2/15/17 V8i7

local name global coverage February 15, 2017 vol. 8 // issue 7

The

cannabis crusade Pages 26 -32

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THe oPeninG Line Photos: Facebook, Twitter.

comments from sFGn’s

online outlets

Compiled by John McDonald

man accused oF THReaTeninG LGbT communiTy back in business

Gay TaTToo sHoP owneR ReceiVes THReaTeninG noTe

michael walters –

“Jungwirth also told SFGN he planned to run for mayor of Wilton Manors in 2018”. I’m dying here. It’s becoming a rite of passage for every angry, embattled lunatic to run for Mayor in Wilton Manors.

Richard salkin – Education: the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you’re shit.

david carvallo – This is disgusting....infuriating and sad all at once. Nobody has a right to tell another person who to love.

dennis Paul carreiro –

He’s a mess. A complete, laughable mess. He’ll get what he has coming to him and I won’t have an ounce of sympathy.

Robert e knox – Of course they were too cowardly to say those words to his face.

bitchy cat –

He did go to MIT...

LoG cabin RePubLicans HaiL TRumP as ‘ReaL FRiend To LGbT communiTy’

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February 15, 2017 • Volume 8 • Issue 7

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ayNew s.com

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Compiled by Jillian Melero

chicago’s surgery museum Plans sex Reassignment exhibit (AP) A Chicago museum chronicling the history of surgery through medical artifacts, paintings and sculptures is planning to open an exhibit later this year on sex-reassignment procedures.

Curators at the International Museum of Surgical Science said the issue has become more prominent in social, cultural and political conversations and the museum hopes to contribute to the discussion in medical and surgical terms, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Collin Pressler, the museum’s director of exhibitions, said he hopes to “demystify” the “relatively obscure” topic.

“The museum doesn’t shy away from real and accurate depictions of surgery,” he said. “That’s how you educate.”

He hopes the exhibit will open before the end of the year as museum officials work on fundraising and designing the display.

About 700,000 people in the United States identify as transgender, according to a 2016 University of California study. Up to 500 sex change operations are performed annually in the country, according to the online Encyclopedia of Surgery.

The museum near downtown Chicago features over 7,000 medical artifacts that cover centuries of medical history, from acupuncture to X-ray treatments. Artist renderings also depict procedures, including a life-size painting of a woman undergoing a cesarean section in Colombia in 1844.

international Museum of surgical science.

Credit: Facebook

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

NATIONAL

NATIONAL

(EDGE) Could the Supermodel of the World also become the leader of the free world?

If it was up to John Oliver, RuPaul would become the 46th President of the United States.

Oliver returned to “Last Week Tonight” Sunday and had a lot to say. In his epic take down of President Donald Trump, the host suggested Ru could defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election and #MakeAmericaFierceAgain.

“The notion that our leaders should be able to pass on mistruths with impunity should be alarming to absolutely everybody, regardless of politics,” he said.

“Republicans should badly want our sense of objective reality to remain intact, just in case the Democrats ever find their own appealing reality star to win back the White House. RuPaul, for instance. Make America fierce again. #MakeAmericaFierceAgain.”

Ru took to Twitter Monday morning to respond to Oliver.

“Condragulations, @iamjohnoliver you are the winner of this week’s challenge. #MakeAmericaFierceAgain”

(AP) Supporters of a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation are vowing to keep fighting for rights, despite the bill’s rejection by North Dakota lawmakers for the fourth time in recent years.

About 50 of the bill’s supporters watched Friday as the House bill was defeated 69-22.

Kevin Tengesdal, a member of the LGBT community and a gay rights activist in Bismarck, told the Bismarck Tribune he’s saddened, but hopeful that the legislation will eventually pass in North Dakota.

Bismarck resident Vallie Needham, who is bisexual, said it’s absurd that the bill failed and that she and her husband plan to leave the state in a few years for a career move - but that the legislators’ decision will weigh into the decision.

“North Dakota definitely feels very hostile to the LGBT community,” she said. Needham, who said she once was a staunch conservative, said she’ll be watching the actions of her district legislators and will possibly be involved in next year’s efforts to oust those who don’t support the LGBT community.

Bill opponents have argued that the measure is unnecessary and could force businesses and religious organizations to go against their own convictions.

Christopher Dodson, executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference, said repeated attempts to pass legislation isn’t the right way for the LGBT community to reach its goal.

“The right way to do it is by changing hearts and minds,” Dodson said. “If more people treated people with respect, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

(AP) The nearly century-old American Civil Liberties Union says it is suddenly awash in donations and new members as it does battle with President Donald Trump over the extent of his constitutional authority, with nearly $80 million in online contributions alone pouring in since the election.

That includes a record $24 million surge over two days after Trump banned people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The organization said its membership has more than doubled since the election to a record of nearly 1.2 million, and its Twitter following has tripled.

“It feels like we’re drinking from a fire hydrant,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, adding that the election has brought immigration, refugee, reproductive, civil and voting rights “to a high boil.”

“What’s really heartening is people are paying attention.

They’re aware of the crisis on the horizon,” he said. “There’s a real sense of urgency.”

After Trump’s election, the ACLU greeted the age of Trump on its website and magazine with a fresh slogan: “See you in court.” That was the same expression Trump used in his tweeted response to a federal appeals court’s decision refusing to reinstate the travel ban.

The ACLU has won court orders in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland against the president’s travel ban. It has also filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents on the billionaire’s potential conflicts of interest. And it intends to bring a legal challenge accusing him of violating the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause by accepting payments from foreign governments at his hotels and other properties.

oliver wants RuPaul to Run for is seeing a Trump-era surge in Vow to keep Pushing for sexual John acLu President, #makeamericaFierceagain members and donations backers discrimination bill

Photo: John Oliver. Photo: Neil Grabowsky / Montclair Film Festival.

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NEWS local

planting of the tu B’shevat tree.

Photo: Facebook.

FoRT LaudeRdaLe PLanTs a TRee To ceLebRaTe Tu b’sHeVaT John McDonald

A

skinny little pine tree was planted at “The importance of connecting to people Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park Friday throughout the world is a vital part of the morning in a symbol of friendship strength of our community,” Trantalis said. between two countries.

“If diversity were never shared and embraced “This is the time the blossom starts,” in our community we would never have the said Lior Haiat, Consul General of Israel richness that we have today. We often hear for Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and calls of closing our borders and building a Puerto Rico. “This tree is the beginning of wall. This is not a place where we try to take a process and this event is the fruit of an them away, we try to bring them here.” amazing friendship between the City of Fort Trantalis said Fort Lauderdale’s first Lauderdale and the State of Israel.” official Tu B’Shevat ceremony comes as The tree planting ceremony Haifa recently suffered a huge was in observance of the Jewish that wiped out many trees. we ofTen hear fire“The holiday of Tu B’Shevat.

Haifa that I visited is “Tu B’Shevat invites us to calls of closing probably not the same place our borders look at what the Bible says today,” Trantalis said. “It’s a about trees,” said Rabbi Noah and building a poignant reflection today that Kitty of Congregation Etz wall. This is noT we get a chance to plant a tree Chaim. “Originally, it was a way and begin the process of a place where here of dating trees for tax purposes renewal. Today we do it with we Try To TaKe one tree and hopefully many, in ancient Israel. Trees were Them away, we many more.” allowed to grow so that they Try To bring weren’t taken until a proper Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack age.”

Seiler called the ceremony, Them here.”

Local, state, federal and which took place between the - Dean Trantalis international dignitaries tennis center and concessions VICE MAyOR OF attended Friday morning’s area inside Holiday Park, a FORT LAUDERDALE ceremony blessed by sunny “huge bond between our cities skies and cool breezes. and counties.” Rabbi Chaim Tu B’Shevat, U.S. Congressman Ted Slavaticki, Director of Las Olas Chabad Deutch said, occurs in the middle of the Jewish Center, gave the invocation. rainy season in Israel. “When things start to “We have to remember that we are get a little better,” he said. seeds full of potential,” Slavaticki said.

Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Dean “Potential for ourselves, our families and our Trantalis spoke of his recent visit to Haifa, communities. We must remind ourselves, Israel and his firm belief that Fort Lauderdale any battle is won twice. The first one is in is a welcoming place to all. our head.”

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NEWS health

FebRuaRy RePoRT FRom sFan Sean McShee The South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN) functions as the networking and advisory body for the Florida-Department of Health (FL-DOH), Ryan White Care (RWC) grant in Broward County. It has monthly public meetings.

J

oey Wynn, Chair of SFAN, made a valiant effort to present in an upbeat manner the latest news from DC. Wynn said, “We have work ahead of us, but it’s not impossible.” Nonprofit staff can provide education to public officials about the issues related to their work. The costeffectiveness of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and RWC could be very persuasive.

Bureaucratic inertia will have a protective effect in the short-term. Agencies could use that time to diversify funding. Due to looming budget cuts, HIV service programs will have to prioritize where to cut. “This could become ugly,” Wynn cautioned.

Wynn urged people not to write off Republicans.

He cited Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Miami, as an example. She has been a major ADAP supporter and has a transgender son.

Continuing resolutions have flat-funded RWC and Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA). As the authorizing acts for these programs have expired, these critical programs could be at risk, if people fail to educate their representatives about the value of these programs.

Medicaid faces great risk. Wynn referred to the threat of Medicaid Block Grants. Medicaid functions as a health insurance program for the very poor. When recessions occur, more people fall into poverty. Medicaid funding then automatically increases to meet the increased need. A block grant would set funding at a fixed amount, regardless of the need for the program.

RWC programs, including ADAP, function as a Payers of Last Resort. If health insurance is available, RWC will pay its premiums and copays.

If not, RWC will pays for HIV-related health care. In 2015, Medicaid paid for HIV meds of 7 percent of

all RWC clients. A Medicaid-Medicare Partnership paid for another 2 percent. If Congress cuts Medicaid funding, RWC will absorb the difference.

Simultaneously, RWC will have to absorb costs for the newly diagnosed and those “repealed” out of Affordable Care Act plans. The need for care will increase, but funding, at best, will stagnate.

Justin Bell (FL-DOH-Broward) reported that FLDOH now has gas cards available for eligible RWC clients. Interested clients should talk with their case managers about this.

Bryan Wilson of SunServe announced that SunServe will host a conference on aging and living with HIV (see below for details). In 2015 in Broward, 27 percent of new HIV diagnoses occurred among males over 50. Among males living with HIV, 54 percent were over 50.

Scheduled speakers include Nelson Virgil, Mark King, Sean Black, and Bruce Richman.

On Feb. 6, some SFAN members met to resolve a problem with documenting adherence. ADAP, a payment and an adherence program, relies on payment data to document adherence. If ADAP cannot document adherence, ADAP may decertify the client. CVS, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the DOH dispensary have created systems to resolve this problem.

Representatives from Walgreens, Skyemed, Infinity, and Comcare, attended this meeting.

As smaller pharmacies have more flexibility and fewer clients, they can develop ad hoc solutions.

While Walgreens is committed to resolving this issue, it faces a much more complex task. The group agreed to meet again at the beginning of March to monitor progress.

announCeMents the hiv/aiDs seniors Conference “We know you’re still in the game” (www.SunServe.org/ HIVSeniors) will occur March 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4849 N. Dixie Highway. next sfan Meeting: Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m., at the Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56th Street, Ft. Lauderdale. Newcomers are encouraged to attend.

Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee

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LGBTQIA bites

L

Lesbian

PoP aRTisT says PuLse cHanGed View on beinG ouT (SFGN) Newly minted pop-star Shura’s debut album “Nothing’s Real” was released last year. And the artist has been an out lesbian since she was 16. The artist, went viral in 2015 after appearing in the music video for “Touch” which featured male and female same-sex kisses. It received more than 27 million views on YouTube. But Shura says it was the shooting at Pulse Orlando that made her reevaluate her views on what it means to be out, the Advocate reports.

“Post-Orlando, things definitely changed in my brain on whether it was important or not that I was out, and giving visibility to the community,” the 25-year-old English singer said.

“I’ve never had to think about it before,” she says. “I’ve been out since I was 16, but in terms of people being conscious that I was gay in the music world, it’s only been a year, even though I never felt like I was ever hiding and it never really came up, so it was never really something that I thought about.”

After the Orlando shooting, Shura says

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Shura.

she found herself attending protests with her brother. This is how she first met up with musicians and activists Tegan and Sara, later joining them on their U.S. tour. Shura says the pair have helped her examine what it is to be out and in the public eye, and that it’s an ongoing conversation. “You have to challenge yourself about the choices you make as an artist,” she says. Shura will perform at Coachella in April.

b

Compiled by Jillian Melero and Brittany Ferrendi

bisexual

Human RiGHTs camPaiGn HonoRs wesTwoRLd sTaR wiTH VisibiLiTy awaRd (SFGN) The Human Rights Campaign honored Evan Rachel Wood with their 2017 Visibility Award on Feb.7, GayStarNews reports.

Wood received the honor with a 15 minute thank you speech, reflecting on her childhood as a tomboy, realizing her attraction to women.

“I felt something that I couldn’t explain. And it was something that made my throat close up and my stomach clench. Something that made my mouth go dry and my pulse race,” she said.

“And it was something so simple, yet so terrifying. I thought women were beautiful and I realized I had always thought women were beautiful.”

Wood described how anti-LGBT hate speech influenced her to remain silent, until she heard another actor describe themselves as bisexual.

“The word didn’t make me feel marginalized,” she said.

“It made me feel less crazy. It made me feel less alone. It gave me hope.”

Wood has also spoken out on how she has overcome surviving rape two times, and having attempted suicide.

Evan Rachel Wood.

alexander gustavo.

“Because of the voices I listened to, because of the people I identified with, the films I watched, the music I had heard, because of words like ‘bisexual’ and the doors that it opened, I’m still here,” she said.

“And I didn’t miss out on the most beautiful thing I’ve seen yet, and that was my son…

Visibility creates hope. And to be here today and to have the opportunity to take off the mask and be honest about who I am and what I have experienced is pretty indescribable.”

You can view Wood’s speech at: https://youtu. be/6xLYTun4KaU

LGBTQIA bites

T

continued Transgender

bRiTain’s nexT ToP modeL Has FiRsT eVeR TRans conTesTanT Talulah-Eve Brown.

(SFGN) Reality television in the United Kingdom just took another step toward LGBT inclusivity.

Britain’s Next Top Model revealed transgender model Talulah-Eve Brown will be joining the show as a contestant.

“I never thought a girl like me would find a place on a show like this and compete against such beautiful girls. But I guess all you have to do is believe! Life isn’t about finding a label that fits you best. Life is about finding you!,”

she wrote on Instagram.

The 22-year-old model won Miss Transgender UK Birmingham back in 2015.

Despite being known as the first trans BNTM contestant, Brown told The Mirror that gender identity should not be relevant.

“I don’t think people should be made to specify what gender they identify with,” she said. “It doesn’t matter. We all deserve equal respect regardless.”

Britain’s Next Top Model airs in March.

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NEWS state

NEWS local

Jamboree Pays Off For Two Local Groups John McDonald

CycleBar. Photo:Facebook.

Photo: Facebook.

A

Celebration of Friends made good on its promise to donate a portion of funds raised from last month’s “jamboree” to vital services in the South Florida LGBT community.

On Tuesday, ACOF Founder and President Tom Pence presented the Pride Center and Tuesday’s Angels each with $5,000 checks.

Pence, aka Tomcat, reports all went well at the jamboree as men from 27 different states and 12 countries attended. The weekend affair was hosted by Ramada Inn Oakland Park Fort Lauderdale.

“Thanks to these beautiful men, we are able to help continue the mission of these two great organizations that assist LGBT people in need,” said Pence.

The Pride Center donation will be used for Senior Services programming. Tuesday’s Angels is a private, non-profit organization that helps Broward County residents living with HIV. A Celebration of Friends serves to provide warm, comfortable, safe and engaging

gatherings recognizing and promoting selfworth, dignity, kindness and friendships of and within our senior population. To that end, the organization strives to not only host celebrations of seniors, but family type reunions of friends and brothers through supportive connections within a nationwide and international scope.

Pence said ACOF would return to the Ramada for another gathering this summer, July 20-23, with a special guest to be announced at a later date.

Ride For Pride

Pride Center spin class to raise funds for AIDS Walk Ryan Yousefi

T

he Pride Center on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m., will host a special cyclespin Ride For Pride event to raise funds for their AIDS Walk and Music Festival team. The Pride Center and CycleBar Fort Lauderdale are partnering up for this special charity ride to raise funds that will go toward costs associated with the AIDS Walk that takes place March 20 in Wilton Manors. The Ride For Pride donation is set at $35 per ride, and additional donations will be accepted at the door. The ride is expected to last about 50 minutes and will be followed by a light celebration afterward.

Roger Roa, Director of Development for The Ride Center, tells SGFN why Ride For Pride is so important to what his group does.

“As a community center, we always look for ways to bring together diverse individuals. We find strength through connecting our community in healthy ways,” Roa said. “Ride for Pride is a great way to get fit and support a great cause.

The class is a lot of fun. We’re using this event to raise monies for The Pride Center’s Florida AIDS Walk team. Every cent our specific team raises through the Florida AIDS Walk will return to The Center for use in our vital HIV services.

You can come out, pedal away some calories and help raise monies to impact the HIV epidemic locally.”

The annual AIDS Walk raises funds that The Pride Center uses to provide both year-round life-enhancing HIV services to those in need of support and care, as well as preventive educational services to high-risk sexually active adults. The AIDS Walk will also feature a musical performance by DNCE. Celebrity Ambassador Lamman Rucker, star of the hit OWN drama series, Greenleaf will also be on hand to help with the event.

For years The Pride Center has provided the LGBT community with a welcoming, safe space — an inclusive home that celebrates, nurtures and empowers LGBT members, their friends, and their South Florida neighbors. Last year alone, The Pride Center raised funds that helped 5,000 individuals get tested for HIV/AIDS, and provided over 35,000 youth with activities, education, and support at the center.

Those interested in joining in on the ride for a great cause can visit fortlauderdale.cyclebar.com to reserve their Ride For Pride seat. Donors may also donate in advance of the charity event at FloridaAidsWalk.donordrive.com.

For more information about the AIDS WALK email AIDSWalkTeam@Pridecenterflorida.org or call 954-463-9005.

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NEWS national

new PoLicy weLcomes FiRsT oPenLy TRansGendeR boy scouT Photo: CNN.

Brittany Ferrendi

L

ast week, Boy Scouts of America announced it will allow transgender boys to join its boys-only programs.

Now, the first openly transgender cub scout is making history — after being turned away just a month prior.

“I am accepted,” said Joe Maldonado according to LGBTQ Nation. “This is fun; I’m so proud.”

The 9-year-old was kicked out of the Cubs Scouts, Pack 87 in Secaucus, New Jersey late last year, just a month after he joined.

This sparked a debate over transgender discrimination within the Cub Scouts, until the Boy Scouts changed their policy last week.

But now, Maldonado is in Pack 20 in Maplewood, learning the salute and oath.

“Moving forward, the BSA will continue to work to bring the benefits of our programs to as many children, families and communities

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Laverne Cox’s Grammy Shout to Trans Teen Headed to Supreme Court Jillian Melero as possible,” said the BSA in a statement, welcoming the Maldonado family back to the Scouts, according to North Jersey.

In previous years, the Boy Scouts faced controversy over banning gay scouts and leaders, and have since changed its policies to be more inclusive.

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iewers who tuned in to the Grammy’s Sunday night hoping for a reprieve from political news couldn’t escape entirely.

Laverne Cox, the actress and trans activist best known for her role in “Orange is the New Black” took a moment to share the spotlight with another, perhaps lesser known voice in transgender activism: 17-year-old Virginia high school senior Gavin Grimm.

“Everyone, please Google ‘Gavin Grimm.’ He’s going to the Supreme Court in March. Hashtag Stand With Gavin,” Cox said, before introducing fellow LGBT activist and performer Lady Gaga.

Grimm’s story first came to media attention in 2015, when the ACLU and ACLU of Virginia filed lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board for passing a measure which prohibiting transgender students from using restrooms consistent with their gender identities. Grimm, assigned female at birth, identifies as male.

The Washington Post spoke with Grimm Sunday, about the mention from Laverne Cox. “I was just so thrilled because I love her. She’s just a beautiful person inside and out,” Grimm said.

“I was really touched and thrilled and honored that that was the first thing out of her mouth.”

Grimm was initially permitted to use the boys’ restroom; his high school did not reverse its decision until conservative activists protested to the county school board. The school board’s motion to restrict access to transgender students passed six to one. The ACLU argues that the motion violates Title IX, of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 which prohibits any form of discrimination based on gender.

A federal court ruling in August sided with Grimm, finding the Gloucester County School Board violated Title IX by having Grimm use separate facilities from other boys. The details of this case are in part based on a directive issued by the Obama administration last May, calling for public schools to allow students to use the bathrooms that correspond with their gender identities.

“No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus,” said Education Secretary John B. King Jr. in a letter from the Justice and Education Departments reasserting the administration’s position on the issue.

“This guidance further clarifies what we’ve said repeatedly — that gender identity is protected under Title IX. Educators want to do the right thing for students, and many have reached out to us for guidance on how to follow the law. We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.”

But, the new Trump administration has the power to undo many of these protections.

Slate reported newly confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in her confirmation hearing that she could not yet pledge to uphold Obama’s Title IX guidelines, as they apply to incidents of sexual assaults on campuses and how they are reported.

“If confirmed, I look forward to understanding the past actions and current situation better, and to ensuring that the intent of the law is actually carried out in a way that recognizes both the victim ... as well as those who are accused,” said DeVos. However, Slate also reports that should Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch be confirmed in time for the case, he may be a voice to uphold the Title IX protections. In 2007, Gorsuch was judge on a panel that unanimously affirmed the right of a University of Colorado student to sue their school over Title IX violations.

When Grimm heads to the Supreme Court in March, his will be the first case in its history where the Court will focus entirely on transgender rights. March 31 also happens to be International Transgender Day of Visibility.

NEWS state

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Is Supreme Court’s Same-Sex HIV Disclosure Ruling On its Way? Norm Kent

I

t has been two years since the state’s reaching conflicting decisions. highest court held legal arguments about The record in this case shows that Debaun’s the validity of a 1986 statute requiring partner asked him to take an HIV test, and HIV-positive people to reveal their infection that Debaun, who knew that he was infected, before having “sexual intercourse.” gave his partner fake test results, showing The case involves a man charged with a he was free of the virus that causes AIDS. felony after failing to tell his male sex partner A lower court threw out the charge, but it that he positive. There’s the rub. was reinstated on appeal. So until the court The legal issue before the court is whether decides, Debaun lives in limbo. sex between same-sex couples is actually Debaun’s lawyers are saying that intercourse under Florida statutes. since the legislature has failed Really. That’s because of the to define intercourse way the law was written a as anything but sex hundred years ago, and now between a man and a Debaun, who courts in different parts of woman, the disclosure knew that he was Florida have disagreed on requirement cannot infected, gave his its application. be applied to same“In the history sex couples. If the partner fake test of Florida law the court agrees, the case results, showing specific term, sexual would be dismissedhe was free of the intercourse has always if the court ever rules. virus that causes been interpreted only to At the time, Justice mean reproductive sexual Pariente criticized the AIDS. conduct,” Gary De Baun’s legislature for its inaction, lawyer argued. remarking “this issue could Therefore, he claimed his client’s be solved easily by them.” conviction should thus be reversed; that he An experienced court watcher in did not violate the law as written, because it Tallahassee told SFGN that cases “generally only applies to sexual conduct between a man don’t take this long to decide. One of the and a woman. moving parties should prod the court for a Florida courts have disagreed, and the ruling.” legal issue is before the Supreme Court It’s ironic the delay has taken so long, for resolution. But it has been for a long because on April 7, 2014, the Florida Supreme while. It was argued on Feb. 4, 2015, and the Court designated this as a “high profile case court has still not ruled. Meanwhile, until of significant public and media interest.” the highest court of this case decides this Well, apparently not that significant. We case, prosecutors in multiple counties are will see soon.

2.15.2017 •

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NEWS sports

NEWS international

Gay wHisPeRs FoLLow FRencH candidaTe John McDonald

tamara adrian

Julian Assange.

Photo Credit: David G. Silvers.

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ink News, a British LGBT news organization, is reporting Julian Assange is planning to “gay-mail” a French Presidential candidate.

The candidate in question is Emmanuel Macron, an economic populist and leader of the pro-European Union En Marche! party.

Assange, Editor-in-Chief for the hacktivist website Wikileaks, told Russian news organization Izvestia, he is in possession of “compromising” cables between Macron and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reports Pink News.

France elects a new President later this spring. Current President Francois Hollande, a socialist, is term-limited and leaving office with low approval ratings.

Macron, 39, who is married to a woman, has been the target of a gay whisper campaign before. Nicolas Dhuicq, a French National Assemblyman, told the Huffington Post, a wealthy gay lobby supports Macron.

And another Russian news agency, Sputnik, claims Macron lives a double life.

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Juana Mora Cedeno

“I hear people saying that I have a secret life or something,” Macron told reporters last week.

“It’s not nice for Brigitte….she is asking herself how I could physically do that. She shares my life from morning to night.”

Macron married Brigitte Trogneux in 2007.

He served in the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs for the Republic of France for two years.

With three months before French voters head to the polls, Macron appears to be trailing Francois Fillon of Les Republicans and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front.

Assange’s entry in the fray is doing Macron no favors.

“I am who I am, I have never had anything to hide,” Macron told Radio France.

woRLd ouTGames miami ReVeaLs PLenaRy sPeakeRs FoR GLobaL conFeRence on Human RiGHTs Brittany Ferrendi

J

uana Mora Cedeno and Tamara Adrian were chosen as this year’s plenary speakers for the Global Conference on Human Rights kicking off this year’s World OutGames Miami on May 26 through 29.

“We are excited to welcome Mora Cedeño and Adrián to our distinguished roster of speakers who will share their stories of strength and hope with an international audience as part of the World OutGames Miami Global Conference on Human Rights,” said CEO of World OutGames Miami Ivan Cano in a press release. “This conference, along with our other pillars of sports and culture, will offer an amazing experience and serve as a powerful tool to promote unity and inclusiveness.”

Cedeno is an LGBT activist and renowned artist in Cuba. She and other members of the Proyecto Manos Project met with Former President Barack Obama and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for a discussion on Cuba’s LGBT human rights.

She is sponsored by the International

Institute for Race, Equality and Human Rights.

Joining her is Tamara Adrian, the first elected transgender politician in Venezuela. She is a transgender activist and lawyer, fighting for LGBT rights. She is the president of the Committee of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, president of the board of directors of Global Action for Trans Equality and the co-president of the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, the association that licenses the World OutGames. Her topic at the conference is “Sex, Gender and Sports: A remaining space for discrimination.”

The Global Conference on Human Rights brings together “25 notable activists, thought leaders and community figures addressing more than 35 topics that promote inclusivity in sports, health & wellness and global social justice,” the press release said. It is the start of World OutGames Miami, a 10-day event focusing on sports, human rights and culture. It takes place May 26 through June 4.

NEWS local

Photo Credit: Facebook.

DOWNTOWN ELEVATED

Pride After Trump

Pride Fort Lauderdale organizers hope to send “strong signal” Michael d’Oliveira

A

s the first “Pride” since the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January, Miik Martorell sees Pride Fort Lauderdale as the first opportunity for the local LGBT community to speak out.

This is the first time to send a signal out and say ‘We’re here. We’re not going anywhere. We’re not afraid. We’re not going to crawl into a corner,” said Martorell, president of Pride Fort Lauderdale. “It’s very tricky because, as a nonprofit, we have to walk a fine line. Obviously, we’re celebrating the freedoms we have. You don’t have to be a democrat or republican or independent to say we deserve the same rights as everyone else.”

Candidate Trump was described by some as the most pro-LGBT Republican nominee in history. That perception was bolstered

by Trump mostly ignoring LGBT issues and Trump holding up a Rainbow Flag at a Colorado rally in October.

On Jan. 31, the Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT Republican organization, applauded President Trump’s decision to leave in place former President Barack Obama’s executive order providing LGBT workplace protections regarding federal contractors.

“Donald Trump campaigned promising to be a ‘real friend’ to the LGBT community, and now President Trump is delivering on that commitment,” said Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo in a statement.

But most others remain unconvinced.

The Human Rights Campaign [HRC] has criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for

not continuing the Obama Administration’s fight to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds to their new gender. “Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal nondiscrimination laws. It is heartbreaking and wrong that the agency tasked with enforcing civil rights laws [the Justice Department] would instead work to subvert them for political interests. President Trump must immediately reverse course and direct the DOJ to uphold guidance protecting transgender students,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a statement.

Like Martorell, Dawn Holloway, director of Pride’s volunteer committee, also views this first “Pride” under Trump as a chance to make a statement. “Nothing should stop us from celebrating who we are. I’m proud to say that we’re doing the first Pride under his administration. I think it’s awesome and it’s not going to stop any of us from being who we are. The way [Miik] put it is exactly the way we [on the board] all feel.”

Robert Boo, CEO of The Pride Center, said the LGBT community needs reminders to come together, even on issues that don’t look like they directly impact LGBT individuals.

“When immigrants are threatened, there’s LGBT people most likely within that group,” Boo said. “We as a community need to come together. I think sometimes we become complacent. We need to embrace our diversity and bring people together for a lot of causes. We need to watch and be wary and never take our eyes off the ball.”

Pride Fort Lauderdale takes place noon to 8 p.m. Feb. 26 on the Fort Lauderdale beach, 1100 Seabreeze Blvd. Visit PrideFortLauderdale.org for more info.

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305-302-0988 2.15.2017 •

17

NEWS local

new aRT exHibiT HiGHLiGHTs Human TRaFFickinG in THe uniTed sTaTes Brittany Ferrendi

M

odern-day slavery is coming to light in the latest Miami Gardens art exhibit.

“Responsibility & Vigilance: A Visual Examination of Domestic Servitude, Forced Labor & Human Trafficking in the United States” is coming to St. Thomas University starting Feb. 22.

It will contain various artworks by Susan Buzzi, the artist behind the exhibit, to spread awareness — including a focus on human trafficking of LGBT victims.

“Trafficked victims from the LGBTQ community are a specific demographic population; sometimes overlooked, with a number of distinct issues,” said Buzzi.

“Comprehensive statistics are somewhat limited; however available information reflects reported cases in human trafficking are domestic with gay men and juveniles in particular at risk and HIV as a main concern.

These victims are especially vulnerable and fragile; and in most circumstances in need of increased counseling and support services.“ According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, 7,572 cases of human trafficking were reported in 2016. Florida has the third highest cases of human trafficking at 550, followed by Texas and California in the number one slot.

The number one type of trafficking is sex trafficking, making up 5,551 of the cases last

Photograph titled “Are Butterflies Really Free” is one of the main pieces featured at the exhibit. Photo courtesy of Susan Buzzi.

year. 70 of the cases in 2016 involved gender minorities.

Buzzi is a former law enforcement officer who now considers herself an educator, coach practitioner and victim advocate.

She works with at-risk youth and victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and rape. She is an alumna and professor at St. Thomas University, where the exhibit will be displayed.

The series began several years ago when Buzzi created posters for the Human Trafficking Academy for STU’s School of Law. There are now 40 pieces in the collection, and the exhibit will also include several survivor pieces.

“Indeed, I consider this truly an extraordinary opportunity to present this important subject matter ... to engage the community in this critical conversation which affects us all.”

if You go: “Responsibility & Vigilance Art Exhibit” Opening reception Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

Black and white photograph “Decision Time” depicts a human trafficking victim. Photo courtesy of Susan Buzzi.

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St. Thomas University Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum (located in the Main Library) 16401 NW 37 Ave. Miami Gardens, FL 33054

NEWS local

Former SFGN Freelancer Transferred to State Prison Michael Anguille was sentenced to 12 years in October Erika Pesantes Sun Sentinel

[Editor’s note: This story was published in Sun Sentinel in October after the sentencing. This week Michael Anguille was transferred to state prison to begin serving the remainder of his time. Anguille was once a freelance copy editor and writer for SFGN. ]

W

hen it came time on Thursday for Michael Anguille to stand and face the woman he left paralyzed after driving drunk in 2014, he asked his attorney to step out of the way so he could have a clear view of Kim Smith, seated in her wheelchair at the back of a Broward courtroom.

“Ms. Smith, with all the sincerity in my heart and all the humility of my soul, I apologize for what I’ve done to you,” the 31-year-old Anguille said to Smith, 57. “I’m infinitely regretful for the pain and suffering I’ve caused you physically and emotionally.”

Smith, whose life as a parapalegic remains filled with pain and struggle, said she wasn’t entirely convinced of his remorse , but was satisfied by the 12-year sentence imposed on Anguille by Circuit Court Judge Lisa Porter for DUI, reckless driving and two unrelated drug possession charges.

“I’m very happy that he’s going to be off the streets, more than anything,” Smith said.

Anguille spoke about his unstable childhood and being abandoned by his mother. A psychologist who testified said Anguille suffered from anxiety and depression. His Attorney Michael J. Entin said Anguille self-medicated with drugs and alcohol in recent years, but had no juvenile criminal record.

Porter sentenced Anguille after listening to a tearful statement from Smith, who spent a year hospitalized before moving into a Lake Worth apartment complex for seniors and the disabled.

Smith, who had had a 20-plus-year career helping the disabled, told the judge about her struggles in the early days after the accident as she had slowly come to realize that she was no longer a therapist who would help people to heal. She was now a patient, and would be a patient for the rest of her life.

“The wheelchair’s exhausting. I have pain in my back, my rump, and all the way down the back of my legs from sitting in it daily. I’ve fallen out of it recently in the past month,” Smith told the judge. “All over my body, I’m now aware that every system is now compromised, and will continue to be compromised and I will face more challenges.

“I now have a shorter lifespan due to the accident,” Smith said. “Every morning I ask God, ‘Why me? What did I do to deserve this?’”

Smith also recounted the toll the accident had

Photo Credit: BSO.

taken on her family and the moments with them Anguille’s actions had stolen from her. While she was hospitalized, her brother died of cancer and Smith could not visit him during his final days or attend his funeral.

She also missed her 91-year-old mother’s move to an out-of-state assisted living facility.

Smith’s mother suffers from memory loss and, during weekly phone conversations, forgets her daughter can no longer walk.

“Every week I have to explain all over again that I no longer live in my house, that I was hit by a drunk driver and that now I cannot walk because of his actions,” Smith said. “I have to relive it every week.”

Anguille, of Boca Raton, had petitioned the judge for a lighter sentence than the nearly five year minimum in the guidelines. But Porter was unmoved, even though she said she believed he was remorseful.

Anguille pleaded no contest to the charges in August. Prosecutors asked for a maximum sentence of 19 years for his role in the Lighthouse Point crash. They cited Anguille’s pattern of substance abuse and getting behind the wheel while impaired.

“The state believes he has an ability of causing a worse tragedy than what happened to Ms. Smith on the night of Sept. 14, 2014,” said Assistant State Attorney Ksenia Saavedra.

Porter told Anguille, a college graduate with honors who later launched his own online marketing company, that he was “incredibly intelligent” and didn’t “fit the mold of most defendants we see in court.” But he had a serious addiction problem and ultimately forever changed Smith’s life, the judge said.

Anguille, in a blue jumpsuit and shackled at the waist, stared straight ahead and did not react as Porter imposed the sentence. He will spend three years in county jail — of which he’s received two years and 48 days’ credit — followed by nine years in state prison. That will be followed by three years probation.

“You almost killed this woman: a year in the hospital, two months in a coma, respirator, paralyzed,” Porter said to Anguille. “It’s a crime that deserves punishment and I think you recognize that.”

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ConviCtions

Jesse’s Journal Illustration: Annika Laas.

suRViVinG THe aGe oF TRumP

Jesse Monteagudo

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he election of Donald Trump as President of the United States was the most traumatic and unexpected event in modern American history. Trump, a businessman and reality show star with no political or military experience, triumphed over Hillary Clinton, a deeply flawed but much more experienced candidate.

Trump’s election was the triumph of the Tea Party movement, perhaps our country’s most successful political movement. Created in reaction to Barack Obama’s pricey stimulus package and Affordable Care Act, the Tea Party articulated the Heartland’s fear and anger at big government, illegal immigrants, Muslim terrorists, and uppity minorities. Unlike the leftleaning Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movements, the Tea Party knew its way around our two party system and was able to take control of the Republican Party. Thanks to the Tea Party, the GOP took over the House of Representatives in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. Trump realized the power of the Tea

Party, put himself at the head of it, and won the Republican nomination for President against a crowded field of candidates. The Trump election completed the Tea Party takeover of the federal government.

Trump promised to be “more presidential” once he became president, but in fact President Trump is just like Candidate Trump, only with more power. An Alpha Male with an enormous ego to match his aspirations, Trump was always convinced of his own greatness and of his capacity to win at anything that he sets out to do. In Trump’s mind he is always right and his enemies are always wrong; and Trump is merciless to those who dare to attack or criticize him. Just like he did in business, President Trump intends to do things his own way, extending the power of the president and rejecting constitutional checks and balances, whether on the part of Congress, the courts, or what he calls the “dishonest media.”

Though he is The mosT powerful man on earTh, donald Trump is noT a happy man.

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Though he is the most powerful man on earth, Donald Trump is not a happy man.

Vain and insecure, Trump sees himself as the challenged hero of his own saga, constantly surrounded by enemies. Unlike his predecessors, who laughed when they were spoofed by the comics on Saturday Night Live, Trump gets upset anytime Alec Baldwin or anyone else does a Trump impersonation.

With First Lady Melania at the Trump Tower with their son, and daughter Ivanka at home with her own family, the lonely Trump articulates his hatreds and frustrations by sending out late night tweets, attacking everything and everyone who does not kiss his ass and letting his advisors clean up the mess. I almost feel sorry for presidential shills Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus and Kellyanne Conway, who constantly have to defend a boss who cannot be treated as a rational human being. This sympathy should not extend to White House strategist Steve

Bannon, Trump’s grey eminence, whom I believe is truly evil.

Though most of Trump’s self-described “deplorable” continue to support their hero, the Trump administration is a disaster for those of us who refuse to surrender to his whims.

How do we survive the Age of Trump?

Though Trump might want to model his rule after that of his idol, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Trump is not a dictator. Our country’s federal and constitutional system does not allow anyone to have his own way, not even authoritarian types like our Tabloid President. Ours is a great country, no matter how much Trump and his stooges might try to ruin it, and there is still a lot to love about the USA. Those of us who opposed Candidate Trump and now oppose President Trump must and will continue the fight, for ourselves and for those we love, and we will prevail.

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

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ConviCtions

mombian

moTHeR oF exiLes Dana Rudolph

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mother cries today. She looks out over the shores to which she beckoned huddled masses, and wonders if they will ever regain their welcome aura. She knows, too, that though she stands as a beacon to the homeless and tempest-tost, she also represents something more: liberty for all those who dwell on the lands she surveys, sea to shining sea. But today, she cannot hold her head up as once she did.

President Trump’s ban on refugees and on immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, and his plan to build a wall at the Mexican border, go against our core values as a country. Make no mistake: Immigration and refugee issues are LGBTQ issues. Even though it seems like a rumored executive order that would allow anti-LGBTQ discrimination under the guise of “religious freedom” has been nixed (or at least delayed) because of the efforts of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, the immigration and refugee bans are antiLGBTQ moves as well. LGBTQ people may be immigrants and refugees, like anyone else, and face persecution in some countries specifically because they are LGBTQ. As a parent, too, I have been thinking of the news stories about how Trump’s actions have been impacting children from all types of families, despite the subsequent court-ordered stay on the ban. Last year, a toddler in an Iraqi refugee camp, was badly burned when a heater exploded. The boy, Dilbreen, and his father obtained travel visas to go to Boston for preliminary surgery, reported CBS Boston. Afterward, the father returned to Iraq to be with his wife as she gave birth to another child. The new baby was born the day of Trump’s election and named “Trump.” Dilbreen was scheduled for another surgery this week, and his family was ready to join him near Boston—but the

ban meant their visas were revoked. As of this writing, their situation remains unclear.

And the family of a Syrian refugee girl, Sham Aldaher, who underwent two major facial surgeries in Barcelona to address disfiguring birth defects, had planned to settle in the U.S. where she could receive follow-up care. They had passed all security checks, but Trump’s ban left them in limbo in Spain, the New York Times reported.

In the chaos of ban’s initial implementation, too, a Somali woman and her two children were detained at Dulles Airport for 20 hours without food.

The children have U.S. passports, reported ABC News. In another incident, a five-year-old boy, a U.S. citizen who arrived from Iran with another family member, was detained without his mother for several hours at Dulles before being reunited. Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, explained that it was all part of the process “to make sure that, if they are a five-year-old, that maybe they’re with their parents and they don’t pose a threat. But to assume that just because of someone’s age or gender or whatever that they don’t pose a threat would be misguided and wrong.”

When we start suspecting five-year-olds of terrorism without any specific evidence, we have truly lost our way. I say this as someone who has by chance been close

when we sTarT suspecTing five-year-olds of Terrorism wiThouT any specific evidence, we have Truly losT our way.

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enough to several major terrorist acts to feel a very immediate chill. I commuted through the World Trade Center to the World Financial Center next door until two business days before 9/11. I visited the finish line of the Boston Marathon the day before the bombing. Many years ago, when living in England, I almost flew home for the holidays on the plane that was blown up over Lockerbie, but decided to travel elsewhere during my winter break.

I am also, however, the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants on my father’s side, and the great-granddaughter of them on my mother’s. My ancestors were not refugees, strictly speaking, but came to the U.S. from Lithuania and Russia, countries where Jews had long been marginalized and oppressed.

They sought a better life and found it— unlike the many Jews who were turned away as they tried to seek refuge here shortly before and during World War II. My heritage and experience color my reaction to the ban—but no matter our backgrounds, we should all be outraged at this affront to our core democratic values.

Last year, my family and I visited the Statue of Liberty. One often-unrealized facet

about her is that she is striding forward, right foot raised behind her. To me, this signifies that the freedom she represents is not static or passive, but requires us to take action, stepping up to help those seeking the protection of these shores.

The National Park Service, which runs the site, reminds us on its website, too, “A broken shackle and chain lie at the Statue’s right foot…. although the broken shackle is a powerful image, the meaning behind it was not yet a reality for African Americans in 1886 [when the Statue was dedicated].” Our liberty today is still not yet perfect, especially for people of color, and we must remember that even as we take heart in the positive symbolism of the Statue and the poem of Emma Lazarus inscribed in her base.

A mother weeps. But her tears do not weaken her; they nourish her resolve. She is “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame/Is the imprisoned lightning.” She steps over a broken shackle and chain at her feet, knowing that simply breaking them was not enough. She strides forward with her light, hoping that others will follow.

Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory for LGBTQ parents.

PAID content

ConviCtions

editorial cartoon

by andy marlette

Genesis Health Institute Now Offers SculpSure™ for NON-INVASIVE BODY CONTOURING!

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e are excited to introduce SculpSure, a breakthrough non-invasive body contouring system for the reduction of stubborn fat that seems resistant to diet and exercise.

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Over 75% of adults in the United States are unhappy with their physical appearance, with 60% indicating the appearance of their stomach as a source of anxiety. So it’s not surprising that nonsurgical fat reduction procedures are one of the fastest growing categories in the aesthetics market, with a 42% increase in procedures performed from 2013 to 2014.

“Even with diet and exercise, most people have areas of stubborn fat that seem impossible to get rid of,” states Dr. Cabrera. “SculpSure can help patients of all skin types achieve the results they are looking for with a non-invasive treatment that fits into their busy lifestyles.”

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23

ConviCtions

seeing in The dark

wHy PosinG youR PeT as a seRVice animaL is PRobLemaTic

Belo Cipriani

T

o put it simply, dogs are amazing. Whether they are begging for food with those piercing eyes, or smothering you with wet kisses, they make it impossible not to smile.

It is this level of connection and companionship that pushes some pet owners to want to take their pooch everywhere they go -- even if it involves passing their pup off as a service dog.

But while it is quite easy to buy fake service dog papers online, what many pet owners do not realize is that posing their pets as service dogs is not only illegal in several states, but, ultimately, could also end up physically and emotionally hurting their beloved canine friends.

“By breaking the law, you are putting your own pet dog at risk,” said Lolly Lijewski, a guide dog user and a communications specialist based out of Minneapolis, MN. She was quick to point out that in addition to the stress pet dogs face when exposed to hectic environments, if the pet dog bites a person or another dog out of anxiety, this will create another set of problems for both the pet and its owner.

“The cost of a potential physical attack may run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the severity of the attack. Costs can include medical examinations, tests and treatment, and possibly retraining, depending on the psychological impact on the service dog,” said Lijewski.

What many pet dog owners may not realize is that while their pup does well at home, and is friendly with dogs and people, in stressful environments, such as in an airport or a busy restaurant, the unfamiliar noises, smells and people could bring out a whole new behavior in their pet dog -- a behavior they may not be able to control.

“An assistance dog is more than a vest,” said Molly Schulz, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator at Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).

“A true assistance dog requires years of professional training and certification to perform specific tasks and provide calm, reliable assistance to individuals with disabilities.”

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According to Matthew Dietz, Litigation Director at Disability Independence Group, Inc., a non-profit disability rights advocacy center in Florida, one of the problems we face today is that people do not understand the difference between emotional support animals and service animals. Also, people do not always know how to incorporate their animal into their psychological treatment.

“I receive approximately two or three people calling per week about discrimination against those with service animals or emotional support animals,” said Dietz. “And where the person claims to have a psychiatric service animal or emotional support animal, I ask if that person has a treating doctor or mental health professional who has recommended that they have their animal as an assistance animal. Where the person has papers from an Internet provider, I will not work for them unless they also have a local treating mental health professional.”

Dietz points out that many people do not understand what “proof” needs to be provided to establish a service dog or emotional support animal. He shares, “Some retailers provide a paper that says the dog is a service dog. The law does not require [people] to have written proof of an assistance dog. A service dog is a dog that is individually trained to assist a person with a disability. An emotional support animal’s mere presence ameliorates the effects of a psychological disability. Because there are so many different tasks a service animal can be trained to do,” Dietz continues, “having an official license would be impractical.”

In some cases, many pet owners who buy fake service dog papers online end up being scammed by the online retailers.

They buy documents that are commonly good for a year and, consequently, are locked into renewal fees. They also end up buying accessories that in the end do not do anything to keep their pets safe, or help manage their behavior in a crisis.

At the University of the Pacific, which has three campuses in California, a service animal policy was established to create a safe environment for both service and emotional support dogs. The policy allows access to both service and emotional support animals; however, poorly behaved service animals will be asked to leave and then return only once the dog or handler has completed additional training.

“I think there are probably a few reasons that schools are having such a difficult time with therapy dogs and emotional support animals,” said Daniel Nuss, Director of Services for Students with Disabilities at University of the Pacific. “One reason is that many institutions likely did not engage training and education on the topic prior to the influx of requests and quickly became overwhelmed due to a lack of internal expertise and processes.”

The issue of imposter service dogs is multifaceted and complex. On one end, there are service dog handlers who live in fear of having their service dog attacked by an untrained pooch, and the training schools that rely on donations are impacted by the perception ill-behaved pet dogs in vests leave behind. There are people with emotional disabilities who lack training on the difference between a service dog and an emotional support animal, and pet owners who are unaware of the risk they are taking when disguising their pet dogs as service animals. Also, federal law is limited in this case, and it is up to each state to create their own service animal policies. But perhaps the biggest problematic piece of this puzzle is the online retailers who are profiting from selling fraudulent papers, and preventing people from receiving the proper education.

Belo Cipriani is a disability advocate, a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, the spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind and the national spokesman for 100 Percent Wine — a premium winery that donates 100 percent of proceeds to nonprofits that help people with disabilities find work. Learn more at www.belocipriani.com.

2.15.2017 •

25

Publisher's Editorial

Convictions

The New Cannabis Law and You Marijuana is a medicine, not a menace

Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

N

o, you can’t have marijuana yet. But be patient, that joint you want to bogart is right around the corner.

On Nov. 8, 2016, Florida citizens voted to allow medical marijuana in our state. While it is limited to a certain number of specified debilitating conditions, there is also an exception, which empowers doctors to broaden the candidate pool for good cause shown. That may mean you.

Already, built into the statute is an exemption for anyone living with HIV. Why, for the first time we may have guys bragging about being positive. Not only do you get all the good steroids to build up your immune system, but you can now score some excellent bubble hash with high THC levels as well. Oh, the parties you can throw — but wait!

On a serious note, while the law has passed and became effective on Jan. 3 of this year, the dissemination of any medical marijuana to anyone is on hold while the Department of Health crafts the statewide rules for its distribution. That can take a while, and that is why the agency is travelling statewide to hold public hearings on the best way to implement the law.

The good thing about the new law is that the legislature and the health agency must put those rules in place and implement them within nine months, or you, as a citizen, will have a right to get cannabis on your own simply with a note from your doctor. Me, as a lawyer, if the state fails to act, on a timely basis, I will have an absolute right to sue them for you.

By building this safeguard into the law, you can expect we will get rules, but based on what we are seeing so far, we may be getting rules that are limiting and unfair, ones that do not express the will of the voters. What’s ‘shaking’ out is a monopoly for the powerful, not a new industry for the people.

Amendment 2 had a higher approval rating than almost any candidate that sought office, and I don’t mean that as a pun. Cannabis medicalization won 72 percent of the vote, but cities are not hurrying to put regulations into place. They are stalling, passing moratoriums.

While some of their reasons make sense, on one hand, they could be playing with your rights on the other.

You see, while the state has up to nine months to come up with guidelines, they can do so in a shorter time. If their rules are enacted in May, and you live in a city, which has passed a moratorium on dispensaries until July, then your constitutional right to use marijuana as a medicine will be illegally denied by that municipality for at least two months. It then becomes lawyer time.

It’s understandable that many cities want to impose a moratorium on dispensaries in their communities until they see what the state regulations will be. However, legislators and city commissioners must start treating marijuana as a medicine, not a menace. It’s coming to Main Street, and these small-minded municipalities drafting ordinances restricting the prospective locations of medical marijuana treatment centers to fringe corners of their communities are short sighted.

I know a little bit about this topic. I have served as the Chairman of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and I am currently the vice chair. I have been doing this my whole life, since I was a college senior at Hofstra University. What my mom and dad thought was a childhood indiscretion has now become my lifelong achievement. Thirty states have decriminalized, medicalized, or legalized.

We are ending the drug war that wrongfully arrested, unjustly prosecuted, and unconscionably incarcerated so many for so long.

There is a new day in America. Kids on skateboards smoking a joint won’t be stopped and searched, detained and denied their civil rights. Parents with children suffering from ALS or MLS won’t have to hide their medicine any longer. A soldier dealing with PTSD won’t have to go to trial and risk losing VA benefits because he smokes cannabis.

The world will be a safer place, and our government will prosper. The planes and trains will still run on time. Well, if they don’t it won’t be

The world will be a safer place, and our government will prosper.

The planes and trains will still run on time.

Well, if they don’t it won’t be because an engineer is high.

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2 .15.2017

because an engineer is high. Nothing about the new law stops a state agency from establishing rules and regulations for their employees.

If you want to know what you can do to make the new constitutional amendment fairer, let your legislator know that you will not stand for a monopoly that makes a few corporations very rich. Let the Department of Health know that you want rules which empower many entrepreneurs to open businesses that dispense marijuana lawfully.

Our state, our governor, our legislature, all seems headed in the wrong direction. They are talking about letting only seven farms grow cannabis to serve the entire state, and these entities will then control every facility that can open. It would be clearly limited, frighteningly restrictive, and undoubtedly inhibit fair pricing.

We may need to start a revolution against the law if that happens.

In Wilton Manors, the city commission passed a law, which unduly restricts free enterprise, limits business opportunities, and inhibits reasonable access to cannabis. Only Julie Carson has stood up against it. Why? Pot got more votes in this community than any of you did running for office.

Our state attorney also needs to do a better job with this new law in place. When Michael Satz ran for reelection for the 39th time last year, he actively sought and acquired the support of leaders in the LGBT community. Unfortunately, his office’s policy on pot has never been progressive. It’s been regressive.

When Washington State decriminalized pot a few years ago, King County’s prosecutor, including Seattle, dismissed over 1,300

municipal prosecutions. No such thing happened here. In fact, here in Broward, a young kid with HIV who was skateboarding on Dixie Highway on Christmas Day got popped for a few joints.

In court on Monday with this young man, the State Attorney’s office not only refused to drop the charge, they asked for a fine, 25 hours of community service, and a 16-hour drug class. I mean, really? Come on, he is immediately exempt under the new law. You know who needs a class on the new law? The old state attorney.

Finally, for you to acquire cannabis as a medicine, your doctor will first have to take a statewide course, pay a thousand dollars for it, and only then can he prescribe you pot. Isn’t that stupid? Like doctors can give you chemo for cancer, morphine for pain, and insulin for diabetes, but they need to take a special class to prescribe you a joint? Please.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has said they will leave this decision up to individual doctors. They are proactive on so many issues.

There is no reason why they can’t be upfront on this as well. Advocate loudly, publicly and openly for easy access to cannabis for their many HIV patients.

So, there it is. Medical marijuana is coming your way. There are administrative hurdles we must overcome in Florida, obstacles that should not be put in your way.

Your duty today is to speak out and be heard, from your doctor’s offices to city commissions.

Demand reasonable access to cannabis as a medicine. The freedom you save may be your own.

Marijuana health

THc & HiV/aids

Relief is on the Horizon for Floridians

Berlin Sylvestre

R

ichard Thayer* doesn’t constantly and “go south” medically, landing him back have a fridge full of leftovers like he in dangerous territory. used to years ago.

“It can get really depressing, if you let it,” “Not since I’ve been able to eat my entire he said. “I used to be on edge all the time.” meal when I go out,” he smiles proudly For years, he toiled with the side effects above a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper of the various medications that come with beard. Thayer, 47, has been living the HIV-positive diagnosis. with HIV for nearly 20 years, “I couldn’t keep [those pills] thankfully with decent down,” he told SFGN. “Can health insurance. you imagine if I didn’t When the Port have good health “at this point, Charlotte resident insurance?

Those i was Desperate was first diagnosed, [aren’t] cheap.” he took the news Thayer specifies to trY anYthing pretty hard. “Twenty that the constant to Make the nausea barrage of new years ago seems anD voMiting go medications included like forever, but medically speaking, some to deal with awaY.” people weren’t able to heart issues and some shake off the terror of that were highly active - Richard Thayer the disease progressing as antiretrovirals — all of easily as they can now,” he which Thayer says made him said, fiddling with an imported — constantly nauseated. and illegal — baggie of cannabis. He holds “I imagine it’s what it feels like for a hand up — it’s shaking. “It still makes me someone going through chemo,” he said. “I feel sick thinking about that day.” was already mentally sick dealing with [the But anxiety is nothing new to Thayer. diagnosis], now I had to deal with physical He admits that though his viral load is sickness?” He pulls out a nugget of cannabis currently undetectable, there’s sometimes from the baggie and packs a glass bowl. a nagging worry that — much like cancer “I honestly thought about just giving up — the disease might make a resurgence and dying — that’s no way to live.”

Initially he tried Marinol, a synthetic version of marijuana to combat the sickness brought on by the new regiment of meds.

Shaking his head, he said, “No good; made me sicker.” At the behest of a neighbor, he accepted a gift that “literally changed [his] life.”

It was a joint.

“I hadn’t smoked [marijuana] since high school, and I really wasn’t into it,” he admitted. “But at this point, I was desperate to try anything to make the nausea and vomiting go away.” Though nervous that the organic version might have the same effect as Marinol, it took all of 20 minutes after smoking his “gift” to convince him that he’d found a way to make his ordeal liveable.

“Like night and day,” he said. “It made it much easier to keep taking my medications, which was crucial for me. It’s crucial for anyone. It’s kind of like stopping your antibiotic routine when you’re sick; it’s just bad news all around.”

His ability to gain a few pounds in a relatively quick amount of time delighted his primary caregiver. “[He] said, ‘I’m happy to see you’re upping your caloric intake!

Way to go!’ Stuff like that.” Thayer is smiling fully now. “I didn’t tell him it’s because I’ve been toking.”

And to Thayer’s surprise, the cannabis did more than just alleviate the side effects of his medication.

“I could finally relax,” he said. “Anxiety, gone. Depression, gone.” What returned?

His appetite — another huge plus for those living with HIV/AIDS. “I’d go to the doc twice a month,” Thayer said, producing a lighter from his pocket.

“But the best medical provider was the dealer next door.”

As of Nov. 8 of last year, medical marijuana has been given the greenlight in Florida, but Thayer, like thousands of others, is still waiting for cannabis dispensaries to open up in his area — but he doesn’t wait patiently.

“What’s the hold up?” he asked. “Let’s get this show on the road already!”

Until that day, Thayer said he will continue to import his marijuana through a mail-order system he won’t elaborate on. He said that many HIV/AIDS patients he knows turn to people in states with dispensaries to send them “care packages.” He has few reservations about the risks involved.

“It’s worth it,” he said. “Anything that makes you want to live is worth it.” * Richard Thayer asked that his real name not be used to in order to protect his privacy

2.15.2017 •

27

Marijuana health

aHF TiGHT-LiPPed on FLoRida maRiJuana ReGuLaTions John McDonald The largest global AIDS service organization is taking a neutral position on medical marijuana in Florida.

W. Imara Canady, Regional Director of Communications and Community Engagement for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Southern Bureau, said the organization is not taking a public stance on the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

“We respectfully leave that conversation between the doctor and the patient,” Canady told SFGN in a telephone call Tuesday morning. “AHF is always focused on the well-being of our patients and providing the best quality care.”

AHF has clinics in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, providing prevention, testing and healthcare options to people living with HIV. In some cases, marijuana

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has been prescribed to alleviate side effects of HIV medications.

Jack Doren, a resident of Oakland Park, said only marijuana was able to settle his stomach.

“I tried every medication I could try to alleviate the nausea,” Doren told the Oakland Park Commission during a public hearing last week. “Nothing worked – prescription or over the counter. I remember telling my physician that I’d choose death rather than continue suffering from this. Then I tried marijuana. I found that one inhaling took away 95 percent of the nausea, within seconds. I’m not exaggerating.

So I personally know how effective this medicine can be.”

The Florida Department of Health has until June to put regulations in place

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Southern Bureau Headquarters

to allow for qualified patients to access marijuana for medicinal purposes. Many cities, like Oakland Park, have placed a moratorium on applications pending state guidelines.

And then there’s the matter of federal law, which declares marijuana illegal. Previously, the Obama administration declined to go after dispensaries in Colorado and California, but there is no such guarantee from the new Trump administration.

For that reason, AHF is staying on the sidelines of this debate.

“We always follow in alignment of federal law,” Canady said. “Our legislative team in Florida is watching this issue closely and looking to see how it plays out.”

Current Florida rules call for a patient to be in the care of their doctor for at least three months in order to receive a medical marijuana prescription.

2.15.2017 •

29

Marijuana broward

Marijuana oakland park

bRowaRd seTs HeaRinG on medicaL maRiJuana sHoPs

Brittany Wallman Sun Sentinel

M

edical marijuana shops could crop up on Broward’s main thoroughfares.

County commissioners will consider allowing the dispensaries on commercial strips of unincorporated Broward: parts of Sunrise Boulevard, U.S. 441, Northwest 27th Avenue, and Northwest 31st Avenue, also known as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

On Tuesday, commissioners voted unanimously, without discussion, to

send the measure to a March 14 public hearing.

There’s a reason the shops would all be located in struggling parts of the county, where mostly low-income and minority residents live. It’s because that’s the only part of the county that’s under the County Commission’s authority on this issue. All other parts of Broward are represented by city governments, and they’re setting the rules in those areas.

oakLand PaRk commission PLaces moRaToRium on medicaL maRiJuana John McDonald

A

Brokered by

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t Wednesday night’s meeting, Oakland commission, disclosing a personal story of Park Commissioners approved a how marijuana alleviated nausea from his moratorium on medical marijuana HIV medications. through Dec. 31, 2017.

“I found that one inhaling took away 95 During a public hearing on the first reading percent of the nausea, within seconds,” Doren of the ordinance, commissioners discussed said. “I’m not exaggerating. So I personally medical marijuana, listened to residents know how effective this medicine can be.” concerns and asked for advice from legal The Florida Department of Health is counsel. tasked with implementing regulations In last November’s elections, Florida and committees will be working on just voters approved Amendment that when lawmakers return to 2 allowing for the use of Tallahassee for the start 2017 marijuana for medicinal legislative session next purposes. In Oakland month. “i woulD not Park, 80 percent of Oakland Park Mayor registered voters John Adornato III said feel CoMfortaBle approved -- above the the biggest problem is giving perMits 76 percent of Broward the “seed to sell” as any County voters and without guiDelines bank that is federally far exceeding the insured cannot process froM the state.”

60 percent required funds associated with to amend the state’s marijuana. As far as - Michael Carn constitution. dispensary zoning is COMMISSIONER “The voters have concerned, Adornato said spoken, that is clear,” said the city can claim “home rule” Commissioner Sara Guevrekian. over the state.

“This is non-negotiable.”

Ultimately, commissioners approved Other factors, however, are negotiable the ordinance on a 3-2 vote, with Adornato and dependent on the state’s lead, said and Vice Mayor Tim Lonergan dissenting.

Commissioner Michael Carn.

A 12-month moratorium is too long in “I would not feel comfortable giving Lonergan’s view. permits without guidelines from the state,” “How would you like being sick for one Carn said, adding he felt like the issue was day when you know there’s a way around it?” “letting a genie out of a bottle.”

Lonergan asked his fellow commissioners.

Resident Jack Doren addressed the

Marijuana national law

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wHaT wiLL TRumP do?

There’s a conflict between federal and state marijuana laws Norm Kent

U

nder the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance.

By definition, Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and dependency, with no recognized medical use or value. The federal courts have refused to reschedule marijuana. Consequently, any cannabis possession, cultivation, or use is a federal crime, subjecting a defendant to fines, prison time, or both.

However, most federal attention addresses large-scale cultivation and trafficking -transporting or selling marijuana across state lines. Still, pot is illegal under federal law, and state laws that have medicalized and decriminalized cannabis can be overridden by federal law enforcement.

The Obama Administration adopted a policy of living by state laws. What will Trump do? Twenty-eight states have now enacted laws that allow or protect the medicinal and even recreational use of marijuana. Florida joined the fold in November.

Most of these states have decriminalized medicinal marijuana use and removed the risk of criminal prosecution and penalties for patients who follow the law with respect to amounts, registration, and so on. State-level penalties still apply to those who break these state laws.

Obviously, there is a conflict between federal classification under the CSA, which criminalizes all marijuana-related activities; and state medical marijuana laws, which recognize and protect medicinal marijuana cultivation, possession, and use.

It remains to be seen what the Justice Department will do under Attorney General Jeff Sessions. For decades as both a U.S.

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Attorney for Alabama, and as a United States Senator, he supported, enforced and voted for harsh penalties and legal restrictions for cannabis.

The reality is that if he uses his law enforcement powers to shut down state dispensaries, he will have the right to do so under federal law.

When a state law or regulation conflicts with a federal law or regulation, Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, known as the Supremacy Clause, provides that the laws of the U.S. have supremacy over state constitutions and laws, so that if a state law is in conflict with federal law, federal law trumps, for lack of a better word. That is called federal preemption, and if Attorney General Jeff Sessions decides he wants to crack down on state dispensaries, he will have the power and authority of the law to do so. We can only wait and hope he does not.

If the government goes the route of enforcement, it’s not just dispensaries that have to worry. They can threaten doctors who issue prescriptions, landlords who rent dispensary space to tenants, students on federal scholarships, and you in your own home.

This is a government that has already started raids on immigrants in their households. If it is seeking a legal vehicle to target a noncitizen with immediate deportation, they could argue that the possession and use of cannabis is a breach of federal law.

Trump has not been outspoken on the cannabis issue so far, mostly with equivocal statements supporting state regulations. But he has spoken out about drugs, and if he defers to his Attorney General, pot activists may have a tough road ahead.

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To check on the laws in an area where you are concerned, visit Norml.org

2.15.2017 •

31

Marijuana wilton manors

wiLTon manoRs PoLice issue FiRsT maRiJuana ciTaTions Michael d’Oliveira

T

he Wilton Manors Police Depart has begun its civil citation program for cannabis possession under 20 grams. So far, since the first citation was handed out in early January, at least seven have been issued.

According to police reports, the citations, given to first-time offenders, were issued after officers stopped drivers over for either erratic driving, expired and/or faded license plate tags, and improper parking.

In most cases, officers reported that they smelled the odor of marijuana and proceeded to search the vehicle. In one case, the officer performing the stop reported that he asked for verbal consent to search the vehicle and was given permission by the driver. The weight of the marijuana confiscated during each

stop is between two and five grams.

All the individuals issued citations were residents of cities outside Wilton Manors and all were given a $100 fine for their first offense. Second-time offenders are given a fine of $250 and $500 for a third.

In addition to the fine, a third offense results in the offender going through a mandatory substance abuse assessment.

The citation program was approved by the city commission in December of 2015. Commissioners said the program would save the police time and money so they could concentrate on more serious crimes.

In an interview Monday with The Gazette, Chief Paul O’Connell said it’s too early to tell if the citation program has had an impact on police efficiency.

“When you don’t have to go through the

Photo Credit: WMPD.

booking process, that’s an average of one hour per case, including transportation, it certainly streamlines things.” In 2014, police estimate they arrested between 200 and 250 people for marijuana-related charges.

But there’s also a human cost, argued commissioners when they approved

the program. In addition to prison time, convictions, even for a possessing a minor amount of marijuana, can lead to a loss in public benefits as well as diminished employment opportunities.

“Something very, very minor ruins lives,” said Mayor Gary Resnick in 2015.

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33

FEATURE college

GAyING UP greek life FIU’s fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men puts a spin on the college’s Greek scene

D

elta Lambda Phi was founded in 1986 to be an international fraternity for GBT men and allies.

The organization was created by a gay man as an inclusive group amidst the predominantly heterosexually-focused Greek organizations usually found on campuses.

“We are a social fraternity,” Vice president of FIU’s Delta Lambda Phi chapter Santiago Luna said. “Our logo is not just for gay men, it is for progressive men. We want to be more inclusive.”

According to Luna, the fraternity operates much like every other fraternity at FIU’s campus — they match recruitment schedules and participate in philanthropy and community service projects.

The best time to join the fraternity is during rush week alongside the other fraternities and sororities. According to Luna, recruitment has been easier in the past as LGBT rushers saw Delta Lambda Phi as the best fit. Now, however, more gay, bisexual and transgender men are joining other fraternities because sexuality is not as decisive a factor on campus as it has been in the past.

“LGBT people at FIU are more so minding their own businesses, and their sexualities may not be as important,” Luna said. “We like to get involved in gay events, but homosexuality is more normalized and people may not put as much importance into it.”

According to the fraternity about page, the Greek organization is not simply a group for GBT men, but an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of each of its members as well as to encourage advocacy and understanding in the surrounding community.

“The Founder of Delta Lambda Phi wished to create a place within the fraternal system for progressive men to have the same experience as other fraternity men, and not be singled out due to their sexual orientation,” reads the fraternity about page. “Since Delta Lambda Phi never condones hazing, all of our events seek to show to the community how Lambda Men are upstanding members of the community. Like all fraternities, we exist for social reasons, but we also seek to help those around us.”

The fraternity recognizes that as a group designed to break the status quo, they need to take some creative measures during recruitment as well as advocacy outreach.

“I go around high schools with gay-straight alliances and I give them information so they know that if they come into FIU, or into a college with one of our chapters, that they will be received with open arms,” Luna said.

Those are not the most creative of the measures taken by the fraternity, however.

“Sometimes I use Grindr and Tinder to promote the fraternity,” he continued.

“Knowing the Grindr culture, it’s hard, but I have managed to recruit five people already this semester with the app.”

Luna takes caution using gay social apps because he doesn’t want people to get the wrong impression about Delta Lambda Phi, saying “We don’t want people thinking there is anything sexual going on in our fraternity, we don’t want to think there is sexual tension or orgies.”

The fraternity actually discourages relationships between its members, putting brotherhood and friendship over emotions that could damage or disrupt the dynamics of the group.

“soMetiMes i use grinDr anD tinDer to proMote the fraternitY. knowing the grinDr Culture, it’s harD, But i have ManageD to reCruit five people alreaDY this seMester with the app.”

- Santiago Luna

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Tucker Berardi

Delta Lambda Phi Brothers at a car wash in Wilton Manors. Submitted photo.

“We do have a hands-off policy, if you push any sexual tension you are dropped immediately,” Luna said.

The fraternity puts much of their efforts toward events and fundraising that benefit Care Resource, an HIV services organization.

The fraternity partners with FIU’s LGBT campus group, Stonewall, for many of these events.

You may see Delta Lambda Phi members around Wilton Manors during one of their car wash events on The Drive. The group also hosts pageants at rented-out nightclubs as well as an annual “College Crush Party” in February.

“What you put into the fraternity is what you’ll get out of it,” Luna said. “If you want friends you’ll get friends, if you want networking you’ll get networking.”

FIU’s chapter of Delta Lambda Phi is special because it is in an area with a very strong LGBT community. But they also have a very special connection to the international fraternity’s founder Vernon L Strickland III, who lives in Wilton Manors.

“Our founder, our national founder, lives in Wilton Manors,” Luna said. “He’s still alive and sometimes he comes to our events because we are the closest chapter to him.”

Luna said that Strickland is a very private man, but after attending multiple of the fraternity’s events became familiar to the group’s members, though they didn’t know exactly who he was. At one event in The Manor, however, he finally approached the group and revealed that he was the fraternity’s founder.

“Now he comes to all of our car washes and brings us food and donates money,” Luna said.

Strickland founded the fraternity in order to combat discrimination and to advocate for the health, inclusion and appreciation of the LGBT community and to highlight the selfworth of each of its members.

“Everyone is shaped by experience,” Strickland said at the first Delta Lambda Phi National Convention in 1990. “You learn who you are from the people who surround you.

Some experiences are pleasant; others are not.

Many life-defining moments are spontaneous and unscripted. Delta Lambda Phi is the lifechanging moment you can choose.”

“If you desire to live without limits, to move boundaries, to forgo the predictable, and to surround yourself with diverse individuals who affirm your value, then you are in the right place,” He continued. “Delta Lambda Phi is that place.”

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2.15.2017 •

35

SPORTS news

nike LauncHes ‘eQuaLiTy’ PRomoTion

Openly gay professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe. Photo: YouTube.

Brittany Ferrendi

T

his Black History Month, Nike has released a video promotion focused on bringing equality to the forefront.

“Equality should have no boundaries,” Michael B. Jordan voiced over in the commercial. “The bond between players should exist between people. Opportunity should be indiscriminate.“ Among other athletes, the video features gay professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe. In a behind-the-scenes video, Rapinoe discussed her experience as an LGBT athlete.

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“Being a gay woman in this country in sport, wherever I am in the conversation, it’s there,” she said. “Just my responsibility making sure that I speak up about it and speak up for other people and hopefully grow that movement in that way.”

The commercial also includes LeBron James, Victor Cruz, Gabby Douglas and more. Alicia Keys provides the music, a cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

“The ball should bounce the same for everyone,” Jordan continued in the video promotion. “If we can be equals here, we can

be equals everywhere.“ Nike is also selling Equality T-shirts, available on their website. AdWeek reports Nike plans to donate $5 million “to numerous organizations that advance equality in communities across the U.S.” this year.

“At the end of the day, we’re always just trying to find a way that we can all feel equal,” James said in the behind-the-scenes video. “We can all be equal, have the same rights, have the same feelings, being able to be in the same place no matter the color.”

Check out the Equality video and the behind-the-scenes videos on youTube.

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LIFESTyLE photos

BlaCk hiv/aiDs awareness A community gathering was recently led in Fort Lauderdale by Westside Gazette’s Bobby Henry, the Pride Center, Broward House, BTAN, Urban League of Broward County, and Care Resource, all to bring awareness and hope.

Carina Mask

Bobby Henry (Westside Gazette)

to see many more photos, visit sfgn.com on facebook.

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LIFESTyLE books

2017

FESTIVAL

P O e r ’ e W Y ! oBe

‘RaisinG THe TRansGendeR cHiLd’

by Dr. Michele Angello & Alisa Bowman

Terri Schlichenmeyer

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Flights of fancy and dress-up fill his days.

She’s rough-and-tumble, a scrapper in her mind. Make-believe has always been a big part in your child’s life but now you’re hearing something you know in your heart is not pretend – and in the new book “Raising the Transgender Child” by Dr. Michele Angello & Alisa Bowman, you’ll find guidance for it.

In retrospect, you might’ve seen it coming: your son told you once that he was really a girl. Or your daughter cried when you wouldn’t let her get a buzz-cut. You’ve suddenly realized, or your child has told you, that zie is gender-diverse. Either way, Angello and Bowman point out that few parents are immediately one-hundred-percent prepared for raising a child like yours.

And so, you’re not alone: others have raised transgender children before you and have “blazed trails” already. Your feelings are normal, so is worry, and confusion about gender dysphoria will “burn off.”

Dysphoria. Now, there’s a word you might have seen while doing research in print or online. There are, in fact, many terms you’ll want to know when raising a gender-diverse child, starting with the difference between “sex” and “gender.”

And by the way, as for shaky “studies” and internet myths, set them aside. There are many theories on “what leads to gender diversity,” and a lot of unknowns. Again, put arguments away and ignore negativity; all kids are different, and so are their gender experiences. Is it worth obsessing over?

Probably not; you love your child

c.2016, Seal Press $17.00 / $24.50 Canada 275 pages regardless, so prepare yourself for a toe-dip into “social transition.” Talk with teachers, neighbors, and take steps to make relatives aware of new pronouns and appearance.

Educate yourself on public bathrooms, team sports, and other legalities. Know when to ask for help – both financial and emotional.

Remember that grief is common, and that your child may experience issues, too.

Finally, dare to dream again. Zie will grow up one day and, as the authors say, will eventually fall in love with “Someone wonderful and amazing…”

As a parent of a transgender child, you may think that all this is common-sense stuff you’ve heard before – and that may be so, but there’s a certain calmness inside “Raising the Transgender Child” that can’t be beat.

The other thing that sets this book apart is that is its comprehensiveness: authors Angello and Bowman seem to have thought of everything Mom, Dad, or caregiver could possibly need to know about present issues and what’s to come. It’s all easy to comprehend, too, and it covers children from small toddler to older teen. Particularly vexed parents will be happy to see that the authors even tackle unpleasant situations, and emotions that may need to be heeded along this journey.

Whether you need it now, or you sense that you might later, “Raising the Transgender Child” is a good book to have in your parenting bag of tricks. For questioning children and families with questions, it’s more helpful, perhaps, than you can imagine.

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lifestyle history

homo History 101 Black HISTORY MONTH

History was never as straight as we are told.

Recording our history means reporting the truth.

Pier Angelo

Robin Roberts (1960) is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America. After growing up in Mississippi and attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Roberts was a sports anchor for local TV and radio stations. Roberts was a sportscaster on ESPN for 15 years (1990– 2005). She became co-anchor on Good Morning America in 2005. She has been treated for breast cancer and for myelodysplastic syndrome. ESPN awarded its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Robin Roberts at the 2013 ESPYs. On December 29, 2013, Roberts posted a photo on Facebook with a caption that read: At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God, my doctors and nurses for my restored good health... I am grateful for my entire family, my longtime girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.

The post was a reflection of the past year and noted her health, the status of her bone marrow transplant, and her sexual orientation. Roberts and Amber Laign, a massage therapist, have been together since 2005. Though friends and co-workers have known about her same-sex relationships, this was the first time Roberts publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation. In 2015, she was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the 2015 LGBT History Month.

Bessie Smith (1894 –1937) was an American blues singer. Nicknamed the Empress of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on other jazz singers.

Smith’s recording career began in 1923.She was then living in Philadelphia, where she met Jack Gee, a security guard, whom she married on June 7, 1923, just as her first record was being released.

During the marriage—a stormy one, with infidelity by both partners—Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of the day, heading her own shows, which sometimes featured as many as 40 troupers, and touring in her own custom-built railroad car. Gee was impressed by the money but never adjusted to show business life or to Smith’s bisexuality. In 1929, when she learned of his affair with another singer, Gertrude Saunders, Smith ended the relationship, although neither of them sought a divorce

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Bessie Smith

Nona Hendryx (1944), is an American vocalist, musician, author, and actress. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle who had a hit with “Lady Marmalade” Her music has ranged from, soul, funk, R&B, hard rock and new age and. Her family’s last name was originally spelled with an “i”; she is a cousin of American musician Jimi Hendrix. Nona Hendryx was one of the first artists to agree to perform at the first NYC Gay Men’s Health Crisis. This led other artists to give their time and talent to the organization eventually raising millions of dollars, educating millions, and contributing to the search for a cure for AIDS. Frank Ocean (1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. Known for his idiosyncratic musical style, Ocean first embarked on a career as a ghostwriter and in 2010 he became a member of hip-hop collective Odd Future. He released his breakout mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra to critical acclaim in 2011. It generated his first charting single “Novacane.” On July 4, 2012, he published an open letter on his Tumblr blog recounting unrequited feelings he had for another young man when he was 19 years old, citing it as his first true love. He used the blog to thank the man for his influence, and also thanked his mother and other friends, saying “I don’t know what happens now, and that’s alright. I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore...I feel like a free man.” Numerous celebrities publicly voiced their support for Ocean following his announcement, including Beyonce’ and Jay-Z Members of the hip-hop industry generally responded positively to the announcement. Tyler, The Creator also tweeted his support for Ocean, along with other members of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). Russell Simmons, a business magnate in the hip-hop industry, wrote a congratulatory article in Global Grind saying “Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we? [...] Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear.

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2.15.2017 •

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LIFESTyLE photos

BlaCk arts awakening On Thursday, Feb. 9, The Pride Center hosted the Black Arts Awakening reception to celebrate Black History Month and National Black HIV/AIDS awareness Day. Carina Mask

Lorenzo Ro bertson and Robert Boo

to see many more photos, visit sfgn.com on facebook.

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LIFESTyLE food Daily Cobb.

Submitted photos.

Bin No. 18.

Books & Books Cafe

Rick Karlin

you beT youR aRsHT

D

Dining near the Arsht Center

on’t you hate going to the Arsht Center in Miami for a concert or play? I mean I love the theater, but the 40 minutes plus drive is ridiculous, and if you hit a traffic jam add another 30-40 minutes to the trip. If you allow time for bad traffic, you know you’ll unexpectedly sail down 95. Then you’re there an hour (or more) before the show.

Then there’s the parking situation. Do valet at the Arsht for $25 and wait 30 minutes for your car after the show, or park on the street where the meters are exorbitantly priced (if you can even find a space)?

We head down to the Arsht two to three times a month and, in order to preserve our sanity (and marriage), my husband and I figured out the only way to resolve these issues is to drive down to the theater early, find reasonable parking near a restaurant in the area and then have dinner before the show. We recently discovered a new spot that we love; it’s inexpensive, there’s plenty of reasonable parking in the area and it’s a short walk to the theater.

combines tuna salad, hummus, cucumbers, arugula, roasted peppers and sprouts on multigrain bread. The Enquirer Pork Belly BLT is served on a toasted Kaiser roll with house-made pork belly subbing for bacon, arugula for standard lettuce, along with a good slab of tomato topped off with a special sauce. Salad selections include the usual suspects, as well as a few exclusive to The Daily. The Biltmore Cajun shrimp tops an iceberg/romaine mix with Cajun shrimp, roasted corn, avocado, black beans, roasted peppers and tortilla strips in a soothing buttermilk ranch dressing. I love the Ocean Drive sesame chicken salad with juicy grilled chicken, crispy wontons, cilantro, red peppers, carrots, toasted almonds and a tangy Asian vinaigrette over an iceberg/romaine mix. If you’ve got room for dessert (I never have) you might want to check out some of the delicious looking pastries on display.

The Daily is about a five to six block walk up Biscayne from the Arsht and meters in the area allow you to park for five hours for only $8.

the DailY Creative Co. 2001 Biscayne Blvd.

305-573-4535 TheDailyFood.co

Bin no. 18 1800 Biscayne Blvd 786-235-7575 Bin18Miami.com

The Daily offers up tasty dining options in a casual setting, with quick, efficient service and friendly staff. How quick? It will probably take you longer to make up your mind as you order from the mind-boggling number of options on the giant menu posted above the counter, than it will to get your food delivered to your table. While The Daily is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., breakfast is only served until 11 a.m. weekdays, 2 p.m. weekends. That narrows your options, but only somewhat as you still need to decide between one of those options and the vast array of sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads.

Sandwich options include the standard, meats and cheeses - solo or in combinations, but there are also creative combinations such as; the Biscayne Times Tuna, which

Of course, The Daily isn’t the only dining option near the Arsht. Biscayne Boulevard is lined with restaurants just north and south of the theater, however, many of them close right after the dinner hour. That’s a bummer if you got held up and want dinner after the show or are just in the mood for a late evening snack. Bin No. 18 solves that problem. Although it’s located in the storefront of an apartment building, once inside you’d swear you were in a European tavern.

Savory options run the gamut from small shared plates to salads and entrees. The burrata caprese “Laboratorio” turns up the volume on the classic dish by adding tomato confit, speck ham and olive tapenade to the classic ingredients.

Octopus with olives is the perfect antipasto to share, as is the Fig “Brule,” which features sangria infused fruit served with

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walnuts, blue cheese and caramelized onions. Charcuterie plates are available in a variety of sizes and are accompanied by artichoke and truffle mousse, fig-port jam and marinated olives.

For an entrée check out the churrasco al funghi; a prime Angus skirt steak with a porcini mushroom cream sauce, served with sweet potato pave and organic greens tossed with crumbled blue cheese. Another winning entrée is the bowl of steamed jumbo mussels with a choice of basil/ chardonnay broth or spicy tomato arrabiata. The mussel dish is also available in a smaller portion as an appetizer.

The wine list features an amazing number of options by the glass; most priced less than $10. Dessert options are limited to a killer chocolate soufflé and, of course a cheese board, if you’re feeling particularly European.

Books & Books Cafe 1300 Biscayne Blvd.

786-405-1745 TheCafeAtBooksAndBooks.com If you’re looking for the ultimate in convenient dining, the Café at Books and Books, is located right inside the Arsht. The restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating (weather permitting), table service and a full bar. It’s open for lunch and pre-show dining daily.

As with all Books & Books’ cafes, the food is surprisingly sophisticated and well prepared. The menu features a strategic selection of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. A special theater menu is served from 11 a.m. until show time for matinee performances and 5 p.m. until show time for evening performances. The upper level bar is one of my favorite spaces to hang out before the show. As my bookworm hubby browses in the store, I sit in the intimate bar enjoying an appetizer and a glass of wine (or two, since it’s happy hour every day from 4 p.m. until closing), the bartenders are, without exception, only exceeded in their friendliness by their amazing good looks. And that seems as good a place as any to stop.

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F O R

T H E

SFGNITES

W E E K

O F

F E B R U A R Y

-

F E B R U A R Y

2 1 ,

2 0 1 7

W W W . S F G N . C O M

Lights, Camera, Action!

J.W. Arnold

jw@prdconline.com

THU

1 6

2/16

CABARET “Defying Gravity” at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura, features the music of acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz. Three Broadway stars, Lisa Howard, Scott Coulter and Jason Graae, will sing timeless songs from his hit musicals, “Pippin,” “Godspell” and “Wicked.”

John Boswell will accompany at the piano. Tickets start at $40 at AventuraCenter.org.

FRI

2/17

CABARET Tony nominee and Emmy winner Liz Callaway will join Tropical Wave, the select small ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, tonight at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura, for an unforgettable evening of jazz standards and show tunes. The concert is under the direction of chorus artistic director Harold Dioquino. Tickets start at $36.50 at AventuraCenter.org.

Saturday

2/18

THEATER

“Shooting Porn,” playing through March 12 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale, is the onstage dramatization of Ronnie Larsen’s groundbreaking 1997 documentary about the gay porn industry. Utilizing real cameras and monitors, the production transports audiences behind the scenes on a shoot in this hilarious and surprisingly touching comedy. The play contains male nudity and simulated sexual acts. Tickets are $35 – 50 at RonnieLarsen.com.

Submitted photo.

SAT

2/18 SUN

2/19 MON

2/20 TUE

2/21

CONCERT

CONCERT

TELEVISION

CONCERT

Hear 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan tonight at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

Born Yvette Stevens in Chicago, the singer rocketed from the band Rufus to international stardom after the release of “I’m Every Woman,” the lead single from her 1978 solo debut album. Six years later, her version of Prince’s “I Feel for You” became one of the diva’s biggest hits. Tickets start at $25 at Kravis.org.

The South Florida Youth Pride Band will perform classics of the wind repertoire tonight at 7 p.m. at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

The ensemble, comprised of outstanding high school musicians from across the region, was founded six years ago by the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble in an effort to fight bullying and promote understanding. Tickets are $30 at BrowardCenter.org.

Tonight, check out the new web television series, “The Next Four Years.” Struggling to make ends meet, philosophy major Phil finds himself bouncing from temp job to temp job, all while earning his living bartending at the local gay bar, Tight Ends. The series features rising stars Josiah Blount, Sara Kapner and Tyler Mauro and new six to eight minute episodes are available each Wednesday. Tune in at Next4YearsShow.com.

Pianist Svetlana Smolina will perform Rachmaninoff’s lush Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor with the South Florida Symphony tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Broward Center, along with RimskyKorsakov’s “The Snow Maiden” Suite and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 5. The program will also be performed at FAU in Boca Raton on Sunday, Feb. 19 and at the Arsht Center in Miami on Feb. 23. Tickets at SouthFloridaSymphony. org.

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49

A&E celebrity

ceLebRiTy cHeF PuTs FaiTH in THe PoweR oF Good Food J.W. Arnold

A

t a time when American society seems torn across political, geographic and socio-economic lines, celebrity chef Art Smith is convinced food can bridge the divide.

“Food helps communicate and helps us to heal. We underestimate the power of good food,” he said, promising that perfectly fried chicken could bring mortal enemies to the same table and provoke dialogue. “It opens doors. I don’t feed angry people. Just hungry people.”

He also likens his cooking to the music of his friend, Lady Gaga. While fans were glued to their television sets for the singer’s Super Bowl halftime performance, Smith was sitting just three rows from the field.

“It was just as magical in person,” recalled Smith. “Has there ever been someone who is such a hero and embraced the LGBT community and not only shown her support, but intertwined it into her art and reached out to millions and millions?’

When Lady Gaga started singing, “Born this Way,” he said he would never forget the roar of more than 70,000 fans in the stadium.

He applauded her for leveraging the worldwide viewership of the football championship to promote a message of unity, rather than score easy political points. (“People ask if I would cook for Donald Trump,” Smith said. “Maybe I will,” if that meal might lead to honest dialogue.)

Smith met the iconic singer years ago backstage during a taping of Oprah Winfrey’s TV show, during his 10-year stint as the media mogul’s personal chef. Smith was surprised to learn that Lady Gaga had followed him on “Top Chef Masters.” After the show, they enjoyed Smith’s signature chicken and waffles in Oprah’s green room.

He told Lady Gaga he lost 80 lbs. listening to “Bad Romance,” and she must let him cook for her. That was the beginning of just one deep friendship born from fried chicken.

“I’ve always wanted to be the Bono of food,” Smith admitted.

During the Obama Administration, he served as a “chef ambassador” and traveled the world as an advocate for healthy eating.

During that time, he and his husband

art smith, celebrity chef to lady gaga and president Barack obama, will be the special guest at sip, savor & sway, the pride fort lauderdale kick-off party on friday, feb. 24. Submitted photo.

often traveled to countries that were not considered LGBT-friendly, but again, the power of good food seemed to diffuse any cultural or religious objections to his sexual orientation.

“We’ve been to the toughest Muslim countries and been embraced with love,” he said.

Smith currently owns six restaurants and employs nearly 1000 people. The Florida native also splits his time in Chicago with his husband, their four children, three dogs, seven cats, 15 fish and a couple of turtles. He also spearheads a non-profit organization that teaches 90,000 disadvantaged students to cook.

The charity has 28 locations in MiamiDade alone.

South Florida fans will have the opportunity to meet Smith and talk food at the Pride Fort Lauderdale kick-off party on Friday, Feb. 24 at the B Ocean hotel. The chef was planning to be in the area for the famed South Beach Wine and Food Festival next week and agreed to support Pride at the urging of his other close friend, DJ Tracy Young.

Tickets for Sip, Savor & Sway, the Pride Fort Lauderdale kick-off party on Friday, Feb. 24 from 6:30 – 10 p.m. at the B Ocean Hotel, 1140 Seabreeze Blvd., are $40 in advance at PrideFortLauderdale.org and $60 at the door, if available. The event will also feature an open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres by local restaurants, silent auction and music by DJ Adora.

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A&E festival

Teen TRans acTiVisT To aPPeaR aT PRide, TaLks abouT LGbTQ communiTy J.W. Arnold

J

ust 16 years old, transgender activist Jazz Jennings has grown up in the public eye.

Jennings first received national attention in 2007 when she was interviewed by Barbara Walters on “20/20” and since then has become an eloquent spokesperson for trans youth.

She hosts a series of groundbreaking YouTube videos and stars in a TLC reality show, “I Am Jazz,” that focuses on her life with her family in South Florida as a transgender teen.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, Jennings will appear at Pride Fort Lauderdale and be recognized for her courage and leadership.

SFGN spoke recently with Jennings about LGBT pride and her experiences as a leader in the transgender community: sfgn: what does “pride” mean to you?

Jennings: Pride is about loving and embracing your unique qualities (what makes you who you are) and then sharing that love and pride with the community.

You were the grand Marshal of the new York City pride parade last year. what was that experience like?

It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. Being able to unite with the LGBTQ community to represent our diversity and courage, and smiling at a sea of rainbows was just so surreal. what message would you like to share with everyone at pride fort lauderdale,

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who will be celebrating 40 years of pride in south florida?

I’d like to thank them for uniting as a community to celebrate our diversity. We can’t progress and create change if we don’t stick together. as you have gotten older, how have your perspectives about the lgBtQ community changed?

The older I get, the more I come to comprehend the challenges that our community has to endure daily. When I was younger, everything was butterflies and rainbows, and in our community, it is still that (literally), but not everyone is accepting.

I have so much respect for everyone in the LGBTQ community as they are all so courageous to overcome the suppression and discrimination and stand in their truth regardless of these inequalities. how did starring in your own television show change your life?

My life really hasn’t changed much. I’m still the same old me. It’s just different when I go to big gathering or airports and malls because people recognize me. I’m very humbled by people whose lives I’ve touched. are there any challenges that come with your fame?

It’s funny, because I never think of myself as famous. I don’t feel any different than a normal teenager. Sometimes, however, being in the spotlight can be overwhelming.

I don’t really like attention, but knowing

that my message is beneficial for so many other people out there motivates me to keep sharing my story.

Many older trans people didn’t realize they might be transgender until much later in their lives. have you had many opportunities to speak with them? what do you talk about?

I’ve spoken with many older trans people.

I’m even friends with several that hold special places in my heart. We often learn from one another. I admire their courage for being true to themselves after hiding who they are for so many years and I tell them how proud I am of them. It’s funny because they say the same thing to me for the complete opposite reason.

Based on your experiences, what advice would you give to other young trans people?

I encourage young trans people to love themselves and embrace who they are. You need to love yourself and don’t worry about what others think. Your happiness is more important than what society thinks. Don’t be afraid to come out of the shadows and show the world how beautiful you are. have you given any thought to what career you might like pursue?

There are so many things I like to do.

One day, I want to be a filmmaker and, the

local transgender teen Jazz Jennings, star of tlC’s “i am Jazz,” will be recognized at pride fort lauderdale on feb. 26. . Submitted photo.

next day, I want to be a fashion designer.

I’m glad I don’t have to pick one. what other projects do you have in the works?

Well, the Jazz Jennings doll, designed by Tonner Dolls, was just announced. It’s going to be available for purchase this summer.

She’s the first transgender doll. It’s so exciting and groundbreaking. I have a few surprises coming up in the next few months. I’ve been working on some cool projects, but for now I’ll just keep it at that. Stay tuned!

Jazz Jennings will appear at Pride Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, 1100 Seabreeze Blvd. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information, go to PrideFortLauderdale.org.

Now playing!

February 12 - 26

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A&E dance

Miami City Ballet soloist renan Cerdeiro stars in the world premiere of “the fairy’s kiss.” Submitted photo.

miami ciTy baLLeT TRiumPHs wiTH woRLd, comPany PRemieRes J.W. Arnold

A

ALL-INCLUSIVE... AS NEWS

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

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udiences at the Arsht Center in Miami experienced a very special evening of dance last Friday, Feb. 10: the world premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s “The Fairy’s Kiss” and the company premiere of George Balanchine’s “Walpurgisnacht Ballet.”

The 48-year-old Russian, Ratmansky, is arguably the most celebrated contemporary choreographer in the world and the latest to create a ballet to Hans Christian Andersen’s story, “The Ice Maiden,” set to a lovely score by countryman Igor Stravinsky.

The allegorical ballet tells the story of an orphaned baby who is saved with a kiss and delivered from a fierce winter storm by a fairy (Simone Messmer). Years later, the boy has grown into a strapping young man (Renan Cerdeiro) and is preparing to marry his love.

Doomed by the fairy’s kiss to forsake the world of mortals, the young man discovers the fairy underneath the bride’s veil and is spirited away to her ethereal world of art.

Unlike many “storybook” ballets, Ratmansky wastes little time, whisking the dancers and audience through a fast-paced narrative, punctuated by an energetic blend of classical ballet and stylized folk dances. “The Fairy’s Kiss” also offers a contrast from Ratmansky’s last commission, “Symphonic Dances” (2012), an abstract celebration of movement, melody and rhythm with music by Rachmaninoff.

Messmer is cool and aloof, almost haunting, as she sets her plan into action. Cerdeiro gives the performance of a lifetime, leaping and spinning vigorously across the stage. Jeanette Delgado is charming as the abandoned fiancé.

The action is framed by an abstract, almost cubist, set of cabins and trees by Jeróme Kaplan

and accentuated with stark lighting design by James F. Ingalls.

The opening act, “Walpurgisnacht Ballet,” Balanchine’s 1980 ballet hand-crafted for famed ballerina Suzanne Farrell, is set to music from Gounod’s ballet, “Faust,” but sheds the storyline.

Twenty-four ballerinas—and one lone cavalier (Jovani Furlan)—glide across the stage in light, billowing long dresses and unfettered locks to the rich French melodies. The choreography is clearly Balanchine, but this ballet feels different, more contemporary, less structural than audiences might expect from the master.

Furlan and Lauren Fadeley shined in their pas de deux movements, but the stars were the ladies of the corps du ballet and the soloists Nathalia Arja, Emily Bromberg and Ashley Knox.

These ballets bookended Christopher Wheeldon’s jarring “Polyphonia,” set to challenging piano miniatures by Hungarian avant garde composer György Ligeti (19232006). Four couples ably move to the complex metered, sometimes atonal etudes performed flawlessly by Francisco Rennó.

The work, which might make some audiences squirm, was most interesting when lighting designer Mark Stanley manipulated spotlights to create giant silhouettes behind the dancers, not only magnifying the tiniest, subtle movements but seemingly doubling the troupe on stage during the opening and closing movements.

While the audience was energized and buzzing throughout the evening with anticipation for the premieres, their enthusiasm was matched at every moment by the dancers on stage who managed to summon just a little more height from every jump and turn.

Miami City Ballet will repeat Program III at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Feb. 24 – 26, and the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, March 11 – 12. Tickets and more information at MiamiCityBallet.org.

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Feb. 15 - Feb. 22

Datebook

Theater Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

Top

picks

Joe Bonamassa

2130, email sholloway@wiltonmanors.com, or visit WiltonManors.com.

* Dashboard Confessional

Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A leader in the emo rock movement, Chris Carrabba is enticing fans with his first new album since 2009. Tickets $27.50 in advance, $30 the day of. Call 954-449-1025 or visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

Feb. 16 to 18 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.

Considered one of the greatest guitar players, Bonamassa puts on more than 100 sold-out shows every year to fans of his blues tunes. Tickets $88.51 and up. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

* Save Ferris

Chaka Khan

* Xanadu

Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Since 1995, the ska-punk band is known for their hits “Everything I Want to Be,” “Your Friend,” “Come on Eileen,” and more.

Tickets $18.50 in advance, $20 the day of. Call 954449-1025 or visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The “I’m Every Woman” chanteuse rips up the stage in an unforgettable performance. Tickets $25 and up. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

Feb. 23 to March 5 at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. Sonny literally runs into a beautiful woman on skates, who turns out to be a member of The Nine Sisters. Tickets $45. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Through March 12 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Based on Ronnie Larsen’s 1997 documentary, the film has been adapted for the stage and takes the audience behind the scenes of a porn shoot and the drama that ensues. Contains male nudity and simulated sex scenes. Tickets $35.

Call 954-678-1496 or visit EmpireStage.com.

Through Feb. 19 at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The story of Carole King, from her start as a girl with a dream in Brooklyn. Tickets $35 to $175. Call 305949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

* Denotes New Listing

broward county

* The Midtown Men

Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The four original cast members of “Jersey Boys” perform ‘60s hits.

Tickets $40.50 to $50.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

* The Piano Guys

Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The group performs covers of modern pop mixed with classics. Tickets $45 to $125. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter. org.

* America’s Short Play Festival on Tour

Feb. 16 to 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. City Theatre performs 22 hysterical shorts. Tickets $35 to $45.

Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

* Live Music at Mickel: GrindStone

Feb. 17 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Mickel Park Concert Pavilion, 2675 NW Seventh Ave. in Wilton Manors. The monthly free concert series features GrindStone for a night of alternative and acoustic rock music, and food trucks. Free. Call 954-390-

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Shooting Porn!

Collected Stories

Between Riverside and Crazy

Free Friday Concerts

* Vaclav Havel’s “Audience” and “Protest”

Through March 5 at the Don & Ann Brown Theater, 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. An author writes a controversial novel about her mentor’s affair with a poet. Tickets $66. Call 561-514-4042 or visit PalmBeachDramaworks.org.

Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket or lawn chair every week, for free! Returns in October. Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org.

miami-dade county * Chaka Khan

Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The “I’m Every Woman” chanteuse rips up the stage in an unforgettable performance. Tickets $45 to $99.

Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

* Liz Callaway with the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida

Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The Tony nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress performs with Tropical Wave, a ensemble from the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. Tickets $36.50 and $46.50. Call 877-311-7469 or visit AventuraCenter.org.

Through Feb. 19 at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. When a retired police officer is being threatened with eviction, he ponders life and death. Tickets $60. Call 305-445-1119 or visit GableStage.org.

Feb. 23 to March 12 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. In “Audience,” Ferdinand Vanek is out of jail and now works in a brewery, where he’s driven to alcoholism and insanity. In “Protest,” his alter ego works to convince a friend to sign a petition renouncing their country’s regime. Tickets $15 to $30. Call or visit

Real Women Have Curves

Through Feb. 26 at Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main St. in Miami Lakes. It’s 1987 in Los Angeles and a group of Mexican American women are toiling in a sewing factory, sharing each of their unique immigration stories. Tickets $25 to $30. Call 305-558-3737 or visit MainStreetPlayers.com.

Outdoor Music Series

Third Thursdays at the Perez Art Museum Miami, 101 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Come out for live music from DJs and musicians by the bay. Drink specials available. Free with museum admission. Call 305375-3000 or visit PAMM.org.

Friday Night Sound Waves Music Series

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

palm beach county

* An Evening With Kristin Chenoweth

Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Spend Valentine’s Day with this Tony Award-winning chanteuse. Tickets $30 and up.

Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. * Pippin Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A young prince is out searching for the meaning of life in this musical filled with highflying theatrics. Tickets $30 and up. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org.

* The Spitfire Grill

Feb. 17 to 26 at FAU’s Studio One Theatre, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Out on parole, Percy works at the Spitfire Grill, when she befriends the customers and revitalizes the town. Tickets $20.

Call 1-800-564-9539 or visit FAUEvents.com.

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

Let’s Be

Blunt.

IF YOU NEED LEGAL HELP, Let’s Be WE CAN HELP.

Let’s Be Blunt.

Blunt.

IF WE IF WE

YOU NEED LEGAL HELP, CAN HELP. YOU NEED LEGAL HELP, CAN HELP.

The Law Offices of

Norm Kent & Russell Cormican

NORMKENT. COM 954.763.1900 Norm Kent & Russell Cormican The Law Offices of THE CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW CENTER OF SOUTH FLORIDA NORMKENT. 954.763.1900 Norm KentCOM& Russel l Cormican The Law Offices of

THE CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW CENTER OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Datebook

community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com

Top picKs

GFLGLCC Networking Luncheon

Feb. 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, 2000 N. Ocean Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Join the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for the Florida AIDS Walk kickoff. Tickets $35 or members, $40 nonmembers, $5 valet.

RSVP to keith@gflglcc.org.

Critical Moments of the American Presidency: Past, Present and Future

Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at FAU’s Student Union, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss discusses the critical moments in American history, from George Washington onward. Tickets $35. Call 561-297-6124, at FAUEvents.com.

Spotlight Mega-Mixer Networker

Feb. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, 1633 North Bayshore Drive in Miami. Mingle with more than 200 Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce members with Bacardi and Grey Goose cocktails, music, and networking. Tickets $10 for members, $20 nonmembers. RSVP to 305-6734440, rsvp@gaybizmiami.com, or at gaybizmiami.com.

broward supporT services GENDER BENDER YOUTH GROUP

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

PFLAG

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

Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and locations.

SUNSERVE YOUTH GROUP

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

SURVIVOR SUPPORT

First and third Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital cafeteria, 6401 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Find support from counselors and peers who have lost loved ones to suicide. Call the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention at 954-384-0344 or visit FISPOnline.org.

broward county * GLLN Happy Hour

Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel’s R Lounge, 1617 SE 17th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Network with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce with Reyka vodka cocktails. Members free, $10 for nonmembers.

RSVP to keith@gflglcc.org.

Taste of Oakland Park

* Dick’s Service Station Benefit Car Wash for Broward House

Feb. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mod Wine Lounge, 1828 E Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy two-for-one drinks and free appetizers while networking with the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Network. Visit GLLN.org.

Feb. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Jaco Pastorius Park, 1098 NE 40th Court in Oakland Park. A grand tasting event from more than 30 local restaurants. Tickets $10. Call 954-630-4251 or visit OaklandParkFL.gov.

* Volunteer Appreciation Pajama Party and Movie Night

Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Watch “The Secret Life of Pets” in your PJs; don’t forget your sleeping bags and blankets. RSVP to smccoy@ pridecenterflorida.org.

* GFLGLCC February Mixer

Feb. 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance

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Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dick’s Service Station, 3528 NE 12th Ave. in Oakland Park. Get a haircut while your car gets washed to benefit Broward House, with food and drinks for sale as well. Call 954-522-4749, ext. 1202 or visit BrowardHouse.org.

Body Work: The Art of the Male Form

Through March 19 at the Stonewall National Museum -- Wilton Manors, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Explore the male form, masculinity, and gayness through American artists’ paintings drawings, photography. Free.

Visit Stonewall-Museum.org.

What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye’s America

Through March 30 at the Miramar Cultural Center Arts Park, 2400 Civic Center Place in Miramar. An exploration of how the Motown pioneer influenced music and and society. Guests are invited to bring a photo of themselves from the ‘70s and a reflection of how life has changed since then for the “My 70s” portion of the exhibit. Call 954-602-4500 or visit MiramarCulturalCenter.org.

Life Coaching

Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Latinos Salud Clubhouse, 2300 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Get one-on-one life coaching from certified CRCS coaches. For guys living with HIV, their partners, and anyone who identifies as transgender. Free. Call 954-7656239 or visit LatinosSalud.org.

Introduction to Modern Buddhism

Mondays 6 to 6:30 p.m. at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 140 W. Prospect Road in Fort Lauderdale. Join a guided meditation and instruction with Western Buddhist teacher, Jay Radin. Free. Visit MeditationinFortLauderdale. com.

* Denotes New Listing

Feb. 15 - Feb. 22 palm beach county Pride Business Alliance Mixer

Feb. 15 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Sean Rush Atelier, 3700 S. Dixie Highway No. 3 in West Palm Beach.

Network with like-minded area businesses.

Free for members, $20 for nonmembers. Visit CompassGLCC.com/events/business-mixers.

Street Photography: Candid Portraiture

Feb. 25, March 25, and April 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Old School Square Crest Theatre building studio 5, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Russell Levine leads a walk through the streets of Delray to instruct students on candid street photography. Fee $75. Call 561-243-7922 or visit OldSchoolSquare.org.

Community Justice: The Black Panther Party and Other Civil Rights Movements

Through March 4 at the FAU Ritter Art Gallery, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. An exhibition of photography, film, and prints of various social justice movements over time and their impact on society. Free. Call 561-297-2661 or visit FAU.edu/galleries.

* Sharon Daniel: Secret Injustices

Through April 1 at FAU’s Schmidt Center Gallery, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Daniel’s

multimedia exhibit explores the criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex. Free.

Call 561-297-2661 or visit FAU.edu/galleries.

High Gloss WPB: The Art of Fashion

Through March 10 at The Box Gallery, 811 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. Celebrate where fashion and art intersect with wearable art, lifestyle accessories, fine art photography, and more. Call 786-521-1199 or visit TheBoxGallery.info.

miami-dade county * 29th Annual Yachts Miami Beach

Feb. 16 to 20 throughout Miami Beach. Indulge in more than 500 yachts, the latest in marine technology, accessories, cocktail lounges, live music, and more. Tickets $20. Call 954-7647642 or visit ShowManagement.com/miami_ boat_show/event.

Arsht Center Farmers Market

Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Purchase fresh food from local farmers, including fruits, vegetables, meats, prepared foods, as well as chefs, live music, and cooking demonstrations. Free. Visit ArshtCenter.org/en/Visit/Dining.

Yoga

Tuesdays from 6 to 7:15 p.m. at Jose Marti Park, 362 SW Fourth Ave. in Miami. Yogis 18 and older of all levels are invited to a practice lead by a certified instructor. Bring your own yoga mat, water, and towel. Free. Call 305-358-7550 or visit BayfrontParkMiami.com/Yoga.html.

HIV Support Group

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at South Beach AIDS Project, 1234 Washington Ave. Ste. 200 in Miami Beach. A support group for those who are HIV positive. Free. Call 305-535-4733, ext.

301 or email support@sobeaids.org.

Book Study

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist monk, Gen Kelsang Norbu, will lead classes on learning the foundations of Buddhism. Call 786-529-7137.

key west Hot Naked Hump Days

Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Island House, 1129 Fleming St. in Key West. Relax in the middle of the week with two-for-one drinks, free shots, videos and music, giveaways, and naked boys at the pool. Call 305-294-6284 or visit IslandHouseKeyWest.com

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Business Directory attorney LAW OFFICE OF GEORGE CASTRATARO 707 NE 3rd Ave #300, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954.573.1444 Lawgc.com LAW OFFICE OF ROBIN BODIFORD 2550 N Federal Hwy #20, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.630.2707 Lawrobin.com

attorney

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

attorney

LAW OFFICE OF SELZER & WEISS 1515 NE 25th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.4444 Selzerandweiss.com LAW OFFICE OF SHAWN NEWMAN 710 NE 26th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.9160 Shawnnewman.com

LAW OFFICE OF GREGORY KABEL 1 East Broward Blvd #700, Fort Lauderdale, 33301 954.761.7770 gwkesq@bellsouth.net

a&e

FT LAUDERDALE GAY MEN'S CHORUS PO Box 9772, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33310-9772 954-832-0060 www.theftlgmc.org GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA PO Box 39617, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33339 954-763-2266 Gaymenschorusofsouthflorida.org

dental OAKLAND PARK DENTAL 3047 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 954.566.9812 Oaklandparkdental.com ANDREWS DENTAL CARE 2654 N Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311 954.567.3311 Andrewsdentalcare.com ISLAND CITY DENTAL 1700 NE 26th Street, Ste. 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-564-7121 Islandcitydental.com

final arrangements

sfgn.com

KALIS-MCINTEE FUNERAL & CREMATION CENTER

chiropractic

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

COAST CHIROPRACTIC INJURY & WELLNESS CENTER 2608 NE 16th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33334 954.463.3036 www.coast-chiropractic.com

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CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY

handyman

DUI Domestic Violence Sex Offenses Drug Charges Miami Office: (305) 777-3595 1200 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1950, Miami, FL 33131 Fort Lauderdale Office: (954) 204-3633 110 SE 6th Street, Suite 1700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 60

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design

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

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MIAMI/BROWARD/PALM BEACH Paint/Caulk/Remove Grout/Yard Work Fix Drips & Switches/Debris removal Assembles Furniture & Appliances Repair or Fix Call "Avrom" Keith 786-227-9981

health

professional services

professional services

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pest control

NATURA DERMATOLOGY 1120 Bayview Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 754.333.4886 naturadermatology.com DR. TORY SULLIVAN 2500 N Federal Hwy #301, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.533.1520 Torysullivanmd.com AMERICAN PAIN EXPERTS 6333 N. Federal Hwy, Ste. 250, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-678-1074 Americanpainexperts.com

sfgn.com

FINANCIAL NEEDS Taxes IRS Issues Accounting

Bookkeeping Small Business Advising

954-667-9829 ACCOUNTING@STERLINGACCOUNTING.COM

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Now HiriNg! Call 800-DiLigENT

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restaurants STORKS BAKERY 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 Storksbakery.com

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BEEFCAKES 1721 N Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 954.463.6969 boardwalkbar.com J. MARK’S 1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954) 390-0770 Jmarksrestaurant.com ERNIE'S B-B-Q 1843 S Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 954-523-8636

retail PEACE PIPE 4800 N Dixie Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954.267.9005 Facebook.com/peacepipefl 2.15.2017 •

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

spirituality

The Best Cellar

The Parish of Sts. Francis and Clare

Boutique Wine Shop & Wine Bar The Ultimate Wine Tasting Experience Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., at 8:00 p.m.

ONLY $15 PER PERSON! 954-630-8020 1408 N.E. 26th St. Wilton Manors, FL 33334

Where we welcome and appreciate diversity.

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

www.stsfrancisandclare.org Baptisms • Weddings • Memorial Services

Lucy’s Hair & Body Care Salon F 10% OFs nt ie cl for new Monday-Saturday Hours 10AM to 8PM

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sports TENNIS LESSONS AT HAGEN PARK in Wilton Manors. Individual or group lessons. Call Robert 732-604-0362 for more information.

spirituality

call us to reserve space!

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real estate

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

cleaning services

EMERALD IRISH CLEANING - Established for 30 years. 3 hours of cleaning for $60.00. Use time as you wish. English speaking *hand scrub floors* Cleaning supplies included. Service guaranteed 954-524-3161

electrician

HARRY’S ELECTRIC RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL - Additions, renovations, service upgrades, breaker panels,FPL undergrounds, code violations, A/C wiring, ceiling fans, recessed, security & landscaping, lighting, pools, pumps, Jacuzzis, water heaters, FREE PHONE ESTIMATES 954522-3357 Lic & Ins. www.harryelectrician.com

help wanted

HUSBAND FOR RENT - Is he procrastinating home repairs? He says he will do it tomorrow??

After the football game?? We fit right in - in the house or the yard, small or big jobs: tile, dry wall, paint, plumbing, roof leaks, broken furniture, irrigation, fences, and more! It doesn't cost to hassle us to see the work - so why wait? Neat, clean work for a reasonable price. Call Haim at 954-398-3676, sidnalll@yahoo.com HELP WANTED BONA ITALIAN RESTAURANT - Looking for Wait Staff, greeter/phone orders, dishwasher help, pizza chef, bussers. Day and evening shifts in an established Italian Restaurant.

Grow with us. Stop by to fill out an application M-F 11am-2pm, 3pm-5pm. Weekends after 4:30PM.

health

MANSCAPING SERVICES WE OFFER - Treat yourself to a Full Body Hair Removal, Shaving, Trimming, and Waxing. European Facial, Oxy Hydro Treatment. No Chemicals used.Looking Good & Feeling Good Call Ebi at 561-502-3217 or www.euromanscaping.com

piano

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

pool service

COOL POOLS- RELIABLE POOL SERVICE Professional pool service.Covering Wilton Manors, Lighthouse Point, and eastside of Pompano Beach.

15 years experience. Licensed and insured.Free estimates. Call 954-235-0775.

Follow the action.

sfgn.com Licensed & Insured

home health care NEED AN EXPERIENCE CAREGIVER-PRIVATE DUTY - CARING MATURE RELIABLE CERT. CAREGIVER 25 YEARS EXP WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR SICK/ELDERLY LOVE ONE. ALL GENDERS WELCOME EQUAL LOVE & CARE FOR ALL REFS UPON REQUEST CALL 754-207-9822

music lessons

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

painting

GREGG'S PAINTING - I paint both interior and exterior. Great rates, free estimates. I am detailedoriented, friendly, reliable, punctual, and neat. No job too small. Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Call Gregg at 617-306-5694 or 954-870-5972 Email: gmanbenn44@gmail.com

rentals wilton manors

MIKE THE RENTAL GUY - NE Lauderdale/Wilton Manors/Oakland Park-1/1 from $990, 2/1 from $1140. Victoria Park-1/1=$1090.00 cable included.

Credit & Income Requirements-Pets okay with restrictions Call for Details Mike 561-703-5533 or miketherentalguy@aol.com

real estate

UNITED REALTY GROUP - $149,900 2 bed 1 bath-1 block to the drive. Low maintenance-NO RENTAL RESTRICTIONS! DUPLEX-INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY - $308,900 Quiet street Both 2 bed 1 bath-Huge Yard Call for details Michael Tublin 561-703-5533.

FOUR BEDROOM TWO BATH - Open House Sunday, February 19 1 to 3.

4301 NE 13th Terrace Oakland Park, Florida 33334. One Step Ahead Reality connieweingrad@yahoo.com

rentals fort lauderdale

4 BLOCKS FROM THE DRIVE- $850.00 - Nice clean 1-BD/1-BATH with private fenced garden patio through French doors off living room. Tile floors and good size rooms, off street parking. Located in a one story 4-unit apartment with laundry room. $50.00 application fee--Background check, No Smoking, No Pets, $850.00 call 954-818-9012

954-725-3633

custom alarm contractors, Inc.

Est. 1989 “Experience Matters” Service after the sale! ▶ residential security ▶ commercial security ▶ closed circuit tV www.customalarmcontractors.com 2.15.2017 •

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