10/19/16 V7i42 by South Florida Gay News

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October 19, 2016 vol. 7 // issue 42

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n e w s

‘you’re a liar, trump’

Publisher Norm Kent calls out the ‘Pussy who would be President’ pages 16 - 17

suppression of transgender votes Pages 8 - 9

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History month: the Mariel Boatlift Page 22

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NEWS national

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October 19, 2016 • Volume 7 • Issue 42

2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

Publisher • Norm Kent Norm.Kent@sfgn.com

Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli

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

Editorial

Florida Agenda’s Bankruptcy Moves Through the Courts Norm Kent

Art Director • Brendon Lies Artwork@sfgn.com Designer • Charles Pratt Editorial Assistant • Jillian Melero JillianMelero@gmail.com Webmaster • Brittany Ferrendi Webmaster@sfgn.com Arts/Entertainment Editor • JW Arnold JW@prdconline.com News Editor • John McDonald John.McDonald@sfgn.com Social Media Manager • Tucker Berardi TBerardi2014@fau.edu Food/Travel Editor • Rick Karlin Gazette News Editor • Michael D'Oliveira Senior Photographer • J.R. Davis JRDavis12000@hotmail.com

Senior Features Correspondents Jesse Monteagudo • Tony Adams

he lenders who alleged Bobby Blair’s Multimedia Platforms (MMPW) was a house of frauds have filed a motion in federal court to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to collect, gather and freeze the use of any funds which were the subject assets of the defaulted loan. Multimedia Platforms owns several publications including Florida Agenda, Next magazine in South Florida and New York, FunMaps and Frontiers in LA. White Winston Select Asset Funds has shifted most of the arguments they made against MMPW in Boston Superior Court to the new case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District. The motion explains, “The Debtors and their management are dishonest and have defrauded White Winston, have breached their fiduciary duties to the Debtors and otherwise have continued to act in ways that are destructive of the Debtors’ value and White Winston’s collateral. The Debtors, along with Columbia Funmaps, knowingly and intentionally diverted cash receivables they pledged as collateral to White Winston.” The motion alleges MMPW crested and concealed a secret account to divert and

improperly hold on to funds they had a legal obligation to turn over immediately. After the scammed lenders discovered the purported con, they demanded that diverted cash collections be turned over at once. At that point, all of MMPW’s officers quit and abandoned the business. The motion continues, “A chapter 11 trustee should be appointed at the earliest available opportunity for all of the Debtors so that a prompt sale process of the Debtors’ business can occur to limit the erosion of value available for creditors. Finally, the Court should prohibit the Debtors from using White Winston’s cash collateral pursuant to 11 U.S.C. section 363(e)….The Debtors have provided White Winston with absolutely no information whatsoever about their business plans and intentions regarding usage of cash collateral.” In order to remain in Chapter 11, and reorganize its assets or remain open, MMPW must submit a viable plan to the court. MMPW remains optimistic publishing MEMBER a press declaring “The voluntary [Chapter 11] petitions were filed in response to a Temporary Restraining Order entered by a state court in Massachusetts filed by the MEMBER

Company’s principal lender.” Multimedia Platforms entered into a master credit facility agreement for a principal amount of $1,750,000 provided by White Winston Select Asset Funds, LLC (White Winston) on July 29. On Sept. 9, White Winston declared a default related to (a) a failure to pay interest and (b) breaches of unspecified representations and warranties. Multimedia Platforms explains, “As a result of the alleged defaults, White Winston accelerated the Note and demanded assemblage of all collateral.” In Court-filed documents, Multimedia Platforms notes, “Essentially, White Winston has, in a period of 55 days, shutdown the Debtor’s entire business….The actions of White Winston have caused substantial harm to the Debtor….The Debtor has devoted substantial time, effort and capital towards building its brand and creating a cutting edge media platform. The actions of White Winston will not stop the Debtor’s efforts to continue providing the best in media and technology for the benefit of its shareholders, creditors and the LGBT community.” The court will evaluate the credibility of each party’s claims.

Correspondents

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

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South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright © 2016 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

NEWS highlight

Halloween Ball Benefits LGBT Equality Initiatives

Michael d’Oliveira

ll costumes won’t be equal at the 22nd Annual Halloween Ball on Friday, Oct. 28, but the funds raised will be used to advance LGBT equality. The money will go towards SAVE, a South Florida LGBT advocacy group which was founded in 1993 and fought for the Miami Human Rights Ordinance in 1998. Most recently, SAVE launched a public service campaign highlighting transgender rights and families with transgender members – “Family is everything.” The campaign featured Florida Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, her husband, Dexter, and her transgender son, Rodrigo. “We were born out of the need to fight Anita Bryant,” said Tony Lima, executive director of SAVE, in a previous SFGN interview. And SAVE needs some fun to help keeps its mission going.

At the Halloween Ball, “Disco de los Muertos,” – held Friday, Oct. 28 from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Magic City Casino’s Stage 305 – there will be disco dancing, a $1,000 costume contest, cocktails, “mesmerizing beats,” and drag performances by Tiffany Fantasia, Athena Dion, Fantasia Royale, T.Lo Ivy, and Missy Meyakie LePaige. DJ Alex Ramos, DJ Sushiman, and DJ Bill James will serve up a “nonstop undead disco inferno.” The event takes place Friday, Oct. 28 starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $150 for general admission and $200 for VIP access. Drinks at the cash bar will range from $4 to $8. Selfparking is free. Valet is $5.

To purchase tickets, go to SaveHalloween.org.

www.TheBentleyGroupFL.com Brokered by

(954) 646-1605

www.TheBentleyGroupFL.com

10.19.2016 •

NEWS local

politics out on the trail

Pride Center Event to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness Denise Royal

n recognition of breast cancer awareness month, the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors will facilitate free breast exams as part of an evening of awareness. Breast Fest takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the main hall of the Schubert Building at the Pride Center. The events also features vendor booths, live entertainment, refreshments, raffles and more. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer risks, the value of screening and early detection, and treatment options available to women and men who are diagnosed with one of the many forms of breast cancer. More than 249,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year, and nearly 41,000 die from the disease.

According to the American Cancer Society, the two biggest risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older. Any woman whose mother, sister, or daughter has or had breast cancer is at higher risk. Being overweight, especially after menopause, or drinking alcohol may add to the risk. Women who haven’t had children and haven’t breastfed, and are older when they first give birth – all factors more likely to affect lesbians and bisexual women – are also at a slightly higher risk.

For more information about Breast Fest, visit www.PrideCenterFlorida.org.

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Oakland Park Candidate On The Move John McDonald

or Mitchell Stollberg-Appleyard it’s about students,” he said. “They are breathing in mildew and mold. Roofs are leaking. Rust is putting words into action. A gay man and longtime political coming out of the bathroom faucets. This is not activist, Stollberg-Appleyard is campaigning how a child should be going to school.” The format for the Oakland Park election for a seat on the Oakland Park Commission. “I have been a voice for Oakland Park for is somewhat unusual. With no district many years,” Stollberg-Appleyard told SFGN in boundaries, candidates compete on an at-large an exclusive interview. “Now I feel it’s time to basis for commission seats. Three of the five commission seats are to be have a role in making policy, filled, nine candidates are not just voicing them. I want actively campaigning. to keep Oakland Park moving "We were The election is nonforward.” promised five partisan although StollbergSince 1997, StollbergAppleyard identifies as a Appleyard has been involved firefighters, a Democrat and attended the in the North Andrews fire truck and party’s national convention Neighborhood Association, an EMS vehicle. in Philadelphia as a Bernie the largest neighborhood Sanders delegate. He association in the city with We now have, serves on the board of the more than 4,000 homes and in 2016, three Dolphin Democratic LGBTA businesses. North Andrews firefighters Caucus and as precinct Gardens was annexed into the committeeman for the city of Oakland Park in 2010, and one fire Broward Democratic Party. the same year the U.S. Census truck." Stollberg-Appleyard came Bureau determined the city out in his early 20s, motivated, had a population of little over - Mitchell Stollberghe said, to fight for gay rights 41,000 people. Appleyard by Anita Bryant’s actions “We were promised five in Miami. Decades later, he firefighters, a fire truck and an EMS vehicle,” Stollberg-Appleyard said of represents a new era of gay candidates who the annexation. “We now have, in 2016, three enjoy equal rights. Mitchell Stollberg married his partner firefighters and one fire truck. If a resident has a heart attack in the North Andrews area, Fire Richard Appleyard in New Hampshire in 2013. Rescue might be able to get to them but not The men have been together since 1985. “I am the only openly gay married candidate transport them to the hospital.” Education is another concern for Stollberg- who use’s his husband’s last name as part of my own,” Stollberg-Appleyard said. Appleyard. Election day is Nov. 8. “Our schools are crumbling around our

NEWS local

Senior Health Expo Saturday at Pride Center More than 60 vendors will reach out to the LGBT elder community Dori Zinn

oday, as Senior Services Coordinator for The Pride Center in Wilton Manors, Bruce Williams is fighting for the rights of LGBT seniors. He wants to ensure that those who need help can get it easily and affordably — something not necessarily offered to LGBT seniors right now. “A big fear of older folks is running out of money,” he said. “I’ve dealt with having real thoughts of going to sleep at night hoping I’ll die in the morning so I don’t have to deal with being poor.” He’s right. The Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC) says the biggest fear of Americans is that they’ll outlive their income. Twenty-five percent of Americans believe they’ll run out of money before they die, but the same amount of people don’t have anything saved for retirement. In 2010 when Williams was a volunteer with the Center, he began an assisted living project to find places that were LGBT-friendly for seniors. At the time, he said, there weren’t any. Today, there’s more resources than ever, and the list keeps growing. “We have a choice at every level of care — providers that are LGBT interested and savvy in their approach,” he said. “That’s really what our seniors want — to keep connecting the needs of the LGBT senior community and to be made aware of their community resources.” Williams said that society has a big problem with aging. The best way to deal

with it is to be prepared for problems before they happen. “With aging, when you prepare ahead of time, it’s so much easier,” he said. “When you find yourself in the hospital with a new hip, you’ll be prepared and won’t find yourself facing discharge without a clue of what to do.” To help prepare LGBT seniors with getting older, Williams and The Pride Center started the Senior Health Expo. On Oct. 22, seniors can visit nearly 60 vendors from across Broward County that assist seniors at various levels of healthcare. Williams said they’ve sold out their vendor spots the last three years. The event is free and open to everyone. “It’s nice and compact. You don’t have to make multiple stops,” he said. “You’ll go home with a tremendous wealth of resources from health and long-term care, insurance, home health care, and others. It’s a tremendous exchange of all our community resources.” With a blood pressure booth, flu shots, door prizes, and free coffee and lunch, Williams expects hundreds of LGBT seniors and their families to visit. As seniors are living longer, he expects the needs for these services to keep growing. “Not long ago, 70 was it. Now, if you’re 70, you could have several decades ahead of you. It pays to prep.”

IF YOU GO: Senior Health Expo Oct. 22, 10 a.m. – 2p.m. The Schubert Building at The Pride Center

2040 North Dixie Highway Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-463-9005

10.19.2016 •

Compiled by Jillian Melero

Three Law Clerks of Alabama Suspended, Chief Justice Fired (AP) The attorney of suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore says three of his client’s law clerks have been fired. Attorney Mat Staver tells Al.com (http://bit. ly/2eldHX9) in a statement Sunday that acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart fired Moore’s head law clerk and two other law clerks. Stuart sent a letter asking Moore to remove his items and return his keys by Oct. 18.

international

ens of Thousands March TAgainst Same-Sex Marriage

in Paris

(AP) Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France’s next presidential election. The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000. They were also protesting Sunday against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help samesex couples have babies. Assisted reproduction is allowed in France only for infertile heterosexual couples and surrogacy is banned. The group organizing the march presents itself as promoting the traditional family model of “one mother and one father.” It hopes to influence the debate before the presidential election next year. None of the major candidates in the election attended the march. A small group of bare-breasted Femen demonstrators briefly showed up Sunday during the march to protest against what they call “homophobia.” The half-dozen Femen protesters were removed by police. The 2013 law allowing gay marriage exposed deep divisions in French society, prompting big protests for and against such unions.

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Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore

A judicial panel suspended Moore for the remainder of his term after finding he urged state probate judges to defy the federal courts on gay marriage. Staver calls the firings and order to remove personal effects “outrageous.” Moore is appealing the suspension. By the end of his term in 2019, he’ll be beyond the age limit of 70 for judges.

pride

“In the meantime, the reality is you might have to be your own tribe,” he said, “You might have to be your own best friend. That’s not something they’re going to teach you in school. So start the work of loving yourself.”

(SFGN) Attitude crowned Wentworth Miller as 2016’s Man of the Year, and he’s using his time in the spotlight to send a message to the younger generation of the LGBT community. “I would say what others have said: it gets better,” he told the United Kingdom publication. “One day, you’ll find your tribe. You just have to trust that people are out there waiting to love you and celebrate you for who you are.” Miller came out in 2013 in response to Russia’s anti-LGBT “propaganda” law introduced at the time. He was also insulted on Facebook for gaining weight, responding about his issues with suicidal thoughts and getting an apology in return. “In the meantime, the reality is you might have to be your own tribe,” he said, “You might have to be your own best friend. That’s not something they’re going to teach you in school. So start the work of loving yourself.”

politics

Man of the Year Gives Advice Attitude’s to LGBT Youth

international

Man of the Year Gives Advice Attitude’s to LGBT Youth

Cabin Republicans Endorse Second LogRound of Candidates

(SFGN) The Log Cabin Republicans Board of Directors has endorsed all incumbent Republican candidates for U.S. House of Representatives. “These endorsed candidates have been steadfast allies of LGBT freedom in the House of Representatives,” Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo stated. “All of these common-sense conservatives have not only spoken out in support of equality, but also cast votes in this 114th Congress that confirm their commitment to the cause. LCR PAC salutes these GOP leaders, and pledges to back up our words with actions that show our commitment to them.” The endorsed candidates are: Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) Congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA) Congressman Robert Dold (R-IL) Congressman John Katko (R-NY) Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)

NEWS health

New scrutiny as HIV rates rise for Miami’s Latinx and Hispanic population John-Michael Murphy

fter years of decline, HIV rates are climbing in Miami-Dade County. With roughly 2,500 new diagnoses in 2013 alone, the county has the highest number of new infections in the nation. Among the newly diagnosed, Latinx and Hispanic people are becoming infected at a disproportionate rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Stephen Fallon, executive director of Latinos Salud, an HIV clinic and community center for Latinos in and around South Florida, said the increasing number of HIV infections in Latinx and Hispanic communities is due in part to significant barriers to accessing resources. “Things that many people in mainstream America would take for granted are real barriers for Latinos,” Fallon said. He pointed out the following obstacles for the Latinx and Hispanic communities: • Lack of knowledge about available resources such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program [http:// hab.hrsa.gov/abouthab/aboutprogram.html] • Cultural influences such as religion and stigma • Myths that HIV service providers will deport undocumented people seeking treatment • Erroneously believing that an HIV-positive diagnosis will lead to deportation for first-generation citizens • Unfamiliarity and discomfort with medical professionals • A lack of stable housing These obstacles exist largely because of language barriers, said Maria Mejia, a Miamibased HIV activist. Many in Miami’s Latinx and Hispanic communities speak little to no English and come from diverse cultural backgrounds, so messages about HIV and treatment options can get lost in translation. “A lot of these organizations have a lack of information … [about HIV] in Spanish,” she said. Arianna Lint, a local activist who runs a community-based organization for trans Latinas, said that many service providers don’t understand the cultures of the communities they are serving and that many advertisements don’t connect with the target audience. Governmental service providers have not done enough to focus on the Latinx and Hispanic populations, said Christopher Bates, director of the HIV/AIDS Program for the Department of Health in Broward County. “We have not done a great job at crafting messages that make people feel as if they are included in the conversation around access to care and treatment,” he said. “We craft liberal and generalized messages that go over the heads of many people.”

Above: Percentage of those who are linguistically isolated, meaning those who do not speak or understand English. Most HIV service providers disseminate information in English. Below: New Latino/Hispanic Cases

KEEP YOUR EYES ON

South Florida Gay News Recognizing the need for Latinxand Hispanic-centric education and prevention campaigns, governmental and nongovernmental organizations such as Test Miami, the CDC and Act Against AIDS have tried to reach more Spanish-speaking people. And activists such as Mejia and Lint have taken matters into their own hands, turning to social media and community organizing to get the message about HIV prevention and treatment out to Miami-Dade’s Hispanic and Latinx communities. “I hit social media — I pound it,” Mejia said. “That’s how I educate the masses.”

SFGN.com @SoFlaGayNews

SouthFloridaGayNews 10.19.2016 •

feature transgender voting rights

Voter Suppression and the Transgender Vote

Sean McShee

ome state legislatures have passed photo identification laws to combat alleged voter fraud. These laws could affect transgender voting rights. Many transgender people have great difficulty in updating their Identification (ID) documents. Jen Laws, an Independent Policy Analyst and Consultant, disputes the alleged voter fraud. According to Laws, in 2012 and 2008, prosecutors found two cases of voter fraud. He described it as “a ridiculously small percentage.” Many other people also fail to see any evidence of this alleged voter fraud. They classify these laws as forms of voter suppression. In 2011, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) surveyed transgender people throughout the U.S. According to the NTDS, 41 percent of posttransition transgender people lacked an updated driver’s license. This lack increased among racial minorities. It increased to 58 percent among Black and 63 percent among Native American transgender people. Among FTM without surgery, 75 percent

lacked an updated driver’s license. About 64 percent of FTM had not tried to update it. Another 11 percent had their requests for updates denied. As driver’s licenses form the most common election ID, transgender people may face trouble at the polls. Among all transgender people, surgery made a real difference in how many updated their driver’s licenses. Those with surgery appeared to have a much easier time updating their driver’s licenses than those without surgery.

Florida Issues In Florida, transgender people use a court order to update their ID. Atticus Rank, Director of Transgender Services at Sunserve, reported many people seek that court order. In eleven months, Rank has assisted 87 transgender clients to obtain it. After the court order, the client has to update their ID with each ID-issuing agency. This requires taking time off from work. Most transgender people tend to have low-income jobs. In addition, an updated ID costs money. Jen Laws continued, “What matters most to you is basic survival. Are you going to be able to pay your electric bill in the middle of the month? Are you going to have to take a day off from work to align your identification, or to vote? It’s hard to feel invested in a system that discourages people from voting.” In Florida, voters have to present a proper ID at their polling place before voting. This forms the first barrier, the lack of “proper” ID. The poll worker compares the ID with the voter and the voter registration name. When the poll worker determines that all three match, the voter can proceed to vote. This introduces the second barrier, the potential bias of poll workers. People can dye their hair, grow facial hair, change hairstyles, or lose their hair. People do not always perfectly match their IDs. As long as poll workers can recognize the person from their photo ID, poll workers should allow them to vote. Jen Laws brings two pieces of ID when he goes to the polls in Broward. He said,

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“Normally, I have facial hair but I shave. I speak more softly. I do my best to blend in because voting matters to me.” The National Election Protection Coalition has set up a national hotline (1866-687-8683) for people having trouble at the polls. This hotline will document incidents and provide advice to voters with problems voting. At present, no valid documentation exists as to the number of people prevented from voting. Anyone, transgender or not, with barriers to voting at the polls should call this hotline. People barred from voting should request a provisional ballot from poll workers. If someone casts a provisional ballot, they have to obtain the follow-up procedures and deadlines. A provisional ballot will not count, unless the voter completes the follow-up procedures and meets the deadlines. Early voting provides more time to resolve challenges to the right to vote. Jen Laws praised Brenda Snipes, the Supervisor of Elections in Broward. Snipes impressed him with the speed with which she addressed issues in the Presidential Primary.

feature transgender voting rights National Issues

being disenfranchised and their voices are being silenced.” Pagnotti continued, “When you have According to Arli Christian of the National Center for Transgender Equality, policies like this, it causes confusion for 13 states make updating a driver’s license many folks, especially folks who aren’t very difficult. These states require proofs regular voters. When they hear that of surgery, court orders, or amended now, there’s going to be an ID required, birth certificates. Four other states have [they think] the ID is going to reflect my sex at birth, and not my gender identity. unclear, unknown, or unwritten policies. Jen Laws has heard of cases of I’m going to face discrimination. Those transgender voter suppression in Georgia, thoughts just deter people from wanting Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, to even go through that process.” He and Texas. Other states may have had noted voter suppression’s special effect on those that it targets in incidents but no reports multiple ways, “trans, reached him about those When the and queer people of incidents. color.” Matthew Pagnotti, Civic poll worker Besides photo ID Engagement Coordinator determines that requirements, voter for AIDS Alabama, suppression takes other works building electoral all three match, forms. Some states deny support for HIV issues in the right to vote to the voter can Alabama. He reported that felons upon Alabama has adopted voter proceed to vote. convicted their release. Advocates suppressive laws, including label this as felony a strict photo ID law. This introduces disenfranchisement. Pagnotti had heard reports the second Three states, including that transgender voter Florida, take away the suppression had occurred, barrier, the right to vote of anyone prior to these laws. Poll workers unlawfully turned potential bias of convicted of any felony. This occurs upon their away transgender people poll workers. release from prison. based on the poll workers’ Given the large number prejudices. These new laws of people that Florida imprisons, felony reinforce those prejudices. “In Alabama as with many other states,” disenfranchisement may have the greatest Pagnotti continued, “You end up with this impact on Florida elections. Another kind of trap, a catch-22. Transgender seven states only deny the right to vote of people have great difficulty updating their people convicted of certain felonies. The legal documents to reflect their felt gender other 40 states restore full voting rights to identity. Even when they have managed felons upon their release. Voter suppression affects LGBT people, to align their gender identify with the identification documents, poll workers especially transgender people of color. It challenge their gender expression as dilutes the electoral impact of LGBT people, inconsistent with their documentation.” further marginalizing all LGBT people. Pagnotti continued, “They’re literally Voter suppression is an LGBT issue.

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For information on transgender voting rights, please visit www.transequality.org/issues/voting-rights.

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For the one-page checklist, “Voting While Trans,” please visit www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/voting%20while%20trans.pdf.

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If prevented from voting, call the National Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683. You may also visit them online at www.866ourvote.org. People mainly speaking Spanish should call 1-888-839-8682. For information about elections in Broward County, please visit www.browardsoe.org. To check current registration status in Broward, please visit www.browardsoe.org/Voter-Information/Voter-Lookup-Free-Access-System. To view acceptable voter ID requirements in Broward, please visit, www.browardsoe.org/Voter-Information/Voter-ID-Requirements. Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee

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Hours Of Operation: Mon - Fri 10am - 4 pm & Sat 10am - 3pm 10.19.2016 •

LGBTQIA bites

Lesbian

Alabama Church Elects Lesbian Pastor (SFGN) The Rev. Jennifer Sanders is the newly elected pastor of Beloved Community Church, an affiliate of the United Church of Christ, in Avondale Alabama in Birmingham. “I’m a woman, a lesbian, a member of a progressive faith tradition,” Sanders told AL.com. Beloved Church was founded in 2000, and had 120 members, AL.com reports (http://bit. ly/2eKgaO3). “Beloved was founded as an interracial church, open and affirming justice for the LGBTQ community, for people with disabilities, from different faith backgrounds,” she said. “There’s a genuine commitment to diversity and appreciation and engagement.” Regarding gay rights activism Sanders said, “It’s part of who I am, but it’s not the whole of what we do,” Sanders said. “My commitment to racial justice, to people with disabilities, my commitment to economic justice and environmental justice, are part of

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Rev. Jennifer Sanders

that, just as much a part of my commitment to rights for LGBTQ people.” Sanders has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rice University, and a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has more than 15 years’ experience as an occupational therapist at homes and hospitals in the area, according to AL.com. She is working on a master of divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Compiled by Jillian Melero Bisexual

“Grey’s Anatomy’s” Sara Ramirez come out as Bi (SFGN) During an appearance at the True Color Fund’s 40 to None Summit, actress Sara Ramirez spoke on some of the issues facing LGBT youth, and identified herself as queer and bisexual, the Huffington Post reports (http://huff.to/2dONNeA). The True Colors Fund is a New York based advocacy group for homeless LGBT Youth, co-founded by Cyndi Lauper. “So many of our youth experiencing homelessness are youth whose lives touch on many intersections – whether they be gender identity, gender expression, race, class, sexual orientation, religion, citizenship status,” Ramirez said. “Because of the intersections that exist in my own life: woman, multi-racial woman, woman of color, queer, bisexual, MexicanIrish American, immigrant, and raised by families heavily rooted in Catholicism on both my Mexican and Irish sides, I am deeply invested in projects that allow our

Sara Ramirez.

youth’s voices to be heard.” Ramirez has appeared in Spanish PSAs for GLAAD (http://bit.ly/2ehfCzZ). Her “Grey’s Anatomy” character, Dr. Callie Torres married fellow Dr. Arizona Robbins, played by Jessica Capshaw, in 2011. “It made sense for me at this time as it was one piece of a larger context I was communicating,” she told HuffPost about her speech. “Our most marginalized youth touch on many intersections, and in describing the concept of inter sectionalities, I decided to describe the ones that exist in my own life.”

LGBTQIA bites

continued

Transgender

US Supreme Court Delays Hearing Transgender School Board Case (SFGN) The U.S. Supreme Court is still deciding whether or not it will hear the case of transgender Virginia high school student Gavin Grimm vs. the Gloucester County School Board, the Daily Press reports (http://bit.ly/2eb4AJE). The school board filed a petition in August asking the Supreme court to decide whether refusing Grimm access to the boys’ restroom is a violation of federal law. Grimm, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the school board last year over a policy that requires students to use the restroom of their physical sex, or private unisex restrooms. The ACLU argues the school policy violates Title IX a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in schools, requiring the school board to provide equal restrooms for male and female students separated on the basis of sex. The school argues that gender identity is not a protected status. “The term ‘gender identity’ is nowhere in Title

IX,” the school division’s petition reads. “If ‘sex’ signifies, not biology, but rather one’s ‘internal’ sense of maleness or femaleness, the whole concept of permissible sexseparation collapses.” A federal judge ruled in June that Grimm could use the boys’ facilities at Gloucester High School, but the school board requested a block on the order until the case could be appealed in high court. If the case is rejected, the federal order will be back in place, meaning Grimm will be allowed to use the restroom while the case is heard in federal court.

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ELECTION • donald trump

Anti-LGBT activists stick with Trump despite video After stoking fears of trans bathroom assaults, a blind eye to GOP nom’s aggression

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins continues to support Donald Trump. Photo: Michael Key, Washington Blade.

Chris Johnson

fter months of stoking fears about sexual assault in the bathrooms as a result of transgender non-discrimination protections, social conservatives are sticking with Donald Trump despite a recent unearthed recording in which he brags about making aggressive sexual advances on women. The fears over assault and violation of privacy in the bathroom were invented and stoked by conservative activists opposed to transgender protections, but actual claims of sexual assault from the Republican nominee aren’t enough to register the same level of concern with these anti-LGBT activists. Tony Perkins, president of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council, conceded in a statement he finds the behavior exhibited in the video “deeply offensive and degrading,” but nonetheless still supports Trump. “As I have made clear, my support for Donald Trump in the general election was never based upon shared values rather it was built upon shared concerns,” Perkins said. “These concerns include the damage the Supreme Court would continue to do to this country through the appointment of activist justices, concerns over the security of our nation because of our government’s refusal to confront the growing threat of Islamic terrorism, and concerns over the prospects of continued attacks by our own government upon religious freedom.” Perkins added the situation is far from ideal, but “the reality in which we find ourselves” at this point in the political process as a result of “our lack of engagement and involvement as Christians” in the election and government. Just two months ago, Perkins commended U.S. Judge Reed O’Connor for issuing a court order blocking guidance from the Obama administration barring discrimination

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against transgender students in accessing the restroom consistent with their gender identity. At the time, Perkins called the decision “a win for parental rights and the privacy of schoolchildren nationwide,” insisting issues of privacy and safety are of paramount importance. “I encourage parents in every school district in America to demand that their local school boards not sacrifice the privacy and safety of their children because of this administration’s pursuit of political correctness,” Perkins said. “If the American people do not speak up now on an issue like this, there’s no limit to what President Obama’s administration, or future liberal presidents, will be emboldened to do.” Ralph Reed, an anti-LGBT activist and chair of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, was even less bothered by the 2005 recording of Trump in a statement to media outlets. “I’ve listened to the tape, my view is that people of faith are voting on issues like who will protect unborn life, defend religious freedom, create jobs and oppose the Iran nuclear deal,” Reed said. “I think a 10-year-old tape of a private conversation with a TV talk show host ranks pretty low on their hierarchy of concerns.” But in July, after the National Basketball Association announced it would pull its AllStar Game from North Carolina as a result of the state’s anti-trans law, issues of privacy were front and center for Reed. “The NBA’s decision to punish the state of North Carolina simply because it protects the privacy of its citizens in bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities is an assault on common sense and strong families,” Reed said at the time. “The NBA should focus on basketball, not left-wing and special interest politics. Unless and until the NBA allows men

to enter WNBA locker rooms, it should leave bathroom policy to state legislatures.” North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the anti-LGBT House Bill 2 into law out of purported concerns of safety and privacy, issued a statement condemning the remarks Trump made in the video, but hasn’t said whether he’ll pull support from the nominee. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the comments made by Donald Trump regarding women,” McCrory said. “I find them disgusting.” Social conservatives have been fearmongering over transgender people using the restroom at least since a non-discrimination ordinance was on the ballot last year in Houston. At the time, opponents aired TV ads in which a man follows a young girl into a public restroom stall and slams the door behind him before the video ends. The ordinance ended up being defeated at the ballot. The image in that video isn’t far from the actions about Trump boasts about in the 2005 video made public Friday by the Washington Post. Trump talks about hitting on a married woman and being able to grab women — sometimes by their genitals — to kiss them, saying they allow him to do that without reprisal because he’s famous. At the time the video was made, Trump was recently married to current wife, Melania Trump. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them,” Trump says. “It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” Although social conservatives are sticking with Trump, the inflammatory video has shaken up the race. A number of high-profile Republicans — including Sens. John McCain

(Ariz.), Deb Fisher (R-Neb.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — say they no longer support the candidate and that the time has come for him to step aside. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said she plans to vote for Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence instead of Trump. Trump has issued a video apologizing for the remarks, but insists the behavior of former President Bill Clinton was worse and vowed to remain in his position as Republican presidential nominee. Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, condemned the remarks and called for “all elected officials and politicians, regardless of their party political affiliation, to unequivocally condemn Donald Trump’s blatant sexism and misogyny.” “This verbal sexual assault by Donald Trump on women is truly horrifying—and so revealing about his mindset,” Carey said. “We’ve seen for months how his hate-filled rhetoric has contributed to violent attacks against people of color. We’ve watched him disparage Mexicans, vilify Muslims, dehumanize people with disabilities, perpetuate negative stereotypes of LGBTQ people, and exploit people’s fears and anxiety, all the while encouraging physical violence against anyone who challenges his bigotry.” Not ready to disavow Trump was Chris Barron, the former board chair of the gay conservative group GOProud and founder of LGBT for Trump, who said Saturday he continues to “support Trump 100 percent.” Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin Republicans, which continues to mull whether to endorse Trump, said he won’t have “any update until the LCR Board re-convenes.”

10.19.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

NEWS national

LGBT Papers Line Up Behind Jason Parsley Hillary

he National Gay Media Association announced this week all 12 of its member papers have endorsed Hillary Clinton for president – an unprecedented move. Some of these papers have never endorsed a candidate before. The National Gay Media Association is a trade association of the nation’s major-market legacy LGBT newspapers, which include Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco), Washington Blade, Philadelphia Gay News, Dallas Voice, Windy City Times (Chicago), Between the Lines (Detroit), Bay Windows (Boston), Georgia Voice, SFGN, Watermark (Orlando and Tampa Bay), Gay City News (New York), and The Pride LA. NGMA members have a combined circulation in print and online of more than one million readers per week. “This race for president is showing this

country a clear choice of moving backward or moving forward on LGBTQ and other human rights,” NGMA spokesperson Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy City Times, said in a press release. “We know that the LGBTQ community is made up of diverse political voices. But the homophobia, transphobia, racism, anti-immigrant and sexist nature of Republican candidate Donald Trump means that we can’t sit on the sidelines this election season.” Just last week Clinton wrote an Op-Ed for the Philadelphia Gay News on LGBT rights, the first time a major party presidential candidate has done so for an LGBT publication. “If I’m fortunate enough to be elected president, I’ll protect the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve—and I’ll keep fighting until every American can live free from discrimination and prejudice,” she wrote.

Here’s what a few of the newspapers had to say: Dallas Voice “Dallas Voice offers a direct and fervent endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Politics is never easy, but the decision to endorse in this pivotal time is essential. The stakes have never been so high for our community. Our families and marriages are at risk. We stand with Hillary.”

Washington Blade “Clinton has pledged to support the Equality Act, to allow transgender people to serve openly in the U.S. military and to end widely discredited ‘ex-gay’ conversion therapy for minors. In addition, she has said she would expand access to HIV prevention and treatment; confront disproportionate violence facing transgender people, especially trans women of color; and continue her work as former secretary of state on international LGBT rights. She has consistently raised LGBT issues during the primary season, making them a centerpiece of her campaign.”

South Florida Gay News “Every election is important, but this year, the Republican Party has been hijacked by an insurrectionist who preaches hate, not humility; division, not democracy. Donald Trump has proved himself to still be a spoiled little brat; a rich kid without class or grace, dignity or demeanor. Trump’s candidacy not only brings out white supremacists, racists and divisive voices in America, but he embraces these hateful warriors. From David Duke to birthers challenging Barack Obama, Trump gives life to those who would mock the disabled, discriminate against gays, or suppress the working class. His candidacy is vile and vitriolic.”

The Pride LA “Donald Trump has shown he has no loyalty to anyone on any issue, in particular to LGBT issues. Trump likes to say he’d be a better President for the LGBT community and offers up donations and ties between the Clinton Foundation and donations from nations that routinely impose the death penalty for homosexuality as evidence. Yet, his selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the most notoriously anti-gay politician who ever ran on a national ticket, as his running mate, tells you everything you need to know about the ever devolving Donald Trump. He says he wants to make ‘America Great Again,’ but that is a dog whistle of hate to forces who despise us and who vow to do all they can to reverse the political, legal and social gains LGBT people have made in the past several decades, particularly the past 8 years.”

In addition EDGE Media Network, an online LGBT news website, also issued an endorsement for Hillary last week writing: “EDGE has never endorsed any political candidate of any stripe for any position in our 12-year history. So why, when Hillary Clinton is leading in the polls and a media-munching oligarch with comparatively little campaign ground structure stands ineffectively opposed to her, start now? Because, as LGBT citizens, we’ve seen the power of hate. We’ve witnessed how it flows, crests and ebbs. We’ve suffered under the unfortunate consequences of its periodic bloom. And we cannot afford to remain idle while even a remote possibility exists that it could grab hold of the top office in the land.”

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10.19.2016 •

Publisher's Editorial

Convictions Photo: CNN.

You are a liar, Donald Trump. Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

ou are a whiner, a crybaby and a spoiled brat. Soon, you will be a loser, too. So sue me for calling you a dishonest, double-dealing, draft-dodging demagogue. I dare you, big shot. Your money, like your mouth, doesn’t scare me, In my 40 years as a lawyer and journalist, I have met murderers and madmen, con artists and crooks, demons and dragons. Lots of them spew fire. You? Simply hot ash. So come at me, big shot. I will take you on. Like you, I am a New York kid, who like most of our friends, played in a sandbox in concrete schoolyards. But we grew out of it. We became adults, not acrimonious, arrogant, assholes. We came to understand that the Statue of Liberty meant we were growing up in the most cosmopolitan diverse community in the world. We built a city not to restrict anyone, but welcome everyone. How did you ever fit in? We don’t mimic and mock disabled persons whose lives are strong enough to overcome physical challenges. We celebrate soldiers whose capture deprived them of the very freedoms they were fighting for. We disagree polemically with politicians without calling them childish names and belittling them personally. We admire women and their beauty, without groping them, disgracing them, and sexually assaulting them. We welcome diverse religions, multiple cultures, and the unique but healthy cultural differences of our communities. We don’t build walls to keep people out, but bridges to bring

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people in. If a mother losing her American son in combat is not enough to gain your respect or get an apology from you, what is your own self-worth? Shameless and embarrassing you are! We oppose the policies of our political adversaries, without denigrating their beliefs or their ideals. You attack them because they don’t applaud your own. We want bold leaders in America, you clown- not feared dictators. So come at me, Mr. Trump, because you have been hoisted on your own petard. It is your own words that make you toxic and criminal. You are the one who electronically recorded your own confession, revealing to the world that you walked into dressing rooms of beauty pageants to stare at naked girls; that you bragged you used to do that all the time. And as for boasting you can grab a woman’s pussy freely, what a damn pity that none of them ever kicked you back hard, right in the nuts. You started off low enough, Donald. All you have done is gone from the gutter to the sewer, where rats live. You should feel right at home. When United States senators become ‘Little Marco’ and ‘Lying Ted’, or ‘Crooked Hillary,’ do you know what you become? A predatory animal. A flawed candidate. A rotten person. You opened the door, Trump, and it’s about time more journalists like me slammed it in your face. It’s a shame more reporters have not stood up to you sooner, as you have ironically been crucifying the very media that built you up. Now they- we- are tearing you down. Tough break, buddy. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

When you suggest a federal judge from Indiana can’t decide a case because of his Mexican heritage, you become a slanderer. Yeah, let’s ‘open up’ those libel laws so you can become its first target. When you knowingly lie for years that our president is not an American with your spurious ‘birther’ claim, you reveal your racist self, articulating a bogus claim to delegitimize the first African American president in the nation’s history. By the way, can you really produce a degree from Wharton, or is it one of those worthless ones from Trump University? And you call yourself an author, when all your books are ghost written, by authors who call you a House of Frauds? I am surprised they don’t all end at Chapter 11, because not many Americans could lose a billion dollars in a year running a casino. I guess the ‘House’ wins as long as you are not the owner. So come after me, big-shot. Today, faced with an unceremonious and brutal defeat in the presidential election, you are doing the same to Hillary Clinton, baselessly and speciously claiming that the election is rigged against you, a billionaire white boy. Rigged, my ass! No, you son of a bitch. Too much of America has been made to protect people like you. America protected you when it gave you a half dozen chances to rebuild from your multiple bankruptcies which screwed over thousands of people you never paid. America gave you a chance at a clear life with your four student deferments to avoid the draft in the 1960’s while 50,000 men of your generation died fighting in Vietnam. America is giving you the right and free speech to demean

Publisher's Editorial

Convictions and disgrace our soldiers today, calling our military a ‘disaster’ and our generals ‘rubble.’ I wonder, Mr. Trump, would that right exist in an administration you supervised? I doubt it. You won’t give LGBT couples the right to marry once, but America gave you the right to pay for three divorces, and get married again and again. America is giving you and your rich fancy corporations the right to take millions and millions in tax deductions, while millions and millions of poorer Americans living week to week and paycheck to paycheck struggle every year to pay their fair share. They don’t live in Mar-a-Lago with goldplated toilet seats while guys like you crap all over them. America is also a place where if you live long enough Mr. Trump, you find karma. The good you do comes back to you. But guess what, Mr. Big Shot? So does the bad. The floodgates are open. Those female ‘pigs’ you were talking about? Like Miss Machado, they vote now- legitimately in numbers that will be correctly counted despite your desperately barren claims the election will be corrupted. Dishonesty? No, that’s your department. You will get your drug test, Mr. Trump, soon enough. Maybe when your audit comes back. One week after you unceremoniously presented to the press a parade of women accusing Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct – amazingly an hour before a presidential debate involving his wife – the innocent residual victim of those accusers, you now face your own. Irony? You can deny these women their day even though your own words reveal you to be deceitful and dishonest, a hypocrite and a liar. You can demean yourself further and denigrate them more by suggesting they were ‘not attractive’ enough for you. It’s more proof in the pudding that you just don’t get it; that you are every bit the misogynist we say you are. And not all Republican nominees are bad people, either. Some might be rapists, some might be criminals, but some might be distinguished Americans like Mitt Romney, wealthy but with the wisdom to conduct a campaign that preserves the dignity of our democracy. You, Mr. Trump, have no dignity, no conscience, no temperament. You are nothing, just a bitter, angry old man, frustrated that your life has been a fraud and you have been exposed as a phony. You have a hedonistic, condescending, self-indulgent personality that tolerates no speech other than his own. That is dictatorial and despotic, unhinged and radical. You are perfect for Qatar, not Queens. In your rallies you refer to ‘you people’ and ‘your country’ as if it were not all ‘ours.’ One thing it can’t ever be is yours. Your candidacy threatens the very liberties we have in the country that are dear to so many. So come after me, Mr. Trump. I will bet my 40 years as a constitutional rights lawyer trumps your 40 minutes of fame and national misfortune. I will bet my reading of the first amendment is accurate and yours anachronistic. I will bet that courts protect my right to criticize you, not your desire to silence me. Your candidacy has been rejected and repudiated by more

party officials than ever before in the history of our nation. But not enough. Where are the voices of those who once stood up to Senator Joe McCarthy? Where is the conscience of the Republican party? On a bus with Billy Bush? Or in the dressing room of a teenage beauty pageant with Donald J. Trump? Here is a man fueling insurgency, impugning the integrity of our electoral process, and transparently lying to preserve his poisonous candidacy, and a wealth of his colleagues look on in shocking silence. They may be more of a disgrace than the nominee. ‘They’ are the Tea Party remnants who have been cultivating fear and hate for years now, holding up national budgets for partisan claims, shutting down our government in order to advocate their desperately discriminatory policies. They have no vision, only vitriol. They are disloyal obstructionists, not oppositionists. They helped make Trump the Republican nominee. Presidential campaigns have been dirty before, but with the Roger Stones and Breitbarts of the world infecting this one-standing by Trump’s side- this one will get worse still. But here is where Mr. Trump will really lose. Just watch the TV ads coming soon. The truth is though that the election of Hillary Clinton will

You will get your drug test, Mr. Trump, soon enough. Maybe when your audit comes back.

not ‘lead to the destruction of our country.’ It will prove again the inherent strength and resilience of our republic; that we can withstand the toxifying influence of Donald J. Trump, soon to be a dark and deplorable asterisk in American election history. I will say this. The genocide in Aleppo is generationally cataclysmic. ISIS is fascist and needs to be crushed and eliminated. Syria and Russia need to be stopped. Climate change is impacting our lives now, hacking is expanding, but Social Security, like health care, should be expanded. International trade and job losses are legitimate economic concerns. Our rights as citizens to protest and dissent must be jealously guarded, and police have to be respected as well as restrained. Gun violence and assault weapons restrictions must be addressed in legislatures, schools, and communities. Medical marijuana dispensaries should be supported nationally. College tuition can be cheaper. ENDA must be passed and a Supreme Court justice selected. White billionaires should pay taxes, too. These are the issues of presidential debates, not sex tapes. I would like to see ideas debated and discussed. If they are, the farce and fake that is Donald Trump will be exposed; the facts that Clinton has on her side will be revealed. More than anything else, if Chris Wallace is the Chris Wallace I know he can be, he will be the one everyone is talking about tomorrow- the man who proved Donald Trump never should have been on the world stage to begin with. But there is one leaving town in an hour. Hopefully he will be on it. Forever.

10.19.2016 •

community announcement

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ust think how many times you have visited your local market or favorite coffee shop and noticed all the flyers for lost pets, not to mention the flyers posted on utility polls through out your neighbor hood and the notices on social media. It tears at your heart knowing at any moment your dog pet could be next. One of SFGN’s advertisers, Dr. Pierre Bland is now offering an affordable aid to help your pet return home safely. PROJECT MICROCHIP has the goal of registering 1000 pets in our community with the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service in the next 12 months. PROJECT MICROCHIP kicks off Saturday, October 22 with the Pet Blessing Event at the United Church Of Christ , 2501 NE 30th Street, Ft. Lauderdale. The event will be from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM. All pets and their owners are welcomed. The cost of enrolling your pet with PROJECT MICROCHIP is $20.00, which covers lifetime enrollment with the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service. The HomeAgain® Pet Recovery Service is a permanent, unalterable method of pet identification responsible for the successful reunion of more than 200,000 lost pets with their rightful owners. HomeAgain is an advanced pet identification and retrieval system utilizing microchip technology. A microchip with a unique identification code is implanted under the skin between the shoulders

of the pet and the pet is enrolled in the HomeAgain Recovery Service. HomeAgain maintains a national database and is available 24-hours daily, 365 days a year. When a lost pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or the clinic of most veterinarians, since microchip scanners are ubiquitous at most veterinary clinics. The animal’s identification number is called into HomeAgain, and the pet owner is notified immediately. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and you cannot see the microchip after it is implanted in the dog, cat, bird, or any other pet. The procedure is simple and similar to administering a vaccine. Like many other veternarians, Dr. Bland enthusiastically encourages owners to implant a microchip in their pets,:”A pet with an ID is a pet that can be shown the way home when lost,” he advises. Pets enrolled in the recovery network also receive collar tags to wear with their HomeAgain identification number and the toll-free recovery hotline. A microchip provides permanent identification that remains in place and functional for the life of the implanted animal. Currently, more than two and a quarter million pets microchipped with HomeAgain are enrolled with the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service. As a result, pet recoveries as a result of the HomeAgain microchip have grown to an average of 7,000 per month in the U.S.

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Convictions

Editorial Cartoon

By Andy Marlette

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h i story m o nt h

SFGN

presents

History Month ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in the

Ryan Bunch

PGN Contributor

LGBT community

obody seems to know quite how or why “The Wizard of Oz” became such an enduring part of LGBT community and culture. It is, of course, common knowledge that Judy Garland is a gay icon — beloved and worshipped by gay men of a certain age and class — but what else explains the ubiquitous references to “Oz” in drag performances and in the names of bars and businesses catering to the community? Movie quotes appear on an array of LGBT-themed merchandise, from postcards of Dorothy enticing us to visit San Francisco to Glinda T-shirts impelling us to “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” It would be a mistake to confine a discussion of “The Wizard of Oz” to a certain class of gay men, but in seeking a point of origin, there is a dominant narrative of queer history in which “Oz” and Garland were important parts of a mostly white, middle-class, urban gay male subculture by the 1950s. Garland spent much of the decade on popular concert tours, and it was also during this time that “The Wizard of Oz” began to be shown on television on an annual basis. The origin of the expression “Friend of Dorothy,” which became a code phrase used by gay men to identify themselves to each other, is lost to history — it may have predated this era, and may not even refer to Garland’s role in the movie, but the belief that it does is widespread (another possibility is that it refers to Dorothy Parker, who was also a friend to gays). According to “Oz” scholar Dee Michel, who is writing a book on “Oz” and gay men, there are certain beliefs about the film and the LGBT community that persist in spite of a lack of clear historical evidence. “These beliefs,” he said, “overlap and reinforce each other and have become part of gay folklore, increasing our sense of history and reinforcing gay identity.” Much of what we do know about “Oz” and its significance in LGBT culture in the 1950s and ’60s is from later accounts. Some disparaging remarks about gay men attending Garland concerts were printed in reviews in the late 1960s. Other print references to “Oz” as an underground culture shared by gay men seem to show up in the 1970s and ’80s, looking

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back and attempting to explain the appeal of the film. These explanations often take the form of an identification of gay men and others with a girl from a small community who is misunderstood by her family, who is whisked away to a place where she becomes friends with cwharacters who seem like they could be gay men (especially the Cowardly Lion, who refers to himself as a “sissy” and “dandy lion”). The story became a metaphor for the real-life dreams and experiences of gay men who left middle America for the gay communities of New York City and San Francisco, which were analogized to Oz or the Emerald City. There is, of course, also the unique place occupied by Garland among gay icons. While many divas are admired for their strength, with Garland this strength is mixed with her obvious vulnerability. Garland’s struggles seemed to mirror those of gay men at the time, and she was admired for rising above her problems in performance, although as she noted herself, she was never able to get over the rainbow in her life off the stage or screen. Both Garland’s image as a diva and the movie’s camp style, which provided an ironic way of looking at the dominant culture, are thought to contribute to the queer appeal of “Oz.” Whatever its origins, as the late 1960s ushered in the era of LGBT liberation, this mythology came out of the shadows and became a contested part of the narrative of queer history. For some, it has never been a coincidence that the Stonewall Riots erupted the night after Garland’s funeral on June 27, 1969. The suggestion that her death contributed to the tension that led to the rebellion has spread widely but also been much called into question. There is some doubt as to whether the participants in the riots — drag queens, hustlers and underage patrons among those who frequented the bar — would have been Garland fans at all. Nevertheless, gay folklore and film continue to tell the story, quite possibly imposing the perspective of white, cisgender gay male historians on an event that was largely the work of queer and trans people of color. At the same time, the symbolism of Garland’s

death at the beginning of the modern LGBTrights movement does have some potency. Her passing represented the passing also of the era of secrecy and assimilation to the beginning of liberation. Camp and diva worship, which had been secret codes of the closet, became public symbols of pride and identity. Ten years later, at the 1979 March on Washington, according to Michael Bronski, lesbian singer Holly Near ended her set with “Over the Rainbow,” calling it the gay national anthem. Today there is a lingering sense that the Garland/“Oz” obsession is a generational one, even an embarrassing stereotype. Contemporary examples, however, suggest that “Oz” continues to be embraced by wide constituencies in the community. Rufus Wainwright has spent much of the last several years recreating Garland’s legendary Carnegie Hall performance, Patti LaBelle continues to sing her own empowering version of “Over the Rainbow” at LGBT events, and Toddrick Hall’s “Straight Outta Oz” explores his experiences as a young, queer man of color through identification with various characters and situations from the story. “The Wiz,” a Broadway musical produced by a black gay

man and adapted as a film starring Diana Ross, occupies an important place in both black and gay culture, as evidenced by the communitywatch parties and Twitter responses to the recent live broadcast on NBC. Artist-activist Gilbert Baker, a native of Kansas who made his own way to San Francisco, has denied having “Over the Rainbow” in mind when he designed the rainbow flag in 1978, but the association sticks for many people. LGBT choruses sing “Over the Rainbow” at community and political events where rainbow flags are flying. After the suicide deaths of several young people in the fall of 2010, including Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, crowds gathered for a vigil in New York’s Washington Square Park, waving rainbow-colored glow sticks while openly gay Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson led them in singing “Over the Rainbow.” In moments such as this, a song and symbol that arose as the coded dreams of a marginalized group half a century ago have become symbols of visibility and community, tracking the emergence of LGBT people from the shadows to the public square in an ongoing and widening appeal for acceptance and compassion.

10.19.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

h i story month J es s e ’s Jo u r n a l

The Mariel Boatlift The last hurrah of the Dade County coalition for human rights

Jesse Monteagudo

y 1980, the Dade County Coalition for to leave the island, as long as someone came Human Rights (DCCHR) was clearly to pick them up. Soon almost 2,000 boats in decline. It reached its peak in the sailed from Florida to Mariel, most of them spring of 1977, after the (Miami) Dade County owned or rented by Cuban-Americans eager Commission added affectional and sexual to free their loved ones. By the time the orientation to the county’s human rights Cuban government closed Mariel 125,000 ordinance. “Marielitos” had left Cuba, including many The electoral repeal of the “gay rights criminals or mentally ill people foisted on the ordinance” on June 7 sent much of Miami’s boat owners by the Cuban government. Once LGBT community back into the closet they arrived in the U.S. many of the newly and the Coalition into a downward spin “free” Marielitos were placed in refugee from which it would never recover. The camps or in federal prisons. DCCHR’s most enduring creations - Pride Among the 125,000 or so Cubans who South Florida and the weekly news (twn) left Cuba by way of Mariel were many LGBT - were now independent entities, and the people. The Castro government viewed gays Coalition’s work on behalf of the first March as “scum;” persecuted them; and placed on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights them in detention camps. “To escape the (October 14, 1979) did not repressive regime,” Miami help the group’s standing Herald reporter Daniel back home. Shoer-Roth wrote in 2015, Then the A twn editorial attributed “thousands of gay men Mariel the DCCHR’s decline to a and lesbians - plus some “leadership void” and to heterosexuals who lied Boatlift an “epidemic of gay apathy about their orientation in came along, that has permeated our order to be expelled from and the community since 1977.” Gay the country - left Cuba on businessman Jack Campbell, the 1980 Mariel Boatlift.” Dade County who led the DCCHR through The presence of so many Coalition the 1977 debacle, ended his queer Cuban refugees, for Human second term as president, including effeminate and was succeeded in April “locas,” shocked native Rights had 1980 by his vice president, Americans who shared another Staci Aker. Though I the Cuban government’s have been living in Fort homophobia. Even so, as reason for Lauderdale since 1978, Susana Pena wrote in her existing. I was still on the Board, book “Oye Loca: From from where I witnessed the the Mariel Boatlift to Gay group’s decline. Cuban Miami,” queer Marielitos had a big Then the Mariel Boatlift came along, impact on South Florida’s LGBT community; and the Dade County Coalition for Human and their presence might have led to the gay Rights had another reason for existing. In revival in South Beach later that decade. retrospect, the Mariel Boatlift was one of Native Americans, including some several events that rocked Miami in 1980. Cubans, blamed the Marielitos for the rising The Boatlift happened at the same time as crime rate and other ills. When AIDS arrived the police shooting of Black businessman shortly after the Boatlift, queer Marielitos Arthur McDuffie; the cops’ acquittal; and were accused of spreading the epidemic. To the ensuing riots. (Some things have not this day there is controversy as to the extent changed.) of HIV and AIDS among LGBT Marielitos. Even so, the Boatlift had an impact Herald reporter Elinor Burkett, author on Miami’s Cuban community, LGBT or of “The Gravest Show on Earth: America otherwise. The attempt by almost 10,000 In the Age of AIDS,” speculated that many Cubans to gain freedom by taking refuge at if not most gay Marielitos contracted HIV the Peruvian embassy in Havana led to an when they came to the U.S. and experienced April 20 decision by President Fidel Castro this country’s freer sexual culture. I do not to open the port of Mariel to anyone wishing agree. Though HIV contributed to the deaths

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1 0.19.2016

of many gay Marielitos, it did the same to members of other groups, in Miami-Dade County and elsewhere. It is true that the two best-known gay Marielitos, writer Reinaldo Arenas (19431990) and activist Pedro Zamora (19721994) were HIV positive, though Zamora died from AIDS complications and Arenas killed himself. On the other hand, other gay Marielitos successfully survived both AIDS and homophobia, becoming valuable members of South Florida’s LGBT and mainstream communities. Meanwhile, what was the Dade County Coalition for Human Rights doing during the Mariel Boatlift? Though many gay Marielitos were in detention camps or in federal prisons, the U.S. government agreed to release them if they had sponsors who would take them in and vouch for their good behavior. Led by Cuban-American activist Joe Fragga, the DCCHR worked hard to find sponsors for those gay Marielitos who did not have family members who were willing or able to do so. Thanks to the efforts of Fragga and of the DCCHR, many gay Miamians stepped up to

the plate to help their Cuban brothers. Not surprisingly, good-looking Marielitos were quick to find sponsors, while the homely ones languished in refugee camps. But it was the Coalition’s finest hour, after the 1977 referendum campaign. The Mariel Boatlift was the Last Hurrah of the Dade County Coalition for Human Rights. Dade County was not ready for an LGBT rights organization. Broward County soon replaced Dade County as LGBT South Florida’s center of gravity; and South Beach’s Art Deco heyday was still in the future. By then I was no longer active in the Coalition. I lost my bid for re-election to the Board in 1980 and transferred my activist activities to the Broward County Coalition for Human Rights (soon to be superseded by the Tuesday Night Group). Though the DCCHR tried to stem the tide by electing local bar owners into their board, the group disbanded in 1983. Still, the Dade County Coalition should be remembered for its achievements, even in defeat, and deserves a place of honor in the history of the struggle for LGBT equality, in South Florida and elsewhere.

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and journalist. He has been an active member of South Florida's LGBT community for more than four decades and has served in various community organizations.

954 673-8579 10.19.2016 â&#x20AC;¢

community announcement

Chamber Chat

What The World Needs Now Derek Lee

s we sit here a mere twentysomething days away from the 2016 general election, I have the song “What the World Needs Now” playing over and over in my head. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love No, not just for some but for everyone” Never have those words rang more true than in this dark chapter in our American story. The nation is completely polarized over two presidential candidates that couldn’t be more starkly different. On the one hand, we’ve got a businessman with no political experience whatsoever. And on the other hand, a career politician that will go down in American history as the first woman to have broken through the unspoken, but always-present ceiling. And the citizens of our nation are being called on as the interviewers to choose the candidate that they believe will be the most qualified to accept and responsibly step into the job function of President of the United States. But somewhere along the way, it seems that folks have forgotten that we the people carry this major responsibility in the political process. This isn’t a reality show to see who can say the most outrageous thing. In fact, entertainment value isn’t even in the job description. It’s easy for us to sit behind our keyboards and cast stones or throw around criticisms of the candidates, and forget that if we were

truly taking our responsibility seriously, we as a country wouldn’t be here in the first place. We would be evaluating their abilities to step into a role that takes tremendous character, intelligence, poise and even temperament. We would be evaluating the candidates’ stances and proposed policies to ensure that ALL Americans maintain equal rights. We would be evaluating the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of foreign policy. We would be evaluating the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of our constitution. We would be evaluating their plans to make sure that the needs of the men and women that have risked their lives fighting for our freedoms are taken care of. The LGBT community is well-known for embracing and embodying sentiments like, “love always wins” or “love trumps hate.” And we’ve always been at the forefront for leading the charge to right wrongs and champion justice when injustices have been committed. Why? Because at the very core of everything we do, everything we pursue, everything we want, is love. We’ve got a very big opportunity to once again lead by example when it comes to this election. If love is at our core, that means that we put love of our country, love of our fellow Americans, love of this land we call home, love of people seeking a better life by coming here, ahead of all else. If, and only if we approach our interviewing responsibility from that perspective, will we be able to choose the candidate that we think will best be able to accomplish what’s needed for the job of our next President of the United States.

Note that the opinions expressed above are those of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the GLBX or the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. You can follow the GLBX on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fortlauderdaleglbx/ or you can contact the GLBX Council Chair, Karen Prescod at Karen@prescodlifeandhealth.com to obtain more information on how to become a member.

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FALL 2016

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

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Inside This Issue:

@PrideCenterFL

House of Love

Women’s History Month Art Reception

Diversity Honors

PG. 16

PG. 18

ne of South Florida’s most overlooked populations, aging members of the LGBTQ community, will soon have a new affordable housing option in Broward County. The Pride Center, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit LGBTQ community centers, will team-up with Miami-based Carrfour Supportive Housing, Florida’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer, to develop The Residences at Equality Park. The residential development will provide permanent affordable housing and supportive services for low-income senior adults, with a special focus on members of the LGBTQ communities. The 48-unit development will be South Florida’s first affordable housing project with customized supportive services benefiting low-income LGBTQ seniors. The innovative project represents the first phase of the master plan for redevelopment of the

VOICE The Pride Center Partners with Carrfour Supportive Housing to Develop The Residences at Equality Park

five-acre site of The Pride Center at Equality Park. The Residences at Equality Park will come alive in two phases. The first phase will include 48 apartments – 34 of which will be designated for low-income seniors living with disabling conditions, such as physical

Welcome To My Nightmare What’s Slavery Got to Do With It?

Florida AIDS Walk

PG. 19

PG. 29

lection year politics haunting your dreams? Wicked candidates making you scream? Channel that horror into a wild, creative costume, and join us for Halloween! The Pride Center once again will create the largest Halloween Street Festival event of the year, Wicked Manors 2016. This overthe-top, entertaining block party will occur on Monday, October 31, 2016 from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM. “The Pride Center is excited to put on this street festival annually as a fundraiser for our vital programs and services. Through

this event, we are able to reach out to the tricounty area and help raise the awareness of The Center and all of the good work that we do,” said Robert Boo, CEO. The Pride Center produces Wicked Manors each year in collaboration with The City of Wilton Manors. This year’s theme – Political Nightmare: Scandals, Secrets and Sin, presented by Hunter’s Nightclub and AIDS Healthcare Foundation – invites you to rock the vote with costumes from your favorite political nightmares. “While current candidates may jump to +Continued on pg. 8

illnesses or disabilities due to complications from HIV/AIDS. The remaining units will provide affordable low-income housing for seniors earning less than 60% of the area’s median income (AMI) – or approximately $35,000 a year. The first phase of +Continued on pg. 4

Wicked Manors 2016: Political Nightmare – Scandals, Secrets & Sins to Scare Wilton Drive

Building the Community A letter from Robert Boo, C.E.O. of The Pride Center at Equality Park

VOICE Fall 2016

About The Pride Center

he Pride Center celebrated 23 years of service in 2016. Our mission is: “We provide a welcoming, safe space — an inclusive home — that celebrates, nurtures and empowers the LGBTQ communities and our friends and neighbors in South Florida.” The Center’s program and services meet the distinct cultural, health, educational, economic, social and safety needs of the LGBT community. More than 35,000 adult and youth attended activities at The Center over the past year. We host more than 65 regularly-meeting groups each month. Support, social and educational groups focus on women, seniors, youth, men, transgender, communities of color, recovery, health, the arts, athletics, spirituality, games and more. Outreach activities over the past year directly impacted over 128,000 residents and visitors to South Florida. The Pride Center is a major site for HIV testing, prevention, outreach, education, healthcare

2040 N. Dixie Highway Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33305 Mail Correspondence to: P.O. Box 70518 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307-0518 (954) 463-9005 Fax (954) 764-6522 Email: info@PrideCenterFlorida.org Website: www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Board of Directors

Mark Budwig, Chair Dr. Leslie Leip, Vice Chair Chris Caputo, Secretary Craig Engel, CPA, Treasurer Ted Adcock Mitchell Bloom Mark Budwig

ur cover story details the great news about the Senior Affordable and Supportive Housing project that we have started. An intense, multi-year process led the Board of Directors and The Center to this point. We still have many milestones to achieve before we enjoy the end results. We hope (and this is South Florida) to break ground at the end of 2017 and complete phase 1 of the project by the end of 2018. We’ve had a flood of people call The Center to have their name put on the list. We are encouraged by their enthusiasm, premature as it may be. That process will be handled by the management company and is almost two years down the road. But we will keep you posted. Producing Wicked Manors “Political Nightmare” this year has presented its challenges. Due to the world in which we live, we must take many more precautions this year to keep our community safe. After the recent events in Orlando and Nice, we have to be more vigilant whenever large groups of people gather. It doesn’t matter if we are LGBTQ or not. Anyone can be a target. Because of this new reality, the increase in security costs directly impacts the event’s bottom line. The Center organizes Wicked Manors each year as a fundraiser to support our vital programs and services. I want to give a shout out to Hunter’s Nightclub and AHF for generously serving as co-presenters of this year’s event. Without their generosity, this year’s Halloween would be a much bigger Nightmare. In recent months, we saw the passing of two special people in our community that did so much for The Center. Please read the articles about Alan Schubert and Juliette Love! They helped build our community into the strong vibrant example that many other cities envy. We also welcomed some tremendous new talent onto our staff and Board of Directors. Read the personal stories of Jodi Reichmann, John Baumgartner, Christopher Matthews and Tatiana Williams who joined our staff; Heidi Siegel who joined our Board of Directors; and Mark Budwig who became our new Board

The Pride Center

Brenda Hartley George Kling Ernest Olivas Richard Safaty Heidi Siegel Paul Smith Deanna Sylvestri Jim Walker

Pride Center Staff

Chair. The skills, experience, passion and vision that they bring to The Center help make our community stronger. The last quarter of the calendar year always is crazy busy around The Center. There are so many events and activities going on that will appeal to everyone in the community, including Breast Fest, Boomer and Senior Health Expo, Community Day, Transgender Awareness Month, World AIDS Day and more. If you are looking for something to do and a great way to meet people, then check out our calendar of events. We highlight many of the activities in this issue of the Voice. But you can learn about many more Center activities regularly by signing up to receive our weekly electronic newsletter on our website and visiting our Facebook page. Invest in your Center and help build our community into a better place for all!

linkage, support, holistic health and counseling. Our popular Senior Services activities include: weekly Coffee and Conversation events with over 200 LGBTQ Seniors; individual linkage services, wellness workshops, daily Enhance Fitness senior exercise classes; SAGEWorks technology and job skills courses; a speaker series; recreational activities; healthy aging seminars; cultural events; and our annual Boomer/Senior Health Expo. Stop in and learn about all we provide: a community Flea Market; women’s health initiatives; family outreach days; Bingo; unique exercise classes; financial investment series; art gallery openings; a playground; Bingo; education for prospective and current LGBT parents; music, movies and live theater presentations; a variety of health fairs; and a spectrum of creative symposiums, speakers, forums and events for the entire community. We own five-and-a-half acres of property with 30,000 square feet of office space that provide homes for programs and services, as well as synergy among organizations. Our Vision is to be the premier point of connection for our community.

Robert Boo, CEO, rboo@PrideCenterFlorida.org Kristofer Fegenbush, MSW, COO, kfegenbush@PrideCenterFlorida.org Janet Weissman, Business Manager, jweissman@PrideCenterFlorida.org Roger Roa, Director of Development, rroa@PrideCenterFlorida.org Samantha McCoy, Customer Service Coordinator, smccoy@PrideCenterFlorida.org Dr. Listron Mannix, HIV Outreach and Testing Manager, bmannix@PrideCenterFlorida.org Bruce Williams, Senior Services Coordinator, bwilliams@PrideCenterFlorida.org Shanna Ratliff, Prevention with Positives Manager, sratliff@PrideCenterFlorida.org Lorenzo Robertson, Emerging Interventions Manager, lrobertson@PrideCenterFlorida.org Roya Amirniroumand, Women with Pride Coordinator, WomenWithPride@PrideCenterFlorida.org Ebony Wilson, Prevention Outreach Coordinator, ewilson@PrideCenterFlorida.org Manuel Leon, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator, mleon@PrideCenterFlorida.org Tatiana Williams, Testing Expansion Coordinator, twilliams@PrideCenterFlorida.org Paul Ward, Facilities and Technology Coordinator, facilities@PrideCenterFlorida.org Jodi Reichman, Transgender Services Coordinator, jreichman@PrideCenterFlorida.org John Baumgartner, LIFE Coordinator, jbaumgartner@PrideCenterFlorida.org Magno Morales, CHOICES Coordinator, mmorales@PrideCenterFlorida.org Rafael Reyes, Healthcare Linkage Coordinator, rreyes@PrideCenterFlorida.org Marvin Shaw, Kiki Program Coordinator, mshaw@PrideCenterFlorida.org Edgardo Medina, VOICES and Outreach Specialist, emedina@PrideCenterFlorida.org Jakari Roundtree, Kiki Program Specialist, jroundtree@PrideCenterFlorida.org Bryon Bowlby, Office Operations Specialist, bbowlby@PrideCenterFlorida.org Robert Cullen, Information Analyst, rcullen@PrideCenterFlorida.org Christopher Matthews, Senior Services Specialist, cmatthews@PrideCenterFlorida.org Julian Alterman, Outreach and Testing Specialist, jalternman@PrideCenterFlorida.org Charles Bowers, Outreach and Testing Specialist, cbowers@PrideCenterFlorida.org Anthony Brautigam, Outreach and Testing Specialist, ABrautigam@PrideCenterFlorida.org Daniel Dardenne, Outreach and Testing Specialist, ddardenne@PrideCenterFlorida.org Carl Fleurimey, Outreach and Testing Specialist, cleurimey@PrideCenterFlorida.org Shayna Forgetta, Outreach and Testing Specialist, SForgetta@PrideCenterFlorida.org Joel Kandarappallil, Outreach and Testing Specialist, jkandarappallil@PrideCenterFlorida.org Clarence Collins, Facilities Assistant, ccollins@PrideCenterFlorida.org Eugene Faber, Facilities Assistant, efaber@PrideCenterFlorida.org Jim O’Rourke, Facilities Assistant, jorourke@PrideCenterFlorida.org

The Pride Center Voice

Production Managers: Kristofer Fegenbush Creative Director: Brendon Lies Contributing Writers: Rob Saunders, Doug Cureton, Tatiana Williams, Bruce Williams, Shanna Ratliff, Ebony Wilson, Listron Mannix, Lorenzo Robertson, Samantha McCoy, Bryon Bowlby, Manuel Leon, Roger Roa, Robert Boo and Kristofer Fegenbush. Photographers: Steven Shires, Stephen Lang, Pompano Bill, Dennis Dean, Coco Alarcon Acosta, Jim O’Rourke, Anthony Brautigam, Manuel Leon and Kristofer Fegenbush.

The VOICE newsletter is published in the memory and through the donation of the Robert S. Kecskmety Trust.

The Pride Center recently organized and hosted a workshop to provide skills, encouragement and assistance to members of our community who are providing care to their family members or friends. This workshop is part of our “Maturing Together” series with funding assistance by Our Fund. To learn more about the series, please contact Christopher Matthews at 954.463.9005. Photos by James Dillon O’Rourke

Photos by Manuel Leon

Join The Pride Center as a Member Today! Types of Membership: •Individual

$40

per year

•Household

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per year

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$30

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$30

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$200

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starting at

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Fall 2016

The Center’s Kiki Project hosted a recent, cutting-edge, honest dialogue on sexual desires and staying safe. The Kiki Project regularly organizes events to give voice to the Black same-gender loving community, addressing a wide array of topics that impact HIV prevention, testing and care.

VOICE

Ethical Slut

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Caring for Caregivers

per year*

*Additional Founder Levels are available. Contact 954.463.9005 3

VOICE Fall 2016

House of Love construction will begin in the fourth quarter of 2017 and be completed in late 2018. The project’s proposed second phase, which will include an additional 74 units, is expected to be developed at a later date. “Broward County has a rapidlyexpanding population of aging LGBTQ

adults and unfortunately, very limited affordable housing options,” said Robert Boo, CEO of The Pride Center. “The Residences at Equality Park, coupled with The Pride Center’s evergrowing seniors programming – the largest LGBTQ seniors program in the nation – will help give these residents a

Did you know? + Each month, hundreds of women visit our LBT women’s Health Directory at LBTHealth. org, Check out this great resource of culturally competent healthcare providers! + Every day, The Center hosts a variety of 12-step meetings, including AA, NA and CMA The Pride Center already has distributed 400,000 condoms this year. That’s a LOT of safer sex! + More than 5,400 people like The Pride Center’s Facebook page. Have you? + The Pride Center built the first playground for LGBT families and allies on a community center campus. Go check it out!

The Pride Center Partners with Carrfour Supportive Housing to Develop The Residences at Equality Park +Continued from pg. 1

permanent and safe place to live along with the supportive services they need to stay there.” The Residences at Equality Park joins a growing national trend in which senior affordable housing projects are being built in conjunction with LGBTQ community centers in major cities across the country, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia. According to a recent survey by the Institute for Multigenerational Health, 47 percent of LGBTQ seniors in the U.S. are currently living with a disabling condition. “There’s a growing need for affordable housing in South Florida, particularly among underserved populations such as the senior LGBTQ community and those living with disabilities,” said Stephanie Berman, President and CEO of Carrfour Supportive Housing. “Beyond providing a place to call home, Carrfour will partner with The Pride Center to ensure that residents at The Residences at Equality Park have convenient access to community services, healthcare, financial planning, and social networks that combat isolation.” Carrfour will serve as the project’s developer, operator and service coordinator. The Pride Center, with over 23 years of experience serving the LGBTQ community in South Florida, will provide residents with innovative on-site supportive services, including healthcare navigation and coordination, senior support groups, workshops, exercise and recreational activities. “A few years ago, Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing identified a desperate need in the greater Fort Lauderdale area for lowincome housing,” said Boo. “The City of

Wilton Manors approached The Center about addressing local needs and Equality Park’s optimum location and resources to help meet those needs.” “Four and a half years ago during our Strategic Planning process, the Board of Directors set a goal to evaluate the potential of a senior affordable housing project to be built on Equality Park,” said Boo. “Over the next three and a half years, we did our due diligence. During this same time, we updated the Master Plan for our campus. We partnered with the team at TSAO Design in a year-long process, including an extensive Charrette with 65 diverse community leaders. The results of that Charrette were presented to the Board last summer, and the top priorities helped set our direction. The Senior Affordable Housing Project remains one of the largest, most significant projects identified both by our Strategic Plan and the Charrette process.” Located at the corner of North Dixie Highway and Northeast 20th Drive in Wilton Manors, the five-acre Equality Park campus is owned by The Pride Center. It is slated for significant redevelopment, which will include the phase one project The Residences at Equality Park. Plans also call for a new multi-use cultural center along the eastern edge of the site on North Dixie Highway and water front event space. Additional parking structures also are planned. “Since we announced this incredible news, our phones have kept ringing,” said Boo. “People keep asking how they can get on the wait list. We have to let them know we’re still a few years away. Obviously the need among local Seniors is real.”

By Dr. Listron Mannix, Testing and Outreach Manager

Born: Miami, Florida

Hobbies: Entertaining; Pageantry; Shopping; Interior Decorations; Fashion Design; Watching Classic Movies; Spending time with family and friends.

VOICE Fall 2016

eeting Ms. Tatiana Williams, I was reminded of a Maya Angelou quote: “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” Tatiana first was introduced to The Pride Center in 2014 and regularly attended events The Center hosted since then. “After participating in the numerous events that interested me, I was approached by a Kiki Project staff member to be a panelist on one of their group discussions,” said Tatiana. “Although I was the only transgender woman on the panel in a room full of gay and bisexual men, I felt right at home. Little did I know I would soon call The Pride Center home.” Tatiana started her mission as an outspoken advocate for the transgender community. Tatiana continues to grow stronger, as does her voice. She’s moved from holding several National Pageant titles to being appointed as the Community Co-Chair for The Florida Department of Health in Broward County’s Transgender Advisory Group: Transgender Health In Action (THIA). Tatiana is a no-nonsense, smart, articulate and passionate woman whose active role in the community makes her a champion for transgender women and their lovers in Broward County. When Tatiana walked into The Pride Center for her initial interview for a part-time position, she made an impression on me: big smile, striking fashion, sharp mind, clear focus, and a glow on her face. I could tell she came prepared, guns loaded and ready to voice her skills; she did exactly that. She impressed both Ebony Wilson, Outreach Prevention Coordinator, and me; we quickly agreed we wanted her on our team. After being hired for a part-time testing and outreach position, her skills ensured she soon was promoted to Testing Expansion Coordinator. In her current position, she oversees the expansion of culturally competent HIV Testing, Counseling, and Linkage activities with the goals of reducing the incidence of HIV infections in populations and communities heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. Currently The Pride Center provides HIV Testing, Outreach, Education and Prevention services in over 30 locations across Broward County. “I especially enjoy fostering new relationships, being involved in diverse populations and having the ability to expand in the work we do for the community,” says Tatiana. Asking Tatiana why she chose to work in HIV/AIDS, she responded: “This is paramount to me because I had many close friends who passed away due to complications from this disease. I recall this was during a time when there were no prevention tools or support programs in place that could help victims of this disease, which resulted in the loss of many lives in our community.” “The Pride Center has truly made a difference in my

Occupation: Testing Expansion Coordinator

CLAD Tile & Stone hosted a recent Founders Reception. Founders provide at least $100 monthly to support the programs and services of The Pride Center. Photos by Stephen Lang

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Spotlight on Tatiana Williams M

Founders Circle Reception at CLAD Tile & Stone

life. I can remember Jodi Reichman (Center Transgender Services Coordinator) telling me there is a position at The Pride Center and they wanted me to apply for it. Although I was reluctant thinking I may be too much woman for that place, I gave it a try,” Tatiana says as she belts out a laugh that fills the room. The Pride Center celebrates diversity and is excited to see where Tatiana’s leadership, experiences and perspective takes the testing team. “We may identify with different gender identities but I feel we are all family and should unite as one,” says Tatiana. “Thank you Pride Center for welcoming me with open arms.”

Back to School

Kiki Culture and Get Your Life Expand Prevention Programs with Teens By Lorenzo Robertson, Emerging Interventions Manager

VOICE Fall 2016

he Pride Center is back in high school. Once again, our Kiki Project has been awarded grant funds to continue its innovative HIV prevention work among local adolescent young men during the current school year. The Kiki Project is expanding two programs in local high schools—Kiki Culture and Get Your Life Kiki Culture is a new adaptation for high school students of The Center’s ongoing Kiki Project. Because of The Center’s success in providing creative HIV prevention programs among Black same-gender-loving men, last year Broward County Public School’s Diversity, Prevention and Intervention program asked us to provide similar work among adolescent minority males within local high schools. As we provided Kiki Culture in the schools, Advocates for Youth also awarded us funding to provide Get Your Life, another intervention designed to educate young men about sexuality, race and identity. Both programs are designed for adolescent sexual minority males. When we first implemented both interventions in the schools, we enjoyed the opportunity to meet some extremely dedicated and intelligent young men who learned safer sex practices. These minority same-gender-loving teenagers shared a great deal about their sexual activities and who they are as men. One of the youth who participated with us shared that he and his mother were at odds over his sexual orientation. She was adamant that he should not be a same-genderloving man. Another young man was still very apprehensive about

Kiki Specialist Jakari Roundtree (far left) with several Kiki Culture participants being honest with anyone about his sexual orientation. But the young participants learned skills to explore their behaviors and express their identities. We’re working to empower young Black and Latino gay men. We explore the duality: what does it mean to be Black or Latino? What does it mean to be same-genderloving? These programs explore factors that influence young men’s behavior including cultural, social, and religious norms. We also address interactions between HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, sexual relationship dynamics and the social and psychological influences that racism and homophobia have on HIV risk behaviors. We’ve had great success in our prevention work among minority adolescents, and we already are working on a great 2016-2017 school year. We are working on a barbeque event and empowerment educational events with the graduates of the Get Your Life and Kiki Culture implementations. We will use these events as recruitment opportunities for the current school year. We also are meeting with all of our priority school principals: Fort Lauderdale High School, Flanagan High School, South Plantation High School, Hollywood High School, Deerfield High School, McArthur High School, and Northeast High School.

Our goal for the 2016-2017 school year is to continue to address health and prevention disparities with young Black and Latino young men in these schools. For more information about the Kiki Culture Program, you may contact us at 954-463-9005, ext. 306, 300 or 309. You may also contact us at kikiproject@pridecenterflorida.org.

Welcome To My Nightmare

Wicked Manors 2016: Political Nightmare – Scandals, Secrets & Sins to Scare Wilton Drive

VOICE Fall 2016

+Continued from pg. 1

the front of your mind, don’t forget classics like Nixon’s ‘I am not a crook’ parting-shot, Marilyn Monroe’s Happy Birthday serenade to JFK or the toe-tapping bathroom stall performance of Larry Craig,” said Doug Cureton, Co-Founder and Event Chair of Wicked Manors. “Remember, costumes are never limited to the yearly theme so go wild with your imagination!” Wicked Manors is returning to the Drive in 2016, despite challenges and obstacles. “Security expenses have tripled since last year due to understandable global security concerns,” said Boo. “We have never charged admission, but we hope all community members will consider donating to help defray increased costs. Please visit our website WickedManors.org or drop off a donation in person at The Pride Center! Any and all amounts are appreciated. We’re truly grateful to our presenting sponsors, Hunters Night Club and AHF, for believing in the investment of community.” Wilton Drive will be closed to all traffic

from 5 Points to NE 21 Court in order to provide a safe and dream-like time for the 15,000-18,000 costumed revelers expected to be “Stronger Together” as they “Make Wilton Drive Great Again.” The Pride Center will have 10 beverage stations along Wilton Drive serving premium liquors, including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Don Julio, Crown Royal and Terrazas. “We’ve been working for over six months with all of our partners to ensure another fantastic night of fun and fantasy for our thousands of guests,” says Cureton. “The costumes are really the stars of the show so we’re looking forward to seeing more over the top, creative and amazing costumes.” There’s something for everyone at Wicked Manors, including the kids. Trick or Treat On The Drive starts at 5:00 pm. We ask local businesses to have some treats for our younger revelers. The Mainstage will feature The HITS 97.3 with emcees Miss Bryan and Kimmy B from the DJ Laz Morning Show. Misty Eyez will

also bring her dragtastic emcee talents to showcase some of our finest local and nationally known drag performers. Mark Seymour and Patrick Volker, owners of Hunters Nightclub-Presenting Sponsor again this year-said, “We are proud to be a Presenting Sponsor for the third year and be a part of the largest Halloween event for South Florida. This event is putting South Florida on the national map, making it a destination spot for Halloween. Hunters is proud to be a community partner of The Pride Center.” "AIDS Healthcare Foundation is proud to support the The Pride Center's superb Halloween celebration, Wicked Manors,” said Jason King, Legislative Affairs Manager. "We are delighted to partner with The Pride Center on many programs that better our community, and to be able to sponsor this event for the third year in a row. Happy Halloween, South Florida!” The Center would also like to recognize the following sponsors who will help make Wicked Manors a reality: Stage Sponsors - Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and Hits 97.3; VIP Sponsors — The City of Wilton Manors and Rosie’s

Bar & Grill; Tent Sponsors — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, The Manor and Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar; General Sponsors — Some Men Like It Haute, City of Oakland Park, Emerald Elite Senior Home Care, Sound Media, Vitas Healthcare, Progress Bar and Sunshine Tent & Event Rentals. Wicked Manors also would like to thank valued media sponsors for their help in promoting this amazing event: Genre Latino, Hot Spots Magazine, Liquid Radar, Mark’s List, Minuteman Press, OutClique, She Magazine and South Florida Gay News. For more information on parking, costume contests or event details, visit WICKEDMANORS.COM. Check out the Wicked Manors Facebook Page for some inspiration and all the latest updates and news! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Roger Roa, Director of Development at RRoa@PrideCenterFlorida. org. All proceeds from Wicked Manors will benefit the vital programs and services of The Pride Center. For more information please visit www.PrideCenterFlorida.org None of this could happen without the help of dedicated volunteers. If you are interested in learning more about how to become a volunteer, contact Samantha McCoy at smccoy@PrideCenterFlorida.org!

Did you know? + Our SAGEWorks program helps older LGBT adults gain vital skills for finding employment. Contact Bruce Williams to learn more at 954.463.9005! + Pride Center volunteers have provided more than 10,000 hours of service so far this year. Contact The Pride Center to volunteer! + Over 1000 visitors and 80 vendors attend The Pride Center’s Flea Market on the first Saturday of every month. Check it out!

+ In November, The Pride Center and the Florida Health Department in Broward County will again organize and host several events for Transgender Awareness Month. Check out our monthly Trans Educational series!

Boomer and Senior Health Expo Bigger and Better Than Ever By Bruce Williams

Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. The Expo once again will provide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) adults with a unique, comprehensive overview of community healthcare resources. Booths and display spaces at this year’s fair sold out this summer to over sixty LGBT-friendly medical, professional, support & financial providers in the fields of wellness and lifestyle who will showcase their services and products through this popular event. Exhibits will reflect Health, Finance, Insurance, Travel, Entertainment, Retirement, and a number of helpful

community organizations. Vendors who are eager to serve our LGBT Boomers and Seniors will provide valuable information on Senior Living Facilities, Home Health Care resources, Legal information and an assortment of other areas affecting our community, family and friends. The Expo will offer flu shots, blood pressure screening and testing for hearing, cholesterol, glucose, HIV and more. Admission and parking are free. Complimentary coffee and pastries will be provided by Stork’s Bakery, and there will be free lunches for the first 300

attendees by Broward Health Imperial Point. Furthermore, everyone is eligible to win one of many premium door prizes including a giant, high-definition, flatscreen television. We are thrilled to welcome our impressive list of exhibitors, both those who have been with us since the first expo as well as those who will be here for the first time. Their generosity and support are integral factors in enhancing our booming senior programming here at The Pride Center. Sincere thanks go to a roster of great sponsors:

PREMIER SPONSOR: Broward Health Imperial Point PRESENTING SPONSORS: AHF/PHP and Marrison’s Senior Services

SAPPHIRE SPONORS: Fort Lauderdale Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Park Summit and Trustbridge Health

Fall 2016

COMMUNITY SPONSORS: Five Star Senior Residences and Vitas Healthcare

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on’t miss out on our Seventh Annual Senior Health Expo — the most spectacular yet. What started out as a project to find out if there were any LGBT-friendly and culturally competent providers in our area has mushroomed into a gathering that boasts over 60 businesses, draws an annual crowd of over 600 LGBT adults and serves as a fun-filled opportunity to get to know our many community resources. The Pride Center’s Seventh Annual Boomer/Senior Health Expo will be held Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 10 am until 2 pm at The Center, 2040 North

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Sold-Out

EMERALD SPONSORS: CareFree Insurance, Emerald Elite Senior Home Care, Florida Medical Center and Senior Medical Associates RUBY SPONSORS: Acute Hearing & Balance, Barbara Falowski Funeral & Cremation, Health Coverage Solutions, Midland Medical, Premier Smile Center, PRIDEone, Senior Bridge, United Health Care and Walgreens None of this would be possible without our wonderful collaborating partners, including: Fort Lauderdale Primetimers, Gilda’s Club South Florida, Impact Broward, Light of the World Clinic, SAGE of South Florida, SunServe, Women In Network (WIN) and The Pride Center Senior Advisory Council

For further information, contact Senior Services Coordinator Bruce Williams at 954-463-9005 ext. 109, or bwilliams@pridecenterflorida.org.

Founders Circle Reception Sponsored by Alpine Jaguar

Alpine Jaguar hosted a recent Founders Circle Reception at Marriott Fort Lauderdale. Founders Circle members underwrite life-enhancing programs and services to the community. To learn more about Founders, contact Roger Roa at RRoa@PrideCenterFlorida.org. Photos by James Dillon O’Rourke

Juliette Love Leaves Legacy of Leadership (June 1948 - May 2016) By Ross Seligson and Paul M Smith

VOICE Fall 2016

Exposed Gallery Reception

The Center’s PALS Project collaborated with Broward House to organize and host Exposed, a gallery exhibit focused on fighting HIV-related stigma and improving body image. Photos by Anthony Brautigam

his summer, The Pride Center at Equality Park joined the family, friends and the greater community in celebrating the life and legacy of Juliette Love. A long-time Board Member, Juliette has been very special to The Pride Center and was an integral part of The Center’s mission for many years. In fact, she served as one of the original donors to Alan Schubert’s vision for The Center (see article on Page 29). Her advocacy and activism in the service of HIV/AIDS on local, state and national communities have been hallmarks of her generous service to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ’s broader community, but with a particular focus on the health and welfare of people of color. Juliette Love received her BS degree in 1970 from Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL where she acted in several productions in the theater department. She earned a MPS from FAU, Boca Raton, FL in 2008. Juliette launched her illustrious career as a STD Specialist at a clinic in Toledo, OH. She was promoted to manage a Regional STD program over a 19-county district in Northwest Ohio. In 1982 Juliette shifted her focus to include HIV/AIDS and became a federal employee with the Center for Disease Control. In 1986, Juliette moved to South Florida to manage Center One, RWI and HOPWA programs in Broward County. She provided HIV/AIDS training programs to professionals through the AIDS Counseling and Education Program at Hospice Care of Broward County. A master planner and grant writer, Juliette served the Florida HIV/AIDS Prevention Planning Process from 1994, and following that with service to the Broward Community Planning Group in 1997 until her retirement. Along with her professional services, Juliette remained

a strong community activist which brought her to The Pride Center. She was one the center’s original Founders Circle members. Juliette also held membership in the Association of University Women, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and AARP. Stricken with cancer in her later years, Juliette kept a brave face and resilient resolve to stay active and involved. She was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2013 and also served on the Governance Committee for The Center. Juliette’s compassion for young people brought her to volunteer as a Foster Grandmother in a Broward County Elementary School. Her love of singing led her to the choir at Saint Helen’s Church. When Juliette’s health declined, she became increasingly debilitated. By April 2016, she became severely weakened. After a brief hospitalization in late April, family and many of her Pride Center friends visited her in her final days at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, Florida. Eventually on May 4, 2016, she died from cancer. A Memorial Mass was held at a church in Deerfield Beach, FL, honoring Juliette’s many personal and professional accomplishments and contributions to the community.

Siegel’s Passion for Children and Seniors Enhances Center Board will be adding,” says Heidi. “As the former Community Development Director with Wilton Manors I was aware of many conversations in our community about LGBT housing for seniors — both market rate and affordable. The opportunity for implementation was presented to me while I was at the City. I worked with many different land owners and developers to see how we could bring this to Wilton Manors but I did not feel like it was getting traction and that scared me. I didn’t want to lose this opportunity. From there I reached out to Robert Boo. I was not sure if housing fit into the vision of The Center, but figured it was worth a conversation and from there the idea evolved into where we are today. I will never forget the cheers and applause this idea got early on in the process when I told the Coffee and Conversation group that I was looking for a way to bring affordable LGBT housing to Wilton Manors.” Heidi doesn’t hesitate to point out what she’s most enjoyed about working with The Center: “Of course, the playground project! The grant process, as tedious and long as it was, was fun. It allowed us LGBT parents to bond and become more vested in The Center. Then to see our daughter have a hand in the design of the project with her peers made me a proud mother. And of course the actual building of the playground.” She values the enhanced diversity of the work that The Pride Center does in the community. “The evolution of the last few years under the leadership of Robert, Kristofer and Roger is just amazing,”

says Heidi. “The Pride Center has expanded its programs to be more inclusive to the whole community without neglecting any segment.” Heidi was born and raised in Broward County. She received a Bachelor’s in History with a focus on race relations in the post Jim Crow South from Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina and a Master’s in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. “I am always happy to help with the technical side of the Master Plan process and provide moral support to the staff,” says Heidi about her role with the Board. Heidi first got involved in a leadership role in the LGBT community through her local synagogue. “When I was in graduate school in Atlanta I served on the board of the gay and lesbian synagogue I attended,” she says. “I was the Tzedakah Chair. Tzedakah means ‘good deeds’ and I came up with programs where we gave back to the larger community as well as serving in a leadership role on the Board of Directors.” Heidi is a strong advocate for equality and safe spaces for children and the elderly. In her free time, Heidi enjoys reading fiction, camping, fitness training, running and cooking. Heidi is married to Marlene Marante Siegel, originally from Havana, Cuba, and they are mothers to 11-year old Shoshana. Heidi is clear on the skills, vision and passion she brings to the table: “My positive attitude, sense of humor and my passion for the children and seniors.”

Pride Center staff and volunteers participated in a packed-day of outreach at Stonewall Summer Pride. The Center’s popular float won best Community Float in the parade. The Center utilizes diverse events each week to educate the community on its vital resources, programs, services and opportunities.

Fall 2016

Stonewall Street Festival & Parade

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eidi Siegel is as an accomplished, busy woman. Yet over the past few years she has served The Pride Center in leadership roles for its most visible projects. She recently was voted enthusiastically onto our Board of Directors. “I like to be involved with things I am passionate about,” says Heidi. “At the same time, there are just so many hours in the day. So I choose to be involved in the Board so I can help shape The Pride Center’s future and hopefully make the path easier for young people and our senior community members.” Heidi served as community co-chair for The Center’s playground build and has been involved with the shaping of the new Master Plan and the Senior Affordable Housing project. She is a professional land planner and municipal administrator. Heidi currently works in the private sector. “For many years, I was a silent, occasional user of The Pride Center,” confesses Heidi. “I went to the original Center that Alan (Schubert) set-up on Oakland Park Blvd for community information and support. I also went to some programs at the Andrews Avenue location. It was not until I started working in my former position in the City of Wilton Manors that I sought out opportunities to be involved in the programs and eventually the Board.” Heidi knows she already has impacted the future of The Center and the community through her volunteer efforts. “I am proud of my role in the housing component we

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Tzedakah: “Good Deeds” H

Photos by Steve Shires and James Dillon O’Rourke

Volunteer Spotlight: 14 Years and Counting

Paul Alpert

Reichman Uses Life of Service to Impact Trans Community

By Samantha McCoy, Customer Service Coordinator

VOICE Fall 2016

aul Alpert has been volunteering with The Pride Center at Equality Park (formerly known as the GLCC) since January 2002. When Paul and his late partner, David Fisher, decided to leave the Maine winter for three months, they rented an apartment in Victoria Park. With hopes of meeting new people and a desire to give back, Paul began volunteering at The Center. Fourteen years later, Paul still sits behind the front desk, greeting community members on Tuesday evenings. Paul’s volunteerism does not stop at the customer service reception desk. Paul wakes up at 4:45 a.m. every first Saturday of the month to volunteer at The Center’s monthly Flea Market. Paul remains very active in the community and is the past treasurer of Front Runners of Ft. Lauderdale, The Equality Park Garden Club, and the East Neighborhood Association. Paul belongs to the Dolphin Democratic Club, HRC, Equality Florida, PFLAG, Lambda Legal, SAGE, Primetimers, ACLU and various other organizations. If all of that was not enough, Paul is a Master Gardener and as part of his community service, he planned and supervised the installation of a butterfly garden at the Wilton Manors Library. Paul’s spirit of volunteerism and motivation to continue his service to Equality Park is fueled by compassion and his desire to help make life easier for the younger generation navigating their sexuality. “I would have been much happier when I was growing up if there was more acceptance of gay

By Tatiana Williams, Testing Expansion Coordinator

people and a place that was safe for me to visit and discuss all that was happening to me,” says Paul. When Paul is not saving the world one organization at a time, his main hobby is gardening. His house is on a large lot and all around his home are tropical plants and 500 orchids. Paul spends between two to four hours every day in the garden, pruning and caring for his precious plants. Paul has three grown children and seven grandchildren ranging in age from 17 to 28. Certainly visiting and keeping in contact with his family takes a great deal of time. Living on a canal which connects to the Middle River allows Paul to launch from his dock and canoe or kayak through the city. The City connected Paul to us here at The Pride Center at Equality Park, and for that we are so grateful. Thank you, Paul Albert, for 14 years and counting!

Did you know? + Over 200 people attended our last Founders Circle reception. Founders donate at least $100 monthly to support our vital programs and services. + The Pride Center has provided more than 6,800 HIV Tests over the past year. Do you know your status? + Over 100 people play Bingo at The Pride Center on the second Saturday evening of every month. Check out The Center’s website to learn more! + More than 1,000 people use our David Bohnett Cyber Center every month.

“Accept People for Who They Are”

he Pride Center is fortunate to have such an amazing person as Jodi Reichman working as our Transgender Services Coordinator. Jodi works within the Transgender Community, providing referrals and linkage to services such as medical and mental health. She organizes and provides cultural competency trainings and education to service providers and agency support staff throughout South Florida, which is paramount when working with transgender individuals. She helps coordinate our regular Transgender Education series in collaboration with the Florida Department of Health in Broward County. She creates regular workshops to foster inclusiveness through understanding, including helping spearhead the many Transgender Awareness Month activities in November each year. And she helps lead the annual local Transgender Medical Symposium. Jodi, a native of Chicago, became involved within the HIV/ AIDS Community in the late 1980’s as a volunteer for the AIDS Memorial Quilt. She found her reason and purpose in life. Jodi decided to leave her profession in corporate accounting and follow her passion; she soon gained employment at Center One. She worked hands-on in hospitals, developing HIV programs and training staff. Jodi has worked for over 25 years in community based organizations in various positions, including developing programs for the homeless and public health and safety. In 2007, Jodi began her amazing work in public service for the Health Department. She began working within the Transgender Community. Jodi created the first local Transgender Medical Symposium for the Department of Health in Broward County. The symposium was designed to educate medical students, doctors and mental health providers. The symposium has grown and six years later it still educates the healthcare community in cultural competence for transgender individuals. One thing Jodi values about her job as an ally is the ability to provide assistance where and when needed as well as offer acceptance by those in the community. Jodi says her passion is knowing that she is able to help someone and change their lives for the better with understanding, love and kindness. Jodi says that her father raised her with the acceptance and inclusion of all people. She remembers his words of wisdom: “Accept people for who they are, not for what you want them to be”. “Life has taken me on an amazing journey, one which I have never regretted,” says Jodi. “I have been given many amazing opportunities.”

Where, Oh Where Are My Brothers? Kiki Project Graduate Moves from Isolation to Community By Lorenzo Robertson, Emerging Interventions Manager

VOICE Fall 2016

lfredo is a native of Nicaragua but now lives in Wilton Manors. He has lived in three cities around the country: New York, Charlotte and Tampa. His experiences with Black same-gender-loving men have been good, bad and ugly. Alfredo was invited to a Kiki Project session and his experience was amazing. He was not sure what to expect attending a workshop with The Pride Center’s Kiki Project. But, during the Kiki session he realized this would turn out to be a great opportunity to share, and he freely expressed his views in a safe and nurturing environment. The conversation flowed and included many topics and subjects. The Kiki Project addresses issues persistent in the Black same-gender-loving community regarding high rates of HIV, homophobia, racism and the stigmas surrounding HIV and sexual orientation.

Capital Campaign Contributors John Graves Society $500,000

John C. Graves Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward

Cornerstone Society $250,000 Gil Corwin

Pillar Society - $100,000 Anonymous Jan Carpenter and Dale Russell Mona Pittenger

Luminary Society $50,000

J. Michael Heider, DDS and Thom Carr Kenneth M. Goss Former Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl and Ted Adcock James Jagielski John Ramos and Tim Caldwell Richard Schwarz and Tom Massey

Star League - $25,000

Doug Candler Forest Trace Luxury Resort and Adult Community George A. Kling, MD Estate of Clay Drexler

But workshops tie these social determinants to the underlying focus of building knowledge and skills around HIV prevention for Black same-genderloving-men. Our facilitator made everyone feel comfortable and everyone in attendance contributed to the conversation. When asked about what should HIV prevention programs for Black same-gender-loving men include in his opinion he stated, “We have to find them first.” He has not participated with many groups, and he considers himself a loner. He prefers his own company, but realizes that joining and participating with groups like the Kiki Project is a great way to learn and understand what is happening in his community when it comes to HIV Prevention. Without intervention, according to recent CDC reports, half of young Black same-gender-loving

Estate of James Rampe Attorney Arthur B. Smith Jim Stepp and Peter Zimmer Sunshine Athletic Association Doug Tinklepaugh and James Zinman Estate of Lawrence Zinman

Equality League - $10,000 D.C. Allen and Ken Flick Harvey Chasser Estate of C. Michael Johnson Hansen Realty Vince Di Pietro Paul Galluccio Mark Gordon and Aldo Buono Ed Nicholas and Chris Griswold Chuck Nicholls and Mark Turner Coleman Prewitt The Bears of South Florida The Aubrey RichardsonPhilippe Trust C. Ted Wolf and Frank Decolator

Visionary Circle - $5,000

Anonymous In Memory of Gilbert Anko Darcy Beeman Ilene Berliner and Maura Lane John Bowles Mark Budwig and Nick Scalzo Michael Dager and Harvey Shapiro

Michael Dane and Alex Quintero Chris Dunham and Joseph Dominguez Gregory P. Gaddis and David R. Stack, III Gay Bridge In Memory of Rick Gibson Cal Harrison Tyler Healis Kenneth Hollander Charitable Foundation Robert L. Hubbard and Bill Greeves Friends of Stephen Jerome Dr. David Kyner and Richard Bray Christopher Mahon, MD W. Lynn McLaughlin and David Webb Ken Merrifield and Fred Berger Warren Milbourne David Moon and Eugene Smith Douglas Pew and Donald Croxton Michael Preihs and Khoi Loung Bennett Quade and Paul Rolli Herb Reis and William Coffey SAGE Men’s Drop In Don Schultz Calvin Steinmetz and Brian Boyle Stork’s Bakery Dave Stubbins Dean Trantalis, Esq. Ted Verdone and John Curtin Charles Walker Sumner T. White

To give to our Capital Campaign, contact Robert Boo at RBoo@PrideCenterFlorida.org or Roger Roa at RRoa@PrideCenterFlorida.org

Alfredo Hudson men in the US will become HIV positive. We are at a critical phase in the US when it comes to saving our Black samegender-loving men. Our charge is to reach out to our brothers to help them understand that HIV is real and impacting us daily. But, the other side of the proverbial coin, is that common prevention methods must change to address holistically the myriad social issues impacting Black same-gender-loving men and influence their thoughts, feeling and behaviors. Alfredo’s life in the other cities gave him a clear perspective about how Black same-gender-loving men can build comradery. In those cities, there were opportunities to meet other like minded men to build family. He sees some of that expressed in Broward County, but on a much lower scale. While living in the other cities he came to understand that, “I could not build a nation by myself.” He understands that to move forward he needed to surround himself with like minded people and stop isolating himself. He is grateful for the opportunity to participate with the Kiki session. It opened his eyes to one biomedical intervention in particular, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). He now talks about PrEP with his friends, and to his amazement many are unaware of PrEP’s existence, even friends who are educated and knowledgeable. The Kiki Project session opened Alfredo’s eyes to some of the obstacles that still impact how Black same-genderloving men navigate through their life experiences. He plans to participate more with the Kiki Project, joining the Ashe` Alliance and other groups that support and empower Black same-gender-loving men.

If you want to learn more about the Kiki Project at The Pride Center and its ongoing work in HIV prevention among Black same-gender-loving men, contact us at kikiproject@pridecenterflorida.org or 954-463-9005, ext. 309, 306 or 308.

LIFE and CHOICES are two health-enhancement and prevention programs offered by The Pride Center’s PALS Project for people living with HIV/AIDS. Several local men share how the lessons they learned and the relationships they made enhanced their holistic health and impacted their lives. To learn more about LIFE or CHOICES, call The Pride Center at 954.463.9005. Tom Doucette I was very reluctant to even start the LIFE program as I was afraid to be around groups of people. I hated having HIV. I had no self-esteem. I had just moved here and was all alone with no friends; and I was a broken man with absolutely no direction in life. All this changed thanks to the LIFE Program and the people in it. I will never forget the first night, as I got there early and sat in the back row, far away from the other person there, and kept my head down and hoped and prayed no one would talk to me. As people trickled in, I started to panic and almost snuck out the door, but was stopped by this smiling lady who gave me a huge hug and welcomed me to the program. I can’t tell you how much that hug meant to me the first night. After that huge hug and welcome, I got another hug from someone else on staff. After those hugs, I felt welcomed and decided to stay. When the program started, we were split off in small groups. Two men guided us through all our cofactors of living with HIV as a group, and were so caring and kind to all of us

Walter Wilt-Wright (and his partner Greg Wilt-Wright) My partner Greg and I were new to Ft Lauderdale, having moved here from Columbus Ohio. We needed to find good medical care and services and to create a good social network of friends. We had lived in Florida for a year and hesitated to register for LIFE due to the length of the program. 18 weeks seemed like a long commitment to us, but we finally decided to take the class and are very glad we did. One of us was backward and analyzed everything (me), while the other was more expressive of their feelings (Greg).

We both were accepted just as we were. We found a home among the group and a real connection with the facilitators and the other participants. Throughout the weeks, we gained increased knowledge of the HIV services that were available in the area and also built self assurance that we both strongly needed. Our relationship to each other grew even closer after 15 years together, and we were able to build a bond with several of the participants and facilitators. We now feel like we have created a good social base that we longed to have even back in Ohio. Thank you to The Pride Center for offering the LIFE program.

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At first, I was a little apprehensive about taking the LIFE Program. I figured that there wasn’t anything it could teach me that I didn’t already know, but my boyfriend Miguel Gonzalez convinced me to do it with him; I am so glad that we chose to go through with it. LIFE was a very insightful and well articulated program. For us, it was not that the information was some huge revelation, but it brought a new level of self-awareness that we are able to apply to our daily lives. That awareness coupled with the perspectives of the other men in the group (who ranged from the newly diagnosed to men who have been living with this disease since the 1980s) was the perfect blend to create a truly profound experience, both as individuals and as a couple, that we would recommend to anyone living with HIV. After the LIFE program ended, we decided to also take CHOICES which commenced the following week. It

was a much briefer, but much more intimate experience that taught some coping skills and how to deal with the disclosure of one’s status and negotiating safer sex. We would recommend CHOICES to people living with HIV, especially if they aren’t sure if they want to take the LIFE Program. It is a great way to ease yourself into this process. We think that both these programs also helped us as a couple because we learned new ways to communicate about different areas affecting our lives, since we are both HIV+. We have been able to foster new dialogue about our health routines, and we also keep each other accountable on medication adherence. In both programs, we found the facilitators to be very welcoming and helpful and the atmosphere to be safe and nonjudgmental. The only downside is that once completing the programs, we found ourselves itching for something else to do on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. We have made some great friends from both programs and now have a desire to be more involved in the community.

has changed my life for the better and allowing me to love myself again. I walked through the doors a few weeks ago so alone, broken, and hating life….to walking out the doors, no longer alone, but with the most amazing friends, a new knowledge of everything associated with living with HIV, but most of all not hating myself and not hating that I have HIV. I hope the LIFE Program finds other men living with HIV so they also can change their life for the better, but most of all, meet the most amazing, kind, generous, and loving people.

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Ryan Pyles (and his partner Miguel Gonzalez)

with the different issues that we deal with living with HIV. Our group was very diverse in ages, as we had long term HIV survivors, newly diagnosed, and different personalities. We shared deeply about everything we were going through and we helped each other get through things that only people living with HIV could understand. As the weeks went on, I started to meet the most incredible men that were participants in the program, facilitators donating their time, and people involved in the program. Over the course of 17 weeks, I have become a different person than when I first came in, as I am smiling again and loving my life. Every week I learned a different cofactor that effects me living with HIV, and have learned how my disease works, how the drugs fight it, how to read my labs, how to ask questions to my doctor, how to deal with grief and depression, and so many other things that have changed the way I look at how to live my life with HIV. I learned this is not a death sentence anymore and I have stopped living in shame, remorse, and guilt for having contracted this disease. I learned in this program that I control how to live my life with HIV, not HIV controlling me. So in closing, I would like to thank everyone in LIFE who

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Changed For The Better

Local Men Share Testimonials of LIFE and CHOICES Programs

Maturing with HIV

VOICE Fall 2016

The Center recently hosted a workshop on the challenges of aging with HIV. This workshop was a collaboration with our PALS Project and our ongoing “Maturing Together” series with funding assistance by Our Fund. To learn more about the series, please contact Christopher Matthews at 954.463.9005. Photos by Steven Shires

Women’s History Month Art Reception Our Women with Pride program again held a popular art reception for Women’s History Month. This year’s exhibit was Icon: Women Who Changed the World. Closet Talk once again helped The Pride Center spearhead the event. Photos by Manuel Leon

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

“No Greater Reward”

Baumgartner Discovers New L.I.F.E. Purpose and Goals

by Shanna Ratliff, Prevention with Positives Manager

The Center hosted the unveiling of a 50ft long mobile mural to launch the Art to End AIDS project organized by ArtServe. This is the first of a number of planned murals in the Florida Department of Health (DOH)-Broward County’s #ArtToEndAIDS initiative. Congratulations to artist Georgeta Fondos, for the stunning Fort Lauderdale Beach mural. Photos by James Dillon O’Rourke

supportive of John’s promotion to L.I.F.E. Program Coordinator. Ebony Wilson, Prevention Outreach Coordinator, who previously supervised John while he was working in Testing and Outreach, shared her experience regarding working with him. “As soon I began working with John, I knew we could never let him leave The Pride Center,” said Ebony. “John is a very hard worker. He brings a lot of passion, compassion and experience to his position at The Center.” Buddy Stein, a long-standing volunteer at The Pride Center, acknowledges that John has the drive, passion, and compassion to be successful in his new role. “John’s an incredible guy,” says Buddy. “He has taken on so much so quickly and has done a brilliant job. Even though John is busy in his new role, he always calls and checks on me anytime he hasn’t heard from me in a while. He’s just loveable.” John’s passion is evident as soon as you speak with him about his position at

The Center. John states that “coordinating the LIFE program has given me renewed hope for those living with the disease.” John further explains the foundation for his drive:“The experience of watching others engage and flourish as a result of attending the LIFE program gives me the strength and courage to continue my work in the field and helping others. There is no greater reward to witness such astonishing transformation in others and this alone further ignites the passion — this is my greatest reward.”

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Art to End AIDS Mural Unveiling

one coaching sessions to participants. Instantly, John developed a special connection to the program. “L.I.F.E. is an amazing program and it encompasses all of the factors that I believe have aided in my personal success as a long-term survivor of HIV,” said John. During his internship, John quickly became such a necessary part of the program that when the position of L.I.F.E. Program Coordinator became available, several Pride Center staff and volunteers encouraged him to apply. John was hired as the L.I.F.E. Program Coordinator at The Pride Center in January 2016. Since then, he has been developing goals that he would like to achieve in his new position. “My goals in the LIFE program are simple: to engage a greater percentage of the community living with HIV,” says John. “There are so many men living in Broward County that can benefit from the program, and I wanted to be a part of a collaborative effort, along with other agencies, seeking to lower the collective viral load and cultivating greater awareness of others living with HIV in the county in which I live.” Center staff and volunteers are very

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n 2010, L.I.F.E. Program Coordinator, John Baumgartner, left a lucrative career in interior design to follow his life-long dream of becoming a social worker. When John decided to head back to school to obtain a degree in social work, he had a successful career in upper management in the interior design/furniture industry that left him somewhat unfulfilled. He always had wanted to help people through meaningful work. After enrolling in the Masters of Social Work program at Florida Atlantic University, John completed an internship at The Pride Center. John admits that he had heard about The Center but never visited before the University placed him in the position. John was truly blown away by all of the services The Center offered, and he knew immediately that he wanted to be part of all that was being accomplished. During the second half of John’s internship at The Center, he began working with the PALS Project, which provides prevention, behavioral health interventions and linkage to care programs for people living with HIV. John worked closely with the L.I.F.E. program by conducting intakes, observing small group facilitation, and providing one-on-

Diversity Honors

VOICE Fall 2016

The Harvey Milk Foundation and The Pride Center collaborated on this second annual gala, hosted by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. This milestone event recognizes South Florida and international honorees who have made a significant impact on improving the quality of life for the LGBT community. Photos by Michael Murphy and Stephen Lang

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Pulse Vigil

More than 1000 community members gathered on the Equality Park campus to sing, cry, grieve, yell, hug, rally, remember and stand in solidarity with the victims of the Pulse Massacre. The Pride Center organized one of the first vigils in the United States. We remember the 49 LGBTQ brothers and sisters whose lives were senselessly cut down at the Pulse Nighclub in Orlando. The Pride Center is grateful to the countless law enforcement officials, LGBTQ and community organizations, spiritual leaders, elected officials, civic leaders, volunteers, city employees and companies who organized, planned, prepared, donated and otherwise helped facilitate this vigil. Photos by Steve Shires and James Dillon O’Rourke

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The Pride Center’s Kiki Project organized a great community conversation about post traumatic slave syndrome, race and healing. Photos by Manuel Leon

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What’s Slavery Got to Do With It?

Founders Circle Reception at Bayview Cadillac Bayview Cadillac recently hosted a Founders Circle Reception. If you’d like to become a Founder and empower the work of The Center, contact Roger Roa at 954.463.9005. Photos by Stephen Lang

The Pride Center Founders Circle LIFETIME

Bob and Hal Bernier-Peterson Gil Corwin John C. Graves Charitable Fund Alan Schubert and Robert Suzuki

PREMIER LEVEL ($20,000 - and above) AIDS Healthcare Foundation - Southern Bureau Cox Media Group Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau / Richard Gray Hunters Nightclub / Mark Seymour and Patrick Volkert JetBlue Richard and Emilio Quadracci Cabrera Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Hollywood The Harvey Milk Foundation The Howard Greenfield Charitable Foundation

PLATINUM LEVEL ($10,000 - $19,999)

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Anonymous (2) City of Wilton Manors Dr. James Doan Freedom Travel / Richard Safaty (Board Member) and Omer Mizrachi Hotspots Magazine and Mark’s List / Peter Clark Oliver Kamm Joseph Krause LSeven Solutions / Scott Kean Panache Style / Bobby Kyser Robert S. Kecskemety Trust Rosie’s Bar & Grill / John Zieba and Cliff Mulcahy South Florida Gay News / Norm Kent The Alfred Wohl Family Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation

DIAMOND LEVEL ($5,000 - $9,999) D.C. Allen and Ken Flick / No Hate Fund at Our Fund, Inc. Argenti Jewelers / Mark Silver Broward Health - Imperial Point Diageo / Coastal Wine and Spirits Ilene Berliner (Past Board Chair) and Maura Lane Jared Falek and Don Chorpenning Kenneth Hollander and John Kardos / KSH Charitable Foundation David Kyner and Richard Bray Dr. Leslie (Board Vice Chair) and Fritz Leip Liquid Radar / Eduardo Garcia and Charles Rube Law Office Arthur B. Smith Pinnacle Housing Group / Michael Wohl Manor Night Club / Paul Hugo and Brett Tannenbaum Dr. Dale Russell (Past Board Chair) Wayne Schrebe and Roy J. Stegman Charitable Fund at Our Fund, Inc. Ted Schultz Scott L. Bennett Fund at Our Fund Jim Stepp and Peter Zimmer

GOLD LEVEL ($2,500 - $4,999)

Anonymous (2) Alpine Jaguar Chris Ambs and Scott Clearwater Atlantic Surf Club Ron Ansin and Jim Stork Biehn & Associates / Don Biehn Michael Camardello Doug Candler Harvey Chasser CLAD Tile and Stone / Earl Rynerson and Michael Shroyer Michael Dager and Harvey Shapiro Events by Grateful Palate / Leslie Grossman Fast Printz / Victor Flores Alex and Chris Garcia-Halenar August Gold and Carol Logen Tyler Healis Neill Hirst, MD and Greg Hughes Robert Hubbard and Bill Greeves James A. Johnson / James A. Johnson Fund for Giving at Our Fund Robert Judd and Russell Neal Dr. George Kling (Board Member)

Don Kocher and Jonathan Salt Steve Lovci Marriott Fort Lauderdale - North David Moon and Eugene Smith Richard Nolan and Robert Pingpank Howard Novie Metro Media Works / Chris Caputo (Board Member) Natura Dermatology & Cosmetics / Dr. Will Richardson Oakland Park Dental / Dr. Howard R. Cunningham Pallant Insurance Agency, Inc. / Joe Pallant Periodic Products / David McLaren Progress Bar Lightship Media / Andy Perrott Herb Reis and Dr. William Coffey George “Bill” Rogers Runyan Law Firm, PA / Tom Runyan, Esq. Richard Schwarz and Tom Massey Tony Seguino and Dan Ayers S. Mark Graphics / Mark Budwig (Board Chair) and Nick Scalzo Temptations Catering and Event Planning / Maurice Mizrahi The Law Offices of George Castrataro, Esq. The Pride Institute at Fort Lauderdale Hospital The Westin Fort Lauderdale / Deanna Sylvestri (Board Member) Tower Club John-Charles Toussaint Vitas Healthcare Corp. Jim Walker (Board Member) and Lee Rubin Wilton Metropolitan Apartments

SILVER LEVEL ($1,200 $2,499)

Anonymous (3) Ted Adcock (Board Member) and Ken Keechl Affordable Health Insurance / Sam Chalfant Paul Alpert Michael Altman and Miguel Garcia Rivera American Pain Experts / Neel Amin and Tom Macek Al Bacchi and Craig Ross BankUnited / Brenda Hartley (Board Member) Don Barlow Steve Barnard Mark Barron and Joel Rubin Christopher Bates Jim Baxter Ed Morse Bayview Cadillac David Bebbington Tom and Steven Begert-Clark Dr. Louis Benevento and Patrick Duffy Norman Berkowitz Better Homes & Gardens / Steve Gray Bitner Group / Gary Bitner Leny Blicher Mitch Bloom (Board Member) and Paul Wardell Boardwalk / Victor Zepka Dan Bohanan and Guillermo Licea Bruce Bolton John Bolton Robert Boo Lester Borenstein and Michael Wade Bove Dental / Al Bove, DMD and Coco Alarcon M. Deric Bownds and Len Walker Brian Boyle Broward Burial and Cremation Broward County Sheriff’s Office Gerald Byers and Rudy Wengenroth Daniel Byrne Rene Cantu and James Gigliello CareFree Insurance Service / Manuel Matos and Eddie Sierra Robert Caruso Chic Optique / Karen Carroll and Julie Slater Church of the Holy Spirit Song / Pastor Leslie and Sandra Rutland-Tipton Ron Clark Coach Bill for Life / Bill and Brian Sullivan Coffee and Conversation Bob Collier and Chuck Hunziker Concept International Design / Daniel Wasinger Coral Shores Realty / Daren Painter Rocco Costello and Jay Roehrig Courtyard Marriott Ft. Lauderdale Beach Crunch Fitness / Marc Delisle and Steve Diguardi Jimmy Cunningham and Jerson Velazquez D’Angelo Realty Group / Michael Faerber Don D’Arminio and Marc Martorana Lyle Davis Dominick De Stefano Dental Associates of Boca Raton / Dr. Michael Costabile Dennis Dean Photography / Dennis Dean

Philip Dearborn and Mark Bereyso William Desautels and Lee Moffitt Dolphin Democratic Club Downtown Loft Studios / Bruce Presley and Chris Hedlund Stephen Draft and Allen Peterson Irwin Drucker Gregory Dudzek and Jayant Goyle Eden Funeral Services / Keith Epstein and Norm Jacobs Edward Jones Investments / Darcy Beeman Michael Ekman Yadin Elcon Emerald Elite Home Health Care / Ernest Olivas (Board Member) and John Foxx Ted Emery Craig Engel (Board Member) Paul Fasana Andrew Fischman Stephen Fleishman James Flora Florida Medical Center Futurity 1st Ins. Group – South Florida / Gary Kempler Gables Wilton Park / Joe Markonic Galleria Lofts GalleryONE Fort Lauderdale Jerry Ganz and William Hirsch Joel Geils Will Gibson Glenn L. Goldberg Golden Age Living Steven Goldgram Goodman Public Relations / Michael Goodman Mark Gordon and Aldo Buono Scott Gray Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce / Keith Blackburn Donald Green and Gene Ingledue Marc Grossman Robert Grossman Robert Gunning Mark Halacy and Thomas Pollock David Hall Peter Hardy-Smith and Victor Soto Dr. J. Heider and Thomas Carr Richard Herman Scott Herman and Cale Choi Lazaro Hernandez and Steve Figlmiller Hans Hochkamp and Joseph DeBacco Paul Holoweski Kenley Hoover and Tom Pflepsen Gary Hummel Paul Hyman and Bill Bracker I DO, Custom Events / Devin MacLachlan Island City Smiles / Dr. David Warner and Chris Shultz J.P.’s Chocolate Shoppe / J. P. Cobleigh and Barry Miller A.J. Jabre James Jagielski Paul Jennings Jimenez Law Offices, P.A. / Andrew Jimenez, Esq. David Jobin and Angel Burgos George Johnson Randall Katz Mark Ketcham and Werner Lutz Maria Kondracki and Jim Dwyer Edwin Kowalski and Michael Donnan Robert Kuhn and Steven Geyer Julia Landis and Shawn Fanshier Bruce Lane Bernie Langeluttig and Dennis Fitzkee Law Offices of Gregory W. Kabel, Esq. Law Office of Robin L. Bodiford, Esq. Steve Leonard, DMD and Rodrick Pugh John Leyden and Tom Valentine Francis Leynaert and Fritz Martinez Lifeway, Inc. / Dr. Marah J. Lee, DO Dewitt Loe Charles V. Loring Charitable Fund at Our Fund Norton Lyman and Kimio Sato Darrell Manning and Darryl Stephens James Martinez and Kenneth Sanchez Joe McConnell and Michael Lennon Kent McIntyre and John Tambasco Charitable Fund at Our Fund, Inc. W. Lynn McLaughlin and David Webb Ken Merrifield and Fred Berger

Michael Murphy Photography / Michael Murphy Midland Medical Center / Steven Levin and Gregg West Anthony Molluso and Bill Volbrecht Monk’s Corner Estate Liquidators / Jim Fowler and Dennis Gluck Moonruby, LLC / Stanley Lou Gregory K. Moore and Allan Barsky Anthony More and Fred Paiz Kevin Murdoch and Carlos Prado Bill Murphy National Stonewall Democrats / Hon. Stephen Driscoll and Robert Tocci New Your Life Insurance / Michael DePaolis Newman Insurance / Lynn Corning Charles Ohsiek Palm Beach County Human Rights Council / Rand Hoch Douglas Pew and Donald Croxton Sam Picciotto Peter Pileski and Bob Avian Pinnacle Constructors, LLC / Doug Tinklepaugh and James Rickard Mona Pittenger / Mona Pettinger Giving Fund at Our Fund Randy Plummer Bob Poster and Carmine Martorilli Premier Smile Center / Dr. Charmiane JohnsonLeong and Warren Leong Pride Carpet Cleaning / Bill Thornton Joe Pumphrey and Carl Whitley R3 Accounting, LLC / Timothy S. Hart RBC Wealth Management / Ellen Krider, CFP Brian Reardon and John O’Brien Rick Reddington and Rob Brinbaum Greg Rigoff Real Estate South Florida / Anthony Kulp and James Beauter Dr. G. J. Rockwell, Jr. Paul J. Rolli and W. Bennett Quade Donn Rubin and Stephen Harmon RWE Real Estate / Robert Eldredge Rick Salomon Lee Sathre Jack Schlossberg and Greg Fineman Danny Selvin and Sidney Goldenberg James Senior Shawn and Nick’s Courtyard Café / Shawn Bombard and Nick Berry Garrick Shear and Terry Siden Steve Shires Photography / Steve Shires Dr. Robert Shore Heidi Siegel (Board Member) Paul M. Smith (Board Member) and Gerald Kennedy Some Men Like It Haute / Douglas Cureton Tomas Soto and Frank Lefevre, M.D. Sterling Tax and Accounting / Jeffrey Sterling Terry Stone and Mike Bush Stork’s Bakery Café / Esmeralda and Peter Dekaj Dave Stubbins Sunshine Athletic Association The Bears of South Florida, Inc. The John H. Le Blanc Charitable Fund at Charles Schwab Charitable Fund The Pink Submarine / Dawn Halloway The Law Offices of Stephanie L. Schneider, P.A. / Stephanie Schneider, Esq. Tony Timiraos and Arthur Crispino Charitable Fund at Our Fund, Inc. Top Dog Mobile Grooming / Tomas Arias Michael Tinley Tom Jones Charitable Fund Bruno Trambusti and Randy Grant Dean Trantalis, Esq. Mark Traverso and Conor Walton Treece Financial Group / David Treece Carl E. Trough Mark Turner and Chuck Nichols USA Benefits Group / Joseph Mustipher Richard Vallari Ted Verdone and John Curtin Vincent Vigliotti James Wagner We Florida Financial Steve Wetzler C. Theodore Wolf and Frank Decolator Tom Wolf and Fernando Rodrigues

Join The Pride Center Founders Circle! Support the programs and services of The Pride Center. Founders Circle memberships begin at $100 per month. For more information, please contact Roger Roa, Director of Development, RRoa@PrideCenterFlorida.org

Did you know?

Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Leadership Fort Lauderdale Class 11. He is an active board member of the Tower Club and Florida Atlantic University’s President’s Community Council. “I lead these groups by setting an example of how to take on a responsibility and doing the best job possible to do what I say,” says Mark. Though he already has made a profound impact on The Center through his years on the Board and on leadership committees, he is humble and quick to point out the leadership of his predecessor. “My term as board chair just began July 1,” says Mark. “Past Chair Ilene Berliner deserves immense credit for all the years she was Board Chair. “I think I help The Pride Center through my volunteerism, spreading the word and getting ready for the upcoming capital campaign.” Mark knows his leadership to the Board directly will enhance the lives of others. “By keeping the board on track and

meeting our goals and objectives, The Pride Center will continue to provide excellent services to the community — and this has an impact on the lives of others in the community,” he says passionately. A graduate of University of California San Diego, Budwig resides with his partner of 33 years. Mark enjoys many friendships and family as well as maintaining his home. He also is a collector of contemporary art and CocaCola memorabilia.

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publisher of Go Riverwalk magazine, Fort Lauderdale’s City Magazine, which distributes 15,000 magazines monthly. Mark exhibits a proven legacy of leadership in the LGBTQ community and at The Pride Center. “In 2003, I was introduced to Broward House,” relates Mark. “My graphic design agency did a lot of pro bono work for them and as a result, they asked me to sit on their Board. I became board chair in 2009 and just ended my term June 30th. I joined The Pride Center Board four years ago because I am such a believer in The Pride Center’s mission. I wanted to be a part of the team.” Mark has enjoyed working with The Center, on leadership committees and the Board. “It is truly a pleasure to work with CEO Robert Boo — such a professional gentleman,” says Mark. “The same goes for senior staff at The Pride Center — both COO Kristofer Fegenbush and Director of Development Roger Roa are great to work with.” Since relocating to Fort Lauderdale in 2001, Mark has served the community where he lives. Mark is Past Chair of Riverwalk Trust, Oakland Park Main Street, American Marketing Association South Florida Chapter and the Greater

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trusted, established leader is providing fresh guidance at The Center. Mark Budwig recently was voted Board Chair for The Pride Center at Equality Park. He previously served as Vice Chair under long-time Chair Ilene Berliner (see article on Page 28). “The Pride Center has some exciting plans coming up in the next five years,” says Mark. “I look forward to serving in a leadership position through this expansion.” He deeply values the life-changing work of The Center in the community. “The Pride Center staff does everything so well,” says Mark. “I guess what I value most is the amount of people The Pride Center staff is able to help and, as a result, makes South Florida a better community.” Budwig is the owner and president of S.MARK Graphics since its founding 32 years ago. The boutique creative agency designs marketing materials for print, electronic and advertising media. Budwig is responsible for new business development, maintaining client relationships and developing project concepts. S.MARK works with a wide range of businesses on both a projectto-project and retainer basis. He is also

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Leading By Example A

Budwig Becomes Center Board Chair

+ Our PrEP with Pride program helps people get information, education and access assistance for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis. Email Prep@PrideCenterFlorida. org for more info. + Over 200 Seniors join us for Coffee and Conversation every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. + There have been more than 2,255 group meetings at The Pride Center this year. Take part in an activity at The Center! + The Pride Center’s CouplesSpeak program builds relationship skills, improves communication, lowers risks, and enhances sex.

Rainbow 5K

VOICE Fall 2016

The Pride Center produced and hosted its inaugural Rainbow 5k in Wilton Manors presented by Broward Health Imperial Point to raise funds for vital Center programs and services. Photos by Manuel Leon

By Bruce Williams, Senior Services Coordinator

(That’s Bruce Williams’ handsome little face over the “M” in “Disarm”) noted in a recent article by SAGE USA, “For the first time, The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is adopting a Program Instruction that requires states to include specific information in their plan about how they will target resources to all elders with greatest social need, and it expressly acknowledges that LGBT elders

may be among those elders eligible for targeting.” Sooooo as LGBT elders, or even someone who plans on living long enough to become one, it would serve us well to remind our representatives in Congress that we need their support in securing LGBT-specific funding under The Older Americans Act.

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and the Moms Demand Action group was protesting against the legality of weapons of mass destruction. Our gathering inside was far quieter, consisting of several toplevel members of The Obama Administration and about 50 invitees from across the United States. We were welcomed by Xavier Becerra, the Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus who in turn introduced our host, Randy W. Berry, Special Envoy for the Human rights of LGBTI Persons — United States Department of State. After a brief introduction of all in attendance, there was a review of recent events which have impacted our LGBTQI community and then a discussion aimed at fostering new ideas, building new partnerships and creating opportunities with a unified pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The questions and concerns were as diverse as the attendees and reflective of topics ranging from workplace discrimination to transgender concerns to issues facing our senior community. We hope the round table discussion serves as one more step in the on-going process of turning words into actions. In that vein, late last year, Congressman Deutch, in collaboration with Congressman Murphy and Rep Suzanne Bonamici, introduced the Connie & Ruthie LGBT Elder Americans Act in an effort to improve the Older Americans Act (OAA) so that it better serves LGBT seniors who often face fewer financial resources, severe social isolation and restricted access to health care services as a result of a lifetime of discrimination. The Older Americans Act (OAA) funds critical services that help to keep older adults healthy and independent—services like meals, job training, senior centers, caregiver support, transportation, health promotion, benefits enrollment, and more. It expired in 2011 but was finally re-authorized by Congress and signed into law on April 19, 2016. As a result of the re-authorization, the new version of the OAA each state is required to submit a plan describing how it will utilize funding to serve those seniors in greatest need of assistance. As

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urs is a nation of over 75 million Baby Boomers entering or nearing retirement, with over 40 million Americans ages 65 and over. Sadly, our LGBTQI senior community was not even identified until late in the last century, and consequently accurate demographics and subsequent representation simply do not exist. A widely held “guestimate” is that there are about 30 million LGBT adults aged 50 and older whose access to later life benefits is greatly restricted. In 2008, Reps. Barney Frank & Tammy Baldwin created a Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus which now boasts 89 members from both sides of the aisle. The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus in turn has created a 10 member task force to further legislation and administrative action on behalf of LGBT seniors, with local Congressman Ted Deutch serving as Chairman. Other South Florida members include: U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (Dem), U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen(Rep) and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (Dem). Congressman Deutch, a long-time advocate of legislation to ban anti-gay discrimination notes, “For many older Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, a lifetime of discrimination has undermined their right to a retirement with dignity.” Following one of his visits to our Coffee & Conversation gatherings, Congressman Deutsch invited me to participate in an LGBT Leaders’ Roundtable Discussion of the issues important to our LGBT Community. It was hosted by the House Democratic Caucus and held on June 23rd at The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. As it turned out, that was a particularly interesting day to be in our nation’s capitol. Democratic members of Congress had staged a sit-in the night before, and when I arrived on The Hill, there was a huge crowd protesting in front of The Supreme Court Building in response to its decision not to uphold President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Across the way on The Capitol grounds, there were other scenes reminiscent of the 1960s. There were a number of groups rallying for increased LGBT civil rights

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

My Experience with the LGBT Roundtable Discussion in The Capitol

Founders Circle Reception by Metropolitan Metropolitan hosted and sponsored a recent Founders Circle

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Reception. To learn more about becoming a member of the Founders Circle, and supporting the work of The Pride Center, contact Roger Roa at 954.463.9005. Photos by Stephen Lang.

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Key to Her Box Couples Speak Program Expands to Enhance Women’s Relationships By Lorenzo Robertson, Emerging Interventions Manager

We remain open to providing Couples Speak at organizations, agencies and groups across the community. We can bring the Couples Speak program to you. Couples Speak is a four week cycle and can be implemented during the day or evening. For more information, you may contact Lorenzo Robertson, Emerging Interventions Manager at 954-463-9005, ext. 306 or lrobertson@pridecenterflorida.org.

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Pastor Dallas Walker expressed her extreme gratitude, “We appreciate that The Pride Center would come to us to bring such a great program,” said Pastor Dallas. “My wife and I plan to use some of the other tools that were shared during our Couples Speak sessions. I also have opted to use the information to enhance my couples counseling before people get married.” “I always was excited, anticipating what we would learn the next week,” said Elder Keisha Green. “This program has made a big impact on me, and I will continue to use some of the exercises with my wife,” stated Deacon Liz Ortega. Sister Sophie declared, “The program has opened our eyes to being more transparent with our conversations with each other.” The Couples Speak program has benefited many couples. We continue to analyze data from previous years to ensure the workshops’ effectiveness in preventing the spread of HIV. We hope to replicate the program for other entities and organizations nation-wide. We are continuing our Couples Speak program implementation while inputting data from previous years to complete an analysis to determine the feasibility of replicating the intervention for other entities and organizations. There have been very positive responses from community members that have participated with the Couples Speak program.

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e implemented a recent multi-week Couples Speak program at Fountain of Love Ministries in North Lauderdale, one of our Faith Response to AIDS partners. This cycle presented us a unique opportunity because of the diversity of the participants. We facilitated this relationship-based HIV prevention program among a group of women with a male facilitator. The response was amazing. The women felt comfortable enough to share many intimate aspects of their relationships, making the program even more powerful for graduates. The Pride Center originally designed Couples Speak as an HIV prevention program to build communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, and health enhancement skills among serodiscordant relationships, where one partner is HIV-positive and the other it HIV-negative. After implementing the HIV prevention program, however, we realized that the activities, skills, exercises and trainings are beneficial to all sorts of couples, regardless of HIV status. We help couples enhance their relationships, stay healthy and help stop the spread of HIV. Couples Speak has graduated over 200 individuals since then. During our closing gratitude circle with Fountain of Love, many graduates were grateful that Couples Speak provided them more understanding of how to keep their relationship transparent with open and honest communication. Sister Yolanda shared that Couples Speak was “the key to her box.” When asked about her comment, she expressed that Couples Speak gave her great insight into how to open up and be more transparent with her wife.

Volunteer Appreciation Bingo The Pride Center hosted a fabulous, fun bingo extravaganza to recognize and thank our faithful volunteers. To learn more about volunteering, please contact Customer Service Coordinator Samamtha McCoy at 954.463.9005.

VOICE Fall 2016

Photos by Manuel Leon

Volunteer Spotlight: The Voice By Samantha McCoy, Customer Service Coordinator

ights, camera…. action! I am happy to showcase one of our Customer Service volunteers: Mr. Anthony Saracino. Anthony has volunteered at The Pride Center at Equality Park faithfully for two years. If you happen to call The Center on Friday afternoons, you will hear Anthony’s friendly and familiar voice providing resources and information about programs, events and services occurring on and off campus. And when I say “voice” I mean it. Anthony is a proud member of The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida and recently also was involved in the LGBT summer camp with Slow Burn Theatre. If you ever have enjoyed one of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida’s concerts, you’ve heard our very own Anthony singing his heart out and soloing in a song or two. The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida just so happens to be one of The Center’s tenants, with its operating office right on the campus of Equality Park. The Slow Burn Theater hosted auditions on our campus as part of their LGBT Summer Senior Theater Camp. Two fabulous performances occurred at the beautiful Broward Center for the Performing Arts. One of our community members recalls an encounter with Anthony one Friday afternoon that made such a difference in his life. “It was my first time visiting The Pride Center and I was so hesitant to open the door. When I finally mustered up the nerve, I was greeted by a volunteer named Anthony. I explained to Anthony that I was fairly new to the area and that I had recently lost my partner. Anthony was so kind and pointed me in the

direction of various places in town and groups that meet at The Center that may be helpful in getting me out of the house and active again. When I got home, I called to thank Anthony but he had already left for the day. I appreciate The Center and one it’s best volunteers for helping me during a difficult time.” When asked about his experience as a volunteer with The Center, Anthony humbly replied, “I love giving back to the community and truly enjoy meeting new people and creating new friendships.” When Anthony is not volunteering his time with The Center, he enjoys singing, acting and directing. Anthony brings such a positive and warm energy to Friday afternoons at the front desk. He smiles and greets each and every visitor who walks through the door. The Center is so grateful for Anthony’s amazing spirit of service. Here’s lookin’ at you kid!

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

PrEP Providers Appreciation and Networking The Pride Center shared their gratitude with 35 health care providers that currently prescribe PrEP as an HIV prevention strategy in their communities. For more information on PrEP, please visit our website: www.PrepWithPride.com. Photos by James Dillon Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke

Fall 2016

The Pride Center produced the fourth annual Tropical Plant Fair. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fair covered two days plus included some of the most prestigious nurseries in the area. Richard Perez spearheaded the event in collaboration with Chuck Nicholls. Photos by Steve Shires

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Tropical Plant Fair

Nine Years

VOICE Fall 2016

or nine years, Ilene Berliner served on the Board of Directors for The Pride Center at Equality Park. She has been the Board Chair for the past three years of her service. According to the bylaws of The Center, nine years is the max you can serve, so she recently stepped down from her position, and Mark Budwig became Board Chair. Ilene Berliner moved from Manhattan to Fort Lauderdale in June of 2004. She was very familiar with the city, as she came to Florida many times in her life to visit family and enjoy vacations on our beaches. She participated in LGBTQ activities in New York by attending Empire Pride, GLAAD and Lambda events. It wasn’t until she moved here that her interests became more involved. Over a lunch at Tropics with former GLCC CEO Paul Hyman, she was convinced that she could be an asset to the organization. Her original mission was to recruit Founders. Everyone with whom she came in contact was subject to her litany of why they should become a Founder. At the 2008 Stars Of The Rainbow event, Ilene was recognized as “a force to be dealt with. If you go to lunch with Ilene, hang on to your wallet.” The number of Founders grew dramatically and Ilene’s passion for what The Center was delivering to

Berliner’s Life of Giving Back Improves Center the community grew. At that time, the monthly events were held at people’s homes. There were few corporate sponsors and keeping the consistency of the program was a challenge. Ilene was determined and focused and began a pinpoint strategy on business owners. The next step was for the Board to orchestrate a move to a larger facility and work financial miracles to make it happen. In 2012 our CEO Robert Boo asked Ilene to take a larger role on the board. He felt that Ilene was the perfect choice for the role of Board Chair. “Ilene made things happen,” says Boo. “She was an enthusiastic and involved Board Chair. Rarely a weekday morning went by when we didn’t talk about the events of the week. She was invaluable to me as creative problem solver. Her involvement was unprecedented for the wellbeing and development of our talented staff, growth opportunities of the property and execution of programs for the community. I know I was lucky to have her in that leadership position. She was present, connected, active and available.” “The Pride Center has been a crucial part of this chapter of my life,” says Ilene. “I couldn’t imagine a life without giving back. There are more challenges ahead for us as LGBTQ people. Marriage equality was a major step forward,

Daddy’s Ice Cream Social The Pride Center hosted a recent ice cream social to help community members expand their social networks and build new friendships. A little over 100 were in attendance for sweet treats and lively conversation. Photos by James Dillon O’Rourke

but there are still people who don’t understand our need for rights and protection. There is still work to be done to help those with HIV. Work to be done to stop the spread of the virus. Work to be done to protect us in the workplace. Work to be done to help teenagers struggling with identity. There is plenty of work to be done, and I plan on continuing to be involved. I am going to take some time to decide what to do next, but I will certainly still be active in supporting, fundraising and cheering the efforts of Robert and team at The Center.”

By Martin Gould

Florida AIDS Walk

husband’s vision, dedication and generosity sets a great example—and a challenge—for other individuals. “I wish that all cities could have a community center like this,” says Suzuki. “I’m so fortunate to live in a place that includes everybody.” Alan’s philanthropy never stopped. Even from his hospital bed during his final days he would call Robert Boo, CEO, to suggest people to approach for support. Won’t you honor Alan’s request and make a donation to The Pride Center today?

Fall 2016

The Pride Center organized a passionate team who raised money for the annual Florida AIDS Walk along Fort Lauderdale beach. Organized by AHF, the AIDS Walk allows The Pride Center to receive the funds specifically raised by our team for use in our vital HIV services.

Alan Schubert (center) with the GLCC’s original board

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is name is on The Pride Center’s largest building. His spirit can be felt throughout Equality Park. His dream of creating a place where everyone in the community—LGBT and straight, young and not so young, and everyone in between—could come together largely has been achieved. Alan Edward Schubert squeezed every drop of life out of his seventy years, spent mostly in Chicago and South Florida. According to Robert Suzuki, his husband of 23 years, Alan’s idea for a community center began to take shape in his Victoria Park living room. “He just came up with the idea,” said Robert. “He was able to get people to donate. That’s challenging, asking people to donate to something that’s not tangible, but he got it done.” In 1993 the idea became a place: the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) and eventually ended up on Andrews Avenue. Schubert’s vision was to bring all LGBT organizations together under one roof, rather than being in competition with each other, as was the case before the GLCC opened. “He wanted it to be a place where everyone could come together,” said Suzuki. “He wanted the plan to be

inclusive—regardless of whether you were gay or not.” Creating and maintaining a place for people and organizations led to finding financial support for the programs and services the GLCC began providing. Schubert personally funded numerous activities, especially those focused on LGBT youth, AIDS/HIV testing and treatment, and drug abuse. Sixteen years later, having outgrown its original space, the GLCC moved to a five-and-a-half acre campus on Dixie Highway and was renamed The Pride Center at Equality Park. By that time, Schubert had moved back to his hometown of Chicago, but, according to Suzuki, he was overwhelmed by The Center’s growth. “Alan saw the new buildings and campus and said, ‘this is awesome.’ It was almost overwhelming. So many different places for people to meet,” said Suzuki. “He was excited to see hundreds of seniors gather every week to meet and greet each other.” In honor of his vision, determination and philanthropy, The Pride Center named its front 15,000 sq. ft. building for Alan Edward Shubert, who died in June 2016 after fighting his own battle with cancer. His dedication to philanthropy with a purpose lives on through the thousands of donors who support The Pride Center every year. Robert Suzuki says his late

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

AAlanPlace That Includes Everybody Schubert’s Vision Created The Center

Photos by Manuel Leon

Founders Circle Reception at Events by Grateful Palate

VOICE Fall 2016

Events by Grateful Palate hosted and sponsored a recent Founders Reception along the water. Funds donated by Founders Circle underwrite life-enhancing programs and services to the community. To join Founders, please contact Roger Roa at 954.463.9005. Photos by Steven Shires

Tattoo Expo The Pride Center recently provided personal HIV prevention outreach at South Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tattoo Expo. Staff and volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to discuss proven, effective HIV prevention strategies with a diverse community. Photos by Manuel Leon

By Rob Saunders

well for the job. He worked on a Masters in Counseling a while back but did his certificate in Gerontology; he worked as an Emergency Medicine Technician when he was younger, and then later as program director at a senior care facility; and he was in a Catholic seminary for four years. “So I have the medical aspect, the spiritual aspect and the psychological aspect, which, for me, is treating the whole person,” he said. In general, he noted, aging requires adjustment. “How do we adapt; how do we deal with grief and loss? If you can deal with those three things while aging, and be able to accept the next thing that happens, you can have some good adjustment aging.” One thing he quickly learned when he began the job was not to talk to Boomers or Gen-Xers “about aging, seniors, anything about getting old.” So he’s making the theme of his work at The Pride Center “Maturing Together,” aimed at building a broad-based community. “We have an interesting dynamic,” he noted. The sad fact is that a generation of

Part of the challenge is trying to set up some events on evenings and weekends to accommodate people who are working. “We hosted a Daddies’ Ice Cream Social to provide a social opportunity for people in our target age range,” he said. “This helped us build an audience for deeper topics. This is a new issue for our community and some of it is going to fail and some of it is going to take off.” He’s looking for community partners to contribute to some activities. If you have some ideas, Christopher is at The Center each week and often at the Flea Market on the first Saturday of each month. Maybe you could seek him out there. “All of us are getting older,” Christopher said while summing up his thoughts, “and I feel it’s better to be proactive about it than to stick your head in the sand. Aging is not for sissies!”

Did you know?

Fall 2016

gay men in the 1980s was devastated by the AIDS crisis, leaving us with a relatively small number of elders from that time. “Now, we’re growing again and we’re getting older but we don’t have people to learn from. We’ve lost that. How do we build a community to take care of each other?” The first challenge is just getting people together “outside of bars and sex clubs,” Christopher said. Then the focus has to be on preparing the 45-to-65 year-olds to meet their needs as they age. For example, he continued, folks with HIV on average are going to use services 10 years sooner than other people who are aging. “They’re going to have to know how to negotiate the healthcare and insurance systems, which can be daunting and complex.” He organized a recent workshop to help address these needs. Then there are bureaucracies like Social Security and Medicare, which some people need help navigating. “Or, the issue may revolve around how to work while growing older for those who may not have the resources to retire, or around questions about dating over 45,” another recent workshop he helped provide. Christopher already has organized several events and activities addressing such issues. He aims to organize regular sessions, such as a panel discussion or a talk or Town Hall on some aspect of maturing.

VOICE

e’s engaging, handsome — and pretty young. Not, perhaps, the first person you might think of to be involved in issues for aging adults. “Yes, I do get that sometimes,” Christopher Matthews laughs. “What’s a young’un like you know about getting old?” Be that as it may, Christopher recently took on the job of Senior Services Specialist at The Pride Center. It’s a new position, born of the realization that while The Pride Center’s senior services have successfully focused on the older segment of the senior LGBT community, there’s now a need to gear attention to 45-to-65 year-olds; those who are working or just about to retire and trying to deal with some of the issues of aging. “We’re seeing the baby-boomers and the aging Gen-Xers coming here. I call it the tsunami of seniors,” Christopher said during a wide-ranging conversation. “Our Fund has been crucial in helping fund the position for me to be here part-time.” His background has prepared him

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

Aging Isn’t For Sissies

Matthews Leads “Maturing Together” Initiative

+ The Center regularly hosts art gallery openings, films, music and live theater presentations. + The Pride Center provides workshops for prospective and current LGBT parents. Follow The Center on Facebook to stay up-to-date! + Our CHOICES programs can help build coping skills for some of the stresses of living with HIV. Contact MMorales@PrideCenterFlorida.org for more information

Founders Circle Reception at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

The Hard Rock hosted a recent Founders Circle Reception. Founders provide at least $100 monthly to support the programs and services of The Pride Center. Photos by Stephen Lang

VOICE Fall 2016

Groups at The Pride Center

WEEKLY RECURRING MEETINGS

AA – Each Day a New Beginning, Recovery, Daily, 9-10a AA – Northeast Group, Recovery, Mon, 8:30-9:30p AA-Lunch Express, Recovery, Mon-Sun, 12p-1p AA – Sober, Proud and Gay, Recovery, Fri, 8:30-10p AA – Pride 5:45 Meeting, Recovery, Daily, 5:45-6:45p A Course in Miracles, Social, Tues, 7:00p-9p BrothasspeakFTL-Social, Wed, 7:00p-9:00p Coffee and Conversation – SAC, Social/Seniors, Tues, 10:30a-12noon Crystal Meth Anonymous, Recovery Mon 6p-7p, Wed, 6p-7p Games Day, Social, 2nd & 4th Tues, 1-4p Gay Bridge Club, Fun, Mon & Fri, 1-4p Gay Hearts, Social, Sun, 1-3:30p Gay Men’s Empowerment Group, Thurs 7p-8:30p Living Agelessly @ Pride Center w/ August Gold, Tues,Social,121p Island City Al-anon-Support, Thur, 7-8p Mahjong, Social, Wed, 1-5:00p Man2Man Talk, Social, Mon, 7-8:30p Narcotics Anonymous Rainbow Group, Recovery, Wed, 8-9p New Path Narcotics Anonymous Group, Recovery, Mon/Tue/Thu, 7-8p New Path Narcotics Anonymous Group, Recovery, Sat/Sun, 4-5p Open Hearts Meditation Group,Sat,3:30p-5p Overeaters Anonymous, Recovery, Sun, 12n-1:30p Overeaters Anonymous, Recovery, Fri, 7:30-9p POZ Attitudes Here and Now, HIV Support, Wed, 7-9p, Quit Smoking Now, Tues 7p-8:30p (Inquire for details) SAGE Men’s Social, Social/Seniors, Wed, 1-3p SAGE Computer Club, Wed 4p-5:15p SAGE CO-ED Discussion Group, Thurs, 1p-3p Sunserve Pos Long Term Survivors, 1st/3rd Tues,6:30-8:30p Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA), Recovery, Fri, 7p-8p Senior Exercise Class YMCA Health, Senior, Mon-Fri, 10:10a-11:10a,11:15-12:15p,1:30-2:30p Senior Gay Men’s Support Group, Support, Mon, 11a-12p Smart Recovery, Recovery, Mon, 7:30-8:30p/Thur, 6:30p-8p Sunnywaters Reiki Circle, Social, Wed, 12-1p The Healing Project Meeting,Tues 7:30p-9pm

Toastmasters, Educational, Mon, 7:15p-9:15p Women’s Non-Competitive Basketball, Social,Mon,Thur 5:30p, Sat 3p Pride Center Young Adult Group, (23-35 yoa), Support, Fri, 7-9p Yoga with Kai Garcia, Social, Wed, 6p-7p

BI-WEEKLY RECURRING MEETINGS

Ballet & Opera Group, Educational, 2nd & 4th Sunday, 1-4p Sunserve POZ Long-Term Survivor, Gay Men/HIV Support, 1st & 3rd Tues, 6:30-8p Senior Games Day, Social, 2nd & 4th Tue, 1-4p

MONTHLY RECURRING MEETINGS/EVENTS Pride Center BINGO, Open to Public, 2nd Sat, 7-10p Dolphin Democrats, Monthly Meeting, 2nd Wed, 7:30-9:30p Equality Park Garden Club, Educational, 3rd Wed, 7-9p Monday Night Women’s Group, Social, 1st Mon, 7:30-9p Pride Center Flea Market, Open to Public, 1st Sat, 8a-2p Primetimers, Open to Public, 1st Sun, 2-4:30p SAGE Movie, Social, 3rd Mon, 4-6p Spiritual Workshop with August Gold,Social, 2nd Sat, 1p-3p Transgender Support Group, Support, 3rd Fri, 7-8:30p Women with Pride Book Club, 2nd Thur, 7-9p Women with Pride Game Night, 1st Tues, 7p-9p

For further information or to rent a room for your special event call: Samantha McCoy at 954-4639005 ext. 101. Visit www.pridecenterflorida.org/calendar for meeting room assignments. Room days/times subject to change.

Beach Blitz

The Pride Center’s outreach team participated in a targeted, high-impact HIV prevention event called Broward Beach Blitz, organized by The Florida Department of Health in Broward County. The Center’s outreach team distributed HIV prevention program information, spoke with individuals about HIV prevention, took condom polls, talked about PrEP, and distributed thousands of condoms.

www.PrideCenterFlorida.org

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VOICE Fall 2016

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VOICE Fall 2016

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Volume 3 • Issue 20 October 19, 2016

Wilton Manors Gazette

Wicked Manors Will Go On Additional sponsors found to help cover security costs

By Michael d’Oliveira Robert Boo is breathing a “sigh of relief.” Recently, Boo, CEO of The Pride Center, was worried his organization might not be able to organize Wicked Manors, Wilton Manors’ annual Halloween event. The costs for security, in the wake of the recent attacks in Orlando and France, have tripled from $9,000 to $27,000. That increase is what created the doubt about Pride Center’s involvement this year. But now, thanks to new sponsors, including the copresenting sponsors, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Hunter’s Nightclub, Wicked Manors will again be a Pride Center production. “Wonderful organizations, I might add,” said Boo about AHF and Hunter’s. “I’m very excited. It’s going to be really great.” Boo expects between 15,000 and 18,000 people to attend the event. “It’s bringing people into the city. But since we haven’t done it on a Monday night before, we’re just guessing. We could get totally inundated.” He added that’s a good problem to have. This year, Halloween is on a Monday. Boo said the event could have been held the Friday or Saturday before Halloween but Monday was chosen to help the bars, which don’t usually make a lot of money on a Monday night. Caleb Ben-Avram, co-owner of Naked Grape on Wilton Drive, said he thinks the event should have been held on a Saturday. Normally, Naked Grape is closed on Mondays, but Ben-Avram said the sheer number of people who come to Wilton Drive for the event means he and his partner, Tim Slivinski, will be open. “It’s a lot of people, so we have to be open.” Although for this year he’s not sure yet how many people will patronize Naked Grape during the event because they have to work the next day. “I would imagine the weekend’s [going to be] a little bit busier.”

Photo: J.R. Davis.

For those who drink or abstain that night, Wilton Drive will be closed to vehicles starting at 1 p.m. on Halloween and opened back up at 2 a.m. on Nov. 1. There will be entertainment, costume contests and more. The event is from 7 to 11 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is “Political Nightmare – Scandals, Secrets & Sins.” It’s doubly appropriate because of the presidential election and for the fact that Boo reached out to the city’s politicians for additional help when it looked as though his organization might walk away because the security costs had increased so much. In a previous interview, Boo said that the increased costs would have cut too much into the profit from the event. That money is used to help fund Pride Center and its programs. Last year, the organization made a profit of $40,300 from Wicked Manors. After Boo reached out to the city, commissioners voted to spend up to $10,000 on public safety. They gave City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson discretion as to how much of that money would be spent on Wicked Manors. But now, Boo said he may not need those funds. “I haven’t gone to them yet. My hope is I don’t have to go to the city for any additional funds for support. The city is being very supportive.” City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said that no formal request has been made yet by Boo to tap into the money. City money that has been allocated is $10,860 for RoadSafe Traffic Systems to provide traffic maintenance services. That includes water barriers in several locations, 250 barricades and 28 specialty signs. Commissioners approved the expense at their Oct. 13 meeting. WMG For more information on Wicked Manors, visit wickedmanors.org.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • www.WMGAZETTE.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 •

October 19, 2016

10.19.2016 •

Opinion

The Final Stretch

WMG October 19, 2016 • Volume 3 • Issue 20 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre Election Day is only three weeks away, mail-in ballots have been sent out, early voting will start next week, and we have entered the final stretch of this horrific election cycle. One would hope that, once Election Day is over, we can begin to move ahead without all the insanity from Donald Trump filling the airways and the news headlines. Unfortunately, his scorched-earth policy will leave much damage for our great nation to deal with for a very long time. Claims of fixed elections, media bias, the encouragement of racism, sexism, and hate speech, conspiracy theories, and all the rest of Trump’s evils released from the Pandora’s Box of the American electorate. We cannot let the insanity overwhelm us and our need to show up at the polls and vote. Some residents have told me that they are so turned off by this negative and sinister campaign for President that they would not be voting at all. Instead of falling victim to such feelings, we must encourage everyone to vote and make it absolutely clear who we want to hold the office of President of the United States. That choice needs to be Hillary Clinton. If there was any media bias in this election, it was in favor of Donald Trump. Early on in the primaries nobody called Trump on his behavior, his lies, and his actions. He used the media to take out opponent after opponent until he was the only one left standing and now is the Republican nominee for President. Where was the evil, sinister, left wing news media when Donald Trump was getting a free ride through the primaries? No mention of them back then. Only now that Trump realizes his chance of moving into the White House is out of reach, does he look to cast blame. This behavior is very typical for Trump, use people for personal gain, then discard them when finished. Moving beyond the race for President, we have many other

We cannot let the insanity overwhelm us and our need to show up at the polls and vote.

Community

Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com

Editorial

Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com Designer • Charles Pratt Internet Assistant • Brittany Ferrendi Webmaster@sfgn.com News Editor • Michael d’Oliveira

Correspondents

Natalya Jones • John McDonald • James Oaksun

Staff Photographers

J.R. Davis • Pompano Bill • Steven Shires

choices that need to be made on Election Day. Votes for our members of Congress, State Representatives, some Judgeships, Referendums, and of course our local officials here in Wilton Manors. Our local elections have mirrored the national race to some degree with two candidates making exaggerated claims and accusations. Thanks to Mayor Resnick, candidate Paul Rolli, and Commissioners Green and Carson for running their campaigns based on facts and firm beliefs on how best to move our city forward. My advice for the next three weeks: tune out the insanity and simply enjoy the Fall Season. I must thank Commissioner Flippen for reminding us all at the last City Commission meeting to take the time and enjoy this wonderful season, while displaying the beautiful pumpkin he recently purchased at the Kiwanis Pumpkin Patch at Five Points. He is absolutely correct; this is a wonderful time of year. We finally get a break from the brutal summer heat, nights are cooler and perfect for a stroll around town, the excitement of all the festivities fast approaching with Halloween and Thanksgiving begins to grow inside us all. So go out to the Pumpkin Patch, pick out your own Great Pumpkin, and enjoy this wonderful time of year. Be sure to carve that pumpkin into a very special Jack-o-Lantern, so that you can place it outside your home to ward off the evil spirits that are swirling all around us this election year. Hopefully it will also ward off some candidates from knocking on your door. We all can make life just better here……GO VOTE!!!!WMG

LGBT Wedding Expo returns to Wilton Manors

Sales & Marketing

Director of Sales & Marketing • Mike Trottier mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Sales Assistant • Tim Higgins Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com 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. MEMBER

MEMBER

Associated Press MEMBER

By Michael d’Oliveira LGBT couples tying the knot don’t have to worry about getting turned away by bakers or wedding photographers who oppose same sex marriage. On Oct. 30 from 12 to 5 p.m., LGBT-friendly businesses that offer wedding-related services will be at Hagen Park in Wilton Manors for the 2016 LGBT Wedding Expo. The event will feature photographers, bakers, caterers, disc jockeys, hotels, tailors, florists, hotels, limousine companies, travel agents, restaurants and other vendors. Wilton Manors staff members will also be in attendance to promote Richardson Park as a wedding venue. “It lets people know we have great facilities,

especially for weddings,” said Patrick Caan, Leisure Services director. “We’re really excited.” Caan said this is the third or fourth time the city has hosted an LGBT wedding expo. The city’s first LGBTthemed wedding expo predates the ruling by the Supreme Court that struck down anti-gay marriage bans across the country as unconstitutional. This year’s expo is being organized by The Rainbow Knot, a company that bills itself as “a gayfriendly wedding vendor business directory.” WMG

MEMBER

Admission is free. Visit the-rainbowknot.com for more information.

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Broward’s Real Estate Yearbook:

Real Estate Geek

Nearby Neighborhoods By James Oaksun

As a final treat, prior to the public release of the full version of my 2016 Broward’s Real Estate Yearbook, I wanted to share with my SFGN and WMG readers some insights and observations about what’s happening in some of the other neighborhoods in East Broward. Iexpect thatbythetimemynextcolumn runs,thefullyearbook will be available. Check my website (NewRealtyConcepts.com) or Facebook business page for updates. Or send your email address to me at James@NewRealtyConcepts.com and I will send you a personal link to the yearbook – and a bonus white paper gift – on the day of release.

Bifurcation. As I look around in a lot of the neighborhoods I cover, I see a split in the types of houses that are selling. We still see interest in very high quality homes, fully upgraded with premium finishes. These homes also will sell at premium prices, and help explain why median sales prices continue to increase in the face of declining sales volumes. There are some discerning buyers willing to pay top dollar. Otherwise, the checkbooks are shut unless it’s a steal.

Northeast waterfront cooldown. Personally, I think waterfront homes in Pompano and Deerfield (and to a lesser degree Lighthouse Point) represent better relative value than waterfront homes in Coral Ridge or The Landings.

That’s still true, and perhaps even more so now. Prices of waterfront homes north of the Fort Lauderdale city line softened in the last year by about 10 percent.

North Andrews Gardens recalibrated. In mid 2015 it was clear that the area of North Andrews Gardens south of Commercial Boulevard had become very desirable to buyers. Premium homes there had passed the $250k barrier and quickly approached $300,000. This did not persist into the most recent period, as we saw a flattening of prices at the upper end south of Commercial. Conversely, the area north of Commercial saw continued robust price increases and is now seen as nearly comparable in value to the south side.

Coral Ridge Isles. Strong 2014-15 high season pricing did not continue. Prices in Coral Ridge Isles dropped about 10 percent in late 2015/early 2016 before recovering slightly in the past few months.

South Middle River treading water. This neighborhood – Island City adjacent – is still waiting for a breakthrough.

So can I gaze into my Crystal Ball of Geekery and see what is coming for the 2016-17 High Season? Fortune telling is a dicey business. But I will offer two thoughts.

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October 19, 2016

First, there could be more interest in homes that need some substantial amounts of updating, especially if interest rates go up and people start to look at a home purchase here as more of a longer term proposition. Second, people really need to look at home purchase here as a longer term proposition. The evidence was starting to appear last year, but it is manifest now. Double digit annual price increases are the exception in this market, not the rule. Unless you are in a special market situation or find an exceptional deal, a 10 to 15-year time horizon is appropriate for single family real estate in east Broward. WMG James Oaksun, Broward's Real Estate Geek(SM), is BrokerOwner of New Realty Concepts in Oakland Park. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI).

10.19.2016 •

Travel

Higher Taxes?

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Some Dixie property owners open to paying more for a train station

ME TO

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Should property owners on Dixie Highway have their taxes increased to help pay for a train station in Wilton Manors? The answer depends on who you ask. But, even those who are open to the idea want more details before deciding to support it. Joe Pallant, who owns Pallant Insurance, has become the de facto leader of property and business owners who are willing to have their taxes increased to help fund one of the planned Tri-Rail train station platforms that’s supposed to be built. Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park and other cities with the FEC railway running through them are vying for stations. If Wilton Manors gets a station, it would most likely be built south of Five Points. Pallant sees big benefits for local businesses if it is. “People would come to Wilton Manors at night and daytime and help support the commercial business and restaurants. If you don’t build it [here] they can’t get off here,” he said. “They’d be getting off in Oakland Park. I’d like to see them getting off in Wilton Manors.” Pallant added that he’s glad the city has increased its financial commitment to a station by setting aside $50,000 in reserve funds to help pay for it. Commissioners said designating reserve funds is only a way to show the city’s commitment. The $50,000 has not been spent yet and is only designated for the station on paper. If the city does spend money on a station, commissioners said it would either come out of the general budget or grant money. City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the city plans small increases to the funding each year. “I think it’s a little early to talk about special taxing districts,” she said. In Pallant’s proposed special taxing district, property and home owners within a certain distance, including ones on parts of Northeast 26 Street and Northeast 24 Street, would be taxed. Pallant suggested a range of about 2,000 feet. He said the homeowners would benefit because they would be close to the station and could utilize it easily. Right now, Pallant envisions half the cost being paid

October 19, 2016

by the city and the other half by the taxing district. But the taxing district is still a preliminary idea. Any taxing district would have to be approved by property owners. The Wilton Drive Improvement District was approved by a majority of that street’s property owners, but only commercial property owners were taxed. Residential property owners were not. The money generated will be used to make improvements to Wilton Drive. At least two property owners said they are open to a possible increase in taxes, but they have to know more details before officially saying yes. “I might be, but I’d want to see more details first,” said Norm Carol, who owns the Sterling Accounting building and other property along Dixie Highway. Dean Borg, one of the owners of The Metropolitan, said he’s in favor of the train station but he needs more details before supporting a special taxing district. “We’re certainly in favor of the train stop. I think transportation’s critical in this day and age.” Jeff Sterling, owner of Sterling Accounting, said he thinks the special taxing district would be “well worthwhile,” even if the cost is passed onto the renters, but he’d like to see it used for more than just a train station. “It would be a huge step up for us.” Tim Abbot is one of those business owners who could see his rent go up. Abbott, owner of Retro Video, said the train station is a good idea. His only concern is how much a possible tax increase may impact his rent. He’s willing to pay a little extra but not a lot. “I guess it would just depend on how much. If it was a small amount, that would be fine. If it was a huge amount, then no.” Virginia Flaherty, co-owner of About Town Lock & Safe, is against the station no matter what the effect on her rent is. Growing up in Chicago near a commuter train station, Flaherty said she doesn’t think the area has the infrastructure needed to accommodate the traffic increase that will ensue if a station is built. “I’m not interested.”

WMG

Politics

Wilton Manors Ready With Plans if Sales Tax Increase Passes A penny at work in Wilton Manors

By Michael d’Oliveira

the street. The desired land acquisition It’s still unknown if Broward County would be parcels north of the boating voters will pass the one percent sales tax facility and north of the park. increase on the ballot this November, but Patrick Cann, director of Leisure Wilton Manors officials already have plans Services, said the additional land for the for the money if they do. boating facility would help eliminate Voters will actually be asked to approve some of the bottlenecks that occur there, two increases – 0.5 percent for countywide especially during the Island City Canoe race. transportation improvements and 0.5 The improvements would be made between percent for local infrastructure. Both 2017 and 2021. Cann said the must pass or neither will be entire estimated cost of the implemented. Colohatchee project would Mayor Gary Resnick said The purpose be over $2 million when the money raised from the finished. sales tax, an estimated $1 of the The purpose of the million for Wilton Manors, Sidewalk Sidewalk Connectivity project could be used to fund projects Connectivity is to improve pedestrian and that would have been paid for bicyclist safety and make the with money directly from city project is city more walkable. The cost taxpayers. “The question is to improve would be about $600,000 how are we going to pay for and take place in four phases. it?” pedestrian The improvements would Resident Paul Kuta and bicyclist be made between 2017 and opposes the sales tax increase safety and 2021. The reconfiguration because he thinks it will of infrastructure to protect be harmful to low income make the it from sea level rise would families and individuals city more cost about $450,000 and and the transportation and take place between 2027 and infrastructure projects are walkable. 2031. Road resurfacing would “poorly planned.” cost $760,000 and take place For Wilton Manors, the between 2017 and 2021. money would be used to perform roadway The fire station infrastructure plans resurfacing, expand and add amenities at are estimated to cost about $350,000 and Colohatchee Park, repair sidewalks and will be undertaken between 2017 and increase connectivity throughout the 2021. Regardless of whether or not the city, make renovations to the fire station, sales tax increase is improved, city officials improve infrastructure to prepare for a rise are already moving forward with the in sea level, and purchase security cameras. renovations to the fire station. At Colohatchee, the money would be On Oct. 13, officials advertised a request used to expand dog play areas, upgrade for bids for the fire station improvements. security, the addition of a water sports The deadline to submit a bid is Nov. 15. facility and the construction of a walking In the city’s capital improvements plan, trail around the outside edge of the park. planned renovations for the station include The first phase is expected to cost $625,000. a kitchen remodel, replacement of tiles, new After that, later projects would include air conditioning unit, new bay doors, new land acquisition, fitness opportunities, an lockers, removal of ceiling tiles and a new improved pavilion and picnic facilities, and generator. WMG improvements to the boating facility across

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10.19.2016 •

Business

Old Florida Seafood House Plaza to be Used For Mixed-use Development Plans include condos, retail and boutique hotel; Business owners want parking lot repaved

By Michael d’Oliveira Those who want to see improvements made to the parking lot at the plaza where the former Old Florida Seafood House is located might be getting more than they expected. Fort Lauderdale Commissioner and attorney Dean Trantalis, who represents the owner of the plaza, which is located at Northeast 15 Street and Northeast 26 Street, said his client plans on demolishing the existing structures and building a mixed-use development that would include condos, retail space, and possibly a boutique hotel and parking garage. Trantalis said his client is working to attract joint venture partners for the project. An application for development could be submitted within the next 24 to 36 months. Any proposed development would have to be approved by the city commission. But one business owner, who asked not to be identified, said he’s heard plans for redevelopment off and on for 30 years. He’s confident the owner will make improvements to the existing parking lot but has his doubts about the successful redevelopment of the property. Until then, Trantalis said the owner will “do the right

thing” and temporarily resurface the worn-out parking lot and landscaping that residents and business owners have said needs to be improved. The curb appeal would be improved “in order to take away the negative impact on the area.” He added that it wouldn’t make sense to spend an estimated $1 million to bring the entire property up to code when it’s just going to be demolished not long after. “My client appreciates the assistance he has received from the city in working out a transitioning of the site.” But he said it’s not fair to blame his client for the state of the plaza because the previous owners let it go for many years. There are empty storefronts, potholes, faded asphalt, eroded and deteriorating speed bumps, and weeds growing out of planters and parking blocks. Some business owners also say the loss of Jimmie’s Chocolates and Old Florida hurt the plaza. Those two businesses were big draws to the shopping center and the rest of the merchants lost potential customers when they went out of business. The city was stopping the owner from renting space to new tenants until he agreed to make the improvements. City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the plaza’s

Briefs

Around Town Check out what’s happening

Pet Rescue Benefit & Doggy Fun Fest By Michael d’Oliveira

Volunteers needed for Welcome Center Art Gallery 21 is looking for “Good Neighbor Ambassadors” to serve as volunteers for the new Welcome Center slated to open inside Art Gallery 21 in early November. Once opened, the Welcome Center’s hours of operation will be Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Thursday

owners have submitted a draft of plans to pave the parking lot and add landscaping. “They do seem to be making progress but it’s a priority for us to get that property cleaned up,” she said. Last year, Mayor Gary Resnick brought up the condition of the shopping center, saying it was an eyesore. He repeated those comments at the Oct. 13 meeting. “It’s just totally horrible looking. It’s just not looking good at all,” said John Yang, owner of Lotus Chinese Kitchen. If the redevelopment does occur, Bonnie and Paul Stanford, owners of Wilton Gallery, hope to stay as long as possible before they have to leave. “That’s kind of what we expected to happen. There’s been rumors about that ever since we moved in in 2009,” Bonnie said. WMG

from noon to 6 p.m. Good Neighbor Ambassadors will work in pairs with two persons per shift. A total of 16 pairs of volunteers willing to work two fourhour shifts per month are needed. To volunteer or for more information, send an email to ArtGallery21wcwm@gmail. com. WMG

The Rotary Club of Oakland Park/ Wilton Manors will hold its annual Pet Rescue Benefit & Doggy Fun Fest on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway. The event includes a dog agility course, dog pool, vendors, food trucks, beverages, costume contest and music. There will also be a Struttin’ for Strays Walk at 10 a.m. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Funds raised will be used to benefit local animal shelters. Visit www.doggyfunfest.com for more information. WMG

Water Chlorination

Early Voting in Wilton Manors

The chlorination of Wilton Manors’ water supply started on Oct. 18 and will end on Nov. 22. This procedure will affect residents in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale-By-TheSea, Port Everglades, Sea Ranch Lakes, and sections of the Town of Davie, Oakland Park, and Tamarac. WMG

The Wilton Manors City Commission Chambers will serve as an early voting location for the upcoming general election. Early voting will begin Oct. 24 and end Nov. 6. Hours for voting are Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit browardsoe.org. WMG

“Basel Broward” 2016

Rossetti Fine Art has called for entries for its Seventh Annual “Basel Broward” 2016. The juried art competition, which takes place Dec. 8 to Jan. 12, is an open media and open theme exhibit for all 2D and 3D works. Artists are encouraged to “think outside the box” and “push the envelope.” Artists who enter paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, and more can compete for $500 in cash awards. An artist’s reception will be held Saturday, Dec. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rossetti Fine Art in Wilton Manors. For more information, visit tomrossetti.com. WMG

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lifestyle books

‘A Murder Over a Girl’ by Ken Corbett

Terri Schlichenmeyer

ou could become whatever you want to be.

A ballerina, a cowboy, a fireman, a teacher. The sky was the limit – or so you were told. You could grow up and become the person of your dreams and that was okay. Except sometimes, as in the new book “A Murder Over a Girl” by Ken Corbett, dreaming can be deadly. Larry King had had a rough start in life. Born to an addict who “turned tricks” for drugs, Larry was neglected and abused and became a ward of the state as a small toddler; at two-and-a-half, the little “brown boy” was adopted by a white couple and life was better – until he reached adolescence. At age fifteen, he began talking about wearing make-up and women’s clothing, and becoming the girl he felt he was. Many of his teachers “directed Larry to the closet;” the supportive ones were criticized. His adoptive parents tried to downplay his wishes; eventually, Larry left their house and moved into a group home, where he felt comfortable enough to start transitioning. He asked his teachers to call him “Leticia” and he began wearing cosmetics and feminine apparel to school. To those who knew him, Brandon McInerney was “just a regular kid.” Blond, blue-eyed, and athletic, he liked riding his bike and hanging out with friends – though there was a side of him that many knew but few acknowledged: McInerney had a quick temper and was fascinated with Nazism and skinhead culture. Larry King, therefore, was everything McInerney hated – especially when, as rumor had it, King asked McInerney to “be his Valentine.” Or, at least that’s what other middleschoolers claimed, although no one could

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c.2016, Henry Holt $27.00 / $31.50 Canada 277 pages “actually recollect” hearing it. And even if his words were just rumor, some kids still said that McInerney was bothered by King’s “flamboyant” actions, possibly to the point of sputtering rage. Friends advised McInerney to ignore King – but he couldn’t. And so, on February 12, 2008, not three weeks after his fourteenth birthday, Brandon McInerney took a gun to school and shot Larry King twice in the head. I wish I could say that there’s a satisfying ending to this book, but there’s not. And it’s not author Ken Corbett’s fault, but reading “A Murder Over a Girl” is somewhat like watching a horrible train wreck that just keeps going. Surprisingly, that doesn’t diminish the importance of this book. Corbett, a clinical psychologist, offers readers a look at a crime from a nonlawmaker’s point of view. This unique eye for what happened enhances the understanding of the whole picture, psychologically speaking and especially in the books’ second section. There, Corbett writes mostly about the trial, witnesses, and other research, all of which seemed to allow him to dive more personally into this story – and so, because he presents it well, will you. This is a timely book, a trial-watcher’s delight, and a shocker all around. It has no happy ending, but it’s impossible to look away from, nonetheless. Start “A Murder Over a Girl,” and you’ll become riveted.

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lifestyle television

Submitted photo.

Alyssa Edwards is the third All-Star to be

Eliminated from RuPaul’s 2nd Michael Cook

To follow this season’s RuPaul, visit

SFGN.com/RuPaulAllStars

All-Star Season

hile Alyssa Edwards may call herself a “lovely fifth alternative,” she is by far, one of the most popular queens to ever hit the main stage on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. It was no surprise that fans were thrilled to see her name on the list of queens returning for redemption when “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” was announced, and during her time on the show, she did not disappoint. Sadly, Edwards was eliminated on last week’s show...or was she? The final scene showed all eliminated queens (including Edwards) returning for another possible shot at the crown. I sat down for a chat with Alyssa to talk about her “All Stars 2” experience, her dance company Beyond Belief and what she thinks “Drag Race” has done for the community.

Right off the bat Alyssa, you must know that there were three gay men in this house before this interview literally trying to tongue pop exactly like Alyssa Edwards. (Laughs) Well it’s good that you boys have something to be tongue poppin’ about! We were very sad to see you eliminated this week on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2” I know. I was thankful for the moment and the opportunity, but I’ll be honest there was a big part of me that was devastated. But you know what? I could look in the mirror and say “you did that” and that I was happy with. What made you want to go back for another crack at the crown after such a strong season on Season Five? I had so many reasons why I wanted to revisit Season Five. Season Five I left with regrets, and I’m not a person that has ever regretted anything. I got back and then I watched and re-evaluated, and then I thought to myself that I totally could have done new things. I was reserved and my biggest critic and my biggest competition. I had to say to myself “Justin you are your biggest fan and you have been your whole life”. If you get that opportunity, baby, pack them bags, and that’s what I did. I felt like I delivered from the talent show, to the Joan Crawford, to the Annie Oakley, I felt like I was doin’ my gig! Many people thought you were going to be the queen to take the entire competition! Well, you never know, if you saw the end of the last episode, it’s not over just yet! Speaking of, were you surprised at the twist that brought all of you back to the workroom for your revenge? Very much so. For me, I thought Ashton Kutcher was going to be around the corner or something. I mean, there were so many twists and turns coming at is, I thought I was about to be pranked, what’s going on?!

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Were you surprised at the girls that joined you on the “All Stars 2” cast or were there some girls that you really expected to see that weren’t there? I think both really. I didn’t know Tatiana since she was from Season 2 and there were a couple of girls that I was surprised not to see, but overall the cast was very strong, there were just ten of us. The biggest surprise to me was that there were five season five girls. You took the platform that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” gave you and have truly made something of it and developed it into your own brand. Is it still mind boggling that you are reaching that many people on your web series “Alyssa’s Secret”? Most definitely. When World of Wonder called me and told me to come in and be camera ready, I was like “ok”. When I got there and RuPaul himself was there it was like “ok you’re in the principal’s office”. I sat on this chair in front of a green screen and I felt like I was being interrogated. Ru asked me about my first date and I told him it was this Cajun guy that I had been dating and he tried to take me to Red Lobster and I was real confused. I started rambling and they all started giggling. The next thing I know, it’s on the internet. Now I look and I love that this many people get into this Monday gig, it’s a laugh, it’s a good little laugh. You recently had a piece in the Dallas Observer on Beyond Belief, your dance company and it was a great way to see the other side of your career. Is it sometimes odd to you that people are becoming as interested in your life as a teacher as much as your life as Alyssa Edwards? No it’s not, I am so glad the world is seeing that. The pride and joy of my life is Beyond Belief. It’s my greatest accomplishment and my greatest reward. I am happy that I am getting to share some of that.

I have heard you speak about the parents at the studio and they are so supportive of you and your career as Alyssa Edwards correct? Yes, 100%. If they’re not, they just don’t comment at all. I am so blessed over here. I was scared, I didn’t know how people would take all that. It’s in Mesquite, I mean, I went to West Mesquite High School, Home of the Fighting Wranglers. I didn’t know how those people would feel. I didn’t want my work as a choreographer to be judged by my “alternative lifestyle’ That’s one other thing that I am so thankful to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for. It’s like that taboo of what a drag queen is, it’s really being wiped away. This movement that RuPaul, and World of Wonder and Logo have allowed is just giving people a whole new outlook on the art that we are doing. I think that many don’t take it as seriously as the true form of art that female impersonation is. Absolutely. The whole thing about art also is that it’s subjective. What more do you want to do as Alyssa Edwards? I think my book of life is written, it’s just now being read out loud. I am enjoying this chapter right now. I know it’s going to get really good, you know you can just feel it building up? I am enjoying this ride; I’m just going with it. I’m excited! I cannot finish an Alyssa Edwards interview without you showing me how to do the patented Alyssa Edwards tongue pop! I made this “Alyssa’s Secret” video to show people how to do it, but you gotta practice it, because it is hard. Ok, you gotta put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and, like in the video, pull it down, but you’re sucking in air. “POP”! Once you perfect that you can add in the lips or the hands to give it some character! Remember it’s not personal it’s just drag. And thank you to all of you for your support!

Broward Gala The 14th Annual

2016

Join us for this sparkling, fun event in support and celebration of the inspiring and successful work of Equality Florida that includes delicious cocktails, sumptuous culinary delights, dancing, Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith’s annual “state of the state” address, and the presentation of the Voice For Equality Award to superstar Martina Navratilova.

You’re Invited!

Celebrating

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MARTINA NAVRATILOVA

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016 5-8PM B Ocean Resort 1140 Seabreeze Boulevard Fort Lauderdale

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As one of the first major athletes to ‘come out’ publicly in 1981, Martina rocked our world and paved the way for countless others to live their lives fully-with dignity and authenticity. A south Florida shero, Martina is a committed advocate for LGBT rights, and constantly uses her celebrity as a megaphone, promoting the ideals of equality and fairness for all! Martina shows us, better than anyone that, except in tennis, “LOVE WINS!”

TICKETS $175 COCKTAIL ATTIRE

Fo r q u e st i o n s o r to RSV P v i s i t w w w. eq f l .o rg/ b rowa r d ga l a o r c a l l ( 8 1 3 ) 8 70 -3 7 3 5 S p o n s o rs h i p o p p o rt u n i t i e s b eg i n at $ 5 0 0. P l e a s e co n tac t Row I l i e s c u at row@ eq f l .o rg o r c a l l 3 0 5 -3 3 5 - 2 10 2 fo r d e ta i ls . Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. All net proceeds directly benefit Equality Florida Institute, a tax exempt 501c3 non-profit organization. Statewide Sponsors

A C O P Y O F T H E O F F I C I A L R E G I S T R AT I O N A N D F I N A N C I A L I N F O R M AT I O N F O R T H E E Q UA L I T Y F LO R I D A I N S T I T U T E M AY B E O B TA I N E D F R O M T H E D I V I S I O N O F C O N S U M E R S E R V I C E S B Y C A L L I N G T O L L- F R E E W I T H I N F LO R I D A ( 1 . 8 0 0 . 4 3 5 . 7 3 5 2 ) . R E G I S T R AT I O N D O E S N O T I M P LY E N D O R S E M E N T, A P P R O VA L , O R R E C O M M E N D AT I O N B Y T H E S TAT E . R E G I S T R AT I O N # C H 7 9 9 2 .

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lifestyle food

Submitted photos.

Scott Conant at last year’s SOBEWFF

Rick Karlin

Chews News

lthough Food Network’s and Cooking Channel’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SoBeWFF) isn’t until Feb., tickets go on sale soon (if they haven’t already by the time you read this) and are snatched up quickly. With more than 90 events taking place from Feb. 22 through 26, it is widely recognized as one of America’s most prestigious food and dining festivals.

The iconic series of Miami Beach signature events kicks off with “Italian Bites on the Beach” hosted by Valerie Bertinelli and Alex Guarnaschelli, followed by one of the festival’s most coveted tickets, “Burger Bash,” hosted by Rachael Ray. The weekend will close with “Lucky Chopsticks,” an Asian

night market hosted by Andrew Zimmern. “With an array of dinners, tastings, seminars, and parties showcasing a variety of cuisines, wines and spirits from around the world, guests will find plenty of ways to satiate their taste buds at this year’s Festival,” noted festival founder and director Lee Brian Schrager This year, SoBeWFF again expands into Broward County with the “Taste Fort Lauderdale” series. Kicking off with “Seaside Eats,” hosted by Anne Burrell at Bonnet House on Feb.22, “DRINK Fort Lauderdale,” takes over FATVillage on Fri. Feb 24. Closing out the series, “Bloody Mary Brunch,” will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. Other events in the Fort Lauderdale series include dinners hosted by Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy, Valerie Bertinelli, Daphne Oz, Tiffani Thiessen, and Geoffrey Zakarian.

For tickets, call 877-762-3933 or go to SoBeFest.com.

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Meet the Pizza King! Gennaro Luciano is a worldrenowned pizza maker known for his signature pizza. His family’s Pizzeria Port’Alba, reportedly the first pizzeria in the world, opened in Naples, Italy in 1830. Louie Bossi’s Ristorante will host the Italian chef, one of his few American appearances, on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. During the event, Luciano will discuss the history of Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, and showcase his pizzas. In addition to hearing him speak on his family’s history and his authentic pizzamaking methods guests will have the opportunity to meet Luciano and take photos with him. The event is free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information, go to LouieBossi.com.

Mojo, will host a wine dinner on Friday, Oct. 28 featuring Fratelli Wines. The five-course meal will include grilled octopus, roasted duck breast, artichoke flatbread, osso bucco ravioli and chocolate hazelnut semi-freddo, each with an accompanying wine tasting. The evening begins at 6:45 and costs $80 per person, prepaid in advance. The featured wines will be available for purchase, by the bottle or case, at a reduced rate. Call 954-568-4443 for reservations.

The 5th Annual Brazilian Festival returns on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Pompano Beach Community Park. The festival will feature more than 100 exhibitors, two stages, and a wide variety of Brazilian and international food offered by 30 food vendors. For more information, go to BrazilianFestPompano.org.

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Hip-Hop History

J.W. Arnold

jw@prdconline.com

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television Let’s do the time warp again! That’s right. Fox’s latest attempt at the big televised musical is the camp musical, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Transgender actress Laverne Cox offers a different kind of genderbending performance as Dr. FrankN-Furter, a role made famous by Tim Curry in the 1975 original. Adam Lambert and Ben Vereen also make appearances. Check local listings for show times and channels.

FRI

10/21

film The World AIDS Museum, 1201 NE 26th St. in Wilton Manors, hosts its monthly film screening tonight at 7 p.m. featuring “Holding the Man,” an Australian love story based on the memoirs of Timothy Congress. The film traces the relationship of two young men over 15 years during the AIDS crisis, which ravaged their community. Free, but a $5 donation is requested. More information at WorldAIDSMuseum.org.

Friday

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television

Tune into Great Performances tonight on PBS for “Hamilton’s America,” a behind-the-scenes look at Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical about the former treasury secretary. Tickets to the Broadway hit are certainly going to be scarce for some time to come, so take advantage of this opportunity to view some of the magic of this unique rap musical from your living room. Check local listings for show times and channels. Photo Credit: PBS.

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dance

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Miami City Ballet opens its 201617 season at Miami’s Arsht Center with the most cherished of 19thcentury ballets, “Giselle,” created in 1841 and set to a romantic score by Adolphe Adam. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The production moves to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, Nov. 5 – 6, and the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Nov. 11 – 13. Tickets at MiamiCityBallet.org.

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road in Jupiter, opens its season with “The Audience.” Peter Morgan’s award-winning, fictional drama offers audiences a riveting portrayal of the weekly meetings held by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace with her prime ministers—from Winston Churchill to John Cameron and spanning six decades of the monarch’s reign. Tickets start at $56 at JupiterTheatre.org.

We’re cheating on this one: “Dirk Bentley’s Holistic Detective Agency,” the cheeky new BBC America series based on the “thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnittime travel-romantic-musical-comedyepic” by Douglas Adams, actually debuts on Sunday night. But you can always watch it tonight on your cable system’s “on demand” service. It’s worth it. Check local listings for show times and channels.

Hello! Adele brings her concert tour to the American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, for two performances tonight and Wednesday, Oct. 26. It’s hard to believe, but there are still tickets available! You could be there with Adele’s devoted fans as she sings her biggest hits, including “Skyfall,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” and, of course, “Hello.” Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.

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A&E cabaret

Streisand’s Sister is One of a Kind J.W. Arnold

inging is in Roslyn Kind’s DNA. Her grandfather was a cantor in the family’s ancestral synagogue in Russia. Kind’s mother was a semi-professional operatic soprano. And then there’s her big sister, Barbra Streisand. “Music was always a part of our lives,” she recalled in a telephone interview. Her first song was the theme from the television show, “Davy Crockett,” and early attempts at harmonizing “Row, Row Your Boat” with her big sister. But Kind quickly graduated to more appropriate material, singing along with the artists she listened to on a transistor radio tuned in to the “Dandy Dan Daniels and the Top 25 Show.” “I was a Beatlemaniac,” she confessed with a slight hint of a Brooklyn accent, “one of those girls who screamed and kissed the television.” In addition to her sister (“I was the first president of her fan club,” Kind said proudly.) her musical influences included Lena Horne, Johnny Mathis and Shirley Bassey. Bassey continues to influence Kind, who landed her first recording contract with RCA while still in high school.

“I take some of what I do from Shirley…I love the drama of her performances and her words. I just love telling a story.” And she has plenty of stories to share. Kind made her debut at the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel. “The music I did was more contemporary, different from what my big sister sang,” Kind explained. One of Kind’s most memorable gigs was at the famed Continental Baths, the gay venue that also launched the careers of Bette Midler and Barry Manilow. “It was a great gig. The stage was right in front of the big swimming pool and the water fountain had mouthwash in it. One weekend I was there, a lady decided to jump over the ropes and get in the pool. Boy, did that cause havoc,” she said with a chuckle, noting her audience was mostly wearing towels. “It was quite an experience and a great audience. I just had to keep looking up.” In 1973, Kind moved to Los Angeles, joining an exodus of other big names from the deteriorating Big Apple. That year she opened a lounge act at the famed Las Vegas Hilton, sharing a bill with none other than Elvis Presley,

who was performing in the main room. The new show she’ll be performing next week at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton reminisces about many of those experiences, her travels and the people who have influenced her life and career. “It’s a great show—a little bit about my history and my start in show business, way back, my beginnings, my puppy, my family, show tunes, pop tunes, funny songs and beautiful ballads. It’s a lovely journey, I hate to give it all away,” Kind teased. There is also a South Florida connection. The show is staged by the famed producer and director Richard Jay-Alexander, who now calls Miami Beach home and also works with Streisand, who will bring her tour to the region in December. Kind’s life has been a journey, she readily acknowledges: “Every year we’re learning lessons, hopefully making us better people. We’re all here from the same loving source above and what I want to do is make people happy. That fills my heart. We go through so much and God granted me a gift to use to bring positive energy to others.”

Singer Roslyn Kind, Barbra Streisand’s younger sister, brings her cabaret act to The Wick Theatre in Boca next week. Submitted photo.

Roslyn Kind performs at The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Tickets for the performance are $95. VIP tickets including a private reception with the artist, dinner and tour of the costume museum are also available at TheWick.org.

THE GAY MENS CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA PRESENTS

HOLIDAYS AT THE HARD ROCK! SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST, LINDA EDER

DECEMBER 11, 2016 | 8PM HARD ROCK LIVE AT SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO HOLLYWOOD For more information and tickets visit: www.gmcsf.org HOSTED BY

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A&E film Jason Stuart (right), stands with another cast member. Photo: Facebook.

Gay Comic Jason Stuart Plays It Straight In New Film David-Elijah Nahmod

hose who are used to see Jason Stuart performing gay stand-up comedy or appearing in edgy independent films are in for a big surprise. In the new film “The Birth of A Nation,” directed by Nate Parker, Stuart, an openly gay, Jewish supporter of LGBT equality and civil rights, will portray Joseph Randall, a white, Christian slave owner. “Joseph is not a racist,” Stuart tells SFGN, speaking by phone from his Los Angeles home. “He’s a product of his time. A married man with children, with a black child on the side.” “The Birth of a Nation” tells the true story of Nat Turner, a slave who led a slave rebellion in 1831 which resulted in a number of white deaths. White militias retaliated by killing scores of slaves--Turner died in November of that year at age 31. The film’s trailer, now posted at YouTube, features a number of disturbing images, including Turner being whipped, and a white girl leading her black friend on a leash. “It’s important to show these things,” Stuart said. “To learn from history... Never forget, say the Jews about the Holocaust. ‘Silence Equals Death,’ said ACT UP. Yet we tell the black community to ‘get over it.’ We have never given the appropriate grieving time to those who have been treated horrifically.” And though he performed in scenes which viewers might find shocking, Stuart said that “The Birth of a Nation” set was a harmonious one. “The black actors were so supportive of me,” he recalls. “People are glad that this story is being told.” Stuart explained how he could find a character which is so unlike himself. “Armie Hammer plays a younger plantation owner,” Stuart said. “I used all my techniques as an actor--I played an older man mentoring a younger man. I did not judge my character.” Some people have asked the actor if “The

Birth of a Nation” would draw comparisons to the legendary, same named Civil War epic which was directed by DW Griffith a century ago. Stuart assures us that the title is the only thing the two films have in common. “Griffith’s film was propaganda,” he said. “It brought back the KKK and caused murders--it was very similar to what Trump is now doing.” The new film, according to Stuart, shows oppressed people beginning to think for themselves. The role was a long time coming for Stuart, a talented performer with a wide range who’s had to deal with being labeled a “gay” actor. “It’s the limitations people put on you,” he said. “People thought I was limited--I never thought I was limited. This will show that I can play something different. It shows that I have range.” Stuart assures us that he won’t be abandoning his roots. His stand-up shows will continue, and he can also be seen in “Hush Up Sweet Charlotte,” gay director Billy Clift’s homage to the classic Bette Davis chiller “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte” (1965). “I play a British journalist, played by Cecil Kellaway in the original,” Stuart said. “I look like a cross between Hercules Poirot and Pee Wee Herman. It’s laugh out loud funny--it’s got wonderful kitch value. I loved working on it and that comes across.” Stuart will continue performing his monthly stand-up gig at The Purple Room in Palm Springs, where his show is called “I’m Only Gay On the Weekends.” He explains the title. “It’s too much to have to be gay every day. You have to worry about your clothes, about being witty, it’s exhausting!” he said. He’d rather spend the week finding Mr. Right-he’s accepting boyfriend applications now! To apply, please check out Stuart’s website: www.JasonStuart.com.

"The Birth of a Nation" opened Oct. 7.

10.19.2016 •

Datebook

Theater Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top

Picks

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Oct. 20 to Nov. 6 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo and performed with music from the Disney adaptation, Quasimodo is enamored by the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. Tickets $47 to $60. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

The Sensuous Senator

Through Oct. 23 at Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW Ninth St. in Delray Beach. A senator is running for president on the grounds of his morality — but when his wife goes out of town, he immediately calls for his mistress to come visit. Tickets $30. Call 561-272-1281, ext. 4 or visit DelrayBeachPlayhouse.com.

Adele

Oct. 25 and 26 at the AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Back on the road for her first tour in five years, the British chanteuse performs songs from her latest album “25.” Tickets $36.95 to $146.50. Call 786777-1000 or visit AAArena.com.

* Denotes New Listing

broward county

Oct. 20 to Oct. 25

Hands and Kiev. Tickets $23.50 in advance, $25 the day of. Call 954-449-1025 or visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

* Anthony Hamilton with Lalah Hathaway and Eric Benet

Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Hamilton’s repertoire is a wide array of music, from hip hop, gospel, funk, and dancehall. Tickets $49.50 and up. Call 954462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Cock Tales: Shame on Me!

Through Oct. 30 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Debra Ehrhard tells the story of her encounters with the opposite sex. Tickets $20 to $35. Call 954678-1496 or visit EmpireStage.com

Friday Night Sound Waves Music Series

Fridays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Hub, Las Olas Boulevard and A1A in Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy live, outdoor music spanning genres and tributes every Friday evening through November. Free. Visit FridayNightSoundWaves.com

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* Program One: Giselle

Oct. 21 to 23 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. In this ballet, Giselle goes mad and dies when her lover rejects her. She returns with ghostly Wilis to haunt the men who wronged them. Tickets $27 to $89. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

Clybourne Park

Through Oct. 23 at Main Street Players, 6766

Oct. 26 to Nov. 20 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. Three teens of different religious backgrounds come together to solve a murder caused by someone poisoning their water supply in Cordoba, Spain. Tickets $25. Call 305-751-9550 or visit MTCMiami.org.

Hand to God

Through Oct. 30 at GableStage at the Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. A student in a religious town in Texas finds his talents working with puppets, until one of them takes on an evil life of its own. Tickets $57 to $60. Call 305-445-1119 or visit GableStage.org.

Leonard Nimoy’s “Vincent”

Oct. 21 to 23 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The one-man play by Nimoy investigates the life of artist Vincent van Gogh through the letters between him and his brother, Theo. Tickets $35. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

* The Secret Comedy Women: Girls Only

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* Everybody Drinks the Same Water

Oct. 20 to 30 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 709 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. Greg loves his girlfriend Steph, but he makes the mistake of mentioning a few physical imperfections he thinks she has. Tickets $23. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.

* Foals

Through Oct. 30 at Arts Garage, 94 NE Second Ave. in Delray Beach. Charlotte is a white Jewish girl, her boyfriend Johnny is black, and her parents are trying to keep up with their relationship. Tickets $30 to $45. Call 561-4506357 or visit ArtsGarage.org.

* Reasons to be Pretty

Urinetown the Musical

Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The British indie band is joined by Bear

The Mystery of Love & Sex

Main St. in Miami Lakes. The sequel to “A Raisin in the Sun,” a white couple sells their home to a black couple in 1959, causing tensions in the neighborhood. Now it’s 2009, and a white couple wants to move into the same home in the neighborhood undergoing gentrification. Tickets $20 to $25. Call 305-558-3737 or visit MainStreetPlayers.com.

palm beach county

* Loud Voices, Broward College Poetry Showcase

Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at Broward College South Campus’s Performing and Cultural Arts Theatre, 7200 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. Students perform slam poetry works on themes of politics and prosperity. Tickets $10. Visit BSOCA.com.

Palm Beach. A night of sketch comedy, music, videos, and audience participation celebrating all things girls. Tickets $35. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

Through Oct. 23 at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. A city has been in a drought for 20 years, and private toilets have been banned. One man is fed up when the city starts charging its residents to use public amenities. Tickets $35 to $72. Call 561-5866410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.

Oct. 26 to 30 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West

#OrlandoUnited: Every week, SFGN will pay tribute to one member of our community who was lost in Orlando.

A&E theater James Clow and Andrea McArdle star in “They’re Playing Our Song” at The Wick. Photo Credit: Amy Pasquantonio

Musical is Long Trip Back to ‘70s J.W. Arnold

oes anybody out there remember “Love, American Style,” the silly ‘70s romantic sketch comedy with a really catchy theme song? Now, imagine a threehour marathon on TV Land or Nick at Nite and you basically have “They’re Playing Our Song,” the musical currently playing at The Wick in Boca Raton. Loosely based on the real-life romance of composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, with a book by Neil Simon, the 1979 show was a modest hit on Broadway starring Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz. Neurotic composer Vernon Gersch (James Clow) encounters spontaneous lyricist Sonia Walsk (Andrea McArdle) and it’s basically love at first sight. It’s no surprise that work doesn’t mix with pleasure, but there’s also an elephant in the room, Sonia’s ex-boyfriend Leon, and she just can’t let go. It gets pretty comical, thanks to Simon’s dry one-liners, as Sonia goes running every time Leon calls with an emergency. The problem with the show is the thin plot. It’s essentially a 30-minute sitcom skit drawn out into two full acts with a couple good, but not great ‘70s songs thrown in. Make no mistake, “They’re Playing Our Song” is no “A Chorus Line,” Hamlisch’s smash Broadway hit of a few years earlier with its heartfelt stories of aspiring dancers and a dozen fantastic songs that have become classics. Further, with the absence of any real subplots or supporting characters, the leads

are forced to carry the entire show, assisted only by two “Greek choruses,” backup trios that appear during the musical numbers and represent the “voices” in Vernon and Sonia’s heads. Clow, who shined in The Wick’s production of “Hello, Dolly!,” and Broadway veteran McArdle (“Annie”), nearly accomplish the task. Each is charismatic— Clow with his leading man looks and soaring baritone voice and McArdle with a sparkle in her eyes and winning smile— but, together, they never quite achieve the chemistry required to sell a show about real romance. Where this production succeeds is in sending audiences back to the ‘70s. Kimberly Wick’s set artfully utilizes sliding panels and projections to transform from Vernon’s Central Park penthouse and Sonia’s apartment to a nightclub, Long Island beach house and even a Los Angeles hospital ward. Likewise, Linda C. Shorrock’s costumes highlight the good, bad and ugly from an era famous for polyester and bell bottoms. The singers are backed up by a fine, eight-piece pit orchestra conducted by resident musical director Michael Ursua. Prominently situated on an onstage platform, the brass- and reed-accentuated band lends much needed energy to the disco and pop-infused score. Despite some flaws in the show, this production still offers a welcome distraction from the nastiness of the political campaigns.

ALL-INCLUSIVE... AS NEWS

SHOULD BE AS DIVERSE AS EVER Whether you are in the bisexual or transgender communities, are asexual, gender-fluid, pansexual, or maybe you still aren’t sure, SFGN is proudly here to connect you with the rest of our colorful community.

“They’re Playing Our Song” runs through Nov. 6 at The Wick, 7901 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Tickets at TheWick.org.

www.SFGN.com 10.19.2016 •

Datebook

Community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com

Top Picks

Lagunitas Zombie Prom: A Night to Dismember

Oct. 20 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Fieldhouse at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Gather with the other zombies for prom for the class of 1985! Enjoy the DJ, prom photos, pinball, cash bar, lounge, and the crowning of zombie prom king and queen. Tickets $20. Visit OldSchoolSquare.com.

* Monster Masquerade

Oct. 21 from 8 to 11 p.m. at Zoo Miami, in Miami. Come dressed in your Halloween costume and indulge in bites from area restaurants, an open bar by Bacardi and Anheuser-Busch, music by DJ Laz, haunted house, and a costume contest. Tickets $60 members, $65 nonmembers; $85 for nonmembers at the door. Visit ZooMiami. org/MonsterMasquerade.

Breast Fest

Oct. 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Spread breast cancer awareness at the fest, with vendors, entertainment, drinks, light bites, raffles, and free on-site breast exams and triple touch instruction. Free. Call 954-463-9005, ext. 101 or visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

broward county Boomer/Senior Health Expo

Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Meet with more than 60 vendors from senior living, social services, insurance, financial, legal, travel, and more. Free lunch to the first 300 attendees. Free. Visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

SMART Ride Fundraiser at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza

Oct. 24 at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, 1580 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Drop in for lunch and dinner every Monday in October to raise money for the Broward House SMART Ride Team. Don’t forget to tell your server, or the 20 percent donation cannot be made! Email DDelSordo@browardhouse.org.

* Florida U.S. Senate Debate

Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at Broward College Central

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* Denotes New Listing

Broward Support Services Gender Bender Youth Group

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

PFLAG

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

SunServe Youth Group

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

Survivor Support

First and third Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital cafeteria, 6401 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Find support from counselors and peers who have lost loved ones to suicide. Call the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention at 954384-0344 or visit FISPOnline.org.

Campus’s Bailey Hall, 3501 SW Davie Road. Candidates for the U.S. Florida Senate seat will participate in a one-hour debate moderated by Todd Dermott, WPBF anchor, will moderate. Visit Broward.edu.

Wilton Manors’ Annual Halloween Spooktackular

Oct. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mickel Park, 2675 NW Seventh Ave. in Wilton Manors. A family friendly Halloween celebration with a costume contest, photos with the Great Pumpkin, food, games, hayrides, and more. Shuttle parking at at St. Clement Church. Free. Call 954-390-2130 or email bpierce@wiltonmanors.com.

I Am Here: The Lesbian Portraits

Through Nov. 6 at at the Stonewall National Museum - Wilton Manors, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. After photographer Robert Kalman’s lesbian’s sister passed away, he has paid tribute to her memory by photographing lesbians while asking them, “What’s life like

Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 for you now?” Free. Call 954-763-8565 or visit Stonewall-Museum.org.

Trivia Night

Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Champps Americana, 6401 N. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Test your knowledge with friends and get in on the 2-4-1 deals! Call 954-491-9335 or visit Champps.com.

palm beach county * The Halloween Party

Oct. 22 from 8 to 11 p.m. at The Fieldhouse at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enter the costume contest, or revel in live music, Chinese auction, sweets, and spirits. Tickets $35 benefitting the Milagro Center and children’s programs at the Square. Visit OldSchoolSquare.com.

* Happy Birthday, Pablo Picasso

Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. at 2 p.m. at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real in Boca Raton. Enjoy public tours of the museum’s collection of works by Picasso. Call 561-392-2500 or visit BocaMuseum.org/events.

The Thrill of the Vote: Episodes in Democracy Through Nov. 30 in the FAU’s Theatre Lab

Gallery in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. A exhibiting exploring voting rights over American history. Call 561-2976124 or visit FAUEvents.com.

Question Bridge: Black Males

Through Dec. 18 at the Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave. in West Palm Beach. A look at the lives of African American men, more than 160 men in nine cities were interviewed for this visual art project. Free. Call 561-832-5196 or visit Norton.org.

Queer Alternatives

Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. An all encompassing social group for those 18 to 27 who consider themselves to be lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, questioning, or anything in between! Free. Call 561-5339699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

Jazz on the Palm

Third Fridays from 8 to 10 p.m. at the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront.

Relax on the water to the sounds of jazz with the family. Free. Visit WPBGo.com.

PBC Gender Support

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

miami-dade county * Edukos Pop-up and Garden Fundraiser

Oct. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, 2000 Convention Center Drive in Miami Beach. A pop up experience in the garden, enjoy American and Venezuelan pairings of food and drink, as well as music. Tickets $45 to $55. Call 305-673-7256 or visit MBGarden.org.

Ronaldo Peña: Black Gold

Through Nov. 13 at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, 770 NE 125th St. in North Miami. A contemporary exploration of oil and its grasp on our everyday lives. Tickets $10. Call 305-893-6211 or visit MOCAMiami.org.

Ethiopia Now!

Through Nov. 15 at the Miami Center for Architecture & Design, 100 NE First Ave. in Miami. An exhibit of contemporary architecture by 19 designers from the past decade. Call 305-448-7488 or visit miamicad.org.

key west Aqua Idol

Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Aqua Key West, 711 Duval St. in Key West. Support your local artists and vote for your favorite! Benefits Waterfront Playhouse. Call 305294-0555 or visit AquaKeyWest.com.

Hot Naked Sundays

Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. at Island House, 1129 Fleming St. in Key West. A pretea pool party. Call 305-294-6284 or visit IslandHouseKeyWest.com.

Women’s Flag Football

Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Bernstein Park, 6751 Fifth St. on Stock Island. Practice and games once a week. Free. Call 305-8968678 or email IWFFA@IWFFA.com.

10.19.2016 •

Business Directory a&e Ft Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus PO Box 9772, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33310-9772 954-832-0060 www.theftlgmc.org Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida PO Box 39617, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33339 954-763-2266 Gaymenschorusofsouthflorida.org

chiropractic

dental

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

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

cleaning

Barton & Miller Cleaners 2600 N. Dixie Hwy Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-4314

Coast Chiropractic Injury & Wellness Center 2608 NE 16th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33334 itt Small Ad Gay Publication :Newspaper Ad Cont. 954.463.3036 www.coast-chiropractic.com

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final arrangements

Wilton Manors Family Chiropractic & Wellness Center

Kalis-McIntee Funeral & Cremation Center

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

florist grooming

CHIROPRACTIC • WELLNESS • NUTRITION

Dr Andreu J. Richardson, DC, DACACD

Chiropractor/Wellness Consultant BOARD CERTIFIED IN ADDICTIONOLOGY AND COMPULSIVE DISORDERS

2450 NE 13 Avenue,Wilton Manors, FL 33305

954.537.8898

Flexible Hours: Mornings, after 6:00 pm & Weekends w w w. w i l t o n m a n o r s c h i r o p r a c t o r. c o m

JOE PUNDAI Pre-Need Counselor

954-494-0366

Call For Your FREE No Obligation Consultation Budget Friendly Payment Plans Available

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

www.levitt-weinstein.com

dental Oakland Park Dental 3047 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954.566.9812 Oaklandparkdental.com Andrews Dental Care 2654 N Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311 954.567.3311 Andrewsdentalcare.com

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Pre-Arrangement Discounts For All Our LGBT Friends handyman Miami/Broward/Palm Beach Paint/Caulk/Remove Grout/Yard Work Fix Drips & Switches/Debris removal Assembles Furniture & Appliances Repair or Fix Call "Avrom" Keith 786-227-9981

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health

professional services

Dr. Tory Sullivan 2500 N Federal Hwy #301, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.533.1520 Torysullivanmd.com

American Tax & Insurance

American Pain Experts 6333 N. Federal Hwy, Ste. 250, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-678-1074 Americanpainexperts.com

Law office of george castrataro 707 NE 3rd Ave #300, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.573.1444 Lawgc.com

Natura Dermatology 1120 Bayview Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 754.333.4886 naturadermatology.com

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

MASTER HYPNOTHERAPIST AND LIFE COACH

pets

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

954.302.3228 Americantaxandinsurance.com

professional services

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

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

real estate

law office of Selzer & Weiss 1515 NE 25th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.4444 Selzerandweiss.com law office of Shawn Newman 710 NE 26th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.9160 Shawnnewman.com

Coach Bill For Life

WWW.COACHBILLFORLIFE.COM

954.641.8315

Income Tax Preparation

IRIS SEYMOUR

•Individual •Small Business •Free Consultation

SALES

RENTALS

Doug Turner, Enrolled Agent Best Books and Taxes 2201 Wilton Drive bestbooksandtaxes.com

sfgn.com

954-565-1041

Call today for appointment

954.610.8816

YOUR PARTNER I N H O M E H E A LT H C A R E Private Nurse/Medical Assistant & Companion • Certified in Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Parkinson’s Disease • Responsible, trustworthy, compassionate, reliable liaison between doctors and family • Nursing care & daily administrative household needs • Worked with high visibility clients including Al Lewis (Grandpa Munster)

917.447.7894 • www.treldercare.com

call us to reserve space! 10.19.2016 •

Business Directory To place an ad in the Business Directory, call our sales team at 954.530.4970 restaurants Storks Bakery 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 Storksbakery.com BEEFCAKES 1721 N Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 954.463.6969 boardwalkbar.com J. Mark’s 1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954) 390-0770 Jmarksrestaurant.com

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

The Best Cellar

Boutique Wine Shop & Wine Bar The Ultimate Wine Tasting Experience Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., at 8:00 p.m. ONLY $15 PER PERSON! 954-630-8020 1408 N.E. 26th St. Wilton Manors, FL 33334

retail Peace Pipe 4800 N Dixie Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954.267.9005 Facebook.com/peacepipefl

Licensed & Insured

spirituality Dr. Pierre B. Bland, DVM 1332 E. Commercial Blvd., Oakland Park, FL 33334 954-673-8579 Doctorblandvet.com

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

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

www.stsfrancisandclare.org Baptisms • Weddings • Memorial Services

Integrity Palm Beach INTEGRITY PALM BEACH meets monthly, bringing together single and partnered gay women and men and their allies for fellowship and socializing. As an Episcopal LGBTQ organization, we proclaim and embody the all-inclusive love of God through worship, education, and advocacy.

NOVEMBER 12TH

Jacqie Jackson Performer Extrodinaire

When: The second Saturday of each month, 7:30 p.m. program or presenter, immediately following 6:00 p.m. Communion Service and 6:45 potluck supper provided by attendees Where: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 100 North Palmway • Lake Worth, FL 33460 FOR INFORMATION:

www.integritypalmbeach.org or Joe@thegraphicissue.com

954-725-3633

custom alarm contractors, Inc.

Est. 1989 “Experience Matters” Service after the sale! ▶ residential security ▶ commercial security ▶ closed circuit tV www.customalarmcontractors.com 86

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

cleaning services EMERALD IRISH CLEANING - Established for 30 years. 3 hours of cleaning for $60.00. Use time as you wish. English speaking *handscrub floors* Cleaning supplies included. Service guaranteed 954-524-3161 RESIDENTIAL CLEANING - Dependable, responsible, reliable men to do cleaning in your home or condo. Experienced. Reasonable rates! Email rsmb1951@gmail.com or call or text 561358-0012 and leave a message.

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

handyman

HUSBAND FOR RENT - Is he procrastinating home repairs? He says he will do it tomorrow?? After the football game?? We fit right in - in the house or the yard, small or big jobs: tile, dry wall, paint, plumbing, roof leaks, broken furniture, irrigation, fences, and more!It doesn’t cost to hassle us to see the work - so why wait? Neat, clean work for a reasonable price. Call Haim at 954-398-3676, sidnalll@yahoo.com

employment full time

Looking for Part-Time help at Andee’s Creamery - 2031-D Wilton Drive (across from Tropic’s Restaurant). Must be able to work weekends. Apply in Person.

employment part time

INSURANCE AGENCY IN WILTON MANORS - Insurance Agency in Wilton Manors looking for a Full-Time employee. Please send resume to: palmbeachinsurance3@gmail.com

painting

GREGG'S PAINTING - I paint both interior and exterior. Great rates, free estimates. I am detailedoriented, friendly, reliable, punctual, and neat. No job too small. Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Call Gregg at 617-306-5694 or 954-870-5972 Email: gmanbenn44@gmail.com

licensed massage

AFFORDABLE AWESOME MASSAGE BY JIM Offering Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and LomiLomi Massage for Men; in a very comfortable, relaxed and Private Massage Studio, NOW conveniently located in Wilton Manors on NE 26th Street, with plenty of free parking. Same Day appointments are welcome; please call Jim, 954-600-5843 email: info@ massagebyjim.com or visit my website for testimonials, rates and more. GREAT OPENING SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE! www.massagebyjim.com Licensed and Certified MM22293 MASSAGE BY DENNIS - $50 per 90 min-Out calls higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, All clients and Body types welcome, Reflexology and Feet. Couples Discounts. Delray Beach. 22 years experience. MA18563 Call Dennis 561-502-2628.

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

Place an ad in SFGN’s Classifieds

954.530.4970 pool service COOL POOLS- RELIABLE POOL SERVICE Professional pool service.Covering Wilton Manors, Lighthouse Point, and eastside of Pompano Beach. 15 years experience. Licensed and insured.Free estimates. Call 954-235-0775.

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

rentals fort lauderdale

MIKE THE RENTAL GUY - NE Lauderdale/Wilton Manors/Oakland Park-1/1 from $990, 2/1 from $1140. Victoria Park-1/1=$1090.00 cable included. Credit & Income Requirements-Pets okay with restrictions Call for Details Mike 561-703-5533 or miketherentalguy@aol.com

rentals 1/1.5 PALM AIRE - Designer Inspired Unit, Hand Painted Murals, Upgraded cabinets, Marble, tile, and granite. To qualified Tenant who will take exceptional Care of this unique residence. $1200 f/l/s call Debra 954-591-9730

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help wanted • Logos • Advertisements • Book Covers • Social Media • Vector • Illustration

Excellence in aesthetics

For any visual task that needs a sly eye, Visit DogFoxDesign.com 10.19.2016 •