6/8/16 V7i23 by South Florida Gay News

local name global coverage June 8, 2016 vol. 7 // issue 23

s o u t h the

f l o r i d a

g a y

n e w s

S pirit

SFGNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HIV/AIDS News Source

aids at 35 Pages 27-38

S FGN 's B i a nnu a l H I V H ea l t h Issue pride center founder dies Pages 20, 21

SouthFloridaGayNews

christian singer comes out Page 48

soflagaynews

SFGN.com

New Odefsey is now available ®

ODEC0005_OdefseyJrnlAd-B_Spread_10x10-75_SFlaGayNews.indd 1-2

• 6.8.2016

Actual Size (15.4 mm x 7.3 mm)

One small pill contains rilpivirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Ask your healthcare provider if ODEFSEY is right for you. To learn more visit ODEFSEY.com

Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the following pages.

3/30/16 11:13 AM

6.8.2016 â&#x20AC;˘

Brief Summary of Patient Information about ODEFSEY ODEFSEY (oh-DEF-see) (emtricitabine, rilpivirine and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY. There may be new information about ODEFSEY. This information is only a summary and does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY can cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take ODEFSEY or similar medicines. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: – feel very weak or tired – have unusual (not normal) muscle pain – have trouble breathing – have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting – feel cold, especially in your arms and legs – feel dizzy or lightheaded – have a fast or irregular heartbeat • Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take ODEFSEY. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large and you may develop fat in your liver. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems: – your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) – dark “tea-colored” urine – light-colored bowel movements (stools) – loss of appetite – nausea – pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time. • Worsening of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and take ODEFSEY, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking ODEFSEY. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. – Do not run out of ODEFSEY. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your ODEFSEY is all gone. – Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking to your healthcare provider. – If you stop taking ODEFSEY, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking ODEFSEY.

ODEC0005_OdefseyJrnlAd-B_Spread_10x10-75_SFlaGayNews.indd 3-4

• 6.8.2016

What is ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY is a prescription medicine that is used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older: • who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past and have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL, or • to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have a viral load that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment. It is not known if ODEFSEY is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age or who weigh less than 77 lb (35 kg). When used to treat HIV-1 infection, ODEFSEY may help: • Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load”. • Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help fight off other infections. Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections). ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must keep taking HIV-1 medicines to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do not share or re-use needles, injection equipment, or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them. Do not have sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.

Who should not take ODEFSEY? Do not take ODEFSEY if you also take a medicine that contains: • carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®) • dexamethasone (Ozurdex®, Maxidex®, Decadron®, BaycadronTM) • dexlansoprazole (Dexilant ®) • esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo®) • lansoprazole (Prevacid®) • omeprazole (Prilosec®, Zegerid®) • oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®) • pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®) • phenobarbital (Luminal®) • phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125®, Phenytek®) • rabeprazole (Aciphex®) • rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater ®, Rimactane®) • rifapentine (Priftin®) • the herb St. John’s wort or a product that contains St. John’s wort

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ODEFSEY? Before taking ODEFSEY, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have liver problems including hepatitis B or C virus infection • have kidney and bone problems • have had depression or suicidal thoughts • have any other medical conditions • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ODEFSEY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking ODEFSEY.

Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1 medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take ODEFSEY. – You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. – At least one of the medicines in ODEFSEY can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in ODEFSEY can pass into your breast milk. – Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may interact with ODEFSEY. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with ODEFSEY. • Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take ODEFSEY with other medicines. How should I take ODEFSEY? • Take ODEFSEY exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. ODEFSEY is

taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection.

• Take ODEFSEY 1 time each day with a meal. • Do not change your dose or stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking with your

healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking ODEFSEY.

• Do not miss a dose of ODEFSEY. • If you take too much ODEFSEY, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest

hospital emergency room right away.

• When your ODEFSEY supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider

or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to ODEFSEY and become harder to treat.

What are the possible side effects of ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY?” • Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Skin rash is a common side effect of ODEFSEY. Rash can be serious. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get a rash. In some cases, rash and allergic reaction may need to be treated in a hospital. If you get a rash with any of the following symptoms, stop taking ODEFSEY and call your healthcare provider right away: – fever – skin blisters – mouth sores – redness or swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis) – swelling of the face, lips, mouth or throat – trouble breathing or swallowing – pain on the right side of the stomach (abdominal) area – dark “tea-colored” urine

• Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have

any of the following symptoms: – feel sad or hopeless – feel anxious or restless – have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself • Change in liver enzymes. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus infection or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems during treatment with ODEFSEY. Liver problems can also happen during treatment with ODEFSEY in people without a history of liver disease. Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with ODEFSEY. • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known. • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking ODEFSEY. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking ODEFSEY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take ODEFSEY. Bone problems may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones. The most common side effects of rilpivirine, one of the medicines in ODEFSEY, are depression, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and headache. The most common side effect of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, two of the medicines in ODEFSEY, is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. • These are not all the possible side effects of ODEFSEY. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about ODEFSEY. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about ODEFSEY that is written for health professionals. For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.ODEFSEY.com. Keep ODEFSEY and all medicines out of reach of children. Issued: March 2016

ODEFSEY, the ODEFSEY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and GSI are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. ODEC0005 03/16

3/30/16 11:13 AM

6.8.2016 •

The Opening Line Photos: Facebook.

Biblical Pamphlets Inserted Into SFGN Boxes Vincent Zeteliano –

OMG. I love whoever did this. Btw, it wasn't me I swear. I hate Gay Christians. Is there a way I can have the pamphlet? Or if anyone actually got the pamphlet. I wanna see it. I love love love love when us fags try to educate each other on the horrors of the Bible. :)

Dave954 –

Since you asked, seems you've given the phantom pamphlet troll the attention he/she wanted when you could have ignored the whole thing. Give a mouse a cookie.

Bob –

Ecclesiastes 3.17 I said in mine heart, Elohim shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. Yet the wicked, such as yourselves, have no clue that you are also to be judged by men here & now for your capitol crimes.

Comments from SFGN’s

online outlets

Compiled by John McDonald

Log Cabin Republicans Blame House Dems For Failure To Pass Spending Bill Frank Zurek – Isn't it time LCR's realize the Republicans are not concerned about GLBT rights. Show the GOP a lesson and vote Blue in November. Larry Kraft –

Taking things out of context ... A republican specialty. LCR=Self loathing queers.

Peter Ennis –

How did the Democrats vote it down if Republicans have a majority in the House?

Men Busted For Sex At Wilton Manors Park

SouthFloridaGayNews.com

June 8, 2016 • Volume 7 • Issue 23 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

Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com

Editorial

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

Senior Features Correspondents

Jesse Monteagudo • Tony Adams

Correspondents

Dori Zinn • Andrea Richard • Donald Cavanaugh Christiana Lilly • Denise Royal • Sean McShee Alex Adams • Gary Kramer • David-Elijah Nahmod

Contributing Columnists

Brian McNaught • Dana Rudolph • Wayne Besen Ric Reily • Steve Siler • Bil Browning Terri Schlichenmeyer

Associate Photographers

Pompano Bill • Steven Shires

Sales & Marketing

Director of Sales & Marketing • Mike Trottier mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Cindy Curtis cindy.curtis@sfgn.com Sales Assistant / Classifieds • Tim Higgins Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com Distribution Services • Brian Swinford

Ralf Rivers –

I love outdoor head

Joseph Green –

When str8 people do it in public, on beaches, in bushes, in bars and in cars it's completely fine.... such simple standards.

Photo: John McDonald.

National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping

Steve Johnson – MEMBER

this is WAY too public and family-friendly of a neighborhood park, Guys, for that stuff. Don't be surprised when you get busted (however stupid these laws)

Editor's Note: For more issues at Wilton Manors, read SFGN next week. MEMBER

SFGN Winner of

MEMBER

• 6.8.2016

And runner-up for

NLGJA Journalist of the Year

Associated Press

& 3 Florida Press Club Awards

Printing by Sun Coast Press

Cover: This week is spirit week at SFGN In Memoriam

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.

MEMBER

politics out on the trail

Photo: BrowardPalmBeach.com.

Local Activist Selected For DNC Platform Committee W

John McDonald

hen the Democratic Party holds its national convention next month, Palm Beach County’s LGBT community will be well represented. Rand Hoch, founder and president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, is a member of the DNC’s platform committee. Hoch spoke to SFGN Monday morning, via telephone, about his duties on the committee. “It’s an impressive process going on,” said Hoch, a retired judge. When asked how the platform committee intended to reach out to supporters of Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent,

Hoch said it requires patience and understanding. “It’s listening to their concerns,” Hoch said. “We as Democrats have a lot more in common than we have differences. Bernie Sanders has brought a lot of new people into the party. How we integrate those new ideas with the party’s platform is what our committee will have to work on.” Hoch said that while important, the platform committee is second to the rules committee in terms of power. Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, a gay man, is co-chair of the DNC rules committee. According to Hoch, Florida’s delegation to the convention

contains 29 delegates who identify as LGBT. Deidre Newton, a lesbian and state committeewoman for the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, is joining Hoch in Philadelphia. The Democratic National Convention is July 25-28. Hoch said currently there is a lot of drafting of party documents. He expected the “final crunch” of the party platform to occur during an October meeting in Orlando. This will be Hoch’s seventh Democratic National Convention. His first time was in 1976 when the party nominated Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, who went on to become the 39th President of the U.S.

Pride. It’s more than an emotion. It’s a belief. A belief that XFINITY® is proud to support. Celebrate pride by uploading a Facebook profile video of you applauding for LGBT Pride. Learn more at xfinity.com/lgbt

#ApplaudLGBT CCT6915-1 LGBT Neon Print 10x7.625_SFGayNews.indd 1

5/24/16 3:09 6.8.2016 • PM 7

Photo credit: CNN.

politics white house watch

Sanders, Frank Spar Over Convention Roles John McDonald

ernie Sanders has a list of demands, President. A nomination which if he can’t and Barney Frank is at the top. secure it by the ballot, has threatened to Sanders, the insurgent secure it by lawsuits, and more than just candidate for the Democratic Party’s U.S. hinted at violence. Presidential nomination, wants Frank Am I getting this right?,” Frank said. off the convention’s rules committee. Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont Frank, a former U.S. Congressman from who was born and raised in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, is not N.Y., has surprised nearly budging. all political analysts with The DNC Convention is a campaign that has For his July 25-28 in Philadelphia galvanized young people and Sanders is planning on small donors. part, Frank and“The staying in the race until all smell of blood is the delegates are counted. strong and the grassroots appears The Sanders campaign, in is true and validated,” baffled by a letter to the Democratic said Billy Smith, a Sanders National Committee, the Sanders supporter from Chicago. asked for Frank’s removal “We put up a socialist who campaign’s started at three percent in as chairman of the rules committee on the grounds the polls and now is set to spirit of of ‘personal hostility tie or better in California. entitlement. No matter the convention towards the senator.’ For his part, Frank outcome, neoliberals are appears baffled by the finished and so is the two Sanders campaign’s spirit of entitlement. party system.” In a news release, Frank questioned Smith, who identifies as a millennial, Sanders’ loyalty to the Democratic Party. said he supported removing Frank as “According to a 75 year old straight co-chair of the DNC rules committee as white male, who ‘white flighted’ his way does Sanders advisor Jeff Weaver. Weaver out of the most ethnically diverse city appeared on MSNBC newsman Chris in the country, to the whitest state in Matthews show on Wednesday to debate the northeast United States, and who Frank and ask for his resignation from the just passed his one year anniversary rules committee. of declaring himself a member of the “I intend to endure this fight,” Frank party, that he thinks that he is the only fit said, adding parliamentary procedure is candidate to be the party’s nominee for one of his hobbies.

• 6.8.2016

Photo: Facebook.

news highlight

Drag Queen to Run for Alabama Governor Tucker Berardi

mbrosia Starling, the drag queen from Alabama known for butting heads with anti-LGBT State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, may end up running against Moore for Alabama Governor, Towleroad reports. Starling, who is sticking to her drag name to protect her family, is seriously considering running for governor if Moore decides to participate in the 2018 race, as he is expected to do. Moore was recently suspended from his Supreme Court post due to his defiance of the ruling on gay marriage, singling out “professed transvestite” Starling as leading the effort to remove him from the bench, even though it was a joint effort involving many people, according to the Huffington Post. “He’s going to run again for governor,” Starling said, noting that he will use the controversy over marriage equality and the activism it has inspired to gain support among conservatives. “Be very sure and understand this. I told the group at [a] rally, ‘It’s very possible I’m handing Roy Moore the governorship on a silver platter.’” If Starling does run, she will run as an independent and in drag – and will legally change her name to her drag name in order to protect her family. Starling wants to “straighten out the circus of politics,” adding: “If it takes a drag queen to get everyone to face the front, same direction, and listening, I’ll do that.” Starling will spend the time before the race taking on the fight in Alabama that has turned to bathroom bills, which has involved legislators such as Rep. Will Ainsworth attacking transgender students. 6.8.2016 •

Compiled by Tucker Berardi

Texas Schools Urged to Defy Transgender Directive (WO) The fight over bathroom rights for transgender students escalated in Texas on May 31 as the state’s lieutenant governor urged schools to defy the Obama administration while parents of transgender children accused Republican leaders of stoking intolerance and making their kids targets for bullying. Few states are as publicly and persistently pushing back on transgender rights as Texas. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged at a press conference to support for schools that refuse to let transgender students use the bathrooms of their choice. Texas is leading an 11-state lawsuit that accuses the federal government of turning schools into “laboratories for a massive social experiment.” “Transgender students deserve the rights of anyone else. It does not mean they get to use the girls’ room if they’re a boy,” Patrick said. Parents of transgender students said Patrick’s comments are provoking hostilities in school hallways. Like many other Republicans across the country, Patrick says the privacy and

INTERNATIONAL

crime gangs find homosexuals Russian to be easy blackmail targets

A St. Petersburg economist, one of their latest victims, said several men burst into the apartment where he was meeting his date. Claiming that his date was under age, they threatened to call the police and to release a video they had secretly filmed unless he paid up. The gay rights group Vykhod, or Coming Out, said they registered 12 such attacks in St. Petersburg in 2015 and at least six more gay men have come to them so far this year. LGBT activists believe the real number is far higher and say the attacks have increased in the past two years. Since homosexuality finds little acceptance in Russian society, many gays keep their sexual orientation hidden from

safety of students are put at risk by letting transgender people use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. “You, specifically you, are endangering my child’s life,” said Ann Elder, mother of a 10-year-old transgender child near Houston. “You have now told everyone in the state of Texas it is OK to harass my child.” Transgender-rights advocates say claims of bathroom rights posing a public safety risk are malicious and false. They say that 18 states and scores of cities have experienced no significant public safety problems linked to their existing laws allowing transgender people to use the bathrooms of their choice. Patrick, a former conservative talk radio host, suggested that the Texas Legislature will take up school bathroom access in 2017. He has also asked Paxton to determine whether the Fort Worth school district – the sixth-largest in Texas – is breaking state education law with privacy rules that opponents say keeps conversations between transgender students and school officials from their parents.

their families, friends and co-workers. This makes them easy extortion targets for criminals. Vykhod spokeswoman Nika Yuryeva said most of the recent attacks have followed the same pattern as the one seen by the St. Petersburg economist. Alexander Loza, a legal adviser at Positive Dialogue, an organization that provides consulting services for gays, particularly those living with the HIV virus, has heard similar stories. "Many gay people in Russia lead a double life, unwilling to disclose their sexual orientation to their family or at work," Loza said. "In the case of such setup dates, they are afraid to disclose their status, to be accused of pedophilia, and therefore they are afraid to appeal to the police." For prominent television journalist Anton Krasovsky, coming out ended his career in Russia. He was fired after he came out on the air in 2013 and has been unable to find a job in television since. Krasovsky said it will be a long time before gays in Russia feel protected enough to speak publicly about their sexual orientation.

Accompanying Sanders was actor Wilson Cruz who took to Facebook Sunday morning to alert fans to the Vermont senator's visit. "GOOD MORNING WEHO!" Cruz wrote. "Senator Sanders is in town and has asked me to take a walk with him. We'll be on Santa Monica Blvd in front of City Hall at 1130 AM and we'll be visiting some brunch spots! Come out and say hi!" Cruz, 42, who is best known for his work on the 1990's TV series "My So Called Life" and "Party of Five" as well as the films "Nixon" and "Party Monster," has turned his attentions largely to LGBT activism in recent years. In 2012, he joined the staff of GLAAD as National Spokesperson and Strategic Giving Officer. The Sanders campaign has focused largely on delegateheavy California in recent weeks where he is neck and neck in the polls with frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

POLITICS

Sanders and Wilson Cruz hit up Bernie WeHo drag brunch

Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders made the rounds in L.A.'s West Hollywood neighborhood Sunday, stopping at popular drag brunch haunt Hamburger Mary's to shake hands and meet voters.

• 6.8.2016

Photo: CNN.

News Briefs

Continued HEALTH

ob the drag queen encourages people to take PrEP

The most recent winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bob the Drag Queen, is urging people to take PrEP, the anti-HIV medicine, according to PinkNews. PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis drug Truvada, if taken daily, can reduce people’s chances of being infected with HIV by up to 99 percent. Bob, in the latest HIV Beats video by the #endHIV campaign, says: “Oh hey! Prepare yourself! There is a once a day pill called PrEP … its been shown to lower the risk of getting HIV by more than 90%.” “Any doctor can prescribe PrEP, but not all doctors know about PrEP,” she said. “You can find a PrEP friendly doctor in your neighborhood by heading to getprep. greaterthan.org.”

Though the drug is endorsed by the World Health Organisation and is available to atrisk gay men in a number of countries, last week NHS England ruled out a large scale roll-out for PrEP, instead funding a further two-year trial at “early implementer” sites. “I never imagined I would be alive to see the day when a pill was created that could actually prevent HIV,” said Stephen Fry, actor and TV host. Fry was upset with NHS England’s decision to not commission HIV-preventing PrEP drugs: “It is remarkable and thrilling to witness so tremendous an achievement, but deeply frustrating in equal measure to discover that our national health service has pointedly refused to provide it to people at significant risk of infection from HIV.”

HEALTH

0 men on PrEP give blood to protest FDA’s policy on blood donation

50 HIV-negative men who all take PrEP, an HIV-preventative drug, came together and each donated a tube of their blood to the ongoing sculpture “Blood Mirror” by queer artist Jordan Eagles. The 50 tubes of equal a pint of blood, and the donation Is a form of protest against the FDA’s policy that requires that men who have sex with other men to be celibate for a year before donating blood, the Huffington Post reports. “It doesn’t matter if you are gay, straight, male, female, young, old, or where in the world you were born,” Eagles said. “This is both an equality and a science issue, that affects us all on so many levels. We have the ability to save lives and do what’s right.” Eagle’s blood mirror is a massive sevenfoot-tall structure that allows viewers to see themselves reflected in the preserved blood of the men who have contributed to its formation. “[The policy is] bad science and it is prejudice,” activist Leo Herrera said in a statement. “The belief that gay men are inherently prone to disease is the equivalent to racial phrenology, striking at the fragile ability to view ourselves as healthy and ‘clean.’” On World Blood Donor Day, June 14 2006, the blood of these 50 men will be projected on NYC High Line’s 14th street passage as part of a #BloodEquality event. Visitors will be able to take their pictures against the projection and show their support when it comes to donation equality for men who have sex with men. National – leader of Honduras’ gay

Photo: Facebook.

community abducted and murdered A leader in Honduras' gay community has been buried several days after he was kidnapped and killed in the city of San Pedro Sula. Rene Martinez, 39, was a city employee working in anti-violence outreach programs and a rising member of the National Party. The attorney general's office said in a statement that his body showed signs of having been strangled. No motive for his murder was given. Martinez's family said in a statement that assailants kidnapped him on Wednesday after he arrived home, forcing him into a vehicle. Family members alerted police but his body was found two days later in another neighborhood. He was buried on Saturday. In a statement Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Honduras condemned his murder and called for a thorough investigation. Joani Garcia, director of the National Forum on AIDS, called Martinez "one of the main defenders of lesbians, gays, transsexuals and intransexuals in the country." 6.8.2016 •

news national

Ministers Latest to Challenge Mississippi ‘Religious Freedom’ Law Tucker Berardi

HB 1523, the “religious freedom” law that has recently been enacted in Mississippi, amounts to affording special rights to religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage, Beth Orlansky, advocacy director for the Mississippi Center for Justice alleged in a statement. Local religious leaders of the state have become the latest to file a lawsuit against the law, which is seen to enable anti-LGBT discrimination as well as violating the separation of church and state, according to Washington Blade The plaintiffs of the lawsuit include Mississippi ministers, community leaders, civic activists and a Hattiesburg church, according to the ClarionLedger. They are asking the federal court to issue an injunction blocking the bill from taking effect July 1. “Ensuring that government maintains neutrality on religious beliefs and respects religious diversity is part of our commitment to Mississippi as a social justice state,” Orlansky said. “Granting special protections to one set of religious views would allow legalized discrimination to put at risk decades of progress to secure full rights for all Mississippians.” The law prohibits the state from taking any action against religious organizations that deny employment, housing and other services to samesex couples. The bill also protects organizations that deny wedding services to same-sex couples, as well as medical services that decline to afford

• 6.8.2016

a transgender person reassignment surgery. State government employees who facilitate marriages may also opt out of issuing same-se marriage licenses through the law, though the state worker must issue prior notice to the state government and a clerk’s office must not delay in the issuing of licenses. Taylor, a gay resident of Harrison County, Miss, who is engaged to marry his partner this summer, said in a statement the law relegates him to second-class citizenship. “As a lifelong Mississippian, a US Navy Veteran, and a civil rights advocate, I must step up to challenge this law that would relegate me and others in the LGBT community to an inferior status,” Taylor said. “My faith and my commitment to my partner must not be devalued by this unjust law.” “By targeting same-sex couples who are married or may marry in the future, unmarried couples who engage in sexual relations, and transgender people, and by endorsing the religious views and moral convictions that condemn those targeted groups, H.B. 1523 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment,” the lawsuit says. A spokesperson for Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, did not have an immediate comment in response to the lawsuit. “We are reviewing the lawsuit, and we will file our response at the appropriate time,” said Aaron Sadler, a Hood spokesperson.

News Briefs

Continued

INTERNATIONAL

ritish fundamentalist schools are teaching children being gay is ‘unnatural,’ it has been claimed

According to Pink News, some Christian fundamentalist schools in Britain are teaching students that homosexuals are “unnatural” and that girls need to be submissive to men. An investigation by the Independent spoke to former students who have exposed the schools for not preparing children for life. Students are forced to teach themselves in order to “get closer to God.” The textbooks the school provided taught them that creationism was fact, women were beneath men and that homosexuality was wrong. The definition of homosexuality in one textbook read, “having unnatural sexual feelings towards one of the same sex. Homosexual activity is another of man’s corruptions of God’s plan.” Children work in booths specially designed to prevent interaction with peers, and they also allegedly receive little guidance from teachers. Former pupils report that this leaves children, especially those with disabilities,

unequipped to deal with modern life. Upon completion of the school, children are not given any formal qualifications other than a “Christian certificate,” hurting their chances of pursuing higher education. “No one outside of the schools knows about what happens inside them, that’s why they’ve been able to go on like this for so long,” a former pupil reported. The fundamentalist schools, known formally as Accelerated Christian Education schools (Ace), developed in the southern United States before expanding to other countries around the worl. Between 20 and 60 students are believed to attend each one, and more than 1,000 children worldwide are believed to currently be enrolled in one.

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lgbtqia bites

Lesbian

Australia Uber driver threatens lesbian couple An Australian lesbian couple was allegedly subjected to homophobic abuse, as well as physical threats, by their Uber driver on their way home over the weekend, According to PinkNews. Lucy Thomas and her girlfriend were discussing an upcoming football game in an Uber when their driver started calling them “faggots.” “The driver said he hated football because it was a bunch of faggots jumping around and touching each other,” Thomas said. “I told him that I understood the spirit of what he was saying but that the word was deeply offensive to me and a lot of other people,” she said. “He then asked us – why are you worried, are you gay?” Thomas’ partner immediately said yes, and the driver made a number of homophobic remarks for the rest of the trip. When they got home the driver, named John, told the couple to “get out of the car … if you don’t I’ll get out and drag you out.” Thomas said that Uber has since fired the driver after she reported his behavior to the police.

• 6.8.2016

Compiled by Tucker Berardi

Queer

‘The Sims’ now allows players to choose any gender expression they want

An update to “The Sims 4,” which came out Thursday, expanded user options when it comes to gender expression, allowing them to customize characters’ gender as well as gender presentation. Electronic Arts and developer Maxis announced that the update removes barriers on a characters’ voices, physical make up and style of walking, the AP notes. Pink News added that the life simulation

game previously forced players to choose between male and female characters. The studio wanted to “make sure players can create characters they can identify with or relate to through powerful tools that give them influence over a Sim’s gender, age, ethnicity, body type and more … female Sims can wear sharp men’s suits like Ellen [DeGeneres] and male sims can wear heels like Prince.”

lgbtqia bites

continued

Transgender

news local

Photo Credit: Nigel Parry/For CNN

Republican candidate Donald Trump has voiced support for transgender rights in the past, but changed that stance earlier this month in response to the barrage of Republican-backed bathroom bills. He stated last week that states like North Carolina should be able to keep their anti-trans laws. “The party generally believes that whatever you’re born, that’s the bathroom you use,” Trump said. “I say let the states decide.” Trump also had this to say about trans

equality on the O’Reilly Factor: “It would be unbelievably expensive nationwide … it would be hundreds of billions of dollars. I think our country really wants to spend money on other things. Let’s build more buildings, let’s create more jobs.” He claimed that while states should “protect everybody,” it would be too expensive to make trans-friendly bathrooms. Trump still supports building a giant wall on the Mexico border, an endeavor that experts have price tagged at $25 billion plus maintenance.

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Trump claims trans equality is ‘too expensive,’ still plans to build giant wall

Pride Fort Lauderdale Sets Date for Next Festival New president promises unity, but not diversity Michael d’Oliveira

here won’t be a Pride Fort Lauderdale event this year but organizers have promised it will be back in February of

2017. Miik Martorell, president of Pride, said the event will be held Feb. 26 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Last year’s event was held on Oct. 11 at War Memorial Auditorium in Holiday Park. “Everything has been approved with the exception of going to the [Fort Lauderdale] city commission. Everybody’s been very helpful and supportive,” he said. “Plus, being on the beach for our first year is going to be really exciting. The event had run its course there [at Holiday Park]. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough of a draw from the community. It wasn’t that bad it just didn’t have anything stunning.” Asked about parking, Martorell said Pride would be working to form partnerships with nearby hotels and the Galleria Mall to provide parking. A shuttle service would be employed to ferry attendees to and from the event. “There’s multiple levels of ways to address the parking situation.” Martorell said Pride was not interested in attaching a theme to next year’s event. “Our goal at this point is to bring together as many people from the community as possible.” That, he added, includes creating an event that has something that appeals to seniors, families and people who don’t drink alcohol. “One of the things we heard [last year] is it didn’t feel like a Pride [event].” Preparation for the event, said Martorell,

includes visiting and learning from other LGBT events around the country, as well as promoting the event here. “I’m using my frequent flyer miles to let people know Fort Lauderdale Pride is the place to be. I’ll be volunteering [at pride events] while Shawn [Manning, the only member of the board of directors so far] will be there promoting our booth.” As for some of the controversy of the past – a Pride meeting in November of 2015 devolved into shouting and fighting over elections – Martorell said the group would be run more like a business. “We won’t have the disunion we had in the past.” Martorell said a committee was appointed after that meeting. It operated until May when Pride had its elections. “Our job was done and it was time for us to have an election.” But at least one former Pride board member, Tim Higgins, said the board – Martorell, Manning and Rocco Bowell, secretary – needs to be more diverse. “It ended up being three white males again.” Martorell said he believes fully in diversity but he believes having the right people run things is more important. “It really has to be somebody who has an interest in making things happen. Diversity for diversity’s sake is not necessarily the way to go.” He did, however, say that all are welcome to join and help, and he expects a more diverse group as time goes on. “We’ll start to add people. The goal is to have people from every walk of life.”

For more information about the event, meetings or joining Pride, visit Facebook.com/ PrideFortLauderdale or call 754-222-2234.

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6.8.2016 •

community announcement

Chamber Chat

Save The Date!

Annual Pink Flamingo Awards Takes Place Thursday, Sept. 22

he 4th Annual Pink Flamingo Awards, one of South Florida’s most fun and entertaining events, will return to Jungle Island on Thursday, September 22nd. A benefit for the LGBT Visitor Center on Miami Beach, the Pink Flamingo Awards honor people, places and organizations that have demonstrated a level of excellence in the South Florida community throughout the year. “One of the things that sets the Pink Flamingo Awards apart from other recognition events is that it is members of the community who select the award recipients,” said Lori Lynch, Executive Director of the LGBT Visitor Center. “This is one of the reasons we chose the theme Community Celebrating Community for the event, as all of the individuals and organizations are submitted by the people who know them or use their services.” The theme also reflects the fact that the Pink Flamingo Awards is the sole fundraising event for the LGBT Visitor Center, enabling it to continue to provide programming and services to residents and visitors alike. Since the LGBT Visitor Center shares space with the Miami Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in Miami Beach’s Old

• 6.8.2016

City Hall, most people assume that they are one entity, but this is not the case. “Since the LGBT Visitor Center does not have a membership, we depend on the support of the community, with the Pink Flamingo Awards as our only fundraising event,” addds Lori. The LGBT Visitor Center is internationally renowned as having been the first of its kind in the United States. It serves as a major hub of activity and programming for our local community and welcomes thousands of visitors throughout the year. At the foundation of the Center’s community development is community wellness and social engagement. The LGBT Visitor Center offers a variety of workshops, group activities and panel discussions under the theme of personal wellness. To help build and strengthen our community relationships, it also holds social events at the Center throughout the year. The first round of voting will launch July 21, 2016, and the entire community is invited to take part in the voting process, selecting both the nominees and the winners at www.PinkFlamingoAwards.com. This is the “write-in” round where you can enter your favorites in each of the 21 categories, with voting ending on August 21, 2016.

The top 5 vote-getters in each category will be announced at a fabulous Kickoff Party August 27, 2016 at The Epic Hotel! The 2nd round of voting will kick off on August 29, with the winners to be announced at the 4th Annual Pink Flamingo Awards celebration. More than 500 people are expected to attend the 4th Annual Pink Flamingo Awards, which features an open bar cocktail reception, three-course dinner, silent auction and live entertainment showcasing some of the best that South Florida’s LGBT community and its allies have to offer.

An exciting celebrity emcee will be announced soon! Check for updates and announcements on the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pinkflamingoawards, and view a recap of the 2015 Pink Flamingo Awards at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6reIeK0JOI8 Tickets are $125 each, and sponsorships are available beginning at $250. For further information, visit www.PinkFlamingoAwards.com or contact Lori Lynch at lori@gogaymiami. com or (305) 397-8914.

About the LGBT Visitor Center The LGBT Visitor Center is operated by the MDGLCC Foundation, Inc., the 501c3 nonprofit foundation of the Miami Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. www.GoGayMiami.com

If you’re living with HIV, you may face another clinical challenge to healthy aging

Help Curb Excess Abdominal VAT Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) isn’t regular fat. VAT is a hard fat that surrounds organs, may be associated with serious health issues, and can be difficult to control with diet and exercise alone.

EGRIFTA ® (tesamorelin for injection) is the only FDA-approved treatment for excess HIV-related abdominal VAT EGRIFTA ® was shown to reduce VAT in 2 clinical trials of 816 total adult patients who received 2 mg of EGRIFTA ® or placebo (26-week Main Phase and 26-week Extension Phase).a Trial 1: 18% average reduction. Trial 2: 14% average reduction. For additional trial details, see the full Prescribing Information at EGRIFTA.com.

EGRIFTA® is not indicated to treat health issues beyond the reduction of excess abdominal VAT.

SELECTED RISK INFORMATION What is EGRIFTA ®? • EGRIFTA ® is an injectable prescription medicine to reduce the excess in abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The impact and safety of EGRIFTA ® on cardiovascular health has not been studied. • EGRIFTA ® is not indicated for weight loss management. • It is not known whether taking EGRIFTA ® helps improve compliance with anti-retroviral medications. EGRIFTA ® may cause serious side effects including: • Serious allergic reaction. Stop using EGRIFTA ® and get emergency help right away if you have symptoms such as a rash over your body, hives, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, swelling of your face or throat, fast heartbeat, and feeling of faintness or fainting.

• Swelling (fluid retention). EGRIFTA ® can cause swelling in some parts of your body. • Increase in glucose (blood sugar) intolerance and diabetes. • Injection site reactions. Change (rotate) your injection site to help lower your risk for injection site reactions. The following symptoms around the area of the injection site can occur: redness, itching, pain, irritation, bleeding, rash, and swelling. The most common side effects of EGRIFTA ® include: joint pain, pain in legs and arms, swelling in your legs, muscle soreness, tingling, numbness and pricking, nausea, vomiting, rash, and itching. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Please see brief summary of full Important Patient Information on next page.

Learn more at EGRIFTA.com

A Transformation From Within

6.8.2016 •

IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION The following is a brief summary only. See complete Prescribing Information at EGRIFTA.com or request complete Prescribing Information by calling 1-844-347-4382. This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your medical condition or your treatment. What is EGRIFTA ® (tesamorelin for injection)? • EGRIFTA ® is an injectable prescription medicine to reduce the excess in abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The impact and safety of EGRIFTA ® on cardiovascular health has not been studied. • EGRIFTA ® is not indicated for weight loss management. • It is not known whether taking EGRIFTA ® helps improve compliance with anti-retroviral medications. Do not use EGRIFTA ® if you: • have pituitary gland tumor, pituitary gland surgery or other problems related to your pituitary gland. • have active cancer or are receiving treatment for cancer • are allergic to tesamorelin or mannitol. • are pregnant or become pregnant. If you become pregnant, stop using EGRIFTA ® and talk with your healthcare provider. Talk to your doctor to find out if EGRIFTA ® is right for you. How should I use EGRIFTA ®?

The most common side effects of EGRIFTA ® include: • joint pain • nausea • pain in legs and arms • vomiting • swelling in your legs • rash • muscle soreness • itching • tingling, numbness and pricking

• Read the detailed “Instructions for Use” that comes with EGRIFTA ® before you start using EGRIFTA ®. Your healthcare provider will show you how to inject EGRIFTA ®. • Use EGRIFTA ® exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. • Inject EGRIFTA ® under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach area (abdomen). • Change (rotate) the injection site on your stomach area (abdomen) with each dose. Do not inject EGRIFTA ® into scar tissue, bruises or your navel.

These are not all the possible side effects of EGRIFTA ®. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

EGRIFTA ® may cause serious side effects including:

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• Serious allergic reaction. Some people taking EGRIFTA ® may have an allergic reaction. Stop using EGRIFTA ® and get emergency help right away if you have any of the following symptoms: • a rash over your body • shortness of breath or trouble breathing • hives • fast heartbeat • swelling of your face or • feeling of faintness throat or fainting

• Swelling (fluid retention). EGRIFTA ® can cause swelling in some parts of your body. Call your healthcare provider if you have an increase in joint pain, or pain or numbness in your hands or wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). • Increase in glucose (blood sugar) intolerance and diabetes. Your healthcare provider will measure your blood sugar periodically. • Injection-site reactions. Change (rotate) your injection site to help lower your risk for injection-site reactions. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice if you have the following symptoms around the area of the injection site: • redness • bleeding • itching • rash • pain • swelling • irritation

• 6.8.2016

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to 1-844-EGRIFTA (1-844-347-4382).

toll-free at

For more information about EGRIFTA ®, go to www.EGRIFTA.com or contact toll-free at 1-844-EGRIFTA (1-844-347-4382). ®

Distributed by: Theratechnologies Inc., 2015 Peel Street, Montreal, Québec, Canada H3A 1T8.

Photo: Facebook.

news key west

Key West Celebrates Pride June 8 – 12 Andrew Printer

une is typically Pride month around the country and Key West is no exception to that rule. Unlike most cities, however, Key West stretches a weekend of parties and parades into five nights and four days of fun beginning with a kick-off party at Island House on Wednesday, June 8. It’s the only occasion in the year when the world famous men’s resort opens its doors to both men and women. Believe me this busy reception sets a festive tone for the super-long weekend. For the past two years, and timed with Pride deliberately, Stolichnaya vodka has relied upon Key West’s colorful locale for the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic. The multipart event unfolds in multiple venues from Thursday until Sunday until it crowns a winner: the best mixer of Stoli drinks in the land. Judges this year include Jai Rodriguez, Latoya London and Bruce Villanch. Elsewhere, there are numerous activities to look forward to on the island legendary for its laid back style and its open and accepting atmosphere. Here’s a snapshot of what to look out for: Ms., Miss and Mr. Gay Pride contests will be happening at 801 and Bourbon Street Pub Wednesday through Friday. There’s a tutu relay race on Saturday and a very colorful rainbow bike parade on Thursday. Fury Water Adventure’s everpopular Tea on the Sea sunset sail happens on Saturday night. But be warned, tickets are limited and are they are selling fast and likely to disappear quickly. For those of you who attend Key West

Pride regularly here are a few new activities to enjoy: Aqua has resurrected the The Newlywed Game, once a long-running TV show but always a lot of fun in a bar setting. If you and your partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife think you know each other back-tofront then show up to register at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening and put your confidence to the test. Key West Contemporary Art is a new gallery in town located at 516 White Street, just opposite Island House. Specially scheduled for the summer the gallery is showing the work of gay artists Corey Thering and Nathan Emanuel. Thering, a Washington-state based painter will be showing a set of watercolors imagining domestic life in the tropics. Meanwhile, Emanuel embroiders scenes from pornography onto lace doilies found in Iowa thrift stores. Sounds like a must see to me! Receptions are scheduled for Friday from 4-7 and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. As per usual the whole event comes to a close with the Pride Parade itself, which happens along Duval Street on Sunday. It begins at 5 p.m. This year’s parade will have a family friendly transgender float and everyone is invited to show their support of the transgender community by cheering it on. You are welcome to help build and ride the float too if you get to town early. Go to “Pride Transgender Float” on Facebook for more information about that. The centerpiece of the transgender float will be the "STALL FOR ALL" a port-o-potty for everyone. 6.8.2016 •

passages

Founder of Pride Center Dies

SFGN Staff

Cancer claims Alan Schubert

ne of the seminal founders of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Fort Lauderdale, Alan Schubert, passed away last Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Cancer took his life. Alan was 70 years old, and residing in Oakland Park at the time of his death, relocating to South Florida from Chicago only months ago. Survived by Robert Suzuki, his spouse, Alan's legacy will be long lasting. The building that houses the Pride Center at Equality Park bears his name, testimony to his philanthropic giving and workmanlike initiatives in launching the Pride Center back in 1993. Tributes came in from all sources, recognizing the intense passion and zealous fervor with which Alan lived his life. After attending the University of Illinois, Alan founded Labor World in 1974, a temporary help provider in Chicago, which quickly became a leader in the industry. But he yearned for warm weather, and relocated to South Florida in 1984, where he immersed himself in causes that helped others. He underwrote numerous charitable endeavors, providing financial support to the Broward Gay and Lesbian Youth Group, the Child Care Connection, the Jewish AIDS Network, along with the Broward Public Library, Human Rights Campaign, Center One and Tuesday's Angels. Alan's heart though, was set upon finding a steady place where gays and lesbians could meet and congregate safely. From a second floor rental in an office building on Oakland Park Boulevard to a stand alone structure on Andrews Avenue, Alan's legacy is now the Pride Center at Equality Park, a 5 and a Robert Boo I'm very fortunate to have known Alan Schubert for over 10 years. Over the years he used to randomly call me up and the first thing he'd say was "Do you know who this is?" It always cracked me up because his voice was so distinctive. Although he lived many miles away he always kept track of The Center and watched our progress. You could hear how proud he was in his voice. We wouldn't be here without Alan Schubert. His vision, his ability to build healthy coalitions, his passion and his skill laid the foundation for all that The Center has become... Jim Stork, Former Mayor of Wilton Manors Alan's vision, leadership and determination raised the bar for everyone. He truly inspired me to do more for my community. Richard Gray, Greater Fort Lauderdale Tourism Development Board I remember vividly how Alan would visit with me after I opened The Royal Palms in 1991 and share his dream and vision of opening a Gay

â&#x20AC;˘ 6.8.2016

half acre campus with 35,000 square feet of meeting space. An intense man with a love for reading and life, Alan moved back to Chicago roughly ten years ago, to manage the business he founded, returning back to South Florida earlier this year. By Alan's side upon his passing was his twin sister, Barbara Fields, and his husband Robert. While the cremation services were private, the Pride Center will hold a memorial tribute and homage to Alan on June 23, at their monthly Founder's meeting. The Pride Center issued this formal statement: "His impact on this community and beyond is immeasurable. In 1993, Schubert--philanthropist and gay pioneer--conceived the idea for the then Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida. Alan determined that a safe community center in Fort Lauderdale could assist existing and new groups serving the LGBTQ communities. Twenty three years later this month, The Center continues to honor Alan's original vision. Alan and his husband Robert recently moved back to South Florida. Our Center family has enjoyed the opportunity to hear directly from Alan his joy at the growth and evolution of The Center. Our thoughts and prayers are with his partner Robert, their family and friends."

Community Center here in Greater Fort Lauderdale. He was so passionate and persistent. How could I not resist his charm and belief. I became one of the first Founders with a donation of $5,000. What an incredible journey it has been and I am so incredibly proud that it has now become the 7th largest Pride Center in the World. Gary Resnick, Mayor of Wilton Manors My sympathies to Alan's husband and family. I was privileged to know Alan when I first got involved in Wilton Manors. His wonderful support for the creation of the GLBT community center -- now the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors - inspired many people including myself. We will honor Alan's many contributions to our community. Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Alan Schubert blessed us with his vision and determination to bring unity to a community that was still seeking an identity and purpose. I worked with Alan for many years in trying to achieve this vision, joining with him from the start to establish our Community Center, and later to assist the Center as

passages it grew and took shape through the many challenges which confronted it. His personal investment in both money and time is without equal, and he is one of many angels who have allowed the LGBT community to prosper. May his memory be eternal. Robin Bodiford, Attorney and Activist I will always remember Alan for his infectious smile and that special twinkle in his eye, his enthusiasm and devotion to the task of gaining acceptance for the gay community at a point in history - a turning point -where gays were still widely reviled as perverts but the possibility of equality shimmered on the horizon. Alan was one of the heroes whose hopes and dreams are still coming to fruition as we gain LGBT equality. I am proud to have worked beside him. Norm Kent, SFGN Publisher Knowing Alan Schubert for decades was a privilege. He was a man of unyielding enthusiasm, incalculable drive, exhaustive determination, and boundless energy. His moral force founded a community center on one hand, and seeded an entire community on the other. Though retired, and relocated, his name still graces the foundation of the Pride Center, and he will always be recalled and revered as a special person within our midst. Yvonne Rohrbach, founding V.P. of the GLCC At 32 years old, I thought I was energetic and well meaning.I was ready to make a mark and help our community, which was still a dangerous proposition. Meeting Alan Schubert, I quickly learned that there was a much higher level to strive for. His vision for a Gay and Lesbian community center in his new home, South Florida, was informed by what was happening in other big cities; he was determined to use his good fortune and hard work to move our community forward and look after our most vulnerable. He especially cared about the youngest and oldest of our community and created opportunities for these groups even before we had a GLCC physical location. As the founding V.P. of the GLCC, I was privileged to receive his daily "morning wake up calls", as he was always thinking and planning , and reaching out to pull others into our project. I am sure he is doing the same in heaven.

6.8.2016 â&#x20AC;˘

column letters to the editor

Letters to the Editor Stop Demonizing Vacation Rentals; Here Are The Real Facts A response to Sal Torre and Wilton Manors

e own and run a city and state licensed, tax paying business that brings hundreds of shoppers, tourists and future residents to Wilton Manors each year. We pay double the real estate taxes of homeowners, and the 11 percent lodging tax. We have invested over two million dollars in our city and created the equivalent of five full time jobs. Now, the Wilton Manors Commission wants to put us out of business; they make absolutely no bones about it. You see, we own vacation rentals. We hold one of the 20 or so Florida State vacation rental licenses in Wilton Manors. Many other vacation rentals do not hold these licenses and are operating without them. The City can enforce the existing laws to prevent their operation. The City will raise more revenue as these unlicensed rentals will then have to pay the 11 percent lodging tax that we already pay. The State will also be able to make sure the rentals are in compliance with the state regulations like our licensed properties. The 2010 Census found 3,000 rental units in Wilton Manors, yet the City has issued only 1,500 licenses. There are 1,500 unlicensed rentals in Wilton Manors. Yet, the City Commission wants to put our licensed vacation rentals out of business with their onerous and unfair Ordinance. The City requires a $50 fee and annual inspection for licensing other residential rentals for 31 days or longer. However, licenses are routinely granted without any inspections. Our units, whether pool homes or apartment units in a self contained compound will now be required to each pay $750 for a city license, be inspected and be subjected to ‘at will visits’ from compliance officers. We will be required to file paper copies of our leases (which don’t

• 6.8.2016

exist in this electronic age), and have a 24/7 on call contact living in Broward County to respond within one hour to complaints. No other rentals are required to have such onerous and unfair regulations. The City Commission is targeting only properties and owners who have legal vacation rentals. This from a city, which is closed three days a week and does not require its workers to live in the city. Currently, all properties, owner occupied, multi family or vacation rentals are subject to the same health, safety, fire, noise and parking regulations, and have been for years. It’s a matter of Code enforcement. Period! Let there be no understanding. We also want unlicensed rentals to either comply with the previous reasonable laws that we already have complied with or shut down, too. But adding requirements for those already obeying the law doesn’t stop those who are now and will continue to be illegal. Where is the equity in that? It’s as if speeding was an ongoing problem on Wilton Drive and the City Commission decided the solution was to inspect all pickup trucks (at $750 each), give licenses without inspection to all cars (at $50 each), and allow delivery trucks only in a certain block (free). Nothing related to actually addressing the problem. We attempted for nearly two years to try and craft a workable ordinance – we are greeted with ‘I don’t care what the law says, I want vacation rentals shut down.’ So, we were forced to file a lawsuit against the city to stop this unequal, unfair and unconstitutional treatment of short term and long-term rentals, and the punitive fee structure.

Jeffery Hill and Roger France

My Experience With Airbnb

found James Oaksun, article “Real Estate: The New World Versus The Old” very interesting and thought I would share some thought on my experience with Airbinb. I rented my house through Airbnb through the 2015-16 high season and my overall experience was very positive. I was very careful when approving a guest request. Most of my guests were from other countries and where either adult couples between 40-60 or families with one or two children. I made a conscious decision not to rent to gay men which might sound kind of weird considering I am a gay man. The primary reason I did this is because most gay men traveling to South Florida come here to party and play which I totally understand. I live in a nice house on the water in a quite neighborhood and was somewhat concerned with loud parties that would impose on my very gracious neighbors. My main concern was that I wouldn't feel comfortable with guests who are strangers who would perhaps go on a social hook up site like Grindr and invite other strangers into my home. Keep in mind I wasn't sharing my house with guests so they had the entire house to themselves. I struggled with this decision and would be interested how others feel. My home was rented out during the entire season and the guest I had took very good care of it and my reviews were excellent. There are some specifics to Mr. Oaksun's

story that I'd like to point out. Airbnb and other sites like that are definitely not a cash business. When someone makes a reservation they do it through Airbnb and Airbnb holds the money in a escrow account until the first day after the guests arrive. Then the funds are transferred into the host bank account. Airbnb deducts their fees and also takes care of Florida's 6 percent sales tax. The host is responsible for the 5 percent hospitality tax and Airbnb provides a 1099 and other documentation for the host and the IRS. The entire process is very organized and seamless which is how they can account for the $16 million South Florida received in taxes. Another very important issue to be aware of is your homestead exemption. Because my home was going to be rented out for 6 months, I made the mistake of changing my address to my P.O. Box. When Broward's Homestead exemption letters are sent out every November they have to go to the property address or they are sent back. I was investigated and they even sent someone to my house when guests were staying here. I lost my homestead exemption for 2016 but they will bridge my rates from 2015 provided I don't rent my house. Sorry about this lengthy letter but I hope it's helpful to others.

Regards, Lary Arnett

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

column letters to the editor

Photo: Facebook.

Vitambi Springs Slams SFGN For Not Including Them in Camping Issue V

itambi Springs wasn’t accidentally omitted or forgotten, we were intentionally snubbed by the writer. We are the closest campground serving all of South Florida; you would imagine SFGN readers would want to know about us. The writer should follow his heart and write for the Northern NY Gay News since “gorgeous” Jones Pond receives top billing every year and the lion’s share of praise and ink. We got slighted when we hesitated to invite back the author on the weekend of his choosing to undergo our annual public cavity search. Honestly, I don’t know why campgrounds would support his behavior. It is hard to understand the agenda of the writer. Does he want people to go or keep them from going? A factual overview would suffice without all the hyperbolic opinion. He misuses his opportunity to educate our community about the wonderful possibilities available to us with unnecessary unflattering commentary that is personal to his tastes: “scattered campsites hither and yon with no apparent planning” he calls a place “the (States) premier gay campground… setting the standard” only to be followed with “has seen little investment… it’s neglected… infrastructure in disrepair… much remains to be done… shower rooms needs updating.” Uum, Thank You? Maybe you’d want your

campground represented with a photo of people wearing an “I love to Fart” t-shirt or maybe you’d be happier with the beautifully photographed handsome cowboys in the Jones Pond photo. For us, it’s been a photo of some trees or something taken from 100 yards away on a cloudy day. The earlier review for us went on and on about being told to put a towel on when ordering food, how hot and muggy and buggy it was for him on his visit…in August. I’d like to hear the Jones Pond review for a February visit, and then I’d think there was an ounce of independent journalism going on. Frankly, I’m embarrassed by his self-righteous pettiness. I just don’t relate to his view of what makes camping special. I’ll take astronomers, men playing sports and games, organized hikes, birding events, bonfires and anything that promotes community fellowship over being rated for DJs and Shows as required in the beauty pageant poll to make it into his 2017 top 10 campground list. We just don’t operate from the same perspective and his article is entirely about his viewpoint. It’s a view that’s not representative of the millions of So FL residents that do not travel the country by motorhome in their leisure time. Many DO look for ideas for a weekend escape – if only the SFGN could provide that prospective. Let me be clear about one thing, I think

Jones Pond is swell, the owners are amazing people, I hope to visit someday. Its Memorial Day weekend, our 3rd straight sold out weekend, I have more important things to be doing than ranting. However, judging from the number of calls & emails we’ve received, it was disappointing and alarming to our many guests that our camp – their camp, was blatantly overlooked. The author has been

here, he knows us, our website is easy to visit – his piece for SFGN deliberately did not include us when discussing camping options for the South Florida gay community. He allowed his agenda to Trump the interest of the community and nobody appreciates a bully.

Steve McCloud

SFGN's Response

Editor’s Note: The last two years we’ve done a gay camping issue that focused on Florida. This year we decided to expand that to include locations outside of Florida. Obviously we have space constraints and therefore not every location in Florida could be featured. Having said that Vitambi has been featured several times in the past and it’s the only campground in Florida to receive a standalone feature that wasn’t part of a roundup of other gay campgrounds. Our past coverage includes “A Weekend at Vitambi Springs Resort & Camp,” “Travel: Vitambi Springs,” and “Gay Camping in Florida: Everything You Need to Know.” Furthermore the author Ric Reily is not a news writer so he has full leeway to express his opinion and thoughts. He is an avid camper with years of experience in camping in Florida and around the country. Here are just a few things he’s said about Vitambi in the past: "The resort is a beautiful well-maintained property with picturesque views, gorgeous sunsets and wide-open spaces.” "The VS staff is friendly and helpful." "VS is an already complete, well managed, fun destination. The owners and staff are involved and interested in your experience, the Bongo Bar is lively…"] 6.8.2016 •

Guest

Convictions

Obama Proclaims June LGBT Pride Month S

ince our founding, America has advanced on an unending path toward becoming a more perfect Union. This journey, led by forwardthinking individuals who have set their sights on reaching for a brighter tomorrow, has never been easy or smooth. The fight for dignity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is reflected in the tireless dedication of advocates and allies who strive to forge a more inclusive society. They have spurred sweeping progress by changing hearts and minds and by demanding equal treatment -- under our laws, from our courts, and in our politics. This month, we recognize all they have done to bring us to this point, and we recommit to bending the arc of our Nation toward justice. Last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality in all 50 States was a historic victory for LGBT Americans, ensuring dignity for same-sex couples and greater equality across State lines. For every partnership that was not previously recognized under the law and for every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals. LGBT individuals deserve to know their country stands beside them. That is why my Administration is striving to better understand the needs of LGBT adults and to provide affordable, welcoming, and supportive housing to aging LGBT Americans. It is also why we oppose subjecting minors to the

A Proclamation The President Of The United States Of America

harmful practice of conversion therapy, and why we are continuing to promote equality and foster safe and supportive learning environments for all students. We remain committed to addressing health disparities in the LGBT community -- gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color are at a particularly high risk for HIV, and we have worked to strengthen our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce new infections, increase access to care, and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV. Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years, LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they are. I signed an Executive Order in 2014 that prohibits discrimination against Federal employees and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I urge the Congress to enact legislation that builds upon the progress we have made, because no one should live in fear of losing their job simply because of who they are or who they love. And our commitment to combatting discrimination against the LGBT community does not stop at our borders: Advancing the fair treatment of all people has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and we have made defending and promoting the human rights of LGBT individuals a priority in our engagement across the globe. In line with America’s commitment to the notion that all people should be treated fairly and with respect, champions of this cause at home and abroad are upholding the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.

There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals long knew to be true in their hearts -- that love is love and that no person should be judged by anything but the content of their character. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast belief in the equal dignity of all Americans. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth. – Barack Obama

Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years, LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who they are. - President Barack Obama

Photo Credit: The White House

• 6.8.2016

Transforming Gender

Convictions

Photo Credit: POOL, CNN.

Acknowledging Reality

Rebecca Juro

rjuroshow@gmail.com

o, I finally did it. I didn’t really want to do it, and doing it didn’t fill me with pride or hope, but I did it. I turned off my recurring monthly donation to the Bernie Sanders campaign and I donated a few bucks to Hillary Clinton’s. I have a few reasons for doing this, not the least of which is a commonsense understanding of the numbers. Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic Party nominee for President, and anyone who tries to tell you different just isn’t living in reality. Those numbers tell us that the threat of a Donald Trump presidency is both real and terrifying. I remember how few of us on the left believed that George W. Bush could actually win the White House, but I also remember how unenthused most of us were about the prospect of Al Gore in the big chair. I believe that it’s precisely because so few of us were motivated to actively support Al Gore that George Bush was able to get close enough to send the election to the Supreme Court and put into office the worst American President

Why I’m now supporting Hillary Clinton

in living memory, maybe ever. As much as I support the policies promoted by Bernie Sanders, and as much as I wish the numbers were different, I know as well as anyone how high the stakes are, as does anyone who was politically conscious throughout the eight years of the Bush presidency. It’s not, as so many have argued, the lesser of two evils. Those eight years of Bush taught us that it’s really a choice between a President, who’s likely to say much, but do little for working class LGBT Americans; or a President, who’s at best as likely as not to declare open season on LGBT equality and civil rights for his own political gain as he looks the other way when Republicancontrolled states do their level best to legislate LGB and especially trans people out of modern American life. Simply put, the stakes are just too high for me to cast my lot with my ideal candidate anymore because, as much as I wish it were otherwise, I know in my heart that at this point Bernie Sanders has about as much chance of actually becoming President as I do. My values haven’t changed, nor has my opinion of which candidate would make

Those numbers tell us that the threat of a Donald Trump presidency is both real and terrifying.

the best President. I’ve simply come around to acknowledging the truth, that when the choice is what it is, Clinton versus Trump, there’s only one credible answer. Honestly, I don’t expect much from a President Hillary Clinton. Once elected, I expect her to forget about working class LGBT Americans and the issues that matter most in our lives just as quickly as Barack Obama did. The fact that she’s apparently unwilling to keep even the most basic of promises she could make to the trans community, to fill out the Trans United Fund survey and tell us where she stands on some pretty important trans-relevant issues, says much. And yet, I’d much rather have a President who ignores us than one who actively looks to harm trans people or helps others to do it for political gain. So, I’ve stopped giving money to Bernie Sanders, as tiny as those donations were, and instead I’ve made my first and maybe only donation to the Clinton campaign. I don’t want to spend another eight-year stretch like the Bush years just hoping trans folks

can manage to stay out of the line of fire and knowing that real progress for trans people at the federal level is simply impossible for at least the next four years. If I’m to be completely honest, I don’t feel good about it. I can’t honestly call myself a Hillary Clinton supporter. I feel like I’m giving up on fighting for my ideal America because even just maintaining the status quo and losing any real hope for progress is better than the alternative of having to live under a federal government that would actively seek to punish me and others like me just for being who we are. I’ve been there, as have all of us of a certain age. I remember what it was like. I don’t want to go back there again, nor do I suspect do many of us who support Bernie Sanders and what he stands for. I just want to live in a country that accepts me for who I am and a government that doesn’t go out of its way to punish me for it. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m just getting too old for this shit.

Rebecca Juro is a nationally-published freelance journalist and radio talk show host who is the Media Correspondent for The Advocate website. Her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, the Washington Blade, Gay City News, the Albany Times Union, and The Advocate magazine, among others. Rebecca lives in central New Jersey and shares her life with a somewhat antisocial cat. Email: rjuroshow@gmail.com Twitter: @beckyjuro

6.8.2016 •

Guest

Convictions

Reproductive Justice for All, Not Just Cisgender Heterosexual Women Olivia Alperstein

We need to have an inclusive conversation about reproductive rights and economic security.

hen we talk about reproductive rights or reproductive justice, we have to acknowledge that guaranteeing rights does not guarantee access to services. Economic security has a huge impact on individuals’ ability to access reproductive healthcare, and the effect is even more pronounced for members of the LGBT community. If we want to have a truly inclusive conversation about reproductive justice that takes into account the full spectrum of an individual’s experience — income, employment, race, ethnicity, disability, education, marital status, history of abuse, mental health, and many other factors that directly impact a person’s reproductive choices — then we must include sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression as factors that not only impact a person’s practical right to choose but also may limit a person’s reproductive options. LGBT individuals face extra hurdles when accessing healthcare, period. Insurance companies may refuse to recognize someone’s gender or sexuality or discriminate against them and deny coverage based on that identity. The same thing goes for reproductive health

• 6.8.2016

specialists. Reproductive healthcare specialists are supposed to consider a person’s medical history, sexual history, and lifestyle habits when evaluating certain risk factors and proscribing treatment methods. But what if that doesn’t happen? What if the patient is a transgender man whose family has a long history of breast cancer, and he wants to know whether he should get screened? Does the fact that he presents as male and has had gender confirmation surgery impact his chances of getting cancer, or does his family history still put him at risk? Will the doctor even be willing to recognize his male identity? What if a lesbian woman wants to discuss birth control options, but the nurse handling intake keeps assuming that she is straight and that her sexual history reflects that? What if a transgender man seeks an abortion? What if an HIV-positive person has to choose whether to reveal their status on a medical form in a state where they can still be fired for having HIV/AIDS? Cisgender heterosexual people do not have to face the added challenge of whether to present their authentic selves when seeking medical care. We need to talk about the people

who do, and what that means for their ability to access reproductive healthcare. We also need to talk about the lack of job security that many LGBT Americans face. Over 20 states still do not have employment nondiscrimination laws. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, more than 20 percent of LGBT adults have experienced workplace discrimination. In another study conducted by the Williams Institute, 38.2 percent of openly LGBT people said they had been harassed at work. An overwhelming majority of transgender and gender non-conforming people report harassment and mistreatment in the workplace — almost half report being fired, denied a job, or denied a promotion because of their gender identity or expression. These grim statistics highlight the profound lack of economic security that many LGBT individuals face, and without stable job security, many lack stable access to healthcare benefits. Access to healthcare services is also impacted by housing security. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, as many as 40 percent of youth serviced by agencies identify as

LGBT, and 30 percent of street outreach clients identified as LGBT. LGBT individuals are at high risk of homelessness — the stigma they face amongst families and in social settings may literally land them on the street. Despite being homeless, anyone can enroll in government-sponsored health insurance, including under the Affordable Care Act, and you do not need to have an income or address to fill out the application. But access to such resources requires access to internet, assistance with paperwork, and a valid form of ID, which can present a serious challenge. Once a person gets access to insurance, they also need to be able to get to the doctor’s office. If the clinic is too far away, people cannot afford to access their doctors even if their insurance covers the visit. These are some of the challenges LGBT Americans may face in trying to access reproductive healthcare. We look forward to advancing a national conversation on reproductive rights that includes LGBT experiences and perspectives and invites LGBT voices to help shape advocacy and legislation for years to come.

JUNE, 2016 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com • Vol. 6 Issue 1

the

More AIDS stories online!

S pirit

SFGN’s HIV/AIDS News Source

National Minority AIDS Council Hosts `Strong Communities' Sean McShee

aniele Houston of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) hosted an interactive meeting with members of Broward’s HIV infected and affected communities in April. NMAC selected Broward and nine other metro areas. All 10 had high rates of HIV infection and were in states that refused to expand Medicaid. This meeting functioned as a feedback loop between NMAC and Broward. It introduced Broward to NMAC. It also provided NMAC with information about Broward’s HIV epidemic.

Gay black men a focus

Health Conference First, Houston discussed the HIV epidemic. She focused on gay Black men. Among racial groups of gay men, gay Black men have the lowest risk. Yet, they have highest HIV infection rates. She also spoke about the invisibility of transgender women in HIV reporting. In the meeting’s second half, Houston listened as people provided their views on Broward’s HIV epidemic. On May 11, Houston returned to Broward with feedback from the April meeting integrated into NMAC’s general understanding.

6.8.2016 •

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S pirit

Health

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

Study Shows Spiritual Thinking May

Help People with HIV Denise Royal

How HIV Works The difference between undetectable and suppressed Sean McShee

Health Conference

his workshop also provided an understandable explanation of how HIV works, rejecting overly technical explanations. In Houston’s words, “No one has to understand how the heart works, to take the meds to lower blood pressure.” Houston described the immune system’s four functions. “If it does not belong, keep it out. If it gets in, eliminate it. If it is broken, repair it. If you have to live with it, control it.” The immune system functions like an army. CD4 cells regulate it, like a general, but HIV targets those CD4 cells. Antibodies kill or neutralize the “invader’, like weapons. A count of CD4 cells measures the immune system’s strength. A count of the viral load measures HIV’s strength. As one becomes stronger, the other becomes weaker. Even with treatment and a high CD4 cell count, HIV infection produces chronic inflammation. According to Houston, that inflammation contributes to the cancers and heart problems associated with HIV. Houston clarified how an undetectable viral load differs from a suppressed viral load. The limits of the lab test define undetectability. When moving between states, the capabilities of the labs may change. Someone could have undetectable results in one state and detectable in another. While their viral load remained unchanged, the capacity of the labs differed. According to Houston, Florida’s labtests can detect up to 20 viral copies. According to AIDSinfo.hiv.gov, researchers have defined viral suppression as a viral load of less than 200 viral copies per milliliter. In the developed world, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has transformed HIV from a fatal disease to a chronic manageable infection. People with HIV need HAART. As Houston succinctly put it, “With untreated HIV, you’re never going to be healthier than you were yesterday.” HAART consists of three or more antiretroviral drugs. HAART requires strict adherence to a daily treatment routine. Irregular HAART use not only threatens the patient’s health, but also

• 6.8.2016

may lead to an antiretroviral-resistant strain of HIV. Drug resistance to an antiretroviral removes that antiretroviral from the potential treatments for HIV infection. Scientists are developing long acting injectable ARVs. It could replace the daily routine of pill taking with monthly visits to a doctor. It could minimize problems with inconsistent or irregular use of HAART. Houston emphasized PrEP’s importance for all gay and bi men, particularly for gay and bi men of color. She did note two exceptions: people prone to inconsistent PrEP use and people unwilling to undergo PrEP’s regular monitoring. Like HAART, PrEP requires strict adherence to a daily routine of medications. Houston reported that inconsistent PrEP use leads to an unknown level of protection. Over time, inconsistent PrEP use leads to even less consistent PrEP use and no protection. Houston emphasized, “PrEP doesn’t work if it’s not taken.” As with HAART, researchers are developing a long acting PrEP injectable. This would minimize problems adhering to the daily treatment routine. Houston emphasized that PrEP could only improve, “Now, it’s the worst, and most complex, that it will ever be. It will only get simpler from here.” Houston described an occasional problem with doctor’s prescribing PrEP. Some doctors are more willing to prescribe PrEP for couples desiring pregnancy than to prescribe PrEP for gay men desiring sexual pleasure. This reveals a clear procreative bias. Good communication results in health literacy, the ability to exchange useful medical information. Doctors frequently fail to provide meaningful information to their patients. An educational gulf separates provider from patient, but the professional has the responsibility to bridge that gulf. Houston emphasized that “Doctors treat diseases; good doctors treat people.” That commitment to patient centered care lay at the heart of this workshop.

piritual thinking may help people with HIV live longer. Spirituality has many definitions, but at its core spirituality helps to give life context and meaning; that appears to be true for HIV patients as well. New research, published this month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, takes a broad look at this issue. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Miami and Florida International University over a 17year period, found that patients who practiced some form of spirituality survived up to four times longer than those who did not. The study’s subjects were asked about their specific practices whether they prayed, meditated, or attended religious services; were grateful to God for what they had; or had overcome feelings of “spiritual guilt,” believing God would forgive them for wrongdoing. The study suggests the way people think about the meaning of their lives and their relationship with God can have a positive effect on their health. About 177 people with HIV, initially in the mid-state of disease, participated in the study. They were given a series of questions and essays to assess their levels of spirituality. Researchers asked study participants if they prayed, meditated

or attended religious services. About 20 percent of participants “re-framed” their illness in the language of spirituality. The survival rate of such people was about four times greater than other study participants Because this is a qualitative study, the results are based on interpretation. Qualitative research typically does not try to quantify anything or use statistical methods. Rather, it seeks to understand other people’s perspectives and motivations. A major limitation of the study is that it does not determine if positive thinking without the religious component also would lead to increased survival rates. Dr. Gail Ironson, the lead researcher of the study has more than 100 publications in the field of behavioral medicine applied to HIV/AIDS. She has directed or codirected federally funded research studies investigating psychological factors in long survival with HIV/AIDS. In addition, she set up and runs the trauma treatment program at the University of Miami Psychological Services Center, that makes available to the community (on a sliding scale basis) both traditional (PE) and newer (EMDR) approaches to treatment.

The study suggests the way people think about the meaning of their lives and their relationship with God can have a positive effect on their health.

LIFESAVER useacondom.com

6.8.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

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S pirit

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

Health

Strong, Resilient Communities Health Conference Sean McShee

lack gay men have a 1 in 2 lifetime chance of HIV infection. Latino gay men have a 1 in 4 chance. White gay men have a 1 in 11 chance. Research has yet to find evidence of greater risk behaviors among Black gay men, than among other gay men. In April Danielle Houston of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) hosted a forum, “Strong Communities.” She presented a sophisticated view about this issue. While Houston focused mainly on Black gay men, she was inclusive of others. Houston introduced several concepts: Resilience, intersectionality, and social determinants. Some people may find these concepts unfamiliar. The American Psychological Association describes resilience as the ability to adapt well to challenges. These challenges can include problems with relationships, health, and money. Resilience refers to the ability to face difficult challenges and succeed. Emphasizing resilience rejects assumptions that a racial minority community only exists as a collection of problems. It also rejects assumptions that male-on-male sex only exists as a way to transmit disease. These rejected assumptions reflect and reinforce stigma. A resilient approach looks for and builds on already existing strengths. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines intersectionality as the complex, overlapping effects of discrimination’s distinct forms. Houston clarified the power dynamics of intersectionality. She said, “Systems of economic inequality, racism, bigotry, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism do not act independently of one another.”

Intersectionality reflects people’s lived experience, but HIV reporting and HIV programs reflect epidemiological risk groups. Nonop transgender women have the same anatomy as men. HIV reporting combines data from transgender women with that from gay men into one epidemiological risk group. In that risk group, “men who have sex with men,” transgender women become invisible. When transgender women become invisible, we lose knowledge of their HIV burden. The Centers for Disease Control defines social determinants as “Conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes.” Houston listed the following as social determinants of the HIV epidemic: (a) socio-economic status, (b) poverty, (c) transportation, (d) availability and affordability of housing, (e) access to healthcare services, and (f) discrimination and harassment. Each of the above factors produces stressors. As these stressors combine, they can lead to risk behaviors, heart disease, and other health problems. Many other factors can lead to these health problems, which occur in all types of people. This combination of stressors, however, can amplify these health problems among people who lack power. In a hierarchy of power, those at the top have buffers to protect themselves. For example, people with power have access to retail, restaurant, movie, and vacation “therapy.” They can also access traditional therapy. People at the top of a power imbalance gather most social “goods.”

Those at the bottom lack those buffers and have less room for “error.” They end up in prison for minor “offenses” like smoking pot. People at the bottom of a power imbalance receive most social “bads.” NMAC has a three-part strategy to deal with these power imbalances. First, NMAC selects a limited number of cities. Second, NMAC assesses the state of the HIV epidemic in those cities over a period of years. Third, NMAC conducts workshops in those cities, based on those assessments. For more information on social determinants of health, please visit CDC.gov/SocialDeterminants For more information on resilience, please visit APA.org/HelpCenter/road-resilience.aspx For more information on intersectionality, please visit Washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2015/09/24/whyintersectionality-cant-wait

Obama on the 35th Anniversary of HIV/ AIDS in America Photo Credit: POOL, CNN.

Barack Obama

n June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on what would later be understood as the first documented cases of AIDS. The past 35 years tell a story that bends from uncertainty, fear, and loss toward resilience, innovation, and hope. We’ve learned that stigma and silence don’t just fuel ignorance, they foster transmission and give life to a plague. We’ve seen that testing, treatment, education, and acceptance can not only save and extend lives, but fight the discrimination that halted progress for too long. And we’ve reaffirmed that most American of ideas - that ordinary citizens can speak out, band ourselves together like a breathtaking quilt, and change the course of our communities and our nation for the better. Over these 35 years, American ingenuity and leadership has shaped the world’s response to this crisis. From the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we’ve saved millions of lives at home and around the world. My administration implemented our nation’s first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and we’ve updated it through 2020. We’ve invested in research and evidence-based practices that have given us revolutionary tools like treatment as

• 6.8.2016

prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis. We’ve made critical investments to help eliminate waiting lists for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. We’ve continued efforts to support the promise of a vaccine. And the Affordable Care Act has resulted in millions of individuals gaining affordable, high-quality health coverage – all without denial for preexisting conditions like HIV. While there is more work to do – the economically disadvantaged; gay and bisexual men, especially those who are young and Black; women of color; and transgender women all continue to face huge disparities – I’m confident

that if we build upon the steps we’ve taken, we can finish the job. Nearly five years ago, I said that an AIDS-free generation is within reach, and today, the global community is committed to ending this epidemic by 2030. This will take American leadership, smart investments, and a commitment to ensure that all communities are heard and included as we move forward. So today, let’s call the names. Let’s remember those we lost too soon. And let’s rededicate ourselves to ending this epidemic once and for all.

the

Health

S pirit

Dynamics of HIV Care Among POC Social Factors Sean McShee

Health Conference

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ne slide read, “When you’re born in a world you don’t fit into; it’s because you were born to create a new one.” This slide formed part of the May workshop, ”The Dynamics of HIV among People of Color and Transgender Women.” Danielle Houston of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and Mike Gipson of Equality Michigan led it. Houston combined a Broward County specific assessment, with an explanation for high HIV rates among three groups: 1) gay and bi Black men, 2) gay and bi Latino men, and 3) transgender women. While gay and bi men have the highest proportions of HIV infection, racial differences exist. Strangely, Black gay and bi men have unprotected anal intercourse less often than other racial groups, but have the highest proportions of the infected. HIV reporting further confuses the issue when it mixes the data for transgender women with those for gay and bi men. This inflates the rates among gay and bi men, and makes transgender women invisible. According to Houston, “social determinants of health” drive these high rates. Determinants include poverty and the availability and affordability of both housing and transportation. Broward specific social determinants include its inadequate public transit, and the clash of its low wages with its high cost of living. Without valid national data for transgender women, researchers have to estimate social determinants for transgender women. Credible estimates include high stigma, low household income, and greater risks for both homelessness and homicide. Many social determinants produce feelings of powerlessness. Houston counter-emphasized the strengths of minority communities. When stigma, slights, slurs, rejections, and harassment accumulate, minority stress occurs. People feel inundated with negative messages. People in all minority communities (racial, ethnic, linguistic, and sexual) have survived minority stress. For

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people with multiple minority identities, minority stress drastically increases. The survival strategies of the past describe how to survive challenges of the future. Houston reported that local transgender women identified the following local strengths: a large community and excellent doctors. Gay and bi men of color found strength in the solidarity between Black and Latino gay and bi men. People also found strength in families and friends. When people saw themselves reflected among the workers in HIV agencies, they felt strengthened. Houston reported the following unmet needs in Broward: housing, food, job-hunting skills, and language difficulties. Houston reported that Broward residents had identified the multiple medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and certification appointments, as a barrier to staying in treatment. These appointments require people to take time off from work. Low-wage workers without paid vacation and sick days, loose pay to make these appointments. Houston also discussed cultural barriers. Some doctors and their staff fail to understand their patient’s culture and the context of their patient’s lives. Their intake forms fail to ask about sexual orientation or gender identity. Some doctors even confuse the two. Transgender women reported that some doctors failed to use their chosen names and pronouns. Gipson reported that many gay and bi Black men felt racial exclusion in Grindr profiles as well as exotification. Gay and bi Asian-American men developed the term “exotification” to describe a racist erotic fetishization of their bodies. For gay and bi Black men, exotification involves the fantasy of the Well-Hung Black Stud. Both racial exclusion and exotification add to minority stress. All minorities experience minority stress, but some are more vulnerable than others are. “We’re only as strong as our most vulnerable,” Mike Gipson said about the North Carolina “bathroom bill.” That statement could have served as the theme for the entire workshop. 6.8.2016 •

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Politics

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

Clinton, Sanders meetings with HIV/AIDS Activists Go in Different Directions Michael d’Oliveira

Local activist invited to both high profile events B

Michael Rajner meets with presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders in California.

• 6.8.2016

oth meetings between HIV/AIDS activists and Secretary Hillary Clinton (May 12 in Brooklyn) and Senator Bernie Sanders (May 25 in San Bernardino) seemed to end the same way – with promises by both to increase the focus and funding for HIV/AIDS. The aftermath of each meeting, however, couldn’t have been further apart. While Clinton’s meeting didn’t make much news beyond the reporting on its occurrence, Sanders’ meeting has made headlines because of accusations by activists that his campaign mischaracterized what happened. “Your campaign’s release title and the bulk of its content mislead readers and the press to believe that our May 25 meeting was primarily focused on your endorsement of a California ballot initiative on HIV drug pricing. By extension, it also implies that our national HIV/AIDS coalition also fully endorses this initiative. Both these characterizations are inaccurate,” wrote the activists in an open letter on May 27. According to the California Attorney General, the California “Drug Price Relief Act” would, if approved by voters in November, “enable the state to pay the same prices for prescription drugs as the prices paid by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.” “Feeling used and abused by the Sanders campaign right now. They just issued a press release making it sound like our meeting was about his endorsement of AHF’s drug pricing ballot initiative in CA,” wrote long time HIV activist Peter Staley on Facebook. In response to Staley, Warren Gunnels, senior policy advisor for the Sanders campaign, used Twitter to accuse Staley of making “a fortune from big drug companies.” Staley later told media outlets that he doesn’t receive any funding from pharmaceutical companies. Gunnels later deleted the offending tweet. The headline of Sanders’ press release reads “Sanders Backs California Ballot Initiative to Rein in Drug Prices at Meeting with HIV/AIDS Advocates.” The beginning of the release reads, “U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday met with national HIV/ AIDS advocates to discuss the epidemic and his support for a California ballot initiative to lower prices for taxpayer-supported AIDS treatments.” The release goes on to highlight Sanders’ Medicare-for-all universal health care plan, which would benefit the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and a pledge to set the goal of ending the epidemic in the U.S. by 2025. It also includes plans to incentivize drug makers to develop new treatments, the expansion of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, and stronger civil rights protections for those with HIV/ AIDS. During the meeting, according to notes provided by the activists, activist and Wilton Manors resident Michael Rajner said he’d like Sanders to speak more about the disease outside the context of corporations. “We’d like to see more under the health component. In the past, there has been insufficient attention paid to HIV in the platform.” When Sanders asked, “Why was their platform insufficient last time?” Rajner responded, “They try to put as little as possible, because it won’t be read again. We need to see actual language in the platform and not just hear that it was talked about. It’s been since 2000 since we had someone speak at the DNC. We need to have that returned.” Thomas Davis, health education specialist at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, echoed Rajner. “It’s important that we don’t silo AIDS as an LGBT issue. There are many people outside of that particular group that won’t get the importance of the AIDS epidemic unless you target the message. I do speaking tours to young folks. A lot of times, I’m the first person living with HIV that these people have met. When they understand that it’s an issue that can affect anyone, they are more likely to pay attention and get educated, and when they are prepared, they’re less afraid when they encounter the issue later in life.”

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Get Tested

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

Get Tested Everyone - For Free should know their status SFGN Staff

Miami-Dade Latinos Salud – 555 Washington Ave, Ste. 235 Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305-397-8967 9580 SW 107 Avenue, Suite #202 Miami FL, 33176 786-801-1803 Aventura King David Foundation, Inc. 17971 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 117-118 305-935-6726 Coconut Grove Condom USA – 3066 Grand Avenue 305-445-7729 Thelma Gibson Health Initiative, Inc. – 3634 Grand Avenue 305-445-7729 Cutler Bay Community Health of South Florida, Inc. 10300 S.W. 216th Street 305-252-4880 Hialeah Family AIDS Coalition, Inc. – 300 East 1st Avenue, Suite 112 305-887-8111 Homestead Sembrando Flores 815 N. Homestead Blvd. #616 305-247-2438 North Miami Beach AIDS Healthcare Foundation – 100 N.W. 170th Street, Suite 208 877259-8727 Miami Beach Community Health Center North – 11645 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 103-104 305-538-8835 Miami Adolescent Counseling & Testing Site – 1601 NW 12th Ave. 1st Floor-Mail Center University of Miami 305-243-2174

on Wednesdays from 12:304:00 AIDS Healthcare Foundation – 1510 Alton Road 305-531-6800 AIDS Healthcare Foundation Out of the Closet – 2900 Biscayne Blvd. 877-259-8728 Belafonte Tacolcy Center, Inc. – 6161 N.W. 9th Avenue 305-751-1295 between 1-2 on Tuesdays Camillus Health Concern – 336 N.W. 5th Street 305-557-4840 Camillus Health Concern – 1603 N.W. 7th Avenue 305-374-1065 Care Resource – 3510 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 300 305-576-1234 Center for Haitian Studies – 8260 N.E. 2nd Avenue 305-757-9555 Empower U Inc. – 8309 N.W. 22nd Avenue 786-318-2337 Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center, Inc. – 3090 S.W. 37th Avenue 305-447-4950 Jessie Trice Community Family Health Center 5361 N.W. 22nd Avenue 305-637-6400 Miami-Dade County Health Department 1350 N.W. 14th. St. Suite 401 305-575-3800 Miami-Dade County Health Department 18255 Homestead Avenue 305-256-6315 Union Positiva, Inc. 215 S.W. 17th. Ave. Suite 310 305-644-0667

University of Miami AIDS Clinical Research Unit 1800 N.W. 10th Avenue 305-243-3838 Miami Beach Beverly Press Health Center 1221 71st Street 305-538-8835

Serving Hands 2300 N.W. 22 Street 954-733-6476 Covenant House Florida 733 Breakers Avenue 954-561-5559

Miami Beach Community Health Center 710 Alton Road 305-538-8835

Minority Development & Empowerment 5225 N.W. 33rd Avenue, Bldg. 5 954-315-4530

Stanley C. Myers Health Center 710 Alton Road 305-538-8835

Mount Olive Development Corporation 401 N.W. 9th. Avenue 954-767-9919

Miami Shores Pridelines Youth Services 9526 N.E. 2nd Ave. #104 305-571-9601

Red Hispana Florida 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd, Suite 108 954-462-8889

Broward Fort Lauderdale Broward Health Dept. Eastside Health Center 2421 S.W. 6th Avenue 954-467-4723 Broward Health Dept. 2421 S.W. 6th Avenue 954-467-4723 Broward Health Dept. 780 S.W. 24th Street 954-467-4700 Broward Health Dept. 900 N.W. 31st. Avenue 954-467-4705 Broward House 2800 N Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33316 954-522-4749 Calvary Chapel Church, Inc./OASIS Ministry 2401 W. Cypress Creek Road, #1111 954-977-9673 Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center 1401 South Federal Highway 954-728-8080 Compassionate Hearts-

Specialty Care Center – 1111 West Broward Boulevard 954-463-7313 Hallandale West Park Community Health Center 5801 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. 954-966-3939 Hollywood Broward Community & Family Health Centers 5010 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 100-B 954-967-0028 Miramar Community Access Center 8910 Miramar Parkway Suite 208 954-534-9113 Oakland Park Care Resource 871 W. Oakland Park Blvd. 954-567-7141 Wilton Manors AIDS Healthcare Foundation 2097 Wilton Drive 954-318-6997

Latinos Salud – 2330 Wilton Drive 954-765-6239 The Pride Center at Equality Park 2040 N. Dixie Highway 954-463-9005

Palm Beach Belle Glade Comprehensive AIDS Program (Belle Glade) 1500-A N.W. Avenue L 561-996-7139 Boca Raton Jesus People Proclaim International Ministries 3200 North Federal Highway 561-361-0610 Boynton Beach Genesis Community Health, Inc. 564 E. Woolbright Road 561-735-6553 Delray Beach Comprehensive AIDS Program 220 Congress Park Dr. Suite 100 561-274-6400

Mangonia Park Drug Abuse Treatment Association (DATA) 1720 E Tiffany Drive #102 561-844-3556 Minority AIDS Initiative Network, Inc. 1216 Pioneer Road 561-370-3360 Palm Springs Minority Development & Empowerment, Inc. 3175 S. Congress Avenue Suite 207 561-296-5722 Pahokee Florida Community Health Centers – 170 S. Barfield Hwy. Suite 101 561-924-6100 – Fridays from 10-2 Palm Beach County Health Department 1839 E. Main Street 561-924-9171 Bring last 2 pay stubs and cost will be determined – walk in only – all PBCHD locations.

Palm Beach County Health Department 225 South Congress Avenue 561-274-3100

West Palm Beach Community Health Center 2823 N. Australian Avenue 561-840-8681

Palm Beach County Health Department 345 South Congress Avenue 561-274-2100

Palm Beach County Health Department 1150 45th Street 561-625-5180

Jupiter Palm Beach County Health Department 561-625-3100 6405 Indiantown Road

Comprehensive AIDS Program 2330 S. Congress Ave 561-967-5367

Lake Worth Compass – 201 N Dixie Hwy 561-533-9699

Families First of Palm Beach County 3333 Forest Hill Blvd., 2nd Floor 561-721-2802

Lantana Palm Beach County Health Department 1250 Southwinds Drive 561-547-6800

Partnership for a Drug Free Community of South Florida 3361 Belvedere Rd. Suite C 561-693-5299 -

6.8.2016 •

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Guest Column

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

The Man Who Buried Them Remembers Mark S. King

hen he conducted the funerals, Tom Bonderenko tells me, he always wore his priestly garments and white stole. Even when no one showed up for the graveside

service. “It was important to show dignity and respect,” Tom says. He taps the coffee cup in his lap nervously. “I’m sorry,” he says. He clears his throat but it doesn’t keep his eyes from welling up. “No one has asked me about this in a really long time.” We are sitting in his office at Moveable Feast, the Baltimore meal delivery agency for those with life-threatening illnesses, where Tom has served as director for the last eight years. His office is spacious and cheerful, but this conversation is a difficult one. He had discreetly closed his office door behind me when I arrived. When Moveable Feast was founded in 1989 to deliver meals to home-bound AIDS patients, Tom was engaged in a different, more literal ministry to the disenfranchised. He was a priest staffing a homeless shelter for Catholic Charities of Baltimore. It was there he met someone with AIDS for the first time. “A young man came to the door of the emergency shelter, sometime in 1987,” he says. “He was covered in black marks. Lesions, you know. Everywhere. He said he needed to clean up before his first doctor appointment the next day.”

Tom had grown up in New York City, and as a gay man he had known people who died very suddenly, as far back as the early 1980’s. But he had never stood face to face with someone so ill with the dreaded disease. I couldn’t help but ask Tom how he felt, meeting that person. Tom stares out his office window, and his eyes are so beautiful, romantically blue, framed with creases of worry. The eyes of a priest. He turns back to me with an answer. “Here was a young man who was going to find out from a doctor the next day that he had AIDS,” he manages. He starts tapping his coffee cup again, and he bows his head reverently. “And he was about to be told that he was going to die.” Tom never saw the young man again. People with AIDS became more common at the shelter before long. Tom got to know the regulars, and they began to ask him to perform their funeral services. “They just wanted to know they would be buried,” he says quietly. “They didn’t want or need anything religious. Most of them were estranged from their families, drug abuse, that sort of thing. I think they were embarrassed to reach out to relatives. Sometimes, when they died we would find a member of the family to come, but usually it was just me and the departed at the gravesite.” Tom Bonderenko, Executive Director of Moveable Feast. Credit: Facebook.

The burials were performed at unmarked graves in a lonely section of Baltimore Cemetery. The caskets were as charity required, simple wooden boxes, and they always contained a body. The funeral home would not cremate someone who died from AIDS because they were afraid of poisoning the air. “I would always conduct the service out loud,” says Tom, now sharing the sacred details. “I would speak about the departed, and say what I knew of them, about where they were from. And then I would ask if anyone present had been harmed by the departed…” I imagined Tom, in his vestments and alone in a forgotten graveyard, asking intimate questions out loud to the grass and the trees and the disinterested silence. “I would say that if the departed had harmed anyone,” he goes on, “for that person to please forgive them.” Tom’s voice falters. “And then I would ask the departed to forgive, too. I would tell them, ‘you’re on the other side now. Let it go.’” Tom’s office becomes very still. I feel as if I’m holding my breath. “I think they just didn’t want to be alone,” Tom says, and now he looks at me without regard for his tears. “We don’t do this alone.” Because of you, I think to myself. They weren’t alone because of you, Tom. “I’m so sorry,” he says, again, wiping his face. “I haven’t talked about this in so long.” He considers the faraway scene he has conjured, his graveside questions to no one, and then adds, “It was the most important, meaningful thing I have ever done.” I wonder aloud if the experience bolstered his religious faith or challenged it instead. He looks surprised by the question. “Well,” he answers after a moment, “I believe it strengthened my faith. Yes.” I want very much to believe him. Tom left Catholic Charities, and the priesthood, not long after he conducted the last of his burials for the homeless. A decade later he joined Moveable Feast and embraced its mission to provide sustenance for people in need, people like those to whom he once ministered. Tom’s fellow staff members know little about his life a generation ago. Most of them aren’t aware of the aching memories beneath the calm surface of their sensitive and capable boss. They may not fully understand why Tom leaves the office once a month to distribute food personally to homebound clients. But they will tell you that when Tom Bonderenko returns from those deliveries, he always has tears in his eyes. (I was struck when Tom said to me, “No one has asked me about this in a really long time,” because there are so many more stories out there for the asking. We only have to reach out. I hope you take any opportunity to have a conversation with someone “who was there.” This history must be chronicled and preserved.)

Mark S. King writes the award-winning blog, MyFabulousDisease.com.

• 6.8.2016

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Art Exhibit

SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

"Saving Grace¨ Exhibit Highlights Black Communityʼs Relationship With AIDS John McDonald

n exhibit targeting high school students and the black community is now on display at the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center in Wilton Manors. “It’s a really powerful exhibit,” said Ed Sparan, museum operations manager, as he gave a tour to SFGN. “We had 250 people at the opening and everybody was having such a good time, no one wanted to leave.” The exhibit is a traveling one and for its opening the Old Dillard Museum was selected as a host site. ‘Saving Grace’ tells the story of the black community’s relationship with AIDS. It is a story, Sparan said, often muted by shame and stigma. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates 36.9 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and of that statistic, black people have been affected the most. Blacks had the highest numbers of reported new cases of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. The Westside Gazette, South Florida’s newspaper of record for African Americans, said the pandemic “has spread through our community like a wild fire out of control.” The Westside Gazette, in partnership with World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, presented “Saving Grace” – a multimedia exhibit with testimony from local black activists, politicians and community leaders. “I can’t emphasize it enough that HIV/AIDS is not an alone disease, so why should we allow those who are living with the virus to live and love alone? We must join together for all of us and fight for our loved ones,” writes Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby R. Henry, Sr. in the newspaper’s April 20th edition. Those who visit the museum’s Wilton Station location can watch a 20-minute video, which includes an interview with Henry, Sr., Florida Senator Chris Smith (D-Fort Lauderdale), South Florida pastors and people who have been infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. “I was 15 when I was diagnosed,” says Yolanda Reed in the video. “I was angry when I first found out and I did some real reckless things.” Sparan said the exhibit was made possible with funding provided by grants awarded to permit WAM to enter the public schools systems of Broward County, Los Angeles and Detroit. He called the educational project by its social media hashtag, #InControl. Up next for the museum is a July 9 launching of Lois Wilson’s windows exhibit. Wilson is a social worker from New York City. “Saving Grace” is on display through July 30 at 1201 N.E. 26th Street, Suite 111 in Wilton Manors. For more information or museum hours, visit WorldAIDSMuseum.org or call 954-390-0550. 6.8.2016 •

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Jesse's Journal

35 Years of AIDS A Select Book List Jesse Monteagudo

The worldwide pandemic that is HIV/AIDS has inspired a vast amount of literature. They include self-help manuals, personal accounts, histories, memorials, novels, poetry and plays; and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Most of the good books about AIDS were published in the 1980s and 1990s, which means that many of them are out of print (though all may be found in any good public library or at the Stonewall National Museum and Archives). The following books are part of a vast and still growing library. For the record, the authors who are marked with an asterisk (*) have since died from AIDS complications. Sadly, there were too many of them.

“Ground Zero” by Andrew Holleran, William Morrow, 1988

“Facing It: A Novel of AIDS” by Paul Reed* Gay Sunshine Press, 1984

Kramer is arguably the greatest, and most controversial, AIDS activist. In his angry essays (and in his play, The Normal Heart), this modern-day Jeremiah attacked the powers that be, including the LGBT community, for not doing enough to fight AIDS. Kramer’s collection of AIDS essays was updated and expanded in 1994.

Facing It was one of the first novels to deal with the epidemic. It follows one gay man’s AIDS-related illness and death, set in the background of medical politics. “Sex and Germs: The Politics of AIDS” by Cindy Patton South End Press, 1985

From the beginning, AIDS has been a political epidemic. In Sex and Germs, Patton showed how fear of sex, homosexuality, disease and death shaped the public’s reaction.

Holleran covered the early years of AIDS in a series of essays, which appeared in Christopher Street magazine. Ground Zero was revised and reissued in 2008 as “Chronicle of a Plague, Revisited: AIDS and Its Aftermath” (Da Capo Press). “Reports from the Holocaust: The Story of an AIDS Activist” by Larry Kramer, St. Martin’s Press, 1989

“Eighty-Sixed: A Novel” by David B. Feinberg*, Viking, 1989

Feinberg’s first novel follows the life and times of B. J. Rosenthal (a thinly-disguised Feinberg) through the turbulent years of 1980 and 1986. Feinberg also wrote about Mr. Rosenthal in the sequel Spontaneous Combustion (1991).

“And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic” by Randy Shilts* St. Martin’s Press, 1987

“Gentle Warriors” by Geoff Mains*, Knights Press, 1989

This is the essential history of the first five years (1980-85) of the epidemic. Though marred by the author’s now-discredited theories (like Patient Zero), Band excels as both literature and journalism. It was the basis for a movie of the same name.

In this revenge fantasy, a group of PWA terrorists try to assassinate the president for his failure to do something about AIDS; an idea that might have entered the minds of many of us at a time when gay men were dropping like flies and most people didn’t care.

“Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir” by Paul Monette* Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988

“Personal Dispatches: Writers Confront AIDS,” edited by John Preston*, St. Martin’s Press, 1989

This memoir details the AIDS-related death of Monette’s partner, Roger Horwitz. Monette also memorialized Horwitz in Love Alone: Eighteen Elegies for Rog (1988).

This is one of the first and best anthologies of writings about AIDS. Among its contributors are Stephen W. Chapot*, Arnie Kantrowitz and Edmund White.

• 6.8.2016

“People In Trouble” by Sarah Schulman, Dutton, 1990

If this novel of homelessness and AIDS reminds you of Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent (1996), it might be because Larson borrowed too much from it to create his masterpiece. Schulman certainly thought so. “Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry” by Essex Hemphill*, Plume, 1992

AIDS decimated a generation of Black gay authors. Hemphill chronicled the impact of HIV on the African-American community (among other topics) in this great collection of prose and poetry. “Writing AIDS: Gay Literature, Language, and Analysis,” edited by Timothy F. Murphy and Suzanne Poirier, Columbia University Press, 1993

epidemic changed gay life in America: culturally, medically, politically, and socially. In a second, 2011 edition Andriote updates the topic for the 21st century and writes about his own experiences as an HIVpositive man. “The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco” by Joshua Gamson, Henry Holt & Company, 2005

There have been many biographies about talented individuals who died too soon from AIDS-related causes. One of the best is this award-winning biography of Sylvester James* (1947-88), the gender-bending star who paved the way for RuPaul, Adam Lambert and many other artists.

This collection of essays also includes a Bibliography, by Murphy and Franklin Brooks, of AIDS Literature 1982-1991.

“Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS” by Martin Duberman, The New Press, 2014

“Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America” by John-Manuel Andriote, University of Chicago Press, 1999

Duberman, the dean of LGBT history, approaches AIDS through the lives of two gay artists whose lives were cut short by it: Writer Essex Hemphill* (see above) and singer-composer Michael Callen*.

Victory Deferred chronicles how the

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.

6.8.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

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SFGN's HIV/AIDS News Source

Publisher's Editorial

The Faces of AIDS Fighting today means remembering yesterday Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

outh Florida’s LGBT community has just celebrated Gay Days, and we are getting ready to kick in Gay Pride and Stonewall. The party has begun. A contingent of your friends just returned from a ‘mission’ celebrating Israeli gay pride, and Wilton Manors has flown a host of gay flags up and down Wilton Drive. Unfortunately, while many of you are partying on the shore, there are still some people drowning in the water. In fact, there are many people who have already drowned. Let’s never forget them. Let’s never forget the lives lost and memories measured by the face of HIV. South Florida is still the epicenter of new HIV cases in America. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation tries to remind us every week of the need for caution and care, with two pages of bold advertisements in our paper. But there are also outreaches on bus benches and billboards, signs and signals everywhere that the battle is still on. Local television stations feature also the efforts and work of Broward House, Care Resource, and Poverello. We need to, because there is a legacy people like Pedro Zamora, Tom Martin, Alan Terl, Brad Buchman and Gary Steinsmith have left behind. They are names from decades ago, but they were champions for the cause when it was not so popular. There have been too many, and their memories can never be forgotten. Those we lost yesterday provide us with the spirit to match our calling today. Their voices may no longer be

• 6.8.2016

heard, but their passion survives. They harvested hope when there was only despair, fought for justice when there was only disrespect. The books and films about the HIV pandemic cited by Jesse Monteagudo, on another page of this issue, are worthy of your review. It’s been a long journey, with too many quilts, some still being sewn. An AIDS agency is about doctors working extra hours, caseworkers dealing with people in crisis, and volunteers reaching out a little bit more each day, distributing food, walking dogs, transporting patients or providing partners. We count on each other. While our lives get caught up in our board meetings, workouts and planning summer vacations, we can’t lose sight of the fact that 354 years into the disease called AIDS there are still zero persons cured. For all the potions and protocols, inhibitors and interventions, the medical mission goes on. The doctors and caregivers need your help. At night, when you are alone with someone, you need to act responsibly. You must play more safely, and party more cautiously. Make their job easier and your life healthier by acting more intelligently. Think with the right head when you get in bed. Stand up as you strip down. Start with a condom and a conscience. New groups like Impulse have innovative outreaches, and the Pride Center at Equality Park has support groups and counseling. We all do our part, in the best way we can. What we cannot do is let up. Apathy can’t have a home as long as AIDS has a haven.

We are fortunate to live in communities where there is AIDS funding, and Ryan White care. But there is never enough, and under multiple administrations, federal and state, Democrat or Republican, wait lists abound. Treatment and care, research and counseling, therapies and alternatives have been wanting for decades. We fund wars against civilizations but not diseases. Lab bills cost, research is expensive, and you simply can’t fight a worldwide pandemic with local car washes, noble bike rides or walks along the beach. We have done so much, and without us, so much would not have been done. But we need to do more still. Our geography is unique in South Florida. Our proximity to South American and Central American populations means we have immigrants from neighboring countries who have little or no care, and woefully inadequate treatment. Early detection, proactive care, and aggressive treatment have stemmed the spread of HIV. Still, education and awareness matters most. We have to count on schools today to teach not just that AIDS is treatable, but that it is preventable. The face of HIV spans generations and is now crosscultural and inter-continental .The burden and calling upon South Florida is exceptional. It falls upon us to educate and medicate. It is no easy task and no cheap endeavor, but it is something we can and must do. We have to work for the day when we commemorate not a World AIDS Day, but an end to the day when one is necessary.

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lifestyle retiring gay

Convictions

Editorial Cartoon

By Andy Marlette

Preparing Emotionally For Ric Reily Retirement 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.

reparing for retirement generally brings to mind getting enough money together to survive in some style short of abject poverty for the rest of your life. That is certainly a valid first impression and a good image to keep in mind. Most who are serious about one day owning their time and no longer showing up at the job for the weekly stipend have given a great deal of though and likely a great deal of effort to the financial side of the move to retirement. After all, there are endless opportunities to prepare financially. Your work likely offers you an opportunity to save, there are significant tax benefits to put income away for retirement and you are likely full of my giving you unending ideas to that end. There is however another side to retirement that is too often left to the forces of happenstance. That other side of retirement is what you will do with the time you have newly acquired. One day you will no longer be expected on the job. Your work acquaintances will call less and eventually not at all. Your activities centered on work will slow until they cease. Your preparations for the week ahead at work, even the next day at work, will cease. Whatever will you do with yourself when you come to the realization that all you held as important, all those who held you in esteem and all the activity centered around your job dissolves? This you need to know. Coincidentally with your financial planning for retirement you are well served to begin to think about and eventually plan for how you will use your newly bought back time. Like a bed, you spend far too much time in a job to have a bad one and that job has probably become a significant part of your life and even a big part of who you are. The day the job evaporates a big part of you will

also evaporate unless you have planned for perhaps the most significant change that will come into your life. Life after work is most successfully achieved in incremental change. Small changes day to day over years as you come closer to your retirement date. I know many who have retired from life long careers as teaches, law enforcement personnel or professionals who rather quickly return to those occupations on a part time basis because â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;they love the work.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Yeah right. They returned because they were bored to tears at home with nothing meaningful in their day. They returned because they realized they felt less a person without a major part of their life. They returned because they had failed to plan for what they want to do with their post work life. Because I went into my post gainful employment period after ten years of planning to do so I knew what I wanted. I wanted to own my time and I wanted to own it so I would be free to do the things that were important to me. I wanted to give back to a community that had given me so much over so many years. I wanted to give my time, expertise and experience. I wanted to take advantage of contacts garnered over years to bring new projects to life. I wanted to share knowledge learned over a lifetime with those just reaching understanding. I wanted to make a contribution to the body of human knowledge. And I wanted to spend my days doing whatever I wanted regardless of what any other person expected or thought I should. To an amazing degree I have done each of the above. I have been afforded the opportunity because I took the time to plan financially. And I have been allowed the opportunities because I planned emotionally.

This concludes our Retiring Gay series. To see all of the articles check out SFGN.com/RetiringGay.

â&#x20AC;˘ 6.8.2016

passages late breaking news

Local Philanthropist Thom Leffler dies

SFGN Staff

hom Leffler, 66, an Importer Haberdashery Clothier, formerly of Beverly Hills, Michigan passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 4, 2016. Thom was born on January 28, 1950 in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, son to the late Raymond Frederick and Jayne Wells Leffler. After graduating high school Thom went onto Albion College. A history major, he became a proud alumnus, cherishing his education. But Thom’s father had started a clothing business, which drew his interest and attention. He later changed the name to the Thom Leffler Importer Haberdashery Clothier in Birmingham, Michigan. Thom became a very well respected and established clothier in the community, developing many friendships with a large repertoire of clients from all walks of life. Aside from his business, Thom was very involved and active with his life in Michigan. He was not only a financial supporter of many charities, dedicating his time and love to PBS, HRC and Toys for Tots.

Thom became known in Michigan for his lavish Champagne Christmas parties to support Toys for Tots. After a successful career, he retired to South Florida, and promptly became a very large supporter of the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. He eventually served on their Board of Directors. During his involvement with the Symphony, Thom cultivated what he would describe as “cherished and great friendships.” He was also a magnificent supporter of Equality Florida and a member of the organizing communityand the first recipient to receive the ‘Service in Leadership Award,’ which is now given out annually. Thom was also an organizer and supporter of the Leather Masked Ball, Lambda Legal, the bridge team at the Pride Center, and the Parkinsonia Garden Club in Fort Lauderdale. Thom also developed a love for traveling, and in his lifetime managed to visit 73 countries around the globe. He had a life well lived, giving every day its fullest, and his friends, his best.

Thom’s friends and family will gather Thursday, June 9, 2016 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Pride Center at Equality Park, 2040 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors. Online condolences may be sent to the family at KalisMcIntee.com In lieu of flowers, consider making a contribution to one of the following in Thom’s memory: the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Equality Florida or The Pride Center at Equality Park. The Kalis-McIntee Funeral Home in Wilton Manors is in charge of arrangements.

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lifestyle food

Submitted photo.

Josie’s Ristorante

Put the Boy in Boynton Beach

Rick Karlin

oynton Beach may not have the LGBT presence that Wilton Manors has, but then again where else does? Located midway between Lake Worth and Delray, Boynton Beach is coming into its own. You can see signs of it everywhere, from the multimillion dollar homes popping up next to trailer parks, to the renovations taking place downtown.

When you go to Boynton Beach, you’ll want to spend the day at Oceanfront Beach where you can snorkel in and around one of South Florida’s largest natural and artificial reefs, or just laze on the vast expanse of white sand. So that you don’t have to leave the beach for lunch, stop at Flakowitz Deli, 7410 W. Boynton Beach Blvd. and pick up something to nosh on during the day. Don’t eat too much though, you want to save room for dinner, especially if you’re going to Josie’s (and you definitely want to do that!). Tucked into the back of a shopping mall, right near the Woolbright bridge over to AIA. Josie’s, family owned and operated since 1992, is a hidden treasure well known to the locals. As if you needed an incentive to stop by, the restaurant is offering 25 percent off the entire menu through September. Take into account the fact that the menu is quite reasonably priced to begin with and that makes it worth the trek alone. On a quiet week night, as we waited for

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our friends to find Josie’s (they wandered around the parking lot for 10 minutes), I enjoyed a perfectly prepared Negroni. After everyone settled in we shared one of the daily special salads, fresh burrata with red and gold beets, pears and arugula. We also ordered a specialty of the house; Josie’s Calamari. Our attentive and efficient waiter Matthew didn’t prepare us for the abundance of this dish. There were audible gasps as he placed a heaping platter of lightly crusted shrimp and calamari before us. The seafood was tossed with thinly sliced hot cherry peppers, lightly topped with garlic scampi sauce and was served with a side of roasted garlic aioli. The generous portion could easily serve four to six as an appetizer or as a filling meal is reasonably priced at $16 (and that’s before the 25 percent discount). The dish suffered a bit from a lack of salt (that proved to be a theme throughout the meal. Perhaps it’s a nod to the clientele’s dietary preferences.),

but that was easily remedied by asking for salt and pepper. Before we were aware of the size of the calamari portion, we’d also ordered the Forno pizza to share as an app. The slightly chewy crust arrived topped with sun dried tomatoes, olives and cheese. We barely touched it, but that wasn’t a comment on the quality, just pacing ourselves for the entrees we’d ordered. A choice of soup or salad is included with each entree. On the night of our visit wonderful lentil soup was the special offered along with the made in-house minestrone brimming with vegetables. You can also opt for a complimentary garden salad or upgrade to a Caesar for a buck and half more. After a brief break, which we needed to let our food settle, the entrees arrived, each more spectacular than the next. Chicken piccata proved a textbook example of this classic dish, brimming with capers and tender poultry in a white wine and lemon sauce. It was served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Veal Bersaglieri featured scaloppini sautéed with garlic, marinated artichokes, olives, capers and roasted bell peppers, in a

white wine & lemon sauce. The catch of the day, swordfish, arrived perfectly grilled. The tender seafood was served with a refreshing pesto. We couldn’t pass up another of the restaurant’s signature dishes; Eggplant Stefania. Tender strips of grilled eggplant are wrapped around angel hair pasta tossed in garlic & oil, then topped with marinara and mozzarella before being garnished with a deep-fried angel hair pasta tuille! You’d think we wouldn’t have room for dessert, and we shouldn’t have. But we did! The stars of our final course were made to order cannoli (they make the shells in house) and a budino parfait; rich chocolate pudding with layers of chocolate cookies and salted caramel. That’s not to say the pistachio and chocolate gelato weren’t just as fabulous. Josie’s has an excellent cocktail and wine list with a great variety of reasonably priced by-the-glass options. Happy hour is served at the bar and on the patio daily from 2 to 6 p.m. and after 9 p.m. with special prices on beer ($2 draft, $3 bottle), wine ($4.50 house by the glass and bottles from $26 to $28), specialty cocktails ($6) and specialty martinis ($7). The 25% discount does not apply to the happy hour specials.

Josie’s Ristorante 1602 S. Federal, Boynton Beach 561-364-9601 josiesristorante.com

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Photo: Facebook.

outeats Special Advertising Section

Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar & Tapas Dori Zinn

ith nearly 20 years in South Florida with Casa D’Angelo, Fort Lauderdale’s Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar & Tapas is one of Angelo Elia’s best experiences yet. Now in its sixth year, the Fort Lauderdale location was the first upscale casual concept from Italian-born Angelo Elia, but it wasn’t the last. With locations also in Weston, Delray, and Coral Springs, there will also be another addition in Doral later this year. With a phenomenal menu and extensive wine list, it’s no wonder that Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar & Tapas is expanding at a rapid rate. When you go, start off with the giant homemade Veal Meatballs served in homemade Pomodoro sauce ($12). While a meal in and of itself, you may be looking for something lighter as an appetizer. If that’s the case, get the focaccia flatbread and dip it in the homemade spicy olive oil. If the specials menu offers it, get Mike’s Salad — arugula, artichoke, grape tomatoes, balsamic reduction and Burrata cheese ($16). Burrata is the sister of Mozzarella — the outer layer is Mozzarella and the inside is soft, stringy, creamy cheese. Take a moment to drool. When you’re done, clean yourself and get ready for an entrée. Try the Veal Milanese: a veal cutlet that’s pounded flat, breaded and fried to perfection and served with mixed greens and a lemon Reggiano vinaigrette ($24). You can also try the Linguine Vongole: clams tossed in a garlic, oil, and white white sauce with linguine ($19). But definitely don’t overlook the pizza, especially the Angelo pie: bufala mozzarella with prosciutto, arugula and Reggiano ($17). All pizzas are 10 inches and made fresh to order, cooked in a wood-burning oven at 450 degrees. Flatbreads,

veggies, and even some desserts are made in the wood-burning oven. Don’t forget the extensive wine list. Sample Jankara Vermentino di Gallura ($45), Elia’s own brand from his winery in Sardinia. With nearly 100 different wines along with beer and a full bar, there are endless options when it comes to your beverage of choice. Happy hour is Mon-Fri., 3-7 p.m. where all drinks are 2 for 1. If you’re at the bar during happy hour, grab good eats from the $6 bar menu and on Monday’s you can get half off wine. Definitely save room for dessert. For the time being, all desserts are made in-house until Angelo Elia The Bakery Bar opens in late June. The bakery, located on Oakland Park Blvd., will soon make the desserts for all restaurant locations. Get the Nutella Stromboli ($12): a pizza dough mixed with Nutella and nuts and made in the wood-burning oven. It’s cut into pieces and surrounds a gelato mountain of your choice of flavors, including the homemade pistachio and wild berry. You can skip the Nutella Stromboli altogether and just get the amazing gelato (two scoops, $7), the cannoli ($6), or Tiramisu ($7). If you don’t find yourself at Angelo Elia’s during the evenings, definitely stop by on the weekends for brunch. Favorites like the Nutella French Toast ($12) and Mamma’s Sunday Gravy Rigatoni ($22) are served from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Regardless of where you are in South Florida — from Fort Lauderdale to Delray — you’ll be able to find Angelo Elia’s Pizza, Bar & Tapas anywhere and it’s worth the stop every single time.

Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar & Tapas 4215 N. Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954-561-7300

info@angeloeliapizza.com www.AngeloEliaPizza.com Sun. – Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. – Sat., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

If You Go:

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theater Slow Burn Theatre brings the cult musical, “Heathers,” to the stage at the Broward Center, tonight through June 26. Based on the classic 1989 film, this hilarious and homicidal new musical relives the greatest teen comedy of a generation. Patrick Fitzwater directs the story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy teenage misfit who lands a spot in her school’s ruthless clique, The Heathers. Tickets at BrowardCenter.org.

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music The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida presents their final concerts of the season, “Love and Marriage,” this weekend at the Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. the 175-member chorus will celebrate love with selections from “The King and I,” “Frozen,” “The Fantasticks,” “Company” and the revered “Naked Man” oratorio. Tickets are $35-45 at GMCSF.org.

The Excelsa Quartet from College Park, Md. performs works of Schubert and Barber on Sunday, June 12 at the Leiser Opera Center in Fort Lauderdale. Photo Credit: Jennifer White-Torres.

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art

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The Broward Art Guild hosts an evening of fine art and poetry tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the guild’s art gallery, 3280 NE 32nd St. in Fort Lauderdale. Local visual and spoken word artists will transform the North Beach space into a Bohemian Greenwich Village dive with light pastries and coffee provided by Storks Bakery. A $5 donation is requested at the door. For more information, go to BrowardArtsGuild.org.

The critically-acclaimed Excelsa Quartet from College Park, Md. performs Schubert’s String Trio in B-flat minor and Barber’s Adagio for Strings tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Leiser Opera Center, 221 SW 3rd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The concert is the second in the South Florida Symphony’s summer chamber music series and is also being performed in Key West on June 10. Tickets are $35 at SouthFloridaSymphony.org.

“Thirteen is Murder,” an interactive theater piece created and performed by playwright and author Barbara Fox, kicks off the third annual Mystery Festival tonight at 7 p.m. at Andrews Living Arts, 32 NW 5th St. in Fort Lauderdale. The first 13 audience members to arrive will serve as the jury in this clever mystery production. Free admission. For more information, contact MysteryMenu@aol.com.

Head down to Miami Beach this week for Out in the Tropics, the annual LGBT performing arts festival presented by FUNDarte. The cuttingedge schedule of events includes queer theater, circus arts, comedy, dance and more, performed by international artists at venues across the city, including the Gleason Room at the Fillmore Miami Beach. For a complete schedule and tickets, go to FUNDarte.us.

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Photo Credit: Facebook

a&e music

Popular Christian Singer Comes Out As Gay Brittany Ferrendi

rey Pearson, lead singer of the popular Christian rock band “Everyday Sunday,” has come out as gay. “I grew up in a very conservative Christian home where I was taught that my sexual orientation was a matter of choice, and had put all my faith into that,” the 35-year-old vocalist said in a letter to his fans, friends and family. “I had never before admitted to myself that I was gay, let alone to anyone else. I never wanted to be gay. I was scared of what God would think and what all of these people I loved would think about me; so it never was an option for me.” Pearson has been the vocalist of Everyday Sunday for the past 15 years, selling out hundreds of thousands of records and touring dozens of countries with his band. He posted about his sexuality on Facebook last Tuesday, telling his fans that he was finally being honest with himself. Many of the comments were supportive. “You are a brave man! Praise God for your courage and honesty,” one Facebook user commented. “Pray for the haters, they know not what they do.” Another fan questioned the vocalist: “Why should you tell me your gay?” While some fans remained positive, others criticized the vocalist – and received numerous responses from those supporting Pearson. “I’m sorry to hear that another talent has been deceived,” one user said of Pearson. “There is nothing to congratulate here, but only to mourn. We all sin and fall short of God’s glory, but repentance is key. Choosing to live in sin, is not repenting. Some will call my post, judging, but I call it pointing to the truth of God’s will for your life. #wholeBibleorNObible.” But by coming out as gay, he may be risking his

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career. Some Christian music fans will consider his homosexuality a sin. Pearson got married to a woman and had two kids in the hopes that his life would click into place. Although he considers his wife a best friend and loves his children, the singer eventually had to come to terms with his sexuality. “I know I have a long way to go. But if this honesty with myself about who I am, and who I was made by God to be, doesn’t constitute as the peace that passes all understanding, then I don’t know what does. It is like this weight I have been carrying my whole life has been lifted from me, and I have never felt such freedom.” Pearson is one of a growing number of Christian musicians and singers coming out. He joins Anthony Williams, grammy-nominated gospel artist who came out in 2009. Ray Boltz, popular religious musician from the 90’s, sacrificed his career in 2004 by publicly acknowledging his sexuality. Pearson may face similar injury to his career. According to Religion News Service, Pearson is still keeping to his faith. He continues to pray and study the bible. “There is absolutely no conflict with accepting who I am and following Jesus,” he told RNS. “God wants me to be healthy, authentic, whole, integrated and my truest self.” The final words of Pearson’s letter express his desire to be accepted by friends and family. “I hope people will hear my heart, and that I will still be loved. I’m still the same guy, with the same heart, who wants to love God and love people with everything I have. This is a part of me I have come to be able to accept, and now it is a part of me that you know as well. I trust God to help love do the rest.” To read the full letter, visit 614columbus.com

a&e film Submitted Photo

paid content

A 1970s advertising photo for Candy Pants edible underwear invented by a Wilton Manors couple.

New Doc Profiles Couple Who Influenced Pop Culture

POPCORN,

J.W. Arnold

elevision and film producer Francis Gasparini was listening to the local NPR station in Los Angeles when he heard a story about edible underwear creators David Sanderson and Lee Brady. “When I heard it, I was captivated,” recalled Gasparini. “It immediately occurred to me it would make an amazing documentary. As a filmmaker, I’m interested in stories and personalities.” Gasparini tracked down the entrepreneurial couple, who had moved from Chicago to South Florida and have called Wilton Manors home for the past nine years. The producer, who is straight but has an interest in pop culture and recently completed a project for Logo, convinced the couple to consider making a film about their invention, but also exploring their relationship over nearly 50 years. Brady said of their 1975 invention, “It really started as a joke. We didn’t expect them to take off.” A friend who owned a bath shop in Chicago displayed them in the window, attracting the attention of a writer from the University of Indiana. Her story hit the Associated Press news wire and soon the couple’s phone began ringing off the hook. “When NBC called we didn’t have a factory or employees,” said Sanderson. “Within a week we found a warehouse and it was sort of like Willy Wonka.” Soon, the products were being sold by the thousands in Bloomingdale’s and Montgomery Ward department stores. Brady said, “They were something you give for a wedding shower or a birthday party. Most people

didn’t ever open the box.” The fruit-flavored underwear changed culture, though, landing on People magazine’s list of 434 most influential pop icons and sending the couple to the Supreme Court after they were drawn into controversial freedom of speech cases. “It was a ridiculous product,” said Sanderson, whose thought was quickly completed by Brady, “but so was the pet rock and we’ve outlived the pet rock.” “I don’t think they necessarily see themselves as role models, but their lives are inspirational and aspirational,” Gasparini said of Sanderson and Brady. When the couple met in 1967, they could be arrested just for holding hands in the street. Since that night they’ve endured discrimination, AIDS, legal challenges and even the mafia. Last year, they were married and police officers officers served as witnesses. Gasparini conducted several days of interviews with Sanderson and Brady last October and will be returning to South Florida later this year for further interviews before submitting his film on the documentary circuit. The project, “Candy Pants,” is being featured this week by the International Documentary Association (IDA). In addition to serving as a fiduciary sponsor, allowing Gasparini’s production company to qualify for charitable donations and foundation grants, IDA helps promote the project and secure future funding.

Footage from the film is now available for viewing at Documentary.org/Film/CandyPants.

MORE DOCS FOR PRIDE MONTH

Tune in for three new documentaries to mark Gay Pride month: On Monday, June 13, Logo will air “Out of Iraq,” which chronicles the love story between an Iraqi soldier and an Iraqi translator, both working with the U.S. military. Their story unfolds in a war-torn country where homosexuality is banned. HBO will air “Suited,” a fascinating movie about a London tailor who specializes in creating fashions designed for the specific needs of transgender clients, and “Mariela Castro’s March” about the fight for LGBT rights in Cuba. Check local listings for channels and show times.

Friend or Foe?

hether at home or at the theater, both movies and popcorn remain popular. And though the movies may have changed over the years, the dreaded ‘popcorn stuck in the teeth’ dilemma remains a popular topic in our dental office. We are often asked by our patients, “Can you tell me how do to remove those little hulls from between teeth?” or “Are there ways to do to avoid the issues in the first place?” And our answer is always “Yes!” If a piece of popcorn does get stuck between your teeth or under the gums, it should be remove as soon as you can. First try rinsing with a saltwater solution (8oz warm water to ½ tsp salt). The water will help to dislodge the debris while the salt aids in calming any inflammation of the gums. Using a water flosser on a low setting (to avoid pushing the debris in deeper) may also be helpful if you have one available. If the popcorn is still lodged, dental floss is the next option. As with regular flossing, you want to gently work the dental floss down between the teeth. Then pulling the floss snugly making a ‘C’ shape against the tooth, move the floss back and forth to free the popcorn. Other tools such as small dental tree/ brushes or soft picks or, can also be used. If you find the hull has been lodged underneath the gum tissue, using your toothbrush may be the next step. Placing the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against

the tooth, sweep with an outward motion away from the gum to brush the hull free. If this last attempt to remove the popcorn is unsuccessful, please be sure to contact your dental office. Though this type of situation is not uncommon, please be aware that if popcorn or any food debris is left in the mouth, it can irritate the gum tissue and invite bacteria that can further damage the gums or lead to tooth decay. Your best defense against future trapped popcorn or food issues, begins with clean teeth. Daily preventive care, including proper brushing and flossing is one of the most important things you can do. It will help keep the tooth surfaces clean as well as that area where teeth meet the gums healthy, further preventing cavities or worse, gum disease. Though no one is immune to dental problems, maintaining a good home care routine plus regularly scheduled dental checkups and professional cleanings are an essential of overall health. Not to mention much less painful, expensive, and stressful than handling conditions that have been allowed to progress. If you do find that your gums hurt or bleed while brushing or flossing, or if you have other issues such as persistent bad breath, our dental team can help educate you on good oral hygiene techniques and help point out areas in your mouth that may require some extra attention during your regular home care.

Remember, good oral health is imperative to your overall well-being. For more information about oral cancer, please visit www.drjohnsondds.com

Premier Smile Center 2717 E Oakland Park Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 (954) 566-7479

Editorial sponsored by Premier Smile Center. 6.8.2016 •

a&e theater Photo Credit: George Wentzler.

A GALA EVENING to benefit the production of

NOT IN MY TOWN the new musical drama based on the life of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was bullied, beaten, and left to die Niki Fridh and Kevin Reilley star in Michael Aman’s “Feeding the Bear” at Island City Stage.

“Feeding the Bear” Strikes a Chord at Island City Stage J.W. Arnold Words and Music by South Florida’s own

Michael W. Ross

Major Highlights from Not In My Town Together with Opera and Broadway Favorites Performed with Orchestra Gordon Roberts, Conductor  Ardean Landhuis, Director

Friday, June 17th, 2016  8:00 pm The Walter Lawrence & Stephen Lewis Performing Arts Center, Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW 9th Ave, Ft. Lauderdale 33315

for tickets: 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

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nyone who has ever been forced to care for a declining parent or grandparent will recognize the truths revealed in Michael Aman’s brilliant new play, “Feeding the Bear.” The comedy received its world premiere this weekend at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are particularly cruel diseases, robbing their victims of cherished memories and unleashing spastic emotional swings. The afflictions can be just as traumatic for family members and caregivers as they are forced to watch loved ones slowly drift away. Aman’s play centers around a family coping with their father (Kevin Reilley), nicknamed “Bear” as a child, who is still in the early stages. Joey (Andy Rogow) is a middleaged gay school teacher plagued by body dysmorphia disorder, an imagined obsession with his appearance. Chrissy (Niki Fridh) chain smokes marijuana and has failed at two marriages. Portrayed brilliantly by veteran character actor Reilley, Bear is cantankerous and moody, sometimes confusing the children for his father, wife or housekeeper. Occasionally, he acts out against his son’s homosexuality and weight, or his daughter’s drug use, reopening old wounds and fostering new neuroses. Rounding out the cast is Martini (Johnnie Bowls), a drag queen who stars in a campy cooking show on public access cable. Joey and Chrissy are both regular viewers, but it is Martini who eventually concocts a recipe for healing between father and children.

Aman’s play reveals the challenges he has faced with his own father, who has early Alzheimer’s, and the situations and dialogue are clearly informed by his experiences. Roles are reversed as the siblings must care for the parent— feeding, bathing and clothing him— just as he did for them as infants. Unconditional love transcends frustration and resentments, some petty, others not so much. The weight of responsibility felt by Joey and Chrissy is also not lost on director Michael Leeds, who has been in the role of caregiver to aging parents himself. Leeds successfully counters the heaviest moments with perfectly delivered comedic respites, many offered by Martini. It’s also Martini who delivers profound insights during his encounter with Bear, following a soured hookup with Joey at the family’s rural farmhouse. As Bowls becomes more comfortable with Martini’s authentic persona, Martin, those moments will figure even more prominently in the performance. The production is accentuated by a multiple-level set by the always creative Michael McClain that serves as the farmhouse, barn, Chrissy’s apartment, a gay bar and Martini’s TV cooking kitchen. Aman’s last play at Island City Stage, “Poz,” earned him a Carbonell Award nomination for best new work and “Feeding the Bear” may be the play that finally lands him the coveted trophy. Also, Reilley’s moving, nuanced performance as Bear deserves a nod, if not the award, for best actor.

Island City Stage presents Michael Aman’s “Feeding the Bear” through July 3 at the Abyss Theatre, 2304 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets are $35 at IslandCityStage.org.

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Theater Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top

Picks

Heathers: The Musical June 9 to 26 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Based on the 1989 movie, Veronica Sawyer makes her way into the popular crowd, “The Heathers,” then falls in love with the new kid at school. Tickets $45. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Brookdale June 10 to 25 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. A live theatrical and video performance of a man heading home and struggling through insanity. Tickets $25. Call or visit MTCMiami.org. Cyndi Lauper June 11 at 8 p.m. at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real in Boca Raton. Over 30 years the singer-songwriter has sold 50 million records. Tickets $39.50 to $69.50. Call 561-3937984 or visit MyBoca.us/pages/ mizneramphi.

* Denotes New Listing

broward county Party 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. * Disney’s Beauty and the Beast June 15 to 19 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The fairy tale comes to life in a way only Disney and Broadway can 52

• 6.8.2016

June 8 to June 14 do, with showstopping dance and music numbers, intricate costumes, and impressive sets. Tickets $35 to $75. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Feeding the Bear Through 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.

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

* Weird Al Yankovic June 10 at 8 p.m. at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The four-time Grammy Award winner has ruled the world of musical parody for decades. Friday Night Sound Waves Tickets $39.50 to $273. Call 305Music Series 949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org. Fridays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hub, Las Olas Boulevard and The Flick A1A in Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy live, Through June 12 at the Miami outdoor music spanning genres Theater Center, 9806 NE Second and tributes every Friday evening Ave. in Miami Shores. Three movie through November. Free. Visit theatre employees are cleaning up FridayNightSoundWaves.com at the end of the night and it comes out that their lives may be more palm beach county dramatic than the films on the screen. Tickets $30. Call 305-7519550 or visit MadCatTheatre.org. * Hay Fever June 10 to 26 at the University The Royale Theatre and Studio One Theatre, Through June 26 at GableStage at 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. the Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Ave. A couple is looking forward to a quiet weekend in the country, when their children show up. Tickets $20. Call 800-564-9539 or visit FAUEvents.com.

in Coral Gables. Jack Johnson, a black boxer, rises to the top of the game despite the struggles the Jim Crow era throws at him. Tickets $45. Call 305-445-1119 or visit GableStage.org. Summer Shorts Through 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 305-3753000 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 305-693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.

* Journey & The Doobie Brothers June 11 at 7 p.m. at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre, in West Palm Beach. The ‘70s and ‘80s rock bands take the stage with a new line up. Tickets $44 and up. Call or visit WestPalmBeachAmphitheatre.com. 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

Photo: Facebook

Datebook

Cyndi Lauper: June 11 at 8 p.m. at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real in Boca Raton.

YEARS

CELEBRATING

LIFE

TOGETHER!

Living d u o L t Ou

To close its 30th season, the original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates Living Out Loud, the commissioned work that lends its name to the concert title. Also including some favorite pieces from the last 30 years, this show is not one to be missed! Come enjoy the concert Saturday, June 25, 2016, at All Saint’s Episcopal Church (333 Tarpon Drive, Fort Lauderdale 33301) at 8pm. For tickets and additional information visit our website www.theftlgmc.org, email us at info@the ftlgmc.org or call 954 832-0060.

June 25th, 2016 8pm All Saints Episcopal Church

Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.

$25 General Admission & $40 VIP Tickets available at www.theftlgmc.org or by calling 954.832.0060.

For updated information on our concerts, events or joining our chorus, please visit our website www.theftlgmc.org or call 954.832.0060.

6.8.2016 •

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Gender Bender Youth Group

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top Picks

Savvy Social Security and IRA Planning Master Class

June 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Brockway Memorial Library, 10021 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. Will Social Security be there for you? How much will you receive? When should you apply for it? How can you maximize your benefits? How do you plan for retirement The answers to all of these questions will be answered at this seminar. Free. RSVP to 305-751-8855, info@davidtreece.com, or visit TreeceFinancialGroup.com.

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 Hawaiian-inspired fun to benefit Compass GLCC’s HIV prevention programming. Call 561-547-8860.

LGBT Senior Competency 101

Broward Support Services

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.

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.

* Denotes New Listing

broward county * Stonewall Bingo

Kent & Cormican Criminal Defense Law Center

954.763.1900

The Law Center of Norman Elliot Kent & Russell Cormican 12 S.E. 7th Street, Suite 709 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

• 6.8.2016

June 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Join in a game with drinks and snacks. Game package $15. Call 954-463-9005, ext. 308 or 309 or visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

* iPhoneography Workshop

June 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at North Beach Village Design, 600 Breakers in Fort Lauderdale. iPhoneographer Andy Royston leads a workshop of how to get the most out of your iPhone’s camera. Tickets $5. Call 954-630-5793 or visit http://bit.ly/nbvphotoworkshop

Shop With Pride

Through June 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.

Archetype - Portraits by Blake 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.

Farmers Market

Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at Whole Foods, 14956 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. Local vendors will be selling locally grown produce, homemade products, and other unique yummies at the west end of the parking lot every Thursday. Call 954-392-3500.

Paint & Sip

First and Third Wednesdays from 6 to 8

p.m. and second and fourth Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bailey Contemporary Arts, 41 NE First St. in Pompano Beach. Grace Gdaniec leads classes aptly named Painting With Pinot, Sketching With Shiraz, Realism with Riesling, and much more. Must be 21 or older. Class $30. Call 954-284-0141 or visit BaCAPompano.org.

palm beach county * Sushi & Stroll

June 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road at Delray Beach. The summertime tradition returns with sake, an exploration of the gardens, and Taiko drumming. Tickets $15. Call 561-495-0233 or visit Morikami.org.

Transcendence

June 8 to June 14

dance moves. Donation of $5 or more. Call 561-324-1626 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

Sober Sisters

Mondays at 6:15 p.m. at Lambda North, 18 S. J St. in Lake Worth. A support and discussion group for female recovering alcoholics. Visit LambdaNorth.net.

Shutterbugs

Third Mondays at 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Love photography? Join BLAST and other women to explore the art of digital photography. Free. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

Rusty Gordon Democratic Caucus

GLBT

Meets at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A closed transgender youth support group for teens ages 12 to 19. For more information, email youth@compassglcc.com.

Third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Meet other like-minded people in this group open to the public. Free. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

Zumba Fitness

Peer Navigation

Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Get moving with a certificated Zumba instructor for an infusion of exercise and

Third Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Meet others who are HIV positive for discussion topics and meet new friends. Free. Contact Danielle@compassglcc.com.

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.

Drag Brunch

Sundays noon to 4 p.m. at Senor Frogs, 1450 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach. Enjoy unlimited cocktails while enjoying a meal with laughs from Elaine Lancaster, Adora, Angie Ovahness, TP Lords, and Ebonee Excell. Tickets $39.95. Call 212-481-6203 or visit VossEvents.com.

Modern Buddhist Meditation

Mondays and Tuesdays at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Find inner peace with instruction on meditation with Buddhist monk, Gen Kelsang Nurbu. Cost $10 and $5 per class. Call 786-529-7137.

6.8.2016 â&#x20AC;˘

Business Directory health

movers B & B MOVERS A Full Service Moving Company Free Estimates call 754-702-8081 SOUTHFLORIDAMOVING@OUTLOOK.COM

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 Levitt 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

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

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

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 American Tax & Insurance Small Ad Gay Publication :Newspaper 8/17/15 1:56 PM Page 1 2929 E Comm. Blvd, 8th Floor Penthouse D, Fort Lauderdale, FL Ad Cont. Emerald Home Cleaning 954.302.3228 3 Hours for $60.00 Americantaxandinsurance.com Use how you wish (Hand Scrubbed Floors) 954-524-3161

investments

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

handyman

Miami/Broward/Palm Beach Paint/Caulk/Remove Grout/Yard Work Fix Drips & Switches/Debris removal Repair or Fix Call Keith "Avrom" 786-227-9981

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

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

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

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

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

Have you made your wishes known?

MASTER HYPNOTHERAPIST AND LIFE COACH

Baptisms • Weddings • Memorial Services

1-800-343-5400

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Pre-Arrangement Discounts For All Our LGBT Friends • 6.8.2016

Storks Bakery 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 Storksbakery.com

www.stsfrancisandclare.org

We’re here to help.

restaurants

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

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

IRIS SEYMOUR

SALES & RENTALS

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

954.610.8816

954-565-1041

Call today for appointment

6.8.2016 •

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

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.

pets/supplies

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

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

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...

apartment wanted LOOKING FOR 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT Serious, Mature stable Nursing Care “Practitioner” with C.N.A. Degree/B.A. Seeks live in position in Fort Lauderdale area. NO PRIORS! (Verifiable) Call Brian at 954-529-3490

Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

954.530.4970

rentals fort lauderdale

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!

moving & storage 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

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.

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.

• 6.8.2016

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 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)

rentals furnished housing *PERFECT RELOCATION RENTALS* 4 WEEK + SPECIAL FROM $395/WEEK Intimate 7 unit Liberty Garden Suites offering all the comforts of home. for your Vacation or Temporary Housing Needs. Beautifully Furnished & Fully Equipped Studio & One BR Apts. with Full Kitchens, in lush tropical Gay Resort setting. 5 Min south of Airport in Dania Beach. Central to Haulover Nude Beach & Wilton Manors. Incl. WI-Fi, laundry,private parking, utilities, cable, tel. Gay Owned & Operated.Longer term Monthly rates available for 3 months+ Stays. Pets Always Welcome. Celebrating Our 19th Year. Call Joe or Jack at 954-927-0090 or visit www.LibertySuites. com

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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)

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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

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5/25/16 4:23 PM