SFGN 10/14/21 V12iss41

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OCTOBER 14, 2021 VOL. 12 // ISSUE 41

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• 10 .14.2021

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John McDonald gay conservative activist plead guilty to disorderly conduct charges for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Brandon Straka, 44, issued a guilty plea on Wednesday to the misdemeanor charge and has agreed to pay $500 in restitution. He faces up to six months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for December.

On Facebook, Straka thanked his 357,000 followers for their patience. “Dear Patriots,” he wrote. “Hang on tight, negative press is likely coming down the pike this week. Let it come, and let it go. It means nothing. It’s just pointless noise. The best is yet to come. We’re almost there.”

A former New York City hairstylist, Straka billed himself as a gay former liberal who left the Democratic Party and enticed others to follow in his footsteps. Through his #WalkAway campaign, Straka traveled the country, organizing rallies, marches and delivering emotional speeches in support of former President Trump and Republicans.

Straka visited Fort Lauderdale in October of 2020, participating in a political debate inside the Sunshine Cathedral. Three months prior, American Airlines banned Straka from flights for refusing to wear a mask.

In the wake of the Capitol Insurrection, Straka was quickly identified by his own social media posts. He admitted in plea papers to

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October 14, 2021 • Volume 12 • Issue 41

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Main photo: A photo captured during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. Photo via Wikipedia.

Mugshot: Brandon Straka. Photo via the FBI.

recording himself during the breach, encouraging the mob to take a riot shield away from a police officer and to push their way into the building.

A felony charge of impeding police during a civil disorder was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Straka has promised to cooperate with investigators by turning over his social media and participating in a law enforcement interview.

Plea papers reveal Straka’s $500 restitution

payment to the Department of Treasury is an acknowledgment that the riot occurred and as of May 17 has caused $1,495,326.55 in damages to the Capitol. The attack resulted in five deaths.

Straka will remain in his home state of Nebraska under court-ordered supervision until sentencing. He is one of the first Capitol rioters to go to court, prompting the website The Raw Story to write in its headline: ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer to start the squeal by sharing private social media messages with feds.

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10 .14 . 20 21 •

3

LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENNEDY MCKINNEY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G Transgender

CREATOR OF ‘DEAR WHITE PEOPLE’ CUTS TIES WITH NETFLIX “Dear White People” showrunner Jaclyn Moore announced via twitter that she is cutting ties with Netflix following a dispute regarding Netflix’s Dave Chappelle special “The Closer.”

During the special, Chappelle declares that he is “Team TERF,” defending J.K. Rowling and DaBaby, and made transphobic jokes about the genitalia of trans women.

“I’ve loved working there,” Moore tweeted.

“I will not work with them as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content.”

Moore, who is transgender, said Chappelle’s performance crossed the line.

“He compared my existence to someone doing blackface,” Moore declared. “He talks about someone winning a Woman of the Year award despite never having a period

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• 10 .14.2021

T

Jaclyn Moore.

Photo via Twitter.

that should make women mad and that it makes him mad.”

Despite Moore’s recent success with her show “Dear White People,” which ran for four seasons, she ultimately decided to call it quits.

“I can’t be a part of a company that thinks that’s worth putting out and celebrating.”

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

L

Lesbian

MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES CROWNS ITS FIRST LGBT WINNER

Beatrice Luigi Gomez broke the glass ceiling at last week’s Miss Universe Philippines after becoming the first LGBT winner.

Gomez, who represented Cebu City, shared that she has been in a long-term samesex relationship with her partner. She was confident in her preliminary interviews that the Philippines was ready for an out member of the LGBT community to represent them in the pageant. After her win, supporters took to Twitter to celebrate the big moment.

“Tonight, herstory was made. Beatrice Gomez is our first ever openly lesbian Miss Universe Philippines,” wrote one Twitter user.

Gomez’s next stop is Eilat, Israel for the 70th Miss Universe pageant. If she wins, she’ll be the fifth contestant from the Philippines to take home the crown.

Beatrice Luigi Gomez. Photo via Instagram.

LGBTQIA BITES

P

Pansexual

FORMER ‘BACHELORETTE’ STAR COMES OUT AS PANSEXUAL

Angie Kent, former star of “The Bachelorette,” revealed in an interview with TV Week that she is pansexual.

She shared that she felt “stitched-up” on her season of the show and wishes she was given the chance to date both men and women. In the finale of her season, Kent chose Carlin Sterritt but the two broke it off shortly after the show’s filming.

“We were so smitten with each other on the show, but we were so different [out in the real world]. Both of us were different,” Kent said on the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

“I’m always myself, but he got to see me full throttle, and I was stressed after the show too. He was very religious and had all these ideas that I should be a certain way when I wasn’t. I don’t want to be with somebody who wants me to change. I want somebody to love me for me,” the TV star added.

Kent is still on the hunt for love and is open to dating both men and women.

Angie Kent. Photo via Instagram.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

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NEWS LOCAL

J.R.’s SNAPSHOTS

OF THE

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

6

WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Husband Bennett Quade with Vice Mayor of Wilton Manors Paul Rolli.

Jasmin Lewis teacher here in Broward County with partner Shenika Nik Harris, attorney and director of strategic outreach and engagement at the Human Rights Campaign.

Owner of Next Level Dance Company Alain Marquez with partner John O Buckley, vice president and board member at Unity Coalition and director at Caoba.

Ivette Sierra, volunteer with Miami Beach Pride and Miami Gala for the Task Force, with Cindy Brown, senior Program Manager at Lambda Living and owner/president at Cenergy, LLC.

• 10 .14.2021

NEWS NATIONAL

BY GILLIAN MANNING

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

WYOMING

LIBRARY THREATENED OVER BOOKS ABOUT SEX, LGBT TOPICS

Residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming have filed a complaint with the police regarding books in Campbell County Public Library. The books spotlight LGBT issues and discuss sex, what it is, and how it’s performed.

The library also scheduled a transgender magician to perform for children but after locals sent threats to the magician and library workers, the event was canceled, NBC reported.

Susan Sisti, a local pastor, pointed to these books as being problematic: “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make a Baby” by Anna Fiske, and “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy” by Andrew P. Smiler.

Amazon book reviews show that books’ contents range from defining sexual orientation to featuring illustrations

CALIFORNIA

FORMER OFFICER SUES OVER ANTI-GAY ABUSE; WINS $2.2 MILLION

“This Book is Gay”

by Juno Dawson.

of sex. The location of most of the books within the library has not been reported, however, “This Book is Gay” was determined by library officials as belonging in the teens’ section.

Prosecutors are reviewing the case against the library, but Terri Lesley, the library’s executive director, says that they have not been contacted by officials and don’t know which books have left them in potential legal trouble.

MISSOURI SCHOOL SUSPENDS BULLIED GAY TEEN; STUDENTS PROTEST

Danny Lillis, a senior at Lee’s Summit High School in Missouri, was bullied for his sexuality and for wearing makeup to school; several of his friends were also harassed.

“It wasn’t just through words,” Lillis told WDAF. “It was more through laughter and actions such as things getting thrown at my lunch table. Mustard got thrown at my friend’s hair that was aimed at my table because of this.”

Several students were suspended after Lillis, his defenders and bullies got into a physical altercation, according to the Advocate.

KMBC reported that Malani Hohlbaugh, a student involved in the fight and one of Lillis’s friends, was left with a broken nose and busted lip.

Hundreds of students walked out of

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

Photo via PxHere.

class in protest of Lillis’s and his friends’ suspensions and parents are demanding the school take more action to prevent bullying.

The school district released this statement: “Everyone in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District community deserves to feel safe and welcome … School and district administrators are conducting an investigation and taking action to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”

Former California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Jay Brome filed a lawsuit against the CHP in California’s Solano County. The suit was spurred by the homophobic treatment that Brome endured while working there.

Brome was a CHP officer from 1996 to 2015 when he took medical leave, citing the stress that the homophobia caused him. He said the discrimination began when he was training at the police academy but continued through his time with the CHP, the Advocate reported.

In the lawsuit, Brome said that during his time at the academy, one cadet aimed a training gun at him and said, “I know you’re gay, tell me you’re gay or I’ll pull the trigger.” Brome also noted the use of homophobic slurs against him.

Brome filed the lawsuit in 2016, but

Photo via CHP San Francisco, Facebook.

two years later a judge dismissed it and explained it passed the statute of limitations. After an appeal, the suit was reinstated. The case was about to go to court in July but Brome and the CHP agreed on a settlement.

Brome just received a settlement of $2.2 million.

“I feel that I won justice,” Brome said.

NORTH CAROLINA LT. GOVERNOR CALLS LGBT COMMUNITY ‘FILTH’

On Oct. 7, Sen. Jeff Jackson posted a video of North Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in a church calling the LGBT community “filth” and called for his resignation.

“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” Robinson said. “And yes, I called it filth, and if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”

“These words are repugnant and offensive,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement Oct. 8, according to USA Today. “The role of a leader is to bring people together and stand up for the dignity and rights of everyone; not to spread hate and undermine their own office.”

Robinson said his comments were misrepresented by “the media and the left”

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Photo via Facebook.

and that he did not want his comments to be misconstrued as “hate.”

After calls for his resignation, Robinson made a post on Facebook stating his refusal to step down.

“I will not be silenced … I will continue to fight for the rights of our children to receive an education that is free from sexual concepts that do not belong in the classroom,” he said.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

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IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.  Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:  Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.  BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.  Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0369 04/21

8

BVYC0369_BIKTARVY_B_10X10-75_SouthFloridaGayNews_Hugo_r1v1jl.indd • 10 .14.2021

All Pages

HUGO LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 1995 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP CONNECTING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Hugo’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

3/31/21 10 .14 .12:11 20 21PM •

9

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

ASIA

EUROPE

CHINA’S LGBT COMMUNITY CAUGHT UP IN CRACKDOWNS

ACTIVISTS DETAILED DURING PRO-EU PROTESTS IN POLAND

The organizers of Shanghai’s longrunning LGBT Pride celebration unexpectedly announced the event’s cancellation indefinitely on Aug. 13 of last year. Many people were taken aback by the announcement, as the event had been running effectively, if discreetly, for 11 years.

According to the South China Morning Post, it was a foreshadowing of things to come, as China’s leadership started sweeping crackdowns on the country’s entertainment, technology, education, and economic sectors.

A number of new regulations, restrictions, and directives specifically targeted China’s LGBT population, including the banning of LGBT social media accounts, increased censorship of online discussion of LGBT issues, and

Photo via Adobe.

pressure on gay university groups on campuses.

“LGBT issues are unfortunately seen as Western, regardless of the long history of homoeroticism and gender variance in China,” said Dr. Hongwei Bao, who is an expert in Asian LGBT studies from the University of Nottingham in the UK.

Four individuals were detained by Warsaw police, including the prime minister’s nephew, during a huge demonstration against government policy that opponents fear might cost Poland membership in the European Union.

According to Independent, Sylwester Marczak, a spokeswoman for the Warsaw Police Department, acknowledged Franek Broda’s temporary arrest with handcuffs, but did not address claims of police violence. Broda, 18, is an LGBT rights activist and government critic.

According to organizers and local officials, close to 100,000 people turned up in Warsaw on Sunday to demonstrate their support for the EU. A police officer allegedly kicked Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the head as he was being held on the ground.

Police in Poland. Cezary P, via Wikipedia.

During the protest and following march to the offices of Poland’s ruling right-wing nationalist Law and Justice party, a few dozen individuals were fined for igniting flares and blocking traffic.

Similar protests were organized in a number of other Polish cities.

AFRICA

CARIBBEAN

SOWETO CELEBRATES PRIDE AND END OF A HARSH COVID WAVE

PUERTO RICO WELCOMES LGBT COMMUNITY WITH NEW CAMPAIGN

Hundreds of South Africans dressed in rainbow flags celebrated Pride in Soweto on Saturday, marking the end of a particularly severe third COVID-19 wave for the town.

The pandemic exacerbated the difficulties encountered by LGBT individuals in the United States, requiring them to remain at home with families or communities that did not necessarily embrace their status.

“Now we’ve got more [discrimination] cases, more mental health issues, because now they need to deal with this family that does not necessarily accept them,” said one of the event’s organisers, Siphokazi Nombande, according to News 24.

Given the additional stress of the pandemic, Nombande said, it was a boost

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EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

• 10 .14.2021

Soweto Pride. Photo credit: @Ionakanachikova, Twitter.

for the LGBT community to have the City of Johannesburg help sponsor the 17th annual Soweto Pride.

Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s nonprofit Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), attended the 2021 Annual Global Convention of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and launched new efforts to market the island as a safe and entertaining LGBT destination.

LGBT favorability for Puerto Rico increased from 19% to 41% in the first year of its existence; as a result of this significant rise, Discover Puerto Rico has launched a new campaign called “Live Out,” which focuses on how visitors to the island may live their genuine selves.

“Among Discover Puerto Rico’s core values are inclusivity, agility and the importance of being collaborative. These elements are even more prevalent as we look to the support of our LGBTQ+

Image via Facebook.

community, both on island and off,” said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico, according to TravelPulse.

NEWS STATE

GOP INTRODUCES BILL TO CRIMINALIZE TRANS YOUTH HEALTHCARE IN FLORIDA Brody Levesque Los Angeles Blade

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he Transgender Youth Medical Care Ban Bill, HB 211 filed Sept. 29 by State Representative Anthony Sabatini (R-Clermont) would criminalize doctors for providing life-saving care for transgender youth.

The language of the bill reads, “An act relating to youth gender and sexual identity; creating s. 456.0335, F.S.; providing a short title; defining the term ‘sex;’ providing criminal penalties for health care practitioners who perform or cause to be performed specified practices on a minor under certain conditions; providing applicability…”

In response, Equality Florida’s Executive Director Nadine Smith said, “Make no mistake, this legislation has nothing to do with the health and safety of children. In fact, it gets in the way of doctors providing care and stops parents from doing what is best for their kids. The bill filed today by Representative Anthony Sabatini is cut and paste language from right-wing political strategy groups like the Heritage Foundation that seek to put a target on the backs of transgender youth as an election strategy to mobilize far-right voters.

Rep. Sabatini has cultivated a reputation for sponsoring extremist bills, and GOP leaders in Tallahassee are increasingly embracing his extremism. They’re making passage of language first introduced by him a legislative priority, including last session’s Transgender Youth Sports Ban. Leadership has fired their first shot across the bow of LGBT equality for the 2022 legislative session and we will fight to protect the health and safety of every child they target.”

Florida’s Republicans have continuously legislated against the state’s trans community over the past year’s legislative sessions.

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1028, a bill that bars trans youth athletes from participating in sports on the first day of LGBT Pride Month 2021. One provision of the law stipulates that a transgender student athlete would have to affirm her biological sex by supplying proof such as a birth certificate.

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Protesters stand together at a Protect Trans Kids rally in Florida earlier this year.

Photo via Equality Florida, Facebook.

The bill was an education bill amended to include a previous stand-alone bill specifically targeting transgender girls and young women, banning them from playing on female sports teams. DeSantis signed the bill, which includes the so-called Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, during a news conference at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville.

A spokesperson for Equality Florida, Brandon J. Wolf wrote in an email to the Blade commenting on earlier anti-Trans efforts: “Shame on every lawmaker who embraced discrimination at the expense of the state’s most vulnerable youth … Only through fast-tracked backroom deals could GOP lawmakers maneuver this cruel assault on transgender kids to the governor’s desk.

This is not the end. To our transgender youth in Florida: we will never stop fighting for a Florida where you are loved and have every opportunity to thrive.”

Los Angeles Blade story courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

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NEWS LOCAL

Lorenzo Robertson, executive director of Ujima Men’s Collective. Photo via Facebook.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR UJIMA CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER This year’s event will offer Black men opportunity to learn about life, love, and leadership

Denise Royal

T

he word Ujima is derived from the on Friday, Oct. 22. He’s an African-American third principle of Kwanzaa and means activist and social architect who coined the collective work and responsibility. term same gender-loving (or SGL) as an Ujima Men’s Collective aims to build a strong alternative for African-descended or Black network of Black same-gender-loving men people who do not wish to identify as gay or and those who love and support them. lesbian. His discussion will focus on being Next month, advocates and human and help guide Black leaders in this community will same-gender-loving men on gather in Fort Lauderdale for living life authentically. the Ujima Men’s Collective On Saturday, there will be Conference. It runs from Oct. workshops that define stigma, 22-24. sexuality, and spirituality.

The conference is built on Other sessions will include five tiers: Leadership, Advocacy, discussions on the sexual Spirituality, Relationships, and taboo among Black sameHealth and Wellness. gender-loving men, how they “Our goal is to educate have sex, and with whom. people about the experience Florida State Senator Shevrin of Black same-gender-loving Jones will deliver the keynote - Lorenzo Robertson men,” said Lorenzo Robertson, address during Saturday’s EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF executive director of Ujima luncheon.

UJIMA MEN’S COLLECTIVE Men’s Collective. “We want to Neo-soul artist Nhojj will explore the lives of Black sameperform throughout the gender-loving men and their connection weekend. There will also be a Black-Tie to leadership, advocacy, spirituality, Awards banquet on Saturday evening. relationships, and health and wellness.

“The conference is open to all with an People should gain a sense that Black same- emphasis on Black same-gender-loving gender-loving men are whole people and not men,” said Robertson. just agents of HIV/AIDS.” Registration is now open. Tickets cost Dr. Cleo Manago is conducting a workshop $100 before Oct. 21.

“Our goal is to educate people about the experience of Black samegender-loving men.”

For more information or to register, visit www.ujimamen.net/conference.

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• 10 .14.2021

NEWS LOCAL

MEN OF STYLE 2021 Stylin’ & Profilin’ with Rory Cooksey John Hayden

I

t’s an event that never goes out of style.

From the tailored blazers, eye-catching shoes, and cool cufflinks, the annual Men of Style event showcases the best of Fort Lauderdale men in style and civic mindedness.

Every year, 12 men are selected to represent a charity close to their heart. People then spend $25 for each vote they cast, with the money going to their favorite, stylish, candidate. The man who raises the most will be named 2021’s Man of Style at the gala on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Galleria Mall.

One of the 12 nominees is Rory Cooksey, a gay man, who is raising money for HANDY. “I sit on HANDY’s NextGen board,” he told SFGN. “Through my general involvement with the organization, HANDY nominated me to support the cause and to be their Man of Style.”

HANDY works with young people who face housing insecurity. Many were taken from their home after domestic violence. HANDY helps kids aging out of foster care, and many who are placed with relatives but can’t get foster assistance.

“Some have been in the Juvenile Justice System. Others identify as LGBTQ and need a welcoming and safe environment. I was first introduced to HANDY at the Tower Club. I made it a point to be further involved with their organization due to the fantastic work that they perform for our future.”

Cooksey moved to South Florida in 1990 and has long been active in the community.

“I didn’t have a lot growing up, but I always knew there was someone who had it far worse than I did. I’m fortunate enough now to be in a position where I can give back to the community in ways I never imagined when I was growing up.”

These days he’s super stylish, saying his style evolves on every level from casual to formal and everything in between.

“I went through a period in my life where I wouldn’t leave the house without a shirt and tie on. My friends even joked that I had a tie for the beach. At this point in my life, my style honestly fluctuates depending on the situation.

I love the look of jeans, a button-down, and a blazer. This is timeless and will always be my go-to. But I can also get down with throwing

Rory Cooksey. Photo via Facebook.

on some shorts and a camo t-shirt to attend a country music concert.”

Anyone who’s even walked past a copy of Vogue knows accessorizing is key. Cooksey says you can keep it simple and still be stylish.

“As a guy who works in the tech space, I love to accessorize my Apple Watch. This is a quick thing to accomplish and makes the watch versatile for literally every occasion. I can go from pairing it with a metal band to match my tuxedo to keeping it simple with a classic band to meet the needs of being out on the boat.

Honestly, the options are endless here.”

Cooksey isn’t campaigning for the title, he’s campaigning to bring attention to HANDY. “I’m not going to make a plea for people to vote for me because of me. However, I will make a plea for people to vote for me because every single vote is money that supports the needs of HANDY and their mission to help empower the youth that needs the additional support and guidance they aren’t getting today.”

As for advice for us non-fashionistas, he says be true to your own sense of style.

“I say keep your style fluid for the situation and don’t let anyone tell you how to dress.”

Tickets to Men of Style are $150. You can vote for Rory Cooksey and learn more about the event at MenOfStyle.org 10 .14 . 20 21 •

13

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E D I U G

THE

THE HAN

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WHAT OOK TO

'S H O T

NEWS NATIONAL

CATHOLIC PRIEST PLEADS GUILTY TO STEALING CHURCH MONEY FOR GRINDR DATES Kim Swan

DA H FLORI T U O S IN

Left: Joseph McLoone, photo via the Chester County District Attorney. Right: Photo via Facebook.

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Catholic priest in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to stealing money from his church and using it for Grindr dates and sexual relationships.

Monsignor Joseph McLoone, 58, was arrested in 2019 and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts: theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and theft by unlawful taking; admitting to stealing $30,892.50, the Daily Local News reported.

He was a former priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

The police accused McLoone of using the money to pay for “personal relationships” with men, sending thousands of dollars to people he met via Grindr, and on meals, travelling, and a beach home in Ocean City, New Jersey, according to Metro Weekly.

He was sentenced to five years of probation,

THE POLICE ACCUSED MCLOONE OF USING THE MONEY TO PAY FOR “PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS” WITH MEN. 14

• 10 .14.2021

nine months to be served under house arrest, and ordered to write apology letters to St. Joseph’s parishioners and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

One St. Joseph’s parishioner told the Daily Local that they were “disgusted” with McLoone’s sentence, given he “stole a lot of money from people who trusted him.”

“Worse, he stole money given to him by grieving families,” they told the Daily Local.

“The parish has been waiting more than three years to see justice served. Probation and paying back $30,000 is not justice. McLoone should be in jail.”

Due to his lack of a criminal record, a willingness to admit guilt, and a “mutual desire to put the matter in the past and spare the parish any further trauma with a lengthy trial,” McLoone escaped a harsher sentence, including jail time, according to the Daily Local.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said it would conduct an investigation into the stolen church funds now that McLoone has been sentenced.

“Now that civil authorities have completed their procedures, the canonical investigation can commence. Any administrative penalties against Monsignor McLoone would be pending the outcome of that process,” an archdiocese spokesman said in a statement.

He added: “The archdiocese and the parish are grateful for the resolution in this matter along with the closure and healing it brings.”

Stonewall: Where History Comes OUT

Monday, November 8, 2021 // 6:00 – 9:00 PM Chima Brazilian Steakhouse // 2400 East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderale Mark Your Calendar for a Festive Evening!

The evening includes cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, open bar, traditional Brazilian dinner, awards, entertainment, special guests, and exciting live and silent auctions.

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DIAMOND SPONSORSHIP James Doan & Brad Zuckerman Richard Quadracci

EMERALD SPONSORSHIP Ronald Herron

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at STONEWALL-MUSEUM.ORG

Stonewall is proud to unveil In Plain Sight, an engaging digital experience that brings to life pivotal LGBTQ milestones and achievements.

In Plain Sight provides factual historic records and up-to-date information about people who have come out in different professional areas. It features more than 800 entries with brief descriptions and zoom-in capabilities for high-res photos organized in 10 categories: AIDS/HIV, Arts, Business, Film/TV, Literature, Memorials, Milestones, Music, Sports, and Theatre/Dance.

Step into the most wonderful #LGBTQhistory journey.

Learn your history today: https://www.stonewallnma.org.

For more information visit Stonewall-museum.org

COMBO_SFGN_full10x10-75.indd 1

Made possible by the Florida Humanities Council

10/9/2021 8:17:56 10 .14 . 20 21 •PM15

NEWS LOCAL

DIVERSITY HONORS SHINES WITH GLITTER & HOPE John Hayden

D

rinks were poured, balloons were popped, and love was everywhere. The return of Diversity Honors also marked a return of glamor at fundraising events not seen in nearly two years. Ladies and drag queens in bright evening gowns and men in sequined jackets were everywhere you turned. Emcee Jacey Birch joked that she hadn’t worn heels for a year. While the evening was designed to honor people making a difference in the LGBT community, it became a night to exhale, relax, and celebrate being together.

Diversity Honors is put on by the Harvey Milk Foundation and Pride Center at Equality Park to honor the women and men who show that diversity is what makes our world better.

The ceremony started with a surprise. Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk’s nephew, was caught off guard when he was honored with the Rock the Rainbow Award.

“I am completely touched and shocked,” he told SFGN after the ceremony. It’s a good thing they kept him in the dark.

“If I’d known they were going to try to give

“It is absolutely necessary to suffocate all the hate and discrimination with leadership, awareness, light, tolerance, and, most of all, visibility.”

- Richard Gray

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION FOR VISIT LAUDERDALE

16

• 10 .14.2021

me an award I wouldn’t have been here.” He prefers to see others be recognized. “This is not my award, it’s the community’s award.”

The team that makes Greater Fort Lauderdale visible to the world as an inclusive destination was honored with the Alan Schubert Award. Richard Gray and Stacy Ritter created the Visit Lauderdale campaign this year, with the phrase Everyone Under the Sun. “There are four fundamental human rights,” Gray said. “The right to freedom and equality from discrimination. The right to freedom of expression. The right to life and liberty, and the right to privacy. It is absolutely necessary to suffocate all the hate and discrimination with leadership, awareness, light, tolerance, and, most of all, visibility. We do this really, really well at Visit Lauderdale.”

Gray is senior vice president of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Visit Lauderdale and Ritter is president and CEO. This is not their first inclusive campaign. Their work to attract trans tourists has been recognized by the United Nations. In addition to marketing to the LGBT community they also highlight people with physical disabilities. “You have to have the courage of your convictions to ignite social change.”

Before the ceremony was the U.S. premiere of the film “The Lawyer,” a Lithuanian movie looking at special problems faced by LGBT refugees in Europe. Afterwards, director and writer Romas Zabarauskas answered questions. He said the movie contrasts the privilege enjoyed by LGBT even in countries

Stuart Milk speaking at Diversity Honors on stage. Photo credit: J.R. Davis.

like Lithuania, where equal rights lag, against the pain and danger faced by people in refugee camps.

Zabarauskas was honored with the LGBTQ Champion Award. In addition to “The Lawyer,” his work has promoted equality and exposed systemic discrimination in his home country of Lithuania.

After the screening was a cocktail party, with a live band, cheese boards, and balloon popping. People paid to buy a balloon, pop it, and see which prize was inside. As all this was going on, Happening Out Television Network’s Al Ferguson and Kitty Meow interviewed all VIPs. The party continued inside the main ballroom. An aerialist stood in the center with her hair attached to a long chain that stretched to the ceiling. She performed a physical routine to a jazzy cover of “Genie In A Bottle.” 80s trio Company B rocked the house in glittery dresses and fierce blond hair.

They performed pop covers and, of course, their hit, “Fascinated.”

OTHER AWARD RECIPIENTS ARE: Julie Newmar

DMK HARVEY MILK FOUNDATION ICON AWARD

Brian Christopher

HARVEY MILK FOUNDATION VISIBILITY AWARD

Gina Duncan DIVERSITY HONORS

Nic Harris DIVERSITY HONORS

Anthony Karrat DIVERSITY HONORS

Linda Rae DIVERSITY HONORS

It’s important to note everyone in attendance were required to pass a rapid COVID test, on-site, before being allowed into the event.

One Person Can Make a Difference With legacy gifts your impact lives forever.

Paul Fasana

July 20, 1933 – April 1, 2021

Dedicated to Service

After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Paul attended UC Berkeley and received a B.A. and a Masters of Library Science. His remarkable career was dedicated to library administration and he proudly worked at Columbia University Libraries and the New York Public Library where he served as senior vice president and director of the Research Libraries until his retirement.

Keeping LGBT History Alive

Paul served as the chief archivist at the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, where he volunteered for more than 20-years. He loved sharing his knowledge with others and his many contributions enabled the LGBT community to thrive by keeping its history alive.

“There is no one who has been more generous toward LGBT causes in South Florida over the past 10 years than Paul Fasana. Following the passing of his longtime partner, Robert Graham, in 2010, Paul not only continued – but he accelerated – the number and size of gifts directed to LGBT-supportive agencies and causes,” said David Jobin, president and CEO Our Fund Foundation. “As generous as he was during his lifetime, Paul took great care to endow funds at Our Fund so that causes that he and Robert cared about will be supported in perpetuity.”

A Life Well Lived

Paul and his late partner Robert Graham were devoted to one another for almost 50 years. They supported many causes by volunteering their time and through charitable giving. In January of 2020, Our Fund Foundation presented Paul with the inaugural Dick Schwarz Award for Lifetime Achievement for his extensive philanthropic contributions.

Thanks to his endowed fund at Our Fund Foundation, Paul’s legacy will live on through his continued financial backing for various LGBT-supportive programs for seniors and youth, as well as support for the Sunshine Cathedral, which has a chapel named after the couple, and the Stonewall National Museum & Archives.

The quality of life and opportunities afforded to LGBT people in South Florida are directly correlated to the impact that Paul has made on the community.

Our Fund Foundation’s mission is to secure the LGBT community’s future by promoting and increasing responsible philanthropy, strengthening community organizations and their leaders, and connecting donors to causes that matter To learn more about how Our Fund Foundation can help you establish a legacy plan, please contact Our Fund at DJobin@Our-Fund.org or call 954-565-1090.

A sampling of South Florida LGBT-supportive agencies Our Fund Foundation is proud to support.

Alzheimer's Association Aqua Foundation Broward House Chainless Change Compass LGBT Community Center Equality Florida

Gay Men's Chorus of South Florida Gilda's Club Island City Stage Jewish Community Services of South Florida Latinos Salud

Museum of Science and Discovery OUTShine Film Festival Pride Center at Equality Park South Florida Institute on Aging Stonewall National Museum & Archives

SunServe Sunshine Cathedral Thou Art Woman TransInclusive Group Urban League of Broward County

10 .14 . 20 21 •

17

NEWS MIAMI-DADE

ROYAL POETICAL STARZ, A TRANS WOMAN OF COLOR, GUNNED DOWN IN MIAMI GARDENS Steve Rothaus Special to SFGN

A

26-year-old Black transgender woman from Pompano Beach was gunned down and killed late morning Saturday, Oct. 2, inside her Hummer on a residential Miami Gardens street.

Royal Poetical Starz is believed to be one aren’t even recognizing her as trans.” of at least 40 trans, nonbinary or gender Fox met Poetical on a 2018 New Year’s Eve nonconforming people reported slain this year cruise he took with his parents and thenin the United States, according to queer blogger boyfriend, Miami CPA Uvaldo Mencia. “All Sue Kerr, who tracks these killings for her people should be treated equally. And I question website, Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents. whether or not a police department who can’t Kerr and South Florida trans activists, even recognize the gender will prioritize this including Morgan and Ashley Mayfaire of case.”

TransSOCIAL, were stunned to learn from a Fox and Mencia met Poetical at a Celebrity reporter on Tuesday that a trans woman had Edge blackjack table and the three immediately been shot to death the week before in Northwest hit it off. At the time, Poetical had not yet Miami-Dade County. transitioned and was living as a male in a sameA prime reason they didn’t know: Miami sex marriage with a much older man, Bruce Gardens police on Oct. 4 issued a news release Yoder. He died of natural causes about age 81 in stating that a 26-year-old “Black male” had been late 2019. slain — alongside a photo of Poetical presenting “She loved him and he required a lot of care,” herself as a woman.

Fox said of Poetical and Yoder.

Investigators haven’t said In the nearly three years much about Poetical’s death, since their cruise, Poetical, Fox except it “occurred at the 4600 and Mencia remained good Block of NW 185th Street, in friends.

Miami Gardens” about 11:26 “Poetical was a singer, a.m., according to the police originally known as Mr. news release.

Poetical,” Fox said. “Always the Miami Gardens homicide life of the party. Whenever we detective Michael Lissade on walked on Wilton Drive to the Tuesday said the department next bar, everyone loved how would eventually disclose more Poetical was dressed. They details, but “we’re not releasing would always comment, ‘Girl, any information right now.”

I love that hair.’ Or ‘Girl, I love He did say, however, that those nails.’”

Poetical died carrying a U.S. In July, Fox and Mencia passport — which identified celebrated with Poetical when her as Brandon Yoder — and she graduated with a business - Sandy T. Fox that “she had female clothing degree from Florida Career FRIEND, ATTORNEY on.”

College vocational school.

Poetical’s good friend, “It was the happiest day of Aventura family law attorney her life,” said Mencia, who Sandy T. Fox, is furious that police misgendered photographed a beaming Poetical in her cap and her. gown.

“Let me tell you the most disgusting part Poetical struggled financially the past few of all — I changed his name legally. I changed years. When her husband died, their home HER name because she’s trans to Royal Poetical was in foreclosure. She earned money giving Starz, which is what Facebook and Instagram massages, according to Fox and Mencia. says. That’s also what she’s recognized as at the “She lived a very extravagant life,” Mencia medical examiner’s office. But it appears they said. “She posted a lot of things on social media.

“WHENEVER WE WALKED ON WILTON DRIVE TO THE NEXT BAR, EVERYONE LOVED HOW POETICAL WAS DRESSED.”

Royal Poetical Starz. Photo via Facebook.

18

• 10 .14.2021

NEWS MIAMI-DADE She hinted the last several months — she was complaining about money. She said she needs to start saving money. No more eating breakfast, lunch and dinner out.”

Fox and Mencia have offered to pay for Poetical’s funeral, which is set for Friday in her birthplace, Omaha, Nebraska.

A GoFundMe has also been established.

“Royal Poetical Starz [formerly known as Brandon Yoder or Mr. Poetical before undergoing a name change] was brutally shot and killed on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in broad daylight in Miami Gardens, Florida. A heinous crime that has no place in a civilized society,” reads the GoFundMe. Monday morning, Poetical’s sister, Jay Donald of Omaha, posted on Facebook: “The hardest thing about this is that life still goes on and each day I gotta wait for him to call me FaceTime me knowing he never will it’s a habit that’s gonna be so hard living without!!! I loved u as Brandon I loved u as Star Im hurt your not here in the flesh but forever in my heart u will be….. Fly high Royal Poetical Starz.”

Fox said he has been in touch with Poetical’s family in Nebraska. They provided to him scant details of her murder.

“They didn’t really have much,” Fox said.

“They told me she was shot in Miami Gardens in her car. A Hummer. Poetical had just gotten a white Hummer. Apparently, she was shot in the face, and then shot 20 times.

“It shows to me a very high level of premeditation and anger.”

Kerr, the Pittsburgh blogger who tracks these killings, said the way Poetical died in broad daylight is not uncommon.

“I have noticed that these are not all happening in the middle of the night, the dark of the night, that sort of noir perspective of how these things happen. It’s a little shocking how brazen and public some of these murders have taken place,” Kerr said.

“I wonder if that is due to the increasing harassing, and drama inflicted, on the trans community. It has become more acceptable to be transphobic, especially in regard to Black trans women. That’s terrifying.”

Kerr began reporting trans slayings in 2013, when a woman named Cemia Acoff died in Cleveland. Her slaying seems very much like what happened to Poetical.

“What struck me was that [Acoff] was also found in women’s clothing. She had a very brutal

death. She had no ID on her that I recall,” Kerr said. “The media misgendered her, deadnamed her and printed her old mug shots. A friend of mine who is part of the trans community in Cleveland asked me if I could write a ‘decent’ post that would use the correct pronouns, her name, an actual photo that wasn’t her mug shot.”

“One of the things I could do as a blogger was to create that content,” Kerr continued. “That began my journey with this epidemic of terror.”

Kerr said it’s essential police tell the public exactly how and why Poetical died, “to both acknowledge her truth and make sure we have facts about her death.”

“After [Poetical] died, a lot of shit happened because she’s a trans woman: She was misgendered. She was deadnamed. People are speculating about many aspects of her life, including her privacy and secrets. Her death was not publicized.

It appears the larger LGBT community, the larger trans community doesn’t know because of the deadnaming.”

Kerr said the public must know “everything that led up to that moment” Poetical was shot and killed.

“Her life — and death — are shaped by her identity as a Black trans woman. That’s the lesson for us.”

KERR SAID IT’S ESSENTIAL POLICE TELL THE PUBLIC EXACTLY HOW AND WHY POETICAL DIED, “TO BOTH ACKNOWLEDGE HER TRUTH AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE FACTS ABOUT HER DEATH.”

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Uvaldo Mencia, Sandy T. Fox and Royal Poetical Starz pose together. Photo courtesy of Steve Rothaus.

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SUPERMAN’S AGENDA

NEWS NATIONAL

SUPERMAN COMES OUT AS BISEXUAL Kim Swan

Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, sharing a kiss in the new series. Image credit: DC, via Facebook.

T

Even 70 years ago in 1950, National Comics Pub., Inc, made Superman a socially newsworthy advocate for racial equality and justice.

GET YOUR VOICE

HEARD

FRUSTRATED BY BEING DROWNED IN A SEA OF UNREAD FACEBOOK COMMENTS? Get your voice heard and letters read visibly on SFGN.com and in our newspaper every week.

Submit your own letter to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com 20

• 10 .14.2021

here’s a new Superman in town — and don’t even buy comics.” he will be in a romantic relationship with But others have showed their support of a a man, according to DC Comics. bisexual Superman.

Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent and “It’s nice to see queer superheroes being Lois Lane, will share a kiss with Jay Nakamura more mainstream now, I’m very happy to see in the new series “Superman: Son of Kal-El,” people like me being the main characters,” a which is coming out next month, according to commenter wrote on another site.

The Seattle Times.

Jonathan and Nakamura “The idea of replacing Clark met in an August story during “I’VE ALWAYS Kent with another straight Jonathan’s ill-fated attempt to white savior felt like a missed his identity and attend high SAID EVERYONE hide opportunity,” Tom Taylor, who school, according to The Seattle writes the series, said in an NEEDS HEROES, Times. Nakamura is a journalist interview. He added that a “new who met Jonathan’s parents and Superman had to have new fights was awe-stuck by Lane. This AND THEY — real world problems — that month, readers will discover that DESERVE TO SEE Nakamura has special abilities as he could stand up to as one of the most powerful people in the well.

THEMSELVES IN world.”

“Jay could be the only person Superman coming out is THEIR HEROES.” in Jon’s life that he does not have a memorable moment, even to protect,” Taylor said. “I wanted - Tom Taylor when many other comics have to have a really equal, supportive WRITER embraced diversity as well. relationship for those two.”

Batman’s sidekick, Robin, The editors at DC were already acknowledged romantic feelings for a male as considering similar lines of the development well: Tim Drake. An Aquaman comic stars a for the character and were supportive, gay Black man who is to become the title hero, according to The Seattle Times.

The Seattle Times reported.

“I’ve always said everyone needs heroes, However, not everyone is happy about the and they deserve to see themselves in their news. heroes,” Taylor told The Seattle Times. “For so In August, a commenter on a website many people, having the strongest superhero complained that “Marvel and DC have ruined in comics come out is incredibly powerful.” their characters to please the woke mob, who

10 .14 . 20 21 •

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• 10 .14.2021

SOCIAL MEDIA GHOSTS HAUNT THIS HALLOWEEN John Hayden

What can I do if I have been accused of a crime?

Russell Cormican

NEWS SPORTS

U

gly words from the past are surfacing everywhere this week. In the light of day, away from the shelter of “private” messages and emails, the words are even uglier. Two incidents are making headlines this week, and the sports world and Florida are at the root of both.

First, there is Jon Gruden, the now-former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The New York Times revealed emails in which Gruden seems to offend everyone except straight, white, males who don’t play football. The emails span seven years. He called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “faggot” and “pussy.” When Michael Sam became the first openly gay man drafted in the NFL, Gruden decried the pressure to draft “queers,” and complained about ESPN giving Caitlyn Jenner an award after she transitioned. These emails were sent to a former member of the Washington Football Team’s management as well as the founder of Florida food chain PDQ. (Gruden won a Super Bowl during his time as Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.)

His public comments are very different from his private conversations. Ironically, the first and only out gay NFL player is on the Raiders. When Carl Nassib came out over the summer, Gruden told ESPN, “I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great.”

Gruden doesn’t just attack the LGBT community. He also used a racist trope to describe the head of the NFL Player’s Union, mocked the league’s player-driven social justice movement, sent topless pictures of cheerleaders, and complained about women becoming referees.

Locally, WLRN reporter Daniel Rivero chose to bring back one of his own tweets from about 10 years ago. “#freespeech I thought we could say what we want Joakim Noah let one off wtf the big deal! Gays should realize faggot has come to mean nothin.”

He’s referring to an incident at a Miami Heat game where one of the visiting Chicago Bulls called a Heat fan a “faggot.”

According to Rivero he believed some people were going to attack him over his 10 year old tweet.

“Since it’s obvious some people are going to try to bring up this tweet from before I was

Jon Gruden during a practice.

Credit: Travis AFB, via Flickr.

in journalism to discredit me I should say: it’s a bad tweet. Also I wasn’t very good at punctuation then, that was not my word but Noah’s word. Still, bad. We grow as humans, as we should.”

Noah was fined and apologized. But Rivero, who wasn’t a working journalist at the time, used the word in his own context, appearing to tell the LGBT community what should and shouldn’t offend them. In reposting the tweet, Rivero acknowledged “it’s a bad tweet.”

In an email to SFGN, he says he’s truly sorry and understands the power of words today.

“When I wrote that I was trying to say that words sometimes have their original meaning, and sometimes they have their common meaning. As another example, during my childhood and early adulthood it was pretty common for a lot of people to say something was ‘gay’ when it had nothing to do with sexuality. It was commonly used as a way to say ‘stupid.’ The mistake of my thinking at the time was that the alternative meaning should somehow overtake the original, derogatory meaning,” Rivero wrote.

“This thinking was wrong, and more years on this earth have hammered that into my head. A slur or an otherwise descriptive term used as a slur should be treated as such, with no exceptions.”

THE

GAZETTE VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 20 OCTOBER 14, 2021

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

Pride Factory Storefront Moving to Wilton Manors

By Kendall Little After two decades of business in Fort diverse population and attractions.

Deak said that the new location would likely Lauderdale, fashion apparel store Pride Factory is relocating to Wilton Manors to be closer to accumulate more foot traffic as people walk its customer base. Store owners plan to open through the area. Pride Factory will be located in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors the new location later this year on Wilton Drive, which is home on Wilton Drive. to Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar Pride Factory specializes in and Hunters Nightclub. men’s swimwear, underwear, “I think moving will definitely and apparel that appeals to the help us see more walking traffic,” LGBT community. It opened in Deak said. the ‘90s and quickly became a Wilton Drive is also home to staple shopping experience for over 30 restaurants, clubs, and the LGBT community. stores, according to the Wilton The storefront has been in Manors website. Deak hopes business in Fort Lauderdale for that Pride Factory will be a 15 years, but owners made the welcomed new addition to the call to sign a long-term lease Wilton Manors community. in Wilton Manors to increase “We wanted to be closer to our business and be closer to its customers,” Deak said. “I hope clientele. that we are welcomed with open Moving to Wilton Manors arms.” felt like the best move for Pride Factory owners Pride Factory staff so when Vice President of Operations attempted to create an online their lease ran out in Fort shopping experience, but Lauderdale, they took the quickly learned that their customers preferred opportunity to relocate.

“We’ve been looking at options for the last visiting in-person. Deak says that 90% of Pride year,” Lori Deak, vice president of operations, Factory income is from customers who stop by the store to shop. said.

“We’ve been working on getting our website The U.S. Census named Wilton Manors the second gayest city in America in 2010 and the together but with the move, it’s been hard to city takes pride in the title every day with its find time,” Deak said.

“We wanted to be closer to our customers.

I hope that we are welcomed with open arms.”

- Lori Deak

Pride Factory’s previous location in Fort Lauderdale. Photo via Facebook.

The store’s Instagram account (@ pridefactory) has received over 2,500 followers since it was created in 2018. It primarily showcases the men’s swimwear that the store offers, but also highlights underwear and other products that are

www.WMGAZETTE.com

available in the shop.

Deak mentioned that she does not have a lot of information about the move since the process has just begun, but that she would keep SFGN updated as Pride Factory makes its move to Wilton Manors.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

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WILTON MANORS

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The Bridges Of Our Lives The mating habits of Northerners

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complaining about paying their fair share of taxes and protecting their tax havens, but there it was in the morning paper.

Other headlines telling of abortion bans in Texas, of states enacting laws that restrict voter access, of COVID conspiracy theories, increase in drug overdose deaths, and of growing poverty rates leaves me a bit bewildered.

Where am I? It just doesn’t seem right, but unfortunately it is all too real.

This sense of strangeness seems to have also penetrated local news. Recent collaboration by local groups to bring art into public spaces has been met with a bit of resistance by some in our city government. Granted, placing art in city parks needs to be vetted and not pose a safety hazard. However, the excuse that children might play on it as a reason not to install a particular sculpture seems a bit of a stretch. Children are going to play and interact with mostly anything. Just remember when we were kids playing in city parks. We climbed over statues, played in fountains, stuck our heads through openings in park sculpturesthat’s the nature of being a child. Using safety concerns as criteria pretty much excludes any art installation in a city park. Unfortunately in today’s litigious culture, we are forced to live in a society where excessive precautions are taken in most public spaces. Those of us who want to bring art into public spaces might just

have to look elsewhere and perhaps not blame city staff for having to make decisions based on such realities.

Another local news story leaving me a bit off kilter was the announcement this week of the new Three Bridges Neighborhood Association of East Wilton Manors. What happened to the other neighborhood association already on the Eastside? Perhaps the new organization should be called Four Bridges, cause you might need to build another bridge to span the gap between the residents in that community. On a serious note, I understand the many years of frustration by Eastside residents who have been prevented from fully participating in the East Neighborhood Association due to the roadblocks of a select few individuals.

Hopefully the community will take this as a wakeup call and come together more openly, to respect a difference of opinions from neighbors and work together.

Here on the Westside, as President of the Westside Association of Wilton Manors, I welcome all to come to our meetings, to get involved, to voice your opinion and to volunteer serving on our board of directors. Please do it in a timely manner so that this soon to be 60-year-old can fade into the sunset knowing that current and newly energized leadership will keep the Westside Association moving ahead into the future, right along with our city, our Central Area Neighborhood Association and hopefully just one but possibly two of the Eastside neighborhood associations.

This love and commitment by so many throughout our city is what makes life just better here…

www.WMGAZETTE.com • 10 .14.2021

October 14, 2021 • Volume 8 • Issue 20

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

Each and every day we are born anew to make a difference in this world.

Unfortunately at 60, it might take a bit longer to make that difference, but we can still do it!

24

GAZETTE Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre This time of year, my calendar is full of birthday celebrations for many friends and family.

October begins this birthday marathon with celebrations continuing straight through to New Year’s Eve. Seems like most of my family and close friends have birthdays that fall within this three-month time frame. Makes you wonder how people were staying warm during those cold winter nights back up north in January, February, and March many moons ago.

My own birthday falls in the midst of this marathon in early December. I have never really been bothered by turning a particular age — 30, 40, 50 … but this year, it’s hitting me like a brick — 60!! A recent newspaper cartoon caught my eye and pretty much sums it all up to a tee. Picture two people walking down the block chatting with the caption reading, “40 might be the new 30 and fifty might be the new 40, but 60 is still 60!”

I will spare you the drama of my personal journey coping with this milestone birthday.

The end result for us all is that we are alive, which is a darn good reason to celebrate and enjoy every moment we have with loved ones, friends, and those around us. Each and every day we are born anew to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately at 60, it might take a bit longer to make that difference, but we can still do it!

So let us move past me singing the birthday blues and let’s see what is happening here in our Island City and beyond our borders. News headlines continue to surprise me during my morning cup of coffee. It’s as if we woke up from a dream into a strange new world where everything is a bit off kilter.

In a Wall Street Journal article this past week, the wealthy 1% were complaining about plans to strengthen the IRS, which was gutted under the previous administration.

This is the same wealthy 1% that has seen their wealth and income grow at staggering rates but yet complain about poor folk getting government handouts. Never mind that the U.S. Treasury is losing billions in uncollected annual revenue from this unreported and hidden wealth. A strange world where such greed is so openly displayed by a wealthy few

THE

2 •

OCTOBER 14, 2021

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

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Wilton Drive at night.

Photo credit: Brendon Lies.

NEWS

OAKLAND PARK

WILTON MANORS

COMMUNITY

Friends Keep Wilton Manors Library Open and Independent

By John McDonald

Battalion Chief Monica Maldonado (center) with her EMS Educator of the Year plaque. She is flanked

by Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Krivjanik (left) and Fire Marshall John Preston.

Photo courtesy of the City of Oakland Park.

Oakland Park’s First Female Battalion Chief Gets Statewide Honor

By Christiana Lilly Oakland Park Fire Rescue Battalion Chief resuscitations have increased.

Maldonado and the team trained more than Monica Maldonado was honored by the Florida Department of Health with its EMS Educator of 500 pre-hospital and hospital professionals and more than 100 instructors in this the Year.

The award was presented to her in Orlando technique. During the awards ceremony in Orlando, it was noticed that “it on Sept. 29, where she was has been noticed that no other applauded by her fellow fire previous award of a team has rescue colleagues. accomplished so much.”

“It’s been an honor to be “I can’t even think of a better able to represent Oakland Park person to have recommended not only with our diversity, for this than Chief Maldonado, but also to help and improve and we stand here in support of our community,” Maldonado her and her award,” Fire Rescue told the Oakland Park City Chief Stephen Krivjanik told the Commission during its commission. “With special folks Wednesday meeting. “So being like this, I am blessed to have able to represent [us] for the them working in my command.” state of Florida was amazing Maldonado, who has Haitian, and to put OP on the map, it Lebanese and Puerto Rican was absolutely a humbling ancestry, became the city’s experience.” first female battalion chief in The award was given to her Oakland Park Fire Rescue October 2020. According to the and five other Resuscitation Battalion Chief nonprofit Women in Fire, that Academy team members who makes her one of just about were hand selected to travel throughout Florida to teach the “pit crew 150 women in the state who have the rank of technique” when conducting CPR on a patient. district chief, battalion chief, division chief or Not unlike a pit crew at a race track, each assistant chief. There are about 6,200 women person has a specific role; with this technique, working in fire rescue in Florida.

“... To put OP on the map, it was absolutely a humbling experience.”

- Monica Maldonado

Taking her children to the library is something Arlene Lancaster fondly recalls as a mother.

“I took my kids when they were little to the library all the time for storytime,” said Lancaster, a retired school teacher who first moved to Wilton Manors in 1973.

Decades later Lancaster remains involved as president of the Friends of the Wilton Manors Library. The private charitable corporation is composed of volunteers dedicated to keeping the library operational and independent.

“We want to make sure we keep our little library in the city,” Lancaster said. “It’s one of the places a city should have.”

Wilton Manors is one of five cities in Broward County with its own library — independent of the county’s system. The library, named in honor of Richard C. Sullivan, a generous benefactor, is known for its cozy personal feel where visitors are warmly recognized as opposed to treated like a number on a library card.

“It’s like an old-fashioned general store where people meet to talk,” said Paul Kuta, who serves as vice president of the Friends of the Wilton Manors Library.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, put a halt to those gatherings and health guidelines that require visitors to wear masks and keep physical distance remain in place.

“We’re hoping pretty soon to get back to normal,” said Library Director Rick Sterling.

Sterling has served as Library Director since 2004. The Library Division is under the Leisure Services Department. The division has three full-time and seven part-time employees with an annual budget of $777,952.

It’s money well spent, said Sterling.

“It’s what the people want,” Sterling said.

“The library is emblematic of the pride in our community.”

Past efforts to consolidate the library into the county system were met with fierce local resistance. The library was formed by an ancestor “Friends” organization in 1957 with the city taking control a year later.

The Friends group, Sterling said, provides up to $15,000 annually in financial support by raising money through book sales and memberships. Kuta, a retired Pentagon budget officer, said the organization’s mission is two-fold — advocate for the capabilities of the library’s assets and supplement the city budget.

Tech support is a top priority. The computers used by the public are provided by

Wilton Manors Library. Photo via Facebook.

the Friends of the Library. With its collection of books, magazines, newspapers and videos, the library carries a significant historical benefit, Kuta said.

Lancaster agreed and said she anticipates more children will find their way to the library as the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

“Our kids are coming back,” Lancaster said.

“Some don’t think there are any families here, but I know there are families in the city.”

A 2019 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau showed there were more than 800 people under the age of 18 living in Wilton Manors.

Sterling said interest in children’s books has increased, an indicator of more homeschooling.

Lancaster said additional parking near the library is needed, but upgrades come at a cost and money is tight after the facility was shuttered for more than a year due to the pandemic. This year’s budget is projecting a $3,000 increase in fines.

“We encourage people to get their books back on time,” Sterling said.

National Friends of the Library Week is celebrated Oct. 17-23. Memberships for the Friends of the Wilton Manors Library range from $10 to $40 for a Friends Patron to $100 for Benefactors.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 3 •

OCTOBER 14, 2021

10 .14 . 20 21 •

25

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WILTON MANORS

Hey, Holy Mackerel: I’m Sorry Holy Mackerel.

Photo via Facebook.

If there was any doubt that social media sows discontent and division, media coverage of Facebook cleared that up for us this past week. An ex-Facebook employee came forward as a whistleblower, making a strong argument that Facebook knew its recommendation algorithm exacerbated divisiveness and would potentially elevate false content aka fake news. Sadly, Holy Mackerel learned firsthand just how quickly rumors can go viral and just how hard it can be to get the truth out there. For those that may not be aware of what happened to Holy Mackerel, let me provide a quick summary: During the pandemic, the restaurant received a booking request for a party of 30, which they could accommodate in a COVID-19 compliant way given the size of their restaurant. The individual booking the reservation said they were all going to be wearing Hawaiian shirts, as the group had been planning to go to Hawaii but their trip was canceled as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions. There was no mention of it being connected to any political party or hate group. Word spread to other Trump supporters, and a second individual called to book the venue a week later. Again, there was no mention or indication of the group’s intention.

Ehab, the owner of Holy Mackerel, learned of the groups’ real purpose when he received a copy of a flyer advertising the two events. He was understandably horrified, and he immediately had both reservations canceled and told both parties they would be refused service.

In a perfect world, that would have been the end of the story. Unfortunately, the Boogaloo group decided to show up anyway.

After getting by the group of protesters gathered in the parking lot, the group entered the restaurant where they were immediately reminded that their reservation was canceled and asked to vacate the property. The group tried to linger but Holy Mackerel called in the Wilton Manors Police Department who escorted them off the property. There were numerous members of our community who were dining in at the restaurant that day who heard and saw Holy Mackerel’s proper handling of the situation.

You might think, a year later, that

everyone would know the real story by now.

Unfortunately, this past weekend, Holy Mackerel was once again attacked online for their supposed willingness to host Trump supporters associated with the Boogaloo movement. I came across a post online complimenting Holy Mackerel on their new menu and inviting fellow residents to check it out. It didn’t take long at all for people to chime in, attacking Holy Mackerel for being Trump supporters and liars. Thankfully, a few informed residents joined me in correcting the facts. I am immensely grateful to those residents who did the right thing: putting their own names and reputations on the line to stand up for Holy Mackerel.

I completely understand how so many people quickly came to believe the stories that circulated on social media. Word spread so fast in so many places, there was nothing the staff at Holy Mackerel could do to respond to it all. Knowing this, I want to publicly apologize to Ehab and his entire team as I recognized I failed to act when I could have slowed the story before it got out of control.

As a political candidate when the story broke, I immediately just knew that something didn’t make sense.

I had booked a half dozen fundraisers or gatherings at venues for my own campaign, and not a single restaurant asked me the purpose (or political affiliation) of my party. In my heart, I felt confident that Holy Mackerel was like every other restaurant — grateful for any business they could accept during the pandemic and not in the practice of asking the political views of their patrons. While I had not personally posted

The group tried to linger but Holy Mackerel called in the Wilton Manors Police Department who escorted them off the property.

anything about Holy Mackerel, I regret that I did not proactively try to correct the facts. I could have and should have shared my own experience booking these sorts of events in order to bring perspective to the story.

Earlier this week, I personally apologized to Ehab. He responded as he always has when we’ve discussed the matter: by reiterating how excited he is to be a part of the Wilton Manors community and how optimistic he is we can put this all past us. Ehab clearly holds no grudge or resentment over what happened, instead, his love for what he

• 10 .14.2021

4 •

— Chris Caputo

WILTON MANORS CITY COMMISSIONER

Chris Caputo is City Commissioner in Wilton Manors and can be reached via email at ccaputo@wiltonmanors.com or by text at 954.557.2801.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 26

does, his staff, and our community shines through. Having seen my fellow residents defend Holy Mackerel this past weekend, I am confident that our community is eager to put this behind us as well. Next time an individual or organization in our community is being attacked on social media, I will certainly do my part to try and get all the facts before speaking, and I’m confident others will as well.

OCTOBER 14, 2021

NEWS

WILTON MANORS

Wilton Manors City Hall. Photo credit: Carina Mask.

Wilton Manors Creates Historical Preservation Board

By John McDonald Wilton Manors Commissioners gave the go ahead to form a new city board to preserve historic properties.

The ordinance, approved at Tuesday night’s regular commission meeting, creates a Historical Preservation Board composed of at least five members who will designate and review properties under the criteria set forth by the National Register.

Other notes from the meeting: Vice Mayor Paul Rolli conducted the meeting as Mayor Scott Newton was out of town. Commissioners passed a new charitable donation policy.

The commission observed a moment of silence in memory of realtor Pat Burnside, city employee Bria Parker and former assistant community development services director Ann Barnes.

Proclamations were issued to the Fort Lauderdale Community Emergency Response Team and longtime city activist Paul Kuta, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Broward County Property Appraiser Marty

Kiar gave an in-person presentation focusing primarily on exemptions, fraud investigations and property values. Title fraud and fake deeds, Kiar said, have become a big problem.

“South Florida is the title fraud capital of the world,” he said.

Randall Luechauer, manager of Broward County’s Tourist Development Tax Division, gave a remote presentation centered around vacation and short-term rentals. Luechauer said Wilton Manors had generated $696,478 in revenue for the Tourist Development Council with one month left in the fiscal year. The money comes from a 6% tax on short-term rentals.

City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson noted city hall will be lighted in pink this month in recognition of breast cancer awareness.

Police Chief Gary Blocker warned of spoofing and phishing scams in the form of unsolicited text messages or emails. Blocker also reported a significant decrease in pickpocketing crimes at bars and nightclubs.

The meeting lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes.

There were no public comments.

City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson noted city hall will be lighted in pink this month in recognition of breast cancer awareness.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 5 •

OCTOBER 14, 2021

10 .14 . 20 21 •

27

NEWS NATIONAL

FIRST TUESDAY IN OCTOBER RELIGIOUS CASES HEADLINE U.S. SUPREME COURT DOCKET Lisa Keen

F

irst in the spotlight as the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new session Oct. 4 is the seemingly precarious state of the right to abortion, an issue LGBT groups have long considered to be of “vital importance” to LGBT people. But there are also several LGBT-related cases petitioning for review and several other cases that involve LGBT issues in some way. Add to these two important off-the-docket concerns: One is the growing anxiety over when 83-year-old liberal Justice Stephen Breyer might vacate his seat; and the other is the unusual step by conservative Justice Samuel Alito to defend publicly the court’s conservative majority increasing use of preliminary procedures to shore up conservative positions on highly controversial issues.

Most discussions of the court’s new session are focused on abortion cases. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in December about the constitutionality of a new Mississippi law that bans abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. In that case, Dobbs v. Jackson, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema, along with all nine LGBT House members, signed onto a brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn Mississippi’s ban. Two dozen LGBT groups — including Lambda Legal, GLAD, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, Equality North Carolina, LPAC, and longtime marriage equality activist Evan Wolfson — also filed a brief arguing against the Mississippi ban. The groups’ brief states that the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions, upholding the right of women to have an abortion, are of “vital

“OVERRULING ROE AND CASEY WOULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC EFFECTS ON SEXUAL MINORITY WOMEN.” - GROUP STATEMENT FROM TWO DOZEN LGBT GROUPS

28

• 10 .14.2021

importance” to sexual minority women, adding that federal statistics estimates one in 12 women between 18 and 44 is a sexual minority.

“Overruling Roe and Casey would have catastrophic effects on sexual minority women,” states the groups’ brief. It notes that “lesbian, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual women are at least as likely as other women to experience unintended pregnancies and to require abortion care. Sexual minority women are more likely to experience unintended pregnancies as a result of sexual violence…”

In a separate appeal involving an even more restrictive state abortion ban, in Texas, the LGBTQ legal group GLAD issued a press release, criticizing the Supreme Court’s vote in September to deny an injunction to stop the law from taking effect until the court could rule on its constitutionality. GLAD said allowing the Texas ban on abortion to go into effect would “hurt women, LGBTQ people, and families…”

“Safe, accessible reproductive healthcare — including abortion care — is a matter of racial, economic, and gender justice,” said GLAD, “and we must all be in the fight to repeal or reverse this ban and stop the erosion of the constitutionally protected human right to reproductive choice.”

STEADY WAVE OF APPEALS The Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm dedicated primarily to undermining laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people, has, so far this session, asked the Supreme Court to review five cases in which people are seeking the right to discriminate against LGBT people by claiming a free exercise right to do so. The court could announce any day now whether it will take up these cases:

A past pro-choice protest in front of the Supreme Court. Photo credit: Jordan Uhl, via Flickr.

SEATTLE’S UNION GOSPEL V. WOODS: Seattle’s Union of Gospel Mission, an evangelical group that provides food, shelter, and religious guidance to people in need, asks the high court to affirm a part of the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) that allows “any” non-profit religious organization an exemption to the law’s prohibition on sexual orientation discrimination in employment.

The Mission appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Washington Supreme Court ruled in March that the exemption was unconstitutional as applied to one gay man who applied for a job at the Mission, after first serving there as a volunteer.

GORDON COLLEGE V. DEWEESE-BOYD:

This appeal brings a question similar to that in Seattle’s Union Gospel case. Gordon College, a private Christian missionary school in Massachusetts, was sued by one of its associate professors after the college refused her a full professorship. The school claimed the teacher failed to subscribe to its statement of religious faith; the teacher said it was because she criticized the school’s policies on LGBT people and same-sex marriage.

DIGNITY HEALTH V. MINTON: In this case, a Catholic-run hospital in California refused to perform a hysterectomy for a female-to-male transgender patient. The hospital said that to do so would violate the ethical and religious directives that govern Catholic health care institutions. The patient sued, saying the hospital’s refusal violated the state’s human rights law. So far, the patient has won, but the case has gone only as far as an intermediate state appeals court. The appeal has been on the U.S. Supreme Court’s conference list for more than a year.

ARLENE’S FLOWERS V. WASHINGTON: This case has been at the Supreme Court since 2018 and involves a florist who refuses to sell wedding arrangements to same-sex couples, claiming a religious belief necessitates the discrimination. The Washington Supreme Court has ruled against the florist twice, and her petition to the U.S. Supreme Court was rejected in July this year. The Alliance has asked the Supreme Court to rehear that appeal, saying it is very similar to another case arriving at the court from Colorado (see below).

NEWS NATIONAL

“WE MUST ALL BE IN THE FIGHT TO REPEAL OR REVERSE THIS BAN AND STOP THE EROSION OF THE CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED HUMAN RIGHT TO REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE.” - STATEMENT FROM GLAD

303 CREATIVE V. ELENIS: This is a variation on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. In this case, a graphic artist who creates websites for couples getting married, refused to create one for a samesex couple, claiming it was against her religious beliefs. The couple sued, saying the artist violated a state law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations; the artist appealed and the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against her. On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Alliance argues that Colorado’s law violates the artist’s right to free exercise of her religious beliefs.

of religion.” Liberty Counsel, representing Harold Shurtleff whose camp sought to raise a flag prominently displaying a white Christian cross, says the city’s action violates the First Amendment.

The court has scheduled for argument Dec. 8 Carson v. Makin, which is not an LGBT-related case but is yet another case in which religious entities are seeking special dispensation under ordinary law. It’s also a case that echoes the arguments religious entities have been making to avoid complying with non-discrimination laws: that the religious person isn’t discriminating against a gay person, but OTHER CASES OF discriminating against a person LGBT INTEREST THE COURT HAS because his or her partner is of SCHEDULED FOR the same-sex.

In other cases of interest to the ARGUMENT DEC. 8 In Carson, the parents of five LGBT community, the Supreme children in Maine are fighting a Court announced on Sept. 30 CARSON V. MAKIN, state policy of providing public that it would review a lower court WHICH IS NOT AN funding for parents to send decision from the First Circuit LGBT-RELATED CASE their children to private schools U.S. Court of Appeals. That court BUT IS YET ANOTHER that are willing to provide held that the City of Boston’s right CASE IN WHICH “nonsectarian education.” Maine to allow some groups, but not RELIGIOUS ENTITIES does not provide funding for a Christian civic group, to raise ARE SEEKING SPECIAL parents to send their children their flag over City Hall was a legal to schools providing religious DISPENSATION exercise of “government speech.” education. The First Circuit U.S. According to Liberty Counsel, UNDER Court of Appeals said Maine could a legal group promoting religious ORDINARY LAW. withhold funding to sectarian liberty, Boston allows secular flags, schools because the exclusion was including the LGBT Pride flag, to fly over City Hall but won’t allow a “religious not based on any school’s religious affiliation flag.” The city said its policy is “consistent but on “on what the school teaches through its with the well-established First Amendment curriculum and related activities, and how the jurisprudence” against the “establishment material is presented.”

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Rainbow flags fly in front of the Supreme Court. Photo via Adobe.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

29

NEWS NATIONAL

GAY STAFFER FOR MELANIA TRUMP FIRED FOR HAVING GRINDR ACCOUNT Kim Swan

Photo via PxHere.

A

fter discovering a Grindr account, a gay This came after the revelation that former staffer for First Lady Melania Trump White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter had was allegedly fired, according to a been granted clearance despite having been former White House aide. accused of allegedly physically abusing two Stephanie Grisham, who did not name the of his ex-wives, according to CNN. staffer, wrote a memoir about her time serving Although she doesn’t have definitive proof, as former President Donald Trump’s press Grisham has suggested in the book that Kelly secretary. According to her, one of her closest was the one who made the decision to fire the friends in the White House was being fired staffer, according to Business Insider. due to an “issue with his security clearance” “To this day, I don’t know if the decision despite working for Trump for more than went all the way up to General Kelly, three years, Metro Weekly reported. although he was the type of guy who liked The fired gay staffer was reportedly top-to-bottom control, so it was certainly “walked out of the White House by a woman possible,” Grisham wrote. “I do know that from Human Resources, followed by an one of Kelly’s deputies was well aware of what armed Secret Service agent, and had happened and supported not given a second thought,” the decision, something that GRISHAM CALLED enraged me on many levels.” according to the book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw Grisham stopped being MELANIA TRUMP’S in the Trump White House.” She friendly with Kelly and his INACTION AS later found out it was because team in the White House, he had used Grindr, a gay-dating believing their decision to be PART OF THE app.

Metro Weekly reported.

“TRANSACTIONAL biased, “Whoever determined She also criticized Melania NATURE OF security clearances had come for not stepping in to stop the across his Grindr account and termination, despite being THE TRUMP decided that some of the stuff angry by the firing.

WHITE HOUSE,” on it would be ‘personally Grisham called Melania embarrassing’ to Mrs. Trump,” Trump’s inaction as part of the METRO WEEKLY Grisham wrote. “transactional nature of the REPORTED. In her book, Grisham Trump White House,” Metro criticizes former White House Weekly reported.

Chief of Staff John Kelly for her friend’s “If the person had truly been removed termination, writing that Kelly “oversaw solely because he was gay and had a lively some activities that were frankly shitty” Grindr account, that was wrong. This was a when he fired or reassigned several staffers White House filled with adulterers,” Grisham as part of a shake-up over issues with some wrote in the book. “I had a DUI, and they let staffers’ security clearances. me stay.”

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• 10 .14.2021

OUT NOW!

LOOK FOR IT NEAR YOU, OR ASK FOR YOUR COPY AT SFGN

S O U T H

F L O R I D A

G A Y

N E W S

PICTURED: ISLAND CITY STAGE OPENS ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH A REVIVAL “TWENTIETHCENTURY WAY.” THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION STARRED MIKE WESTRICH, RIGHT, AND CLAY CARTLAND. CREDIT: ISLAND CITY STAGE.

Vol. 10 Issue 4 • OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2021 • READ IT ONLINE AT THEMIRRORMAG.COM 10 .14 . 20 21 •

31

Publisher's Editorial

CONVICTIONS

CELEBRATE THE PAST, APPRECIATE THE PRESENT

IT’S GAY HISTORY MONTH To Thine Own Self Be True Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

W

e all have stories. Each of us has a secret we think is all our own. The truth is you learn that the things you think are intimately most personal are universally most common.

Stop believing you have secrets. We have no secrets. We just have shared stories that we sometimes keep to ourselves. Each October, during gay history month, we try to illuminate some of them.

For years, gay people remained in the shadows. We were afraid of the light. No more. Not ever again. We have come to discover sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Coming out, standing up, speaking your truth — that is who we are now. It always should have been that way, but as much as our schools preach individuality, institutions demand conformity. We caved in for too long. That was yesterday.

Queers are lucky. We did not fit the mold, and now we have broken it. Be proud. We have showed our mettle, and now we have gay Olympians showing their medals. From Broadway to ballfields, many Billy Porters are cutting their niche into the American landscape. It’s our unique history.

Your willingness to stand up and be counted as conscientious citizens has built new lives for countless generations of gay men and women. Our legacy tomorrow and our history today have been written by your courage. Don’t let anyone ever take that away from you. It was not always an easy road.

Wilton Drive was not always a rainbow.

History tells stories of the past. Forget them not in the present. Even in the 1990s, South Florida cities were not issuing

proclamations celebrating gay Pride. They were raiding adult gay bookstores and busting gay bars. The infamous raid of the Copa was May 5, 1991. Ten years before that, the Ku Klux Klan was still holding rallies in Davie. Think of that today.

Two weeks ago though, gay and Black legislators, as well as city officials held a women’s empowerment march in the center of Fort Lauderdale. Times change, and we with them. In 1951, it was illegal for Blacks to be east of Federal Highway after dark.

The South Florida gay community has grown from fringe groups with bullhorns standing on the corner of the streets to owning them.

Come to Wilton Drive any weekend, let alone the end of this month. In full costume, we will show our colors.

One special circle of friends to celebrate and call attention to during this month are the women of the Miss Florida International Pageant. When we celebrate the history of Stonewall, let’s not forget it was neither a party or a parade.

The Stonewall protest in 1969 in Greenwich Village was a revolt against police abuses. It was a collection of drag performers saying they will be dragged around no more. They questioned authority. They took risks. True heroes they were.

Today, SFGN celebrates you for enriching our lives in South Florida. If you are part of the greater Fort Lauderdale gay business community, you are playing a part in enriching our lives today, as others have done before you. That makes you a stakeholder in tomorrow.

Be proud of your role in building our corner

WHAT MATTERS MOST IS NOT WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN. WHAT MATTERS MOST IS WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

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Photo via Piqsels.

of the world, whether you boldly advertised yourself as the first openly lesbian candidate for office or the first gay realtor to lead the Fort Lauderdale board. You bucked the tide, you dealt with adversity, and now you are entitled to a moment in the sun.

With every gay business that opens and advertises his entrepreneurial adventure on the pages of SFGN, you are lending authenticity to our lives and advocacy to our cause. Before there was an Our Fund to raise monies to seed our legacies, we were outsiders. Now we have a place at the table.

Heck, we should. We designed most of them.

Years ago, ACT Up taught us silence equals death. We spoke up to voice our concerns, tell our stories, and light our candles. We shared our stories. There are so many. Your individual path, whether you were the son of a minister or the daughter of a police chief, is a story worth sharing. You see, what we all have in common is our very uniqueness.

We can’t all make headlines. We don’t have to. However, we can all make — and have made — headway. October is not just gay

“history” month. It’s a celebration of how far we have come from being “Boys in the Band” to the leaders of it. We are architects of the new tomorrow, simply by doing righteous deeds today.

To those who are still struggling with who you want to be and where you want to go, let me share this about gay “history” month.

What matters most is not where you have been. We have all had our moments. We have been there too. What matters most is where you want to go.

The history you create is yours to own and define, whether you are 20 or 200. To thine own self be true. Be who you are. Become all you can be. Make that happen and you will write your own story.

As long as you are alive, there is hope and a star waiting for you to reach it. When you are gone, there is not going to be anyone to sing your song. As a terrific American folk singer named Phil Ochs once voiced: “When I’ve got something to say, sir, I’m gonna say it now.” So do it now, while you have the voice, while you have the chance.

CONVICTIONS

EDITORIAL CARTOON

By Mike Luckovich

THE RETURN OF THE

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Live streaming • wwnnradio.com 10 .14 . 20 21 •

33

LGBT HISTORY MONTH

TIMELINE

THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS A TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS PANDEMIC Stonewall National Museum & Archives

THE LGBT COMMUNITY SUFFERED IMMENSELY FROM THE AIDS PANDEMIC. DESPITE MANY LANDMARKS, THE FIGHT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. This timeline, courtesy of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives, is part of a greater LGBT History Month project and explores various LGBT landmarks throughout history.

To see more timelines that explore our shared LGBT history, visit www.StonewallNMA.org.

1981

1983

1984

1985

1984

1983

JUN 5, 1981: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes cases of a rare lung infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in five young, previously healthy gay men.

1985

AUG 27, 1985: Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS through contaminated blood products used to treat his hemophilia, is refused entry to his middle school. His family’s protracted legal battles to protect Ryan’s right to attend school call national attention to the issue of AIDS, and Ryan chooses to speak out publicly on the need for AIDS education.

1985

AUG 31, 1985: The Pentagon announces that, beginning October 1, it will begin testing all new military recruits for AIDS and will reject those who test positive for the virus.

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1985

JUL 18, 1985: At the National Conference on AIDS in the Black Community in Washington, DC, a group of minority leaders meets with the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, to discuss concerns about HIV/ AIDS in communities of color. This meeting marks the unofficial founding of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC).

1985

SEP 17, 1985: President Ronald Reagan mentions AIDS publicly for the first time, calling AIDS “a top priority” and defending his administration against criticisms that funding for AIDS research is inadequate.

MAR 3, 1985: FDA licenses the first commercial blood test, ELISA, to detect HIV. Blood banks begin screening the U.S. blood supply.

1985

OCT 1, 1985: The U.S. Congress allocates nearly $190 million for AIDS research—an increase of $70 million over the Administration’s budget request. The House Appropriations Committee also urges President Reagan to appoint an “AIDS czar.”

MAY 23, 1984: HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler announces that Dr. Robert Gallo and his colleagues at the National Cancer Institute have found the cause of AIDS, a retrovirus they have labeled HTLV-III. Heckler also announces the development of a diagnostic blood test to identify HTLV-III and expresses hope that a vaccine against AIDS will be produced within two years.

JUL 13, 1984: CDC states that avoiding injection drug use and reducing needle-sharing “should also be effective in preventing transmission of the virus.”

1985

DEC 31, 1985: By year’s end, at least one AIDS case has been reported from each region of the world.

1995

1992

1992

2001 FOCT 31, 1995: Five hundred thousand cases of AIDS had been reported in the U.S. In this year, the number of new AIDS cases diagnosed in the U.S. declines for the first time since the beginning of the epidemic.

Feb 7, 2001: The first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the U.S took place.

1988

1990

DEC 1, 1988: World AIDS Day is observed for the first time. The date is designated by WHO and supported by the UN.

1991

APR 1, 1991: The Visual AIDS Artists Caucus launches the Red Ribbon Project to create a visual symbol to demonstrate compassion for people living with AIDS and their caregivers. The red ribbon becomes the international symbol of AIDS awareness.

APR 8, 1990: Ryan White, the Indiana teen who became an international spokesperson against HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, dies of AIDS-related illness at the age of 18.

1987

OCT 10, 1988: President Clinton declares AIDS to be a “severe and ongoing health crisis” in African American and Hispanic communities in the U.S. He announces a package of initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities.

NOV 13, 1987: The American Medical Association declares that doctors have an ethical obligation to care for people with AIDS, as well as for those who have been infected with the virus but show no symptoms.

1991

NOV 7, 1991: American basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive.

1986

1987

OCT 24, 1986: CDC reports that AIDS cases are disproportionately affecting African Americans and Latinos. This is particularly true for African American and Latino children, who make up 90% of perinatally acquired AIDS cases.

1987

OCT 11, 1987: The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt goes on display for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The display features 1,920 4x8 panels and draws half a million visitors.

1987

MAY 9, 1986: The International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses declares that the virus that causes AIDS will officially be known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

JAN 1, 1992: AIDS became the number one cause of death for U.S. men ages 25 to 44.

THIS IS A PART OF OUR LGBT HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL PACKAGE. CHECK OUT SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021 DAILY FOR NEW STORIES.

1988

1986

FEB 4, 1992: The International Olympic Committee rules that athletes with HIV are eligible to compete in the games without restrictions.

FEB 1, 1987: AIDS activist Cleve Jones creates the first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

1987

APR 19, 1987: Princess Diana makes international headlines when she is photographed shaking the hand of an HIV-positive patient in a London hospital. She goes on to become a passionate advocate for people living with HIV and to speak forcefully against HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.

MAR 1, 1987: Writer and activist Larry Kramer founds the grassroots political group ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in New York City. This direct-action organization seeks to advocate for biomedical research and treatment; support those living with HIV/AIDS; and shape legislation and policy.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

35

LGBT HISTORY MONTH

OFF THE WALL

CUBA LIBRE LGBT CUBANS WHO CHANGED HISTORY

Pier Angelo

Reinaldo Arenas,

(born July 16, 1943, Oriente, Cuba — died Dec. 7, 1990, N.Y., U.S.), was a Cuban-born writer of extraordinary and unconventional novels who fled persecution and immigrated to the United States.

As a teenager Arenas joined the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. He moved to Havana in 1961 and became a researcher in the José Martí National Library (1963–68), an editor for the Cuban Book Institute (1967–68), and a journalist and editor for the literary magazine La Gaceta de Cuba (1968–74). During the 1970s, Arenas was imprisoned for his writings and open homosexuality. Suffering from AIDS, Arenas committed suicide in 1990.

José Lezama Lima,

(born December 19, 1910, Havana, Cuba — died August 9, 1976, Havana), was a Cuban experimental poet, novelist, and essayist whose baroque writing style and eclectic erudition profoundly influenced other Caribbean and Latin American writers.

Lezama’s father, a military officer, died in 1919. Lezama was a sickly boy, and while recuperating from various illnesses he began to read broadly and avidly. After studying law in Havana, Lezama in 1937 helped found three short-lived literary reviews, Verbum (1937; three issues), Espuela de plata (1939–41; “Silver Spur;” six issues), and Nadie paracía (1942–44; “Nobody Can Interfere;” 10 issues). When these publications ceased, Lezama joined with Cuban editor and literary critic José Rodríguez Feo (1920–93) and others to found the influential arts periodical Orígenes (1944–56).

In it they published the work of a number of excellent young artists and musicians together with the work of several young poets whose contributions revolutionized Cuban and Latin American letters.

His novel “Paradiso” (1966), published a few years later, is a coming-of-age story set in Cuba. It is a complex story told in often obscure language that reaffirms the narrator’s faith in his art and in himself. The book is considered to be Lezama’s masterpiece; it was one of his few works to be translated into English during his lifetime. As his work became well-known throughout Cuba, his life did as well. His personal life became the focus of a government doing its best to remove both queer people and their legacies. While José was married to a woman to give the appearance of heterosexuality, his queerness was an open secret.

Virgilio Piñera,

(born August 4, 1912, — died October 18, 1979, Havana), was a playwright, short-story writer, poet, and essayist who became famous for his work as well as for his highly bohemian lifestyle. His life was one of his most outrageous creations.

He attended the University of Havana but refused to defend his dissertation before a “bunch of donkeys.” Thereafter, he found it difficult to find suitable employment and sometimes was forced to rely on family and friends for financial support. Piñera was not one to belong to literary groups or to associate himself with artistic and philosophical movements, and his frequent troubles with Castro’s regime came as a result of his irreverence and refusal to follow a party line.

Piñera was better known for his avant-garde theatre, such as the play Electra Garrigó (1943), than for his poetry or short stories, though his admirers recognized him as a master of the latter.

His best collections are Cuentos fríos (1956; “Cold Tales”) and Pequeñas maniobras (1963; “Little Maneuvers”).

In the 1950s Piñera lived in Buenos Aires, and his work was published in the prestigious journal Sur. This period in Argentina was an influence on his work. Piñera returned to Cuba after the triumph of the revolution in 1959. But in 1961 he was jailed for “political and moral crimes.” (e.g: homosexuality) After his eventual release, he went on living as a marginal figure with few defenders among those in power, although in 1969 he did win Cuba’s most important literary award, the Casa de las Américas Prize, for his play Dos viejos pánicos (“Two Ancient Panics”).

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José Lezama Lima. Public domain.

HONORABLE MENTION TO A STRAIGHT ALLY Leonardo de la Caridad Padura Fuentes

is a Cuban novelist and journalist. As of 2007, he is one of Cuba’s best-known writers internationally. In his native Spanish, as well as in English and some other languages, he is often referred to by the shorter form of his name, Leonardo Padura. Born: October 9, 1955 (age 65 years), Cuba.

Several of his books have gay characters who try to survive under the regime in an interview he said, “The character with whom I identified my possible position with exile is with the character who arrives in Madrid, a gay man, although I’m not gay, up until now [laughs].

He carries a series of belongings, of relationships. It’s not the same to leave without leaving anything behind than leaving everything behind. And that’s an element that roots you in a certain context and reality. That’s why that character, Irving, tries to create a routine to adapt to life in Madrid, but that routine is always permeated by absence, distance, remoteness and the feeling that he is no longer who he had been.”

TO SEE MORE HISTORY MONTH STORIES, VISIT SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021 Pier Angelo was born in Italy, moved to England at the age of 17 and learned English at the Nelson School of English. He attended college and graduate school in Manhattan. In 2009 he founded SFGN with Norm Kent. Now he’s retired with his husband Tom and his Affenpinscher Cabbage. He still enjoys writing his column Off The Wall for SFGN.

HISTORY MONTH PRO BASEBALL PLAYER GLENN BURKE REFUSED TO LIVE A LIE

By Ray Simon You could say that Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out, is having a good season.

In March, bestselling author Andrew Maraniss published a thoughtful biography called “Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke.” And on June 11, 2021, the Oakland Athletics renamed their annual LGBT appreciation event the Glenn Burke Pride Night.

Photo by Jason Villemez.

Unfortunately, Burke isn’t here to enjoy the acclaim. He died from complications of AIDS on May 30, 1995, when he was 42. He played four seasons of professional baseball between 1976 and 1979, hitting .237 and stealing 35 bases, before homophobia ended his career.

READ MORE AT SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021

MOMBIAN

TELLING OUR FAMILY HISTORIES FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH

By Dana Rudolph October is LGBT History Month, and I could write, as I have in the past, about the long history of LGBT parents, arguably going back to Sappho (7th-6th century BCE) and Alexander the Great (4th century BCE). This year I instead want to remind us that we and our families are part of this long history, and to encourage us to think about how we can preserve our own family histories and pass them on to our children.

For queer people, “family” can mean many different things. Regardless, the shared experiences and connections that comprise a family history remind us of why we are a family. They can give our children a sense of belonging, convey values and heritage, and offer insight into the people in their lives.

READ MORE AT SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021 Join SFGN during October for LGBT History Month and see where it all began for our community...

It’s our past, you deserve to know about it.

SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021 10 .14 . 20 21 •

37

LGBT HISTORY MONTH

FEATURE

IN ‘40S AND ‘50S, INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY GAVE LGBT PEOPLE A

‘SAFE/HAVEN’ TO SEE MORE HISTORY MONTH STORIES, VISIT SFGN.COM/HISTORY2021

Christiana Lilly

T

wo men dressed in drag for a tea so impacted by the joy, the fun and the party, two women cuddled up at the community that existed,” Clark said. beach. Today these might be benign The idea behind “Safe/Haven” was to photographs, but in the early 1950s, they were showcase a world that was not able to be memories shuttered away from public view. documented until the advent of instant Until now. These two photographs and a photography, such as Polaroids and photo slew of others were a part of the New York booths. Here, LGBT people were free to Historical Society’s exhibit “Safe/Haven,” be themselves and have a lasting memory showcasing photographs of LGBT people in without having to drop off films to be Cherry Grove, New York, a popular vacation developed by a third party. getaway for the community in the midThis was also happening during the postcentury.

World War II era, when people were being “They maybe had a sense of, ‘This stayed shipped to large port cities to report for duty. here;’ it wasn’t going out into the world where There, they met other LGBT people and for it might be used against you as many, experienced the culture evidence that you were gay,” for the first time, explains Julio said Brian Clark, co-curator of Capo, an associate professor at “Safe/Haven” alongside Parker FIU’s Department of History Sargent and Susan Kravitz. as well as a board member The project is in at the Stonewall National collaboration with the Cherry Museum & Archives.

Grove Archives Collection, To hide their sexuality, of which Clark has been on gay couples would often pair the board of for more than a up with lesbian couples on decade. The exhibit first went double dates for a fun night on display at the Stonewall out, and “swap” to pass as National Museum & Archives straight couples, he says. in Fort Lauderdale, but was And for photos, it wasn’t cut short due to the pandemic. uncommon for people to wear The team has collected masks to hide their identity.

- Julio Capo photographs of the LGBT “Dropping off an ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, experience in the community undeveloped film at the FIU’S DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY over the years — some have pharmacy in the 1950s would been donated by family have literally meant risking members who inherited photographs, and everything. It would have been incredibly others were salvaged from the sidewalk before difficult — and daring,” Capo said. they were picked up by waste collection.

Cherry Grove was a popular vacation spot The board received a large collection from a for LGBT people — located on Fire Island, they gentleman who died after spending decades were free to be openly affectionate, attend collecting materials, as well as four photo costume parties, theater productions, and albums from Earl McDonald, who performed rub elbows with the likes of Truman Capote, on Broadway from the ‘20s through the ‘40s.

Patricia Highsmith and other creatives. “Safe/ So far, they have digitized roughly 16,000 Haven” chronicled the atmosphere of lively photographs. parties as well as intimate moments between “Every time I would go through and couples. get another donation, we would just be “The media portrayed gays and lesbians

“DROPPING OFF AN UNDEVELOPED FILM AT THE PHARMACY IN THE 1950S WOULD HAVE LITERALLY MEANT RISKING EVERYTHING.”

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• 10 .14.2021

Patricia Fitzgerald and Kay Guinness, Cherry Grove Beach, September 1952.

Courtesy of the Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Gay Nathan and Julie Paradise.

as living terrible, disparaging lives,” Clark said. “This is an example of how even under the risk of being found out and the need for safety and secrecy, people were able to, here in Cherry Grove, have a community.”

This was also a time of segregation — as restrictive as it was for LGBT people to be out, for people of color it was even more difficult to be targeted for both their sexuality and race. In this exhibit, which consists of mostly white people, privilege is a part of the conversation with being able to vacation on Cherry Grove.

While Polaroids and photo booths were easy and private ways to capture memories, there were also LGBT-friendly camera shops.

Take Harvey Milk’s Castro Camera, which served not only as a place to develop film but also became a meeting place for activists.

There were also gay-owned and operated companies that were safe places to print

materials for protests.

“We don’t think of something like developing your own photograph as being overtly political, but goodness, it really, really was,” Capo said. “It was an act of defiance and an act of bravery. It was incredibly political and significant to shaping the very lives we’re able to live today.”

For both Clark and Capo, looking to the past helps them understand the lives we live today — recognizing the sacrifices of the predecessors who fought for equality, for something as simple as taking a photo next to their partner.

“We kept seeing all the play, just really playing, intimacy, community, and I thought ‘Oh my God, that’s so powerful,’” Clark said. “There was certainly sadness with depression and discrimination, but there was also resilience and there was also connection and there was also joy.”

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

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

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

SPIRITUALITY

Until further notice: Due to the current COVID-19 surge, our worship services are streamed on Facebook Live every Sunday at 10 AM, rather than held at our church property. https://www.facebook.com/ ChurchofOurSaviorMCC. Visit our web site for more details & updates.

Join us for masked, socially distanced in person worship.

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

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

954-633-2987

A home for your spirit.

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

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

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

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

10 .14 . 20 21 •

39

LIFESTYLE FOOD

PUMPKIN SPICE, GIRL! Rick Karlin

Pumpkin pie cheesecake. Photo courtesy of Rick Karlin.

W

e’re right in the middle of it now, the dreaded flavor and aroma overload. As soon as the first leaf turns up north, they declare it pumpkin spice season. I think we can cite Starbucks for the pumpkin spice craze, but Dunkin Donuts is right up there to carry the torch.

If we really want to lay the blame, we must go back to the 1950s when McCormick introduced pumpkin pie spice blend. It saved the ‘50s housewife from having to buy four or five different spices to make that pumpkin pie once a year. The blend usually contains a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, but it can also include allspice and mace. However it started, the ubiquitous flavor is now the official harbinger of autumn.

Who am I to buck a trend? So, for those of you who like the warming notes of pumpkin pie spice blend, I’m offering a few recipes that go beyond coffee creamer and chai tea.

Some people prefer to mix their own, but any of the prepared pumpkin pie spice blends are fine in the recipes that follow.

PUMPKIN ROLL INGREDIENTS Non-stick spray Waxed or parchment paper 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup cooked pumpkin (canned is fine) 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice blend Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting FILLING 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese 2 Tbs. margarine 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup powdered sugar ½ cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS Line 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with waxed or parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for five minutes.

Gradually mix in pumpkin.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, spice, and nut mix; stir into the pumpkin mixture.

Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool no more than five minutes.

While still warm, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Flip out of the pan onto a clean dish towel.

Remove the paper and sprinkle with more powdered sugar.

Roll up along the short edge, in the dishtowel.

Refrigerate for one hour while you prepare filling.

Unroll; spread filling on roll and roll again without the towel.

Chill an additional ½ hour.

Slice to serve.

PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE

Pumpkin roll. Photo courtesy of Rick Karlin.

40

• 10 .14.2021

INGREDIENTS 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup low-fat milk of choice (dairy, soy, almond, or oat) 1 tsp pumpkin spice 3 packets sweetener to taste (sugar or a substitute) 2 Tbs. hot water 10-12 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS Dissolve sweetener of choice in hot water.

Add all ingredients except the ice to the blender.

Blend/pulse 2-3 times.

Add ice.

Blend on the highest setting until ice is absorbed and the smoothie has thickened.

PUMPKIN SPICE POPCORN INGREDIENTS 1 cup popcorn kernels 2 Tbs. oil 2 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp. salt DIRECTIONS Pop kernels in oil in a pot, according to package directions, or use popcorn popper.

Mix sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a small bowl.

Sprinkle spice sugar mixture over popcorn in pot.

Stir lightly to distribute.

Transfer to bowl for serving.

EASIEST NO-BAKE PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened ½ cup light brown sugar, packed ½ cup heavy cream 1 cup canned pumpkin ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 2 containers (8 oz.) regular or lite frozen whipped topping 1 pkg. instant pudding, cheesecake or vanilla flavor 1 graham cracker crust, purchased or homemade Graham cracker crumbs (optional) DIRECTIONS In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and cream with the brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and spice until fluffy and well blended.

Fold in the 2 ½ cups whipped topping (reserve the rest of topping to decorate the pie).

Spread the mixture in the graham cracker crust.

LIFESTYLE FOOD

PSSST!

Presents

Watch for Brian Parenteau, who is the brains behind DRYNK BAR & LOUNGE and TULIO’S TACOS AND TEQUILA BAR to open a new space near the end of the year. Patio Bar & Pizza will be going in at Progresso Plaza, across the courtyard from LASER WOLF (that’s the building where 4th Ave crosses the Brightline tracks and merges onto 3rd Ave.). The 1920s building will house about 2,500 square feet inside with an equal amount of outdoor seating. (If it sounds crazy, then Parenteau is the one to make it work.)

Cover and chill the pie for two to three hours before serving.

Serve topped with piped whipped topping rosettes or dollops.

Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs, if desired.

PUMPKIN PIE MARTINI INGREDIENTS 4 oz. vodka 2 oz. dark rum 1 oz. half and half 4 tbs. canned pumpkin puree ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice 2 oz. maple syrup ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract Ice cubes For garnish Graham cracker crumbs 1 tbs. cinnamon

4 tbs. granulated sugar Maple syrup Cinnamon sticks for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Prepare the garnish: mix graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl with cinnamon and sugar, pour onto a saucer.

Pour the maple syrup onto a saucer.

Dip the rim of four chilled martini glasses with maple syrup.

Dip the rim in the graham cracker mix. Set aside.

Prepare the martini: In a cocktail shaker, combine the ice and remaining cocktail ingredients.

Add ice cubes and shake vigorously until the shaker is chilled to the touch.

Strain and pour the cocktail into the prepared martini glasses.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

OCTOBER 12 - 24 TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org • Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office • Group Sales | 954.660.6307

Pumpkin spice popcorn. Photo courtesy of Rick Karlin.

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

VISIT SFGN.COM/FOOD!

Rick Karlin is SFGN’s food editor.

Visit SFGN.com/Food to read his previous reviews. Have a culinary tip to share? Email Rick at RickKarlinFL@gmail.com.

10 .14 . 20 21 •

41

A&E APPOINTMENTS

GRAB THE POPCORN...

THIS FILM IS FOR YOU. “Tormented Trails,” an outdoor Halloween-themed walk, returns to Davie Oct. 16 – 31. Credit: Courtesy.

Want to know all the latest LGBT films?

ARTSBEAT

News, interviews, reviews, and so much more...

HALLOWEEN CHILLS & THRILLS

SFGN.COM/SCREENSAVOR

J.W. Arnold DON’T GET LOST ON TORMENTED TRAILS

Our steering committee has worked hard to plan our best Gala yet!

We invite all sponsors to join us for our biggest celebration event of the year.

Saturday, November 13th VIP Cocktail Reception: 5:30 - 6:30 Gala Dinner and Program: 6:30 - 8:00

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit TormentedTrails.com.

The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort 321 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL This is a sponsor only event; no ticket sales.

PRESENTED BY

H ONOR E ES

Tormented Trails, a 20-minute walk through woods filled with scary twists and turns, returns to Tree Tops Park, 3900 SW 100th Ave in Davie, Oct. 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 and 31.

Groups are sent to their certain doom down two different options: “Hike of Horror” and “Psycho Path,” both of which are haunted by a plethora of creatures and nefarious characters. For those who are brave enough and looking for the most intense and realistic experience, there is an optional hands-on walk that allows specially trained talent to touch arms, legs and backs.

This year, a virtual queue has been created to shorten wait times, along with timed entries so surprises ahead on the trail aren’t revealed by earlier groups.

Tormented Trails will host a special Tri-County Day on Oct. 9 for employees of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties and their families. Pride Night is planned for Oct. 22 and will benefit the Pride Center at Equality Park. On Oct. 30 – 31, a family-friendly, mildly scary experience called “Davie After Dark” will begin at 5 p.m., followed by Tormented Trails at 7 p.m.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Parks Foundation of Broward County and the Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale.

SPECIAL GUESTS

FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER ON THE LOOSE AT THE ARSHT Zoetic Stage at the Arsht Center in Miami presents the South Florida premiere of Nick Dear’s “Frankenstein,” Oct. 14 – 31. Carbonell-winner Stuart Meltzer directs.

One of the great horror stories of all time, Mary Shelley’s classic tale of gods and monsters still fascinates 200 years after its 1818 publication. First presented at the National Theatre in London, where it was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Nick Dear’s adaptation is highly theatrical and surprisingly relevant.

Employing striking images and beautifully poetic language, the play explores the very nature of good and evil, brought to life with thrilling and heartbreaking results. From the creature’s first moments onstage, as he writhes out of an organic pod, the audience is swept into a breathtaking whirlwind of emotional storytelling through imagery and movement.

Tickets are $55 at ArshtCenter.org.

VAMPIRES HAVE ARRIVED IN AVENTURA Legacy for Equality Posthumous Award Congressman Alcee Hastings

Equality Means Business Award Bona Italian Restaurant

Voice for Equality Annise Parker

Artists for Equality Sofi Tukker VIDEO ACCEPTANCE

Gala Emcee NBC6 Meteorologist Steve MacLaughlin

Keynote Address Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith

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• 10 .14.2021

“The Vampire Circus” returns to South Florida after a world tour and brings 90 minutes of innovative and surreal performances, including acrobatic feats, tantalizing music and mesmerizing illusions. Gather your garlic for a wicked and witty Halloween circus experience unlike any other. The family-friendly cirque show is being presented through Oct. 31 in Aventura and producers describe it as a “fusion of Tim Burton and Cirque du Soleil.” “‘The Vampire Circus’ was inspired by the magical and captivating allure of legendary traveling carnivals,” said Francisco Santos, artistic director and a Cirque du Soleil veteran. “Set in Bohemia during the 19th century, Count Dracula contemplates a plan for world domination, when he decides to open a traveling circus with his gypsy bodyguards. ‘The Vampire Circus’ is a perfect cover-up to travel unnoticed and begin his world reign of terror and turn all humans into an army of vampires for global dominance.”

Performances at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays at the corner of Biscayne Blvd. and Abigail Rd., across from Aventura Mall. Tickets start at $39.99 at TheVampireCircus.com.

A&E THEATER

SLOW BURN: LIVE THEATER RETURNS TO BROWARD CENTER J.W. Arnold

C

urtain speeches are a quaint South Florida tradition, usually reserved for thanking sponsors or pleas for support. But on Oct. 12, the remarks from Slow Burn Theatre’s Patrick Fitzwater were clearly emotional as the company prepared to take the stage at the Broward Center again for the first time in 579 days.

The effusive artistic director noted the dark days of the pandemic when Slow Burn — and nearly every other regional company — thought they had given their last performances. He also pointed out that the shared trials brought competitors together, forging friendships that were difficult to maintain during a normal season.

He thanked both his performers, musicians and patrons in the Amaturo Theatre for accepting rigid COVID testing protocols that made a safe return to live, indoors theater in the massive complex possible once again. And, 10 minutes later, the lights went up on Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World.”

The show was in many ways a smart choice — with a cast of four, Fitzwater was able to coach a full understudy cast should any member or all be exposed or come down with a breakthrough case of the coronavirus.

“Songs” was also in keeping with Slow Burn’s commitment to intelligent shows that challenge both performers and audiences.

Brown’s inaugural musical, first produced Off Broadway, may have checked Fitzwater’s boxes to ease back onto stage, but it’s not the easiest show to sell. There’s not even the flimsiest of Broadway plots and it’s not quite a pure song cycle, but rather a loose collection (some might say “hodge podge”) of songs about those critical moments and decisions in life faced by all kinds of people — ordinary and historical, real and imagined.

The reference to the “new world” comes early, sung by the crew of a Spanish galleon in 1492 sailing off into the unknown. There is an agoraphobic middle-aged New York housewife who takes her first steps down from her apartment and the laments of a young man and woman who regret their choices in love. Even a forlorn Mrs. Claus cries into her peppermint martini on

Slow Burn Theatre Co. reopens at the Broward Center with Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World.” Credit: Marjorie Vitalherne.

Christmas Eve and Betsy Ross battles with a needle and thread to construct the first American flag. “Songs” is highly conceptual at its best.

The opening night cast under the musical direction of Eric Alsford acquitted the material well, performing Brown’s syncopated jazz-, gospel- and pop-infused score with passion and precision. Darius J. Manuel shined in R&B influenced numbers and popped quite a few dance moves that elicited cheers from the audience. Cecilia Snow’s soaring voice was well-suited to the several 11 o’clock numbers peppered throughout the show. Handsome Timothy Michael Quinn had the many gay men in the audience captivated while Heather Jane Rolff displayed her capable comic chops in the most entertaining numbers.

The cast was backed up by a generous seven-piece band that punctuated the realization that live theater had indeed returned to the Broward Center, even where the minimal set of boxy risers and columns reminded us this was a cautious first step.

We look forward to the remaining shows of the season (“Kinky Boots,” “Once on this Island,” “Matilda,” “Head Over Heels”), all the sorts of big splashy musicals we love from Slow Burn, but for now, we’re thrilled with this first step.

In the meantime, reserve your tickets and let’s get on with the theater.

Slow Burn Theatre Co. presents Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World” through Oct. 24 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets start at $49 at BrowardCenter.org. Note: Masks must be worn at all times inside the facility and proof of a negative COVID test (or, alternatively, vaccination) is required for entry.

OCTOBER 14 - 17

TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org • Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office • Group Sales | 954.660.6307

Support has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Mary N. Porter Community Impact Fund, Community Concerts Association of Fort Lauderdale Performing Arts Fund, A Fund for the Performing Arts and the Linda and Michael Carter Fund.

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