SFGN 12/22/22 V13iss51

NEW BROWARD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER

Christiana Lilly

After a newly elected school board member spoke at the anti-LGBT Protect Our Children rally alongside the Proud Boys, a concerned citizen spoke before the Broward County School Board.

“Parents have a right to teach their children that being gay is not OK, but public schools do not,” said Marc Paige.

Paige’s comments were in response to Brenda Fam speaking at the rally, which was hosted by the Proud Boys, Moms for Liberty Miami, Florida Fathers for Freedom, and Gays Against Groomers. On the flier for the rally, attendees were encouraged to protest against “radicalized sexual curriculum, gender ideology, child grooming, parental alienation, and ‘gender-affirming care.’”

As Fam spoke, she was surrounded by signs that read “grooming leads to sex trafficking,” and “stop grooming our children.” An attorney, she talked about the cases of children contracting sexually transmitted diseases from abusers as well as Broward County being the second largest area in the state for sex trafficking.

“Why do I say ‘groomers?’ Because most of the time when [children are] abused it’s someone they know,” she said. “So somehow they not only win over the child’s trust, they win over the parents’ trust and they make you doubt yourself.”

Especially because of involvement by Gays Against Groomers, the movement has claimed to not be anti-LGBT. However, the

groups have rallied against children being treated for gender dysphoria and accused doctors and parents of mutilating and sexualizing children to advance their agenda

GAY REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN-ELECT ACCUSED OF FABRICATING PERSONAL PULSE TRAGEDY

Aquestionable background has dogged George Santos before, but incorporating the LGBT community’s darkest tragedy into his story has the New York Congressmanelect under intense scrutiny.

Prominent parts of Santos’ résumé appear to be falsified, New York Times reported on Dec. 19. The newspaper was unable to verify that Santos attended New York University, graduated from Baruch College and worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, as he claimed.

Santos told New York Public Radio last month that his company lost four employees at

the Pulse Nightclub Massacre – another claim that has not been verified despite best efforts by numerous fact checkers.

“If the reports are accurate, this man fabricated everything from his education and employment history to his proximity to the horrific attack that stole 49 from our community,” said Pulse survivor and Equality Florida press secretary Brandon Wolf. “Our worst nightmare is not a platform from which to run your grift ... Voters deserve an explanation for how he was able to successfully scam his way to being elected.”

In the first-ever congressional race between two out gay men, Santos, 34, a Republican, won the Queens/Long Island district by eight percentage points over Democrat Robert Zimmerman. Zimmeran told the Washington Post the Times’ report was “not a shock,” adding, “We always knew he was running a scam against the voters and we raised many of these issues but were drowned out in the governor’s race where crime was the focus and the media had other priorities.”

It’s unclear how Santos would be punished if he did fabricate his past.

Associated Press

SFGN COVER: Top: Brittney Griner, photo by Lorie Shaull, via Wikimedia Commons; White House, photo by GPA Photo Archive, via Flickr; Maura Healey, Maura Healey Official Campaign photo; Tina Kotek, photo via Facebook; protesters gathered in Esplanade Park on June 24, photo by Carina Mask; President Biden signing the respect for marriage act, photo via whitehouse.gov; LGBT community rallies against “Don’t Say Gay” bill, photo via Safe Schools South Florida/Facebook; mourners gathered at the Club Q memorial, photo via Club Q Colorado Springs/Facebook. Bottom: “Footloose the Musical,” photo by Larry Marano.

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John McDonald

Broward County School Board member Brenda Fam addresses the crowd at a Protect the Children rally, hosted by the Proud Boys, Moms for Liberty Miami, Florida Fathers for Freedom and Gays Against Groomers. Photo by JR Davis.

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Photo by J.R. Davis

Husbands Kris Jarmann, GMCSF volunteer coordinator, and Cary Giacalone, Realtor associate at Galleria International Realty, at The Gay Men’s Chorus South Flordia Concert at Hard Rock.

Recently out actor Kit Connor won his first Emmy for his role as Nick Nelson in Netflix’s romantic teen series “Heartstopper.”

Connor was not in attendance but costars Sebastian Croft and Will Gao accepted the Emmy on Connor’s behalf.

“Kit, wherever you are, um, hi!” said Croft.

“Kit has been so inspiring for us, and he really led the company of actors, and this is so well deserved, and I can’t wait to give this to him,” said Gao.

Connor, who is still on a break from Twitter, took to his Instagram story to acknowledge the win.

“Well, this is cool,” Connor wrote. “Thank you so much to everyone who watched the show.”

“Heartstopper” also won “Outstanding Young Teen Series,” “Outstanding Casting,” and “Outstanding Writing.”

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING

HAYLEY KIYOKO DISCUSSES HISTORIC SIGNING OF THE RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT

Singer Hayley Kiyoko attended the White House to celebrate the historic signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

The bill was won by House Democrats 258169 and was officially signed in by President Joe Biden.

“America takes a vital step toward equality, liberty and justice,” Biden declared as the bill was signed. “Not just for some, but for everyone.”

Kiyoko and her girlfriend Becca Tilley attended the event and later Kiyoko took to Instagram to share her feelings.

“I wish I could tell my younger self – a closeted biracial girl searching for acceptance – that one day I could live authentically and choose to legally marry whomever I love regardless of their race or sexual orientation,” she wrote in the caption.

Profiles In Care

of

Photo via Hayley Kiyoko/Facebook.

Photo by Aviator006, via Wikimedia Commons.

The event featured other notable LGBT artists and public figures such as Sam Smith, Marti G Cummings and Cyndi Lauper.

LESBIAN, BISEXUAL SCIENTISTS RECEIVE NOBEL PRIZES

The Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm included a lesbian and bisexual winner.

Svante Pääbo, a bisexual Swedish geneticist, received the prize in physiology or medicine for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution, according to the organization.

According to Science magazine, his work in sequencing the DNA of early beings “has offered insights into the genetic evolution of modern humans, including a better understanding of disease risks.”

In response to his win, he told the news magazine “Reporter,” “This can’t be true, I have not really digested it yet.”

Carolyn Bertozzi, a lesbian who’s a chemistry professor at Stanford University in California, won the Nobel Prize for chemistry alongside Morten Meldal, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, and Scripps Research professor.

Their prize was for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal

chemistry.

“Chemists are dreamers. We think up new molecules and bring them to life,” Bertozzi said at the ceremony.

According to the “Reporter,” there are fewer than a dozen known LGBT Nobel laureates.

x

Svante Pääbo (left), photo by The Royal Society, via Wikimedia Commons, and Carolyn Bertozzi (right), photo by Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck, via Wikimedia Commons.

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THE COUNTRY

GREEN BAY IS CLOSING IN ON A PERFECT SCORE IN LGBT RIGHTS

Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mayor Eric Genrich and Michael Vinson work together to set policies and laws for their community that has earned them a 90 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.

Justis Tennpenny told Green Bay Press Gazette that Green Bay’s highest score represents “the majority of our population supports our community. We can’t be afraid of the minority.”

“Green Bay received perfect scores across a few categories, including non-discrimination laws surrounding

housing, employment and public accommodations,” reported Green Bay Press Gazette. “Additionally, Green Bay’s law enforcement fairly reports hate crimes and engages with the LGBTQ community in a thoughtful, constructive way, according to the scorecard. The city also scored big on equality measures, both in terms of leadership positions and legislative efforts.”

However, mayor Genrich still hopes to make progress so the LGBT community feels safe.

DAVANTE LEWIS BECOMES FIRST BLACK LGBT PERSON ELECTED TO STATE GOVERNMENT

Davante Lewis has dethroned threeterm incumbent Lambert Boissiere III, a Black Democrat from New Orleans.

Lewis’ win has “sent a strong message” to kids that it is possible to hold office, according to Stephen Handwerk, former executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party and a gay man.

“We prioritize states like Louisiana, states where we don’t have a lot of representation,” said Cesar Toledo, political director for the Victory Fund, to the Louisiana Illuminator. “We see Davante Lewis as a step in the right direction and someone who is going to be carrying the torch for the movement to equality.”

Lewis won the District 3 seat on the

Louisiana

WISCONSIN LOUISIANA INDIANA

“The history of my election for my age, for my race, for my sexual identity, is not lost on me,” Lewis said in an interview prior to election day.

LGBT BAR CLOSES FOR TEAM TRAINING SINCE COLORADO SPRINGS SHOOTING

Downtown Olly’s, a popular LGBT bar in Indianapolis, Indiana, has closed in order for its team to undergo safety training.

“We want to really focus on training with our staff about safety and security,” said Adam Goble, General Manager of Downtown Olly’s, to WRTV. “I want to make sure even our kitchen is here [and] third shift can attend. There are times when everybody had to step out to squash a situation.”

Staff received help with their training from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) mainly focused on de-escalation.

“Goble said that he hopes his team leaves the training not afraid of what might happen but feeling better

THERE’S MORE ONLINE!

prepared,” reported WRTV. “He said the goal is to get other LGBTQ venues like Metro and Greg’s to work together to put these trainings together frequently throughout the year.”

The Department of Homeland Security recently released a statement that LGBT people are at high risk of terrorist attacks.

SAM BRINTON’S LGBT BACKGROUND RAISES CONCERNS

Downtown Ollie’s. Photo via Tripadvisor.

Public Service Commission.

Davante Lewis. Photo via Facebook.

Mayor of Green Bay Eric Genrich. Photo via Facebook.

ASIA EUROPE

SINGAPORE REPEALS ANTI-GAY LAW

Russell Heng indicated the location of the peaceful Esplanade Park in Singapore where he had once been detained by the police only for being homosexual.

It resembles any other street corner with trees in the city. But in the 1980s, before the internet and Grindr, it was a well-liked gay men’s gathering place in a nation where homosexuality was essentially criminalized.

According to BBC and Heng, a dramatist and activist, the area was known as the “Feet of Five Trees” because of the tall raintrees that offered protection and isolation.

Carried over from British authority, Singapore’s government preserved the controversial 377A law, which forbade intercourse between two males.

Authorities claimed it was an expression of Singapore society’s attitude that homosexuality was not acceptable.

Just months after a declaration by

restriction recently.

NORTH AMERICA

BARBADOS DECRIMINALIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

The Barbados High Court delivered a historic decision that decriminalized consenting same-sex relationships. A later time will see the delivery of the written decision.

After Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts & Nevis, Barbados will become the third nation in the Eastern Caribbean to abolish discriminatory legislative prohibitions and legalize homosexual acts in 2022.

The Sexual Offences Act of 1992 in Barbados penalized “buggery” with a maximum sentence of life in prison and “severe indecency” with a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail. Both offenses were remnants of British colonial law and were regarded to be felonies against

consenting same-sex behavior.

According to The Human Rights Watch, even while laws in the Caribbean that criminalize same-sex relationships are seldom implemented, their wide definitions and ambiguous wording allow for prejudice and hate toward LGBT people.

RULE OF LAW EROSION IN POLAND TARGETS RIGHTS

OF WOMEN, LGBT PEOPLE

In

to a statement released by The Human Rights Watch.

According to The Human Rights Watch, the rights of women and LGBT people have been repeatedly targeted by the Polish government since the Law and Justice (PiS) party took office in 2015 as part of larger attacks on the rule of law. The government has consciously

worked to destroy the freedom of the press, the independence of the judiciary, and independent civil society organizations. It has also worked to silence critics of the government’s policies through the legal system and other means.

“The rule of law crisis in Poland undermines democratic institutions, seriously damaging protections for people’s rights, including women and LGBT people,” said Lydia Gall, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at The Human Rights Watch.

Lee Hsien Loong that the rule will be abolished due to shifting attitudes, the country’s parliament overturned the

order to protect the rights of women and LGBT people, the Polish government must stop its relentless attacks on the rule of law, according

Barbados Supreme Court. Photo via barbadoslawcourts.gov.

Esplanade Park, “Feet of Five Trees.” Photo via wikipedia.org.

“March Equality” in Krakówh. Photo via wikimedia.org.

TRUMP ADDRESSES LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS AT MAR-A-LAGO GALA

Christopher Kane Washington Blade

Former President Donald Trump addressed an audience gathered at his Mar-a-Lago club and estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 15 for the Log Cabin Republicans’ Spirit of Lincoln gala, the conservative LGBTQ group’s flagship event.

“We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” Trump said.

“Last night, we had over 450 LGBT conservatives and our straight allies join us for another amazing Spirit of Lincoln gala,” Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran told the Washington Blade.

“While the speakers and award honorees spanned the conservative spectrum, all of them, including President Trump, articulated a deep appreciation for our community and committed to our broader inclusion and support for gay rights,” Moran said, adding, “This is the bar we’ll be holding all GOP candidates to in 2023 and 2024.”

Last year, the Log Cabin Republicans honored Melania Trump with its Spirit of Lincoln award, citing her work combatting bullying in her role as first lady.

However, the group’s support of the former president, his family and his administration has not come without controversy — even among members of its own leadership, prompting Jerri Ann Henry to resign from her position as executive director in 2019.

Log Cabin Republicans’ embrace of Trump also comes amid fractures that have perhaps reemerged or deepened between LGBT conservatives and other factions within the GOP.

This summer, the group’s Texas-based chapters were rebuffed by the state’s Republican Party, which denied their requests for space for a booth during the party’s annual convention and called homosexuality “an abnormal lifestyle choice” in its official platform.

The move recalled incidents in the late 1990s when the Log Cabin Republicans were labeled pedophiles and compared to the Ku Klux Klan by Texas GOP leaders who denied the group’s requests to host booths at their conventions.

The dangerous smear linking LGBT people to child sexual abuse and exploitation is once again ascendant on the right, propagated by many of Trump’s political allies.

Members of Log Cabin Republicans’ San Antonio chapter joined a protest of a familyfriendly drag performance on Dec. 13 in which patrons and organizers of the event were

accused of “grooming” children for abuse.

“I don’t know anything about the drag protest or any involvement our chapter had in it,” Moran told the Blade.

Moran sought to draw a contrast between the Trump administration’s positions on LGBT issues and the treatment of his group this summer by GOP officials in Texas, writing in a USA Today op-ed that the former president is “a leader of LGBT inclusion.”

“It’s difficult to understand just how gamechanging Trump’s presidential campaigns and presidency were for LGBT conservatives, who were suddenly included as welcome members of the party after decades of being sidelined,” wrote Moran.

The positions held by Moran and the Log Cabin Republicans differ sharply from those held by LGBT organizations and LGBT Americans more broadly — at least as evidenced by the percentage of LGBT voters who supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

One of the first actions President Joe Biden took after taking office last year was to repeal the Trump administration’s ban that prohibited thousands of transgender Americans from enlisting and serving in the armed forces.

Following Trump’s announcement of his plans to run again in 2024, GLAAD released a statement arguing that the former president’s record was “defined by anti-LGBTQ actions and rhetoric and policy that empowered white supremacists and fueled racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and misogyny.”

The group pointed to its “Trump Accountability Project,” which, it wrote, “tracked the Trump administration’s attacks against the LGBTQ community, documenting more than 200 negative policies and dangerous rhetoric against LGBTQ Americans during his presidency.”

The Human Rights Campaign, meanwhile, has listed the Trump administration’s harmful policies and positions concerning LGBT people in categories ranging from healthcare and education to representation and foreign affairs.

Former President Donald Trump. Screenshot via CNBC YouTube.

Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association.

DIVING DEEP INTO MIAMI BEACH ELECTION RESULTS

DEMOCRATS STILL HOLD THE UPPER HAND IN MIAMI BEACH, BARELY.

A review of data from the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections shows there are 19,490 registered Democrats in Miami Beach, accounting for 38.2% of active voters. Non-affiliated voters have the second biggest bloc with 18,894 (37%) followed by Republicans with 11,688 (22.9%).

Overall, Miami Beach has 29 precincts with 50,958 active voters. White voters make 47.6% of the electorate followed by Hispanic voters at 38.2% and Black voters at 5.1%. A total of 10.5% marked “other” on race identity.

Democrats took the top of the ticket with Val Demings defeating Marco Rubio, 56.9% to 45.9% in the Senate campaign. Charlie Crist beat Ron DeSantis in the governor’s race, 53.2% to 45.9%, although DeSantis won 12 precincts, doing well north of 41st

Street and in the Bayshore neighborhood. Active voter participation in the governor’s race was 49.1%.

Miami Beach is located in Congressional District 24, where incumbent Rep. Frederica Wilson cruised to victory over Jesus Navarro, 56.1% to 43.8%.

The city went back to the polls not long after the midterms to elect a commissioner in group two. Laura Dominguez defeated Sabrina Cohen, 5,352 (61.2%) to 3,391 (38.7%) in the Dec. 6 election. Dominguez, endorsed by SAVE and Equality Florida, replaces her life partner Mark Samuelian, who died suddenly in June.

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THE TOP 10 NATIONAL LGBT STORIES OF 2022 GAINS MADE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF ATTACKS

Lisa Keen KeenNewsService

There was no shortage of dramatic and consequential events to consider as the top stories for the LGBT community in 2022, and most of those events threaten to spill over into 2023: the Supreme Court’s interest in significantly undermining equal protection of the law for LGBT people; the escalating number of attacks against LGBT Pride events, gathering places, and people; and Republican capture of the U.S. House majority. But for every troubling development, there was a happy or hopeful one.

Here are our picks for the most important news stories of 2022 for the LGBT community:

BASKETBALL STAR HELD BY RUSSIA

As the U.S. and its European allies announced sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities announced March 5 that they had detained an American in Moscow.

Brittney Griner, a lesbian professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist, became the focus of months-long world-wide attention, after she was detained at a Russian airport, accused of possession of marijuana. Authorities detained her just a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Griner acknowledged having a small amount of “hash oil” in her bag, saying it was for medical purposes and that she had meant

Just three days before American Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison camp, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation to prohibit the expression or dissemination in social media, television, movies, or other media of any statements with positive information about “non-traditional sexual relations.” A similar ban, directed only at “propaganda aimed at children,” was enforced just before the Sochi Olympics. Under the new expanded law, violators can be fined up to $80,000.

The Indonesian parliament in December enacted a law penalizing sex outside of

to leave it at home. Griner had been playing with a Russian women’s basketball team for eight years, earning four times what she earns as an All-Star member of the Phoenix Women’s National Basketball Association team. Russian authorities scheduled her for trial.

By May, the U.S. government announced it believed Griner was being “wrongfully detained” and Russian media began claiming that a deal was underway for the U.S. to exchange a convicted Russian arms distributor for Griner’s return. Meanwhile, Griner’s spouse, Cherelle Griner, made appearances on national media outlets to pressure President

Biden to do more to secure Griner’s release.

Russian officials put Griner on trial in early July and declared her to be guilty. In August, they announced she was sentenced to nine years in prison. More than three months went by before the White House suddenly announced it had reached an agreement with Russian officials to exchange the arms felon for Griner.

On Dec. 8, Griner was freed and flew back to the U.S. She issued a statement Dec. 16, thanking all the people and fans who provided love and help. She also noted that she will be playing with the Phoenix Mercury again next season.

LGBT PEOPLE TARGETS OF GLOBAL ATTACKS

marriage in a country where same-sex couples are not allowed to marry.

In Qatar, LGBT rights gained considerable global attention. In a dramatic moment at a press conference at the world soccer championship, the media chief for the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) came out as gay and defended FIFA President Gianni Infantino against criticism that the host country and games were trying to halt any visibility of LGBT players or spectators.

At a contentious Nov. 19 press conference on the eve of the competition, the press

pummeled Infantino with questions about various civil rights issues surrounding the games in Qatar, a country that makes sex between men punishable by up to three years in prison. It was near the end of that press conference that FIFA media chief Bryan Swanson took the microphone to say he himself was gay and to vouch for Infantino’s efforts to protect the rights of visitors to the games. Later, during one of the tournament’s first matches, a man wearing a Superman t-shirt and carrying a rainbow flag ran onto the field to protest having the World Cup in Qatar.

In Iran, which has been experiencing unprecedented street protests against the government’s harsh treatment of women, the government, in August, reportedly convicted two women in relation to their efforts to help LGBT people escape the country. LGBT activist Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani and her associate Elham Choubdar were said to have been given the death sentences. The United Nations issued a statement in September, strongly condemning the death sentence and calling on the Iranian government to annul the convictions and retract the sentences.

Brittney Griner. Photo by Lorie Shaull, via Wikimedia Commons.

SUPREME COURT APPEARS POISED TO GUT PROTECTIONS

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed to signal Dec. 5 that it is prepared to allow certain business owners to violate state laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations. The hints came pouring out of oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Colorado, a case staged by the ardently anti-LGBT legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. The Alliance filed the lawsuit for a web designer in Colorado who wants to sell customwritten wedding websites to heterosexual couples but not same-sex couples. And the Alliance argued that the web designer’s work amounts to an “expression” and that the public accommodations law is violating her First Amendment right to freedom of

expression by requiring she serve same-sex couples. Colorado said the discrimination at issue is the web designer’s discriminatory treatment of a group of people protected by the Colorado law.

Justice Neil Gorsuch stated that “what would be impermissible is discrimination on the basis of status, but what would be permissible is refusing service because of a disagreement about views.” He offered the notion that the web designer was not discriminating against same-sex couples. His evidence? The web designer had LGBT customers for other products and said she would sell a same-sex wedding website to a heterosexual couple.

Because public accommodations laws

typically prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and other categories, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned during oral argument, “This would be first time in court’s history that that it would say that …a commercial business open to the public, serving the public, that it could refuse to serve a customer based on race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation….” It seems unlikely all six conservatives will vote to gut public accommodations laws so dramatically. But there was little hope in the oral argument that the court might uphold protections for same-sex couples seeking wedding websites, cakes, and other services.

DEMOCRATS CONTROL WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS

President Joe Biden and the Democraticcontrolled Congress gave enormous consideration to LGBT people during 2022. There were the perennial June Priderelated events held by other Democratic administrations. And President Biden signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase access to mental health services for LGBT youth and to eradicate the promotion of conversion therapies. The White House distributed thousands of Mpox vaccines to cities with large Pride events taking place. At a White House

TWO LESBIANS ELECTED GOVERNOR

Two lesbians were elected governor of their states in 2022: Maura Healey did so in Massachusetts, where she won in a landslide on election day, and Tina Kotek won in Oregon in a close race that took a week before the result was known.

Healey served for eight years as the state’s attorney general, along the way becoming a popular Democrat in a deeply blue state. Her victory Nov. 8 made her the first lesbian to be elected governor of any state. Healey, who helped lead the legal battle against the federal Defense of Marriage Act and for marriage equality also championed many legal challenges against Trump administration policies.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner show Dec. 13, Healey said, “I probably would

not be here today were it not for that case [challenging DOMA] and what it taught me about the importance of government and law and making sure the right people are in places to stand up and fight for people.”

Kotek was declared the winner of Oregon’s gubernatorial race Nov. 9, a full week after the voting, winning by more than four percentage points.

Jared Polis, the nation’s first openly gay male governor, won re-election to the Colorado governor’s office Nov. 8, meaning three of the nation’s 50 governors will be openly LGBT in 2023. Bisexual Kate Brown, the departing governor of Oregon, was the nation’s first openly LGBT governor, finishing out the term of a previous governor and then winning election herself in 2016.

Pride celebration in June, Biden said his administration has “more LGBTQ+ people than any administration or every administration combined.

Biden made many appointments in 2021, including the first openly LGBT cabinet member (Pete Buttigieg) and the first LGBT federal circuit appeals judge (Beth Robinson). In 2022, he promoted an openly LGBT person to be his chief spokesperson: Karine Jean-Pierre. In May, she became both the first Black person and the first lesbian to serve as White House Press Secretary.

10 years ago, there were only four openly LGBT members of Congress –all members of the U.S. House. By the end of 2022, that number had grown to 13. In the upcoming new Congressional session, there will be 11 openly LGBT House members (even though two incumbents lost re-election) and two senators. Having openly LGBT members in Congress has had obvious positive impact on the community. They were crucial in pressing for the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which helps protect the right of same-sex couples to marriage equality.

Photo by dbking, via Flickr.

Photo by GPA Photo Archive, via Flickr.

Maura Healey Official Campaign photo.

Tina Kotek. Photo via Facebook.

REPUBLICANS WIN THE HOUSE; DEMOCRATS THE SENATE

Republicans won a nine-seat majority in the U.S. House in the midterm elections, and Democrats retained the Senate. Initially, Democrats could claim 49 Democrats and two independents caucusing with the Democrats for the upcoming new session. But in what many considered a surprise move, bisexual U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced Dec. 8 that she was no longer identifying as a Democrat.

“I’ve registered as an Arizona independent,” Sinema told CNN. “…“I’ve never fit neatly into any party box. I’ve never really tried. I don’t want to.” Sinema made her announcement after Georgia

Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock won his runoff to win re-election. Sinema becomes one of three independent members of the U.S. Senate and has indicated she expects to caucus with Democrats.

While Democrats will continue to hold the power in the Senate, Republicans will now take over leadership in the House in January. Among the 222 Republicans in the House will be George Santos, an openly gay investor who beat an openly gay Democrat to represent the Congressional district covering Queens and Long Island, New York. Santos

acknowledged attending the rally prior to the January 6 insurrection riot. Santos has said he would support marriage equality but also would support the current “Don’t Say Gay” legislation pending in Congress.

The New York Times reported that Santos attended a gala in New York City Dec. 10 that attracted white nationalists and far right activists. Meanwhile, Republicans appear to be splintering over such things as who will be their leader. Rep. Kevin McCarthy is seeking to win the Speaker of the House gavel. To do that, a candidate must win more than half of all 435 votes in the House (or 218). With only 222 Republicans

and contentious period of time before the next session’s Republican leaders emerge.

‘DON’T SAY GAY’ AND ANTI-LGBT BILLS ABOUND

Likely Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, encouraged and signed into law a bill that severely curtails teachers’ discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. Copycat “Don’t Say Gay” bills sprung up around the country, including in Congress, where Republicans introduced a similar bill in the House.

This was part of a nation-wide barrage of anti-LGBT legislation and governors’ directives. DeSantis took another dramatic step in December, bypassing the Republican-

controlled legislature to issue an order to block transition medical care for transgender minors.

In May, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the governor’s order to direct child welfare workers to report any instances of genderconfirming health care for children. Arizona passed a bill to prohibit transition surgery for young people and to ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports. Alabama passed a bill to make it a felony to offer genderaffirming health care to transgender people

ESCALATION IN PHYSICAL VIOLENCE

A 22-year-old male in November shot and killed five patrons of Club Q, a Colorado Springs bar popular with LGBT people and their allies. The gunman also injured at least 17 others in the shooting spree on Nov. 19. The killer opened fire with a rapid-fire military assault-style weapon until a U.S. military veteran who was a patron at the bar knocked the gunman down and, with the help of one of the club’s performers, subdued him. A Nov. 30 bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned of potential additional attacks on LGBT bars. It noted that, after the Club Q shooting, the DHS observed messages “on forums known to post racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist content praising the alleged [Club Q] attacker.” Club Q had operated in conservative Colorado Springs for 21 years without any threats or attacks.

The Club Q attack, which took place just minutes before midnight and the start of an international Transgender Day

of Remembrance, brought back many memories, including the 2016 attack on the Pulse, an LGBT bar in Orlando, Florida. There, a lone gunman killed 49 patrons and injured more than 50 more.

Some news reports focused on the fact that Club Q was featuring a drag show. They noted that right-wing political activists have in recent months made concerted efforts to publicly malign drag queens and revive an old scare tactic that claims LGBT people are a threat to children. A Human Rights Campaign report in November indicated at least 32 people had been killed thus far in 2022 because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Sixty-five percent of those victims were black transgender women.

Pride Day events in several cities were attacked, including gun threats in Idaho that forced the cancelation of a celebration. In Couer d’Alene, Idaho, police arrested 31 men in their twenties in June in connection with a plot by the white nationalist group Pride

Front. Reports said the police found the group waiting in a U-Haul, carrying metal pipes and wearing riot gear, with a plan on how to disrupt the family-friendly LGBT festival there. The Washington Post quoted a researcher as saying that groups that attack LGBT events tend to be “far-right extremists, who he said adhere to a hypermasculine worldview and the belief that other, often marginalized groups, are making gains at their direct expense.”

In December, the Human Rights Campaign issued a report showing a “highly organized attack” was being waged against more than two dozen hospitals that provided genderaffirming care. But the organization also released a report in November, showing that a record number of cities across the nation (120) earned its highest score (100) for having pro-LGBT laws, policies, and services in place. The study, done with the Equality Federation Institute, looked at more than 500 cities. Some of the expected perfect scores included

under the age of 19. Other states followed suit, filing similar legislation, much of which is now pending for the 2023 session.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson told a U.S. House hearing in December that the “onslaught“ of anti-LGBT bills in 2022 totaled at least 344 bills in 23 states.

“More than 25 of these bills were ultimately enacted across 13 states — 17 of which have a disproportionate or targeted impact on transgender people.’

Los Angeles and San Francisco; Wilton Manors, Florida; Ann Arbor and Detroit; Atlanta; Chicago; Boston; Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio; Trenton; and New York City. Among the unexpected cities scoring 100 were: Birmingham, Alabama; Juneau, Alaska; and Columbus, Ohio. And five cities that scored the absolute worst (zero) were: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Florence, Alabama; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Pierre, South Dakota; and Rock Spring, Wyoming.

in the chamber, any Republican candidate for Speaker must win support from all but four Republicans. Political observers have suggested voting might go on for a prolonged

LGBT community rallies against “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Photo via Safe Schools South Florida, Facebook.

Photo via Adobe.

Mourners gathered at the Club Q memorial. Photo via Club Q Colorado Springs/Facebook.

ENACTMENT OF THE RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT

President Biden on Dec. 13 signed into law a federal bill to repeal the now-defunct Defense of Marriage Law and to require states to recognize any marriage, including a samesex marriage, licensed by another state.

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a longtime friend of the LGBT community, introduced the legislation to the House in July, and it passed the House right away on a 267 to 157 vote. It was after midterm elections that it finally started moving in the Senate, where it was led by openly lesbian U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). There, it passed 61 to 36 (three not voting, including Georgia’s Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who was locked in a

Dec. 5 runoff election against Republican nominee Herschel Walker). The New York Times gave much of the credit to former President George W. Bush’s now openly gay campaign manager, Ron Mehlman, and a group of other Republicans for lobbying Republican senators to secure the 11 GOP votes they needed to pass a procedural hurdle to take a vote on the measure.

“It involved flooding the phone lines of Republican senators with calls from constituents who favored the samesex marriage measure,” said the Times, “presenting them with polling that showed that voters were more likely to support a proponent of the bill than somebody who

opposed it, and a public pressure campaign aimed at demonstrating widespread conservative support for the legislation.”

Twelve Republicans were among the 61 senators who voted yes for the bill. Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were not a part of the 12.

The Washington Post gave much of the credit to Baldwin.

The Respect for Marriage Act originated in 2009 but was refurbished by Nadler this year after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives made clear many of them were eager to revisit the landmark Obergefell decision in 2015 that had struck down state bans on same-sex marriage.

1ROE OVERTURNED; MARRIAGE EQUALITY TARGETED

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 24 that the Constitution “does not prohibit” states from banning abortion. One might not immediately see why LGBT people were deeply alarmed by the decision. But in a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas made sure that everyone knew that, with the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the hourglass was being turned over for same-sex marriage and relationships.

Oddly, Thomas said he agreed with a statement in the majority decision (written by Samuel Alito) that “nothing in [the Dobbs opinion] should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.”

“For that reason, in future cases,” wrote Thomas, “we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”

Lawrence struck down state bans against same-sex sexual relations; Obergefell struck state bans against marriage for same-sex couples; and Griswold struck bans against couples using contraceptive measures.

Jenny Pizer, senior legal counsel for Lambda Legal, called the 6 to 3 conservative majority “the most shockingly activist Court we have seen in any of our lifetimes.” The majority opinion in Dobbs overturned two major precedents: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The 1973 Roe decision said the Constitution implies that citizens have a right to privacy and liberty and that those rights cover the right to choose an abortion. The 1992 Planned Parenthood decision said states could regulate abortion once a fetus becomes viable as long as the regulations did not create an undue burden to women who seek an abortion.

National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter said the Dobbs decision put LGBT rights “on the chopping block” and that “we must turn to our local, state, and federal representatives to secure fundamental freedoms through legislation.”

“We are witnessing a full-scale assault on the rights of women and LGBTQ people,” said Minter, “and the moment to act is now.”

© 2022 Keen News Service. All rights reserved.

Protesters gathered in Esplanade Park on June 24. Photo by Carina Mask.

Photo via whitehouse.gov.

DISNEY WORLD IS AMERICA’S DREAM

You can only be dared by the dazzle of Disney World. It is a vast Fantasyland, a Magic Kingdom of marvelous merriment. It is a gentle journey into the world in which we would all like to live.

A high-speed monorail provides for a clean, swift, rapid transit system. Decorated with green bushes carved into the shapes of animals, the landscaping is an artistic achievement. The streets are clean of dirt and free from cars. The only mobs are people, crowding their way into this world of wonder. The only shouts are of children, absorbed in the excitement of fantasy.

Adults are intoxicated by the Disney experience, perhaps enticed by a fond romanticism of days past. This place is a child’s world, though; it is the youth’s mecca of passion, and the scores of amusements are the tinker-bells of their dreams. Said little Kim Billings, a 6-yearold from Rochester, New Hampshire: “Can we live here, mommy?” A child’s words are so often a parent’s dreams.

Disney World is a living high, and it glorifies America as it does humanity. Tomorrowland takes you on a tour across America’s future, and Adventureland retrieves the past with a jungle cruise. Liberty Square hands you Benjamin Franklin and the Liberty Bell, while Frontierland recalls the spirit of Ol’ Betsy, Davy Crockett, his coonskin hat, and the ballad we all sung

and loved. But Fantasyland, with its magic castle, and awesome spires, is the center of this dream you don’t want to end. It is your childhood recalled, and for a few minutes, you can fall back and see life today as you saw it then.

America’s pain does not exist in Disney’s paradise. It’s hard to imagine Mickey Mouse growing up in a ghetto, or Donald Duck and his family fighting a recession or energy shortage.

Uncle Scrooge was never a socially involved philanthropist.

There is no room for reality in the majesty of Disney World. It is, I know, an escape from things as they are, but it is too, a calling to things as they should be. It is a moment to absorb American goodness, American beauty.

Disney World is a giant fantasyland that patronizes and popularizes America. We need that respite. No people in the world castigates itself as we do.

No nation is as self-critical, and no nation has undergone the constitutional upheavals we have in the past few years. We have discouraged ourselves. America, though, is a beautiful country, and we are free to be the kindest of peoples. We just have to spend more time getting it together.

“Come all of us then, back to Fantasyland, and the Small World Exhibit.” Transplanted

from New York’s 1964 World’s Fair, and California’s Disneyland, this feature captures the spirit of life as we would like copyright, 1925, Norman E. Kent it to be. Puppets of every nationality in the world appear in their native aplomb, singing gently, “It’s a small world, after all,” as a tour boat coasts you from colorful continent to continent, from Eskimos in Alaska to tribesmen in Africa, from Finnish farmers to Vietnamese schoolchildren.

This was a moving exhibit, and I was particularly amazed at all the coins people had thrown and were dropping into the waters. I like to think that this money, all of which goes to U.N.I.C.E.F a symbol of

every person’s innermost dream, the one so common to all of us, no matter who we are, or where we are.

It is the dream that one day we may all live in a world of goodness, of kindness, of love. It is the dream of peace, but it is far more than the absence of war. It is a prayer for contentment, of your soul, yourself, your society - a prayer realized Kissimmee, Florida.

Now please tell me it isn’t true that at Disney’s gates there are guards who enforce dress codes and hair codes, and discriminate between who can go in and who cannot. It’s either everyone’s world, or no one’s. It’s either a promise we keep or shatter.

Norm Kent

Norm Kent founded SFGN in 2010 and was publisher until 2022. Before that he published the Express Gay News. Kent has been a noted criminal defense attorney for decades in Broward County. His list of former titles include Chairman of AIDS Project Florida, President of Pride Fort Lauderdale and NORML, the nation’s largest marijuana advocacy organization. He’s also a passionate defender of free speech and LGBT rights. In his spare time you can find him watching baseball with his many dogs.

Photo via PxHere.

Hanukkah and merry Christmas.

A Time to Be Remarkable.

This Holiday Season, and every day throughout the year, Holy Cross Health celebrates diversity and equality in our community and beyond. With open arms we welcome every age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability, regardless of economic status. May this holiday season and coming New Year bring out the best in each and every one of us. Happy Holidays from all of us at Holy Cross Health.

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OPINION

NEANDERTHAL ME

Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) have gotten a bad rap from Homo sapiens, the species that competed with them and eventually replaced them. Named after the Neander Valley in Germany where their bones were first discovered, Neanderthals were ridiculed by Homo sapiens as mental defectives, who could barely walk or talk, and had no tools or weapons except for the stone clubs that they used to kill woolly mammoths and beat up their wives. All this is patently false; Neanderthals were moderately intelligent beings (though no Einstein) who buried their dead, cared for their sick, hunted large animals, used red pigment, and spoke. In The Neanderthals Rediscovered, authors Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse ask that we “show the Neanderthals some deserved respect.” This book goes a long way toward giving this species its due. What does all this have to do with me? Let me explain. Apparently, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens did more than try to kill each other. They also mated and, being related species, produced offspring. Modern DNA research allow us to prove this. I recently contacted 23andMe. com, a genomics and biotechnology company that provides a direct-to-consumer genetic testing service. I did so because I wanted to learn more about my ancestry. I sent 23andMe a DNA sample and a few weeks later I went online to get my Ancestry

Report. According to the Report, I am 78.8% Southern European (mainly Spanish or Portuguese); 5.4% Eastern European; 7.7% Western Asian & North African; 3.4% Indigenous American and 0.6% West African. There is nothing here that surprised me.

But there was more. In addition to my Ancestry Report, I also received a Neanderthal Report. According to 23andMe, I “have more Neanderthal DNA than 68% of other customers.” In other words, I “have less than 2% of Neanderthal DNA.” I “inherited a small amount of DNA from [my] Neanderthal ancestors. Out of the 7,462 variants [they] tested, [they] found 251 variants in [my] DNA that trace back to the Neanderthals. Altogether, [my] Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 2% of [my] DNA.” I “have Neanderthal DNA that may influence [my] traits.” Again, there is nothing alarming here.

As a man of mostly European descent, I should be descended from Neanderthals, the only human species that emerged in Europe. As Homo sapiens migrated from Africa, they encountered this native species; competed with them, mated with them, and eventually replaced them. But like birds who descended from “extinct” dinosaurs, many of us descend from “extinct” Neanderthals. Though this might make interesting dinner conversation (and one interesting article) it is also something that I’m rather proud of.

Jesse Monteagudo

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.

Photo by Neanderthal-Museum, Mettmann, via Wikimedia Commons.

“Joe is great. Takes his job seriously. Dots the “i’s” and crosses his “t’s”. Never hesitated to graciously answer my questions. Made me feel good about the process and continued to stay in contact through the closing. You get to feel a connection with Joe. His smile, his attitude, just brighten up the task!”

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RELUCTANT PARTY GOERS

“Are you looking forward to going to the party?” I asked in the car, on our way there.

“No,” Ray replied, “but you know that I’d always rather stick with my routines, and be home watching a movie.”

“If I die before you do, you’ll be a hermit, just getting together for coffee with friends at Stork’s.”

“Well, that’s doing something,” Ray replied. “If I die before you, you’ll say ‘yes’ to every invitation and then wish you hadn’t.”

“But, I’ll always be glad I went,” I said.

As is always true for us, once we got to the party, we gravitated in different directions, with Ray standing or sitting with a couple of favorite friends, and me saying “Hi,” to as many people as I could, but hoping to spend quality time with some.

I find that in most couples, one is the extrovert and the other is the introvert. One is the talker, and the other is the good listener. One creates and responds to every social event, and the other silently squirms but says “yes.” One of the two sends off all of the birthday and “thank you” notes and Christmas messages and the other is grateful but doesn’t always feel it’s necessary. One is on Facebook and the other is not. One puts it all out there and the other is more private.

Of course, while the introverted partner is being quiet, they are also doing the taxes, calling the contractors, managing the

expenses, getting the Internet back online, walking the dog, and otherwise making it possible for the extrovert to create their social life.

“Did you have fun at the party?” I asked Ray on our way home.

“Yes, I had a good time,” he said. “How about you?”

“Yes,” I said. “I like our routines too, but I loved seeing so many of our friends, and meeting nice people too. I told many of them that we’ll have them over.”

The car became very quiet.

Truth be told, Ray and I have rarely had a disagreement about being together at an event. I’ve worked at letting go of my image of the way things should be, and many years ago Ray found his own voice.

“Brian, get involved in anything you want, just don’t include me.”

There have been times when I didn’t want to go with Ray to an event, such as spending time with his parents. But, he never had to go alone if he wanted me there. How hard can two or three days be? A sudden silence just fell over me.

It would be a challenge for me to have as my husband another extrovert, and I don’t think another introvert would work well with Ray. We’re a good match, and we count on each other to make wise decisions, to have loving and gracious responses, and to prioritize the happiness of ourselves, and the other.

Brian McNaught has been an author and educator on LGBTQ issues since 1974. Former Congressman Barney Frank said of Brian, “No one has done a better job of chronicling what it’s like to grow up gay." www.brian-mcnaught.com.

Photo via Adobe.

Brian McNaught

SPIRITUALITY LISTINGS

LIFESTYLE READING WITH PRIDE

‘THE LANGUAGE OF SEABIRDS’

When Will Taylor was a child, there were not a whole lot of books with LGBT representation. Therefore, he wanted to write a story featuring queer characters for children, hence “The Language of Seabirds.”

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION BEHIND “THE LANGUAGE OF SEABIRDS”?

I was 10 when I realized I was queer, which was also right around the time I became an avid reader. Queer rep in kids’ books was basically nonexistent in the early ‘90s, so I settled for books about hidden worlds, secret codes, and, when I could find them, fierce friendships between boys. One book that really rang true for me was “Bridge to Terabithia,” the classic about two misfit kids building their own separate world, and I’ve wanted to create a book like that (but with queer kids) ever since. Now that I’m a grownup writing for the 8-12 age range, “The Language of Seabirds” is my heartfelt attempt, hopefully giving kids today the book I really needed when I was young.

WHY DO YOU FEEL REPRESENTATION OF A VARIETY OF PEOPLE IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING BOOKS AND CHARACTERS?

Book publishing, like any media, shows a reflected image of our world. When that image is distorted so certain groups of people are excluded, stereotyped, or misrepresented, it has a real-world impact on the way those groups are treated and perceived by the society they exist in. Real representation, on the other hand, can provide the opposite effect by empowering and strengthening. Everyone deserves to see themselves on the page, full stop. Importantly, though, not every author should try and tell every story. It’s the members of underrepresented communities who should be the ones to write, share, and profit from their own lived experiences, and supporting marginalized authors goes a long way toward telling the publishing industry you believe that.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM YOUR BOOK?

My first books were romps through hidden networks of linked-up pillow forts, so fans might be surprised by this one. But I hope they and new readers will enjoy the nervous young romance, the feeling of being right on the edge of your own life, the beauty of the Oregon coast in summer, and the quiet, in-between moments when our boys can exist and laugh and grow in the safety of their own secret world. Plus, to be completely honest, I did add in some forts.

Aurora Dominguez

Photos via www.willtaylorbooks.com

TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT A BEST OF WINNER EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSIE’S

As a restaurant reviewer, people often ask me why I haven’t reviewed ROSIE’S recently. That’s like asking, “Why don’t you review the Statue of Liberty or Taj Mahal?” Rosie’s IS a landmark. People haven’t gotten so used to going there that it’s just a given. It doesn’t even have to be good, it’s that popular. The fact that the food is usually top notch and the service friendly, sassy, and helpful and the atmosphere inviting is just the bacon on the cheeseburger. Rosie’s is where we take visitors for their first meal. It is the quintessential Wilton Manors experience. Sitting on the patio you are in a tropical paradise.

In the post-COVID years, Rosie’s has trimmed back its menu a bit. The seemingly endless list of burgers has been reduced to the top 10, but that doesn’t take into account the numerous side choices and the fact that you can order your combo with a chicken breast or an Impossible Burger. There are also wraps, bowls, entrees (aka Big Plates), and other handheld concoctions, in addition to starters and desserts. Paring back the menu in this case is a relative term. In my opinion, there were too many options on the previous menu.

It doesn’t matter to me because I always order one of three dishes: the Rhoda Cowboy, Southern Lovin’ salad, or, if I’m in the mood for something light, Pisa Envy: a tower of avocado, shrimp and black bean and corn salsa with chips. Drink specials or cocktail hour deals are usually such bargains

that I’ll even drink midday.

In eight years of going to Rosie’s, I’ve only had one unpleasant experience with a server and a complaint to the manager took care of that (and I never saw her serve there again, so I suspect I wasn’t the only one to complain). The team is unfailingly gracious and accommodating.

Rosie’s doesn’t have to be anywhere near as good as it is. We’re grateful that they don’t rest on their laurels. They’ve been the top restaurant in our Best Of list 10 years in a row, and the the same goes for their burger. Their brunch is phenomenal. The description on their website says it all, “a tropical oasis in the middle of the Island City, Wilton Manors, since 2006, offering amazing food and refreshing drinks and sassy fun ... you will have a memorable experience with the most talented crew in South Florida … Rosie’s is the place to see ...and be seen!”

SIDE DISH

The folks behind the remodel and updating at Mai Kai might want to step on the gas, as they’re going to have competition soon. Old School Hospitality, best known for the Quarterdeck pub chain, is opening a two-story tiki restaurant called HULA KAI on 17th St. It will be a modern 5,000-square-foot lounge with a ground floor and mezzanine under 24-foot-high ceilings in 2023.

Dining is an experience for all the senses, but never more so than at ATMOS, now open in Sistrunk Marketplace. The event (for that is what it is) features luxury dining in a room using 360-degree projection mapping technology and audiovisual effects to make the room come alive with video clips, music, and sound, all tied to the theme of the cuisine. It’s pricey, $209 a person (excluding tax

and gratuity), but the dinner is a two-hour experience. The first Atmos immersive dining experience was titled “Passport Europe,” and took guests through five countries on a two-hour audiovisual voyage with coinciding dishes. Each menu item was accompanied by a wine from the same region. Currently up is “Passport South America”, a two-hour, six-course gastronomic journey to Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela.

SUSHI MAS, which began as a take-outonly spot in Wynwood is opening the first of many sit-down restaurants throughout Florida early next year at 701 N. Federal at The Quantum. The menu will feature sushi rolls, makis, and tiraditos in the $11 to $19 range, as well as crispy rice, gyoza, and bao dishes from $7.95 to $16.

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. The views Rick expresses are his own and do not represent the opinion of SFGN.

Photos via www.rosiesbarandgrill.com.

Rick Karlin

If you are a person with HIV (PWH), you have the power and responsibility to shape your care. Results from previous surveys guided patient care lead agencies and planning councils in prioritizing community unmet needs and determining where to distribute financial resources.

The survey is available online and will remain open through December 31, 2022. All responses are confidential.

To access the survey, scan the QR code below or visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RL5FPGP

‘FOOTLOOSE’ IS NOSTALGIC ’80S ROMP

It’s been nearly four decades since Kevin Bacon burst into stardom in “Footloose” and, in the years since, nearly everyone has established six degrees of separation from the actor.

Now, memories of the iconic film – a touchpoint for anyone who came of age with Generation X – resurface with a bang in the Broadway adaptation playing at Slow Burn Theatre Co. at the Broward Center.

The 1984 drama told the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a defiant teenager from Chicago, who moves with his mother to a small town where he attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by a local minister.

Despite mixed reviews, the show was a box office hit with chart-topping songs “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” by Deniece Williams. But, for good and for bad, the musical feels like six degrees separate it from the film (we’re not even going to mention the unfortunate 2011 remake).

Unlike many other film adaptations, the musical remains true to the original, with a book by screenwriter Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. The title song and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” are also there, with additional music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Pitchford. Unfortunately, the pop hit never successfully translates to the musical theater idiom and Snow’s songs are still lackluster in comparison, if tuneful.

Since its founding more than a decade ago, Slow Burn has earned accolades by reinterpreting and reinventing shows that never quite caught on with critics or audiences. “Footloose the Musical” is one of those shows, hanging on a little less than two

years on Broadway.

Director Patrick Fitzwater lives up to the challenge with an energetic cast and a pulsing production that rocks the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater.

Kyle Southern’s Ren is no Bacon bad boy, but the young actor soars through both the vocals and Shannon Mullen’s challenging choreography. Other standout performances come from Caitie Marlowe as rebellious p.k. (preacher’s kid) Ariel; the overlooked mothers – Heather Jane Rolff as Ren’s single mom Ethel and Irene Adjan as Vi the obedient preacher’s wife; and Jeffrey Keller, who steals the show as the awkward sidekick Willard, who yearns for a little bit of Ren’s “cool.”

The large talented cast belts out the big production numbers under the capable direction of Michael Ursua, who leads the live pit orchestra hidden beneath the stage. Like Fitzwater, Ursua makes the most of mediocre material, only to be rewarded by enthusiastic audience applause throughout.

Sean McClelland’s industrial warehouse set effectively provides the blank canvas for locations including the town church, school gymnasium, and local drive-in. Costume designer Rick Peña reminds all of some of the more unfortunate ’80s fashion trends with a little cowboy chic thrown in for good measure.

“Footloose the Musical” is not the only film adaptation in the 2022-23 Slow Burn season. Jason Robert Brown’s dark comedy “Honeymoon in Vegas” debuts in February, followed by two Disney musicals, “Mary Poppins” in late March and “Newsies” in June.

J.W. Arnold

Slow Burn Theatre Co. presents “Footloose the Musical” at the Broward Center, through Dec. 1, 2023. Tickets start at $49 at BrowardCenter.org.

Kyle Southern (center) stars as Ren McCormack in Slow Burn Theatre’s production of “Footloose the Musical,” currently playing at the Broward Center.

Credit: Larry Marano.

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