SFGN 10/29/20 V11iss43 by South Florida Gay News

LOCAL NAME GLOBAL COVERAGE OCTOBER 29, 2020 VOL. 11 // ISSUE 43

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Principios de política, ¡porque te mereces algo mejor!

Elegir a Scott Herman por la Comision de la Ciudad de Oakland Park

EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED VOTE NOW OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 1 ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 3

ElectScottHerman.com

Facebook.com/scottherman.ﬂ

HA COMENZADO LA VOTACION ANTICIPADA ¡VOTA AHORA! OCTUBRE 19 - NOVIEMBRE 1 Y EL DIA DE LAS ELECCIONES 3 DE NOVIEMBRE

Candidate for Oakland Park Commissioner. Paid for and approved by Scott Herman, nonpartisan, for Oakland Park City Commission.

Dear Neighbor:

Queridos vecinos,

As you know, the election for Oakland Park City Commission will be held on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020. There may be a number of items for your consideration on this ballot and the city elections are usually listed at the “bottom of the ballot.” I am asking you to take the time to scroll to the end of the ballot and please cast your vote for me, SCOTT HERMAN.

Como saben, la elección para la Comisión de la Ciudad de Oakland Park se llevará a cabo el martes 3 de noviembre de 2020. Puede haber una serie de elementos para su consideracion en esta boleta y las elecciones de las ciudad generalmente se enumeran en la “parte inferior de la boleta”. Le pido que se tome un tiempo para desplazarse hasta el ﬁnal de la boleta y, por favor, vote por mi, SCOTT HERMAN.

EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED ElectScottHerman.com

Facebook.com/scottherman.ﬂ

VOTE NOW OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 1 ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 3 HA COMENZADO LA VOTACION ANTICIPADA ¡VOTA AHORA! OCTUBRE 19 - NOVIEMBRE 1 Y EL DIA DE LAS ELECCIONES 3 DE NOVIEMBRE

Candidate for Oakland Park Commissioner. Paid for and approved by Scott Herman, nonpartisan, for Oakland Park City Commission.

Elegir a Scott Herman por la Comision de la Ciudad de Oakland Park Principios de política, ¡porque te mereces algo mejor!

Elegir a Scott Herman por la Comision de la Ciudad de Oakland Park

Principios de política, ¡porque te mereces algo mejor!

As a Gulf War Combat Veteran in the U.S. Army, I continue to work for the concerns in our courts, jails, hospitals, employment and to address the high rate of homeless veterans. I will create a more diverse and effective public safety plan for seniors. As a City Commissioner, I will aggressively advocate and be a strong individual to push SMART GROWTH in Oakland Park. I will ﬁght to resolve the problem of ﬂooding caused by storm water runoff throughout the city.

EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED ElectScottHerman.com

Facebook.com/scottherman.ﬂ

VOTE NOW OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 1 ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 3 HA COMENZADO LA VOTACION ANTICIPADA ¡VOTA AHORA! OCTUBRE 19 - NOVIEMBRE 1 Y EL DIA DE LAS ELECCIONES 3 DE NOVIEMBRE

Candidate for Oakland Park Commissioner. Paid for and approved by Scott Herman, nonpartisan, for Oakland Park City Commission.

Facebook.com/ScottHerman4FL

(954) 801-1789 (call and/or text)

EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED VOTE NOW OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 1 ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 3

ElectScottHerman.com

Facebook.com/scottherman.ﬂ

HA COMENZADO LA VOTACION ANTICIPADA ¡VOTA AHORA! OCTUBRE 19 - NOVIEMBRE 1 Y EL DIA DE LAS ELECCIONES 3 DE NOVIEMBRE

Candidate for Oakland Park Commissioner. Paid for and approved by Scott Herman, nonpartisan, for Oakland Park City Commission.

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

LGBTQ VICTORY FUND ENDORSES 17 FLORIDA CANDIDATES John McDonald

SouthFloridaGayNews.com

@SFGN

October 29, 2020 • Volume 11 • Issue 43

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

Publisher • Norm Kent Norm.Kent@sfgn.com

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

Editorial

Art Director • Brendon Lies Artwork@sfgn.com Webmaster • Kimberly Swan Webmaster@sfgn.com Arts/Entertainment Editor • J.W. Arnold JW@prdconline.com Food/Travel Editor • Rick Karlin Gazette News Editor • John McDonald HIV Editor • Sean McShee Senior Photographer • J.R. Davis JRDavis12000@hotmail.com

Senior Feature Columnists

Brian McNaught • Jesse Monteagudo

Correspondents

Dori Zinn • Donald Cavanaugh Christiana Lilly • John McDonald Denise Royal • David-Elijah Nahmod

he LGBTQ Victory Fund has endorsed 17 candidates for public office in the state of Florida. Three of the 17 are sitting Florida lawmakers led by Representative and Senator-elect Shevrin Jones of West Park and his colleagues Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Winter Park and Rep. Jennifer Webb of St. Petersburg. The other state-level candidates are Michele Rayner, Representative-elect in Tampa area District 70, Ricky Junquera, District 118 and Joshua Hicks, District 11. Rayner is the first queer Black woman ever elected to the Florida House, while Junquera

Contributing Columnists

Pier Angelo • Terri Schlichenmeyer Dana Rudolph • Ric Reily

Associate Photographers Carina Mask • Steven Shires

Sales & Marketing For ad placement in SFGN, contact 954-530-4970 Sales Manager • Justin Wyse Justin@sfgn.com Senior Advertising Associate • Edwin Neimann Edwin@sfgn.com Distribution Services • Noah Lebel Sales Consultant • Charles A. Reid

THREE OF THE 17 ARE SITTING FLORIDA LAWMAKERS LED BY REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR-ELECT SHEVRIN JONES OF WEST PARK AND HIS COLLEAGUES REP. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH OF WINTER PARK AND REP. JENNIFER WEBB OF ST. PETERSBURG.

SFGN file photo.

and Hicks are gay men seeking to flip Republican-held seats in Miami-Dade and Nassau-Duval Counties, respectively. In city and county races, the fund has endorsed six incumbents: Monroe County Commissioner Heather Carruthers, Key West Mayor Teri Johnston, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Steve Glassman, Oakland Park Mayor Matthew Sparks and Wilton Manors Commissioner Julie Carson. Challengers backed by the Victory Fund are Oakland Park Commission candidate Mitch

COVER: Designed by Brendon Lies.

Associated Press

• 10 . 29.2020

Rosenwald, Broward County Soil and Water Supervisor candidate Beau Simon, Margate Commission candidate Lesa Peerman, Duval County Clerk of the Courts candidate Jimmy Midyette and West Melbourne City Council candidate Daniel McDow. Reached by telephone on Tuesday afternoon, Rosenwald, a gay man, said he brings a wealth of experience as a social worker and college professor to the race to fill three seats on the Oakland Park Commission. “I have the heart and vision to move our city to the next level,” he said.

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

SFGN Winner of & 5 Florida Press Club Awards And runner-up for

NLGJA Journalist of the Year SOUTH FLORIDA GAY NEWS.COM, INC. — — FOUNDED, DECEMBER, 2009 BY PIER GUIDUGLI AND NORM KENT 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 © 2020 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

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10 . 29. 20 20 •

NEWS WHITE HOUSE WATCH

LGBT VOTERS TAKE PRIDE TO THE POLLS Miami Beach Commissioner Tests Positive For COVID John McDonald

outh Florida became the epicenter of the U.S. Presidential campaign over the weekend. President Donald Trump cast his ballot on Saturday in West Palm Beach while his predecessor spoke to honking cars in North Miami. “Inventing conspiracies doesn’t make people’s lives any better,” former President Barack Obama said during a blistering rebuke of Trump’s four years in the oval office. “You gotta have a plan.” Obama hammered the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, pushed back against claims his administration did not do enough for Black Americans and defended Joe Biden against allegations that his former vice president is a socialist. “Don’t fall for that garbage,” Obama said. Meanwhile, the Dolphin Democrats led a “Pride to the Polls” car parade in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. In Hollywood, the city’s LGBTQ+ Council organized an Equality Voters march to the polls supported by U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Polls show Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris with a slight edge in Florida. The state’s 29 electoral college votes are central to both campaigns’ paths to victory. Ken Evans, Broward County Democratic State Committeeman, said the Trump era can’t be over soon enough. “When I look back over the last four years, I see a disturbing trend,” Evans said. “Trump is trying to engineer this country to fit his distorted image of ‘strength.’ I can’t help but think that dismantling the Affordable Care Act, passing tax cuts, that overwhelming benefit the rich and other ‘policies’ are designed to weed out those that Trump sees as weak.” Florida has the third most COVID-19 cases in the nation (778,636) and is currently experiencing an uptick in diagnoses. On Sunday, Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson revealed he had tested positive for the virus.

Pride To The Polls in Wilton Manors. Photo credit: Carina Mask. To see more photos, turn to page 28.

Richardson, who had hosted food distribution events for 33 weeks during the pandemic, said he is beginning the quarantine process and working with the city and state on contact tracing. “My primary concern at this point is to notify anyone who may have been in contact with me so they can take the proper precautions for their own health,” Richardson said. Florida’s surge in cases comes as Trump continues to downplay the virus, hold packed campaign rallies, mock the wearing of masks and insist the country is “turning the corner” on the pandemic. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, “We’re not going to control the pandemic.” Overall, more than 225,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. In urging people to vote, Evans called Trump’s re-election an “existential threat” and that humanity is on the ballot. “As the leader of a kids’ camp and as an American citizen, I know this is not about politics,” Evans said. “This is not about Joe Biden, and it’s not even about Donald Trump. It’s about restoring America as the nation that uplifts its people to live the best lives possible.” Early voting in Florida continues through Nov. 1. General election voting concludes Nov. 3.

White House Watch is a weekly column taking a look at the state of the 2020 presidential election.

• 10 . 29.2020

YOUR VOICE

STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS

SMART GROWTH

A GREENER CITY

MITCH ROSENWALD For Oakland Park City Commission HERE TO SERVE Endorsed by the

MITCHROSENWALD.COM Political advertisement paid for and approved by Mitch Rosenwald for Oakland Park City Commission, non-partisan.

KIM LEHRMAN, ATTORNEY I believe that good people deserve a fresh start.

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NEWS STATE

WEEKLY TRACKING OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH FLORIDA Sean McShee

CUMULATIVE KNOWN COVID-19 CASES IN THREE SOUTH FLORIDA Cumulative Known COVID-19COUNTIES: Cases in Three South Florida Counties: OCTOBER 21 THROUGH OCTOBER 27 October 21 through October 27

Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 cases from 10/21 to 10/27 Palm Beach 3.8%, Broward 3.4%, and Miami Dade 2.2%

10/21

10/22

83,450

10/23

10/24

Palm Beach

84,338

83,962

50,816

50,525

50,316

49,988

49,759

49,298

83,165

82,706

82,250

81,537

183,250

182,523

181,942

181,633

181,017

180,497

179,286

10/25

51,172

10/26

Broward

10/27

Miami-Dade Source Fl DOH Dashboard

Source: Florida DOH Dashboard.

CUMULATIVE KNOWN COVID-19 DEATHS IN THREE SOUTH FLORIDA COUNTIES: Cumulative Known COVID-19 Deaths Cumulative Known COVID-19 Cases in in Three South Florida Counties:27 Three South Florida Counties: OCTOBER 21 THROUGH OCTOBER

October 21 through October October 21 through October 27 27

Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 deaths from 10/21 to 10/27 Percent Increase in cumulative COVID-19 cases from 10/21 to 10/27 Palm Beach 3.6%, Broward 0.2%, and Miami Dade 1.8% Palm Beach 3.8%, Broward 3.4%, and Miami Dade 2.2%

1,517 81,537 1,510 49,298

10/21 10/21

82,250 1,519

1,549

82,706 1,519

10/22 10/22

Palm Beach

1,520 1,561

50,316

10/23 10/23

10/24 10/24

Palm Beach Broward Broward

83,962

1,521 1,562 50,816

50,525

10/25 10/25

3,624

3,615

3,612

83,450

1,561

1,558 49,988

49,759

83,165 1,520

183,250

182,523

181,942

3,605

3,597

3,585

3,561

181,633

181,017

180,497

179,286

10/26 10/26

84,338

1,565

1,520 51,172

10/27 10/27

Miami Dade Miami-Dade Source Fl DOH Dashboard Source Fl DOH Dashboard

Source: Florida DOH Dashboard.

â&#x20AC;¢ 10 . 29.2020

10 . 29. 20 20 â&#x20AC;¢

NEWS NATIONAL

YOUR LGBT GUIDE TO WATCHING THE ELECTION AT LEAST 574 LGBT CANDIDATES ARE ON THE BALLOT ACROSS THE NATION SFGN’S NATIONAL NEWS ANALYST PREDICTS A CLOSE BIDEN WIN Lisa Keen

Keen News Service

here are an estimated nine million LGBT people registered to vote Nov. 3, maybe more, according to a study by the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank at UCLA.

Various studies and polls over many years have consistently found about threequarters of those LGBT voters support Democratic candidates. Other studies have suggested LGBT people tend to be much more engaged in politics than the general population, writing or call elected officials, consuming political news, and communicating about issues through social media. It’s a good bet that many LGBT people will be glued to their social media and news venues Nov. 3. Fivethirtyeight.com, the respected poll analysis website founded and run by gay statistician Nate Silver, gives Democrat Joe Biden an 87% chance of winning the White House. He gives Democrats a 96% chance of keeping the House and a 74% chance of taking control of the Senate. Democrats currently control 232 seats in the U.S. House, Republicans control 197, and six are vacant. A party needs 218 for

control. Of the seven openly LGBT members currently serving the House, all are expected to win re-election, though three have some complications. Of the eight newcomers running for House seats, at least one has a very good chance at winning and at least three others are maybes. Republicans currently control 53 seats in the U.S. Senate, Democrats 47. Polling indicates Democrats will almost certainly lose one of their current seats (held by Senator Doug Jones in Alabama). If they do lose Jones, and if Trump retains the White House, Democrats would need to hang onto every other seat and pick up five more to reach the magical majority number of 51. In addition to these important contests, the LGBTQ Victory Fund estimates that “at least 574 LGBTQ candidates” are on the ballot Nov. 3. Its website identifies about 300 who have won their explicit endorsement and financial support.

IT’S A GOOD BET THAT MANY LGBT PEOPLE WILL BE GLUED TO THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWS VENUES NOV. 3.

Turn the page to continue reading. Images via Adobe, edited by Brendon Lies.

• 10 . 29.2020

10 . 29. 20 20 â&#x20AC;¢

NEWS NATIONAL VIRGINIA RICHMOND MAYOR — ALEXSIS RODGERS — Lesbian civic leader Alexsis Rodgers, 29, has taken on a steep climb, trying to unseat a popular mayor in a five-way race of Virginia’s capital city. It’s her first bid at elective office, but she’s raised the second largest amount of money after incumbent Mayor Levar Stoney. That gives her a fighting chance to be one of two candidates in a possible run-off come December (Richmond has an odd Electoral College-like system that often leads to run-offs.) The Richmond Times Dispatch reported recently that a poll of likely voters had Rodgers a distant third place, but 30% of voters were undecided.

HERE’S AN HOUR-BY-HOUR GUIDE TO HOW THE NIGHT WILL UNFOLD FOR MAJOR LGBT CANDIDATES AND FOR THE CONTESTS TO CONTROL THE U.S. HOUSE AND SENATE, AND THE WHITE HOUSE:

6 P.M. U.S. HOUSE SEAT INDIANA 2ND — Most of Indiana will vote until 7 p.m., butSouth Bend, home of Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, closes at 6. There, probate attorney Pat Hackett is making her second try at unseating four-time Republican incumbent Jackie Walorski. Walorski’s record on LGBT issues has earned her a seven out of a possible 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign. A graduate of Liberty Baptist College and a staunch Trump supporter, Walorski has raised $2.2 million for her campaign, compared to Hackett’s $770,000. Only $11,500 of Hackett’s support has come from LGBT political action committees (PACs), including the Equality PAC of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and the L PAC. Buttigieg made a statement in support of Hackett but, as of Oct. 14, his Win the Era PAC had not contributed to her campaign. Hackett has a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame and lives in South Bend with her spouse Rita.

7 P.M. FLORIDA TWO MAYORAL SEATS — These are among the most heavily LGBT municipalities in Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel endorsed gay incumbent Mayor Dean Trantalis with a strong editorial supporting a second term. He’s seen as having a relatively easy path re-election. Wilton Manors City Commissioner Julie Carson, a lesbian, who is also a cancer survivor, decided to run for the mayoral seat only in February when the incumbent, gay Mayor Justin Flippen, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. She faces two other candidates, including another former mayor. South Florida Gay News Publisher Norm Kent wrote last week that, while her opponents are worthy candidates, Carson “galvanized” the community of 12,500 following Flippen’s death and has “judiciously integrated our community’s social responsibilities” with the town’s economic needs.

• 10 . 29.2020

PRESIDENTIAL RACE There are 60 votes in six states on the line at this hour. Four of the six states (Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, with a cumulative 44 electoral votes) went to Trump in 2016. Two states (Virginia and Vermont, with 16 electoral votes) went to Clinton. But polling in Georgia is unusually close in 2020; the latest (by CBS Oct. 23) showed a tie. An upset there could ring like the shot heard round the world. At this point, considering the polls are so close and sticking with the historic voting patterns, the probable EV count will be: Trump 44, Biden 16. U.S. SENATE RACES There are three closes races closing out this hour and Democrats have a decent chance of picking up two new seats. The two are in Georgia. Both Republican incumbents — David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — have poor voting records on LGBT issues, and their Democratic challengers — Jon Ossoff and Rapheal Warnock — have support from the LGBT community. The latest polls showed Perdue with only a one-point lead over Ossoff, and Warnock with a sixpoint lead over Loeffler. In South Carolina, the Human Rights Campaign scores Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham a consistent zero. When asked in a recent campaign interview about his support for the right of same-sex couples to marry, Graham said, “I have tried to be tolerant, I’ve tried to understand that people have different life experiences … But I can tell you right now, when it comes to South Carolina, I think I’ve been an effective voice for who we are.” The latest poll shows Graham with a six-point lead over challenger Jaime Harrison. HRC has endorsed both Warnock and Harrison.

7:30 P.M. North Carolina Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Mark Robinson has said he would not support“this mass delusion called transgenderism.” In West Virginia, State House Delegate John Mandt Jr., running for re-election, resigned suddenly after news reports drew attention to a Facebook chat posting in which he appeared to ask whether another member of the House was a “homo” and suggested the member was probably bisexual. Mandt’s name is still on the ballot, however, and he says he’ll serve a new term if re-elected. In Ohio, lesbian Charmaine McGuffey is running for sheriff of Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati. PRESIDENTIAL RACE There are 38 electoral votes at stake in three states: North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. Trump won all 38 in 2016. The latest polling has been swinging back and forth. Different polls on the same days in North Carolina showed Trump with a one-point lead and Biden with a four-point lead. Same thing Ohio, where two conservative leaning polls showed Trump ahead by three and Biden ahead by one during the same time period. West Virginia is solidly Trump. Probable EV count: Trump 82, Biden 16. Turn the page to continue reading.

10 . 29. 20 20 â&#x20AC;¢

NEWS NATIONAL U.S. SENATE RACES There’s a reasonable chance Democrats will pick up another Senate seat this hour. At latest polling, North Carolina’s Senate polling has been somewhat erratic — from a tie a few days ago to a six-point Democratic lead Oct. 23. The Human Rights Campaign Fund and gay presidential contender Pete Buttigieg have endorsed Democrat Cal Cunningham. Republican incumbent Thom Tillis scores a consistent zero in HRC’s Congressional scorecard on LGBT issues.

8 P.M. U.S. HOUSE SEATS Of the four LGBT candidates for Congressional seats, two seems on their way to easy re-election: Sharice Davids, first termer from Kansas 3rd — Sharice Davids and David Cicilline from Rhode Island 1st. In New Hampshire 1st — First-term incumbent Chris Pappas’s Republican opponent last week tried to draw attention to Pappas being gay by drawing attention to his boyfriend, a move the LGBTQ Victory Fund criticized as a “dog whistle” for anti-LGBT sentiments. The media seemed that the boyfriend is a former lobbyist for Amazon, but it also seemed interested that the Republican candidate, Matt Mowers, did consulting work for pharmaceutical companies. FiveThirtyEight says Pappas has a 10-point advantage. In Michigan 6th — Jon Hoadley has also been hearing the dog whistle in his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Fred Upton. According to the Victory Fund, the National Republican Congressional Committee has posted Twitter messages and sent out a campaign mailer to voters’ homes, describing Hoadley as a “pedo sex poet.” Upton, meanwhile, has the endorsement of the national Log Cabin Republicans group. RealClearPolitics calls it a toss-up, though Upton has a 4.5-point advantage. PRESIDENTIAL RACE During this hour, 172 electoral votes are in play. In 2016, Trump won 94. This year, two of those states — Florida with 29 electoral votes and Pennsylvania with 20 — are in play. Trump’s youngest daughter Tiffany spoke to an LGBT rally organized by gay Trump appointee Richard Grenell Oct. 17. Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith dismissed the event as “a pathetic attempt to hide his appalling record,” adding that, “Donald Trump is the worst president the LGBTQ community has ever seen.” The race in Florida has been close within just a couple of points and a seven-point lead in Pennsylvania. If they split the baby, Trump gets Florida, Biden gets Pennsylvania, the probable EV count: Trump 155, Biden 115. But keep in mind, many political number crunchers say that, barring unusual outcomes in Georgia or Texas, Pennsylvania is Biden’s must-have ticket to 270.

9 P.M. U.S. HOUSE SEAT Angie Craig won her seat in 2018 and polls suggest voters are leaning her way for re-election. But a complication for Craig developed when a third-party candidate for the seat died. Under state law, if a “major party” candidate dies within 79 days of a November election, a special election must be held in February. Craig filed suit and won an order, Oct. 9, from a federal district court judge. But her Republican opponent has appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the election should be delayed until February. In Texas 23rd, Gina Ortiz Jones appears poised to win a vacant seat from the San Antonio area. She lost by only 1,000 in 2018 and the incumbent has decided to retire this year. She’s won the endorsement of San Antonio’s mayor and the San Antonio Express-News. If elected, she’ll become the first openly LGBT person to represent Texas in Congress.

• 10 . 29.2020

The roof of the United States Capitol Building. Photo via Adobe.

In New York’s 18th, incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney is hoping to win a fifth term. FiveThirtyEight says he has an 18-point advantage. Three newcomers seeking U.S. House seats from New York are facing tougher battles, but have promise. In New York’s 15th, Democrat Ritchie Torres is hoping to fill a seat representing the Bronx that was left vacant by a Democrat’s resignation. Torres beat out a field of 15 Democratic candidates in the primary. He’s won the endorsement of former President Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. His chances are good of joining the LGBT Caucus in Congress. New York’s 17th, DemocratMondaire Jonesis seen as the frontrunner in a three-way race to replace retiring Democrat Nina Lowey in this seat north of New York City. He is expected to win but he’s faced some dirty tricks from a third-party candidate in recent days. New York’s 23rd, newcomer Tracy Mitrano is having a harder time in her bid to unseat a 10-term Republican who she lost to by nine points in a 2018 bid. But the latest poll showed her within two points this time. And in Wisconsin’s 2nd, incumbent Mark Pocan ran unopposed in 2018 but has a Republican opponent this year. But given that Pocan won 120,000 votes in his primary and the Republican garnered only 19,000, Pocan seems like a sure bet. LGBT RACES First term Colorado State Rep. Brianna Titone, running for re-election, says she has been targeted with anti-trans attacks in Colorado. PRESIDENTIAL RACE TThis hour is both crucial and a potentially crazy. Throwing Arkansas (which closes at 8:30) into the 9 o’clock mix, there are 15 states and 162 electoral votes to record. In 2016, 106 of these went to Trump, including Wisconsin (10), Michigan (16), and Arizona (11). But this year, unlike any time in recent memory, Texas (38) is a down-tothe-wire horse race. Over the weekend, the last polls to come in showed first a tie, then Biden with a one-point lead, then a three-point lead. Michigan looks to be leaning strong for Biden; Arizona and Wisconsin look sloppy. Given that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is taking measures, backed by the state supreme court, to make as cumbersome as possible to return absentee ballots, the probable EV count: Trump 238, Biden 194.

GonzalezAd6x65.qxp_Layout 1 9/3/20 4:30 PM Page 1

NEWS NATIONAL

10 P.M. MONTANA Secretary of State candidate Bryce Bennett has won the endorsement of some key newspapers in the state and while his opponent has tried to paint him as a raging “liberal,” the papers and many of his colleagues in the state senate say he’s got the experience and the temperament for the job. If elected, he will become the first openly LGBT person just to win statewide office in Montana. Keep in mind, the latest poll in Montana has given Trump a six-point lead in the presidential race. PRESIDENTIAL RACE Four states and 21 electoral votes are up this hour. Nevada will break for Biden. Iowa’s polling results have been a bit erratic but will probably go with Montana and Utah for Trump, leaving the probable EV count: Trump 253, Biden 200.

11 P.M. U.S. HOUSE In California’s 41st, incumbent Mark Takano won more than 100,000 votes in his primary this year, compared to his Republican opponent’s 58,000. He has no impediments for a fifth term. In California’s 53rd, the queer president of San Diego City Council Georgette Gómez is hoping to win an open seat but she has been strongly outspent by another Democrat seeking the office. In Washington’s 10th, State Rep. Beth Doglio is hoping to win a vacant seat representing the Tacoma area. She’s won some big-name endorsements (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren). She’s up against former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Stickland, another Democrat, and Strickland won the Seattle Times endorsement. There haven’t been many polls and the race is considered close, with Strickland in the lead.. WASHINGTON Two LGBT people are running for statewide office: Marko Liias for lieutenant governor and Helen Whitener for the state supreme court. Whitener was appointed to the court vacancy in April and is running in a special election. She is the first black woman on the court and the second openly LGBT person. She’s won endorsement from the Seattle Times and her opponent has dropped out, though is not off the ballot. Liias has had a strong opponent who is also a Democrat and has more endorsements. PRESIDENTIAL RACE This is the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs, and Democrats are poised to grand slam 78 electoral votes to win the game. The five states in this hour are predictable: California (55), Washington (12), Oregon (7), and Hawaii (4). Idaho (4) will deliver for Trump, and at 1 a.m., Alaska will toss in 3. Probable final EV count: Trump, 260, Biden 278. Game over. The only question is whether the Trump team will try to file a protest after the game.

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Linda Thompson Gonzalez For State House District 93 Vote November 3rd Political advertisement paid for and approved by Linda Thompson Gonzalez, Democrat For State House District 93

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WWW.THOMPSON4CITYCOMMISSION.COM 10 . 29. 20 20 •

NEWS LOCAL

SNAPSHOTS

OF THE

WEEK

From your life... into our pages! SFGN takes a special look at a community that is slowly waking up after a long and devastating summer.

John E. Lazar and Ted Jarvis on their Wilton Station balcony share a glass of wine after dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Photo via Facebook.

Brian Swinford celebrates the catch of the day, At Annie Beck Park in Fort Lauderdale last Friday evening , Oct. 24. Photo via Facebook.

â&#x20AC;˘ 10 . 29.2020

At the age of 92, the world famous Amazing Rankin, renowned globally, passed away last Thursday in Plantation, Florida, where he lived in retirement. The remarkable magician, who dazzled audiences for over a half century, came out as gay 10 years ago. Photo via Facebook.

Beau Simon, an LGBT candidate for the Broward Soil and Conservation District canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mask his excitement as he goes to early vote at the Hollywood Library with friends Joyce L. Davis and Robyn Bartleman.

Paul Hugo and his husband Danel enjoy an outdoor dinner at Cafe Del Mar on A1A in Fort Lauderdale, on Friday, Oct. 23.

Photo via Facebook.

The Vice Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, City Commissioner Steve Glassman, joins his campaign team treeside, in Holiday Park as they safely campaign for re-election, last Thursday, Oct. 22. Photo via Facebook.

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A HISTORIC ELECTION

WHO WILL BE YOUR CHOICES? NEED A HAND? CHECK OUT THESE GROUPS FOR THEIR ENDORSEMENTS:

and

SAVE www.save.lgbt/elections PBCHRC www.pbchrc.org/voters-alliance Equality Florida www.eqfl.org/pac

Follow us online to stay up-to-date on candidates in every election that matters, from local to national... and see how your vote makes a difference.

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2266 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 • (954) 565-2526

• 10 . 29.2020

WMG Volume 7 • Issue 21 October 29, 2020

Wilton Manors Gazette FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE

FOLLOW THE ELECTION IN WILTON MANORS!

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COMMUNITY

Wilton Manors Stakeholders Discuss Height and Density Regulations By John McDonald Community development firm Calvin, Height and density regulations in Giordano & Associates put together an Wilton Manors attract a lot of interest. A broad group of city officials, urban form and density report, which contractors, land use attorneys, realtors, planning consultant James Hickey investors, and developers participated summarized during the meeting. The in an Oct. 15 virtual road table meeting report examined ways the city could appropriately increase to discuss how to build density. and design in the Island HICKEY SAID In mixed-use areas, City. Roberta Moore, the report recommends director of the Community PLANNERS HAD increasing density from Development Services HEARD “LOUD AND the current 25 units to Department, moderated 75 units per gross acre. the meeting. CLEAR” FROM THE Hickey said planners had “Wilton Manors is at a COMMUNITY THAT heard “loud and clear” major turning point for its from the community that future,” said Commissioner ADDITIONAL DENSITY additional density would Paul Rolli, noting two new WOULD RESULT IN A result in a deterioration commissioners and a new DETERIORATION OF of the city’s single-family mayor would soon take residential district. office. The round table, THE CITY’S SINGLELandscaping and masonry Rolli said, was important FAMILY RESIDENTIAL walls are possible for stakeholders to make buffering solutions to informed decisions on DISTRICT. noise and screening a path toward future complaints, Hickey said. sustainability while Height limits are set at six stories keeping intact the city’s small-town feel with the possibility of adding two more and friendliness. The discussion centered around how stories if certain caveats are met. Those height and density regulations impacting caveats include building frontage, street the transit corridors of Andrews Ave., activation, open space dedication, Dixie Hwy., NE 26th St., Wilton Dr. and enhanced landscaping and LEED Gold or equivalent certification. Height limits in Oakland Park Blvd.

Wilton Drive earlier this year. Photo credit: Carina Mask.

the city’s western boundaries are proposed for four stories with the possibility of adding another level. Adding affordable housing units and reducing retail percentages and parking space requirements in development projects were also brought up by stakeholders. “In this day and age, retail continues to die,” said Peter LaPointe, president of Grass River Property which owns the Shoppes of Wilton Manors. Larry Baum, managing partner at Stellar

Communities, echoed LaPointe’s remarks. “It’s not easy to lease commercial in Wilton Manors,” Baum said. “What we need is residential — more rooftops.” Moore said Wilton Manors’ code requires builders to pay into an affordable housing trust fund in the form of impact fees to obtain proper permitting. For comparison, Robert Lochrie, a land use attorney, said successful affordable housing projects in Fort Lauderdale, usually start at 140 units per acre. WMG

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10 . 29. 20 20 •

OPINION

Goodbye Mr. Green…

WMG October 29, 2020 • Volume 7 • Issue 21 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre  Left: Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Tom Green. Photo via Wilton Manors’ website. Right: Wilton Manors, photo via Facebook.

This article started out as a tribute to our long serving City Commissioner Tom Green. Unfortunately, I cannot help myself from last minute changes after Tuesday night’s City Commission meeting. Let us first start off with my original thoughts and then move on to address what took place at the meeting. There is no shortage of anxiety and uncertainty looming over this Election Day. One bit of certainty comes the morning of Nov. 4th is that Wilton Manors will have a new mayor and two new city commissioners. Unfortunately for Wilton Manors our Acting Mayor and long-serving City Commissioner Tom Green will no longer be sitting up on the dais. Tom Green decided to retire and his seat will be one of two being filled this Election Day by a crowded field of six candidates. Tom ends an amazing 12-year run on our City Commission and leaves behind much to be proud of in our Island City. A champion of the environment, of protecting our residential neighborhoods, of LGBT rights, workers’ rights and so much more, his shoes will be hard to fill. Tom Green’s activism for LGBT rights mirrors that movement’s history here in Broward County. An early member of the Tuesday Evening Group, which played a pivotal role of political activism here in Broward back when being out and gay was just a bit different than today. The early days of LGBT activism were a handful of people meeting at a member’s condo near the beach. The cast of players grew into what we all know as the Dolphin Democratic Club with trailblazers such as Tom Green, Dean Trantalis, and Jim Stork along with so many more people throughout the years who continue to carry the banner of equality and justice for all members of our society. Tom can teach some of the newcomers to city politics a few good lessons. First lesson to our slate of candidates, before running for office, join as many of our city’s associations and non-profits as you can. Tom continues to support our area neighborhood associations, the Friends of the Library, the Kiwanis Club,

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

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Correspondents

Christiana Lilly• Sal Torre • James Oaksun

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the Historical Society and many others. Taking part in your community is a good first step in winning over resident voters. Now on to Tuesday’s events at our City Commission meeting. The discussion of more diversity on City boards and committees has been a topic of discussion for some time now. Both Commissioners Rolli and Resnick made a point of bringing this topic up while voting to fill vacancies on the Wilton Drive Improvement District. First of all, this board is restricted to property owners, business owners and one resident within the Wilton Drive business district. Out of the three applicants who applied for the three positions of this limited pool of possible applicants, two were white males and one Hispanic female. Not sure why these two commissioners choose this time to make such a statement over diversity when there was really some diversity in the applicants. Commissioner Resnick crossed the line of decency when publicly chastising Commissioner Julie Carson for not appointing someone to the Charter Review Committee more than a year ago that was someone other than a white male. In all fairness not one of the five commissioners back then, including Gary Resnick, appointed anyone other than a white male. So why is it Julie’s fault? Does she shoulder more

TOM CAN TEACH SOME OF THE NEWCOMERS TO CITY POLITICS A FEW GOOD LESSONS.

responsibility and blame because she is a woman? Gary, why did you not appoint someone other than a white male? There is an old saying that “People in glass houses should not throw stones.” If Commissioner Resnick is so ready to throw stones, then its fair game to question his appointee as well. Where were Commissioner Resnick’s concerns about diversity when he appointed his friend, a white male, to the same board that he attacked Julie Carson for? Double standard perhaps? The discussion on achieving more diversity on our city boards and committees is a good one for us to have. Finding new ways to reach out and bringa more diverse group of residents into the process is a worthy endeavor. However, we cannot ignore the demographics of our small city nor should we look to appoint just anyone who might step forward because they satisfy some concept of diversity in the mind of a white male commissioner. True diversity isn’t just about gender, or race. It requires diversity of thought, and creating room for opposing and varied views. This is something, I believe, Commissioner Resnick is not truly ready to deal with, since he is so quick to lash out at those who choose to have a difference of opinion. This will certainly be a topic of further discussion as we move past Election Day and on to our new mayor and city commission. So for now, cheers to you Tom Green! Your commitment, involvement and lasting achievements to our Island City have much to do with why we can say, “Life is just better here!” WMG

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

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It’s almost spooky time! If you have any plans on October 31, be sure to check for local health regulations and do your part to protect our city. Photo via PxHere.

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• 10 . 29.2020

2 •

October 29, 2020

POLITICS

NEWS

Political Newcomer Leads Wilton Manors Candidates In Fundraising By John McDonald

From left to right: Mayor Matt Sparks, Army veteran Scott Herman, Barry University professor Mitch Rosenwald and former firefighter Robert B. Thompson. Photos via Facebook.

Four Gay Candidates Seek Oakland Park Commission Seats By John McDonald In Oakland Park, four gay candidates are vying for three commission seats. In total, seven candidates are running for the commission. They are Mayor Matt Sparks, former Mayor Steve Arnst, businesswoman Aisha Gordon, Army veteran Scott Herman, Barry University professor Mitch Rosenwald, mental health counselor Grecia Rivas-Smith and former firefighter Robert B. Thompson. Sparks, Herman, Rosenwald and Thompson are all gay men. Sparks, a flight attendant, is endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, Equality Florida, SAVE and Dolphin Democrats. As the only incumbent running in Oakland Park, Sparks has “a unique bank of knowledge,” said the Victory Fund. “He is committed to representing both the diverse residents of Oakland Park as well as the LGBTQ community,” the organization stated in its endorsement issued Oct. 11. “As an openly gay and HIV+ Mayor, he is proud to lead visibly from the dais, breaking stigmas through action and education.” Herman and Thompson have been elected to public office in other states. Herman was elected vice-chairman of the Cabarrus County Soil and Water Conservation District in North Carolina, becoming the first gay Republican elected to public office in the Tar

Heel state. He later switched to Democrat, he said, when the party’s platform changed to be accepting of same-sex families. A disabled Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Herman and is vice president of Broward Veterans Coalition. Thompson is a former two-term New Hampshire state representative and activist in the marriage equality movement. He has been endorsed by SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC. In addition to Sparks, The Dolphin Democrats have endorsed Rosenwald. He’s also been endorsed by the Victory Fund and Equality Florida. According to the most recent campaign finance reports for the period ending Aug. 31, Rosenwald led all candidates in fundraising with $20,063.78, followed by Sparks $13,775, Gordon $6,718, Rivas-Smith $4,897.20 and Thompson $2,436.33. Arnst and Herman filed waivers and did not report any contributions. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms with the highest voter getter assuming mayoral duties. The mayor serves for one year. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Oakland Park to have a population of 44,339. The city was incorporated in 1929 on land north of Fort Lauderdale. WMG

COMMISSIONERS ARE ELECTED TO FOUR-YEAR TERMS WITH THE HIGHEST VOTER GETTER ASSUMING MAYORAL DUTIES. THE MAYOR SERVES FOR ONE YEAR.

• • • www.WMGAZETTE.com • • • 3 •

Mike Bracchi, in his first political campaign, leads all Wilton Manors candidates in fundraising. Bracchi, a licensed pharmacist, attorney and hospital executive, has raised $34,251.30. He is one of six people seeking two open seats on the city commission this election cycle. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms. Following Bracchi in fundraising are Realtor Doug Blevins, $16,127.20, Tech Entrepreneur Chris Caputo, $14,611.20, Navy Veteran Jason Basilico, $9,632, Realtor Joseph Sansone, $2,880 and businessman Juan Melecio $60. The commissioner’s salary is $9,750 annually. Three candidates are running for mayor. Commissioner Julie Carson leads in fundraising with $27,384, followed by longtime public servant Scott Newton $23,615 and celebrity Chef Josie Smith-Malave $13,385. The mayor’s annual salary is $11,250. There are five elected members of the commission — the mayor and four commissioners. Current commissioners Tom

Mike Bracchi. Photo via Facebook.

Green, Gary Resnick and Paul Rolli are not up for re-election. Green has served as “acting mayor” since July and is retiring. The mayor’s position became open due to the sudden death of Justin Flippen in February. Fundraising totals are from the most recent campaign filings ending Oct. 2. Early voting began Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 1. Ballots may be delivered to the Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, 600 NE 21st Court. WMG

COMMUNITY

Wilton Manors Acting Mayor Takes Final Bow By John McDonald In a four-hour meeting, Wilton Manors Commissioners addressed a multitude of issues and said goodbye to one of their own. Acting Mayor Tom Green retired at the conclusion of Tuesday evening’s marathon meeting, but not before he was praised for his leadership and steady service. Green has served on the Wilton Manors Commission for 12 years. “Evidently, people are nicer to you when you’re leaving,” Green quipped after watching a video featuring residents and officials from across Broward County offering best wishes on a well-earned retirement. Commissioner Paul Rolli recited a proclamation of Oct. 27 as Tom Green Day in the city. Rolli thanked Green for his sarcastic wit and gifted the outgoing mayor with a box of compostable, plant-based straws. A former high school geography teacher, Green has long advocated for environmentally friendly solutions to the ever-growing issue of climate change. His final bow came as the lone no vote on reinstating paid parking meter enforcement in the city.

October 29, 2020

Acting Mayor Tom Green. Photo via Facebook.

“You have led with integrity, purpose and intention,” Wilton Manors resident and Commission candidate Chris Caputo told Green during the virtual meeting’s public comments portion. Green assumed acting mayoral duties in July following the sudden death of Mayor Justin Flippen. This is his third retirement from government service, he noted. Commissioner Julie Carson summed up Green’s commitment to Wilton Manors with a quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” WMG 10 . 29. 20 20 •

SERIES BIPOC

LOCAL BIPOC LEADERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE HOUSTON R. CYPRESS: SAVING THE SEA OF GRASS THROUGH GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Carina Mask

ouston R. Cypress of the Otter Clan, one of the families of the Miccosukee Tribe and cofounder of Love the Everglades Movement, is rising to the occasion and sharing his narrative of the Everglades.

Houston R. Cypress of the Otter Clan. Photo credit: Carina Mask.

• 10 .29.2020

“[Our mission statement] is to implement [in the Everglades], I started a series of Big evolving strategies across the full spectrum Cypress  hiking trips specifically for the of being which address the environmental, Trans and BIPOC folks.”  Cypress added, structural, cultural and spiritual problems “Everything from airboat rides to meteor plaguing the Florida Everglades by shower watch parties, poetry and painting raising awareness and organizing positive workshops. Those are always so magical!” community engagement,” he said. “My roots are in the Everglades,” Cypress   The idea of the Love of the Everglades said. Movement’s beginnings is traced back Tamiami Trail is now eerily quiet; the to an Introduction to Communications constant hustle and bustle, the commotion of course at the Art Institute lost tourists frantically checking in downtown Miami.  Cotheir GPS trying to find airboat founder Jean Sarmiento was companies is now absent. “I STARTED A giving a presentation on the With COVID-19 and water SERIES OF BIG Comprehensive Everglades quality issues being a reoccurring Restoration Plan, and then CYPRESS HIKING headline in South Florida these Cypress invited Sarmiento to companies are deserted and the TRIPS a semiannual environmental windows are boarded up. Now SPECIFICALLY study that was coordinated by shells of these buildings dot the the Miccosukee community.  landscape as the air boats are FOR THE TRANS From there on, they quietly queued as they wait for AND BIPOC blossomed a harmonious tourism to filter back in. friendship where they would Water quality has been a hot FOLKS.” continuously collaborate topic in South Florida for the last - Houston R. Cypress with each other. They bonded few years; stories ranging from the OTTER CLAN immediately over their love and sugarcane plantation chemical respect for the River of Grass. run-off, red tide and algae blooms   Cypress’s multifaceted approach is an in Biscayne Bay, and hypersalinity. innovative take on environmentalism.  For the last half decade, scientists are Storytelling is something that has always paying closer attention to the water quality been paramount in passing down Native in Lake Okeechobee, the western Coast American history and teachings. of Florida and Biscayne Bay. Red tide has “As a Two-Spirit person, and a gay man, killed fish populations en masse and caused I really want to make my friends and family respiratory distress in humans. The Miami in the LGBTQ+ communities feel welcome Brain Endowment Bank has found that lab

SERIES BIPOC

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animals that have chronically consumed cyanobacterial neurotoxins brought about neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “We’re all connected to the Everglades and to the water cycle,” he said. “The waters of the Everglades flows through our communities, your homes and even our bodies.”   THE PREJUDICES FROM THE OLD WORLD ARRIVE ON THE SHORES OF THE NEW WORLD

relocating communities to sever relationships to their land, brainwashing, political acts of erasure. Our gender diverse ancestors had to either go underground or give up, or forget those ways of being as a coping strategy to simply survive,” he said.   The term Two-Spirit is a relatively new one; it was created in 1990 at an Indigenous lesbian and gay international gathering in Winnipeg, Canada.  It was chosen specifically to distinguish and to distance First Nation people from non-Native people.   A derogatory term, “berdache” was used to trivialize and minimize the importance of The long, tumultuous history of the Native American culture. founding of the U.S. is often skimmed over in Some tribes see gender as a continuum our history books. rather than a rigid societal norm; it’s more of  From the Spanish conquistadors’ raping a varying degree of male or female. Gender and pillaging of the Caribbean and sexuality are seen as two and their endless pursuit for separate concepts, which must “WE LEARN gold, or the British committing have bewildered the Europeans mass murder. when they first arrived. FROM EACH  The Native Americans who Storytelling has been an OTHER ALL survived the onslaught were important aspect to engaging the THE TIME. I forced to assimilate to Western community in conversations. culture.  “Innovate how you share ALWAYS REMIND During the late 1800s, at this stories with social media, create MYSELF THAT I point, most Native Americans artwork in collaboration with GOTTA REMAIN were already interned to scientists. Scientists, artists reservations by the federal and social justice advocates TEACHABLE government and were well definitely have vital information TOO.” on their way to a cultural that impacts one another,” assimilation campaign which Cypress said. - Houston R. Cypress OTTER CLAN forced thousands of Native Cypress encourages people American children to attend a to go outside of their network re-education program that stripped them of circles and be inventive with activism but also their identity, customs, traditions and beliefs.  to remain humble. Their hair was cut short and cropped He said we  are all interconnected, in a Western style, speaking their native understanding our continuous and ever tongue was absolutely forbidden, practicing evolving narrative is so crucial to our their beliefs was banned.  Many children happiness and our culture. were leased out to families and worked as “We learn from each other all the time. indentured servants.  I always remind myself that I gotta remain   “The European people committed teachable too. That child, that plant, that genocide on our ancestors through murder, beautiful queer, trans artist will teach me.” biological warfare, kidnapping children,

Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board Endorses: “Re-elect Dennis Bailey, an experienced Broward Circuit Court judge with a strong work ethic. Sep 30, 2020

June 14, 2020

Re-elect Dennis Bailey and maintain stability in the courthouse Also Recommended by PBA, FOP, Broward County Council of Professional Firefighters, The Hispanic Vote and AFL-CIO 3350 S.W. 148th Ave., Suite110 Miramar, Fl 33027 • www.reelectjudgebailey.com Political Advertisement paid for and approved by Dennis Daniel Bailey, non-partisan, candidate for Circuit Court Judge, Group 16.

Houston R. Cypress of the Otter Clan. Photo credit: Carina Mask. 10 . 29. 20 20 •

Publisher's Editorial

CONVICTIONS

IF ONLY I HAD DEBATED THE PRESIDENT 15 REPLIES I WOULD HAVE DELIVERED TO CAPTAIN CHAOS

Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

ifty years ago, as a sophomore at the Harvard of Hempstead, Hofstra University, I won the college’s Public Speaking Contest. I was so proud. A few years later, I was trying to do stand up at comedy clubs in New York City. Guys like Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld told me not to give up my day job. I listened. Tough critics, they were. So here I am, a half century later, practicing law, publishing a weekly LGBT newspaper, and doing a daily talk radio show, which thanks to a pandemic, no one can call in to. Watching the presidential debate last week, I was thinking how much I wish I could have been in the room where it happened — how I would have replied to Donald Trump’s sea of deceit. If Norm Kent was your presidential candidate, and I was debating the mother of all liars, I would have eaten up and spit out the man with the mushroom penis and filthy mouth. Indulge me, won’t you? I can’t cure cancer with my weekly column. Me endorsing Joe Biden won’t get him votes in the Rust Belt. But I can make you smile. So here we go.

HIM: We are turning the corner and heading around the curve. ME: Yes, you most certainly are sir. And driving America right off the cliff. HIM: I wear a mask whenever it is necessary. ME: Yes sir, you do. But it belongs over your mouth and nose, not eyes and ears. HIM: I am better to Blacks than anyone since Lincoln. ME: Yes, you are sir. You are the best since George Lincoln Rockwell. He founded the American Nazi Party. HIM: I saved your suburbs. ME: You know nothing about the suburbs, sir. You think someone’s front lawn is a putting range and their picket fence is a course hazard. HIM: I am the least racist person in this room. ME: Only if you were standing alone in it, sir.

IF YOU HAVE NOT CAST YOUR BALLOT, DO SO.

FOR JOE BIDEN. VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FREEDOMS DEPENDED ON IT.

THEY DO.

• 10 .29.2020

HIM: I did not build the cages. ME: Don’t worry sir, we will retrofit them for you and the entire cadre of crooks you have hired for your cabinet. We are even going to move some of your solid gold toilets from Mar-a-Lago there to make you all feel more comfortable. HIM: Covid, Covid, Covid. I am sick and tired of COVID. On Nov. 4, no one will be talking about COVID. ME: No Sir, on Nov. 4, no one will be listening to you. The disease will be real, but like you, its days will be numbered. Because America will discover something you have not: Science. HIM: Hunter [Biden]’s laptop will reveal hidden secrets exposing his crimes. ME: Yes, sir, and if you are a good boy, we may even be lucky enough to find Hillary’s emails. But she is not running, is she? You are, though. And maybe on the laptop I brought with me we will find your hidden taxes, the person you paid to take your SAT’s, the payoffs to China for your hotel deals, along with the names of all the women you and your best friend, pedophiliac Jeffrey Epstein paid off for sex. HIM: Nobody is tougher on Russia or China than me ME: And you proved this toughness by walking out on a 60-minute interview, holding four years of fake interviews with shill hosts on Fox News and praising

The “Trump baby,” an infamous (and appropriate) caricature. Photo credit: Lorie Shaull, via Wikipedia.

Vladimir Putin while he was paying Iran bounties for killing American soldiers. Oh, Mr. Tough Guy, tell me more.

like hiring an arsonist to put out a fire. You and him could not protect your staff, let alone the country.

HIM: I am saving your second amendment. ME: But there are others sir, and you are destroying them, like the First Amendment, the Bill of Rights, and a free press. You ought to be protecting the Fifth Amendment. When you are booted out of office, you will need it for yourself.

HIM: Dr. Fauci is a monster who has been wrong over and over again. ME: Well, sir, you do know about monsters. You have spent four years appointing them to your cabinet — just enough to start a football team at San Quentin. If you don’t pardon them too.

HIM: Biden is a socialist who will be led by the far left of his party and become a puppet of all them. ME: There are school bus drivers carrying cases of Coors Light more in control of their vehicles than you are of this country or your Q Anon followers. In case you are have not noticed, they are not militia. They are vigilantes, terrorists, and criminals. Like your cabinet.

HIM: I have appointed three Supreme Court Justices who are going to change the face of American society. ME: Yes sir, you have. Amy Coney Barrett is a hundred years ahead of her time. But her time was 1720. And she is against abortion. Care to tell us how many of those you have paid for in your lifetime?

HIM: Mike Pence has done a masterful job as the head of America’s Coronavirus task force. ME: Having a politician with no medical background to run a global task force was

HIM: I have done more in 47 months for America than Biden has done in 47 years. ME: You have sir. You have killed more Americans in a shorter time than any other president before you.

You have unemployed more Americans than any president in the past century. You have stirred more civil unrest than at any time since the Civil War. You sir are indeed number one. No president has been as good as you have been at being bad. You are definitely the best at being the worst. Maybe the guy who told us the way to fight this pandemic was by drinking Clorox isn’t the guy who should have been telling us what was real in the first place. But don’t worry. If we elect a new president on Nov. 3, America will begin a new start. And you will become an old memory. A canceled TV show with no reruns in store. Goodbye, sir. See you on Hulu for $4.99 a month. And that will be overpaying.

CONVICTIONS

Editorial Cartoon

EDITORIAL CARTOON By Mike Luckovich

LGBT HISTORY

MONTH

SFGN TO PARTICIPATE IN MULTINEWSPAPER October marks LGBT History Month, which started in 1994 by a Missouri high school teacher, Rodney Wilson. Wilson sought out other teachers and community leaders for his effort and they chose October because school was in session and it coincided with National Coming Out Day on October 11. Soon enough LGBT History Month was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay ad Lesbian Task Force, and the National Education Association. In 2006 Equality Forum took over the responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for the month, including the website LGBThistorymonth.com which features a different LGBT icon each day in October. SFGN will be participating, along with two dozen other LGBT publications around the country, in a special history project

HISTORY PROJEC T

spearheaded by the Philadelphia Gay News throughout October. SFGN will contribute two pieces this year to the project – one of which will be a look at the gay history of Miami’s Vizcaya, home of the legendary White Party. In the past we’ve explored the histories of Florida’s infamous Johns Committee and whether Addison Mizner, an iconic South Florida architect, was a gay man. “For many years the LGBT community didn’t know it’s own history. In many cases historians tried to censor those voices from the past,” Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, has previously said. “We’ve attempted to examine and record our history so we as a people are no longer invisible from current events to history books. All segments of the population have a past, our’s has been invisible for too long.”

SFGN.COM/HISTORYMONTH2020

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HISTORY

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By Graham Brunk This year H.G. Roosters in West Palm Beach celebrated 35 years of business. This factoid makes them the An old flyer for the Turf Bar. oldest continuously operating gay bar in Florida. The bar right off exit 69 on Belvedere Road celebrates their anniversary every year in September but the bar was actually opened by restauranteur Bill Capozzi in April of 1984 and the H.G. stands for his two dogs Hilda and Greta. What many may not realize about this mainstay is that its gay roots go back much further than you may realize. The building was built in 1945 and opened as Club Sirocco, a piano bar. It was later purchased by a man named Gene Greeter who can easily be considered the man that put West Palm Beach’s gay scene on the map…and he wasn’t even gay himself.

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Two-year-old Mermaid (ID 632376) is ready to make a splash with you. She might not be a real mermaid, but this girl loves to play and explore. An owner with a yard would be a great match. She is a highenergy dog so she would do best in a home with no small children and she prefers to be the only pet. Mermaid is also heartworm positive so her new family will need to bring her in to the shelter a few times for treatment. If Mermaid is the one for you, visit the Humane Society of Broward County to meet her. Thanks to our friends at J.R. Dunn Jewelers, this fun-loving gal has had her adoption fee sponsored, so all she needs is the right home.

If you would like to meet a pet, please visit www.humanebroward.com. The banners rotate so click on the one that says COVID-19 update adoptions and essential services update and scroll down a little bit. There you will find an application for adoption and other pertinent information. Complete the application (even if you have adopted before) and submit it. Please be patient, as the shelter is getting lots of applications daily. Adoptions are being done by appointment only now. For more information call 954-989-3977 ext. 6 The vaccine clinic remains open Monday — Friday 9 AM — 4:30 PM no appointment necessary, credit cards only. FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED WHEN COMING TO THE SHELTER.

READ MORE AT SFGN.COM/HISTORYMONTH2020

Join SFGN during October for LGBT History Month and see where it all began for our community... It’s our past, you deserve to know about it.

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• 10 .29.2020

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Jesse’s Journal

CONVICTIONS

PAPA FRANCESCO HAS

OPENED THE DOOR Pier Angelo

s a recovering “Cathaolic” and more precisely as a proud practicing atheist, I find myself in uncharted territory. I despise organized religions. Everywhere you turn somebody is killing, bombing, terrorizing in the name of God. A god, whose existence has never been proven, and most importantly nowadays, does not have a Facebook page or a Twitter account. Once in a while a charismatic figure appears on the world stage: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, The Dalai Lama: spiritual, compassionate, nonviolent men, capable of changing planetary consciousness. I never imagined that such a person would come out of the Vatican. But a tsunami named Francesco is that man. He hails from a place down under where its most revered icon, until now, was Eva Peron. In the last seven years he has tried to show us where we are so that we know how to get somewhere else. And it’s not a simple task teaching Christians to be Christian. The 266th Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth stepped on the balcony of St Peter’s Cathedral April 2013. The Catholic Church and the world at large have not been the same since. A man whose obvious humility, empathy, and dedication to the disenfranchised, is perfectly suited for our times.

NO, I AM NOT A BORN-AGAIN CATHOLIC BUT HE IS MY CHOICE FOR MAN OF THE YEAR. 26

• 10 .29.2020

His humanity is revolutionary. What has emerged so far is the tone of the dialogue combined with a defined sense of justice. Gone are the fire and brimstone speeches replaced by groundbreaking comments on a score of sensitive subjects. He has tackled and addressed science, corruption, divorce, poverty, exploitation, mafia, globalization, racism, the environment and most importantly he has opened his arms to embrace gay people as members of the world community. The latter is a monumental shift if one considers the ingrained anti-LGBT culture within the Catholic hierarchy. Simply by being non-judgmental and embracing the right of homosexuals to live their lives with dignity and respect, Pope Francis is quietly saying there is room for everyone under the cupola. It is a subliminal message of unprecedented universal tolerance. In tone and substance, his words “Who am I to judge” were the most uplifting words ever spoken by a pontiff to the LGBT community, anytime, anywhere. And that’s stunning in itself. Concern instead of censure? What a powerful message to send to the one billion Roman Catholics on this Earth. He has been blunt, attacking tax evasion, migration, debt, corruption, sexual abuse, and the excesses of free markets. He has repeatedly spoken against mass layoffs: “attempting to increase profits by reducing the work force and thereby adding to the ranks of the unemployed is unconscionable, it is an economy of exclusion and idolatry of money by a financial system which rules rather than serves.” Words that Jesus himself would have spoken if he were here today. Francis seems unfazed by the expected backlash many of his comments have generated. The “Who Am I to Judge” phrase grabbed headlines around the globe and it has become the key narrative of his pontificate. And now Papa Francesco has openly declared support for civil unions for same sex-couples.

Pope Francis in Varginha, Brazil. Photo credit: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil.

The Pope made the historic remarks in “Francesco” a new documentary film directed by Russian filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, that premiered at the Rome Film Festival this month. “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it,” the Pope said in the film, the Catholic News Agency reported. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” Francis has suggested in past interviews that he is not against civil unions, but this is the first time as Pope that he has directly come out in favor of them. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis advocated for same-sex civil unions as an alternative when Argentina was discussing whether to legalize same-sex marriage. Recently he even had to say this on the matter of science: “I am happy to express my profound esteem and my warm

encouragement to carry forward scientific progress.” It would be nice if Republicans were capable of that kind of enlightened thought. But, in the U.S., that might take a miracle. There are moments in time when history suddenly accelerates its course and punishes those who remain behind, and history can be even harsher on those who try to set up obstacles and barriers in its path. This is one of those watershed moments. Pope Francis is not afraid of opening the sea and leading his flock to a new promised land. He is already changing the course of history through his words and symbolic gestures, distancing himself from an archaic religious dogma that has alienated so many of its followers. No, I am not a born-again Catholic but he is my choice for Man of the Year. If they let him work, and live, he might turn out as The Man of the Century.

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

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PRIDE TO THE POLLS ON OCT. 24, A CARAVAN OF BIDEN-HARRIS SUPPORTERS MADE THEIR VIBRANT JOURNEY FROM THE PARKING LOT OF SANCTUARY CHURCH IN FORT LAUDERDALE ALL THE WAY TO HAGEN PARK. THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN WAS WAITING AT HAGEN PARK WITH A FOOD TRUCK AND EVEN A DJ!

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f there has been a silver lining to come out of the COVID pandemic, it has made us more resourceful and creative,” promised Gregory von Hausch, president and CEO of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF), opening Nov. 5. “This year, FLIFF has come up with some clever ways to bring the community together while maintaining safety precautions and social distancing. The diverse selection of films and viewing options will be a welcome diversion for everyone,” he added. In partnership with Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, FLIFF will showcase several screenings, including a Nov. 14 James “Bond-a-thon” movie marathon, via a “BoatIn Movie on the Bay,” along with drive-in options for landlubbers. FLIFF will also be hosting six additional drive-in movie events at other locations during the festival, which runs through Nov. 22. Another feature this year are “Dinner and a Movie” events at area restaurants, including Tipsy Boar, Jimmy’s Sand Bar, GG’s Waterfront in Hollywood and the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and the festival’s two arthouse theaters, Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale and Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood, will present films with limited seating to ensure safe social distancing. For cinephiles who prefer to stay at home, “FLIFF on Demand” will make most films available to view via Eventive Virtual Cinema. Post-screening filmmaker and celebrity Q&A sessions will be live-streamed on social media from local venues. Once again, FLIFF will feature several LGBT-interest films, including:

“Francesco,” a revealing documentary featuring Pope Francis, will be screened at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, opening Nov. 5. Credit: Evgeny Afineevsky.

“LA DEA FORTUNA” WATCH AT HOME VIA VIRTUAL FESTIVAL Italy / 114 min. / Italian with English subtitles Ferzan Ozpetak, dir. Just as their 15-year relationship appears to have hit a lull, gay partners Arturo and Alessandro find their lives thrown for a loop when their friend (and Alessandro’s ex-girlfriend) asks them to look after her two adolescent children.

“OPEN DIALOGUES: STORIES FROM THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY” WATCH AT HOME VIA VIRTUAL FESTIVAL USA / 20 min. / English Freddy Rodriguez, dir. Through a series of candid testimonials, “Open Dialogues” reveals the diverse coming-out narratives of seven Broward County residents who share their insights about love and family, threats and safe havens, being intimate in public, and the role of religion in the LGBT experience.

“FRANCESCO”

“COUPLES: AN LGBTQ SHORT FILM PROGRAM”

Savor Cinema, Fort Lauderdale, and Cinema Paradiso, Hollywood USA, Czech Republic / 118 min. / English subtitles Evgeny Afineevsky, dir.

WATCH AT HOME VIA VIRTUAL FESTIVAL USA, Germany / 91 min. / English, German with English subtitles

FRIDAY, NOV. 13 AND SATURDAY, NOV. 14

In the revealing documentary at the 21st-century issues pressing the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis meets with and apologizes to Juan Carlos Cruz, one of the lead plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against the Church for sexual abuse.

This collection of short films from the U.S. and Austria explores diverse stories of love drawn from the LGBT experience from the searing passion of a fleeting romantic encounter to the emptiness experienced by seniors following the loss of a longterm partner.

954-793-7206 | lacquaazzurra.com The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival runs Nov. 5 — 22 at venues in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, as well as virtual presentations. For a full schedule and tickets, go to FLIFF.com.

• 10 .29.2020

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Union Broward Browar Teachers Union

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954.486.6250 AnnaAnna Fusco, President • Fusco, www.btuonline.com • 954.486.6250 Presid