioning from his fiancé, he said he felt liberated. “Everything felt so much more clear, and instead of being confident because I had everyone else’s approval, I walked with my head high knowing I was finally the guy I always wanted to be. And that really made it all worth it.” In addition to the LGBTQ Resource Center, transgender students have other options available. Roman Alexander, a freshman studying social work and the public relations of Lambda United, said, “[Lambda United] is the LGBT organization on campus and the goal of it is to provide a safe social atmosphere for LGBT students and to have some activism going on.” Although Lambda United is beginning to make more headway as an organization, Alexander commented on its shortcomings. “Most people are accepting of trans students, which is more than trans students get other places, but … We don’t help trans students get resources, or look into getting them therapy or anything, which is something I’m trying to change.” Former president and transgender student Benjamin Brage created Benji’s Closet, a clothing drive for transgender students during his reign. The clothing drive has since died down, but still

remains a part of Lambda United. Alexander hopes that Lambda will be able to provide more resources in the future, such as chest binders for transgender males and clothing options with a wider size range. Alexander had his own issues to deal with while transitioning on campus — namely his current race, class, gender and sexuality professor. According to Alexander, the professor referred to him by his birth name in front of the entire class, even after he had already told her his chosen name and gender pronoun. “It would be one thing if she didn’t know, but I did explicitly go up to her that morning, right before class, and explain everything to her so she knew. And this was a race, class, gender and sexuality professor so she should have known better than to use my birth name at all to begin with.” Other than the issues concerning his professor, Alexander claimed to only have a few problems with other people while on campus. “I have had some instances where I was trying to use the bathroom and I got either called out or I got laughed at or made fun of,” he said. “That’s happened a couple of times.” He added: “Fortunately, no one’s confronted me and I haven’t been physically assaulted or anything so that’s a plus, but I wouldn’t say it’s been overly positive.” Alexander officially came out as transgender seven months ago. “I’m still not out to my family other than my sister. I came out to my friends when I started here at FAU,” he said. “Like, I never introduced myself as my birth name, I only used my chosen name ... I just started telling my teachers about it — last semester I didn’t.” When it comes to advice for students who may have difficulty transitioning on campus, Jamison encourages students to be familiar with on-campus resources. “Students can be faced with any number of challenges and being a part of a supportive community and having someone to discuss those challenges with can be helpful in any number of ways,” she said. “I hope that students would feel comfortable utilizing our office and connecting with someone here so that they know they are valued and supported members of the FAU family.”

5.25.2016 •

news local

Giant Water Slide Promises Loads of Fun Dori Zinn

ummer is nearly year-round in South Florida, but in case you needed a definite starting point, this year it’ll come in the form of a giant water slide. Slide the City, a giant slip-and-slide, will set up two 500-ft. water slides at Vista View Park in Davie on June 4. Rain or shine, the giant slides will open at 9 a.m. and anyone 5 years of age and older can take part. “In [South Florida], we have the steepest hills we could find in Vista Park,” said Spencer Hunn, Co-owner of Slide the City. “We scoured Florida for hills and saw this beautiful park to start the beginning of our schedule here.” Slide the City has been in South Florida once before with about 3,000 people turning up. This year, Hunn expects around 6,000 people to show up. The most-attended slide was in Pittsburgh, with 8,000 people sliding. The year-and-a-half old company, which is based out of Salt Lake City, tours similar to a carnival. Hunn said they would tour year-round if the weather permits.

Slide the City provides thousands of tubes, toys, and water guns for sliders to use or purchase or you can bring your own, and the sliding goes on until 7 p.m. Slide the City has about 75 stops planned so far this year from now through October. Sliders get their choice of the family lane, where parents and children can ride at the same time, or the party lane for others. For Ultimate Sliders, you can ride as many times as possible for either the morning or afternoon slots. Tickets range from $35-$45 for ultimate sliders until the day of the event, and then the price goes up to $50. For All Day Sliders it’ll be $60 at the door. For Single Sliders, it’s $20, which includes one single slide down during the time slot you choose. Inflatable tubes are not included in the price for Single Sliders, but tubes are required for sliding so be sure to bring your own or purchase one on site. While Slide the City does have employees onsite the day of the event, Hunn said it’s a mix of volunteers and employees to make sure the day goes well. Volunteers get to slide for free.

IF YOU GO: Slide the City: Fort Lauderdale/Miami Vista View Park 4001 SW 142nd Ave. Davie, Florida, 33330 June 4 | 9 a.m.

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5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

news national

Photo Credit: Erika Dimmler/CNN.

Photo Credit: Thomas Kludt/CNN.

Donald Trump.

In-Depth

Trump’s Supreme Court picks should concern LGBT rights activists

Lisa Keen

Keen News Service

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said for be the list I would either choose from or pick people very close a long time that, when it comes to U.S. Supreme Court justices, in terms of the spirit and the meaning of what they represent.” Columnists in various conservative publications and blogs he likes people like Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia. Last week, as the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for the began to pick up on the hedge. One, in the National Review, White House, he released a list of judges he thinks might fill said it “smacks of desperate pandering to conservatives” the bill should he get to nominate someone to the nation’s and questioned whether Trump “actually means any of this…” Another, from the Volokh Conspiracy, called the list highest court. The list contained 11 names – six judges on federal “meaningless,” saying that Trump’s calling it a “guide” is “not a appeals courts, five on state supreme courts. All are relatively commitment to choosing from the list.” Even the head of a Heritage Foundation conservative and some clerked for Scalia affiliate told Fox News Sunday the list “gets a or Thomas. Many have addressed an LGBTquestion mark at the end… Does he really mean related case in the course of their careers on The purpose of it? Is this a fraud?” the bench and, most of the time, their rulings the list appears National LGBT legal groups did not respond came down against the LGBT party to the case. to requests for comments on the list, but The purpose of the list appears to be an to be an attempt given Trump’s well-known proclivity for selfattempt by Trump to reassure Republicans by Trump contradiction and memory lapse, the future who worry that, as president, he would not be to reassure value of his Supreme Court list is a “question reliably conservative. In March, he reassured mark.” For whatever value it might have now them that the reliably conservative Heritage Republicans in providing a guide to Republican presidential Foundation was helping him prepare the list. who worry that, candidate’s mindset, here is a glimpse into The Foundation spends a great deal of time and as president, what the records of the 11 judges are on LGBTresources to oppose such things as marriage related concerns: equality, transgender accommodation to he would not public restrooms, and religious exemptions to be reliably Steven Colloton of Iowa, 53, non-discrimination laws. conservative. 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: In a May 19 interview with Fox News’ Sean In a decision he authored for a 2 to 1 majority Hannity, Trump emphasized that he got help in December 2005, Colloton affirmed preparing the list from reliably conservative Federalist Society and U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama). immigration authorities’ decisions to deny asylum to a gay And initial reaction to the list from various conservative man from Zimbabwe. William Kimumwe came to the U.S. three years after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe declared groups and figures was strongly supportive. But Trump also gave himself some wiggle room. In a May homosexuality to be illegal and began making anti-homosexual 18 press release announcing the list, Trump couched the list as pronouncements. The immigration judge said that Mugabe’s “representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value” hostility to gays was “insufficient to establish a well-founded and that he would use it as a “guide” in choosing a Supreme fear” of persecution. Colloton said Kimumwe did not establish Court nominee. In a Twitter post that night, he said he “may be evidence that his return to Zimbabwe would necessarily lead to adding to the list.” The next day, he told Hannity, “This would “serious mistreatment.” In September 2013, Colloton authored

• 5.25.2016

a 2 to 1 panel decision that said a district court had wrongly denied a preliminary motion to an evangelical Christian that would have enabled him to distribute Bibles during a Twin Cities Pride Festival in a public park in Minneapolis. But Colloton also joined a unanimous three-judge panel decision in December 2006 that affirmed the right of a group of proLGBT students to a preliminary injunction that gave them equal access to facilities at their public school. Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, 50, 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: In August 2009, Hardiman wrote an opinion for a three-judge panel, saying a gay man could not say he was discriminated against because of religion because his employer fired him because the employer’s religious beliefs were that “a man should not lay with another man.” However, the Hardiman panel ruled that the gay employee’s claim that he was discriminated against “because of sex” should have been submitted to a jury. Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, 49, 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: Kethledge joined a 2 to 1 majority in a 2012 decision that dismissed the claims of three pastors who said the federal Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act violated their religious beliefs against gay people. The three claimed they had a right to exercise their religious beliefs by publicly denouncing homosexuality and that the Hate Crimes law would chill their exercise of religion. The majority agreed with the district court that, because the pastors were attempting to try a hypothetical situation, they did not having standing to challenge the law. In 2012, Kethledge joined a panel decision against a man who was subjected to relentless harassment by another male employee. The panel said the victim’s claim of a hostile work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act could not stand because the man could not prove that his harasser was bisexual or gay. That same year, Kethledge also joined a panel decision that ruled against a woman who lost her job with a

news national university in Ohio after she penned an oped piece for a local newspaper objecting to comparisons between the black and gay civil rights movements. The op-ed also expressed opposition to non-discrimination policies that she was responsible for enforcing at the university. Diane Sykes of Wisconsin, 58, 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: Sykes wrote a 2 to 1 panel decision in 2006 that granted the Christian Legal Society a preliminary injunction to be recognized as a student group at the Southern Illinois University School of Law despite its policy of banning gay members, in violation of campus policy. In 2009, Sykes authored a three-judge panel decision that ruled against two employees who claimed their religious beliefs against homosexuality caused them to be subjected to discrimination based on religion by their employer. The panel decision noted that one employee “repeatedly violated” the employer’s overtime policy and the other had “a long history of performance problems.” In 2013, Sykes authored a panel decision that upheld the right of businesses to cite the religious beliefs of their owners to discriminate against employees by denying health coverage for contraception. In writing the opinion, she discussed a hypothetical case of a pie-making company run by devout Baptists refusing coverage to a gay employee’s spouse and child. She said it was “far from clear” how the case would come out. Raymond Gruender of Missouri, 52, 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: In 2008, Gruender joined a panel ruling against a gay male nurse with HIV who claimed he was fired based on disability discrimination. In a 2012 case involving a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, Gruender joined the full circuit court in upholding a city ordinance restricting protests near funerals. In a 2016 panel decision, Gruender joined a procedural ruling in favor of a member of the Westboro Baptist Church who said the state of Missouri’s restrictions on protests near funerals violated her rights to free exercise of religion and speech. William Pryor of Alabama, 54, 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals: Pryor joined a three-judge panel decision this year that said the court had no authority to review a Haitian transgender man’s petition to stay in this country because he had been convicted of crimes and had failed to establish a likelihood of future persecution. In 2011, Pryor joined two other judges to affirm a district court ruling in favor of a transgender employee. The employee claimed her employer fired her based on sex and because of her gender identity disorder. The district court ruled for her on the basis of sex discrimination. Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Price

Waterhouse v. Hopkins, the panel agreed that “discriminating against someone on the basis of his or her gender non-conformity constitutes sex-based discrimination under the equal protection clause.” That same year, Pryor also concurred in a decision that upheld the right of a university to require a student seeking a masters in student counseling to follow a “remediation plan” to improve her ability to counsel LGBT students. The student sued, saying being gay is wrong and is a “lifestyle” and that the remediation plan violated her First Amendment right of speech and religion. The district court denied her request for a preliminary injunction, and the panel including Pryor upheld that denial. But Pryor wrote a concurring opinion to make clear that a university should not be able to take adverse action against a student “based on the concern that the student might, in a variety of [non-university] circumstances express views at odds with the preferred viewpoints of the university.” State Supreme Court judges: The remaining five judges on Trump’s potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee list are members of state supreme courts. While their records on LGBT issues are sparse, they are also less likely to be considered qualified and experienced enough on federal court issues to be nominated to the nation’s highest federal court. They include: Don Willett of the Texas Supreme Court, 49, who worked in the administration of President George W. Bush as a policy adviser in the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He also worked for a conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and served as deputy attorney general under then Texas Attorney General (now governor) Greg Abbott. He was appointed to his current position by former Governor Rick Perry. He is best known for mocking the U.S. Supreme Court’s deliberation of marriage equality by posting a Twitter message, “I could support recognizing a constitutional right to marry bacon.” Thomas Lee of the Utah Supreme Court, 51, who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and conservative 4th Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III. Allison Eid of the Colorado Supreme Court, 50, also clerked for Clarence Thomas. David Stras of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 41, also clerked for Clarence Thomas. Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court, 47, clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and for conservative federal appeals court Judge David Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit.

5.25.2016 •

feature

Teaching LGBTQ Studies: A Thirty-Year View Elliot Joseph

Fred Fejes

• 5.25.2016

Submitted photo.

or almost thirty years Fred Fejes critically explore how the American society, has been teaching courses on LGBT government and media had responded to Studies at Florida Atlantic University. the epidemic. Among the viewings were Fejes came to FAU in 1985, hired as an the TV special “An Early Frost,” “Buddies,” associate professor in the Department of and “Longtime Companions.” CNN, then a Communications to teach courses in media fledging cable news operation, bought in its studies, theory and history. camera to film a segment on what it called Next year he offered the course “Gays in the “first college course on AIDS.” the Media.” It was the first course taught Almost thirty years later, this fall, he will at a FAU with an explicit LGBT title and again be teaching an LGBT related class, content. this time called “Introduction to LGBTQ “Both the title and the course reflected Studies.” It will be offered part of FAU’s the times,” Fejes recalled. “Twelve students Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality signed up. Three of them asked to enroll Studies, the first time the course will be in the class as an independent study — listed as such in the University’s schedule. that way the title did not appear on their It is meant to provide a broad and detailed transcripts.” exploration of current social, cultural and The course content consisted of “gay political condition sexual and gender history,” ”theories” of sexual identity, identities. homophobia and the dynamics of “coming Reflecting on how the changes in the out,” all organized around LGBT community and a critical viewing and movement have been discussion of various reflected in the course, Fejes media representations of noted “Obviously, with all of "I had all homosexuals. the development and new the students challenges, particularly over Students were asked to sign a waiver at the the last five years, I had to again sign beginning of the class as revise the class substantially.” a waiver some of the material shown He notes that we can (e.g. two men kissing) could now talk about different before the be found offensive. Among in the LGBT presentation." “generations” the movies viewed were community. “Making Love,” “Boys in “People are typically not - Fred Fejes the Band” and “Parting born into an LGBTQ family, LGBT Studies Professor, Glances.” The class was they way they are into a Florida Atlantic judged a success and some Cuban, Italian, Jewish or University of the students even went other kind of family. How on to organize the FAU they come into awareness gay student group Lambda and learn about their sexual United (Fejes was the first faculty advisor). or transgender identity depends on the Over the next few years the course larger environment and social resources was repeated, its content, name and around them. People who came into focus evolving to reflect the growth and awareness prior to 1969 faced a very hostile development of the LGBT movement and condemning environment with few When “Paris is Burning” came out resources for support.” students researched the history of drag In the 1970s and early 1980s there was gay and transgender identity and wrote a paper liberation for men and lesbian/feminism for on it. women, offering support and a community. Another year for their class project two Transgender identity, however, was very students did a presentation on the history marginalized. In the 1980s and 1990s the and significance of gay porn and compiled presence of AIDS powerfully shaped the a video of the genre’s important moments. LGBT community and experience. “I had all the students again sign a waiver “Today we have a generation of people before the presentation, ” Fejes said. coming into awareness of their LGBTQ In 1989 he also developed and taught identity in an environment that, in many another course “AIDS and American ways is far more supportive but also having Society” to both help in the University’s its own major challenges.” effort in AIDS education but to also One of the big differences is the

emergence of the internet and the digital media universe. “Forty years ago a person learned about their LGBTQ identity through personal contact or reading something. Today more often the first knowledge comes from going on-line.” While the political and legal victories, the growth of the transgender movement and emergence of the “gay market” are very encouraging, he notes we are only beginning to see what the “blowback” will look like. “We are nowhere near ‘over the rainbow.’ In the eight years after Stonewall in 1969 there were numerous successes for gay rights activists. Then came 1977, Miami and Anita Bryant. Fifty years after the major advances in civil rights and women’s rights, racism and sexism are still very much part of our lives. There is little reason to suspect that cis-heterosexim will be any different.

He notes that other issues are also emerging such as LGBTQ families. “Prior to same sex marriage and parents, it was easy to ignore such families. Now such invisibility is thankfully gone.” Another is aging in the LGBT community. “Aging presents a whole different take on the discussion of sexual and gender identity and desire that so far has not been given serious consideration in LGBTQ Studies. The Amazon series Transparent gives, I think, the first sustained exploration of how time and physical change shape the LGBTQ experience.” The course will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursday 12:30 to 2 p.m. on the FAU Boca Raton campus. It is open to students from all majors and students from Palm Beach State and Broward College can enroll and receive transfer credit with their colleges.

The next LGBT studies course at FAU will be “Introduction to LGBTQ Studies,” in the Fall. For more information contact Fred Fejes: fejes@fau.edu

community announcement

Chamber Chat

10 tips you should know about your legal options as you age

Stephanie L. Schneider

o one likes to think about getting older. But we’re all doing it, so we might as well do it right. Since May is National Elder Law Month, it’s a great time for people of all ages, but especially seniors, to make sure they’re up to date on their legal options as they get older (and wiser). Here are 10 tips that are absolute must-knows:

1situations

You have rights. Know them: In where hospitalization is required the Hospital Visitation Rule allows you to visit your partner or spouse regardless of your sexual orientation or gender expression. If you think you are being discriminated against because you are LGBT, speak with the hospital’s risk manager. Hospitals that discriminate will lose their federal funding.

You Don’t Have to “Go It” Alone: It’s easy to find almost anything on the internet these days, but downloading forms from the internet provides a false form of security. You may think you’re saving money but it costs more to fix mistakes later. Mistakes may include: Not giving your trusted decision-maker all authorizations needed to make financial decisions. Missing the names of beneficiaries. Or missing a

signature or a notary. Save yourself the headache and hire a qualified elder law attorney. Never Leave Home Without It: Single, engaged or married, make sure you have a Durable Power of Attorney, Designation of Healthcare Surrogate and Living Will naming someone you trust to make your financial and medical decisions should you become incapacitated. Keep your privacy and avoid a guardianship!

Be Like Mike: If your relationship is ending, be sure to update all your legal documents. Found unconscious after a drug overdose, NBA star Lamar Odom’s divorce papers from Khloe Kardashian were not finalized by a Judge. His legal documents were not updated to remove his soon-to-be ex-wife as his decision-maker so she made his decisions while he was incapacitated. On the other hand, Michael Jackson had everything in a trust, and maintained his privacy when he became incapacitated.

518 is a legal adult able to make their They’re Legal Now: A child over age

own medical and financial decisions. That means that even if you’re paying their way,

it does not entitle you to have access to medical (HIPPA Privacy Rule) or financial information should your “adult child” become ill or incapacitated in a car accident for example. Avoid an emergency - after they blow out their candles while celebrating their 18th birthday, have them sign a Durable Power of Attorney and Designation of Healthcare Surrogate.

6have children under the age of 18, you Plan for Your Minor Children: If you

need to be prepared to make sure your children are taken care of during times where you may be absent (vacation, business trip). Your child’s medical decisions can be made by a trusted person named in a Designation of Healthcare Surrogate for a minor.

7Protect

ALL Married Couples Can (and should) Their Assets: Assets can be transferred between spouses without affecting Medicaid eligibility. If one spouse becomes ill and requires long-term medical care, the assets of the spouse (including same sex couples) are protected under Medicaid law.

8Benefits:

Married Couples Can Qualify for VA Married same-sex couples

(or the surviving spouse) can qualify for veterans benefits regardless of where the veteran lives including: healthcare, pension, Aid & Attendance benefits, survivor death benefit.

9filing

Beware of Scammers: Speaking of a V.A. benefits application, it’s free. Be aware of anyone not accredited by the V.A. who tells you that they can file your application for V.A. benefits for a fee.

10Planning: If you are parents of a child Special

Needs

Require

Special

with a disability or special needs, you may need a guardian advocate or guardian appointed when the child is age 18. Consider having a special needs trust for their inheritance. A little planning today can help you to create the future you envision. Remember: you’re never too young to plan ahead. Follow the GLBX on Facebook (Facebook. com/fortlauderdaleglbx/ or contact the GLBX Council Chair, Karen Prescod at Karen@ prescodlifeandhealth.com to obtain more information on how to become a member.

5.25.2016 •

Convictions Forever Young

Dad in WWII

Norm Kent

t’s Memorial Day weekend, and ultimately, a time to remember. It is 40 years, next month, since I moved from Manhattan to South Florida. 40 years; more than half a lifetime. It’s a time to pause and reflect, think about what has been and what will be. Growing up on the south shore of Long Island, in New York, Memorial Day would be the first big beach weekend, a trek with the family to Jones Beach. I miss that. I miss a lot of things. I miss mom and dad. I miss grandma’s Kreplach, and grandpa fishing in Sheepshead Bay. I miss grandpa’s bungalow colony on Masten Lake. I miss the rides in Dad’s 1953 Buick up old route 17 to the Catskills Mountains in the summer time, when we would always stop at the Red Apple Rest. I miss watching my dad burn leaves in the backyard of our house in Little Neck. I miss Seder and Passover and all the holiday dinners with my entire family of now passed aunts and uncles, and far away cousins.

• 5.25.2016

and climb on every rung rs sta the to r de lad a ild bu u yo May s. May you grow up to be righteou May you grow up to be truet truth May you always know tha g you And see that light surroundin us May you always be courageo Stand up and be strong sy May your hands always be bu ift May your feet always be swndation when the winds of changes shifts May you have a strong fou joyful May your heart always be ng May your song always be sug May you stay forever youn

Memorial Day Memories

norm.kent@sfgn.com

Publisher's Editorial

What I miss most

I miss the Saturday movie theater matinees in Kew Gardens with double features. I miss the 1964 World’s Fair and the Unisphere. I miss taking the number 7 train to Willets Point and Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. I miss my summers at Camp Sequoia in Rock Hill, Camp Kendale in Connecticut, and Trail’s End Camp in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania. I miss the friends from those camps, the bonfires, road trips, Color War, and water skiing in a pristine lake. I miss the city, too- playing kick the can, whiffle ball, ring o levio- and stickball in the street. I miss Bungalow Bar, the Good Humor Man, and all the ice cream trucks that used to roll down Hungry Harbor Road in North Woodmere. I miss egg creams, too. I miss playing for the Robins in the Harbor Little League at Alley Pond Park. I miss having sleepovers at my best friend’s house. I miss my Newsday paper route, where I

collected 30 cents a week for the paper, and if I was lucky, got a 20-cent tip. I miss being a 15-year-old food runner at the Lido Beach Club, and a little league umpire for the Harbor Little League. I miss putting baseball cards in the spokes of my bicycle, and just flipping them and trading them- instead of grading them. I miss the days when pro athletes were normal people like the rest of us, and the only weights they lifted were 8 ounces and in plastic cups. I miss the feeling I had the first time I walked into Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to watch Mickey Mantle step up to home plate. I miss waiting on Longacre Avenue to get on School Bus Number 53 to take me to Lawrence High School. I miss the Senior Breakfast Club at Nathan’s in Oceanside. I miss Walter Cronkite telling me the news every night. I miss the Five Towns, Wetson’s, Bernie’s Diner, Mother Kelley’s Pizza, Rocky’s Subs in Inwood, The Woodro, Shor’s, Green Acres Pizza, White Castle, Bargain Town and the Atlantic Beach Bridge.

I miss climbing the ropes for Mr. Seeger in high school gym class. I miss going to a high school football game to watch the Lawrence Tornadoes on a Friday night with the rest of my class. I miss living in the dormitories at Hofstra University, and the hamburgers at Bill’s Meadowbrook Inn. I miss the energy and excitement of being a college student in the electrifying and mobilizing 1960’s, when students cared about Earth, war, and the future of our planet. I remember, but I don’t miss, that day I went for my draft induction physical on Whitehall Street. I miss Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock, and the feeling you get watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I miss all my frat brothers in ZBT, and wonder where they are and where they have gone. I miss a few girls in DXD, too, one of whom got married without me. :-) I miss the feeling the first time I ever took an airplane flight, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1967, with my best friends, Joey Smith and David Kestenbaum.

Convictions

Publisher’s Editorial

I miss Mykonos, London, Amsterdam, their mouth moved. Brussels and all those amazing European I miss watching Jack Benney, Burns and vacations I took as I grew older and more Allen, and All in the Family with my dad. independent, discovering how small and I also miss real family values black and large the world was in one moment. white TV, from The Lone Ranger to the I miss the amazing feeling I had holding Rifleman; the Honeymooners and Happy my partner’s hand one day in Vondell Park in Days. Even The Man From Uncle, too. And Amsterdam. yo-yos. I miss yo-yos, too. I miss Amsterdam, too, and not just those I miss all my dogs, so many amazing coffee shops, but the 300 year old windmills wonderful pet partners, from King to in the countryside. Daybreak to Woodstock to Lighting and Ice. I miss so many friends that fate, illness, I miss playing softball for so many years, accidents and fortune took away all too soon. and the annual rendezvous with best friends I miss my trips to Black’s Beach in San at Los Angeles Dodgers baseball camps Diego, the boy I met in Balboa Park and at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, now just a volleyball games on the seashore in Laguna Memorial Day memory. Beach. I miss being able to run fast and round the I miss the Laguna Beach Arts Festival every bases, line a baseball 340 feet into the gap summer on the side of a mountain, and between two outfielders, or throw a strike walking barefoot on Venice Beach in 1972 from centerfield to home plate, gunning when it was a commune. down the runner trying to advance. I miss the days when I could just lie and I miss doing my radio show every bake in the sun and it consumed my soul; morning live on the air, from the Floridian when I did not feel I had to get up and ‘make Restaurant on East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort a to do list.’ Lauderdale. I miss the sunsets in Key West and on I miss the fraternity we had at WFTL 1400 Mallory Square when the only people there AM for almost a decade, and the daily banter were bare foot artists, the Iguana with my on-air colleagues Man, and the banana bread lady. every single day. I miss my first car, a 1964 red I miss teaching college I miss the Ford Mustang with a black vinyl courses at FAU, so bad, and top. the amazing inspiration and amazing I miss 1960’s style coffee interaction it stirred in my feeling I had houses. heart every time I started a holding my I miss the feeling I had the class. partner’s hand first time I ever smoked a joint, I miss bouncing out of burning incense in my dorm bed in the morning ready one day in room to mask the smell. to swim a mile, instead of Vondell Park I miss my older brother, searching for my heart meds. in Amsterdam. Richard’s really cool house, I miss being able to eat standing all alone, on Iron Forge an Oreo cookie and not Road in Sugar Loaf, New York. worry about my sugar count. I miss the absolute boy-like feeling of Ecstasy? Only from within. jumping off a dock in the Catskills Mountains I miss Bob Dylan when he sung like Bob into a quiet lake without a single care in the Dylan. world, my best friend by my side. I miss Simon and Garfunkel performing I miss fishing and walking through cold together in Central Park. streams, hiking through Mount Rainier, or I miss the melting pot that is New York. biking through Aspen in the summer. No matter where I am or what city my plane I miss the feeling of urgency and excitement lands in, New York is always the place I I had in 1975, during the year I spent living in will call ‘home.’ No offense, Florida, but Point Lookout on Long Island, walking along Rockefeller Plaza, Broadway and old subways the beach alone, trying to decide whether I have deep roots. should leave New York and move to South Don’t feel sorry for me, because if I miss so Florida or Southern California. much, it simply shows how enriching this all I miss playing softball in Central Park on too short and precious journey we call ‘Life,’ Sundays in Manhattan. has been. I miss not being able to go to the San And remember, forever, if you cry too Diego Comic Con every year, or being at the much about losing the sun, your tears will Sundance Film Festival each winter in Park prevent you from seeing the stars. City, Utah. Happy Memorial Day Weekend, and enjoy I miss the old Japanese films where you those water slides at Gay Days in Disney would hear the actors talk 5 seconds after while and when you can. 5.25.2016 •

Guest

Photo: Facebook.

Convictions

The Pride Center is The Pulse of Our Community Robert Boo

Executive Director

Robert Boo at the Diversity Honors Dinner in the Hard Rock Hotel delivered the following remarks on May 13, 2016. The Harvey Milk Foundation and the Pride Center at Equality Park presented the event.

s a Center, we work daily to create a community that supports young people like Ryland Whittington and our other honorees. We provide a welcoming, safe space — an inclusive home — that celebrates, nurtures and empowers the LGBTQ communities and our friends and neighbors in South Florida. All you have to do is watch the news or read your favorite blog to know that our community is growing and changing. So are our needs. As our community grows and embraces the diversity of all, so does our community center. Just this past year, we were the first LGBT community center in the country to build a playground to help our campus better meet the needs of LGBT families, children and our allies. The largest LGBT senior program in the nation is not in New York or LA or even San Francisco, it is right here at The Pride Center. Every day we provide exercise classes, workshops, healthcare linkage, job training and social opportunities for older LGBT adults.

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We’re not just a little nonprofit providing international conference space named for vital programs and services to South Harvey Milk. Florida residents. We’re one of the largest One consistent message I have heard LGBT community centers in the country, over my decade at The Pride Center and we’re used to provide is that we need a place to best practice models for come together for cultural, centers nationwide — in spiritual, and educational We’re one of HIV prevention, women’s and entertainment purposes. health resources, outreach Establishing a Harvey Milk the largest to communities of color and Center will LGBT community International more. allow us to bring people centers in the And we’re not satisfied. from all over the world to We’re planning and South Florida for powerful country, and preparing for the next collaboration and common we’re used to decades of service and work. We will partner with the provide best the next generation of Harvey Milk Foundation on our community. Just this practice models award-winning programming year, we approved an right here in our backyard. for centers exciting new Master Plan The collaboration between nationwide. for our five-and-a-half our two organizations shines acre campus. We’ve taken a bright, powerful spotlight concrete steps toward on South Florida. building low-income senior housing on Tonight, you’ve heard a bit of the inspired our campus. And the conceptual drawings work of the Harvey Milk Foundation from include our work to build a state-of-the art Stuart. I hope you’ll visit our campus and

learn more about the vital work of The Pride Center. Our synergistic partnership will empower South Florida to a cuttingedge leadership role on the international stage. You’re witnessing an incredible comingtogether of two world-class organizations, The Milk Foundation and The Pride Center. Both are very different in our services and our capacities. But together we have the potential to enrich both the local and international communities in our common goals. Our movement needs collaborations like this to continue the fight for equality and to reject stigma. We need each other — LGBT and straight ally, new immigrant and long time resident, Senior and youth. Together, we can ensure that everyone has both the vision and hope provided by the Milk Foundation and access to the vast, life-enriching services and resources of The Pride Center. Together, we can not only champion, but also achieve our common rights.

Jesse’s Journal

Convictions

Juliette Love, a friend indeed Jesse Monteagudo

Photo: Facebook.

outh Florida’s LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities suffered a great loss when Juliette Love, renowned activist and board member of the Pride Center at Equality Park, died on May 4 after a brave struggle with cancer. Though Love was a straight woman, her capacity for compassion and love, especially for those affected by HIV or AIDS, made her a valued and beloved friend of the LGBT community. According to the Pride Center Voice, which profiled Love when she joined the board in 2013, for “over 37 years, Juliette Love has been recognized at the local, State, and national levels as an experienced and committed activist and advocate for people with HIV/AIDS specifically, and for improvement to health outcomes in the general population but particularly people of color.” “I discovered years ago that one of my purposes was to serve everybody and anybody I could,” Ms. Love told the Center Voice in 2013. “I serve everybody. The LGBT community is part of that everybody. Obviously, I have so many friends from working in the HIV arena. That’s not the biggest part of why I serve the LGBT community, though. My role in life is to be of service.” Juliette Love earned a BS degree from Florida A&M University in 1970 and a MPS degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2008. She began her career in Toledo, Ohio as a Disease Intervention Specialist in STDs, eventually becoming Acting Program Director for the 19-county district of northwest Ohio. In 1982 Love became a federal employee working with the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies specializing in STDs and HIV/AIDS. After she moved to South Florida, Love worked as manager of the RWI and HOPWA programs for Broward, retiring in 2009 as coordinator of the Human Services Department training institute for nonprofits. Though Love Love also served as a was a straight member of the Florida woman, her HIV/AIDS prevention capacity for planning process, first as an original member (1994) compassion and of the Miami-Dade County love, especially planning group and then, for those from 1997 to the day of her affected by HIV death, as a member of the or AIDS, made Broward County Community Planning Group. her a valued According to the Pride and beloved Center Voice, Ms. Love has friend of the been a part of the Pride LGBT community. Center family for much of its existence. As if her AIDS

activism and Pride Center board work were not enough, she was also one of the original members of the Center’s Founder’s Circle Love’s community work was recognized in 2011 when she was inducted into the Broward County Women’s Hall of Fame. She received many other community service awards, including an 18-gallon pin and certificate she won for platelet donations for the Community Blood Center, an award that she was most proud of. Evelyn Ullah, Director of the HIV/AIDS Program, Florida Department of Health in Broward County, was a good friend of Juliette Love: “I have 18 years of fond memories, sisterhood moments, and friendship so it is difficult to capture all that Ms. Juliette Love embodied and meant to me. Her life’s work in HIV was about developing a network of municipal action and advocacy to bring about change,

lessons learned from the civil rights movement and most recent the Black Lives Matter movement. “She used every meeting and every gathering as an opportunity to foster better understanding and she communicated the urgency and critical need for investing and participating in prevention planning efforts to strengthen our local AIDS response. Juliette has truly risen and is smiling down from heaven!” Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and journalist. He has been an active member of South Florida's LGBT community for more than four decades and has served in various community organizations.

5.25.2016 •

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Gay Camping USA G

Angelica, NY, with its generous and inclusive population of seasonal campers, to the quiet oasis of tranquility Lizard Landing in southeast Alabama. Gay campers are more friendly, open and inclusive than campers in mainstream campgrounds. You can not pass someone in a gay campground and not get a hello, and probably also an offer to stop and sit a while. Passersby, many with dogs on leases, smile or wave or nod or speak and some even drop in for a moment, a sit, a drink, or perhaps even a hope of connection. Gay camping is a freeing experience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about leaving the usual and normal behind and embracing the unknown while meeting new friends, experiencing new things and creating new memories. Over time gay camping changes a person; stepping out of their usual routine, schedule and group, the real person tends to surface. Freed from their self imposed expectations in the home environ those who go camping relax into the new culture and free themselves to be who they really are or want to be.

ay camping is a growing phenomenon across the USA. Most gay campgrounds are located east of the Mississippi River with a noticeable dearth of facilities in the West. Then most in the East and Midwest are located in close proximity to one or more major metropolitan areas. A commonality seems to be that successful gay campgrounds are located within about a two hour drive of a major urban center. There are about seven gay campgrounds in Florida, six in Georgia, three in Alabama, four in New York, six in Pennsylvania, three in Tennessee, three in West Virginia and most other eastern states have one or two. Across the West is a smattering here and there. There is no formula or blueprint for gay campgrounds, and the concept is difficult to impossible to franchise. Each is different in its topography, size, culture, ownership and governing authority. Gay campgrounds range from full blown resorts like The Sawmill, near Dade City, FL, which is a true gay community, to gorgeous Jones Pond, near

Get out and get your gay camping on. Gay campgrounds differ in more ways than they are similar. Similarities are easy to show on the chart und

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Jones Pond RV Park & Campground NY

Age

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21+

Freedom Valley Campgrounds OH

21+

Joe's Hideaway NH

21+

Long Fork Campground WV

21+

Sawmill Camping Resort

Camp Mars

21+

Lizard Landing Camp

21+

Cactus Canyon Campground & Resort MO

21+

Oz Campground GA

18+

Rainbow Woods Campground NY

21+

Roy's Hideaway Campground GA

21+

18+

Campit Outdoor Resort MI

18+

Timberfell Lodge TN

21+

The Woods Campground

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Photos: Facebook

Jones Pond Campground & RV Park

Sawmill Camping Resort

9835 Old State Road, Angelica, NY 14709-8729 585-567-8100 www.jonespond.com

ocated in rural Western New York an hour southwest of Rochester and an hour southeast of Buffalo, Jones Pond is located near picturesque Angelica, a nearby community. In 2015 Jones Pond celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary as a gay campground, though the property has been a campground for much longer. Jones Pond sets the standard for gay camping; it is a premier property and fosters a strong sense of gay community in its seasonal campers. Each block of seasonal campers hosts a block party in the summer, raising money for donation to local organizations. These events also serve to inculcate newcomers into the embracing culture. Being a stranger and being recognized serves the dual purpose of feeling included and wanting to come back for more. Many businesses of all kinds could learn from this simple tactic. The park is a beautiful property from the moment of arrival at the store to register. Acres of lawn fall away to a line of stately pines that define the clothing optional demarcation line. Past the pines the land slopes gently, until Cardiac Hill, and is populated here and there with seasonal camps set on huge lots. Some lots are in full sun, some under the shade of an area

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of pines, some up a sloping reach almost surrounded by marsh. Below Cardiac Hill camps are set along a bold creek that flows through a viaduct serving as the bridge carrying the road up the far hillside. Set among the hardwoods of the hillside are camps carved out of the forest. Nature trails surround the hillside camps wandering from the bridge to an open sunny meadow at the top of the Fruit Loop. Jones Pond features early season specials. The campground is open May through September. The huge pool is heated. The Barn, the social center of Jones Pond, got new sound equipment for the 2015 season opening. An entry gate now stands sentinel keeping the curious and gawkers from wandering the park. Owners Bryan and Matt were instrumental along with Freedom Valley, Ohio, and Riverside, ON Canada, in beginning the Friends With Benefits program. FWB is an organization of gay campgrounds whose members offer half price memberships to campers who own a valid membership with another FWB member. On a tour of gay campgrounds Jones Pond is not to be missed.

21710 US 98, Dade City FL 33523 352-583-0664 www.flsawmill.com

awmill is the premier Florida gay campground setting the standard for gay camping in Florida. That standard is being raised in 2016 with implementation of a new resort wide smoke free policy making all indoor spaces and much of the pool area smoke free. Sawmill became a Coop four years ago and since then the property is consistently being updated. Crowds continue to grow and most weekends cabins, bunkhouse, barracks, and RV sites are sold out. Sawmill is an eighteen year old property that has seen little investment over that time. Neglect has left the infrastructure in disrepair. Though a great deal has been done in the past several years, much remains to be done. The laundry room is a sore point for both residents and guests, and is in a state of general disrepair. Shower rooms need updating. Roads are improved and cabins are being renovated. Changes occur daily and if you haven’t been to Sawmill, or haven’t been in a while, you will be pleasantly surprised. A new dog park opened in 2015, a gift from Sawmill residents. Complete wedding packages including a ceremony in the new

lakeside gazebo, flowers, and accommodations, catering and all out fun are available. The Bunk House opened in 2014; it offers a bedroom with private bath, bedrooms with shared baths and common sleeping areas. It’s already a huge hit with guests who arrive as strangers and quickly become friends. The Barracks opened in 2015; it is a large open space with beds. Neither includes linens or towels, so bring your own. Lucy’s is the reception desk and general store. The poolside bar, Splash, serves a variety of well prepared and reasonably priced entrees and appetizers, and though smoking is allowed in Splash umbrella tables outside offer respite. Woody’s, the nightclub is open Thursday through Sunday with live DJ on Friday and Saturday nights. The Blade is a pool room with pool tables, online juke box, and bar service. A community campfire burns weekend nights in the Courtyard and is often the center of after hours gatherings. Nature trails wander the wooded area near Ricky Lake. Licensed as a clothing optional property, nudity though limited to the pool area, is generally tolerated throughout the park at all times. Located about an hour from both Tampa and Orlando Sawmill is easily accessible for locals and visitors alike.

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Photos: Facebook

Freedom Valley Campgrounds

Joes Hideaway 928 Valley Rd, Washington, NH 03280 603-495-1763 joeshideaway.com

1875 US 250, New London, OH 44851 419-929-8100 freedomvalleycamping.com

"D F

reedom Valley is a close knit campground setting well back from the highway offering clean and well manicured grounds, wide open spaces, and good size sites. Entering is easy even with a big rig. Weekender RV sites are double stack and pull through if you’re first to arrive. They all include 50amp service. An easy access dump station serves in lieu of sewer hookups. Tenting is down a short hill along the river and many seasonal camps are up a hill tucked into the trees. Freedom Valley owners, Mike and Jeff, are friendly and helpful. From the moment of arrival to directing to you to your site on solid stone roads and helping park, the staff is attentive. A smaller campground, seasonal campsites are small and close together. Though there are almost fifty seasonal campsites, there are fifty more names on a wait list for a seasonal site. Open Spring into Fall, a late season visit to Freedom Valley delivers beautiful fall colors. Dispersed throughout the park are cabins and rental trailers including a modified horse

trailer painted camouflage, a 1960’s Avion trailer tucked in the trees, and a retro trailer. Renting a trailer rather than a cabin is a fun experience and more camps could offer them. Located centrally are the Dance hall with outdoor area and a raised deck around a campfire pit including seating and swings. The shower house is complete with outdoor showers. Nature trails encircle the upper camps. Attached to the office is a social room with TV, comfortable seating and stacks of reading materials. Nearby is the pool, a lakeside deck, the lake with canoes, paddleboats and a fountain. Adjacent to the pool is Buckeye BBQ serving weekends. Freedom Valley offers excellent WIFI, and that’s saying something about WIFI in gay campgrounds. Located in north central Ohio, Freedom Valley is easily accessible from Cleveland, Columbus and Detroit.

inner Bitches!", screams the drag queen holding drooling hungry gay men at bay until the clock strikes six, opening the potluck table for consumption. In that call to consume resides a distinct flavor of Joe’s Hideaway. Owner Mama Joe controls the place like the quintessential dictator he is, with his call to dinner, his frequent behavior modification signs strewn throughout camp and his customers clear knowledge that their continued residency resides in Joe’s whim. Be it real fear of expulsion, as proclaimed on signs at the pool, or smiles behind hands is as yet undetermined. Like many gay campgrounds the seasonal campers drive the community that mixes quickly and easily with weekenders. Joe and Rich are affectionately referred to as Mom and Dad and everyone is at least tacitly cognizant that the folks are always there. Cobalt, the pit-bull dog, is a bit of the mascot. He greets everyone and wanders the grounds looking for attention. When sitting by your fire be prepared for a huge head to land in your lap and stay there until given sufficient ear scratches. Open mid May through mid October, Joe’s Hideaway is heading into the fourth season as a gay campground.

Comprised of 52 acres, of which only 15 are currently in use, Joe and Rich bought the place as a closed campground with most infrastructure removed. Three years ago they started with no seasonal campers and low expectations. The property now boasts 45 sites including 22 seasonal sites. During the fourth season 19 new sites are planned and clearly in demand to satisfy a waiting list. Joe’s Hideaway is in the enviable position of experiencing growing pains and being unable to build additional sites fast enough to meet demand. There is one cabin and a bunkhouse with four beds and one room with a king. Joe’s Hideaway is genially accepted by the surrounding residents and nearby town. Local authorities see the business as important to the local economy and are supportive. Don’t miss lunch at the counter in the general store in Washington, just up the road. Entertainment is centered on the above ground decked pool. The sundeck lights up at night to become a stage and show area. Lighted gravel paths lead campers through the park after dark. Don’t miss the hay ride pulled by an antique Farmall tractor. The hay ride wanders down the camp road, out the entrance and a few miles along the country road to sunset over the lake. 5.25.2016 •

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Photos: Facebook

Camp Mars

Long Fork Campground 114 Longfork Camp Rd, Walton, WV 25286 304-577-9347 www.longfork.com

etting to Long Fork is a lesson in perseverance the first time you go. From the moment you exit I-79 and begin the nine mile trek up the holler, the back woods of West Virginia surround. Turning onto the last mile, the road turns to gravel then narrows and winds through forest. Hauling a long trailer or driving a big rig will set you to wondering where you’re going and how you will get back out. Watch for the orange mail box and turn left into the Long Fork drive. The drive leads to the lodge where you will stop to check in. The lodge also contains rooms; in addition cabins and a bunkhouse provide accommodations for most everyone. A steep road falls from the lodge past the nightclub. Under the nightclub is a beautiful shower house, gym and play room that opens onto the pool deck which includes a hot tub attached to the pool. Across the pool is the pool bar. A line of RV sites slopes away from the pool on the crest of a small ridge ringed by a circular road. Another road leads further down the slope through forest to an open

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tenting area that also includes old farm buildings and the original entertainment area. The road continues through the meadow reentering the forest to climb back to the lodge passing tenting sites set in the forest. Campers and employees at Long Fork are friendly and engaging. One character in particular does much of the earth work on site and lives locally. He perfectly fits the stereotypical mountain good ole boy including a significant paunch held thankfully out of sight behind the bib of his overalls. When I casually mentioned I didn’t know how I would be able to get my trailer back up the hill he retorted, ‘that’s no problem, I got tracks’. I presumed that meant a piece of tracked heavy equipment. Thankfully I was able to make the exit under my own power. Long Fork opened as a gay campground in 2002 with a few cabins, RV sites and the meadow for tenting and entertainment. In 2016 is opens with new owners.

326 Goff Rd. Venus, FL 33960 863-699-6277. www.campmars.com

amp Mars is a quiet, serene property. The forty acre park is alongside an endless pasture across which campers can enjoy spectacular Key West style sunsets. In years past sunset potluck dinners took place on the lawn in front of the office; the potluck dinner became so popular it is now an integral part of the Camp Mars culture happening every Saturday night. Mars is mostly covered by enormous Life Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. There are green pastures, lush tropical foliage, nature trails, ponds, creek, and oak hammock. Campsites are scattered hither and yon without apparent planning. New big rig sites have been added over the past few years. A heated clothing optional pool is large with ample lounges, a shade area, music and unlimited sun. Mars is not a clothing optional property and caters to both men and women over the age of twenty one. The recreation hall is the social center. The Saturday night

potluck dinner is not to be missed. I never cease to be amazed at the food a gay man or lesbian can cook up in a camper. Bingo is a mainstay of many gay campgrounds and each has its ‘rules’; beware erroneously calling Bingo at Camp Mars. After bingo on weekends the recreation hall dims the lights and turns up the music for disco or country depending on the weekend theme. There is a strong community of permanent campers at Camp Mars. Though no one is allowed to live there, there are no hard and fast rules as to the time limit. Seems you just have to have another address. The sense of camaraderie has expanded into a second home community. Mars focuses on their seasonal camper population offering day passes to the park, yet no night nor annual pass. Though not a member of Friends With Benefits, the gay campground industry’s half price membership program, annual memberships at Camp Mars are only ten dollars. Located west of Lake Okeechobee, Camp Mars is easily accessible for much of the south half of Florida.

ALL-MALE CAMPING SINCE 1991! NESTLED IN THE ROLLING HILLS OF GENESEE VALLEY IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE Cabins, RV Sites, Tent Sites, Bunkhouse, Guest House, Fully-Furnished Rental RV 23 Different Themed Weekends, Outside Entertainers, Specials — all on our website Full-Service Cafe on Weekends Deluxe Showerhouse with Heated Showers Heated Pool Camper Chad

For event details, reservations, maps & more, visit:

JonesPond.com

585.567.8100

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Photos: Facebook

Lizard Landing Camp

Cactus Canyon Campground and Resort RR 5, Ava, MO 65608 417-683-9199 www.cactuscanyoncampground.com

586 Lizard Lope Rd, Columbia, AL 36319 334-696-2047 www.lizardlanding.com

izard Landing is located at the end of the road on the Omussee Creek. The end of the road location being the benefit of a washed out bridge that was never replaced. Owners Les and Gregg have built this gay campground almost from nothing. They are engaging and interested in their guests and work to make your experience there a memorable one. On my visit I noticed a police vehicle drive up to the gate, watched the driver reach out to enter the code and drive in. The vehicle stopped in front of their house as the owners came out the door and down the steps. They and the officer stood and chatted, laughing and bantering, he leaning against his fender drinking the offered soda. Local businesses and authorities are on very good terms with this gay business in the deep south of Alabama. Hear what you will in the media, the locals know that Lizard Landing's gay customers bring a great deal of money to the area. You can experience the good will by visiting the market or

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any of many businesses located in nearby Columbia, AL. Located on Omussee Creek, which feeds directly into the Chattahoochee River, the park has a third of a mile of creek front. Just down the road is Omussee Park with ramps for putting your kayak or canoe in the creek. Don’t miss the huge steel contraption on the creek bank once used to launch boats. Sites are set on the outside of a loop of road that runs from the gate long the length of the park, past the pool and cabins before leading back to the start. Campsites are level and shaded. The heated salt water pool is the center of entertainment and is clothing optional inside the fence. After dark the entire park is clothing optional. Included in the pool area is a covered deck attached to the common room for nighttime entertainment and Saturday potluck meals. Lizard landing is well worth a stop or a week long visit.

illed as the largest gay campground in the world, Cactus Canyon can often seem like it too. Nestled deep in the Ozark Mountains of Southeastern Missouri, it seems an unlikely place for gay campers. This is a big place and the entire property is clothing optional. In addition to the campground strung along the creek, the hillsides and valleys are accessible by foot trail and some roads. Along the trails you can encounter treed forests, streams, waterfalls and above all that is the prairie that the Cactus Canyon creek cuts through. Tenting is allowed most everywhere from communal sites near all the activity to remote primitive sites scattered through the forest. RV sites, cabins, and many tents sites as well, are located along the creek. Dorm rooms are set back along the road. RV sites are full hookup and many are 50amp.

The swimming pool is huge, and the creek is also a good spot for a natural swim. Separate from the pool is a big hot tub, dry sauna and community campfire. Hiking, volleyball and a long list of local off site activities are available to wile away your time at the canyon. After your membership fee is paid, everyone camping or with a day pass pays a fee per day. In addition, there is a fee for your type of accommodation. It is an interesting, even equitable, structure. Because of pricing structures in many other gay campgrounds, tent campers often end up paying more for their site than those in million dollar RV’s. Chaz and Jim have owned Cactus Canyon for eighteen years and operate it; they are onsite most of the time and available for whatever makes your stay more enjoyable. The culture in gay campgrounds is generally a mix of the owners and seasonal campers and here is no different. You will find a genial group insistent on your having a good experience.

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Photos: Facebook

Roys Hideaway Campground

The Woods Campground

268 Catfish Lane, Collins, GA 30421 912-225-3900 royshideaway.com

oy’s takes a bit of getting to. Located well off I-16 it’s sort of midway between Macon and Savannah, or a few hundred miles and three hours southeast of Atlanta. Once there, who would want to be elsewhere? The property is big and sites are well spaced out. Huge overarching oaks provide shade and grass covers everything down to waters edge on the many lakes. Most cabins and rental houses are sited to take advantage of a serene lake view from the front porch or deck. From the moment of arrival you know full well they are happy you came and want you there. Everyone; with the possible exception of the goats who live both sides of the entry drive, with a convenient flyover walkway. Do at some point pay them a visit, especially with a hand full of anything green you can pick on the way. Beware goat teeth, hands are best kept on the human side of the fence. Everyone accepting of an alternative lifestyle is welcome. Though primarily gay, you can expect to encounter otherwise.

Six fresh water lakes and springs dot the property. All are home to many species of fish, perfect for an avid angler. Speaking of home, many rental cabins are lakeside, with full hookup RV sites across from the pool. In addition to cabins several park models and RV’s serve as accommodations; some with their own hot tubs. Tenting is under huge shade trees beside a lake. Seasonal camps are spread out in several areas of cleared meadows most with a lake view. The pool and spa are privacy fenced and clothing optional. An entertainment room is huge including a full stage, disco and DJ booth for party nights. Several trails wind through the vast forested grounds, including interestingly enough, trailside rain forest showers. Enjoy a rain shower in the forest, or perhaps rinse off a forest experience?

3500 Forest St, Lehighton, PA 18235 610-377-9577 www.thewoods.camp

ocated near Lehigton Pa, in the foothills of the Poconos, The Woods draws a huge crowd from Lehigh University. Adding to a significant seasonal camper group the university crowd has a large effect in diluting the average age at The Woods on any given weekend. The campground has been around since the seventies and became gay twelve years ago. Today it is an un-gated campground made up of about ten blocks of seasonal campers, cabins, rental trailers and almost unlimited tenting space. Each of the blocks puts on a block party every summer that serves to inculcate transient weekenders into the welcoming culture. Though each of the parties has a different theme, the real theme is eat, drink and be entertained. Most weekenders hail from either the Washington, DC, New York City, or Philadelphia metro areas. A brand new pool is large and includes one entire end that is more Jacuzzi yet still a part of the pool. Burgers are available pool

side weekdays and a full on café provides breakfast, lunch and dinner weekends. The café is real food prepared onsite. There is no liquor bar at The Woods so you can bring your own to the over four thousand square foot Dance Hall. The Dance Hall features light shows of professional quality, often presented by the same lighting pro who oversees the ball drop in Times Square on New Years Eve. Live DJ’s spin until 2AM every weekend. Five shower houses provide more than sufficient facilities for the entire camp. Seasonal camps all enjoy full sewer hookups and excellent quality water. Most gay campgrounds operate their own water systems and most gay campers drink bottled water. The lake is large and includes canoes and paddle boats. Every Saturday night features the midnight naked hike, a hike that often includes a naturalist who points out nighttime fauna. Therapeutic massage is available every weekend. Of particular interest is a movie premier coming summer 2016, Bear City 3, filmed on location in 2015. 5.25.2016 •

feature

Photos: Facebook

Rainbow Woods Campground

Oz Campground 50 Highway 230, Unadilla GA 31091 478-892-2299 www.ozcampground.com

z is a natural stop for gay travelers leaving or returning to Florida. Located about nine miles east of I-75 in south central Georgia it is a day long trip from Sawmill. When leaving South Florida it’s easy to overnight at Sawmill and then Oz. Owners Steve and his partner and staff are friendly and greet you on arrival. Someone will even lead you to your site or cabin if you are unfamiliar with the campground. The park is big, open and spread out. After registering and entering through the gate the entertainment complex consisting of the pool, pool bar, nightclub and workout area is on the right. Tucked away in the trees is a playroom on the left. Most weekender RV’s park under trees near the shower house and seasonal camps are on higher ground. The shower house includes outdoor showers. Tenting is on down the road along the creek. Cabins are scattered about. Miles of trails through the forest lend a real sense of being alone in nature. You might want to spend more time on the trails and less in the bar as the bar can be stiflingly smoky. South Georgia is red clay country and

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Oz is made of the stuff. It’s also gnat country and Oz has them. A spray is available for sale that some report is of some value, though I found it of little help. The best gnat defense is the pool; perched on a high spot it tends to get a breeze that drives the little buggers off. Or stay inside a screened area or air conditioned place. Though they don’t bite, these gnats are annoying buzzing around the head and ears. Regularly brushing them away from the head is the origin of the Oz wave. Most gay campgrounds have no fitness facility at all and some have some miscellaneous weights lying around. Muscle Bear Fitness is a new fitness center coming to OZ soon that will include one on one personal training. Oz is the location of a previously failed gay campground call Lumberjacks. The current owners had made much of the property and are all about improving it and providing a fulfilling experience whether you visit for a day or several.

144 NY St Route 74, Schroon Lake, NY 12870 518-351-0002 www.rainbowwoodscampgrounds.com

ainbow Woods is a whole different kind of gay campground. Best described as primitive, sometimes it barely lives up to that. The place seems more suitable to tenting than to RV’s. It is actually a part of a mainstream camp called On the River. When registering be certain to pull into the circular drive or exiting will entail encircling the entire campground all the while scratching along untrimmed trees. Your RV will get scratched at Rainbow Woods. There is a serious dearth of tree trimming and anything larger than a small car has to brush limbs. Once you check in at On the River you return to the highway, cross the river and immediately turn onto a steep descent to a boat launch parking lot from which a gate leads to the gay camp. There is no sign and the parking area is clearly governmental. Turn in anyhow. The gate at the rear is to the campground. The entrance harkens back to the darker days of gay culture, when we entered through unmarked doors in dark alleys.

Leaving presents the opposite problem. Hauling a heavy trailer up the incline back onto the highway with no view of oncoming traffic is scary. You can really only hope there is none as getting up some speed is the only way to make the incline. The entry lot and gate is the widest point. Low hanging limbs are unavoidable and once in there is no way out until you are backed in and parked. Sites are back in full hookup. Angles are tight, backing is difficult. A river good for floating curls around the property leaving small beaches. Rainbow Woods is clothing optional though that isn’t necessarily a good idea with the abundance of mosquitoes. The campground it difficult for RV’s and is a good tenting primitive campground with many good tents sites along the river and near the beach It’s not so good for RVs or those in pursuit of entertainment. A pavilion tucked away in the woods has a sound system, a stage, and an outdoor kitchen with seating at picnic tables. Though billing itself at New York’s premier men only campground it is far from that.

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feature

Photos: Facebook

Campit Outdoor Resort

Timberfell Lodge 1416 Baileyton Main St,Greeneville, TN 37745 423-234-0833 www.timberfell.com

6635 118th Ave, Fennville, MI 49408 269-543-4335 campitresort.com

Avoid GPS, use directions on the website

ocated ten miles from Saugatuck and a fifteen minute drive from Oval Beach, Campit is easy to get to and get to things once there. Primarily for gay men, women and even accepting straight people are welcome. Join the women’s social mixer every Friday night when mixers and some appetizers are supplied; bring your beverage of choice. Have no fear of bringing your big rig here, the roads are solid and wide. Campit has three main RV areas. The Top area has about forty full hook up RV sites. Below there are about seventy sites, many of which are seasonal campers. The East Village is the new area for big rigs and seasonal camps on pull through sites. Tenting is big at Campit with five areas available. Old Horseshoe is the original and most social tenting area. New Horseshoe is the largest tenting area and offers sites for more private camping in a wooded setting. Creekside tenting is in a natural wooded area. Westwood is a large wooded tenting area. Wisconsin is very rustic and private with a hike in tenting area and clothing optional sunbathing.

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The Top is the place to be for fun and action; cabins and the bunkhouse along with RV sites keep many campers around. Though there is no bar, the pole barn is a center of activity for special events and weekend dancing. Near the pool, big events are staged at the pole barn. Prepared food is available weekends even though there is no actual café. The store is minimal yet it has what you need to get through a weekend if you failed to plan. On the other hand the toy store has all you need for a really fun visit. There are three shower houses including indoor, outdoor and gang showers. There is a clubhouse, game room, heated swimming pool, volleyball, horseshoes and nature trails for exploration. The immediate area is home to many gay owned and gay friendly businesses including shops, art galleries, museums, artist studios, and restaurants. Nearby are orchards, wineries, theaters, boat charters, a golf course, horseback riding, antique stores, farmers markets, bakeries, and breweries.

ucked deep in a hollow of the Southern Appalachians is Timberfell Lodge, a paradise for men seeking either solitude or camaraderie with their gay brothers and where inhibitions are shed as easily as clothing. Timberfell is an excellent example of gay campgrounds being overpriced for gay travelers. Though basically empty on weekdays it cost two memberships of fifteen dollars each plus RV parking at $42.50, including tax the overnight charge was almost eighty dollars; in the middle of nowhere with nothing going on. All gay campgrounds miss out on the passing weekday traveler who knows the cost of a one night stop, including two memberships, is simply price prohibitive over the local RV park. Located in northeast Tennessee less than two miles off I-81, Timberfell is a hillside property comprised of levels, each connected by solid, if steep, roads. Arriving at the gate a call box alerts the office located in the main lodge some distance up the mountainside past Cocksucker Alley. Arriving with an RV you will want to park at one of the very limited sites immediately past the entrance gate and go to the

office after. Have a reservation if travelling with a RV as sites are very limited, there are only five, and they all have sewer connections. Tent sites, cabins and rooms abound. Facilities, all in good repair, include the fully equipped Lodge with meal plans, Jacuzzi (actually really a big bath tub), satellite TV and a twenty man sauna located on the over sized porch, all available to everyone. There are also rooms in the Annex, the Barn and cabins. Cocksucker Alley, located below and along the road up the hollow to the Lodge, is for tenting. Plentiful full service shower houses, all with gang showers, dot the property. Internet WIFI is available at the lodge and upper RV area. Otherwise it’s spotty if accessible at all. Entertainment is mostly around the swimming pool with abundant sun deck space, well appointed and maintained shower house with gang and outdoor showers, redwood sauna and steam room. Beer and snacks are sold poolside. Nighttime entertainment happens in the Tavern. Beer is sold in the Tavern and liquor and wine are BYOB. Oddly, there is a no ‘brown bagging beer’ policy. Apparently, since Timberfell sells beer you may not bring your own. All other adult beverages are fine.

column letter to the editor

lifestyle travel

Letter to the Editor

Seattle Women’s Pride ex-mmpw chief complains Celebrates Third Year SFGN News Article 'Paints a Misleading Picture'

Editor, I cannot speak in any way for Multimedia Platforms (MMP) or its amazing team of employees who are regrettably affected by your story [Media Wars: Hotspots Sues Agenda], but in the interest of accuracy, kindly allow me to correct just one critical point as it applies to me personally. Your very selective quotes from a single internal company memo, clearly not intended for publication, paints a misleading picture that is far from the truth. There were no threats or ultimatums given to staff. In full context, the memo you reference served to thank employees for weathering a temporary difficult situation. I believe my professional track record over the past 30 plus years is that of a dynamic team builder so any implied suggestion to the contrary would be unfair and unjustified. I am happy to have served Multimedia Platforms as its President (Print) and Executive Group Publisher for the past 12 months and proud of many achievements, not least of which is assembling one of the most talented and dedicated team

of professionals I have had the pleasure to work alongside. I wish CEO Bobby Blair and his team continued growth and success in their mission to build a publicly traded, LGBT multimedia company of unprecedented significance. This is a challenging time for all media – print and digital. Indeed, the New York Times is just the latest major brand to announce it will be laying off hundreds of workers, although that news was not widely reported because most other media didn’t deem it newsworthy. The same headline with different names is commonplace in the media industry. While news that an LGBT competitor might be experiencing a possible setback is delicious by nature, I respectfully encourage the LGBT media at large to consider more carefully the criteria it uses to judge newsworthiness in such instances and, not least of all, to take into consideration the impact such a report may have on employees giving 110 percent of themselves.

Peter Jackson

Let your voice be heard Submit your own letter to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com

Denise Royal

ickets are still available for this year’s Seattle Women’s Pride. It’s back for year number three on June 18. The fun starts a full week before Seattle Pride and is held at Q Nightclub at 1426 Broadway in Seattle. Comedian Dana Goldberg, one of Curve Magazine’s “Top Five Funniest Lesbians in America” performs during the event’s comedy show. “I can’t wait to get back up to Seattle to perform for Seattle Women’s Pride! Something amazing always happens with the Seattle crowd, they are irreverent and smart,” Goldberg said in a previously released statement. “Usually someone gets me laughing just as hard as I get the audience going. It’s going to be another amazing show!” While the event is not sold out, anyone interested in attending should act soon. “There are a limited number of tickets left for Seattle Women’s Pride,” says Sarah Toce, Founder/Promoter, Seattle Women’s Pride. “Guests should not wait to purchase at the door.” Last year, the line to get in was around the block at 6 p.m. More than 500 guests attended the show. “We look forward to another successful year in 2016,” Toce said Seattle Women’s Pride is part comedy show, part dance party, part mixer – and touts that there’s something for everyone - gay, lesbian, transgender - everyone is welcome.

“Brooklyn Dicent will open for Dana Goldberg and DJ the remainder of the night. We’re thrilled to have her involved!” Toce told SFGN. “Babeland will walk in a fashion show with some of their products, along with TomboyX.” In addition, Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu will be honored with the organization’s inaugural Luminary Award. It will be presented at the third annual Seattle Women’s Pride at Q Nightclub. Yu was named “Judge of the Year” in 2014 by the Washington State Association for Justice, Washington State Bar Association, King County Women Lawyers, Asian Bar Association of Washington,and the state chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Seattle Women’s Pride 2016 is produced by The Seattle Lesbian and is presented by Eastside Women’s Health Center. Toce will receive the National Diversity Council’s 2016 Washington LGBT Leadership Award on June 9. The 21 plus event is ASL interpreted and ticket reservations are highly encouraged. Tickets are $30 for General Admission or $45 for VIP (which gets guests up close and personal with Dana Goldberg after the show) and are available via Stranger Tickets: StrangerTickets. com/events/31940901/comedian-danagoldberg-at-seattle-womens-pride.

5.25.2016 •

lifestyle photos

Beefcake’s Anniversary Celebration Party J.R. Davis

To see more photos, visit SFGN on Facebook!

• 5.25.2016

Eight years of business, still going strong

SFGN

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

lifestyle tonys talks

Don Shewey: Body Worker, Pleasure Activist, Sacred Intimate and Sex Therapist Tony Adams I wanted to fuse the spiritual, social and erotic bodies in each of us.” I asked Shewey if he felt that younger men whose entire sex lives have been under the shadow of HIV/AIDS have a tough time embracing sexual pleasure in a positive and celebratory way. “Yes, men who came of age during the plague are heavily impacted. Less now, of course. If you were born in 1990, you see a bigger and healthier picture.” When I asked Shewey what separates him from what other sex-workers do, he outlined the evolution of his work. “I started my practice by taking out a threeline ad in the classifieds in the back of the Village Voice. I went to work with lofty intentions of commingling sex and spirituality, but people who answered that ad didn’t always have the same octane level. It took me several years to hone my message so that clients would know what was possible during their session with me. With the arrival of the internet, it was so much easier to clarify my specialization. Those early years were exhausting for me – body work, journalism, counseling – but over time I no longer needed to explain what I was really about.” Today, with 24 years of practice, Shewey says he has learned to read signals and understand the emotional needs of the men he has encountered through bodywork. He has also completed a four-year clinical fellowship in Gestalt therapy. Although his clients include men, women and couples both gay and straight, his favorite clients are men who are coming out in mid-life. He says, “They have buried their sexuality and have been successful and masterful on other levels. Often in their 50s, they are asking me to help them bridge the gap in their lives. They trust me because I am not a kid. It helps that I have some maturity.” I asked Shewey if couples looking to rekindle their intimacy are among his clients. “That is perhaps the primary reason people seek me out, to recapture something lost, to reconnect with each other. Sometimes it is possible and sometimes it is not. Often the problem is that they are defining sex too narrowly, the way it was when they were a new/ younger couple. That restricted definition always leads to failure which is the opposite of erotic desire.” When I wondered if he actually got into

Special offer: mention SFGN and get a $1,000 discount on the fee for Come Back to Your Senses. Contact michael@ilchiostro.com directly to redeem this special offer. 40

• 5.25.2016

Photo by Tony Adams.

elaxing At the Lush Royale in Fort Lauderdale with legendary Don Shewey, I asked him how many men he’s had his hands on in the course of his life. (He is 61 years old.) “I don’t know the exact number,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “but I calculate that I’ve had about 500 sessions a year over 20 years, so I know that erotic massage has earned me more than a million dollars. The money is really insignificant to me. What is significant is all I have learned from the men I have worked with and on.” Don Shewey has a four-part descriptive title that would make for a startling business card, but is an accurate description of his professional skills and accomplishments. He is a “Body Worker, Pleasure Activist, Sacred Intimate and Sex Therapist” and he is well respected internationally in those fields. I first heard of him several years ago while covering for SFGN a week at Easton Mountain Gay Retreat Center in upstate New York. Shewey has been an instructor at Easton and recommends its gatherings to many of his clients. When I researched him, I felt some envy for a man who could make a fine career out of that kind of intimate interaction with men. I asked him how he got started in his life’s work. “I believe in healing through pleasure. It all came from working with the sick and dying during the earliest years of the AIDS crisis. I was a successful journalist at the time, but I felt called to this work. It was not something I chose. It chose me. I had to intuit what was needed by the men around me who were dying from AIDS. I took “Body Electric” courses and learned that the simplest touches can be gratifying and nurturing for someone seriously ill. I became a GMHC [Gay Men’s Health Crisis] volunteer, going to homes and hospitals and offering massage to those who were dying and were deprived of human contact. I took a course in how to give a massage to someone in a hospital bed while their family is in the room. Sometimes, it built a bridge between the dying man and his family or friends who wanted to express love but didn’t know how. “Concurrently, I was learning the art of erotic massage and I began to explore the connections between the erotic and the spiritual. I had been raised Catholic and I had strong feelings for ritual. When I met Joseph Kramer who founded the “Body Electric” school, his approach resonated.

Don Shewey.

bed with couples, Shewey could see where my imagination was going. “So what is your image of this? Me in a white lab coat, holding a clipboard and directing the couples’ movements?” I rephrased my question, asking Shewey if getting sex therapy from him would mean getting into bed with him naked. “OK, I can see that you are being less than serious, but let me focus you on what I really do. Remember that my primary mandate is to do no harm. Clients have to see me as a ‘safe space’ in which they can be physical or verbal in ways that may not be available to them when they go back to their lives.” I asked Shewey if he had any sense of his physical magnetism which is very strong and if he had ever seen himself having sex either on film or in a mirror, and, if so, did he get any insights by watching himself. “As a journalist, I learned communication

skills, but when I started sex work I was already in my 40s, so I knew my body wasn’t what I was selling. That said, I have seen myself sucking cock and it really isn’t a particularly aesthetic thing to do. Pleasurable, but not very photographic. What I did observe is my own passion, and that is valuable. Genuine passion is always powerful, but it is sad that these days, everyone is selfconscious about how they appear while having sex, about how their video will look. I teach people to turn off the devices and I look into their eyes.” When Don Shewey looks into your eyes, you feel it. Shewey is leading a weeklong workshop for gay men at a villa in Tuscany, June 11-18. Called “Come back to your senses,” it is limited to 10-15 participants who are hard-working and driven gay men who want to slow down and experience sensual pleasure in a very epicurean – not hedonistic – way.

For more: www.ilchiostro.com/workshops/come-back-to-your-senses www.DonShewey.com

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

lifestyle retiring gay

Social Security

Ric Reily

This multi-part series, Retiring Gay, primarily considers the financial steps to successful retirement. However, preparing emotionally for retirement is equally important to a happy, fulfilling and successful retirement. Planning for retirement is your opportunity to reconsider day-to-day living. Insurance, investments, spending, savings, socializing, residence and many other considerations change. Reaching retirement with a wellexecuted plan makes your transition to a post work life easier and more fulfilling.

ocial Security payments are included in your retirement planning. At age 62 you are eligible for partial benefits, 75 percent of your full retirement benefit. Your full benefit retirement age is dependant on your year of birth. An estimate of your Social Security benefit, your full retirement age and even your average life expectancy is available online. Your benefit amount is based on annual earnings for your 35 highest earning years. From the Social Security Administration website: On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, holding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all states. As a result, more same-sex couples will be recognized as married for purposes of determining entitlement to Social Security benefits or eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. Social Security was enacted by Congress to create a safety net for workers after they retired. Over the 75 years since its inception Social Security has become arguably the most popular federal government program. Particularly because Americans consider it an insurance program for which they have paid premiums for a lifetime, not a federal benefit. According to the SSA 46 percent of unmarried beneficiaries get 90 percent of their income from Social Security. Without Social Security over half of all older Americans would fall into poverty. Social Security does exactly what it was designed to do. Social Security was enacted to protect against poverty and hardship when families are faced with retirement, disability, or death of a spouse or parent Congress has adjusted Social Security to cover spouses, children, and other family members and now covers millions of American workers originally excluded; its flexibility lending to its success. Social Security spousal benefits provide much needed financial support for families when a worker retires, is disabled or dies and these benefits are also available for divorced spouses if the

marriage lasted at least 10 years. There is no limit to the number of former spouses that can be eligible for benefits based on one worker’s Social Security history. SSA says, ‘If you are a spouse, divorced spouse, or surviving spouse of a same-sex marriage or non-marital legal same-sex relationship, you are encouraged to apply for benefits. If you disagree with their decision about your entitlement to benefits, eligibility for benefits, or payment amount, you should appeal.’ Social Security recognizes that the death of a spouse is a financial as well as emotional loss for a family. Social Security benefits are designed to supplement families’ incomes and to provide surviving spouses with some level of financial stability. A surviving spouse is eligible to receive benefits on the deceased spouse’s Social Security record when they reach retirement age, become disabled or are raising the deceased spouse’s child. A surviving spouse who is retirement age is often entitled to 100 percent of the deceased spouse’s benefit. In order to maximize benefits, a surviving spouse with his or her own work history may choose to receive a benefit based on either his or her own history or that of his or her deceased spouse. Disability benefits are available through Social Security or through supplemental security income, SSI. Social Security estimates that 30 percent of all workers will become disabled before reaching age 62. This often sudden decrease in household income can be devastating for a family. Deciding to take benefits early is a decision based in your anticipated life expectancy and your immediate income needs. Taking benefits at 62 years old reduces the monthly benefit by 25 percent, because you are receiving benefits for several additional years. Generally, taking benefits at 62 rather than full retirement age delivers the same amount at around age 80.5. My decision to take benefits early is easy; I want the income while I am still able to enjoy it.

Missed a week? Don’t worry. Catch up at SFGN.com/RetiringGay to follow the series online. Ric Reily is the author of two books, Money Is The Root Of All - Skip The Debt Habit, and Gregory’s Hero. You can reach him at ricreily@gmail.com

• 5.25.2016

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5.25.2016 •

lifestyle food

Photo: Facebook.

Fish Masala at 5th Element Indian Grill.

5th Element Indian Grill Rick Karlin

any folks assume they won’t like Indian food either because they think it will be too spicy, they won’t like curry or they’re just not sure of what they’re going to see on the plate in front of them. First of all relax; there are many dishes that, while quite savory, aren’t in the least bit spicy. With a country as large as India, not to mention nearby countries that share similar dishes, there is a wide range of food as well as spice levels from mild to blow your head off. Vegetarians will be happy, because there are a great many vegetarian dishes (many Indians are vegetarians), but there are also dishes to delight meat and potato eaters, including meat and potatoes! Let’s start with some of the easier dishes to master. Naan is a puffy bread, great for sopping up sauces and gravies. You can go for plain naan, but you’ll also find varieties with onions or garlic. A tandoor is a kind of vertical oven and you can get a variety of meats grilled on spits in the tandoor. Tandoori chicken tends to be bright red, but is not spicy and is usually served skinless. I find meats cooked on a tandoor to be a bit on the dry side. Try dipping the meat in a chutney, a cross between a relish and a sauce that is usually fruit, herb or vegetable based. Some are spicy; some are sweet. Always take a little taste first. And remember, whenever something is too spicy, a sip of a yogurt based sauce (raita) or drink (lassi-a sort of mango milkshake) will quench that fire. Another good dish for beginners is biryani, a sort of fried rice made with vegetables and vermicelli pasta and sometimes small pieces of meat. Rice-A-Roni, the supposed “San Francisco treat,” is basically a western rip-off of a biryani. Samosas are pastries filled with meat or

• 5.25.2016

1325 Powerline Rd., Pompano Beach 954-977-4334 5thElementIndianGrill.com vegetables, usually mildly spiced, and pakora are fritters made with any manner of vegetable. Dosa are crepes filled with vegetables or meat. Now, on to the entrees. As mentioned, tandoori chicken, fish or shrimp are fairly safe options. If you prefer something creamier, try chicken korma or butter chicken which features a sauce made with tomatoes and yogurt. My sister, not the most adventurous eater, swears it tastes “just like vodka pasta sauce.” If you want to get a little more exotic try chana masala, which is a sort of chili with chick peas instead of meat. Like chili, it can range from mild to spicy, so check first. Sag paneer is creamed spinach with chunks of paneer, a firm cheese. The paneer doesn’t melt, just sort of softens and adds a nice richness to the dish. Let’s talk about meat. Most Americans tend to order beef or pork, neither of which will be found on an Indian menu. Instead you’ll find lamb or, if you’re adventurous, goat. Both if these tend to be served on the bone. If gnawing meat off a bone freaks you out, look for the word tikka, which means cutlet. Or ask for recommendations for something boneless before you order. To sample a variety of dishes, look for a thali on the menu. Usually offered in vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions, it offers small portions of a half dozen or so dishes, served with jasmine rice or biryani. Of course, for the widest variety you can head to a restaurant offering a buffet. In South Florida, most Indian restaurants only offer a buffet at lunch and on weekends. The latest Indian restaurant to open in the area, 5th Element in Pompano, offers a fairly extensive buffet just for lunch. The original location is in Jacksonville and they’ve spent a great deal of time

and money opening this new location. The food is quite good, but it’s a shame they didn’t put the same thought into designing the buffet. It’s not the food that’s the problem, but the actual layout. There are two food stations, each offering about 10 items. However, there is only about three feet between the two stations. Not only is this probably a fire hazard, it makes it awfully difficult to maneuver the buffet during the busy lunch rush. Simply pushing one of the stations up to the wall and removing the ledges on the wall side would solve this problem. Once you do get to the buffet the selections are thoughtfully arranged, with vegetarian fare on one side, meat and salads on the other. The pakora features only onions and would benefit from a wider variety of vegetables. They could get rid of the “fry-ums” which look like savory

Lucky Charms and offer no flavor other than grease. Chole batura and Naan offer great bread options for sopping up sauces, from such yummy dishes as malai methi (peas and cashew nuts in creamy sauce), dal (cooked lentils) and bhindi masala (batter-fried okra cooked with onions and peppers). For meat eaters, there is tandoori chicken as well as ginger chicken, butter chicken, lamb vindaloo (cooked with potatoes in a tangy and highly spiced sauce) and goat curry. Cool off your palate with mango soft serve ice cream, kheer (sweet and creamy rice porridge) or gulab jamoon (milk dumplings steeped in saffron syrup). The lunch buffet is $9.95 weekdays $12.95 weekends. Dinners are served a la carte with entrees in the $10-$15 range, a few bucks less for vegetarian dishes, a few more for seafood.

With a country as large as India, not to mention nearby countries that share similar dishes, there is a wide range of food as well as spice levels from mild to blow your head off.

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

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theater The Wick Theater, 7901 N. Federal Hwy. in Boca Raton, is serving up murder in its Tavern Restaurant, modeled after the famed Tavern in the Green in New York’s Central Park. “Murder at the Wick” featured three victims, three delicious courses by Chef William Walden and a resourceful detective to help you solve the heinous—and hilarious— crime. You could win a fabulous prize. Tickets are $68 at TheWick.org.

FRI

5/27

community “Candy Land” is the theme for the Youth Equality Prom, tonight at 7 p.m. at Compass, 201 N. Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth. The Palm Beach County Gay and Lesbian Community Center hosts this fabulous event for LGBT youth. A pre-event meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m. at the Compass Youth Drop-in Center. To register, contact Amanda at Amanda@CompassGLCC.com or call 561-533-9699.

Take a trip back to England’s Regency period with “Love and Friendship,” the latest Jane Austen adaptation for the silver screen. Kate Becksinsale portrays a young widow seeking husbands for both herself and her daughter. Photo Credit: Roadside Attractions.

SAT

5/28 SUN

5/29 MON

5/30 TUE

5/31

film

theater

television

film

The summer movie season is here and the latest blockbuster to hit the screens is “X-Men: Apocalypse,” the latest installment in the Marvel superhero franchise. Professor Charles Xavier’s noble mutant team must thwart the nefarious plans of the world’s first mutant, Apocalypse, to exterminate the human race. The film is already breaking box office records overseas. Check local listings for theaters and show times.

“The Royale,” opening this weekend at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables, takes audiences inside the boxing ring at the height of the Jim Crow era. Playwright and Miami native Marco Ramirez explores the fascinating career of Jack Johnson, the boxer who, at the height of his career, became the most famous and notorious black man on the planet. Joe Adler directs. Tickets are $55 at GableStage.org.

The guys of Logo’s lifestyle series “Secret Guide to Fabulous” are back for season three tonight on the LGBT cable network. Experts Ronnie Woo, John Gidding, Rob Younkers and Theodore Leaf will be offering their tips on decorating, dining and grooming for all those gay guys who didn’t get “the gene” and their friends. Watch tonight at 10 p.m. More info at LogoTV.com. Check local listings for stations.

Summer is officially here and you can beat the heat in a dark movie theater. This weekend, two notable films hit the art houses: “Love and Friendship,” the adaptation of Jane Austen’s novella, “Lady Susan,” stars Kate Beckinsale. For a dose of reality, the documentary “Weiner” follows the infamous politician, Anthony Weiner, in his New York City mayoral comeback bid. Check local listings for theaters and show times.

• 5.25.2016

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

a&e music

Submitted photo.

Michael Aman’s new play, “Feeding the Bear,” premieres June 4 at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors.

Island City Stages World Premiere of Michael Aman’s “Feeding the Bear” J.W. Arnold

ast season, playwright Michael Aman scored a Carbonell nomination for his new play, “Poz,” at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. Next month, the LGBT-centric company will premiere his latest comedy, “Feeding the Bear.” “I love Island City Stage…what they’re doing for gay theater is astounding,” said Aman. “It’s a great stage space in which to premiere a new play. A lot of theaters don’t know how to do new works.” “Feeding the Bear” actually got its first informal reading in between performances of “Poz,” during the play’s run in 2014. “I was thrilled when they said they wanted to do the premiere,” said Aman, associate professor at The College of Westchester in White Plains, N.Y. For this play, Aman drew from the experiences of a friend, as well as his own father’s struggles with dementia and the stress such a condition places on both the afflicted and their families. The play’s protagonist is a gay, single teacher with body dysmorphia, a mental disorder characterized by a preoccupation with minor or imaginary physical flaws. He is also the caretaker for his once disapproving father, suffering from Alzheimer’s, the “bear” referenced in the play’s title. Rounding out the crazy cast of characters are his divorced sister and a TV chef who appears in drag, decked out in the national costumes of the country’s cuisine she is preparing. They join him on the journey to better understand both his flaws and the feelings of his father. The cast includes the company’s producing artistic director Andy Rogow, Niki Fridh, Kevin Reilley and Johnny Bowls. Associate artistic director

Michael Leeds directs. “Michael chooses subjects that are topical and challenging, and then delves into them with insight, humor and compassion,” explained Leeds. “Baking a cake and preparing a chicken with mole sauce on stage are just two of the challenges I’m facing in directing this play.” “I write serious subjects, but I get scared of being heavy handed,” added Aman, whose last play dealt with a tuberculosis patient who considers infecting himself with HIV to qualify for free health care. Aman was recently reminded of the horrors of Alzheimer’s and dementia and related a disturbing story about his father’s struggles. “It’s probably in the writing someplace,” Aman said, recalling a visit to the family farm just a few months ago. Aman’s father, a lifelong farmer who was forced to sell his farm to a younger brother, had to watch in horror as his barn was torn down. “The father in the play is imagining a conversation with his wife and she’s talking about tearing down the barn. It symbolizes the horror (my dad) must have felt,” he said. For those who have been forced to care for an aging parent or relative and others who deal with mental health issues, Aman promised, “I wanted it to be an exploration of the issues we have in our heads—our own mental issues, how we learn to accept ourselves and, in so doing, accept others.” Island City Stage will host panel discussions after the shows on June 12 and 19 with medical professionals and organizations specializing in eldercare, Alzheimer’s and body dysmorphia.

Island City Stage presents Michael Aman’s “Feeding the Bear,” Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. beginning June 2. Tickets are $35 at IslandCityStage.org.

• 5.25.2016

TICKE T S AVAIL ABLE ONLINE AT W W W.TICKE TMA STER.COM THE BROWARD CENTER B OX OFFICE OR BY PHONE AT (800) 745-3000

“It is so imperative that works like ‘Not In My Town’ be shared to ensure that people understand the real impact of bias crimes in America... I am honored to be a part of NIMT...” - Romaine Patterson

a GALA EVENING of OLD & NEW To Benefit the Production of

Not In My Town The New Musical Drama Based on the Life of Matthew Shepard

Produced by

Words and Music by South Florida’s own

Michael W. Ross

Major Scenes from Not In My Town together with Opera & Musical Theatre Favorites, Performed with Orchestra

Friday, June 17th, 2016 at 8 pm

The Walter Lawrence & Stephen Lewis Performing Arts Center, Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW 9th Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale 33315

For Tickets go to Operafusion.org

General Admission $38  6 PM Dinner & Open Bar plus 8 PM VIP Seating $100

An official Wilton Manors 2016 Stonewall Festival Celebration

design: anne djupedal, woodhilldesign.com

5.25.2016 •

a&e tv

Photo: Facebook

Savor The Sweet Sounds of Summer

When We Rise

Maetra Sebrina Alfonso is proud to present a trio from the Excelsa Quartet. Maestra They have entertained the nation from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on the Smithsonian Institute’s collection of Stradivarius instruments to being selected as one of ﬁve ﬁnalist ensembles to perform in the 2016 Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition in April. As quoted in The Washington Post –"Fresh and youthful sounding... projected power and excitement.”

Program

Schubert: String Trio in B Flat Major, D. 581 Barber: Adagio for Strings

Date

Sunday, June 12, 7:30pm

Location

Josephine S. Leiser Opera Center 221 SW 3rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL The South Florida Symphony also presents an exhibition by Stonewall National Museum & Archives The Secret Symphony – Gay Composers of Classical Music

Excelsa Quartet performs again

Monday, July 11, 7:30pm

Tickets: SouthFloridaSymphony.org • Information: 954-522-8445

• 5.25.2016

LGBT history comes alive in new ABC series David Nahmod

urrently in production at ABC TV is an eight-hour miniseries titled “When We Rise.” Scheduled to air early in 2017, “When We Rise” will chronicle the history of the LGBT equality movement from the Stonewall Riots in 1969 through to the present day. The series is based in part on a forthcoming memoir by veteran gay rights activist Cleve Jones, who was a personal friend of Harvey Milk , who was one of the first openly gay men to hold elective office in the U.S. Jones, among other accomplishments, was the creator of The Names Project, the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Jones is himself a longtime HIV survivor. “When We Rise” promises to be a mammoth production. It comes to ABC courtesy of the team who created the Oscar winning biopic “Milk” (2008). “Milk” screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is writing and producing “When We Rise,” with “Milk” director Gus Van Sant signing on to call the shots. “It’s called ‘When We Rise’ because ‘We’ is important,” Black told SFGN. “We goes beyond LGBT. It’s about the interconnectedness of social justice movements. As one group rises, they have to help the other groups come up.” “It’s remarkable that ABC wanted to do this,” added Cleve Jones. “They didn’t have to be pitched. That’s a good indication of how far we’ve come.” On Friday April 29, SFGN stood across

the street from San Francisco City Hall and watched the filmmakers recreate the “White Night Riots.” The riots took place in May of 1979, when an enraged gay community stormed City Hall – the people were furious that former City Supervisor Dan White had gotten a slap on the wrist for murdering Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall the year before. Gay men and lesbians were tired of being told that they were undeserving of equality and that their lives didn’t matter. They broke windows. They set police cars on fire. They had had enough. It was a pivotal moment in gay history. And fortunately no one was seriously injured during the riots. “To be on the steps of City Hall re-enacting the riots after the verdict came down on Dan White for assassinating Harvey Milk and George Moscone was almost surreal,” Steven Bracco, a 31 year old gay man, told SFGN. Bracco was cast as an extra in the” White Night Riots” sequence, and in a scene in which the iconic Rainbow flag was first raised in 1978. “I was so honored to be able to meet Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Pride flag, and to see them soar above Civic Center like they did back in 1978,” Bracco added. “While I wasn’t alive at the time of these events, I can understand how important they are to our community. I wanted to be there to be a part of it in some way.”

“When We Rise” will feature Guy Pearce as Cleve Jones. The cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Mary Louise Parker, David Hyde Pierce, Kevin McHale and Austin P. McKenzie as the younger Cleve Jones.

a&e opera

Submitted Photo

Director R.B. Schlather wants to change the way audiences experience classical music and art.

Acclaimed Young Director Stages Experiential Opera at PAMM J.W. Arnold “I think opera as we currently know it is on its way out,” said R.B. Schlather. “I personally don’t like sitting in theaters where there are thousands of people and you’re far away from the stage. That’s not satisfying.” The 30-year-old opera and theater director has devoted himself to creating a new experience for audiences in recent years, pairing the drama and music of a nearly 500-year-old art form with the works of contemporary visual artists in modern art galleries. He is collaborating with IlluminArts, Miami’s art song and chamber music series, to bring “experiential opera” to the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) with an interactive performance of David Lang’s Pulitzer Prizewinning composition, “the little match girl passion.” A cast of four professional singers and a percussionist will rehearse the work under Schlather’s direction in the gallery shared with works by Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo. “We were drawn to pairing David Lang’s ‘the little match girl passion’ with Doris Salcedo’s work because both creators, Lang and Salcedo, comment on the importance of dualities in their work, highlighting suffering as well as hope,” explained IlluminArts artistic director Amanda Crider. Lang’s work builds on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a poor young girl who struggles with abuse, poverty and ultimately, redemption. According to Crider, the story is “suffused with opposites; a beautiful past with a bitter present.” Salcedo’s sculptures address the social injustice, suffering and trauma that have long been part of Colombia’s history. Beginning May 27, rehearsals will be open

to museum visitors, creating a spontaneous interplay of artistic process and audience, culminating in a free public presentation on June 2. “We’re going to take a piece that was a very tragic human event and place it into a context where the audience must walk through the gallery where this performance is happening,” said Schlather. “It can be disorienting and, as an audience member, you have to decide how to engage with the performers and the creative process.” Schlather, who was introduced to opera by his parents at the age of five, has staged similar “installations” to critical acclaim in New York City. The director, who worked with New York City Opera when the famed company closed in bankruptcy, particularly relishes opening the rehearsal process to audiences. “We take what happens behind closed doors and put it into a fine arts space, stripped down to the bodies and sound,” Schlather said. “Really, opera started as experimentation between music and text and moving bodies. My work is very much about getting back to that alchemy. If you get it right or realize it in the right way, you produce a strong catharsis.” He summed up his mission: “By giving people that entry point into opera, it takes the pressure off and empowers audiences. They stay longer than they might expect.” IlluminArts presents David Lang’s “the little match girl passion,” directed by R.B. Schlather, at Perez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Open rehearsals will be presented May 27 through May 31 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with the free final performance on Thursday, June 2 at 7 p.m. For more information, go to PAMM.org and IlluminArts.org. 5.25.2016 •

May 25 to may 31

Datebook

Theater Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top

The Flick

Picks

May 26 to June 12 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. Three movie theatre employees are cleaning up at the end of the night and it comes out that their lives may be more dramatic than the films on the screen. Tickets $30. Call 305-7519550 or visit MadCatTheatre.org.

Feeding the Bear

June 2 to July 3 at the Abyss Theatre, 2304 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. A gay, single teacher is struggling with body dysmorphia on top of caring for his father suffering from Alzheimer’s. Tickets $35. Call 954-519-2533 or visit IslandCityStage.org.

Black Coffee

Through June 5 at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW Ninth St. in Delray Beach. In this Agatha Christie murder mystery, Hercule Poirot and Hastings visit physicist Sir Claud Amory — and discover that he has been poisoned. Tickets $30. Call 561-272-1281, ext. 4 or visit DelrayBeachPlayhouse.com.

The theme of the concert is travel with music from around the world. Tickets $30. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Azar, Trailer Park Choir and The Wreckers. Free .VisitFacebook.com/ CanyonAmphitheater.

Party

May 29 at 7 p.m. at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury Way in West Palm Beach. The two perform in the double-headliner “One Hell of a Night” tour. Tickets $38 and up. Visit WestPalmBeachAmphitheatre.com.

Through June 12 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. A night with friends turns risque when they play Facts or Fantasies. Contains male nudity. Tickets $20 to $50. Call 818-5904448 or visit RonnieLarsen.com.

* Bad Company & Joe Walsh

Hair! Friday Night Sound Waves Through June 5 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Music Series Fridays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hub, Las Olas Boulevard and A1A in Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy live, outdoor music spanning genres and tributes every Friday evening through November. Free. Visit FridayNightSoundWaves.com

palm beach county Casey Raines Band

May 28 at 7 p.m. at the Canyon Amphitheater at Canyon District Park, 8802 Boynton Beach Blvd. in Boynton Beach. The band has opened for Sheryl Crow, Steve

Beach. Be a flower child for the day with a performance of this classic musical. Tickets $45. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org.

Satchmo at the Waldorf

Through June 12 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, 201 Clematis St. Just months before his death in 1971, Louis Armstrong talks about his life and career. Tickets $64. Call 561-514-4042 or visit PalmBeachDramaworks.org.

Free Friday Concerts

Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy

live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket or lawn chair every week, for free! Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org.

miami-dade county * Summer Shorts

June 2 to July 3 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The annual short play festival of the best in the country, including 10-minute musicals. Tickets $39. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

PAMM Outdoor Music Series

Third Thursdays at the Perez Art Museum Miami, 101 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Come out for live music from DJs and musicians by the bay. Drink specials available. Free with museum admission. Call 305-375-3000 or visit PAMM.org.

The Big Show

Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. at Just the Funny Theater, 3119 Coral Way in Miami. A collection of comedy mixing the likes of improvisation and sketches. Tickets $12. Call 305693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.

* Denotes New Listing

broward county * Israeli Dance Festival: Celebrating 20 Years

Photo: Facebook

May 29 at 7 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A gathering of Israeli dancers from Mexico, Brazil, Panama, and Israel to celebrate the dance form. Tickets $10 to $50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

* South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble: Leaving on a Jet Plane June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. 52

• 5.25.2016

“The Flick” from May 26 to June 12 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores.

5.25.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

porn pulse

Photo: Twitter.

Meet Marc Dylan, Porn Expert Hunter Houston

Where People Get Better We treat the chemical dependency and the underlying issues that contribute to drug and alcohol addiction. Whether you are a professional, a parent, or a student, now you can get better. All calls are 100% conﬁdential. I

Residential

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Aftercare

Top Picks Candy Land

May 27 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. LGBT youth are invited to this youth equality prom -- dress to impress in the Candy Land theme! All attendees are required to attend the pre-event meeting on May 25 at 5 p.m. Free. RSVP to Amanda at amanda@compassglcc.com or call 561-533-9699.

Networking Breakfast

June 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the LGBT Visitor Center, 1130 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Network with LGBT friendly business owners over breakfast. Free. Call 305-673-4440 or visit GayBizMiami.com.

Shop With Pride

June 2 to 12 at Westfield Broward Mall, 8000 W. Broward Blvd. in Plantation. Ten days of fashion shows, entertainment, and community pride to benefit the Pride Center. Visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

June 2 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at Timpano Chophouse, 450 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. The Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Network meets for its board vote and to present a check to Latino Salud and Pet Project. Open to the public. Entry $20 for members, $25 nonmembers. Visit GLLN.org.

800.778.6792 www.FHErehab.com All calls are confidential. Your treatment may be covered 100% by insurance.

Nationally Accredited Treatment Center

• 5.25.2016

Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at SunServe Campus, 1480 SW Ninth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A group for LGBT youth 13 to 21 to discuss gender, gender expression, binary systems, friendship, family and whatever else comes up! Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com

PFLAG Tuesdays in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs and Southwest Ranches. A support group for parents of LGBT youth 13 to 21. Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and locations.

GayWrites Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Stonewall Library, 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Come join us and write your memoir, poem, blog, novel or short story. Free. Email ijasher@aol.com

SunServe Youth Group Tuesdays and Thursdays in Fort Lauderdale, Southwest Ranches, Coral Springs and Hollywood. A support group and night of fun for LGBT youth 13 to 21. Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and times.

Survivor Support First and third Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital cafeteria, 6401 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Find support from counselors and peers who have lost loved ones to suicide. Call the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention at 954-384-0344 or visit FISPOnline.org.

broward county Archetype - Portraits by Blake * GLLN Board Elections

Broward Support Services Gender Bender Youth Group

Calendar@SFGN.com

arc Dylan, a muscled Mississippi boy, has an advice blog. We discovered Dylan’s writings this week while searching for material. “I never do anything I am uncomfortable with,” writes Dylan on the “About Me” tab on his blog. The actor also has a YouTube channel where he takes questions from fans and discusses hot topics. Some of the topics being uncomfortable and actually hurting Dylan opines about are addiction, coming yourself. If you are really experiencing pain out as gay, platonic relationships and then just don’t do it. There’s no amount of forgiving cheating boyfriends. sex worth damaging your body.” “When it comes to cheating, forgiveness Dylan recommends silicone lubricant is a process,” Dylan tells his audience. “You when attempting to bottom for a person have to make every effort to earn a person’s who is well endowed. trust back once you cheat on them.” At MarcDylan.com, a visitor to the Dylan also offers tips for bottoms website can see scenes of Dylan in a selfteamed with well-hung tops. described “suck fest” with fellow adult “In general, if something hurts and it’s actor Scott Hunter. really causing you discomfort and pain “Scott’s frisky tongue goes south of my then you shouldn’t do it,” Dylan advises. ample ball sack and then down below for a “There are a lot of guys out there that do deep and probing rim job,” Dylan writes in not understand there is a difference in10:44:34 promotion of the scene. SFGN_Florida_House3_Top_WP.pdf 1 4/22/2015 AM

Detox

Datebook

LGBT Senior Competency 101

Cultural

June 15 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Learn how your business can better serve the LGBT senior community during one of these classes, with options to book a longer session for staff. RSVP to Bruce Williams at 954-463-9005, ext. 109 or email BWilliams@PrideCenterFlorida.org.

Little

Through July 3 at Stonewall National Museum - Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Little’s collection of portraits exploring what it means to be masculine — all the while, all the subjects are gay. Free. Call 954-763-8565 or visit Stonewall-Museum.org.

Life Coaching

Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Latinos Salud Clubhouse, 2300 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Get one-on-one life coaching from certified CRCS coaches. For guys living with HIV, their partners, and anyone who identifies as transgender. Free. Call 954-765-6239 or visit LatinosSalud.org.

Art Walk on Wilton Drive

Third Saturdays on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. A monthly art festival along the drive. Free. Visit ArtWalkOnWiltonDrive.com.

May 25 to may 31 palm beach county * Lei Me Luau

June 12 from 2 to 7 p.m. at Mad Hatter Lounge, 1532 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Raffles, drinks, pig roast, and other Hawaiianinspired fun to benefit Compass GLCC’s HIV prevention programming. Call 561-547-8860.

Compass Pride Alliance Mixer

Business

May 25 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Honey Delray, 16 E. Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach. Mix and mingle with business owners in the LGBT community. Admission free for members, $10 for nonmembers. Visit CompassGLCC.com.

Rapid HIV Testing

Mondays and Thursdays from 4 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Knowledge is power, and you can find out your status in less than 20 minutes. No need to make an appointment. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

Youth Group

Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Open for LGBT teens and allies ages 12

to 19 — come out and meet new friends and discuss issues that are important to you. Free. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

Jazz on the Palm

Third Fridays from 8 to 10 p.m. at the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront. Relax on the water to the sounds of jazz with the family. Free. Visit WPBGo.com.

PBC Gender Support

First and third Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A support group for transgender individuals of all ages. Contact Heather Wright at A1AHeather@aol.com.

Positive Connections

Second and fourth Tuesdays from noon to 3 p.m. at MCC of the Palm Beaches, 4857 Northlake Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. Practical and emotional support, friendship, information and referrals for people living with HIV/AIDS. Free homemade lunch, groceries and toiletries available. Free. Call 561-775-5900 or visit MCCPalmBeach.org.

PFLAG

Second Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A rap and support group for LGBT

and straight spouses and their families and friends. Call Carole 561-716-9464.

miami-dade county Arsht Center Farmers Market

Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Purchase fresh food from local farmers, including fruits, vegetables, meats, prepared foods, as well as chefs, live music, and cooking demonstrations. Free. Visit ArshtCenter.org/ en/Visit/Dining.

Rainbow Circle

Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Miami Flipse Building #302, 5665 Ponce de Leon Drive in Coral Gables. An open discussion about coming out, relationships, peer pressure, bullying, depression and more. Free. Visit Pridelines.org.

Yoga

Tuesdays from 6 to 7:15 p.m. at Jose Marti Park, 362 SW Fourth Ave. in Miami. Yogis 18 and older of all levels are invited to a practice lead by a certified instructor. Bring your own yoga mat, water, and towel. Free. Call 305-358-7550 or visit BayfrontParkMiami.com/Yoga.html.

HIV Support Group

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at South Beach AIDS Project, 1234 Washington Ave. Ste. 200 in Miami Beach. A support group for those who are HIV positive. Free. Call 305-535-4733, ext. 301 or email support@sobeaids.org.

Book Study

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist monk, Gen Kelsang Nurbu, will lead classes on learning the foundations of Buddhism. Call 786-529-7137.

Capoeira

Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Bayfront Park’s Tina Hills Pavilion, 1075 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Learn the Brazilian art of capoeira, a mix of dance and martial arts, with Mestre Ze Com Fome. Free. Call 305-989-6628 or visit mestrezeomfome.com.

Prayers For World Peace

Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist teacher, Todd Ellenberg will lead prayers and meditation. Cost $10. Call 786-529-7137.

* Denotes New Listing

5.25.2016 •

Business Directory health

chiropractic Coast Chiropractic Injury & Wellness Center 2608 NE 16th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33334 954.463.3036 www.coast-chiropractic.com

dental

Lane & Eriks Dental Associates 1831 NE 45th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954.771.3331 Laneanderiksdental.com Oakland Park Dental 3047 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954.566.9812 Oaklandparkdental.com Andrews Dental Care 2654 N Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311 954.567.3311 Andrewsdentalcare.com Wilton Manors Dental 2517 NE 9th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-564-4746 Wiltonmanorsdental.com

American Pain Experts 6333 N. Federal Hwy, Ste. 250, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-678-1074 Americanpainexperts.com Simply Men’s Health 5405 Okeechobee Blvd #205, West Palm Beach, FL 561.459.5356 Simplymenshealth.com Natura Dermatology 1120 Bayview Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 754.333.4886 Coolsculptingnaturadermatology.com Mark Engebretson Palm Beach & Boca Raton 561.400.9297 heartofthemystery.com

To place an ad in the Business Directory, call our sales team at 954.530.4970 legal

Law Robin 2550 N Federal Hwy #20, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.630.2707 Lawrobin.com

professional services

Barton & Miller Cleaners 2600 N. Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-4314 Kalis-McIntee Funeral & Cremation Center

2505 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-7621 Kalismcintee.com

restaurants

Storks Bakery 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 American Tax & Insurance Levitt Small Ad Gay Publication :Newspaper Ad Storksbakery.com Cont. 8/17/15 1:56 PM Page 1

Island City Dental 1700 NE 26th Street, Ste. 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-564-7121 Islandcitydental.com

health Emerald Elite 2301 Wilton Drive, Suite 3, Wilton Manors, FL 954.629.1377 Emeraldelitehomehealth.com

Dr. Tory Sullivan 2500 N Federal Hwy #301, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.533.1520 Torysullivanmd.com The Florida House Experience 505 S Federal Hwy, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 800.778.6792 Fherehab.com

investments

2929 E Comm. Blvd, 8th Floor Penthouse D, Fort Lauderdale, FL

954.302.3228 Americantaxandinsurance.com

legal Selzer & Weiss 1515 NE 25th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.4444 Selzerandweiss.com Shawn Newman 710 NE 26th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.9160 Shawnnewman.com Law GC 707 NE 3rd Ave #300, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.573.1444 Lawgc.com

Gregory Kabel 1 East Broward Blvd #700, Fort Lauderdale, 33301 954.761.7770 gwkesq@bellsouth.net

BEEFCAKES 1721 N Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 954.463.6969 boardwalkbar.com

The Best Cellar

Boutique Wine Shop & Wine Bar The Ultimate Wine Tasting Experience Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., at 8:00 p.m. ONLY $15 PER PERSON! 954-630-8020

Ernie's B-B-Q 1843 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 954-523-8636

retail Peace Pipe 4800 N Dixie Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954.267.9005 Facebook.com/peacepipefl Daoud’s 2473 E Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.928.2437 Daouds.com Natural Sleep 3040 N 29th Ave, Hollywood, FL 33020 954.951.2678 Naturalsleepfd.com

spirituality The Parish of Sts. Francis and Clare Where we welcome and appreciate diversity.

101 NE 3rd St Fort Lauderdale FL 33301 Mass Times: Saturday 5:00 PM Sunday 10:30 AM Ecumenical Catholic 954.731.8173

www.stsfrancisandclare.org

Have you made your wishes known?

MASTER HYPNOTHERAPIST AND LIFE COACH

1-800-343-5400

www.levitt-weinstein.com

Pre-Arrangement Discounts For All Our LGBT Friends • 5.25.2016

J. Mark’s 1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954) 390-0770 Jmarksrestaurant.com

1408 N.E. 26th St. Wilton Manors, FL 33334

We’re here to help.

restaurants

Baptisms • Weddings • Memorial Services

ADDICTIONS • SMOKING • WEIGHT LOSS • INSOMNIA • STRESS REDUCTION • ROAD RAGE • ANGER MANAGEMENT • PAST LIFE ANALYSIS • RELATIONSHIP COACHING Coach Bill For Life

WWW.COACHBILLFORLIFE.COM

954.641.8315

retail Estate Auction Co. 6 South Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33304 954-921-2828 Estateauctionco.com

theaters

Ft Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus PO Box 9772, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33310-9772 954-832-0060 www.theftlgmc.org Andrews Living Arts Studio 23 NW 5th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954.530.1879 Classcreations.com Kravis Center 701 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL (561) 832-7469 Kravis.org Adrienne Arsht Center 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 305.949.6722 Arshtcenter.org Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida PO Box 39617, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33339 954-763-2266 Gaymenschorusofsouthflorida.org

veterinarian

NormKent.com

Dr. Pierre B. Bland, DVM 3225 N. Andrews Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-673-8579 Doctorblandvet.com

Income Tax Preparation •Individual •Small Business •Free Consultation Doug Turner, Enrolled Agent Best Books and Taxes 2201 Wilton Drive bestbooksandtaxes.com

954-565-1041

Call today for appointment

5.25.2016 •

SFGN Classified$ attorney

electrician HARRY’S ELECTRIC RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL - Additions, renovations, service upgrades, breaker panels,FPL undergrounds, code violations, A/C wiring, ceiling fans, recessed, security & landscaping, lighting, pools, pumps, Jacuzzis, water heaters, FREE PHONE ESTIMATES 954-522-3357 Lic & Ins. www. harryelectrician.com

sfgn.com

To place a Classified Ad, call Tim Higgins at 954.530.4970 or email at Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com

licensed massage AFFORDABLE AWESOME MASSAGE BY JIM Offering Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and LomiLomi Massage for Men; in a very comfortable, relaxed and Private Massage Studio, NOW conveniently located in Wilton Manors on NE 26th Street, with plenty of free parking. Same Day appointments are welcome; please call Jim, 954-600-5843 email: info@ massagebyjim.com or visit my website for testimonials, rates and more. GREAT OPENING SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE! www.massagebyjim.com Licensed and Certified MM22293 INCREDIBLY AWESOME BODYWORK IN WPB - 1st TIME CLIENTS SAVE $25 PER SESSION. In-calls at a private studio 15 minutes west of PBIA. Intuitive, experienced licensed massage therapist offers affordable rates 7 days, early to late. Calls only 561-254-8065 for the very best massage experience you can get HANDS DOWN! #MA51008

piano WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO? Learn from an experienced teacher. All levels and ages welcome. Learn to play classical, popular, jazz, or show tunes. Visit www.edwinchad. com or call 954-826-9555 for more information.

pool service

COOL POOLS- RELIABLE POOL SERVICE Professional pool service.Covering Wilton Manors, Lighthouse Point, and eastside of Pompano Beach. 15 years experience. Licensed and insured.Free estimates. Call 954-235-0775.

pets/supplies

MASSAGE RELIEF BY DENNIS - $60 per 90 min-Out calls higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, Specialty Back, Lower Body and Feet. Couples Discounts. Seniors Welcome. Delray Beach. 22 years experience. MA18563 Call Dennis 561502-2628...

cleaning services CLEAN IT RIGHT! - The best cleaning for your buck. 1BD $60, 2BD $70, 3BD $80 and up. Excellent rates & references. 10 years in business. Serving Broward, North Miami-Dade & S. Palm Beach. Call Manny 954-560-4443

Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

954.530.4970

apartment wanted

entertainment JAZZ TRIO AVAILABLE - 25% DISCOUNT TO SFGN READERS!!!!!!! - Jazz vocalist with over 30 years experience performing in South Florida is available with her trio for your special event,party or corporate fundraiser.Booking now for the balance of 2016 and into 2017 so reserve today.Recent performances include JAZZ IN THE PINES and WALK ON WEDNESDAY MUSIC SERIES. I work with South Florida’s finest jazz musicians to make your special affair one to remember. Reasonble rates. 25% Discount when you mention you saw ad in SFGN CLASSIFIEDS.Call Cindy at 954-298-8158. www.myspace.com/cindycurtisandcompany I can’t wait to sing for you!

LOOKING FOR 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT - Mature stable man looking for a 1 bedroom in Oakland Park or surrounding area. Section 8 and no priors able to help with maintenance. Knows basic plumbing, electrical and carpentry Call Brian at 954529-3490

roommates

moving & storage

954.610.8816

Iris Seymour

ICON MOVING SERVICE... PROMISES/ DELIVERED - We are your Local, Long Distance, and Overseas moving company! We have extensive corporate and local moving experience with A+ rating from BBB. Call for a free estimate! 561-3383157

music lessons VOICE LESSONS & MUSIC THEATRE COACHING - Over 30 years experience. Students have performed on (and off) Broadway, in National & International tours, recorded solo albums & placed in prestigious competitions. www.kreutzmusic.com 617-967-0575

FORT LAUDERDALE RENTALS - Looking for a great rental in FORT LAUDERDALE? One bedrooms starting at $900. Two bedrooms starting at $1,000. 1st/last/security + good credit. Visit my website and call me today. www.mikesREteam. com 954-627-1222 ext. 901 Mike Trottier, Realtor @ Mike’s Real Estate (iHome Florida Real Estate)

rentals wilton manors

personal concierge

RENTALS IN WILTON MANORS - Looking for a great rental in WILTON MANORS? One bedrooms starting at $1,000. Two bedrooms starting at $1,200. 1st/last/security + good credit. Visit my website and call me today. www.mikesREteam. com 954-627-1222 ext. 901 Mike Trottier, Realtor @ Mike’s Real Estate (iHome Florida Real Estate)

A HELPING HAND - Do you require assistance with paperwork, shopping,getting to appointments, etc? Elementary school teacher with 10 Years + experience/Masters Degree. Available to help you with these tasks. Call/ text Mark at: 954-224-0632, or email: mds94@juno.com • 5.25.2016

rentals fort lauderdale

painting

GREGG'S PAINTING - Interior/exterior,great rates, friendliness, reliability, neatness. No job too small. Call Gregg at 617-306-5694 or 954-870-5972.

GAY WHITE MALE TO SHARE 2 BR/2 BA GATED CONDO - Furnished room, WI-FI, W/D, TV in room, pool, must have steady income and own transportation, 1st-Last $650/month, utilities included, no pets no drugs. Call Zack at 954-401-8431 or 954765-3665

folow the action.

sfgn.com

rentals oakland park

OUR BEST OFFER EVER JUST GOT BETTER!

OAKLAND PARK RENTALS - Looking for a great rental in OAKLAND PARK? One bedrooms starting at $1,000. Two bedrooms starting at $1,400. 1st/ last/security + good credit. Visit my website and call me today. www.mikesREteam.com 954-6271222 ext. 901 Mike Trottier, Realtor @ Mike’s Real Estate (iHome Florida Real Estate)

ALASKA. CARIBBEAN. EUROPE UP TO

rentals

40% OFF

MIKE THE RENTAL GUY - NE Lauderdale/Wilton Manors/Oakland/Victoria Park-1/1 from $950 2/1 from $1150. Credit & Income RequirementsPets okay with restriction. Call for Details Mike 561-703-5533

SELECT SAILINGS

CHOOSE

2 FREE PERKS

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sfgn.com

For a limited time, choose two free perks for a savings of up to $2150 when you join us on almost any cruise*.

rentals - vacation BUNGALOW RETREAT IN BLUE RIDGE MTNS - Bungalow is nestled in the mountains of

CHOOSE YOURS AND GO!

North Carolina. Enjoy cool nights and comfortable days in this 2 BD cozy cabin.Hot tub, very private & rustic. Weekly- $800; monthly-$1600.Fully equipped and 45 mins. from Ashville. Call Steve (203) 7220558. “FILL THE VACANCY RATES”

sfgn.com

Unlimited Internet

Prepaid Gratuities

Up to $150 Onboard Credit

Availability is limited - act fast! Call to Book Today!

800-985-5148

SUNDAY-THURSDAY - Need a last minute room?

Take advantage of our $79 dollar rates at the Calypso Inn, Wilton Manors. Walk in rates only. Not good for reservations. Valid major credit card required. Phone Wes Leigh at 954-605-3561 to see if there is a vacancy.

Classic Beverage Package

Prices are per person, cruise only, for stateroom category 08 for ocean view, select sailings, based on double occupancy. Get Two Value amount based on 12-night sailing with selection of beverage and Internet options. Offer and prices are subject to availability and change without notice, capacity controlled, and not applicable to charters or contracted groups. Refer to celebritycruises.com for additional terms and conditions.

MODERN LUXURY LIVES HERE.

5.25.2016 •