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there are gay couples who provide each other “mutual aid to the point of sacrifice” and “precious support in the life of the partners.” The Vatican’s announcement is a departure from the Church’s traditional view that gays, unmarried and divorced couples were “living in sin.”
Bondi Wants Florida High Court To Hear Marriage Case Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi wants the state’s Supreme Court to decide, once and for all, the fate of same-sex marriage. In a Monday evening maneuver, Bondi’s office filed a Supplemental Response In Support of Pass-Through Certification. “That is unquestionably an important issue, and the Plaintiffs, the State, and all citizens deserve a definitive answer,” Bondi’s
office wrote in a filing to the state’s Third District Court of Appeal. “Until recently, the issue was squarely before the United States Supreme Court, and it appeared that a definitive answer was coming. ... Unfortunately, the United States Supreme Court decided not to answer the question.”
Huckabee Tells GOP To ‘Grow A Spine’ Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is blasting Republicans for losing the culture war. As more and more states legalize samesex marriage, Huckabee says he is in a state of “utterly exasperation … with Republicans who have abdicated on this issue.” The former
On Stands NOW!
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Compiled by John McDonald
Vatican Changes Tone On Gays An assembly of Roman Catholic bishops, convened by Pope Francis at the Vatican, decided to reach out to gay people, unmarried couples and those who have divorced. The synod produced a document that reads gay people have “gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community,” and acknowledged
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Baptist preacher told the anti-gay American Family Association he is considering leaving the Republican Party. Huckabee said court rulings overturning bans on same-sex marriage are a “betrayal of our Constitution.”
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Cover: Photo by Brendon Lies 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
Hungary laws Not LGBT Inclusive John McDonald
Hungary has a new constitution and it’s not gay friendly. LGBT activists in the Central European nation have protested together with opposition parties against a new constitution that restricts marriage to heterosexuals and fails to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The constitution became law in January and a new “Family Protection Bill” has also come into force. This bill defines the family unit as heterosexual and says that preparing for family life should be part of the school curriculum. In addition it stipulates that media services should broadcast programs that respect the institution of marriage and family. The Family Protection bill is receiving stiff opposition from members of the Socialist and Green parties in Budapest. Lawmakers approved Hungary’s new constitution in April 2011. Article L of the constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, while Article XV.2 excludes sexual orientation from the protected grounds of discrimination (but does have provision for protection on the basis of race and gender). Human rights advocates say the new constitution makes it very difficult for gay and lesbian people to gain marriage equality in the near future and provides no protection for LGBT people from unfair dismissal or hate crimes.
In addition, the power of constitution courts has been curbed. Previously a law or act could be annulled by petitioning to the constitutional courts via non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or civil society organizations. Tamás Dombos, from Háttér Support Society for LGBT People, told the London based Gay Star News, “This is how we passed the law of cohabitation for same-sex couples in 1995 and equalised the age of consent in 2002. The new constitution will no longer enable NGOs or civil society organization to launch such campaigns in the constitutional courts.” The Family Protection Bill proposed by four MPs of the Christian Democratic Party and voted as law on 23 December states: ‘Art 7. (1) When applying this law family shall mean the relationship between natural persons in an economic and emotional community that is based on a marriage between a woman and a man, or lineal descent, or family-based guardianship. Earlier this week, the Harvey Milk Foundation held a reception at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, honoring the work of former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, Nancy G. Brinker. Brinker was joined at the ceremony by her son, Eric Brinker, who is openly gay. “There is much work to be done to promote awareness about the LGBT community in Hungary and Central Europe,” Ambassador Brinker said.
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Florida Death Certificate News Briefs Recognizes Same-Sex Couple Compiled by John McDonald
Arlene Goldberg of Ft. Myers, Florida, one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU of Florida’s lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples, received an updated death certificate from the Florida Department of Health that lists her as the spouse of her deceased wife Carol Goldwasser. The death certificate is the first document issued by the State of Florida recognizing the marriage of a same-sex couple. Arlene and Carol, who married in New York in October 2011, had been together 47 years when Carol passed away on March 13, 2014 – the same day that the ACLU of Florida announced its lawsuit challenging the marriage ban in Florida. Because the state did not recognize their marriage, Arlene was unable to receive Carol’s Social Security survivor’s benefits that would have helped her remain financially secure. Arlene contacted the ACLU and an amended complaint was filed adding Arlene alongside the other plaintiffs in the case – eight same-sex couples from across the state and SAVE, South Florida’s largest
Carol Goldwasser and wife Arlene Goldberg Photo Via Facebook
Deborah Ferguson, one of the attorneys representing the four couples who sued to overturn Idaho’s ban on gay marriage nearly a year ago, called Otter’s latest argument as “exceptionally weak.”
Health System Offers Michigan Same-Sex Benefits
Gay Marriage Begins In Idaho
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided Idaho’s stay banning same-sex marriage dissolves starting Wednesday morning. The court’s Monday decision came just after Idaho’s attorney general dropped its opposition. Meanwhile, Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter maintained his resistance in a separate court filing. The developments mark the latest legal wrangling over the issue after a week of hectic activity in Idaho and across the nation. Orders announcing same-sex marriage delays and then appeals from both sides of the issue caused a flurry of confusion in multiple states. By Friday, most county clerks in Idaho were still waiting for guidance from the attorney general’s office after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier in the day that gay marriages could proceed in the state. Northern Idaho’s Latah County, however, issued licenses to six gay couples, five of which were then married on the courthouse lawn. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said in the Monday order that his office, along with clients Ada County Clerk Christopher Rich and the state of Idaho, would not oppose lifting the stay. Wasden noted that the non-opposition does not signify that his office changed its position fighting gay marriage in Idaho, and they are still considering other legal options. In a separate filing, Otter repeated his prior arguments opposing gay marriage in Idaho — presented unsuccessfully to the Supreme Court on Friday— and implied he will continue fighting. Otter also added that approving gay marriage would “dissuade” Idaho voters from participating in elections because it would allow the federal government to overturn state laws. “Similarly, if laws passed by state legislatures can be overturned without the state having an opportunity for full appellate review before the law loses its force, why should ordinary citizens bother to vote for state office-holders?” asked Otter’s attorneys in the motion.
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Spectrum Health will begin extending insurance benefits to same-sex partners in 2015. Hospital system officials confirmed last week the change will take effect in January. The new policy offers benefits for legally married gay couples and couples who can demonstrate they’re in a committed relationship. Their children will also be covered. Spectrum is Kent County’s largest employer with 22,400 staff members. Spectrum senior vice president Roger Jansen says the policy is an important part of the system’s inclusion and diversity strategy and will help employee recruitment and retention. He says there has been “zero negative reaction” to the new policy from employees and administrators have received “a number of thank-you letters.”.
A
mnesty Calls On Chad President To Scrap New Anti-Gay Penal Code Before It Becomes Law
Amnesty International is the latest organization to call upon the President of Chad, Idriss Deby, to scrap a homophobic bill that is currently passing through the Chad parliament In September, Government ministers voted in favour of a draft law that would make Chad the 37th African state to criminalise same-sex relations. Its proposed penal code threatens jail sentences of between 15 and 20 years, and a fine of between CFA francs 50,000 to 500,000 (the equivalent of between £60 and £600.)
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LGBT rights organization. On August 21, 2014, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle issued a ruling striking down Florida’s marriage ban. Although a stay was put on that decision, Judge Hinkle did not stay the portion of his decision that applied to Arlene’s wife’s death certificate. Upon receiving the updated certificate today, Arlene Goldberg stated: “This is a bittersweet moment for me. While I’m pleased that the state is finally recognizing that Carol and I shared a life together, it’s sad that she didn’t get to see it happen. So, although it’s important that I am finally getting this piece of the resolution that I’ve been seeking ever since Carol passed away, I’m going to continue to fight to make sure that my marriage is fully recognized for all purposes and that no other couples have to be treated as legal strangers by the place they call home. I want to see love win in Florida, and I hope that that can be Carol’s legacy.”
Ministers said at the time that the law was being introduced to, ‘protect the family and to comply with Chadian society’. Amnesty’s Secretary General, Salil Shetty, has written an open letter calling on the president to scrap the bill. ‘If this homophobic bill becomes law, President Deby will be blatantly disregarding the country’s international and regional human rights obligations. He will deny people their right to privacy, will institutionalise discrimination and enable the stigmatisation, harassment and policing of people who are, or are perceived to be gay - regardless of their sexual behaviour. ‘President Idriss Deby must immediately intervene and stop this bill to ensure that people are not placed at increased risk of violence and abuse because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and are instead able to live in equality, dignity and without fear.’ Chad is a member of The African Charter of Human and People’s Rights, which decrees that ‘every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, color and sex and that every individual shall be equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law.’ Amnesty believes that this new penal code breaches rights enshrined in this charter, as well as ignoring a resolution adopted by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights earlier this year which condemned acts of ‘violence, discrimination and other human rights violations against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.’
Dame Offers Notre Same-Sex Spouses Benefits
The University of Notre Dame has informed employees it will extend benefits to same-sex spouses after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in Indiana and 10 other states. The university, in South Bend, Indiana, sent out an email to employees Wednesday evening that said because Indiana law now recognizes same-sex marriages, the university “will extend benefits to all legally married spouses, including same-sex spouses.” The email says: “Notre Dame is a Catholic university and endorses a Catholic view of marriage. However, it will follow the relevant civil law and begin to implement this change immediately.” The Indiana attorney general’s office told county clerks across the state Tuesday that they must issue marriage licenses to samesex couples. That came after a federal appeals court in Chicago formally lifted Indiana’s gay marriage ban.
news bites
by John McDonald
G
ay Republican Leader Defends Bondi
Photo: lcrmiami.org
Mimi Planas, president of the Miami Log Cabin Republicans, is steadfastly defending Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. With the November general election looming, Planas, leader of the gay Republican group, issued a statement claiming, “Pam Bondi does not hate gay people. She is NOT a homophobe.” Bondi, 48, was elected Florida’s attorney general in 2010. She has come under fire from gay rights activists for her defense of a lawsuit challenging Florida’s Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. “We cannot ask a sworn officer of the law to ignore certain laws we do not like,” Planas notes. Bondi faces Democrat George Sheldon in the Nov. 4 midterm election.
E
quality Florida Launches Business Directory
Consumers seeking to do business with equality minded companies have a new service to meet their needs. Equality Florida, the largest organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s LGBT community, is launching Another Business for Equality, which connects Floridians with proequality companies via a free, searchable online directory that is open to the public, including more than 200,000 supporters of Equality Florida. “Now more than ever, consumers are paying attention to corporate social responsibility and want to know that the businesses they support respect equality, fairness and equal opportunity for their employees and customers,” said Michael Reedy, Statewide Organizer for Another Business for Equality. To learn more about the directory, visit www.AB4E.org.
Photo: Melissa Etheridge Facebook
M
elissa Etheridge Goes Digital
Award winning recording artist Melissa Etheridge announced a new partnership with Deloitte Digital last week, making the Los Angeles based technology company her digital agency of record. Etheridge said the timing was perfect as she just released her new album, “This is M.E.” and feels Deloitte Digital will help her analytically to reach her market. Etheridge, 53, has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, winning twice. Her 1995 hit “Come To My Window” captured best rock vocal performance by a female. In 2007, Etheridge won an Academy Award for best original song, “I Need To Wake Up” from the environmental documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
C
DC: Gaps In HIV Care For Latinos
In promoting National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is releasing results from a study showing gaps in treatment for Latinos diagnosed with HIV. In 2010, only 54 percent of Latinos diagnosed with HIV were retained in care with 44 percent receiving antiretroviral therapy and just 37 percent achieving virus suppression. “Latinos represent 17 percent of the U.S. population, and remain one of the populations hardest hit by HIV in the United States, accounting for 21 percent of new HIV infections,” said CDC Dr. Eugene McCray. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is observed Oct. 15. soflagaynews //
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news local
Biden Rallies Broward College Vice President comes to the aid of Charlie Crist John McDonald
Photo credit of CNN
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a large crowd Monday afternoon on the North Campus of Broward College. Biden encouraged the audience to support former Florida Governor Charlie Crist in his attempt to return to the Mansion in Tallahassee. Crist, 58 of St. Petersburg, served as Florida’s Governor from 2007-2011 as a member of the Republican Party. He has since changed parties and is running this year as a Democrat. “It was Charlie who extended the voting hours,” Biden reminded the audience, a majority of which were African-American. Crist did not speak long at Monday’s event, leaving the words to Biden, whose theme centered on the middle class and its struggles. Florida State Senator Chris Smith, of Fort Lauderdale, introduced Crist and reminded the crowd of the Democratic Party’s policy of inclusion, including equal treatment of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Crist is seeking to oust sitting Governor Rick Scott from office. Scott, 61, a Republican who lists his home city as Naples, drew sharp criticism from Biden,
particularly regarding Scott’s decision to refuse federal funding for train transit. “Turning down rail cost this state 10,000 jobs,” Biden said. Monday’s event drew a large number of college students, including 22-year-old Matthew Hirsch, who said he supported Crist because of his approval of samesex marriage. Currently, there is a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Florida. “Charlie is going to change that,” said Hirsch, who said he studies geography at the campus near Pompano Beach. Biden touched very little on LGBT issues, but acknowledged that Florida was at the “epicenter” for the national narrative. “America is always about tomorrow,” Biden said. “It’s about that promise that if you work hard and the field is level you can make it.” Biden made no mention of his future plans as speculation continues to swirl around the Vice President making another bid for the oval office. After his speech, Biden joined Crist on the rope line, posing for many pictures and shaking a lot of hands.
The general election is Nov. 4. 6
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news local
SAVE’s Annual Halloween Bash Will Be Bigger Than Ever Photo by J.R. Davis
Christiana Lilly
With the arrival of October, so does the countdown for SAVE’s most highly anticipated event. Its annual Halloween fundraiser turns 20 this year, Once Upon A Midnight Scary, and will be held in downtown Miami on Oct. 25. “It’s the only time when the community comes together and dances, dresses up, and celebrates that we are a tightly banded community,” said Tony Lima, the executive director of SAVE, formerly SAVE Dade. Lima remembers two decades ago when the fête started as a small house party in Belle Meade to raise money for the campaign to establish a human rights ordinance in Miami. Today, it’s exploded into a huge party where guests young, old, gay, and straight go all out in elaborate costumes and
top notch DJs spin tunes through the night. Last year, the event raised enough money to completely fund SAVE through an entire quarter. “It’s grown to be the premier LGBT, gayfocused event in South Florida,” Lima said. “People love it, they love being in costume.” The theme for this year is classic Halloween, with people encouraged to draw from old school horror flicks and other holiday standards. Around midnight, the famed costume contest will take place with the winner receiving $1,000. For music, DJs Alex Ramos, Carlos Rojas, Bill James, Maximus 3000, and most notably, Tracy Young (who has worked with the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears) will be setting the tone for a night
of dancing. The party will be thrown at the Alfred I. Dupont building -- built in 1939, it was the first skyscraper in Miami at the time and a welcome sign of better times to come after the Great Depression. With its brass accents on the gates, soaring columns, vaulted ceilings, and Tennessee marble flooring, the Art Deco ballroom will take on the look of a haunted mansion. The five bank teller windows will be converted into a bar, and the giant cash vault a spooky drink lounge. “We’re at a very pivotal time for our community, it’s been a banner year,” Lima said, citing local election wins, human rights ordinances, and 2013’s DOMA amendment. “Seeing how the organization has grown so much in the last 20 years, I’m proud.”
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If You Go What: Once Upon a Midnight Scary 20th Annual Halloween Ball When: Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. to Oct. 26 at 3 a.m. Where: Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building, 169 E. Flagler St. in downtown Miami How Much: $50 to $100 More Information: Visit SAVEDade.org
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feature
At Pease With it All
Comedian uses laughs to get through hard times John McDonald
JeanMichelMcDonald@gmail.com
Jordan Pease considers himself the worst gay son ever. “I don’t have the cool gay job,” he says. “I’m not an interior designer or stylist. I don’t care about the environment or animals … I just suck dick.” It’s a line that gets Pease a lot of laughs during his standup routine. The 22-year-old, amply tattooed, New Jersey native is certainly one of those to watch in the future. He has a knack for writing, the camera likes him and so do the boys. “I’m singleish,” he says. “I’m dating like five different guys in five different cities. “ He travels frequently, is known to share a few puffs with fans in Denver and has even performed before audiences in the ruby red state of Idaho. “It was great,” Pease said of his trip to Boise, Idaho. “They were not a real politically correct crowd. They got me. It was a blast.” Pease is hoping for a similar experience in South Florida soon and so far audiences love him. In 2012, Pease
won the Punchline Bay Area Comics competition and the Funniest New Comic in LA competition. He describes his comedy as “conversationally inappropriate” and his Twitter picture confirms such, showing Pease half naked passed out in a clothes hamper. “Oh, there’s pictures all over the internet,” he admits. “My life is an open book. I lost my dignity a long time ago.” Pease also lost his father to substance abuse, one of many tragedies his Italian-American Catholic family has endured. He says comedy is his “cure all.” “I’ve never been the person to cry for weeks,” he said. “I’d turn it into a joke and laugh about it and have my family laugh about it.” Pease lists comedians Jackie Mason and Chelsea Handler as influences on his style. He enjoys writing, is a contributor to the Huffington Post and recently released a memoir, titled “Accidentally Okay,” of his time spent in Verona, Italy.
To see clips of Pease’s standup routine, Visit TheJordanPease.com.
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feature
Violence Against Trans Women of Color These crimes often ignored or underreported
Denise Royal It’s been nearly seven years since Simmie Williams was shot and killed by two men in Fort Lauderdale. On February 22, 2008, the 17-year-old was attacked on the 1000 block of Sistrunk Boulevard while wearing a dress and was known in the area by his first name or as Beyonce. Williams’ case remains unsolved, as do many of the crimes committed against transgender and gender-nonconforming people. This past summer alone, there were at least seven reported killings of transgender women of color in the United States: Kandy Hall in Maryland, Zoraida Reyes in California, Yaz’min Shancez in Florida, Tiffany Edwards in Ohio, Mia Henderson in Maryland, and an unnamed woman in Michigan and just recently, Alejandra Leos in Tennessee.
A suspect has been arrested in the Shancez case in Florida. A man turned himself in the Edwards case. But, the other cases remain unsolved. “There are no real consequences. These cases don’t get prosecuted. Victim blaming happens. There are many layers here,” says Osman Ahmed from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Transgender people, especially those of color, are more than just statistics. They are people. They are victims. They are not getting justice. According to a recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, people of color, transgender women and gay men are disproportionately the victims of deadly violence. In addition:
Almost 90 percent of all homicide victims in 2013 were people of color, yet LGBTQ and HIV-affected people of color only represented 55 percent of total survivors and victims. The overwhelming majority of homicide victims, 78 percent, were Black and African American, 11 percent of homicide victims were Latino, and 11 percent of homicide victims were white. Almost three-quarters (72 percent) of homicide victims were transgender women, and more than two-thirds (67 percent) of homicide victims were transgender women of color, yet transgender survivors and victims only represent 13 percent of total reports to NCAVP. In 2013, 27.78 percent of homicide victims were men, all of whom identified as gay. These are the cases that are reported. Many attacks are not. Twenty-two percent of the 6,450 transgender and gendernonconforming respondents to the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) who had interacted with police said they’d been harassed by them, with rates even higher among people of color. Fear of being victimized again stops many people from reporting violent crimes. That’s what happened to Rajee Rajindra Narinesingh. In 2001, she stopped to buy gas in Miami. As soon as she was finished, she was brutally attacked by a group of guys. One of them said hello to her. She responded to him because she recognized him as a fast food employee
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in her neighborhood. Out of nowhere, he punched her in the face. She was stunned by the severity of it. “The next thing I knew, he reached in, unlocked the door and tried to pull me out. The other guys came over and started punching me,” Narinesingh recalled. Outnumbered and scared to death, all she could do was pray. She started reciting the Lord’s Prayer out loud. It was enough to scare away most of her attackers. One continued to punch her and call her names like freak. “He was like 6’4. I’m 5’11. The entire time he was punching me and trying to hurt me. I blocked his punches with one hand and tried to start the car with the
Simmie Williams, a 17-year-old who was attacked and killed in Ft. Lauderdale in 2008. The case remains unsolved.
other hand. I was able to put my car in reverse and knock him to the ground so I could get away. My top lip was split and my face was a bloody mess. Not only was I physically broken, I was mentally broken,” Narinesingh said. In that broken state, she never took action to punish those who hurt her. “There’s a shame that’s put on you from the time you’re a little child. Your parents say you’re not right. Your friends say you’re not right. Your community says what you feel and what you are is not right. Even though I was the victim, I felt like I had to take the blame. I thought, if I wasn’t transgender, this wouldn’t have happened to me,” she told SFGN. But, as an advocate, she advises victims to act differently. “I would tell anyone, you go and file and police report. It’s a little better now. You need to document that you’ve been victimized. Reach out to your circle of support. Family, friends, whoever is going to lift you up and have your back. Don’t isolate yourself,” she said. These days, Narinesingh has moved past that attack. If her name sounds familiar it’s because she made headlines years ago after a fake plastic surgeon injected her face and body with cement injections. As a result, her face was disfigured for years. But things are better for her now, thanks to monthly softening injections and laser therapy by cosmetic
surgeon Dr. John Martin that have reduced the size of the nodules on her face. Narinesingh has written a memoir titled, ‘Beyond Face Value. A Journey to True Beauty.’ She’s also part of the alltrans cast of soap opera Bella Maddo. In addition to Narinesingh, there are many groups working to decrease victimization in the trans community. Trans Women of Color Collective and Casa Ruby are leading the way in addressing violence against trans people. But they face many hurdles. Every November 20, activists around the globe pause to honor the transgender lives lost to violence, hate, and prejudice. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in 1999 to memorialize Rita Hester, a trans woman brutally murdered November 28, 1998. To this day, Hester’s murder remains unsolved. “The fact that this has come to the media’s attention is a good thing. But it’s been going on for quite a while. Sadly, we are still far, far away from a utopian society where trans rights are upheld,” Osman said. Pro-trans rights group Lambda Legal has put together a Transgender Rights Toolkit to answer questions on how to best deal with anti-transgender violence. It also contains other resources to help connect with other organizations that deal specifically with problems of violence.
“Beyond Face Value. A Journey To True Beauty” is a memoir written by Rajee Rajindra Narinesingh about the struggles she’s faced as a trans woman.
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feature cover story
The Crystal Meth Epidemic
Jason Parsley
Meth usage is again rising in the gay community; what can be done about it?
W
hen Zachary* arrived at a hookup’s house he was taken aback by the luxury of it all — complete with a bird sanctuary, koi pond, square pool, hot tub, waterfalls, and a covered porch with couches. “It reminded me of a resort,” the 20-yearold said. “It was beautiful, very well decorated. These people had a lot of money. The landscaping was immaculate.” But it was the bird sanctuary that he remembers best. “It was something you’d see at the zoo. It was a big cage, you could fit a car inside of it.” But this was anything but a resort. Or a typical hook up. It was a sex and meth party. After a guy on Grindr offered Zachary and his friend free drugs he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend. Zachary, a recovering drug addict, had recently relapsed on crack and wanted to get high. But he wasn’t expecting a full-fledged group event when he showed up to the house in downtown West Palm Beach. “I didn’t know till I showed up. I could tell it was definitely a regular thing like once or twice a month,” he said. “There was like this extravagance to it. It was very classy. They had coolers, drinks and Gatorades, a snack bar. It was a well organized event.” And of course there was sex, a whole lot of sex — unprotected. “It was all unsafe sex. I didn’t care because I was high. But I prefer bareback sex anyway,” he said. “In the two days that I was there, 75 or 80 percent of the time we were having sex.” A few weeks later though Zachary did care when he worried that he might be positive himself. He wasn’t. Crystal meth usage is back on the rise in the gay community and local efforts like ‘No More Meth’ are coming together to tackle the problem.
The Meth Comeback Over the past few years, there has been a resurgence of methamphetamine use in the gay community; some have even called it an epidemic. “The number of arrests involving crystal meth has doubled so far this year over 2013 in Fort Lauderdale,” said Michael Kasten, a committee chairperson on the No More Meth Task Force. “If you look at the actual arrests by sector they are in the gay neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale.” That’s why Mark Ketcham, executive director of SunServe in South Florida, was so eager to host and help fund the ‘No More Meth’ program. “I asked at one of our events for someone to match the $5,000 grant the ‘No More Meth’ program received from another organization,” he said. “We matched it in four minutes. I will do anything I can to alleviate this problem.” Ketcham though admitted that while meth use is a huge problem, he also understands why there are so few programs targeting the issue. “It’s such a tough problem. There’s such a high rate of recidivism; you don’t get much success,” Ketcham said. “If you know you’re not going to win, it’s hard to take it on, but we have to start somewhere. We have to start addressing the whys. It’s an uphill battle, this damn thing. It’s just very frustrating.” David Fawcett is the chairman of ‘No More Meth’ and a psychotherapist with a practice in Wilton Manors. He’s been active in the gay men’s health movement and is currently working on a book on gay men, meth and sexual recovery. “Two years ago I really saw an uptick in my private practice with gay men struggling with meth addiction,” he said. Fawcett explained that after the federal government banned pseudoephedrine from store shelves in 2006, there was a drop-off in usage among gay men. Pseudoephedrine is
What Is Crystal Meth? The chemical n-methyl-1phenyl-propan-2-amine is called methamphetamine, methylamphetamine, or desoxyephedrine, which is a type of amphetamine. Most people though call it ‘meth’ for short. When it is in its crystalline form, some of its street names include crystal meth, ice, glass or Tina. People use it by snorting it like cocaine, smoking it in a glass pipe similar to crack, injecting, known as slamming, swallowing or even using it anally. The drug causes numerous neurotransmitters to be released in the brain, producing a sense of euphoria. When used as a stimulant, meth improves concentration, energy, and alertness; decreases appetite and fatigue; and increases libido and sexual pleasure. It’s highly addictive. The drug usually comes in the Short Term Effects Increased attention and decreased fatigue Increased activity and wakefulness Decreased appetite Euphoria and rush Increased respiration Rapid/irregular heartbeat Hyperthermia
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form of a crystalline white powder that is odorless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol. Crystal meth comes in clear chunky crystals resembling ice and most commonly smoked in that form. Meth is a synthetic (man-made) chemical, unlike cocaine, which comes from a plant. Meth is commonly made by mixing various forms of amphetamines or derivatives with other chemicals to boost its potency. Common pills for cold remedies (such as Sudafed) are often used as the basis for production. Ingredients are extracted from those pills and in order to increase its strength its combined with other substances such as battery acid, drain cleaner, camp stove fuel and antifreeze. Once the drug wears off users can experience a severe crash or physical and mental breakdown. Effects Associated with Chronic Use Addiction Psychosis, including: paranoia hallucinations repetitive motor activity Changes in brain structure and function Deficits in thinking and motor skills Increased distractibility Memory loss Aggressive or violent behavior Mood disturbances Severe dental problems Weight loss
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the main ingredient in over the counter cold medicines such as Sudafed. It’s also the main ingredient used to make crystal meth. “But there were unintended consequences,” Fawcett said. “Since there was a gap in supplies, Mexican drug cartels stepped up their production of industrial strength meth, so really the government regulation only put the mom-and-pop labs out of business.” For illegal drug suppliers in Mexico meth is a big lure, because unlike cocaine and heroin that depend on the coca and poppy plants, meth can be made anywhere. “Producing big quantities in America has become harder, as the authorities have cracked down on bulk purchases of the ingredients. So production is shifting to big and highly efficient labs in Mexico,” according to an article from 2012 in the Economist. “The cheap and potent meth they supply now provides some three quarters of the drug consumed in America. Seizures at the border rose from 1.3 tonnes in 2001 to 4.5 tonnes by the end of the decade.” Fawcett said the meth coming out of Mexico is much more dangerous because of its potency. “According to the Broward County Drug Task Force 22 kilos of crystal meth has been confiscated in 2014,” Kasten said. “Most of which came from Wilton Manors. That’s a street value of $5 million. That’s just this year. We’re in deep shit.” But why is meth specifically attractive to gay men? Fawcett has a theory. “There’s something called cognitive
escapism; it’s the numbing out of uncomfortable feelings,” Fawcett said. “Meth comes along and neutralizes a lot of feelings and energizes these people. Initially meth makes them feel attractive, makes them not care what other people think.”
Slamming On The Rise Ryan Pyles will never forget the time he shot up meth and 20 minutes later his face started drooping, he began to slur his speech, and began to experience other classic symptoms of a stroke. “I just thought I had done too much so I still continued to use afterwards,” the 26-year-old said. “It really was a pretty serious side affect. It was scary.” But not scary enough to keep him away from meth. He first tried the drug in college and didn’t like it. Three years later he was reintroduced to meth and within a month he was slamming the drug. Nine months later, he was in rehab. As a medic Pyles never had a problem with injecting meth. Needles didn’t scare him. In the crystal meth world shooting up is known as ‘slamming.’ “When injecting, it’s much more intense and had a much more sexual charge to it for me,” Pyles said. “I started off by smoking it and then quickly started [shooting up]. The difference in smoking and injecting is almost like two separate drugs for me.” Fawcett has also seen an uptick in slamming.
The History of Meth
From amphetamine to methamphetamine to crystal meth and beyond Amphetamine was first made in 1887 in Germany and methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was developed in Japan in 1919. The crystalline powder was
soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection. Methamphetamine went into wide use during World War II, when both sides used it to keep troops awake. High doses were given to Japanese Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. And after the war, methamphetamine abuse by injection reached epidemic proportions when supplies stored for military use became available to the Japanese public. In the 1950s, methamphetamine was prescribed as a diet aid and to fight depression. Easily available, it was used as a nonmedical stimulant by college students, truck
1930s:
Doctors begin using amphetamines in the U.S. to treat asthma and narcolepsy.
1887: Amphetamines are first synthesized.
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“That used to be a last resort,” he said. “Now it’s much more common to start by injecting. It’s really scary, and there is much more risk of an overdose.” Combine slamming with the new potent meth coming out of Mexico and it’s a far more dangerous situation than years ago, Fawcett warned. Pyles is currently serving a 42-month sentence in prison for drug conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute. He hopes that with good behavior he’ll be released early and be in a halfway house by March of 2015 where he will have to spend at least 6 months. SFGN interviewed him via email while he was in prison. Todd Connaughty, director of clinical services at the Pride Institute in Minnesota, said he’s also seen an increase in the number of gay men slamming. “After injecting it, there’s like an explosion in your brain,” he said. “The high is more intense. It lasts longer and brain chemistry reacts differently. There’s an even bigger release of dopamine and serotonin using IV.” Connaughty said the ritual of slamming can also become addictive, “some clients inject each other, so there’s this sense of intimacy injecting someone and a sense of connectedness.” Pyles can relate to the ritual. “When I first started using meth IV, I was very into the ritual of preparing and injecting,” he said. “It was more so because I was very obsessed about the cleanliness and sterility of everything.”
1932:
The amphetamine Benzedrine is introduced as an over-the-counter bronchial dilator for the treatment of nasal and bronchial congestion associated with colds.t.
1919: Meth is developed by a pharmacologist in Japan. The drug alleviates fatigue and produces feelings of alertness and well-being.
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Street Names of Meth
Tina Ice Crystal Crank Glass Other Meth Related Terms PNP — Short for Party and Play meaning to have sex and use meth Geeked Out – High on meth Sketched Out – High on meth Slamming – Injecting meth Booty Bump – Anal usage Suitcasing – Anal usage To The Point – Injecting meth Tweaker – Someone high on meth Speedball – Meth plus heroine
drivers and athletes and abuse of the drug spread. This pattern changed markedly in the 1960s with the increased availability of injectable methamphetamine, worsening the abuse. Then, in 1970, the US government made it illegal for most uses. After that, American motorcycle gangs controlled most of the production and distribution of the drug. Most users at the time lived in rural communities and could not afford the more expensive cocaine. Sources: HealthVermont.gov, DEAdiversion.usdoj.gov, PBS.org
1945-1950s: Post-war Japan experiences the first meth epidemic. It spreads to Guam, the U.S. Marshall Islands and to the U.S. West Coast.
World War II: Meth and amphetamine are
given to Allied bomber pilots to sustain them on long flights. The experiment fails though because soldiers become irritable and can’t channel their aggression. Amphetamines were mostly used by soldiers to fight off fatigue and enhance performance.
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Glossary of Terms
1960s:
Doctors in San Francisco drug clinics prescribe injections of meth to treat heroin addiction.
1950s:
1970: Meth, or speed, is regulated in the Controlled Substances Act and a public education campaign is mounted.
Still marketed to treat obesity, narcolepsy and sinus inflammation, “pep pills” or “bennies” are sold for non-medical purposes. Some truckers, homemakers, college students and athletes pop pills to stay awake or keep active.
The Culture of ‘Party and Play’ What makes crystal meth even more attractive to gay men is that the drug goes hand-in-hand with sex. “When I was reintroduced to meth I was introduced to the sexual aspect of it as well. I was hooked from that point and began using regularly,” Pyles said. “I have always been a very sexual person and meth, particularly using it IV, made me get into this very animalistic insatiable mode.” Fawcett agreed. “It’s a very sexual drug,” he said. “You’ll have men masturbate for 30 hours until their bodies are just exhausted. They can’t satiate their sexual desire.” Connaughty knows better than most about the difficulty of dealing with both addictions at the same time. Five years ago, he helped implement a sexual health program at the Pride Institute, an LGBT only treatment center in Minnesota. “It specifically focuses on gay men with crystal meth addiction and sexual compulsory issues,” Connaughty said. Connaughty said it’s important to address both issues together and agrees that meth usage among gay men is back on the rise. “The two issues are intertwined and hard to separate,” Connaughty said. “We have to look at the underlying issues. The validation they get. The sense of intimacy. The increased confidence. And then look at how to create that without the use of methamphetamines and sexual activity.” Local recovering meth addict Kevin Strouf, 52, said he understands all too
1980s: Drug treatment counselors see increased abuse among men who have sex with men. Mexican drug manufacturers begin exporting meth to the U.S. Crystal meth, a smokable form of meth, is created and is twice as potent as regular meth.
1990s:
well how meth is tied to sex. He first started using meth at circuit parties, which later led to sex parties. “Nowadays people are being introduced to it through sex parties because circuit parties aren’t as popular anymore,” he said. Once he got clean he made the decision to stay celibate for the first two years of his recovery. “I got off all of the websites, apps, and stayed away from the Internet,” Strouf said. “I was just as addicted to those websites and hooking up. I had to deal with both [addictions] at the same time.” Connaughty said that most of addicts that come through Pride these days are addicted to meth. As a single gay man Michael Kasten can’t stand being constantly hit up online to “party and play.” “I don’t go to the bars. And online I am besieged with offers of PNP despite my profiles that say no drugs — no PNP,” he said. “I’m disgusted. I see this as an epidemic. It’s destroying the community.” A lot of meth addicts combine their meth use with other drugs such as Viagra and ecstasy. Connaughty said recently he’s also been seeing the rise of “speedballs” which were traditionally a mixture of cocaine and heroin, but meth users are mixing meth and heroin to create a new type of “speedball.” Another common drug that is used in conjunction with meth is GHB. “GHB is a sedative and goes hand in hand with meth. First you get a blast of high from the meth and then the GHB evens you out,” Connaughty said. “Unfortunately with GHB it’s very easy to pass out and bad things can happen.”
1993:
Legislation is passed in 1993 that will require ephedrine pill sellers to register with the DEA, keep sales records, and report suspicious customers. The bill does not cover sellers of pseudoephedrine pills.
New ways to cook meth appear. Some new versions are four to six times stronger. Meth use begins and grows in the rural Midwest. Rural locations become ideal for cooking of meth because of geographic isolation and the available supply of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and anhydrous ammonia.
HIV And Meth As if sex and meth combined weren’t enough, HIV infections are much more common in meth users. Not only does unsafe sex pose a risk, but sharing needles does as well. “The other thing about meth is that it turns off one’s frontal cortex which creates a lack of impulse control which leads to all kinds of risky sexual behavior, and that’s why there is such a high rate of HIV infection among meth users,” Fawcett said. The risk of HIV is one of the many reasons Mark Ketcham supports the ‘No More Meth’ program. “Meth use is a huge factor in the transmission of HIV. When you’re high on meth the last thing you’re going to think about is safer sex,” Ketcham said. A rise in HIV infections among meth users is yet another disturbing trend Connaughty is also seeing. “Within the gay population of 18 to 24 year olds we are seeing an increase of HIV,” he said. “There’s an increase of sexual activity and it exposes them to unsafe sexual practices.” Pyles is one of those meth addicts living with HIV. “I was definitely more promiscuous and having more unprotected sex,” he said. “But it could have also been from an accidental use of a dirty needle.” For Zachary, the guy from the beginning of the story, HIV was the least of his concerns while he was getting high. “One uncomfortable moment was when the kid I was with asked if everyone was clean [HV negative]. He even asked to see proof. That was really embarrassing. The owner said he was undetectable since 1995,” he
1996:
Congress passes the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act, which regulates mail order and chemical companies selling precursor chemicals. For example, people who buy large quantities of red phosphorous, iodine and hydrochloric gas must show they will use them for legitimate purposes. Law enforcement agents are allowed to track large mail order purchases of pseudoephedrine, another precursor chemical.
2004: Oklahoma becomes the first state to pass a law placing limits on sales of pseudoephedrine to pharmacies and requiring retailers to sell pseudoephedrine products from behind the counter and ask purchasers to show I.D. and sign a register.
said. “I know that HIV is very prevalent in the meth and group sex community so I had assumed everybody there was HIV positive anyway, so I didn’t need to ask. I was embarrassed because these people were giving us free drugs and he was putting stipulations on it.”
No More Meth
The resurgence of meth, combined with its increased dangers, prompted Fawcett to re-involve himself in combating meth addiction here in South Florida. The program, ‘No More Meth,’ though isn’t really a new group; it’s a re-imagination of several other groups Fawcett has belonged to over the last the 12 years. First, he was the chair of the ‘South Florida Meth Task Force,’ then he formed ‘Meth and Men’ in 2006. By 2008, as meth-use dropped, the program died. In 2013, he re-launched ‘Meth and Men’ which recently became the ‘No More Meth Task Force.’ “We wanted to freshen it up and bring new people to the table,” he said. Kasten, a committee chair, got involved because he’s seen the effects of meth first hand. “I’ve had two friends that I watched from beginning of their use to their demise. These two individuals were from different facets of life — one was an attorney, a millionaire, and he lost everything,” he said. “The other person I dated. I found out he was using meth and I did an intervention. I’ve watched him relapse and go in and out of recovery.” No More Meth’s first community event is Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the Pride Center in Wilton Manors from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The town hall meeting will feature a former meth user, David
2006: The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act
of 2005 is passed. It regulates over-the-counter sales ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine because of their use in the making of meth. Also in 2006 the U.N. World Drug Report calls meth the most abused hard drug on earth, and the world’s 26 million meth addicts equals the combined number for cocaine and heroin users. America has 1.4 million users, while globally the highest concentration of addicts is in East and Southeast Asia.
2009:
2010:
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The Mexican government recognizes there is a huge oversupply of pseudoephedrine coming into the country, and most of it is being diverted to the U.S meth trade. They decide to ban importation all together. With the Mexican cartels unable to get their hands on pseudoephedrine, the potency of the meth being smuggled into the U.S. plunges.
Mississippi becomes the second state after Oregon to make pseudoephedrine products prescription only. Within a few months after enforcing the law, officials see a sharp drop in meth lab seizures and meth-related crime.
Fawcett, Jim Hall an epidemiologist and Howard Finklelstein, the Broward County Public Defender, and a recovering addict himself. Visit NoMoreMeth.org for more information. Kasten said that local law enforcement officers have also pledged to show up to the event. “I have spoken directly to officers at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department and Wilton Manors Police Department,” he said. “All of them are extremely concerned about the crystal meth problem here in South Florida.” No More Meth also has a weekly group “Let’s Talk Meth” that meets every Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Fusion in Wilton Manors.
Getting Help
Kevin Strouf will never forget his last day using. He was in Orlando looking for more drugs when new dealer stole his money and he had to borrow $30 to buy a Greyhound bus ticket back to South Florida. He was in a rush to get back to South Florida in order to be able to show up for his court appearance the next day to face drug related charges. “It was the most horrendous trip,” Strouf said. “I just remember thinking ‘what the fuck has my life come to? I have nothing.’ I started crying.” Later that morning his attorney explained to him his choices: either go to drug court and adhere to its rules or don’t, and probably get two to four years of probation. “I call it my one moment of clarity. I was totally desperate,” Strouf said. “I knew I needed help, and I thought that maybe this was God’s way of helping me. And so I chose the drug court program.” That week he went to his first 12-step meeting at a LGBT recovery clubhouse in Fort Lauderdale. As he was leaving he saw a poster for a Crystal Meth Anonymous meeting. “I thought, ‘Oh my God. There’s an actual program for this,’” he recalls thinking. It was at that moment that he knew he had found a new home. There’s been a tremendous growth in Crystal Meth Anonymous over the past five years, especially in South Florida. “When I first started going to CMA there were maybe 10 to 15 people at a meeting,” he said. “Now there’s up to 100 people a night on the weekends.” Meanwhile across the country in San Francisco some are pushing harm reduction based therapies as an alternate method of treatment. That’s how Tweaker.org, an informational website providing support and resources about crystal meth use, came about.
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“This was designed by and for gay men who use meth,” said Mike Discepola, director of the Stonewall Project, which oversees Tweaker. org. “We want to help people understand how meth impacts brain and body. Help them to choose to reduce the harm of the drug. For instance, reduce their amount of using. Or move from injecting to snorting ,or another less harmful method.” Discepola said the basic premise behind harm reduction is having participants take any positive step toward reducing harm in their life. He said harm reduction therapy is for the many people not yet ready for abstinence. “One size does not fit all,” Discepola said, explaining that harm reduction based programs are more individual oriented. “You decide what your goals are. The truth of the matter is not everyone is prepared to stop every substance. We help people at the place where they are. We don’t demonize drugs and alcohol. We encourage people to make positive choices in their life.” Discepola points to needle distribution programs as good examples of successful harm reduction based programs. “It reduces the transmission of HIV and other infections,” he said. Currently there is no medication to treat meth addiction but that may change if the clinical trials of Ibudilast, a drug that is used to treat asthma and post-stroke complications, works on its human patients. The results of that trial are expected to be released in 2015. Jimmy Palmieri is has made it his personal mission to help meth addicts get clean and into recovery. He launched the Tweakers Project eight years ago, which now includes a movie, “Tweakers,” an anti-meth ad campaign, and a Facebook group that now boasts more than 3,000 members. So far through the project he’s been able to place more than 75 people into rehab for free. Palmieri once dated a meth addict for eight years and understands the impact addiction can have, not only on the individual, but the loved ones as well. “This was a very good man doing very bad things to himself,” Palmieri said. “It was so painful to watch. It clicked in my head that maybe I could be somewhat of a voice someone would pay attention to. I am just grateful it has worked out the way that it has.” Strouf is grateful today as well. Almost five years later he’s still clean, still attends meetings and has never been happier. For him it was the police that gave him the best present ever. “It was a gift from God for me to get arrested,” he said.
The 7 Stages of Meth Use 1. The Rush
A rush is the initial response the user feels when smoking or injecting meth. During the rush, the user’s heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure and pulse increases. The meth rush can continue for up to thirty minutes. In comparison the rush associated with crack cocaine, only lasts for two to five minutes.
2. The High
During the high, the user often feels smarter, more confident and becomes argumentative, interrupting other people and finishing their sentences. The high can last four to sixteen hours.
3. The Binge
As the meth high begins to wear off the user will try to continue it by smoking or injecting more meth being unable to experience the same initial rush. Instead each time the user smokes or injects more of the drug, he experiences a smaller rush until there is no rush and no high. The binge can last three to fifteen days. During this time the user becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically and avoids sleep.
Sources: Drug-Addiction-HelpNow.org, TheHillsCenter. com, DrugFreeWorld.org
*Zachary did not want his last name revealed.
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4. Tweaking
This stage occurs at the end of a binge when the meth no longer provides a rush or high. During this time the user will experience extreme feelings of sadness and emptiness. Intense itching is also common during this stage and can become convinced that bugs are crawling under their skin. Tweaking can produce paranoia, hallucinations, unpredictable, and violent behavior.
5. The Crash
When the body’s supply of epinephrine is depleted the crash happens, which lasts one to three days.
6. Meth Hangover
In this stage the user will return to normal albeit in a deteriorated state. This will lasts from two to 14 days.
7. Withdrawal
Often 30 to 90 ninety days can pass before the user realizes that they are in withdrawal. In this stage the user will slowly become depressed and unable to feel pleasure, lacking energy. The craving for meth can hit suddenly. The withdrawal symptoms from meth end as soon as it is used again, making it difficult to break the cycle.
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column bil of rights A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Alter Bil Browning
After decades spent fighting for LGBT rights in my home state of Indiana, my husband, Jerame, and I were given the best possible wedding gift last week when we said our vows in Washington, DC. The same day we were married, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the court ruling overturning Indiana’s law banning same-sex marriages. Marriage equality became the law of the land in Indiana on the day we were married. We moved to DC four years ago when Jerame took a job with a national LGBT organization. While we love our friends and family back in the Hoosier state, we both jumped at the chance to escape the oppressive atmosphere for LGBT people that Indiana fosters. After all, Indiana is hardly the nation’s most LGBT-friendly place and DC is one of the most welcoming. After we moved, the question started coming at his fast and hard. “Now that you live in a place where you can get married, when are you two going to take the plunge?” While we’d been together for a dozen years neither of us was in a big hurry to get hitched. After all, we’d made it that far. What difference would a piece of paper make? Jerame’s co-workers asked him about it. When I had heart surgery, one of the nurses chastised us for not being married so he could make medical decisions if necessary. Even the couple who owns one of our favorite restaurants volunteered their back room for our reception if we’d just tie the knot. Still, we held out. Admittedly, part of our hesitation was because although we had friends in DC when we moved here, the bulk of our friends and all of our family were back in Indiana. If we held out long enough, we reasoned, Hoosiers would see the light and we could have our ceremony surrounded by those we hold most dear. Four years after we’d moved, we decided to take the plunge and get married on our
16th anniversary. We’d made more friends in DC we could help us celebrate and we were tired of waiting on our home state to get their act together and realize they were on the losing end of civil rights history. We made the announcement and started making plans. Of course, it didn’t take long after that for a judge to strike down Indian’s law banning same-sex marriage recognition. Our timing was impeccable. We had to weigh out whether or not we wanted to do it in Indiana since we were going back that weekend or keep our original date that has emotional weight. We opted to wait and it was a good decision. The day before we arrived in Indiana, the courts stayed the decision and marriages had stopped. Most of our friends from Indiana weren’t able to attend our wedding although Jerame’s mother, our daughter, and my best friend were able to be with us. With wedding prep in high gear, it was a welcome relief to find out that the Supremes had given marriage equality the go-ahead by letting the original decision stand. Jerame and I have organized rallies and house parties, raised funds for local LGBT groups, and even interrupted a religious right gathering in support of discrimination against LGBT relationships. As we stood nose-to-nose with loving Christians screaming at us and spitting in our faces while the state police protected us from further violence, we knew that someday equality would come to Indiana, but we never imagined it would be our wedding day. Sadly, while LGBT people can now get married in our home state, the battle isn’t over. Without any employment protections, Hoosiers can still get fired from their jobs if they put a photo of their wedding on their desk. The fight continues. Maybe for our next anniversary, Indiana will give us another great gift: respect.
Bil Browning is a long-time gay activist and writer. He is the founder and publisher of The Bilerico Project. Known for his political and social commentary, Bil does consulting work for political communications and new media projects.
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SouthFloridaGayNews
column letter to the editor
An Open Letter to Commissioner Dean Trantalis
Steven Land
Commissioner Dean Trantalis I was interested to see that you went along with the zoning change that allows a Chick-Fil-A to open in my neighborhood. The newspaper article from the Sun-Sentinel stated you were satisfied with some franchise statements. ““During the discussions I had with their representatives, I would just like to say to the community and to my community and my constituents, that the company and the franchisee have adopted policies which are very respectful of diversity in their hiring practices,” Trantalis said. “In particular, the local franchisee specifically is protective of individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.” You missed a very important part of the issue. A huge cash payout goes to the parent company to open a franchise of this type, It is normally in the $25,000 to $50,000 per unit area. Also, 6% on average of all store sales go to the parent company along with profit from any supplies and equipment that must be purchased from the parent company. That money goes directly to the people who spend that money
on supporting hate groups that fight to insure you and I will not have equal rights as citizens of this country. You also missed a huge opportunity to send a message to this company that “hate is not ok” in our community. I am a 30 year Fort Lauderdale resident and former owner of a local gay business. I live in Wilton Manors now but have many friends that live in your district. I was excited when you were elected because I thought it would be important to have a gay persons voice on the city commission. I lived here during some dark days for gay rights when a religious nut job was on that commission so I thought your election was a step forward. It appears I may have been overly optimistic. This type of acceptance you have given to this company that “hate is ok” is not acceptable to me or anyone I know. I know that I will not never step into this business and they will never see one penny of income from me. It is probably unfortunate that your name will be associated with allowing a company that spews such hatred be located in our area. I know I will remember.
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column publisher’s editorial
When Meth Becomes Your Master Norm Kent
norm.kent@sfgn.com
I have written this article too many times, over too many years. I am not even going to attempt to list all the names of people I know that have overdosed on drugs, from high school in the 1960’s to South Florida in this decade. They call it dope for a reason. I know guys that have shot themselves up with heroin, jumped off balconies on PCP, crucified themselves with crack, and murdered themselves with meth. Like alcohol, multiple drugs can be an equal opportunity killer, whether it is smoking meth or mainlining smack. Today, I see it’s called ‘slamming.’ Every generation has had its selfindulgent journey into joy abused. Every few years the names of the drugs and the victims of drug abuse change. I still remember Billy Geller, from the 1967 class of Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst, New York, an honor society student; a kid I once played stickball with. But he stuck himself with one needle too many in 1970. Like I said, though, I can’t relive all the names. I just know they are always out there, year after year. During the course of any life, whether it is rich with age, or ripe with youth, we will encounter difficulties and passages that measure our being, and mark our destiny.
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We will encounter passions and pleasures, problems and stumbling blocks. Sometimes they involve our family, or friends. Sometimes they involve our lovers, or employers. Sometimes we ourselves become the one with the problems. To survive, you own up to them, you deal with them, you grow, you move on. Life is not a simple road in a Milton Bradley board game, like Candy Land — it’s more like Chutes and Ladders- with new ups and downs and challenges every day. As a criminal defense attorney, my day job for four decades has meant dealing with drug abusers. The self-inflicted abuse they put themselves and their friends and families through all too often lead to their arrest and incarceration. The result of that is probation, and maybe jail time. It means money for lawyers, counselors, and court costs. It means freedom stripped away and liberty lost. Addicts don’t think about that. They just think about the next high. What do you do when you are the victim of a love and lover that causes more pain than promise? That is your question to answer, not theirs. If you are the healthy party in a relationship with an addict, you have to ask yourself just how much pain will you allow yourself to endure. Do you really think you can maintain a steady and stable relationship with a person who has
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made meth his master, and he its slave? Care for that person as you might, his care for crack will be greater. Your relationship will be sabotaged, and he will continue to use. No one wins. Relationships have to be spiritually enhancing and emotionally satisfying. They can’t survive if one partner is shooting up and the other is shot down. You can offer financial aid, emotional support, and an occasional hug. It won’t be enough. The real problem in America is that we have taken drug abuse and made it a criminal justice issue instead of a public health crisis. We lock people up instead of trying to get them better. We started a drug war in America against pot users in the 1970’s and forty years later we have now over 2 million Americans in jail, and a drug abuse crisis all the same. We have screwed up big time. But let’s be personal, not political. Rehabilitation and recovery means dealing openly with the inevitable relapses. So when your lover leaves you in the middle of the night for a pack of cigarettes at the 7-11, and does not call or return for seven days because he met his meth buddy and went on a week long binge, just what do you do? What if it is worse than just a binge? How do you handle the lover who leaves with your car and sells it for ten rocks? How do you handle the call in the
Re-elect
GAR Y RESNICK MAYOR
Wilton Manors “Gary has been a terrific champion for our community. His involvement with business and non-profits is second to none and I strongly support his re-election.” Robert Boo, CEO of Pride Center
“I wholeheartedly support Gary Resnick’s re-election as Mayor. He is such a great advocate for not only the LGBT community but all of Wilton Manors.” Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
middle of the night when he is stranded and asking for a Western Union transfer to come home? You can be the most caring lover in the world, but you cannot do in two weeks for a young man what parents, social workers, and educators have not been able to resolve in twenty years. This does not mean you do not care. It means you do not enable. Home is not just where you put your pillow down. Home is where the heart is. And a crack user’s heart is only in the next rock; a meth user the next pipe. Remember, you don’t use meth; meth uses you. Those in need must first want help, as much as you want their love. Unfortunately, it is never going to be sufficiently reciprocal or mutual as long as they are using and abusing. They may be the abusers, but you have to prevent yourself from being the abused. I know my words won’t temper your pain or minimize your anguish. They do not make your crisis any easier.
If you are in a relationship like this, get ready now for that desperate call in the middle of the night. It’s going to come. Be prepared about what to say when you are awoken, in a daze, with a call for help. It will come from someone you love and care for. Whoever it is, remember they got there on their own. Offer all the help you might, never lose sight of the fact that only by controlling their own bodies, can they find the way back to sobriety. The road to recovery, like the road to ruin, begins and ends from within. All you can ever hope to do is create the conditions for people to get better. The rest is up to them. Our Executive Editor and Associate Publisher, Jason Parsley wrote the outstanding story shared in this issue of SFGN. The numbers on meth abuse in the gay community are shocking, glaring, and surreal. Let’s all work to put an end to it. Our lives mean too much.
SUPPORTED BY EQUALITY FLORIDA, VICTORY FUND, DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS, GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE REALTORS, WILTON MANORS POLICE, & SAVEDADE.
For more information, please contact gary@garyresnick.com, 954-566-0054, or visit www.garyresnick.com. Paid Political Adv., paid for and approved by Gary Resnick, non-partisan, for Wilton Manors Mayor.
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column guest
Support the Children’s Services Council Vote yes for reauthorization
Mark Ketcham Supporting the reauthorization of funds for the Children’s Services Council of Broward County is good for our community! Why? First, the Children’s Services Council is the only county, state or federal government agency putting their money where their mouth is, and directly funding services for LGBTQ youth in Broward County. That’s right, the only one. Second, SunServe presently has contracts with the CSC amounting to over $180,000. Even though most of this money is matched or leveraged, the CSC realizes that LGBTQ youth, their needs and special challenges are just as important as those of every other youth in our county. For years, anytime an agency heard “gay” associated with a youth, they were referred to SunServe. It did not matter that we did not have a youth position, or funding to help that youth — as long as the youth in trouble was referred — the referring agency felt they had done their duty. One of the first positions we created with CSC funding is the case/care manager for these youth being referred to us. The position started slow, but as trust built, we are now looking to hire a second case manager. Gay youth facing a myriad of challenges come to us: issues with school, parents, criminal justice, substance abuse, HIV, bullying. We work with children in crisis. Fortunately, the CSC is very supportive of our youth groups. Our outreach includes the entire county, spread through Coral Springs, Southwest Ranches, Plantation and two at the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale- onefor LGBTQ youth and another for the gender variant at our GenderBender group on Monday nights. From the beginning of our relationship with the CSC, we have both understood how suicide prevention and harm reduction are crucial goals of our partnership to ensure our youth’s wellbeing. United Way and
several private donors are also partners in our successful and expanding youth program. The Children’s Services Council was approved in 2000 with 56 percent of the vote. It provides preventative services for all youth. These include afterschool programs, maternal health, swim safety, school readiness and early intervention, delinquency prevention and a whole slew of other programs that help kids become responsible, productive, successful adults. Many in our community are from up north, where states and localities provide many more social services then are provided here in Florida. In a way, the CSC makes up for some of these basic services that our youth need to become productive members of society. Since the CSC began funding youth diversion and civil citation programs, juvenile referrals in the 1-17 year-old range have fallen from 13,000 in 2000, to 7,230 in 2013. Consider that the yearly cost of a bed at the Juvenile Detention Center is approximately $120,000 in taxpayers’ money. Compare that to CSC diversion programs, totaling costs that run only about $1,650 a year. It’s easy to see how prevention is a benefit to all, socially and economically. The cost for running the CSC is built into your home taxes and millage rate. Think for a moment about what you spend on a single night out, with a cocktail at 13 Even, a dinner at Rosie’s, and a nightcap at the Village Pub. That $120 bucks gets divided 12 ways in your monthly taxes, so it costs you about ten bucks a month to support all of these great programs for kids here in Broward County. Please remember to vote for the CSC reauthorization between now and November 4, 2014. Thank you. For more information, turn to www. citizensforbrowardschildren.com. Or I will be glad to chat. Email me at mketcham@ sunserve.org.
Mark Ketcham is the executive director of SunServe.
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SUPPORT
Medical Marijuana in Florida
ON NOVEMBER 4TH VOTE:
JOIN the Campaign & Get Updates www.unitedforcare.org
1. 2. 3.
BECAUSE:
Licensed physicians, not politicians, should be making health care decisions in Florida. Patients should not be criminalized for seeking access to the medicine they need to alleviate their symptoms from debilitating conditions. Our state’s laws should be guided by compassion for the sick and suffering.
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column
October is LGBT History Month. What is a story in LGBT history that sticks out in your mind and is particularly meaningful to you? SFGN Staff SFGN’s “Speak OUT” is a weekly feature giving a regular voice to South Florida LGBT leaders. Below are some of their answers:
“
I served on the board of Lambda Legal as Treasurer when the U.S. Supreme Court delivered the Lawrence vs. Texas decision - a decision argued by Lambda and ruled that state laws banning homosexual sodomy are unconstitutional. I will never forget the positive energy and tears shared during a special staff/board conference call shortly after the decision was made public. This was a major historical moment for LGBT history and I was extremely proud to be a member of the board during that time. A major turning point for LGBT civil rights and I was in the middle of the fight. I will always be proud and grateful for Lambda’s work. — Anthony Timiraos, CEO/President, OUR Fund
PEACE
“
The LGBT community has a long and varied history, but I would like LGBT youth to know about Stonewall first. I hope that the spirit of rebellion that caught fire on that day would inspire young people to stand up, stay passionate, and “fight” back, when necessary.
PIPE
— Judy Ireland, Assistant organizer for BLAST Women of WPB
“
There are a lifetime of memories at home in my heart and mind related to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights movement. It’s been my reason for being. Celebrate it year-round. — Brian McNaught, noted columnist, author and LGBT activist
4800 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY, FORT LAUDERDALE JUST SOUTH OF COMMERCIAL BLVD.
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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.
SFGN
presents
history people
History Month
Moms Mabley Was ‘Out’ as Lesbian to Friends, Entertainers
Nationally acclaimed star considered pioneer for female comedians
Lou Chibbaro Jr. Washington Blade
Legendary American vaudeville entertainer-turned-comedian Jackie “Moms” Mabley became famous for her persona as a frumpy, middle-aged woman in a housedress and floppy hat delivering hilarious stand-up comedy routines, often with wry political commentary tucked inside. Through her early years of performing at famous AfricanAmerican theaters along the so-called Chitlin’ circuit, including the Apollo Theater in Harlem, to appearances in the 1960s and early ’70s on television programs like the “Ed Sullivan Show,” she often boasted about her attraction to young virile men. “The only thing that an old man can do for me is tell me where to find a young one,” she frequently told audiences. But those who knew her off stage have said she quickly shed her matronly housedress and hat after her performances and changed into stylish slacks and shirts that were commonly worn by her fellow male performers. “I met her at the Apollo Theater,” said Norma Miller, a dancer, choreographer, actor and fellow comedian who talked about Mabley in a 2013 HBO documentary film about the comedian directed by Whoopi Goldberg. “And she and I shared a dressing room for two weeks — she and I and her girlfriend,” Miller said. “She was real. I mean she was Moms on stage but when she walked off that stage she was Mr. Moms,” said Miller. “And there was no question about it.” Added Miller, “We never called Moms a homosexual. That word never fit her. We never called her gay. We called her Mr. Moms.” The documentary in which Miller, 86, spoke about Mabley includes numerous film clips of Mabley performing on the vaudeville stage. It also includes scenes of her signature standup comic routines, including some on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” on CBS in the 1960s. In researching Mabley’s background, Goldberg unearthed private photos of Mabley in what appeared to be the 1930s or 1940s in which she dressed in men’s clothes with short hair, giving her an androgynous look. “See, in that time period it was nobody’s business,” Goldberg said in the documentary, “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley: The Original Queen of Comedy.” “And I will assume that when Moms came out of costume — because that’s what the hat and the shoes and the housedress was — and put on that silk shirt with those pants and that fedora and had those women on her arm — I think everybody was like, ‘OK,’” said Goldberg. “And so I think that she was a woman among men and who was equal to those men,” Goldberg said. “And they treated her like a man. And I think that is what helped give her the longevity.” Marc Powers, director of marketing for D.C.’s Howard Theatre, told the Washington Blade in a 2012 interview that Mabley socialized with a circle of lesbian and gay friends in Washington when she performed at the Howard in the 1940s. On one occasion during that period, following her show at the Howard, Mabley
organized a “gay” party at a nearby nightclub that was raided by police, according to Powers. “When that got shut down they were like, ‘Damn, where are we going to go? Might as well just go back to the Howard!’’ Powers said. Arizona State University Professor Bambi Haggins analyzed Mabley’s career in her 2007 book “Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post-Soul America.” Haggins, who appears in the Goldberg documentary and who spoke with the Blade for this article, points to what she calls Mabley’s contradictory persona on and off the stage and in her sexuality. Haggins notes that, according to biographical information on Mabley, the entertainer clearly had romantic relationships with men. Following her death in 1975 at the age of 81, Jet magazine reported Mabley had three daughters and a son and left an estate worth more than half-million dollars. Haggins and others who examined Mabley’s life and career note that reports of her relationships with men and women date back to the 1920s, indicating she may have been bisexual. Much about Mabley’s private life remains a mystery, Goldberg stated in the HBO documentary. What is known, according to entertainment industry observers, is that Moms Mabley was a cutting-edge, groundbreaking female stand-up comic and an accomplished overall entertainer both on stage and in film, television and in the more than 20 record albums she made of her comedy routines. Her less-than subtle references to sex and her fiery demeanor set the stage for other female comics, such as Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers, to follow in her footsteps, Goldberg and others have said. “I think what’s fascinating about Moms is she was able to use what people thought she was from her appearance to say something about so many other issues — from the harrowing experiences that black people were having in the South to the civil-rights movement to the way she talked about LBJ and Lady Bird and JFK and Jackie,” Haggins said. Haggins was referring to invitations Mabley received to perform at the White House during the Kennedy administration and at least one White House visit during the Johnson administration in the 1960s.
“Moms comes along in the late ’20s as a young woman dressed with that hat and the house coat and the big shoes and she takes that persona all the way to 1975,” Goldberg said in the documentary. “She honed that woman and she grew into that woman at a time when there were no women stand-ups — there were none. There was only Moms.”
Jackie ‘Moms’ Mabley became famous for her persona as a frumpy, middle-aged woman in a housedress.
Lou Chibbaro Jr. is senior news reporter for the Washington Blade. Reach him at lchibbaro@washblade.com. soflagaynews //
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HELP FEED LOCAL RESIDENTS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS The Holidays are around the corner. Poverello is in need of canned goods, nonperishable food & personal hygiene items for the local HIV/AIDS Community. You can help in several ways:
Host a donation box at your business/ organization
Make a financial contribution online (poverello.org)
Place donated items at local sites that include: Wilton Manors City Hall, Sullivan Library, City County Credit Union, Wilton Towers, Midland Medical or Goodman Public Relations.
Sign up and place a food donation box in your business or organization today, or make your contribution online at www.poverello.org.
2056 North Dixie Highway Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954) 561-3663 • www.poverello.org 26
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history people
Historical Members of the LGBT Community LGBTHistoryMonth.com
LGBTHistoryMonth.com features a new profile everyday in October. Visit their website to see more.
Billie Holiday
June Jordan
Birth: April 7, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Death: July 17, 1959, New York, New York
Birth: July 9, 1936, Harlem, New York Death: June 14, 2002, Berkeley, California
Rudy Galindo
“I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my way of it.”
“To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that’s political, in its most profound way.”
Birth: September 7, 1969, San Jose, California
Singer
If one has to live the blues to sing the blues, it is no wonder that Billie Holiday became a legendary jazz/ blues vocalist and songwriter and a seminal influence in phrasing, tempo and style. Born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia, Holiday was raised in Baltimore. Her mother, Sadie Fagan, was a young teen when she gave birth to Billie. While Billie’s paternity is uncertain, jazz guitarist Clarence Holiday accepted that he was probably her father. Holiday dropped out of school around the fifth grade when she started housekeeping for a brothel. At age 10, she was sexually assaulted and sent to a reform school. At age 13, she moved to Harlem to be with her mother. Captivated by the 1920s jazz sounds of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, Holiday began singing at Harlem night clubs. At age 18, she recorded songs with Benny Goodman, and by age 20, she had signed as a recording star with Brunswick Records. During this time, she recorded with the swing era’s greatest musicians. In her mid-20s, Holiday was the lead vocalist for the Count Bassie Band. She moved to the Artie Shaw Band, where she was one of the first African-Americans to work with a white orchestra. Holiday’s best-known recordings include “Summertime,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Easy Swing,” “Strange Fruit,” “I’ll Get By,” “Lover Man,” “Lady Sings the Blues,” and many other classics. Holiday married jazz trombonist Jimmy Monroe. She divorced Monroe and married an abusive mafioso, Louis McKay. Though married, she is said to have had affairs with Hollywood stars and starlets, most notably Tallulah Bankhead. Due to heroin addiction and fiscal mismanagement, Holiday died destitute at 44 years old.
Poet
June Jordan was an activist, journalist, essayist, educator and celebrated African-American poet. Her commitment to fighting oppression, particularly of women and blacks, was the defining element of her work. Jordan discovered her calling as a poet at an early age. Her father loved literature and maintained irrationally high expectations of Jordan. He required his young daughter to memorize poetry from the time she could read. Although these compulsory assignments strained Jordan’s relationship with her father, they also ignited her passion for language. Speaking of this fraught parental relationship, she said, “My father was very intense, passionate and overthe-top. He was my hero and my tyrant.” Jordan attended Barnard College in New York, but left without graduating because of her opposition to the white patriarchal curriculum. In 1969 she published her first book of poetry, “Who Look at Me.” Jordan composed this work in black English vernacular, which she believed was an essential characteristic of her culture. Throughout her prolific career, Jordan’s work ranged from poems to political essays to children’s literature. Though it spanned numerous genres, her work was consistent in engaging social issues and speaking out against oppression. Jordan received many awards including a lifetime achievement award from the National Black Writers’ Conference. She was well respected and taught at prominent universities including Yale and University of California, Berkeley. After battling breast cancer, Jordan died at age 65. Toni Morrison described Jordan’s legacy best: “forty years of tireless activism coupled with and fueled by flawless art.”
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Olympic Figure Skater
“HIV-AIDS is not a death sentence.You can go out there and do what you want.” In 1996 Rudy Galindo became the first United States skating champion to come out as openly gay. Galindo is famous for his grace on the ice. A singles and doubles skating phenomenon, he won the World Junior Championship in 1987 and the U.S. National Championship in 1997. With doubles partner Kristi Yamaguchi, he won the World Junior Championship in 1988 and the U.S. National Championship in 1989 and 1990. In 1996 he won the bronze medal at the World Championships. In 1997 Galindo published his autobiography, which recounted his childhood of poverty, the death of his older brother and a coach from AIDS, the death of his domineering father, and his mother’s mental illness. In 2000 Galindo came out as HIV-positive. In 2001 he was awarded the Ryan White Award for Service to Prevent HIV/AIDS.
Visit LGBTHistoryMonth.com for more LGBT icons each day in October.
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history sports
LGBT Athletes: Making an Impact, On and Off the Field Ross Forman Windy City Times
Left to right: Esera Tualo, Michael Sam, and Billie Jean King. Photos courtesy of the Windy City Times.
Esera Tuaolo walked onto the fabled grass at Wisconsin’s Lambeau Field Sept. 14 to sing the national anthem before the Green Bay Packers’ home opener against the New York Jets. He wore a green Packers jersey with No. 98 on it and admittedly was both excited and nervous. In addition to his performance, the team’s pregame ceremony included a video tribute to the 200th anniversary of the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and there was a fly-over before the game and a standing-room-only crowd. Tuaolo was doing something he had done before—in that same setting, wearing the same uniform. Tuaolo, who played in the NFL from 1991-’99, spent two seasons with the Packers in the early 1990s—and he sang the National Anthem at Lambeau Oct. 17, 1991, as a rookie before a game against the Chicago Bears. Tuaolo, who played at Oregon State University before being selected by Green Bay in the second-round of the 1991 NFL Draft, was deep in the closet during the 1991 performance. Tuaolo is now a proud, openly gay man— and the Packers still wanted him back, to sing and to honor him and other former players during the team’s alumni weekend. It was his first trip back to Lambeau Field since coming out publicly as gay in 1999. “It was very special, and walking into that stadium as an openly gay man was absolutely amazing,” he said. “And to see and hear the support of [about] 80,000 fans was overwhelming and very emotional.” The moment also was very surreal for the former gridiron star, whose career also included time with five teams before he stepped off the field after the 1999 season with the Carolina Panthers. “That probably was one of the best [renditions of the] National Anthem I’ve ever done,” said Tuaolo, who left the field to cheers and countless high-fives from fans.
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“It was really nice for people to see me for who I really am.” Tuaolo, now 46 and living in Minnesota, has seemingly come full circle. He’s no longer hiding his sexual orientation behind his pads, weighed down by fear, nerves and perhaps guilt. His smile is now ever-present and sincere. “We’re now definitely living in a different time, [largely] due to education that the LGBT community has put out there,” he said. Tuaolo, who was born in Honolulu, is one of the most prominent figures in the LGBT sports community. He’s an advocate, outspoken in support of all gay rights and one of the few gays who also can call themselves a professional athlete. In football, for instance, that list starts with David Kopay, who in 1975 became one of the first pro athletes to come out. He was an All-American running back at the University of Washington in 1961 who then was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He played professional football from 1964 to 1972. His 1977 biography, The David Kopay Story, was a bestseller—and a key factor in Tuaolo’s life, among others. “David Kopay didn’t realize that what he did [by coming out] in the 1970s helped so many, [including] myself, Michael Sam and so, so many others. And I hope when I came out, it too helped others,” Tuaolo said. Other high-level, now-out football players include Kwame Harris, Conner Mertens, Michael Sam, Roy Simmons, Jerry Smith and Wade Davis. All, except Mertens who is a current out college player, came out after retiring from the sport. Davis, who played preseason games in the NFL and then in NFL Europe, is now the executive director of the You Can Play project, a social activism campaign dedicated to eliminating homophobia in sports, based around the slogan, “If you can play, you can play.” Justin Fashanu is another interesting story. soflagaynews //
“Fashanu was a British footballer or soccer player who came out in 1990. He continued to play, in Britain, North America and New Zealand for seven more years. It was over 20 years before another professional soccer player who was still playing came out. Fashanu should be remembered as a pioneer who demonstrated it was possible to come out in a professional team sport and carry on playing. His unfortunate suicide in 1998 had little or nothing to do with his experiences as an openly gay soccer player,” said Jim Read, author of Justin Fashanu the Biography. The You Can Play campaign was launched on March 4, 2012, in honor of the death of Brendan Burke, a gay team manager for the Miami University ( Ohio ) hockey team and the son of longtime NHL executive Brian Burke.
The journey The mainstream sports world has a long history linked to the gay community, dating back decades. But mainstream sports also has, without question, been the tallest mountain for the LGBT community to scale. A year after Kopay came out, an English figure skater, John Curry, came out and became the first openly gay athlete to win Olympic gold. Then, in 1977, Renée Richards won a lawsuit against the U.S. Tennis Association because she was barred as a transwoman from competing as a woman in the 1976 U.S. Open. In 1981, Billie Jean King was outed by her ex-lover, Marilyn Barnett. That same year, fellow tennis sensation Martina Navratilova came out as a lesbian in an article in the New York Daily News. King and Navratilova are two of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 1982, the inaugural multi-sport Gay Games was held in San Francisco. It was started by an openly gay former U.S. Olympic
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decathlete, Dr. Tom Waddell. “In the gay community, people such as David Kopay, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and so many others … it is absolutely necessary for us to remember all of those people who were the trailblazers, those people who laid down their lives, their blood so the younger generation can be who they are,” Tuaolo said. “David Kopay is my hero, my rock. If I didn’t read his book in 1996, I probably would be dead right now—and I’m not joking about that. For him to have been brave in the 1970s and try to educate people, he really was the brave one, amid death threats and so much more.” Tuaolo met Kopay for the first time shortly after coming out. It was at Kopay’s Southern California home, “and I cried like a little baby because the impact he had on my life was absolutely amazing. I could never re-pay him for what he did—for me and so many others. “David Kopay deserves so much more respect and admiration [from the gay community] than what he now gets.” Kopay, who was born in Chicago, was a running back at the University of Washington who then played in the NFL from 1964-’72. He rushed for 876 career yards and scored three career touchdowns. Kopay’s career included stints with five teams, most notably the San Francisco 49ers. The 1990s featured the coming-out of former NFL player Roy Simmons and former major league baseball player Glenn Burke. Burke died of complications from AIDS two years after coming out, yet his legacy is seen almost daily in the sports world and beyond—he is credited with inventing the high-5. Burke also was honored at the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Olympic diver Greg Louganis came out in 1994 and a year later, Ian Roberts, one of Australia’s most popular rugby players, came out. In 1996, elite-level figure skater Rudy Galindo came out.
In 1998, LPGA Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan came out as a lesbian. That same year, Billy Bean also came out as gay. Bean played Major League Baseball from 19871995, and earlier in 2014 he was hired by MLB as its new “Ambassador for Inclusion.” “As a community, we definitely have evolved, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. But it’s still better than 15 or 20 years ago,” Tuaolo said. “Every time a pro athlete comes out, as well as college and high school athletes, it definitely helps the cause.” The coming-outs continued at a faster pace in the 2000s, as well as the denials that someone is gay. New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, for instance, held a press conference to announce he is straight. In 2004, golf sensation Rosie Jones came out, and the following year basketball star Sheryl Swoopes did the same. (Years later, Swoopes revealed she was engaged to a man.) In 2006, Gay Games VII was held in Chicago and the inaugural World OutGames was held weeks later in Montreal—truly showcasing the size of the gay community and its passion for sports. In 2007, John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to come out. And when fellow former NBA player Tim Hardaway
told a radio station “I hate gay people,” it lead to swift consequences, including firing by the basketball team he was coaching. In 2008, the gay world was awash in Matthew Mitcham mania as the Australian, who was the only openly gay man competing at the Beijing Summer Olympics, captured gold. Then, in 2009, Sherri Murrell became the first out lesbian coach in NCAA Division I basketball. “It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come,” for gays in the sports world, Tuaolo said. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve definitely come forward and the response from society as a whole is that it is not an LGBT issue anymore; it is an equality issue.” Since 2010, it truly has been a flood of LGBTs-in-sports—and unprecedented support for LGBT rights by straight allies in sports, such as Ben Cohen and Hudson Taylor, who each launched organizations in 2011 for the cause. Kye Allums was the first openly transgender person to play for a women’s college basketball team, and Fallon Fox is an openly transgender mixed martial arts competitor. In professional women’s sports, it has always been slightly easier to be out, but still a long road. Leigh-Ann Naidoo was
out as a women’s beach volleyball player for South Africa in the 2004 Olympics, and Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach are now out soccer players. Speaking of soccer, Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay active male soccer player in the U.S. Jason Collins made history when he came out on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and later when he was picked up by the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, he became the first openly gay male player in one of the four major men’s sports. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir finally confirmed what had long been speculated—that he is gay. Coming-outs over the past few years have also included pro sports team presidents ( Rick Welts ), prominent sports writers ( Steve Buckley ) and more. Lesbian businesswoman Laura Ricketts was already out when her family purchased the Chicago Cubs baseball team. In early 2014, Michael Sam came out. A former college football standout, he is hoping to become the first active, out NFL player. Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams, ultimately released by the Rams and then signed to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. Sam dreams of stepping onto an NFL field. The entire gay community walks alongside him.
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“When I see Michael Sam coming out, I think it’s definitely a step forward for the LGBT community in the sports realm,” Tuaolo said. “When did you think that an openly gay man would be drafted into the NFL, that’s progress. “It was amazing that Michael Sam came out, but look, if he hadn’t come out [before being drafted, Sam] would have been a first- or second-round [draft] pick, flat out. But, him coming out and living his truth, [pushed him into] the last round of the draft, which I thought was ridiculous. That was a step backwards, especially for the inthe-closet college athlete who wanted to come out. Now they likely are questioning whether or not they should come out because if that’s what happened to Michael Sam, that probably will happen to me, too. “That said, we are moving forward in the right direction.” So where will the LGBT community stand in sports in, say, five years? It won’t be an issue at all, Tuaolo said. LGBTs will be playing in the major, male team sports, and coming-outs won’t be national news. “Back in the day, being gay in sports was a shameful and a bad thing. But slowly it has progressed so that being gay is not a bad thing, not a shameful thing,” Tuaolo said.
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history 101
Photo courtesy of George Takei Facebook
Homo History 101 Pier Angelo
PEOPLE: Mervyn “Merv” Griffin (1925 –2007) was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show. He also created the still running game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Griffin kept many details of his personal and business life private, including his alleged bisexuality, and other claims that he died a closeted homosexual. In 1991, he was sued by Deney Terrio, the host of “Dance Fever,” another show Griffin created, alleging sexual harassment. The same year, Brent Plott, a longtime employee who worked as a bodyguard, horse trainer and driver, filed a $200 million palimony lawsuit. Griffin consistently evaded answering questions about his sexuality with a characteristic quip. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, he said: “I tell everybody that I’m a quarter-sexual. I will do anything with anybody for a quarter.”
Gianni Versace (1946 –1997), Italian designer and founder of the Versace International fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, make-up and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films. As a friend of Eric Clapton, Diana, Princess of Wales, Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Sting and many other celebrities, he was the first designer to link fashion to the music world. Openly gay, Versace and his partner Antonio D’Amico, were regulars on the international party scene. Versace was murdered outside his Miami Beach home at the age of 50 by gay spree killer Andrew Cunanan. George Takei
(April 20, 1937) is an American actor, director and author, originally known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek. He is a proponent of LGBT rights and active in state and local politics apart from his continued acting career. In October 2005, Takei revealed in an issue of Frontiers magazine that he is homosexual and had been in a committed relationship with his partner, Brad Altman,
G
eorge Takei is an American actor originally known for his roll in the television series Star Trek.
for 18 years; the move was prompted by then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto of same-sex marriage legislation.
DATES: In 1923 Merriam Webster’s referred to homosexuality as: “morbid sexual passion for one of the same sex.” In 1934 it changed it to: “eroticism for one of the same sex.” In 2011 it became: “sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one’s own sex.”
1974: Holland becomes the first country in the world to ban discrimination against gays in the military. In the U.S. the ban lasted until September 20, 2011. 1982:
Gay Games.
2003: Sodomy is finally struck down in the U.S. by the Supreme Court. In
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San Francisco holds the first
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many countries around the world the death penalty for homosexual behavior is still in place.
FACTS: The first recorded mention of the performance of same-sex marriages occurred during the early Roman Empire. Cicero writes that the younger Curio was “ united in a stable and permanent marriage” to Antonius.
If you want to learn more about your gay heritage and those who paved the way, through activism, sacrifice, courage, civil disobedience to give us a better and freer life you can visit The Stonewall Museum & Archives in Wilton Manors. We should all know who our gay heroes are and be thankful for what they did on our behalf.
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lifestyle music
Annie Lennox
A life devoted to music and equality David Nahmod
For her seventh solo album, Annie Lennox looks back reflectively and respectfully upon those who came before her. “Nostalgia,” now out on vinyl and coming to CD on October 21, is a gentle and soulful look back on legendary blues and jazz songs from two generations past. Songs like Strange Fruit and God Bless the Child, both recorded decades ago by the legendary, if tragic Billie Holiday, or classics like Georgia On My Mind and I Cover The Waterfront invoke those bygone days of smoky nightclubs and sophisticated ladies. Lennox puts her personal stamp on each song, imbuing each number with a haunting, emotional intensity rarely heard in today’s techno pop tunes. As a rule, Dame Annie Lennox prefers not to use her prestigious title. Knighted by the Queen in 2010, the Scottish native became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire not for her music, but for her work in combating AIDS and poverty in Africa. She admitted, in a recent phone chat with SFGN, that she uses her title primarily in support of the social justice causes she believes in. Lennox has lived her life immersed in music and humanitarian causes, which has included a lifelong commitment to LGBT equality. She has won four Grammy Awards, among many other prestigious recognitions for her incomparable music career. She was also named 2009 Woman of Peace, an honor bestowed upon her by 22 Nobel Peace Laureates. Here, speaking to SFGN via phone from the UK, is Annie Lennox.
How did it feel to be Knighted by the Queen? It was great getting that acknowledgement for getting people focused on HIV and AIDS. There are so many issues that need attention: people don’t know that babies can be born with HIV, so I was pleased that this was the issue I was acknowledged for. I have the opportunity to address the issues that appeal to me. But there are so many extraordinary ordinary people not getting credit for what they do.
What motivates your decades long support of LGBT equality? I don’t like labels. I don’t want to be labeled, defined and and reduced because of my orientation, and neither should anyone else. I never thought anyone should make a distinction, I would love my childhood no matter what their orientation. How cruel things have been historically. I think of Quentin Crisp, an exquisite maverick. He was so courageous and gentle, and dared to be himself. Imagine being afraid to go out because people might assault you for who you are. (NOTE: Author/actor Quentin Crisp, 1908-1999, came out in 1931 London. As he recounted in The Naked Civil Servant, his 1966 memoir, he endured decades of beatings and false arrests for prostitution as a result, yet he stood his ground.)
level. These songs were not part of the wallpaper of my life, I came to them pretty late, I wanted to explore them.
New CD Out October 21
Many of these songs are very romantic. The world we live in is a very harsh place. We’re not gentle. You never hear a man singing to a woman as in songs like Memphis in June. It takes you back to those times, those sensibilities of the tenderness in our culture. Why do we have to be so hard?
How would you classify the album? The origin of these songs is the blues. Blues come from something beautiful and painful, and it’s the mixture of the two things. And that’s an area I know very well. I thought, if I’m going to try this I’m going to get right to the nub of the song. You commune with the song and if the melody is speaking back to you, it guides you to where you need to go with it.
Since you’ve supported LGBT equality from the beginning of your career, were you ever worried about backlash? I’m not worried about my music career. People’s perceptions can be twisted, what you say can be misrepresented. I try to have a balance, I don’t want to be controversial just for the sake of being controversial. I’m an intelligent person and I want people to see that.
Let’s talk about “Nostalgia,” which is a change of pace for you. I wanted to cast a spell, to draw listeners into another era. I’m sharing my take on the songs. I’m accessing something in them, I’m trying to communicate this on a deep soflagaynews //
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lifestyle film
Fort Lauderdale Gay And Lesbian Film Festival Photos by J.R. Davis
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Opening Night
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lifestyle bata’s beats
Erasure’s “Violet Flame”
Their best album since 1991 Jonh Bata
Do you remember? There was a ti, uh, i, ime, when people on the streets, were walking hand in hand in hand? Do you remember these lyrics from Erasure’s biggest hit in 1988? Unfortunately there is nothing quite as memorable lyrically on “The Violet Flame,” Erasure’s 16th studio album, but that doesn’t mean this not a great album. Erasure is not the kind of band where you listen to one or two tracks and place them in your playlist next to its Britney Bitch. You want to ingest every last note of each LP like it is a five-course meal. At times “The Violet Flame” elevates to some of the same celestial levels as their greatest material but -there is nothing here as emotionally complex as for example their classic “Blue Savannah Song.” I guess if there was one word to describe this band it would be celestial. This LP at times captures that heavenly flavor that is a staple of Erasure’s music, but it is also a little like a mixed up puzzle, where the pieces or tracks would have been better suited if ordered differently to gain the optimal emotional connection for the listener. “Dead Of Night” is a great track — one of the best on here — but does not feel like an album opener. It would have fit more appropriately towards the end for maximum impact. “Be The One” might have been better suited at the start. But, when all is said and done, it’s about the music and as a whole this is their most likable and commercially accessible album since “Chorus” in 1991, which is saying a lot.
It should be noted that Richard X produced “The Violet Flame.” X has worked respectively with everyone from Annie to Saint Etienne. He is also remembered for his brilliant remix of Pet Shop Boys “Fugitive.” At times it feels like T.V.F. is sort of a sequel to “Chorus” (which is a good thing) on tracks like “Elevation,” “Be The One” and “Under The Wave.” Then a track like “Promises” takes their sound into a areas that they have not gone before and into the realm of what could be called, the Richard X factor. In a way he seems to have become a third member of the group, contributing subtlety updating their music and then sometimes taking away slightly from that trademark Erasure sound. I’m not sure that his four on the floor structure on songs like “Sacred,” suits their uniqueness but he does remind one of the glory days of Erasure by utilizing Bell’s whoo oooos drifting over the chorus. It’s interesting to note that on the track “Promises” Bell, who is gay, sings about marriage vows that did not exist or was even a consideration when they got their start in the 80’s. It is also minor key heaven. “Paradise” reminds me a lot of “Supernature” (which they have referenced before) by Cerrone. Overall, this LP feels like it wants to be more than it ends up being but it is all still pretty great. After four listens and counting I do want to point out that this is definitely a grower, which is meant as a compliment.
John Bata is from Denver, Colorado and a local resident of Fort Lauderdale since 2013. He is a published poet and music aficionado. Currently he DJ’s at Ramrod on Sundays and a DJ since 1992 in Washington, DC, New York City and Fort Lauderdale. One of his passions is to spotlight the latest in indie and underground dance music.
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outeats
Special Advertising Section
Wilton Manors’ 9th Annual Taste of the Island Offers Food for Patrons and Funding for Local Organizations SFGN Staff
Wilton Manors, Florida (October 6, 2014) – What better way to sample the best food and drinks South Florida has to offer than in one night, at one location with all of your friends! The 9th Annual Taste of the Island event will bring together dozens of restaurants and bars to serve up their most popular fare on Monday, November 3, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Richardson Historic Park and Nature Preserve (1937 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, Florida). Popular restaurants and bars including, Kelly’s Landing, Aruba Beach Cafe, Courtyard Café and New York Grilled Cheese, just to name a few, will serve an array of culinary offerings such as, pizza, sandwiches, beef, salads, soups, tapas, ice cream, smoothies, beer, wine and liquor. There will also be silent auction items available, and DJ Jose Rose will provide the music. “Taste of the Island has grown over the years to become a signature annual event in Wilton Manors. The event reflects the diversity and uniqueness of our Island City,” said Richard Perez, Taste of the Island Vice President. “Around 1,000 patrons are expected to attend this year’s three-hour event which also raises funds for some amazing organizations that are dedicated to further improving the quality of life we enjoy here.” The Wilton Manors Historical Society, Kiwanis Club of Wilton Manors, City of Wilton Manors Leisure Services Department and the Wilton Manors Development Alliance will all receive a portion of the money raised. The Wilton Manors Friends of the Library will receive money generated from the silent auction. Tropics Piano Bar & Restaurant, a Wilton Manors staple, has signed on as a Master Chef Sponsor. The event is also sponsored by
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Waste Management, Camp for Health, Doc’s Plumbing, Dr. Brauss, Arbor Pet Hospital, Dairy Queen, Barton and Miller, City Church, Wells Fargo, Wood Trends, CAAB, Ed French Painting, Poverello, Equality Park Garden Club, Bank United, Seven Eleven, MBR Construction, JP’s Chocolate Shoppe and the Pride Center at Equality Park. To view a complete list of event sponsors and participating restaurants and bars click here. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. They can be purchased at http:// www.tasteoftheisland.org or at the following locations: Wilton Manors City Hall, 2020 Wilton Drive; Hagen Park, 2020 Wilton Drive; Wilton Manors Library, 500 NE 26 Street; Wilton Manors Development Alliance, 2435 N. Dixie Hwy.; Barton & Miller Cleaners, 2600 N. Dixie Hwy.; Barton & Miller Cleaners, 2331 NE 26 St., Fort Lauderdale. Event parking will be available at City Hall (2020 Wilton Drive), Hagen Park (2020 Wilton Drive) and the Library (500 NE 26 Street), and free shuttle service from the parking lots to Richardson Park and Nature Preserve will be provided.
If You Go:
November 3rd, 6 to 9 p.m. Event parking will be available at City Hall (2020 Wilton Drive), Hagen Park (2020 Wilton Drive) and the Library (500 NE 26 Street), and free shuttle service from the parking lots to Richardson Park and Nature Preserve will be provided.
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F O R
T H E
J.W. Arnold
S F G N I T ES
jw@prdconline.com
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LITERATURE
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10/16
Author Gregg Shapiro discusses his collection of short stories, “Lincoln Avenue,” and reflects on what it meant to grow up gay in Chicago during the 1970s and 80s, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Stonewall Museum Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton drive. Only a gay Chicago native with a keen eye could give readers such an insider’s view of the Windy City from a more innocent time not too long ago. The reading and discussion are free and open to the public. For information, go to Stonewall-Museum.org.
FRI
museums
10/17
Tonight is Museum Friday. On the third Friday of each month, explore two of Wilton Manors’ world-class museums, the Stonewall National Museum and Archives Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton drive, and the World AIDS Museum, 1201 NE 26th St. in Wilton Station. The exhibit, “Transcending Gender: Bodies and Lives” has been extended through Oct. 30 and other rare items will be on display. Both museums offer free admission and free Hopper shuttle bus service will run from 7 – 11 p.m. For more information, go to StonewallMuseum.org and WorldAIDSMuseum.org.
favorite characters are back when Entr’Acte Theatrix presents the Allcultyourclassic, “The Rocky Horror Show,” just in time for Halloween. Photo Credit: Submitted photo.
SAT MUSIC
10/18 SUN
Voices of Pride, the gay men’s chorus of the Palm Beaches, hosts Disco Drag Bingo tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Finland House, 301 W. Central Blvd. in Lantana. Enjoy multiple rounds of bingo with fabulous cash prizes for each round’s winner. In between games, some of Palm Beach’s most popular drag performers and members of Voices of Pride will provide entertainment in a tribute to the legends of song and stage. Tickets are $25 and include admission and one game book. Additional game books are $5. For more information, go to VoicesOfPride.org.
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theater
10/19 MON cinema
Halloween is just around the corner, and who better to celebrate with than the denizens of Dr. Frank N. Furter’s home-sweet-castle in Richard O’Brien’s beloved cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Show.” Entr’Acte Theatrix invites you to come do the “Time Warp” again at the Crest Theatre at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., from Oct. 16 through Nov. 1. Most performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25 for adults. For tickets and information, call the box office at 561-2437922.
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10/20 TUE
If you didn’t spend enough time at the theater during the Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival—or maybe you did—head back to The Gateway for “Birdman,” opening this weekend. Michael Keaton plays a washedup actor best known for playing a superhero named “Birdman.” Sound familiar? Well, it should. He must overcome his ego as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu dishes up plenty of existential angst in this offbeat comedy. Go to ClassicGateway. com for show times.
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theater
10/21
“Africa Umoja, 20 Years of Freedom and Democracy Tour,” a dazzling and jubilant celebration of the history of indigenous South African music and dance that has been playing to standing ovations in more than 30 countries across the globe, will make its South Florida premiere tonight Tuesday, Oct. 21. The company will perform at Actors’ Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, through Saturday, Nov. 1. Tickets are $75, except for Oct. 28-29, when all seats are $30. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to ActorsPlayhouse.org.
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a&e theater
Slow Burn Revives “Carrie: The Musical”
J.W. Arnold
T
Photo credit: Patrick Fitzwater
he cast of Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of “Carrie: The Musical” rehearses the show’s infamous prom scene.
Bad things always seem to happen to Carrie. The awkward title character in Stephen King’s novel was the victim of vicious bullying and she would unleash her wrath using telekinetic powers. Despite a successful 1976 film adaptation starring Sissy Spacek, there is no happy ending, especially when Broadway producers got a hold of the story. A 1988 stage adaptation with a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and music by Michael Gore proved to be bloodier than the infamous prom scene, closing after just 16 previews and 5 performances. It would remain the most expensive quick flop on Broadway for nearly 20 years. That legendary production quickly developed a cult following, however, and the show’s creators refused to let it go, reworking the book and substituting several new songs. “Carrie: The Musical” was resurrected Off Broadway in 2012 for a limited run that would ultimately earn several awards nods and one trophy, proving there is life after death. This weekend, South Florida’s Slow Burn Theatre will be among the first regional companies to premiere the infamous show. Led by director Patrick Fitzwater and his co-artistic director Matthew Korinko, Slow Burn has gained a reputation for tackling those quirky modern musicals that most companies avoid. Fitzwater is excited: “It’s a completely different show from the original that opened on Broadway,” he said, blaming timing on the show’s failure to connect with audiences. “I think the musical was still pretty shoddy, to be honest, but the concept was ahead of its time.
Audiences weren’t ready.” He feels the story resonates better today, given the attention to bullying in recent years. The story has also been updated and set in contemporary times, with modern references and the teenaged characters taking selfies and using their cell phones on stage. The biggest challenges for a small company like Slow Burn, he says, are the special effects to reflect Carrie’s telekinetic powers. “It’s difficult to convey to audiences that she’s moving things with her mind, not like Elphaba (from “Wicked”) who flies above the stage on a broom stick,” Fitzwater explained. “The effects are almost cinematic, but on stage in front of a live audience, you can’t do a reshoot. I’ll be holding my breath.” Fitzwater and his design team had to figure out how to create exploding lights, levitating crucifixes, moving furniture and, of course, the infamous prom bloodbath. The director also credits his young cast, most in their teens or early twenties, for the energy of the production. He noted the original Broadway production cast much older actors in the roles of high school students. “That caught me off guard….I wasn’t ready for their energy and how much the book resonated with them, especially around the themes of bullying and the pressure to (be accepted by) the ‘in’ crowd,” he said. The new “Carrie” still doesn’t have a happy ending, but Fitzwater is confident the show will finally break its Broadway curse in Boca Raton.
“Carrie: The Musical” will be presented by Slow Burn Theatre Company, Oct. 16 – Nov. 2, at West Boca Raton Community High School, 12811 W. Glades Rd. in Boca Raton. Performances are Thursday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 at SlowBurnTheatre.org.
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advertorial
From The South Florida Symphony Orchestra
The Poverello Center, which has been providing life-saving food and basic living essentials to Broward County residents affected by HIV/AIDS for more than 27 years, is seeking community support for its annual Holiday Food Drive. The goal for this year’s drive is to collect enough donated food to provide 3,000 nutritious holiday meals. In the past, many local businesses helped Poverello to achieve our Holiday Food Drive goals. Last year over 47 businesses participated and made our Drive a terrific success. The Holiday Food Drive is a great way for your business, employees and patrons to play a role in making the holidays bright for community members living with HIV/AIDS. If you would like to assist, you can contact us at 954-561-3663 or go to our web site www.poverllo.org and let us know that you would like to participate in this year’s event. All you have to do is provide space for a collection box. Poverello will drop off a donation box and pick it up when it is full. Poverello seeks to make holiday giving easy and hosting a food drive drop off box is great way to do that. Even our volunteers are getting in the spirt by gift wrapping collection boxes so they look as appealing as possible once delivered. Here at Poverello the holidays are a particularly important time. The food we eat, particularly over the holidays, can present challenges. Maintaining a healthy diet during this time when deserts, snacks and candy play a central role must be considered carefully. If we don’t get the right nutrition our body suffers and our health may decline. If we get too much food, or food that gives our bodies the wrong instructions, we can become overweight, undernourished, and at risk for making
health conditions worse. In short, what we eat is central to our health. This is particularly true for people living with HIV/AIDS during the holidays. At this time of year it is easy to forget about proper nutrition because the holidays are about so much more. According to Poverello founder Father Bill Collins, “For most, the holidays are about sharing, about joy, about being thankful and about faith. It’s easy to forget that there are tremendous unmet needs in our community.” And of course there are the people we serve here at Poverelo, many don’t know whether they will have enough to eat or be warm enough, and some are even forced to choose between paying for medicine and paying for food. Father Bill also states, “The effort to recapture the true meaning and importance of the holiday spirit begins with each of us. It is imperative, I believe, we take the time during the holiday season to give to those who are in need; the less fortunate, the most forgotten.” You and or your business may even choose to do something more personal. You could adopt a family for the holidays. Last year, SFGN and Storks Café and Bakery adopted four families and provide each one an entire holiday meal. Each meal consisted of a turkey or ham and all the trimmings along with delicious deserts. The adopted families were overjoyed with the gift of a sumptuous holiday meal! Currently, seven businesses have committed to hosting holiday drop off boxes. Won’t you consider helping as well? It’s all so easy; the need is tremendous but the payoff is great. With just a little effort you can feel the pride and satisfaction that goes along with helping someone less fortunate this holiday season.
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a&e comedy
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Closes with Regional, U.S. Premieres J.W. Arnold
The Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival concludes this weekend, Oct. 16 – 20 with regional and U.S. premieres at The Classic Gateway Theatre and Cinema Paradiso, appearances by filmmakers and actors, and the popular men’s and women’s short film compilations. The festival will also include several social events, including the centerpiece after party on Thursday at Stache, a Ladie’s Night mixer on Friday at America’s Backyard, Cocktails in the Courtyard on Friday at Cinema Paradiso and the closing night finale at Bahia Mar on Sunday. SFGN had the opportunity to preview several of the films being showcased during the second weekend and here are mini-reviews: “Beyond Love” Silvio Nacucci, Dir. Italy, 2014, U.S. Premiere Italian with English subtitles, 108 min. Thursday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
Anna and Marina are in love and decide they want a baby. Stefano and Tony are their best friends. When the ladies have an argument over who will carry the baby, the guys are caught in the middle. Stefano suggests that Marina sleep with a man, but she angrily dismisses it and disappears. Stefano then goes to extreme measures to raise the money for artificial insemination in hopes of repairing the friendship. The arguments and quarrels lead them to the hospital, where they realize their own mistakes and face the consequences of their behavior. SFGN: From the opening credits, this film has that distinctive “Italian” look, dark and brooding; but, make no mistake, director Nacucci is no Fellini. The story is disjointed and confusing, constantly bouncing back and forth between present and past, all the time leading toward a surprise ending. And there is just little chemistry between the male and female couples, despite lots of kissing and canoodling and a couple of clichéd, gratuitous sex scenes. “Fear of Water” Kate Lane, Dir. UK, 2014, Sneak Preview English, 103 min. Friday, Oct. 17, 6:45 p.m. Cinema Paradiso
Inspired by actual events from the life of director Kate Lane, “Fear of Water” revolves around Alex and Eleanor, two teenage girls with parallel lives who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. One summer, the girls meet and spend time together. They discover friendship and a sexual awakening that cannot be denied. Amazing performances by the two main characters, as well as a tremendous supporting cast, help to create an utterly charming and sensitive depiction of two girls finding themselves, and in doing so possibly finding that special someone.
SFGN: Kate Lane’s film is beautifully shot, subtly punctuating the rifts between the privileged world of Eleanor and the gritty urban existence of Alex. The film is also highlighted by original music by Benson Taylor, lilting lesbian coffee house ballads with a Celtic sound. Fortunately, Edward Davenport’s screenplay saves this autobiographical film from becoming a self-indulgent exercise for Lane unlike so many of the features we are subjected to at LGBT festivals.
“Xenia” “Xenia” Panos H. Koutras, Dir. Greece, 2014, East Coast Premiere Greek with English subtitles, 128 min. Friday, Oct. 17, 8:15 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
Seemingly drawing equal inspiration from Gregg Araki, early Almodovar and the Eurovision Song Contest, “Xenia” is a road trip not soon forgotten. Strangers in their own birthplace, gay 16-year-old Danny lives in Crete, while 18-year-old Odysseus lives in Athens. They cross the entire country in search of their Greek father, after their Albanian mother passes away. Determined to force him to acknowledge their paternity, they discover the road to the muchcoveted Greek citizenship is not well-paved in this dramedy about brotherly love and outsider acceptance. SFGN: This story will certainly resonate with scores of gay undocumented immigrants who have struggled against xenophobia and violence to gain legal status in this country. Kostas Nikouli is immediately appealing as an idealistic young, gay Macedonian hustler and the chemistry between him and Nikos Gelia as his pragmatic— and strikingly handsome—older brother, Ody, propels their evolving relationship. “Xenia” is definitely one of the best features of the weekend, guaranteed to sweep audiences away on their emotional journey. “I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole” Jim Tushinski, Dir. USA, 2014, Florida Premiere English, 93 min. Saturday, Oct. 18, 2:30 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
An outspoken and articulate artist in a turbulent passionate time, Wakefield Poole didn’t think of himself as a pornographer, but as a filmmaker who used his dance and theater
background to create beautiful erotic art films that challenged the mind. Many agreed. To others, though, Poole just made dirty movies. Filled with gorgeous archival footage, excerpts from Poole’s lushly photographed films, and entertaining and illuminating interviews with Poole’s contemporaries and colleagues, “I Always Said Yes” is a story of artistic integrity and disappointment, self-destruction, love, sex, fortitude and musical comedy. SFGN: Today, we can pull up porn easily on our laptops and iPhones, but that wasn’t always the case. This important documentary illuminates the rollercoaster life and career of an important artist who transformed an industry. But, before he conceived all-male “art films,” Wakefield Poole was a respected dancer and choreographer and theater producer, who hung out with the likes of Andy Warhol. He struggled with drugs and survived the AIDS epidemic, and tells his own story with the support of a multitude of fascinating film clips, photographs and interviews from early figures from our movement. “F(l)ag Football ” Seth Greenleaf, Dir. USA, 2014, World Premiere English, 97 min. Sunday, Oct. 18, 5 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
Started in 2002, the National Gay Flag Football League has grown into an enormously successful organization, with 21 member cities across the country. Every year, the best players from each city compete in the National Gay Bowl, where one team is crowned Gay Super Bowl Champions. This is the story of three teams and their journey through the tournament, and at the same time, the journey to define themselves as gay men AND athletes. Only one team can win, but everyone can be fabulous. SFGN: Ironically, director Seth Greenleaf, a Tony Award-winning director and South Florida native, is straight— the only straight member of the New York Warriors, one of the teams in the film pursuing a gay league championship. Since the film was completed, Michael Sam became the first openly gay NFL player, although we know he was not really the first. This fast-paced documentary introduces audiences to a lesserknown segment in the gay community and the subjects are eager—almost obsessed—with dispelling the stereotypes of effeminate gay men who are afraid to get physical. “Drown” Dean Francis, Dir. Australia, 2014, U.S. Premiere English, 90 min. Saturday, Oct. 18, 9:45 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
During the day, the lifeguards canvas the sand and surf keeping beachgoers safe. At night, these same lifeguards let loose for wild nights
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on the town. On one particular night, jealousy, homophobia and unrequited lust culminate in a tragic booze-fueled episode of near-fatal bullying. Shifting time and storylines for impact, “Drown” is a hard-hitting drama set against the iconic backdrop of Australia’s Bondi Beach. While the men are hot and hunky, and the scenery is breathtaking, at its core, “Drown” is a hard-hitting, boundary-pushing and intense cinematic experience. This film contains graphic depictions of homophobic violence. SFGN: Director Dean Francis relies on clichéd techniques in this gay thriller— cheesy synthesizer soundtrack and dizzying flashbacks—but the compelling reason to see this film is the chilling performance by Matt Levett as a homophobic lifeguard captain. His sociopathic character is clearly struggling with sexuality and “daddy” issues and he turns to bullying in his efforts to quash his conflicting desires and the macho expectations of Aussie culture. He is even capable of cold-blooded murder. Not many actors could pull this role off as effectively as Levett. This is not an easy film to watch and Levett’s performance is certain to haunt audiences for a long time. “Queens of Amsterdam (Chez Nous)” Tim Olihok, Dir. Netherlands, 2014, Southeast Premiere Dutch with English Subtitles, 90 min. Sunday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. The Classic Gateway Theatre
A gay club threatened with bankruptcy is destined to become the property of the neighboring nighttime entertainment magnate. To save the club, a close-knit, ragtag group of regulars plan to commit a Mission Impossiblestyle heist during Amsterdam’s Gay Pride festivities. They want to steal a pink diamond necklace worth millions from the Royal Museum and save their favorite hangout. But can they succeed? Hilarious and touching, this pinkcaper comedy is not to be missed. SFGN: AFor some reason, full-length comedy features are rare at LGBT film festivals. (So many young LGBT filmmakers focus on telling their coming out stories first, it seems.) “Chez Nous” remedies that situation with a witty and warm entry. To say the cast is ragtag is an understatement and it’s the strong character performances by the ensemble, led by Alex Klaasen as an aging drag queen, that make this film work. Think “Mission Impossible” meets “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” punctuated by some totally outrageous drag numbers. Definitely a fun film to close out the 2014 festival. Tickets for festival parties range from $20 for party only to $35 for packages including film admission.
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Datebook
Theater Christiana Lilly
Calendar@SFGN.com
broward county Annie
Through Oct. 19 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. America’s favorite redhead comes to Fort Lauderdale in the musical that will have you singing along to “It’s A Hard Knock Life” and “Tomorrow.” Tickets $34.75 to $114.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter. org.
Jamaica Farewell
Through Oct. 19 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Debra Ehrhardt tells the story of her leaving revolution-torn Jamaica in the ‘70s to pursue her dreams in the United States. Tickets $35. Call 954-678-1396 or visit EmpireStage. com.
* Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band
Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The Beatles drummer hits the road with his own band, singing originals and Beatles favorites. Tickets $55 to $150. Call 954462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.
* Los Lonely Boys
Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. The Texas brothers made their name known with their hit single “Heaven.” Tickets $35 to $45. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
* POZ
ingo Starr & His All Starr Band plays ROct. 21st at the Broward Center.
Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group another man and has a child. Tickets $40 to $55. Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Call 304-445-1119 or visit GableStage.org. and Tyler Farr Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601 Sansbury Way #7 in West Palm Beach. Get out your country gear for a night of southern fun a la “Cruise.” Tickets $63 to $1,101. Call 561-795-8883 or visit CruzanAmphitheatre.net.
Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. As a singer, composer and actor, Lovett is a triple threat on the stage. Tickets $39 to $95. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter. org.
Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth. The comedienne revolves her act around her religion, Judyism, her support for the LGBT community, and feminism. Tickets $35. Call 56-586-6410 or visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org.
Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. The band that brought you “Pumped Up Kicks” performs after an opening set by Soko. Tickets $50 to $61.50. Call 305-673-7300 or visit FillmoreMB.com.
Foster the People * Judy Tenuta: The Goddess Returns Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700
Romeo & Juliet
Oct. 17 to 19 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. The tragic story of starThrough Oct. 26 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, crossed lovers is performed by the Miami City in Lake Worth. The wealthy Mame Dennis’s Ballet to Prokofiev’s score. Tickets $20 to $97. Call cushy lifestyle is in for a change when the son 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org. of her late brother comes to live with her during the Depression. Tickets $29 to $35 with dinner * A Midsummer Night’s Dream packages available. Call 561-586-6410 or visit Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. at the South Miami-Dade Cultural The Marvelous Wonderettes LakeWorthPlayhouse.org. Arts Center, 10950 SW 211 St. in Cutler Bay. A new Through Nov. 23 at the Broward Center, 201 SW age adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play of Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Head to Springfield Our Town lovers and fairies and imps swept up in the woods High School’s 1958 prom where four girls, the Through Nov. 9 at Palm Beach Dramaworks, in a summer night. Tickets $15. Call 786-573-5300 “wonderettes” sing hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s as 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. Based or visit SMDCAC.org. they dream of their future. Tickets $45. Call 954- on the novel, the ordinary day-to-day lives of 462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org. Grover’s Corners’ residents are the focus of * Porter Robinson this play. Tickets $62. Call 561-514-4042 or visit Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 palm beach county PalmBeachDramaworks.com. Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. The American DJ comes to Miami just two months after the Free Friday Concerts release of his debut album. Tickets $43.50. Call * A Night of Tango Music and Dance Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at FAU’s University Theatre, 777 Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for 305-673-7300 or visit FillmoreMB.com. Glades Road in Boca Raton. The Quinteto Leopoldo the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy Federico will share new music for their upcoming live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket Mothers and Sons album. Tickets $15. Contact Alejandro SAnchez- or lawn chair every week, for free! Call 561-243- Through Oct. 19 at GableStage at the Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. A woman Samper at 561-706-4805 or asanch51@fau.com 7922 or visit DelrayArts.org. makes a surprise visit to New York at the home for more information, purchase tickets online at FAUevents.com. miami-dade county of her late son’s partner -- who is now married to Oct. 23 to Nov. 23 at Island City Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. A young man with tuberculosis discovers that he could be covered by insurance if is HIV+, so he sets out to date an HIV+ man. Tickets $30. Call 054-678-1496 or visit IslandCityStage.org.
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Photo: Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Tour
Mame
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Peter and the Starcatcher
Through Oct. 26 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Twelve actors take on the roles of more than 100 characters and scenery pieces in the story of how Peter Pan became the boy who never grew up. Tickets $45. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.
* Murder Ballad
Through Nov. 2 at the Actors’ PLayhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. Sara is living in the Upper West Side, but her past as a downtown girl comes back to haunt her. Tickets $15 to $53. Call 305-444-9293 or visit ActorsPlayhouse.org.
The Cuban Spring
Through Nov. 2 at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center’s New Theatre, 10950 SW 211 St. in Cutler Bay. Family drama is started by secrets, intensified by generational differences, and highlights the sacrifices to live in a democracy. Tickets $26 to $31. Call 305-443-5909 or visit newtheatre.org.
PAMM Outdoor Music Series
Third Thursdays at the Perez Art Museum Miami, 101 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Come out for live music from DJs and musicians by the bay. Drink specials available. Free with museum admission. Call 305375-3000 or visit PAMM.org.
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. * Denotes New Listing
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Datebook
Community Christiana Lilly Calendar@SFGN.com
broward county * TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE
Oct. 15 from 8 to 10 p.m. at the W Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale. Join the hotel for its monthly pride event with music by Citizen Jane and light bites -- 20 percent of bar proceeds will go to the Human Rights Campaign. Free. RSVP to WFLL.events@whotels.com.
* Stonewall Author Reading
Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Stonewall Museum – Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Gregg Shapiro discusses and reads excerpts from his book, “Lincoln Avenue,” a collection of 12 stories about growing up gay in 1970s Chicago. Call 954-7638565 or visit Stonewall-Museum.org.
* Museum Mixer Friday
Oct. 17 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Stonewall Museum – Wilton Manors Gallery, 2157 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Mingle with staff and supporters of the Stonewall Museum and the World AIDS Museum at this monthly mixer. Free. Call 954-763-8565 or visit Stonewall-Museum.org.
* Everglades Day
Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Everglades Holiday Park, 21940 Griffin Road in Fort Lauderdale. Celebrate our special ecosystem with speakers, games, and children’s activities. Free. Call 954-357-5146 or visit EvergladesHolidayPark.com.
* Think Pink Affair
Oct. 19 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Valentino Cucina Italiana, 620 S. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Reality star Pandora Vanderpump hosts a brunch to benefit the Breast Cancer Center Fund of Memorial Foundation. Tickets $150. Call Kerry at 954-523-5767 for more information.
* Artist Talk
Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St. in Hollywood. Sri Prabha talks about his newest installation at the museum. Cost $7, free for members. Call 954-921-3274 or visit ArtsAndCultureCEnter.org.
* Let’s Talk About Meth
Oct. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in WIlton Manors. A forum with recovering meth users, doctors, psychologists, and more. Free. Call 954-463-9005 or visit pridecenterflorida.org.
* Mala Mala
Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Classic Gateway Theater, 1820 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Come see the awardwinning documentary following nine transgender people in Puerto Rico. Tickets $15. Call 954-763-8565 or visit stonewall-museum.org.
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,
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binary systems, friendship, family and whatever else comes up! Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com
PFLAG
Tuesdays in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs and Southwest Ranches. A support group for parents of LGBT youth 13 to 21. Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and locations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
American Sign Language 2
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Pride South Florida office, 4233 NE Sixth Ave. in Oakland Park. $30 donation to Pride South Florida and Florida Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf. Enroll to bbmpride@gmail.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.
American Sign Language 2
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Pride South Florida office, 4233 NE Sixth Ave. in Oakland Park. $30 donation to Pride South Florida and Florida Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf. Enroll to bbmpride@gmail.com.
Healthy Living Workshop
Thursdays from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. at Fusion, 2304 NE Seventh Ave. in Wilton Manors. Learn different ways to lead a healthier, happier life. Call 954-630-1655 or visit S-Men.org.
Young Adult LGBT
Fridays from 7:15 to 9 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. A social group and current events discussion session for young LGBT people 18 to 35. Visit PrideCenterFlorida.org. soflagaynews //
Beachcounty palmPalm beach * Drag Bingo
Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Finland House, 301 W. Central Blvd. in Lantana. A night of Bingo with Voices of Pride, the Ladies of Palm Beach, and the Wheel of Destiny. Come as you are -- or in drag! Tickets $25. Visit VoicesOfPride.org/dragbingo.
* BBAD Anniversary Art Walk
Oct. 23 from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Boynton Beach Art District, 404-422 W. Industrial Ave. in Boynton Beach. Celebrate the art district with food trucks, music, new murals, vendors, and more.
Art Works: Cultural Agents Tackle Urgent Social Challenges
Through Oct. 25 at FAU’s Ritter Art Gallery, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. A collection of 122 posters each advocating for different causes that transcend culture and language. Free. Call 561-297-2661 or visit FAU. edu/galleries.
Wheels and Heels: The Big Noise Around Little Toys Through Oct. 26 at the Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave. in West Palm Beach. A look at two iconic childhood toys: the miniature car and the “teenage doll,” or Barbie. Free with admission. Call 561-8326196 or visit Norton.org.
201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. The Department of Health comes monthly. Call 561-533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.
LGBT Bereavement Group
Second Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Join bereavement specialists and others experiencing loss. Free. Call 561-533-9699 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.
Miami county miami-dade * Noches Tropicales
Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, 2901 W. Flagler St. in Miami. Music from American Grammy winner, Marlow Rosado, and La Riqueña Band. Free; must get a ticket for entry. Call 305-271-0812 or visit MiamiDade.gov/pakrs/concert-series.asp.
Monster Masquerade
Oct. 17 from 8 p.m. to midnight at Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152nd St. in Miami. A spooky night of open bars, haunted houses, costume contests, and more! Tickets $65 presale, $75 at the door. Must be 21 and older. Call 305-255-5551 or visit zoomiami.org.
Common Ground: Artists in the Everglades
* Spotlight Mega-Mixer
Through Nov. 5 at FAU’s Schmidt Center Gallery, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Works by select artists from the Artists in Residence Everglades will be on display, showing what life is like to live in South Florida’s natural habitat. Free. Call 561-297-2661 or visit FAU.edu/galleries.
Oct. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Modern Art, 770 NE 125th St., in North Miami. Meet the chamber members and other likeminded business over cocktails. Plus, prizes, food, music, and other entertainment. Tickets $15, members free. RSVP to GayBizMiami.com, rsvp@gaybizmiami. com or 305-673-4440.
Zumba Fitness
Rainbow Circle
Sober Sisters
HIV Support Group
Mondays at 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Get moving with a certificated Zumba instructor for an infusion of exercise and dance moves. Donation of $5 or more. Call 561-324-1626 or visit CompassGLCC.com.
Mondays at 6:15 p.m. at Lambda North, 18 S. J St. in Lake Worth. A support and discussion group for female recovering alcoholics. Visit LambdaNorth.net.
Out of the Closet, Into the Light
Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at MCC of the Palm Beaches, 4857 Northlake Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. AA for the LGBT community. Free. Call 561-775-5900 or visit MCCPalmBeach.org.
Positive Connection
Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. Men who are HIV positive are invited to come together for support, education, and advocacy. Closed group. Call 561-324-1626 or visit CompassGLCC.com.
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 561533-9699 or visit CompassGLCC.com.
STD Testing and Flu Vaccinations
First Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at Compass GLCC,
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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.
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.
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.
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.
* Denotes New Listing
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HUSBAND FOR RENT! Is he procrastinating home repairs? He says he will do it tomorrow?? After the football game?? We fit right in - in the house or the yard, small or big jobs: tile, dry wall, paint, plumbing, roof leaks, broken furniture, irrigation, fences, and more!It doesn’t cost to hassle us to see the work - so why wait? Neat, clean work for a reasonable price. Call Haim at 954-398-3676, sidnalll@yahoo.com
ONE MINUTE TO WILTON DRIVE: Totally renovated large, quiet 2-bedroom, 2 full bath home. State of the art kitchen, beautiful granite countertops with maple cabinetry, Italian porcelain title throughout. Sit-in dining room, central a/c, ceiling fans, D/W, washer/dryer in unit & more. Charming, beautifully landscaped 5-plex, close to beach, restaurants & nightlife. $1,295/ mo. Call Rick: 954-254-1929. Photos at www. YourPerfectApartment.com
vacation rentals DAYTONA BEACH: Beach side, elegant 1929 Historic Spanish Mansion, private walled pool area. four blocks to beach. Near boardwalk, shops, bars and restaurants 386-248-2020. www.thevillabb.com MASSAGE BY DENNIS $50/90 MIN (DELRAY BEACH) I give a fantastic Swedish massage for $50/90 min, out calls higher. 20 years experience, all clients are welcome including seniors, as human beings we all need to be touched in a therapeutic, loving, and nurturing way. I do body work without the attitude. Please call me at 561-502-2628.
pets/supplies
POOL SERVICE Mention this ad and receive your first month
FREE! some restrictions apply
Serving Broward Since 1999
Call for a free estimate: 954-367-7007 Web: www.skimmerspools.com Email: skimmerspoolservice@gmail.com
licensed massage 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
piano lessons 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.
professional services
WE NEED A HOUSEMAN: This position requires 5 years experience cleaning and serving in a high end home. Must be English speaking and legal to work in the U.S, with drivers license and car required. Competitive salary with full benefits. Please forward resume with contact information and photo to JoAnn@ servesyourightdomestics.com
roomates
GAY WHITE MALE TO SHARE 2BD/2BA GATED CONDO: Furnished room, W/D, TV in room, pool, must have steady income and own transportation, 1st-Last $675/month, utilities included, no pets no drugs. Call 954-401-8431 or 954-765-3665
rent/lease wilton manors
2BD/2BA HOUSE IN WILTON MANORS: Next to Stork’s. You will have a private entrance into a 1BD/1BA suite w/small kitchenette. All util. +internet & cable incl. 1 off street parking space. Priv covered patio. W/D avail. $700/month +sec. Background check. $1400 to move in. 954-537-1599 soflagaynews //
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