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April 19, 2017 • Volume 8 • Issue 16
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Editorial
Pimp Plaza and Hungarian Sex-Slaves Florida sees a wide range of prostitution cases
John McDonald
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case of a pimp building debt inside a Florida correctional facility was one of multiple topics discussed during a presentation last month in Tallahassee. “He had made a career out of pimping women,” said Terry Coonan, an associate professor at Florida State University. Coonan, who holds a Juris Doctorate, addressed the Democratic Women’s Club of Florida at the organization’s annual Tally Days conference. The featured luncheon speaker, Coonan described situations involving prostitution and forced labor contracts around the Sunshine State. “When a number of his women got arrested and jailed for prostitution he would reach out and use them as recruiters,” Coonan said, describing a Marion County case. “Florida’s department of corrections didn’t realize that canteens accounts that these young women had anybody could put money in.” Florida Representative David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) said canteen accounts are accounts that allow prisoners to purchase food and hygiene items. Richardson, who has spent the last two years auditing the state’s prison system, said canteen accounts are operated by a third party vendor and the contract is being revised and will go through a bidding process. In the case involving the Lowell Correctional Institute outside of Ocala, 75-year-old Richard Rawles was busted for essentially putting a down payment on prisoners. “(Rawls) was putting money into these canteen accounts of young women who were typically in prison for a couple years for prostitution or a drug offense,” Coonan said.
“He was actually building a debt that they would owe to him. He would tell them, ‘I’m going to wait for you the minute you get out of prison. I’m the only one that cares for you.’” After they were released from prison, the victims were taken by Rawles to Orlando to a place investigators called “Pimp Plaza.” There, Coonan revealed, the women were beaten, drugged and forced into selling their bodies. “These young women were forced into prostitution,” Coonan said. “All of them owed him (Rawles) several thousand dollars from their canteen accounts and he exploited that. They were in a Florida correctional facility and they were being set up for sex trafficking once they were released.” Women are not the only victims of human trafficking, Coonan noted during his presentation. He also spoke of a Miami case involving young men from the central European nation of Hungary. Prosecutor Katherine Fernandez Rundle discovered a prostitution ring advertised on the gay dating website, PlanetRomeo.com “They actually worked as male escorts in Hungary, but they were promised jobs doing the same thing here in the United States,” Coonan said, adding it was Hungarian policemen who arranged for the male escorts travel to Miami. “Once they got them here,” Coonan said. “They were forced into repeated acts of gay sex and gay prostitution.” MEMBER Hungarian police officers “brutally exploited” these escorts, Coonan said and threatened to harm their families if they quit escorting. On April 7, a Miami-Dade circuit court MEMBER
judge handed out hefty sentences to two men convicted of orchestrating the prostitution ring. The men, Gabor Acts and Viktor Berki, will each spend 25 years in prison, reports SFGN & the Miami Herald. It remains unclear in what country the men will serve their prison terms. On the culture front, human trafficking is bringing together two different groups of people. In Colorado, the Gill Foundation, an LGBT philanthropic organization, and Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian policy institute, reportedly, joined forces to strengthen laws combatting human trafficking. Focus on the Family Chief Executive Officer Jim Daly described the peacemaking as “the first step of many things they’d hope to do together particularly where it concerns the stability of families and the betterment of children.” A person familiar with the situation told SFGN that Ted Trimpa, a longtime gay activist and lobbyist for Gill Foundation founder Tim Gill, worked with Daly and a coalition to fight human sex trafficking in Colorado. The person would not disclose their name due to the sensitivity of the topic, but told SFGN the coalition’s work resulted in a law being passed in Colorado to curtail human sex trafficking.
Daly is scheduled to speak at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, April 28, at the Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
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South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright © 2017 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
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NEWS local
NEWS state
Report: Coroner Takes Man From Club Fort Lauderdale
SAVE Dade. Photo: SAVE, Facebook.
John McDonald
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lub Fort Lauderdale, advertised as an American Sauna, was the scene of a grizzly discovery, an eyewitness told SFGN. “It was not a good scene,” said Kurt, who spoke to SFGN Friday morning but would only give his first name. “You could tell someone was non responsive.” Club Fort Lauderdale, Kurt said, was on “lockdown” from 2:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 14. SFGN visited the Broward Blvd. location shortly after 10 a.m. Friday and spoke with manager Kevin Barnett who declined to comment. Kurt, however, tells a tale of a man, described as a white male in his 60s, lying on the floor of a Club Fort Lauderdale fetish play room. Fort Lauderdale police were involved, Kurt said, as was the medical examiner’s office, which retrieved the body. “We did have a death there,” Fort Lauderdale Chief of Police Rick Maglione said. “No crime is suspected at this point.” Maglione said next of kin must be notified before a name is released and the medical
examiner’s’ report determines cause of death. Kurt believes the man died of a drug overdose. The response from police and staff at the club was poor, Kurt said. “There needs to be more monitoring,” Kurt said. “Staff was like, ‘Oh, this happens all the time. Well, that’s sad!” Kurt said he is not a regular at Club Fort Lauderdale. He referred to himself as a “patron” and said he likes to use the club’s Jacuzzi. “I thought it was poorly handled,” Kurt said. “The whole place should have been cleared. There were quite a few people affected by it.” Club Fort Lauderdale, 110 NW 5th Ave., is one of eight private saunas and gyms for adult gay and bisexual men. The facility is open 24 hours, seven days and week, 365 days a year.
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SAVE Promotes Equality in Business Ryan Yousefi
B
ack in 2016, the LGBT activist and rights group SAVE teamed up with Miami Congressman Carlos Curbelo and marketing executive Mike Valdes-Fauli to for what is now known as the Business Equality Network, an everexpanding group of local businesses in favor of workplace equality. The group and its network have used the last year to continually add business allies that agree all people, including those who identify as LGBT, deserve to play on a level playing field at their workplace. According to SAVE, there are currently still large parts of Florida have no non-discrimination law that protects LGBT members from being discriminated against in their place of employment. They’re out to fix that. And fast. “SAVE’s Business Equality Network is about a group of South Florida businesses that are taking a stand and saying that discrimination is bad for business,” said SAVE Campaign Manager Bren Pantilione. “We want the most qualified workers here in the state, regardless of who they are. One of SAVE’s top priorities is working on non-discrimination protections that protect LGBT people in the workplace. “If we want to live in a Florida that grows by attracting the very best talent, has a strong economy, and is a vibrant place to live, then we must celebrate, respect, and protect everyone who works, lives and plays in our great state,” Pantilione said. “Passing this type of legislation would ensure that everyone
is treated with dignity and respect, and help Florida companies attract the best and brightest employees and enhance the state’s reputation as an open and inclusive world business center.” South Florida counties and municipalities have a slew of local protections for LGBT people, but that’s the case for many parts of the state. SAVE is out to fix this, so everyone, no matter where they live, can rest easy at their job knowing they don’t have to hide who they are out of fear of termination. “There has been work at the city and county levels to get these protections, and currently 60 percent of the state population is covered. In Florida, 11 counties out of 67 have an ordinance prohibiting private employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and 25 cities have an ordinance prohibiting private employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In areas where non-discrimination protections have not been passed, it is legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. SAVE is reaching out to you, and the entire community, to become a part of the Business Equality Network. The more business that sign up, and the more people that support their non-discrimination fight, the faster Florida can become a total workplace non-discrimination state. If your business would like to join the fight, sign up www.save.lgbt/business_equality_network.
4.19.2017 •
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Equality California Launches Statewide Billboard Campaign in Act of Resistance and Solidarity (AP) Equality California Friday announced the launch of a media campaign called “#ResistHate” to recognize and promote California’s exceptional diversity. The campaign seeks to foster a statewide culture of solidarity that resists fear, bigotry and hate, and instead encourages unity among the state’s LGBTQ community and all communities that experience prejudice, injustice and discrimination. The new year-long campaign features images evoking love, unity and California pride, and will appear on 125 billboards in various markets across the state. “’Resist Hate’ is a message of unity and solidarity for all Californians,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “LGBTQ people are black and
B
local oyd Beaten Back
(SFGN) For the past two months, defeated Wilton Manors mayoral candidate Boyd Corbin has been bragging and posting on Facebook that he won an ‘ex parte’ restraining order against Wilton Manors realtor Doug Blevins. Not anymore. After three separate hearings, circuit Court Judge Michael Kaplan threw out the restraining order, ruling the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law and fact. Corbin has also sued and threatened other victims and witnesses who accused him of attacking an entertainer a few years ago in the Alibi while dressed in a Ku Klux Klan costume for Halloween. Charges against him were eventually dropped. Read next week’s SFGN for an update. Photo: Facebook.
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white, Muslim and Jew, immigrant and native born and everything in between. This campaign empowers us to help unite the many communities of which LGBTQ people are a part and to resist all attempts to divide our communities. We want all of California’s diverse communities to know that whoever you are - LGBTQ, Muslim, undocumented or a member of any other group that has been targeted or feels less safe as a result of recent divisive messages - we stand with you. We must assert the values of tolerance and inclusion that set our state apart, and make it a beacon of hope and acceptance for the rest of the nation.” The first billboards are being installed this month in greater Los Angeles and the remainder will be installed across the state throughout 2017.
N
politics
Y Times Editorial Calls Trump’s LGBT Support ‘A Fallacy’
(EDGE) Is Trump’s honeymoon with being a pro-LGBT president over? Did it ever start? The New York Times editorial board skewered President Donald Trump on Monday for campaigning to be “president for all Americans” and then halting or reversing the progress of LGBT rights by nominating anti-LGBT officials. “[T]he nomination of several key officials, who have disparaged the L.G.B.T. community and sought to curtail the rights of its members, has exposed the narrative that Mr. Trump would be a champion of gay and transgender people as a fallacy,” The Times wrote. Key among anti-LGBT Trump administration officials called out by The Times is Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who in February reversed the Obama Administration directive to schools regarding transgender students. The Times also blasted Trump’s choice for Health and Human Services Department, Tom Price for his vocal opposition to gay rights as a congressman. Mention was also made of Tennessee state senator Mark Green, who was recently tapped by Trump to replace openly gay Eric Fanning as secretary of the army, for calling transgender a “disease.” “It’s not too late, of course, for Mr. Trump to act like the transformational Republican on gay rights that some of his supporters hoped he would be,” the editorial concluded. “He could, for instance, urge Congress to pass a federal anti-discrimination bill. Yet his record of empty talk makes that seem as unlikely as the sight of a Republican presidential candidate waving a gay pride flag.”
V
national ermont Moves Forward with GenderFree Restroom Bill
(AP) Vermont is moving ahead with a statewide measure to take gendered signs off single-occupancy public bathrooms, but time is running out to pass the bill during this year’s lawmaking session. After an identical California law passed last year, nearly a quarter of Vermont’s 150-member House signed on as cosponsors of the bill. New York is the only other state that is considering a similar legislation this year. A Hawaii bill in the same vein failed last year. Washington, D.C., and many cities and colleges have already enacted similar policy. In contrast, 13 states were considering laws by late March that limit bathroom access in some way, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Policy experts say the bills are unlikely to pass, however. “Trans people have reached a level of publicity and to some degree acceptance on the national scale that is unprecedented,” said Cathryn Oakley, senior legislative attorney at the Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ rights group. “But it also has had a very significant pendulum swing in terms of the legislation we’re seeing,” Oakley said. Capturing Oakley’s attention now is a Texas bill that would that would keep transgender people from using a bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, which has passed the state Senate. Progressive Rep. Selene Colburn, the lead sponsor of the three-page bill, said she hasn’t faced opposition, but is not sure if it will pass this year. House and Senate leaders say about three weeks remain in Vermont’s lawmaking session, and neither the full House nor the Senate have yet considered the bill.
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A look back at
OUT 50 PAULETTE V. ARMSTEAD THE COP “After much reading and reflection, I came to believe that my sexuality is not a sin but rather all human sexuality is a gift from God and that God loves me just the way I am.”
See who else was featured this year!
Visit SFGN.com/2017Out50
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NEWS local
Gay Commissioner To Attend Evangelical Prayer Breakfast John McDonald
F
ort Lauderdale Commissioner Dean Trantalis said he will attend the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast next week. “It’s important that I attend this event,” Trantalis told SFGN in a telephone conversation. The Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, now in its 55th year, is April 28 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. One of the scheduled speakers is Jim Daly, Chief Executive Officer of the conservative Christian policy institute Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family has a documented history of anti-LGBT positions. Daly is the author of a new book titled “Marriage Done Right: One Man, One Woman.” Daly’s presence at the prayer breakfast has sparked outrage from local LGBT activists. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler maintains he had no hand in organizing the event. Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale’s Vice Mayor, is openly gay. He has served three terms on the city commission, representing district two, and has attended past prayer breakfasts. “Some people even bristled when I entered the room,” Trantalis recalled.
Trantalis is well aware of Focus on the Family’s history. As a community leader, he said he stands ready to confront opposing views instead of protesting or skipping the event altogether. “This is our home,” Trantalis said. “I’m going to hear what he (Daly) has to say. It’s amazing that in this day and age there are still people that espouse anti-gay hate and discrimination continues to rear its ugly head. We still have work cut out for us.”
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NEWS local
Photo credit: Pompano Bill.
Ex-Tuesday’s Angels President Takes Own Life John McDonald
D
an Blakemore, past president of Tuesday’s Angels, died last week. Details are still being gathered as multiple sources tell SFGN Blakemore died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. “Dan was a good guy who meant well and raised a lot of funds for Tuesday’s Angels,” said Chuck Nicholls, Tuesday’s Angels Vice President. Nicholls said Blakemore was “living in a state of depression” and kept his feelings to himself. “He didn’t have a partner to come home to and bounce issues off of,” Nicholls said. On April 12, Tuesday’s Angels President Mike Ross delivered the news in an email to members. “Dan was a long-term and very dedicated supporter of our mission, as well as a friend to many of us, and we will miss him greatly,” Ross wrote. Tuesday’s Angels is a Fort Lauderdale based nonprofit, section 501(c)3 organization that provides funding on an emergency basis to
men, women and children living with HIV/ AIDS. SFGN publisher Norm Kent called Blakemore’s passing a sad day for the local community. “Dan was a treasured individual whose contribution to our community will always be appreciated,” said Kent. “SFGN is grateful for the partnerships we forged and the relationships he fostered.”
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NEWS miami-dade
The new space will be hosted by Pridelines in Miami. Photo Credit: Pridelines, Facebook.
Stonewall Adds Library Annex in Miami Michael d’Oliveira
T
“It provides access to history and stories he Stonewall National Museum & Archives has too many books and not from our community for our young people,” enough space. The solution? More space he said. “We’re doing our part to preserve by adding an annex library at Pridelines in LGBTQ literature and make it available to the community at large. The community Miami. The annex, “The Bliss Hebert and Allen now has this resource here in Miami-Dade Charles Klein Stonewall Loft and Lounge County. I think it makes us unique. It also is Dedicated By Robert Glazier Alan Mason,” an extension of our amazing relationship was dedicated March 12 and is located at that we have with the Stonewall Museum & Pridelines, 6360 NE 4 Ct. in Miami. The 200 sq. Archives.” So far, Stonewall staff ft. annex includes books, DVDs, members are helping to staff and other materials centering “We’re doing the new library on their own on the LGBT community and its time. But Grant said the hope is history. our part that Stonewall can find a way to “We’re always having space to preserve get grants or some other kind of issues. About 95 percent of funding to pay for the library’s donated items we already LGBTQ future operation. “We’re just have,” said Robert Lee, literature making it happen. The effort Stonewall’s chief librarian. and make will be ongoing. It’s important Many of the books and work.” materials at the annex are it available Previously, to get rid of copies of items Stonewall to the some of its surplus inventory, already has on its shelves community at Stonewall has donated books and in its archives. There are to other libraries around the also books specifically for large.” country, including 6,000 transgender youth and other - Victor Diaz Herman volumes to Oak Lawn Library Pridelines clientele. Pridelines CEO in Dallas, Texas. Pridelines is an organization Copies are also donated to that provides LGBT youth with a safe environment. The organization also local gay guest houses. “We do a lot of different provides LGBT-centered programming and things with second and third copies,” Grant said. services. High school students and individuals in Emery Grant, Stonewall’s director of community engagement, said the new library gay/straight alliances in Miami-Dade can take is “a natural fit” and a way for the organization out books for free. Others have to pay the to expand its membership base in Miami same annual membership fees that apply to and reach more members of the LGBTQ Stonewall’s Fort Lauderdale location – $35 for individuals, $50 per household, $25 for community in South Florida. college students. Pridelines CEO Victor Diaz Herman agrees.
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NEWS local
NEWS miami-dade
Photo: Facebook.
SFGN Launches Monthly Social Mixers First One to Be Held April 20
Tucker Berardi
“A
new way to network” is the slogan for South Florida Gay News’ first ever networking mixer, being held at the award-winning Bull Market Bar in Fort Lauderdale. The stock market-themed gastropub offers a wide selection of drinks for those who want to walk and talk as well as menu items for people who would rather socialize at the dinner table. The Bull Market Bar also has an adjusting drink menu with prices that fluctuate due to supply and demand — the more a drink is being bought, the more expensive it becomes, leaving less trendy drinks to drop in price. While the stock exchange theme is an experience of itself, the purpose of the night is to meet with the staff of SFGN and the rest of the community — whether through
networking or just getting to know your local reporters. “Through our new monthly networking mixer Out Social Club, SFGN aims to bring our business friends and readers together socially and professionally,” said Mike Trottier, Director of Sales and Marketing. “Come and make new friends and business contacts. It’s all about who you know!” If you or anyone is interested in attending the mixer, come to the Bull Market Bar on Thursday at 5:30 pm. The bar is located at 210 SW 2nd Street, Fort Lauderdale.
For entry and future social event information, register at OutSocial.club.
World OutGames Miami Hosts Fourth Global LGBTQI Human Rights Conference Brittany Ferrendi
I
t’s time to hone in on a global topic — human rights. The 4th Global LGBTQI Human Rights Conference is set to take off May 26 through 29 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It will be held through World OutGames Miami, a 10day event focusing on sports, human rights and culture. “With political uncertainty in the United States and abroad, it is even more important to maintain open dialogue and shared points of view to strive for unity and inclusiveness for all,” said World OutGames Miami Diversity and Human Rights Director Lynare Robbins in a press release. “This conference offers an indepth global perspective on subjects, including LGBT rights, and should be attended by anyone
who wants to have a voice and desires equality and acceptance.” Speakers from around the world — including Cuba, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Miccosukee Reservation and more — will open a discussion about human rights. According to the release, over 25 speakers will be at the event, ranging from activists to researchers and scholars. They will hold indepth discussions about health and wellness, social justice and promoting inclusivity in sports. Among special guests are Sylvia Acevedo from the United States, Sayato Nakata from Japan, Yahia Zaldi from Algeria and more. Local speakers include bisexual activist Luigi Ferrer of Pridelines Miami.
If You Go:
World OutGames Miami:
Global LGBTQI Human Rights Conference May 26-29 Miami Beach Convention Center 1901 Convention Center Dr Miami Beach, Florida
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May 26 - June 4 1210 Washington Avenue Miami Beach, Florida
www.outgames.org
NEWS local
Last year’s Transart event. Photo Credit: Unity Coalition|Coalición Unida.
Transart Exhibit Coming to Miami & Wilton Manors Ryan Yousefi
T
he Unity Coalition will unveil a new writers, photographers, dancers, singers, exhibit that displays the work of and designers. transgender artists June 8-11. The Sosa told SFGN his group felt there was a exhibit will travel to Miami, Miami Beach, lack of opportunities for those artists who and Wilton Manors. identify as transgender, so three years ago “Transart showcases the talent, vision, they made it a point to open some of those and possibilities within the transgender doors that had for so long been closed. community,” said Unity Coalition President Sosa said the Transart event is inclusive Herb Sosa. “Transart brings and should be a great time for together a collection of talents, those who attend. It’s sure to “Transart individuals, and artistic genres raise transgender awareness, as to create awareness, nurture showcases well, which the Unity Coalition aspiring artists and enlighten feels is vital. the talent, the general population “Transart has a full and about the many layers of this exciting schedule of events vision, and community. We felt that the from Thursday, June 8 through possibilities Sunday June 11th - from the transgender community was lacking an event that truly Gaythering Hotel, Miami within the showcased its many rich layers Dade College Wolfson campus transgender in downtown Miami and and talents, and are committed to bringing this to the world.” culminating in Wilton Manors community.” at Stonewall Gallery,” Sosa The exhibit is meant to act as an annual celebration of said. - Herb Sosa the transgender community’s “The important thing to President of the Unity Coalition artistic talents, as well as remember is that Transart is serving as a way for those who for everyone. The best way for identify as a trans to express themselves. us to understand each other and expand The Unity Coalition understands that our tolerance, care, and compassion for artists comes in all shapes, sizes, and each other, is to actually get to know each disciplines, not to mention sexual and other. What better way to do that than onegender identities, so they are accepting art on-one through art, education, and fun in a variety of forms, including; painters, Transart gives us that!”
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DOWNTOWN ELEVATED
NEWS national
The contestants during the unexpected moment. Photo: CBS.
Gay ‘Survivor’ Contestant Outs Trans Castaway Brittany Ferrendi
T
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here are some lines that must not be crossed – even in reality TV. On the last episode of “Survivor: Game Changers,” that boundary was broken. Spoilers ahead. On Wednesday night’s episode, alum Zeke Smith was outed by fellow contestant Jeff Varner. During the episode’s tribal council, openly gay Varner was making the case to stay on the island. “There is deception here, deception on levels, Jeff, that these people don’t even understand,” Varner told the host Jeff Probst. “There’s more,” he said, turning his attention to Smith. “Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?” Smith and his fellow castaways sat stunned until Varner broke the silence to justify his question. “What I’m showing is a deception,” he explained. But the fellow castaways did not accept that explanation — instead, they rallied against Varner. “Nobody has the right to out anybody,” one contestant said as the castaways erupted in Smith’s defense. “It was for Zeke to discuss when he was comfortable discussing it,” another contestant remarked. “Two seasons playing ‘Survivor,’ I’ve told nobody,” Smith said. Varner shifted his tone and apologized to Smith. “You can’t unring the bell,” Probst told Varner. Smith explained why he didn’t out himself as transgender on the show —“I didn’t want to be the ‘trans Survivor player.’ I wanted to be Zeke the Survivor player.” Instead of the typical secret ballot used to vote a contestant off the island, Probst openly polled the tribal council. They voted Varner off the island.
“Nobody on the planet should do what I did tonight. Ever,” Varner said in the closing credits. “And I’m so sorry to anyone I offended, especially to Zeke and his family.” After the episode aired, GLAAD Transgender Media Program Director Nick Adams weighed in on Smith’s outing. “Zeke Smith, and transgender people like him, are not deceiving anyone by being their authentic selves, and it is dangerous and unacceptable to out a transgender person. It is heartening, however, to see the strong support for Zeke from the other people in his tribe. Moments like this prove that when people from all walks of life get to know a transgender person, they accept us for who we are.” Varner later took to Twitter to apologize. “Yep. I did that. And I offer my deepest, most heartfelt apologies to Zeke Smith, his friends and life allies, his family and to all those who my mistake hurt and offended,” he wrote. “I recklessly revealed something I mistakenly believed everyone already knew. I was wrong and make no excuses for it. I own responsibility in what is the worst decision of my life.” He closed his apology with a message to people like him: “We cisgender Americans live with an enormous amount of privilege and should spend time pondering how we can use that for greater good. When we disrespect or discriminate, or turn blind eyes to it, we wound all of us. I am deeply saddened at what my mistake unleashed and I promise to use its lessons to do the right thing.” Zeke also shared a message with his fans on Twitter: “We cannot control the hazards we face, we can only control how we respond,” he said. “Love each other.”
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Convictions
Mombian
LGBT Characters Need More than a “Moment” in Children’s Media Dana Rudolph
Photo: Melinda
D
isney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a prime they were part of a background crowd. example of how not to please anyone In 2012, the feature film ParaNorman gave when it comes to LGBTQ representation us the first gay character in an animated in children’s media. After enormous hoopla film—but again, we don’t learn he’s gay until over the first gay character in a Disney film— right before the end. The point may have been who would have, director Bill Condon said, that his gayness didn’t matter as much as the an “exclusively gay moment”—the moment rest of his character, and that’s valid—but was too brief and inconclusive for me as a why not show the gayness first and then show queer person to celebrate. At the same time, it’s irrelevant, rather than playing it for the the mere announcement of a gay character surprise factor? inflamed many conservatives. Some children’s shows have done better. The vagueness of the moment, when villain The Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe LeFou dances with a man for a couple of has several regular female characters with seconds near the end of the film, was especially clearly romantic feelings for each other. frustrating coming after far too many brief, Protagonist Steven can also “fuse” with his last-minute, or after-the-fact queer moments friend Connie to become a being who uses in children’s media. Harry Potter author J.K. gender-neutral pronouns. In the network’s Rowling didn’t tell us wizard show Clarence, too, one of Dumbledore was gay until the main characters has after the final book and five two moms, shown since the movies in the series. The first season in 2014. Their storylines Cartoon Network’s Adventure And Disney certainly don’t always Time characters Marceline seems willing to be out the Vampire Queen and have to focus on and proud in programming Princess Bubblegum always for tweens and up. It also them being LGBT, gave off a queer vibe—but it owns Freeform, which airs but nor should took Marceline’s voice actor The Fosters, about a twoanswering a fan question at a mom household with five those aspects book signing in 2011 to confirm children, including one gay of identity it. son and (as of last week) always be coyly Nickelodeon’s Legend of a daughter who is dating ambiguous or Korra protagonists Korra and a transgender boy. For Asami held hands and gazed younger children, though, fleeting. at each other as they walked Disney remains cautious. off into the sunset—in the last It is perhaps no surprise, moment of the last episode. then, that the bastion of And with nothing as clear as a kiss, the show’s children’s television, Sesame Street, still creators had to issue statements to confirm has not shown any clearly LGBT characters. that yes, they had intended them to be a They’ve been a pioneer of diversity in other couple. ways, however, with characters of various Likewise, Disney XD cartoon Gravity races, ethnicities, languages, and physical Falls revealed that characters Sheriff Blubs abilities. They had a multi-episode storyline and Deputy Durand were a couple—in the with an adoptive single mother in 2006, last episode. On a similar note, the Disney and last week introduced their first autistic Channel’s Good Luck Charlie guest starred character. a two-mom family in January 2014—three A 1982 segment, “We All Sing the Same weeks before its last episode. More recently, Song,” included the line, “I’ve got one daddy; Disney XD cartoon Star vs. The Forces of Evil I’ve got two.” Given the era, however, it in February showed a scene with same-sex remains unclear whether they were referring male and female couples kissing, although to gay dads or a straight dad and a stepdad.
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Either way, it’s no excuse for the lack of representation since then. Perhaps Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, is thinking of the reaction to LGBT inclusion in another PBS Kids show. When a 2005 episode of Postcards from Buster showed a twomom family, George W. Bush’s secretary of education, Margaret Spellings, denounced it and asked the producers to return all federal funding. Producer Jeanne Jordan told the New York Times that the controversy made it difficult to find funds for a second season. Sesame Workshop, however, has been struggling financially for other reasons but last year struck a deal with HBO, which will fund five new seasons to air on the cable network nine months before they air on PBS. With newfound financial stability, might Sesame Workshop be willing to take a risk on LGBT inclusion? And as Amazon and Netflix move into original children’s programming, might Sesame Street need to emphasize that they remain contemporary and relevant? LGBT
characters and our “modern families” (which in fact have a long history) might just help with that. Amazon and Netflix, of course, might try the same. The concern with all of this is that the programming would be most readily available only to those who can afford cable, streaming services, and movies—at a time when children of LGBT parents are twice as likely as their peers to live in poverty. LGBT characters in children’s media need more than a vague “moment.” They should be more than last-minute reveals. Their storylines don’t always have to focus on them being LGBT, but nor should those aspects of identity always be coyly ambiguous or fleeting. LGBT children and children of LGBTQ parents need to see ongoing, positive LGBT characters in kids’ media to help boost their self-confidence and give them role models. All children need to see them as preparation for being good friends, neighbors, and citizens. Then instead of just a moment, we’d have something momentous.
Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory for LGBTQ parents.
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KEEP YOUR EYES ON
South Florida Gay News
Convictions
Editorial Cartoon By Andy Marlette
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SFGN.com @SoFlaGayNews
SouthFloridaGayNews It’s about time. It’s about us. A paper that speaks with you, to you, and about you. A paper that pulls no punches, protects our friends, defends our allies, and defines our adversaries. Our goal is to have you make our paper your home page.
Welcome to the South Florida Gay News. 20
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4 .19.2017
Editorial Cartoon
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Convictions
Jesse’s Journal
Donald Trump and the (Prospective) Fall of Public Television
Jesse Monteagudo
F
or much of my life, I have been a fan of public television. Unlike broadcast and cable television, which mostly exist to sell advertising and appeal to the lowest common denominator, public TV serves the public with (mostly) quality programs that educate, entertain and elevate our minds and hearts. When cable stations emerged in the 1980s many of us thought that they would make public TV obsolete; a notion that cable quickly dispelled as it descended into a trash heap of dumb reality shows. Dolores Sukhdeo, CEO of South Florida PBS stations WPBT and WXEL (my local outlets), put it well when she wrote that “we are a storyteller, a teacher, a theater, a library, and a traveling companion. For the 14th consecutive year, we are the most trusted place for families with children, a thoughtful retreat for adults, a source of reliable, unbiased information, and a place where all of us can continue to learn and grow.” Often public TV falls short of its goals, as when it gives in to the whims of public or private pressure groups, or when it runs thinly-disguised infomercials during its seemingly endless pledge periods. But, all in all, in spite its faults, public TV comes through. The Donald Trump administration, though only a few months old, has made me nostalgic for the “good old days” of the last Republican administration, that of George W. Bush. Things that alarmed us back then seem quaint compared to the horrors that Trump and his minions now plan for our country. ‘The last time I wrote about public television (2005), Bush was president and I complained about the fact that public TV, under Bush administration pressure, was cutting down on its LGBT-interest programs. Now I worry that there won’t be any public TV left for me to complain about. On March 16, 2017 Trump sent to Congress a budget proposal that, if passed by Congress, would drastically change our government’s priorities. Trump’s budget asks for a $54 billion increase in military spending and $2.6 billion to build his cherished Wall across the U.S.-Mexico border - regardless of the president’s repeated promise that MEXICO WILL PAY FOR IT. In return for building a useless Wall and buying military hardware that we do not need, the budget drastically reduces domestic spending and eliminates 62 agencies and programs that help people here and abroad, including environmental programs, “Meals on Wheels,” the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program and the National Endowment for the Arts. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, established under President George W. Bush in 2003, will be abolished, leading to an op-ed from the former president defending his program. One of the casualties of Trump’s proposed budget is the
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Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a government agency which receives money from the government to fund public television. The money is no big deal, only $445.5 million a year, barely enough to fund several of Trump’s weekends at Mar-a-Lago. The rest of the public TV money comes from foundations, philanthropies, those notorious pledge periods, advertisements masquerading as “we support public television” testimonials, and “contributions from viewers like you (thank you).” Still, CPB money is vital to many public TV stations, especially those in small towns or rural areas where few philanthropists live. Possibly Trump and his cohorts believe that their base does not watch or want public television, though here they might be mistaken. If you agree that public television – and radio - are worth protecting and supporting, you might start by sending a donation to your local public TV station, and not just during pledge periods. You might also want to take a stand and oppose Trump’s drastic and inhuman budget. Though
the cause that Protect My Public Media espouses might not be as vital as those of some of the other resistance groups - and any group that opposes Trump is a resistance group, whether it knows it or not - it is still important to maintain a public service that gives so much to our communities. Visit www.protectmypublicmedia.org, get involved in their latest campaign, invite your friends and family to protect public media and tell your own public media story. Tell Congress what public television and radio mean to you and why they should be preserved.
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.
column letter to the editor Mayor Jack Seiler. Photo: ICCSafe.org.
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mayor’s prayer breakfast Dear Editor, Thanks for printing the article about the Prayer Breakfast and for bringing it to the community’s attention in such a big way! I was a gay activist in the ’90s in Charlotte, NC when people like James Dobson were in the face of the GLBT community using us as his whipping post to garner financial support for his narrow minded way of thinking. After reading all the “positive spin” about the Prayer Breakfast I think there are a lot better examples of Christian leadership that are all inclusive rather than trying to use reparative therapy to change how people are born that would be excellent keynote speakers at the Breakfast. My mantra in the ’90s was and still is, “Focus on your own darn family and leave mine the heck alone!” Focus On The Family
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cozying up to gay people is like saying the Nazi Party now accepts homosexuals into their fold. Until everyone comes to the realization that in the United States we are all free to be who we are without the interference of organizations that think they can pray the gay away we remain in grave danger. Gay people are not asking anyone who is part of Focus On The Family to become gay so why do they think they have the right to tell gay people they are in the wrong and need to accept their narrow view of our rather expansive, all encompassing universe!
Respectfully submitted, David Ferebee Wilton Manors
Let your voice be heard Submit your own letter to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com
4.19.2017 •
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video games feature
Homophobia Is No Game
x
Timothy Becker Photo Credit: Bioware.
T
he gaming world is often considered a man’s realm. A place dominated by misogyny and gay jokes. This leads to the general lack of representation in games — whether it be racial, sexual or LGBT. Except for a few key games and companies, LGBT content is barren and many times even the butt of a joke in gaming media. There has, however been a cultural resurgence in gaming as many companies that previously had little to no LGBT content — like that of Blizzard, the company that developed games like “Hearthstone,” “World of Warcraft” — are now making moves to be more inclusive. Blizzard’s new cultural phenomenon “Overwatch” has received praise for its diversity and the cover character Tracer is openly lesbian. One of the main characters in the “Last of Us” — a game that surpassed $7 million on PlayStation 3 and earned an additional million on PS4, according to gaming news site IGN — is a teenage girl named Ellie who is shown to be in love with her best friend Riley, a female, in the game’s expansion “Left Behind.” Naughty Dog, the studio behind “The Last of Us,” is one of Sony’s biggest game development studios. This is a new pattern for big game studios, however. Previously, the only games where there was gay
representation were Bioware-developed games like the “Dragon Age” series of games and “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.” The “Sims” which is developed by EA, has also had a history of inclusivity. Gaming companies gave gay men very effeminate mannerisms and made them less “manly” because of it — a walking caricature of the stereotypical gay man. The lack of representation in most video games was caused by the industry belief that the driving force behind video game success was the approval and endorsement of straight white males. The 2001 release of “The Sims,” which offered same sex marriages, broke that mold. The game soared in sales and was the precursor to a whole genre of character management games. Up until recently, LGBT friendly games were few and far between with the main serving of inclusive games coming from the developer Bioware. Games developed by Bethesda like “Skyrim” and “Fallout” have always had the option for same-sex relations but have had a feeling of novelty whereas Bioware displays natural feeling relationships and representation with thorough writing in their RPGs. One of the most popularized LGBT Bioware characters was a mage named Dorian in “Dragon Age: Inquisition.” The non-player character was given an entire arc of
Up until recently, LGBT friendly games were few and far between with the main serving of inclusive games coming from the developer Bioware.
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quests designed around his coming out as a gay man to his noble family. Not only was it a well thought out and meaningful interaction, it also felt like a true part of the game world and made for a realistically complex character. That is just one example of Bioware’s representation of LGBT content in their games. Until recently there were only handful of critically-acclaimed games that had any diversity on the LGBT spectrum whatsoever and that may be because of the corporate belief that straight white men, the largest player base, fear the “gay” content as if playing said games was a question to their sexuality. In many games we see the opposite of progress: antigay sentiments and satirized LGBT content continue to leave their mark on LGBT perceptions. Multiplayer games like “League of Legends” and “Dota 2” are notorious for their toxic fanbase which many times pokes, prods and torments those who they deem lesser or different. A perfect example is the outcry over the “Overwatch” character who was announced to be gay. Many of the comments read along the lines of “... pandering to the SJWs,” (Social Justice Warriors for short). One of the biggest issues with the industry as a whole is that the game developers come from a relatively narrow frame of origin. Most developers are American born white men and as a whole dominate the industry. Without the diversity representing the world as a whole many topics are left uncovered like LGBT, race and gender. Until there is a more diverse creative workplace gaming world building will likely remain the same.
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video games representation
Coming Out Swinging Fans and Developers Are Pushing to Make Blockbuster Games More Inclusive Tucker Berardi Photo: Los Santos Pride.
W
hen people think about social progression and equal rights, the video game industry is certainly not the first place considered to be a forefront of change — if it is even considered at all. Look to the fringes, however, and it becomes apparent that smaller gaming studios and a progressive fan base are pushing the envelope to make game narratives more inclusive. “Art normalizes a part of society that people are currently afraid or unsure of,” YouTube Gaming personality Andrew Eisen told SFGN, “Video games and media helps to normalize things that should already be normal.” According to Eisen, the evolution of gay characters on Television — from the inclusion of ‘token,’ almost satirical characters to narratives completely centered around LGBT individuals — has served as a precedent for social change. Eisen pointed out that while TV is a bit ahead of video games in terms of queer representation, there is still an increasing push for LGBT media representation in games as well as the establishment of an LGBT presence in gaming conventions. In early September, PAX West — a large game and media convention — held a panel discussion titled “Queering up Misconceptions: LGBT Game Industry Life,” and answered questions facing the industry such as the state of queer
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content in games, and the struggle of balancing identity charge of the world’s largest and constantly expanding and fitting in. archive of LGBT content in games. Shaw has seen the Another gaming convention, GaymerX, held in progression of LGBT inclusion in video games and has November, is geared fully toward LGBT inclusion and pointed out the obvious disparity between the diversity advocates for a more accurate representation of diversity of the gaming community and the heteronormative in video games. tendency of the gaming industry. “We focus on creating a fun and “Most games are focused on safe space for gamers and gaymers mainstream heterosexual audiences,” of all identities to have fun and hang Shaw said. “There is a lack of queer out with like-minded folks. GaymerX world-building in games, usually is a ‘queer space,’ but is made for there are only rare LGBT characters everyone,” reads the description on in a primarily heterosexual world the GaymerX website. We stand side… there seems to be more queer by-side with any communities who representations in video games have been left out of or discriminated offered as side content. Same-sex in mainstream gaming culture, and relationships options and LGBT we are dedicated to providing a content has been pushed as optional unique, safe, harassment-free space content.” - Andrew Eisen, for all marginalized people.” Most consider the gaming audience YouTuber The push for more representation to be largely heterosexual, and thus in video games has gained releasing games that don’t primarily momentum, but much of the LGBT community and its cater to a straight audience can be seen as financially allies remain disappointed in how diversity — or lack dangerous. However, contrary to popular belief, gaymers thereof — is presented in mainstream games. make up a significant portion of the gaming community. Professor Adrienne Shaw of Temple University is in A 2006 “Gaymer Survey” from the University of
“Video games and media helps to normalize things that should already be normal.”
video games representation The push for more representation in video games has gained momentum, but much of the LGBT community and its allies remain disappointed in how diversity — or lack thereof — is presented in mainstream games. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with over 10,000 respondents, measured the sexual orientation of gamers based on the Kinsey Scale — a measurement of sexual orientation as a spectrum. The results showed that only 28 percent of respondents were completely heterosexual, 23.4 percent completely homosexual — the remaining 48.6 percent fell somewhere in between. As the survey shows, LGBT players are very common — and they are pining for more representation and mainstream queer content in games and storylines. However, it is ultimately the job of game developers to incorporate more gay, bi and transgender representation in their projects. The majority of big-studio game developers are straight white males, according to Eisen. And while it may not be on purpose, they tend to design games with character representation skewed heavily toward their own heteronormative demographic. “Straight white males don’t deal with issues of ‘erasure’ or ‘othering;’ we’ve always been there,” Eisen said. “[They] are so used to things revolving around them [and] are not used to, or scared of, something new being introduced.” Game developers may also have some reservation in creating inclusive context because of marketing, according to Luke Karmali, writer for video game news source IGN. Openly gay game writer Lucien Soulban told Karmali in a 2014 IGN article that, “fears of damaging sales would be the main stumbling point block in securing
support for a homosexual protagonist, asserting that unless publishers were convinced otherwise, a gay lead is likely to remain a pipe dream.” Developers want to play it safe and avoid financial pitfalls that “controversial” LGBT content may lead to. But small-scale studios and community “modders” have created content that has been widely appreciated, meeting with much more encouragement than dissent. The PrideParade mod for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 was a collaboration between Stockholm Pride and some of the game’s community members and was very well received by fans of the game. “The Grand Theft Auto games have the largest amount of LGBTQ content in video games, and it isn’t all offensive,” Shaw said. This content includes vanilla content as well as mods from a thriving community of LGBT modders. If player-created LGBT content has been so widely received and accepted, then why is it such a long shot for larger publishers to start doling out more inclusive plots and content? TV and movies have already begun exploring queer stories much to the appreciation of their diverse audiences — it is time for video games to do the same. “Gaming is one of the youngest entertainment mediums but it threatens to stunt its growth without acknowledging that there are many people who play games,” Karmali wrote. “Our world and other entertainment forms are more inclusive than ever, and it’s time games caught up.”
GaymerX convention attendees. Credit: GaymerX, Facebook.
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video games bisexuality
PHOTOS: BETHESDA STUDIOS, BIOWARE. SUBMITTED PHOTOS.
Bi Default Video games boost bisexual visibility like no other media Brittany Ferrendi
W
hen it comes to LGBT, the B is often forgotten about. But when it comes to video games, bisexuality is a mainstay. The industry topples television media, where bisexuality is sometimes treated as a joke (very recently was it compared to webbed feet in ABC’s The Real O’Neals). But video games not only include them, but give them statue. And when it comes to inclusion of bisexual main characters, role-playing games are most likely to get it right. The wide array of customization in open world action role-playing video games like Bioware’s “Dragon Age” and “Mass Effect,” as well as Bethesda’s “Fallout” and “Skyrim,” allows players to be whoever you want to be. You can change their gender, skin, hair, name and personality to your liking. You even have freedom to romance other characters, which is where sexuality comes in. Let’s hone in on to the “Dragon Age” series for examples. Across all three games in the series, there are 16 serious fleshed-out romance options. Among them, fifty percent of the romanceable characters identify as bisexual. Only the third game had two specifically gay and lesbian romance options. Now compare that to television. In GLAAD’s 2016 “Where We Are on TV Report,” the organization analyzes diversity in cable networks and streaming services. The report showed that thirty percent of the 278 LGBT characters were openly bisexual — the majority of which are women. Among these bisexuals, GLAAD came to an unfortunate conclusion about the representation of bisexuals in
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television media: bisexuals are too often depicted as “The 100,” protagonist Clarke was identified as bisexual. “untrustworthy, lacking a sense of morality, and/or as Clarke became the network’s first bisexual lead, according duplicitous manipulators.” to the Advocate. Show creator Jason Rothenberg stated her “Creators overwhelmingly choose to portray bisexuality bisexuality was not inspired by a need to appeal to LGBT as a villainous trait rather than a lived identity,” said fans, but out of a necessity to create a complete world. Alexander Bolles, senior strategist at GLAAD. “This trend of “Sexual orientation fits in the same place that gender inaccurate portrayals undermines how people understand identity and racial identity fits within the world of our bisexuality, which has real life consequences for bi people show,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “The characters in and their wellbeing.” the show are not concerned with those things. They are So, despite the prevalence of bisexual characters in only concerned with whether they are going to live and die television media rising up by 30 … Nobody ever classifies anybody, as percent compared to last year, they are in, ‘She’s a woman leader,’ or, ‘He’s a repeatedly being pushed into harmful gay soldier.’ It’s just not in our show’s stereotypes more often as they are just vocabulary.” portrayed as regular, everyday people. But not all was won in terms of Compare that to games like “Fallout” bisexual representation. Cue the longand “Elder Scrolls,” two long-running running “bury your gays” trope, which game series made by the company dictates LGBT characters can not have Bethesda. The player is free to begin happy endings — usually leading to a relationship with any romanceable them being killed off in media. Just character regardless of gender. In this moments after Clarke is intimate with way no single character can necessarily her first same-sex love interest, her be isolated as a harmful bisexual partner is immediately murdered" stereotype, because the romances When it comes to killing off - Tim Cain, Fallout Developer are about the characters, not their bisexuals, television media follows the orientation. “bury your gays” trope often. Shows “We kind of liked pushing like “Empire,” “The Catch” and more boundaries a bit,” openly gay developer Tim Cain told The feature bisexuals dying in violent ways. This trope is more Daily Dot. Cain is one of the original creators of the Fallout easily avoided in video games, as romance options are most series. often entwined with characters that are essential to the “Not always with violence. We wanted a game story — and likely unkillable. The trope is even less likely which is full of social commentary. So [same-sex when the bisexual character is a protagonist. marriage] was just another thing we were doing. Look at Borderlands, a first-person shooter developed I don’t even think anybody in the team really by Gearbox Software. Anthony Burch, lead writer for argued over it. We didn’t think ‘Oh my god, this Borderlands 2, confirmed that Axton — one of the game’s an amazing thing.’ It was just ‘We’re going to main protagonists — is bisexual. The game also has other cover every possible base here.’ And then we bisexual characters, including Mister Torgue. moved on.” “We wanted to make our cast more diverse and inclusive, Fallout 4’s protagonist can be played as and it cost us effectively nothing to do so,” he wrote. “In either straight or bisexual, depending on player the future, I’d like to be even more overt in discussing the decisions. You always have an opposite-sex sexuality of gay or bisexual characters … but these first tiny partner when you begin. After that, who you steps are still worthwhile, in my opinion.” romance is up to you — be it male, female or Television media is representing bisexuals more than robot. ever. It is (slowly) beginning to shed common tropes as well. Comparatively, you don’t often see bisexual Here’s hoping they’ll follow the video game industry’s lead main characters in television media — but it does in portraying bisexual characters just as they should be happen. In CW’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi series portrayed — as people, no different than anyone else.
“We didn’t think ‘Oh my god, this an amazing thing.’ It was just ‘We’re going to cover every possible base here.’ And then we moved on.”
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video games feature
Being LGBT in the
Fighting Game Community
How South Florida’s LGBT players began in the FGC scene Lynnette Cantos
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outh Florida’s prominent LGBT players in the “There have been random people, like at restaurants if we go fighting game community scene are focused on out to eat, they would give me stares. You just gotta ignore maintaining their high ranks and perfecting their them and try to ignore people who give you hate and all of skills, while the community embraces their acceptance. that.” Xaltis, a transgender woman from Lake Worth, is a Currently, Xaltis has an active Twitch channel — an professional “Super Smash Bros. 4” player notorious for her online streaming service for gaming platforms — where she strategic yet aggressive gameplays of Rosalina — a princess plays “Smash” and other video games, that is sponsored by who first appeared in “Super Mario Galaxy” in 2007. Aether eSports, and attends numerous tournaments such “Rosalina is meant to be played very defensively, but she as Evolution Championship Series and Community Effort can be aggressive,” Xaltis said after finishing a round match. Orlando, commonly known as EVO and CEO respectively. “I’m one of the more aggro Rosalina players in the ranks.” Kendall resident Tayson Defas, much like Xaltis, started Xaltis’s gameplay paid off as she won first place during playing video games during his childhood while living in the “Super Smash Bros. 4” weekly tournament match held Ecuador, but it wasn’t until his first CEO invite in June 2010 on March 30 at Versus Gaming Center in Pompano Beach that he got hooked. against 67 contenders. Last year, she “My mind was blown away by the ranked 10th on the South Florida fact that there were so many people just Smash 4 Power Rankings and moved as strong as I, even stronger, that liked up to fifth as of January. the same games as me,” Defas said. “I While Xaltis started playing video got super jealous there were so many games since childhood, in 2007 she personalities, that I felt I deserved to be began to practice her abilities with recognized too.” “Smash” and gaining interest in the During a stage run of newcomers local fighting game scene once another versus top-ranked players for “Marvel player — dubbed “Afro Thundah” — vs. Capcom 3,” a popular fighting game recognized her talent. featuring crossover characters of its “I didn't get into the competitive titular franchises, Defas signed up, scene until early [Super Smash Bros.] played and won against EVO World - Tayson Defas Brawl,” Xaltis said. “I always entered Champion Ryan “Filipino Champ” the Brawl tournaments and usually Ramirez. got top three, and from there I kept “I didn’t know Filipino Champ was growing and growing with the rest of the South Florida the one supposed to be featured, hell I didn’t even know he Smash players.” was a top player,” Defas said. “So after I beat him, he looks Even though the local Smash community scene within at me mad ‘cause I don't get up, and I reply ‘Why would I Versus and beyond recognize and accept Xaltis, she mainly get up? I beat you, let him play’ as I point to the dude next deals with rude comments and looks from strangers both in line.” Defas rarely disclosed his sexuality during his early years online and offline. “In the [local] community, nobody’s ever really done in the local fighting game scene. But he wasn’t hiding it out of anything in person to harass me or anything,” Xaltis said. fear or shame — he just didn’t want to shock his colleagues.
“He loves me so he practices hard to be on equal footing with me or anyone in the scene.”
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XALTIS PLAYING “SUPER SMASH BROS. 4.” PHOTO CREDIT: LYNNETTE CANTOS.
“As my friends describe me, I'm pretty manly, have a martial arts background, reliable, friendly and always up for beer,” Defas said. “So when people discover I'm actually gay they have such an expression on their face.” However, it was one experience that made Defas realized how he could educate other players by openly embracing his identity instead of playing it up as a prank revelation. “There was this friend who had a pretty narrow view of gay people. And he had known me for a while now, but at a tournament he was told I was actually gay,” Defas recalls. “His mind had trouble grasping the fact, but after that we talked and since then, he’s been more open to LGBT [people],” Defas said. “I was letting him know LGBT people come in all shapes or forms, and maybe [you] could get past narrow views if you get to know people.” Nowadays, Defas is practicing and playing both “Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3” and “Street Fighter V” in local and state tournaments alongside his boyfriend, Bastian Oliva, who is both a supporter and new player since being introduced into the community by Defas. “He loves me so he practices hard to be on equal footing with me or anyone in the scene,” Defas said with admiration. “Proudest moment was seeing him getting this complicated punish and winning his own tournament match at our [local] weekly.” TAYSON DEFAS TAKES THE MATCH. PHOTO CREDIT: LYNNETTE CANTOS.
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VIDEO GAMES somos gaymers
SOMOS Gaymers at Latinos Salud
Jillian Melero LATINOS SALUD. PHOTO CREDIT: J.R. DAVIS.
W
hen I walked into the Wilton Manors that we even exist as a group, but they’re always very office for Gaymer Night, I settled in at a impressed, or very happy that a place like that exists,” folding table behind one of the couches Caballero said. “It’s liberating for them to come to a safe with a view of projection screens. An ongoing battle of space like that and geek out.” Super Smash Bros played out on one, and an abandoned The March 17 meet-up had over 20 men and several Persona 4 Arena select screen looped on the other. An women in attendance. Everyone was welcome, like the eight- or 10-person round of Cards Against Humanity guy who invited me to play King of Tokyo — Thomas, was already in progress. who was neither Latin, nor identified as gay or bisexual, Latinos Salud provides a safe space and resource but was there to game. center for gay, bisexual and transgender Latinos. They Caballero is the Navigation Services and Social Media host a game night every third Coordinator for Latinos Salud now, Thursday in Wilton Manors, and but he started off in SOMOS — every third Friday in Kendall. the ages 18 to 30 empowerment The event was started by Obed group that makes up the bulk of Caballero, as a meet up for the game night group. He said there center’s SOMOS – Spanish for “we are a couple of staffers now, who are” – social group. A gamer himself were introduced to the center (his all-time favorites are Kingdom through Gaymer Night, and he’d Hearts and Xenogears) Caballero like to see the organization build said he started Gaymer Night as a on their community outreach and way for LGBT gamers to have fun in involvement from there. a setting where they can open and “The people who come are very be themselves. committed to the group, Latinos “It’s hard sometimes for LGBT Salud, they feel very comfortable - Obed Caballero people in general, especially in coming here, they’re appreciative the game or even geek culture, of the Gaymer Night existing, and to intersect those different aspects of their identity,” having a place where they feel comfortable, so they Caballero said. “I’ve talked to people who come and a lot always want to give back.” of time they feel that their gaming friends don’t really Besides the game nights hosted at the resource center, get their sexuality. And when they come out to the gay the group also spends time meeting at locations around community, a lot of time they don’t understand their town like Wilton Creamery. To keep up with game nights, interests in the gaming community or in geek culture.” meetups and events check out the Facebook Group at Caballero said a typical game night may have 20 to https://www.facebook.com/LatinosSalud/. 30 people, sometimes upwards of 40 to 50. About twothirds of the group are usually regulars, and a handful of The next Latinos Salud Gaymer Nights are happening Thursday, April 20 in Wilton Manors and Friday April new faces each month. 21, in Kendall, both run from 7 to 10 p.m. “Every time there’s a new face they’re surprised
“I’ve talked to people who come and a lot of time they feel that their gaming friends don’t really get their sexuality.”
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BONUS POINTS SOMOS is just one of Latinos Salud empowerment groups, outreach services, and HIV support services. Here are some others:
JUNTOS is an all ages peer leadership group that meets on
alternating Fridays at 8 p.m.in Wilton Manors.
Positive Social is open to everyone living with or affected
by HIV, to promote positive thinking, quality of life and wellbeing, meets Tuesday nights in Wilton Manors from 7 to 9:30. Email mtorrealba@latinossalud.org.
Free, Safe & Proud blitzes venues throughout Broward
County to stock nightclubs, guesthouses and bathhouses with condoms and lube. Email Cswanson@latinossalud.org
MiamiGO for Latino guys of all ages meets alternating Fridays in Kendall at 7 p.m. Miami Mpower meets on the FIU campus for movies, snacks, and discussions, Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at the Graham Center. Non-students are welcome. Email nferrera@latinossalud.org. Broward and Miami locations offer additional HIV and safe sex services and resources, and even certified Life Coaching services. To learn more about Latinos Salud, groups, events, programs and services, visit www.LatinosSalud.org/.
VIDEO GAMES somos gaymers Photos by J.R. Davis
ROUND TWO
for the SOMOS t h ig n l a ic p ty a ard Take a look at rything from bo e v e to in e lv e d e Gaymer Night. iv Gaymers, who s lu c in lla ir e les in th on Facebook. games to conso N G F S it is v , s to o re ph To see many mo
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video games indie games
Gay and Proud
Four unapologetically LGBT-themed games Brittany Ferrendi Photo: “Coming Out On Top.” Submitted photo.
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layers rarely see LGBT content in mainstream titles. Slowly but steadily, inclusivity trickles in. But the small-scale gaming scene is already there — filled to the brim with queer content. One such game is “Coming Out On Top” (or COOT for short), a gay dating sim about a college senior who has just come out of the closet. There are about 18 different characters that the player can date. “I created COOT due to not seeing anything like it at the time,” said Abby Lee, game creator. “The project was started back in 2012, before the recent explosion of indie games on the scene. Games where you could play a man dating another man were few and far between.” Lee launched a Kickstarter for COOT in 2012, and received an overwhelming response. Over 1,100 supporters donated $38,601 dollars to bring the game to life. - Luke “The whole thing is a lighthearted romp that will hopefully make you chuckle.” Luke Miller, creator of “My Ex-Boyfriend the Space Tyrant,” was also motivated to blossom an LGBT game in a market less touched. “I made Space Tyrant because I wanted to see a game with an unapologetically gay lead character, something that is still all too rare,” he said. “A lot of the time
when games include gay people it is very mainstream representation with 'normal' people who happen to be same-sex attracted. That's fine and it's always great to see! I just sometimes want to see queer culture represented as well.” And Miller took the sequel to a whole new level. “I made the sequel ‘Escape from Pleasure Planet’ because there was a lot more I felt I could do with in a gay game - a gay villain, dealing with conversion therapy, the plight of LGBT people in Russia, and the queer politics of same sex marriage and respectability,” he said. “Playing my games, I hope people enjoy the surprises and twists as a queer sensibility allows us to go places that other games fear to tread.” But not all LGBT-themed indie titles keep sexuality at the forefront. There are also games like “2064: Read Only,” a cyberpunk narrativeMiller based adventure game produced by Midboss. The game inclusively presents a future in which LGBT characters are on equal ground as heterosexuals without facing as much discrimination. The player can also select their own pronouns, including “he,” “she”, “they,” “xe,” “ze” or custom. “Instead of waiting for Sony and other big companies to include gay characters in their games as more than
“I made Space Tyrant because I wanted to see a game with an unapologetically gay lead character.”
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just tokens, we should just do it ourselves,” creator Matt Conn told Gamasutra. “There’s no reason to wait.” Conn originally had hesitation for the future of his game because of the LGBT themes. “If the campaign ends up failing or the product isn’t very good, I just worry that’s going to send a really bad message. That there’s no market for this, or that the market for ‘gay games’ is pretty much limited to sexually explicit stuff. And not that there’s anything wrong with porn games, but there needs to be more. We need to just exist.” Fortunately for Conn, the Kickstarter was a success. The project raised $64,378 on Kickstarter in just a month — proving that there is a market for “gay games.”
“MY EX-BOYFRIEND THE SPACE TYRANT.” SUBMITTED PHOTO.
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video games j stryker
J Stryker Strikes Back
He’s a cosplayer. A businessman. A strip dancer. A musician. He’s J Stryker. Brittany Ferrendi
J
Stryker may not be a household name, but to the geeky LGBT community, the person behind the name is a symbol for empowerment. Jonathan Stryker began his career as a cosplayer, but soon felt a desire to start up the very first LGBT geek conventions in Florida. He opened up to more risqué cosplays and branched out into strip dancing during his own time slots at conventions across Florida. SFGN reached out to Stryker to discuss his life from cosplays to coming out as gay to strip dancing.
“It’s worth it. It’s so worth it just to be yourself.” - J Stryker
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“When I went to my first convention, Supercon 2006, I saw all the people dressed up and how close the community was to each other,” he said. “That made me feel really good and want to stay there, making costumes and meeting people.” That feeling of acceptance inspired him to launch OUT Con and Okama Con, the only two LGBT-focused anime and geek conventions in Florida. “There are people who need to feel safe who might not feel comfortable going to other places,” he said. “I wanted to create one to let people know there are places where you can be completely yourself and never need to second-guess that you won’t be comfortable there and that you’ll be accepted.” With no other LGBT-specific cons in the entire state, Stryker took the initiative. “It had to be done.” The cosplayer-turned-convention-owner hears a lot of success stories from con-goers who attended Okama Con in January. “So many. All the time I get it,” he said, noting how many people walk up to him to tell him how accepted and safe they felt. “Just because of the name and what we promoted, and because we state it is LGBT.” Stryker hopes his safe space encourages people to come out, similar to how he gradually came out over
Above: Stryker as Guts. Middle: Strip-tease. Right top features the character Aeros, far right is his daring take on Priapus.
the course of his high school years. He was inspired by his older brother, who came out as a drag queen after growing up gay, shy and insecure. “He’ll light up on stage and be more himself and completely express himself. Seeing that was inspirational to me, even if I had been doing costumes before he came out as a drag queen. It inspired me to do more performing.” It wasn’t until last year that Stryker came out to his parents. “My brother’s gay so I guess that made it easier,” the cosplayer reflects. “My mom said, ‘You know, if your dad doesn’t like it, he’s out of the house and you’re staying.’ For others struggling to come out, Stryker has a message: “It’s worth it. It’s so worth it just to be yourself.” “I think it’s a liberating experience,” he continued. “There are going to be people that are OK with it and there’s going to be people that aren’t going to be OK with it, but at the end of the day you get to be yourself and you get to open up and just show a completely different side of you that is just so freeing and so liberating.” Stryker applies that logic to his online persona, J Stryker. “He is kind of my alter-ego. My regular Jonathan is a
video games j stryker Photos by Chasis and J Stryker
OUT Con May 6 and 7 DoubleTree by Hilton Miami Airport Convention Center 711 NW 72nd Ave Miami, FL 33126 www.OutConvention.com
very quiet, shy guy. He sat in the back of the class, he didn’t talk to a lot of people. J Stryker was the showman who put on costumes and put himself out there in very different ways.” In doing so, Stryker gets a lot of flak from haters that bash his sensual photos, push their religion on him and harass him for being gay. How does he handle it? “I don’t,” he put simply. “I rarely respond to negative comments if ever. I have so many good ones that I don’t want to put attention to the negative ones.” Stryker puts that self-confidence into his love of strip dancing, which he performs at local conventions across Florida and even uploads to his Facebook page. A few years ago, Stryker considered himself a chubby, insecure kid. That changed when he vowed to make a change these past three years, beginning to work out and feel more confident in himself. “When I started becoming more confident in myself, which was just in the past three years, I wanted to feel better about myself so I started working out,” he said. Once his confidence grew, he “released everything at once.” “I started doing sexier stuff in cosplay
and I noticed that people really liked it and people were inspired by the fact that I was the chubby kid and now I’m the naked one on the internet. I like inspiring people to be confident.” “I like the feeling you get when you’re stripping and being seductive. It’s a cool feeling, not only for the sexual aspect but it’s also very empowering to me when everybody’s looking at you.” Some people approach him to ask if he’s worried about future employers seeing his sexual pictures. “Who cares if you’re shirtless on the internet, do whatever the fuck makes you happy,” he stated. “I want to live my life the way I want to with my rules and I can’t think of the consequences like that. I can only be myself.” What does J Stryker have in store for the future? “I want to get more into music and branch out. I want to do more cosplay and do more, sexier modeling.” Stryker is releasing his first single this year, an “electronic sexy” song titled ‘Fucboi.’ It’s set to be released once the video is finished. “I’m not just a sexy cosplay. I’m not just one thing. I’m a lot more than that.”
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video games international
Game Developers Look To China As A
New Market For Gay Games Tucker Berardi
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hu Qiming is a gay video game designer based out of Beijing, China. His current project, “Rainbow Town,” is a life simulation game for smartphones in which users dress up their hunky avatars in stylish clothes and interact with other online users. “LGBT people are gradually being accepted by the public — a few years ago the market would not be ready for a gay game,” Qiming told Motherboard. In China, homosexuality was illegal until 1997, and even today only a small percentage of LGBT people in China ever come out — UNDP China reports in a survey on sexuality and gender expression that only five percent of homosexuals ever choose to go public with their sexuality. According to the same report, however, Chinese societies are becoming increasingly accepting of LGBT individuals. “The survey paints a country in transition, where the majority of people do not hold negative nor stereotypical views of LGBTI people, with young people being more open towards and accepting of sexual and gender diversity,” UNDP reports. “This … represents an important opportunity for LGBTI people and depicts a society that could achieve rapid and profound change, especially if guided in the right direction by civil society, policymakers, academia, the media as well as LGBTI people themselves.” Qiming is one of many developers working toward creating a “pink economy,” a business model that caters to the LGBT community. The market for LGBT content is growing according to UNDP China, and businesses are scrambling to secure their place in the new territory. “LGBTI people represent some of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in Asia and the Pacific, including China,” Agi Veres, Country Director of UNDP China said. “Attention to their needs is therefore essential if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, a key feature of which is the underlying principle and commitment to ‘leave no one behind.’”
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Star-G technologies, Qiming’s game development and Alibaba-owned retail company Taobao organized a trip company, is just one of many businesses and entertainment for ten gay Chinese couples to get married in Los Angeles, companies that are shifting their attention toward China’s as gay marriage still isn’t legal in China. gay community. “There have been arguments about whether companies “Every bar wants a gay night right now,” Marlon Ma told use LGBT marketing as a gimmick,” Geng Le told The Fortune in January 2017. Ma has organized GLAM, an award Guardian. “But whatever their purposes are, they’re making winning LGBT nightclub show, and has also organized the LGBT people more visible. It’s a good thing, and the impact city’s first drag show. of the economy as the force of social progress is beyond our “I move venues every six months,” Ma continued. imagination.” “Before [clubgoers were] probably Qiming hopes to be responsible for half foreigners but I’m seeing more some of that social progress by giving Chinese now than ever before.” LGBT people in China an opportunity The “pink economy” in China to express themselves and meet other has been estimated to value members of their community through his roughly $300 billion per year, games. making China the third largest “With rising social tolerance, people LGBT market following Europe in the LGBT community have begun to and the United States demonstrate their identity and meet other “The consumer power of the gay members of the community through community is robust, but it has a range of social activities, including always been neglected,” BlueD CEO games,” Qiming told China Daily. “I see and founder Geng Le told Fortune. strong demand going unfulfilled, and that - Zhu Qiming, “We want to tell people that the provides us with ‘pink’ opportunities.” video game designer pink economy is very strong. The Qiming hopes that his game “Rainbow whole society is moving forward, Town” will serve a dual purpose to its it’s becoming more accepting, players. The app will allow you to meet more diverse, and individual value is more emphasized.” up with other players in real life, almost like a dating app. BlueD, which is based out of China, surpasses Grindr as Qiming also wants the game to be an outlet for gay people the world’s leading LGBT socializing app with a user base who choose to remain in the closet. of 27 million. “Rainbow Town’ is just one of the three games Qiming’s Global firms are also pushing the limit by marketing company is working on, all of which are being designed for themselves as LGBT-friendly in China’s marketplace, mobile platforms and contain LGBT themes. according to The Guardian. Businesses like Starbucks, “I’ve always wanted to do something for gay people,” Alibaba, Nike, Adidas and others have used messages of Qiming said. “A purpose of this game is to let people do inclusion in China to cater to the LGBT market. things they might not be able to do in real life, such as dress The businesses have offered LGBT-specific advertising, however they want to and just be themselves.”
“I see strong demand going unfulfilled, and that provides us with ‘pink’ opportunities.”
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video games feature
Need A Little Empathy Empathy games give players an opportunity to see a marginalized perspective Tucker Berardi
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any small game development studios have begun to popularize a new genre game known as “empathy games.” The goal of this new genre is to present the players with new perspectives and situations that help them to understand the struggles of other people. “A Normal Lost Phone” is one such empathy game. The entire game is played through interaction with a lost smartphone. The player progresses through the story by peering into information found within the phone and chatting with the phone owner’s (Sam’s) tinder-esque profile matches, one male and one female. Through interactions with the phone, the player discovers that Sam is transgender, and struggling with coming out to friends and family. “There is something to take away from the game, but it’s not about the interface or the mechanics — those felt wrong from the beginning. It’s about the experience,” co-founder of Accidental Queens Diane Landais said in a press release. “Because the bonds that are created, the chance to understand, the space for introspection — those, hopefully, felt right.” Accidental Queens, the studio behind “A Normal Lost Phone,” is an indie studio based in France that pursues more inclusive narratives. “A Normal Lost Phone” has received “Best Indie Game” from the 2016 Game Connection Awards in Europe. “All of this was done with a specific goal in mind: creating empathy, showing Sam’s story through a new perspective,” Landais said. “The player isn’t a spectator, nor an actor; they see the story unfold as a witness.” Landais continued to say that this game exposes players to the minute details in the character's life — explaining that a simple, even trivial text message can have a deep impact on the character, and player interaction with the phone drives that point home. “A Normal Lost Phone” is not the only game to encourage players to adopt a new perspective on people and situations. Many games such as “We Are Chicago,” “That Dragon, Cancer,” “Papa & Yo” put players in situations dealing with alcoholism, cancer, poverty and more. “‘We Are Chicago’ is our first adventure in making compelling
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“We Are Chicago” by Culture Shock Games.
narratives about real stories through videogames,” reads the game’s about page. “We are presenting the stories of people living in financial poverty and who live amidst escalating violence on Chicago’s west and South Side. These stories are the experiences of normal people trying to live normal lives while dealing with gangs, drugs, and socioeconomic problems that are prevalent on the South Side and West Side of Chicago.” “We Are Chicago” was created by Culture Shock Games, a small-scale game studio based out of Chicago, Illinois. Founder of the studio Michael Block decided to pursue the game after volunteering at a soup kitchen in an all-black neighborhood. To tell a story that was truthful and compelling, Block hired writer Tony Thornton who was a longtime resident of Englewood, a neighborhood that inspired much of “We Are Chicago’s” setting, to ensure that the game was as authentic as possible. “We were brainstorming a story with agency and player choice,” Block told Venturebeat. “We were also volunteering on the South Side of Chicago. We heard people dealing with getting mugged on the way to the train and having a gun pointed at them. These were crazy things they had to deal with on a regular basis.” “We had to think about the violence they experience in their lives,” Block continued. “It was an important story, a true story. That was the start.” Alongside Thorton’s input, “We Are Chicago’s” narrative was fueled by multiple first-person interviews. Material from the interviews, as well as Thorton’s own life experiences, made it directly into the game, according to Venturebeat. Empathy games are being created with a myriad of themes that explore all corners of the human experience. Many games with LGBT themes help straight, cisgender players step into the shoes of an LGBT character and see the world through their eyes — their struggles become your own. These mechanics are true of bringing attention to any
marginalized group or situations. “I find the Title ‘Empathy Games’ to be very descriptive and appropriate for what we are doing,” Ryan Green, director of “That Dragon, Cancer” said. “I believe we can benefit as humans by taking time to ‘sit in the ashes’ with someone. Often people just need love. They need you to sit, be quiet, to give them a hug and to listen to them and cry with them. I think empathy games can offer the opportunity to practice this kind of care.” Green’s game comes from his own experience with his son Joel’s battle with brain cancer. According to gaming news site Wired, Joel used the game to deal with his son’s illness — his son was too young to voice his reactions to treatment and his feelings, and Joel translated these frustrations into “That Dragon, Cancer.” Game developer Vander Caballero created “Papa & Yo,” a game and metaphor for Caballero’s youth spent with an alcoholic father. He recognized that the world is filled with vulnerability that people don’t want to talk about or acknowledge. By making a game that focuses on what it is like to be vulnerable, to feel helpless, he aims to encourage players to recognize that there is always an opportunity to empathize with those who need it the most. “By creating vulnerable, relatable characters, instead of superhuman ones, we set a different kind of expectation,” Caballero said in a press release. “When you are vulnerable, the first step to a problem’s solution is to emphasize. I want games to become tools that can help us cope with human tragedy, like good books and films can, because younger people spend more time playing video games than reading books.” “Our games inspire other developers to take risks by exploring topics that we unthinkable to cover in games five years ago,” Caballero continued. “Today, many other games like ‘Papers, Please’ and ‘Gone Home’ are part of a growing movement towards empathy games.”
Through interactions with the phone, the player discovers that Sam is transgender, and struggling with coming out to friends and family.
video games feature
How Gaymers Meet
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n the year 1977, geeks around the nation were created with a wave of technology and media. Atari released the first popular gaming console, the Atari 2600, and the gaming revolution began. Sick of playing silly “Pong,” the system promised eye-popping graphics and insane fun. Forty years later, “Pac-Man” and “Space Invaders” could be played on cell phones. And the gaming industry has expanded to nearly $3 billion a year — with an increasing amount of LGBT players. For some in our community, not only have the games become more gay-friendly, such as “Mass Effect,” “Dragon Age,” and “The Sims,” they’ve also become more socializing, giving players another option bsides bars and clubs. With the latest systems, developers took a different twist and are marketing the social aspects of gaming. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo all have LGBT online groups to chat right through the systems themselves. You can add friends and join a game together. With added video cameras, you can see each other play and talk through headsets. This is an excellent start for those seeking friendships, or perhaps even relationships. But there are even more avenues to meeting others. Popular media sites are popping up online for LGBT gamers. Facebook Group
PHOTO CREDIT: BRITTANY FERRENDI.
“Gay Geeks” has over 47,000 members and counting. There, you can read other memes and videos. Also you’re free to chat and add friends. On Reddit, visit r/gayming for the latest in news and overall fun posts. And don’t forget to visit #gaymer on Twitter for like-minded users. You can even use Craigslist to make gaymer friends, but we HIGHLY recommend using the “Strictly Platonic” category. But what about meeting locals into some serious gaming in person? Instead a night out drinking and clubbing, there are alternatives for meeting and socializing. Latinos Salud, located in Wilton Manors, hosts a monthly party for all LGBTQ with video systems and also board games. Even Gym Sports Bar sets up game systems on Monday nights for fun and drinks. But not only gay establishments are coming on-board the gaming revolution. Gay-Friendly places like Versus Gaming Center in Pompano Beach offer all day access to PCs, Xbox, and PS4 and even hold tournaments. Tenth Level Tavern, right across from Funky Buddha, is a fantastic bar with some of your old favorite arcade games and great drink specials. And for the more intense action-packed gaymer in you, try Xtreme Action Park on Powerline Rd. They not only have an incredible amount of games, but also rock climbing, go karts, and bowling.
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PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo all have LGBT online groups to chat right through the systems themselves.
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video games feature Tracer from “Overwatch”. Credit: Blizzard.
Cheers Luv, The Cavalry's Queer! Overwatch’s LGBT elements influence both the game’s storylines and its fandom Lynnette Cantos
S
ince its release on May 24, 2016, Blizzard’s latest award-winning video game “Overwatch” has galvanized a stream of LGBT elements within the fandom and the creators themselves. Like any pop culture franchise beforehand, such as the “Harry Potter” series or Marvel superhero properties, “Overwatch” has spanned numerous samesex “shipping” — the short-term form of relationship pairing — with its roster of 24 diverse characters to choose from. Alison Nadassy is an avid “Overwatch” player from Coconut Creek who found a deep connection with the game’s message and character’s history. “As a pansexual, the diversity [in Overwatch] is such an important game because it explores diversity in this world through differences in race and identification in who they are as humans or omnics,” Nadassy said. The fan content attributed for these same-sex ships range from artwork threads on Tumblr and Reddit forums, fan fiction and even creating pair hashtags on Twitter or dedicated fan zines. Nadassy herself has a favorite same-sex couple pairing of Jesse McCree and Hanzo Shimada — two of its characters — that’s overwhelmingly popular within the fandom. “It was the aesthetic that got me into McHanzo,” Nadassy said, using the pair hashtag name. “[The] rugged cowboy with Japanese bowman, one’s super masculine but goofy while the other one’s stiff and serious.”
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As of publication time, the fan fiction website Archive of Our Own has McCree and Hanzo stories as the most popular under its “relationship” tab with 2,440 published fanfictions, with a high-ranked one titled "Hang the Fool" being cited in a Kotaku article on October 2016. While Nadassy noted other favorite and popular pairings such as PharMercy — security chief Fareeha “Pharah” Amari and Overwatch field medic Dr. Angela Ziegler — and Reaper76, based on the former Overwatch and Blackwatch commanders Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, she still considers McHanzo her favorite. “Currently it is one of my favorite couples that I ship out of everything I’m into,” Nadassy said. “It even has some support from the creators and voice actors like Matt Mercer.” Nadassy is referring to the BlizzCon 2016 voice actors panel - Alison where Matthew Mercer, who voices Jesse McCree, ad-libbed a Starbucks order for "McCree and Hanzo" in character form. This is another phenomenon based on the huge amount of support from the fandom where “Overwatch” voice actors and game developers get involved in pleasing their fans by inserting hints with each update
and participating in the shipping elements. Contributions range from Carolina Ravassa and Anjali Bhimani — who voice the characters Sombra and Symmetra respectively — uploading quirky YouTube videos of each other, to in-dialogue interactions between McCree and Hanzo during the Overwatch Halloween event read as borderline flirty amongst the fandom. Finally, the build-up of Overwatch’s first LGBT character resulted in the storyline reveal of Lena “Tracer” Oxton’s sexuality on December 2016, when Blizzard released a holiday-themed online comic titled “Reflections” revealing Tracer as a lesbian and having a girlfriend named Emily. “Since I learned Tracer was a lesbian, I was overjoyed because she’s not oversexualized by the creators,” Nadassy said. “She’s the poster child, not the main character, that everyone knows. Nadassy It was such an amazing addition to her background in [Overwatch] canon.” Five months since Tracer’s reveal, no word from Blizzard regarding who the next LGBT character would be, considering how lead writer Michael Chu specified there’s “multiple [LGBT] heroes” within Overwatch, according to Mic.
“Since I learned Tracer was a lesbian, I was overjoyed because she’s not oversexualized by the creators.”
WMG Volume 4 • Issue 7 April 19, 2017
Wilton Manors Gazette
Community
City Moves Forward on More Mickel Park Improvements By Michael d’Oliveira Just in time for summer, Wilton Manors commissioners have approved the construction of a new water feature and children’s playground at Mickel Park. At the April 11 commission meeting, multiple residents praised the commission for its work on Mickel Park. Formerly known as Mickel Field, the park was renamed after it was redeveloped in 2015 in an effort to make it more utilized by residents and discourage its use by criminals and drug users. Patrick Caan, director of the Leisure Services Department, said the Music at Mickel Concert Series, a monthly series of musical performances, has also become popular. The improvements include estate-style fencing, a police substation, walking trail, pavilion, concert performance area, volleyball court, additional bathroom, fitness equipment stations and shade canopies. Those improvements cost the city $1.5 million – $744,000 came from a bank loan and the rest came from the city’s general funds, impact fees and grants. The playground and water feature are the last phase of that redevelopment and will be funded through $356,752 grant
the city received from Broward County and a $50,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program. The estimated cost is $313,908. Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures. The city has hired MBR Construction to build the playground and water feature. MBR has been used on multiple city projects, including the construction of the current City Hall. Once MBR demolishes the existing playground, it will install poured-inplace rubberized flooring, build a shade structure and a surrounding fence. “The water play area features have been selected based on minimum water usage and attractiveness to children. The flooring will include “cool deck” material. The water from the area will be drained onto the existing park swales and landscaped areas. City staff will be able to control the duration of use of the water for this amenity,” wrote Todd DeJesus, special projects and grants manager. WMG
Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures.
Mickel field in 2015 during its last round of improvements.
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Opinion
The Lavender Panthers WMG April 19, 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 7
By Sal Torre
2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Rev. Ray Broshears
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Associate Editor • Jillian Melero JillianMelero@gmail.com
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Correspondents
Natalya Jones • John McDonald • James Oaksun
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Sales & Marketing
In all my years living in Wilton Manors, I cannot remember a time when so many incidents have taken place targeting residents on our streets at night. The late-night ambush on NE 21st Court back in February, then two strong-arm robberies on April 5 and 6, and now reports of individuals throwing eggs from passing vehicles at victims walking along Wilton Drive. According to press releases by our WMPD, “Now is not the time to hit the panic button.” Well if not now, then when? Do we wait until the next incident takes a darker turn, with a more destructive outcome, until this community hits the panic button? As hate speech becomes the new norm in America, coming off a year-long presidential campaign where it became acceptable to demonize fellow Americans, is it any surprise to see the increased attacks here in Wilton Manors. If our President can lash out at Muslims, insult Mexicans, demean women, and get away with it, then why can’t a group of teenagers have some fun throwing eggs at gays in Wilton Manors? If the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale can host a prayer breakfast with LGBT hate groups, like Focus on the Family, while claiming not to be at fault, then why should gay-bashers heed caution in carrying out attacks on our community? As Jeff Sessions, our Attorney General, takes us back to earlier times, back to the 1970’s, the last time the so-called Silent Majority raised up to take back America, our community should also look back and learn from earlier moments in our struggle to gain equality. In the early 1970’s a gay vigilante group was formed in San Francisco to protect members of the community from similar attacks. The Lavender Panthers, founded by the Reverend
Ray Broshears, became a major contributor to the Gay Rights Movement and helped bring about a safer and more secure community. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves how to come together, to protect ourselves, and demand the public safety of our streets and our neighborhoods. Unlike San Francisco back in the 1970’s, we here in Wilton Manors have a police department totally committed to protecting all residents. Unfortunately, our police cannot be on every street corner, nor can they stop every criminal activity taking place in our great city. Residents must become more involved and watchful, and be ready to sound the alarm when they see suspicious activity. We must not become afraid and allow our streets to be taken over by hate. We should flood our streets at night with residents, with watchful eyes, with friends traveling together, with our police officers, and with defiance towards those who wish us harm. Our community, working together with our police department, our city management and elected officials must send out a strong message that these actions will not be tolerated. There’s no going back, and if need be, we might have to dust off some old play books and start holding people accountable. If Jack Seiler wants to pray with gay bashers, then there should be no doubt what we need to do in the next election. If hooligans want to throw eggs and attack us on our streets, then we should be ready to attack back. And if our police fail to charge these incidents as hate crimes, then we need to let our voices be heard loud and clear. Complacency, not getting involved, looking the other way, is not what makes us a great city. Coming together as a community, united and strong, ready to solve our problems is what will keep life just better here. WMG
Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures.
Director of Sales & Marketing • Mike Trottier mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Senior Sales Associate • Kevin Hopper kevin.hopper@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Brett Coppol Brett.Coppol@sfgn.com Sales Assistant • Tim Higgins Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. MEMBER
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Copyright © 2017 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
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Community
Submitted photo.
Manors at Middle River Ready For Rent By Michael d’Oliveira Housing officials say new development near Wilton Manors is ready to meet some of the demand of Broward County’s affordable housing needs. Manors at Middle River, 1714 N. Dixie Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale, located 0.2 miles south of Wilton Manors, is a new 12-unit Key West-style townhouse development built to offer affordable housing options. The name is a nod to Wilton Manors because of the close proximity to the city. The Middle River part of the name stems from the fact that the development is in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood. The available options are a 1,200 sq. ft. two-bedroom, two and one-half bath with a one-car garage and additional parking space for $1,750 per month, and a 1,500 sq. ft. three-bedroom, two and one-half bath with a one-car garage and additional parking space for $2,100 per month. “There is a tremendous demand for
affordable housing in South Florida and we are extremely proud to introduce the Manors at Middle River,” wrote Ann Deibert, assistant secretary of Building Better Communities, in a press release. Building Better Communities is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Broward County Housing Authority. “This community was tailored to support the needs of the Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors workforce. It delivers quality, convenience and rents that are attainable while respecting the aesthetic standards of the Middle River neighborhood,” Deibert said. The development is described as “luxurious and modern” with bike racks, a gazebo and BBQ grill. Each townhouse will feature a fully-equipped kitchen, energysaving appliances, dishwasher, microwave, garbage disposal, ceiling fans, ceramic floor tiles, laundry room with washer and
dryer, hurricane-impact windows and doors, window treatments, a covered patio, landscaping, and is cable-ready. The ribbon cutting for the development is scheduled for Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Those who want to attend are asked to RSVP at dhanford@piersongrant.com. WMG
The minimum qualifying annual income is between $60,960 for one bedroom and $75,600 for three bedrooms. The maximum income limit is 120 percent of the area median income. For leasing information, contact leasing coordinator Caprice Scott at 954-739-1114 ext. 1690 or 954-551-1567 or email cscott@bchafl.org.
Business
Shuttle Ridership Up, Says City By Michael d’Oliveira
Wilton Manors officials don’t expect the new Wilton Drive shuttle service to be a huge hit overnight. But they are encouraged by the progress in ridership. City Manager Leith Ann Henderson said that ridership went from 8 the first weekend of operation to 14 the second. “We’re getting there. It’s going to take time,” she said. At first, city staff members pitched in to drive the vehicle. But now, the city has a dedicated driver. At the April 11 commission meeting, Vice Mayor Justin Flippen publicly thanked the city employees who volunteered to drive. “That does not go unnoticed,” he said. The shuttle program, which is set to last for 90 days and could be expanded
if officials think it’s successful, runs Thursday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The estimated cost for the trial period is $7,000. The shuttle travels up and down Wilton Drive and has eight stops – City Hall/Hagen Park parking lot, the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, behind the 2309 N. Dixie Hwy. parking lot at 2216 NE 11 Ave., Northeast 9 Avenue and Wilton Drive, the Northeast 8 Terrace parking lot, Northeast 7 Avenue and Wilton Drive, Northeast 22 Street and Wilton Drive, and Richardson Park. WMG For more information, visit wiltonmanors.com/574/wiltondrive-shuttle or facebook.com/ WiltonDriveShuttle.
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Letter to the Editor
What Will We Want Within Wilton Manors?
The 5th April 2017 edition of SFGN’s Wilton Manors Gazette posted a fascinating constellation of articles including James Oaksun’s “Who Do You Trust?,” concerning questionable practices of politicians and realtors with regard to affordable housing that degrade trust, followed ironically by Michael d’Oliveira’s “Metropolitan Faces Scrutiny at Commission Meeting: Developers Accused of Lying,” which title says it all, then his “Taking Over ‘Site 92’” about differing opinions on neighborhood parkland, and finally Pier Angelo’s tongue in cheek piece titled “Now Wilton Manors Needs An Airport,” which satirizes the current drive to put a train station in our town. Clearly, development in our island oasis and its pitfalls are on our minds nowadays. Every person living and working in Wilton Manors surely agrees that we want a safe and prosperous town, and almost everybody would also desire our community to have good aesthetics and cultural life. But as those articles clearly reveal, one man’s prosperity is another’s man’s loss, and one woman’s “improvement” is another woman’s “blight.” Though I lay no claim to expertise, it doesn’t take a savant to see that there is a gap between most community members’ vision and desires for our Island City and those of developers and possibly city officials. While many of us quietly enjoy the peaceful small town atmosphere we moved here for, perhaps others have a different concept of the common good. A case in point, which seems to be moving under the radar, is The Pride
Center’s current plans to develop affordable or low income housing along the Dixie Highway stretch of Equality Park. While the Pride Center is a wonderful presence in our community and its Board’s initial intention to create a home on its grounds for local LBGT seniors was 100 percent laudable, the project has morphed into a nightmare for Wilton Manors. This housing will not be for LBGT people. In fact, it will draw in people from throughout Broward County who have needs which The Pride Center cannot meet. If constructed on this tax-sheltered property, it will bring no income to Wilton Manors, but it will require City services from sanitation to the police. Traffic and congestion along that dangerous curve on Dixie Highway can only grow worse with high rise construction right on the street. No doubt some readers will disagree with me and feel there is a benefit to dangerously crowding our community and burdening its services, but the real issue is exchange of accurate information. We need to follow what “development” plans and vision The City is considering, the costs to us as a community – not just in dollars but in quality of life – and we need to take multiple opportunities to express our views. Part of the burden, of course, lies on each individual among us to make his or her opinions known to our dedicated town officials, for absent the public’s known opinions, others will act on their own beliefs and for their own benefit. WMG – Jim Sentman
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Community
News
Check out what’s happening
Around Town
Wilton Manors to Donate Trans Flag to Stonewall Museum & Archives By Michael d’Oliveira
By Michael d’Oliveira
WAWM Meeting The Westside Association of Wilton Manors [WAWM] will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Hagen Park Community Center, 2020 Wilton Drive. The meeting is open to non-WAWM members. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a “happy half hour” with light refreshments served. Along with the opportunity to join WAWM or renew their membership, attendees can listen to a presentation about the Broward PACE program. PACE is a way for homeowners to make energy-efficient changes to their homes without having to take out loans or pay out of pocket. Parking at Hagen Park is free for the meeting. For more information, email jonfoconnor@gmail.com.
Photo by J.R. Davis.
Stonewall Meeting
A public meeting of the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group will be held on Thursday, April 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Manor House at Richardson Park, 1939 Wilton Drive. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on this year’s Stonewall Parade & Festival which will be held on Saturday, June 17 on Wilton Drive. For more information, call George Medeiros, vice president of operations for the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group, at 754-200-2979 or email him at vpo@wmeg.org.WMG
Music at Mickel
The next installment of Music at Mickel, a free monthly concert series, will feature local band “The New Planets,” who will perform alternative rock reminiscent of “The Beatles” and “U2.” The concert, the last of the season, will be held at Mickel Park, 2675 NW 7 Ave., on Friday, April 21 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Food trucks will be at the event and attendees can bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, call 954-390-2130, email sholloway@wiltonmanors.com, or visit wiltonmanors.com.WMG
Photo: Facebook.
Island City Summer Camp 2017
The Island City Summer Camp is a seven-week program for youth ages 4 to 15 years old. Participants are divided into age groups and will participate in arts and crafts, outdoor group games, dance, and more. Breakfast, lunch, and a snack are served daily. For an additional fee, day trips are also available. The camp is held June 12 to July 28 at Wilton Manors Elementary School. To sign up, call 954390-2130. WMG
Wilton Manors is donating multiple pieces of its history. City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the city will donating the Transgender Flag it flew for the first time at Jaycee Park on March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility. It will also be donating the minutes from the meeting where the commission voted to fly the Transgender Flag, a letter from commissioners, and the first Pride Flag flown by the city in May of 2016. All the items will be donated to the Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale. At the March 28 meeting where commissioners voted to fly the Transgender Flag, multiple transgender individuals said it would send a message of support to their community. The Transgender Flag was donated by To The Moon owner Anthony Dumas. Henderson said Dumas also donated another Transgender Flag for the city to fly.
Along with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the city will fly the Transgender Flag three other times every year – Transgender Flag Day (Aug. 19), Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20), and the week of the city’s Stonewall Festival in June. “We at Stonewall National Museum & Archives are honored to add these important symbols of the city’s commitment to visibility and pride to our permanent collection,” wrote Chris Rudisill, Stonewall’s executive director, in an email. “Since our founding here in South Florida 43 years ago, we have recognized the importance of the many lives and voices that make up this vibrant community and help shape a heritage for generations to come. These symbols will forever honor their creators, Monica Helms, and the recently-departed Gilbert Baker, along with this historic moment for the City of Wilton Manors.” WMG
The Transgender Flag was donated by To The Moon owner Anthony Dumas.
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Feature pets
Sailed the High Seas to See You!
Beautiful Kayra (ID 573702) is a 4-year-old, 32-pound spaniel mix that also came from Puerto Rico in hopes of finding a family to love here in South Florida. With her wispy coat and curious personality, she will do well in a home where she can be showered with love and lots of toys. Can Kayra be part of your family?
Kayra
When you adopt from the Humane Society of Broward County all pets are spayed or neutered before going home. In addition, they receive preliminary vaccinations, heartworm test for dogs over seven months, feline leukemia test for cats, a limited 10-day health care plan courtesy of VCA Animal Hospital, a bag of Purina ONE food and more. The adoption fee for dogs over six months is $100 and felines over six months are $30. For more information call the shelter today at 954-989-3977 ext. 6. The Humane Society of Broward County is located at 2070 Griffin Road, just a block west of I-95 and opens daily at 10:30 a.m. To see who else needs a home visit www.humanebroward.com
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lifestyle books
‘The Joy of Swimming’ by Lisa Congdon
Terri Schlichenmeyer
P
eople say you’re all wet.
Maybe that’s not the nicest thing you’ve ever heard but hey! If something’s true, it’s true, right? Yep, you love being in a pool, lake, pond, the ocean, a puddle, it doesn’t matter. And in “The Joy of Swimming” by Lisa Congdon, you’ll meet like-minded people in swimsuits. At the tender age of eight, Lisa Congdon learned to love swimming when her mother signed her up for swim team near their California home. It was fun, but it was work, and her interest in swimming declined: life got in the way, school demanded time, injuries happened. It wasn’t until college, after she came out as a lesbian, that Congdon resumed the sport in earnest, and it connected her to the better parts of her life. Swimmers, as she shows in this book, come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Gertrude Ederle, for instance, was just twenty years old when she swam the English Channel in under 15 hours, a record she held for a quarter-century. Johnny Weissmuller, who later played Tarzan in the movies, was the first person to swim the 100-meter freestyle in less than a minute. Roxanne Winston thinks more black swimmers should “feel inspired to join the sport.” Kimberly Chambers almost lost her leg to “a freak accident,” but she still swims. Chel Micheline finds that being in the water frees her from spina bifida. But swimming isn’t just about a cool dip in the lake: dog paddling can be embarrassing (unless, of course, you’re a dog!), so you’ll want to know a few basic
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c.2016, Chronicle Books $18.95 / $26.95 Canada 141 pages strokes, the science behind and the history of which Congdon explains. You’ll learn a “very brief history” of swimming pools here, too, including where the largest one is located; you’ll read an itsy-bitsy bio on the bikini; and you’ll get quick facts on swimming and the Olympics. Find out why you’ll want to cover your eyes if you visit an Icelandic locker room. See how even Michael Phelps is slow, compared to a sailfish. Get the real definition of a “swimming hole.” And find out why some people take bandages along when visiting a public pool in Japan. Seriously, can you ever have a summer without at least one great big cannonball, dead-center in the water? If your answer is to the negative, then “The Joy of Swimming” is a perfect poolside book for you. Using old ads, interviews, and her own drawings as illustration, author Lisa Congdon offers readers a bit of quirk for their deck chair. This has the feel of a sketch book or a haphazardly-kept scrapbook with mini-memoirs of the famous and neverfamous, trivia, Olympic facts, statistics, and random thoughts. That messiness is really appealing, and you’ll come to love this book after a few laps around its pages. Dip your toes in if you dare, or just dive right in. The water’s fine, and so is this book; for mermaid, athlete, or mere fans of the old waterin’ hole, “The Joy of Swimming” will make a big splash.
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LIFESTYLE photos
Miami beach shows its
true colors
From April 7 to 9, “Pride Lights The Night” was a spectacle of pride after sundown. Buildings throughout Miami were lit with rainbow colors or flew rainbow flags in remembrance of the PULSE victims. J.R. Davis
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Miami Hera ld LGBT Issu es reporter attends Mia Steve Rotha mi Beach Pr us ide.
To see many more photos, visit SFGN.com on Facebook.
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PAID content
Pioneering Gay chorus Turns heads
CUT THIS OUT AND SAVE IT! Post it on your fridge!
FTLGMC and Youth Dazzle with Spring Show Fashion Brunch Brings Lookers to the Runway By Fred Hoyer Johnson, Jr.
LGBT Radio & Podcasts
Florida’s LGBTQ Radio Show Heard every Saturday 7PM - 8PM on
Or Streaming Live on 850WTFL.com
Radio’s ONLY LGBTQ Talk Show Go to www.Facebook.com/GetOutSouthFlorida for more information.
T
he first and oldest gay performing arts organization in our peninsular paradise, the original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, further advanced dazzlingly into its fourth decade with the second concert of its 31st season, A Grand Night for Singing, and promises a special treat on April 23rd, A Fashionable Lei, before its season finale in May. It was joined for the second time by the LGBTQ Youth and Allies Choir in the unequaled acoustical space of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Both groups were founded by the Chorus’ current conductor, Dr. Gary Keating. In this latest show the Chorus highlighted the Broadway stage and the Great American Songbook. However, those who appreciate a wide variety of styles weren’t disappointed. Keating, whatever the genre being performed, has an eye (or an ear) for standout compositions and arrangements that satisfy the ear of the most discriminating listeners and leave them wanting more. The Chorus, particularly since the return of Keating to its podium a few years ago, is noted for its unequaled sound. Reactions after the show indicated that this time the Chorus surpassed even itself, while continuing its equally strong tradition of showmanship, giving the audience an entertaining mix of music, dance, and comedy, executed with the precision and panache added by choreographer Hank Henley. The audience also enjoyed a number of solos and small-ensemble numbers ranging from the poignantly uplifting to
the comedically upraising -- for example the intricate and dazzling “Hello” from The Book of Mormon -- presented by some of the many talented individuals who make up the Chorus, and by special guest star, the phenomenal Sharyn Peoples. The Youth Choir joined the Chorus once again for the second time in a regular seasonal show. Having begun modestly last year with a handful of members, the Choir is growing in numbers, and its sound, already impressive last year, has grown to be even richer and more sophisticated. This impressive group of young people has been invited to perform at a number of special events in the recent past and near future in South Florida, and their addition to the Chorus’ show once again added a whole new dimension for delighted audience members. Before moving on to its season finale in May, the Chorus is presenting a special treat, A Fashionable Lei, at the Pride Center on Sunday, April 23, beginning at 1 p.m. This will be a brunch catered by 5-star-rated Peacock Pantry, with open bar provided by Hunter’s. It will include a fashion show featuring outfits from some of our leading local shops on some of the most scrumptious male models right out of your most breathless fantasies, and emceed by local drag queen Candy Cornhole Cox. All this will be accompanied by an auction of the models’ outfits, a silent auction on some coveted items, a 50-50 raffle, a couple numbers presented by Ms. Cox, and a number by the Chorus. The price of this extravaganza is only $50 per person.
You don’t want to miss it.
Tickets for the brunch/fashion show are available at a special website, ftlgmc. brownpapertickets. com; or through the Chorus website, www.theftlgmc.org with a link to BrownPaper Tickets; or directly from members.
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LIFESTYLE photos
Bearsurrection Bearsurrection took place on April 10. Bars and clubs all around Wilton Manors hosted different parties — from GYM Bar to Hunter’s to Ramrod and even an event at LeatherWerks. Carina Mask
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To see many more photos, visit SFGN.com on Facebook.
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2017 Honorees Milan Rosza Harvey Milk Foundation Youth Award Isaiah Henderson, Survivor of Pulse Nightclub Massacre
Lilla Watson Global Leadership Award “Father of the Ireland Parliament” Senior Senator David Norris
Diversity Honors Honorees
Celebrating Unity and Inclusiveness
Tiffany Arieagus Ilene Berliner
Saturday, May 6, 2017 7 pm
Jessica Norton Patrick Piana, CEO Stoli Group USA Tony Plakas
Entertainment
Guest Host Craig Stevens News Anchor, WSVN
Hard Rock Live Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Cocktail Reception • Seated Dinner Awards Presentation •
T H E
WE L L-ST R UN G
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S T R I N G
Presenting Sponsor
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Benefitting These Organizations:
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Join Us ! Tickets $200 per person Optional $75 photo opportunity with Well Strung
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Tickets available at diversityhonors.com
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outeats Special Advertising Section The Medal. Photo: Dori Zinn.
New York Grilled Cheese Dori Zinn
Before New York Grilled Cheese was New York Grilled Cheese, they had a different business venture. Maybe you notice it when you walk into the restaurant, where the framed pictures of New York are on a wall, with tables in front of them. Maybe it resembles something else… something familiar… something colder. Before grilled cheese became the starring role, they were just a casual side menu item at a frozen yogurt shop. But owners soon realized that serve yourself frozen yogurt was a failing business venture. Months after opening the yogurt shop, they rebirthed as New York Grilled Cheese. And our stomachs are so thankful for the necessary change. The restaurant is four years old and has always been a hit on the Drive. With their signature sandwiches, all with New York themes, there isn’t a melt on the menu that you won’t find completely delectable. For all-day breakfast lovers, indulge in The Grinder — thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, waffle fries, caramelized onions and melted American cheese all packed in between two slices of garlic bread. Whether you missed your morning meal or you’re looking to soak up a night’s worth of booze, this sandwich will satisfy every morsel of a breakfast craving. If you can handle the heat, try The Medal. The sandwich was introduced last summer during the Olympics but was such a hit that owners keep making it for loyal customers who still come in asking for it. Filled with macaroni and cheese, shredded pork, American cheese and ghost pepper cheese, this spicy melt will give you such a big kick, you’ll be a gold medal winner in no time! But don’t go looking for it when you come in — owners say it’s only on the secret menu! Naturally, all sandwiches are served with the restaurant’s signature homemade tomato bisque. While the soup wasn’t entirely vegetarian-friendly since it was made with chicken stock, owners have been experimenting to find a comparable version. This month, they introduced an authentic
vegetarian tomato bisque and you can’t even tell the difference between the old and new. To match the deep flavor of chicken stock, owners made their own vegetable stock from scratch to get the most robust and deep flavor. For a restaurant that makes many gallons of bisque every day, the change couldn’t be made until the taste was just right. Challenge accepted, goal achieved. It’s not the only vegetarian menu item, though! The Midtown Truffle Shuffle has mushrooms, garlic, herbs, caramelized onions with Swiss cheese and truffle aioli sauce. And to go even further, the restaurant is experimenting with completely vegan menu options. There’s even a vegan mushroom soup well on its way to your mouth soon. Aside from sandwiches and soups, there are plenty of snacks to nosh on during your visit. As the owner is from Canada, the poutine is an ode to his home country: waffle fries smothered in cheese and gravy. For those late-night diners, you’ll be happy to have this in your belly! There’s also bacon lollipops: a 100 percent allbeef hot dog, cut up into quarters, with each piece wrapped in thick-cut bacon. The pieces are then deep-fried and doused in a house-made maple glaze. Don’t forget the sweet potato waffle fries, though! They’re served with a sweet marshmallow dip. And don’t you dare think about leaving without dessert. As the restaurant continues to have seasonal specials for sides and dessert, you may see something on one visit that you may not get to see on the next one. For Spring, the Coney Island Bread Pudding is visiting: the restaurant’s signature bread pudding with sea salt caramel and pretzel bits. If you want to stick to tradition, get Hell’s Kitchen bread pudding: the bread and custard are topped with white chocolate chips, marshmallow and berry sauces. There’s a strong chance you may come in just for this. Regardless of when you visit and what you’re craving, you’ll be able to answer your appetite anytime at New York Grilled Cheese.
If You Go:
New York Grilled Cheese 2207 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors, FL 33305
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Open Monday-Wednesday, noon-11 p.m. Thursday, noon-3 a.m.
Friday, noon-4 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m.
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lifestyle food
Pig Sty 706 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach 561-810-5801 pigstybbq.com
Rick Karlin
D
on’t tell my husband, but I’m in love with award-winning pit-master Bryan Tyrell, co-owner of the latest Boynton Beach dining destination, Pig Sty. It began as a little gastronomical flirtation when he opened Smoke in Delray Beach, but the food at Pig Sty has me smitten. His way around a rack of ribs and a brisket just makes my heart flutter. Pig Sty specializes in Kansas City-style BBQ, which is appropriate since Bryan served as the Pitmaster at famed Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (formerly Oklahoma Joe’s) in Kansas City, Missouri, which was named Best BBQ restaurant in the World by Zagat in 2000 and was a member of Slaughterhouse Five, the competitive BBQ team that won the 1993 and 1995 American Royal, considered the world championship of BBQ. “Good barbecue is a feeling; it’s a touch, a feel, a taste, and understanding that has been earned from years of experience,” Tyrell said. “At Pig-Sty, all of our meats are smoked inhouse and we slice 200 pounds of meat a day. We keep the natural juices and flavor in the meat by smoking it low and slow, infusing the flavor within the meat.” Inside the place is all reclaimed lumber and comfy booths. There’s a play area for kids and a stage for live music (a Grateful Dead jam band on the night of our visit). It’s not glitzy or glam, and it doesn’t need to be, because the food is the star. Is it worth a drive from Fort Lauderdale or Wilton Manors? If you like good ‘cue it is! It’s just one stop light west of 95 and it only took us half an hour to get home. Although the restaurant serves specialty sandwiches; I prefer to order the meat by the pound along with racks of ribs, along with a couple of sides for a shareable feast. At Pig Sty you order from the counter and either bring a metal baking tray laden with food to your table, or a server brings it over while you make a selection for the array of draft beers or pour your own sodas.
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Eat Like A Pig Pork and beef ribs are available, along with chili, soup and chicken wings. Other choices include brisket, pulled pork, turkey, smoked ham, sausage, house smoked salmon and smoked chicken. You won’t go wrong with any of them, but the turkey, brisket and pork spare ribs are my faves. The turkey manages to remain juicy and doesn’t need a whole lot of the delicious sauce. The same can be said for the tender ribs, which offer just enough pull to make getting your hands and face greasy worth it. The brisket is lean and moist, and if you time your visit right on Fridays, you can even get it pastrami style. If you like burnt ends, plan on getting there before 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I also want to stop back and sample Big Al’s Frito Pie; a pile of chips covered with your choice of meat with cheese, roadhouse beans house smoked jalapeños and southern slaw, but I think I’ll need a little herbal preparation for that delicious-sounding munchie! Sides are all made in-house and include hand-cut, made-to-order fries, phenomenal onion rings, slaw, loaded potato salad, smoked whole sweet potatoes, red beans and rice, cheesy mac with a crumb topping, roadhouse beans and collard greens. Sides are $3 for a small serving, $5 for medium and $9 for large. Spring for the large and bring the leftovers home –they’re that good. It will be hard to control yourself, but do save room for dessert. An order of freshly made glazed mini-doughnuts, 6 for $3, $5 for 12, is worth every calorie. As good as they are they pale in comparison to the gooey butter cake. Other dessert options, all phenomenal, include: chocolate cookie or banana pudding and sweet potato pie. The best thing? All this delicious goodness comes at a reasonable price! Sandwiches average about $7.50 for a mound of meat on a fluffy bun, or $9 for a fancy combo. Meats are $17 by the pound, and are available in half pound portions. Ribs are $24 for a full rack,
it’s $9 for a half chicken, $7.50 for a quarter of a bird. While a vegetarian could easily make a meal from the sides, there’s also a smoked Portobello sandwich and a chopped vegetable salad. Desserts range from $2.50 to $5. Breakfast sandwiches, $4.50-$6, are served from 7-10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. Brunch is served from 10-3 on weekends,
offering such treats as brisket hash, biscuits and gravy and Belgian waffles. Daily specials are served, beginning at 5 p.m. Monday it’s smoked chicken and a side for $9, Wednesday offers a meat double combo with a side for $12 and Sunday’s family platter is $12 a person and features ribs, chicken, pulled pork and two sides.
If you’re too lazy to drive up for the Pig Sty experience, you can order from Delivery Dudes, or check out these places closer to home.
Smoke BBQ 3351 NE 32nd St., Fort Lauderdale 954-530-5334 eatbbqnow.com Red Cow 1025 N. Federal, Fort Lauderdale 954-652-1524 redcowftl.com Dixie Pig 4495 N. Dixie, Oakland Park 954-772-5977 Jack’s 500 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park 954-567-9595 bbq-jacks.com
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Have You Seen the Wizard?
J.W. Arnold
jw@prdconline.com
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comedy Join gay humorist and author David Sedaris tonight at 8 p.m. in the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center in Miami for an evening featuring allnew stories and observations, along with several sneak previews into his newest book, “Theft by Finding,” to be released in June. Afterwards, the smart and sardonic author will participate in a frank and funny audience Q&A session. Tickets start at $45 at ArshtCenter.org.
FRI
4/21
arts The Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival opens tonight for three days of edgy, experimental theater and performance pieces at venues across downtown. Enjoy “Pillow Talk” at Stache or take a nostalgic, killer carpool karaoke ride through the ‘90s in the Scarevan with Madame PeeVira. Then catch a twilight jazz concert on the Broward College Plaza. For a complete schedule and tickets, go to FortLauderdaleFringe.com.
Saturday
4/22
theater
Fresh off of Broadway in his star turn as Lola in “Kinky Boots,” Todrick Hall makes his triumphant return to the Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th St. in Fort Lauderdale, for a command performance of “Straight Outta Oz,” his new “twister” on L. Frank Baum’s most classic creation, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” With over 20 original songs, Hall brings this American fairy tale to life. Tickets start at $27.80 at ParkerPlayhouse.com. Credit: Submitted photo. Photo Credit: x
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4/23 MON
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concert
theater
television
film
One Night of Queen, performed by Gary Mullen and the Works tonight at the Pembroke Pines City Center, 601 SW City Center Way, recreates the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of Queen and its flamboyant front man, Freddie Mercury. They’ll perform “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Are the Champions” and more. Tickets are $22.50 at PembrokePinesCityCenter.org.
Remember your first time? It’s Billy’s first visit to the bathhouse. He’s looking for love, but soon realizes the others there are looking for something a little more “temporary” and it isn’t a relationship. Tim Evanicki Productions presents “Bathhouse: The Musical,” tonight at 4 and 7 p.m. through April 30 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35 at BathhouseTheMusical.com.
Staying in tonight? Starting this weekend, you can stream the animated feature, “The Secret Life of Pets.” Have you ever wondered what your loyal companions were up to while you were away at work? Find out in this hilarious comedy. For the more serious viewers, “The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass Season 1 – 3” is also available. What will you be inspired to whip up tonight? View these programs and more at Netflix.com.
The World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, 1201 NE 26th St., Suite 111 in Wilton Manors, offers a special screening of the film, “Thicker than Blood,” tonight at 8 p.m. In this drama, a young man returns home for a family celebration after several years away and uncovers secrets, including an explosive revelation about HIV. Screening is free, but $5 donation is appreciated. More information at WorldAIDSMuseum.org.
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A&E film
MiFo LGBT Film Festival Opens This Weekend, Offers 27 Premieres J.W. Arnold
“Kept Boy” will receive its world premiere at the MiFo LGBT Film Festival, opening this weekend in Miami.
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he MiFo LGBT Film Festival opens its 19th season in Miami this weekend with two world, seven North American, six East Coast and 12 Southeast premieres. “We view ourselves as not only the largest cultural event each year in South Florida, but as an important festival that introduces films and artists to the LGBT film community,” festival executive director Victor Gimenez said. “We’re really at the vanguard.” The festival kicks off on April 21 at the historic Scottish Rite Masonic Temple on the Miami River with “Handsome Devil,” followed by the official opening night party, featuring filmmakers and talent. MiFo will also honor 2017 Angel Award recipients Carol Coombes and Jaie Laplante at the event. Ally Award winners Gloria and Emilio Estefan will be recognized at a special “Made in Miami” screening of “A Change of Heart,” featuring SNL alumni Jim Belushi, on Saturday, April 22 at the Regal Cinemas Miami Beach, where most of the festival screenings will be held. SFGN got a sneak peek at several of the featured films during the first week of the festival and here are our picks: “Handsome Devil” Friday, April 21, 8 p.m. Scottish Rite Temple John Butler, dir. Ireland, 95 min., 2016 In this sweet story, Ned, the loner, and Conor, the jock, are forced to share a dorm room at their rugby-mad boarding school. The pair form an unlikely friendship that forces them to reckon with questions of friendship, loyalty and self-interest. SFGN: These kinds of coming-of-age films are standard fare for LGBT film festivals, but “Handsome Devil” is fresh and reflects the changing attitudes and sensibilities of millennials and Gen Z youth toward homosexuality. “A Change of Heart” Saturday, April 22, 4:45 p.m. Kenny Ortega, dir. U.S.A., 105 min., 2017 After suffering a heart attack, a conservative
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Photo Credit: Breaking Glass Pictures.
Central Florida man (Jim Belushi) is saved by a transplant—but will his body accept a donation from a Puerto Rican drag queen? Ally Award recipients Gloria and Emilio Estefan will be honored. SFGN: This “Made in Miami” film also made the cut for the Miami Film Festival. Former SNL funnyman Jim Belushi offers a wrenching performance as an “everyman” who must confront his fears and prejudices, especially when his life hangs in the balance. “Signature Move” Saturday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. Jennifer Reeder, dir. U.S.A., 80 min., 2017 English and Urdu with English subtitles Zaynab is a beautiful thirty-something, Pakistani Muslim lesbian living in Chicago. She takes care of her recently widowed, TVobsessed mother who is desperate to find her daughter a husband. Then, Zaynab meets Alma, a strong Chicana woman. Who will win?
SFGN: We LOVE this film! Quirky and fresh, funny and authentic, “Signature Move” is a true 21st century LGBTQ love story. Fawzia Mirza and Sari Sanchez have real chemistry and Shabana Azmi comes close to stealing the show as Zynab’s determined mom. Best of the fest, so far. “Kept Boy” World Premiere Saturday, April 22, 9:45 p.m. George Bamber, dir. U.S.A., 90 min. 2017 Interior designer and reality show star Farleigh Knock has a knack for keeping beautiful things around his home— like Dennis. So, when Fairleigh gives him an ultimatum on his 30th birthday to get a job or get out, Dennis goes from kept boy to lost man. SFGN: Poor, aging boytoy Dennis is finally going to need to earn his keep or lose his Porsche and Saks charge card. For a
“comedy,” the humor in “Kept Boy” is never quite laugh out loud funny, but mostly of the schadenfreude variety. In the end, he gets what he deserves. “Cat Skin” North American Premiere Sunday, April 23, 3 p.m. Daniel Grasskamp, dir. U.K., 97 min., 2017 Seventeen-year-old Cat is a shy and troubled photography student. Her life is illuminated when her voyeuristic nature behind the camera lens sparks a chance encounter with a beautiful music student named April. SFGN: To say this girl has issues is an understatement! Apparently, sexuallyfrustrated young lesbians pleasure themselves just as much as gay men. “Catty” observations aside, Jodie Hirst gives an especially nuanced, compelling performance as Cat.
A&E film “Boys in Trees” Sunday, April 23, 9:15 p.m. Nicholas Verso, dir. Australia, 112 min., 2016 It’s Halloween 1997 - the last night of high school for Corey, Jango and their skater gang. When Corey encounters Jonah, a childhood friend now victimized by Jango, Corey takes pity on him and agrees to walk him home for old time’s sake. SFGN: We weren’t able to screen this film in advance, but we’re going to go out on a limb and recommend it. Not only do we love Australian boys with their accents, the entire LGBTQ thriller genre has made great strides in recent years. Check out the trailer at MiFoFilm.com. “Pushing Dead” Monday, April 24, 9:15 p.m. Tom E. Brown, dir. U.S.A., 108 min., 2016 The words AIDS and comedy are rarely used together. HIV positive writer and bouncer Dan Schauble struggles to refill his drug prescriptions after a bureaucratic snafu drops him from his health plan. SFGN: We loved this film last fall at the MiFo Fort Lauderdale festival and encourage Miami audiences—especially those who may be coping with the chronic inconvenience of HIV/AIDS—to check out this smart and darkly funny feature.
For a complete list of film screenings, festival parties and events and to purchase tickets, go to MiFoFilm.com.
“The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin” Southeast Premiere Tuesday, April 25, 7 p.m. Jennifer Kroot, dir. U.S.A., 90 min., 2017 This documentary examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose “Tales of the City” novels inspired millions to claim their own truth. SFGN: If you remember the groundbreaking 1994 “Tales of the City” miniseries on PBS, then you really need to see this documentary about the intriguing novelist who introduced an entire generation to the days when San Francisco was a mecca for gay men. “Rebels On Pointe” East Coast Premiere Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. Regal Cinemas South Beach Bobbi Jo Hart, dir. Canada, 90 min., 2016 Exploring universal themes of identity, dreams, family and love, this documentary celebrates the famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male, comic ballet company founded on the heels of the Stonewall riots. SFGN: The biggest misconception about the “Trocks,” is that they are a bunch of drag queens in tutus. No, these are serious artists, just with a little gender-bending twist incorporated into their clever performances. FYI – Some interviews and performances were filmed during performances at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse.
Regal Cinemas Miami Beach. Photo: Facebook.
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A&E entertainment TLC’s “The Long Island Medium,” Theresa Caputo will be appearing at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on April 22. Submitted photo.
‘Long Island Medium’ Makes Talking to Spirits Look Easy J.W. Arnold
I
f you’ve ever tuned into TLC’s hit reality series, “The Long Island Medium,” then you already know fast-talking Theresa Caputo makes talking to spirits in the afterlife look easy, but that’s not the biggest challenge she faces. “I make what I do look easy. I don’t know any different. What I had to learn is what the spirit wanted me to communicate, but the frustrating part is talking to the living, not the dead,” she explained in a phone interview. “I’m the first one to say what I do is crazy.” The living, she said, come to the encounter with all sorts of preconceived expectations and the spirits don’t always respond in predictable ways. When Caputo tries to translate the sometimes-obscure images and thoughts, the living frequently are left staring at back at her “like deer in the headlights.” “My gift changes every time I channel them. Every soul is different. There are so many ways people can die and we’re left with common burdens of guilt, but the relationships and bonds are different, the things we experience, every one experiences.” Caputo paused and then clarified, “…there’s no right or wrong way to grieve or honor your loved ones. Peace, love, joy and happiness, that’s what they like. We miss them terribly and want them back terribly. Through every breath that we take, they are living life through our eyes. They don’t want us to remember them sick or in pain.” Caputo recognized her gift at a young age, noting that she thought it was normal to see spirits at the foot of her bed. She said
the spirits most frequently “speak” with her about the issues that may be “holding them up” and tethering them to the physical world. And, when they do volunteer information, it’s frequently the clues they believe their loved ones “need, and not what they want.” On Saturday, April 22, Caputo will appear at the Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Resort and Casino in Hollywood. Over two-hours, she will walk around the audience at the venue and will share the messages from spirits of loved ones in the audience. “The only thing I have planned is I’m going to do my hair and my nails, put on a great dress and fabulous shoes, (and) everything else is left up to the spirits,” Caputo said. “I come out for a few minutes and talk about how spirits work in a big venue like this. There are only so many souls I can channel in a two-hour period. I don’t take a break or intermission. We’ll have a big screen set up and cameras that follow me around, just like on ‘Long Island Medium’ and I let the spirits guide me.” When asked how the spirits feel about sexual orientation and gender identity, Caputo responded frankly, “I’m gonna share this with you and my fans: Whoever decided what normal is? For me, normal is talking to dead people. When I embraced my gift, my soul, who God intended me to be, is when I felt complete. That’s what I encourage everyone. No one can tell you how to be happy. You’re responsible for your own happiness, but at the end of the day you’re the only one who knows what’s good for you and what God intended you to be.”
Theresa Caputo, “The Long Island Medium,” appears at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday, April 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets and more information at MyHRL.com.
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A&E art Bernadette Zizzo and Carlos Aleman. Photo Credit: Brittany Ferrrendi.
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ale. Female. That’s the gender binary. Now meet the artist who wants the world question it. As a straight cisgender man, Carlos Aleman opened up from his Asian-inspired art and wondered what creations he could make to support the LGBT community. And that’s how the “Androgynous” art series was born. The series includes drawings and paintings of models identifying as genderfluid, nonbinary or gender neutral. “I did not know what gender fluid was. I did not know what non-binary meant,” Aleman spoke about his time before the ‘Androgynous’ gallery. “Yes, there are masculine and feminine energies, but there’s this whole spectrum of mystery.” Aleman’s artwork is featured in Art Frenzie, an art gallery specializing in framing. The gallery has just hit its 20-year mark on Wilton Drive. The exhibit had a reception on March 18, which featured a contest where one spectator was chosen to win an original selfportrait valued at $1,500. “My artwork has been an exploration of painting and thinking about ‘What is gender? What is the spectrum? What about the people that are somewhere in between?’ And so this whole androgynous series came about.” Aleman’s message from his gallery is “ultimately love.” He also wants to educate people outside of the LGBT community by encouraging open minds. “It’s been said before that art sometimes is
designed to confuse people,” he explained. “When you're confused, you want answers. So you get drawn in and you start asking questions ... I want someone to see (the art) and at some level admit that what they are looking at is the depiction of a beautiful person. And once they get past that … then maybe some shift in consciousness is happening and their perceptions are alternating slightly.” Aleman finds his models on Instagram. He has models across the world from Malaysia, and Germany to Great Britain and more. He has only met one in person — Rune De La Vince, who came to the exhibit’s reception on March 18. With his work, Aleman hopes his audience will try to be more open minded. “Be open to experience and believe that being more open minded can lead you to better places and become a better person,” he said. Bernadette Zizzo, co-owner of Art Frenzie alongside her business partner Debbi Burke, originally nudged Aleman out of his comfort zone by welcoming him to the Frenzie family. “I find Carlos’s work very different,” she said. “It’s like a fashion show, and I think it speaks for itself. Sometimes I think images can speak louder than words.” Zizzo is currently working on bringing Aleman’s “Androgynous” art exhibit to other galleries in New York and Boston. “I think his work needs to be seen and heard. I think Carlos needs to be heard.”
If You Go: What: ‘Androgynous’ Art Exhibit Where: Art Frenzie, 2151 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors When: Ongoing Contact: 954-560-3684
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April 19 - april 25
Datebook
Theater Christiana Lilly
Calendar@SFGN.com
Top
Picks
Kinky Boots
Through April 23 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Charlie Price’s family shoe business is failing, until the eccentric Lola comes in requesting a pair of stiletto shoes. Tickets $27 and up. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.
Vivaldi 4: Nu Deco Ensemble and DecadanceTheatre
April 28 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Miami’s very own Nu Deco Ensemble is joined by New York City’s DecadanceTheatre for a hip hop revision of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” Tickets $28 and up. Call or visti ARshtCetner.org.
Bathhouse: The Musical
Through April 30 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Billy goes to a bathhouse for the first time on a mission to find love -- and quickly discovers that’s not quite what everyone else is there for! Tickets $35 to $50, use “Empire” for $10 off general admission. Call 888-202-1708 or visit BathhouseTheMusical.com.
broward county * Tower of Power
April 20 at 8 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. Take a step back to 1968 to the formation of Tower of Power and its influence on soul in San Francisco. Tickets $37.50 to $47.50. Call 954462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
* Aida
April 20 to May 7 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Aida, a Nubian princess, and Amneris, an Egyptian princess, fight for the affections of Radames. Tickets $52.50 and up. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
* Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival
April 21 to April 23 throughout Fort Lauderdale. Broward College’s third annual live theater event is the talk of the local art scene. Passes $27 to $47. Visit FortLauderdaleFringe.com.
* Neil Diamond
April 26 at 8 p.m. at the BB&T Center, One Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The Grammy Award winner celebrates 50 years on stage with a world tour. Tickets $20.75 and up. Visit TheBBTCenter.com.
Son
Through May 7 at Island City Stage, 2304 N Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. On the morning of his mothers’ wedding, the son of a lesbian couple discovers an accusation that tests their relationship. Tickets $35. Call 954-519-2533 or visit IslandCityStage.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
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Retiro
Through April 22 at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores. A part of the “Mujeres” series, the first segment is about aging as a woman, following the lives of women in Miami, Puerto Rico, and Quebec. Tickets $15 to $25. Call 305-751-9550 or visit MTCMiami.org.
Dry Powder
Marjorie Prime
Through May 7 at the Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main St. in Miami Lakes. Marjorie is deteriorating, much to the dismay of her daughter and son-in-law. However, a holographic duplicate of Marjorie’s husband keeps her memories alive. Tickets $30. Call 305-558-3737 or visit MainStreetPlayers. com.
Outdoor Music Series
Through April 23 at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. A comedy of the people behind the changing economy. Tickets $45 to $60. Call 305-445-1119 or visit GableStage.org.
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 305-375-3000 or visit PAMM.org.
* Death & Harry Houdini
The Big Show
April 26 to May 21 at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Hop on a ride that takes you through the life of the majestic and mysterious Harry Houdini. Tickets $50. Call or visit ArshtCenter.org.
Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. at Just the Funny Theater, 3119 Coral Way in Miami. A collection of comedy mixing the likes of improvisation and sketches. Tickets $12. Call 305-693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.
palm beach county They’re Playing Our Song
Through April 30 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. A composer teams up with an aspiring lyricist and as their work together grows, so does the relationship. Tickets $38. Call 561-5866410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.
Arcadia
Through April 30 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. Traveling through the 19th and 20th centuries, a mystery occurs at Sidley Park on the property of the Coverly family. Tickets $66. Call 561-514-4042 or visit PalmBeachDramaworks.org.
Free Friday Concerts
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.
* Denotes New Listing
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miami-dade county
#OrlandoUnited: Every week, SFGN will pay tribute to one member of our community who was lost in Orlando.
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Datebook
Community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com
Top Picks
We Are Everywhere and We Shall Be Free: Charles Hashim’s Miami 1977-1982
April 20 at 7 p.m. at Stonewall National Museum — Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. In this author event Hashim shares his photo book of how Miami became a small, conservative town to one of the booming LGBT capitals of the world. Suggested donation $5. Visit StonewallMuseum.org.
Street Photography: Candid Portraiture
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.
AIDS Walk Miami
April 23 at Soundscape Park, 400 17th St. in Miami Beach. Channel 7 News anchor Robbin Simmons leads the 5K benefitting Care Resource and Food for Life Network food bank. Visit AIDSWalkMiami.org.
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 954384-0344 or visit FISPOnline.org.
broward county * GLLN Happy Hour
April 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mind Your Manors, 2045 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Network with the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Network with drink specials and free appetizers. Free. Visit GLLN.org.
* Daughters of Katherine Johnson Event
April 22 at 2:30 p.m. Broward College North Campus’s Omni Auditorium, 1000 Coconut Creek Blvd. in Coconut Creek. An afternoon with Kathy and Joylette, daughters of Katherine Johnson, whose work at NASA inspired the film “Hidden Figures,” as well as entertainment by the Ethnotricity Dance Company. Visit NorthBrowardLinks.org.
* A Fashionable Lei: Fundraiser Brunch and Fashion Show
April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Pride Center,
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2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. A fashion show of men’s wear, from Pride Factory, H&H Closet, and True Blue. Tickets $50 benefitting the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus. Visit TheFTLGMC.org.
* Movie Series: Do I Sound Gay?
April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Stonewall National Museum, — Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Through interviews with gay icons, an exploration of the “gay voice” and if it really exists. Suggested donation $5. Visit Stonewall-Museum.org.
The Way We Worked
Through May 6 from noon to 8 p.m. at Art Gallery 21 at the Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, 600 NE 21st Court in Wilton Manors. The traveling Smithsonian exhibit comes to Wilton Manors, featuring videos, interviews, and photos from the last 150 years showcasing
April 19 - april 25 how Americans of all backgrounds work. Free. Call 954-661-4740, email artgallery21wcwm@ gmail.com, or visit http://bit.ly/2ko5Ahl.
Home: Documenting Our Home Life
Through May 7 at the Stonewall National Museum — Wilton Manors, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. An exhibition examining safe spaces and what we call home. Free. Visit Stonewall-Museum.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 954-765-6239 or visit LatinosSalud.org.
palm beach county Andrew Reid: Public Art/ Private Works Exhibition
Through May 20 at The Box Gallery, 811 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. Once he moved to South Florida, the illustrator has
made a name for himself as a large-scale artist and and one of the forefathers of the mural craze. Email PalmBeachFineArtGallery@ gmail.com
Women Musicians Through Time
Through April 28 at FAU’s Wimberley Library. 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. The exhibit explores the history of women in music with photos and sound archives spanning genres. Free. Call 561-297-0080 or visit FAU.edu.
Sue Latta Sculptures
Through April 30 at The Box Gallery, 811 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. The mixed media artist artist and her wife were co-litigators in one of the court cases fighting for marriage equality. Donations benefit youth programs at Compass GLCC. Visit TheBoxGallery.info.
Transcendence
Meets at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A closed transgender youth support group for teens ages 12 to 19. For more information, email youth@compassglcc.com.
Zumba Fitness
Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Get moving with a certificated Zumba instructor for an infusion of exercise and dance moves. Donation of $5 or more. Call 561-324-1626 or visit CompassGLCC.com.
miami-dade county * An Evening With David Sedaris
April 20 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The author is known for his observations and sarcasm in his books “Barrel Fever,” “Holidays on Ice,” “Naked,” and more. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
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. Tickets $45 to $75. 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.
Prayers For World Peace
Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist teacher, Todd Ellenberg will lead prayers and meditation. Cost $10. Call 786-529-7137.
key west Aqua Idol
Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Aqua Key West, 711 Duval St. in Key West. Support your local artists and vote for your favorite! Benefits Waterfront Playhouse. Call 305294-0555 or visit AquaKeyWest.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 Selzer law 1515 NE 25th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.4444 SelzerLaw.com law office of Shawn Newman 710 NE 26th St, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.563.9160 Shawnnewman.com
To place an ad in the Business Directory, call our sales team at 954.530.4970
attorney
dental
law office of Gregory Kabel 1 East Broward Blvd #700, Fort Lauderdale, 33301 954.761.7770 gwkesq@bellsouth.net
a&e
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
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
Island City Dental 1700 NE 26th Street, Ste. 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-564-7121 Islandcitydental.com
final arrangements Kalis-McIntee Funeral & Cremation Center
call us to reserve space!
2505 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-566-7621 Kalismcintee.com
sfgn.com
fitness
leitner training www.LeitnerTraining.com
In Home Therapeutic Exercise and Personal Training COMFORTABLY and PRIVATELY AT HOME One on One, Pairs or Small Groups
Specializing In: Alzheimer’s Hypertension Osteoporosis Gastric Bypass Cardiovascular Disease Sports Injuries Clinically Obese Diabetes Type I and II Mature Adults Multiple Sclerosis Cerebral Palsy Muscular Imbalances Corrective Posture Stability/Strength/Core 74
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Over 35 Years in the Health and Fitness Industry Experienced in clinical, field and academia National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer Corrective Exercise Specialist American Heart Association Basic Life Support Instructor (CPR) American College of Sports Medicine, Member University Department Chair and Professor of Sports Medicine/ Fitness/Exercise Science
954-290-6701 Rick Leitner, Master of Science Exercise Physiologist, Health Educator
financial services
furniture
health
health 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
professional services
WE’RE HERE FOR ALL YOUR
FINANCIAL NEEDS Taxes IRS Issues Accounting
Bookkeeping Small Business Advising
handyman 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
call us to reserve space! 954-667-9829 ACCOUNTING@STERLINGACCOUNTING.COM
2435 North Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305
florist
Income Tax Preparation •Individual •Small Business •Free Consultation Doug Turner, Enrolled Agent Best Books & Taxes, LLC 2201 Wilton Drive, Suite 4 bestbooksandtaxes.com
954-565-1041
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Business Directory To place an ad in the Business Directory, call our sales team at 954.530.4970 professional services
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Family Owned 20 + Years Experience Licensed & Insured References Senior & Veteran Discounts
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Call JOE - Operations Manager (954) 494-0366 Schedule a FREE Project Quote
restaurants Storks Bakery 2505 NE 15th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954.567.3220 Storksbakery.com
Blunt. IF WE IF WE
YOU NEED LEGAL HELP, CAN HELP. YOU NEED The LEGALLaw HELP,Offices of CAN HELP.
BEEFCAKES 1721 N Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 954.463.6969 boardwalkbar.com
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NORMKENT. COM 954.763.1900 COM Norm Kent & Russell Cormican THE CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW CENTER OF SOUTH FLORIDA NORMKENT.COM 954.763.1900
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retail
The Law Offices of
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW DEFENSE CENTERLAW OFCENTERSOUTH THE CRIMINAL OF SOUTHFLORIDA FLORIDA 76
J. Mark’s 1245 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954) 390-0770 Jmarksrestaurant.com
call us to reserve space!
Peace Pipe 4800 N Dixie Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954.267.9005 Facebook.com/peacepipefl
sfgn.com
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Business Directory To place an ad in the Business Directory, call our sales team at 954.530.4970 retail
real estate Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors & Oakland Park REMODELED homes:
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sports
Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., at 8:00 p.m.
Tennis Lessons at Hagen Park in Wilton Manors. Individual or group lessons. Call Robert 732-604-0362 for more information.
ONLY $15 PER PERSON! 954-630-8020 1408 N.E. 26th St. Wilton Manors, FL 33334
spirituality
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call us to reserve space! 78
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VOTED
call us to reserve space!
SFGN Classified$ To place a Classified Ad, call Tim Higgins at 954.530.4970 or email at Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com
accommodations APRIL SPECIALS FROM $595/WEEK PERFECT FOR VACATION & RELOCATION Beautifully Furnished & Fully Equipped Studio & One Bedroom Apartments w/Full Kitchens in Gay Tropical Resort Setting, Incl. Wi-Fi, free laundry, private parking, utilities, prem. cable. Central to Haulover Nude Beach & Wilton Manors. Located just south of the Airport in Historic Dania Beach. Longer term Monthly rates available for 3 months+ Stays. Pets Always Welcome. Call Joe or Jack at (954) 927-0090 or visit www. LibertySuites.com
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 954-522-3357 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 EMERALD IRISH CLEANING - Established for 30 years. 3 hours of cleaning for $75.00. Mention this ad and get $15.00 off the 75.00.Use time as you wish. English speaking *hand-scrub floors* Cleaning supplies included. Service guaranteed 954-524-3161’’
employment - full time EDUCATED/ARTICULATE/SAVVY - We are an international auto dealer specializing in purchasing new luxury vehicles for our overseas clients. Looking for well spoken, educated, successful and savvy individuals to assist with purchasing of these vehicles. Pay is great from $2-$5000 per unit for what is usually only five hours of your time. For further information please inquire and call 1-844-397-6785. To apply go to http://careers.fleetexport.com J. MARK'S Restaurant NOW HIRING - Line cooks (Saute, Grill, Salad), Servers, Front Desk & Busboys. Apply in person Mon - Fri: 1490 NE 23rd St, Pompano Beach or 1245 N Fed. Hwy, Fort Lauderdale CHEF WANTED - Tropics Restaurant in Wilton Manors is looking for a new chef. Searching for a competent, creative chef that understands the restaurant business. Must be able to run the line during busy shifts. Passion for food and a good attitude are a must. Holidays, nights, and weekends are required. Competitive wages. Apply in person at 2000 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. THE CLUB FORT LAUDERDALE NOW HIRING We are looking for a few good men to join our team. Verifiable customer service experience is required. MUST PASS A DRUG TEST. The position entails a LOT of cleaning during your shift. We are open 24/7, so you must have a flexible schedule. We offer competitive wages and excellent health benefits. Submit your application and resume to the front desk. 110 NW 5TH Ave Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311 – (954) 525-3344 www. clubft.com
licensed massage
MASSAGE BY DENNIS - $60 per 90 min-Out calls higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, manscaping available. All clients and Body types welcome, Reflexology and Feet. Couples Discounts. Delray Beach. 22 years’ experience. MA18563 Call Dennis 561-502-2628.
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
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.
sfgn.com painting GREGG'S PAINTING - I paint both interior and exterior. Great rates, free estimates. I am detailed-oriented, 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
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.
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
rentals fort lauderdale TROPICAL SINGLE FAMILY HOME - Won't Last Long 1489 sq. ft. 3 bedroom/2 bath. Cherry Wood/SS Kitchen. Bath with Jacuzzi Tub. Fenced yard with tropical setting and carport. Pet Friendly! $2300.00 F/L/S & background required. For more info contact Kimberly (Sky Beach Realty)@ 754-204-0535. EFFICIENCY IN CORAL HEIGHTS - Efficiency apartment in one story building with a separate fully functioning kitchen home appliances and cabinets, and separate bathroom off living area. Tile floors. Freshly painted. Off street parking. Water included. No Smoking, No Pets, Background check $50.00 application fee$630.00 1 yr lease Call 954-818-9012 OPEN HOUSE SUN. 4/23 12-4PM - Lushly landscaped and private on 35 acres 5/3/3 screened pool home. 4168 Cedar Creek Ranch Circle, Lake Worth, Owner/ Realtor 561-703- 5648 Offered at $569,900
sfgn.com real estate oakland park SLEEPY RIVER ACRES WATERFRONT HOME Come live in the best neighborhood in Oakland ParkThis 2 bedroom/ 2 bath home sits on two sides of the waterfront on an over 16,000 sq ft lot. Build your dream home surrounding $500,000 plus home or live comfortably in this one! $325,000 Brian Bedigian, PA Coral Shores Reality. 954-205-5275, realtorbrian@aol. com
real estate wilton manors UNITED REALTY GROUP - $149,900 2 bed 1 bath1 block to the drive. Low maintenance-NO RENTAL RESTRICTIONS! DUPLEX $349,000 Quiet street Both 2 bed 1 bath-Huge Yard Call for details Michael Tublin 561-703-5533
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HEALTH
AND
SEX BELONG TOGETHER
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COORDINATE Get tested together. And stay in sync. VISIT AND TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER
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