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october 30, 2019 vol. 10 // issue 44
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all Miami Festival to Showcase physicallyinclusive dance page 8
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NEWS highlight
SouthFloridaGayNews.com
AG Commissioner Nikki Fried to Be Honored by Equality Florida F
“Fried has sent a strong message that Florida is open to all – that every consumer, resident, and visitor should be treated fairly, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.” Executive director, Equality Florida
piero@sfgn.com
Associate Publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com
Jesse Monteagudo
Correspondents
Dori Zinn • Donald Cavanaugh • Christiana Lilly • Denise Royal • David-Elijah Nahmod
Contributing Columnists
Dana Rudolph • Ric Reily • Terri Schlichenmeyer
Associate Photographers Carina Mask • Steven Shires
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For ad placement in SFGN, contact 954-530-4970 Sales Manager • Justin Wyse Justin@sfgn.com Senior Advertising Associate • Edwin Neimann Edwin@sfgn.com Senior Advertising Associate • Clark Rogers Clark@sfgn.com Assistant to the Editor • Nick Adkins Distribution Services • Rocky Bowell, Lee Curtis Sales Consultant • Charles A. Reid
Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner. Photo via Facebook.
resident, and visitor should be treated fairly, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to present Commissioner Fried with our highest honor at Equality Florida’s Broward Gala.” Smith will present the annual State of the State address. Roxanne Vargas of NBC 6 is the evening’s emcee. There will also be a live auction featuring a 14-day China River
Associated Press 1 0 .30.2019
Norm.Kent@sfgn.com
CEO • Pier Angelo Guidugli
Senior Features Correspondents
cruise, dancing with DJ Karin Ward, and musical entertainment by jazz artist Ashley Pezzotti. The Gala takes place on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Las Olas Ballroom at The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, 321 Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. Tickets are $175 in advance and $200 at the door. They are available at EqualityfFlorida.org/BrowardGala.
Cover (let your true colors drive you): sponsored by Grieco Ford Fort Lauderdale. Cover (dance for all): Photo by Omni-Kizzy. Produced by Karen Peterson and Dancers Inc.
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Publisher • Norm Kent
Art Director • Brendon Lies Artwork@sfgn.com Digital Content Director • Justin Musial Webmaster@sfgn.com Graphic Designer • Char Pratt Arts/Entertainment Editor • JW Arnold JW@prdconline.com Social Media Manager • Tucker Berardi tberardi@ufl.edu Food/Travel Editor • Rick Karlin Gazette News Editor • Sallie James HIV Editor • Sean McShee Senior Photographer • J.R. Davis JRDavis12000@hotmail.com
lorida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will be the recipient of the Equality Florida’s Voice of Equality Award at the organization’s 17th Annual Broward Gala Saturday, Nov. 9. The Voice for Equality Award goes to individuals helping to move the community closer to full equality. Past Voice of Equality recipients include Congressman Ted Deutch, transgender youth advocate, Jazz Jennings and sports legends Greg Louganis and Martina Navratilova. Fried is Florida’s only statewide elected democrat. While new in office, Fried immediately proved herself an ally to the LGBT community, by revising The Department of Agriculture’s workplace policy, adding protections from discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity. She also appointed Nik Harris as the agriculture department’s first LGBT consumer advocate. “Fried has sent a strong message that Florida is open to all – that every consumer,
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October 30, 2019 • Volume 10 • Issue 44
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NLGJA Journalist of the Year 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 © 2019 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
10.30.2019 •
5
NEWS national
Too Low A Barr
Shepard slashes DOJ’s transgender travesty David Shortell CNN
T
he family of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old Wyoming man killed in a brutal homophobic attack in 1998, had sharp words for Attorney General William Barr in a speech delivered Wednesday at the Justice Department. The striking speech, at an event marking event, noting that they were traveling. the anniversary of a hate crimes law named Barr was not present for the event, but the for Shepard in the Justice Department’s ornate chief of the department’s civil rights division, Great Hall, drew a standing ovation from an Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, audience that included department attorneys. sat on stage behind Deitle as she rebuked his “We find it interesting boss. Dreiband spoke earlier and hypocritical that (Barr) in the event about the Justice would invite us to this event Department’s commitment to commemorating a hate crime prosecuting hate crimes. law named after our son and The Matthew Shepard and Mr. Byrd, while at the same James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes time asking the Supreme Court Prevention Act was signed into to allow the legalized firing of law just under 10 years ago “We find it interesting by President Barack Obama. transgender employees,” said Cynthia Deitle, the programs and hypocritical that It expanded a federal hate and operations director of the law to include crimes (Barr) would invite us crimes Matthew Shepard Foundation, motivated by a victim’s actual to this event...while at or perceived gender, sexual referring to James Byrd Jr., a black man killed by white the same time asking orientation, gender identity, or supremacists in 1998. disability. the Supreme Court to “Mr. Barr, you cannot have A Justice Department it both ways. If you believe spokeswoman on Wednesday allow the legalized that employers would have the the Shepard family’s firing of transgender disputed right to terminate transgender characterization of the employees.” employees just because they department’s position in a case are transgender, then you argued before the Supreme - Cynthia Deitle believe they are lesser than and Court last week concerning Programs and Operations Director, Matthew Shepard not worthy of protection. If so, protections for transgender Foundation you need not invite us to future individuals from employment events at the Department of discrimination. Justice that are billed as celebrating the law Appearing before the justices last week, that protects these same individuals form Solicitor General Noel Francisco, arguing for hate crimes,” she said. the Trump administration, asserted that the Deitle delivered the speech written by law in question does not bar discrimination Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis, and based on transgender status or sexual apologized on the pair’s behalf for missing the orientation.
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In this October 2018 file photo, Judy Shepard, left, and her husband Dennis Shepard, right, speak at a law enforcement roundtable on improving the identification and reporting of hate crimes at Department of Justice in Washington. Photo credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP.
Francisco said that the case isn’t about whether as a “matter of policy” federal civil rights law should forbid discriminating on the bases of transgender status or sexual orientation. It’s about the fact that, from his perspective, the current law doesn’t provide those protections. Congress would need to change the law, he said. Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department has charged more than 70 people with crimes motivated by hate,
including the men allegedly behind attacks at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, California, in 2018 and 2019, according to Dreiband. “Hate crimes threaten the health of our community life and a decade after the passage of the Shepard Byrd Act and more than 20 years after the brutal murders of the men for whom it was named, prosecuting hate crimes remains a top priority here at the Department of Justice,” Dreiband said.
10.30.2019 •
7
NEWS miami-dade
Miami Festival Showcases
‘Physically Integrated Dance’ Lynare Robbins
S
Photos by Omni-Kizzy. Produced by Karen Peterson and Dancers Inc.
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1 0 .30.2019
ince antiquity, dance has been an important form of human expression.
Illustrations depicting dance were on disability, physically integrated dance inscribed on Bhimbetka rock shelters groups in the United States are less common in ancient India 30,000 years ago, while than their counterparts in countries like the various ancient civilizations recorded their United Kingdom. reverence for dance through painted images Petersen explained, “Disability rights and in scenes portraying religious ceremonies funding are more prevalent in the U.K. and I and entertainment activities. believe the Arts Council England has funded Although dance is then a dance and disability groups for historic tool that humanity a longer period of time than has used to express itself the United States.” Although throughout the ages, arts funding has been cut like physically inclusive dance has many public services have only emerged since the 20th in the U.K., Petersen says century. Candoco, a dance company Artistic Director Karen of disabled and non-disabled Petersen of the Forward dancers in London, offers its “...I believe the Motion Dance Festival and dancers full-time salaries, London Arts Conference of Physically medical insurance, and travel Integrated Dance tackles the benefits. Council has issue involving this disparity “This is unheard of in the funded dance and United by bringing professional dance States for a physically disability groups artists, with and without integrated dance group,” disabilities, to educate and Petersen. One of the for a longer period said present physically integrated sessions at the festival and of time than the dance around the globe. conference was a Miami/ Now in its second year London Dance Exchange United States.” Preview Performance run in Miami, the Forward presented by Karen Peterson Motion Dance Festival and - Karen Petersen Artistic Director, and Dancers with the London Conference took place last Forward Motion Dance based, Step Change Studios, as month bringing dance artists Festival and Conference of Physically Integrated Dance part of Miami-Dade County’s of all abilities together in a International Cultural creative and teaching space. Although the Americans With Disabilities Exchange Program. Rashmi Becker, the founding director of Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 as a civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based Step Change Studios, described how her
NEWS miami-dade studio became involved with the Forward inclusive dance companies aren’t needed Motion Dance Festival. because disabled dancers are graduating into “I was dancing in New York and meeting mainstream companies.” different inclusive dance companies to Russell elaborated that specialized and learn about the U.S. approach. A colleague inclusive companies are needed to fill the mentioned Karen Peterson and Dancers and gap and offer training and experience at a they just happened to be performing in New professional level. Becker added, “I think a York – so it seemed fated!” distinction should be made between social Petersen invited Step Change Studios value of dance at a community level and to be a part of the Forward professional artists feeling like Motion Dance Festival and they are expected to be the Conference. Becker, who ‘poster child’ for disability or performed in the Opening inspiration porn.” Ceremony of the 2012 London Both Becker and Russell Olympic Games, described the stated that dance is helping experience as valuable. the issues of exclusion “It was interesting to meet and marginalization to be dancers from the U.S. and addressed. When asked “I hope we get hear about their experiences about physically integrated to a point in the while discussing differences dance in LGBT communities, future where between the two countries Becker said, “dance spaces inclusive dance when it comes to dance and are becoming more blurred,” disability.” Becker says that and recalled how dancers are companies aren’t international exchanges occupying multiple spaces. needed because helps to challenge thinking Russell added that she disabled dancers and develops new ideas for found many people in the individual contributions. “I dance community more are graduating certainly left with a clearer accepting of her sexuality into mainstream sense of focus and what I want than the LGBT community companies.” to achieve with Step Change has been accepting of her Studios moving forward: disability. “’Dancer’ is a much - Lauren Russell namely – to focus on great larger part of my identity Step Change Studios dance and creating more that gay or disabled.” Becker opportunities for more people.” stressed “it is critical to me In a panel debate following the Miami/ and my team to reach new audiences and London Dance Exchange Preview challenge preconceptions of inclusive Performance, comparisons on the dance.” experiences of British and American On reaching new audiences at the Forward dancers of physically integrated dance were Motion Dance Festival and Conference, discussed. Funding and long-term cultural Becker said that the event was a great change were among the key points identified opportunity to bring different artists and to create an environment that promotes audiences together. diversity in dance. “The best collaborations are those that Lauren Russell, a professional dancer grow over the longer term so I hope we associated with Step Change Studios, said can continue to develop the partnerships that there are still far too few opportunities we have established through the Forward for disabled people to access the quality Motion Dance Festival and Conference education that they need for a career in the moving forward!” dance sector. “The things that bring us together prevent “I hope we get to a point in the future where us from falling apart,” said Becker.
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10.30.2019 •
9
NEWS local
Cruise Planners Holds Diversity Event to Show
Solidarity with LGBT Community
Vicky Garcia, COO and CO founder of Cruise Planners hold the microphone up to Caitlin Gardner.
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NEWS local Carina Mask
Photos by Carina Mask
C
ruise Planners in Coral Springs held a Diversity and Inclusion Happy hour at their office on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to stand in solidarity with the LGBT community on the same day the Supreme Court was hearing oral arguments to decide whether current federal law prohibiting discrimination included the LGBT community.
Fumi Takashina, the Director of People and Culture at Cruise Planners, stated that she is extremely proud of how diverse her team is. “No matter what the rulings are, we want to ensure everyone, no matter how your identity is, know we accept you just as you are. Takashina reiterated that diversity and inclusion is a critical asset in a workspace. She then passed the microphone to Vicky Garcia, COO and Co-founder of Cruise Planners. Garcia proclaimed, “I am very proud of the company because we have one of the most diverse work forces for, essentially, a small company of 135. We can check off almost every possible box, from color, ethnicity, sex preference, sexual identity and everything in between.” Garcia introduced David Nelson from Emmanuel Trenche, Partner and Growth Marketing Executive.
Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Cruises. Nelson reminisced about raising the rainbow flag at Royal Caribbean headquarters in Doral. “Royal Caribbean Anchored in Pride is trying to create that safe haven for everyone to be themselves, to stand together, to connect to open their hearts, to be as one, to listen, to care and to be proud,” Nelson said. Emmanuel Trenche of Trifecta Creative Collective echoed Takashina’s statement: “How welcome people feel at work is so important. That’s the power of diversity and inclusion in your work place.” Having a company take the initiative to make the LGBT community feel welcome and to be able to guarantee that they will continue to have a job even if they come out is such a relief, especially in Florida. Many LGBT Floridians are apprehensive. The old saying in Florida goes you can
Fumi Takashina, Director of People and Culture at Cruise Planners.
married to your partner over the weekend and get fired for being LGBT on Monday. Trenche told a personal anecdote. “Reason why words like safe place, or safe haven are so important. I want to share those emotions with you, when a company tells you, that you are in a safe place.” He began, “The relationship was going well, we were both Pastor’s kids. We had been exposed to so much judgment [in our upbringing] that we knew we didn’t get another chance to impress.” Trenche continues, “The relationship was going so well, [and] we wanted to share a symbol of our commitment. Something intimate. To make it official, a ring. Something beautiful, something people would want to ask about. I would want to hide it, especially when I went to work.” “One day walking in to the bank I was forced to sit next to Aida. She was a dark, big, loud Cuban woman who reminded me of my grandmother. I enjoyed sitting next to her. Aida’s Spanish was excellent. One day, while I was on the phone with a valued customer, Aida noticed my ring.” Aida exclaimed, “How beautiful!” Trenche was taken aback, he was perplexed, he stuttered incoherently. He grew terrified of the impending judgment and condemnation. Trenche covered his left hand quickly. Aida abruptly broke the silence and asked, “Why are you hiding?” she bellowed, “No, no no, you don’t have to hide here, this is beautiful. And this is who you are.” He then drove the point home about the importance of having a workplace being so inclusive and accepting truly makes the world of difference. “This is a safe place, where you can be you. [A safe place to] be appreciated for your worth and talents.”
“Royal Caribbean Anchored in Pride is trying to create that safe haven for everyone to be themselves, to stand together, to connect to open their hearts, to be as one, to listen, to care and to be proud.” - David Nelson Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises
10.30.2019 •
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All
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’m fond of saying that the Bible can best be thought of as containing two over-arching stories. The first is the story of humanity. It’s a story of greed and avarice, pillage, rape, theft, and murder, as well as war, oppression and exploitation – all of which one finds in the Bible. And then there is God’s story of love, mercy and forgiveness, and God’s invitation to humanity to make God’s loving story humanity’s story. Too often people confuse the two stories and project an ugly, hateful caricature of humanity as God. The consequences can be so hurtful that we should talk much more about how to read the Bible. With the permission of the SFGN editors, I will do just that in this and the next article. The Bible – as holy scripture – is unlike any other book, and it should not be read like other books. Apart from academic study, I counsel against reading the Bible from front to back; because doing so won’t provide the reader with the means by which to distinguish between humanity’s story and God’s story. For Christians, the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus yields two lessons. The most widely known is the message that we are to recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread. The disciples’ second important observation is instructive on how we should read the Bible: “Were not our hearts burning within us’ … while he was opening the scriptures to us.” The disciples passionately
recognized and encountered the Word of God in and through Jesus Christ. From this we derive the principle of reading the Bible through the lens of Christ. What does it mean to read the Bible through the lens of Christ? For Christians, God is love (1 John 4:8) and Jesus is “the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Hebrews 1:3). In other words, Jesus Christ is love incarnate. Therefore, as our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is fond of saying, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” So, in reading the Bible, love distinguishes God’s beautiful story from humanity’s too often ugly story. God’s way – the righteous path that we are to follow and emulate for our sanctification – is one of ultimate and unconditional love. People who carry signs that say “God Hates” are woefully mistaken. They have made a muddle of the Bible, confusing ugly and hateful practices of human beings with divine imperative. To be a faithful, Christ-centered disciple, one must do more than cite, quote, or worship Jesus. One must follow Jesus Christ in the way of love. “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” In my next article, we’ll discuss the underlying truth to be found in the Bible’s two stories of Creation. Yes, there are two very different accounts of how God created all that is. We’ll see that one does not have to read the Bible literally as a history book or a science book to find the truth important for reconciliation and salvation.
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10.30.2019 •
13
NEWS miami-dade
Care Resource Cancels ‘White Party’ (For Now) Huge expansion of Miami facility underway Damon Scott
Guests at The White Party in 2018. SFGN File Photo.
A
late September announcement raised some eyebrows: Care Resource Community Health Centers would not host its annual “White Party” in November. The reaction was understandable. The event goes back years and is a tradition for the organization and its supporters. It serves as a major fundraiser and promotes awareness of everything the group does in health and support services across South Florida. Indeed the organization itself emerged from the White Party – which was born in Miami in the midst of the worst of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. (The group was called the Health Crisis Network at the time). Last year’s White Party took place at Miami’s historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens where the original party happened and where it’s been hosted off and on for years since. About 400 people attended. Care Resource’s Jonathan Walsh said there won’t be a party this year, but not to worry. Think of this year’s cancellation more as a postponement. (More on that later.)
make it more manageable and in line with Care Resource’s core values. This year was no different. He gathered a diverse team to get input and looked at hotels, restaurants, private homes and all kinds of different venue possibilities. “Doing a party these days is more and more Opportunity costs expensive,” Walsh said. It didn’t help that the event was due to land Last year’s White Party had some unique about a week before Art Basel, when almost challenges, like landing on the same date as an every desirable Miami venue is gobbled up. Elton John concert in Miami. It pulled potential “When you look into all the costs of attendees away. production, entertainment, marketing, food – “At the same time it was wonderful. We did it it’s very expensive. Then, your event has to, of as an opportunity for us to talk about our new course, raise more,” he said. building expansion and renovation in the heart Walsh eventually decided it was best to wait of Midtown Miami,” Walsh, who is the associate until the new digs are completed. director of development and communications, “How about when the new building is opened said. we can perhaps evaluate having the White Party He said organizing a White Party takes a lot of - Jonathan Walsh gala on the rooftop of our new building?” he time and effort. There are the real costs and the Care Resource said excitedly. opportunity costs. So this year, in lieu of the White Party, the “It takes four months to plan,” Walsh said. “Are we in the business of event production or health care organization decided to put its efforts behind the fifth annual delivery? We’re health care people, not circuit or club people.” “United for Care (U4C)” health fair in historic Overtown. The Walsh’s responsibilities include organizing the White event took place Oct. 26. “Together with our partners and in place of the White Party, AIDS Walk Miami and a health fair, in addition to Party, United for Care (U4C) will further leverage existing capital plan fundraising. He said over time he’s tried to tailor the White Party to community resources, programs and local expertise in order
“We’re health care people, not circuit or club people.”
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to reduce the gaps in access and retention to care,” Walsh said in the late September announcement. The look ahead Care Resource began in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but expanded in 2009 to become a community health center to include primary medical, dental, behavioral health care and case management. The organization runs a food pantry and other social support services as well. It’s also a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves men, women, youth, and children of all ages, races, and ethnicities. The massive $33 million expansion project is scheduled to be completed in May 2020. It will allow the group to at least double the amount of people it currently serves. The organization has grown 471% since 2010. “That’s very exciting. We’re poised to grow even more,” Walsh said. The existing development is going from two-stories and 22,000 square feet to seven-stories and 55,000 square feet. For the first time, its Food For Life Network and nutritional center will be located in the same building. Care Resource’s Midtown Miami location is at 3510 Biscayne Blvd. There are also locations in Little Havana, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. More information is at careresource.org.
10.30.2019 •
15
history month Trans Talk
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1 0.30.2019
S
ince October is LGBTQ History Month, I thought about writing about the Stonewall Riots or Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, or Christine Jorgensen, or Marsha P. Johnson, or anything else I know about or could research about the history of LGBT people and the LGBT movement in the U.S. However, I decided instead to talk only about the history I know and have experienced as a member of the LGBT community. I’ve been alive for 30 years. To some people, they may think I’m too young to have seen any LGBT history because I wasn’t alive for the beginning of the AIDS crisis or part of the first community organizing. It’s true, I wasn’t. Nevertheless, I’ve seen a lot of change in my life so far. Although Ellen came out on her sitcom when I was 5 years old and Will & Grace started airing for the first time when I was 9, I grew up oblivious to these things. I was born and raised in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Although LGBT people obviously existed and mainstream media was showcasing this, I remained largely unaware that anybody existed who wasn’t cisgender and heterosexual. I started to become aware of different sexualities in high school, but mostly as jokes, such as boys saying, “He’s such a faggot.� In high school, I didn’t personally meet anyone who came out to me as anything other than cis and straight. It was in college that I came out as lesbian and started to get involved in my university’s LGBT club. This was also the era of the “That’s so gay� fad. Everyone was saying it. So my first real forays into LGBT life was that our society considered LGBT people to be a joke, something to laugh at. I knowingly met my first trans person when I was in college. He was a trans guy and he looked “just like a real guy!� It was through my studies, my personal experiences as a sexual minority, and through my burgeoning LGBT activism, that I started to learn more about LGBT history, and the various members and identities of our community. When I started to date other women,
I started thinking about my future and marriage. Marriage between people of the same gender wasn’t legal nationwide yet although some states had legalized samesex marriage or domestic partnerships. I was living in PA at the time and I really didn’t know if I’d see same-sex marriage become legal nationwide in my lifetime. I assumed and I was ready to move and live out of state to be legally married. I was incredibly pleased and surprised when same-sex marriage became legal nationwide when I was 26. I was 5 when Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was instituted and 22 when it was repealed. I’ve seen the trans community start to come to the forefront of the LGBT movement with celebrities like Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, and Caitlyn Jenner. I’ve seen the use of they/ them pronouns become more widely spread. I’ve seen transgender children come into mainstream existence. I’ve seen intake forms start asking for chosen name and pronouns and the use of the word spouse instead of husband/wife. There are so many changes I’ve seen happen over the course of my lifetime that I don’t have the space to name them all. I may not have been around since Stonewall, but I’ve been here for the past 30 years, doing my own part in this movement and witnessing and engaging in the incredible strides we’ve made. I can’t wait to see how I can be part of where we’re going, like ending the AIDS epidemic and making the world more inclusive for people of all genders.
Atticus Ranck develops LGBTQ+ educational and training curriculum and resides in Albany, NY. Prior to this, he has worked at two different LGBTQ nonprofits, including as the Director of Transgender Services at SunServe.
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218 • SFGN’s Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 1Car 0.30.2019
My Mini CARS feature
The perfect car Pier Angelo
At the height of their popularity, all four Beatles owned Minis.
Even Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marquee owned one. It has been featured in countless action movies, one of the last being the remake of The Italian Job where they treated the MINI like another member of the cast. The spacesaving transverse engine front-wheel drive layout, which allows 80 percent of the area of the car’s floor-plan to be used for passengers and luggage, influenced a generation of car makers. The MINI was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century in 1999, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the
In May, a world record parade of 1,450 Minis congregated at Crystal Palace as part of a London to Brighton run.
Volkswagen Beetle, the original is considered an icon of the ‘60s British popular culture. The last original MINI, a red Cooper Sport, was built in 2000 and presented to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust that year. A total of 5,387,862 cars had been manufactured, nearly 1.6 million of which were sold in Britain. The last MINI to leave the Longbridge plant did so in 2012. Several events marked the 50th anniversary of the MINI in 2009. In January 2009, The Royal Mail released a limited edition of stamps titled ‘British Design Classics,’ featuring an original, Egg-Shell Blue, MK1 MINI, registration XAA 274. In May, a world record parade of 1,450 MINIs congregated at Crystal Palace as part of a London to Brighton run. The following week, 10,000 MINIs and 25,000 people attended an anniversary party at Silverstone Circuit on the border of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire. In August of 2009, ‘smallcarBIGCITY’ launched in London to provide sightseeing tours of the capital in a fleet of restored MINI Coopers. In recent years, MINI has been known for its catchy slogans: “Of Course it’s Smart. It is from Oxford,” “A Dirty MINI is a Sign of a True Motorer,” “Motorers Are Ageless,” and “Let’s Motor.” These slogans have helped brand car company as a type of lifestyle for those who want to be on the go, speeding off to the next adventure. It’s an effective marketing campaign, and it’s something that films and celebrities seem
MINI Cooper S Convertible.
to pick up on. The MINI isn’t just a car: it’s a fun car that takes its owners on an epic journey full of twists and turns, and ups and downs. In a MINI the open road is your oyster. There is nothing in the current market comparable to a MINI. It’s a luxury economy car that’s a blast to drive! Why bother with an underpowered hybrid when one can get 40 mpg with appointments like full leather interior and on board Internet connection via bluetooth from a smartphone? Personally, my top desired qualities in a car (in order) are:
• Fun to drive • Reasonably practical • Good fuel economy Now normally, you would think that for most cars you get 1 or 2 of the above three, but I found that with the MINI I gives me all three. I have owned 4 MINIs, to this day I still enjoy driving it and never grow tired of it.
• There’s no question the MINI is the most fun to drive car I’ve owned. The low weight makes it quick on its feet, and MINI has done a great job tuning the suspension to make you feel very connected with the road. • For day to day commuting and the occasional grocery store run, I find that the trunk is about right. It’s also great for squeezing into tight city parking spots and really, any parking spot. • Even in its highest performance John Cooper Works trim version, I still average 37 MPG on highway stints, and an even 30–31 MPG on daily commute of 50% highway 50% city. In addition to these things, MINI gives you lots of customization options to make it unique, I highly recommend test driving one just to see what it’s like. The ride may not be for everyone but it’s certainly designed for me.
10.30.2019 • 1 SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 •93
CARS feature
Two Guys and their cars Pier Angelo Mark Hess grew up in Kingsley, Iowa, population 1,000. Gary Wentzel grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A move to Tampa with his parents gave Mark the desire to relocate to Florida. Family vacations in Hollywood gave Gary the same conviction. Mark met a man in Iowa and wanted a fresh location— Florida—to start a fresh life with him. Gary told his Pennsylvania boyfriend “I’m moving to Florida. If you want to come, okay. If not, fine.” Mark, who had been doing restaurant work since he was 16, found a job at Fort Lauderdale’s Cathode Ray club. When its owner bought Chardee’s, Mark became that legendary restaurant’s bartender. Gary was a server at the Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Il Mulino. They met one evening while leaving Cathode Ray. Discovering a mutual love for vintage cars, they headed together to the Copa where they prolonged the conversation about 50’s and 60’s cars.” Wentzel says, “You just don’t run into too many people who can share your enthusiasm about a 62’ Chrysler Imperial.” The more time they spent together, the more they found they had a lot in common, and that’s how it all began. When Mark’s roommate left for Ogunquit, and Gary’s boyfriend left town Gary moved into Mark’s home. Their love for Classic Cars has gown in step with their love for each other . When the
In their 27 years together Mark and Gary have bought, refurbished, restored and sold over a dozen vintage cars.
subject of cars comes up you can’t stop them. “There is a cruel irony abut today’s choices of automobiles” says Mark, “cars are more alike than they’ve ever been, parking lots are melting pots of badge-engineered, generically styled sedans/SUV/sportscars. What happened to the characterful cars our dads were always swearing at in the garage?” “A lot of things” he continues “ but mostly safety and reliability, features that have made cars better but also far, far less interesting. Safety also means bigger, dumpier bodies. Reliability severed the bonds that tied men to their mechanics.” According to Gary “Classic cars are appreciating assets that recapture the visceral motoring experience while looking fabulous cruising with the top down, and the thumbs up people give you at traffic lights is better than any likes on Facebook.” In their 27 years together Mark and Gary have bought, refurbished, restored and sold over a dozen vintage cars. If you are sick of driving automobiles that feel and sound like video games, sick of cars you can turn off and walk away from unaffected by the experience take a look at what Mark and Gary have been driving and drool: x
1. 1964 Cadillac Limousine (Mark’s first car) 2. 1971 Triumph TR6 3. 1972 Buick Centurian convertible 4. 1978 Cadillac Seville 5. 1977 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz 6. 1970 Cadillac DeVille convertible 7. 1978 Lincoln Town Coupe’ convertible 8. 1976 Buick Limited Landau Custom 9. 1996 Buick Roadmaster Wagon 10. 1986 Buick Electra Estate Wagon 11. 1959 Ford Skyliner retractable hardtop 12. 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 13. 1965 Pontiac Bonneville convertible 14. 1975 Pontiac Grandville convertible
4 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
Gary Wentzel and Mark Hess. Photo credit: Carina Mask.
Here are their suggestions if you are interested: When to buy at an auction? Almost never When to buy from a private seller? Almost Always - but do your homework first When to buy on EBAY? More often than you think but don’t spend more than $20,000. START YOUR ENGINE!
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There are dozens of replicas
throughout the world made out of a variety of materials of the famous Stonehenge, the giant ring of mysterious standing stones dating back to prehistoric Wiltshire, England in the Salisbury Plains, erected sometime between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. Some have been meticulously constructed as astronomically aligned
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models, some as socioeconomic statements, while others are examples of artistic expression at its best. One of the most original and creative ones is created from Vintage American spray-painted cars. Rising like monoliths from ancient times, 39 automobiles, all arranged in a circle, rest as a formation of vehicles from days gone by on the western outskirts of the Sandhills of Nebraska.
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SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 5
CARS feature
Rides That Offer the
Best Bang for Your Buck Larry Printz
For most of us, buying a new car or SUV is a nerve-racking decision given that most of us don’t make such large purchases on a daily basis. And while you may be jonesing for a new car or SUV, your finances are telling you that you might have to bike to work. Don’t despair. There is an answer. Any buyer can get the essence of a high-priced ride without the price tag if you know which vehicles to consider. Some spendier rides are little more than mundane vehicles with an attitude, while some everyday vehicles have many of the same attributes as pricier rides. With that in mind, here are some tempting budget-stretching suggestions:
Larry Printz is an automotive journalist based in South Florida. He can be reached at TheDrivingPrintz@gmail.com.
Ford Mustang EcoBoost. Photo via Ford.
6 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
CARS feature
Nissan Kicks. Photo via Nissan USA.
SUBCOMPACT SUVS SUBCOMPACT SUVS Nissan Kicks ($19,585)
Don’t expect driving kicks from the Kicks; this SUV’s kicks come from its fashionably sporty style, a comfortable ride, optimal cabin space, and loads of standard equipment at prices mere mortals can afford. Consider its tech package with a responsive touchscreen, Bluetooth, three USB ports, and a rearview monitor, along with such niceties as keyless entry, roof rails and automatic headlights. Pricier models get Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, blind spot warning, and rear cross traffic alert. And there’s an impressive list of driver safety systems. Inside, there’s a high seating position and 25.3 cubic feet of cargo space. It’s a hard package to beat.
Runner up: Kia Soul ($17,490): Consider it fast fashion;
Honda Civic sedan. Photo via Honda.
H&M with tires. Offered with a manual transmission and boasting a distinctive personality, its interior accent lighting can be set to pulse with the audio system’s music. Easy to drive smoothly, the Kia Soul is one cute ute that’s sure to satisfy yours.
SMALL SEDANS SEDANS SMALL Honda Civic sedan ($20,480)
Mazda CX-5. Photo via Mazda.
the price, with impressive materials and plenty of soft touch points. It’s a transcendent compact crossover utility vehicle, one that’s superior than many of its pricier rivals.
Runner up:
VW Golf SportWagen ($22,790): This contrarian antidote to SUVs has compact dimensions that aren’t much different from many small SUVs and, like them, carries 30.4-to-66.5 cubic feet of cargo and up to 5 people (if they’re friends). Unlike most, it offers superb driving dynamics and a manual transmission.
SPORTS CARS SPORTS CARS Ford Mustang EcoBoost ($26,395/$31,895)
This pony’s classic style returns at a very affordable price. But while other Mustangs receive doubleoverhead-cam V8s, the EcoBoost makes do with a fuelefficient double-overhead-cam 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. If the idea of a four-cylinder Mustang makes you feel like Steve McQueen’s unloved gay relative, keep in mind its 310 horsepower is more than the Mustang’s V8 developed a decade ago. A six-speed manual is standard, a 10-speed automatic is optional. And there’s enough space for friends to come along, or carry a large amount of lifestyle debris, starting at $26,395 for the EcoBoost coupe, or $31,895 for the EcoBoost convertible.
Once again setting the standard for compact sedans, energetic styling cloaks an impressively large cabin that it could easily be thought of as a small midsize car. Even the trunk is huge, measuring a commodious 15.1 cubic feet. While the Civic sedan’s interior gives up 7.9 cubic feet and its trunk 1.7 cubic feet to the Accord, the extra space isn’t worth the extra scratch. All Civics do an excellent job of insulating passengers from road shocks. In fact, it’s nearly luxury level. At the same time, sporty handling gives the Civic the athletic, responsive feel drivers have come to expect. And it’s available with some high-end features, like rain-sensing windshield wipers. Nice.
Runner up:
Runner up: Toyota Corolla Hybrid ($23,100): It’s not
We all know that designer knock-offs is how stores like H&M thrive. Now, Mercedes-Benz is getting into knock-offs. Having copied the CLS in the smaller CLA, Mercedes has now plagiarized the pricier E-Class sedan with the new entry-level A-Class. No, the front-drive 188-horsepower/seven-speed automatic A-Class will never match the effortless performance of the rear-wheel-drive 255-horsepower/nine-speed automatic E-Class. But you’ll get styling that’s nearly as gorgeous and an interior that features a dazzling, large digital dashboard with refined, high-end graphics. Yes, you’ll find some hard-plastic bits and experience a bit of road noise, but at this price, who cares?
the driving thrills that make this Corolla notable; it’s exceptional gas mileage: 53 mpg city, 52 mpg highway. This Corolla has the Prius’s driveline, but not the Prius’s hideous look.
COMPACT HAULERS COMPACT HAULERS Mazda CX-5 ($24,350)
While the CX-5 is no sports car – it has too many doors and too many seats – its ability to vanquish switchbacks and effortlessly carve through corners and twisting roads makes for a truly fulfilling experience. It’s light, tossable, and surprisingly fun to drive. Body roll is largely lacking because the CX-5 slightly reduces engine power in corners to tighten suspension response and improve handling. The impressively large cabin is exquisitely fashioned for
Ford Mustang EcoBoost. Photo via Ford.
Fiat 124 Spider ($25,390) Based on the Mazda Miata, and built by them, the 124 Spider uses a turbocharged Fiat engine, and more relaxed suspension tuning and a richer interior than its Japanese identical cousin. Cheaper to buy than a Miata, it’s every bit the grand tourer, making it easier to live with.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan. Photo via Mercedes-Benz.
COMPACT LUXURY LUXURYSEDANS SEDANS Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan ($32,500)
Runner up: Genesis G70 ($35,380): This new entry into the world of compact luxury sedans doesn’t have a fashionable name – yet. But it has the goods to beat the best, with a stout, rear-wheel-drive chassis, classis proportions and a ride/handling compromise that’s among the best-in-class. SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 7
CLASSIC CUBAN CARS CARS feature
Pier Angelo
If you love vintage cars, Cuba it’s the place. The greatest on earth. One big car show, where autos from the 1940s and 1950s zip along the streets and byways. Take your pick: Pontiacs, Buicks Chevrolets, Fords, Dodges, Plymouths, even Studebakers. They run the gamut from mint condition to battered. Well-preserved cars have exteriors that shine with chrome and “ shocking” pink, purple, red, aquamarine paint jobs, while the worse-off autos are kept together with odd parts, scrap metal and sometime duct tape. American cars were imported for about 50 years until 1959. After the Cuban Revolution, the U.S. imposed the embargo and Castro banned the importation of American cars and spare parts. That’s why Cuba is the way it is today—essentially a living museum for classic cars. They are considered part of the Cuban Heritage, Cuban laws ban the cars from being removed from the island. There are about 60,000 vintage American cars still running in Cuba, half of them from the 50s, 25 percent from the 40s, and the rest from the 30s. The cars are often family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation. Since the country lacks replacement parts and often the necessary tools for fixing the
They are considered part of the Cuban Heritage, Cuban laws ban the cars from being removed from the island.
Photo credit: Edgardo W. Olivera, via Flickr.
vehicles the locals have become extremely creative in their repairs; a great deal of reverse engineering has kept these old American autos on the road. Mechanics find ways to use imperfect parts and they are well paid for their ingenuity .Russian cars –Ladas and Volgas – are stripped of useful components, hood ornaments are often made from scrap metal. The old American cars keep running with parts and pieces that were never intended for them. It’s not uncommon to find a 1950s Buick with a Russian engine and most have been converted to diesel. Ask
8 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
any owner to tell you about his car and he will gladly show you and tell you how he has managed to keep it on the road. The majority of the owners have joined regulated Co-ops and have become taxis and tours’ providers. The rest of the population drive small Citroens, Nissans, Peugeot, Volkswagen. Luxury cars are very rare but for those who can afford the steep prices Audis, BMWs and Mercedes are available. Tourists can take tours in classic cars in Havana and Veradero . In these places, there are usually rows of spotless beautiful looking
9 5 19
cars lined up for visitors to choose from. Most of them are convertibles, which are perfect for cruising the city streets and taking pictures. That’s exactly what my husband and I did during our recent stay in Havana. If the embargo were lifted, the Cuban auto market would be flooded with replacement parts and repair manuals, the old cars could be fixed properly and be kept on the roads for decades to come. It would also boost sales for American automakers, sadly, under the current administration nothing is going to change for the better.
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Most Expensive
It took Rolls-Royce four years to build the Sweptail. Photo via RollsRoyce.
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MODEL ROLLS-ROYCE SWEPTAIL MERCEDES BENZ MAYBACK EXELERO LAMBORGHINI VENENO FERRARI PININFARINA SERGIO BUGATTI CHIRON LA FERRARI FXXK ASTON MARTIN VALKYRIE FERRARI F60 AMERICA ASTON MARTIN VULCAN MCLAREN SPEEDTAIL
Cost $13 MILLION $8 MILLION $4.5 MILLION $3 MILLION $2.9 MILLION $2.7 MILLION $2.6 MILLION $2.6 MILLION $2.3 MILLION $2.2 MILLION
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SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 9
FAST LANE CARS feature
Photo credit: Ildar Sagdejev.
cars, trucks, and those who drive them pier angelo Nearly all boomer high-school students had their driver’s license by the spring of their senior year. Today one in four teens still lack one at the end of high school. They describe getting their license as something to be nagged into by their parents. This would have been unthinkable to previous generations. The U.S. burns 145 billion gallons of gasoline a year. That’s about 1.3 gallons for each American – all 325 million of us – every day. When is this stuff going to run out?
BTW: a car uses 1.6 oz of gas idling for one minute. Half an ounce is used to start the average automobile. VOLVO has made a shocking pledge: by 2020, no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car or SUV. Here is their pledge: VISION 2020 – Aiming for zero. “Vision 2020 is one of the most ambitious safety visions in the automotive industry. It is rooted in our leadership in safety and the fact that everything we do starts with protecting the people inside and around our cars. Our aim is that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020. While we are proud of what we have achieved so far, we are not satisfied yet.”
FIND OUT IF YOUR CAR HAS A RECALL: Car Recall Tracker keeps you up-to-date on vehicles recalls at cr.org/ carrecalltracker
Germany is the birthplace of KARL BENZ, the inventor of the automobile, and gave rise to the Volkswagen or the “people’s car” as its name implies. It is also home to Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche. These five brand account for 80% of global sales of luxury vehicles. With 835,000 workers the auto industry is Germany’s biggest employer and for a fifth of the country’s export. The well-wheeled in China are embracing American luxury brands with CADILLAC crossovers and LINCOLN SUVs flying off the lots. The country has become GM’s largest market for Cadillac and FORD says it will soon be the top market for its Lincoln brand. Looming over this boom is Trump’s tariffs war and because of this danger Lincoln plans to eventually build its models in China.
The original MUSTANG GT from the 1968 thriller “ Bullit” will be put on the block at the Kissimmee Mecum Auction in January 2020. “Bullit” featured one the most well-known chase scenes in Cinema with Steve McQueen driving the Mustang in a dangerous pursuit through the hilly streets of San Francisco. Afterall speeding is the source of America’s contribution to global culture – the car chase. MONTANA – The Autobahn of America. In 2015 Montana increased its speed limit to 80 mph on the interstate for both day and night.
10 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
The YUGO is considered the worst car in history. The Yugo was a small car made in the former nation of Yugoslavia starting in 1985 that survives in the American consciousness as the ultimate automotive failure. Poorly engineered, ugly, and cheap, it survived much longer as a punch line for comedians than it did as a vehicle on the roads. It cost $2,000 with a top speed of 86 mph. Fifty-years after the moon landing and Woodstock mankind has a new destination. VOLKSWAGEN is planning to go carbon neutral by 2050, all electric, zero direct emission. Volkswagen has also announced that it will finally bring the iconic Microbus back to showrooms — but it won’t get here before 2022 […] and that it will be a full electric vehicle when it arrives. The company plans to release the new van, based on the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle and on the upcoming new Modular Electric Drive platform that will form the basis of all of VW’s new electric vehicles. THE ELIMINATOR COUPE. In 1976, Billy Gibbons of ZZTOP met with Don Thelen of Buffalo Motor Cars in Paramount, California and Ronnie Jones of Hand Crafted Metal with some help from Sid Blackard, to build a customized 1933 Ford Coupe. The car was built with a Corvette style engine fabricated by Handcrafted Metal . It was finished in 1983 and called the Eliminator. The car has become recognizable for its red finish and graphics, which can be seen in several of the band’s music videos. The Eliminator has also made worldwide appearances in television, movies, auto shows and charity events. GOOGLE STREET VIEW uses speciallyequipped cars to travel the globe and photograph streets, landmarks, and natural wonders in 87 countries.
LAMBDA CAR CLUB INTERNATIONAL (LCCI) is the largest collector car club for LGBT and LGBT-friendly automobile enthusiasts in North America. The purpose of the Lambda Car Club International is the enjoyment and exchange of information on old and special interest motor vehicles, combined with social fellowship by LGBTQ community members interested in such vehicles. www.lccimembers.com
If you own and old ACCORD look out. Thieves prefer the 1997 model 15 to 1 over the 2006. Perhaps coincidentally,1997 is the last year Accord keys didn’t have some sort of chips in them. In cities like Houston, London and Salt Lake City Google has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to give these vehicles the task of Mapping street-level air quality with the goal of reducing pollution.
Research has found that when drivers moves to the passenger seat they become much less optimistic about their chances of not being in a crash. Tired of driving? French inventor Franky Zapata successfully flew across the English Channel on a hoverboard, making the 22mile journey in about 20 minutes. In several years, when self-driving technologies become widespread you’ll have a choice : either to sit in the backseat and the robot will drive, or sit behind the wheel yourself.
CARS feature
CARS spare parts
I AM IN LOVE WITH MY CAR Roger Taylor in 1978 with his Mercedes 450SL (R 107) roadster. Photo via Roger Taylor.
The DeLorean DMC-12. Photo credit: Kevin Abato.
I’m in Love with My Car” is a song by the British rock band Queen, released on their fourth album A Night at the Opera in 1975. It is the album’s only song written entirely by drummer Roger Taylor. The revving sounds at the conclusion of the song were a recording of Taylor’s then current car, an Alfa Romeo. The lyrics were inspired by one of the band’s roadies, Johnathan Harris, whose Triumph TR4 was evidently the
CAR BRANDS THAT HAVE CALLED IT QUITS
“love of his life.” The song is dedicated to him, with the liner notes mentioning, “Dedicated to Johnathan Harris, boy racer to the end.” The song was used in a 2004 advertisement for Jaguar.
PLYMOUTH
MERCURY
SATURN
DESOTO
RAMBLER
( 1928-2001)
(1938-2010)
(1985-2010)
(1928-1960)
(1901-1969)
PONTIAC
OLDSMOBILE
CHECKER
EDSEL
MOSLER
( 1926-2010)
(1897-2004)
(1922-2009)
(1958-1960)
(1993-2013)
SAAB
HUMMER
AMC
DELOREAN
STUDEBACKER
(1945-2010)
(1992-2009)
(1950-1987)
(1970-1982)
(1852-1966)
Oh The machine of a dream, such a clean machine With the pistons a pumpin’, and the hubcaps all gleam When I’m holding your wheel All I hear is your gear With my hand on your grease gun Mmm, it’s like a disease, son I’m in love with my car, gotta feel for my automobile Get a grip on my boy racer roll bar Such a thrill when your radials squeal Told my girl I’ll have to forget her Rather buy me a new carburetor So she made tracks saying this is the end, now Cars don’t talk back they’re just four wheeled friends now When I’m holding your wheel All I hear is your gear When I’m cruisin’ in overdrive Don’t have to listen to no run of the mill talk jive I’m in love with my car (love with my car), gotta feel for my automobile I’m in love with my car (love with my car), string back gloves in my automolove I am in Love with My Car
SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 11
1957 Chrysler Windsor 74 Capri
Billero & Billero Properties
Portrait of Success 77 Honda Accord
From the time Gene Billero was 2 years old he had a passion for automobiles. While walking with his father in their small N.J. town, the two spotted a new ’59 Cadillac and the young Gene pointed to the car. Gene’s dad told him what it was and being only 2 years old he said “Cad-dill-e-ac.” Yes, Gene Billero has always had a passion for cars, but he also has a passion for his family, good friends, and Real Estate. He has had an interest in Real Estate since he was 8 years old and rode in his Uncle’s ’65 Lincoln learning about land his uncle was subdividing for Levitt Construction. Gene’s Uncle Bud, an attorney hired by Levitt Construction, would transform farmland into beautiful subdivisions. At age 14, Gene convinced his parents to purchase a home, doubling their investment in just 3 years. After living in South Florida for the last 28 years he sees the area not what it is, but for what it will become. Gene Billlero feels blessed to be working in a field in which he has passion, and helping his clients with their needs. If Gene is not out with a client, you will see him around town cruising in one of his collectibles.
2014 BMW 740Li
1965 Lincoln Continental 4 Door Convertible 2
1969 Buick Wildcat Convertible
12 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
1995 Lincoln Town Car
MLS 221954
MLS 223998
7950 145th Street Sebastian, FL 32958
$1,050,000
New Price!
Riverfront peninsula property w/over 1800 feet of waterfront. This unique modern 3/2 pool home w/many custom features cannot be duplicated for its ease of living & recreation. Boat dock will accommodate 3 boats. 4.6 total acres w/2.5 +/- acres of maintained grounds. Original site of Sebastian River Bridge. Fisherman’s and boater’s dream w/direct access to Intercoastal & Sebastian Inlet.
1289 West Island Club Square Vero Beach, FL 32963
11555 Roseland Road Sebastian, FL 32958
$825,000
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• River and Intracoastal Views • 4 Bedroom plus Den, 3 ½ Bath • High Ceilings • Crown Moldings • Open Floor Plan • Huge Master Suite • Screened Pool and Spa • HOA Fees include lawn care tennis, 2 clubhouses, pools, fitness, day dock, deeded beach access
Billero & Billero Properties Gene Billero, Broker
• Short Sale • Gated 7-1/2 Acres Surrounded By Water • 3,000 Feet of Waterfront • 4 Car Garage • Elevator • Ultra Privacy • Would Make Great Bed & Breakfast • Indoor/Outdoor Pool and Spa • Spa Can Hold 10 People • Would Make A Great Weekend Retreat
Cell: 772-532-0011 BilleroProperties.com
SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 13
Ford Co-Pilot360 CARS feature
A Car for the Future
PIER ANGELO
Ford Co-Pilot360, the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies among full-line brands, aims to help people around the world more safely and confidently face congested roads – today and tomorrow. • Ford Co-Pilot360 roll out in key global markets started last fall to help customers drive more safely and confidently amid rising congestion and distractions; automatic emergency braking to be standard on new passenger cars, SUVs and trucks up to F-150 in North America going forward. • In North America, Ford Co-Pilot360 is the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies among full-line brands and includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot information system, lane keeping system, rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting.
• In addition, Ford offering even more premium driver-assist technologies, including adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centering, evasive steering assist and post-collision braking in North America. • Ford is also introducing reverse brake assist with AEB to help prevent drivers from hitting an object while backing up. Ford will continue adding new technologies to Ford Co-Pilot360 packages in the future.
Most advanced standard driver assist package Ford Co-Pilot360 is the most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot information system, lane keeping system, rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting – a combination other non-luxury competitors don’t offer standard in North America. Images via Ford.
Standard driver-assist technologies Ford Co-Pilot360
TOYOTA
HONDA
Chevrolet
Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection
YES
YES
NO
NO
Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert
YES
NO
NO
NO
Lane Keeping System
YES
YES
YES
NO
Auto High Beam
YES
YES
NO
NO
Reverse Camera
YES
YES
YES
YES
14 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
Commercial customers can also benefit from Ford’s expansion of driver-assist technologies. By 2020, E-Series, F-650 and F-750 and even our F59 chassis will come with available automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver alert system and more. A National Transportation Safety Board study shows having technologies such as AEB can help prevent and mitigate rear-end crashes, which can help customers lower their cost of ownership. “Our commercial customers trust our trucks to get the job done,” Ford CEO Farley said. “And soon, we’ll be giving them another reason to trust us even more.”
CARS feature
An Ode To A Beater Brendon Lies
Most car fanatics would know better
than to honor their ‘99 Honda Civic, ‘92 Chevrolet Impala, or ‘95 Ford Explorer. But today, I’m pouring one out to my little red 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe. Originally made to be a sports car for people who couldn’t afford a sports car, I’m proud to say it goes from 0 to 60 in about 11.9 seconds. With 200 horsepower hiding somewhere in its V-6 engine, a driver’s side window that no longer rolls down, and an air conditioner that leaks when it manages to run, its most impressive feature is probably the hood ornament – wherever it is. The real story, though, isn’t what’s beneath the hood. This car used to belong to my ex boyfriend, the same one who I first moved to South Florida with. He used to show up in that car to pick me up, back when it was in much better shape, and I’d feel like royalty as I climbed into the passenger seat. I remember us hooking up this little red car behind the U-Haul, both of us checking the rear view mirror constantly to make sure it didn’t drift away as we headed to the Sunshine State. To my great joy, he bought a new car after we moved – and I was given the keys to the Stratus so I could drive myself to class every day.
It was also the car I began to pack my things into when my boyfriend realized “this trans thing” wasn’t going to go away.
Back then I was in a straight relationship. Once I realized I was trans, things got strange. The Stratus became my refuge, where I would change into men’s clothing before class and change back out before I drove home. It was also the car I began to pack my things into when my boyfriend realized “this trans thing” wasn’t going to go away. Hey, I got a great deal. As a last way of showing he cared, he sold me the title for only $300. If he hadn’t, I’m not entirely sure what I would have done. After moving out, it took awhile to get back onto my feet. I ended up moving around a lot, and my little red Stratus became the only consistent in my life (when it wasn’t broken down on the side of the road). It became my quiet space, my shuttle to every new sofa, my chariot on the long road towards stability. It was the car I got pulled over in for doing 78 mph in a 45 zone, feeling a little too confident after getting my second ever shot of testosterone. It’s also the car I still drive every day to my job in Wilton Manors, a place where so many other cars have ended up after a road that was much too long. I would never recommend this car to anyone, and yet I don’t know what I would have done without it. At the end of the day, isn’t that what makes the best car, though? It’s not the McLaren GT where the real memories are. Lamborghinis and Ferraris make great toys, but the rust buckets (with an oil leak and seat adjusters that stopped working in 2017) that carry us to a brighter future are the cars we never forget. So here’s to you, 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T. You’re a piece of shit, but thank you for carrying me into the next chapter of life. Brendon Lies (pronounced “Lease”) is a 29-year-old trans man originally from Fargo, North Dakota, and the current Art Director of South Florida Gay News.
SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 15
CARS spare parts
Durability
With the right maintenance and care, today’s vehicles have
the potential to reach 200,000 miles,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly. “While large SUVs and pickup trucks appear most often on the list, those looking for sedans and minivans can also find a vehicle that is proven to be a high-mileage hauler.”
Longest-Lasting Cars to Reach that 200k Mile mark Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MODEL
Percent of this model that reach 200k+ miles
Toyota Sequoia Chevrolet Suburban Ford Expedition GMC Yukon XL Toyota 4Runner Chevrolet Tahoe Toyota Highlander Hybrid Honda Ridgeline GMC Yukon Toyota Tacoma
7.4% 5.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.9% 3.8% 3.1% 3.0% 2.8% 2.6%
16 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
CARS spare parts
HENRY FORD’S BREAKTHROUGH In 1906 Henry Ford, a two time automobile-industry failure, wrote: “the greatest need today is a light, low priced car.” It just happened that Ford’s engineers read about vanadium steel in trade magazines. Mixing vanadium into steel alloy doubled its strength. Ford placed an order for $750,000 (a little over $17 million in today’s dollars) worth of vanadium steel and in 1908 the first Model T rolled off the line. It was the lightest, strongest and cheapest car ever produced, half of its parts where made using vanadium steel and it sold for $850. The Model T went on to sell 15 million units in two decades. Mass production became standard. The mobility and independence that these cars gave to the people saw the dawn of a revolution: drive ins, drive-
Photo credit: ModelTMitch.
throughs, the road trip, the Interstate, the car culture. And of course gridlock, smog, and greenhouse effects followed. All of it came courtesy of, until then, a little known metal discovered around 1801 by a Spanish mineralogist, Andres Del Rio. And it is still essential today for automakers. A century ago, a lighter car meant an affordable car. Today it also means a more fuel efficient one.
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Carrleasing.com | Danny@carrleasing.com | 305-906-2910 SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 17
CARS feature
The Cars of Our Lives Norm Kent
SFGN’s Car Issue Should Have You Roaring to Go
Norm’s 1978 Lincoln Continental Town Car.
There was a time when you picked up a weekend newspaper and every other page was an advertisement for new car dealerships. cars are america’s favorite toy. Cars taught boys how to become men, and girls, women. That’s because there is a good chance that some old car we once owned was the very first place any of us ever had sex in. I still like old cars. New cars are too damn silent. The riveting sound of a powerful engine gives you a visceral and electrical charge. I don’t want a living room couch to drive in. I need the roar of a wide body Hellcat to get me excited. The world is different today. If you tried to get laid in the back of your car now, some hidden camera would probably notify Homeland Security. Your neighborhood watch alert would send a text to everyone within a three block radius. Today, print publications like SFGN have to compete with digital advertising and virtual rides. But there is nothing like holding a newspaper in your hand. You can get the same thrill shifting gears in your Shelby Mustang burning rubber on i-95 on a
My body might go to ashes and dust, but this car must not rust.
Sunday afternoon. I hope you like this special edition of SFGN. Special thanks to Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale for helping us launch. Even more kudos to our CEO, Pier Angelo, for being the creative director and thoughtful writer of some eclectic pieces in this issue. Last week, I penned a column asking you to let us know when you die. I want to make sure our newspaper illuminates your life when you pass. So you know, I don’t want to make my final ride to that last ball field in a mournful black hearse. I want a celebration. I have picked out my ride. It is a gold 1978 Lincoln Continental. Right now, it is at Carlos Auto Body on NW 8 Avenue in Fort Lauderdale getting a new roof. He is a detail queen. The car will be perfect. My body might go to ashes and dust, but this car must not rust. I love my vehicles, particularly the older ones I can work on myself. There is something special about dropping the wrench you have in your hand onto the radiator of your 1965 Mustang, cracking the frame, and have steaming hot antifreeze burst out and stream onto your chest.
18 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
If you love antique cars, you live with the cardinal rule that if a power steering belt snaps or a radiator hose bursts, it will be at 5:30 pm on a Friday night, after every good auto shop in town has closed. Well, there is one exception. There is a good chance you might be able to catch Linda at Dale’s Tires on West Sunrise Blvd. until 7 p.m. When you own old cars, you develop a personal relationship with places like Dale’s, Howard’s Interiors and A Touch of Class Towing. You keep them on speed dial. I see that my old friends at Impact Auto are still in business on Powerline. It’s always good to know, because you never know. When you are an antique and own some others, you make sure you have an app on your iPhone to access your membership with the American Automobile Association, the AAA. In fact, own enough old cars and it will make you a member of AA. Older cars are fun — but I can’t lie — they can be nightmares too. Every set of keys you have to an antique car opens the door to headaches. But if you have a big enough garage and a good wrench, you can be the man, the fixer; a respirator for your boy toy.
Or girl toy. We all are kids at heart. Here is one piece of advice if you love older cars. Good work is not cheap, and cheap work ain’t good. Keep your car like your body, greased, running and tuned. At 70 years old, it’s easier to change spark plugs in my driveway on a Saturday afternoon than dive for footballs. Less chance of breaking my ribs. When that engine powers up, you just become Dale Ernhardt at the Indianapolis 500. I feel sorry for the Joe Pallants and George Castrataros of this world with their fancy Teslas. If their engines go down, they will need an electrophysiologist to diagnose it and an epidemiologist to repair it. You poor guys. All I need is a little coolant and anti freeze from O’Reilly’s Auto Parts.. In the meantime, I will cool down with an icy Stella at Hunter’s. Mark Hunter can tell me all about his two 1982 Buicks. So enjoy this week’s paper. If the oil pan leaks on your 74 Camaro, just get a stack of SFGN’s and lay them out under the hood. Drain the pan, get a match, stand back ten feet.
CARS spare parts
CAR CITY sfgn staff Old Car City in White, Georgia contains the worlds largest known classic car junkyard. It started as a small general store in 1931 and is still family owned and operated. With over 34 acres and over 4,000 American-made cars from the early 20th Century, these cars, trucks, vans, and even a couple school buses are placed in such a way as to be ideally suited for photos, videos and custom camera shoots. Over the 8 decades since first started, thousands of photographers, videographers, ad agencies and media companies have visited Old Car City USA. Popular news magazine and newspaper companies, like CBS Sunday Morning, the New York Times, the BBC and Georgia Public Television, have made press releases
Photo via Old Car City, Facebook.
and/or video segments and transmitted it worldwide. Mayor of Old Car City USA, Dean Lewis, welcomes all who come out to visit his varied collection of automobile art with a little help from Mother Nature. You can just stroll along with winding paths for a nominal fee or, for a few dollars more, bring a camera and take pictures and/or videos and share them with friends. Among the many cars at Old Car City USA, there is the last car Elvis Presley ever bought back in 1977 just a couple months before he died. Also, a movie starring Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash used one of the cars that now call this place “home.” The honorary mayor of the “City,” Dean Lewis, is also an artist in his own rite with some of the most unique canvas...the styrofoam cup. In his upstairs loft, Lewis has hundreds of styrofoam canvases featuring his artistic talents on display along with some paintings he will proudly show off.
SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 19
Call me Joanie. Originally a Jersey Girl, I have thoroughly enjoyed living and working in the real estate arena in Palm Beach County for 29 years. Working with homebuyers and sellers is an absolute passion. I love assisting people with one of the largest transactions of their lives by taking care of all the details that come with a closing. Honestly, there is nothing more gratifying than when clients breathe easy. My real estate experience began on the business management side, specifically in law offices whose practice includes real estate law. Having worked with hundreds of buyers and sellers on the closing side, there became more and more of a pull to move to the beginning of the buying and selling process. Today, I am excited to now be part of the Posh Real Estate team as a Real Estate Salesperson. Talk about a perfect fit – I immediately felt like part of a team from day one where my work ethic, attention to detail, and enthusiasm to help people, were all well matched! If you are expecting top-notch service in buying or selling a property, simply call me.
- Joanie
992 1 w o ll e y y m g Drivin d sunny n u o r a a t ia M Mazda ion. ss a p r e h t o n a is South Florida 20 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019 • 21
CARS spare parts
ICONIC CAR SONGS Americans have a love affair with their cars.
On average, we spend 101 minutes each day driving. Cars mean freedom and independence. They connect us with adventure, they take us to work, to the mall, and to the doctor’s office. Cars are an extension of ourselves whether we keep them shiny and spotless or carelessly toss used fast food bags and soda cans in the back seat. Regardless of what car you own — a minivan, a sedan or a hot rod — here is a playlist about cars and driving. Raise the volume and start your engine.
1. “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” by Billy Ocean 2. “Little Red Corvette” by Prince 3. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen 4. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson 5. “Pink Cadillac” by Natalie Cole 6. “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry 7. “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar 8. “Born to be Wild” by Hinder 9. “Cars” by Gary Numan
10. “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys 11. “You Can Sleep While I Drive” by Melissa Etheridge 12. “Drive” by The Cars 13. “Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin 14. “Slow Ride” by Foghat 15. “Trans Am” by Thompson Square To listen to these songs, check out the playlist on Spotify:
www.spoti.fi/35I1bem
CARS spare parts
The Silent Car – A Hidden Danger sfgn staff By their very nature, electric vehicles are quiet – and that can be a problem. If pedestrians can’t hear a car approaching, they don’t know to step out of its way. Even without electric cars it is already a problem. People walk and cross the street wearing headphones and staring or interacting with their smartphones, Slamming into doors, colliding with lampposts, falling into fountains, deaf and oblivious to the din of traffic around them. New federal safety regulations requiring all 2020 EV and hybrid models to make noise while driving at low speeds should address the issue. Nissan, maker of the Leaf, has been working on an answer. It’s artificial-engine vroom, designed with New York studio man made music,
22 • SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October 2019
An electric car gets a quick charge during the Georgia Alternative Fueled Vehicle Roadshow. (U.S. Air Force photo by Misuzu Allen)
meets the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requirements for volume and frequency. The standard requires new EV to emit audible sound when traveling at less than 128.6 mph, (traveling faster than that, a car produces enough tire-on-road noise to warn people it’s coming). According to BloombergNEF researchers, 55% of all new car sales could be electric by 2040 transforming the din of cities in the future.
CARS feature
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Ryan Eldred My beloved 1976 Datsun 280Z
Never in my wildest dreams, did I think I’d be able to drive my partner of 11 years around in it.
has been in my family since the mid 80’s. My uncle owned it in Tallahassee, who passed it along to my Dad. It was given to me as my first car when I was a junior in HS. My Dad and I did lots of work to it, paint and body, mechanical, etc....When I moved away to go to college, I didn’t take it with me so it was stored indoors for all of the 2000’s. (No, it didn’t take me a decade to go through college, I went thru a Mustang phase). Finally in January of 2010, my Dad told me to drive it or sell it. Selling was not an option, so with some work I got it back on the road, and it’s been my weekend car ever since. Never in my wildest dreams, did I think I’d be able to drive my partner of 11 years around in it. (He loves every minute of it.) It’s about to turn 229k miles, and I hope for many more.
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SFGN’s Car Issue // Sponsored by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale // October2/6/18 20192:21•PM 23
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history month Bars
Before Rooster’s There Was
Turf Bar The history of Rooster’s goes back to the 1950s Graham Brunk
year H.G. Roosters in West Palm Beach celebrated 35 years This of business. This factoid makes them the 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. 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. Greeter was born in Ohio and served time in the Korean Conflict and even earned a purple heart. After the war he settled in the West Palm Beach area where het met his wife, Earlene. Greeter purchased a small bar downtown on Datura Street in 1953 and named it Turf Bar (the space is now occupied by PNC bank). He quickly realized the expendable incomes gay men had and was one of the first bars in the area to really claim themselves to be exclusively gay. He found a hook into the community and word of mouth spread since in the 50s there was no way else to really advertise a gay establishment. The success of his initial Turf bar location allowed him to go on and purchase the raunchy Chi-Chi Club strip club on North Dixie Hwy just north of downtown. He called this place Turf North. In the early 1960s
he’d purchase 823 Belvedere Road and call it Turf West. His chain of gay bars went by the slogan “when cruising the Palm Beaches, make new friends at a Turf Bar.” In the 1960s Greeter had little competition. The Music Box Lounge in downtown Lake Worth was the only other mainstay gay bar in the area. Others came and went quickly and police harassment made it hard to stay in business. Greeter advertised the bar nationally in many gay publications as they became more apparent in the 60s and 70s. Its star like logo was soon synonymous in the gay community with the gay scene in the Palm Beaches. Soon if you were a member of the LGBT community in the Palm Beaches, Turf was a known safe haven for hanging out, socializing, and meeting new people. In fact, in an interview with David Magazine in 1973, Greeter stated he counted 17 competing bars that came and went since he opened the original Turf Bar in the early 1950s. He attributed his success to being extremely stingy from the get-go…and by stingy, I mean stingy to himself. He lived modestly and put much of his money into decor, comfortable seating, and entertainment. Greeter was big on pushing his bartenders to be friendly to everyone. As much as he appreciated the local joints his bars would become, he wanted out of towners or
Its star like logo was soon synonymous in the gay community with the gay scene in the Palm Beaches.
An old flyer for the Turf Bar.
closeted men to feel welcome and apart of the crowd when they entered the bar. Greeter himself almost never hung out at his bars. A former Turf Bar patron tells me that Greeter was a man that almost everyone knew by name, but you rarely ever saw him. He hired bar managers for each location to look after day to day operations and they reported directly back to him. Greeter was, however, still very involved in the community itself. He often hosted barbecues and parties at his own house on 39th Street in the North Shore neighborhood in West Palm Beach to celebrate winners of pool tournaments and other games or contests the bars would hold. He noted to David Magazine that it made him feel good to know that he observed different LGBT social groups that would congregate within the bars…one of note that he mentioned was a Disney World club where the members would plan trips to Disney World together every few months. Greeter never thought his bars would find the success they did. This success did not come without problems though. Police often would harass patrons coming out of the bars and a shortlived competing bar even tried to burn Turf North and Turf West down, but nothing phased him. The rise of Disco in the mid to late 70s would be challenging for the aging Turf Bars. PB’s opened on North Olive Ave in downtown West Palm with a multi-level dance floor and
loud music produced by professional DJs. The Citadel’s opening on the northern tip of town with rave reviews in various LGBT magazines only continued to saturate the gay bar/club scene in West Palm. Clubs like these quickly took business from Turf Bar and in the 1979 Gene Greeter closed Turf West, the last location to be open. He continued to own the building leasing it out to several other businesses that were not gay eventually ending with a bar called the Water Shed which billed itself as a sports bar but could never shake its attachment to the gay community. The building would then become Roosters which it has been ever since. Outside the bar scene Greeter was an avid runner and even ran a downtown running group called the Palm Beach Runners akin to the current runner group aptly titled Nightrunners of West Palm Beach. He went on to invest in other restaurants and bars, most notably People Place, a swanky lounge on Military Trail near Okeechobee Blvd in West Palm Beach. Greeter passed away in 2012. His Palm Beach Post obituary candidly mentioned he owned “several local businesses” but no direct mention of Turf Bar or his major influence on the LGBT community. There is some slight homage paid to Turf bar in Roosters today. If you look at the lights shining on the logo inside the bar, you’ll notice every few seconds they form the Turf Bar logo.
Graham, a West Palm Beach native, is a local librarian with an interest in LGBTQ history in South Florida. He welcomes emails and story ideas. Contact him at GrahamBrunk@gmail.com.
10.30.2019 •
41
history month Jesse’s Journal
Dolphin Democrats As reflected in the Stonewall Archives
Jesse Monteagudo
T
Dean Trantalis speaking at a 2017 Dolphin Democrats gathering. Photo via the Dolphin Democrats, Facebook.
he Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors are our community’s treasure.
Researchers ranging from renowned scholars to high school students have taken advantage of this valuable resource. In my role as Historian for the Dolphin Democrats, I recently had the privilege of studying Dolphin documents preserved in the Archives. As the oldest LGBT political organization in South Florida, the Dolphins made their mark in our history. Unfortunately, the history of the Dolphins has not been well-preserved, and many of its founders and early leaders are no longer with us. This is where the Stonewall Archives come in. Though their documents are far from complete, they give us an idea of the Dolphin Club’s progress during its first 25 years. I want to thank Stonewall’s Chief Archivist Paul Fasana and Director of Programming and Education Emery Grant for allowing me to research this material. The “Dolphin Democratic Club of Broward County” was formed in 1982. In December 1982 the officers were Burnett “Karl” Clark, President; Delia Alonso, Vice President; Tom Green, Secretary; and Seril Grossfeld Treasurer. Meetings were held at the Broward County Courthouse and later at TriCity Realty at 1741 E. Sunrise Blvd. By 1983 the Dolphins were active in Broward politics, supporting candidates like State Senator Peter Weinstein and issues like the South Christian Leadership Conference’s lawsuit against Fort Lauderdale over single districts. That year Dolphin Steve David was honored as “Man of the Year” by the Broward County Young Democrats. On October 5 the Club re-elected Clark President and Grossfeld Treasurer, along with VP Tom Green and Secretary Richard Sedlak. Also elected were Directors Sandy Bernstein, Steve David,
Ernestine Edwards, Richard Esposito, Dennis Foley and D. Lynn Mattingly. In 1984 some members of the Dolphins ran for Democratic Convention delegates in support of candidate Alan Cranston. Soon after the November elections (Nov. 14) the members re-elected Clark and Grossfeld along with Secretary Green, VP Jeff Jackson and Board members Mattingly, Mike Lockwood, Don Millington and Ron Spann. By 1985 the Dolphins met at the Broward County Government Center at 201 S. Andrews and held its 2nd annual Human Rights Advocate Awards Dinner (honoring State Rep. Anne Mackenzie). In November the Club reelected Clark, Green, VPs Alonso and Jackson, and Treasurer Mattingly. It also elected Directors Grossfeld, Lockwood, Millington, Elsa Dillof and Buddy Markwell. In 1986 the Dolphins backed Miami gay businessman Jack Campbell in his unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. In 1988 the members reelected Clark along with VP Don Millington, Secretary Jesse Portis Helm and Treasurer Paul Merel. They also elected Directors Tom Bradshaw, Brad Buchman, Keith Carlson, Fred Fejes, Peter Rogers and Ann Silkie and gave their annual Human Rights Award to attorney Dan Bradley. In 1989 Bradshaw succeeded Clark as Club President. He joined Board members Jamie Bloodworth, Brad Buchman, Lenny Kaplan and Evan Leatherman. On January 10, 1990 Bradshaw was reelected President, along with VP Buchman, Treasurer Richard Katz, Recording Secretary Jamie Bloodworth and Corresponding Secretary Beverly Cothern (Bloodworth’s partner). Grossfeld was re-elected to the Board, along with Richard Altman, Len Simons and Carl Trough. During the March primary, the Club endorsed Anne McKenzie
As the oldest LGBT political organization in South Florida, the Dolphins made their mark in our history.
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(State House), George Stuart (Governor), Howard Forman (State Senate) and Evan Leatherman (State House). It supported United Citizens for Human Rights in its eventually successful effort to amend the Broward County Human Rights Act. It also supported a new activist group, GUARD (Gays United to Attack Repression and Discrimination) and gave its annual Awards to State Senator Eleanor Weinstock, the Broward Human Rights Board, Father Bill Collins of Poverello and attorney Allan Terl. On January 9, 1991 the Club re-elected the five officers and sent to the Board Grossfeld, Simons, Trough, Tom Bates, Dick Geisler, Bob Sawyer and Gary Steinsmith (Buchman’s partner). Later it held a lively fundraising party at Steinsmith’s home. On January 8, 1992 Bradshaw, Buchman, Bloodworth and Cothern were re-elected along with Steinsmith as Treasurer and Geisler, Grossfeld and Sawyer as Directors. Buchman’s election was controversial and he resigned February 12, to be replaced by Cothern. Even so, by the end of 1992 Buchman was back, as Secretary. The Archives are silent about the years 1993-1996 but by 1997 Gary Steinsmith was President of the Club, along with VP Shane Gunderson, Treasurer Joe Donnelly and Secretary Tony Espaillat. Steinsmith was followed by Gunderson, who presided over the Dolphins for a brief period of time. By 1999 the Dolphins’ founding fathers
and mothers were gone and the club was run by the likes of President Bill Salicco, VP Keith Watts and Treasurer Joe Scaglione. Only Secretary Espaillat and an up-andcoming Board member named Dean Trantalis are worth remembering. Later Salicco was involved in some controversy and resigned, to be succeeded by Trantalis (2000). Dean served alongside VP Paul Jaworski, Secretary Marc Dickerman and Treasurer Kevin Swagger. In 2001 Percy Johnson was elected as the Dolphins’ first African-American President. But Johnson lost his bid for re-election in 2002. He was succeeded by Trantalis, who was re-elected alongside VP Robin Bodiford and Treasurer Bill Rettinger. By 2004 Michael Albetta was President of the Dolphin Democrats and the Club was meeting at the Pride Center, then located on Andrews Avenue and N.W. 16 Court. Albetta was succeeded in 2005 by Ken Keechl, with Melissa Fojtik as VP. The next year Keechl resigned to run for the Broward County Commission (he won) and Fojtik became President. In 2007 the Club President was Amy Beth Shoosmith, with Albetta as her VP. By 2009 Albetta was President once again, this time with Julie Carson as VP. Sadly, except for a few photographs, programs and newsletters the Stonewall Archives does not have many documents from the Dolphin Democrats post2009. Perhaps some of our readers will help us fill in the gaps.
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.
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history month Feature
Word AIDS Museum Starts Oral History Project Sean McShee
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n the summer of 2019, the World AIDS Museum began a new project, “Until the Last Story is Told.” This project continues their on-going documentation of how people have experienced the HIV epidemic. As its name implies, the “Until the Last Story is Told” project will continue indefinitely. SFGN spoke about this project with Dr. Réquel Lopes, AP, Executive Director of the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center. This new museum project differs from their prior projects in two ways. First, anyone can tell their story of how they have lived with HIV or how HIV has affected them. Second, with new equipment, museum staff can tape people’s stories away from the museum. Previously, only people who could come to the museum could provide their stories. This mobility will enable more people from more areas to participate. This project relies on a technique of social history called “oral history.” In this type of history, individuals tell their memories of a shared experience, such as the HIV epidemic. Rather than focusing one individual, oral histories focus on many. Oral history can bring out the diverse and complex understandings of their shared experiences.
What happens in an oral history video The museum will videotape a subject telling their story about HIV. Later, museum staff will transcribe that video tape. People can then search those transcribed statements for keywords. These keyword searches work like googling for a phrase of interest. This will help researchers, students, and writers learn more about the different ways people experience the epidemic. These videos average about 30 minutes. Some last up to one hour. In an oral history video, the subject talks before a video camera about their experiences. No interviewer is asking questions. The subject determines what they want to share about their experience of HIV. Lopes said that the museum encourages “people to talk about something that’s important for them.”
Dr. Réquel Lopes.
The museum will work with people to help them “think about their approach before we shoot the video.” Talking about one’s experience of HIV can bring up strong emotions. Lopes said that museum staff will work with each subject “to make sure that they feel comfortable with the video.” Some people may prefer to first x speak with someone who has already taped an oral history. The museum can make those arrangements. Lopes linked this project to the tagline of the museum, “Document. Remember. Empower.” She said that that these oral histories would become part of the museum’s permanent collection to “document the story of HIV and AIDS, to help people remember where we have been in the struggle, and to empower people to speak out and fight stigma.” Lopes felt that this project had a role in challenging stigma. She said “Seeing real people tell their stories, their experiences, is one of the most powerful ways that we can break down stigma.” Hearing how people experienced the epidemic differs from reading statistics and reports. It provides a “richer, more comprehensive understanding of where we have been, and where we are going.” The World AIDS Museum and Educational Center is located at 1201 NE 26th Street #111, in Wilton Manors. Its hours are from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The museum also does periodic events. Those public events are listed on its website www. worldaidsmuseum.org, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
If someone wants to tell their story about HIV, they should email info@worldaidsmuseum. org or call 954-390-0550, ext. 3.The museum schedules taping sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoons. At present, the museum lacks the ability to upload a self-generated video for this project, but they are working on developing that capacity.
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SFGNITES
F O R T H E W E E K O F o c to b er 3 1 , 2 0 1 9 - N o v e m b er 5 , 2 0 1 9 J.W. Arnold
jw@prdconline.com
THU
10/31
Building Bridges Through Music
event We all know that Halloween is really “Gay Christmas,” one of the biggest nights of the year for the LGBTQ crowd. Tonight, head down to Wilton Drive for the biggest Halloween celebration in South Florida, Wicked Manors. “7 Deadly Sins” is the theme for the street party in the gayborhood, all sponsored by the Pride Center at Equality Park. $5 entry fee. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Info at WickedManors.org.
FRI
11/1
film The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival opens this weekend and one of the featured films is the “Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street,” a documentary about the gayest horror film ever made, “Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddie’s Revenge.” Star Mark Patton will appear in person, 8 p.m. tonight at Savor Cinema, 503 S.E. 6th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets and a full festival schedule at FLIFF.com.
Saturday 11/2
concert
Virtuoso pianist (and SFGN sales associate) Edwin Neimann is the featured soloist with the New Directions Chamber Winds today at 4 p.m. at Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 S.W. 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. To mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, Neimann will perform the composer’s Piano Concerto No.3 with the talented LGBT and allies semiprofessional ensemble. Tickets start at $20, visit SunshineCathedral.org or call 954-462-2004. Photo credit: Jerry Day.
SAT
11/2
SUN
11/3
MON
11/4
TUE
11/5
concert
dance
film
television
The South Florida Symphony presents “In Concert Against Hate,” 7:30 p.m. tonight at Temple Israel, 137 N.E. 19th St. in Miami. Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso is joined by Dr. Alan Mason, music director emeritus of the temple, for this concert of moving music to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hate. NBC6 reporter Arlene Borenstein will emcee the evening. Tickets start at $54 at SouthFloridaSymphony.org.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet, founded by alumni of the famed Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, presents “Star Dust: From Bach to David Bowie,” 7 p.m. tonight at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. The innovative new company transcends tradition in a groundbreaking mix of styles ranging from ballet to hip hop, and has been featured on TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Tickets start at $55 at Kravis.org.
It’s Movie Monday and have we got a lineup for you! Linda Hamilton is back as Sarah Connor in “Terminator: Dark Fate,” the never-ending, timetraveling killer cyborg franchise. We’ll be reserving our tickets for “Harriett,” based on the inspirational story of Harriett Tubman, the famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Cynthia Orio and Leslie Odom, Jr. star. Check local listings for theaters and show times.
We can’t wait to see how Disney and ABC handle “The Little Mermaid Live,” the latest musical to be aired on television. This production is purported to be a hybrid of the animated classic AND the Broadway stage adaptation and features Queen Latifah (Ursula), Shaggy (Sebastian), John Stamos (Louis), Graham Phillips (Prince Eric) and Auli’I Cravalho as Ariel. Check local listings for channels and show times.
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A&E TELEVISION
“Watch What Crappens” hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam will be podcasting from Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8. Credit: WatchWhatCrappens.com.
Bravo Fan Podcast Comes to Fort Lauderdale J.W. Arnold
A
re you the ultimate Bravo fan? Can you name all the “Real Housewives” of Orange County, Beverly Hills, New Jersey and New York? Can you keep up with who is sleeping with who on “Vanderpump Rules”? Do you understand the crew hierarchy on the “Below Deck” charters? If so, you probably already know about “Watch What Crappens,” the top-rated podcast devoted to all the reality-based shows in the Bravo universe. If you don’t, creators Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam are coming to Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale to initiate fans into their hilarious world. The friends and West Hollywood residents started “Watch What Crappens” (a riff on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens”) in 2012 as a lark. The two friends just happened to like talking about shows they watched the night before and realized they weren’t alone. Soon they had amassed an international audience of 1.7 million listeners for each episode of the five-time-a-week podcast. According to Karam, “Bravo-lebrities” love the show, too. “Their support has been just incredible,” he said before listing the cast members who have put in appearances: Stassi Schroeder, Ariana Madix, and Tom Sandoval from “Vanderpump Rules”; Captain Lee Rosbach, Kate Chastain and Captain Sandy Yawn from “Below Deck”; Kathryn Dennis and Patricia Altschul of “Southern Charm”; and Leeanne Locken of “Real Housewives of Dallas.” That’s when the duo got the idea to take their show on the road, broadcasting from venues across the country.
These live appearances across the country sell out almost immediately. Fans show up at theaters and nightclubs dressed in costumes, homemade t-shirts, and even Alschul’s signature caftans —with many traveling hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of miles for the experience. “It’s crazy,” says Mandelker. “Our fans are amazing–really devoted. They’ve come to our shows from as far away as Sweden, Scotland, and Japan… our shows are way rowdier and crazy than anyone would ever imagine. They’re loud, get drunk, do imitations of the ladies on the show and the audience members know all the lines.” Karam said Bravo has become the de facto “gay” television network with its campy lineup of reality shows. “Bravo is gay when it doesn’t try to be,” he explained. “The Real Housewives were originally intended for women (viewers). The network has great casting and a specific voice that works. It’s campiness, it’s smart. People think it’s trash TV, but the truth is there’s a lot of intelligence that goes into those shows.” Mendelker added, “It’s cartoons for adults, like when the coyote gets chased off the cliff. They take themselves so seriously, but the key is the audiences don’t take it too seriously.” Mendelker and Karam see themselves as the pseudo “gay best friends” for those Bravo viewers in the heartland and always look forward to meeting them on their tour stops. “Ronnie and I are sort of like their gays. A lot of women don’t have access to gay friends and in a certain way, we fulfill that need,” Mendelker said.
“Watch What Crappens” is available on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify and anywhere else where podcasts are found. Tickets for “Watch What Crappens,” 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 at Revolution Live, 100 S.W. 3rd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, start at $25 at JoinTheRevolution.net.
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A&E books
Famed Hollywood Designer Tells All in New Memoir Bernardo Puccio will be in Boca on Sunday
J.W. Arnold
M
ore than 50 years ago, Bernardo Puccio left his home in rural Alabama for the glamor-ous world of Beverly Hills. All he had with him were 13 pieces of unmatched luggage and his poodle. “My journey was particularly amazing,” the son of first generation Italian-Americans wrote in his memoir, “Thirteen Pieces of Unmatched Luggage and My Poodle.” “From that humble origin I became one of California’s foremost interior designers. I walked with stars and luminaries who occupied the Golden Age of Hollywood. I tasted of every fruit and still craved more.” Puccio is coming to South Florida this weekend to promote the autobiography, drafted in longhand over five years. Throughout his career, Puccio hung out with the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bee Gees; designed the home of Emmy-winning actor Telly Savalas (“Kojak”); and worked with Elizabeth Taylor on star-studded charity fundraisers that raised millions of dollars for AIDS research and treatment. His work was regularly praised in Architectural Digest, the Los Angeles Times, Florida Design and other magazines. Even though he had a fetish for dressing up in his mother’s wedding dress, Puccio didn’t initially identify as being gay. Perhaps the juiciest moment in his book is the retelling of the only time he had sex with a woman. After a night of heavy drinking, Hollywood screen siren Lana Turner seduced Puccio. “In truth, I had enjoyed that moment of sexual pleasure, and won’t ever forget it,” he wrote. “I wondered more than twice if I was even still gay? What a strange thought.” They remained friends for years and he credits her with turning him into a heavier drinker— and changing his name from Bernard to Bernardo. Puccio also talks of the time he met Rock Hudson, regretting that he rebuffed the hand-some movie star’s invitation to join him for coffee. He wrote, “I could not believe I said no to his offer. I have always wondered how my life would have possibly changed had I gone out with him.”
Hollywood interior designer to the stars Bernardo Puccio will be signing his tell-all memoir in Boca Raton this weekend.
Years later, Puccio’s desire to marry his longtime partner Orin Kennedy became the sub-ject of a 2006 documentary, “An Ordinary Couple,” that was screened at film festivals around the globe, including the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Then, contrast his glamorous lifestyle with frightening moments a decade ago when he confronted end-stage liver disease: “I should have quit drinking earlier,” Puccio admitted in a telephone interview with SFGN. “I almost didn’t get (the) liver transplant, but I’m so glad I did or I wouldn’t be here today sharing my story.” Unlike many LGBT people who had difficulties reconciling their religious faith, Puccio credits his Catholic upbringing for getting him through that life-threatening trial and a he re-mains a devoted follower. “I met two different popes on four occasions,” he said proudly. Puccio’s advice to the new generation of LGBT young people who didn’t live through the civil rights movement, gay liberation and the fight for marriage equality: “I was always an original, never afraid to be who I was,” he said, “and I would encourage them to do the same in everything they pursue,” Puccio concluded. “Never be afraid to dream and follow your vision.”
Bernardo Puccio will sign his memoir, “Thirteen Pieces of Unmatched Luggage and a Poodle,” 4 – 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Gallery 22, 320 Esplanade #53 in Boca Raton. For more information, go to BernardoPuccio.com. 10.30.2019 •
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