7/23/14 V5i30 by South Florida Gay News

FRANCO EXPLORES GAY LEATHER SCENE • 37

OBAMA’S ORDER BANS DISCRIMINATION • 12, 13

local name, global coverage

July 23, 2014 // vol. 5 // issue 30

pages 4, 32

Community

Celebrates

Florida Marriage Decision NETROOTS NATION BRINGS ACTIVISTS TOGETHER • 18

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LGBT RIGHTS IN GUYANA & JAMAICA • 20, 22

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STORIES ON SFGN.COM Last weekÕ s hottest items couldnÕ t wait to be printed... Compiled y asonb arsley J P

TASK FORCE DONATES $227,509 MIAMI FOUNDATION

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(SFGN) Last week the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force donated $227,509 to the Miami Foundation’s GLBT Community Projects Fund. The donation represents a big share of the net proceeds from the 2014 Winter Party Festival and the 17th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner. Both of those events are held in Miami Beach. “The Task Force has been working in Miami since the days of Anita Bryant,” Roybal said

in a statement. “We have a special and unique relationship with South Florida and the people here. It is thanks to these people – the volunteers, sponsors and guests who attend our two events – that this incredible donation has been possible.” Since taking Winter Party Festival and Miami Recognition Dinner, the Task Force has donated more than $1.85 million to South Florida grassroots LGBT organizations.

VIKINGS SUSPEND PRIEFER FOR 3 GAMES IN RESPONSE TO CHRIS KLUWE’S ALLEGATIONS (AP) MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings will suspend special teams coordinator Mike Priefer without pay for three games this season and donate $100,000 to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights groups, in response to former punter Chris Kluwe’s allegations of anti-gay slurs and taunts made by Priefer. The Vikings announced the punishment Friday as part of a summary of findings by outside lawyers hired in January to investigate Kluwe’s accusations, which included a claim he

was released because of his gay-rights advocacy. The Vikings said Priefer’s ban could be reduced to two games at their discretion, provided he attends individualized antiharassment, diversity and sexual-orientation sensitivity training. Such education has been required for all Vikings employees, coaches and players on an annual basis for the past several years, the team said, and the improvements for the programs will be considered.

HIV DIAGNOSIS RATE FELL BY THIRD OVER DECADE EXCEPT FOR GAY/BI MEN (AP) NEW YORK — The rate of HIV infections diagnosed in the United States each year fell by one-third over the past decade, a government study finds. Experts celebrated it as hopeful news that the AIDS epidemic may be slowing in the U.S. “It’s encouraging,” said Patrick Sullivan, an Emory University AIDS researcher who was not involved in the study. The reasons for the drop aren’t clear. It might mean fewer new infections are occurring. Or that most infected people already have been

diagnosed so more testing won’t necessarily find many more cases. “It could be we are approaching something of a ‘ceiling effect,’” said one study leader, David Holtgrave of Johns Hopkins University. Declines were seen in the rates for men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, heterosexuals, injection drug users and most age groups. The only group in which diagnoses increased was gay and bisexual men, the study found.

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JULY 23, 2014 • VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 30

2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305 PHONE: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943

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Gay Marriage Rally: Wilton Manors Mayor, Gary Resnick. Design: Brendon Lies James Franco: Gay-friendly actor / director. Designer: Bob Reilly South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law ofﬁce, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.

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news highlight

MORE PROMISE FOR PREP

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Associated Press

There is more good news about HIV treatment pills used to prevent infection in people at high risk of getting the AIDS virus: Follow-up from a landmark study that proved the drug works now shows that it does not encourage risky sex and is effective even if people skip some doses. The research was discussed Tuesday at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, and was published by the British journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. It involves 1,600 gay men and transgender women who took part in the original study showing that daily use of the drug Truvada lowered the risk of getting HIV. After the study ended, they were offered the chance to keep getting the pills for free, and three-quarters of them agreed. All were studied for another 17 months. None who took the pills at least four days a week became infected. Even use two or three days a week lowered the risk of infection compared to taking the pills less often or not at all. Researchers could tell how often the drug was taken because they measured it in

blood samples. “We’re encouraged,” said study leader Dr. Robert Grant, an AIDS expert at the Gladstone Institutes, a foundation affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. “There’s a demand, there’s some forgiveness for missed doses. And it’s safe.”

Born in Fort Lauderdale and Raised in Broward County • Graduated from Pompano Beach High School Single Dad, three sons • Trying cases for close to 30 years Spent first half focusing on prosecuting rapists and career criminals Joined his father's law practice, Bailey, Bailey & Bailey as a criminal defense attorney Defended numerous cases from misdemeanors , to major crimes- including capital cases Served as Chair of the ESE Advisory Commission as well as representing numerous students with special needs before the School Board • Handled Federal Civil Rights Cases, 2002- 2007 Member of Autism Society of America/Broward Chapter Supported by Emilio Benitez, Esq., Rae Chorowski, Esq., and Joanne Lewis, Esq. Cell 954-668-1078

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BOXERS AND BRIEFS RETURN TO BILL’S Denise Royal

The 9th annual Bartenders’ Boxers & Briefs Underwear Auction will be held at Bill’s on Monday, July 28th at 8 p.m. The event puts the fun in fundraiser and the money raised is for a good cause. The proceeds go to Tuesday’s Angels. Tuesday’s Angels is a non-profit organization that provides funding on an emergency basis to men, women and children who have HIV/ AIDS. All dollars (100 percent) received by the organization go to clients who have little or no income and are often unable to work. Bartenders from the local community auction their underwear (either boxers or briefs) on stage and the high bidder goes on stage to claim his winnings. The evening will feature a who’s who of local bartenders. “Joshua & Tyler from Hunters, Albie from

Rumors, Cole from Alibi, Jason from Bill’s, along with bartenders from Mona’s, Scandals, Rosie’s, PJs and many more,” said Don Clark, Manager of Bill’s. This year’s MC/Auctioneers are Nikki Adams, Russell of the Stable and Miss Kitty. Along with the live underwear auction on stage, the night will include a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. “Last year’s auction raised just over $10,000. There is a lot of interest this year and we hope to exceed last year. For the past few years, we have filmed a music video with the auction participants and we are working to put this together again this year,” Clark said. For more information, BillsFillingStation.com.

visit

www.

JUDGE WON’T LIFT FLA. KEYS GAY MARRIAGE STAY By Curt Anderson AP Legal Affairs Writer

A Florida Keys judge who last week ruled the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional refused Monday to allow gay couples to begin marrying in Monroe County, citing a pending appeal by the state attorney general. Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia rejected a motion to allow immediate weddings filed by attorneys for Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, a pair of Key West bartenders whose lawsuit successfully challenged the ban. Garcia ruled last week that the ban on same-sex marriage added to the state constitution by Florida voters in 2008 is discriminatory and violates gay people’s right to equal treatment under the law. Garcia initially ruled marriage licenses could be issued in Monroe County beginning Tuesday to gay couples. But that was blocked by an automatic stay triggered when Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi immediately filed notice that the state will appeal. Bondi’s office filed papers later Monday urging Garcia to keep the stay in place and preserve the status quo until all appeals are

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sorted out and Garcia agreed. That means no gay marriages can take place while Garcia’s original ruling is reviewed by the Miami-based 3rd District Court of Appeal, which could take weeks or months to issue a decision. But gay marriage has now received some support from the right in Florida. On Monday, a Tampa Bay area Republican, U.S. Rep. David Jolly, came out in support of last week’s ruling. “As a matter of my Christian faith, I believe in traditional marriage,” Jolly said in a statement. “But as a matter of Constitutional principle I believe in a form of limited government that protects personal liberty. To me, that means that the sanctity of one’s marriage should be defined by their faith and by their church, not by their state.” In their motion, three attorneys for Huntsman and Jones wrote that gays are suffering harm because they cannot marry in Monroe County despite the judge’s ruling and because the state is unlikely to ultimately win an appeal. Gay marriage proponents have won more than 20 legal decisions against state marriage limits around the country since the soflagaynews //

U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. “Every day that goes by, plaintiffs and other same-sex couples are being deprived of important constitutional rights and suffering additional serious, ongoing, and irreparable dignitary, legal and economic harms,” the motion says. Gays have inundated Monroe County officials with requests for information since the judge’s ruling in anticipation that they could become the first group of same-sex couples to

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legally marry in Florida history. The Monroe County clerk’s office has already changed marriage license forms from “husband and wife” to “first spouse, second spouse.” Lawsuits challenging Florida’s gay marriage ban are also pending in Miami-Dade County and Tallahassee federal court. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriages, with the remaining state bans all facing legal challenges seeking to overturn them.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /

NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by SFGN Staff

MURRAY STATE DESIGNATES GENDER NEUTRAL RESTROOMS

(AP) MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State University has designated three single-person restrooms as gender neutral restrooms available to any person regardless of gender identity or expression. The Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender program coordinator at the school, Jody Cofer Randall, says these restrooms are important to a segment of the university population. Randall told the Murray Ledger & Times (http:// bit.ly/1yPsddg ) that it’s “an indisputable fact” that transgender and gender non-conforming

ACEDONIA TO BAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CONSTITUTION (AP) SKOPJE, Macedonia — Macedonia’s parliament has agreed to consider proposed constitutional amendments to effectively ban gay marriage and impose limits on public debt. Lawmakers agreed Wednesday to begin the amendment process proposed by the governing conservatives, who with their political allies already have the two-thirds majority of seats needed to approve the changes after winning a landslide election victory in April. The amendments would define marriage exclusively as a heterosexual union, limit the national debt to 60 percent of gross domestic product and limit the country’s annual budget deficit to 3 percent. A spokesman for the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party in parliament said the amendment was aimed at “protecting traditional, family and religious values of marriage.”

OVER UKRAINE: MORE THAN 100 AIDS CONFERENCE ATTENDEES DIE

RAGEDY

(AP) SYDNEY - The premier of the Australian state hosting an international AIDS conference says a “substantial number” of world-renowned AIDS researchers and activists were on board a Malaysian jetliner that was shot down over Ukraine. Victoria Premier Denis Napthine told reporters in Melbourne on Friday that he can confirm many passengers on board the Malaysia Airlines plane were en route to next week’s 20th International AIDS conference in Melbourne. There have been unconfirmed reports that up to 100 people on board the flight were going to the conference. Napthine says it’s far too early to give a precise figure. Photo: credit of CNN.com

AKER APPEALS

ORDER TO PROVIDE GAY

WEDDING CAKES

A suburban Denver baker has appealed an order from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission that requires him to prepare wedding cakes for gay couples. Jack Phillips on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeals to reverse the May ruling by the commission. Phillips was sued by a gay couple after he refused to make a cake to celebrate their marriage in 2012. Phillips has said he is deeply religious and that making the cake would violate the Christian principles by which he runs his Lakewood business, Masterpiece Cake Shop. An administrative law judge ruled against Phillips and the commission upheld that decision, finding that Phillips’ refusal violated the state’s public accommodation law that requires businesses to serve customers regardless of their sexual orientation. Phillips’ attorneys argue that decision violates Phillips’ First Amendment rights. The case is one of a handful in which private businesses were sued for refusing to serve gay couples getting married, and it helped spark controversial proposals in several states to let businesses refuse service based on owners’ religious beliefs.

INISTER: METHODIST CHURCH APPEALS ‘REFROCKING’

(AP) A Methodist minister ousted and then reinstated after presiding over his son’s gay marriage says the church is appealing his refrocking. The Rev. Frank Schaefer says he is disappointed by the appeal, but not surprised. Schaefer is moving to a California diocese this week after his decision to officiate his son’s 2007 marriage thwarted his church career in Pennsylvania. He has since become a gay rights activist. In a statement Friday, he says he hopes the church’s Judicial Council will decline to take up the appeal from the counsel for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

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students attend Murray State. Last September, the Student Government Association passed a resolution for LGBT equality that called for gender-neutral bathrooms and other policy changes. The university updated its policy regarding preferred first-name choices and promotion of diversity and tuition waivers for spouses and partners of university employees shortly after the resolution passed.

Schaefer says he prays for an outcome that would help “heal ... the wounds of homophobia.”

POLICE USE BANNED ANAL EXAM TO ‘TEST’ HOMOSEXUALITY

EBANESE

(Edge Media) The Lebanese police are reportedly still using a “test” for homosexuality banned in 2012 that involves an anal exam deemed to be “torture” by the nation’s Order of Physicians. The Daily Star Lebanon reports on five new cases in which a forensic doctor identified only by the initials A.M. was hired by the judicial police’s Moral Protection Bureau to determine the sexuality of five Lebanese and Syrian men accused only of being gay -- a crime in Lebanon. The test involves inserting an egg-shaped metal object into the rectum. It has been called useless, and described as a torture akin to rape. “We are asking the Order of Physicians to sue him [the doctor] for professional misconduct,” attorney Legal Agenda Editor Nizar Saghieh told The Daily Star. “There are many sanctions available, so it is up to the people who are hearing this case to decide on what is adequate.” Gay Star News reports the test was banned by Lebanon’s Order of Physicians in August 2012, a month after it was used on 35 men arrested in a porn cinema in Burj Hammoud in July 2012. The LGBT rights group Helem protested the incident, and Lebanon’s Justice Minister spoke out against it, but legal experts say it is now being used. From our media partner EDGE.

EMOCRATS ASK

GOV. WALKER TO DROP GAY

MARRIAGE LAWSUIT

(AP) MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Democrats are asking Gov. Scott Walker and fellow Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to drop their defense of the state’s gay marriage ban, arguing it’s a waste of money. Fifteen Democratic state senators and 25 Democratic representatives sent letters to Walker and Van Hollen on Wednesday. Van Hollen last week appealed a federal judge’s ruling that the state’s ban is unconstitutional. Walker is a named defendant in the lawsuit. Walker spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster says “Walker takes seriously the oath of office that he took to support the Wisconsin Constitution. If others do not take that oath seriously, that is their decision.” Photo: credit of CNN.com

news briefs

ONN.

SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS PRE-GAY MARRIAGE RIGHTS

(AP) HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s highest court ruled [last week] that some legal rights of same-sex couples predate the state’s approvals of civil unions in 2005 and samesex marriage in 2008, a decision that gay rights supporters call the first of its kind in the country. The state Supreme Court issued a 6-0 decision overturning two lower court rulings and allowing a widow to sue a doctor in a medical malpractice case for the death of her spouse and the loss of her spouse’s companionship and income. The alleged malpractice occurred from 2001 to 2004, a time when only married couples were allowed to sue for loss of spousal “consortium.” “It’s another example of the Connecticut Supreme Court leading the way in recognizing that the love and commitment of same-sex couples is exactly the same as different-sex couples,” said Ben Klein, a lawyer for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders in Boston. “This will be an influential and important

decision that other courts will look to.” The trial court and the state Appellate Court ruled against Stacey in her effort to sue Wertheim for loss of consortium, saying Stacey and Mueller weren’t married as required under the law. “The Supreme Court sought fit to rectify this injustice,” said Stacey, 63, who now lives in Middletown. “It validates my loss of my spouse for the fact that what I suffered for the seven years that Marge had cancer … and all that I gave up and all that I don’t have because she died because of the malpractice.” The Supreme Court said it wasn’t legally possible for Stacey and Mueller to be married or in a civil union at the time of the misdiagnosis, and the justices accepted the couple’s contention that they would have been married long ago if allowed. “Society has come to accept the view that committed same sex couples … are entitled to the same social and legal recognition as committed opposite sex couples,” Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers wrote in the ruling.

IRST MISS. MAYOR ENDORSES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

(AP) WAVELAND, Miss. — A Mississippi mayor has joined hundreds of others across the country to publicly support same sex marriage. Waveland Mayor David Garcia tells WLOXTV in Biloxi (http://bit.ly/1nNXNVj ) that he raised his children not to judge others. So when he was approached by the Freedom To Marry Organization, he knew this was the right thing to do, and he’s hoping other city leaders do the same. “Simply, this is the right thing to do. I’m just not for any type of discrimination whatsoever. I’m totally against all discrimination,” Garcia said. In May, Waveland passed an antidiscrimination resolution in support of its LGBT residents. Oxford, Hattiesburg and Starkville

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are among other Mississippi cities that have done the same. Garcia said, so far, reaction to his endorsement has been positive. “I’m getting comments from all over the state of Mississippi. I’m getting emails from all over because they did a national press release on it. Everything I’ve received so far has been positive. I’m sure I will be getting some negative emails about it and some negative phones calls,” said Garcia. The mayor said he’s prepared to respond to those negative calls. “At the end of the day, it’s not for me or them to judge. Our judgment day will come; each one of us will have a judgment day. I do not believe God put us here to judge others, or others to judge us,” Garcia said.

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /

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MISGENDERED FAU STUDENT WANTS CHANGES Christiana Lilly

Photo courtesy of Abdul Asquith

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All he wanted was a laptop. Abdul Asquith, 26, was a student at Florida Atlantic University when he was denied checking out a laptop from the school library to write one of his final papers in October. “She refused to give me the laptop,” Asquith said. “She said the ID wasn’t me and that I was a girl.” What soon could have been a misunderstanding turned into a scene when the librarian showed her boss the ID, who agreed with the librarian. Finally a third person was involved, who said the ID resembled him -- Asquith said he chuckled. “I felt like he was laughing at me when he laughed,” he said. “They still gave me the laptop after I got to the third person. They were making a big scene about it and trying to humiliate me for no reason.” The photo was taken in Asquith’s first semester in school -- he had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore a hoodie, just like he did the day he went to the library. Through every semester, he used his ID to enter the gym or cafeteria and never had a problem. Asquith said he was proud to go to FAU, but in the final months before his graduation, the experience changed his entire outlook of the university. “He definitely didn’t care to experience the embarrassment and humiliation that went along with him presenting a male ID card with a visible picture of a masculine person and then having someone say, well you look female so we aren’t going to serve you,” said his lawyer, George Castrataro, who runs a firm in Fort Lauderdale where half of the practice focuses on LGBT law. In a statement to SFGN, an FAU spokeswoman said that the school takes

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“allegations of discrimination seriously.” “This incident was quickly corrected and an FAU administrator issued an immediate inperson apology.” Months after the incident, FAU came under fire yet again for mistreating another LGBT student. A gay man went to the registrar to apply for in-state tuition after he married a Florida resident. The school denied his request -- rightly so, as they are a state school and must adhere to state law -- but again it was the allegation of poor treatment. When he told the registrar that he didn’t have a wife, but rather a husband, the registrar allegedly showed shock that it could happen. “There was this sense of, you can’t be married to a person of the same sex,” Castrataro said. “It’s not like they made the law; the state did and they’re obligated to enforce it. But what was an issue was how [my clients] felt in the course of their experience dealing with the university,” Castrataro said. Asquith graduated in December 2013 with a degree in communications. He had plans to pursue his master’s at FAU as well, but after the incident, doesn’t have “any intention of going back to the school right now.” Since sensitivity appears to be an issue with staff, Asquith and Castrataro want the school to put a greater focus on LGBT students and their treatment during training seminars. “I said [to the council] you know, I’m not always sure myself of the right words to use, but I’m usually sure that I don’t humiliate, embarrass, or undermine folks. There is a way to do it and be effective. You don’t need a 10-hour class, but they do need to work on it substantially,” Castrataro said.

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NEW FROM SFAN, JULY 11, 2014 Sean McShee

The South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN) functions as the networking body for Ryan White Care (RWC), Part B grants n Broward County. RWC Part B grants fund ADAP, AICP and the non-medical components of Ryan White Care. Its monthly meetings are open to the public and newcomers (providers, consumers, and interested individuals) are encouraged to attend. The South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN) met on July 11. Joey Wynn, SFAN’s chair, announced that changes to the bylaws of the Broward County HIV Health Services Planning Council (see article “Ryan White Care Administration in Broward Shakes Things Up”) threatened to put the Ryan White Care (RWC) Part B contracts out of compliance. In order to bring Broward’s RWC Part B contracts, back into compliance, RWC Part B has to redesign its structure. SFAN’s next meeting (August 1), will begin a half an hour earlier (9:30 a.m.) to include a full presentation of the new structure. According to Joey, in the future SFAN will focus more on the AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP) and AIDS Drug

Assistance Program (ADAP). AICP provides the funds to pay for health insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles; ADAP provides the funds to buy life saving HIV medications. Over the next few years, as most RWC clients transition to purchasing individual marketplace exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, AICP will become as important as ADAP. The Wellness Center of South Florida and Broward House, provide AICP services in Broward County. Jerry of The Wellness Center of South Florida reported on AICP. The State of Florida has temporarily restricted AICP’s use while it develops the financial procedures and mechanisms necessary to cover all insurance plans purchased under the Affordable Care Act. At present, the Wellness Center only can enroll into its AICP program, those people with employer or COBRA based health insurance. More plans should become available for AICP assistance during open enrollment, beginning this November. Mario de Santis of the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) reported that the Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted

to keep HOPWA’s voucher programs safe from funding cuts. He also announced that the HOPWA presentation “Housing and AIDS 101” would not take place in July, but would take place in October. At the next SFAN meeting, he will discuss HOPWA’s short term funding

and utility aid. Next Meeting: August 1, 2014 at 9:30 am, at the Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56th Street (at Dixie), Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334. Newcomers are encouraged to attend.

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Could You Afford to Live to 100?

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Darcy Beeman Here’s an interesting statistic: Over the past three decades, the centenarian population in the United States has grown about 66%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a good chance of living to 100 — but the possibility may not be as remote as it once was. In any case, if you do plan to retire in your mid-60s, and you are in good health, you may well have two, or even three, decades ahead of you. To enjoy this time to the fullest — and to help prevent the possibility of outliving your financial resources — you will need to invest for income and growth throughout your retirement years. As a retiree, how much income do you need from your investments? There’s no one “right” percentage for everyone. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have to rely solely on your investment portfolio, because

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you may have other sources — such as Social Security and potentially your employersponsored retirement plan — from which to draw income. Nonetheless, your investments can play a big role in providing you with the income you’ll need during retirement. Many retirees depend on fixedrate investments for a good portion of their retirement income — so it’s a real challenge when interest rates are low, as they have been for the past several years. Consequently, when you retire, you’ll certainly need to be aware of the interest-rate environment and the income you can expect from these investments. Longer-term fixed-rate vehicles may be tempting, as they typically offer higher rates than shorter-term ones, but these longer-term investments may have more price fluctuation and inflation risk than shorter-term investments. Ultimately, you’ll likely need a balance between short-,

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intermediate- and long-term fixed-income investments to provide for a portion of your income in retirement. While it’s important to invest for income, you can’t ignore the need for growth — because you won’t want to lose purchasing power to inflation. As you know, we’ve experienced quite mild inflation recently. But over time, even a low rate of inflation can seriously erode your purchasing power. To illustrate: If your current monthly costs are $3,000, they will be about $4,000 in 10 years with only a 3% annual inflation rate. And in 25 years at that same rate, your monthly costs will have more than doubled, to about $6,200. To help protect yourself against inflation risk, you should consider having at least some investments that offer growth potential, rather than only owning fixedincome vehicles. And some investment vehicles, such as dividend-paying stocks,

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can offer both growth potential and current income. In fact, some stocks have paid, and even increased, their dividends for many years in a row, giving you not just income, but rising income. (Keep in mind, though, that companies are not obligated to pay dividends, and can reduce or discontinue them at any time.) To determine the right mix of growth and income vehicles for your individual needs, consult with a financial advisor who is familiar with your retirement plans, your risk tolerance and your family situation. And it may well be a good idea to plan for a very long retirement. You may not live to be 100 — but it would be a good feeling to know that you could afford to do so. This article was submitted by Darcy Beeman, Financial Advisor at Edward Jones.

news local

RYAN WHITE CARE ADMINISTRATION IN BROWARD SHAKES THINGS UP Sean McShee

On May 22, 2014 the Broward County HIV Health Planning Council (HIVPC) voted to revise their bylaws and changed the structure for planning HIV services in Broward. Before that vote, Ryan White Care (RWC) Part A and B grantees co-chaired the committees that planned local HIV services. RWC Part A funds medical services. RWC Part B funds nonmedical services and two important programs: the AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP) and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). RWC Parts A and B grantees appeared to have co-equal status. Leonard Jones, of the Ryan White Care Part A Program Office, summarized that revision in an e-mail: “The Broward County HIV Health Services Planning Council’s (HIVPC) revised the bylaws definition to remove the word ‘Joint’ inclusive of only South Florida AIDS Network Members, and replace it with ‘Community Stakeholders’ allowing for diverse representation from Ryan White Part B, C, D, or F, Prevention, and representatives of

HIV/AIDS care in the community.” According to Leonard Jones, this change had the goal of increasing participation. The Chair of the HIVPC then sent a letter to all the Part B cochairs encouraging them to continue on the committees, but not as co-chairs. RWC Part B grantees no longer appeared to have co-equal status. Leonard Jones reported that this change has no policy implications. He referred to letters from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). Those letters stated their expectations for collaboration and a comprehensive (both treatment and prevention) local plan. According to Leonard Jones, the HIVPC “is developing an integrated response to meet the requirements set by the CDC and HRSA.” According to Joey Wynn, Chair of South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN), the RWC Part B planning and networking body, “We had a final joint meeting urging them NOT to remove the word ‘joint’ from the by-laws, as it would set off

a chain of events that would further fragment our planning and service delivery system.” Joey explained that co-chairing the committees met the requirements of RWC Part B’s grant. Changes to this arrangement would place RWC Part B grantees in violation of those requirements. The grantees would then have to spend a great deal of time, on relatively short notice, designing and setting up a new structure to bring their programs back into compliance, while running HIV service delivery programs. The resulting time constraints would prevent many, but not all, RWC Part B grantees from continued service on the committees. All change involves disruption. Fortunately, this disruption occurs at the administrative level rather than the service delivery level, but resources spent at the administrative level are resources not spent at the service delivery level. We will have to watch events to see how this plays out.

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news national

PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON LGBT WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION HERE IS AN EXCERPT OF HIS REMARKS President Obama

Many of you have worked for a long time to see this day coming. You organized, you spoke up, you signed petitions, you sent letters — I know because I got a lot of them. (Laughter.) And now, thanks to your passionate advocacy and the irrefutable rightness of your cause, our government — government of the people, by the people, and for the people — will become just a little bit fairer. It doesn’t make much sense, but today in America, millions of our fellow citizens wake up and go to work with the awareness that they could lose their job, not because of anything they do or fail to do, but because of who they are -- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. And that’s wrong. We’re here to do what we can to make it right -- to bend that arc of justice just a little bit in a better direction. In a few moments, I will sign an executive order that does two things. First, the federal government already prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Once I sign this order, the same will be explicitly true for gender identity. And second, we’re going to prohibit all companies that receive a contract from the federal government from discriminating against their LGBT employees. America’s federal contracts should not subsidize discrimination against the American people. Now, this executive order is part of a long bipartisan tradition. President Roosevelt signed an order prohibiting racial discrimination in the national defense industry. President Eisenhower strengthened it. President Johnson expanded it. Today, I’m going to expand it again. Currently, 18 states have already banned workplace discrimination based on sexual

orientation and gender identity. And over 200 cities and localities have done the same. Governor Terry McAuliffe is here; his first act as governor was to prohibit discrimination against LGBT employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia. I’ve appointed a record number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender public servants to positions across my administration. They are ambassadors and federal judges, special assistants, senior advisors from the Pentagon to the Labor Department. Every day, their talent is put to work on behalf of the American people. Equality in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, it turns out to be good business. That’s why a majority of Fortune 500 companies already have nondiscrimination policies in place. It is not just about doing the right thing — it’s also about attracting and retaining the best talent. And there are several business leaders who are here today who will attest to that. And yet, despite all that, in too many states and in too many workplaces, simply being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender can still be a fireable offense. There are people here today who’ve lost their jobs for that reason. This is not speculative, this is not a matter of political correctness -- people lose their jobs as a consequence of this. Their livelihoods are threatened, their families are threatened. In fact, more states now allow same-sex marriage than prohibit discrimination against LGBT workers. So I firmly believe that it’s time to address this injustice for every American. Now, Congress has spent 40 years -- four decades -- considering legislation that would help solve the problem. That’s a long time.

Photo credit of CNN And yet they still haven’t gotten it done. I’m going to do what I can, with the authority I have, to act. The rest of you, of course, need to keep putting pressure on Congress to pass federal legislation that resolves this problem once and for all. For more than two centuries, we have strived, often at great cost, to form “a more perfect union” -- to make sure that “we, the people” applies to all the people. Many of us are only here because others fought to secure rights and opportunities for us. And we’ve got a responsibility to do the same for future generations. We’ve got an obligation to make sure that the country we love remains a place

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where no matter who you are, or what you look like, or where you come from, or how you started out, or what your last name is, or who you love -- no matter what, you can make it in this country. That’s the story of America. That’s the story of this movement. I want to thank all of you for doing your part. We’ve got a long way to go, but I hope as everybody looks around this room, you are reminded of the extraordinary progress that we have made not just in our lifetimes, but in the last five years. In the last two years. In the last one year. We’re on the right side of history.

news national

OBAMA’S ORDER WILL PROTECT 34 MILLION PEOPLE Sasha Razumikhin

Dwayne Wade signed with the Miami Heat for $34 million, according to the Palm Beach Post. As of 2012, there are 35.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS (according to the World Health Organization). And now, Obama’s Monday executive order will be protecting 34 million federal contractor employees. The executive order, offering work-related discrimination protection to LGB (and notably T) workers, will not offer any kind of religious exemption, according to the Washington Post. The order will protect “approximately 22 percent of civilian workers in the U.S., this according to the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, a think-tank “dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.” “The executive order will reach workers not protected by the patchwork of existing statelevel nondiscrimination policies,” said Williams Institute Executive Director Brad Sears. “Less than half of the states prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, leaving a majority of American workers without protections.” It’s important to keep in mind that “an estimated 11 million more workers will be protected from sexual orientation discrimination when taking into account those already protected by state law or employer policy. An additional 14 million workers will be protected from gender identity discrimination.” The Williams numbers take into account recent policy changes across the country:

AS OF MAY 2014:

86 percent of the top 50 federal contractors prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. 61 percent prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. All but two of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation (96 percent) as of May 2014, and 70 percent prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. To put things in perspective, the Williams Institute created an infographic recently to qualify workplace discrimination against LGBT workers. You can see the infographic here.

For more information on the Williams Institute and its research, go to williamsinstitute. law.ucla.edu. soflagaynews //

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news national

NETROOTS NATION BRINGS TOGETHER LGBT ACTIVISTS Chuck Colbert

More than 120 LGBT activists, bloggers, organizations, funders, and journalists from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico gathered in Detroit this past week for a day-long discussion about the future of the LGBT movement and ways to effect progressive social change within it and beyond. Organized by Mike Rogers, vice chairman and managing director of Raw Story Media, the LGBT Netroots Connect program, now in its seventh year, has more than doubled its size from the initial 60-people meeting, which was then called the National Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative. Since 2008, Netroots Connect has done “a great job,” said Rogers, program director, in broadening the scope of the program and its participants. “Our team is no longer just bloggers, but also social media activists and more, from all over the country, engaged in social change.” “What’s really important,” he said is “intersectionality,” the connecting of LGBT concerns with broader progressive issues, for example, economic justice, immigration reform, the labor movement, reproductive rights, affordable health care, religious liberty, and the environment, among others. Enabling people to make personal connections, the face-to-face networking not possible through email exchanges and instant messaging, is also paramount, Rogers said, explaining, “My strength is the schmooze.” LGBT Netroots Connect was held on Wednesday, July 16, just one day before Netroots Nation (July 17-20), the annual political convention for American liberal-toprogressive activists, mostly Democrats.

LGBT PROTESTORS INTERRUPT BIDEN’S SPEECH

The three-day convention drew 2,000 to 3,000 attendees to the Motor City’s Cobo Center, including Vice President Joe Biden who addressed the gathering on Thursday afternoon. “This is one of those moments that people get a change to bend history just a little bit,” he said. “And there are fundamental changes taking place.” Biden’s speech touched on a number of LGBT themes, for instance, the importance marriage equality, non-discrimination, and full equality.

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Sure enough, the vice president’s remarks fell on receptive ears. “Because of you, we’ve recognized basic fundamental rights in the LGBT community,” he said. During Biden’s speech, however, several immigration-reform advocates stood and chanted for a short time, “Stop deporting our families,” before convention security and secret-service personnel escorted them out. The protestors were from the activist groups United We Dream and GetEqual. Netroots Connect participants said that Biden impressed them in his handling of the incident. “I appreciate the vice president’s hearing what was said,” explained Todd Allen, an ordained Southern Baptist minister and Mississippi LGBT activist. “How many times does a politician have protestors hear what they are saying,” and in effect say, “I feel your pain.” Sean Howell of San Francisco, founder and CEO of Hornet, a gay men’s social network, said Biden’s empathy touched him. Howell was referring to the vice president’s acknowledgment that he shared the protestors’ sentiments, going so far as to give a personal story about “how terrible it must be to come home from school and wonder if you parents have been deported,” Howell said. That Biden said everyone should applaud the protestors resonated poignantly with Howell. Netroots Nation also drew Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren who delivered the keynote address on Friday morning, was a big hit among attendees, and received spirited applause after speaking. Sounding notes of unity and populism, Warren told attendees, “If we join together, we win.” The convention also drew the Rev. William Barber, the fiery African American preacher behind North Carolina’s Moral Monday movement, a grassroots response to a conservative Republican take over of the state’s executive and legislative branches of government. Barber’s Thursday evening opening plenary keynote speech focused on economic justice as a moral issue. In addition to educational workshops, training sessions, and panel presentations on a wide range of progressive causes, this year’s Netroots Nation featured a full platter of

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LGBT-focused content, including caucuses for queer people of color, transgender and allies, and on equality legislation, as well as sessions about the labor movement, sex-positive talk, transgender military service, fighting religious exemptions, and fake (or junk) science. Altogether, Netroots Nation and LGBT Netroots Connect infused attendees with new energy and enthusiasm heading into the 2014 mid-term elections.

COLLABORATION KEY FOR NETROOTS CONNECT PARTICIPANTS

“For me, the best part is the connecting with fellow LGBT journalists and activists,” said transgender activist Rebecca Juro, media correspondent for Advocate.com and a Gay Voices contributor at The Huffington Post. At LGBT Netroots Connect, she said, “I participated in a group discussion on being fierce without being frightening, which was definitely a highlight for me.” For Juro, more effective advocacy for equality comes from uniting and working together, she said. That take away message resonated with Shannon Cuttle, managing director of AntiBullying Initiatives for Garden State Equality, a New Jersey-based LGBT advocacy and civil rights organization. “Seeing so many activists from all over the country, grassroots and grass tops,” along with “bloggers and journalists together in the same room was inspiring, impactful, and powerful and speaks to the progress our movement is making,” he said. For Cuttle, in his work, a key take-away point from Netroots Connect is how “we are all in this together,” he said. “That’s true and has resonated through the whole conference.” Yet another attendee offered her take the importance of the daylong gathering. “My concerns that the LGBT activist community is fixated on marriage equality were, happily, dispelled by the Netroots Connect meeting,” said Sue Fulton, a former Army officer and West Point graduate, who serves on the board of Sparta, an LGBT military organization. “I got to be part of spirited planning discussions about transgender military service, Southern strategy, immigration reform, and countering myths about bisexuals.” Jason Parsley, associate publisher at South

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Florida Gay News, shared Fulton’s outlook. “It was refreshing to participate in a discussion that wasn’t dominated by gay marriage and be able to explore other topics that face the community right now like immigration reform, LGBT youth, homelessness, and PrEP, among others,” he said. “I really enjoyed the interactivity of the daylong event. It kept me interested and engaged throughout the day,” Parsley added. “As a member of the LGBT media it just re-enforced the idea that there is still a need for vibrant and dynamic LGBT media outlets. There are so many issues the community is facing, and will be facing, that it’s important for the gay media to be present and able to report and tell these stories.”

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY/RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS RAISE CONCERNS

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, a religious exemption in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and legislative attempts at the state level in Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Mississippi by social conservatives and the far right that would enable persons to discriminate against LGBT people and same-sex couples based on religious beliefs opposed to homosexuality — all served to raised the level of concern among Netroots Connect participants about the harm religious exemptions cause in advancing LGBT equality. At one session, 25 people voiced their concerns and discussed steps that ranged from education and outreach about First Amendment rights to adamant opposition to any exemptions that wall off LGBT people from non-discriminatory laws or policies. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the Court ruled 5-4 that the Department of Health and Human Services regulations requiring employers to provide their female employees with no-cost access to some contraceptives violate the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In addition, advocates for LGBT equality maintain the proposed religious exemption included in the current version of ENDA is unprecedented in civil rights legislation and would in effect gut the non-discrimination protections.

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And a Mississippi law, which went into effect July 1, allows people to discriminate against LGBT people and others if they feel their religious convictions are at compromised. Jeff White-Perkins, president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lesbian and Gay Community Center, said “his general feeling as a Mississippi activist, of being alone in the work, has been lessened” by Netroots Connect and conference conversations over religious exemptions. “I truly saw that though Mississippi has a long way to go, we are being seen as somewhat the endgame for most of the issues that stand today from equality to even women’s rights,” he said. “That idea has me very excited.” On religious freedom, “There has been real awakening in the community about how religious exemptions affect our lives and the lives of people we care about, the women in our lives; and the ramifications go far beyond what we ever understood until this year,” said John Bare of San Francisco, who serves on the board of directors for GetEqual and chairs its

governance committee. “Now we are understanding that our own bill [ENDA], the one we’ve been fighting for 40 years, has those religious exemptions,” which “are really quite obnoxious and could do a lot of damage beyond our own community,” he added. And yet, “There’s a real understanding that we need to come out strong as a community opposed to that,” Bare explained. “We need to start with education about what the First Amendment guarantees all of us in terms of our freedom of religion and in terms of what else we might describe as religious freedom. “But our own private notion of our conscience and our religious liberty does not allow for going into the public square to discriminate.” GetEQUAL, a bold-action LGBT advocacy organization, Bare said, is “trying to get the word out about that,” with a new #NoAsterisks campaign (www.NoAsterisks.org), which educates about full civil rights for LGBTs — without exceptions.

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feature guyana

FIGHTING FOR LGBT RIGHTS IN GUYANA Denise Royal

Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. Still, homophobia is as rampant as sunshine in the country that is nestled between Venezuela and Suriname. Guyana has recently been singled out as the only South American country bearing strong anti-gay legislation. Laws there make samesex sexual acts illegal and are punishable by imprisonment — in some cases; gay sex is even punishable with a life sentence. Zenita Nicholson is the Secretary for Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) in Guyana, a human rights organization dedicated to achieving equality and justice for all Guyanese, especially those suffering discrimination based on their based sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Nicholson says homophobia is ingrained in Guyana’s society. Simply walking the streets attracts insults, derogatory remarks, and threats. Sometimes it even invokes strangers to pelt known or suspected homosexuals with bottles. “I recall an incident where I was walking down the street in downtown Georgetown and suddenly I heard very derogatory remarks coming from behind me. I looked back and saw two young schoolgirls, no more than 15-years-old. At first I didn’t know it was

me they were speaking to, as the comments did not make sense. ‘Aye yuh’ antiman,’ yes you yah’ bugga’ battie, you should be dead.’ I began looking around to see whom they were talking to since I am female. I looked back, and they said, ‘Yes, it’s you we talking to.’ That’s just one of many memorable discriminatory moments from the trip,” Nicholson recalled. “At that point I started walking faster because they were also walking faster and I was afraid. I walked faster, until I saw some taxi drivers who knew me and I stopped to talk with them. The girls went in another direction after they saw this.” But the harassment didn’t stop there. “Most recently, a female friend and I were walking down the road. There were about eight men sitting on the corner. As we passed, one said loudly, ‘Girl I would love to rub that bald head in bed.’ We kept walking, with no answer. He began following us while intensifying his advances. Then he said, ‘Well, wait, you doan’ like men, nah? Is girls you like, I could show you what you missing.’” Despite these incidents there have been some signs that attitudes towards homosexuality in Guyana are progressing. But Nicholson says it’s not nearly enough. She has a list of initiatives she’d like put “on the books.”

1. Protection for LGBT people from all forms of discrimination and harassment so they can walk the streets without fear or feeling threatened. 2. Optimal healthcare for the LGBT community. To date, there are health care workers who are discriminatory in their manner and attitude towards LGBT people. As a result many LGBT people do not have access healthcare services. 3. Optimal education for the LGBT community. Many young LGBT persons drop out of school due to homophobic bullying from both their peers and teachers. In higher learning institutions, homophobia is also prevalent, particularly for those who express their gender identity or cross dress. 4. Equal employment opportunities. Many LGBT persons are not being employed based on their gender identities and gender expressions, despite being qualified for the job. 5. Many LGBT persons suffer at the hands of landlords. Few persons are willing to rent LGBT persons an apartment or home regardless of their ability to pay. This results in LGBT people having to put up with the demands or inadequacies of the landlords who do rent to them since other welcoming places are hard to find. 6. Many LGBT people are often exploited by those who provide transportation services. Some taxi drivers demand double or triple fares for transportation, or threaten to leave them stranded on the road. But, there are some reasons to be optimistic, Nicholson said. “There are more conversations about LGBT rights and issues as compared to a few years ago. There are many people such as the Roman Catholic bishop in Guyana who are speaking out against the discrimination and human rights abuses as well as Guyana’s archaic discriminatory laws,” Nicholson said. “LGBT rights are human rights. We are all entitled

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to same rights regardless of our differences including our sexual orientation, gender identities and gender expressions. Each one of us has an important role and responsibility in building an inclusive, supportive future with equal rights and justice for all. Let’s do it now.” Visit www.sasod.org.gy for information on gay rights in Guyana.

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feature jamaica

PLIGHT OF LGBT JAMAICANS GAINS NOTORIETY Denise Royal

ST OF THE MO E N O Y L B I SS A IS PO C I A M A J Tourists from all over the world flock to Jamaica’s elite resorts and sandy beaches. But for LGBT people who call the Caribbean island home, it’s no paradise. Homophobia is a way of life and there’s a prominent fear of living an openly gay lifestyle. Gay men fear violence. Lesbians fear being raped or sodomized. There are laws against anal intercourse. It’s so bad, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say Jamaica is among the most dangerous places in the world to be gay. But, there are small signs that some of those old attitudes are beginning to fade. A lot of new hope for LGBT people is being attributed to J-Flag, Jamaica’s foremost gay rights organization. The advocacy group recently released a video campaign called We Are Jamaicans, about LGBT identity and communities. The videos express the experiences of Jamaica’s LGBT community in a more diverse way. They can viewed at YouTube.com/EqualityJA. South Florida resident Lucas Gregorio*

DANGEROUS SPOTS IN THE WORLD FOR LGBT

was born in Jamaica and lived there until he was 10-years-old when he moved to the U.S. He lived in this country for 30 years before returning to Jamaica for two years where he saw the country’s homophobia firsthand. He moved back to Florida last year. Gregorio recently watched the J-Flag videos and thought they were great. “The videos were well done. But when I sent the link to other Jamaicans, some flat out would not watch them. Two did and thought they were great but believed their impact would be minimal,” he said. Gregorio said the plight of gays in Jamaica is a difficult one. And unlike the U.S., it’s one that’s based on class.

PEOPLE, BU T PUBLIC SCRUTIN Y IS HELPING PROMOTE CHANGE

“Jamaica is a status driven country,” he tells The Mirror. “So if you are perceived to be rich then it doesn’t matter what you do for the most part.” But that could soon change. According to a recent Reuters report, the Jamaican government said it plans to test the waters by conducting a non-binding “conscience vote” in parliament on ending the notorious Jamaican Offenses Against the Person Act, which makes anal sex a crime, regardless of gender or consent, and prohibits “acts of gross indecency” between men, in public or in private. A vote in parliament would take place before the end of the legislative year in March, opening the door for the law to be reviewed,

possibly later this year. Gregorio said that change is long overdue. “I believe in equal protection under the law regardless of sexual orientation. I think more pressure should be placed on the government to change the laws and thus the attitudes of the masses toward gay Jamaicans.” He feels Jamaican-Americans (and all Americans for that matter) living in South Florida can help influence what’s happening in Jamaica. “The fact that I was considered an American even though I was born in Jamaica gave me more influence and credit when I spoke or gave my opinion,” Gregorio said. But, he said the real acceptance has to start with gays and lesbians on the island. “The overall attitude of Jamaicans will only change when gays and lesbians in influential positions start demanding change. They should support grass roots movements life J-Flag and Jamaicans for Justice. But as long as they stay closeted, nothing will change,” Gregorio said. *(The name is an alias)

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feature adoption

GAY ADOPTION WITHOUT BORDERS

FAMILY’S COURAGEOUS FIGHT TO ADOPT TRANSCENDS STATE BORDERS; FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR FEDERAL PROTECTION FOR GAY ADOPTION

Christiana Lilly

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When William Sherr and his partner’s teenage son, Jared, was in kindergarten, his classmates just didn’t understand his drawing of his family. With two stick figure daddies and no mommy to be found on the page, the other 5-year-olds were confused. “I remember my son being very adamant in school that [his siblings] had two dads; they didn’t have a mother,” Sherr, a former kindergarten teacher himself, said. “A lot of kids back then were very confused by that.” However, times have changed and now his daughter, 7, has a very different experience. Her classmates are unphased that she has two daddies, and that other kids have two mommies, one parent, or a mommy and a daddy. “It just shows the culture is getting more open and understanding it… it’s interesting to watch the evolution of acceptance of gay families,” he said. Sherr is a board member on the Family Equality Council, based in Boston, and this is a welcome change for the agency. A voice for LGBT parents who want to expand their families through adoption, the council has gone to federal and state governments to pass adoption laws and to have samesex relationships be recognized, promote safer school, access to healthcare, equality opportunities in the workplace and much more. On the federal level, the council is working with 90 other agencies to promote the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would remove laws that ban LGBT adoption. “Family Equality is our voice,” said Gabriel Blau, executive director. “This is the organization that works to ensure that my family can live with dignity and safety.” Blau and his husband, Dylan, adopted their 6-year-old son, Elijah, as a newborn in Illinois. Living in New York, they experienced a smooth adoption as both

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states allow gay couples to adopt. “It was the best, most incredible, most important moment of our lives,” he said. Florida, Mississippi and Utah explicitly outlaw gay individuals or couples from adopting, while the rest of the 47 states have different variations differing legal opinions,, according to the Liberty Counsel. Some states allow gay adoption while others allow one person to adopt as a single parent while denying second-parent adoption for gay couples. Still, for Sherr and his partner, Dr. Estevan Garcia, a pediatrician, adoption didn’t come easily. They adopted Jared while living in Texas under Garcia’s name, but state law wouldn’t allow Sherr to be listed as the a second parent on the birth certificate. “I was a nanny in a way,” Sherr said. “It was difficult and it was hard for people in Texas to understand that he wasn’t going to be my son.” It wasn’t until they moved to Washington state that he was legally recognized as his father. Since then, the two have adopted another boy, Miles, 11, and the “princess” of the family, 7-year-old Bette. Garcia grew up with four adopted siblings, so the two were eager to give other children homes. It was in Washington that they also were convinced to help even more by fostering high-risk children. Altogether, the couple have fostered 20 children, all infants except for a 4-year-old and a second grader. “There are plenty of kids who need homes,” Sherr said. “We were always very well liked by the foster care system, and so we never really faced any discrimination in that sense.” Besides working at the legislative level, the Family Equality Council works directly with families. A new initiative has been working with families in the

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South, particularly Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. At the end of the year, a new, free clinic will be opening in Mississippi to help LGBT families. Also, the council has partnered with Living in Limbo to create a documentary film, “State or Union,” to chronicle the struggles of lesbian families adopting. With more states providing some sort of protection or laws in favor of gay adoption than not, the tides are changing for gay families. Culturally the change is evident; take for instance the hit television show “Modern Family” featuring a gay couple with an adopted daughter as a part of the main cast. Mitchell, a high-strung lawyer, and Cameron, a free-spirited lover of musical theater and sports, adopt a baby from Vietnam and go through the motions of parenthood -- searching madly for her missing stuffed rabbit, convincing her the Tooth Fairy didn’t mean to give her 100 dollars, and taking time for a date night. “It shows a glimpse into life as a gay family, and it kind of shows that we’re all the same,” Sherr said. “There’s funny moments and there’s serious moments and we’re more similar than not.” Domestically, there are hundreds of thousands of children waiting for someone to adopt them and the more rights gay couples are given, the more homes that can be given to children. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, as of November 2013, over 300 thousand children were in foster care and 100 thousand plus were waiting to be adopted. “[I hope] the kids in foster care that are sitting there, looking for a forever home, are going to be able to go to a forever home no matter what the family dynamic or make up looks like,” Sherr said. Visit FamilyEquality.org to learn more about the Family Equality Council.

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column mombian

HOW THE MAKERS OF D&D WON MY FAMILY’S HEART Dana Rudolph

I played the original Dungeons & Dragons game in high school, back in the early 80s. I’ve been delighted to see it is experiencing a resurgence — and capturing my son’s interest as well. A recent encounter made me love the game, and the company behind it, even more.

BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE

During the week of July 4, my spouse, son, and I went on a cruise from Seattle to Alaska with her family and my mom. Our son spent most of the time playing D&D with his cousin and some other kids they met on the boat. After the cruise, my spouse, son, mom, and I visited Seattle for a few days, staying at Marriott’s Springhill Suites in the suburb of Renton. We’d never been to that hotel before, but chose it for availability, reasonable price, and location near (but not too near) the airport. Our son was less interested in the Space Needle than in finding a miniature elf wizard figurine for his D&D game. We perused a couple of Seattle’s many game shops, but to no avail. Little did we know that powerful magical forces were at work. . . .

PERCEPTION CHECK

Sitting in our hotel room, I launched Google Maps to find a nearby place to eat — and shrieked. By complete coincidence, Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes D&D, had its headquarters on the same block. I looked out the window. Across the parking lot, gleaming in the sun, was their building. I quickly brought up the Wizards’ website (wizards.com) to see if they gave tours. Alas, no, but they did boast of a dragon named Mitzy in the lobby. We decided that we would at least go snap some photos with Mitzy.

CHARISMA ROLL

Mitzy loomed on the left as we entered the reception area. Shelves along the walls held D&D books and sets for Magic the Gathering, the company’s trading card game. I explained to the receptionist, Angela, that my son and I were D&D players, and we couldn’t let the coincidence of our hotel location pass us by without a visit. Our son said that he’d just spent hours playing the game on our cruise. She seemed amenable to having us take some photos, so we did. My mom noticed, however, that there was a line of D&D figurines along the reception

// 7.23.2014 // SFGN.com //

desk. She asked Angela if she knew a nearby place to purchase them. (Wizards doesn’t sell things from its headquarters.) She said no, and then excused herself to head down the hall.

TREASURE HOARD

A few minutes later, she came back with a woman who introduced herself as Shelly, part of the D&D brand team. Shelly handed our son a bag full of D&D goodies — pencils, stickers, books, t-shirts, some polyhedral dice (every player’s key accessory), and a prerelease copy of the Starter Set for the longawaited D&D Version 5, which wouldn’t officially come out until July 15. My son’s eyes got about three sizes bigger. They went beyond just giving him corporate swag, however. Shelly told us that she had told the D&D product team in the back that there was a boy in the lobby looking for an elf wizard miniature. Since the team members were also long-time players, they each had extensive personal collections of figurines at their desks. One found an elf wizard for us — a gesture that touched us all. Shelly also took a photo of our whole family with Mitzy, which we said would use on our family holiday card this year. We thanked her and Angela profusely before leaving.

BONUS ROLL

As if that wasn’t good enough, later that day I went to the Wizards’ website to get the full Version 5 rules (which they’d just made available for free download) to read on the plane home. (My son had his head stuck in the shorter rulebook from the Starter Set.) Lo and behold, the new rules urge players to: “Think about how your character does or does not conform to the broader culture’s expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behavior. . . . You don’t need to be confined to binary notions of sex and gender.” For example, the rules say, some elves are made in the image of a god who is often seen as androgynous or hermaphroditic, and ”You could also play a female character who presents herself as a man, a man who feels trapped in a female body, or a bearded female dwarf who hates being mistaken for a male. Likewise, your character’s sexual orientation is for you to decide.” Many of us LGBTQ players (and maybe even some straight, cis ones) have been bending our characters’ genders and sexual orientations for years, but it’s terrific to see the game officially embrace this.

soflagaynews //

INITIATIVE ROLL

I was surprised, therefore, to learn that Wizards’ parent company, Hasbro, only scored a 25/100 on the most recent HRC Corporate Equality Index. (Competitor Mattel scored a 95.) Despite the lackluster score, its equal opportunity policy does include sexual orientation, and it has not participated in actions that would undermine LGBTQ equality, according to HRC. It seems to me, then, that it might be persuaded to improve its policies, especially

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if a subsidiary like Wizards is publicly embracing an inclusive view of gender and sexuality. It doesn’t take a D&D perception check to know that’s good business. In the meantime, thanks to the Wizards of the Coast employees who made one 11-yearold elf wizard and his moms very happy. Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.

opinion chamber chat

THE GFLGLCC – GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE GAY & LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFERS UNIQUENESS AS A BONUS Michael Vita

Director of Marketing & Membership Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

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When you join the GFLGLCC - Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, you get much more than a chance to network with some of South Florida’s most successful LGBT business owners, professionals and allies. Here are just a few of our member benefits: Your membership in the GFLGLCC includes a listing of your business with company logos, photos, on-line posters, website and social media links on our website (www.GoGayFortLauderdale.com) that offers exposure to a targeted LGBT community that has a multi-billion dollar buying power, a community that has approximately $830 billion in disposable personal income! Your membership in the GFLGLCC includes the ability to certify your business as an LGBT Business Enterprise for contracting opportunities with America’s top corporations through the LGBT Supplier Diversity Certification program administered by the NGLCC. Your membership with the GFLGLCC allows you this added benefit at no additional cost. Your membership in the GFLGLCC includes access to business resources and programming offered through the GFLGLCC and the NGLCC Supplier Innovation Center; access to the Women’s Business Initiative for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender women entrepreneurs and professionals; and access to exclusive discounts on advertising rates in most local LGBT publications. Your membership in the GFLGLCC includes participation in our “member to member” discount program listed on our website. In addition, we are set to launch a new “Hot Deals” feature! Many members offer other members discounts on goods and services. If you buy it somewhere, why not buy it within the community? Here’s what some of our members have to say: “We have maintained a strong working relationship with the GFLGLCC. They have consistently supported our association and Greater Fort Lauderdale as an LGBT travel destination. If your business benefits from tourism, please support the GFLGLCC.” - John Tanzella, IGLTA President/CEO The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) headquartered in Fort Lauderdale: “The GFLGLCC is Community Marketing & Insights’ connection to South Florida’s

soflagaynews //

LGBT business community. They were invaluable when we needed help bringing over 200 people to Fort Lauderdale for a national meeting by connecting us with their members.” - David Paisley, Senior Research Director, CMI Community Marketing & Insights. “The GFLGLCC has been instrumental in supporting programs with our law firm to educate the LGBT community about its new legal rights and how to properly plan. I have participated as a featured speaker at two events. The GFLGLCC always attracts a large group of members and guests to their events.” - Stephanie L. Schneider, Board Certified Elder Law Attorney. “The GFLGLCC has been an incredible partner to work with. They have become and integral part of LGBT business life in Fort Lauderdale and South Florida, and working together with their team has allowed us to bring a variety of LGBT programs, workshops and seminars to their membership, with a full-house attendance every time.” - Matt Skallerud, Pink Banana Media. “The GFLGLCC has sponsored our GLBT Travel Tours in Fort Lauderdale. With their extensive reach into the community, they help to ensure that we have a huge crowd, targeted to GLBT travelers. We look forward to working with them in the future. “ - Steven Levenberg, Steven Levenberg Productions, LLC So, what are you waiting for? Join the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce today. The GFLGLCC’s mission is to promote business and economic opportunities for the LGBT and LGBT-friendly community. We are an advocate and resource for all member businesses that promote equality. We promote tourism with a unified approach by working with appropriate and related organizations. We work as partners with local LGBT organizations, the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), other LGBT chambers and with businesses wishing to make stronger outreach to the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT community. Learn more about the NGLCC at NGLCC.org/ please contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GFLGLCC) by email; Keith@gflglcc.org - or visit www.GoGayForLauderdale.com.

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /27

opinion for becker or worse

HOLDING HANDS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

opinion jesse’s journal

COMING OUT IS QUICKLY BECOMING NO BIG DEAL

John Becker

Every so often, life has a funny way of smacking us upside the head and reminding us of what really matters. For me, one such moment came at the beginning of this month, with the arrival of Andrey and Igor. Andrey, 25, and Igor, 31, hail from Voronezh, Russia — a city of over half a million people not far from the Ukrainian border. A same-sex couple for four years, they lived under the shadow of Vladimir Putin’s infamous crackdown on LGBT rights (which the government calls “gay propaganda”) for as long as they could, but soon the situation became intolerable. They fled Russia to seek asylum in the United States, and are living with my husband Michael and me in Washington, D.C. while they adjust to their new life. The day after their arrival, Michael and I took them on a tour of the neighborhood. As is our custom, the two of us held hands as we walked down the street. As soon as Andrey saw that, though, he stopped dead in his tracks. Pointing at our joined hands, he asked incredulously and in halting English: “This is okay? You will not get into trouble?” “No,” I answered, “we will not get into trouble.” I then explained that while homophobia remains a major problem in many parts of the country, especially in rural and conservative areas, they would generally not be harassed by other people — and certainly not by the police or the government — for holding hands with another man. “Wow,” Andrey replied with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. He smiled and shook his head in wonder, amazed by what he’d just heard. We resumed walking and the conversation soon resumed as well; Andrey and Igor chatted back and forth in Russian about the interesting landmarks we encountered, and then switched into English whenever they had a question to ask us. But I couldn’t get that conversation of my head. And then it dawned on me: the simple freedom to hold hands in relative safety and without fear was a freedom they’d never known before. As we walked down the sidewalk, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that they are here and safe. Tears streamed down my face.

// 7.23.2014 // SFGN.com //

Given what Andrey and Igor had been through in Russia, they had every reason to worry about how people would react to an openly affectionate same-sex couple. Andrey is a journalist and high-profile equality activist who’s suffered several vicious attacks at the hands of homophobic thugs, especially at pro-LGBT demonstrations he’s organized. Once they beat him so savagely that his doctor ordered extensive brain scans, worried that their repeated kicks to his head may have caused permanent damage. Local extremist groups routinely distributed flyers with pictures of his face on them alongside anti-gay epithets, and he frequently received death threats in person, over the phone, and online. A gang of thugs even showed up at Andrey’s workplace looking for him. When their relationship was discovered, Igor was fired from the teaching job he’d held for ten years, because Russian antigay propaganda falsely labels gays as pedophiles and his presence was deemed a threat to children. And perhaps most ominously, Andrey was detained by police and interrogated for hours on a trumped-up charge. They locked him in a basement room, denied him access to his lawyer, and refused to allow him to call Igor to let him know what was happening. If Andrey told anyone, they said, they’d exact retribution not just on him, but on his family and friends; if he tried to flee, they vowed to put him on the federal most-wanted list and find him. It was after that harrowing experience that they decided to flee. Back in Washington, it wasn’t until several days after seeing Michael and I hold hands in public that Igor and Andrey decided to try it themselves. It was the Fourth of July — Independence Day — and they were on the National Mall, watching the famous fireworks display. “Shyly and timidly I took Igor’s hand,” Andrey said. “He smiled, but we looked at the people around us with fear. But there was no hatred in their eyes; everyone was smiling and enjoying the holiday.” Holding hands in public for the first time, they wept with joy. On their first Independence Day, they finally felt free. Message received, universe. soflagaynews //

Jesse Monteagudo One of the musical events of 2014 is the emergence of singer Sam Smith. Smith, a 22year old from London, has been called “a male Adele” who “looks like the child of K.d. Lang and Boy George.” His poignant ballad, “Stay With Me,” was number 1 in the United Kingdom and number 5 in Billboard’s “Hot 100” Singles Chart. His debut album, “In the Lonely Hour,” was number 2 in the “Billboard 200” album chart. (Lana del Rey’s Ultraviolence was number 1) Smith also appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Sam Smith is also gay, no surprise at a time when so many pop singers are coming out of their closets. Smith revealed his sexual orientation matter-of-factly, telling the music publication FADER that his muse is male. In the Lonely Hour, Smith said, “is about a guy that I fell in love with last year, and he didn’t love me back. ... I want to make it a normality because this is a non-issue. People wouldn’t ask a straight person these questions.” Smith eventually told the object of his affection, and he is happy that he did so: “It’s all there now, and I can move on and hopefully find a guy who can love me the way I love him.” Sam Smith is a man-loving man, there were no headlines and the world did not stand still. Only his music makes his love extraordinary. There used to be a time when a celebrity’s coming out was so rare that it made the magazine covers: Ellen Degeneres came out on the cover of Time (1997) and Lance Bass came out on the cover of People (2006). To a large extent, people are no longer shocked by an artist’s declaration of love for someone of the same sex. To be fair, Smith’s lyrics and videos are still ambiguous enough so that one could ignore the gay angle if one chooses to do so: “I’ve made my music so that it could be about anything, and everybody - whether it’s a guy, a female or a goat - and everybody can relate to that,” he said. I am still waiting for a goat to respond. I am old enough to remember when being gay was a Big Deal. When I came out (in 1973) to be gay was to rebel against the universe. To paraphrase the gay writer and film director John Waters, to be gay back then meant you did not get married, have children, or serve in the military. Nowadays, of course, all that lesbians and gay men want to do is to get married, have children, and/or serve in the military. I am not surprised. Like most other people, most LGB people are conservative, and if society treats them

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Photo credit of media.npr.org

fairly their natural instincts would come forth. Besides, there is nothing our society values more than marriage, parentage and military service. LGB people become more acceptable when we incorporate those values, not as pretend straights but as openly LGB people. You notice that I left out transgender people from the previous paragraph. This is because being transgender is still a Big Deal. Today trans people are in the same fix, minus AIDS, that LGB people were twenty years ago. It’s still illegal for trans folks to serve in the military. Legislation that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation often ignores discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Trans people, especially transgender women of color, are often victims of violence, more so than those of us who are lesbian, gay or bi. Transphobic prejudice is more prevalent than homophobia, even among members of our LGBT community. Hopefully, attitudes towards transgender people will evolve as more trans and intersex people come out of their closets. People like Chaz Bono, Chelsea Manning and Laverne Cox - who recently appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, 17 years after Ellen Degeneres did so - show the world the human side of the transgender movement. As a gay man with transgender friends, I welcome this development; and look forward to the day when being T becomes as matter-of-fact as being L, G or B often is.

opinion publisher’s editorial

45 YEARS LATER Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

Forty-five years after Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, legal pot and gay marriage have landed on America’s doorstep. It is one small step for men, one giant high for mankind. Gay couples demanding to get married is totally inconsistent with what I originally thought being gay was all about. What ever happened to hedonistic nights at the Copa or on Fire Island, waking up stoned and hung over with someone you did not know the night before? A guy whose name you still did not know the morning after? Gay life was supposed to be an expression of independence, free from conformity and social norms. Gay life was sneaking yourself away from straight friends to conduct a late night rendezvous on the side of a mountain in Laguna Beach. We weren’t supposed to be having wedding ceremonies there. When the hell did we become normal? Gay life was supposed to be a political struggle so you could go to gay bookstores and watch eight-millimeter porn films in tiny booths for 12 minutes and 25 cents without being harassed by the police. When the hell did we ever start running gay and lesbian film festivals that get sponsored by Wells Fargo? Gay life was having a college gay rights group form and be allowed to exist on a campus, demanding equal access to a student affairs budget or committee room. When did we start becoming student council presidents or electing transgender people as prom queens. Weren’t they supposed to be getting electro shock therapy to make them ‘normal’? Or was that us too? Gay life was forming groups like GUARD, Gays United Against Repression and Discrimination, fighting off police brutality and legal intolerance. How did we suddenly become mayors of the town, issuing proclamations for PrideFests? Times change, and we do with them. We have grown and matured as a society. When Nadine Smith first came to visit me to tell me about the formation of Equality Florida, I am guessing she did not expect to be invited to the White House a decade later as a national LGBT leader. Weren’t we just a few years ago

chaining ourselves to the White House fence to protest excluding gays from the military? When did we become the Undersecretary of the Navy? Forty-five years ago, at Woodstock, a group of young people came together in a music festival that rocked the world. It was the dawn of a counter cultural revolution that still impacts America today. I don’t suspect that when Bob Dylan took the stage in Bethel, New York that rainy summer afternoon in August of 1969, he ever thought he would be performing in the White House East Room for an African American president one day either. But it happened. Ultimately, we have found we were never really that different from anyone else. We all want peace and harmony, friends and family, truths we can live by and people we can trust. We want lovers to love and partners to share lives with. Black or white, straight or gay, Russian or American, we just want to be left to be who we can become. Why the world continues to tell us who we must be is so beyond me. Isn’t it enough of a problem to run your own life without telling people how they should manage theirs? Stonewall was a riot, Woodstock a music festival. The message is that if you stay within yourself, and achieve your best, whether you are an astronaut, activist, or artist, there is no height you cannot reach, no goal you cannot attain, no mountain you cannot climb, no moon you cannot orbit. Be careful, though. We may have knocked down a few obstacles, but the broad and primrose path can still lead to a nasty place. The road is open and inviting, but don’t be lethargic. Dreams can come true, but it’s all up to you. Make your dreams happen. Norm Kent of Fort Lauderdale is the immediate past chair and president of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, (NORML), the nation’s longest running cannabis advocacy consumer group. He runs a consulting firm for persons interested in medical marijuana dispensaries. Another version of this article originally appeared as an op-ed in the SunSentinel, a media partner of SFGN. soflagaynews //

nect Con our Y with unity m Com

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /29

lifestyle speak out

column

lifestyle cars DRIVE THIS, NOT THAT, JUNE 2014

2015 CHRYSLER 200S AWD VS. 2015 SUBARU LEGACY “WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE GAY

Steve Siler 2015 Chrysler 200S AWD

MARRIAGE BEING RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN

MONROE COUNTY, FLA? ” SFGN Staff This week SFGN launches “Speak OUT” a weekly feature giving a regular voice to South Florida LGBT leaders. Below are some of their answers:

Very few companies have ever tried to take on Subaru, one of the gay community’s all-time favorite car brands, in the arena of all-wheel drive sedans, but since Chrysler decided to wade into the all-wheel drive sedan pool with its sleek new 200 sedan this year, I figure it’s time for a quick face-off. Alas, while the 2015 Chrysler 200 S is certainly good-looking inside and out, it stops short of being a truly great car, due to some occasional cheap materials and a sense of sheer heft from behind the wheel, thanks in part of its heavy (and thirsty) V-6 engine that you must order if you want all-wheel drive.

“

The same-sex marriage ban being overturned in Monroe County shows an immense amount of progress for the state of Florida, however it is just one step of many in the right direction. The case is currently in stay due to an appeal supported by the state constitution. With recent polls showing a 54 percent approval rating for same sex marriage state wide, this is a perfect time for members of the LGBT community who haven’t been active in politics to get educated and make a difference in the fight for equality.” — A.J. Alegria, President of Impulse Group — Fort Lauderdale

The 2015 Subaru Legacy also happens to be all-new this year, and it demonstrates that Subaru hasn’t gotten away from its core mission of providing sensible, easy-todrive, all-weather transportation even while wearing strikingly handsome new duds. With standard all-wheel drive, a fuelsipping four-cylinder base engine and, most importantly, a low starting price of just $22,490 (compared to $29,690 for the 200S AWD), the Legacy is an easy choice for anyone who wants the reassuring feeling that all four paws are doing the clawing but who also happens to mind their budget.

The Scorecard (

= best)

“

To deny the same benefits of a heterosexual relationship - as it relates to family, unity, and posterity - is unfair. The Fourteenth (XIV) Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause: no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Regarding same-sex marriage being overturned in Monroe County, congrats; we are a step closer to equality!” 2013 Subaru Legacy

— Sonya Pressley, BLAST (Bi, Lesbian And Straight Together) Assistant Organizer

“

Metropolitan Community Church performed the first same-gender wedding in 1968, and we have been working and standing for marriage equality ever since. We are looking forward to all of the legal LGBT marriages at MCC of the Palm Beaches that will be happening. With the Monroe County decision, we know it is only a matter of time.” — Rev. Dr. Lea Brown, Senior Pastor, MCC of the Palm Beaches

Visit SFGN.com/SpeakOut to see more of this week’s responses. Send an Email to Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com if you know of a LGBT community leader that should be or wants to be a part of this list.

// 7.23.2014 // SFGN.com //

soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews

lifestyle books

“QUEERLY BELOVED: A LOVE STORY ACROSS GENDERS” BY

DIANE AND JACOB ANDERSON-MINSHALL

c.2014, Bold Strokes Books

Terri Schlichenmeyer Why do you stay with the one you love? You can count the ways: he makes you laugh. She’s tender, kind, and generous. You love being in his arms. He’s a good dancer. She’s hot. There a million reasons to love, each as individual as the lovers. But what if your partner changed? What if it was a big change – like the one in “Queerly Beloved” by Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall? At first, says Diane Anderson-Minshall, it was “just supposed to be about sex.” Suzy Minshall was a “hook-up,” a knockout with long legs and blonde hair – just the type of woman Diane fell for. It didn’t take long for them to move in together, or to become the “perfect lesbian couple.” But Diane always knew that Suzy felt unsettled. She “tried on many things in the search for identity” but – aside for a job she fiercely loved and sadly lost – there was something else, something different

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simmering in Suzy. Diane sensed it months before Suzy did but, though she was terrified of the imagined implications, she let Suzy come to a realization and reason herself. Suzy wasn’t a lesbian, she was a man – but it was complicated. As a woman, Suzy was a feminist and was deeply committed to the LGBT community; the lesbian community, specifically. Diane was founder of and editor for several lesbian publications. It bothered Suzy (Jacob) a lot, during the transition, to think that he might no longer be a part of that which he’d embraced for much of his life. Still, with the help of the woman he’d married four (or five, depending on who’s telling the story) times, Suzy (Jacob) continued with his transition. He began with hormones, a meaningful name change, and “top surgery.” Diane, though she mourned what was lost, helped with a keen fashion sense and advice not to

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be “that kind of man.” Jacob spent time reexamining his life, noting that his gender dysphoria had been inherent for a long time, the clues scattered like “breadcrumbs.” He’d never wanted to be a girl. “I just wanted to be me,” he says, “in a male body.” Let’s put this right on the table: “Queerly Beloved” ain’t bad. It ain’t great, either. My biggest irritation here was that authors Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall repeat themselves a lot. If, in fact, the repetition had been cut from this already-short book, it would’ve nearly been a pamphlet. There’s also plenty of time spent on the authors’ personal reasoning with a doth-protest-toomuch slant, and very intimate oversharing that comes after adamant vows of not sharing. And yet, though the irritations made me wince, there’s a decent overall story here.

E s tat e

9 9 7 E O a k l a n d P a rk B l v d | O a k l a n d P a rk , F L 3 3 3 3 4

Look harder, and you’ll find a deeply personal look at transitioning from the aspect of both the transitioner and the person who’s loved him for most of their lives. If you’re a sucker for romance, that right there could be enough reason to plunge into this book. Just be aware that “Queerly Beloved” might be one that’s tough to stay with.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ / 31

lifestyle pride center

PRIDE CENTER RALLY

Community celebrates marriage decision at Pride Center

J.R. Davis

// 7.23.2014 // SFGN.com //

soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews

a&e music

NEW RIVER ORCHESTRA A PASSION FOR MUSIC AND COMMUNITY J.W. Arnold

he New River Orchestra presents its 2014 Summer Serenades concert series at three Broward County venues, including the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, Aug. 3.

954-777-7777Ê

YOUR RIDE TO THE

DRIVE!

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Submitted Photo. The 50 professional and amateur musicians who band together each summer are passionate about the music they rehearse and perform, but they also strive to make a difference in their South Florida communities. Many of the musicians in the New River Orchestra are professionals who perform with the Symphony of the Americas, Sunrise Pops and Highland Chamber Orchestra, said board member Dr. Bill Bryan. But a significant number are advanced amateurs, like Bryan, who have studied music and appreciate the opportunity to perform with an exceptional orchestra. Bryan, 71, a retired registered nurse and college professor who first studied violin as a child, started taking violin lessons again nearly a decade ago. After an injury that made playing violin difficult, he joined the orchestra’s cello section. “We perform in various orchestras throughout the winter, but we’re not snowbirds and were looking for something to do during the summer,” explained Bryan. Founded nine years ago by Beverly Daw, the orchestra was built on unique partnerships with local non-profits, donating half of the concert proceeds to churches, synagogues and service organizations that host the ensemble’s three performances. “We just want to use our music to help others, whether it be the local humane society, children’s groups, churches or veterans,” Bryan said. This summer, the New River Orchestra will again present three concerts at local churches as part of its Summer Serenade series: Sunday, July 27 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Coral Springs; Saturday, Aug. 2 at St. Martin Episcopal Church in Pompano Beach; and Sunday, Aug. 3 at Sunshine Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church in Fort Lauderdale. soflagaynews //

The orchestra will perform a program of traditional classical and pops selections under the direction of two internationally renowned conductors, Dr. Clark McAlister, vice president and editor-in-chief of Edwin F. Kalmus and Master Music Publications, and Broadway conductor and composer Maestro Peter Fuchs. The program features oboist Janice Gillies performing Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Strings in G Major and 13-year-old violin virtuoso Michael Hakkarainen will be tackling the dazzling “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Hakkarainen was a finalist in the International Louis Spohr Violin Competition in Germany last November. Vocalists Sara McMillan Burns and Kurt Litzenberger will sing “The Prayer,” the lusch, lyrical song made famous by Andrea Bocelli, at the concerts in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Melissa and Daniel Gardes will be the featured vocalists at the Coral Springs concert. Rounding out the program will be “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance,” and works by Faure, RimskyKorsakov and LeGrand. Donations are tax-deductible and the orchestra is already seeking partners for the 2015 concert season. For more information, contact Bryan at wpbphd@aol.com. Partner venues must be able to accommodate the 50-piece orchestra in the proposed performance space. The New River Orchestra presents its 2014 Summer Serenades on Sunday, July 27 at 3 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 1401 Coral Ridge Dr. in Coral Springs, 954-753-3330; Saturday, Aug. 2 at 4 p.m. at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 140 SE 28th Ave. in Pompano Beach, 954941-4843; and Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, SunshineCathedral.org. For more information, go to NewRiverOrchestra. org.

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /33

F O R

SFGNITES

T H E

J.W. Arnold

jw@prdconline.com

THUR DANCE

W E E K

7/24

Momentum Dance Company teams up with jazz and blues guitarist Rob “Wild Boar” Moore for an innovative evening of improvisational dance and music tonight at 7 p.m. at Arts at St. John’s, 4760 Pine Tree Dr. in Miami Beach. Moore, a faculty member at Miami Dade College, has shared the stage with many of the blues and jazz greats of the Chicago blues scene. Dancers will engage in an innovative movement dialogue with Moore directed by Momentum Artistic Director Delma Iles. Admission is free. For information, go to ArtsAtStJohns.com.

FRI

CABERET

O F

J U L Y

1 5 ,

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

he Broward CenterÕ s Au Rene Theatre is transformed into a lusch forest inhabited by magical creatures for Neil GodbergÕ s “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” through Sunday, July 27.

7/25

The Shot Glass Cabaret presents a late night musical experience tonight at 10:30 p.m. at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Dr. in Fort Lauderdale. Tonight’s line-up, “Anything You Can Sing, I Can Sing Louder,” includes local performers Melissa Ruiz, Conor Walton and Lindsey Johr, with Darin Fimple on the piano and host Jack Gardner. Expect the unexpected in this late night review that includes show tunes, pop, rock, stand-up and even a little opera. The show starts at 10:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 at ShotGlassReview.com

SAT

FUNDRAISER

7/26 SUN

Hungry? The Wilton Manors Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs are hosting a fish fry tonight at 5 p.m. to benefit Broward House, Kids in Distress and their other local community programs. Afterwards, the evening gets serious with a black jack and poker tournament at the Kiwanis Club’s Middle River clubhouse, 2749 NE 14th Ave. in Wilton Manors, located just behind Wilton Station. Tickets are $15 for the fish fry and $50 for dinner and card tournaments, and remember, it’s all for a good cause. To register or reserve tickets, call 954630-4366.

Photo By: Cirque Productions, Inc.

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THEATER

7/27 MON

Today is your last opportunity to catch Pompanobased circus impresario Neil Goldberg’s Broadway hit, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. The whimsical show offers audiences an exotic encounter inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations, all brought to life by an international cast of soaring aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians. From the butterfly ballet and flipping monkeys to hopping frogs and stretching lizards, the artistry and athleticism of “Jungle Fantasy” will thrill audiences of all ages. Tickets start at $34.75. For show times and tickets, go to BrowardCenter.org. soflagaynews //

THEATER

7/28 TUE

The Plaza Theatre, 262 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, has been presenting a wonderful cabaret series all summer long. Tonight, the non-profit theater presents “Popera,” a beautiful blend of pop, opera, light opera and operetta melodies performed in the crowd-pleasing styles of Josh Groban, Il Divo and Andrea Bocelli, tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, July 30 at 2 p.m. This one-of-a-kind musical review features a cast of the most talented singers in South Florida all sharing the stage for the love of song. Tickets start at $30 at ThePlazaTheatre.net.

SouthFloridaGayNews

ART

7/29

More than 30 years ago, Miami’s former Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture presented a groundbreaking exhibition, “The Miami Generation,” exploring the influence of nine young exiled Cuban artists on South Florida’s cultural scene. The Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 1 Las Olas Blvd., picks up where this exhibition left off and explores the careers of these same artists, now fully adapted to their new country, with, “The Miami Generation: Revisited,” on display through Sept. 21. For information and tickets, go to MOAFL.org.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ /35

(954) 368-9100

Not valid with insurance

*Not valid for those with gum disease

THE BEST IN TOWN 2517 NE 9TH AVE. WILTON MANORS, FL 33305 36

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soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews

a&e film

JAMES FRANCO TALKS GAY FILMS Jason Parsley

Ever since James Franco emerged in Hollywood, gay men around the country have been infatuated with the actor, who Salon.com named the sexiest man alive in 2009. Franco’s first big hit happened in 2001 where he played the title role in the biopic film James Dean. But it was his role in the Spider Man franchise playing Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin, where he achieved worldwide fame. Later it would be his role in the critically acclaimed biopic “Milk” when he truly became beloved by the LGBT community. In that movie he played political activist Harvey Milk’s boyfriend Scott Smith. Since then he’s gone on to play gay men twice more. Those movies include “Howl,” a biopic about 20th-century American poet, Allen Ginsberg and “The Broken Tower,” a biopic of American poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide. But Franco’s interest in gay and lesbian film began long before his role in “Milk.” It dates back to the 1991 independent movie “My Own Private Idaho,” starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. That film tells the story of two best friends living on the streets as male hustlers, who embark on a journey of self-discovery about their sexualities and their relationship. “I have a lot of different connections to the LGBT community and I have a lot of aesthetic or artistic connections or reasons I am interested in queer cinema,” Franco said. “‘My Own Private Idaho’ was a big influence on me in many ways. I watched it when I was in high school and since then.” After high school Franco went on to study queer cinema at New York University. And as noted above Franco hasn’t shied away from gay roles.

“For a long time it was seen as something that was harmful to your career,” he said. “I find that it hasn’t hurt me at all, and even if it did hurt me, it wouldn’t deter me from doing the kinds of projects that I want to do.” While it hasn’t kept the actor from getting the roles he’s wanted, it’s been reported that it may have hurt his sponsorship opportunities. “Well, who knows what their reasons are, but some companies are maybe a little conservative, so yeah,” he said. One of his most recent projects include “Interior. Leather Bar.” (see page 37) premiered last year at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. That project pushed the boundaries of sexuality. “I’m just happy that this film that we’ve made seems to have a great life and I’m glad that people are responding to it,” he said. “Now that I’ve been doing movies for [17] years I find that the most exciting movies and most gratifying experiences are when you make films that get people talking, get people to think or have conversations.” “Interior. Leather Bar.” is a docufiction film starring Franco as himself working on a film project, which reimagines and attempts to recreate the 40 minutes of deleted sexually explicit footage from the controversial 1980 film “Cruising” (see page 36). Franco also co-directs and co-produces the film. “Sometimes you don’t know all of the reasons why you want to do it, but you can feel that there is energy there. I guess that’s what I felt and I wanted to explore it,” he said. “I have been drawn to the movie ‘Cruising’ for a while. I knew it had a complicated history. When it was made, it was very controversial, and it made some unfortunate connections between gay lifestyle and murder. There were a lot of protests when the original film was made. But you know 30 years later I just felt like maybe it was time for it to be re-explored and that there were some things about the original movie that have become more valuable and their significance has since changed.” Another sexually charged movie Franco has recently been involved with is “Kink,” which tells the story of Kink.com, the world’s premier BDSM-porn site. Franco is only the producer on that film; he does not star in it. Visit KinkDoc. com to learn more about that film.

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a&e film

FRANCO PUSHES BOUNDARIES WITH ‘INTERIOR. LEATHER BAR’ David-Elijah Nahmod

Audiences were shocked when the Al Pacino film “Cruising” was released in 1980. In the film, the Oscar winning Hollywood legend played a straight police detective in New York who goes undercover in the gay leather scene to find a killer. As the dark, disturbing story unfolds, he becomes more immersed in he becomes more immersed than he’d ever imagined. “Cruising” was shot on location in some of New York City’s most popular and notorious leather bars and sex clubs of the period. Actual leather men appeared as themselves in their full regalia, sniffing poppers and licking each others bare chests . There were implications that a great deal more was going on just beyond the camera’s range. And as a whole, the film was critiqued for it’s shock value — by both the straight and gay communities. Director William Friedkin (“The Boys in

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the Band”, “The Exorcist”) was reportedly forced to trim 40 minutes from his final cut just to achieve an “R” rating and be able to keep the movie in the public eye. Legend has it that the director shot hardcore scenes in Pacino’s presence, though Pacino did not participate in any sex acts. “Interior. Leather Bar” (the dot after the word “Interior” is a reference to “Cruising’s” shooting script) finds actor James Franco producing a documentary on the shooting of “Cruising’s” lost scenes. Franco, who is straight, put the new film together with openly gay director Travis Matthews. Lesser known actor Val Lauren, an old friend of Franco’s, plays the Pacino role. He’s straight as well. As the film progresses, a mix of gay and straight actors agree to appear in the production, each speaking openly about their sexual preferences. As they

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get into their make-up and costumes, each of them speaks openly about their sexual identities and what they’re willing to “do” on camera. In a series of interviews, a somewhat manic looking Franco questions society’s sexual and gender norms, and wonders when Hollywood’s aversion to showing gay sexual relationships is going to end. Under the guidance of the filmmakers, two men shoot an explicit sex scene surrounded by cameras and lights. Yes, they really do it. Presented as though it were an actual documentary, “Interior. Leather Bar” is in fact a “mockumentary,” a fictional film pretending to be factual. It’s a fascinating and daring work which raises many questions about who we are and the labels we place on ourselves and each other. “Interior. Leather Bar” is now available on DVD.

SouthFloridaGayNews

a&e special feature

CRUISING: THE 1980 GAY THRILLER PUSHED THE ENVELOPE

SFGN REEXAMINES THIS RIVETING FILM

David-Elijah Nahmod

With the release of “Interior. Leather Bar,” SFGN decided to take a look back at the film, “Cruising,” which inspired James Franco’s “mockumentary.” “Interior” reimagines the scenes that were cut from the 1980 thriller. There were massive protests when “Cruising” was being filmed in New York City during the summer of 1979. Instigated by Arthur Bell, the openly gay film critic and columnist for The Village Voice, New York City’s premier weekly alternative paper, gay activists were concerned the film would paint a portrait of the gay community as a group of outcast, sexual predators incessantly on the prowl. In recently shot interviews for “Cruising’s” DVD, director William recalled hundreds of activists showing up for location shoots on the city’s streets, shouting over his every attempt to complete a scene. Parts of the film’s dialogue had to be re-recorded in a studio as a result of the disturbances. Friedkin, who is straight, was no stranger to controversial gay topics. A decade before “Cruising” he called the shots on the film version of the play “The Boys in the Band.” That film focused on a group of gay men at a birthday party where their bitchiness spirals out of control. These men, allegedly

close friends, have been hurting each other for years under the guise of being “witty.” Many have raised questions regarding Friedkin’s alleged homophobia because of the subject matter of his gay themed films. On the “Cruising” DVD, he says that nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, both films focus on very real segments of the gay community, and paint a sad (if sympathetic) portrait of gay men who struggle with with issues of selfesteem and sexual identity. In “Cruising,” superstar Al Pacino, undoubtedly one of the finest actors of his generation plays Steve, a New York City police officer. Steve accepts an assignment to go undercover in the city’s leather and sex club community in search of a serial killer targeting gay men in the leather community. As the story progresses, an unnerving game of cat and mouse ensues between Steve and the character he believes to be the killer. No one is who they seem to be. A homophobic cop (Joe Spinnell), harasses transgender prostitutes, then heads to the Ramrod, a popular leather club, to pick up guys. Is Steve tailing the right guy? Is he struggling with his own sexuality as he falls deeper and deeper into the leather world?

How does he really feel about his girlfriend (Karen Allen) and his cute gay neighbor (Don Scardino), who’s obviously interested in Steve and doesn’t know he’s a cop? And whose side is the chief of detectives (Paul Sorvino) really on? “Cruising” is a dark, gritty and unnerving film, which offers viewers a peek into the tormented souls of the killer, his victims and the cop who’s hunting him down. Friedkin and Pacino daringly took their cameras into real leather and sex clubs, hiring actual patrons to recreate their nightly rituals. Parts of the film are shockingly graphic, even after Friedkin cut forty minutes of footage in order to avoid an “X” rating. One scene left mainstream moviegoers gaping in 1980. As Steve looks on, a man

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greases his hand and arm with lube as he prepares to fist the naked man in the sling before him. Straight Pacino, always an actor willing to immerse himself in his roles, allows other men to fondle his body, and even allowed himself to be tied up while fully nude. Though the actor doesn’t engage in any sex acts on camera, he reportedly was present for the filming of hardcore sex acts between other men. “Cruising” is a thriller in more ways than one. Yet despite the protestations from some, it is not an inaccurate portrayal of what goes on in gay sex clubs. It’s a riveting and scary thrill ride, which continues to fascinate today and is more than worth making the subject of your next movie night.

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Datebook

THEATER Christiana Lilly

Calendar@SFGN.com

broward county * Starlight Musicals

July 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Holiday Park, E. Sunrise Boulevard and Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Enjoy music under the stars from the comfort of your picnic blanket or lawn chair -country singer Tom Jackson will be performing. Call 954-828-5363 or visit FortLauderdale.gov .

with performances from Action Bronson, Flume, Remedy, Zeds Dead and more. Tickets $38 in advance, $40 at the door, $75 VIP. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.

* JOHNNYSWIM

July 27 at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The singersongwriter duo creates music that brings together rock, blues, boleros, RNB and more. Tickets $22.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.. Through August 3 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. A parody of the ‘80s sitcom, when a design firm is about to go under, an ex-beauty queen has the brilliant idea of turning their workplace into a reality show. Tickets $30. Call 954-678-1496 or visit EmpireStage.com.

* Fall Out Boy and Paramore

July 25 at 7 p.m. at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601 Sansburys Way #7 in West Palm Beach. The two bands stop in Palm Beach on their Monumentour Tour. Tickets $74 to $113. Call 561-795-8883 or visit CruzanAmphitheatre.net.

* Vans Warped Tour

July 26 at 7 p.m. at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601 Sansburys Way #7 in West Palm Beach. One of the most highly anticipated annual tours to cross America, bands like Crown the Empire, DangerKids, Enter Shikari, Wax and more will hit the stage. Tickets $40 to $224. Call 561-795-8883 or visit CruzanAmphitheatre.net.

July 25 at 8 p.m. at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. Genesis tribute band, The Musical Box, performs music from the band’s 1973 show. Tickets $37.50 to $62.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy

July 22 through July 27 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. AN international cast of performers fit with exotic costumes bring the jungle to the theatre. Tickets $34.75 to $114.75. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus LIVE!

July 25 and 26 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Based on the bestselling book, Peter Story runs the stage alone for hilarious commentary of dating, marriage and sex. For mature audiences only. Tickets $50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Mad Decent Block Party

July 26 at noon at Revolution Live, in Fort Lauderdale. The annual music festival returns

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8pm at the Broward Center.

Re-Designing Women

Palm palm beach county

* GENESIS: Selling England by the Pound

will JOHNNYSWIM perform July 27 at

311

July 26 at 8 p.m. at Sunset Cove, 20405 Amphitheater Circle in Boca Raton. The reggae and rock fusion band will be opened by The Expendables. Tickets $35 in advance, and $40 day of show. Visit Facebook.com/ SunsetCoveAmphitheater.

The Most Happy Fella

Through July 27 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. A musical based on the 1925 play, “They Knew What They Wanted,” about a couple so desperate for love that they almost blow their chances. Tickets $40. Call 561-514-4042 or visit PalmBeachDramaWorks.org.

Arts, 4809 W. Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach. Times Square in the 1980s comes to life with a hooker, Queen, her cocaine-addicted boyfriend, fellow streetwalkers, and other characters who have seen better days. Tickets $37.50. Call 561-880-0319 or visit DelraySquareArts.com.

558-3737 or visit MainStreetPlayers.com

* Años Diﬁciles

July 19 and 20 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Silvina and Nicolas are a part of an endangered species, struggling to survive. A part of the Hispanic Theatre Festival, the play is in Portuguese with * The Soulshine Tour Spanish subtitles. Tickets $34. Call 305-949w/Michael Franti & Spearhead July 29 at 6 p.m. at Sunset Cove, 20405 6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org. Amphitheater Circle in Boca Raton. Opening acts are SOJA, Brett Dennen, Trevor Hall. H2OMBRE Tickets $35 in advance and $40 day of. A yoga July 18 to August 31 at the Adrienne Arsht session will be hosted at 3 p.m. for $20. Tickets Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. More than 6,000 gallons of water is used in this incredible http://tinyurl.com/q4glthh. show melding aerial feats, thumping music and visuals. Tickets $50 to $125. Call 305-949-6722 Free Friday Concerts Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center or visit ArshtCenter.org. for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy live music from the comfort of your picnic PAMM Outdoor Music Series blanket or lawn chair every week, for free! Call Third Thursdays at the Perez Art Museum Miami, 101 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Come out for live 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org. music from DJs and musicians by the bay. Drink Miami specials available. Free with museum admission. miami-dade county Call 305-375-3000 or visit PAMM.org.

* BeckyÕ s New Car

July 25 to August 17 at the Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main St. in Miami Lakes. Becky takes a job at a car dealership, and when a customer mistakes her for a widow, she goes along with it and leads a double life. Tickets $18 to 25. Call 305-

The Big Show

Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. at Just the Funny Theater, 3119 Coral Way in Miami. A collection of comedy mixing the likes of improvisation and sketches. Tickets $12. Call 305-693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.

Legally Blonde: The Musical

Through July 27 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, in Lake Worth. When ditzy Elle Woods is dumped, she uses her charm to get into Harvard Law School to impress her ex, but instead finds out about herself and her potential. Tickets $35 to $55. Call 561-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.

The Life

Through July 27 at Delray Square Performing soflagaynews //

Diﬁciles will be performing July 19th Años & 20th at the Adrienne Arst Center.

SouthFloridaGayNews

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 7.2 3.2014/ / 41

outeats Special Advertising Section 40 CLOVES CHICKEN Jay Rinaldi

I literally have hundreds of delicious recipes, but every now and then a few really great simple recipes come my way. This recipe is just that perfect example. If you’re

a garlic lover like me, then you’re going to cherish this recipe. What you will need:

2 tbsps olive oil 2 tbsps butter chicken thighs & legs ( or your favs) 40 cloves of peeled garlic 4 tbsps cognac 1 1/2 cups white wine 1 tbsp fresh thyme 2 tbsps flour 2 tbsps heavy cream In large pot: oil & butter to brown chicken, then remove meat. Add garlic and saute 1 min. Add 2 tbsps of cognac & all of the wine. Bring to boil. Re-add chicken, add thyme, cover & simmer 30 mins. Then, you will remove the chicken again. Remove also 1 cup of sauce and add to it 2 tbsps of flour, whisk, and STRAIN back into sauce. Add last 2 tbsps of cognac & cream. Again re-add chicken and into 200° oven to

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soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews

keep warm until serving. Serve with quinoa that has been prepared with chicken broth, dried currants, slivered almonds & fresh mint. Enjoy...And as always, let me know how you like it at Jay Rinaldi on Facebook. Jay Rinaldi is an avid reader of South Florida Gay News, an awesome cook, and local bartender extraordinaire.

Wilton Manors’ Premier Wine Bar

Beefcakes

Happy Hour Daily Until 7pm

Half-priced

Bottles All Night Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

$ $5 Summer Snacks

All Night - Every Night

Our Kitchen is Always Open Late!

Flight Night Tuesday Facebook Friday

Tues - Thurs 4pm-12am • Fri 4pm-1am • Sat 2pm-1am • Closed Sunday & Monday

Naked Grape Wine and Tapas

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Datebook

Community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com

broward county

Beginners LGBT Square Dancing

July 17, 24 and 31 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Island City Park Reserve, 823 NE 28 St. in Wilton Manors. The South Florida Mustangs are the world’s longest running LGBT square dance club. No partner needed. Cost $5 Call 305-343-1710.

Growing Our Families 101

July 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Learn more about adoption, fostering, surrogacy, IVF, and all the legal, medical and social services available to grow your family. Call 954463-9005 or visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

* Bingo

June 27 at 3 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Join in the fun of Bingo with games starting at 4:30 p.m. Tickets $20, includes an open snack bar. Call 954-463-9005 or visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

Memories

Through July 31 at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. LGBT seniors display artwork promoting themes of equality, health and love. Opening reception is July 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Exhibit closed July 5. Free. Call 954-463-9005 or email galleries@pridecenterflorida.org

Days Without Sunshine: Anita BryantÕ s Anti-Gay Crusade

Through July 31 at Stonewall National Museum - Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. An exhibit of memorabilia from the days of fighting for LGBT rights in South Florida, including the battle against Anita Bryant. Visit Stonewall-Museum.org.

* KID Hero 5K

August 2 at 7:30 a.m. at Huizenga Park, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. A 5K run to benefit Kids in Distress of Broward and Palm Beach Count. Pre-Registration by August 1 is $35 for adults, $45 day of. Email Or contact: events@kidinc.org or visit KIDHero5K.kintera.org

Man2Man Discussion

Mondays 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. A weekly informal discussion group among gay men of all backgrounds. Contact John Beuscher at 954-202-4469 or email johnnybushwick@aol.com.

Gender Bender Youth Group

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

Come on GET HAPPY!

Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at SunServe North, 2312 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. It’s hard to keep a smile on your face sometimes, this group works on emotional balance and stability. Call 954-764-5150 or visit SunServe.org.

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PFLAG

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

L.I.F.E. Project

Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Get the tools you need to treat your HIV positive diagnosis and live a full, productive life. Free. Call 954-463-9005 or visit PrideCenterFlorida.org.

Transgender Advisory Board

First Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at T House at FUSION, 2304 NE 7th Ave. in Wilton Manors. Give your input on how to better the transgender community. Call 954-2130610 or visit T-HouseOnline.com

GayWrites

Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Stonewall Library, 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Come join us and write your memoir, poem, blog, novel or short story. Free. Email garri1@earthlink.net

SunServe Youth Group

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

Safe “T” Transgender/ Gender Variant Group

Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at SunServe South, 2312 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Those who consider themselves to be transgender, transsexual or gender queer are invited to join this drop in support group. Call 954-764-5150 or visit SunServe.org.

POZitive Attitudes

Wednesdays 7 to 9 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. A support group for gay and bisexual men who are infected or impacted by HIV/AIDS. Visit PozitiveAttitudes.com

STD/STI Testing

Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Do you know your STD status? Get tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in a safe environment. Call 954-566-3553 or email freeHIVtest@pridecenterflorida.org.

Survivor Support

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

Beachcounty palmPalm beach The Science of Attraction

July 24 from 8 to 9 p.m. at O’Shea’s Irish Pub, 531 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. THe South Florida Science Center hosts this fun event to discuss what makes people find each other attractive -- all while sipping on beer! Free. Call 561-832-1988 or visit SFScienceCenter.org.

Zumba Fitness

Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Get moving with a certificated Zumba instructor for an infusion of exercise and dance moves. Donation of $5 or more. Call 561-3241626 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

* Denotes New Listing soflagaynews //

* Appetite for Art: Summer Foodie/Artists Series

July 24 to 27 at The Secret Garden Café, 410 E. Boynton Beach Blvd. in Boynton Beach. Following the theme of “Americana,” artist Rolando Chang Barrero’s work will be on display for a VIP reception, followed by two days of American cooking, art and discussion. Prices vary according to event. Visit http://cccgbb-org.webs.com/ appetite-for-art-2

* July Business Alliance Mixer

July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Blue Martini, 550 S. Rosemary Ave. in West Palm Beach. Meet with other members of the Pride Business Alliance. Call Compass at 561-5339699.

N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Join bereavement specialists and others experiencing loss. Free. Call 561533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

PBC Gender Support

First and third Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A support group for transgender individuals of all ages. Contact Heather Wright at A1AHeather@aol.com.

Miami county miami-dade Spotlight Mega-Mixer

Wednesdays at 9 a.m. at the American Orchid Society, 16700 AOS Lane in Delray Beach. Practice your yoga in the presence of beautiful, calming orchids. $20 a class. Call 561-404-2011 or visit OrchidWeb.org.

July 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the City National Bank, 2855 Le Jeune Road in Coral Gables. The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts this networking mixer with delicious appetizers and cocktails, a business card board, and prize drawings. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers. RSVP to GayBizmMiami.com, rsvp@gaybizmiami.com or 305673-4440.

Voices of Pride

Rainbow Circle

Yoga Among the Orchids

Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Join the Gay Men’s Chorus as they practice every week. Free. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

OvereaterÕ s Anonymous

Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A safe place to discuss their eating habits and goals. Free. Call 561533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

Coming Out Support Group

Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. a Compass GLCC of the Palm Beaches, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Get support as you explore your sexual identity and be your true self. Call Forrest at 561-479-8313.

Rapid HIV Testing

Mondays and Thursdays from 4 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Knowledge is power, and you can find out your status in less than 20 minutes. No need to make an appointment. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.

Shutterbugs

Third Mondays at 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Love photography? Join BLAST and other women to explore the art of digital photography. Free. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

Green Market

Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon at West Palm Beach Waterfront, 101 S. Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach. A relaxing morning of shopping through green vendors and live entertainment. Contact Katrina Resch 561822-1520 or KResch@wpb.org.

Rusty Gordon GLBT Democratic Caucus

Third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Meet other like-minded people in this group open to the public. Free. Call 561533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com

PFLAG

Third Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Temple Shaarei, 9085 Hagen Ranch Road in Boynton Beach. A support group for friends and family of LGBT youth. Call Carole 561-716-9464 or Joyce 561-292-3273.

LGBT Bereavement Group

Second Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201

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Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Miami Flipse Building #302, 5665 Ponce de Leon Drive in Coral Gables. An open discussion about coming out, relationships, peer pressure, bullying, depression and more. Free. Visit Pridelines.org.

HIV Support Group

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at South Beach AIDS Project, 1234 Washington Ave. Ste. 200 in Miami Beach. A support group for those who are HIV positive. Free. Call 305-535-4733, ext. 301 or email support@ sobeaids.org.

Modern Buddhist Meditation

Mondays and Tuesdays at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Find inner peace with instruction on meditation with Buddhist monk, Gen Kelsang Nurbu. Cost $10 and $5 per class. Call 786-529-7137.

Book Study

Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist monk, Gen Kelsang Nurbu, will lead classes on learning the foundations of Buddhism. Call 786-5297137.

Prayers For World Peace

Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon at he Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Center, 1273 Coral Way in Miami. Buddhist teacher, Todd Ellenberg will lead prayers and meditation. Cost $10. Call 786-529-7137.

Community Yoga Series

Third Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. at jugofresh Wynwood Walls, 222 NW 26th St. in Miami. Yoga instructor Dawn B. Feinberg leads a monthly yoga class in the middle of Miami’s art district. Mats are available, but yogis are encouraged to bring their own. Free. Call 786-472-2552.

Miami Log Cabin Republicans

Fourth Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. at Casa Larios, 7705 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Meet with other like-minded people and hear from speakers in the community. Visit LogCabin.org/chapter/florida-miami.

Sex Talk

Second and fourth Thursdays at Pridelines, 9525 NE Second Ave. #401 in Miami Shores. Conduct outreach events, record video messages, participate in a series of performances, and organize special events with a purpose. Free. Visit Pridelines.org..

PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!

Available Throughout Wilton Manors & South Florida

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SFGN Classiﬁed$

To place a Classiﬁed Ad, call Jason Gonzales at 954.530.4970 or visit SFGN.com home & garden attorneys employment/jobs licensed massage TRAVEL AGENT PART TIME Full service travel agency located on Wilton Drive seeks experienced part time travel professional. Must have good internet and communication skills. Ability to assist clients with airline, hotel, cruise, and tour package reservations. Call 954-5652345 for an initial phone interview. COMPREHENSIVE AIDS PROGRAM The Comprehensive AIDS (CAP) Program of PBC is recruiting county wide (Belle Glade, Delray Beach, and WPB) 10-15 people who are HIV positive to become Peer Advocate Leaders (PALs) by completing the PAL training. For additional information and how to apply please visit: http://www.foundcare.org/ HIVServicesJobOpenings EOE/M,F/DFWP

counseling

FAST A/C REPAIRS! Lic and insured, CAC057837. A&H A/C. 954-392-1301. We focus on repairs, not selling you new equipment. 24 Hour Service. Evening Appointments Available.

POOL SERVICE Mention this ad and receive your ﬁrst month

FREE! some restrictions apply

SWINGING RICHARDS NOW HIRING Quality Male Dancers & Waiters. Full nudity/upscale club environment with great income potential. Please text (865)385-9568 or email photos/info to jthoppy@gmail.com

home health care

SWEDISH MASSAGE $50 PER 90 MIN - out calls higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, Specialty Back, Lower Body & Feet. Couples discounts. Seniors welcome. Delray Beach. 16 years experience. MA18563 Dennis 561-502-2628 www.massagebydennis.net AFFORDABLE AWESOME MASSAGE BY JIM Offering Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and LomiLomi Massage for Men; in a very comfortable, relaxed and Private Massage Studio, NOW conveniently located in Wilton Manors on NE 26th Street, with plenty of free parking. Same Day appointments are welcome; please call Jim, 954-600-5843 email: info@massagebyjim.com or visit my website for testimonials, rates and more. GREAT OPENING SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE! www.massagebyjim.com Licensed and Certiﬁed MM22293

Serving Broward Since 1999

Call for a free estimate: 954-367-7007 Web: www.skimmerspools.com Email: skimmerspoolservice@gmail.com

Treating Drug and Alcohol Addiction for 38 years, since 1976 • Facilities in

LGBT Senior Home Care

Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale • GLBTQ Outpatient Tracts • Transportation Provided

PRIVATE DUTY

Home Health Aide Personal Assistant FOR AN APPOINTMENT PLEASE CALL...

561-736-6501

www.beachcomberoutpatient.com

cleaning services CLEAN IT RIGHT! The best cleaning for your buck. 1BD $50, 2BD $60, 3BD $70. Excellent rates & references. 10 years in business. Serving Broward, North Miami Dade & S. Palm Beach. Call Manny 954-560-4443

HUSBAND FOR RENT! Is he procrastinating home repairs? He says he will do it tomorrow?? After the football game?? We ﬁt right in - in the house or the yard, small or big jobs: tile, dry wall, paint, plumbing, roof leaks, broken furniture, irrigation, fences, and more!It doesnÕ t cost to hassle us to see the work - so why wait? Neat, clean work for a reasonable price. Call Haim at 954-398-3676, sidnalll@yahoo.com

Kevin Fenn

piano lessons

954-256-1600

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

ultracarefl@gmail.com

home & garden

pets/supplies

EXPERIENCED PAINTER for hire, reasonable hourly rate. Indoor work preferred. Call Kevin 954-225-3417

computers COMPLETE COMPUTER REPAIR FREE ESTIMATES - No extra charge for in-home. FREE Computer tune-up with any service. Replacement of laptop screen & key board. Viruses, spyware, data recovery, lockouts & more. SAME DAY SERVICE - LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE Call Ernesto: 754-234-5598 www.CCrepairservices.com

licensed massage INCREDIBLY AWESOME BODYWORK IN WPB In-calls at a private studio 15 minutes west of PBIA. Intuitive, experienced licensed massage therapist offers affordable rates 7 days, early to late. SUMMER SPECIAL for new clients only, $40 for 1 hour! Calls only 561254-8065 for the very best massage experience you can get HANDS DOWN! #MA51008

HATE WINDOWS 8? We can bring back the look and feel of windows. Same day service. Call 954-986-1316 www.gaycomputerwiz.com

employment/jobs HAIR STYLIST/BARBER WANTED Professional motivated Stylist/Barber for Booth rental position or commission opportunity in upscale Wilton Manors Salon. Please send Resume to info@scissorium or call 954-563-1981

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pets/supplies Dependable Reliable Service Delivered with Love and Respect

rent/lease fort lauderdale MIDDLE RIVER TERRACE: 1/1 $750/month, all tile, eat in kitchen, W/D. May be able to help w/ move in costs, call for details. 954-527-9225 FOR RENT - FORT LAUDERDALE: 1142 NE 4th Avenue, second ﬂoor, 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment. $700/month. Call George at 954-7640212 or 954-581-2573 527-9225

furnished housing

**PERFECT RELOCATION RENTALS** *4-WEEK+SPECIAL FROM $295/WEEK* Award winning gay apartment hotel. All the comforts of home. Beautifully furnished & fully equipped studio, 1 & 2 BR apartments with full kitchens. All men, clothing optional, heated pool, laundry, private parking. Central to Wilton Manors & Haulover Nude Beach. Wiﬁ, utilities, cable TV, and phone included. Long term monthly rates available for 3 months+. Pets always welcome. Gay owned & operated. Celebrating our 17th year. Call Joe or Jack at 954-927-0090 or visit www.libertysuites.com

LIC # 11000106488

real estate business opportunities GAY APARTMENT RESORT HOTEL PERFECT FOR WORKING RETIREMENT Rare opportunity to enter the booming Fort Lauderdale Gay Accommodations Market. Owners retiring and offering the award winning Liberty Apartment Suites in Dania Beach, with 11 beautifully furnished apartments with full kitchens. Established 17 successful seasons with high repeat and referral guests. Currently operated as self-catering, limited service, vacation & extended stay resort hotel-potential for growth and expansion. Immaculate Condition, Turn-key business, All Inclusive. Offered at $950,000. Qualiﬁed Buyers Only - For info, contact: Joe Van Eron 954-383-5548 or Joe@LibertySuites.com

ron@ronspradlin.com Ron Spradlin

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING WORKS!

To place an ad in SFGNÕ s Classiﬁeds call Jason Gonzales at

954.530.4970

rent/lease fort lauderdale COMPLETELY RENOVATED: Super Large Fully Furnished One Bedroom With Den Facing An Amazing Butterﬂy Garden. Granite Counter Top, King Size Bed. Price Included Internet Cable TV Water And Electricity Great Central Location Min To Wilton Manors Night Life The Beaches. $1500 A Month Eli 954-638-7034 COMPLETELY RENOVATED: Studio Fully Furnished With A Full Kitchen, Granite Counter Top, Stand Up Shower, Gorgeous View Of The Butterﬂy Garden. Price Included Internet Cable TV Water And Electricity Great Central Location Min Drive To Wilton Manors Night Life The Beaches. $900 a Month 954-638-7034 soflagaynews //

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