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U.S. Senator: Val Demings
Congress, District 20: Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Congress, District 23: Jared Moskowitz
Congress, District 24: Frederica Wilson
Congress, District 25: Debbie Wasserman Schultz
JUDICIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Circuit Court Judge, Group 23: Gary M. Farmer, Jr. Circuit Court Judge, Group 51: Tamar Hamilton County Court Judge, Group 15: Suzette O. Hyde
Vote NO on all except Jorge Labarga - YES
Governor/Lt. Governor: Charlie Crist & Karla Hernandez
Attorney General: Aramis Ayala
Chief Financial Officer: Adam Hattersley
Commissioner of Agriculture: Naomi Esther Blemur
State Senator, District 30: Tina Polsky
State Representative, Dist. 100: Linda Thompson Gonzalez
State Representative, District 101: Hillary Cassel
State Representative, District 104: Robin Bartleman
State Representative, District 105: Marie Woodson
Cooper City Commission, District 1: Jeremy Katzman
Dania Beach Commission, At Large: Luis Rimoli
Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 1: Ken Keechl
Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 3: Yvette DuBose
Hollywood Commission, District 5: Kevin Biederman
Margate Commission, Seat 5: Joanne Simone
Oakland Park Commission, At Large: Tim Lonergan
Oakland Park Commission, At Large: Letitia Newbold
Plantation City Council, Mayor: Nick Sortal
Plantation City Council, Group 2: Denise Horland
Plantation City Council, Group 5: Louis Reinstein
Pompano Beach Commission, District 5: Barry Moss
Sunrise Commission, Seat D: Jacqueline Guzman
Tamarac Commission, District 2: Alexandra Alvarez
Tamarac Commission, District 4: Carol Mendelson
Tamarac Commission, Mayor: Mike Gelin
Wilton Manors Commission, Mayor: Scott Newton
Wilton Manors Commission, At Large: Paul Rolli
School Board, District 1: Rodney Gabriel Velez
School Board, District 5: Ruth Carter Lynch
School Board, District 6: Steven Julian
School Board At Large, District 8: Allen Zeman
Vote YES on all except Ed Artau NO
Vote NO on all three
Vote YES on both
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Many political analysts will be watching the Nov. 8 election returns to gauge the health of American democracy and see which political party will control the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
For LGBT news watchers, there are several specific contests Tuesday night that will both contribute to that overall political landscape and make important LGBT history. Here’s what to watch:
Three governor races: One of the more likely highlights of the evening will be the election, for the first time in U.S. history, of an openly lesbian candidate as governor of any state. (Bisexual Kate Brown was the first LGBT person to be elected governor when she won a special election bid in 2016; Jared Polis became the first gay man when he was elected governor of Colorado in 2018.)
This year, in Massachusetts, State Attorney General Maura Healey, a popular Democrat in a deeply blue state, is expected to coast to victory over a Trump-backed Republican to become Massachusetts’ next governor.
In Oregon, where voters have rejected Republican candidates for governor for decades, Democrat Tina Kotek, former speaker of the house, polls about one percent behind a wellfunded Republican. Kotek has had to contend with a third-party candidate who appears to be drawing 10 to 15 points from voters who would otherwise vote Democratic.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, Polis appears poised to win his second term as governor, with polls showing him with an 18-point lead or higher over his Republican challenger. Fivethirtyeight. com gives Healey and Polis a 99% chance for victory and Kotek a 49% chance.
U.S. House incumbents: Eight of nine incumbent LGBTQ candidates in the U.S. House are running for re-election, and half
have a cakewalk to the next term: Mark Pocan (Wisconsin 2nd), Mark Takano (California 41st), David Cicilline (Rhode Island 1st), and first-termer Richie Torres (New York 15th). The others have a tougher road to the finish line: Sean Patrick Maloney (New York-17th CD): Democrat Maloney is seeking his sixth term to represent a district in New York. But, because of redistricting, he had to choose whether to run in District 18, his original district, or District 17, where his home is located under the new map. The complication: District 17 was the district being represented by another openly gay representative, Mondaire Jones. Much to Jones’ chagrin, Maloney chose District 17. Now polls suggest Maloney’s race against the Republican candidate, state Assemblyman Mike Lawler, is a toss-up. And Jones’ efforts to be on the 10th district ballot fell short.
Angie Craig (Minnesota-2nd CD): Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional district race is always a nailbiter, including this year, as the two-term Democrat faces the same Republican opponent
she beat by only two points last time. In the strangest of twists, just like during the 2020 race, a third-party candidate’s name is also on the ballot even though that person is dead. In 2020, the dead candidate won six percent of the vote (voters are not told whether if a listed candidate is deceased).
Chris Pappas (New Hampshire-1st CD): Democrat Pappas, New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress, is running for a third term in a congressional district that has been split evenly among Democrats, Republicans, and non-affiliated voters. After winning his first term by 8.6 points, he won the second term by 5.1 points. Now, former President Trump has promoted a Republican challenger, Karoline Leavitt, and fivethirtyeight.com’s analysis of the polls as of Oct. 28 suggests Pappas has a 4.8-point lead. RealClearPolitics.com says it leans Republican. Leavitt has spoken out against trans women athletes and self-accepted pronouns, and she would support Florida-like “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
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NINA WEST ON HER NEW BOOK ‘THE YOU KIND OF KIND’ AND INHABITING A ‘DIVINE’ NEW FILM ROLE
The first non-binary contestant, Rowan Ward, will be featured on “Jeopardy!” Ward appeared on Oct. 26 and will compete for a spot in the Tournament of Champions. This is Ward’s second appearance on the show.
Ward is a sportswriter specializing in horse racing. They didn’t come out as nonbinary until after their first “Jeopardy!” appearance meaning they competed originally with the name they used before coming out.
In an interview with NPR they said, “It felt like the right decision at the time, but then when it aired, I was very excited that it happened but I was also kind of sad because I know that this name isn’t long for the world, but it’s going to follow me around in this context forever because I was on
Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, a Thai businesswoman and transgender advocate, bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million.
This makes her the first woman to own a global beauty pageant.
“We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions, but also to evolve the brand for the next generation,” she said in a press release.
‘Jeopardy!’ under it. And to get a second chance to play ‘Jeopardy’! as Rowan Ward means everything to me.”
Regardless of the outcome, Ward has made history for the popular show.
Following the announcement, Endeavor President Mark Shapiro said in a statement that he’s “proud of the progress the organization has made in becoming a more inclusive and powerful platform where women can advance both their business objectives and their causebased work.”
Jakrajutatip is the CEO of JKN Global Group
and is a reality TV star. She also helped establish Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation, a nonprofit transgender rights group.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ hit song “Unholy” reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
According to Billboard, Smith and Petras are the first publicly nonbinary and transgender soloists, respectively, to top the Hot 100.
Smith took to Instagram to express the achievement, writing, “I can’t believe it. Number 1 in America. I am honestly speechless, overwhelmed, [nauseous], and extremely happy. This song is so special to me for so many reasons and I am just so proud of everyone involved for their bravery and guts and spirit.”
Petras echoed these thoughts saying, “NUMBER ONE HOT 100! I’m so grateful. Sam I can’t thank you enough for riding with me for years at this point. I’m so honored to be a part of your first number one in the U.S. which you should have 500 of at this point. I love you forever angel Sam.”
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Fourteen-year-old Virginia teen Kendall Tedesco found school unbearable after being called homophobic slurs. Tedesco had previously tried private and public schools but continued to feel unsafe throughout her education. This led to her family finding a better solution: to have Tedesco finish her education at Virginia Virtual Academy, an online school that follows state curriculum.
“We live in a tense, politically divided time, and often times, children end up unwitting victims of adult challenges. We don’t get into the political fight of it. We’re trying to educate children, and I think that should be the main focus,” said Kevin Chavous, the president of Stride to
Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama, denied the Cumberland School of Law from forming its own professional group for LGBT students.
“In September, BNG reported that Samford had for the first time intentionally excluded several local churches and ministries from sanctioned presence on campus — all because those churches or ministries affirm same-sex marriage. That action sparked protests by students, alumni and local clergy,” reports Baptist News Global.
Law students at Samford had hoped to have OUTLaw as a space where they were able to be open-minded and accepting.
“I am ever mindful of the array of views
and opinions on LGBTQ-related issues in contemporary culture, including among Samford’s students and employees,” Beck Taylor, Samford’s president, wrote in a letter. “Civil discourse on matters of human sexuality and other subjects at the forefront of the public debate will always exist at Samford, and the university is not retreating from those discussions.”
An all-ages drag show was met with protests from religious groups and farright group, the Proud Boys this past week in South Bend, Indiana.
The drag show was an opportunity for local families who had children who weren’t old enough to see drag performances in bars.
“We’re not going to be bullied and that’s what they want. They want us to cancel because we’re of what they might do and we’re not going to do that,” said H.R. Jung, the executive director for South Bend’s LGBTQ Center to ABC 57.
The protests won’t be cause to slow down according to Jung.
“We don’t really have a larger connection to the larger LGBTQ community, and this is an opportunity
for them to meet and build those networks and also for the larger community as well, it’s really good for the straight community to come out and support and get exposed to what queer culture is like,” Jung said.
British LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell was demonstrating alone outside Qatar’s national museum when Qatari police intervened. Qatar is a Gulf Arab nation that will be hosting the World Cup of soccer in a few weeks.
According to Channel News Asia , Tatchell, who had organized a similar demonstration prior to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, stood for more than an hour while carrying a sign that read, “Qatar arrests and exposes LGBT people to conversion.” He was wearing a T-shirt with the hashtag “#Qatarantigay.”
Three government representatives in plain clothing and two uniformed police officers came on the scene. They folded up his placard and photographed Tatchell’s papers, including those of the man who was with him and his
passport.
Tatchell stayed on the sidewalk after the police shook his hand.
The contentious Russian prohibition on disseminating alleged “homosexual propaganda” appears to be expanding to include all adults.
With this change, a 2013 regulation that made it illegal to tell minors about being LGBT has been made much stricter.
For encouraging what Russia refers to as “non-traditional sexual interactions,” those found guilty risk significant fines.
The Russian State Duma passed the extension’s initial approval with a unanimous majority.
Politicians in Russia’s lower house of parliament had been persuaded by officials to approve the extension, framing it as a component of a larger conflict with the West over civilizational norms and connecting it to the decision to invade
Ukraine.
According to BBC, information on “nontraditional lifestyles” or “the rejection of family values” would be viewed legally on par with pornography, the encouragement of violence, or igniting racial, ethnic, or religious tensions under the plan.
Same-sex unions are now permitted throughout the majority-Catholic nation of Mexico after Tamaulipas became the final state to legalize same-sex marriage.
With this ruling, a 12-year road toward nationwide marriage equality comes to a close. The trip began in 2010 when the nation’s capital, Mexico City, became the first to recognize same-sex unions.
According to GMA News, five years after the decision was made, the Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, prompting state-level reforms.
This year, seven additional states approved marriage equality.
Rowan Ward, a nonbinary contestant on “Jeopardy!,” is making history with their wins on the long running game show. Ward’s next appearance on the show was Nov. 3.
Ward’s initial run on the show was shortlived when they lost to super champ Matt Amodio, who won 38 games in a row. In years past that would have meant the end of the road for those contestants.
But this season “Jeopardy!” introduced a new tournament called Second Chance Tournament consisting of players from last season who lost before qualifying for the Tournament of Champions.
Ward won the second chance tournament that included a $35,000 prize on Oct. 28, giving them a spot in the Tournament of Champions that started Oct. 31.
The past year there’s been a lot of LGBT representation on the game show with Amy Schneider, a trans woman, and Mattea Roach, a lesbian. Schneider had the longest winning streak of last season, with 40 games. She is
also the top-winning woman in the show’s history and the first trans contestant to appear in the Tournament of Champions. Both will return to play in the Tournament of Champions.
Ward dominated the game on Thursday, but came close to losing Friday in the second round of the finals. None of the contestants got the final answer right allowing Ward to walk away with the top prize.
According to Advocate, when Ward competed last year, they were not publicly out and used a different name on the show.
When “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings asked Ward what they did with their third-place winnings after their first shot on the show, Ward said, “Oh I have $1,000 and actually before going on Jeopardy! I told my close friends to call me Rowan. I was under another name on the show, but I’m nonbinary. I wanted a name that [fit] me. So what I did with the money is I used it to pay for my name change filing and now I’m back on Jeopardy! with a second chance, as my true self.”
No more international touring, no more performing – not even at home.
The seven-time Grammy winner – a selfdescribed “gay guy who happens to be a jazz musician” – actually gave away his vibes, “to a very promising student from Slovenia.”
“I said he would get great use out of it. Otherwise, it’s going to sit in my garage in the boxes collecting dust,” said Burton, 79, who about 18 months ago moved from the Poinsettia Heights neighborhood to Wilton Manors with partner Dustin Le.
“I still have my piano and I sit down about once a month and noodle a tune or two for the heck of it,” said Burton, who also spent more than 30 years as a teacher and executive at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “But I don’t feel a compulsion to get real active at it, or anything.”
Not quite. He now enjoys a non-performing gig with the 65-member South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble. “I’m the only member of the board that isn’t a member of the band,” he said.
Burton has also become the ensemble’s big-name cheerleader, promoting the LGBTQ musical group’s three 2022-23 season concerts. The first, “Beyond Borders 2,” will be Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
“It’s got a lot of guest people because it’s music of different cultures,” Burton said. “We have Japanese drummers and a marimba group that I knew nothing about, but now I’m fascinated to see what they do. That was the instrument I started with as a kid.”
Burton first became acquainted with the ensemble when he and then-husband Jonathan Chong lived down the street from Dan Bassett, the group’s artistic director.
Bassett, 49, who is head of middle school at St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Fort Lauderdale, originally joined the ensemble as a trumpeter in 1996 when he relocated here
from Upstate New York. Seventeen years ago, he moved into his current role.
“We’re a community band, so for the full ensemble, anyone who wants to join can come and play with us. There are members who haven’t played for 30-plus years. They pick up their instrument again and join us,” Bassett said. “There’s no audition process. It is pretty open. We do require a minimum number of rehearsals.”
More than a decade ago, Bassett and thenensemble President Adam DeRosa added a “youth component” to the organization.
“I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to give a safe space for youth?’” Bassett recalled. “You know, band kids are picked on quite often and we all went through it in high school, wouldn’t it be a great space for kids who are in band, who are either LGBTQ or allies of those students, to come in and play alongside our band – which of course is predominately LGBTQ – and be able to make music together?”
He added it was around that time both the Trevor Project and anti-bullying campaigns were really starting to make an impact.
“We thought that that would be a great focus for us,” he said.
In June 2011, the Community Foundation of Broward gave the ensemble $5,000 to launch a youth band. The next year, 23 students participated in a three-week program and the Ensemble awarded five $1,000 college scholarships.
Since then, the 37-year-old ensemble has awarded about $153,000 in scholarships, Bassett said.
Erick Cruz joined the youth band in 2012 and won a college scholarship soon after.
“I was so excited,” said Cruz, who at the time attended Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Northeast Miami-Dade County. “It definitely helped me with my first semester at college. I went to Miami Dade College and then I went to Florida International
University. That money helped kickstart my eventual college career. As of now, I already have my degree. I have a bachelor’s in science and biomedical engineering.”
Cruz, who plays the flute and oboe, said that back then, “there was nothing like” the ensemble, “an honors band for people being queer-identified.”
He noted that you don’t have to be queer to be part of the ensemble.
“If you were, the word was out you should
do this. It was something really cool to be involved in. It made me feel, not appreciated, but validated,” he said. “Of course, the music was challenging, which made it all the more important.”
He said playing alongside the adult members really set this ensemble apart from others.
“It felt really cool to be playing the same music with them, to learn from them and what they played, their musicality and whatever
When superstar vibraphonist Gary Burton retired five years ago to a quiet life in Fort Lauderdale, he meant it.Gary Burton. Photo courtesy of Gary Burton.
knowledge they had to impart,” he said.
Cruz, now 27 and a biomedical technician at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, recently re-joined the ensemble as an adult.
Stephanie Colman said she, her wife Rena Sydel and their son, Jonathan, are ensemble members.
“My son and I and my wife are all lifelong musicians since childhood,” said Colman, 69. “My wife and I were both music teachers for 35 years. We met in college as music majors. I was a pianist, she was a violinist.”
For Colman there is nothing quite like the camaraderie an ensemble offers to its members.
“Playing music is our whole lives. And bonding with the people in your ensembles – it’s almost like a baseball team – you can’t survive without everyone, even though everyone has a different role.”
Burton said he’s looking forward to the ensemble’s second concert this season on Feb. 26. This one will feature the current Youth Pride Band (the first new group of students since before the COVID pandemic) and guest conductor Julie Giroux, who also scored a recent film documentary about Planet Earth titled “The Blue Marble.”
Since Burton’s retirement, the ensemble has been his “musical outlet.” He stopped performing in 2017 after beginning to have “memory issues.”
“I would blank out in the middle of the song and forget what I was playing and where I was,” he said. “A few times it would actually be embarrassing to me in the middle of an important concert that I would mess up. I just wasn’t used to that kind of thing happening to me at my level of performance.”
“I always said, ‘When you get the first signs of anything that’s not keeping you at that high level – whether it’s physical (you know your arms don’t work as well), or your brain doesn’t work as well, it’s time to step back.’”
After Burton stopped performing, two
old friends – both also jazz royalty – tried to coax him back on stage and into the recording studio.
“Chick Corea used to call me every year and say, ‘Come on, let’s get the duo going again. Let’s do some concerts, let’s make another record.’ I said, ‘Chick, I haven’t touched it in two years. I’d have to start from scratch to get back into shape.’ And I still am having trouble reading music and so on because of this memory problem. I said no, it’s not going to happen. But he never gave up.”
Corea, 79, died of cancer at his home in Tampa on Feb. 9, 2021. “Even the last time I heard from him – about two months before he died – he was still pushing. ‘Give it a thought. Think about it. We can do this.’”
Burton said that when he and Corea were younger men, they agreed “when something happens and we get the signal, that’s the time to stop.”
Burton continued: “And I knew that he would have more trouble doing that than I would. So when I said I’m stopping, he was upset and tried to talk me out of it. And I said, ‘No, I’m convinced.’”
Jazz legend Pat Metheny also tried to talk Burton out of retirement. “They were my two closest friends among the jazz scene, but I stuck to my guns. And afterward, Pat said, ‘I know you did the right thing. And eventually it will be a message to the rest of us when the time comes.’”
Burton is grateful that since he retired, his memory problems haven’t gotten significantly worse.
“I have the same ones that everybody has when they get older. They can’t remember phone numbers, they forget where they left the car keys and so on. The problem is, when you’re playing, it’s like you’re doing brain surgery (although no one’s going to die if you fail.) But there are so many moving parts that your brain has to deal with that forgetting where the keys are is not an option.”
South Florida’s PBS station recently aired a feature, Exploring One of the Largest LGBTQ+ Archives and Libraries in the U.S., on the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, where they also interviewed the museum’s new Executive Director Robert Kesten.
The museum holds over six million records of the LGBT movement in its archives.
“Our agenda is to make sure everyone’s story gets told,” Kesten told South Florida PBS.
Kesten has explored the world utilizing the tool of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It led him to Florida for one reason: Eleanor Roosevelt. She chaired The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Committee.
“I kept a pair of … her shoes, reminding me that you always have to walk in someone else’s shoes before you make any judgments,” Kesten said.
When Kesten arrived in Florida, he was offered a position at the museum because of his activism. He said the mission of the museum is to bring history to life, using history to learn the lessons so as to not repeat the same mistakes that people made “over, over, over again.”
The Stonewall National Museum is currently creating a Women’s Fund to support LGBT members and allies who have contributed to history, according to South Florida PBS.
Norm Kent has spent his life advancing LGBT causes. Through the courts as an attorney and his presence in community and media, he has argued, agitated, irritated, cajoled and convinced people to do the right thing and support equality. Now he is being recognized for his work.
Safe Schools South Florida is honoring him with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
“We chose Norm Kent as our Lifetime Achievement honoree for obvious reasons,” Safe Schools founder Scott Galvin said. “He has spent decades advocating for the LGBTQ community. At many times, his work was not popular and was sometimes dangerous. Norm has built a media empire by being courageous and daring. Our youth must know of his achievements.”
The honor will be given at Safe Schools’ annual Kaleidoscope gala on Nov. 5 at the ArtServe Building at 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. The event will be hosted by Crystal Ross Lepaige, and feature the South
Florida LGBTQ Jazz Ensemble.
Safe Schools fights to protect the rights of LGBT youth, teachers, and staff. The Kaleidoscope gala raises money for them to keep up the fight here and in Tallahassee.
“Over the coming months, schools will continue to impede our LGBTQ students and clubs … The next legislative cycle will undoubtedly bring more changes to laws, but our opponents aren’t waiting for legislative sessions. Whether it be the Florida Board of Health or the Florida Board of Education, laws will continue to be altered as quickly as rain falls on a tin roof.”
Kim SwanFormer and possibly future governor Charlie Crist rallied the faithful at the LGBTQ+ Get Out the Vote (GOTV) center in Wilton Manors on Nov. 6. The Democrat candidate for governor showed up to a room packed with supporters and media from across the state.
He was joined by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, and candidate for state representative Linda Thompson. You can listen to all of their remarks on Facebook.
Crist hit all the familiar campaign issues, which is primarily to turn back laws passed by the Republican-heavy legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He pledged that on day one back in office he would sign an executive order to protect a woman’s right to control her own health and medical decisions, including the right to end a pregnancy.
SFGN asked what the LGBT community could expect on day one. Crist replied, “Number one, we need to work with the
legislature to get those laws repealed. That’s the most effective way to do it. Also, take ‘em to court. It’s gotta be an all hands-on deck approach to the horrible things this governor and legislature have done to our state.”
Crist followed up saying a multi-prong approach is needed. “Executive orders, repeal the laws, take them to court. We’ll do all three.”
The candidate also dropped a surprise on the crowd, saying he has a new poll that shows him up six points. Despite trailing in male voters 53-47, the poll shows he’s getting 50% of the female vote.
SFGN has not seen this poll. Real Clear Politics (RCP) doesn’t show any recent poll with him leading, and the RCP poll average shows him down 12.3%. Crist points to new data that shows new voters are turning out in droves despite voter suppression efforts.
This weekend is a chance for the men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) community to come together and learn about HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. The 2022 Men’s Wellness Conference is Nov. 4-5 at various sites in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties.
The conference will be in-person and virtual, and it will include a series of seminars, webinars, panels, workshops and more. Men make up 80% of new HIV infections, and 68% of those cases are MSM. Florida, especially South Florida, remains an epicenter of new infections.
“We as South Florida providers tend to do things within our individual silos engaging with our respective community members separately,” conference organizer Jameer Baptiste said. “This conference changes all that by allowing us to work as a unit as we engage the community as one. It’s a necessary initiative because it brings us all together as we strive for common goals, ending the HIV
epidemic and engaging as many community members as possible to provide them care and vital resources to live a healthy life whether in care or not.”
The conference has a particular focus on MSM and men of trans-experience, as well as sessions for area providers and their staff. Provider’s Day is Friday and Community Day is Saturday. On-site locations will offer vaccines and HIV testing.
“I’m hoping that attendees will walk away from this experience with a renewed sense of belonging no matter their status, income bracket, sexual desires or age because at the end of the day we are all just one and the same trying to live our best life as [MSM].”
Police from Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale swarmed the heart of Wilton Manors after a man stormed into Wilton Manors Dental on NE 9th Avenue with a device he said was a bomb.
This is more than a story of a bomb threat though. This is a story of heroism and bravery by police, the staff at Wilton Dentistry, and residents forced from their homes.
SFGN was the only media outlet inside the perimeter throughout the day, and at one point was only about 10 feet from one of the SWAT trucks that were called to the scene.
Around 3 p.m Oct. 27, a man showed up at the Wilton Manors Dental building at 2517 NE 9th Ave. between Wilton Drive and NE 26th Street. One of the dental assistants told SFGN he showed what appeared to be a bomb and told her to call the police or the FBI. Staff recognized the man, saying he had been in the building three days this week asking when they open and close.
Within minutes Wilton Manors police
ONCE THE BUILDING WAS SECURE, THE BOMB SQUAD MOVED IN. THE DEVICE TURNED OUT TO BE FAKE, BUT ONE MEMBER OF THE BOMB SQUAD TOLD SFGN IT LOOKED REAL.
were surrounding the building. By 4 p.m., a SWAT truck was outside the building, a bomb squad truck was down the street, and Fort Lauderdale officers were helping secure the area and setting up a mobile command center. Officers went door to door at surrounding buildings forcing people to evacuate.
From 4 p.m. to about 5:30 p.m., SFGN was at the gas station across from the scene. The SWAT truck withdrew from the Wilton Dental lot and was sitting on 9th Ave. feet from where SFGN was. A police drone briefly buzzed overhead while surveying the area. SFGN saw the man walking past the glass front door. A robot was deployed to the front door, where the suspect was placing notes. A camera on the robot let the police read them.
The robot also brought a phone to the door, which the man rejected and eventually threw back. A person in the SWAT truck, now just off the property, began asking the man to pick up the office phone. He appeared to refuse. They kept asking him his name. He appeared to want a message conveyed because the police announced they wouldn’t deliver the message and that the person didn’t want to talk to him.
At about 5:30, Police also asked “how much time” was left on the device. At this point they were cordoning off more of the area and SFGN moved next door to Rosie’s.
Attempts to get the man to surrender failed. Around 8:30, police shot a canister through the glass front door and smoke filled the foyer. Police quickly moved in and arrested the man
Once the building was secure, the bomb squad moved in. The device turned out to be fake, but one member of the bomb squad told SFGN it looked real.
The dental practice was still open, and patients were being treated as this all began. Tammi, who declined to give her last name,
said, “The gentleman walked in with these big canisters with a light blinking. He says ‘I have a bomb, call the police and the FBI.’” The staff has actually been trained for this type of emergency and managed to clear the building and avoid a hostage situation.
“We grabbed the patients and directed them outside the backdoor, came around front and went to the end of the block.”
Tammi said the man is not a patient and didn’t know who he is. She was still in shock and said it hadn’t hit her yet.
“It really hasn’t. I’m just glad everyone got out safe.”
Vinny Peragine and Arron Barnes are patients, and Barnes was in the exam chair as this all began.
“One of the nurse practitioners said to me ‘Can you come with me, sir?’ Once we got to the back of the facility we were told there was a gentleman inside with something. Then they said a bomb,” Barnes said.
“We came out of the back of the office and came around the front,” Peragine added. “We saw him through the glass. It didn’t seem he wanted hostages. But when we came around the front he opened up the door and screamed he wanted the FBI, very aggressively.”
Barnes said the man then slid the bomb over, turned it on and it started flashing red.
Early rumors suggested there were hostages. But that was incorrect. All of the employees and clients evacuated from the
building early on in the crisis.
The people inside Wilton Dental were grateful to be safe, but they were also stranded. The staff left their purses, car keys, and other personal items behind when they evacuated.
Eventually they went to Rosie’s to wait, and were joined by neighbors who were forced to leave their homes and weren’t being allowed back in.
Eventually some left, while others waited. They made the best of it by going to Rosie’s, having a drink or dinner, and commiserating with others in the same predicament. The restaurant closed early at around 9 p.m. when just about everyone had left. Rosie’s management said they were glad to be able to be a place people could come to at a time like this.
Shortly before 11 p.m., the last of the police cars left and most of the streets were reopened and people were being allowed back into their homes.
Koller was booked into the Broward County main jail on three charges: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and a $20,000 bond, criminal mischief over $1,000, and manufacture/possession/ selling/delivering/displaying/or using a weapon of mass destruction and a $50,000 bond. If he is released on bail he will also be required to wear an electronic monitoring device. He has been in custody as of Oct. 31.
At a critical juncture in the growth of Wilton Manors, one of the people tasked with guiding the city into the future is leaving.
Kim Allonce, the city’s Economic Development Manager, has resigned.
Allonce said he plans to take time and explore his professional opportunities.
“I really enjoyed collaborating with residents, businesses, and community stakeholders that truly fostered economic growth for our city. I also am very proud of the new and existing businesses I have had the opportunity to work with. Supporting and empowering them is my favorite part of economic development.”
Allonce’s tenure has seen lots of new business activity in Wilton. City Commissioner Chris Caputo praised his accomplishments, saying, “I am happy to report, as a result of great collaboration and hard work between Kim, city leaders and our very engaged community, we’ve attracted quality developers and the right sort of mixed-use projects to the city as well as having increased the overall number of active businesses in the city. There have been over 200
new businesses in 2022 already!”
Despite the aforementioned accomplishments and a steep increase in private business, multiple people inside city hall were expressing concern. They say the city’s needs were changing and some wondered if he could continue effectively addressing the community’s evolving needs. Despite those concerns, Allonce said he wasn’t pressured to leave.
Mayor Scott Newton noted that occupancy in the city is at about 95%. Henderson said that gives the city leverage when bringing new development to the city
MANORSAdam Hattersley is the Democrat running for CFO. The job isn’t headline grabbing or high profile like a governor or senator. But the office affects everyone who lives and works in Florida. From budgetary oversight to home insurance, the CFO and their staff are in charge.
“If people knew the effects these offices have on their day to day lives, there’s no way they’d vote in a single incumbent back to Tallahassee,” Hattersley said during a visit to the Get Out The Vote Center in Wilton Manors.
He is a former state Representative who served in the Navy and says his campaign is common sense that cuts across party lines. “I’ve been focusing on an economic message. The state’s property insurance crisis is costing everybody money. The message is resonating everywhere we go. Not just Democrats but Republicans and independents.”
He believes there is plenty of bipartisanship that doesn’t make the news and there’s lots of consensus.
“My two years in the legislature, 89% of the bills we passed were either unanimous or nearly unanimous. It’s only that 11% that was contentious.”
Republicans have long considered themselves conservative. Hattersley said the record shows that’s no longer the case.
“Republicans added a $1 billion online sales tax last year. That’s not very conservative, raising taxes. They’ve been preempting local powers to the state, getting away from local and home rule. They’ve been inserting their ideologies and the government into how small businesses run themselves.”
WILTON MANORSPickleball, tennis, sex, and arrests. Two men were arrested in Hagen Park in Wilton Manors and accused of having sex acts in public.
Robert Kates, 54, and Brian Brooke, 61, are charged with lewd/lascivious exhibition where the accused is over 18 but the victim (or, in this case, a witness) is under 16.
“Upon arrival we came across a witness to this who pointed us in the direction of two individuals,” Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker told SFGN. “We encountered two individuals involved in a sexual act.”
Blocker said the two were busted on Oct. 20 at a time when the park is extremely busy.
“It was a time when we had a lot of [people using] our pickleball courts, our tennis courts over there,” he said. “That activity is not legal in that area.”
They were booked into the Broward County jail. During arraignment the judge set their bail at $500. As of Oct. 26, jail records say both are still in custody.
Voters in Wilton Manors have three ballot questions to answer this election cycle.
Amendments to the city charter must be approved by voters. Commissioners are seeking to repeal articles and sections of the city code while establishing term limits for elected officials.
Michael Rajner, who chaired the Charter Review Board, recommends a no vote on two of the three questions. The first referendum would eliminate the Civil Service Board, a measure Rajner believes would be harmful to city employees. The Charter Review Board, which included Mayor Scott Newton, recommended keeping the Civil Service Board intact. The ballot measure does not provide any alternative for recourse, said Rajner.
The five-member board is chaired by Scott McCoy, Interim Deputy Director of LGBTQ Rights & Special Litigation at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“That particular city board with final decision-making authority should have more regular training in the event they need to adjudicate a matter,” Rajner said.
Rajner also recommends a no vote on the third question concerning term limits, citing
THE BALLOT REFERENDUM WOULD LIMIT ELECTED OFFICIALS TO 12 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE MAYOR CAPPED AT SIX TWO-YEAR TERMS AND COMMISSIONERS MAXED OUT AT THREE FOUR-YEAR TERMS.
a potential dearth of qualified candidates.
“A supermajority of the Charter Review Board did not support strict lifetime term limits and proposed a compromise that ensured the pool of qualified candidates remained as large as possible and any institutional knowledge would not be lost,” Rajner said.
The ballot referendum would limit elected officials to 12 years of service with the mayor capped at six two-year terms and commissioners maxed out at three four-year terms.
Michael Sansevero, Chair of the Community Affairs Advisory Board, recommends yes votes on all three ballot referendums, including dissolving the Civil Service Board.
“I would eliminate that Board,” Sansevero
said. “Its mission could be accomplished elsewhere.”
The second ballot question deals with vacancies and, if approved, provides a smoother transition of power in the event a mayor or commissioner resigns, is removed or dies in office as was the case when former Mayor Justin Flippen died unexpectedly in February of 2020.
“Filling vacancy is needed as we found out after Justin’s unfortunate death,” Sansevero said.
Election day is Nov. 8. Early voting began Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 6. The Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, 600 N.E. 21st Court, is the city’s early voting site. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The last day for voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 29.
November 3, 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 21 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
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In their recent meeting, Wilton Manors commissioners did some fine tuning to the city’s much rehearsed vacation rentals ordinance.
In changes to chapter 10 of city code, the commission agreed to grant an exemption from registering with the city if the owner of the vacation rentals resides on property. Commissioners also lowered the age requirement for vacation rentals customers from 25 to 21.
The amendments were discussed for over an hour at the Oct. 25 meeting, which included testimony from attorneys, real estate groups and business owners. Christopher Mangi, co-owner of Solstice At Wilton, expressed concern regarding how his business would be designated.
Attorney Ryan Abrams of Fort Lauderdale argued on behalf of an anonymous client that a homesteaded property owner would incur an inordinate burden if required to register as a vacation rental with the city.
“The exemption definitely currently applies to my client,” Abrams said. “He bought the
Photo via City Of Wilton Manors, Facebook property when it applied. If it were to no longer apply and he would have to register, in my opinion that would be an inordinate burden and he would have a Bert Harris claim and I suspect there are many other property owners just like that.”
New registration fees for vacation rentals in Wilton Manors are $500. Renewals are $300 and a business tax receipt is also required. Rates for business tax receipts vary depending on the season.
City Attorney Kerry Ezrol said Abrams’ points were well taken and advised the commission to table the ordinance after discussion to be brought back at the Nov. 25 meeting.
The negative campaigning going on in the local election is unconscionable to me and I do not condone such behavior.
There are a lot of unfounded accusations about Vice Mayor Paul Rolli and his campaign team (I am a member of Rolli’s campaign team). Rolli publicly denounced being involved and said there was no place in our city for this kind of thing.
I have spoken in person with Rolli about the flyer. When I asked Rolli if he sent the flyer he spoke plainly and never broke eye contact with me when he said, “Absolutely not.”
Personally, I am certain that Rolli would not do something like that because I have known him for many years and he has always been completely honest with me.
As a political activist for more than 40 years I see no need for Rolli to suddenly change his ways because he is the incumbent with a high probability of winning re-election.
Why would he go through the time, trouble and expense to put out a poorly written flyer with poor English and
Paul Rolli, photo via Paul Rolli/Facebook.
spelling errors, so not up to his professional standards?
I will be glad when this election is over and maybe we can all get back to being nice to one another
- Butch Rowley, Wilton Manors
Wilton Manors markets itself with the slogan “Life’s Just Better Here.” Life may be better here, but the politics are not. Three candidates for city commission, Roy David Walker, Don D’Arminio, and incumbent Paul Rolli are vying for two seats. The spirited campaign has had many familiar political features including ads, appearances, and a televised debate, which is still available to watch online on YouTube.
The city of around 13,000 residents is also being subjected to a full complement of dirty campaign tactics that are growing more and more slimy as early voting begins ahead of the Nov. 8 final day of voting. The most recent comes in the form of a flier attacking candidate D’Arminio.
One of the attacks purports to use a quote from someone close to him in order to paint him as being against heterosexual employees in Wilton Manors’ government. D’Arminio, in no uncertain terms, denies this and all allegations made in the flier calling them “outright lies.”
This bit of gay bashing attempts to divert votes from D’Arminio to other candidates. However, both of his opponents are also LGBT.
“The accusations are false,” D’Arminio told SFGN. “I’ve run a clean campaign and they’re trying to skew the election results rather than allowing residents to decide without bias. It’s inexcusable.”
The bigotry-filled flier comes on the heels of other petty political maneuvers. Someone got in the ear of Code Enforcement and had political signs removed despite some/ many being placed legally. That resulted in
a compromise that seemed to satisfy most parties involved. Stickers declaring doom if one certain candidate is elected have been popping up along well-traveled areas in Wilton.
The campaign bled into the city commission meeting held on Oct. 25. During public comment, Doug Blevins, a D’Arminio supporter, stood up to rebuke the fliers, saying many of the tactics were used by Rolli previously. He used coded language to insinuate that Rolli is responsible for the flier and seemed to impugn the motives for Walker’s candidacy.
Traditionally, commissioners don’t respond directly to public comments. However, after Blevins’ comments, Rolli was allowed to go out of order and respond. As he was denying any connection or involvement with the fliers, Marc Martorana, D’Arminio’s partner, shouted “Not true!”
Mayor Scott Newton admonished him, saying the public may not speak.
Martorana shouted back, “He’s not allowed to respond to us. That’s not true!”
At this point Newton asked Wilton Manors Police Chief Gary Blocker to step in and remove Martorana if he wasn’t quiet. Martorana stopped talking and was allowed to stay.
Similar accusations have been made on social media, and many of the inflammatory
posts have been removed. But those come with a face and a name (yes, some could be “bot” accounts but the ones in question are from known residents).
The difference here is that most of the attacks come from anonymous political hacks. The return address on the fliers is “123 Concern Citizens, Wilton Manors.”
SFGN couldn’t find any PAC by that name. It’s just one candidate’s supporters taking shots at another candidate. The stickers? They didn’t come with any attribution. Who called code enforcement? Who knows. While the other campaigns seem like obvious choices to lay blame, nothing has come to light showing a connection to either the Rolli or Walker campaigns.
SFGN saw one flier and its envelope, which shows it was mailed from Miami.
SFGN can’t reach out to an organization to defend the flier’s accusations since no public (or private) group is claiming responsibility.
D’Arminio said he stands by his record of 25 years of community service, including his
tenure on the planning and zoning board.
SFGN reached out to Walker and Rolli to gauge their reactions. The first question was: “Are you, your campaign, or a supporter of your campaign (even if you weren’t aware the fliers were going out) responsible for this flier?”
Rolli’s response echoed what he said during the meeting, saying, “Neither I, nor anyone on my campaign, was responsible for the negative flier on Don D’Arminio. I have never done anything anonymously; I face all issues head on. Campaign ethics rules prohibit anonymous literature.”
Walker also denied any role in the fliers, telling SFGN, “I feel bad for Don since he is the target of the attack. It is a shame that politics has come to this.”
Walker and Rolli say their campaigns have been bullied online as well and shared evidence of a text/email smear campaign.
By John Hayden
Jennifer McClain and Miss Bouvèé are lovely in real life. But on the big screen?
They’re cut-throat queens of horror. Wilton Manors’ dynamic duo is in the middle of shooting their first big-screen feature titled “Big Easy Queens.”
The movie is just wrapping up an intense, 10-day shooting schedule in and around Wilton Manors.
Eric Swanson plays Miss Bouvèé in the movie and in his cabaret act in Wilton Manors. He gave us a look inside the story.
“I run a very successful club, but the club is a front for the mafia. I’m a queen of a certain quarter. My arch-nemesis is Jennifer McClain’s character, Poodle Makenzie. At the start of the movie I’m taking out some of her top-tier men to reclaim some territory.”
“Poodles Mckenzie is a tough, no BS boss in New Orleans,” McClain said about her role. “She’s spent the last 20 years building an empire, which she runs out of a salon. She’s been arch rivals with Minnie Bouvèé since she arrived on the scene.”
If it sounds campy and crazy and a little over the top, that’s the point. Director Erynn Dalton said this movie could be one for the ages.
Now that principal photography is wrapping up, they hope to have it edited and ready by early next year. They haven’t set a premiere date yet, as they want to see which film festivals will pick it up during the 2023 season.
By John Hayden
When a man walked into Wilton Dental threatening to detonate a bomb, the staff remained calm and quickly got everyone out of the building before the man could decide if he wanted to take hostages. Eventually police stormed the building, arrested the man, and confirmed the device was fake.
The situation turned out as well as one could hope (no deaths, hostages, or physical injuries), but it is still a traumatic event. While the standoff was still going on, the staff and patients made their way to Rosie’s since they couldn’t get to their cars or personal items left in the office. Everyone seemed fine, but were likely still running on some level of adrenaline.
That’s why SunServe reached out to them and offered counseling.
“Those at Wilton Dental are our neighbors in Wilton Manors and it is important to support and lend a hand when we can,” Ryan Papciak, SunServe’s Director of Mental Health Services, said.
Once things calmed down they, like many other people who experience workplace traumas, may feel it “hit” them. And each will
be affected differently.
“Traumatic events can trigger reactions that are very unique to each individual. Some folks may ‘feel fine’ and others may not in reacting to the same event. If they are noticing that they are feeling anxious about returning to work after some time has passed, they could benefit from talking to one of our clinicians at SunServe. Other signs could include avoidance of the workplace, feeling distracted while at work, and/or feeling ‘on-guard’ while working.”
LETTER TO THE EDITORWILTON MANORS
There is no place in Wilton Manors for negative campaigning and personal attacks.
Neither I nor anyone on my campaign team was responsible for the negative flyer sent around about another Wilton Manors candidate running for office. I have never done anything anonymously; I face all issues head on.
I am deeply disturbed that negative campaigning has infiltrated our town although not surprised when you look at the larger Federal and State campaign environments.
My message to the voters is that we need to be respectful of each other, help one another when someone needs help and only speak in positive and factual terms. Wilton Manors is well-known for community and inclusivity. It’s up to the Commission and the residents to foster a positive climate like we have always had.
I reached out to Don D’Arminio and stated if
we were both fortunate to be elected, I would work with him and everyone else on the dais as our hearts are the right place. D’Arminio was receptive and reiterated same saying our views are very much aligned. We both agreed to work collegially and respectfully with everyone on the commission in the best interest of the city and the residents. I wish everyone in this race the best of luck.
- Paul Rolli Vice Mayor, Wilton Manors
Last weekend Pride Fort Lauderdale hosted Slash Back to the ‘80s, a big party and fundraiser in the lead-up to their main event, Pride of the Americas, in February.
“It was a great event filled with a few hundred attendees,” said Kevin Clevenger, executive director of Pride. “Our emcee Nicole Halliwell as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was a huge hit.”
Attendees had a blast.
“This fundraiser brought the Golden Age of Slasher Films to life in a fun and creative way and as a die-hard fan of the ‘80s and the horror genre as a whole I knew that my crew would be having an absolutely ‘slashtastic’ time,” said Harrison C. Davies. “I never thought I would get to attend a Camp Crystal Lake counselor reunion with no less than 20 of us showing up.”
Davies dressed up as a Camp Crystal Lake Counselor.
Clevenger credited Halliwell with designing all of the photo opportunity sets.
“The backdrop of ‘80s horror films and scenes for photo opportunities with your favorite slashers made it an enjoyable experience,” said Mike Nemerof, who dressed up as Don Johnson. “The event was a fun, creative experience bringing us back to a different era that we all enjoy. The music and drag performances added to the excitement.”
The event was held at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center.
Clevenger called the party a big success saying, “We can’t till 2023.”
Visit PrideFortLauderdale.org for more information on Pride of the Americas.
“What’s more important to Biden? Freeing a basketball star from a Russian prison, or preventing you, your loved ones and billions around the world from a nuclear holocaust? Biden refuses to discuss preventing WWIII with Putin, but will happily talk to him about Griner,” Gabbard tweeted.
Last week, a Russian court upheld Griner’s nine-year prison sentence for drug possession. In February, Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport after a small amount of cannabis oil was found in her luggage.
The U.S. State Department maintains that Griner, 32, is wrongfully detained, and the White House called this week’s ruling, “another sham judicial proceeding.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has no plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at next month’s G20
summit in Indonesia until and unless Russia engages in negotiations for Griner’s release.
Gabbard, 41, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, announced this month she had left the Democratic party and is currently unaffiliated. She served four terms in Congress, representing Hawaii’s second congressional district, and sought the Democratic nomination for president during the 2020 primaries. Early in her career, Gabbard organized against samesex marriage and would later those actions. More recently, she has spoken out against transgender issues.
Meanwhile, in a speech on said Russia does not need to launch a nuclear strike on Ukraine. Russia, Putin said, does not consider itself an enemy of the West, but added there are two Wests: one with traditional, Christian values that Russia shares antique roots with and another that is cosmopolitan and a tool of the liberal elites.
Onã
Rudá walks proudly through the Arena Fonte Nova football stadium, which is home to his favorite Bahia team and one of Brazil’s LGBT fan groups, while sporting a rainbow T-shirt and earrings.
His calm demeanor, meanwhile, is not typical of Brazilian stadium football fans who dare to flaunt their homosexuality.
Rudá, a man with black hair, a beard, and several tattoos, is aware of his good fortune.
According to The Buenos Aires Times, the club in northern Salvador offers a unique haven for LGBT football supporters who frequently avoid stadiums for fear of being attacked.
“Before, no one could come here. Today we exist, so we go, and some go with their friends, their family. The great triumph is that these people no longer need to hide that they are LGBT when they go to the stadium,” said Rudá.
Forget pumpkin spice; my favorite flavoring is sage, the perfect accompaniment to anything turkey or stuffing related. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving (which should be called Thanksgiving, because we are grateful, we’re not spending time with our family) it’s a holiday about surrounding yourselves with the people you love. If you plan to cook for the holidays, dine out, or bring the perfect side dish or dessert, we’ve got options for you.
BUCA DI BEPPO in Davie offers dine-in and Thanksgiving feasts to go. It’s $105 for three people and $192 for six. The feasts include sliced white turkey, gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sausage stuffing, bread and butter, vegetables, and pumpkin pie. There are also catering services for larger groups.
DORIS ITALIAN MARKET & BAKERY, all locations will offer three pre-cooked turkey and ham dinner packages for takeout. Serving six to eight people, they are priced from $179.95 to $279.95.
LA BONNE CREPE on Las Olas will be open for brunch on Thanksgiving from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CRACKER BARREL has a Thanksgiving Heat n’ Serve Family Dinner that serves four to six people and includes oven-roasted turkey breast with turkey gravy, sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing, cranberry relish, choice of side, and sweet yeast rolls.
DECK 84 in Delray Beach will be open from noon to 7 p.m. In addition to the full regular menu, there is also a Thanksgiving dinner special for $31.
DUNE by Laurent Tourondel’s holiday special is $98 per person and $45 for children aged 6 to 12.
MAX’S GRILLE in Boca Raton will serve a traditional turkey dinner for $30.
BRIO ITALIAN GRILLE restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, Plantation, and Pembroke Pines will be open for dine-in service on Thanksgiving Day and have takeout options that serve three ($105) or six people ($192).
BRIMSTONE WOODFIRE GRILL will be closed on Thanksgiving, but you can preorder a dinner for ten for $225. It feeds 10 and includes a choice of a house or Caesar salad; herb-roasted turkey or honey-glazed ham; and a choice of two side dishes, including cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, almond green beans, brussels sprouts, and candied sweet potato jam. Dessert options include Key lime pie, bread pudding, or pumpkin pie.
GG’S WATERFRONT BAR AND GRILL in Hollywood will feature a chef’s tableside carving service for six or more people at $65 per adult and $35 for children (free for those younger than 4).
BEN’S KOSHER DELI in Boca Raton will offer Thanksgiving Day seatings at noon, 1:30, 3:30, and 6 p.m. It will also offer to-go dinners for two ($65.98), six ($169.90), or 10 people ($279.90). The accompaniments with both large meals are cranberry-pineapple compote, coleslaw, a relish tray, and six mini rolls.
YONUTZ FANTASTICAL DONUTS & ICE CREAM in Sunrise is offering a Thanksgiving-themed mini donut assortment, $6.95 for a box of four, $24.95 for 16, $34.95 for 24, and $64.95 for 48 mini donuts.
Rick Karlin is SFGN’s food editor. Visit SFGN.com/Food to read his previous reviews. Have a culinary tip to share? Email Rick at RickKarlinFL@gmail.com.
It was a bit of a lonely, scary and needy time for me after The Michigan Catholic dropped my weekly column because I came out publicly in 1974.
Until I affirmed being gay in an article in The Detroit News about homosexuality and religion, I had been the poster boy for Catholic young adults.
As a result of my stepping down from that pedestal, and being punished by the Church for doing so, my name, face, and voice were on most radio, television, and news outlets for a week or more. I felt estranged from my family and friends even though none of them said they no longer loved me, but nor did they say they still did. Death threats and obscene phone calls were some of the responses I got for being so bold in saying I was gay and Catholic. But, there were some wonderful exceptions, the most treasured I remember came from a friend of my parents.
Bob Taylor was a wealthy, influential corporate executive with whom Mom and Dad often socialized. I was living in a ratand roach-infested apartment, in the inner city, in a big Victorian house we in Dignity, the gay Catholic group, called “The Pink Palace,” owned and run by a sweet but selfdetermined little old lady named Gracie. It
was there that I stayed during my 24-day hunger fast in reparation for the sinful behavior of my Church against gay people. When the phone rang after the fast ended, and after I had been fired from my job as a reporter for the Catholic newspaper, I picked it up preparing myself to once again be told that I was going to hell. But, this time, it wasn’t the devil on the other end of the line, but rather an angel named Bob Taylor. He asked me if I’d like to have lunch with him at Topinka’s, a high-end restaurant known for its turtle soup.
Bob was at the table before I arrived, and greeted me with a good handshake and a warm, welcoming smile. He wasn’t a big man, and he spoke in an “aw shucks” kind of way. He encouraged me to order what I wanted, and then asked me questions about how I was doing, how my parents were reacting, and if I was making ends meet. It was then that he slid a folded check for $500 across the table to me. “I thought you might need a little financial support,” he said. Needless to say, I was blown away by his kindness, and very excited about getting the money to pay my rent bill. He repeated this ritual two or three times in the months that followed.
As I prepare for the mother of all surgeries on Wednesday morning to extract the entire toxic legions infecting and affecting my cerebrum and cerebellum, I have a column to share.
They are words and thoughts I have collected over the years.
Call it circuit overload, but they have meaning, purpose, and legs. They are healing and helpful, hopeful, and optimistic, and as I said, I hope it is the first of many more words ahead.
First to John Fugate, family and friends, thank you for standing by me and loving me, through all my faults and failings. It takes a long time to become the person you want to be, and the individual your dog thinks you are.
Second, at any age, you matter. Reach out and touch someone. You never know who you are impressing, or whose life you are impacting. Even the orderly wheeling you down an isolated and cold hallway into a lonely and cold operating room could be offering you needed warmth and support at a critical time in your life. You matter.
Third, making a “living” is not the same thing as “making a life.” It is not what you become; it is how you become what you become that matters in life. Become, first of all, a good and loving person.
Fourth, don’t ever sell yourself short. Be all you can be. Your height is measured by the size of your heart, not the yardstick next to your closet that your mom measured you by as a
child.
Fifth, feel good about yourself, but not for too long. You could be missing out on the next chance to do a new dance. Don’t let who you are stop you from becoming what you may be.
Sixth, not sure just how important you have to be “assassinated” instead of just “murdered.” Avoid both. Either way, you can drink water from a garden hose and still grow up to live a life that counts.
Seventh, it was great being raised as a Jewish boy; one of God’s chosen people. I just wish He would stop choosing so many of us.
Eighth, learn to let go and move on. You can’t play with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. In life, you need to be able to throw some things back.
Ninth, ask simple questions: Why is sandwich meat round and bread square? When did Ben become gay, and was he born that way?
Tenth, laugh at yourself and you will never cease to be amused, especially when you are untangling next month’s Christmas lights.
Eleventh, like Robert Frost, and Martin Luther King, have a lover’s quarrel with the world. Consider that people tried to get Superman and Donald Duck comics banned in America; that it was once illegal in Fort Lauderdale for a black man to be east of US 1 after 6 p.m. And that was in 1949, the year I was born.
Twelfth, George Carlin was a genius. We have taller buildings and shorter tempers, wider freeways and narrower viewpoints. America
has gone to the moon, but some of us have not crossed the street to meet our neighbors.
Thirteenth, a closed mouth gathers no foot. Never miss a good chance to shut up. We learned to rush, but not to wait.
Fourteenth, slow down but don’t stop. Even if you are on the right track, if you don’t move, sooner or later a train will run you over.
Fifteenth, if you lend someone $20, and you never see it again, don’t be upset. It was probably worth it. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
Sixteenth, like it or not, some days are just going to be a total waste of makeup. You can learn a lot about your friends by the way they handle rainy days.
Seventeenth, the things you think are intimately most personal are universally most common. Like farting. Ironically, what we all have most in common is that we are all
individually unique in our own way.
Eighteenth, diversity is the essence of life. We can’t fly like birds or swim like fish but respect the fact that whether we look like a baboon’s ass or a Belize monkey, we are all partners on the spaceship Earth. Fear intolerance of individuality and independence.
You have an absolute right to exercise and use your rights. But you have no right to misuse or abuse them at the expense of the people around and about you. Respect is a two-way street.
Summer is not on any map you will ever see. Go there anyway. There is love to share there, someplace, somewhere, and with someone — though preferably not with that 12-year-old boy waiting for a school bus.
Eighteen is the Jewish number for life, the day I was born in October of 1949. L’Chaim. L’Chaim, to life. May I find many more with you in the days ahead.
Ashley T. Brundage is a leadership and empowerment expert and an “open, out, proud woman of transgender experience.” She’s also a mom, and spoke with me recently about empowerment, parenting, and more.
“I wanted to have kids so bad,” she said. When she was 17 and thinking about transitioning, she told her brother, “I always see myself as a mom.” He suggested she just have children and “do all the things that a mom would do.” She married her high school sweetheart and had two kids to see if that “solved” her. “Having kids was my way of still existing in the world and not wanting to kill myself. That literally was how serious it was for me,” she said. She would think, “I can’t leave them without me. Maybe they need me in their lives.” Now, she reflected, “I would not be here if it wasn’t for them.”
She finally started transitioning in 2008, after she lost her job as an HR person in the restaurant industry. “I was living a double life and it was affecting my work performance,” she explained. The 2008 economic crisis dealt another blow, and she and her family lost their home. She realized that in order to find a job, “I was going to have to start at the bottom and work my way back up again.”
She faced harassment and discrimination in job interviews — but this led her to begin
researching empowerment, looking at systems of authority and power and how they connect to human differences. From this, she developed a process for “Empowering Differences,” or “[bringing] together what makes you unique with how to use that to grow in your life and empower others along the way,” she writes on her website.
Applying this leadership model to herself, she found part-time work as a teller at PNC Bank. Within five years, she had become the FORTUNE 500 company’s national vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, bringing her family out of poverty and back into a bigger house, “all because of the will and determination to fight against oppression.” She also became a board member of GLAAD, the national LGBTQ media advocacy organization, where she was vice chair for two years. Now, she owns her own company, Empowering Differences, which offers motivational speaking, leadership development, and organizational training.
At a time of rising anti-trans legislation in Florida and around the country, when there is also deep division in our nation around many identities and topics, Brundage’s work to view our differences instead as empowering strengths feels both timely and necessary.
The “When We Were Young” festival in Las Vegas that took place the weekend of Oct. 21 brought together the emo and pop punk legends of the early 2000s in an epic two-day festival. The show boasted performances by groups like Green Day, Blink-182, Dashboard Confessional, My Chemical Romance, and Paramore. This was the first time a festival of this magnitude was held with the massive lineup, and adult emo and pop punk fans everywhere clamored to attend.
Most notable among these fans were the fans of Paramore. Paramore is led by vocalist Hayley Williams. This year is the first year since 2018 that Paramore has performed live in concert, and many fans had never seen the group live. Williams performed some of her staples, like “Misery Business” and “Here We Go Again” as well as newer songs like “That is Why.” They also performed the 2009 track
“All I Wanted” for the first time ever live.
“I can think of nothing more antiestablishment than young women, People of Color, and the queer community,” she said to a chorus of cheers from the audience. “I want to say to you … there is space for you now. We’re gonna keep doing whatever we can do among our friends and our peers on this scene to make it feel safe for every single one of you out there.”
The show must go on, even if it takes a while. For the first time in nearly four years, the Carbonell Awards are live and in person.
The event is set for Nov. 7 at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center.
The awards honor outstanding achievements in South Florida’s theater community. The theme is Community & Inclusion, and the awards will recognize 134 people and productions in 20 categories. Carbonell Board President Gary Schweikhart said the night will be “a truly joyous celebration packed with music, laughter and applause as we recognize talented members of our theater community for shows produced in Broward, Miami/Dade and Palm Beach Counties during the 2021-2022 season.”
Miami New Drama leads theatres with 24 nominations, followed by 16 for Area Stage, Slow Burn Theatre Company with 15, Ronnie
Larsen Presents with, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre and Palm Beach Dramaworks with 12 each, and Zoetic Stage with 11.
Area Stage’s Beauty and the Beast was the production earning the most individual nominations with 15, and Miami New Drama earned nine for A Wonderful World, and seven each for Papá Cuatro and The Cuban Vote.
This will be the first time the awards will be live and in person since April 2019. The COVID pandemic forced the awards, as well as many theaters, to cancel or scale back productions. That means the pressure is on to have a fun, memorable night.
Tickets are $32 and are on sale now at showpass.com.
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) returns Nov. 4–13 with a lineup of 157 films, including both U.S. and international features, documentaries and shorts, as well as several LGBT films.
Ten world, three U.S., two North American and 18 regional premieres will be screened at Savor Cinema and Paradigm Cinemas Gateway in Fort Lauderdale and Cinema Paradiso – Hollywood. Additional venues include the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center, AutoNation IMAX at the Museum of Discovery and Science, Las Olas Beach Oceanside Park and Bergeron Green Glades Ranch.
“Although the festival is only 10 days this year, FLIFF has more outstanding entertainment, more celebrity and filmmaker guests than ever before, more over-the-top parties, premieres, Q&As and receptions held at some of the most amazing venues and charming theaters throughout Broward County,” said Gregory von Hausch, president and CEO.
On Nov. 4, FLIFF returns to Seminole Hard
“Attachment”
Denmark / 2022 / 105 min / English Nov. 4, 9 p.m., Gateway Cinema and Nov. 4, 9 p.m., Cinema Paradiso – Hollywood
In this horror-romance, Maja falls in love with Leah, a young Jewish academic. After Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, Maja fears their whirlwind romance might be cut short and decides to follow her back to her home in a Hasidic neighborhood of London.
“All Man – The International Male Story”
USA / 2022 / 83 min / English
Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Savor Cinema
Bryan Darling and Jesse Finley Reed’s documentary offers a nostalgic and colorful peek behind the pages and personalities of International Male, one of the most ubiquitous and sought-after mail-order catalogs of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Rock Hotel and Casino for a star-studded opening night screening of Paul Dektor’s “American Dream,” a comedy starring Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”), Shirley MacLaine and ‘80s teen idol Matt Dillon. Actor Rosanna Arquette and recording artist Vanilla Ice, in town for screenings of “Signs of Love” and the documentary “Ice, Ice Baby,” are expected on the red carpet.
On Nov. 12 FLIFF moves to Las Olas Beach Oceanside Park for FLIFF on the Beach, a memorable fete under the stars featuring live music and the 20th anniversary screening of surf drama, “Blue Crush,” starring Kate Bosworth, Matthew Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Sanoe Lake. Private cabanas will be available for rent.
The festival concludes on Nov. 13 at Bergeron Ranch with barbecue, rodeo girls and country western bands for “Yellowstone Season 5: All Will be Revealed.” Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County.
Among the LGBT-themed films featured at FLIFF are:
“Unidentified Objects” USA / 2022 / 100 min / English
Nov. 8, 7 p.m. and Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m., Gateway Cinema
A misanthropic gay dwarf and a plucky sex worker go on a road trip to Canada in search of aliens, but what sounds like a wacky premise is actually a heartfelt story about finding your people. This is a true oddball comedy starring Sarah Hay and Matthew Jeffers.
“The Drop”
USA-Mexico / 2022 / 92 min / English
Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Gateway Cinema
This clever cringe-worthy comedy from executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass and director Sarah Adina Smith showcases a hilarious ensemble cast that includes Joshua Leonard (“Humpday”) and Jillian Bell (“22 Jump Street) as an obnoxious hippie couple. Southeast Premiere.
For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets, go to FLIFF.com.
Photographer Matthew Leifheit became fascinated with a tale he heard while strolling around Key West on a ghost tour: Robert the doll, an effigy of an aging man’s younger self that he carried with him. Leifheit thought the whole yarn sounded “really gay.”
That story inspired a new photo exhibition, “Robert the Doll,” opening Nov. 3 at the Studios of Key West. While the original Robert the doll was made of cloth and is rumored to be haunted, Leifheit took inspiration from lifelike, anatomically correct sex dolls. (You may remember “Lars and the Real Girl,” the 2007 Ryan Gosling comedy about a delusional young man who fell in love with such a doll.)
The next day, Leifheit purchased a skimpy sailor suit in a Duval St. boutique, throwing the history of Key West as a Navy port into the mix of themes. Local drag performer Nathan Strange stood in for Robert in this incarnation. Beyond the obvious “Dorian Gray” references, the photographs also illuminate common May-September relationships found in the gay community.
The city of Wilton Manors – and Wilton Drive, in particular – have changed dramatically since Debbi Burke and Bernadette Zizzo first opened ArtFrenzie. Their first location was in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, the strip mall anchored by Georgie’s Alibi that become a hub for LGBT-owned businesses and, later, a thriving residential community.
“Wilton Manors was pretty run down then, but when George (Kessinger) struck up the deal to open the Alibi in the plaza, he told us we should open up there, too,” recalled Burke. “I wasn’t scared…when the gays move in, they make it nice.”
The store would move several more times before landing at its current location in the former Latinos Salud headquarters. Regardless, the loyal client base followed Burke and Zizzo, drawn by their selection and framing expertise, as well as a range of décor and accessories. They also launched a larger framing studio in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village.
Big plans are ahead for the latest home of ArtFrenzie: renovations to the storefront, an expanded deck and performance space. Burke said many galleries are also transforming their retail spaces into a places to to hang out and enjoy the art.
Burke and Zizzo were a couple when they
Join us for a pre-concert champagne reception
20%
tickets!
The festivities kick off on Nov. 5 with sales and special promotions culminating with an anniversary gala on Nov. 12 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Guests will be treated to live entertainment, food and beverages.
ArtFrenzie, 2330 Wilton Dr. in Wilton Manors, celebrates its 25th anniversary Nov. 5–12. For more information, go to ArtFrenzie.com or Facebook.com/ArtFrenzie.
Join us for an opening night champagne reception, and then experience the excitement and artistic mastery of South Florida Symphony Orchestra in concert!
Reception: 6:30pm • Concert: 7:30pm
The Parker • 707 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale
Reception: 6 pm • Concert: 7:30pm
New World Center • 500 17th St., Miami Beach
For entry to the Reception and to save 20% on concert tickets, use code NIGHTOUT at checkout. southfloridasymphony.org | 954.522.8445
