9/2/15 V6i35 by South Florida Gay News

local name

global coverage

September 2, 2015

vol. 6 // issue 35

s o u t h

f l o r i d a

g a y

n e w s CHECK OUT THE NEW

Gazette Wilton Manors

INSERT IN CENTER

pages 18, 34 - 35

Keeping America safe from Rentboy escorts SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNEWS

SOFLAGAYNEWS

SFGN.COM

The opening Line Photos: Facebook.

an open Letter To The Owners of Tropics

Compiled by John McDonald

Gays should be able to discriminate against Christians Luimar zibetti garza –

....seriously, pick a “new” analogy and git over yourselves... (It’s okay, ya gotta be a bit autistic to understand.)

Jeff britt –

steve wichmann –

How about discrimination is just illegal .. Duh

Idiot. Would sell his mother for the presidency.

homeland security Raids Rentboy.com John gianni caminiti – I just finished reading the Complaint. It felt as if I were reading the Ken Starr Report. Was it really necessary to go into detail about rim chairs, fisting, scat, watersports, dick size and foreskin? Why are my tax dollars for Homeland Security going for an investigation into the consensual activities of adults? The complaint is devoid of any sex trafficking, tax evasion, or money laundering charges. If those crimes were suspected they should have been included in the complaint. Mayor DeBlasio & President Obama should be ashamed of themselves. Seems like Homeland Security’s purpose is to protect the nation from Rim Chairs. Damn, and I just had mine reupholstered.

Mike braun –

MEMBER

I have to respectfully disagree with the writer of this piece. I have vast experience and first hand knowledge of escorting and review sites. If Rentboy isn’t enabling the sex trafficking of minors they won’t be prosecuted for it. If they are evading taxes or are involved in any schemes in which any government official could be compromised or blackmailed, it’s an issue of National Security. And let’s face it, if it’s promoting prostitution and/or glamorizing it to our youth, don’t we as “family” have an obligation to give them other options instead? After all, I didn’t wake up one morning as a starving teen on the street and decide to be a hooker because I didn’t want to M B E Rpants for a work in retail. Let’s try giving our youth a hand up rather than a hand downM Etheir few lousy bucks. Let’s not glorify the men who take advantage of the hungry kids and act like it’s a part of gay culture because it shouldn’t be.

Out Now! MEMBER

THEMIRRORMAG.COM 2

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR • JASON PARSLEY JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM

ART DIRECTOR • BRENDON LIES ARTWORK@SFGN.COM DESIGNER • MARTIN GOULD FOCALIZENOW@GMAIL.COM INTERNET DIRECTOR • DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ DENNIS.JOZEFOWICZ@SFGN.COM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • JILLIAN MELERO JILLIANMELERO@GMAIL.COM ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • JW ARNOLD JW@PRDCONLINE.COM NEWS EDITOR • JOHN MCDONALD JOHN.MCDONALD@SFGN.COM

Senior Features Correspondents

JESSE MONTEAGUDO • TONY ADAMS

Food/Travel Editor RICK KARLIN

So law enforcement should ignore all crime except the worst crimes? You’re brilliant. How about Dante go get a legal job so as not to distract law enforcement from having to bother with his law breaking?

PICK UP YOUR COPY ON A STAND NEAR YOU!

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER • PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI

Editorial

And flowers around the world just shake their blooming heads at our self proclaimed “intelligence.” Dude....it’s a f**ken bouquet of flowers just trying to either stay planted and live, or die while somebody else smiles at their fading petals .....

carl szulczynski –

2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305

PUBLISHER • NORM KENT NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM

Sounds like two immature individuals trying to see who has the bigger dick.

I support Norm Kent and his article. Old queens move here and act like they own the drive, please bitch get your wheelchairs and know your place. The world does not cater to you two. Never liked Tropics and wouldn’t spend a dime there. Old queens in this town are the worse, they are bitter bitches

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 • VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 35 PHONE: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943

patrick smith –

craig Ross –

SouthFloridaGayNews.com

online outlets

Ted cRuz says

debbie chamberlin – SFGN embarrasses themselves yet again. Very unprofessional on both sides, but this is the kind of pissy writing you save for yourself and never allow to see the light of day. If the editor pitches a public bitch fit, how can any reasonable person expect to see fair, balanced reporting under that kind of management?

comments from sfgn’s

Associated Press

Correspondents

DORI ZINN • ANDREA RICHARD • DONALD CAVANAUGH CHRISTIANA LILLY • DENISE ROYAL • SEAN MCSHEE GARY KRAMER • DAVID-ELIJAH NAHMOD

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Cover: The Homeland Security raid on the ofﬁce of the escort service RentBoy.com spurs debate. 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 © 2015 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

• 9.2.2015

MEMBER

highlight

Photos: Facebook.

Carly Cass.

Lesbian Says Republican Threatened To Beat Her ‘Like A Man’ John McDonald

hat was intended to be a friendly gathering of local activists turned into an ugly encounter with threats of violence last week. Inside the Bru’s Room Sports Grill in Boynton Beach, Carly Cass, a lesbian, says she was accosted and nearly assaulted by Sean P. Jackson, a Palm Beach County Republican Party operative. Jackson, Cass said, grew angry

looking into the incident and would respond at a later time with an official statement. Cass, a board member of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said she was discussing LGBT issues with friends when Jackson “injected himself into the conversation.” “He started by calling us all Socialists and then he got angrier and slurs were said,” Cass told SFGN in a telephone call Monday afternoon. The alleged incident occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Cass said Jackson was removed from the sports grill and escorted to his car. It was the first time Cass had met Jackson and it was memorable. “It was a heated moment,” Cass said. Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Founder Rand Hoch said Jackson has, in recent years, operated on the fringe of the Palm Beach County political scene. In 2012, Jackson campaigned for the West Palm Beach

City Commission, losing to Sylvia Moffett. A year later, Jackson, was accused of a hit and run inside a West Palm Beach parking garage, but those charges, which included a driving with a suspended license citation, were eventually dropped, reports the Palm Beach Post. “He (Jackson) just doesn’t seem to have any boundaries,” Hoch said. Jackson, 25, claims to be the chairman of the board for the Black Republican Caucus of South Florida. Cass, however, says the issue is not about color or party and has received words of support from Republicans and Democrats, alike. “This incident proves we still have work to do for human rights in Palm Beach County,” Cass said. “It was a personal discussion, but his behavior was inappropriate. We need to work together to ensure equality and safety for all.” Cass said she has yet to receive an apology from Jackson. Sean P. Jackson.

and eventually stated, “You want to be a man, I’ll beat you like a man.” The joint social event was sponsored by the Palm Beach County Young Democrats and Palm Beach County Young Republicans. SFGN contacted the offices of the Palm Beach County Republican Party seeking confirmation of Jackson’s affiliation with the party. Ryan Hnatiuk, a GOP spokesman, said he was 9.2.2015 •

community announcement David Jobin.

ouR fund hiRes new ceo/pResidenT

Stonewall Museum’s David Jobin to replace Anthony Timiraos Stonewall Museum

NOW IN BROWARD, TOO! 2404 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL

954.440.7795 mybocasmile.com 7301-A W. Palmetto Park Rd. Suite 303C Boca Raton, FL 33433

561.347.8266

• 9.2.2015

huck Loring, Board Chair of Our Fund, with a bright future and a strong Board of announced today that their Board Directors” commented Mr. Jobin. of Directors has named David Jobin, “David stood out among the national pool the current Executive Director of Stonewall of candidates because of the impressive National Museum & Archives, as Our Fund’s record of success he achieved at Stonewall next CEO/President. A national search was and prior non-profit organizations he ran,” launched in the Spring of 2015 when Our says Our Fund’s Board Chair Chuck Loring, Fund’s founding President & CEO Anthony adding, “the entire search committee was Timiraos informed the Board in agreement that having of Directors of his wish to someone with David’s retire at the end of his five reputation in the community During Mr. year commitment. would be an asset for us Jobin’s tenure as During Mr. Jobin’s tenure as we transition to new as Executive Director of leadership.” Executive Director Stonewall the organization Gary Bitner, Board Chair of of Stonewall experienced substantial Stonewall National Museum the organization growth in its fundraising and & Archives commented public profile and opened the on the hire, “David’s experienced Stonewall Gallery in Wilton contribution to Stonewall substantial Manors. Prior to joining cannot be overstated, and Stonewall he served as the he will be missed. To his growth in its Executive Director of the credit, David has helped to fundraising and esteemed Gay Men’s Chorus strengthen Stonewall to the public proﬁle. of Washington, DC – at the point that we can effectively time the largest gay men’s manage this situation so chorus in the country with it results in a very positive over 250 singers. “The opportunity to step outcome for our organization.” into the position of President & CEO of The timing of the transition is being Our Fund is fulfilling for me because, as a coordinated between the two organizations. resident of South Florida and as the leader Stonewall National Museum & Archives will of an organization that benefits greatly organize a national search to replace Mr. from Our Fund’s support, I strongly believe Jobin. It is expected that a successor will be in the mission and work of Our Fund. Tony identified and in place by December 2015, at (current CEO/President of Our Fund) is which time David will begin his new duties leaving the organization on firm footing with Our Fund.

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3/25/15 3:57 9.2.2015 • PM 5

Compiled by Jillian Melero

nepal’s sexual Minorities parade to demand Rights

shley Madison Looked to Hook Up with Grindr

(EDGE) Forbes reported that the adultery-enabling site, Ashley Madison, looked to buy the gay-hook-up site Grindr earlier this year. If it had, imagine the fracas the hacker data dump would have had on the gay male community? “Amongst the masses of emails dumped by The Impact Team, a group of hackers who have made a mockery of Ashley Madison’s digital [defenses] this month, are a handful of conversations showing it was considering a purchase of Grindr, a dating application for gay, bisexual and bi-curious men, which many see as a quick and easy tool for initiating coitus,” Forbes reported on Thursday. While the relationship between Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, and Grindr stretches back three years, it was earlier this year when Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman and “major Avid Life Media shareholders considered making an offer for a significant stake in the company.”

• 9.2.2015

That was at the time when Grindr, which was founded in 2009 by Joel Simkhai with $5,000, was looking for a buyer, according to Bloomberg Business. At first, Forbes reports in its analysis of leaked emails, Biderman was reluctant to buying Grindr, but made inquiries into the company’s financial status. Apparently they were impressed. For its part, Grindr estimated its revenue for 2015 would rise to $38.1 million with EBITDA of $16.5 million. It also claimed to have 324,000 paying subscribers this year. Read the Forbes story to find out the further machinations between the companies. In the end, though, “it appears Biderman and his cohorts considered the acquisition too costly. In light of recent events, it’s unlikely they will be making any deals in the near future whatsoever,” Forbes concluded.

os Angeles will Host 2016 NGLCC Conference

(NGLCC) During the closing session of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce 2015 conference, the NGLCC announced Los Angeles as the host city for their 2016 International Business & Leadership Conference. The event will take place August 23-26 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. American Airlines will be a presenting sponsor for their fourth year, and will be joined next year by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Southern California Edison to present the LGBT business development. The 2016 conference is expects more than 1000 LGBT and allied entrepreneurs, business owners, corporate representatives, and LGBT chamber leaders from across the country and around the globe. We must continue to push for economic opportunities to help our community to thrive. We look forward to bringing together over 1,000 attendees to our 2016 conference and keeping the momentum of success moving forward,” said NGLCC co-founder and President Justin Nelson.

Photo: Facebook.

category “others” for those who do not want to be identified as male or female. These people who identify themselves as “third gender” have also been issued citizenship certificates by the Nepalese government. But the community is saying only a few have been issued and it is still difficult to get them from government offices. The parade has been held annually for the past few years on Gaijatra, a Hindu festival to remember the dead. The much-delayed constitution draft is being finalized by members of the Constituent Assembly, but political parties are still unable to agree on the number and border of the proposed federal states.

NC Passes Resolution Celebrating Marriage Equality

(DNC) The Democratic National Committee passed a resolution celebrating marriage equality at its Summer Meeting in Minneapolis. This is in stark contrast to the resolution passed at the Republican National Committee’s Summer Meeting supporting a so-called “First Amendment Defense Act” that would discriminate against LGBT people and single mothers. According to a report in the Washington Blade (http://bit. ly/1hrVB5B ) “The DNC committee approved the resolution two days after four Republican presidential candidates — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and neurosurgeon Ben Carson — signed a National Organization for Marriage pledge that, among other things, indicates their support of efforts to overturn the Obergefell ruling.”

Photo: Facebook.

(AP) Hundreds of LGBT people paraded through Nepal’s capital Sunday to demand that rights for sexual minorities be included in the country’s new constitution that is being finalized. The colorful rally in downtown Kathmandu - an annual affair - drew about 500 participants. “Our main demand is that the rights of the sexual minorities should be guaranteed in the new constitution,” said Pinky Gurung of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group in Nepal. They are also demanding same-sex marriage be guaranteed in the new constitution, permitting gay and lesbian couples the right to adopt, buy joint property, open joint bank accounts and inherit from one another. Nepal this year issued passports under the

news local

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so make sure you vote in each one!

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9.2.2015 • AM 7 8/12/15 10:30

Compiled by Jillian Melero

Meet kim davis The Kentucky County Clerk Who Refuses to Accept Same-Sex Marriage

scoTus: kentucky clerk Must issue same-sex Marriage Licenses

lerk Closes Office Ahead of Gay Rights Protest

(AP) The Rowan County clerk at the center of a conflict over same-sex marriage and religious conscience closed her office on Saturday ahead of a rally protesting her refusal to issue marriage licenses. The protest comes a day after Kim Davis asked the U.S. Supreme Court to grant her “asylum for her conscience.” Davis stopped issuing all marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s June ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Four couples have sued, saying Davis must fulfill her duties as an elected official regardless of her personal belief that gay marriage is sinful. The county clerk’s office regularly opens for a half day on the last Saturday of the month. A note on the door of the office did not explain the closure, but asked those who were inconvenienced to put their names on a list. Morehead resident Sarah Lindsey had come to renew her car tags and said she was “really annoyed.” “She’s supposed to have a service,” Lindsey said of Davis. “I pay taxes, a lot of them.” “I can’t just decide to close my office. I would get fired.”

avis Unknowingly Married Trans Man and His Wife

(EDGE) Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who is now taking her case to the United States Supreme Court to protect her sincerely held religious right to discriminate, has, in fact

• 9.2.2015

Clerk Ignores Supreme Court; UPDATE: Still Won’t Issue Licenses

(AP) An attorney says the Kentucky clerk who won’t issue marriage licenses and all her deputy clerks have been called for a federal court hearing Thursday morning. Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins says the federal court alerted him that a hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday in Ashland. Watkins says clerk Kim Davis is summonsed to attend, along with all the deputy clerks who work in her office. Davis stopped issuing licenses in the days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. A federal judge ordered her to issue them, and an appeals court upheld that decision. Still, she turned away couples. The Supreme Court declined to intervene on Monday, leaving Davis no legal grounds to refuse. But her office turned away several couples Tuesday morning. Davis invoked “God’s authority” in doing so. Attorneys for the two gay couples who originally sued in the case have asked U.S. District Judge David Bunning to hold Davis in contempt. They want Davis punished only with fees, not jail time.

unknowingly issued a license to a couple with the same sex on their birth certificates. In February, prior to the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that made same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states, Camryn Colen, a transgender man, and his wife Lexie were wed by Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. According to the Courier Journal, Davis issued the marriage license to Colen without checking his birth certificate, which lists him as female. “She saw just a straight couple in love, and she should see everybody like that,” Camryn told the Courier-Journal. “She shouldn’t just see straight couples like that.” “Everyone should be looked at the way we were’” Camryn told reporters, adding “We haven’t had any negativity - yet.” To which Lexie interjected, “But we know it’s going to happen.” The Colens gave their story to approximately 100 demonstrators Saturday at a rally to support lesbian and gay couples who have been turned away by Davis and her office in defiance of the governor’s order and repeated rulings from several courts. “They do a good job portraying themselves as a victim and they are not the victim - Kim Davis is,” said evangelist Randy Smith who argued that the couples are “trying to compel our county clerks to violate their deeply sincere belief that gay marriage is sin.”

Photo: Facebook.

(CNN) -- The Supreme Court on Monday night denied an emergency application from a Kentucky clerk who has been refusing to issue marriage licenses because of her religious objections to same-sex marriage. The clerk, Kim Davis, sought to put a lower court ruling on hold pending appeal, and in a one-page order the Supreme Court refused. Davis is now faced with a lower court order that her office begin issuing licenses effective Monday. The order marks the first time the issue of same-sex marriage has come back to the justices since they issued an opinion last June clearing the way for same-sex couples to marry nationwide. Davis, of the Rowan County Clerk’s office, has refused to issue any marriage licenses since the decision -- Obergefell v. Hodges -- came down. She is an Apostolic Christian who says that she has a sincere religious objection to same-sex marriage. Other clerks in the state have expressed concern, but Davis is the only one turning away eligible couples. A fellow Kentucky clerk, Casey Davis, has protested alongside Kim Davis and insisted Tuesday on CNN’s “New Day” that “we’ve not tried to prevent,” same-sex marriages, and “we’ve only tried to exercise our First Amendment rights.”

in other news

Christian Conference LGBT Explores “What’s Next?”

(GCN) Evangelical conservatives and progressive Christians will meet at the Gay Christian Network (GCN) Conference, next January in Houston, TX. Experts and laypeople from various theological, social, and racial backgrounds will gather to ask the question, “What’s next for LGBT people and the Church?” “Christians continue to be strongly divided on LGBT issues, but there are LGBT people in every denomination, including those with the most anti-LGBT reputations,” said GCN executive director Justin Lee. “The GCN Conference is a unique opportunity for families, church leaders, and individuals on all sides of this debate to listen to and get to know one another. This is where we learn to love each other in spite of our disagreements and work together for a better world for everyone. In our polarized climate, there’s nothing else like it.” More than 15,000 Christians are expected to attend the four day conference. Organizers say that through workshops and keynote presentations, attendees are as likely to discuss ways to biblically strengthen their same-sex marriages as they are to learn about ways to live out celibacy, tackle homophobia in their church, provide support to their LGBT children, or live a fulfilling faith life as a transgender Christian. Singer/song-writer and out lesbian, Mary Lambert is also scheduled to perform. For more information visit gcnconf.com and follow @ GCNconf.

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9.2.2015 •

news briefs

D Legislator Wants Inspections of Trans HS Athletes Genitals

(EDGE) ThinkProgress reported that South Dakota legislator Roger Hunt has proposed legislation “that could require examination of a transgender athlete’s genitals before competing in high school sports. Hunt has stated that he believes gender begins at conception and that only birth certificates and visual inspections should be used to determine a student’s gender identity.” “This is South Dakota,” Hunt told the Rapid City Journal. “We haven’t adopted the East Coast culture. We haven’t adopted the West Coast culture. We maintain our own culture.” A controversy arose over how to determine a student’s gender. Last year the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors enacted policy that allow students to decide which gender they want to call themselves. This would determine which gender group they would compete with. But Hunt and other legislators have taken issue with that policy. “The proposal from Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon,” reported the Rapid City Journal, “would rely on official birth certificates and visual inspections for determining gender rather than allowing people to decide and declare their gender on their own.” “He said gender is determined at conception and the transgender debate is riding the gay marriage wave.” “The current policy,’ ThinkProgress noted, “requires that parents notify the school of their child’s gender identity and the school collects information from the family, such as parents, friends and teachers, that the student’s gender identity is different than what is listed on their birth certificate or school registration records and receives written verification from a health care professional who can attest to the child’s consistent gender identification and expression.”

• 9.2.2015

Continued

ormons Keep Ties with Boy Scouts despite Gay Leaders

(AP) The Mormon Church - the nation’s largest sponsor of Boy Scout units - is keeping its longtime affiliation with the organization despite its decision to allow gay troop leaders. Church leaders decided to stay with the Boy Scouts after getting assurances they can appoint troop leaders according to their own religious and moral values, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a news release Wednesday. The church “will appoint Scout leaders and volunteers who uphold and exemplify church doctrine, values, and standards,” Mormon leaders said in the statement. The decision comes as something of a surprise. Mormon leaders had said they were deeply troubled after the Boy Scouts announced on July 28 that it would lift its ban on gay adult leaders, while allowing churchsponsored Scout units to continue excluding gay adults. The church said it will continue evaluating and is open to alternatives to the Boy Scouts. With more than half of the religion’s 15 million members living outside the United States, there has long been speculation the Salt Lake City-based religion will create its own scouting-type program. The Boy Scouts of America said it appreciates the decision, noting that the organization is successful because of affiliations with groups like the Mormon Church. “The BSA affirms, and will defend, the right of all religious chartered organizations to select their Scout leaders in accordance with their religious beliefs,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement.

local politics out on the trail

Photo: Facebook.

Mike Reedy.

gay TaMpa candidaTe seeks house seaT John McDonald

carried Hillsborough County in the 2012 nother Equality Florida soldier is making the transition from political general election. When the Florida legislature adjourned operative to political candidate. This time it’s Mike Reedy, a gay man, who three days early from its 2015 session, Reedy blasted the Republican is campaigning for the Florida leadership and demanded House of Representatives Harrison return his in District 63. The district Reedy, a paycheck. encompasses northern “If you decide to stop Hillsborough County, Democrat, is doing your job, you get including parts of Tampa challenging fired,” Reedy said in a news and the University of South release. “When the going got Florida. For Reedy, born incumbent tough (Harrison) quit. In the and raised in Hillsborough Republican private sector, if you decide County, it is a perfect fit. stop doing your job, you The first in his family to representative to get fired. We can’t fire you attend college, Reedy says until November 2016, but we he is campaigning for the Shawn can demand you repay us for working class. Harrison, who deciding to not do your job.” “I understand the struggle SFGN spoke with Reedy of the working and middle took the seat last weekend in Tampa at the class because I live it,” he in 2014. Florida Democratic Party’s said. LGBTA Caucus Summer While working for Equality Gala. Reedy, 24, attended the Florida, the state’s largest civil rights organization, Reedy served as a event with his partner of three year years, Doug Parton. When asked if he thought he business outreach manager. “Economic growth is not just about would be attacked for running as an openly growth, but smart growth, growth that gay candidate, Reedy said he hoped not, but added, “We’re ready for it, if it happens.” needs to put people first by investing in Reedy joins Orange County Democrat Florida’s future,” Reedy said. “That’s the type and fellow Equality Florida advisor Carlos of leadership our kids and families need and Guillermo Smith in the lavender race for that’s the type of leadership I will provide.” Reedy, a Democrat, is challenging the Florida House of Representatives. incumbent Republican representative Smith, a gay Latino man, is campaigning for Shawn Harrison, who took the seat in 2014. House seat 49. Presently, David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) is the legislature’s lone The district is considered by most analysts openly gay representative. as a swing seat. President Barack Obama 9.2.2015 •

Bernie Sanders (left) and Donald Trump.

Photos: POOL.

politics white house watch

Sanders Distances Himself From Trump; Carson Ties Trump in Iowa Jason Parsley

Packard executive Carly Fiorina is in hite House hopeful Bernie Sanders distanced himself from third place with 10 percent. That means billionaire Donald Trump on 56 percent of Iowa voters are supporting a Monday rejecting comparisons between the candidate that has never held public office continuing the anti-establishment trend in two anti-establishment campaigns. the Republican primary. Before the above “We are not engaged here in demagoguery. We’re not engaged here in racist attacks, mentioned candidates jumped in the race it outrageous attacks against Mexicans,” was widely believed that senator Ted Cruz would be this year’s anti-establishment the independent-turned-democrat told candidate. Adding his 9 percent to the tally MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “What we are above brings the anti-establishment vote up trying to do is talk about the reality facing to 65 percent. the American people.” The other candidates He also rejected the include Wisconsin Gov. idea that he can’t win the On the Walker at 7 percent; former White House with his far Florida Gov. Jeb Bush left proposals. The selfRepublican side at 5 percent; Ohio Gov. proclaimed socialist said Wisconsin Gov. John Kasich and Florida that many of his ideas Sen. Marco Rubio at 4 already work in countries Scott Walker percent; Kentucky Sen. like Norway, Denmark and called the Rand Paul at 3 percent; Sweden. former Pennsylvania Sen. On the Republican side proposal of a Rick Santorum and Wisconsin Gov. Scott northern wall former Arkansas Gov. Mike Walker called the proposal Huckabee at 2 percent. of a northern wall separating separating Meanwhile in the 2020 Canada from the U.S. a Canada from race for the White House a legitimate idea. Later his the U.S. a surprise celebrity has already campaign clarified that announced his candidacy — he wasn’t actually calling legitimate idea. Kanye West. for a wall, just saying it’s a “I don’t know what I stand legitimate issue. to lose after this, it don’t Canada’s defense minister matter though, because it ain’t about me, Jason Kenney shot back saying his nation would “vigorously oppose any thickening of it’s about new ideas, bro, new ideas,” West told the audience at the MTV Video Music the border.” White House hopeful retired Awards, during his acceptance speech for a neurosurgeon Ben Carson is now tied Lifetime Achievement Award. “People with ideas, people who believe in truth. And yes, with Trump at 23 percent for first place in as you probably could have guessed by this the latest Iowa poll. Carson has steadily moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for moved up in the polls since his debate performance last month. Former Hewlett- president.”

• 9.2.2015

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news bites

Compiled by Jillian Melero

Lesbian

gay

pope bLesses Lesbian auThoR, heR LgbT kids’ book

pRofessionaL Rugby pLayeR saM sTanLey coMes ouT

(SFGN) The Guardian Reports (http://bit. ly/1hkRGaR ) an Italian author’s children’s book, examining different types of families was banned by the mayor of Venice, but blessed by the Pope. In Francesca Pardi’s book Piccolo Uovo (Little Egg,) “the egg encounters a pair of gay penguins, lesbian rabbits successfully bringing up a family, as well as other family models, including a single parent hippo, a mixed race dog couple, and kangaroos that have adopted polar bear cubs. The book, however, was met with disapproval by Venice’s new mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, who in June banned Piccolo Uovo and about 50 other titles from schools. The decision led more than 250 Italian authors to demand their own books be removed from the city’s shelves, a move one writer described as a “protest against an appalling gesture of censorship and ignorance,’ ” says the Guardian story. But according to a report in the Daily Beast (http://bit.ly/1PHeA7z ) Pardi responded by sending a few of her books to Pope Francis, to receive his blessing. Later, Pardi detailed

(AP) Sam Stanley became the first professional English rugby union player to come out, it was reported today in an interview in the Sunday Times. The Guardian reported (http://bit. ly/1JHeGYa) that the 23-year old England Sevens player “revealed he contemplated suicide because he was scared telling the truth would ruin his rugby career.” “I was standing on a bridge about four or five years ago, overlooking a motorway in Essex,” Stanley told the Times. “However, looking back, the idea that I would jump was ridiculous but it was as if I was thinking that I could get rid of the pain in one go. You are so worried about what people will think and I thought I couldn’t be a macho rugby player the way I was, and there was nothing else I wanted to do with my life.” “Stanley’s decision to come out comes nearly six years after the former Wales captain Gareth Thomas revealed he is gay,” states the Guardian story. “Two years before that, the referee Nigel Owens did likewise. Earlier this month Keegan Hirst became the first British rugby league professional

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• 9.2.2015

to come out as gay. ‘It is going to be an issue until more people and athletes come out, until it is not an issue at all. It might take years but hopefully, lots of people will find the courage,’ added Stanley.” Earlier this year Stanley wrote [Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of Outsports:] “It’s awesome to see so many athletes being true to themselves now. The thing for me was never that I wasn’t ready it was more how to do it. I was going to put it on Twitter but my other half convinced me not to. I’m happy with how it’s all gone.” Watch Sam Stanley get naked and [sing] James Bay’s ‘We are on Fire:’ (http://bit. ly/1LDL4yP).

Photo: Twitter.

the Pope’s response in a Facebook post: Fact one: I received a letter that was written on behalf of Pope Francis. Fact two: the Vatican has confirmed to me that my letter had been read,” she wrote. Fact three: I was told that the gift of the books and the letter were a delicate gesture and [that] they appreciated the sentiments. Fact four: it was expressed that we continue our activities in the service of the younger generation and dissemination of human and Christian values. Fact ﬁve: it is a private expression of respect for us and for our business. Fact six: Meri and I have received the apostolic blessing. These are the facts. The rest are interpretations.

news bites

continued

Bisexual Bi and Proud, Six Young Brits talk Sexuality (SFGN) Following a YouGov survey that revealed more than half of the UK’s youth do not consider themselves “100 percent heterosexual,” the Independent (http:// ind.pn/1KXTBK8 ) hears from six openly bisexual individuals about the myths and misconceptions on sexual fluidity. Alexandra McNee, 20 Student, from Liverpool: My sexuality doesn’t define me but it is certainly a part of who I am and I strongly think it should be talked about more in schools. There are people much younger than me trying to figure out what they are and what they want and it needs to be said aloud that all variations of sexuality are OK. Nikki Maltman, 27 Accounts manager, from Bournemouth: I did receive a bit of hostility when I split up with my ex-girlfriend. Some of the people who had been friendly with us and accepted me being with a woman couldn’t understand it when I started going out with

a man. All of a sudden they were quite cold and it was almost like I wasn’t in the club anymore because I wasn’t lesbian or gay. Liam [surname witheld] Student in Canterbury, Kent: I’ve had people say that I’m straight and looking for attention – it’s mostly gay people who say that – and that I’m gay and scared of coming out, which is mostly from straight people in my experience. It makes it hard to feel I belong anywhere. Maria Haartveit, 26 Unemployed, from London: What interests me is that not a lot of people use “bisexuality” as a term, they use labels like “fluid” or “queer.” I think bisexuality as a label carries a lot of distrust because of stereotypes that come with it; there is this idea of it not being real. I think people are saying they don’t want a label because they may not feel ‘bisexual enough’ and because of the negative stereotypes.

Transgender NCTE Launches Survey of Transgender Americans (NCTE) The National Center for Transgender Equality opened the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey (USTS), the follow-up to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, in [an] attempt to gather a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences of transgender people in the United States. The USTS will assess transgender people’s experiences including in employment, housing, healthcare, HIV/AIDS, disabilities, immigration, sex work, and police interactions. Participants will have at least one month to complete the survey. Results are projected to be released in Spring of 2016. “We’re at a critical moment for trans people in America, but there is basic, fundamental knowledge that we do not have,” said executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling. “While we’re aware that trans people face extraordinary challenges, we cannot discern how frequent or widespread they are without up-to-date data. The survey will provide us with robust, fresh

data, which will translate into significant knowledge about the trans community. “This is a survey for all trans, genderqueer, and non-binary people. It is for us, about us, and by us,” continued Keisling. “Just like the first survey, the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey will help expand our understanding of trans experiences in the U.S., and inform lifesaving laws and policies that meet the needs of our communities. It will help us develop the information we need to understand the realities of our lives. Because this is the community’s study, the results will be available to community members, organizations, and researchers for years to come.” Learn more about the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey here: http://www.ustranssurvey.org And check out SFGN’s report on page 16.

9.2.2015 •

news national

Trans Folks Encouraged to take U.S. Trans Survey Alex Adams

New data on the trans experience desperately needed

new survey aimed at garnering a more accurate account of the transgender experience will be available through Sept. 21. The survey, which is being organized by the National Center of Transgender Equality, aims at quantifying the experiences of the trans community so that it may help advocates, policy makers and the public with future trans-related endeavors. “This survey is important because it helps us be heard,” said Arianna Lint, director of transgender services at SunServe in Wilton Manors. Lint, who identifies as trans, says that the survey is key to gaining more government support for trans-related issues and policies. “We need more legislation and more inclusion,” Lint said. “We are like 30 to 40 years behind in regulations for transgender [individuals], especially in education and health care”. Advocates are hoping to use the results of the survey as a reference point to give urgency and weight to the trans movement.

Lint expects the results to be a huge discrimination or reported having to hide increase in numbers since the survey was who they truly were in order to avoid being last put out in 2008 discriminated against. There are over 700,000 people in the Other findings included that over 20 U.S. alone that identify as percent cited being transgender. Lint believes that turned away by a medical the surveys that have been provider and that trans done in the past are outdated people are four times There are and no longer give an accurate more likely to live on less picture of the discrimination than $10,000 a year. over 700,000 the trans community faces. According to Lint, In an Advocate.com article, resources and help are people in the Founding Executive limited due to the lack of Director for the National government support and the U.S. Center for Transgender awareness. Equality, Mara Keisling, wrote “We don’t have many alone that that the numbers gathered opportunities and grants by the previous surveys are to get more economic identify as “getting stale.” things,” Lint said. transgender. “We need to redo it, and we “Some agencies in Fort hope folks will help us with Lauderdale have grants their time as generously as to help the transgender they did last time” she wrote. community, but they don’t According to Keisling, surveys like use it to help them and that’s a part of my this have found that over 90 percent of frustration”. trans people reported having faced job SunServe was given one grant to help

the trans community, which allows for one person to provide services to the trans community. That one person is Lint. She alone provides mental health, case management, medical and other services to over 220 transgender individuals in South Florida. “With the results of the survey, more and more funding will come in and allow for more people like me to help the many more trans people out there,” Lint said. Lint said the most important thing the trans community can do to help their cause is get involved and take the survey. “Many [trans people] think they do not have a voice. But, they’re wrong. This survey is their voice,” Lint said. “They can change everything and they can make a difference.” If you identify as transgender, trans, genderqueer or nonbinary and are at least 18 years of age or older you are eligible to take the survey. “Imagine what we can change if we had updated data?” Lint said. “The possibilities are waiting for us.”

Visit USTransSurvey.org to take the survey or to find a location where you can. 16

• 9.2.2015

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

news national

LgbT oRgs bLasT RenTboy Raid Jason Parsley

Calls for decriminalization of sex work mounts

fter the federal government raided and shutdown the popular worldwide male escort website Rentboy. com several LGBT and human rights organizations have blasted the authorities. Coincidentally just days before the raid a joint statement was released by the

Transgender Law Center, Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Center for Transgender Equality supporting a resolution by Amnesty International that calls for the decriminalization of sex work.

here’s what they had to say: “NCLR strongly opposes criminal prosecution of sex work by adults. Experience and evidence have shown that criminalization serves only to make those who are vulnerable to harms associated with sex work even more vulnerable. The criminal charges against Rentboy. com by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are misguided and a terrible waste of resources. We are especially concerned about the negative impact on LGBT individuals who have been driven to sex work after being rejected by their families and experiencing other types of discrimination. NCLR strongly recommends that the federal government adopt a strategy aimed at providing essential supports – education, jobs, housing – to LGBT youth and adults who have been marginalized by these serious harms.” —

national center for Lesbian Rights

“Make no mistake, law enforcement officials are attacking those involved in the escort industry for exercising their constitutional rights to free association, free expression, and free assembly. Based on recent actions, it is clear that the Department of Justice and many lawmakers believe that escorts should NOT have the freedom to exercise these fundamental rights. As noted, the charges against the individuals arrested include charges of prostitution. It is [our] position that consensual prostitution should be decriminalized. The impact of government actions in the ongoing War on Sex, including attacks on sites like Rentboy.com, is the systematic elimination of constitutionally protected civil liberties and the infringement of human rights.” —

woodhull sexual freedom alliance

• 9.2.2015

“There are so many other important investigations that federal resources should be focused on right now instead of sex workers. Take the appalling murders of trans women of color — now at epidemic proportions across our nation. Sex work is a fact of life — it has been, it is and it will be as long as human beings are around. Criminalization puts the livelihoods, health and lives of sex workers in jeopardy. It’s time for our federal justice system to get its priorities straight and it’s time once and for all to decriminalize sex work.” —

Russell Roybal, deputy executive director, national LgbTQ Task force

“The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) joins human rights advocates in opposing raids against Rentboy.com… Arrests come only two days after Amnesty International’s call to decriminalize sex work and two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PEPFAR’s regressive “anti-prostitution pledge” in a 6-2 majority vote. MSMGF views the actions and the ‘homeland security mindset’ of the U.S. Justice Department as an affront to human rights. MSMGF strongly endorses the decriminalization of consensual adult sex work. Criminalization of sex work intentionally undermines sex workers’ fundamental right to bodily autonomy, to work, to health, and to be free from blackmail, harassment, and violence.” —

The global forum on MsM & hiv

“It is hard to see the harm done by Rentboy.com, but it’s easy to see the harm done by the raid on society at large. The criminalization of voluntary, consensual sexual relations among adults is incompatible with the rights to personal autonomy and privacy – internationally recognized human rights that everyone, including individuals engaged in sex work, is entitled to. Criminalization creates barriers for those engaged in sex work to exercise basic rights and to seek access to justice, health care, and other available services.” —

human Rights watch

“This bust comes at a time when human rights advocates globally are uniting around a call to decriminalize sex work and at a time when the United States has the largest prison population in the world, with people of color, particularly Black people, representing a vastly disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated. Laws criminalizing sexual exchange impede sex workers’ ability to negotiate condom use and other boundaries, and force many to work in hidden or remote places where they are more vulnerable to violence.” —

Transgender Law center

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news awards

nLgJa announces 2015 JouRnaLisM awaRd winneRs SFGN Staff

SFGN Editor takes home Second Place for Journalist of the Year

Executive Editor of SFGN, Jason Parsley, won second place for Journalist of the Year in the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s annual awards contest. Some of his work included an in-depth piece on the crystal meth epidemic in the gay male community and his work on PrEP to prevent HIV and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s campaign against it.

Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for Excellence in LGBT Media First Place: Trish Bendix, AfterEllen Second Place: Lucas Grindley, Here Media

The Al Neuharth Award for Innovation in Investigative Journalism Steven Thrasher for “How College Wrestling Star “Tiger Mandingo” Became An HIV Scapegoat,” BuzzFeed.com

Excellence in Blogging Award First Place: Rob Smith for “They Fought The Gays and The Gays Won: How The “Duck Dynasty” Stars’ Homophobia Destroyed Their Brand,” Queerty.com Second Place: Faith Cheltenham for “Bisexuals at the Gates,” Bilerico.com

Excellence in HIV/AIDS Coverage Award First Place: Benjamin Ryan for “PrEP and Prejudice,” with Oriol Gutierrez, POZ Magazine

• 9.2.2015

Taking home first place for Journalist of the Year was J. Lester Feder from BuzzFeed News. One of the SFGN’s regular columnists, Faith Cheltenham, who writes the By the Bi column, won second place for Excellence in Blogging. SFGN congratulates both of them. Here is a full list of this year’s winners.

Second Place: Doug Moore for “2,000 St. Louisans are HIV Positive but Aren’t Taking Their Medications,”St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Excellence in Multimedia Award First Place: Mark Joseph Stern for “Get Déjà Vu Listening to Opponents of Interracial Marriage Argue at the Supreme Court,” Slate.com Second Place: Daniel Reynolds for “Day in LGBT America,” The Advocate, with Christopher Harrity, Yannick Delva, Michelle Garcia and Lucas Grindley Third Place: J. Bryan Lowder for “Ask A Homo: Gay Bar Etiquette,” Slate.com, with June Thomas

Excellence in News Writing Award First Place: Andrew M. Seaman for Series on LGBT Health Coverage, Reuters Second Place: Berlin Sylvestre for “Pro-LGBT Colorado Baker Slapped with Religious Discrimination Complaint,” Out Front Magazine

Third Place: Andy Birkey for “Evangelical Group Targets Twin Cities LGBT Community With ‘Ex-gay’ Message,” The Column

Excellence in Television Award First Place: Sari Aviv for “Born This Way?,” CBS News Sunday Morning, with Rita Braver, Chad Cardin, Rand Morrison

Excellence in Opinion/Editorial Writing Award

First Place: Mark Segal for Mark My Words Column, Philadelphia Gay News Second Place: Richard Kim for Against the Current Column, The Nation Third Place: Richard J. Rosendall for Cutting Holes in the Law, Washington Blade

Excellence in Photojournalism Award Excellence in Online Journalism Award First Place: Stephen Jiwanmall for “Remembering Riley,” Bucks County Courier Times Second Place: Dave Singleton for “Finding Pride and Home: A Look at Housing for Older LGBT Adults,” Caring.com Third Place: Sunnivie Brydum for “40 Under 40: Emerging Voices,” The Advocate with Michelle Garcia, Lucas Grindley, Daniel Reynolds, Neal Broverman, Trudy Ring, Jase Peeples, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Parker Marie Molloy, Tracy E. Gilchrist, Annie Hollenbeck and Thom Senzee

First Place: T.J. Thomson for “More than a Formality,” Columbia Missourian Second Place: Scott A. Drake for “Pride in Philly,” Philadelphia Gay News

Excellence in Radio Award First Place: Tina Antolini for “Trans Families,” State of the Re:Union/ WJCT with Al Letson Second Place: Jason DeRose for “Religious Support for LGBT Ugandans,” KALW Public Radio with Julie Caine

Excellence in Student Journalism Award Jessi Hotakainen for “Trans Mississippi,” medium.com

Visit NLGJA.org/2015 for more information

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Bond Set At $1M For Man Accused In Fatal Oakland Park Hit-Run Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel

ond was set at $1 million Tuesday for condominium led authorities to a damaged white BMW-6 series that investigators the man suspected of driving a BMW believe hit Deverson. that killed a 22-year-old man on a The condo employee had seen news motorized scooter in a hit-and-run crash reports of the hit-run crash and noticed the nearly four months ago. Broward Judge John Hurley set the bond white BMW with front-end damage and a missing passenger-side mirror return to The and other conditions for Scott L. Roman Palms, 2100 N. Ocean Blvd., the same night following a lengthy first-appearance court as the crash, Concepcion said. hearing. The luxury car is thought to have left Roman, 47, was arrested at his Fort Georgie’s Alibi, a Wilton Lauderdale condo Monday. Manors bar, sometime after He was booked into the 10 p.m., authorities said. Broward Main Jail on charges The luxury If Roman is released on of failure to remain at the scene of a fatal accident and car is thought bond, Hurley further ordered that he be held under house tampering with evidence. to have left arrest with a GPS monitor, It was about 10:45 p.m. May that he surrender his 11 when Joseph Deverson was Georgie’s passport, not travel to any hit on Powerline Road north Alibi, a Wilton port facility, operate a motor of Oakland Park Boulevard. vehicle or drink alcohol. Near Deverson’s wrecked GoManors bar, Family members of Ped, authorities found a side Deverson attended Tuesday’s mirror from the car that hit sometime court hearing. him. after 10 p.m., The youngest of three Deverson was declared brain dead a day later, children, Deverson authorities removed from life support graduated from Northeast said. and his organs donated. High School and worked “It’s awesome to hear, at an Oakland Park motor but it’s just an arrest, which repair shop. His death saved means it’s the start of a whole new process,” three lives thanks to organ donation, Jessica Deverson’s sister, Jessica Deverson, said Deverson said. Monday afternoon. “There’s a really long “Somebody out there has his heart, and road that we’re now going to go down that it’s keeping them alive,” Jessica Deverson, includes a trial, justice and punishment. It’s 30, told the Sun Sentinel. “Joe was 22, a step in the right direction, though.” handsome, a great brother who loved his As Deverson’s family kept a bedside dog and fishing. And he’s dead now. Nobody vigil at Broward Health Medical Center, an deserves to be hit by a car and left on the observant employee of Roman’s oceanfront side of the road all alone.”

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

column transforming gender

The oTheR side

Rebecca Juro

rjuroshow@gmail.com

My journey with gender assignment surgery

here are many aspects of gender can be described with one word: Pain. assignment surgery, which no one talks Unending pain and discomfort, which could only be tamped down with strong narcotics. about. Almost inevitably, what little you hear in the media is post-ops gushing about Everything hurt…getting up, sitting down, how much better their lives are now. Sure, walking, sitting, standing, everything. I literally lived on Percocet those weeks, there’s a lot to be happy about once the process in a constant narcotic fog that allowed me to is over. Thing is, it is a process and not a short rest and sleep. I carried an one. No one dances out of the inflatable rubber donut with operating room. me wherever I went because To be sure, this isn’t an easy I wasn’t it was the only way I could sit topic to write about. Many postin most seats unless they were op trans people feel it’s not a allowed any very well upholstered. topic for public consumption It’s about more than just and resent being asked about estrogen until the physical aspects, though. it. Trans celebrities such as ﬁve days Estrogen thins the blood and Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, and so my surgeon ordered me Carmen Carrera have refused afterward, and to not take any for a month to answer questions about in addition to before my surgery. In a their own surgeries put to previous column I described them by interviewers, arguing the physical how I became borderline that this isn’t a topic they suicidal when my emotional feel comfortable addressing pain I was a control faded just days after publicly. complete mess the due date for an estrogen It’s a very personal decision. injection had passed. This These ladies have made a emotionally. time, I was better prepared to choice to avoid such questions, handle the emotional impact although Mock did discuss of estrogen deprivation before some aspects of her own GRS in her memoir “Redefining Realness.” I’ve my surgery. After surgery, however, was a very different story. made a different choice. I believe it’s time this I wasn’t allowed any estrogen until five days process was demystified, at least a little, and so I’ve decided to discuss my own experience afterward, and in addition to the physical pain I was a complete mess emotionally. During with GRS publicly. that time, producing only tiny amounts of For me, the first two weeks after surgery

• 9.2.2015

testosterone as well as almost no estrogen I was what can best be described as a neuter being. I had little emotional self-control. I cried, I raged, I fell apart at even the slightest provocation. I felt like I had regressed to the emotional state of the young child I once was and there was nothing I could do to keep it in check. When the five days had passed and I was able to take an injection of estrogen, I slowly began to stabilize emotionally, but this too was a process that took place over time. When a friend arrived later that day to take me home to continue my recuperation, I was sobbing uncontrollably. It was only once removed from the hotel where I had been staying and on my way home that I finally began to decompress a little and even look forward to the future. Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? It wasn’t and it still isn’t as I continue to heal. Just telling you about the bad parts isn’t the whole story though. It’s also about standing naked in front of a full length mirror for the first time and crying with joy. It’s about looking at the silicon breast forms I’d worn for 18 years and knowing I’ll never need them

again. It’s about being able to shop for clothes that accentuate my body instead of hiding it. It’s about truly feeling right in my own body for the very first time in my life. Finally, it’s about something I have no other way to describe except in a way that risks unintentionally offending trans people who haven’t gone through this process: It’s about feeling like a real woman instead of a performer of the female gender. Physically, emotionally, and psychologically, I’m now fully the woman I’ve always believed myself to be, albeit perhaps somewhat heavier than I’d prefer. It wasn’t until I’d gotten rid of the testosterone factory between my legs and the counterbalance to the estrogen in my system that had always been present was gone that I began to not only look like a woman but also truly feel like one. GRS is a process that includes great pain, inconvenience, and a complete disruption of one’s life in so many ways, but it also includes great joy and personal satisfaction. For me, it’s all worth it, all of it. I love who I am now. There is no greater happiness.

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

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

column letters to the editor

Photo: Dennis Jozefowicz.

Letters to the Editor ReadeRs Thank and bLasT sfgn pubLisheR oveR his ‘open LeTTeR To The owneRs of TRopics’ SFGN Staff

not very nice norm!

don’t see the owners comments the way you do. The owners were simply pointing out mistakes in your newspapers reporting. You should be thankful that they pointed out your mistakes and YOU SHOULD LEARN FROM THEM! Attacking members of the community is not professional Norm! You sound like a silly child in the schoolyard. Your newspaper made a mistake this week on page 18. The same blurb for the rentboy piece was inserted in the bike ride piece. I am a regular reader and you paper regularly makes mistakes. Usually typo’s but still there are flaws.

No one is perfect, and your holier that tho arrogance is unwarranted. I have to question maybe you were smoking to much pot before you wrote that opinion?? Norman there is a psychological condition call projection. It is when a person blames others for their own short comings. It is a defense mechanism in people with certain personality disorders. You may want to seek some professional help or cut back on the pot. Time to grow up! - JaMes

Thank you norm kent

odfrey Thompson and Alex W Meyer are serving the senior gay community by raising their menu prices and drink prices and lowering the quality of the food. They stopped serving lunch. They stopped the 2 for 1 specials. They made their bartenders wear ties...in casual tropical South Florida! I did not know Greg Futchi but my partner and I went to the demonstration and memorial service if front of town hall.

• 9.2.2015

Shame, shame on Godfrey and Alex for trying to gain recognition and publicity from this terrible tragedy. And thank you again, Norm Kent for identifying ‘the tragedy that this community will endure’ with them as the proprietors of Tropics. - ken MeRRifieLd Fort Lauderdale Former patron of Tropics

Tropics no Longer what it used to be

seldom agree with Norm Kent, BUT I can’t agree more on his “Open Letter To The Owners Of Tropics!” I’ve been through 3 owners in the last 15 years since I’ve been going to Tropics. I have to say the current owners have run this once thriving establishment into the ground. Even during “off season,” prior to the current owners, Tropics was crowded. The weekly specials we all looked forward to… TODAY specials consist of spaghetti and meatballs for $20!! Let me say we have a great Italian place down the street from Tropics called BONO… I get the same so called special for $9.95! I mentioned this to Alex Meyer my price objections his response… “look at my food cost!” Anyone with half a brain knows pasta

is the cheapest to make and most profitable! The final demise of Tropics is when they fired The Best Bartender of 14 years Robert Heﬄer because, “we didn’t like him!” Well you don’t have to like him…even though every one of your customers do and did love Robert! Your biggest entertainment draw which used to pack the house 75 plus is now down to a pathetic 20 or so that were there last Saturday…. Yes, Norm Kent, you hit a home run, a touchdown with the current owners of Tropics. - andRew R. bReTT Wilton Manors

LeT youR voice be heaRd Submit your own letter to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com

column more letters to the editor

Thank You For Smart Ride Article

ason, I hope you got my message I left the other day thank you for the article on the Smart Ride. It was great and informative, instructional and everything. I appreciate the time you put into the article and the placement on two pages in SFGN. It means a great deal to me personally

and I know the participants love seeing information around town talking about the ride and getting them more excited. - Glen Weinzimer Founder The SMART Ride

LABOR DAY

SFGN Mixes Up Pull Quotes; Reader Takes Notice

ason.... I NEVER write to the local “rags.” However, I just cannot believe the no one at SFGN proofs or even looks at the product before printed!. What a glaring mistake and downright pathetic misprint in

putting the quote from the rent boy sting in the SmartRide article on page 18. Pay SOME ONE TO PROOF READ before you go to print. - Anonymous

Give Floridians a Second Chance

Hello!

I saw and read the letter to the editor in your 8-19-2015 issue regarding the campaign for a constitutional amendment to give exfelons in Florida the right to vote. I jumped on this like no tomorrow, and sent out emails to all my friends and colleagues, made phone calls, and even sent letters with an enclosed petition to my U.S. Representatives. Surprisingly I have been getting a lukewarm response. Some friends of mine did a presentation today at the Pride Center. I think it was their

weekly coffee & chat group. There were about 137 people there. They only got 13 signatures. the response from most people was ABSOLUTELY NOT! I am just aghast by this. I cant believe we have such a ‘cold-hearted’ community, especially the way the nation is coming together and giving us rights. I have to believe that the community is uninformed about this matter. They really do not know what it means or the dramatic positive consequences this could have for out community. Thank you very much for your time! Sincerely, - The Reviewer

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DON’T MISS THE 2015 HONOREES!

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UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. GARY KEATING presents...

The Original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus concludes its 29th season with a special fundraiser concert as it presents its traditional Fall Follies. Come early and enjoy drinks, finger foods, and a silent auction. Then join us in the auditorium where we will highlight Gay on Broadway with all the songs you’d expect, and maybe some surprises! After that, enjoy coffee, cordials, and desserts at intermission, and finally get ready to dance in your seat (and the aisles?) to music from Kinky Boots! All this fun for $40, and it goes to a great cause: us!

SEPTEMBER 12th, 2015 • 8PM

NSU ART MUSEUM | FORT LAUDERDALE Tickets are $40 General Admission for this special fundraiser concert. You can RSVP by visiting theftlgmc.org or by calling 954.832.0060.

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

• 9.2.2015

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

Gazette Wilton Manors

Volume 2 • Issue 17 September 2, 2015

Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook

Page 1 Rental Fee Raise

Page 2 Christmas Is Here

Page 2 Chlorinated Water

Page 3 Real Estate Geek

Page 4 Murder Mystery Dinner

Community Business

Northeast 16 Avenue Slated for Improvements By Michael d’Oliveira Short of the cost of the submitted bids, city staff will ask commissioners to increase funding for planned improvements on Northeast 16 Avenue between Northeast 26 Street and the Middle River. The project includes installing bike lanes, widening the road, installing speed bumps, adding a sidewalk on the western portion of the street, re-grading the swales and adding more safety signage and pavement markings. The goal, according to a press release by the city, is “to reduce vehicular speeds along this roadway, and to enhance pedestrian safety in the area.”

“A couple areas have sidewalks but they’re not continuous,” said Assistant City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson. If the commission approves the additional funding, city staff will bring the bids back at a future meeting to choose which firm will be given the contract. If approved, Henderson estimates the improvements will take about 90 days to complete once construction starts.WMG

Rental Fees May Be Raised

Business

By Michael d’Oliveira

The cost for landlords to rent to tenants may go up soon. Commissioners are considering an increase to the $20 fee the city charges per tenant. The raise could be as low as $5 and as high as $80. At a recent commission meeting, Robert Moore, director of Community Services, said other cities charge between $50 and $100. “I like the idea of raising the rental fee,” Mayor Gary Resnick said.

Commissioners Tom Green and Justin Flippen said the increase should be no more than $5. “They’re going to pass it on [to their tenants],” Vice Mayor Scott Newton said. Resident Tim Ross said a $5 increase would be OK but a larger one might make his landlord “cut back in other areas and raise rent on new people.” But, he said, a $5 increase isn’t something he’s worried about. WMG

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September 2, 2015

9.2.2015 •

Gazette OMG, Christmas Wilton Manors

Opinion

Is Here….

By Sal Torre

Last week’s regular city commission meeting was cancelled due to our commissioners having previously voted to utilize the second commission date in August as a summer break. Now it’s the beginning of September, Labor Day weekend is approaching, and I am talking Christmas. That’s right friends, once September begins, Christmas is just around the corner. Most of you cannot bear such a thought and will curse me for stating the unavoidable truth. We have entered the last quarter of 2015, another year racing toward the finish line, the Christmas Holiday season, New Year’s Eve, right into 2016, a whole new year. Summer has ended, kids are back in school, Halloween decorations are making their way onto store shelves, and we will quickly be consuming pumpkin spice coffee, lattes, muffins, teas, breads, ice cream, and many more items turned into seasonal favorites by the magic of pumpkin spice marketing. For me, I stick to my usual dark roast coffee and wait until the madness reaches a saturation point and things get back to normal. But enough about pumpkin spice, and back to Christmas. Before those plastic Jack O’ Lanterns at Lowe’s have a chance to gather dust, Christmas decorations will push them out of the way and take over the Gardening Section, and another year will have gone by. So where am I going with this? For me, the beginning of September is a wake-up call, a time to pause and realize that another year will soon be ending, a time to check my list of items I set out to accomplish sometime this year, items seemly planned just a few months ago at the beginning of the year. I realize that it’s time to get cracking, because if I do not get those items done soon, they will not get done any time this year. As we take stock and realize that the year is quickly coming to an end, we hope that our city government and community organizations are doing the same. Will we see the beginning of that new crosswalk on Wilton Drive? Will the Andrews Avenue Redevelopment Initiative be moved ahead with the final release of the Zoning Study? Will we see the first meeting of the newlyselected Business Improvement District Board? Will the city budget for the coming fiscal year be passed with a higher millage rate? Will our city finally take some action on unregulated vacation home rentals now that the City of Fort Lauderdale has led the way? Will our city government finally have an IT Manager in place? Or

Announcement

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 17 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 ONLINE PRODUCER • DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ DENNIS.JOZEFOWICZ@SFGN.COM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • JILLIAN MELERO JILLIANMELERO@GMAIL.COM NEWS EDITOR • MICHAEL D’OLIVEIRA

Correspondents

CHRISTIANA LILLY • DENISE ROYAL • NATALYA JONES • JOHN MCDONALD • JAMES OAKSUN

Staff Photographers

J.R. DAVIS • POMPANO BILL • STEVEN SHIRES

Sales & Marketing

perhaps a fully-staffed Police Department? Will residents feel safe enough to begin utilizing Colahatchee Park once again? Time is running out to see these very important goals for 2015 happen before they get pushed off to another year. What makes matters worse is that the Fall season is packed with so many activities and holidays that make it go by even faster than earlier parts of the year. In the blink of an eye, September will be December, and we will be singing Auld Lang Syne before we know it. Here in Wilton Manors, we have a very busy Fall season. On Saturday, September 16, our Library will host a mini-musical at the new Mickel Park, with songs, comedy and puppetry for all ages. On Thursday, September 24, Friends of the Wilton Manors Library will host a fundraiser murder mystery dinner theater. October brings the annual Spooktacular hosted by Leisure Services for our city’s children, followed by the Halloween event along Wilton Drive, Wicked Manors, sponsored by the Pride Center. November brings the Tenth Annual Taste of the Island, on Monday, November 2nd. Then it’s quickly on to Thanksgiving, Black Friday, my birthday, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Years’ Eve – like I said earlier, the end of another year. But on the bright side, it’s the beginning of a whole new year, a better year, another year to plan and accomplish plenty. Why? ‘Cause life is just better here. WMG

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 ADVERTISING SALES ASSOCIATE • JIM ALBRIGHT JIM.ALBRIGHT@SFGN.COM ACCOUNTING SERVICES BY CG BOOKKEEPING South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in 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.

Associated Press

Water Chlorination Continues The City of Fort Lauderdale will continue its water chlorination until Sept. 15. This impacts the water service of residents in Wilton Manors and Oakland Park. Fire hydrant flushing will be taking place in conjunction with the water chlorination to ensure that the chlorine is distributed throughout the water system. For more information, call 954390-2190. WMG

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• 9.2.2015

2 •

September 2, 2015

When You Can’t Afford A House in WilMa...

Real Estate Geek

By James Oaksun As you may recall from past columns, the median sales price of a single family home in Wilton Manors (arms length transactions only) is now in the $360,000 range. That’s well beyond the affordability of the typical person (or even couple). However, there are other nearby options. Last time I wrote about the North Andrews Gardens neighborhood of Oakland Park. Another alternative is the South Middle

River neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. Geographically, that’s south of the river from WilMa, and bounded by Powerline Road, Sunrise and NE 4th Avenue. Restoration activities are evident as you drive through this neighborhood of about 2,000 homes. Generally the area east of Andrews and north of 15th Street has the strongest price points; homes north of 13th Street have also seen brisk price improvements. Much like North Andrews Gardens, South Middle River has seen a great deal of “fix n flip” activity. The neighborhood was hit hard in the real estate bust of 2006-2011. Homes that sold at the peak for $300,000 could be bought as bank-owned for under $100,000 – sometimes much under. The graph here shows what has happened since 2010. As recently as early 2014 you could still get the occasional home in South Middle River for under $100,000. And just like you see on popular reality TV shows like “Flipping Vegas,” such homes could be gutted, rebuilt to more contemporary standards, and then sold in the 180-200k range. Or occasionally even higher, especially if a pool was installed. As with North Andrews Gardens, pricing in

3 •

September 2, 2015

South Middle River runs half of pricing in the Island City, despite being maybe seven minutes drive from the heart of Wilton Drive. Price increases in South Middle River have not been as dramatic as in North Andrews Gardens, but appreciation over the last three years has run about 20 percent annually. Not too shabby. Perhaps understandably, inventories of available homes in both neighborhoods are the tightest of any of the neighborhoods I follow. Shop accordingly. WMG James Oaksun, Broward's Real Estate GeekSM, is a Realtor with the Wilton Manors office of RE/MAX Preferred. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a graduate of the Realtors Institute (GRI).

9.2.2015 •

Community

Announcing the

Friends of Library Donations Save Taxpayers Money

Marriage of ...

By Michael d'Oliveira

You!

Let everyone know about your nuptuals by placing an announcement in South Florida Gay News.

A murder mystery dinner will help the Wilton Manors Library solve the problem of where to find funding for computers, DVDs, CDs and other items. On Thursday, Sept, 24 at 7 p.m., the Friends of the Wilton Manors Library will host Murder on the High Seas at Galuppi’s Restaurant, 1103 N. Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. “We fund all the children’s programs, buy all the computers, underwrite the contract for the eBooks, DVDs, audio books and large print books,” said Paul Kuta, first vice president of Friends of the Library. “We put aside each year $2,000 for computer replacement. The city hasn’t ever bought a computer in the public library.” Besides fundraisers, which include the silent auction at the Taste of the Island event in November, the money is generated through memberships, books sale events and donations. “They do quite a lot . . . quite a bit for the community,” said Rick Sterling, library

director. “Without them, either the city would have to pay for these items or the library users would have to do without.” Produced by Standing Room Only Productions, the murder mystery dinner enlists the audience and includes professional actors, props, raﬄe prizes and award certificates at the end of the night. “I like to call it a ‘fun-raiser,’” said Ellen Ferrelli, Friends of the Library board member. “You have to guess who killed whom.” The cost of tickets is $45 per person. Tickets are available at the Library, 500 NE 26 St., or About Town Lock & Safe, 2404 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors. Call 954566-8957 or email murdermystery924@yahoo.com. Pirate costumes are encouraged but not required. Space is limited. WMG

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column publisher`s editorial

hoMeLand secuRiTy Raid on RenT boy is a TRaiToRous acT Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

Agency Should Guard our Borders, Not your Bedrooms

alleged consensual adult hookup site. This ith the dust having settled on the agency was created to fight terrorism after raid at the Rent Boy headquarters, some fundamental issues have 3,000 of our citizens were the victims of a heinous massacre. emerged which warrant discussion in the Do you think there would mainstream media and the have been Congressional LGBT community. authorization to fund this First and foremost, the All over the billion-dollar agency if George Department of Homeland W. Bush said he wanted to use Security, who engineered globe, from it to spy on alleged hookers? this law enforcement action passenger Since 9/11, life on Earth has not and deployed its valuable gotten much safer. All over the resources to effectuate it, trains in Madrid globe, from passenger trains has transparently violated its to beach resorts in Madrid to beach resorts in duties and core mission. Indonesia, people are being Second, the next civil rights in Indonesia, slaughtered by random acts of issue in America may be the terror. fight for the legal rights of people are being Whether it’s ISIS or Al adult sex workers who want slaughtered by Qaeda, or one of its disciples the ability to have dominion attacking a military base in and control over their own random acts of Texas, we are all exposed to bodies. Nationally and locally, terror. risks in an ever more dangerous laws governing prostitution world. Forgive me if I don’t join need to be revisited. in and echo the remarkably Third, given that there is a wealth of transparently obvious hookup sites misguided thoughts of a government official, for consensual adults so much bigger than Glenn Sorge, in declaring Rent Boy the kind of “global criminal enterprise” I want our U.S. Rent Boy, with so many more issues, such as Craig’s List, was this raid homophobic in origin attorneys to target. However, my personal views are consistent and purpose? with the law and facts. You see, the core mission and purpose of Homeland Security Duties of Homeland is defined by statute and regulations. Its Security strategic priorities are outlined in regulations and its own quadrennial review. None outline As a New Yorker and American who saw friends and colleagues die in the World Trade supervision of the world’s oldest profession as a law enforcement goal. Center on 9-11, I am livid with rage over the There are five homeland security missions. use of Homeland Security assets to target an

• 9.2.2015

First, it is to prevent terrorism and enhance national security. Second, to secure and manage our national borders. Third, enforcing our immigration laws. Fourth, safeguarding cyberspace from hackers. Fifth, ensuring a resilient response to national disasters. That’s their charge, purpose and duty. In more detail, Homeland Security published its quadrennial report in 2014 outlining their strategic priorities. Do you want to know what they say they must do? The priorities enumerated in the report declares that the agency will interdict “urgent biological

threats,” “mass casualty attacks,” and “prevent entry of terrorists, diseases, and invasive species.” Dare I say that investigating alleged consensual male prostitution was never mentioned in a summary of their high priority targets? The seven defendants are charged with conspiring to violate the federal Travel Act. First passed in 1961, the Travel Act makes it a federal crime to use the mail or interstate or international travel or communications for the purposes of engaging in certain illegal acts or for distributing the proceeds of certain illegal

There are ﬁve homeland security missions. First, it is to prevent terrorism and enhance national security. Second, to secure and manage our national borders. Third, enforcing our immigration laws. Fourth, safeguarding cyberspace from hackers. Fifth, ensuring a resilient response to national disasters. That’s their charge, purpose and duty.

column publisher`s editorial acts. It was designed to target businesses and bribery not boys and their butts. Unfortunately, the list of illegal acts covered by the law includes crimes like gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking, extortion, bribery, and arson. While this is not a complete list, the law provides Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney’s office a statutory and lawful basis to conduct this investigation. It doesn’t provide an answer as to why they did it or whether they should have. Rentboy.com allegedly violated New York’s laws against prostitution, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office is arguing that Rentboy.com facilitated and promoted prostitution crimes across state and international borders. It wasn’t the government’s first use of this law either. Last year, the U.S. shut down MyRedBook.com. What if Homeland Security broadens its investigation? Dozens of websites like RentMen.com, Men4RentNow.com, and HourBoy.com facilitate similar advertisements for escorts. Those businesses should today be in panic mode. So you have this singular law enforcement operation, suspect though it is, chilling a score of similarly situated business enterprises. But also let’s make something clear escorting in a legitimate and legal business in the U.S. If the Department of Homeland Security is successful in abusing the intent of the federal Travel Act with this prosecution, it will only extend the power of the federal government to reach beyond its limits and further invade your privacy as a U.S. citizen. Sex Workers Have Rights In separate statements, the Transgender Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Harm Reduction Coalition, the Global Forum on MSM & HIV, and the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance condemned the raid (see page 18). Whether it is a pizza, a penis or some pot, adults should have the free choice to have dominion and control over their own bodies. It is behavior you should control, not your

government. As Amnesty International noted in its global report this month, “Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse.” The report recommends that Amnesty International develop a policy that supports the full decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work. The policy will also call on states to ensure that sex workers enjoy full and equal legal protection from exploitation, trafficking and violence. Research and reports on sex workers internationally have shown they can be exposed to physical and sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion and harassment, human trafficking, forced HIV testing and medical interventions. They can also be excluded from social services, including health care and housing. It’s time to protect them, not persecute them. The persons using the Internet to engage rent boy contractors are employing sex workers professionally, not exploiting them personally. Customers buy time and companionship. There is no certainty that the shared experience will result in a sexual encounter. Ultimately, what the parties do after they meet should be a matter for them to decide. It’s morally presumptuous for the government to suggest otherwise- and it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult to prove up as a matter of law that all of the 10,000 rent boys on their website sold themselves solely for sex. It’s going to be equally difficult to prove up that the proprietors and employees of Rentboy had any idea what their contractors were doing every single time they met one of their clients. If two people decide amongst themselves to barter or pay for sex, with a car or cash, why should that be illegal anyway? If that constitutes prostitution, then it’s time, isn’t it, to put an end to the laws making prostitution illegal? You worry about the sanctity of your bedroom, and Homeland Security gets to work on the security of our borders. Perhaps the attorneys for the defendants will use this case to challenge the constitutionality

If two people decide amongst themselves to barter or pay for sex, with a car or cash, why should that be illegal anyway? If that constitutes prostitution, then it’s time, isn’t it, to put an end to the laws making prostitution illegal? You worry about the sanctity of your bedroom, and Homeland Security gets to work on the security of our borders. of New York’s prostitution laws. Perhaps it’s because Homeland Security can’t protect our borders, or secure them, or properly enforce our immigrations laws that they’ve now turned to this low hanging fruit as a way to proclaim they’re doing their job. The Raid Targets the LGBT Community The ‘legitimate’ and ‘mainstream’ LGBT organizations like the HRC are unlikely to jump into this fight. They are too busy trying to be accepted by the establishment to stand up strenuously against it. Rent boys represent a fringe element they don’t want to be associated with. Nevertheless, don’t ever forget that the LGBT civil rights movement did not start with corporate Vice Presidents stepping out of the closet in the workplace. It began with drag queens taking to the street in Greenwich Village and AIDS activists marching on Washington. While we have put an end to sodomy laws and advanced the cause of gay rights nationally, personal acceptance of your sexual identity still remains a challenge for millions of Americans. Escorting services provide a vehicle and conduit for human beings to explore their own identities privately and individually. It’s healthy, not harmful. Those decisions should be protected, not prosecuted. Perhaps this raid may the impetus to start a class action on behalf of those whose rights have been compromised. The government’s decision to target the largest gay escort service in the world is clearly a message to every other similar one so operating. It says none of you are beyond our means or outside our striking distance. It’s also a threat to every young gay man and client that ever contracted with RentBoy. The criminal complaint enumerated only a few, but an out of control prosecutor can target many more. You only have to read the criminal complaint to understand how badly the government wants to go after the fetishes of the LGBT community. With detail and specificity, the government points to individual boys who have openly advertised their services. Their position is these young men promoted and engaged in acts of male prostitution by advertising physical attributes, sexual positions and pet fetishes, such as water sports and spanking.

The complaint goes into much more detail to try to prove every escort is selling themselves for sex. The United States of Surveillance walked out of the RentBoy offices in New York City with dozens of cartons and a host of email servers. Investigators employed by those law enforcement agencies will now methodically collect and systematically gather identifiable data including your personal communications. They will be stored and housed, saved for their random review. If you feel uncomfortable, unfortunately, you should be. The cartons the Homeland Security Agency collected won’t be discarded. They will be reviewed and catalogued, gathered in a data base so that law enforcement will know a lot more about your lifestyle then you want them to know. It’s up to us to make sure that does not happen. In closing, you should be outraged that the rights the gay community has spent years fighting for are now being compromised by a misguided criminal prosecution of a gay escort site that has been operating in the sunlight for 18 years. Using their powers and the existing laws, our government has shut it down and will likely put its operators in jail for a year or two. The Department of Justice was so proud of their Herculean effort three rows of special agents showed up at the courthouse for the defendants’ first hearing. Then I thought of the journalist beheaded by ISIS in Syria, and I said to myself, “my god, this is their idea of safeguarding homeland security?” What if the investigation turns out you used the services of these young men? Are you next? And what of these young men? Aside from the obvious and immediate loss of income streams, will our government not charge some or many of them down the road? Will there be constructive tax audits of their tax returns, subpoenas to find out who their clients are, forfeitures and asset seizures of their property? Should we automatically presume an invasive law enforcement agency will look the other way? Frankly, we should all be very frightened. The government has spied on us for a long time in many ways. The only thing that has changed is the way they do it. But every way they do it compromises your freedom and the integrity of law enforcement in America.

Norm Kent, the publisher of South Florida Gay News, is a constitutional rights and criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

9.2.2015 •

column chamber chat

3Rd annuaL pink fLaMingo awaRds Lori Lynch Presented by the LGBT Visitors Center located 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. Voting is conducted online at www. PinkFlamingoAwards.com, with winners to be announced at an entertainment extravaganza on Setpember 24. Voting closes September 18. “The Pink Flamingo Awards party is the quintessential commemoration of ‘Community Celebrating Community. “ It’s not only an opportunity for the community to honor those who serve or entertain them year ‘round, but also to put the ‘fun’ back in fundraiser. This year’s awards celebration will include an open bar cocktail reception, 3 course dinner, silent auction and live entertainment featuring the evenings Emcee, celebrity comedian ANT. Situated in the historic Old City Hall on Miami Beach, the LGBT Visitor Center is internationally renowned as the first of its kind in the United States. The Center serves as a major hub of activity and programming for our local community and welcomes thousands of visitors throughout the year. Funds raised at the Pink Flamingo Awards will assist the Center in continuing to serve as a world-class model for other cities to follow in their footsteps. The 3rd Annual Pink Flamingo Awards dinner on September 24 attracts more than 400 attendees, including high-profile community influencers, entertainment and hospitality industry professionals, political leaders and members of the South Florida business community. For additional information about the 3rd Annual Pink Flamingo Awards, including voting, sponsorship opportunities and tickets for the September 24th awards show, go to www.PinkFlamingoAwards.com, contact Lori Lynch at lori@gogaymiami.com or call (305) 397-8914. 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

• 9.2.2015

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editorial cartoon

Photo: Anthony Tusler/Facebook

column seeing in the dark

paTienT no MoRe

A disability rights historical exhibit in Berkeley, CA Belo Cipriani The disabled are generally not perceived as assertive. In fact, we are often depicted as vulnerable and more delicate members of society. But in 1977, a group of disabled individuals broke all stereotypes and took over a federal building in San Francisco. The Section 504 Sit-In, as it’s now referred to, helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990. To honor and celebrate this often overlooked piece of American history, the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University has put together an exhibit called “Patient No More,” which can be viewed at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. “Knowing that the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act was approaching in 2015,” said Emily Beitiks, Associate Director at the Paul K. Longmore Center, “an exhibit to celebrate disability and the disability rights movement seemed like a way to forward our mission of promoting empowering stories of what people with disabilities bring to the table.” The exhibit, which received a Cal Humanities Stories Grant and support from the East Bay Community Foundation, features an amazing collection of photos that beautifully capture every facet of this part of disability history. “We were extremely fortunate that in 1977, two photographers understood the importance of documenting this important moment in history: Anthony Tusler and HolLynn D’Lil,” said Beitiks. “Their photographs are beautiful, and together they help show the range of experiences that made up the sit-in -- from the boredom to the extreme frustration, from the exhaustion to the overwhelming satisfaction, to the pride when they left the building victorious.” The exhibit also features video interviews of people at the sit in, which were produced

by San Francisco State University students and are fully accessible. While some people in the San Francisco Bay Area may have heard of the Section 504 Sit-In, what many of them may not know is that the LGBT community had a role in this civil rights movement. “The focus of the exhibit is queer history, as well as disability history,” Beitiks shared. “A large number of the leaders were queer people. A gay men’s group called the Butterfly Brigade lent their walkie-talkies to the protesters so they could get their messages out of the building. And one 504 protester remembered that inside the building, the queer women threw the best parties.” “There’s a shared experience of stigma and discrimination. LGBT people and disabled people alike aren’t necessarily born into a family like themselves, so finding a community is essential to allowing for a celebration of difference and pride. The issue of bathrooms provides one specific example of overlap: people with disabilities and transgender/genderqueer people have united in their shared agreement that the built environment can be oppressive to certain body types and their needs,” continued Beitiks. The exhibit will be available from July 2015 to December 2015 at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. In 2016, the exhibit will go on tour. For those of you who don’t live in the San Francisco Bay Area, the entire collection can be found online at PatientNoMore.org. The website is fully accessible and showcases the exact exhibit that can be found at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. Cathrine Kudlick, who is openly bisexual and directs the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability, also invites everyone to visit the institute’s website at LongMoreInstitute. sfsu.edu.

Belo Cipriani is a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, and a spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He was voted “Best Disability Advocate” in the Bay Area in 2015 by SF Weekly. Learn more at BeloCipriani.com.

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column speak out

speak SFGN Staff

SFGN’s “Speak OUT” is a weekly feature giving a regular voice to South Florida LGBT leaders.

What are your thoughts on the Rentboy.com raid? And should the decriminalization of sex work be a part of the LGBT rights movement?

“

It is disappointing that the Federal Government is redoubling their efforts to prosecute American’s engaged in the “oldest profession.” Sex Work is often an occupation of last resort for the most marginalized in our society and the fact that they are going after Rentboy.com, which provides these services for the LGBT community, shows that even with our recent advances around Gay Marriage, those members of our Community who are the most vulnerable are now even more vulnerable." — Lee Rubin, Blogger and Community Organizer

“

I think the sex work should be decriminalized. Without the benefit of legalization, people fall victim to the violence and other criminal activities, lack healthcare and other kinds of protections, and endanger themselves and their clients.." — Meredith L Ockman, community activist and a director of NOW

“

It is impossible to know the government’s real motives in closing down the site. A general concern is that the government intervened more aggressively because of the male-to-male aspects of the site, suggesting prosecutorial bias against men who have sex with men. Intervening against this institutional bias is critically important in the LGBT fight for equality. The broader issue of decriminalizing sex work goes beyond the existing framework of LGBT rights and this albeit important social issue would represent a new and equally controversial aspect in the fight for LGBT equality." — George Castrataro, noted attorney and LGBT activist

“

Male hustling is like smoking pot. The state wastes time and money by involving itself when there are no victims.” — Brian McNaught, noted columnist, author and LGBT activist

speak 38

• 9.2.2015

Visit SFGN.com/SpeakOut to see more of this week’s responses. Send an Email to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com if you know of a LGBT community leader that should be or wants to be a part of this list.

lifestyle cars

Photos: Chrystler.

The all-new 2016 Fiat 500X provides plenty of opportunities for owners to customize the compact crossover.

0X 2016 Fiat 50

D R I V E N

2016 Steve Siler

2016 fiaT 500x

Base Price: $20,900 Power: 1.4–2.4-liter fourcylinder (160-180-hp, 175–184 lb-ft of torque) Transmission: 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg (EPA est): 21–25/30–34

Less Runt, More Grunt: the Butchest Fiat Yet

ver had a scrawny, limp-wristed friend go away for the summer and come back totally ripped? I feel like that’s just what happened over at the Fiat store, where the new 500X just hit the showroom floor, and is looking, um, kinda hot. Seriously, forget everything you thought about the diminutive 500 microcar. Ditto the plump 500L, if you even knew that one exists in the first place. The 500X is more of a crossover than compact car, though technically it’s both, with garage-friendly dimensions but the just-abovethe-fray seating position that everybody loves in crossovers. It also comes in some amazing colors, my favorite of which is metallic “Bronzo Magnetico,” which is available in gloss or a slick factory matte finish. The interior is Fiat’s best, hands-down. It incorporates handy touchscreen controls in an ergonomically correct arrangement, decorated by sassy body color panels here and there. My tester, a loaded Trekking all-wheel-drive model, features cushy brown textured leather chairs that fondly recalls my uncle’s mushy leather recliner, only with proper bolstering and good

lumbar support. There’s decent room for four adults and a modicum of luggage, though the sloping rear window reduces cargo space a bit, so bear that in mind when teasing those wigs, girls. My tester also came with the full-length moonroof that I consider a must when you live in the sun-belt. Sun, after all, is much of the reason we all live where we do, right? Having driven all of the 500X’ competitors (listed in the specs), I have low expectations for the performance. But the 500X Trekking, which comes standard with the more powerful of the two available engines, surprises with spry acceleration, as well as precise steering and snappy handling responses. The steering and powertrain characteristics can be changed via dial between the seats, and I found the sport setting to be the most satisfactory, though it comes at the expense of some fuel efficiency. The 500X is already on sale, with prices starting around 21 grand, though my tester rang a tally well above $30K, which seems like a lot for a Fiat. Then again, the way I see it, cars with this much character are well worth the cost.

Seriously, forget everything you thought about the diminutive 500 microcar.

OR YOU COULD BUY:

Kia Soul Jeep Renegade Nissan Juke

Renowned automotive journalist Steve Siler pioneered automotive writing for the GLBT community in 1998 and currently contributes auto news and reviews to Car and Driver Magazine, Yahoo Autos, The New York Daily News, Autoblog, Details, and many more. You can follow his adventures on Twitter/Instagram: @silerroad.

9.2.2015 •

lifestyle photos

43Rd annuaL Miss fLoRida pageanT 2015

J.R. Davis

â&#x20AC;˘ 9.2.2015

Drag event spurs recognition for queens across Florida

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music bata’s beats Submitted photos.

After many years of hard work in the LGBT community, DJ Citizen Jane has now gone global.

John Bata

giRL on fiRe

ho is DJ Citizen Jane? I recently had the pleasure to talk with and find out some of what makes this talented, down to earth disc jockey/musician/artist tick. After many years of hard work in the LGBT community the Miami native’s determination has paid off and she has now gone global and will headline some of the largest and respected parties around the country and the world. There will be plenty of opportunity at a variety of events to hear her live considering her impressive and growing resume. Citizen Jane is the girl on fire — an artist on the rise.

When did you begin to DJ? I began in the late 90’s.

You started with Vinyl? I started spinning with Vinyl before the whole digital invasion. I still have my turntables and do it at home for fun.

Do you prefer digital to vinyl as a DJ?

Where did your love for music come from? My love for music comes from growing up in a musical home. Everyone from my Dad’s side of the family and my brother are musicians. Aside from DJing I am a musician, singer and • 9.2.2015

You like to play all different genres of music? I love playing just about everything. To me it’s all about those on the dance floor. I play for the people not for myself.

What is your favorite? I love playing House Music!

There was always music playing in my home at all hours of the day. I carry it in my veins.

It’s two totally different things. I can work with both equally and have fun with either one because at the end of the day it’s not about the equipment but about the music.

songwriter. There was always music playing in my home at all hours of the day. I carry it in my veins.

How has the scene changed since you started? The scene has changed a lot. It has evolved in the sense that people are more open and accepting therefore there are a lot more choices of where to go to as opposed to just going to the gay bars and clubs. Also there are a lot more circuit and pride events.

Is there a difference with the music you play when DJing for a mostly all girl party as opposed to a gay circuit event or club?

Every party is always different. All girl parties are mostly into open format music. Boy party’s are mostly into House Music and Gay Circuit Events are a mixture of House Music & some remixed top 40 dance songs. When I play at straight nightclubs / venues I play a mixture of open format and EDM.

Do you prefer a large party or a smaller intimate setting?

I love large parties! I’m a people person and I feed off of seeing a large crowd dancing to my music.

What made you want to be a DJ? My love for music and just being able to see people forgetting about their problems while dancing to my beats is so rewarding. If I can do that and make them smile and dance their ass off I have succeeded.

Where do you buy your music?

I purchase music from iTunes and remix the songs. I also download music from various sights.

I think your DJ name is really great. I see it as you are trying to imply that you are a DJ of the people for the people when it comes to music. In a way it goes back to what you were saying about how you play music for the crowd instead of yourself. My DJ name actually is my childhood nickname given to me by my grade school best friend that stuck throughout my whole life. It came about because the boys would take our toys away on the playground at school and I was the one who would go and get them back for the girls. One day my best friend said “you are our superhero your name now is Citizen Jane.” To elaborate on being a DJ of the people it is great that you ask that question because I actually have been told that before on several occasions that “I am a DJ of the People.” I am one of the few DJ’s who actually can play across the board easily and have the crowd going on the dance floor for the girls, boys and mainstream no matter in what part of the country or internationally that I am playing. Not many DJ’s are accepted by such different

DJ Spotlight – Citizen Jane audiences and I am so grateful that I have been. It comes down to I play for the people, I read the crowds, I know what I have to deliver for each event to make them happy. I put all my love for music into it for my crowd — it’s always for them. My gratification is seeing the joy of them having a great time on the dance floor.

Who are some of your musical heroes? Madonna - She has evolved through all the different eras of music since coming out on the scene, she is innovative, always reinventing herself. I love that she takes risks. Peter Rauhofer is my biggest DJ influence.

What are some upcoming gigs you are going to be a part of? I will be headlining Austin, Texas Pride, Calgary Pride, Gay Days (Exclusively for the boys), Key West, Womenfest, Fort Lauderdale Pride (Main Stage), then Atlanta Pride for my second year at Piedmont Park Main Stage just to name a few.

Do you have a favorite? My favorite one I must say was Headlining Atlanta Pride last year on the Main Stage at Piedmont Park. It was the first time Atlanta Pride had a DJ Headline the Pride Festival on the Main Stage in their 44 Years of being a Pride Festival where attendance is over 200,000. I had the honor of being the first DJ ever. The other is spinning in Madison Square Garden (the most famous arena in the world) during this past NYC Pride weekend, seeing my name up on the screen and spinning in that arena is beyond thrilling that words can not even describe the feeling.

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

lifestyle history

AP Photo / Emrah Gurel.

A participant in the Gay Pride event in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) rights reacts as others ﬂee after Turkish police use a water cannon to disperse them in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 28, 2015.

Pier Angelo

hoMo hisToRy 101

History was never as straight as we are told. Recording our history means reporting the truth. Turkey, which shares borders with several conflict zones has recently absorbed millions of people, among them sexual minorities, who have officially become outcasts from their own communities. LGBT refugees, escaping the wrath and destruction of ISIS, from this volatile and conservative region have made Istanbul a sanctuary of sort. Despite finding something of an oasis in Istanbul, the situation in Turkey is far from idyllic. Being LGBT there means facing homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia from Turks. Minutes before it was due to begin this year Istanbul Pride was cancelled under orders from the city’s government. It sparked riots with the police who fired tear gas, plastic pellets and many participants were savagely beaten with batons.

atheists dance together to the same beat. You will meet Mahamoud Hassino, a Syrian journalist and activist who left his native country for Turkey and from exile he started Syria’s first and only LGBT magazine Called MAWALEH (“ Nuts” in Arabic). Hassino recently received asylum in Germany and he will resettle there.

Mahamoud hassino, a Syrian journalist and activist who left his native country for Turkey and from exile he started Syria’s first and only LGBT magazine called MAWALEH (“Nuts” in Arabic). Hassino recently received asylum in Germany and he will resettle there. The commonwealth of nations

Tek yon is Istambul’s best known gay club. There you will find gay exiles from every sect and ethnicity in the Middle East. It is the meeting point for gay Syrians and gay Arabs in general. Elsewhere they might be enemies; here Arab Christians, Sunnis, 44

• 9.2.2015

or the Commonwealth (formerly the British Commonwealth of Nations), is an intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that were mostly territories of the former British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the

member states, organized through the rugby union player Gareth Thomas came Commonwealth Secretariat, and non- out in 2009, 35, saying he wanted to lift the governmental organizations. 42 out of 53 lid on “ years of despair.” On the same day member states outlaw and victimize LGBT as Hirst announcement, David Denson, people. Culture, religion, a Milwaukee Brewers minor history are the roots of this leaguer became the first extreme intolerance. The openly gay baseball player British made homosexuality Despite on a team affiliated with U.S. illegal across the empire and Major League Baseball. ﬁnding the prohibitions remain in place today. something august 2015: The of an oasis first openly gay black man has Rugby: Keegan been confirmed as a federal in Istanbul, Hirst, 27, captain of the judge by the U.S. Senate for the situation the bench in South Florida. Batley Bulldogs from West Yorkshire became the first The vote was unanimous to in Turkey British openly gay rugby confirm Darrin P. Gayles, is far from professional player. He who is currently a Miamirevealed his sexuality this Dade County Judge. Obama idyllic. August 2015 in an interview chose Gayles after a previous with the Sunday Mirror. In a openly gay black nominee, sport that is as tough rugby fellow Miami-Dade County there is always a presupposition That if one Judge William Thomas was blocked by is gay he would not be playing in the game. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. Hirst’s announcement follows the lead Senators also confirmed an openly gay of the Australian rugby league player Ian black woman, Staci Michelle Yandle, to a Roberts, Who came out in 1995. The Welsh federal judgeship in Illinois.

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Photos: Submitted.

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say cheese

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• 9.2.2015

adds Swiss to the mélange served on toasted sourdough bread brushed with melted garlic butter. The “Wall Street Grindr” stuffs cheese, waﬄe fries, bacon, crispy onions, garlic butter and a fried egg between toasted sourdough bread. The “Manhattan” features toasted country bread enveloping gooey cheese and house-made mac and cheese. The “Brooklyn Porkster” takes the classic cheese combo and adds pulled pork with bbq sauce, crispy onions, & crunchy dill pickles on toasted sourdough bread. The “Soho” deviates from the usual cheese combo, combining sweet brie, crispy onions, crunchy bacon and berry marmalade on toasted oatmeal wheat bread. For those who like a bit of heat, “Harlem Jalapeno” adds crispy jalapeno poppers, crispy onions, and sweet chili aioli to the classic cheeses on toasted country loaf. The one sandwich that extends beyond New York City’s borders is, of course, a salute to Buffalo’s famous wings. The Blue Buffalo combines blue, jack, American and cheddar with buffalo chicken on toasted country loaf. Man (and woman) do not live on sandwiches alone, so some sides are in order. Waﬄe fries are the mainstay, either regular or sweet potato, and they come with an array of dipping sauces; sweet chili aioli, house-made Buffalo, sweet mustard aioli, bbq and marshmallow (surprisingly good with the sweet potato fries). Other sides include a “Hot Pork Sundae” - fries topped with shredded pork, gravy and grated cheeses and, of course, “Disco Fries” (aka poutine); fries, cheese curds and gravy. For those with a taste for the

cheese-a-RaMa New York Grilled Cheese presents “CheeseO-Rama 3” on Sept. 9 to beneﬁt SMART Ride at its ﬂagship location, 2207 N. Wilton Dr., from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Hosted by New York Grilled Cheese “Den Mother” Daisy Deadpetals, the event features a silent auction, 20 percent back from each check donated to the charity, as well as $1 for everyone who checks in on Facebook. SMART Ride takes place Nov. 13-14. For more information on the ride, go to TheSmartRide.org.

spicy or unusual, check out the jalapeno poppers and bacon lollipops. If the dipping portion of the soup isn’t enough, you can order a larger portion of the creamy tomato basil bisque. Beer, wine and soft drinks are available. When the father-son team who own New York Grilled Cheese first opened in this spot, they planned on serving frozen yogurt, but quickly saw the market was oversaturated. Rather than call it quits they embraced dairy in another form and Wilton Manors is the better for it. New York Grilled Cheese isn’t perfect, the décor is overly lit and sterile (it still feels like a frozen yogurt shop) and the awkward layout forces you to choose between two dining rooms, neither offering much in the way of comfortable seating. Service ranges from spectacular to ditzy and, on one occasion, “Why did you bother to come to work today?” rudeness. There are rumors that a second location is opening in Boca and that there are plans to franchise. Stop in now while you can still say, “I used to go there when…”

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9.2.2015 •

F O R

T H E

J.W. Arnold

SFGNITES

jw@prdconline.com

THU

THEATER

W E E K

O F

S E P T E M B E R

8 ,

2 0 1 5

W W W . S F G N . C O M

9/3

For a night at the theater, check out Thinking Cap Theatre’s production of Dave Hanson’s comedy, “Waiting for Waiting for Godot,” a play about two understudies waiting to “go on” in a production of “Waiting for Godot,” Samuel Beckett’s classic about two men waiting for a third who never shows. Catch the play Thursday - Saturday at The Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts, 1501 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, through Sept. 13. Tickets are $35 at ThinkingCapTheatre.com.

FRI

SPORTS

9/4

You may not be a sports fan, but celebrate your inner geek in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood tonight as Darth Vader and his storm troopers take over Marlins Park. Yes, it’s Star Wars Night and Billy, the Marlins’ mascot, is going to channel the Force to victory while raising funds for Stand Up to Cancer. Everyone receives a t-shirt and there’s a special pre-party with DJs starting at 5:30 p.m. A spectacular fireworks display follows the game. Tickets start at $25 at Miami.Marlins.MLB.com.

SAT FILM

• 9.2.2015

Photo Credit: Major League Baseball.

9/5 SUN

Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave. in Coral Gables, offers a special screening of John Cameron Mitchell’s rollicking rock musical, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” tonight at 11:30 p.m. A recent Broadway revival with Neil Patrick Harris, Taye Diggs and Darren Criss each donning that freaky wig was a huge hit, but nothing compares to the original performance of Mitchell in the role of the transgender singer with a botched sex change. Tickets are $5 with free popcorn. Tickets at GablesCinema.com.

May the “Fourth” be with you! Darth Vader throws out the first pitch at Star Wars Night at Marlins Park on Friday, Sept. 4.

ART

9/6 MON

Arts Garage, 180 NE 1st Street in Delray Beach, is one of the region’s coolest visual and performing arts spaces, tucked away in the first floor of a parking garage. Stop by this weekend and check out “Shifting Gears,” by acclaimed artist and car enthusiast Rene von Richthofen. Using toy cars and found objects, he creates amazing works of automotive ingenuity while bringing out the inner child in all of us. Admission is free. For more information, go to ArtsGarage.org.

HOLIDAY

9/7 TUE

South Florida dodged a bullet when Hurricane Erica lost steam last weekend. Hopefully the rains will go away for the long Labor Day weekend so we can fire up the barbecues around the pool or join the tourists on Sebastian Beach. Regardless, the best place to celebrate your labors—and the end of the summer tourist season—is down on Wilton Drive. Grab brunch at one of the many trendy restaurants or a drink at a popular bar. You’ve earned a long holiday weekend.

TELEVISION

9/8

The cast of “Below Deck” was in town last week for the third season premiere party to benefit the Marine Industry Cares Foundation. See for yourselves what makes silver fox Captain Lee the “stud of the sea” on Bravo’s yacht-based reality show tonight as the crew pursues love and lust in the Bahamas. Stewards Kate and Amy promise the sauciest season yet and the boys are definitely some of the hottest on television. Don’t miss it. Check local listings for channels and show times.

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

a&e film “Best of Enemies,” a documentary opening in South Florida this weekend, chronicles the 1968 televised convention debates between conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., left, and Gore Vidal.

Credit: Magnolia Pictures.

coMpeLLing docuMenTaRy pRoves LiTTLe has changed in poLiTics J.W. Arnold

Viewers flipping channels on television during the presidential election cycle are likely to catch colorful, outspoken pundits discussing civil rights, income equality and culture wars—except we’re not talking about 2015, but 47 years ago. A documentary opening this week in South Florida proves that old adage in politics, the more things change, the more they stay the same. “Best of Enemies” offers a fascinating analysis of the events and lasting effects of 10 live debates between conservative William F. Buckley, Jr. and liberal Gore Vidal, broadcast on ABC during the 1968 Republican and Democratic presidential conventions. The move was gutsy for the network, which was stuck in third place or even “fourth, but there were only three networks,” as a retired executive pointed out on camera, later joking, “The way to end to the Vietnam War would be to put it on ABC and it would be over in 13 weeks.” Equally bold was the casting of two “public intellectuals.” Buckley was editor of the “National Review,” considered the father of the modern conservative movement, and Vidal, a frustrated politician, celebrated author and screenwriter, and coincidentally, in-law of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

• 9.2.2015

Vidal was a particularly daring—if not perfectly suited choice—a gay bon vivant who had recently authored “Myra Breckenridge,” a scathing satirical novel about the evils of big business and featuring a transsexual protagonist. The only point the two could agree, besides their antipathy for each other, was that the country was splitting at the seams. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated and cities were burning. The country was mired in an increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam. The sexual revolution was marching forward and women were demanding lives outside of the home. The Republicans chose Miami Beach as the location to anoint their candidate, Richard Nixon, the first time their convention had been held below the Mason Dixon Line. As delegates politicked amid palm trees and sandy beaches, Vidal launched the first attack, a familiar line in 2015. “Can a political party based almost entirely on greed nominate a candidate that a majority could vote?” He accused Republicans of attacking the poor and then shedding crocodile tears for their situation. Buckley blustered back, sending ratings through the roof. The verbal sparring continued in Chicago

weeks later when Democrats met to choose a leader in the vacuum left by RFK’s death. Like modern days, the convention featured celebrities including actor Paul Newman and playwright Arthur Miller. Mayor Richard Daley had the city locked down as violence flared, leading to one of the most powerful moments in the film: Aretha Franklin flubbing the words to the National Anthem amid scenes of riot police beating back protesters. In the studio, tension also built, leading to Buckley’s infamous meltdown. After Vidal accused him of being a “crypto Nazi,” Buckley lashed out, calling Vidal a “queer” and threatening physical violence. Again, in a brilliant choice from filmmakers Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon, the speechless expressions of the many experts featured in the film, punctuate the gravity of the vicious (for the time) ad hominem attack, launched in front of 10 million viewers. Afterwards, Buckley admitted his pulse was racing, while Vidal quipped, “I guess we gave them their money’s worth.” The episode was one from which both men would be scarred. Buckley attempted to justify his anger in a 12,000 word essay in “Esquire” magazine, answered by Vidal’s own piece. Lawsuits would follow. In his

final episode of “Firing Line” more than 30 years later, Buckley was left speechless when the episode was recalled, while Vidal would watch recordings of the debates with his biographer a la Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard.” As the final credits roll, the many pundits and experts noted the lasting effects of the debates on modern political news coverage. In 1968, television was still a “public square” where Americans gathered to watch the events of the day. No network again aired gavel-to-gavel coverage of a nominating convention, turning to their own commentators. And the advent of cable and the Internet allows us to group into likeminded communities of concern, tuning out opposing viewpoints. The issues remain the same, but will never be argued by “public intellectuals” in the same way again. “Best of Enemies” opens Sept. 4 at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave. The ﬁlm opens Sept. 11 at Stonzek Theater at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. For more information, go to BestOfEnemiesFilm.com.

a&e music For the past ﬁve years, maestro Gordon Roberts led the critically acclaimed ensemble.

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gay Men’s choRus seeks new diRecToR

Sat. Sept. 5th 7:00 P.M.

Sun. Sept. 6th 7:00 P.M.

40th Anniversary Celebration!!!

Andrews Living Arts Studio 23 NW 5th St, Ft. Lauderdale 33301

J.W. Arnold

he 170-voice Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF) is opening a nationwide search for a new artistic director. For the past five years, maestro Gordon Roberts led the critically acclaimed ensemble that splintered from the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus after disputes over that group’s management. The GMCSF quickly grew, regularly selling out its three-concert seasons and launching a successful collaboration with the Symphony of the Americas during Roberts’ tenure. The chorus is among the largest gay men’s choruses in the country and the largest vocal ensemble in the region. In a press release to SFGN this week, the chorus announced plans to conduct a national search for a new artistic director. According to GMCSF executive director Mark Kent, during negotiations this summer over Roberts’ annual contract, it became apparent to the board it was time for the chorus to move in a “new direction.”

“(Roberts) has given us five fabulous years and developed us into a great organization,” Kent said. Board chair Doug Pew said in the release, “We believe Gordon has great things ahead of him in his career and wish him tremendous success.” Roberts did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Concerning the search, GMCSF president Bill Spinsoa added, “We are looking for the next, great artistic leader for the chorus. South Florida has a vibrant LGBT community that is exploding with growth. Our vision is to become one of the leading gay men’s choruses in the country, and we are enthused to bring a top talent to the podium who will take us to that level.” Until a replacement is hired, GMCSF will be directed by guest conductors. The first performances, traditional holiday concerts at Sunshine Cathedral, are currently scheduled for Dec. 11-12 and 18-19 at Sunshine Cathedral.

For more information about the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, go to GMCSF.org. 9.2.2015 •

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Datebook

Theater Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top

picks

Bingo! It’s Murder

Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler St. in Fort Lauderdale. Theatre and games come together when five suspects are investigated by the audience to solve the murder. Tickets $15. Call 786-683-6078 or visit EmpireStage.com.

Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, and Sam Hunt

Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at Perfect Vodka Amphitheater, 601-7 Sansburys Way in West Palm Beach. Lady Antebellum, hailing from Tennessee, are known for their hits “I Run to You” “Lookin’ for a Good TIme,” “Never Alone,” and more. Tickets $45 and up. Call 561795-8883 or CruzanAmphitheatre.net. Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The singer-songwriter has taken the musical world by storm with his songs “Photograph,” “Lego House,” “Thinking Out Loud,” and more. He is joined on stage by Christina Perri and Jamie Lawson. Tickets $56.50 to $66.50. Call 786-7771000 or visit AAArena.com. * Denotes New Listing

broward county Summer Starry Nights

Sept. 3 at the NSU Art Museum, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Make your Thursdays a night of art with exhibitions, films, lectures, and wine and beer specials at the museum. Free. Call 954-525-5500 or visit NSUArtMuseum.org. Through Sept. 14 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. When Kolya’s friend, Volodya, is down and out, he invites him to crash on his couch. However, the new guest starts sleeping with Kolya’s wife, Ludmilla, and Kolya finds himself on the couch scheming ways to stop the two from getting together again. Tickets $30. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

• 9.2.2015

Free Friday Concerts

Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket or Photo: WIKIPEDIA lawn chair every week, for free! Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts. org.

miami-dade county Mötley Crüe

Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at the AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Catch the rock band on their final tour. Tickets $25 to $54. Call 786-777-1000 or visit AAArena. com.

Chris Brown

Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at the AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The singer is joined by Kid Ink, Omarion, Fetty Wap, Teyana Taylor, and Migos. Tickets $36 to $122. Call 786-777-1000 or visit AAArena. com.

* Lulu Santos -- Clubelux

Sept. 4 at 9:30 p.m. at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. The singer and guitarist from Brazil visits Miami for a special performance. Tickets $38.75 to $203.75. Call 305-673-7300 or visit FillmoreMB.com.

* Siempre Flamenco

Ed Sheeran

Bed and Sofa

palm beach county

Sept. 4 to 6 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Festival de Cante Flamenco returns to the center for a celebration of flamenco music. Tickets $48. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

Lazy Fair

Through Sept. 6 at Miami Theater Center, 9816 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. A bank heist takes a turn when the money stolen is a lot more than the burglars though. Tickets $25 to $50. Call 305-751-9550 or visit MadCatTheatre.org or MTCMiami.org.

* Don Ross

Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. Ross is the only person to have won the fingerstyle guitar championship -twice! Tickets $45 to $50. Call 305-466-8002 or visit AventuraCEnter.org.

PAMM Outdoor Music Series

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

The Big Show

Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. at Just the Funny Theater, 3119 Coral Way in Miami. A collection of comedy mixing the likes of improvisation and sketches. Tickets $12. Call 305-693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.

9.2.2015 â&#x20AC;¢

Datebook

Community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com

Top Picks ArtBrazil

Broward Social Services 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

Sept. 4 to 25 at ArtServe,1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. A celebration of Brazilian Independence Day with works by artists from the country, presenting in a variety of media. Free. Call 954-4628190 or visit ArtServe.org.

First and third Wednesdays, 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.

Urge Labor Day

GayWrites

Sept. 6 at Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Celebrate Labor Day weekend in style with Urge at Manion’s closing weekend, with music by DJs Paulo and Jackinsky. Visit UrgeMiami.com.

LAST CHANCE: Reimagined

Through Sept. 6 at the Cornell Museum of Art, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. A collection of art from 15 internationally acclaimed artist using unique materials to create sculptures. Suggestion donation of $5. Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayCenterForTheArts.org.

broward county * Celebrate Labor and Organize

Sept. 6 from 11 a.m to 12:15 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft Lauderdale, 3970 NW 21st Ave. in Oakland Park. Join the Sunday service to discover what Labor Day is all about and how it impacts Broward County. Free. RSVP to Bob Bender, bob@benderworld.com.

* Forum for Involvement

Sept. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft Lauderdale, 3970 NW 21st Ave. in Oakland Park. Learn how you can get involved in labor movements in Broward County. RSVP to Bob Bender, bob@ benderworld.com.

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 garri1@earthlink.net

Gender Bender Youth Group 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.

palm beach county Food Truck Invasion

Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. at Sunset Cove, 20405 Amphitheater Circle in Boca Raton. Hit up the number of food trucks parked for the event, followed by live music by Steve Vincent Cluthe. Free. Visit Facebook.com/ SunsetCoveAmphitheater.

* Meet & Greet the Board Of Art Synergy

Through Oct. 4 at the NSU Art Museum, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. A display of Haitian photography from the 19th century to now. Admission $12. Call 954-525-5500 or visit NSUArtMuseum.org.

Sept. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rolando Chang Barrero Fine Art Gallery, 711 Lucerne Ave. in Lake Worth. Enjoy the grand re-opening for the 2015 to 2016 exhibition season, learn more about Art Synergy, Art Palm Beach, and Artweek 2016, and meet the bard. Free. RSVP to RCBFineArt@gmail.com.

Dine Out Fort Lauderdale

The Morikami Menagerie: Creatures in Japanese Art

From Within and Without

Through Oct. 12 throughout Fort Lauderdale. Celebrate area restaurants with $35, threecourse prix fixe menus. Visit Facebook.com/ VisitLauderdale.

• 9.2.2015

Through Sept. 13 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach. Japanese folklore’s fantasy creatures -- dragons, lion-dogs and

dragon-deer -- in art. Tickets $15 museum admission. Call 561-495-0233 or visit Morikami.org.

Sushi & Stroll Summer Walks

Second Fridays through Sept. 11 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road. in Delray Beach. An annual summer series, explore the gardens and museum for sushi, sake, and taiko drumming. Tickets $15 museum admission. Call 561-495-0233 or visit Morikami.org

Japan’s Robot Kingdom

Through Sept. 13 at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road. in Delray Beach. A look at Japanese robotics from the last 50 years and its impact on pop culture and technology. Tickets $15 museum admission. Call 561-495-0233 or visit Morikami.org.

Japan’s Robot Kingdom

* CAP Study of Gay Black Men

Through Dec. 1 at FoundCare, 2330 S. Congress Ave. in Palm Springs. The “Real Talk” study seeks black gay men ages 18 to 49 to provide input on a new Comprehensive AIDS Program (CAP) program geared towards the community. Participants are compensated for their time and the study is confidential. For more information, call 561472-2466, ext 114 or 121 or visit foundcare. org.

miami-dade county * Fashion Project Book Club

Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at Books and Books, 9700 Collins Ave. in Bal Harbour. A discussion of “Grace: A Memoir,” chronicling the life of Vogue fashion editor, Grace Coddington. Free. RSVP to info@fashionprojectbhs.com or 786-245-2200.

* 9/11 Volunteer Day

Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. at Arcola Lakes Park, 1301 NW 83rd St. in Miami. Spend your Saturday volunteering at the park to help your local community in honor of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Contact Lauren Breckenridge at 305-755-7973 or breckl@miamidade.gov.

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.

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 305-5354733, ext. 301 or email support@sobeaids. org.

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.

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.

key west * Key West BrewFest

Sept. 2 to 7 throughout Key West. Enjoy beer brunches, happy hour specials, pool parties, seminars, and tastings in the sixth annual beer festival. Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club’s charitable efforts. Tickets $35 to $75. Visit KeyWestBrewFest.com.

* Labor Day Weekend Luau

Sept. 4 to 7 at Bourbon St. Pub and New Orleans ouse, 724 Duval St. in Key West. A raucuous weekend of pool parties, music, dancing, and Hawaiian BBQ. Visit BourbonStPub.com.

* Poolside Labor Day BBQ

Sept. 7 from noon to 5 p.m. at Key West Harbour, 6000 Peninsular Ave. in Key West. Enjoy a good ol’ American BBQ poolside to celebrate the holiday. Call 305-292-3121.

* KWBG Mixer

Sept. 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe, 313 Duval St. in Key West. Enjoy a mixer benefiting the Key West Business Guild. Tickets $10. Visit KWBGOnline.org.

* Girl Noticed Live Art

Sept. 10 at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton St. in Key West. Watch the artist create a mural live in the movement to encourage girls to be noticed for their many talents. Visit GirlNoticed.com.

* Denotes New Listing

porn pulse

Photo: Facebook.

Bieber Look-A-Like Found Dead; Has Gay Porn Past Hunter Houston

t has been an interesting week in porn news. On Aug. 21, Justin Bieber look-a-like Tobias Strebel, 35, was found dead in a Motel 6 room on Roscoe Blvd. in San Fernando Valley. The website Str8UpGayPorn.com revealed Strebel had appeared as an extra in a scene for the gay porn studio Men.com. Strebel performs under the name “Toby Sheldon” in Men.com’s “AV: BJ Club.” According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, his body was severely decomposed and prescription drugs were found in the room although a cause of death has yet to be determined. The coroner’s office is awaiting positive identification from Strebel’s German mother, the only known relative. “We believe it’s him,” Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner’s office told the Los Angeles Times. Strebel gained famed by claiming he spent $100,000 in plastic surgeries to alter his appearance to resemble Bieber, a Canadian pop star. Among some of the procedures Strebel used include liposuction, lip lifts, fillers, fat injections and an eyelift.

“I didn’t necessary listen to his (Bieber’s) music or fawn over him as a celebrity, but his face was just so flawless; every change I made was modeled after him,” Strebel told London’s Daily Mail in a 2012 interview. In “AV: BJ Club” Strebel appeared alongside gay porn stars Robert Van Damme and Spencer Fox. Str8UpGayPorn notes Van Damme is currently serving a prison sentence in Europe while Fox’s whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, Porn Pulse received an anonymous comment to a story we posted on porn actor Levi Michaels from a few weeks back. According to this anonymous source, Michaels (aka Rustin Charles) is no longer acting in adult films and prefers to be referenced as an openly gay YouTuber who travels the world. According to Charles’ Twitter account, he was “digging Thailand” on Aug. 25.

9.2.2015 •

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dental LANE & ERIKS DENTAL ASSOCIATES 1831 NE 45th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954.771.3331 Laneanderiksdental.com OAKLAND PARK DENTAL 3047 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954.566.9812 Oaklandparkdental.com ANDREWS DENTAL CARE 2654 N Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311 954.567.3311 Andrewsdentalcare.com WILTON MANORS DENTAL 2517 NE 9th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-564-4746 Wiltonmanorsdental.com ISLAND CITY DENTAL 1700 NE 26th Street, Ste. 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-564-7121 Islandcitydental.com ISLAND CITY SMILES 1946 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-565-7666 Islandcitysmiles.com

health EMERALD ELITE 2301 Wilton Drive, Suite 3, Wilton Manors, FL 954.629.1377 Emeraldelitehomehealth.com

DR. TORY SULLIVAN 2500 N Federal Hwy #301, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.533.1520 Torysullivanmd.com THE FLORIDA HOUSE EXPERIENCE 505 S Federal Hwy, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 800.778.6792 Fherehab.com

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

JIMENEZ LAW 100 SE 3rd Ave #1514, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394 954.848.3111 Jimenezlawoffices.com

professional services BARTON & MILLER CLEANERS 2600 N. Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-4314 KALIS-MCINTEE FUNERAL & CREMATION CENTER

investments AMERICAN TAX & INSURANCE 2929 E Comm. Blvd, 8th Floor Penthouse D, Fort Lauderdale, FL

954.302.3228 Americantaxandinsurance.com

legal SELZER & WEISS 1515 NE 25th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.4444 Selzerandweiss.com SHAWN NEWMAN 710 NE 26th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.9160 Shawnnewman.com LAW GC 707 NE 3rd Ave #300, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.573.1444 Lawgc.com

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

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

SFGN.com restaurants STORKS BAKERY 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 Storksbakery.com THE FLORIDIAN RESTAURANT 1410 E Las Olas Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954.463.4041

NAKED GRAPE 2163 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.5631 Nakedgrapewinebar.com BEEFCAKE’S 1721 N Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 954.463.6969 Boardwalkbar.com

restaurants J. MARK’S 1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954) 390-0770 Jmarksrestaurant.com SANTA LUCIA RISTORANTE 2701 E. Oakland Park Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-396-0930 Santaluciaristorante.com

BUY THIS SPACE FOR

$250 A YEAR retail PEACE PIPE 4800 N Dixie Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954.267.9005 Facebook.com/peacepipefl DAOUD’S 2473 E Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.928.2437 Daouds.com NATURAL SLEEP 3040 N 29th Ave, Hollywood, FL 33020 954.951.2678 Naturalsleepfd.com

POVERELLO THRIFT STORE 2056 N Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.561.3663 Poverello.org MODERN HOME 2 GO 4000 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954.530.5650 Mh2go.com ESTATE AUCTION CO. 6 South Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33304 954-921-2828 Estateauctionco.com

CINDY CURTIS

Advertise here for

$550 a year

And Company Jazz For All Occasions

♪ Jazz vocalist working as duo with guitarist, keyboards ♪

♪ Trio and quartet also available ♪ ♪ WE CAN MAKE YOUR SPECIAL AFFAIR ONE TO REMEMBER ♪ NO TRACKS OR TAPES - LIVE JAZZ!!!!!!!!!!! ♪ REASONABLE RATES

CALL CINDY: 954-298-8158

• 9.2.2015

retail ESTATE AUCTION CO. 6 South Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33304 954-921-2828 Estateauctionco.com

realty

HENRI FRANK GROUP 401 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954.604.9999 Henrifrank.com

travel / leisure

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

theaters 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

MASTER HYPNOTHERAPIST AND LIFE COACH 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

Have you made your wishes known? We’re here to help. 1-800-343-5400

www.levitt-weinstein.com

Pre-Arrangement Discounts For All Our LGBT Friends

We SELLING Are. & MARKETING REALTORS

Our Locations:

401 E Las Olas Blvd, Ft Lauderdale 119 Washington Ave, Miami Beach

Henri Vezie, Realtor

Frank Vigliotti, Realtor 9.2.2015 •

SFGN Classified$ attorney

electrical TOP DOG ELECTRIC-QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP AT A FAIR PRICE - Any and all types of electrical work performed by craftsmen who care about their work. 954-533-5005 guy@ topdogelectricfl.com www.TopDogElectricFL.com Lic# 97-CME-1724-X

classified advertising works! Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

To place a Classified Ad, call Cindy Curtis at 954.530.4970 or email at cindy.curtis@sfgn.com

home & garden

POOL SERVICE Mention this ad and receive your ﬁrst month

FREE! some restrictions apply

954.530.4970

employment - full time

counselor

SEEKING FRONT DESK PERSON FOR DENTAL OFFICE - Looking to hire full time 8-5 front desk person for receptionist, answering phones, filing, making appts. Full time position with benefits and fun, relaxed working atmosphere for the right person. No previous dental experience needed. Willing to train if you have good attitude and work ethic. Call 954-566-9812 or email opdentalung@aol.com

employment - other ACTIVISTS - Activists needed to collect signatures to get Medical Marijuana on ballot. Earn $300+ per day. 954-616-7736; 754-204-0114 Make own hours

for sale MIN-PIN PUPPIES FOR SALE - 2 Male stag red puppies for sale.Born 5/24.Non-yappy. $600 each. Contact John at 954-249-0957 or email at JohnJMakos@bellsouth.net.

home & garden cleaning services

entertainment/dj's LIVE JAZZ FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY OR SPECIAL EVENT - Have your next special occassion be extra special with live jazz. Jazz vocalist with over 30 years experience performing in South Florida.No tapes or tracks.I work with South Florida's finest jazz musicians to make your special affair one to remember. Reasonable rates. Call Cindy at 954-298-8158 www.myspace.com/cindycurtisandcompany.

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.

home and garden painting

GREGG'S PAINTING - Interior/exterior,great rates, friendliness, reliability, neatness. No job too small. Call Gregg at 617-306-5694 or 954-8705972.

Serving Broward Since 1999

Call for a free estimate: 954-367-7007 Web: www.skimmerspools.com Email: skimmerspoolservice@gmail.com

licensed massage

professional services other PROVEN METHOD TO INCREASE YOUR FANTASY 5 LOTTO WINNINGS - Let us help you increase your odds several times for winning some money in the Florida Fantasy 5 Lottery. Our analysis can help you win. Limited memberships available. Check out our website at www.lotteryhelpersclub. com.

rentals MIKE THE RENTAL GUY NE Lauderdale/Wilton Manors/Oakland/Victoria Park-1/1 from $885 2/1 from $1090. Credit & Income Requirements-Pets okay with restrictions. Call for Details Mike 561703-5533

real estate agents

FLORIDA’S TOP GAY REALTORS - Instant FREE Access to Florida and the Nation’s Top Gay Realtors. Free Buyers Representation! On-line: www.GayRealEstate.com or Toll Free 1-888-420MOVE (6683)

INCREDIBLY AWESOME BODYWORK IN WPB In-calls at a private studio 15 minutes west of PBIA. Intuitive, experienced licensed massage therapist offers affordable rates 7 days, early to late. ASK ABOUT WEEKLY SPECIALS!Calls only 561-2548065 for the very best massage experience you can get HANDS DOWN! #MA51008 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

music lessons

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

folow the action.

sfgn.com

LIVE JAZZ FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY OR SPECIAL EVENT - Have your next special occasion be extra special with live jazz. Jazz vocalist with over 30 years experience performing in South Florida. Can work as a duo, trio or more. No tapes or tracks. I work with South Florida's finest jazz musicians to make your special affair one to remember. Reasonable rates. Call Cindy at 954-298-8158 www.myspace.com/ cindycurtisandcompany

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

• 9.2.2015

classified advertising works! Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

954.530.4970

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.

rentals furnished housing

*PERFECT LOCATION RENTALS* 4 WEEK + SPECIAL FROM $395/WEEK - Intimate 7 unit Liberty Garden Suites offering all the comforts of home. Beautifully Furnished & Full Equipped Studio & One BR Apts. with Full Kitchens, in lush tropical 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 18th Year. Call Joe or Jack at 954-927-0090 or visit www.LibertySuites.com

sfgn.com real estate for sale VICTORIA PARK 1 BR/1 BA - Beautiful updated 1 BR/1 BA with private fenced patio;small complex; gorgeous open beamed ceilings;tile floor; next to Holiday Park tennis courts;W/D; small dog ok; $925/ month; 954-729-1936. 2 BR 2 BA REMODELED CONDO - Tile floors, kitchen has granite, stainless upgraded appliances, & cherry cabinets. Amenities include: secure building; elevator; laundry rooms; pool,clubhouse and ample parking. In Wilton Manors, near shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Condo financials good with fully funded reserves. Price $190k. Call 318-461-1634.

rentals fort lauderdale EAST OAKLAND PARK 2BD/1 BA HOUSE CLOSE TO WILTON MANORS - Private yard/ pool/laundry room. New kitchen,DW/disp,Central A/C, GM renter(s)Cable T.V./internet split;Electric extra.water,yardcare incl.$1300.1st, l/last/security. security negotiable. Call 954-993-8830. $800/MONTH DOWNTOWN/ SAILBOAT BEND - Quiet, small complex. 1 BD/1 BA. Large walk-in closet, newer carpet. Living room,dining area,kitchen, FREE hot water, NEW A/C, LOW electric bills, assigned parking, **MOVE-IN SPECIAL** $800/Mo. 954-566-6251

Voted No. 1 Dry Cleaners in South Florida

sfgn.com

roommatesother GAY WHITE MALE TO SHARE 2BD/2BA GATED CONDON - Furnished room, WI-FI, W/D, TV in room, pool, must have steady income and own transportation, 1st-Last $650/month, utilities included, no pets no drugs. Call Zack at 954-4018431 or 954-765-3665

Free Pick Up & Delivery (Home / Office)

Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

954.530.4970

9.2.2015 •