SFGN's June Mirror

Vol. 8 Issue 3 • June - August 2019

S O U T H

F L O R I D A

G A Y

N E W S

THE SIGHTS OF

SUMMER FROM FOOD TO LGBT TRAVEL, THE BEST OF THE BEST FEATURES...

TO GET YOU THROUGH THE SUMMER MONTHS.

THEMIRRORMAG.COM

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

} Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you

have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: } Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

including hepatitis infection. } Have any other health problems. } Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

} Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-

counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

} This is only a brief summary of important information

} BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at

MyDailyCharge.com

BVYC0102_BIKTARVY_A_8-5x11_TheMirror_KeepEmpowering_C1_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

GET MORE INFORMATION about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

} Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. } If you need help paying for your medicine,

visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP EMPOWERING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0102 01/19

KEEP EMPOWERING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

4/22/19 11:32 AM

ADVERTISING

MY POLITICS ARE PARTISAN I admit it, my politics are partisan. YIKES! Republicans. The very word conjures up various images, depending upon the background (party affiliation of one’s parents, race, religion, sexual orientation), philosophy, and lifestyle of those contemplating it. Originally, back in the days of the 13 colonies and the American Revolution, the “Democratic-Republican Party” (founded

by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson) was more akin to the present-day Democrats, that is, fair minded citizens who recognized that we as individuals, and our government, must balance the needs of the individual against the needs of the community in which we live. The predecessors of the current Republican party were the elitist Federalists who opposed the War of 1812 for short term economic gain, and caused our beloved first lady Dolly Madison (and President James) a whole lot of trouble in defending our fledgling nation. The Federalists grew up to be the current Republican Party.

Today, we need look no further that the misdeeds of our sitting president, and his administration, whose catastrophic national and global political misdeeds will take decades to repair, to know that Republicans, on the whole, are enemies of the LGBT community, people of color, nonChristian, women, the middle class, the poor, immigrants, and children. Many people ask: How can a woman, or anyone identifying as LGBT, African American, Latino, or Jew, choose to support the Republican Party? My question is - how can anyone choose to support the Republican Party? I have actually given this question a lot of thought over the past several years and I have come to some conclusions.

Bear in mind that I grew up as the daughter of Southern, “yeller dog Democrats” (which only means we’d never vote for a Republican, even if the Democrat running against him/her were an old yellow dog). However, in defense of my good judgment and psychological savvy, I also

MANY PEOPLE ASK: HOW CAN A WOMAN, OR ANYONE IDENTIFYING AS LGBT, AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINO, OR JEW, CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? MY QUESTION IS - HOW CAN ANYONE CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?

grew up to be a feminist and a lesbian, despite the fact that my parents understood neither. As an attorney I have had a chance to see lots of Republicans up close and personal, and as a social worker/attorney, I have analyzed their psychological defense system and determined some of the things I think motivate them to identify with a party which dehumanizes the greater proportion of the population. As I see it many Republicans fall into one of the following three mindsets: 1. Simply the product of their upbringing following in their parents path without giving the matter much thought, or; 2. Financially conservative, they buy the Republican party line (much of which benefits BIG BUSINESS and not the majority of those who vote Republican,) or; 3. They are religious, or not, but, most of all afraid and overwhelmed by the complexities of modern day society and thus are greatly comforted by simplistic answers and a harkening back to the values and lifestyle of the “good old days”. Never mind that the so called good old days were horrible.

Old people, sick people, orphans, lived and died in the streets because there was no social security and no social services programs.

Every major city was surrounded by a shanty town of huts teeming with impoverished people living in squalor and filth, which make todays homeless problem look tame. Women were virtual slaves of the men they were forced to marry in order to survive in a culture where the only jobs available for women were low paid and menial, and single women were the object of scorn or pity, and were discriminated against in housing, jobs, and places of public accommodation. Sexual abuse was just as rampant as it is now, except if it did come out the victim was to blame, and was subject to complete social ostracism. African Americans were forced to stay on their side of town, except to come and work for white at slave wages. White men de-sported themselves on the wrong side of the tracks, with impunity as those they used for their amusement had no legal recourse.

The “good old days”, and “traditional values” are fantasies concocted in the minds of individuals who long for something that never existed. “Why is this bad?” you might ask. The answer is that it is bad because when those in power live under the spell of this fantasy they make decisions that negatively affect the lives of all of us. These decisions like cutting social security, cutting school lunches, cutting legal

M.S.W., J.D.

services to the poor, cutting funding for AIDS services, refusing to cut illegal immigrants a break, just to name a few, will send us back to the past, the bad old days described above. It’s incumbent on all of us to send a message to those in power that we don’t want them living out their fantasies at our expense.

As LGBT folks we are in the position of having experienced the reality of prejudice and discrimination (unless our denial is so strong that we didn’t notice it) and it is therefore especially perplexing as to why an LGBT individual would identify as a Republican.

The answer is the seduction of the fantasy of the good old days, plus identification with the oppressor - i.e., it doesn’t hurt so bad if you think the guy who is abusing you is right. To those LGBT Republicans I say the same thing I’d say to any other Republican. Wake up! The world we live in today is a far better place than the dream of the past you hold so dear. There are no easy, simple answers to the problems our society faces - and we have to face the fact that the best solutions may take a buck out of our pocket to put bread on someone else’s table. We also need to understand that as human beings we are all in this together - you

can’t short change one group to benefit another group without hurting everybody: and thats what being a Democrat is about.

Attorney Robin L. Bodiford serves the tri-county area. Her practice includes, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, trust administration, property agreements, settlements, real estate and probate. She is co-author of books, A Simplified Guide to Creating a Personal Will and Fresh Start Bankruptcy, John Wiley & Sons, 2003. You may contact her by calling her Fort Lauderdale office at (954) 630-2707, or visit her website at www.LawRobin.com.

TRANS TALK The Diversity of the Trans Community ● Page 28

FASHION Queer Miami Musician’s Solo Album Resonates Beyond Genre ● Page 44

TRAVEL

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Art is a Second Coming Out for ‘Vocal’ Vigorito ● Page 50

How to Make the Best of Cruise Travel ● Page 32 Let’s Go to Belize: LGBT Adventure in the Jungle ● Page 80

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We Are Family: Charting Course By Land and By Sea with Aquafest ● Page 86 My Voyage on Atlantis: A Gay Cruise is Worth the Money ● Page 90

NOTE FROM THE CEO Democracy is running... from the U.S.A ● Page 10

BOOKS Author Spotlight: Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta ● Page 20

PUBLISHER’S PAGE The Soaring Spirit of Summer Days and Nights ● Page 14

FEATURE South Florida Gave Steve Rothaus Front Row Seat to LGBT History, Stories ● Page 24

Your smile should leave a great impression!

TECHNOLOGY Magic Chef Multi-Cooker ● Page 36 TV The Oddity: The Mirror interviews Yvie Oddly ● Page 38

FOOD SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS: NOT Made in Italy ● Page 54 Java Jive ● Page 58 The World of Wine ● Page 62 Ice Creaming Queens ● Page 66 News on Brews ● Page 68 CARS An Evocative New Evoque Arrives With a Fresh Wardrobe ● Page 74

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| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

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1946 Wilton Drive • Wilton Manors • FL 33305

Accounting and Tax Services Timothy S. Hart, CPA Managing Partner

2929 East Commercial Boulevard, Penthouse D | Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 954-202-9770 | 954-202-9777 Fax THart@R3Accounting.com | www.R3Accounting.com

NOTE from the

CEO

It is time to reflect on the troubled times we are living in.

The home of the free now separates children from their parents. One does not need to be a politician, a physician, or a parent to be outraged. No matter one’s views on immigration reform, the unnecessarily cruel practice of separating families is a violation of human rights and it should be universally and unequivocally condemned and stopped.

Why are the very same people who oppose abortion so uninterested in the fate of these children? What is wrong with this picture?

And while the Statue of Liberty still stands in the New York harbor, part of our country cannot stop talking about The Wall.

Didn’t we learn anything from the uselessness of the Berlin Wall?

The concept of a “wall” is not new.

In 1914, American gay poet Robert Frost wrote a poem called “Mending Wall” which has become one of the most anthologized and analyzed poems in modern literature.

A stone wall separates the speaker’s property from his neighbor’s. In spring, the two meet to walk the wall and jointly make repairs. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be kept — there are no cows to be contained, just apple and pine trees.

He does not believe in walls for the sake of walls. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” The speaker remains unconvinced and mischievously presses the neighbor to look beyond the old-fashioned folly of such reasoning. His neighbor will not be swayed. The poem seems to meditate conventionally on three grand themes: barrier-building (segregation, in the broadest sense of the word), the doomed nature of this enterprise, and our persistence in this activity regardless.

This is America — today. And yet — this is not who we have to be. Although our civil rights are eroding at breakneck speed under this administration, we still have the power to help and restore our humanity and democracy.

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RAPID PHOTO ALBUM SCANNER $199.00 • SHARPER IMAGE The Rapid Photo Album Scanner lets you quickly copy pictures, without removing them from the photo album.

Simply place the scanner on top of the image you wish to copy and press a button. The built-in CMOS sensor and LEDs give you high-quality, glare-free results every time.

It also digitizes slides and 35 mm negatives. | JUNE - AUGUST 2019

“Sadly there is still no cure for stupidity.”

CORDLESS FOIL SHAVER $69.48 • AMAZON

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10 | THE

PIER ANGELO

JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | Vol 8 | Issue 3 2520 N. Dixie Highway | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954.530.4970 Fax: 954.530.7943

PUBLISHER

NORM KENT norm.kent@sfgn.com

Chief Executive Officer PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI piero@sfgn.com Associate Publisher/ JASON PARSLEY Executive Editor jason.parsley@sfgn.com

EDITORIAL

A PUBLICATION OF SOUTH FLORIDA GAY NEWS

Art Director BRENDON LIES artwork@sfgn.com Assistant Art Director ADAM TURNER Senior Features Reporter CHRISTIANA LILLY A&E Editor / Design J.W. ARNOLD Digital Content Director JUSTIN MUSIAL webmaster@sfgn.com Copy Editor KERRI COVINGTON

SALES & MARKETING For ad placement in the Mirror Magazine, CONTACT 954-530-4970 Sales Manager JUSTIN WYSE justin@sfgn.comm Senior Advertising Assoc. EDWIN NEIMANN edwin@sfgn.com Senior Advertising Assoc. CLARK ROGERS clark@sfgn.com Sales Consultant CHARLES REID Distribution Services ROCKY BOWELL LEE CURTIS Printing THE PRINTER’S PRINTER National Advertising RIVENDELL MEDIA Accounting Services CG BOOKKEEPING Cover: Aquafest Cruises headed to Africa, just one of many worldwide locations, and met these two elephants along the way.

Photo courtesy of Aquafest.

The Mirror is published bi-monthly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers. They do not represent the opinions of The Mirror or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in The Mirror. Furthermore the word “gay” in The Mirror should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in The Mirror, both online at www.themirrormag.com, and in our print edition, including articles used in conjunction with the Associated Press and our columnists, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher of The Mirror, Norm Kent, at Norm@NormKent.com. The Mirror is published by the South Florida Gay News. It’s a private corporation, and reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.

MIRROR Copyright © 2019, South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

Associated Press Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association

12 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

D

Document. Remember. Empower.

HIV is Still here.

Broward County is #1 in new HIV cases #itsnotoveryet

1201 NE 26th St #111, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954) 390-0550 | worldaidsmuseum.org /worldaidsmuseum

HIV Oral Histor y Project star ts with you.

To add your stor y contact us today.

SUPPORT! VISIT! STOP STIGMA!

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

THE SOARING SPIRIT OF

// Norm Kent

SUMMER DAYS AND NIGHTS A

lthough national and international gay pride celebrations and Stonewall memorials are winding down, a spectacular summer is blossoming.

LGBT communities are emerging globally and locally, powerfully and with purpose, under a colorful flag of vision and vitality.

But come now to summer.

Put away some of the politics. It’s the time of the year to take a journey to the center of your soul. Go find yourself a new heartbeat.

Walk barefoot in a country field.

Nobody ever did the summer like Olivia Newton John and John Travolta did it in ‘Grease.’ There is nothing more emotionally rewarding like a breezy and balmy summer night, under the stars, touching the heavens.

A journey to the Sequoias, Redwoods, and Humboldt County, California, will lend testimony to that. The high you get in Eureka will be from more than the marijuana grows populating their landscape. It will come from touching your mortality.

Fifty years ago this summer, the United States of America reached beyond its own grasp. On July 20, 1969, an American astronaut, Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. But he spoke for the planet when he uttered the most famous words ever: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind.”

Thank goodness it happened then, and not now. Today would have been a moment sponsored by the National Football League. You would have heard Armstrong pronounce, “This is a Pepsi Cola touchdown.”

The year 1969 was memorable. A few weeks after our nation looked on in awe at what happened on the Moon, a music and arts festival in Woodstock, New York drew national attention here on Earth. Rock concerts would never be the same again.

In the past half-century, our world, our planet and our lives have endured triumph and tragedy. It is the way of time, and the way of life. Miami may be underwater before the century ends. But right now, folks, it is

14 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

summer. Nothing else matters.

Ride a bicycle on the Utah plains. Canoe the rapids in Delaware. Tour a museum in Amsterdam. Get on a gondola in Venice.

Snorkel in Mykonos. Take a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Go Fishing in the Grand Caymans.

This issue of the MIRROR features authors you can read, cars you can drive, safaris you can saddle up on, and cruises taking you across oceans, where you can sail the world.

Find the one that fits you.

“There is beauty in this world,” my mom used to say, “and as long as you can open your eyes and ears, there are sights to appreciate

“THERE IS BEAUTY IN THIS WORLD,” MY MOM USED TO SAY, “AND AS LONG AS YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES AND EARS, THERE ARE SIGHTS TO APPRECIATE AND MUSIC TO LISTEN TO. MAKE SURE YOU DO.”

and music to listen to. Make sure you do.”

Our days are long, but life is short. A journey is defined by time. Marvel in it.

Magic is everywhere, though I would avoid those Las Vegas casinos. Hard work will do you better. Stay the course. Be decent to your neighbors and kind to your friends. Go to their funerals or they won’t go to yours.

The late actor, Humphrey Bogart once said that a “A hot dog at the ballpark is better than a Steak at the Ritz.” He is right. There is pleasure on every corner, though I would stay away from that Emporium in Hollywood where the cops seem to enjoy busting gay people.

Take your dog to Tiger Tail Lake one weekend afternoon, and tell me you are not having a blast. If you want, go swimming with the California sea lions on Santa Barbara Island. Take a picture of it. We will run it in the next issue of the Mirror.

As I have written before, the Mirror magazine is designed to be a reflection of your lives. This issue, we feature the recently retired Miami Herald journalist, Steve Rothaus. For decades, he has covered the emergence of the LGBT community in South Florida.

Maybe you have a suggestion of whom we should feature in next month’s issue. Let me know. Don’t be afraid to ask. We are here.

Shoot me an email, to norm.kent@sfgn.com SFGN is growing weekly, and our magazine is gaining in stature and size every month.

Each time we feature just one person, it showcases the role the entire LGBT community.

Thank you for being part of that journey, and allowing us to continue with you as a partner.

x

S O U T H

F L O R I D A

G A Y

To those who support us...

Thank you.

June Advertisers A&A Roofing Adache Real Estate American Tax & Insurance Amy McGrotty Real Estate Robin Bodiford, PA Castelli Real Estate City of Oakland Park Country Ham N’ Eggs Doc’s Plumbing Frank Vigliotti Real Estate Island City Smiles J. Mark’s Restaurant JM Lexus Jimenez Law Firm Joe Grano Real Estate Loria Medical Center Meetings & Incentive Marketing Travel Midway Specialty Care Center

NABU American Fusion Buffet & Sushi Shawn Newman, PA Oakland Park Dental Patricia Burnside Realty R3 Accounting RP Andrews Enterprises Scandals Saloon and Bar Sterling Accounting Steve Margolis Real Estate Symphony of the Americas The Big Coconut Guesthouse The Grand Resort & Spa Tropics Grille The Way Home Treatment Center Toast Wells Fargo Wilton Manors Wilton Manors Handymen World AIDS Museum

N E W S

LOWER YOUR VIRAL LOAD. AND MAKE UNDETECTABLE * A POSSIBILITY AGAIN. * Undetectable viral load is defined as fewer than 50 copies of HIV per mL of blood.

Ask your doctor about TROGARZO® – A breakthrough HIV-1 treatment designed specifically for those with treatment failures

TROGARZO.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION TROGARZO® can cause serious side effects, including changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome), which can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system might

get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. This may result in an inflammatory response which may require further evaluation and treatment.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after receiving TROGARZO®.

The most common side effects of TROGARZO® include diarrhea, dizziness, nausea and rash. These are not all the possible side effects of TROGARZO®.

Before you receive TROGARZO®, tell your healthcare provider: About all your medical conditions.

About all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TROGARZO® may harm your unborn baby. Tell your

healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with TROGARZO®.

If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you are receiving TROGARZO® as it is not known if TROGARZO® passes into breast milk.

You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

TROGARZO® is a registered trademark of TaiMed Biologics Inc., under license to Theratechnologies Inc. © 2019 Theratechnologies Inc. All rights reserved.

554-01-06/19

WHAT IS TROGARZO®?

TROGARZO® (ibalizumab-uiyk) is a prescription medicine that is used in combination with other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in adults who: • have received several anti-HIV-1 regimens in the past, and • have HIV-1 virus that is resistant to many antiretroviral medicines, and • who are failing their current antiretroviral therapy.

It is not known if TROGARZO® is safe and effective in children.

PATIENT INFORMATION What is TROGARZO? TROGARZO is a prescription medicine that is used with other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in adults who: • have received several anti-HIV-1 regimens in the past, and • have HIV-1 virus that is resistant to many antiretroviral medicines, and • who are failing their current antiretroviral therapy HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

It is not known if TROGARZO is safe and effective in children.

Before you receive TROGARZO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TROGARZO may harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with TROGARZO. Pregnancy Registry: There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiretroviral medicines, including TROGARZO during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you are receiving TROGARZO. – You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

– It is not known if TROGARZO passes into breast milk.

Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with TROGARZO. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

How will I receive TROGARZO? • You will receive TROGARZO by your healthcare provider as an infusion given into your vein over 15 to 30 minutes. A healthcare provider will monitor you during the TROGARZO infusion and for a period of time after your infusion.

• You will receive TROGARZO every two weeks.

THERA

technologies

Manufactured by: Theratechnologies Inc., 2015 Peel Street, 5th Floor, Montréal, Québec Canada H3A 1T8 US License No. 2091 Distributed by: Theratechnologies Inc., 2015 Peel Street, 5th Floor, Montréal, Québec Canada H3A 1T8 For more information, call 1-833-23THERA (1-833-238-4372) or go to www.TROGARZO.com.

This Patient Information has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Issued: March 2018

• It is important that you receive TROGARZO every two weeks as instructed by your healthcare provider. Do not change the schedule of your TROGARZO infusions or any of your antiretroviral medicines without talking to your healthcare provider first.

• Tell your healthcare provider right away if you stop receiving TROGARZO infusions or stop taking any other antiretroviral medicines.

What are the possible side effects of TROGARZO? TROGARZO can cause serious side effects, including: Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system might get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your health care provider right away if you start having new symptoms after receiving TROGARZO. The most common side effects of TROGARZO include: • diarrhea • nausea • dizziness • rash These are not all the possible side effects of TROGARZO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

You may also report side effects to at 1-833-23THERA (1-833-238-4372).

General information about the safe and effective use of TROGARZO. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. You can ask your healthcare provider for information about TROGARZO that is written for health professionals.

What are the ingredients in TROGARZO? Active ingredient: ibalizumab-uiyk Inactive ingredients: L-histidine, polysorbate 80, sodium chloride, and sucrose.

TROGARZO does not contain any preservative.

BOOKS

Author

Spotlight: Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta

Coming of Age, Over and Over Again / / Tucker Berardi

I

n Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta’s upcoming book “Once & Future,” — available March 26 — the 42nd incarnation of King Arthur is traversing planets controlled by a ruthless monopoly organization with the young wizard Merlin, a nontraditional band of knights, and the magic sword Excalibur by her side.

20 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

Cori McCarthy via Facebook.

Amy Rose Capetta via Facebook.

For the first time in the King Arthur cycle, the hero of the story is a female named Ari. The story includes plenty of same-sex romance and gender nonconforming characters, but this is far from the stories of LGBT marginalization that we are used to.

This is a massive magic-woven space odyssey. This is not a gay story, it’s just filled with gay, bisexual and nonbinary characters who are unapologetically themselves.

“We wanted to write a commercial book starring all queer characters, not a niche book,” co-author Cori McCarthy said.

McCarthy and Capetta wanted to write a story with queer teen heroes that didn’t fall prey to the tropes of traditional queer media — they didn’t want to write another gay teen sob story.

“It is good that we have the fun romp elements because unfortunately what queer teenagers do not get a lot of is fun,” Capetta said.

Much of Capetta and McCarthy’s inspiration for writing young adult fiction came from their time with a “secret” Gay Straight Alliance. The authors live in rural Michigan — a space largely unaccepting of the LGBT community especially following the 2016 presidential election. They would leave the house to participate in a teen writing group that also doubled as an underground Gay Straight Alliance.

“These kids loved fantasy, they loved sci-fi and [they] loved these big genre books, and it was so rare that they could bring in characters who were like them,” McCarthy said. “These were the stories they loved, and they did not have them in them in that way.”

“There is something so significant there, not only seeing yourself in the pages of a book but also seeing yourself out there in the world.”

Amy Rose Capetta JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | THE

| 21

BOOKS McCarthy continued, “We need queer teen heroes to show queer teen kids that they can be the hero of the story — but I feel like they already are that in a lot of ways. I felt like we had an opportunity to show that. To show that these kids already show up and are so brave and are doing so much. We wanted to honor that, and have that impact be a big splash.”

Community is not only a significant element in crafting a story such as “Once & Future,” but the impacts that the story and its characters have on readers develop a much more profound sense of community beyond the pages of the book.

“There is something so significant there, not only seeing yourself in the pages of a book but also seeing yourself out there in the world,” Capetta said.

The community is only growing as more authors contribute to queer fiction — and more publishers support them.

“Now we are finally starting to see publishers taking big leaps and showing up with excitement … in terms of just having a more general approach to putting a book out there,” Capetta said. “Not hiding that they have queer characters but exploring all of the reasons why the book is exciting.”

Audiences are meeting the increasing number of queer fiction novels with excitement — and it isn’t just teenagers and young adults who are reading these books, but older people as well.

McCarthy said that they have had a surprising number of older people come up to them saying

“We need queer teen heroes to show queer teen kids that they can be the hero of the story — but I feel like they already are that in a lot of ways.”

Cori McCarthy 22 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

that they resonated with the characters in their books — not only in their sexuality and gender identities, but in the coming-of-age narrative that so many in the LGBT community experience so much later in life than their heterosexual peers.

“There are times in the cishet [someone who is both cisgender and heterosexual] world where there’s an idea that at some point you are grown up and you are done and you are finished, this is what you’re going to be for the rest of your life and that’s that,” Capetta said. “For me at least, and a lot of the queer people I know, I don’t think there’s quite as much expectation to be static — there’s a lot more interest in evolution and paying attention to how your life is changing and how you are changing along with it.”

In other words, we never stop growing and changing — and this is something that the queer community is actively aware of. McCarthy and Capetta along with many other queer authors are telling the stories of growth, evolution and of coming of age in as many ways as they can.

The more authors there are contributing their experiences through story, the more opportunity readers will have to find themselves in the pages of a book, and the more normalized these narratives will become.

“You can put yourself in anything,” McCarthy said. “I don’t identify as a girl, but I wrote Ari, our girl King Arthur. You can put yourself into a variety of characters and enjoy that space, because it gives you a chance to investigate who you are.”

FEATURE

South Florida Gave Steve Rothaus Front Row Seat to LGBT History, Stories / / Damon Scott

Rothaus at work in Wilton Manors interviewing then-Mayor Jim Stork at Stork’s Bakery. Photo courtesy of Steve Rothaus.

24 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

G

ay and civil rights circles across the globe are noting the 50th anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City this year. But there was another event in the heart of (then) Dade County, Steve Rothaus recalls, which also had a hugely profound effect on the LGBT community.

Rothaus remembers the time of Anita Bryant and her antigay rights crusade of the late 1970s. Bryant sought the repeal of a Dade ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“I believe that Dade County was really ground zero for the modern gay rights movement,” Rothaus said. “We all know Stonewall and mark that date, but there’s a difference to what happened in 1977 in Miami.”

Bryant’s campaign was based on conservative Christian beliefs about the “sinfulness of homosexuality” and the perceived threat of homosexuals “recruiting” children and being child molesters. She served as the catalyst for organized opposition to gay rights across the U.S. Bryant succeeded in her repeal effort, but it was overturned in 1998. Her successes motivated, and still do, those in favor of LGBT rights.

So it’s not that Rothaus thinks Stonewall is insignificant or that it’s a competition. He simply argues that at the time, Stonewall was known to a smaller segment of the national population, while what Bryant did reverberated far and wide in the mainstream.

“It was the first time people across the U.S. of all ages, ethnicities and different socioeconomic backgrounds were confronted with gay rights,” Rothaus said. “People started to think about all the protections LGBTQ people didn’t have. There was a discussion on a wider basis.”

Bryant’s crusade against gays was the top story on the nightly news. Walter Cronkite was talking about it; she was on the

cover of Newsweek.

“How many people in Kansas City were talking about Stonewall?

But they were talking about whether gays should be allowed to teach,” Rothaus said. “[Anti-feminist and Equal Rights Amendment foe] Phyllis Schlafly and all this came from Dade County in 1977.”

It’s the kind of gay rights macro view few have. But Rothaus knows it well from his years living in South Florida and from his work as a reporter at the Miami Herald.

Rothaus, 60, is in the midst of a retirement of sorts. He was one of more than 200 Herald employees who took an early buyout in February.

He’s lived in South Florida since 1974 and joined the Herald in 1985. He was chosen as the reporter for a newly formed LGBT beat in 1997, just a few months after Gianni Versace’s death in Miami Beach.

A look back Rothaus came to South Florida via New York as many did. His parents opened a monument company that produced and sold gravestones. They divorced in 1979, but his mother kept the business through the mid-1990s.

Rothaus arrived as a bright-eyed teenager who would go on to graduate from North Miami Beach Senior High School.

He’d later attend Miami-Dade College and then Florida International University where he earned his journalism degree.

“I was pretty much repressed, wasn’t out, didn’t date,” Rothaus recalls of those younger years.

Early in the Bryant era, he remembers walking door-to-door, handing out brochures against the repeal effort. He volunteered at the headquarters of the Dade County Coalition for Human Rights.

“I became involved, but I wasn’t out,” Rothaus said. “Certainly my

Continued on next page

Rothaus at an immigration swearing-in ceremony in 2015.

In 2014, he was the first openly gay guest speaker at such a ceremony. Photo courtesy of Steve Rothaus.

JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | THE

| 25

FEATURE

head was there. I knew it was important to me even though I wasn’t out.”

He would come out while at college.

Before the Herald, Rothaus worked in retail. He was a salesman at the first South Florida Macy’s at Aventura Mall.

“Suddenly I was in an environment where all the men were gay. It was the normal,” he said. “You’d go out after work and talk about all the men who went in and out of the store all day.”

He later managed the men’s department at the old Lord & Taylor.

It’s where he would meet his future husband Ric Katz.

Katz was a lobbyist in Tallahassee at the time and had taught journalism at FIU. It was an FIU professor and former editor of the Herald who told Rothaus about a job opening at the paper. It involved monitoring the police scanners and the hours were 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Ready to leave retail, Rothaus got the job and thus his foot in the door.

“I was very assertive and eager and ambitious. It was the golden age of journalism back then. Circulation was 650,000 on Sundays in a town of a little more than 1 million. The Herald had national standing. It was a great place to be,” he said.

Rothaus quickly emerged as one of the best reporters at a publication that was on fire.

AIDS and bar raids Rothaus covered all the small cities around Miami Beach and also wrote about police and transportation issues in Dade.

“I always said yes to every assignment. I chose stories I knew would do well,” Rothaus said.

Topics varied widely from the seemingly less significant (a new Publix opening or a neighborhood speed bump issue) to coverage of Official Miami-Dade College portrait when Rothaus was inducted into the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Photo by Cristian Lazzari.

“The community didn’t want these stories published...

But it’s my job. For every person who was upset and angry, someone would say thank you.” Steve Rothaus the AIDS epidemic in Key West.

Rothaus moved to Key West in 1988 and spent a year and a half there. He was fully out by then and stayed at the Lighthouse Court — at the time one of the best known gay guest houses.

He connected with the leaders of the Key West Business Guild and learned there was a gay bashing problem on the island.

“There were kids who lived in [the New Town area] who saw gay men as easy pickings — single gay men walking in the dark,” Rothaus said.

Rothaus wrote a story about it and the Guild was upset that it would hurt business. It wasn’t the first time Rothaus would butt heads with those who preferred not to see certain stories published.

Back in Dade he’d written about a police officer who was demoted because a male florist claimed they were in a relationship and had accused him of domestic violence.

“One of the cops took me aside and said he got demoted because he was in a relationship with this man,” Rothaus said.

And then there was the ongoing HIV crisis. Rothaus said that at the time Key West had the highest rate of AIDS per capita than anywhere else in the country. He wrote many stories about it.

“The community didn’t want these stories published. They thought people won’t want to come and swim in the pools,” Rothaus said. “But it’s my job. For every person who was upset and angry, someone would say thank you.”

Rothaus would later cover Broward County, the sheriff’s office and the Fort Lauderdale police. He would write about the biggest gay bar raids to take place in South Florida history — the 1991 raid of the old Copa in Fort Lauderdale and Club 21 in Pembroke Park.

“It was treated as a spectacle. But it was the end of that era and I covered it,” he said.

Rothaus said the stories he’s written about young people are among the most important he’s done.

“Writing about kids who are not old enough to support themselves who may live in homes and keep their [gay] lives secret from their families,” he said.

‘Equality Icon’ Rothaus broke barriers at the Herald as an LGBT issues reporter during a time in which the mainstream press didn’t believe it was an essential beat.

In the early 2000s he was on the board of the Association of LGBT Journalists (NLGJA) and got funding for a groundbreaking program that took him across the country to train newsrooms on best practices to cover gay issues.

He trained people in San Francisco, New York, Oklahoma City, Omaha — talked at schools and journalism programs, went on radio, and did TV. For those reasons and more, the LGBT rights organization SAVE gave Rothaus its “Equality Icon” award June 14 at its annual gala at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Rothaus said he’s humbled, but is also certain someone will pick up the mantle, even in an increasingly challenging industry.

26 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

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TRANS TALK

THE DIVERSITY OF THE

TRANS

COMMUNITY // Atticus Ranck

T

he typical transgender narrative is that you’ve known since age 4, you identify very strongly as male or female, and you’ve never wavered in that belief. The truth is that there are a lot of ways to be transgender and the typical narrative is not everyone’s story.

I didn’t know I was trans until about age 23. I was a tomboy growing up, then an athlete, and then a masculine lesbian, and finally came out as male. Since I came out at age 24 six years ago, I started Hormone Replacement Therapy, and have had two gender affirmation surgeries.

My wife is a trans woman. She was always feminine but gradually came out as female. In high school, she started using makeup, then started wearing feminine clothing. She came out as genderqueer right after high school and started wearing skirts and heels, until one day someone told her mom, “You have a very beautiful daughter.”

Her mom looked at her inquisitively through new eyes and said, “Yes, I do.” She started identifying as female at age 21, but she hasn’t had any sort of medical transition. She hasn’t had HRT or any surgeries, and at this point, doesn’t plan to. She’s no less female because she hasn’t medically transitioned.

My friend Corinne is a trans woman in her 50s. She knew she was female at a young age but didn’t have the resources to know she could transition. Instead she became more masculine in order to hide who she really was and so became a high-powered corporate executive. She married a woman and they had a child. When her son grew up and was out of the house she finally came out as female.

She’s now on HRT and has had electrolysis and may want surgeries in the future.

Me, my wife, and our friend are all transgender but we have incredibly different stories and different ways of emerging as our true selves. We need to get more transgender narratives into the mainstream 28 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

media so that people realize that not all stories are the same.

I facilitate a support group where I work for transmasculine people. In our last meeting we were talking about the typical transgender narrative and how dangerous it is to our identity.

Every person in that room didn’t feel “trans enough” despite the fact that they’re all trans. They all felt the pressure to express hyper masculinity in order to feel validated by society. One guy who has been on HRT for a few years and identifies as male says he wants to wear dresses again. And he can and he’s no less male for it because he identifies as male and there are a lot of ways to be a male. Every person in that room also had doubts about their male-ness or their masculinity and weren’t 100% sure of their male identity even when they started medically transitioning. We have such a narrow view of men and maleness and masculinity and the transgender narrative has only allowed room for one type of story that it throws doubt on everyone else’s story.

The trans community is as diverse as every other community.

We come from all different socio-economic backgrounds, all races and ethnicities, every culture, and every ability. And you are “trans enough” even if you aren’t 100 percent sure. You belong.

Atticus Ranck is the Health Programs & Supportive Services manager for Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA. Previously, he was the director of Transgender Services at SunServe in Wilton Manors. Atticus is a trans man who advocates for the LGBT community through his work, trainings, presentations, and everyday encounters.

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CRUISING INTO 2019:

CRUISE TRAVEL HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OF

/ / Aaron Drake Photos from Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines

O

ne of the best parts of being a travel writer is that there are always unexpected adventures waiting just around the corner.

My latest adventure found me in the Bahamas‌ swimming with pigs!

I took off on a last-minute two-night Bahamas Paradise Cruise to Grand Bahama Island. The cruise set sail from Port of Palm Beach overnight to the city of Freeport. Besides being a fun few days making friends with strangers, stuffing my face, soaking up the sun and having a little exotic adventure on the side, it was a perfectly timed trip that left me feeling refreshed.

32 | THE

| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

TRAVEL If you’ve never been on a cruise before, Bahamas Paradise Cruises is the perfect way to get your feet wet in the cruising lifestyle. Cruises set sail every day of the week so it’s easy to plan a last-minute trip like mine. You’ll quickly be immersed in all the cruise ship has to offer and it will feel like you’re on vacation in no time at all.

With prices starting at $139 per person, it’s affordable too. Here are a few lessons I learned from my recent cruise that will tell you what you need to know to get into the cruising mindset!

1. Make friends.

Though this wasn’t a gay cruise, there were many gay and lesbian couples that I encountered. Overall, cruising is a very welcoming atmosphere for everyone. There’s something about setting sail to such a beautiful destination that has people feeling happier and friendlier than usual. Say hello! Ask where they are from. One of the best experiences you’ll find for making new friends is dinnertime when you’re randomly seated with other ship mates to enjoy your meal together. From close friends traveling together to couples celebrating important milestones in their lives, you’ll see there are folks coming from all over the world.

2. Less is more.

I loved that as soon as I came aboard the Grand Celebration cruise ship, before we even left port, people were in vacation mode! There was a noticeable change in atmosphere just climbing aboard. Folks had stripped down to bathing suits and were quickly filling up the rooftop poolside deck chairs. Make no mistake, once you’re aboard, the vacation starts. You’ll lose cell phone reception after the ship leaves port, and why bother paying for Wi-Fi? It’s an excuse to unplug! Simplify your time on board.

Focus on the things that matter and the people you are with. Look forward to the incredible destination you’ll be visiting, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey along the way.

Continued on next page

JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | THE

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TRAVEL LEVART

3. Explore.

It might actually feel a bit overwhelming once you’re onboard a ship with nine passenger decks built to hold up to 1,900 passengers. With 750 staterooms and 450 ocean-view rooms, the Grand Celebration quickly lives up to its name. I stayed in an ocean-view room, which was surprisingly spacious with a comfy queen-size bed and attached bathroom. It was all the space I needed for the trip. Even with a beautiful water view though, I didn’t spend much time in my room with so much to do. No matter your desired activity, you’re sure to find something for you: visit Par-A-Dice Casino for gambling, stop by the Indulgence Spa for a relaxing massage, recline poolside, soak in the Jacuzzi, get your competition on playing games, or work out in the fitness center. You can also grab a seat in the Legends Grand Theater for one of the Vegas-style live performances, or stop at the top deck Plunge Bar for a frozen tropical cocktail with an ocean view. This was even a family friendly cruise with designated kid zones for those parents who need some relaxation. I remember noticing there were kids on the cruise throughout but they never bothered me.

4. Say yes!

Besides not hesitating to relax during your cruise, don’t be afraid to say yes to adventure. Once my friend Jorge and I arrived at the Port of Palm Beach and were completing the check-in process, which included getting a picture taken for the white key card that is your lifeline while you’re at sea, we made our first dinner reservation, purchased a drink package (which is recommended to save money on cocktails), and booked on-shore excursions for when the ship reached Grand Bahama Island. There was a bevvy of options including snorkeling, a Jeep adventure, shopping and a city tour. But what caught my eye was an experience I had heard others talk about, but never really thought I’d be in a position to do myself: swimming with pigs. The pictures looked like so much fun, I couldn’t pass it up.

It was about a 4-hour adventure where the small group was driven out to Crystal Beach once we disembarked. Along the way, our driver gave us a mini tour of the areas we were driving through, showing us the local community on the island. Once we arrived, we had time to relax on the beach and order cocktails and lunch at the beachside restaurant before we were led waist-deep into cool, crystal clear waters. Our tour guides gave us small skewers with pieces of apple to feed to the pigs. They were released and the fun began! The pigs were very friendly and loved the attention (and snacks, of course) while going for an afternoon swim with the group. It was an unusual activity for a tropical destination, but it ended up being the most fun activity during the trip!

It was the perfect, memorable weekend getaway. Cruise out to unwind and leave feeling refreshed, but with memories you’ll be talking about long afterwards.

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TV

The Oddity A new winner is crowned

The Mirror interviews Yvie Oddly / / Michael Cook

Y

vie Oddly may have snagged the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” this season on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but she has plenty more planned after getting the crown on Season 11.

Combining her own brand of tenacity, raw talent and uniqueness helped Oddly soar to the top of the competition with a couple stumbles and battles with her fellow competitors along the way. I grabbed some time with Yvie post-crowing to talk about what it’s like to have won the much sought after completion and what advice she has for future “Drag Race” competitors. Her final words about embracing your inner oddball are some of the most brilliant I have heard, and something we all can do a little bit more of.

Your entire “RuPaul’s Drag Race” ride is over and you came out on top with the title of "America’s Next Drag Superstar!” How does it feel to have won the competition?

Really heavy to start with (laughs)! It really is just so crazy. I am extremely pleased, I am still having to pinch myself and remind myself that it’s real, every now and then. I think it was a great season and I am personally thrilled with how it turned out!

You went into your season with some very high profile names in the world of drag artistry as competition. Did you look around the werk room and feel slightly intimidated or did you just concentrate on getting yourself to the finale?

It was definitely more about me staying focused.

Even though I know it now, I had no idea who half of the girls were, [or] what their accomplishments were.

I just said to myself, “I have to beat these boring queens” (laughs). After each challenge though, they showed just how much harder that was going to be than my preconceived notions!

How do you look back at the experience in terms of how it has changed your drag or you as a person?

Separate from winning, it is a nice reminder that even if you don’t feel people supporting you all of the time, there are people out there that love what you are doing and that need you to be making your art and making your voice heard. I personally don’t feel like internally, I went through that much of a journey; “Drag Race” aside, it was just learning how to play better with others, learning to be less aggressive, things like that.

You definitely were one of the most polarizing people on the show this season in terms of letting people know where they stood with both you and other cast members, and keeping them accountable for what they said and for their behavior. Think you will soften your delivery in the future?

I think that is important. I mean, you can’t let someone walk around with spinach in their teeth; if you don’t tell them that it’s there, they aren’t ever going to understand why people are making weird faces at them!

As for changing, it’s far too late to for me to change that now (laughs)! What I got to learn from that experience is how unwilling most people are to do the work that it takes to grow and change to be a better person. We all really badly want to, but at the end of the day you have to face your demons and not make any excuses if you want to get through them. As many fights as I got into, I think we got to see exactly how much work people in general all have to do when it comes to growing.

Where have you landed with your Season 11 sisters and your relationships post-season?

I am fantastic with everybody. There is literally no one that I don’t talk to, there is no one that I have any bad blood with. It is all pretty kosher for a bunch of queens that spent all season long fighting (laughs)!

Photo from Facebook.

JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | THE

| 39

TV

You are now one of very few people that have won the “Drag Race” crown. What advice do you have for girls that enter the completion after you?

Take big risks. Try hard, scare yourself, step out of your comfort zone and take the biggest risk possible. You have to do things that are going to shake the world up; drag is not safe and it shouldn’t be safe, it shouldn’t be predictable. If you feel like you are doing something that you have seen other people do or just because it has been the right answer for somebody, asseses whether or not it is the right answer or not for you.

Some of your music has been amazing so far.

You and Cazwell worked with Craig C on “Weirdo” and you and your Season 11 sister Honey Davenport teamed up on the raucous single “Stan For You.” Do you think we may get to see a full album or EP production from you?

You know, hopefully down the road, I would like to play with it more. I never thought that I would be getting into music, and I just released my single “Dollar Store.” That is just me dipping my toe in the pool and seeing if I liked the way it feels, but I had so much fun working on that and getting into that process, I am hungry to make more music. So hopefully, yes!

What is next for Yvie Oddly post-“Drag Race?”

It is unfortunately not that immediate, you just have to keep listening to the universe. What I do know is that my next general step is to just make art and keep pushing the boundaries of what people think drag is and can be, especially in the mainstream. There are plenty of queens out there like me, there are plenty of people out there like me who experience the things that I do and express the way that I do, they just don’t have the voice. I am going to keep expressing until they get it.

What gives you pride?

What gives me the most pride is just knowing how authentically I am living every day. I love waking up and feeling like I am myself in my own skin, whether or not if I like how it looks that day (laughs)! I like who I am as a person and where my moral compass had led me and I also like knowing that I am not alone in this world. That is what Pride is really for, to remind you that you do have a community that has all been there, we are all fighting these similar struggles, and that even if you do feel like an oddball, you are not the odd one out. There are others there and we are out loud and proud.

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Queer Miami Musician’s Solo Album Resonates Beyond Genre / / Damon Scott

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| JUNE - AUGUST 2019

J

ay Thomas just spent many months crafting his first solo album. He couldn’t be more excited and nervous about the music and its release.

Thomas is often identified with — and is a catalyst of — Miami’s queer punk scene and culture. His band, the trio Bluejay, is that and more as well.

Androgynous and gender fluid are good descriptions — but don’t be too quick to put everything in a category or a box. Thomas is more complicated than that.

Recently, SFGN caught up with him on the phone while he was drinking a Budweiser at a Miami park with friends.

It’s important to know a little bit about Thomas’ “performance family.” It includes younger sister Jojo Sunshine and boyfriend Oscar Quesada. There’s also cousin Ben Miller, aka: Wrekonize from the Miami hip-hop group ¡MAYDAY!.

Thomas began his music career in earnest at Florida State University with Quesada.

“At first we did not represent ourselves as queer artists, but it wasn’t because we were in the closet, there wasn’t a need. It wasn’t necessary,” Thomas said.

The two started playing music and it’s kept them together since.

“We have goals to complete musically. There’s a pretty strong bond,” Thomas said.

Thomas does vocals, plays guitar and hand drums. Quesada plays cello, keyboards and is singing now — an “honorary songwriter,” Thomas said.

They’ve been together long enough to be on a legacy couples float at Miami Beach Pride, Thomas said. The youthful looking Thomas won’t divulge his age.

In Tallahassee, Thomas and Quesada released Bluejay’s first album “Goblins” in 2010. Back in South Florida, the band would play at Miami’s III Points festival and Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival.

They also won “Best Band of 2015” from Miami New Times.

The recognition brought a certain amount of quick credibility.

Bluejay has recorded two albums and a live compilation.

Fast forward to 2019 and Thomas has released “Fantasma Tropical,” his first solo venture.

He’s excited to share the milestone with fans and supporters and anyone else who will take a listen.

“OK this album took forever so I cannot wait any longer to send it secretly to you!” Thomas said in a recent email. “If you're getting this, you are fam, friends, people I've shared a part of this musical life with, and the brilliant musicians I had the ecstasy of working with on this LP.” The album is no longer a secret. The first release is “Rocket Ship.” “‘Rocket Ship’ is really inspired by me and my sister,” Thomas said. The two are close in spirit and in proximity — she lives down the block.

“We still work on each other’s projects to some extent,” Thomas said. “Creatively we were an atom bomb.”

What’s “Rocket Ship” about?

“It’s really about watching ourselves be in these pathological arguments with people and having this god’s eye view of not wanting to be in that situation but wanting to have a way out,” he said. “‘Rocket Ship’ is just here, earth; when we’re arguing we’re a world away from what we’re fighting for.”

It’s got a distinct sound and vibe. Some say it’s hard to describe.

Moody. Nostalgic. Dreamy. Fantasy-like.

In other words: hard to put in a box. Thomas himself describes it as a little bit alternative and electronica.

‘Just what we do’ Thomas grew up in Miami as a youngster, but went to high school in Broward. It was then on to the aforementioned FSU where he earned creative writing and philosophy degrees. He’s long been a student of music and fashion.

Thomas is back in Miami now — in the heart of the city for the first time.

“It’s a new world. I’m used to the forest energy,” Thomas said.

“What’s happening in Rocket Ship is that Tallahassee forest-y kind of thing. But it’s changed into a tropical kind of thing.”

He said it was easy to be in a band in Tallahassee. There was a thriving punk scene there that also allowed for the folk music he and

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