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DECember 5, 2012 • Volume 3 • Issue 49
The Unlikely Gay Mayor Life, love and death in pahokee Page 16 Supreme Court Still Silent on Same Sex Marriage page 6
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McNaught: Ex-Gay Meet Celebrate Ex-Con Are Gays page Mr. Gay page page page Art Basel Ex-Posed Too Gay? USA “A DAY WITH HIV” - A SPECIAL SFGN PHOTO SPREAD page 22-23
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Top 3 on SFGN.com By Sergio N. Candido
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Last week’s hottest items that couldn’t wait to be printed
2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943
Publisher Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com
LGBT Groups Slam Dr. Oz ‘Ex-Gay’ Episode
Chief Executive Officer Pier Angelo Guidugli
GLAAD, PFLAG and GLSEN condemn the TV show and its host Some of the most important LGBT advocacy organizations nationwide are voicing their discontent with the way Dr. Mehmet Oz presented “ex-gay” reparative therapy as possibly a valid treatment on his talk show.
During the show’s Nov. 27 episode, Dr. Oz invited Julie Hamilton, a representative of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, to weigh in in favor of the controversial method. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was quick to criticize the show for bringing in NARTH, an organization they
believe doesn’t have any credible basis to opine on the topic. The Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays shifted the blame on Dr. Oz, rather than the show’s producers, for not giving his outlook on the treatment during the show. For his part, Dr. Oz later wrote on his website that after doing some research
First Hispanic Lesbian Federal Judge
Editorial
Editor in Chief Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com
Managing Editor Gideon Grudo gideon.grudo@sfgn.com
Website Director Dennis Jozefowicz
Online News Director Sergio N. Candido sergio.candido@sfgn.com
Graphic Designer Mark Pauciullo
Arts/Entertainment Editor JW Arnold jw@prdconline.com
International Travel Editor Joey Amato
Business Editor Richard Gary
Sports Editor Ryan Dixon ryan.dixon@sfgn.com
Correspondents
Quiñones Alejandro could make history as the first out gay Hispanic federal judge Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro could become the first out gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench if the Senate confirms her. Quiñones Alejandro is among eight nominees by President Obama. She currently serves on the Philadelphia County Court of
Common Pleas and would ascend to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania if everything goes as expected. “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” Obama said of Quiñones Alejandro and two other nominees in a statement. “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to
Tony Adams Jesse Monteagudo Donald Cavanaugh Andrea Dulanto
justice.” According to the Human Rights Campaign, she is the eighth openly gay life-tenured federal court judicial nominee named by President Obama. The HRC reports that only one openly gay person had been confirmed to serve with lifetime tenure on the U.S. federal judiciary prior to the Obama Administration.
Contributing Columnists Wayne Besen Brian McNaught Leslie Robinson Dana Rudolph David Webb Michael Verdugo Ric Reily Victoria Michaels Calendar Editor Brian Swinford Editorial Cartoonists Karl Hampe Darryl Smith Staff Photographers J.R. Davis Pompano Bill Steven Shires
Richard Gray Back in Lauderdale With Tourism Gig By Staff
Hospitality executive Richard Gray has been appointed managing director for the LGBT Market for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. In his new position, Gray will be responsible for LGBT sales and marketing. “Richard has been one
of the most experienced and influential individuals in Greater Fort Lauderdale gay tourism and hospitality, and it is a great win for us to have him part of the team,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “For us the LGBT market is not a niche market but a market in its own right. With Richard’s background as both a local proprietor and advocate for LGBT travel and
Four More Quickies to Wake You Up •New Lead in Unsolved Transgender Woman Murder Police identified a “person of interest” in the killing of a Philadelphia trans woman
tourism in the region, we feel the timing is right to make this next important step for us and this destination.” Gray will serve as official representative for the LGBT market in Greater Fort Lauderdale, developing and implementing short and long-term strategic plans to increase meeting room nights and global travel and tourism. Gray was previously owner of The Royal Palms Resort & Spa.
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Read our daily stories at SFGN.com You can also find us on A Human Rights Campaign report says the city beats Miami and Fort Lauderdale’s LGBT rights Facebook: •Salvation Army Under Fire from LGBT Community SouthFloridaGayNews LGBT advocates urge holiday shoppers to stop donating to the anti-gay organization Twitter: @soflagaynews. •Stonewall President Brian Knicely Resigns
•Orlando Top City in LGBT Protections in Florida
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December 5 2012 • Volume 3 • Issue 49
Sales
Marketing Director John Fugate Sales Manager Mike Trottier Sales Associates Edwin Neimann Justin Wyse National Sales Representative Rivendell Media todd@rivendellmedia.com
South Florida Gay News.com is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers. They do not represent the opinions of South Florida Gay News.com, Inc., or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in SFGN. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in SFGN, both online at www.southfloridagaynews.com, and in our print edition, including articles used in conjunction with the Associated Press and our columnists, 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 of SFGN, 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©2012 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
Associated Press Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Argentina Could Lift Gay Blood Ban by 2013 By Sergio N. Candido
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rgentina’s Chamber of Deputies— the equal of the U.S. Congress— has passed a bill that would make it legal for gays and lesbians to donate blood. On Nov. 29, legislators approved a measure that would remove questions pertaining to a person’s sexual orientation from forms used by clinics and blood banks, the Gay Star News reports. One of the questions, for example, asks people if they’ve had sex with someone of the same sex in the past year. Those who answer “yes,” are not allowed to donate blood. The bill will go up before the Argentine Senate next year. “It seems unreal that
despite achieving marriage equality and passing a gender identity law, discriminatory practices continue to persist,” Esteban Paulón, president of Argentina’s LGBT Federation, was quoted by GSN as saying. Those against the change argue questions on sexual orientation are necessary to decrease the chances of blood contaminated with HIV/AIDS virus being donated. In the U.S., any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 is banned for life from donating blood. The federal policy was enacted in the 1985, when the risk of AIDS fromtransfusion was first recognized.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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s w s e N ief Br By Sergio N. Candido
Lesbian in Thanksgiving Attack Speaks Out
Mallory Owens, a 23-year-old from Mobile, Alabama, never thought she would get a broken nose, bleeding on the brain, crushed cheekbones, and skull fractures when she went to her girlfriend’s home for Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving night, 18-year-old Travis Hawkins Jr., brother of her girlfriend Ally, viciously attacked her. Doctors had to perform surgery and add metal plates to Owen’s cheekbones to reconstruct her face. It is still unclear whether the attacked was motivated by Owens’ sexual orientation. The victim now issued a statement as she
recovers slowly: “I was unconscious when the beating ended. I do not know what stopped him. I do know he has threatened to kill me before, he has attacked me with a metal pipe before, and on Thanksgiving Day he launched an unprovoked attack on me that left me unconscious, hospitalized, suffering horrific head trauma, severe injuries and in need of surgery and additional treatment.,” she said. “Since the attack, Travis Hawkins Jr. has been seen following my family and appearing at locations where they have gathered. He has threatened to finish me off. I believe as long as he is free on bond that my life continues to be in danger. Even beyond the physical harm, I am quite traumatized. I am afraid and I feel that I have been victimized repeatedly by the Hawkins family.” According to NBC15 , Hawkins was charged with second degree assault, but Owens and her family are pushing to upgrade the charges to attempted murder. An attorney for the Hawkins family previously denied the accusation that the attack was a hate crime. Owens has not revealed the reason why Hawkins attacked her. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin released a statement condemning the attack: “Living openly as an LGBT
person in America takes a tremendous amount of courage, and moments like this remind us of the obligation we have to continue creating safer environments –- particularly for vulnerable LGBT youth,” he said. “No one who is brave enough to be open and honest in their local community should ever fear for their well-being or personal safety.”
Parkinson’s Drug Turned Man into Gay Sex Addict
Drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease made a man go Ricky “Tank” Carder, Jr. is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland through a seven-year Browns of the National Football League rampage that included uncontrollable urges for gay sex and gambling, a French court ruled. British pharmaceutical corporation GlaxoSmithKline will have to pay 52-year-old What started off as a misunderstood joke Didiet Jambart $255,824 in compensations culminated with a homophobic slur by NFL for the side effects the drugs caused him, linebacker Tank Carder to comedy Twitter a Rennes city appeals court ruled, The account Because I’m a Guy. Independent reports. “@causewereguys... unfollowed your a Jambart, a married father of two, faggot for that,” Carder tweeted on Nov. 26 started taking Requip in 2003. Within two (the tweet has now been deleted). years, the man said to have developed an That’s when he started to get slammed by “uncontrollable passion” for gay sex and other Twitter users, to which he replied: gambling. The drug also made him attempt “@craigcraiglife I don’t agree with being suicide eight times, experiment with cross gay or lesbian at all, but saying faggot doesn’t dressing, and led him to sexual encounters make me a homophobe, it’s just a word,” in where Jambart was raped. another tweet that has now been deleted. Once he stopped taking the medication all The Cleveland Browns were quick to issue symptoms seemed to disappear, according to a statement distancing themselves from the AFP. Carder’s remark. “It’s been a seven year battle,” Jambart “These comments are certainly not is quoted as saying by the Mirror. reflective of the Cleveland Browns “GlaxoSmithKline lied to us and shattered organization, nor do we condone them in any our lives.” fashion,” Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis is The Mirror notes that that GSK knew “for quoted by CBS as saying. years” the drug had such side effects but only “We have spoken with Tank and have started warning people on the packages in made this very clear to him.” 2006. Carder has since apologized for using the “It’s not as though we’ve won the lottery. offensive word. On Nov. 30, the National This will never replace the years of pain,” Football League said they won’t publish the Jambart said. player.
NFL Player Tweets Word ‘Faggot’
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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NATIONAL NEWS
High court delay ‘not unusual’ We won’t be seeing SCOTUS taking same-sex marriage on yet By Lisa Keen, Keen News Service
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Of equal concern is how the court will eventually decide to take up the appeals of decisions from three U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal that have struck down DOMA as unconstitutional. The high court could potentially take none, but most legal experts say it is almost certain to accept one or more of the five cases. In a lesser visible case, the court has also been asked to hear a case from Arizona, Brewer v. Diaz, challenging a state law that bans equal benefits for gay state employees and their domestic partners. Gay legal activists are studiously resisting the temptation to speculate about the amount of time the court is taking to decide Photo courtesy of Justin Morgan
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he U.S. Supreme Court has once again delayed indicating whether it will hear one or more of ten petitions before it concerning same-sex marriage. Many legal observers expected to hear today (Monday, December 3) that the court refused to hear an appeal concerning Proposition 8 and an appeal concerning Arizona’s law banning equal benefits for the domestic partners of gay state employees. But when Monday’s Orders List appeared at 9:30 EDT this morning, neither those cases nor any of the eight petitions concerning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were on it. Later in the morning, the Supreme Court website indicated the justices have rescheduled –or “re-listed”—all ten petitions for its next scheduled conference meeting, Friday, December 7. Veteran Supreme Court reporter Lyle Denniston speculated recently that the announcement of a decision not to take up the Proposition 8 case could take longer than usual because some justices might be writing dissents from the court’s decision not to review the lower court decision. Four justices must agree to hear a case in order for it to be taken up for review by the Supreme Court. A decision not to take up the Proposition 8 case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, will mean that same-sex couples will again be able to obtain marriage licenses in California within just a few days – a major development legally and politically. Officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles have been actively preparing for what they expect to be thousands of samesex couples seeking marriage licenses, since November 2008 when a voter approved initiative amended the state constitution to stop allowing same-sex marriages in the state. It would also mean that California, the most populous state in the nation, would become the tenth state, plus the District of Columbia, to enable same-sex couples to marry. That adds up to 28 percent of the U.S. population living in a jurisdiction where same-sex couples can marry.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building
whether to take any of the cases. The justices were first scheduled to discuss the cases in conference in late September. That conference was re-scheduled for midNovember and then re-scheduled again for November 30. Ted Olson, part of the high-profile legal team that has been successfully challenging Proposition 8, said Monday that it’s “not unusual for complex cases to be re-listed,” or be discussed by the justices in more than one of their private conferences. The court could conceivably issue an Orders List on any of the cases this Friday, following its conference meeting, or on Monday as part of its routine Orders List issuance. The court’s calendar suggests that, if one or more of the cases is accepted for review, it will likely be argued in late March but could be argued as late as April 24.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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NATIONAL NEWS
Manning Challenge Lingers Pre-trial continues for gay army officer Bradley Manning in WikiLeaks case By Sergio N. Candido
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Photo courtesy of Manning’s lawyer, David Coombs
he preceding trial of Bradley Manning, a gay U.S. compressed split file,” he confessed to ex-hacker Adrian Army soldier who in 2010 was arrested for allegedly Lamo over an instant messenger chat that year. “No one passing classified information to whistleblower suspected a thing and, odds are, they never will. “[I] listened and lip-synced to Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ while website WikiLeaks, is currently taking place to exfiltrating possibly the largest data spillage in American determine if the charges against him should be dismissed. Manning is trying to prove the harsh treatment he received history,” he added. “Weak servers, weak logging, weak since his arrest, which included being confined 23 hours a physical security, weak counter-intelligence, inattentive day in a 6-by-8-foot cell with no windows and being forced signal analysis … A perfect storm.” He also told Lama he was leaking the classified information to sleep naked, was inhumane, The Associated Press reports. The U.S. Army, for its part, says the measures were because he wanted to expose the “almost criminal political back dealings.” necessary to prevent Manning from committing suicide. “Hillary Clinton, and several thousand diplomats around Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Jordan and Marine Master Sgt. Craig Blenis testified on Sunday, Dec. 2 in the sixth day of a pretrial the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning, and find hearing at Fort Meade, near an entire repository of Baltimore. classified foreign policy Jordan told defense is available, in searchable attorney David Coombs format, to the public,” that there was evidence Manning wrote. pointing to Manning Lama decided to contact contemplating suicide. He the U.S. Army and the cited a noose Manning had FBI because he thought devised out of a bedsheet Manning’s actions were while detained in Kuwait, dangerous to national and a letter saying he was security. “planning but never acting” “I wouldn’t have done in regard to committing this if lives weren’t in suicide. danger,” Lamo told Wired. “If someone tells me “He was in a war zone and they’re going to shoot basically trying to vacuum themselves in the face, I’m up as much classified not going to give them a information as he could, gun,” Blenis said as quoted and just throwing it up into by the AP on his defense the air.” of the actions taken by the It’s also been reported U.S. government. that Manning was angry Between 2009 and at the U.S. Army for 2010, the now 24-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” intelligence analyst sent a policy neglecting gays WikiLeaks 250,000 U.S. Bradley Manning from serving openly in diplomatic cables, 500,000 the military. DADT was army reports, and videos of the 2007 Baghdad airstrike and the 2009 Granai airstrike repealed after Manning was arrested. “I was kicked out of my home, and I once lost my job in what is known to be the largest security breach in U.S. [because I am gay],” he told high school senior Phim Her for history, according to RT.com. Manning is facing 22 offenses, including aiding the enemy Syracuse.com while rallying against Proposition 8 in front of and violating federal espionage and computer security laws. city hall in Syracuse, New York. At the time, Manning asked He could get life in prison if judges move forward with the his name remain anonymous for the interview. “The world is not moving fast enough for us at home, work, trial. A 2010 article by Wired reports Manning leaked most of or the battlefield.” Brad told her that, for him, the Don’t Ask, the secret files while stationed at Forward Operating Base Don’t Tell policy is the worst thing about being in the military. “I’ve been living a double life,” he said. Hammer, 40 miles east of Baghdad. The hearing on Manning’s confinement is set to resume on “I would come in with music on a CD-RW labeled with something like ‘Lady Gaga,’ erase the music then write a Dec. 5.
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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US NEWS
‘Stop Harming Our Kids’ By Lisa Keen Keen News Service
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.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco) announced Wednesday the introduction of a resolution aimed at stopping “reparative therapy” operations from preying on young gay people. The bill, dubbed the “Stop Harming Our Kids” (SHOK) resolution, seeks to express “the sense of Congress” that efforts directed at LGBT minors to change sexual orientation and gender identity or expression “are discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous and harmful.” The efforts to change sexual orientation are generally referred to as “reparative therapy” or “conversion therapy.” A reportedly small number of mental health care facilities purport that the practices can change a homosexual sexual orientation to heterosexual. Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological
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Association have raised concerns about the efforts, saying there is no sound evidence that the practices work but that there is evidence they can pose significant risks of self-destructive behavior to the client. “Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered is not a disease to be cured or a mental illness that requires treatment,” said Speier, at the press conference. “Any effort to change sexual orientation is not medicine, it’s quackery, and we should not be supporting it with taxpayer dollars.” Introduction of the bill comes less than two months after California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a first-ever bill to ban the use of reparative therapy on people under the age of 18. That law takes effect January 1. Speier’s bill does not seek to establish a legal ban but rather to put the weight of Congress behind the professional community’s determination that reparative therapy can be harmful to young people. Speier said she also hopes her resolution
High profile legal push against reparative therapy SEE RELATED STORY ON PAGE 13 will prompt other states to “take steps to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that homosexuality is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured.” Speier’s press conference took place just one day after the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a high-profile lawsuit against a reparative therapy group in New Jersey. The lawsuit was the subject of a number of mainstream media reports Tuesday, including on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 news magazine, with substitute host Wolf Blitzer. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court, accuses a Jersey City reparative therapy group of violating the state’s laws against consumer fraud. The lawsuit states that the group, Jews Offering New Alternatives for Homosexuality (JONAH), engaged in such practices as “violent role play exercises where they beat effigies of their mothers” and derided as “faggots” in mock locker room scenarios. The lawsuit also says the group’s clients, all young men, were “instructed to remove their clothing and stand naked” with a group counselor who was also naked in front of a group of other clients. Speier said Wednesday she is investigating whether federal taxpayer funds have been used to fund conversion therapy for minors. So far, she said, she has found two instances of “so-called mental health professionals that advertise these services and appear to be eligible for federal dollars.” She said she sent letters of inquiry to Medicaid and TRICARE (which provides health to the military and its families) “to determine if these instances reflect systemic weaknesses that allow federal taxpayer dollars to go to harmful, illegitimate medical services.” Speier will have to re-introduce her resolution next month after the start of the new session of Congress. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin issued a press statement praising Speier’s resolution and calling change therapies “junk science” that has “been
proven harmful to children and adults.” As of deadline Wednesday, the only cosponsors identified were Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and and openly gay Rep. David Cicilline (D-RIs.). Joining Speier at the press conference were representatives of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Center for Lesbian
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier
Rights, and the Human Rights Campaign. NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell said her group is committed to working with Speier and state legislatures “to ensure that no young person is subjected to these dangerous practices and that no parent is deceived by therapists who falsely claim to be able to change a child’s core identity.” “Every child deserves acceptance and support,” said Kendell, “and families deserve honest, accurate information about how to protect their children.”
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
LOCAL NEWS
Annual Wilton Manors Holiday Celebration Local music, food, and vendors at Jaycee Park By Regina Kaza
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he City of Wilton Manors is lighting a Christmas tree, Menorah and Kinara at the annual Holiday Lighting Celebration Dec. 6 at Jaycee Park, located on Wilton Drive and 21 Court. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m visitors can enjoy food, vendors, and performances from local artists. Wilton Manors has been throwing this event for over nine years and usually reels in a crowd of families and members of the community, according to Wilton Manors recreation coordinator Mary Jo Rutledge. “It’s a kick off into the holiday season and promotes holiday spirit,” Rutledge said. City commission
members will give a few speeches before the ornaments are lit and three to four local artists will perform. The line up includes the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, Church of the Holy SpiritSong, Craig Strang and Ben Bagby, and David Meulemans. Wilton Manors Elementary after school program choir also performs every year, according to Rutledge. “Some of them performed with us in the past,” she said. “They’re all professional singers and performers but they’re also volunteers.” For more information call the City of Wilton Manors Leisure Services (954) 390-2130.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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LOCAL NEWS
Toys For Everyone Photo and story by Dori Zinn
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ith more than a dozen locations across Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park, the 7th Annual Judy Shepherd Toy Drive looks to collect 1,000 toys for underprivileged kids in two weeks. Through Dec. 16, the Pride Center, Women With Pride, SAGE and Women in Network are sponsoring the toy drive, which began in 2005, and will be collecting unwrapped toys at restaurants, banks, and even a barbershop for Thurgood Marshall
Elementary. On Dec. 2, the toy drive kicked off at Gelato Station in Wilton Manors, which is also a toy drop off location. The event raised more than $150 and 200 toys. Each person who donated a toy received a free scoop of gelato. On Dec. 13, the Miami LGBT Visitor Center will hold the 3rd annual HoliGay Toy Drive. Sponsored by the Miami-Day Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the MDGLCC Foundation, Inc., 42 Below vodka and BeachWitch.com, the event offers
Unwrapping Hope for the Underprivileged
complimentary cocktails and a visit from Santa. Last year, the toy drive collected more than 400 toys. Admission is free with an unwrapped toy donation. Toys will be given out to local children and families through the Miami Beach Police Department’s Children’s Holiday Relief Fund. To RSVP for the HoliGay Celebration & Toy Drive, email karen@gogaymiami.com, or call (305) 397-8914.
Drop Off Some Toys! Drop boxes for the Judy Shepherd Toy Drive can be found throughout Fort Lauderdale,Wilton Manors, and Oakland Park at:
• The Pride Center • FastPrintz • Eco Friendly Automotive • New Moon Bar • Bank United • Best Buy (Davie) • Best Buy (Federal Hwy FTL) • Best Buy (17 St. CSWY) • We Got The Beats • Starbucks (Wilton Manors)
The Gelato Station in Wilton Manors handed out free scoops of gelato to anyone who donated a toy at the 7th Annual Judy Shepherd Toy Drive on Dec. 2.
• Rosie’s Bar & Grill • Sidelines • Grateful Palate • Mojo’s Barbershop • Nuts About Yogurt • Gelato Station • Wells Fargo
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
NATIONAL NEWS
Jewish Group Accused of ‘Ex Gay’ Lies Reparative Therapy Leader an Ex-Con; Uncovered in 2010 SFGN Expose’ By Norm Kent
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ast week, Jews Offering New Alternafirst amendment rights to freedom of speech. tives for Healing (JONAH), a group Meanwhile, the pleadings in the litigation acthat offers conversion therapy to cuse JONAH of utilizing shocking techniques gays, was sued for fraud last week in to reach their goal of conversion therapy. New Jersey state court. Specifically, the participants in the JONAH’s operator and founder Arthur program were required to strip nude during Goldberg first came to national attention in sessions, intimately hold other males, and February of 2010 when the South Florida spend more time with other nude males in Gay News and Truth Wins Out did a joint health clubs and bathhouses, “in order to be investigative report exposing him as a nude with father figures.” One of the JONAH convicted felon and disbarred attorney who ‘life coaches’ also named in the suit, Alan had pled guilty to Downing, was federal and wire also accused of mail fraud charges encouraging the in a phony bond plaintiff to lie scheme. naked and touch While Goldberg their penis and protested those buttocks. past deeds were The reparative irrelevant to his therapy methods current business, used by many of SFGN showed these clinics are the lengths he so offensive and went to conceal discredited that his corrupt acts. earlier this year The Associated California passed Press reported a law banning Arthur Goldberg this week on the them for clients present lawsuits under age 18. by three plaintiffs who allege that JONAH has Governor Jerry Brown went as far as to call been using discredited conversion therapy the procedures “quackery.” According to the tactics to “cure homosexuals.” They are askSouthern Poverty Law Center, there are still ing that JONAH’s business license be revoked about 70 conversion therapists practicing in for violating the New Jersey Consumer Fraud 20 states. Act, seeking cash damages as well. JONAH’s leader, Arthur Goldberg, is 72. He “This is the first time that plaintiffs have did 18 months in federal prison, starting in sought to hold conversion therapists liable in 1989, for his fraud conviction. Revealed in the a court of law,” said Samuel Wolfe, a lawyer SFGN expose, the pre-trial report submitted with the Southern Poverty Law Center, talkto the court for sentencing purposes accused ing to CNN. him of “conspiratorial fraud of spectacular Three male plaintiffs contend they were scope,” alleging he was “knowingly and willdefrauded by JONAH’s claim that “being gay fully dishonest.” Meanwhile, he stands by his is a mental disorder” that could be reversed philosophy that all gays “can readapt from by conversion therapy -- “a position rejected their gender deficiencies” with reparative by the American Psychiatric Association four therapy. decades ago,” the lawsuit said. The SFGN expose of JONAH was covered in The lawsuit also alleges that the methods the national press and can be accessed on our do not work and shouldn’t be marketed. website at http://bit.ly/cm7CfA JONAH’s Arthur Goldberg replied that the suit is “meritless”, arguing that it chills his
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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LOCAL NEWS
Gen Silent
LGBT documentary that focuses on gay seniors returns for screening in Wilton Manors
By Ryan Dixon
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or nursing homes. In 2010, a national survey by a coalition of gay and nursing home residents’ civil groups, polled over 700 gay seniors, family members and care providers. Among them, 43 percent reported 853 cases of mistreatment. One fourth of those mistreatment cases stemmed from abuse from other residents. The goal of “Gen Silent” was to bring the
ack by popular demand, the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary “Gen Silent” returns to the Pride Center in Wilton Manors on Dec 11, for a special screening at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. “Gen Silent” is about LGBT seniors and their struggle with obstacles of being elderly and gay. The film follows six gay seniors and asks, “Are you willing to hide your lives to survive?” The film showcases how seniors in the LGBT community have to face an even larger hurdle by possibly putting themselves back in the closet for fear of abuse or other discrimination inside of assisted living facilities
issues gay seniors face into the open for the very first time. “Gen Silent” shows a wide range in the quality of senior care – from those who are trained and try to make LGBT seniors feel safe, to the complete opposite end of the spectrum where LGBT seniors face discrimination, neglect or abuse. This documentary discovers oppression in the years before the Stonewall riots now leaves many LGBT seniors afraid and dangerously isolated. The greatest generation in our community is dying prematurely because they don’t ask for help or have too few people in their lives to help keep an eye on them. For more information on the film please visit StuMaddux.com/GEN_SILENT.html
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
15
COVER STORY
‘Ma’am, he’s dead’ I
t’s been a long time since Raymond Hamilton has gone to church. So when he shows up at the pew last February, friends and neighbors are puzzled. As it were, the mystery doesn’t last for long. Hamilton dies two days later. His friends realize he had come to church that day to say goodbye. Hamilton left behind his partner of 21 years — JP Sasser — the openly gay, fourthterm mayor of a small town called Pahokee. SFGN sat down with Sasser to find out what’s it like to be out and in politics, what’s it like living in a small, rural town on the western edge of Palm Beach County, and what’s it like to have shared a life with — and have lost — a best friend and partner.
A southern town
JP Sasser was born and raised in Pahokee, the population of which was under just under 6,000 in 2000 and dropped to 5,649 by 2010. The entire city spans a little over five square miles, most of it laid out in open expanses of land. It sits on the southeastern edge of Lake Okeechobee. Sasser is white. And he’s gay. He’s of medium height and has a strong build, has a pronounced jawline and short white hair. His voice is deep when it needs to be, as he yells across the auto shop he manages. It’s softer when he recounts his youth. He looks and sounds like he could be living in Miami proper. But JP Sasser thinks that Pahokee is one of the best places on Earth. As of the 2010 census, over half the city’s population was black, a third was Hispanic and under ten percent was white. More than a quarter of the population is living below the poverty level. But these numbers may mean something most wouldn’t expect, Sasser noted.
16
“I had to leave Pahokee to experience antiSemitism,” he said with a slightly southern accent. When he asked his mother one day what’s the difference between a Christian and a Jew, her response was that Christians go to church on Sunday and Jews go to synagogue on Saturday. “That did me up until I was 25 or so,” Sasser said, laughing. Growing up, he was surrounded by a lot of lesbians, too. “I look back at my childhood and growing up and think, ‘It doesn’t get much better than this,’” Sasser said. “People think that
A gay mayor’s 21-year relationship, its tragic end & everything else along the way
Story and Photos by Gideon Grudo
Two southern boys
He spent almost a decade in Wellington before returning home to take over the family business, which had settled down in Pahokee during the 40s. After his return home, Sasser met Raymond Hamilton. It was 1991. They were both “southern boys,” Hamilton having grown up in Pascagoula, Miss. This, Sasser said, made the two a natural fit. “The first few years — it doesn’t get any better than that. The rest of the time, it takes a lot of time and effort, and a real commitment,” Sasser said. “When two people are committed, you tough it out.”
I look back at my childhood and growing up and think, ‘It doesn’t get much better than this. People think that because you’re in a small town, you’re less intelligent. Wrong. Instead, in a small town, you get to really know people. That changes everything. You actually had the opportunity to get to know your neighbor. because you’re in a small town, you’re less intelligent. Wrong. Instead, in a small town, you get to really know people. That changes everything. You actually had the opportunity to get to know your neighbor.” To exemplify the diversity, Sasser reminisced to the interesting dinners he had at his neighbors’ house, the couple being a Turkish-Cuban and a full-blooded Cuban, both of whom were Jewish. “It’s not ignorance. It’s knowledge. You know your neighbor, which doesn’t happen in big cities,” he said. “You learned to like neighbors or dislike them on their character and not about anything else.” Sasser left the city for college, and would later join the Peace Corps.
Both coming from supportive families, they didn’t have too many problems as their relationship progressed. But Sasser takes it further, claiming that homosexuality isn’t that big a deal in a small town — because it’s a small town. “It’s a community where I was born and raised, where people have known me my entire life,” he said. “I also don’t fit the stereotypical view that a lot of people have. By far, 95 percent of the people out here basically look at you as a person, an individual.” Sasser argues that in large cities, blind stereotypes perpetuate themselves since the accusers live in a vacuum where they never know the “offender” they’re
condemning. Since it’s impossible to do this in a community as intimate as Pahokee, he thinks tolerance is pervasive across many small towns. He’s a member of the First United Methodist Church of Pahokee, where he was born and christened. “I’m very loved at that church,” he said and then chuckled. “Even though I don’t go enough.” Methodists tend to be more liberal, Sasser said. The foundation of their worldview is to propel people to be more Christ-like. “In religion now, everyone’s taking Christ out of Christianity,” he said. As time passed, Sasser and his sisters would slowly sell off different pieces of the business. One sister moved away. Another retired. But Sasser himself wasn’t prepared to rest for long. “When you live in a small town, where you grew up, where you’ve seen a lot of things, you feel you can make a change,” he said. So when he and other residents of Pahokee felt that the city’s lake presence was being “squandered,” Sasser decided to go into politics. It took him two years of hard work, but in 2002 he was elected mayor and would continue to serve three consecutive twoyear terms.
‘Don’t vote for the faggot’
It’s not surprising that the mayor of a city on the coast of Lake Okeechobee is most proud of a marina project he was behind. It was the reason he ran for the position in the first place. In a mixture of local, state and federal agencies working together, the city was able to put effort into increasing its marina and campground. Pahokee was also the only city in Palm Beach County that had a combined middle
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
and senior high school when Sasser took over. He changed that, using the same technique of working together he’d used with the marina, Sasser said. Other notable accomplishments are cleaning up corruption and recovering from 2005’s nasty hurricane, a successful effort he attributes to the strong community in Pahokee — another affirmation to him that smalltown living is the only kind of living. “He’s been sort of the cheerleader, he was at the forefront of the marina project,” said Derrek Moore, the city manager in Pahokee, which put in about $11 million into improving the area. “It’s the jewel of the city and will be the key to turning the economy around here in the near future.” When people come visit the city, Sasser’s able to run lectures about the history of the city. Having grown up there, Moore argued, gives the mayor a distinct knowledge of not only the underbelly of the city, but also all of its inhabitants. “He really has an understanding of the people — all the people. He’s white, but he has a very close relationship to the blacks in the community,” Moore said. “He’s very accessible. He knows how to get around and get things done, more so than anyone I’ve seen.”
When Sasser found out he was one of the few openly gay mayors in the country, he was proud. “Life is hard enough as it is. Lies require a lot of energy and fuel to maintain,” he said. “That energy needs to be focused on things that are good. The truth is just easier.”
“More and more people are coming out. Positive role models are helping us. Every time a celebrity or a politician comes out who’s living a normal life, everyone’s going, ‘Well, gee, they’re not in their g-string on a float,’” he said. “It makes people realize we’re like everyone else.” And that’s just part of the reason Sasser signed the Mayors for Marriage pledge, a campaign that lets mayors around the country show their public support for samesex marriage. “There needs to be marriage between two committed people that grants them equal rights to anyone else who’s married. No one can give a sane argument against it — especially when you look at the state of marriage.” Sasser is currently serving his fourth term as mayor, a term which ends in March 2013.
They literally rode around town with bullhorns and cars saying, ‘Don’t vote for the faggot.’ Moore, who moved to Pahokee in 2007 to take his post, said that Sasser’s orientation never really mattered during his tenure. “I’ve enjoyed working with the mayor,” he said. “He’s a fine man.” Asked why other mayors may stay in the closet, Sasser said it’s all-political. “If you’re a politician, on a certain level, you’re a whore. You’re trying to be all things to everybody — which isn’t possible,” he said. “People naturally don’t like change. But I am what I am.” Of course, being what he is wasn’t so easy when he was running for mayor during the turn of the century. In his opinion, most of the people who were opposed to his election were opposed to his platform, which he’s fine with. The fact that he was gay, however, was used as ammunition against him. “It wasn’t like, ‘We don’t want a faggot mayor.’ It was like, ‘We don’t want this mayor. Oh, and by the way, if we can tell everyone he’s a faggot to keep him from being elected, that’s what we’re gonna do,’” Sasser reminisced. “And that’s what they did. They literally rode around town with bullhorns and cars saying, ‘Don’t vote for the faggot.’” While Sasser didn’t want to disclose the names of any of the players in what he called dirty politics, he did say that the person mainly on top of it did approach him after the election to apologize. His platform of revamping the city’s lakefront properties and cleaning house were the main reasons people wanted to keep him out of office. Being gay wasn’t that high on their list.
Dying in Pahokee
As of early 2012, Sasser and his partner Raymond Hamilton had been together for 21 years. They were not married since it’s illegal — and probably wouldn’t be married even if it were legal. Hamilton was opposed to gay marriage. “He just thought it wasn’t right for two men to be married — that it’s between a man and a woman,” Sasser said. Regardless, they lived together and shared everything, as if they were married. Hamilton had lost his mother to cancer when she was 42 and he just a teenager. In 2011, a cancer he’d already beat in his younger years came back, which the couple actually anticipated. “Since his first time with cancer was very textbook and everything worked out beautifully, we were just assuming that we’ll do that all again,” Sasser said. But the chemotherapy had absolutely no effect. “When the doctor told me [Hamilton] had less than six months to live, it was real rough,” Sasser said, lowering his voice. “Every single member of my church and friends always offered help.” As the end peaked its head around the corner, Hamilton stopped eating suddenly — a far cry from his usual appetite. He stopped moving and he stopped caring — a far cry from his routine. “He was an extremely strong man,” Sasser said. “He was never bed-ridden.” On a normal Tuesday in February, Hamilton was calling Sasser all day JP Sasser is the mayor of Pahokee, a small town on the western edge of Palm Beach County. His 21-year relationship with partner Raymond Hamilton ended on Feb. 21 when Hamilton passed away. The openly gay mayor sat with SFGN to long, reminding him of groceries
to pick up and errands to run. Sasser’s sister was at the house, watching over Hamilton. She called Sasser to tell him she had an appointment that afternoon, and asked to coordinate so Sasser could be home in time for her departure. She lives behind Sasser. “The minute I opened the gate, I saw [Hamilton] was in distress. I immediately called 911,” Sasser said. “I was, of course, hysterical. They were trying to calm me down.” The paramedics came in and asked Sasser for Hamilton’s DNR papers. Sasser also had a packet prepared by the hospice workers, one designated to give to paramedics in case of an emergency. But it’s a small town. These papers weren’t just papers. The paramedics knew Sasser. They knew Hamilton. “Needless to say, you had a bunch of grown men in not-good shape.” They took Hamilton to the hospital. Sasser got dropped off at the entrance and headed in through the front door. The receptionist told him they wouldn’t let him in until they got everything situated. He wasn’t, after all, family. He didn’t take that sentiment well, but calmed himself down and said to the nurse, “Ma’am, he’s dead.” Then Sasser walked into the ER, ignoring
More and more people are coming out. Positive role models are helping us. Every time a celebrity or a politician comes out who’s living a normal life, everyone’s going, ‘Well, gee, they’re not in their g-string on a float. It makes people realize we’re like everyone else. the nurse calling after him. When a sheriff showed up, Sasser thought the receptionist called the police on him. He got riled up again, thinking of the things he’d say to the nurse. Instead, it was a cop who knew Sasser, who came to express condolences. Then more officers showed up. Then other people showed up. And then more. Sasser teared up while reminiscing and looked away for a moment, then whispered, “It was nice.” Raymond Hamilton died on Feb. 21, 2012 from colon cancer. “If a couple is in any type of a committed relationship,” Sasser said, choking up, “they deserve rights.”
tell his story of love, life and death.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
17
Off The Wall
I Wander as I Wonder By Piero Guidugli
I
t could be age or a self inflicted mental bypass but Christmas always finds me unprepared. Yesterday was Labor Day tomorrow and then it’s December 25. The holiday of love and peace turns predictably into a nightmare. Shopping for the usual useless crap for known and unknown members of the nuclear, and not so clear, family; cocktail parties and dinners with friends, clients and boring office parties. I feel like a hand grenade ready to explode, while my partner glides happily thru it all in search of the ultimate tree ornament. A Norway spruce hung with colored balls and silver strings woven through its branches does not make me want to rock. The Salvation Army should give each donor a complimentary Xanax before the zombies go thru the revolving doors of the mall. After all, Christmas tops the list of our
sources of stress, ahead of mourning, divorce and moving. Rather than a religious holiday Christmas is a symbol. A potpourri of perennial rebirths and hopes, from no future to a new future. The Gospels’ tales surrounding the birth of Jesus are myths, not facts. They are based on the early Christians’ desires and dreams for redemption and freedom. We still have no idea from where we come from or where we are going and therefore we cling to the constant hope of rebirth. Or is it a false sense of nostalgia? Of a past, remote and not so remote, that someone is trying to contraband as religious history? Nowadays Christmas is a holiday in search of its soul. It is drowning in the capitalist shopping frenzy of mindless commercialism and consumerism at all costs. Good Friday has been replaced by Black Friday. And even though everything about the season seems
to me a fake it is all happening. And so, rather than fighting it, I relent and go along with it, putting on the obligatory merry face for the day. There are signs the economy might actually be on the path of rebirth itself. Therefore, instead of preaching austerity, I decided that Republicans need a little cheering up. To that end I compiled a list of possible gifts that might help them get over the November 6 hangover. They are still in denial of the fact that the Good Old Nasty Party has been reduced to a black hole of Caucasian traditionalism: white, married, churchgoing, racists, misogynists, redundant demagogues and homophobes with an advanced knowledge of God’s will the rest of us simply have not developed yet. They could make the Taliban proud.
Here is the Republican’s Wish List for the 12 Days of Christmas:
1
The Jesus Toaster: 2-slice toaster that burns the image of The Messiah on your daily bread.
8
A documentary DVD, in Braille, of Paul Ryan’s attempt at learning math.
A replica of the Dolce & Gabbana’s burka Rick Santorum bought for his wife while he was campaigning for President.
9
A donation to American Crossroads, a multifaceted organization that raised massive amounts of money ($ 300 mil) in order to get Mitt Romney elected to the presidency.
10
Fox Network slow motion video replay of Karl Rove’s meltdown when Fox called Ohio – and thus the election -- for Obama.
11
An actual log cabin, useful to plot secession, for the new Confederate States of Amerwrecka Oh I almost forgot: …and a partridge in a pear tree. Whatever that is. Merry Christmas
12
Your own time share right wing Congressman. You keep it for a week and during that time he will vote on anything you like and will veto any bill you do not approve of. Michele Bachmann comes to mind.
2
Your own second hand Senator from any southern state. It comes complete with armchair on wheels and can be paraded during secession dinner parties. He amuses guests by suddenly waking up if anybody says “Gift-from-God-rape”.
3
FBI and CIA files that can be downloaded for free. 3000 pages of correspondence @gmail.com between General Petraeus and Pussy Galore.
4 5
Brand new dollar bills with the caption: “In Glock We Trust” or “Glock Bless America.”
The Kindle edition of Donald Trumps’ autobiography. It is a fast read. It contains three words only: “I, Me, Mine”.
6 7 18
Radio for the deaf with only one station broadcasting Rush Limbaugh’s ramblings 24/7.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
ChamberChat LGBT Visitor Center hosts 3rd Annual Holigay Celebration and Toy Drive Monthly Column From The MDGLCC
By Karen Brown, Executive Director of LGBT Visitor Center
T
he LGBT Visitor Center (Sponsored by MetLife), located at 1130 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, is aglow in Holiday attire with lights, wreaths, trees and more. You know what that means: The Holigay Celebration and Toy Drive is coming! “Don we now our gay apparel” and get to the LGBT Visitor Center for the 3rd annual “HoliGay Celebration & Toy Drive,” Thursday, Dec. 13, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free with the donation of an unwrapped toy which will then be distributed to local families in need through the Miami Beach Police Department’s Children’s Holiday Relief Fund. The HoliGay Celebration & Toy Drive is sponsored by the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MDGLCC), the MDGLCC Foundation, Inc. (LGBT Visitor Center), 42 Below Vodka and BeachWitch.com. “Last year’s toy drive was an overwhelming success thanks to the generous outpouring of donations from the LGBT community and our allies,” said Steve Adkins, president of the MDGLCC. “We’re really looking forward to turning the LGBT Visitor Center into Santa’s workshop again this year.” Speaking of Santa, the jolly old elf himself will be making a special guest appearance at the event, which will also feature Sobe
Jewelry selling a special edition Pride ring with proceeds benefiting the LGBT Visitor Center. Complimentary cocktails and a great food buffet will be served against the backdrop of DJ Sayho playing holiday and contemporary favorites on our outside terrace. In other news, recently the LGBT Visitor Center and MDGLCC hosted the first stop on a nationwide tour of employment
opportunities recruitment by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency): “LGBT CIA Stories”. There was a reception attended by OUT CIA Officers and members of the Agency Network for Gay and Lesbian Employees (ANGLE), an outreach support
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
group providing internal networking support, awareness, and education to the overall Agency regarding issues related to sexual orientation and the workplace. Efforts are geared toward fostering the principles of diversity and creating opportunities for information sharing and open discussion at all levels of the Agency. At the event, where approximately 60 LGBT community members and various media outlets (Miami Herald, America TV, NPR, Univision, NCB / Telemundo) were in attendance, guests were afforded the opportunity to not only speak with the Officers on a one-on-one basis, but to the CIA’s recruiter who was also present. The CIA was met with overwhelming support by the crowd and left a lasting and positive impression on all those who attended. For more information go to www.cia.gov for job opportunities with the Agency. Lastly, the LGBT Visitor Center recently launched its “Season of Giving” capital campaign in October in an effort to further strengthen and solidify the programs and offerings at the Center. At the announcement of the campaign event, Miami Beach residents Ray Breslin and Patrick Pecoraro Jr. stepped up immediately with a $1,000 donation! The campaign will continue through Jan. 23 where we look forward to reaching our goal of $20,000. Your contribution in support of the LGBT Visitor/ Community Center through the MDGLCC Foundation will be tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Any contribution received will help to ensure this safe space continues to act as a resource for the many incredible organizations that we work with. To donate, please go to www. gogaymiami.com/ donate. On behalf of the LGBT Visitor Center and all of our staff and volunteers, we wish you a very Happy Holiday Season! For more information on the above mentioned initiatives, on the LGBT Visitor Center activities and programs or to become a donor member of the MDGLCC, please contact us at 305-397-8914, karen@gogaymiami.com or www.gogaymiami.com
19
McNaught’s Notes
Are Some Gay People Less “Gay”?
20
significant inroads that gay Democrats could never make among Republicans. Do we wish they had endorsed Barack Obama? Yes, but they couldn’t do so and be true to their identity. Are they less “gay?” No, but gay marriage isn’t as important to them as other issues. How do you respond to family members
But those whose focus is primarily their race and gender rarely have the time or the inclination to give attention to gay issues. In that way, they are like gay Republicans, and the family members of some gay people. I got an email message a couple of days ago from a prison guard in a deep red southern state. He asked for help in being a better ally at work. He explained that he had been raised by a Southern Baptist minister who used the word “queer” from the pulpit. But at work, he met a lesbian woman who asked him to do some work on her home. He spent many hours with the lesbian colleague and her spouse, and because of his affection for them, he found himself rejecting everything he had been taught by his father and his religion. His lesbian friend died tragically in a car crash, but that loss didn’t stop him from signing up at work to be the contact person for LGBT issues. His encounter with a loving, self-affirming lesbian changed his primary identity as the son of a Baptist preacher. Our primary identity can change, and with it our priorities. My answer to the question of what we do with gay Republicans is to acknowledge to ourselves that they may have different primary identities than I might, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t care about gay liberation. In their own way, they are making
that aren’t supportive? Realize that your family isn’t the Bravermans or the Waltons, that you will probably never get from these people the full support of gay issues that you hope to have, and that your friendship with them will always be limited by the different ways you and they identify themselves. It’s okay to say, “I’m disappointed that you don’t seem to be as happy for me as I hoped you’d be.” It’s also okay to spend less time with them. And how do we build bridges of support between white gay people and straight people of color or people with disabilities? Be open, like the prison guard in the Bible Belt, to meet people who will change your life perspective, and broaden your identity to include them. We can talk at length on why all of our issues are related, but it’s usually not until we have someone in our life who is different from us that we change the way we think. Brian McNaught was named “the godfather of gay diversity training” by The New York Times. He works with corporate executives globally, is the author of six books, and is featured in seven educational DVDs. He and his spouse Ray Struble divide their year between Ft. Lauderdale and Provincetown. Visit Brian-McNaught.com for more information.
By Brian McNaught Photo courtesy of Dennis and Aimee Jonez
T
he question was asked, “What are we to do with gay Republicans?” The audience at the political forum waited as the panel of LGBT political analysts teetered and tittered. Immediately afterwards, I was approached by a friend who asked, “How do I respond to family members who can’t take joy in my life as a gay man?” When I told them on the phone how happy I was with the four state wins on marriage equality, they started grumbling about “Obama.” In both instances, the issue is identity. How we identify ourselves dictates everything. Gay people who voted for Romney probably identify as small business owners more than they do as gay. Family members of my friend probably identify with their social agenda more than they do as members of his family. Ray and I are catching up on past seasons of Parenthood, a 21st century take
versa. I suggested that a corporate director of Human Resources, or of Diversity and Inclusion, whose primary identity was being a black woman, was an unlikely ally for LGBT people. In fact, often such a person blocks progress on LGBT corporate issues. Over the years, straight black women have been among my greatest allies in the workplace.
on The Waltons television program. In the Thanksgiving episode from season two, all of the adult Braverman children and their parents are dancing in the kitchen after dinner. They each consistently identify as a “Braverman” over all other identity options. My identity for the past 39 years has been as a gay man. That identity dictates everything, not just who I marry, but where I travel, where I eat, what products I buy, and certainly what political party I align with. I don’t identify primarily as a McNaught, or white, or male, or as Buddhist. I dance in the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner with gay people and my straight allies. At the recent Out and Equal Workplace Forum, I sat on panels that explored the link between orientation and race, and orientation and disability. The goal of each panel was to create alliances so that gay people would become full allies of people of color or people with disabilities, and vice
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
I
THE
because...
www.pridecenterflorida.org
The Regulars
By Karl Hampe
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
21
FEATURE
A Day With HIV
Melissa Baker 11:00 AM: Virginia. Melissa: I Pop my morning Isentress (raltegravir) and head up to the mountains to pick my angel’s first apples. Just another day with HIV.
Positively Aware launches anti-stigma photo campaign
O
n Sept. 21, 2012, more than 170 people from around the world took a photograph that, taken together, tells the collective story of the trials and triumphs of living with HIV. A record of that day is now captured in an online photo essay. The couples, families, co-workers and friends in these photographs, whether HIV negative or positive, represent a powerful and poignant story that challenges the stigma that all too often accompanies HIV. “A Day with HIV, Positively Aware’s anti-stigma photo campaign, tears down the walls of shame and silence that surround HIV by showing that, despite HIV, life goes on,” said Jeff Berry, editor of Positively Aware. “By coming together on that one day, we build a virtual community of support and help raise awareness about HIV, not only in our own communities, but everywhere.”
David Duran 10:15 AM: San Francisco, California. David Duran practices his daddy skills with his best friend’s son at the beach. Today is just like any other day. I’m living my life and enjoying spending time with my loved ones. One day soon, I hope to have a child, and raise him or her in a world without HIV or the stigma that surrounds it.
David Walker 8:15 AM: Ankeny, Iowa. David was born three and a half months premature, weighing two pounds with an HIV viral load of 525,000. Yes, he is a MIRACLE. He was separated from three siblings who were negative. Their adoptive family didn’t want David, because he was positive. His picture says it all. He is my HERO, and at three years old, David has started touching the lives of many. He now has a viral load of 54, and the spirit of an angel. He has taught me and many others valuable lessons already, and I am very, very grateful I was chosen to be his Daddy! says his adoptive Dad, Brian Walker.
22
Kevin Irvine 7:58 AM: Chicago. Kevin Irvine: Dropping my daughter off at school. She loves first grade, but not smiling on cue for a picture! When I came to terms with having HIV 23 years ago, I thought I would never have the chance to be a dad.
LeMikas Lavender 6:00 AM: Chicago. Hospital Corpsman Second Class LeMikas Lavender, U.S Navy: Getting ready to man the watch.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
Gustavo Gimenez Cynthia Holmes 1:30 PM: Chicago. Cynthia Holmes: This is me at my day job as a phone counselor in Chicago, helping people through crises and connecting them to support services. I am HIV-negative, and believe in fighting the disease, promoting prevention, and supporting those affected. I did HIV education in South Africa, safe sex education in online chat rooms, and volunteer with queer at-risk youth. I want to help!
2:30 PM: New York City. Gustavo Gimenez: I work in an allergy lab. At today’s meeting, we went over a case presentation of a patient with a complicated drug allergy. Unfortunately, his treatment options were further complicated because he had vertically transmitted HIV. I wanted to show in this picture that this anonymous case became personal, and that it struck a nerve. While I may never know who this patient is, I would like to wish him the best and show that I care.
Ji Wallace 2:45 PM: Queenstown, New Zealand. Australian Olympic medalist Ji Wallace: This photo was taken during some down time while we are on a work trip. I am with my boyfriend, Shaun Baldwin. Queenstown is known as the adrenaline capital of the southern hemisphere so we decided to go up the mountain on the gondolas for mountain luging. I won. In the picture, I am on the left and I am positive. We live in a loving, happy, and healthy serodiscordant relationship.
Debra Fehr
Lee Raines 5:15 PM: New York City. Lee Raines: Under the How to Survive a Plague marquee at the IFC Center in New York City with my friends Rita and Jeff. I’m the guy wearing the HIV POSITIVE t-shirt. With gratitude to my comrades, my sisters and brothers in ACT UP, and the AIDS activist movement, who taught me how to survive a plague.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
Desmond Tutu AIDS Foundation 3:30 PM: Cape Town, South Africa. The staff of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, who are working hard on a microbicide trial, take time to celebrate cultural diversity at an event honoring the volunteers who take part in clinical trials.
3:00 PM: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Debra Fehr: My HIV-negative partner Victor and me, enjoying a beautiful day in our front yard. We’ve been together eight years. It just keeps getting better!
Photos By Positively Aware
23
Jesse’s Journal
Men Will Talk: An Interview with Tim John Peterson
M
en Talk (MenTalk.org) is a series of paperbacks and e-books of quotes and first-person experiences by men. The first three books in the series Men Talk (2001), More Men Talk (2007) and Men Talk Again (2011) are available as $12.99 paperbacks from AuthorHouse.com. They were followed in quick succession by the e-books Men Talkisms (2011), Men Talk Sex (2012) and the “best of the best” Mini Series (2012). Gay Men Talk (2012), the first specifically gay volume in the series, is a compilation of all the homo-sexually related quotes from the first three books as well as a number of brand-new quotes mixed in. Topics of discussion include homo- and bisexuality, lesbians, coming out, oral sex, S&M, incest, rape, masturbation, prostitution, rimming, fisting, water sports and other sexual quirks. Men Talk is the creation of Tim John
By Jesse Monteagudo Peterson, whose life would make an interesting book by itself. “I grew up on the south shore of Long Island NY,” he recalls. “At age 18 I almost died in a motorcycle accident. Luckily I was drunk, so I was pretty loose when I crashlanded. Having no idea about what to do with my life, I did the Army for three years. I had a desire to help people so decided to go to college. While in school, I started seeing a therapist. I was pretty uncomfortable emotionally, mostly depressed, anxious and very confused. Counseling turned my life around. I also realized that I loved the work and decided to go back to school again to pursue a degree in mental health therapy. I worked as a therapist for years, working with kids, adults and families.” “I started compiling material for the books in 1990 and published the first one in 2000. Just after the book came out I went home
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to help the family. My mom had been fighting cancer for years and the family was pretty burnt. Mom passed away 2 years later after a 6-year battle. I am currently single and living on Long Island again.” Peterson’s goal in compiling the Men Talk series, he told SFGN, “was to put together quotes that both men and women will relate to. I also wanted the books to be real, entertaining, insightful and deep. I kept most of the quotes short, so they would be easy reads. I also attempted to make them powerful and to the point. The main three books are in no particular order. This is done to keep the reader off Tim John Peterson, editor/compiler of the “Men Talk” series balance. One quote might be focused on the quotes as well as for reasons of privacy.” the loss of a parent What can we conclude from reading the due to cancer followed by a quote about drinking urine or the meaning of life. This Men Talk series? “That men are human. We have doubts. may not be as evident in the books that are We have struggles with our sexuality or focused on specific topic matter such as Gay sexual identity. We have struggles with self Men Talk or Men Talk Sex, but it was the acceptance and acceptance of our sexual method I used for the three main books.” interests or desires. We have struggles in In his introduction, Peterson relates that our relationships with our parents, partners, “the basic premise [of his books] is that a man can pick up this book and see that he is kids and even pets. We have doubts and not alone with his thoughts, feelings, fears, questions about the meaning of life and our pain and desires. A woman can read it and spiritual outlooks. We feel distaste over the see what’s going on in the minds of men. state of the world and how our government They can [both] learn about thoughts and is run.” Men of all sexual orientations may read feelings that men often keep to themselves and even rarely share with other men. Not Men Talk and conclude “that you are not everyone loves every quote, but there is alone with your thoughts, feelings and something for everyone in these books and desires. That many, if not most men, gay they are guaranteed to have you laughing straight and bi, experience and live with out loud, grossed out, pissed off, thinking similar thoughts, feelings and challenges.” Peterson is currently close to finishing a deeply, touched emotionally or stimulated new volume in the series, Men Talk Liquids, sexually.” As everyone knows, it’s not hard to get Solids and Gases, which “will be focused men to talk about their sexual experiences. on bodily functions, making it particularly Peterson collected his books’ quotes from intense and raw.” Meanwhile, prospective readers can buy his own life and experiences as well as from the print or e-book series at the MenTalk. those of “friends, family, acquaintances and org web site as well as on Amazon, BN.com, clients I have spent time with. I keep a pad and Lulu. Some are even available on iTunes. with me at all times in case I hear something I think I can use.” The men represented in his “They [iTunes] recently canceled availability books “are a cross section of race, age, class of many of the books due to their graphic and sexual orientation.” Peterson “purposely nature but the three main books are still kept the quotes anonymous to keep the available and just as graphic as the ones they reader from coloring their interpretation of cancelled.”
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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FEATURE
Here He is, Mr. Gay United States
Virginia native overcomes past and present failures to capture the title of Mr. Gay United States 2012
By Ryan Dixon
H
ave you ever wanted something so bad that you’d do anything to reach your goal? Colton Bacall, Mr. Gay United States 2012, started entering pageants in 2010 at the age of 19. The rules for most pageants require contestants be at least 21 years old because they are normally held in bars or nightclubs. “I’ve never been carded to get in to a gay bar before,” Bacall said. “I just decided that I was good enough to win it, so I got a fake ID and ran.” Now that Bacall is 21 and pageant legal, he doesn’t have to worry about qualifying for them anymore. The Gay United States Pageantry System was originally founded in 2004. The creation of this pageant gave performers a chance to
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compete for a title outside of the three larger pageants in America: Continental, USofA and Miss Gay America. The pageantry system was modeled after The Miss Gay America rules and regulation with an all boy pageant, meaning contestants that ran for both Mr. and Miss must be biological males. In 2010, rules were changed and divisions added that allowed for biological females and transgender people the chance to compete. Bacall’s hometown of Luray, Virginia is home to the Luray Caverns, considered to be one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders. The Caverns, much like Bacall’s pageant life are full of twists, turns and dead ends. “My first pageant was Mr. Holiday in 2010. It took place in North Carolina. I was
completely overwhelmed and unprepared. It he had a shot. “The hotel shower didn’t even work. I had to ask the people next to me to was horrible,” Bacall said. Bacall blamed his bad showing on horrible use theirs.” When it came time for the show, a dancer stage freight and even concedes that he still gets nervous even today. “I’m more nervous was late and Bacall couldn’t find any Duct Tape, which is apparently used to hold of failure if nothing else,” he said. The road to the title of Mr. Gay United up dress pants so they don’t move around States started in 2011. Bacall suffered during presentation. “I had to ask my friend (Miss Virginia two disappointing showings at two preliminaries, Mr. Roanoke and Mr. Commonwealth who was competing the Virginia. He managed to rebound and win following day) to borrow a shoe lace to tie Mr. Capital City which allowed him to go on my pants up.” Bacall finished and compete for Mr. in the top two of Gay United States all five categories in 2011. Bacall in the pageant. finished as second Consistency pays alternate that year, off. handily beating the When his name winners of the two was announced, competitions he Bacall says he lost. instantly burst “From that into tears. moment I told “They (pageant myself that I had directors and 365 days to get photog raphers) ready to try and win couldn’t get me to it all,” Bacall said. stop balling. I told Bacall would go them, ‘Just take on to compete for the pictures, I and win the title know I’m a mess’.” of Mr. Virginia After the Commonwealth in Colton Bacall, Mr. Gay United States 2012. Photo Courtesy of Mr. Gay United States Pageant pageant was over 2012. The moment his name was announced, the ball was set in at close to 2 a.m., Bacall sat at the bar with motion for him to be able to capture the title his friends and just talked. “My victory party consisted of late-night that eluded him the previous year. Bacall says his gay family is full of drag McDonalds, no sleep and having to judge the queens that he had always seen running for Miss pageant the next day. I was too excited national titles. It was only when he ran for to sleep, so that one is on me.” Heading forward, Bacall says he looks Mr. Gay United States this time that he really forward to doing walks at other pageants, understood what they went through. “I didn’t realize the money and time that appearing at preliminaries and helping to it really takes to run for a title,” he said. My grow his pageant system. His reign as Mr. boyfriend would get so frustrated because Gay United States ends in late 2013. When asked what helped him the most we’d run to Kentucky and spend $2,000 for clothes, then head to Northern Virginia for in securing his victory, Bacall sighed and props. All this works for a two hour pageant, simply said: ”What held me back before and clothes I only wear for a 40 second was listening to what others said. Always do what you’re comfortable with, answer how model on stage.” Bacall says his win came as an unexpected you want, dress how you want. Winners are surprise. Plagued with travel troubles – his always themselves.” reserved U-Haul wasn’t available and traffic was bumper to bumper – Bacall didn’t think
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
FEATURE
Let’s Get Loud
Female trio shares thoughts on food, fashion and family
By Ryan Dixon
T
particular skill sets to entertainment came up. A three-hour discussion in my office later and 3 Loud Women was born.” Unlike other shows that contain an allfemale cast, the crew claims their realness sets them apart from the rest of the pack. “We’re not three housewives. We’re business owners with families,” said McDonald. “Our videos are about our real life experiences. We invite you into our everyday lives in most of our videos to create a sense of community – we’re all in this together.” Naming the show was its own funny story. “We all have so much experience to bring to the table, so I try and be the voice of reason” Glazer said. “I had to let them know Photo courtesy of 3 Loud Women
ake a style diva, a shrink and a food-and-travel junkie. Throw in a touch of The View, a dash of Kathy Lee and Hoda, and a sprinkle of Jimmy Fallon. Blend it all up, mix it well and your end result is 3 Loud Women. It’s an internet-based lifestyle show where Allyson Tomchin, Stephanie Goldberg Glazer and Teana McDonald dish out wisdom about a variety of topics from food and wine to style and business to therapy and wellness. The self-described “daytime girlfriends” share their personal experiences, industry expertise, and real life anecdotes with viewers. All three ladies are involved in the National Association of Women’s Businesses
“If you want something, go out there and create it,” Glazer added. “People need to know how amazing we are. If Justin Beiber can go from Internet sensation to a music superstar than so can we. Plus we’re better looking,” says Tomchin While most of their shows are catered towards women and their struggles, Glazer is happy that men watch the show. “There are a lot of issues facing women, but men do watch us because we talk about things that are relevant to almost everyone. Our opinions are backed up by our own studies and experiences. We want our viewers to know that they’re not the only ones out there with struggles.” One of the trios most popular videos is called “Give Guilt the Finger” where the ladies talk about how they’ve learned to not feel guilty about doing things that make
them happy. “Yeah I shouldn’t have that glass of wine or eat that cupcake, but so what – I wanted it,” said Tomchin. The goal to go from YouTube to network television is within reach for 3 Loud Women. With their programming already on the air in Key West, the hope of all of America having them in their living rooms doesn’t appear to be farfetched. “Were comfortable with doing the grunt work, it’s gunna happen when it’s meant to happen,” McDonald said. “Remember, we’re doing this while running business and raising families.” Become a fan of 3 Loud Women by visiting 3LoudWomen.com and watching the 3Loudwomen YouTube channel.
The 3 Loud Women: (L-R) Stephanie Goldberg Glazer, Teana McDonald and Allyson Tomchin.
(NAWB) and each one of them has served on the board. McDonald, who owns a style, social media and entertainment company called In Style Diva, Inc., is the current NAWB president. Tomchin, president of Directive Energy, Inc., is a certified clinical social worker and certified family mediator with the Florida Supreme Court. Glazer runs a gourmet dog treat company called Babka Bars, as well as a full service personal assistant company called Your Personal Manager, Inc. She also writes an award winning blog called www.floridakeysgirl. com. NAWB is where McDonald, Glazer and Tomchin first met. “We had all done business with each other,” said Tomchin. “The idea of taking our
the name 2 Jews and a Black Chick was a little too obnoxious.” Tomchin would still love to have used that name. “How awesome would it have been to have Matt Lauer introduce us like that,” she said, laughing. Humor is something 3 Loud Women love to bring to their shows. Tomchin believes humor is essential in trying to rectify your life. “Therapy is fun. We have to have the ability to laugh at ourselves.” The concept of 3 Loud Women followed the trend of letting the rest of the world to join in on their conversations. “We got out there and created something ourselves,” McDonald said.
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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TRAVEL
Moving Onward in Singapore By Jon Fairbanks, Gaytravel.com team member
“M
ajulah Singapura” is Malay for “Onward, Singapore” and the local LGBT community is truly living this motto. Homosexuality is still illegal in Singapore but in recent years gays and lesbians have made great strides toward not just tolerance, but acceptance. As a queer traveler, you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful city to visit. Singapore is clean and easyto-navigate. It’s also culturally diverse and there are several official languages. Citizens speak English, Indian, Malay, Chinese and Indonesian. A cosmopolitan city, there’s a plethora of exquisite museums, parks, cafes and restaurants to enjoy. If you love to get your shop on, the world-class malls (featuring high-end retailers) won’t disappoint. A sightseer’s delight, there are several unique tourist attractions to enjoy in gay Singapore. Jurong Bird Park is a fabulous, romantic spot. Just a quick subway and connector bus trip outside of the city center, you’re sure to love it. It’s a great opportunity to see thousands of colorful, exotic birds flying in their natural environment. Singapore’s Botanical Garden is also a fabulous, beautiful refuge for lovers of flora and fauna. Scientists working on site breed orchards for the gardens and name their blooming creations after dignitaries and other well-known people, including former South African President Nelson Mandela and former United States First Lady Laura Bush. For foodies who crave exotic fare, you’ll be in heaven! Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and that’s definitely reflected in the cuisine. Banana Leaf Apolo is always packed but what this venue is lacking in elbow
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room, it makes up in its dishes. If you’re a fan of curry and North Indian dishes, this is the place for you. The portion sizes are huge, so if you’re traveling with a large group it’s both economical and satisfying. Mexican cuisine lovers and gringos alike will adore Cafe Iguana. Delectable burritos and incredible margaritas, this place is muay caliente! The bar offers a wide variety of 100
With the growing tolerance of homosexuality has come an influx of gay bars, clubs and other LGBT venues in Singapore. That said, there are still no protections to keep the queer community and travelers safe against homophobic attacks, so enjoy, but be cautious. Tourism is huge and many businesses are vying for the pink dollar. The amazing nightlife, cruisy gay
percent blue agave tequilas and handcrafted mazcal. Forget Asia, this is some of the best Mexican food you’ll find anywhere. The restaurant is also located on Singapore River, offering a breathtaking view for patrons. Although it’s a chain, seafood fanatics will adore Jumbo! Chili crab, their signature dish, is out of this world. Other recommended dishes include fried pawns with cereal, bamboo clams with minced garlic and donuts with seafood paste. Is your mouth watering yet.
beaches and impressive infrastructure make Singapore a wildly popular gay destination. You’ll find many of the popular gay clubs are in Chinatown, which is easily accessible by public transportation. Backstage Bar is one of the hottest clubs catering to queer patrons. You’ll love the classic movie themed décor, from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” to “Oklahoma.” Sweat to the beats or head outside to cruise or light up. The house is packed each weekend and it’s a great place to meet hot locals and other out of towners.
DYMK (Does Your Mother Know) is another amazing place to get your dance one. It’s a double-story retro bar with an S&M night every Thursday. You’ll find a common theme with the naming of a lot of the venues. DYMK, Taboo and other clubs are named to reflect the “don’t ask, don’t tell” atmosphere. If you’re looking for a break from all of the hustle, bustle and modern conveniences, head to Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, one of Singapore’s most popular gay beaches. Tanjong is the furthest beach from Beach Station opposite of Siloso Beach. You’ll find a wide range of sun seekers here from young twinks to bronzed older gents donning speedos. Unlike many other gay beaches, you’ll find some shops, bars and cafes near Tanjong. This beach is also close to Palawan. This stretch of the coast is where you’ll find a lot of straight families and teens but it’s still a great place to get some rays. In 2005, Singapore hosted their first LGBT Pride festival, sponsored by IndigNation. This year marks the sixth season. Unlike most Pride festivals, you won’t find the local queer community participating in parades or other flamboyant events because organizers cannot get permits from the government. Typically the schedule includes LGBT lectures and film festivals, but few, if any, outdoor celebrations. Despite efforts to quiet Singapore’s gay and lesbian community, it’s easy to hear the roar of The Lion City’s mos. The gay traveler will revel in the city’s modern appeal and a queer scene that’s not just growing, but bursting as the seams. For more information about gay travel destinations please visit GayTravel.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
FEATURE
The In Crowd Spend New Year’s Eve with Women In Network
By Andrea Dulanto
I
f you’re an LBT woman who makes last minute plans for New Year’s Eve, then you will probably not be attending WIN’s Fourth Annual New Year’s Eve party. Tickets are only available at the WIN (Women in Network) website until December 17. Since 1987, WIN has provided an extensive social and professional network for LBT women in South Florida. The New Year’s Eve party is one of many WIN events that happen throughout the year, including the monthly meeting at The Pride Center, the Charity Golf Tournament, and Poker Tournament. During December, WIN also holds a Holiday Bazaar as well as the Judy Shepherd Toy Drive. Denise Spivak, President of WIN, shared a few reasons for the success of the New Year’s Eve party. “The ticket price is all-inclusive (open bar, unlimited buffet, music all night, free parking). You can literally leave your wallet at home!” This year, Hugh Catering provides a menu with hors d’oeuvres as well as stationed cuisine such as Teriyaki Salmon or Pasta Fresca. Music is by DJ Donna. As far as who attends the event, “couples are probably a majority, but we have singles, we have groups,” observed Spivak. “It’s a representation of what WIN has always been — a place to gather with existing friends and hopefully make some new ones before the night is over.” Members and non-members of WIN are
evenly represented at the New Year’s Eve party. “For some people, this has been their first introduction to a WIN event and they have become members,” said Spivak. “For others, it’s a chance to attend a really nice event while they’re in town visiting their friends for the holidays. For our members, it’s an event that many have on their calendars as a regular holiday party.” Some women would rather stay at home than deal with the drunken debauchery and/ or overpriced affair of New Year’s Eve. But WIN provides an alternative, “an environment that is welcoming, safe and just beautiful,” noted Spivak. To purchase tickets by December 15, visit https://womeninnetwork.com/New_Years_ Party.html
If you want to go In Where: Hugh’s Catering 4351 Northeast 12th Terrace Oakland Park, FL
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
When: Friday, Dec. 31, 2012 8:00 PM – 12:30 AM How Much: Members $120.00 Non-Members $145.00
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FEATURE
Thank GLAAD It’s Friday Fundraiser promises increased influence in South Florida Photo and story by Andrea Dulanto
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hether it’s celebrating Florida to hold Lieutenant Governor characters such as Santana or Jennifer Carroll accountable for her anti-gay Kurt on Glee or confronting and sexist comments about Black women the homophobia of the Boy and lesbians,” stated Ferraro. “GLAAD Scouts, GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance also worked on campaigns like Spirit Day, Against Defamation) motivates the media to which helped millions of people all across the country ‘go purple’ in a stand against pay attention and the public to take action. Last Friday at MOVA Lounge in Miami bullying.” A second Thank GLAAD It’s Friday event Beach, GLAAD reached out to supporters with a fundraiser called Thank GLAAD It’s is scheduled on Dec. 7. “Without fundraisers like this,” said Friday. Rich Ferraro, vice president of Ferraro. “The work would not be able to communications at GLAAD commented continue.” about Thank GLAAD It’s Friday via For more information, visit http://www. email: “All of our events give local LGBT glaad.org/events/tgifmiami1207 community members and allies a way to support GLAAD’s programmatic work, while networking with others.” He also added that “South Florida’s LGBT community is one of the most vibrant in the nation. You’ll be seeing a larger GLAAD presence in South Florida in 2013.” The venue— MOVA Lounge—has the requisite look of a South Beach bar: Pink and blue neon, disco ball, mirrors. Yet it also has the feel Fundraiser promises increased influence in South Florida of a neighborhood establishment where conversations can happen and bartenders actually try to take your drink order — an ideal location for a GLADD event. But South Florida’s LGBT community was Where: not to be found. MOVA Lounge Maybe the city is in White Party recovery 1625 Michigan Avenue mode or the hours of 7 to 9 p.m. are too early Miami Beach, FL for Miami’s workaholics and late-nighters, or word about the event didn’t get out enough. When: Whatever the reason, one hopes that the low turn-out isn’t due to complacency. Friday, December 7, 2012 Although we should celebrate the recent 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM achievements for same-sex marriage and the election of LGBT politicians to office, How Much: we shouldn’t lose the momentum towards $15 equality. GLAAD “worked closely with Equality
If You Go
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
VIEWS OF THE NEWS
Walking the Walk World AIDS Day Rally and Concert draw record amount
Wanda Sykes at the Broward Center for Performing Arts
Photos by JR Davis
O
n Dec. 1, 2,800 people walked across Wilton Manors in support of HIV/AIDS awareness. The record number broke last year’s 2500, according to event founder Terry DeCarlo. The walkers gathered at the Pride Center for encouraging speeches from local politicos, religious leaders and businessmen, including Robert Boo of the Pride Center, Rabbi Noah Kitty, Manors Mayor Gay Resnick, SFGN publisher Norm Kent, and TV Star Michelle Visage. Wanda Sykes appeared the following night at a benefit concert at the Broward Center for Performing Arts, which was packed.
Nick, Wanda Sykes, Mark Budwig
Nadine Smith and Phillip Dearborn
If you missed either days of this important and dear weekend, check out some of SFGN’s highlights.
Opening comedian Keith Robinson
Wanda Sykes
World AIDS Day in Wilton Manors
terry decalro, stacy hyde, bill huelsman
Grand Marshal Michelle Visage
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
&
Team Pride South Florida
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SFGNITES T H E
W E E K
O F
D E C E M B E R
1 - 6 ,
W W W . S F G N . C O M
2 0 1 2
Photo Courtesy of Economic Forum
F O R
Kimberly locke
FRI MUSIC
12/7
Diva is Taking Names and Telling Tales
Y
ears after her unsuccessful run at the American Idol title, Kimberley Locke is a diva in her own right: She is the only recording artist to ever have a #1 Christmas song for three consecutive years. Her Up on the Housetop made the largest leap into the Adult Contemporary Top 5 in the chart’s history. She’s also the only recording artist to record a #1 Christmas single three years in a row. Her new dance single, Finally Free, is rising up the charts. Now, she’s taking the stage for a new show opening at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center. Entitled My American Idols, the show will explore the work of her own personal idols, from Etta James, Judy Garland and Dinah Washington to Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Regina Belle and Gladys Knight. Not only does she sing their songs, she tells the stories about her experiences with many of them. She doesn’t just sing a Whitney Houston song, she talks about smoking a cigarette with Houston before she died. She doesn’t just sing a Patti LaBelle song. She tells a story about how LaBelle made her cry backstage before they performed together.. - J.W. Arnold
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SUN THEATER
12/9
We Love Boys in Tights
F
or many families, a trip to the ballet for Tchaikovsky’s timeless masterpiece, The Nutcracker, is a holiday tradition. Fortunately for South Florida audiences, there are many options to enjoy the story of Clara and her fanciful nutcracker prince: Vladimir Isaaev’s Arts Ballet Theatre kicks off the season in Miami Beach at the Fillmore, Sunday, Dec. 9, followed by performances at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center on Dec. 14-16 and Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse, Dec. 22-23. For tickets and information, go to ArtsBalletTheatre.org. In West Palm Beach, the Kravis Center features the Moscow Classical Ballet, Dec. 13-15. Tickets start at $25 at Kravis.com. The Miami City Ballet performs choreographer George Balanchine’s interpretation Dec. 14-16 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale and repeats the production Dec. 20-24 at Miami’s Arsht Center. For more information, go to MiamiCityBallet.org. - J.W. Arnold
TUE THEATER
12/11
A Break From the Holidays
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f you’re like me, it’s easy to get tired of all the holiday holiday fare. For a nice break, check out Showtime Performing Arts Theatre’s production, a plucky musical about a group of friends collaborating on a new musical. Through Dec. 16 at 503 SE Mizner Blvd. in Boca Raton. For tickets and information, go to ShowtimeBoca.com. There’s nothing like the sound of brass during the holidays. Symphony of the Americas, Broward’s resident orchestra, presents Sounds of the Season: A Holiday Extravaganza at the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theatre, Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 8:15. Tickets are $50-75 at BrowardCenter.org. The Royal Room at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach opened its season last weekend with a red hot show from Avery Sommers. While Sommers sticks to the American Songbook, all those chestnuts from Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers get a fresh, R&B-infused performance. For reservations and more information, call 561655-5430. - J.W. Arnold
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
A&E
Make Some Noise
The Music Man comes to town
By Donald Cavanaugh
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Photo by Alicia Donelan.
ow! And that rhymes with now so make a vow to get to the Maltz and how… To see it. The Music Man, that is. Where the song, “Ya Got Trouble” is the musical source of the internal rhyme and cadence in my opening sentence. And after you’ve heard “Ya Got Trouble” a couple of times you might find yourself borrowing that cadence for your own rhyming needs. The Maltz production of The Music Man is two plus hours of great music, incredible singing and impeccably executed dance with acrobatics to boot; all done up in delicious costumes and delectable scenery and lighting. Wow again. Excuse my enthusiasm but I have to agree with the sentiments expressed by a gentleman behind me as I was leaving the theater on opening night (Thursday, Nov. 28). He turned to his female companion and said, “This is a Broadway-class production.” And so it is. From the opening scene on a “moving” train car in 1912 filled with traveling salesmen arriving in River City,
Matt Loehr portrays Professor Harold Hill in the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s production of the family-friendly musical The Music Man, onstage through Dec. 16.
Iowa to the final reprise of “Till There Was You,” as the curtain drops for the final time. The story takes place in this small Iowa city of 1200 people where the peripatetic con artist, Harold Hill (Matt Loehr), has stopped his travels to bilk the locals of money for musical instruments and band uniforms under the guise of saving River City youth from dissipation caused by a new pool table being delivered to the town’s billiard parlor. The slick talking Hill soon has everyone eating out of his hand except for Mayor Shinn (John Felix) and the town librarian, Marian Paroo (Mandy Bruno) with whom Hill unintentionally falls in love, reciprocating her unspoken love for him which comes out toward the end of the play. Bruno and Loehr both have Broadway credits. And they shine brightly in the Maltz’s opening of this, the first show of the 10th anniversary season. Bruno starred in Les Miserables and Patti Lupone’s Gypsy. Loher appeared in Evita starring Ricky Martin, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and more. These accomplished leads are supported by a solid collection of national, Broadway and local talent — from the rest of the actors on stage to the nine piece orchestra under music director Anne Shuttlesworth, to choreographer Shea Sullivan and director Mark Martino. Kudos to them all. It is a Broadway-class production. In addition to Bruno and Loher, a couple of special mentions are in order. John Felix as Mayor Shinn and Anna McNeely as his wife, Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn were wonderful. Felix carried off beautifully the mayor’s blustering pomposity often associated with petit officialdom in small town oligarchies. McNeely’s facial expressions are truly droll. Be sure to keep an eye on her for an added smile or chuckle. The barbershop quartet comprised of Joshua Woodie, Don Rey, Paul Castree and Richard Costawas, is also of note. The four men are the River City school board who were constantly at odds until Hill taught them to harmonize after which the mere sound of a pitch pipe turned them into a four-piece vocal band. It was interesting to overhear some of the
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
younger members of the audience who had never heard barbershop quartet harmonies and were fascinated by the sound Take a break from the holiday preparations and give yourself and the whole family an evening of plain old fun. The production runs until Dec. 16 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets start at $46 and may be purchased online at www.jupitertheatre.org. The theatre is at 1001 East Indiantown Road in Jupiter, due east on the Indiantown Road from I-95.
If You Go When: Through Dec. 16 Where: Maltz Jupiter Theatre 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter 561-575-2223 How Much: $56
Please Join Us for the Kick‐Off Event of the
South Florida LBT Health Directory South Florida LBT Health Directory
Thursday, December 6, 2012 * 6:30 –8:30pm The Pride Center 2040 N. Dixie Highway * Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Light refreshments will be served
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JOIN GAY & LESBIAN BUSINESS EXCHANGE
A&E
Women’s Minyan A Spectacular Surprise
Thursday December 13, 2012 m 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Complimentary gift bag by:
Riverside Hotel
620 E. Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, 33301 For further information contact GLBX chair: Michael Faerber at 954-243-4535. GLBX@FTLchamber.com
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MEDIA SUPPORT
SEE THE VALUE, SHARE THE VALUE, SEIZE THE VALUE.
By Jason Parsley
I
admit I didn’t think I’d like it. A play about the aftermath of a divorce in an ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Israel didn’t sound very appealing. Turns out I was wrong. I loved it. I laughed. I cried. I was captivated from start to finish. Each of the ten actresses were believable and moving. Beyond the actual performance, the play was a sincere look into the lives of ultra-orthodox Jewish women – their roles in society and their family. The story, based on a true story, follows the struggles of Chana Sheinhoff (Jamie LibbertSmith), who two years prior, left an abusive husband and her twelve children. Since then she’s been forbidden to see her children and her former community has shunned her. All hell breaks loose when she returns with a rabbinical court order allowing her to see her children once again. Her homecoming though isn’t as pleasant as expected. Her children have been poisoned against her, her “friends” spread gossip and lies about her, which include labeling her as a lesbian, and her immediate family blames her for all the bad things that have happened to the family since her departure. She begs her family and friends for one last chance to prove her innocence to them and they decide to grant her that one last request. While the entire cast did a spectacular job, and I felt empathy for all of their individual struggles, it was Chana’s sister-in-law Adina Sheinhoff (Clelia Patrizion) that brought me to tears during the second half of the play. I believed her, I felt her pain, and was so moved by her performance. This is a must see show.
If You Go When: Through Dec. 16 Where: West Boca Theatre Co. Levis JCC 21050 95th Avenue S., Boca Raton More Info: 561-852-3241 Photo by Barbara McCormick
AFTER HOURS NETWORKING 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Margo Gellert, Gail Byer, Mary Stucchi, Clelia Patrizio
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
A&E
Sounds of the Season
Local Gay Men’s Choruses Offer Musical Cheer By J.W. Arnold of Joy,” highlights the massive sound of the chorus with a celebration of 19 carols and holiday songs, including O Come All Ye
including The First Noel accompanied by Pachelbel’s famous canon and Silent Night set to J.S. Bach’s Prelude in C, as well as What
Gay Men’s Chorus of Fort Lauderdale The Gay Men’s Chorus of Fort Lauderdale (GMCFL) celebrates the holidays for the first time with their founder, Dr. Gary Keating, who has returned to the podium after a long absence. “It’s absolutely wonderful,” said Keating, “and for any people who say you can’t come home, well, it’s a lie. You can come home.” The chorus will present its holiday concert at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale auditorium, a space Keating describes as “intimate” but well suited for the entertaining programs he favors. He and his singers enjoy the smaller setting because they can see the audience response and perform to their fans. “That just doesn’t happen if you’ve got a thousand seats. It’s fun to sing there,” he said. In addition to Christmas standards, GMCFL will perform several lighter works including the Hawaiian song, Mele Kalikimaka, accompanied by ukelele; a barbershop rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town; and a new piece, called Christmas Cheer, complete with cheerleaders. The program will also include The Boogie Woogie Chanukah and the tale of Bruce the Elf. GMCFL presents “In the Spirit” Dec. 6-8 at 8 p.m. in the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale auditorium, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. Tickets are $25-40 at TheFtLGMC.org or by calling 954832-0060.
Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida In just two seasons, Artistic Director Gordon Roberts has built the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF) into a 130-voice powerhouse, regularly selling out concert and performing some of the most challenging choral repertoire. GMCSF’s holiday concert, “Mighty Sounds
Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
Child is This. From there, the program takes some fun twists as the chorus performs a “very holiday” version of the Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show and Repent, featuring a street corner evangelist warning of the impending doom. MGMC presents “A Very Merry Apocalypse to You,” Dec. 14 & 15 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd. in Miami Beach. Tickets are $25-40 at MiamiGayChorus.org. Photo Courtesy of Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
T
he holidays wouldn’t be complete without music. Fortunately, South Florida boasts several fine Gay Men’s Choruses that fill the season with the dulcet sounds of those favorite Christmas and Chanukah tunes we learned as children. Here’s a look at what the choruses in Fort Lauderdale and Miami have planned for audiences this year:
Faithful and Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day; novelty songs Variations on Jingle Bells and Santa Baby; the Chanukah hymn, Light One Candle; and classical works like Mendelssohn’s There Shall a Star. Tickets are already sold out for the GMCSF’s concerts on Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, 15. Tickets are still available for $30 for the Thursday, Dec. 13 concert at the Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For tickets and information, go to GayMensChorusofSouthFlorida.org.
Miami Gay Men’s Chorus According to the Mayan calendar, the end of the world is expected on Dec. 22, 2012. What would you do if you would never be able to celebrate Christmas again? That’s the theme of the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus concert, “A Very Merry Apocalypse to You.” “Our concert is the weekend before,” explained Artistic Director Anthony Cabrera, “So it’s the very last opportunity to celebrate.” The chorus sets off to do a regular holiday concert—except for an interruption with a Mayan deity—but then get distracted by all the aspects of the holidays they’re going to miss most. The 60-member chorus will offer fresh arrangements of many traditional songs,
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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Basel’s Back Art festival returns to South Florida
By J.W. Arnold
F
or a week each December, Miami becomes the center of the contemporary art universe, the result of Art Basel Miami Beach. In its 11th year, Art Basel Miami Beach has grown beyond an exclusive show for rich art collectors into a major festival, with more than 20 other art fairs springing up across the city. “It’s been phenomenal,” said George Neary, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau executive responsible for attracting and promoting cultural events. “No one realized we’d end up with 22 additional art fairs coming in from around the world.” The signature event, open Dec. 6 -9 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, expects to attract more than 30,000 collectors and art aficionados. Admission is not cheap, either, ranging from $42 for a one-day pass to $90 for a permanent pass good for the three days
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of the show. But, when the doors close each day at the convention center, the action is just getting started at galleries and studio spaces across the city with receptions, parties and late night exhibits. Some are affiliated with Art Basel, but most are not, taking advantage of the “critical mass” attracted to the city by the fair. It’s difficult to guess exactly how many people join the revelry—Neary estimates more than 100,000--and the economic impact of the fair and the other independent events. “The whole community has been changed because there are so many exemplary and superior shows during this period,” Neary said. “Art Basel has contributed to the growth of the Wynwood neighborhood, which now has more than 100 galleries and artists’ studios, and of course, the Wynwood walls. We’ve also seen an amazing transformation
of the Design District… All attributable to Art Art-Miami.com Red Dot Art Fair, 3011 NE 1st Ave., will Basel.” To navigate the busy schedule and find the feature works from more than 80 dealers hottest exhibits, fans can download a number in a 60,000 sq. ft. pavilion. New this year is of smartphone apps. Art Basel Miami Beach a solo works area designed for individual introduced an app that can be downloaded artists. Proceeds benefit the National Gay at MiamiBeach.ArtBasel.com with schedules and Lesbian Task Force, also. Daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. RedDotFair. and maps of com the convention After the center. Art.sy sun goes down, is billed as the LMNT, 59 NW Pandora for the 36th St., is a good art world, while destination, REFINEDr is hosting O2, Yelp with maps a nightly fair and and a guide featuring DJs and to trending after-par ties, destinations. in addition to Among the provocative leading events works by Nancy are these fairs: Noel, Diego Before there Jacobson and was Art Basel Marc Lagrange. Miami Beach, LMNTArtsMiami. there was com Art Miami, The James Cohan Gallery from New York For a complete celebrating list of art fairs its 23rd year. The Art Miami pavilion, 3101 NE 1st Ave., and satellite events, visit the Convention and features art from more than 100 galleries Visitors Bureau website, MiamiAndBeaches. and is known for the amazing quality of the com. For more information about Art Basel works. New this year is the Context pavilion, Miami Beach, go to MiamiBeach.ArtBasel. with a lounge, coffee bar and video room. com. Photo courtesy of Art Basel Miami Beach
A&E
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
Broadway in Miami 2012-13
By Brian Swinford
Have an event you want to list? If so send me an email at Calendar@sfgn.com.
This season Ziff Ballet Opera House through May 12 will hold the Broadway In Miami spectacle. Experience the return of the world’s greatest musical spectacle - Les Misérables - in its lavish new 25th anniversary production, along with the Miami premieres of Broadway’s biggest fun-filled hits - including the high-stepping Mary Poppins, the outlandishly colorful Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the awesomely cool Rock of Ages, and - the 2010 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical Memphis, a triumph of explosive dancing and powerhouse songs. Visit Arshtcenter.org
*Music Man
Theater Broward County *La Bohème
The Florida Grand Opera presents La Bohème on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. in the AuRene Theater at the Broward Center. A superb blend of story and song, this opera that inspired the musical Rent recounts the joys and sorrows of four impoverished artists on the Left Bank of Paris in the early 19th century. Tickets are from $60 to $200. Visit BrowardCenter.org
*Songwriter’s Showcase
Chrystal Hartigan presents Songwriter’s Showcase on Monday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. in the intimate setting of the Abdo New River Room. Return to the days of 1960s Greenwich Village coffeehouses as musicians from around the world perform while an open mic segment lets hopefuls try out material in front of a welcoming audience. Admission is $10. Visit BrowardCenter.org
*Cheryl Bentyne – Let’s Misbehave
Gold Coast Jazz Society presents Cheryl Bentyne – Let’s Misbehave, The Music of Cole Porter on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 7:45 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater. Bentyne is the reigning soprano of nine-time Grammy winners, The Manhattan Transfer. Blessed with a four-octave vocal range, she performs everything from swinging big band to the smooth West Coast Cool. Tickets are $40. Visit BrowardCenter.org
*Shear Madness
The longest running play in American theater history Shear Madness is cutting loose and heading to the Amaturo Theater from Thursday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 30. The Shear Madness hairstyling salon is scandalized by the wacky murder of its illustrious upstairs neighbor and if the shop doesn’t get to the bottom of things soon someone is going to die laughing. Showtimes are Tuesday to Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $39. Visit BrowardCenter.org
*Sister Act
Sister Act from Tuesday, Dec. 18 through Sunday, Dec. 30 in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center. Visit BrowardCenter.org
This classic American musical takes the audience on a toetapping adventure with fast-talking salesman Professor Harold Hill, who convinces the townspeople of River City, Iowa that they need a band, instruments and uniforms. His plans to skip town is turned on its head after falling in love with the local librarian. Through Dec. 16 at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road in Jupiter. Tickets are $46-$68. Call 561-575-2223 or visit JupiterTheatre.org
*Kings of Swing The Kings of Swing is a live concert featuring the Kings of Swing Orchestra and presenting some of the best swing vocalists currently performing throughout Europe. Celebrating the hits of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Matt Munro and more recently, hits by Michael Bublé, Paolo Nutini, Brian Setzer and more. December 10 at the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts. Visit Kravis.org
*Jersey Boys This is the story about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons, and how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. Dec. 19 through Jan. 6 at the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts. Visit Kravis.org
The 1940’s Radio Hour Take a trip though time with the 1940’s Radio Hour. For some the show will be nostalgic, taking the audience back to the good ole times. For others it will be like a historical documentary, taking the younger crowd back to a simpler time before smart phones, and the Internet. The musical follows the final holiday broadcast of the struggling Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade. It features hit songs from the era, holiday tunes, dancing and old time sound effects. Through Dec. 15 at the Lake Worth Playhouse. Visit LakeWorthPlayHouse.org.
Community Calendar Broward County
*LGBT Quit Smoking Groups - Free Nicotine Patches
Did you know that LGBT people are more likely to smoke than most any other population group in the United States? Being around other Smokers can make it more difficult for people in our communities to quit. But many of us are trying, and the Quit Smoking Now Program in Wilton Manors is here to show us how to quit and stay without smoking. Visit My.vcita.com/myquitcoach QuitsmokingWM.com or call 305-942-6378
*The 6th Annual I Care I Cure…I Run 5K
The 6th Annual I Care I Cure…I Run 5K and Family Fun Day! is on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 a.m. at the BB&T Center (formerly BankAtlantic Center), 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise, Florida. Register online at: www.icareicure.org, Adults $25 and Children $20. The I Care I Cure Childhood Cancer Foundation supports the development of, and raises public awareness about, cutting-edge research for targeted therapies for childhood cancer. Contact Sue Trilling at 800-807-8013
Musical Theatre Masters Series
Palm Beach Dramaworks, (201 Clematis Street/ West Palm Beach), announces new Musical Theatre Masters Series. Modeled after PBD’s very popular Master Playwrights Series, the new series will kick off on Jan. 11-13. The series will be directed by Clive Cholerton, Musical director for Camelot is Caryl Fantel. All tickets are $35.00. Call 561-514-4042 or visit Palmbeachdramaworks.org
*Divorce Party the Musical
Still reeling from her divorce, Linda is rescued by her three friends who have come to turn her despair into a weekend of hilarity in Divorce Party The Musical: The Hilarious Journey To Hell…and Back! Through Dec. 9. Tickets are $31.50 and $39. Performances continue through December. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com
The Original Ft Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert The Original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Concerts “In the Spirit” under the direction of the founder of the Chorus, Dr. Gary Keating. Thursday, Friday, Saturday Dec. 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m. Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art auditorium. Tickets $25, $40. Call 954-832-0060 or visit www.theftlgmc.org
Palm Beach County *Women’s Minyan
This is the story of a respected rabbi’s wife in an ultraOrthodox community in Israel. After years of abuse by her husband, she breaks her silence and finds herself excommunicated and separated from her twelve children. She asks a group of women closest to her, including her mother, mother-in-law, and sister asking them whether she should be allowed to see her children. Through Sunday, Dec.16 at the Levis JCC West Boca Theatre Company 21050 95th Ave South, Boca Raton. Call 561-852-3241
Miami-Dade
An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala
The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) will honor director and choreographer Debbie Allen, violinist Joshua Bell and actor and alumnus Adrian Grenier at An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala on Saturday, Jan. 12, held in Downtown Miami at the Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts and the Historic Alfred I. DuPont Building. Contact Ellen Gray at 305-377-1140 X1208 or Email: egray@youngarts.org
My American Idols with Kimberley Locke
The inaugural season of the Cabaret by the Bay Series launches as the City of Aventura presents My American Idols with Kimberley Locke on Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. The season two American Idol finalist will sing hits from Etta James, Judy Garland and Dinah Washington to contemporary divas Whitney Houston, Regina Belle and Gladys Knight. Tickets are $34.50. Visit AventuraCenter.org
Jorge Luis Prats
The Miami International Piano Festival presents Cuban piano virtuoso Jorge Luis Prats on Sunday, December 9 at 5 p.m. in A Voyage from Vienna to Cuba. The program will include works such as “On the Blue Danube” by Johann StraussAndre-Schulz, “Carmen” by Busoni-Saraste and Cuban favorites by Cervantes and Lecuona. Tickets are $30. Visit AventuraCenter.org
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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Latinos Salud’s programs
Have an event you want to list? If so send me an email at Calendar@sfgn.com.
*Denotes new listing
*Fashion’s Fight
The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation presents Fashion’s Fight, a charity Fashion Show and luncheon. Taking place Dec. 12 at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale. The show will feature COURAGE.b, a one-of-a-kind luxury boutique. Will feature model Shannon Rusbuldt, who has walked the runway for Giorgio Armani, and Tommy Hilfiger. Contact The TransMedia Group at 561-750-9800 x210
*Island City-Wide Yard Sale
Annual Island city-wide yard sale. The Yard Sales are held at Hagen Park, 2020 Wilton Drive, on the second Saturday of the month through April 2013 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The City Yard Sales spaces will be available to purchase. Takes place Dec. 8, Jan. 12 and February 9. Last year, the yard sales hosted from 60 to 90 vendors, so register early while there is still space. More info call the Leisure Services Department at 954-390-2115 or 954-390-2130.
Color Vibe 5K
Color Vibe 5k run is coming to Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 5. At the Color Vibe 5k run, YOU are the color canvas, and when you’re finished with us you’ll be an exciting and vivid masterpiece. So tag your friends and hook everybody up with the coolest 5k run to hit the streets. This is one amazing color blast you won’t want to miss! Event begins at 9 a.m. The Color Vibe Ft. Lauderdale 5k run will take place at the Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Visit TheColorVibe.com
The Four Noble Truths
We all have certain things that feel to us like true sources of happiness, but which in reality have caused us no end of suffering, time and time again. It is our mind of attachment that continues to deceive us, causing us to relate to these things in mistaken ways, and leading us straight into problems and misfortune. Learn how to break this cycle. $10/class or $30/ series includes vegetarian food after class, members free. Visit MeditationInFortLauderdale.org
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Pozitive Attitudes
Multiple programs and groups for bi/gay Latino guys. Latinos Salud’s SOMOS program is for guys 18 to 30. All proceeds will benefit Latinos Salud in our efforts to educate on HIV Prevention and testing. Every Thursday night at 7 p.m. join the Core Group, and help plan alternative activities. Also offers Popular Opinion Leader group for guys ages 25 to 44 and a Life Coaching program for guys ages 18 to 44. Come by Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for free one-on-one life coaching with certified CRCS coaches. Located at 2330 Wilton Drive. Call 954-533-8681 or visit Latinossalud.org
Topic driven Peer lead support group for gay and bisexual men who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Meets every Wednesday 7-9 p.m. at the Pride Center 204 N.Dixie Hwy Room 204. Refreshments, no charge, open meeting. PAHereandNow@aol.com www.PozitiveAttitudes.com
Man2Man Discussion
Queer Youth Friday Nights
Meditation After Work
LGBTQ and allied youth group for people13-21. This Is a drop in group anytime from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. This youth group will be SunServe building on 1480 SW 9th Ave on the second floor. A Safe Space to be yourself! Queer Themed Movie showing at 7 p.m. on Friday nights. This group is a safe hangout to meet new friends, free Wi-Fi to bring your laptop or your iPad, plus board games that you can bring or play the ones that they provide at the group. Visit Sunserve.org/youth/index.htm
GLBX Business Advantage Referral Group
GLBX Business Advantage Referral Group will be held at the chamber offices on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 8 to 9 a.m. The leads group is looking for additional members. If you are interested joining, please contact Ken Stollar at Kenneth.Stolar@sci-us.com to see if your category is open and to attend as a guest. Visit Ftlchamber.com/index. php?src=gendocs&ref=GLBX_home&category=GLBX
Queer Youth Nights
LGBTQ & allied youth 13-21 are welcome any time after 6 p.m. at the SunServe building on Wilton Drive for a great place to meet new friends, play board games and a Queer Themed Movie at 7 p.m. Email Afrosch@sunServe.org
Man2Man Discussion Group meets at the Pride Center on Mondays from 7 until 8:30 p.m. Any subject may be discussed. Members regularly reassemble afterwards for ‘repast’ at The Courtyard, PeterPan Diner. Visit Glccsf.org
On Mondays from 6-6:30 p.m. there will be Guided meditation w/ western Buddhist teacher Gui Passow. Looking for a way to rest and re-charge before starting your evening? Come in for a free guided meditation to clear your mind at the end of the day. This class is free at Drolma Buddhist Center. Call 954-537-9191 or visit meditationinfortlauderdale.org
Buddhist Meditation Classes
All the happiness there is in the world arises from wishing others to be happy. By abandoning self-centered thoughts and replacing them with the belief that others are important, we will overcome our suffering and find true happiness inside our own hearts. $10/class or $30/series includes vegetarian food after class. Call The Drolma Buddhist Center at 954-537-9191.
Dream Car Classic
Every Sunday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-1980s classic cars, modern classics and custom cars from 1981-2012 will be showcased. $10 car registration from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (Show Car Entrance: 20th Avenue & Tyler Street). People’s Choice Award - 2 Classes; Top Ten Vehicles Award. Call 954214-2457
Living Healthy
Fusion in Wilton Manors will be having a free workshop on healthy choices, and healthy living on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This workshop provides interactive learning, practice and mastery techniques for a healthier and more active life, and positive changes for quality of life. Call 954-630-1655
Life Coaching
Latinos Salud’s Life Coaching program is for Latino gay/bi guys ages 18-44. Come by Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for free one-on-one life coaching with certified CRCS coaches. Set your goals, and meet action steps to make them come true. 2330 Wilton Drive. Call 954-765-6239. Visit Latinossalud.org
Sex & Love Anonymous
S.L.A.A. believes that sex and love addiction is a progressive illness which cannot be cured but which, like many illnesses, can be arrested. It may take several forms -- including, but not limited to, a compulsive need for sex, extreme dependency on one or many people, or a chronic pre-occupation with romance, intrigue, or fantasy. Meets at The Pride Center at Equality Park in Bldg A, Room 200 Fridays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visit Slaafws.org
Survivor Support
A Survivor Support Group is being held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the 211 Community Center, 250 NE 33rd Street, in Oakland Park. The Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention (FISP) is sponsoring this free support group and is open to all family members and friends of those who have died by suicide. Call 954-384-0344 to register. Meets from 7-8:30 p.m. Visit Fisponline.org.
Eating Disorder Support
Meets Friday evenings from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. At Sun Serve’s Wilton Manors location at 2123 Wilton Drive, second floor. A “drop-in” psycho-educational support group. Free. No registration required. Donations welcome. Call 954-764-5150
Sunday Jazz Brunch
First Sunday of every month. An ideal way to relax and enjoy Fort Lauderdale’s scenic Riverwalk. Live, outdoor concert series bringing the area’s best local jazz artists. Listen to the soulful sounds on four different stages. Well-behaved, leashed pets welcome. Plenty of room for chairs, blankets and picnic baskets.
Young Adult GLBT
A social group open to all LGBT people ages 18-35. Meets Fridays at the Pride Center in Wilton Manors from 7:15-9 p.m. Meeting starts with a discussion on current events followed by introductions and then a group activity. Visit PrideCenterFlorida.org/contact-us
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
Boardwalk Friday Fest
Come out to Hollywood Beach Theatre East of A1A at Johnson St and the ocean. Admission: Free every Friday of every month. Live jazz, blues, pop and everything in between along Hollywood’s signature 2.5 mile boardwalk. Charming oceanfront cafes and restaurants serve up delicious innovative cuisine while you enjoy the best array of live music and tropical ocean breezes. Visit Hollywoodfl.org or call 954-924-2980
Toastmasters
Most Toastmasters meetings are comprised of about 20 people who meet weekly for an hour or so. Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian. Toastmasters meet at the GLCC/Pride Center Monday at 7:15 p.m. Call Ted Verdone at 954-566-2074 or email: Tedverdone@comcast.net
Tuesday Night Eatin Meeting
Tuesday Night Eatin’ Meeting will be held at The Alternative MC Clubhouse at 4322 NE 5th Ave in Oakland Park. Fun, food, and fellowship. There will be hamburgers, hotdogs, all the fixins, cold drinks, desserts, and snacks. Meeting begins at 8 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Visit Alternativemc.com/events/floridaevents
Gay Male Empowerment
Topic discussions include issues and concerns about being a gay man in South Florida. Meets Thursdays at the Pride Center from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Call 954-353-9155
PFLAG
Meets on the 2nd and 4th Tues. of the month at the Sunshine Cathedral at 1480 SW 9th Avenue to support the parents of LGBTQ youth in Broward. No charge. Visit Community.pflag. org/pflagfortlauderdale
SunServe Therapy Groups
Provided for the LGBT community at SunServe on a regular basis. Call the Intake Coordinator at 954-764-5150 to learn which therapy groups have openings. Groups Include a Gay Men’s HIV+ Long Time Survivors’ Group, a Safe “T” support group for gender variant adults, an Intimate Partner Abuse group and others. Visit SunServe.org
Fusion Wilton Manors - Connections
Gay men’s group discussion. Different subject every week. Dr. David Fawcett, a gay therapist, who has been in private practice in Fort Lauderdale for the last ten years, leads the event. No charge. Starts at 7 p.m. Call 954-630-1655.
Women4Women Support
A safe and loving place to explore all the concerns and topics raised by group members. This open drop-in meeting is held Wednesdays at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the New Sun Serve Building at 2312 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Call 954-764-5150
Man2Man Discussion
Man-2-Man talk is an informal discussion group of gay men, with all age ranges and backgrounds welcomed. Bldg A, Room 206. Visit Glccsf.org/calendar/
Palm Beach County The Santaland Diaries
The Santaland Diaries will open Parade Productions’ second season on Dec.13, and run through Dec. 23 at the Studio Theatre at Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The Santaland Diaries hilariously relates David Sedaris’ experiences when he reluctantly worked as an elf in Macy’s Christmastime Santaland display, and offers an uproarious behind-the-scenes look at how department stores manufacture Christmas spirit. Visit ParadeProductions.org
Women of Ancient Greece and Rome
Griffin Gallery Ancient Art invites you to its upcoming exhibition opening of Women of Ancient Greece and Rome on Dec.13, 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Our holdings include over five hundred authentic artifacts that reflect a spectrum of the cultures of Antiquity in addition to Contemporary fine works of art. Among our treasures are pieces from Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Far East, the Near East, the Holy Land, Pre-Columbian cultures, and pre historic Native America. Visit Griffingallery.net
Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival
Foodies have a reason to celebrate as a flood of epicurean talent descends upon the area for the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival 2012. Award-winning chefs and culinary personalities, authors, winemakers, journalists, and mixologists are creating a culinary event of a magnitude never before seen on the illustrious island and beyond. This sixth anniversary year of the Festival includes an expanded lineup, growing from five nights of culinary delights to nearly a dozen events with both day and evening programming, including a star chef golf tournament and trade-only panel discussion. On Dec7-11 at various locations. Visit Pbfoodwinefest.com
Alternative Life Style Show
Featured guests contribute to the community. All are welcomed to call in. Many give aways and prizes including a contest for free buffets at Isle Capri Casino in Pompano. You can also listen by adding W4CYRADIO to SKYPE or call in at 561-623-9429. Up coming spotlights on parties of interest and special events.
PFLAG
PFLAG is a monthly support, coming out and rap groups for families of & for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgender people. Meeting in Palm Beach County is at 6:30 on the third Wednesday of the month. Call or email Carol at 561-716-9464 Pflag@ pobox.com
New Alternatives
Social group with regular outings and social mixers for LGBTQ ages 18 to 30. This meeting will take place at The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Palm Beach County. Email matthew@compassglcc.com or Visit Compassglcc.com.
Sober Sisters AA
Support group is dedicated for lesbians who are recovering from alcoholism. Meeting happens every Monday at 7 p.m. at Lambda North Clubhouse. Visit LambdaNorth.net
PBC Gender Support
All ages support group dedicated for transgender individuals. This meeting happens the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. These meeting will take place at The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Palm Beach County. Visit Compassglcc.com
Good Orderly AA
These meetings now take place at Lambda North at 18 S. J Street, and geared toward recovering alcoholics. Every Tues. and Thurs. at 7 p.m. and on Sat. at 5:30 p.m. These meetings will help recovering alcoholics cope with the stress of everyday life without the use of alcohol. Email tcamie@aol.com
Seniors vs. Crime
Seniors vs. Crime is a free service that provides help to seniors who have been victimized by businesses or service providers and need assistance. This event will take place at Mae Volen Senior Center at 1515 W. Palmetto Park Road. By appointment only so call 561-736-3820 or 561-395-8920.
Yoga On The Waterfront
Lake Pavilion at 101 S. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL / Yoga On The Waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach on Wednesday Evenings at 5:45 p.m. Residents $40 per 8 week session, Non-Residents $50 per 8 week session, Drop-ins $10 per class. To register, please call 561-804-4902.
YOGA Among the Orchids
It’s time for Yoga Among the Orchids at the American Orchid Society, 16700 AOS Lane, Delray Beach. Relax and replenish the flower inside with an hour of breathing exercises, toning, and yoga poses under a canopy of lush orchids. Classes are Wed. at 9 a.m. Cost is $20 and RSVP is suggested. Call 561-4042011. Visit OrchidWeb.org
Jazz on the Palm
Jazz on the Palm - Downtown West Palm Beach Waterfront - Gather with friends and family to enjoy the diverse vibrant sounds of jazz under the stars every 3rd Friday of month at the new Downtown West Palm Beach waterfront concert series. Free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visit Wpbgo. com/2010/06/jazz-on-the-palm
BrothasSpeak
This group is a black gay men’s discussion group that is held at the Compass in West Palm Beach. Every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. this group will be directed toward issues for and about black men. Visit Compassglcc.com
Paths
Paths is a social/discussion group held at Compass in Lake Worth. This men’s group takes place every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Paths men’s group will be discussing relationships, coming out, safer sex issues and more. Visit Compassglcc.com
Yoga
Yoga with Deborah will change your life. Bring a mat and get ready to stretch the stress away every Tuesday at The GLCC in Palm Beach from 6 to 7 p.m. This yoga experience will uplift and transform your life. $6 Entry Fee. You must bring your own mat. Visit Compassglcc.com
Living Buddhism
On the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. Compass in Lake Worth will be holding a discussion group for overcoming obstacles and obtaining happiness. This group is great for getting internal enlightenment. Release your inner stress, and become free. Visit Compassglcc.com
Lake Worth Bike Night
The Lake Worth bike night is fun, and it’s for a cause. Join loads of people in downtown Lake Worth every Thursday from 7 p.m.-10 p.m.. The event is free and open to bikers and nonbikers. Visit Lakeworthbikenight.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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Lambda Dade Clubhouse
Have an event you want to list? If so send me an email at Calendar@sfgn.com.
Miami-Dade BIG BANG Event
Young Patrons and Big Bang Committee invite you to Kick Off our Event Season and celebrate the coming of the Third Annual Big Bang, the Museum’s premiere young professional gala event on Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Complimentary admission and Open Bar. This event will take place at the Miami Science Museum. Call at 305-646-4200
Ransom Mondays
Need an excuse to keep partying well after the weekend is over? The Monday-night party at the recently renovated Collins Park lounge. This amazing party will take place at Mokai in Miami Beach. The party, hosted by Mark Lehmkuhl, sort of takes now-defunct Bella Rose’s Black Sunday murder mystery theme but gives it a Patty Hearst twist. Every week, some prominent nightlife fixture gets held for ransom, and the only way it gets returned is if you party your ass off. Only $20 to attend. Visit Mokaimiami.com
A meeting place for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender communities and friends in recovery. Hosts Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Al-Anon, Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA), Debtors Anonymous (DA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA), meetings. (305) 573-9608. 212 NE 24th Street. Miami. Visit Lambdadadeclubhouse.org
*Denotes new listing
Rainbow Circle
Rainbow Circle is a peer-led LGBTQ support & discussion group. Topics covered often include coming out, relationships, bullying, peer pressure, drugs & alcohol, depression and selfesteem. You pick and develop discussion topics and are able to express your thoughts and feelings without fear in a safe and supportive environment. This group will take place every Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the University of Miami, Flipse Building #302. Visit Pridelines.org
Sex Talk
Sex Talk: Peer Health Educators are young LGBTQ adults who learn how to talk to other young adults about sex, sexuality and HIV/STD prevention. You’ll conduct outreach events, record video messages, participate in a series of performances and organize special events with a purpose. This event takes place the second and fourth Thursday every month at Pridelines Headquarters located at 9526 NE 2nd Ave #104 In Miami Shores from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visit Pridelines.org
Monkey Business
2740 North Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311. (954) 5147819. The Monkey Business Bar is a Small Outdoor Bar Among The Shops Just off Marina Blvd. No Frills But Comfortable and a Great Place to Stop and Meet Good People. Happy Hour 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Naked Grape Wine Bar
2039 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305. (954) 563-5631. A Casual, Hip, Fun Experience and if You Have a Taste for Deliciously Unique Wines, You Need to Make This Your Next Stop! Happy Hour All Night on Thursday
nightlife
New Moon
Broward County 321-Slammer
Bathhouse. 321 W Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33311. Slammer sex club the best place to cruise for the hottest gay men. Thursday’s is leather night, Friday and Saturday night live DJs. Monday & Tuesday -- $9 entry fee
Atomic Boom
2232 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, (954) 630-3556 Best Sound & Light Show in Broward County. Mondays “porn bingo” with Desiree Dubois. $3 Margaritas, $1 Draft
Bill’s Filling Station
2209 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, (954) 567-5978. Large bar/ nightclub, amazing drink specials in Wilton Manors! Wednesday’s after 9 p.m. $10 Miller Lite Beer Bust
Boardwalk
1721 N. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. (954) 463-6969. A Cute Little Hangout in Fort Lauderdale. Pool-room/game room on one side and a bar/strip club on the other. Mondays $3 Well & Dom, after 9 p.m. $3 U-Call-It Shots
The Club Fort Lauderdale
Bathhouse. 110 NW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL, (954) 5253344 Good. Clean. Fun. 1/2 price rooms...Tuesday Nights and 1/2 price Lockers. Thursdays Nights. Always busy.
Clubhouse II
2440 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, (954) 563-7660. Your neighborhood lesbian bar in the heart of Fort Lauderdale and just minutes from Fort. Lauderdale Beach. Wednesday All the fun, half the price 2-4-1 All Day, All Night
PJ’s Corner Pocket
924 North Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, (954) 533-0257. One of The Most Diverse Bars in Fort Lauderdale. $2 Drinks Every Wednesday, Spades Every Thursday
Ramrod
1508 NE 4th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, (954) 763-8219. South Florida’s Leading Levi, Leather and Uniform Bar/Club. Every night is Bear Night. Bear Happy. Hour Every Thursday. Caged Hunks Sat Night
Rosie’s Bar and Grill
2449 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, (954) 567-1320. Wilton Manor’s Best Burger in Town. Try the Fat Elvis. Happy Hour 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Scandals Country Western Bar
Oakland Park, FL 3334, (954) 567-2432. Scandals Gay and Lesbian Country Western. Dance Bar in Wilton Manors. Tuesdays Pool League, and Free Dance Lessons
Sidelines Sports Bar
2031 Wilton Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305, (954) 563-8001. Sidelines Sports Bar and Billiards is a unique, friendly, and accepting place to relax with a cold beer, great drinks and Martinis. Happy Hour M-F 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Bathhouse. 2650 E. Oakland Park Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (954) 566-6750. A Private Club for Bi/Gay men. “Bear and Friends” Thursday $5 Off a room 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday Leather Night - $5 off for those in full leather gear.
Smarty Pants
Corner Pub Bar
The Stable
1915 N. Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33311, (954) 564-7335. Redefining what a bar should be. Thursday’s margarita madness $4, Monday’s “Underwear Night. 2 for 1” until 9:30 p.m.
Cubby Hole
823 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, (954) 728-9001. The Cubby Hole is one of Fort Lauderdale’s most unique and popular Neighborhood bar for men. Underwear Wednesday’s. “Boxers n’ Briefs” get 2 for 1 drinks 9 p.m. to close
The Depot Cabana Bar and Grill
2935 N. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, (954) 537-7076. Voted the “Friendliest” Gay Bar in Fort Lauderdale. Monday’s $1.99 Drinks and $.50 wings open to close
Dudes Bar
3270 NE 33rd St Fort Lauderdale FL 954-568-7777. Sexy hot men starting to shake the booty daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Sundays enjoy karaoke with Peter Petrucci. Great drink specials every Monday with $1 well drinks from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Georgie’s Alibi
2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, (954) 565-2526. Fort Lauderdale’s best & longest happy hour. Wednesdays $2 Domestics & $1 Schnapps after 9 p.m.
3038 North Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306, (954) 561-1724. Great Local Hangout in Fort Lauderdale with Great Drink Specials. Saturday’s Free Breakfast to Order – 8 a.m. 205 East Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park, FL 33334, (954) 565-4506 A neighborhood bar with a different theme every night, from drag shows and bingos, to bears and underwear.
Torpedo
2829 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, (954) 587-2500. Your Dance Destination Till Dawn. Open Late for You To Devour The Night. Open 7 nights a week till 4 a.m.
*Village Pub & Piano Bar
2283 Wilton Dr. Wilton Manors, FL 33305, 754-200-5244 Villagepubwm.com Looking for a relaxing place to spend the early afternoon? Or perhaps you want to come in and “work?” We have incredibly fast WiFi, complimentary outlets for you to power up your phone or laptop AND 2-4-1 Happy Hour Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Palm Beach County
The Cottage (Tea-Dance Sundays)
522 Lucerne Ave, Lake Worth, Fl, 33414. (561) 586-0080 Great Service, Great Food, Full Stocked Bar, Great Professional Tea-Dance every Sunday
Johnny’s
1116 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, (954) 522-5931. Monday Dragon with TP Lords, Daisy D. and DJ Rob Sky Some of the hottest guys around with great happy hour drink specials. Bring all your friends to this sexy Bar.
The Manor
2345 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954) 626 0082 - Come Dine, Dance, Drink, Mingle and of course Relax. 2 for 1 happy hour Tues-Friday 3 to 9 p.m. Indoor/Outdoor Dining. Dance the night away Thursday through Sunday. Live music Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun. Visit themanorcomplex.com
Matty’s on the Drive
6205 Georgia Ave, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405 Directions, (561) 533-5355. Mostly local crowd looking to mingle and relax. Place rocks with a Fabulous DJ on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday T-Dance.
H.G. Rooster
823 BELVEDERE ROAD, WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA 33405, (561)-832-9119. H.G. Roosters is West Palms oldest gay club. Sunday’s Complimentary BBQ 5 p.m., Hot Male Dancers 6 p.m., Karaoke 11 p.m.
2426 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954) 564-1799. Matty’s is one of the few bars in Wilton Manors that’s just that –a bar. Wild Wednesday’s $.75 Drinks, 13 Drinks for less than $10. 5 p.m.
Mara (Thurs-Sat)
Mona’s
1532 North Dixie Hwy ,Lake Worth, FL 33460. (561) 547-8860. Cheap drinks, friendly bartenders, and free pool SundayThursday. Stop by and relax at this no-attitude haunt.
502 E. Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, (954) 5256662. The eclectic décor and a friendly staff makes. Mona’s a great place to have fun in Fort Lauderdale. Thursday’s College Boy’s Night 8 p.m. Enjoy College Boy’s Choice 2 for 1
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Fort Dix
1132 North Dixie Highway, Lake Worth FL $3 Drinks. No Cover. Open till 5 a.m. Ladies night on Thursdays and Karaoke on Fridays.
The Mad Hatter
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
The Bar Lake Worth
2211 North Dixie Highway Lake Worth. (561) 370-3954 Thebarlakeworth.com. Men and women share this mostly-locals space as a calm and friendly watering hole. The bar often features live music which can be a nice break from thumping bass.
Tag Bar
25 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483 954-801-3247. Delray Beach’s only gay bar. Mon - Sun: 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. Awesome Drink Specials.
Miami-Dade Club Space
34 NE 11th St ,Miami ,Florida, 33132,(305) 350-1956 Space Miami Voted Best U.S Club IDMA 2011. The go-to venue for any nightlife enthusiast in the nation, the club is proudly marching on into its second decade of operation.
Club Sugar
2301 SW 32nd Ave, Miami, Florida, 33145, (305) 443-7657. All the sweetness you’ll need in one club. Every Thursday “drag wars” with TP Lords. $5 house drinks & $4 Domestic beers all night.
Discotekka
950 NE 2nd Ave, Downtown Miami, Florida 33132,(305) 3509084. One of the best night clubs In Miami. Every Saturday the hottest DJ’s from the top performers. Drink Special Every Saturday
Johnny’s
Miami 62 NE 14 Street Downtown Miami Florida (305) 640-8749. Open Wed. through Sun. The hottest men in the universe strip shows nightly from 6 p.m. sexy from wall to wall. Free entrance. Free parking. Free VIP rooms. Featuring the Hottest Male Dancers and The Best VIP ROOMS and always $5 Drinks. Full Lineup at ed at http://www.Facebook.com/JohnnysMiami
Score
727 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, Florida, 33139. (305) 561-5521. Score is located in the heart of South Beach in the thriving and infamous promenade, Lincoln Road. Bigger Saturday’s sexy male dolls.
Swinging Richards
17450 Biscayne Blvd, N Miami Beach, Fl 33160 954-357-2532 Tuesdays-Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Come and enjoy fully nude guys dancing to the best music in South Florida.
Twist
1057 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, Fl, 33139. (305) 538-9478. Never a Cover…Always a Groove. Resident star DJ Mika spins tribal. Every Saturday TWIST is full of the hottest men in Miami. Muscle boy dancers taking it off in the Bungalow Bar.
Key West 801 Bar
801 Duval St., Key West, Florida,(305) 294-4737. Cabaret shows upstairs with nightly performances by famed performers Sushi, Kylie, RV Beaumont, Margo, and others. Happy hour specials daily from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.
The Bourbon St. Pub
724 Duval St. (305) 296-1992. Key West’s premier video bar with LIVE DJ’S nightly. A taste of N’Awlins in the heart of Old Town – Enjoy Key West’s hottest music videos on the large screen while the boys entertain on the bar. No Cover.
La Te Da
1125 Duval St. 305-296-6706 Fun Gay-Friendly atmosphere. Cabaret entertainment during season including Randy Roberts and Chris Peterson. Enjoy great live music Tuesday thru Sunday with Lenore Troia. Cover charge may apply. Great outside bar if you just want to enjoy a cocktail and chat while people watching on Duval Street.
Club Aqua
711 Duval St.,Key West, Florida,(305) 294-0555. Monday’s Dueling Bartenders. Your Bartender’s sing, shake, and stir their way through happy hour 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Pearl’s Patio Bar
525 United Street, Key West, FL(305) 293-9805 ext. 156. Pearl’s Patio is a great place to enjoy a drink and relax. Happy Hour – every weekday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday’s are Extended Happy Hour 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Spirit! IN THE
December 6th, 7th & 8th, 2012 8 pm
The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art Auditorium The Original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus announces their 27th season under the founding Director of the organization, Dr. Gary Keating! The concert will provide the high entertainment value you have come to know & love from this great chorus and will be complete with holiday standards & favorites as well as a few surprises you have come to expect from the FTLGMC!
Tickets: $25 General Admission & $40 VIP For more information visit www.theftlgmc.org or call 954.832.0060
Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.
Full Charge Bookkeeping Services
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
December 5, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com
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