The Mirror Vol1 Iss2

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 Spring 2012

LOOKING BACK:

STEVE WALKER LUMINOSITY: MARK HENDERSON’S VISION MATT FISH: NBA LEGEND, STRAIGHT ALLY

‘out’ inns: GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE SPECIAL section: PRIDE & FAITH DEBUNKING EX-GAYS: FIGHTING EXTREMISTS KATE CLINTON: THE COMEDIENNE AS ACTIVIST

STORYLINE ENTERTAINMENT’S NEIL MERON AND CRAIG ZADAN ILLUMINATE GAY LIVES

CONTENTS PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE PRIDE GUIDE 2012 PROFILES: craig zadan & neil meron Kate Clinton SEYMOUR LEMLER CUISINE: THE ART OF FOOD

ON THE COVER

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Steve Walker’s painting “Rejuvenation.”

Courtesy of Art Frenzie.

SPRING 2012 - Volume 1 - Issue 2

2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 PHONE: 954.530.4970 FAX: 954.530.7943 PUBLISHER

12 14 16 18

NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CREATIVE DIRECTOR ONLINE WEBSITE DIRECTOR OFFICE MANAGER

FITNESS: EXERCISE ON THE GO

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MOMBIAN: WHY SCHOOLS MUCH TEACH ABOUT LGBT FAMILIES

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TRAVEL: GUESTHOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

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GAY RIGHTS: NATIONAL CENTER FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS AT 35

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SPORTS: MATT FISH

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EDITORIAL

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EDITOR IN CHIEF NEWS EDITOR COPY DESK CHIEF TRAVEL EDITOR ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PRIDE & FAITH SECTION:

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JUSTIN RYAN SHAWN THOMAS EQUALITY RIDE WAYNE BESEN & JOHN BECKER LGBT JEWS GOD LOVES POETRY

George Dauphin Dennis Jozefowicz Brian Swinford Jason Parsley

BUSINESS EDITOR

Gideon Grudo Mike Anguille Joey Amato JW Arnold

JW@PRDCONLINE.COM

Richard Gary

SENIOR FEATURES CORRESPONDENTS

Tony Adams Jesse Monteagudo

CORRESPONDENTS

Donald Cavanaugh

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

HEALTH COLUMNIST

SALES SALES MANAGER

Wayne Besen Brian McNaught Victoria Michaels Leslie Robinson Dana Rudolph Peter Jackson John Fugate Mike Trottier

SALES ASSOCIATES

Edwin Neimann Justin Wyse

NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media

DISTRIBUTION MANAGERS PRINTING

COFFEE TABLE: EXPLORING MARK HENDERSON’S LUMINOSITY

Pier Angelo Guidugli

JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM

MARKETING DIRECTOR

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Norm Kent

JR Davis THE PRINTER’S PRINTER

THE MIRROR is a quarterly magazine published by South Florida Gay News, Inc. Our company is a member of the Associated Press.

The views and opinions expressed within this publication, in bylined columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers expressing them.They do notrepresent the opinions of THE MIRROR or the Publisher. They are included to promote free speech and diversity of thought. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in Imagine, and it would be careless to do so. For the sake of readable newswriting, the word “gay” in THE MIRROR should, when relevant, be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in THE MIRROR and on the web including articles used in conjunction with our contract with the Associated Press and our columnists, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper.

Thus, nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher of THE MIRROR, at his law office, Kent & Cormican, P.A., 110 Southeast 6th Street, Suite 1970, Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33301. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.

Copyright © 2012 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

Associated Press Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journa ists Association

2 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

“It’s great being gay.”

— Neil Meron, Storyline Entertainment

T

he Mirror is designed to be a reflection of our lives. This issue illuminates the breadth and diversity of our spectacular gay community.

The magazine begins with a cross section of LGBT pride events across the planet. These are more than parades and festivals and floats. They are communal affirmations that we are normal people leading normal lives, and very much comfortable with our identities and our passions.

We particularly celebrate in this issue the compelling art of the late Steve Walker, whose paintings captured the drama and dimension of homosexual life, sex and partnership. His vision was more than revealing. It demonstrated on canvas that intimacy is universal.

One of our features is also of the remarkable producing tandem of Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the ever so creative producers of Hollywood’s amazing Storyline Entertainment. They were the recipients of the Vito Russo Award from GLAAD this past March in New York City, appropriately recognizing their achievements for bringing gender awareness to mainstream entertainment.

Brooklyn-born Meron stated it best: “I love being gay. It’s great being gay.” For me, it was a special story to write. The talented and visionary Craig Zadan was an acquaintance, classmate and fellow writer at our Hofstra University student newspaper 40 years ago. Time and distance separated us, but now our histories and occupations briefly pull us together.

In fact, I realize that so much of the story that this magazine tells is our history. Peter Jackson is not just a ‘fitness columnist.’ He is a gentleman who spent 28 years in the newspaper industry as a journalist, editor ad director and newspaper owner. He moved to Fort Lauderdale to simplify his life and pursue another passion of his, health and nutrition full time.

The collage of guesthouses features a slew

4 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

By NORM KENT

of accommodations but digs deeper, and you realize many of these businesses were started by a wealth of LGBT businessmen who left careers in a variety of industries to start their lives over again and begin anew in the hospitality field.

Our special section on ‘Faith and Pride’ might also be testimony to the truth that we homosexuals are not quite as God-less a group as some still foolishly argue. In fact, the feature on ‘Truth Wins Out’ points out, once again, we need no Evangelical cures. We have no apologies for being who we are. We are proud and professional, just and caring, and a part of our community, not apart from it.

All our lives bring so much diversity to the table, and this magazine has attempted to shine a light on that breadth we sometimes, in our haste, overlook. We forget to stop for the sunshine.

While there is a coffee book feature titled Luminosity on our pages, you can also find in this issue stories on the National Center for Lesbian Rights and a profile of comedian Kate Clinton.

We even have a feature piece about the gay version of Shirley McClaine, a gentle soul who is convinced his departed lover has returned as a pigeon who visits him each afternoon on the very nude Haulover Beach. Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. It is gay life, and if some people like jelly on their belly, and it don’t hurt no one, who am I to question their view of spirituality, reincarnation, or hope?

In this issue of The Mirror, there is a little bit of a lot. Enjoy it at your leisure, whether you are reading it in South Florida, on South Beach or on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. We are doing our part to get it out there. When you come to South Florida though, and you certainly should, as we are an epicenter of gay life, we would be so grateful if you could support those businesses that have sponsored us with their advertisements.

In the 1950’s there was a police drama on television, where the narrator’s epilogue ended the show with the words “There are 8 million stories in the ‘Naked City.’ This has been one of them.” The stories don’t have to have sad endings, though.

Mom used to say, “as long as you can open your eyes, there is beauty to see in this world.”

There are more than 8 million gay stories in our lives to still tell; our small magazine captures just a few of them. But you, today or tomorrow, as long as you have a breath in your body, can find one of them to make your own.

It’s great being gay.

I think Meron has something there.

International pride guide 2012 If your local PrideFest just isn’t enough check out some of these extraordinary events from Black Pride in Washington D.C. to World Pride hosted in London this year.This guide will help you journey through multiple festivals all over the world. Many of them featured here are still being planned and details are subject to change so make sure you visit their web pages for up to date information.

May 7-14 Maspalomas Gay Pride has become the second largest gay event of Spain (after the one in Madrid), and will be held on May 7 - 14. For a week, different cultural and political activities and drag shows are held on the island. One of the highlights is the main parade on Saturday, which will take thousands of gay men and women trough the streets of Playa del Ingles to the Yumbo Center. At the main square of the Yumbo Center there is a big stage, with big shows, acts and an outside dance party.

Every day the party continues in the many gay bars and clubs in the Yumbo Centrum.

june 7-11

Belgian Gay & Lesbian Pride Sao Paulo Brazil Gay Pride This gay and lesbian Pride event takes place in Brussels, and has been going on since 1996. The PrideFest date for this event is undetermined at this time, but it is likely to take place in early May. The Belgian gay Pride parade will kick off on Anspach Blvd., and go through Bourse and circle through the neighborhood. Many of the local bars like L’Homo Erectus, and Telsquels will be throwing special events for PrideFest.

Visit http://bit.ly/Ajg2H1

Tel Aviv Gay Pride flickr / Elvert Xavier Barnes Photography

May 12 Northampton Pride

Visit Nohopride.org

May 12-14 Charleston, SC Gay Pride

Be gay and proud at the 2nd annual Charleston, SC Gay Pride May 12 to May 14. Organizers created a terrific event last year, and is hoped to double in attendance this year. The Charleston gay Pride parade will pass along East Montague Ave, and is followed by a Pride rally at the Riverfront Park. For more information on SC gay Pride check out Q notes the local gay paper.

May Washington DC Black Pride

DC Black Pride is the largest African-American Pride event that takes place in the U.S. DC Black Pride will take place in late May. Many of the key events will take place at the host hotel, which is the Hamilton Crowne Plaza. Black Pride will have several men’s and women’s events and parties, including a Retro Dance, Fashion Show and also the DC Black Pride Film Festival. During Black Pride a lot of gay bars will be having special events in their bars like The DC Eagle and The Banana Café near Capitol Hill.

Cologne Fetish Pride

The Cologne Fetish Pride has become one of the main events in Europe for the leather, rubber, skinhead and fetish lovers, this five day event sees lots of parties in all the bars and clubs. This amazing Pride will take place from May 24 to 28. Most of the gay bars and clubs are in Altstadt, the old town and is also where you will find the best shopping streets. There are a lot of hotels to choose from in the area from hostels to five stars, so something for every pocket, we have found three hotels that we think offer good value for money and are exactly where you need to be for the night life.

Visit rheinfetisch.de

6 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

It is a well-known fact that Tel Aviv has become one of the main gay metropolitans of the world.

Some even say that in certain aspects (probably the craziness and loudness), Tel Aviv is even a competitor to cities like Berlin or New York. Tel Aviv’s gay Pride will be held on June 8. This year the parade will start from Gan Meir, where a brand new and one of a kind center for the gay community of TLV was recently open. The gathering at the center will include lots of very loud music, some activity booths and even a performance by the official youth gay band of TLV. The actual parade will begin with a kick off from Ron Huldai’s who is the mayor of TLV. The parade will continue into Bugrashov St., turn E to Ben Yehuda St. from there, then turn to Ben Gurion Blvd. and straight to Gordon beach, where the insanity will then take over.

Visit Goisrael.about.com/od/GayIsrael/a/Tel-Aviv-Gay-Pride-2012.htm

Visit DCblackpride.org

june 2

Visit Charlestonpridefestival.org

May 24-28

Visit Gaypridebrazil.org/sao-paulo

june 8

Visit http://gay-grancanaria.com/

Northampton Pride takes place May 12, at the Tri County Fairgrounds. This PrideFest will have an up roaring Pride parade with more than 100 contingents. The parade will go along Main Street and will end at 12:45 at the very popular gay Thornes Market Mall on Main Street. At the end of the parade will be a Pride rally lasting until 5 p.m. This will all be taking place just minutes from the elegant shops and restaurants of downtown Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts.

The Sao Paulo Gay Pride or Parada do Orgulho Gay GLBT de Sao Paulo, in Portuguese, has grown from 2,000 participants in 1997 to 4 million people in its last edition. They made it to the Guinness Book in 2006 for the world’s biggest Gay Pride celebration.

4,5 million people are expected for 2012. “Love one Another. Enough with Homophobia” was the 2011 theme. I can’t wait to see what this year’s theme will be. Festival will take place June 7-11.

flickr /Dysonstarr

Gay Pride Maspalomas

May

Athens Pride 2012

Athens Pride is unlike any other in many ways.

One example: For the past three years an auction named “Artists for Athens Pride” has provided most of the funding for Athens Pride, enabling it to produce free public cultural and political events that are enjoyed by thousands. This extraordinary display of sensitivity and conscience on the part of artists in Greece and abroad has made Athens Pride unique, as the only Pride in the world to be primarily supported by the visual arts community!

The capital city of Greece, Athens has become increasingly more pronounced and renowned as a gay destination in recent years. This culturally rich, historically iconic city of 750,000 celebrates a vibrant Athens gay Pride celebration in early June. The date this year is likely to be June 2.

Visit Athenspride.com

june 13-19 Pride New Orleans Celebration

New Orleans Pride will be holding the Pride celebration on June 13-19. This event will have a little bit of something for everyone. New Orleans Pride embraces the message in their mission to celebrate and promote the history, diversity, and future prosperity of not only the New Orleans LGBT community, but the New Orleans community as a whole. Pride New Orleans is using public awareness of and education about the LGBT community as a way to combat “phobias” and discrimination. This year Pride New Orleans is creating ways to increase the interactions between the LGBT and the heterosexual communities.

Visit Gayprideneworleans.com

compiled by brian Swinford

june 15-17

june 24

Portland Gay Pride

Portland Pride Parade & Festival is held June 15-17 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Pride Northwest is made up of a dynamic group of individuals from many different backgrounds who are dedicated to providing a venue for the queer community to gather and celebrate. The mission of Pride Northwest, Inc. is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the LGBT and queer communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments and talents of these communities.

flickr / christyfrink

Visit Pridenw.org

june 15-17 Nashville Pride

Stonewall Street Festival Cork Gay Pride (Ireland) The Stonewall Street Festival will have its Thirteenth Annual Parade in Wilton Manors June 24 of this year. There will also be three stages set up for entertainment; numerous venders will be handing out information and promotional items from their establishments.

Visit StonewallSummerPride.com

june 29-july 1 For the fourth year running, Barcelona is well into the preparations to welcome you to the most important LGBT PrideFest in the Mediterranean – Pride Barcelona’12. The main celebrations will be on the weekend of the 29 and 30 of June and July 1, but the entire festival includes a program that runs from the 22 of June to July 1! Pride Barcelona is a major free not-forprofit event that both celebrates the best of the Catalan capital, but also promotes inclusion and visibility in the major Catalan towns and cities.

The Michigan PrideFest takes place June 15 and runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday in Lansing’s Burchard Park in Old Town, at 220 East Maple Street. The gathering features vendors and booths, food stations, an open-air bar, and performances by a number of musicians and bands - this year the entertainment lineup includes En Vogue’s Dawn Robinson as well as Sista Otis, Melissa Totten as Madonna, Sean Ensign, BabyGaga, and many others. At 11 a.m., the Michigan Pride March proceeds down Grand Avenue at just below Saginaw Street to the Michigan State Capitol grounds, where the Michigan Pride Rally then kicks off at noon on the capitol grounds.

Visit Michiganpride.org

june 23-july 8 World Pride 2012

This year London will be the host of World Pride. World pride will be held in the capital during the summer of 2012. The festival will take place over two weeks from June 23 to July 8. This year World Pride is expected to bring in more than a million people. The main parade for World Pride will be held July 7.

Visit Interpride.org/world-pride

August 3-5 Pahrump Gay Pride

Visit http://www.pridebarcelona.org/en/

Pahrump is a community 60 miles west of Las Vegas known for its retirees and horse lovers.

Last year’s Pahrump Pride, the first ever, was so successful they decided to do it all over again. The 2012 Pahrump Pride is August 3-5. Pahrump pride will be hosted by Saddle West Hotel & Casino.

Don’t miss this community event will not be one to miss.

Visit http://bit.ly/JYbZCC

flickr / touristiquementgay

october 1-7

Visit Nashvillepride.org

Michigan Pride

Ever since homosexuality was decriminalized in 1993 Gay pride has taken over Ireland’s second largest city, Cork which lays at the southern tip of Ireland. This event will take place in June. This year as well as the floats from the commercial venues there will be a community float, which will highlight the various LGBT groups in the city. Everyone from demented drag queens to the ordinary ‘queer in the street’ will be there. This gay pride event will have your penis Dublin.

Visit Corkpride.com

Gay Pride Barcelona

Nashville Gay Pride takes place on June 15-17 at Riverfront Park. The purpose of the Nashville Pride is to maintain a sense of community and awareness about LGBT people and culture throughout middle Tennessee. Party like a rock star in the Reverb Room at the Hard Rock Café, and don’t miss walking the red carpet and catching all the musical surprises we have in store. We will also be presenting the annual Pride Awards.

june 15

june

june 30 Paris Gay Pride 2012

The romantic, enchanting city of Paris celebrates gay Pride, called Marche des Fiertes LGBT, on June 30 with a massive parade that draws more than 500,000 spectators and participants as well as a series of parties, balls and other lively events. Related Pride Activities includes parties at a variety of clubs throughout the city. Numerous gay clubs, hotels, pubs, and restaurants will also be holding events and offering special promotions during Paris’ gay Pride, especially the city’s tres gay Marais District.

Visit Gaytravel4u.com/2012/01/27/ gay-pride-paris-june-30-france.

june 30 St. Pete Pride

This year, St. Pete Pride celebrates Carnivale, 10 Years of Pride in Passion.With an estimated attendance of 90,000 - 100,000 people, the Tenth Annual St. Pete Pride Street Festival & Promenade is the Largest LGBT Pride Celebration in Florida. For the last forty years, the last weekend of June has marked an important history for the LGBT community.

Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets every year to celebrate our right to express sexual orientation and gender identity in a safe and accepting environment. Festival will take place June 30.

InterPride 2012

InterPride 2012 Boston is the Annual World Conference and Annual General Meeting of InterPride and will be held October 1-7. In 2012, InterPride celebrates its 30th Anniversary and returns to Boston, where it all started. There will be InterPride members, pride organizers, members of pride organizations, LGBT activists, event planners, community leaders, members of student or corporate diversity committees, corporations and public agencies wishing to engage with the LGBT community. This Pride event will help learn about event planning and best practices, to network with fellow organizers, to find solutions to improve and enhance pride and community events, to educate and energize our communities.

Visit Interpride2012.org/registration

october 13-14 Atlanta Pride

Atlanta Pride will be at beautiful Piedmont Park October 13-14. The host hotel for this amazing event will be The W Atlanta Midtown. Book your stay with W Atlanta – Midtown, an official sponsor of Atlanta Pride, and enjoy special Pride weekend rates from $145 per night. This year the Atlanta Dyke March falls on October 13 and begins at 5:45pm. The Dyke March, with its focus on women, unites to create an atmosphere of inclusion and community. The march is open to all women loving women (trans-inclusive) of any race, culture, orientation, ability, health, socioeconomic level, family structure, faith or age!

Visit Atlantapride.org

Visit Stpetepride.com SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 7

COVER FEATURE

By Debbie Burke, Art Frenzie

STEVE WALKER: LOOKING BACK

Steve Walker’s painting “Rest on the Flight to Fort Lauderdale,” which famously features the “Wave Wall” at Fort Lauderdale Beach.

(Courtesy of Art Frenzie.)

8 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

I

t still seems very surreal to me and it is with great sadness and regret to write about the sudden passing of my friend and internationally acclaimed artist steve walker at the age of 50 on january 4, 2012. We here at art frenzie in wilton manors, fla. Are mourning his loss along with his family, other friends and the international art world.

Steve Walker shown above in front of one of his paintings.

(Courtesy of Lyman-Eyer Gallery / www.lymaneyerart.com) Right: “Funny Boy2” —The artist as a young man watching Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (Courtesy of Art Frenzie)

We first met Steve in 1997 when we had a problem getting a shipment of his work from his distributor. Their lateness, which screwed up Christmas orders for our clients, prompted us to contact him directly. That initial contact blossomed into not only a wonderful friendship, but also a great business relationship with us becoming his Southeastern distributor… which, by the way has been imitated but will never be duplicated. We invited him to come down to do exhibitions with us when we had our first gallery in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors.

The first time he came down here it was unannounced. He surprised us and we introduced his work to Wilton Manors and South Florida, which of course was, and still is, greeted with an awesome response.

We had the pleasure of his visits every two to three years since that first one for signing events. We were always joined at the hip during his stays and would book him for as many exhibitions as time allowed. His work has appeared at such places as Georgie’s Alibi, Cathode Ray, AnyWayz and many private showings. We even took him up to St. Pete Alibi so we could share his work up there. He loved our community.

We always had a great time meeting and greeting fans of his work, and introducing many others to his work.

We would get together every afternoon during his visits and stay together through the exhibitions. We’d hang out until the wee hours sharing lots of laughs and solving all the world’s problems. While visiting he always found his solitary time to explore Fort Lauderdale to get more ideas for future paintings. Steve was a news fanatic and CNN would keep him keenly aware of world events, as he would work on his paintings. He was kind of shy in his own way. He was quiet, introspective and

reflective, which always spoke volumes in his paintings. He’d always say, “There’s so much strength in silence.”

He taught himself to paint after the AIDS epidemic and always hoped that his work would enlighten people. He taught himself to paint and regularly used the themes of love, light, loss, touching, watching, thinking, yearning, reflecting and fearing.

“I paint about life, mine and yours,” he always said. His brilliance and insight was absolutely incredible.

I must say: he’s one of the most talented and visionary artists I ever met in 23 years of being in this business. It was always like Christmas getting the shipments of the new originals he would create for each show. Just seeing the new concepts was very exciting and amazing. Every image tells a myriad of stories and evokes a great variety of emotions in people viewing them.

He always said, “I hope that in its silence,

the body of my work has given a voice to my life and lives of others, and in doing so gives dignity to all the people I paint about.”

We always sold out of his originals every time along with hundreds of reproductions on canvas and print. It was difficult for him to keep up with the demand for originals at the various galleries around the world.

Steve was very profound beyond his years. He was always making notes and sketches of conceptual thoughts for fear that he might forget them. Favorite songs, phrases, movies, celebrities and the great masters he got to see in his travels through Europe influenced his work.

Just the titles he would come up with are part of the works of art themselves.

He never liked painting faces much. We stayed up all night while he continuously kept signing prints I was feeding him, talk-

continued on page 11 “Guesthouse” (Courtesy of Art Frenzie)

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 9

STEVE WALKER in his own words

By GEORGE DAUPHIN, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

S

teve Walker’s paintings can be described as pensive, quiet, emotional, haunting, empathetic and knowing. The men who inhabit these paintings tell a story that is at once very personal, yet seemingly familiar to all gay men. Walker himself saw his work as having a universal message. He once said, “As a homosexual, I have been moved, educated and inspired by works that deal with a heterosexual context. Why would I assume that a heterosexual would be incapable of appreciating work that speaks to common themes in life, as seen through my eyes as a gay man?”

Left: “Lost at Sea” Of this painting, Walker said, “…in the painting is my last true love, Turker... who died at the age of 29.... I think of him every day. Ten years later, the sadness is still overwhelming.”

The painting is typical of Steve Walker’s style: often showing men looking into the distance, with their back to the viewer. In viewing these paintings, it’s as if we recognize a “knowing moment” in our own relationships; things understood but left unsaid.

“Maybe, just maybe, I could help find a cure for the hatred, fear, and ignorance that surrounded so many young men around the world as they lay in hospital beds and drew the last breaths of unfinished lives.”

“My paintings contain as many questions as answers. I hope that in its silence, the body of my work has given a voice to my life, the lives of others, and in doing so, the dignity of all people.”

— Steve Walker

Right: “David and Me” (Courtesy of ScottBlog” Mostly self-taught, Walker became an painter after a trip to Europe, where he became inspired by the works of the great masters of art.

10 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

COVER FEATURE

“A Place in the Sun”

continued from page 9 ing about Barbara Streisand and his fear of not being able to paint her. Not long after that trip he called me to say, “I did it!!” He had painted an absolutely stunning rendering of a self-portrait of himself as a young man watching Funny Girl, titled Funny Boy. How many of us remember the feeling of watching that for the first time? He never did sell that original.

We had a lot of great times together. He had a hysterically dry sense of humor. We would always find time during his visits to go somewhere and sing karaoke for him. He loved anything my business partner Bernadette would sing for him. I of course always had to sing “My Man” for him.

Many have compared his work to the likes of Hopper’s realism. I believe his unique style has made him comparable to the Norman Rockwell of our society.

His artwork has also been used on over 20 books worldwide and his works have made their mark all over the world and has received international acclaim.

I would just like to say bravo to our beloved friend Steve Walker.

You really have left a legacy behind in your paintings. We are very proud to have his entire collection of reproductions for viewing and for purchase on our Facebook Page and in the gallery, while our website is currently under reconstruction.

We also carry an extensive collection of Steve’s works at Art Frenzie, 2055 Wilton Drive, in Wilton Manors, FL. To our most loveable, pragmatic and sensitive friend Steve, you will

be sorely missed here, your beautiful smile, your quick wit and one of a kind charm, simply put — your sheer brilliance. I know you are with the angels now, yet, you have gone way too soon. Rest in peace my friend. From all your friends here at Art Frenzie and in South Florida.

We are also planning a local memorial tribute to celebrate Steve’s life here locally, date and location to be announced shortly. Please call 954-560-3684 or write artfrenzie@ gmail.com.

A CELEBRATION OF FRIENDS K BOOW NO UR JUNE 21-24, 2012 ON O TE! I WEBS

HOST HOTEL: HILTON FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 11

PROFILE

By NORM KENT

PHOTO OF craig zadan (L) and neil meron (R)

Gay Producers Win GLAAD Award for Promoting LGBT Life Storyline Entertainment Affirms and Illuminates Gay Lives

C

raig Zadan and Neil Meron are the producers of critically acclaimed and award-winning feature films, television movies, series and Broadway productions.

Both are out gay men, whose prolific and outstanding work was honored with the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Media celebration in New York City this past March.

The Vito Russo Award is named in honor of the celebrated activist, historian and writer, who was also a founding member of GLAAD. Russo is best remembered as the author of the book, The Celluloid Closet. The award is presented annually to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community.

For Zadan, who worked with and admired Russo, the award was more than just a trophy for his office. “Getting an award named after someone you tremendously admired has a very special, treasured, personal meaning,” he told The Mirror. “Vito Russo was my closest friend growing up in New York. He was my hero.”

Zadan and Meron were presented with the award by entertainer John Stamos, who remarked, “I’m a better person because of the wonderfully artistic, smart, imaginative, vibrant and expressive people I’ve worked with from this community, like my friends Neil and Craig.”

Noting that Storyline cast Stamos, a straight man, in gay roles, he remarked that Zadan and Meron were “ahead of the curve” positioning gay issues in the entertainment world.

Referencing a gay character he played in Wedding Wars, Stamos noted that “When you find yourself living in a character everyday in a world of bigotry and mindlessness, even in a movie, you get how important it is and how fundamentally vital it is for gay men and lesbians to have the freedom to share the commitment of marriage.”

Stamos affectionately called Meron his “wingman” who he ‘hangs with’ when he can’t get dates with women. Meron replied though that it was terrible going out with Stamos, “because everyone thinks I am straight. I can never get a male date.”

Meron went on to say something more significant. He told the GLAAD audience “I love being gay. I think it is part of who I am and it is really great to be gay.”

12 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

The Zadan/Meron partnership is not already without accolades. All totaled, their films and television movies have garnered six Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, 11 Emmy Awards and two Peabodys.

For their work in television, their movies have amassed 69 Emmy nominations. Their work in theater has received 12 Tony nominations, including two wins. Their work has also received seven Grammy nominations, including one win.

The GLAAD honor, however, acknowledges the duo’s dynamic and vital outreach to the LGBT community. The two men brought to the small screen the fact-based Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, a landmark movie about the DADT discharge of a distinguished lesbian soldier, which won three Emmys and the prestigious Peabody Award for Outstanding Achievement in Broadcasting.

Their feature films include the Academy Award winner for best picture, Chicago, the equality-themed musical Hairspray and the hit remake of Footloose. Presently the two men are co-producers of NBC’s acclaimed musical drama Smash and the Lifetime comedy Drop Dead Diva.

Each of their projects are cutting edge and define new ground. As an example, Zadan is tremendously enthusiastic about Storyline Entertainment’s latest venture, an all AfricanAmerican production of Steel Magnolias.

Already respected names on Broadway, Zadan and Meron have also produced the Tony Award-

nominated revival of Promises, Promises, and the hit 50th anniversary production of ‘How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying,’a musical which has a special place in each of their hearts.

‘How to Succeed’ was the first Broadway musical either of them ever saw as children, though it was at separate times and before they knew each other. Their parents brought them to the show as kids and now the duo has brought the storyline to life as adults.

Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who stars in ‘How to Succeed’ points out that Zadan and Meron have pioneered new frontiers with their work, “bringing gender awareness and acceptance to mainstream entertainment. They are a remarkably passionate team well deserving of their honors.”

Zadan and Meron have also produced the lesbian-themed custody drama What Makes A Family, and Wedding Wars, which starred Stamos. For both of them, though, their favorite show may be Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, which starred Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard. It was a critical and ratings success, that received 13 Emmy nominations, but more importantly, was an individual treasure for each of the producers.

“Through many of their projects, Zadan and Meron have been trailblazers in telling the stories of the LGBT community,” the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) stated in presenting them with their award.

Born in Miami, Zadan was only 2 years old

PHOTO of Daniel Radcliffe and cast of How to succeed... by the hartman group when his family relocated to New York City. Pursuing a love of theater he wound up attending Hofstra University in Hempstead, on Long Island. Zadan studied in its heralded drama department, which features such distinguished alums as Francis Ford Coppola, Christopher Walken and Madeline Kahn. Zadan is not one of them.

“I left school early when I had a rare chance to work on After Dark magazine in Manhattan,” he said. “The doors to the New York theatrical community were opened to me as an entertainment editor for the university newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle.

That experience changed my life. My position brought me into contact with agents and Broadway professionals, giving me a unique opportunity to pursue a career I loved.

I never looked back at leaving school early,” he joked, adding, “but maybe my parents did.”

At the time, in the 1970’s, After Dark Magazine was on everyone’s desk, straight or gay. It was the go-to guide for adult entertainment in the New York theatrical community, enhanced with a homoerotic flare. The environment also allowed Zadan to comfortably settle into his sexuality.

“It is so important to be honest with who you are; to be yourself.

When you are open and honest with yourself, it is easier to progress,” he told The Mirror.

Today, Zadan looks forward to telling the story of Constance McMillen -- the Mississippi teenager who, in 2010, told her story of being bullied in school and then denied the right to bring a lesbian partner to her high school prom.

“Bullying is horrible, sad and tragic, but this will be a feel good story,” Zadan promises, “as this one does not end with a suicide and a funeral but the young girl winning a college scholarship, appearing on

the Ellen show, and going to the White House.”

Zadan say the message for young children today is that “You don’t have to give up, you don’t have to lose.”

In Manhattan in the 1970’s, Zadan wrote prolifically, meeting marvelously talented people in the theatrical field, publishing features in New York Magazine. It culminated when he authored a book about the backgrounds of musicals of composer Stephen Sondheim. Meron, himself from Brooklyn, invited Zadan to lecture at Brooklyn College, where the two met, forging a business and professional partnership, commenc-

New York Musical Theater Festival Gala, Zadan and Meron recalled their early days in Hollywood, “We went to Hollywood to do movie musicals and every studio threw us out, literally threw us out. Well, first, they laughed at us, and then they threw us out. But we kept going back and back, and I think we just wore them down; and eventually got a foothold on television musicals. At the time, everyone just thought the idea was passe’.”

Zadan says the production of Chicago opened the floodgates for his company, Storyline Entertainment. It was the first musical to

ing in 1976, with Meron’s graduation.

At the GLAAD awards, Meron thanked Zadan for standing behind him when he was the “nerdy Brooklyn college kid wanting to go into show business.”

Together for over 35 years now, they first worked for Joseph Papp at the Public Theater before heading to California in the early 1980’s.

“We owe so much to Joe Papp, he not only introduced us to a spectacular cast of talented actors, but taught us so much about acting, directing, and personal interactions with people in the theater,” Zadan remarked. But the journey to make movie musicals was not quickly rewarded.

Interviewed by entertainment reporter Richard Ridge last fall at the

win an Oscar in 34 years, and it further credentialed the Zadan/ Meron team as a creative duo, paving new ground while affiliating with the best talent possible.

Now producing the hit show Smash, a project which started with a phone call from Steven Spielberg, the duo has met with fortune and fame, but more importantly, an emotionally fulfilling career.

Says Zadan, who shares his personal life with his partner of 16 years, Elwood Hopkins, “I am proud of what we do, and grateful that we get to do what we want to do. And we have had the good fortune to work with marvelous people and live spirited lives. We are lucky guys to be working on a job that we love.”

“If I have any regrets, and had to do it all over again, I would have directed more as well as produced.

Even when I produce, I feel like I am co-directing, as I try to be involved in every aspect of the project. I would have done more of that, but we were just too busy.” He could put that on his bucket list.

By the way, there was no such thing as a ‘Bucket List’ until Zadan and Meron produced the Warner Bros. film with that name. Directed

by Rob Reiner, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the box office hit eventually grossed $175 million worldwide.

For decades, Storyline has made more than musicals, but created art that has addressed social and political issues with life-affirming LGBT stories. “It has not always been easy,” Zadan recalled, reflecting on how GLAAD stood by him when he was subject to wholesale criticism for the production of The Reagans, which exposed how the White House ignored the then-emerging AIDS crisis.

No, Craig Zadan never got that college degree from Hofstra University, but it might be wise, 40 years later, for someone from their Drama department to look up and see what one of their own has achieved.

Publisher’s Note: All this time, I have followed and admired from afar the career of my fellow classmate and co-writer at the Hofstra Chronicle, proud of my own degree from the distinguished university on suburban Long Island.

It is probably time my alma mater, which to their credit underwrites an LGBT fellowship, considers awarding an honorary degree to one very worthy classmate, whose career and contributions in entertainment, from the small screen to live theater, has enriched LGBT lives tremendously.- Norm

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 13

PROFILE

By Gideon Grudo

PHOTO OF KATE CLINTON BY David Rodgers

Kate Clinton, Before She Was Kate Clinton

T

oday Kate Clinton is a national celebrity, emcees events all over the map and is beloved by all who meet her. Here’s a look at the famous LGBT activist and comedienne before she became a sensation.

She had to visit the Apple store to fix something on her phone a while back. There, in front of everyone, she was pressing her finger on a screen, sliding it to the end, raising it and repeating. She was scrolling through the years, trying to reach the year she was born. She finds it embarrassing, but it’s hard to tell by her looks and disposition that Kate Clinton was born in 1947.

It was in Buffalo, New York, a time and a place, which doesn’t

14 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

exist anymore. Not for the LGBT community, not for anyone. Clinton was born to an Irish Catholic family, the middle child of five, with two older brothers, a younger sister and brother. Her father worked at a power company, data processing on computers that back then filled up entire rooms. Her mother, in a foreshadowing of Clinton’s future, was an elementary school teacher, but gave it up to be a mother. In lieu of raising five children, Clinton’s mother was an active member in the community and the local church.

The Clinton family lived in a small village right outside of Buffalo.

“You could ride your bike, meet your friends, play all day,” Clinton said. “It was very white,

very Catholic. I never encountered any different ethnicities or different foods in my childhood.”

Clinton is known by friends to be grounded and sensible, and at the same time strong. The former, she said she got from her father.

“When I told him I was performing, he was mortified. He couldn’t imagine walking up to a microphone and talking without having to,” Clinton said.

Unlike herself her father was a reserved man. “He loved my mother.

He didn’t drink. He didn’t smoke.

He was really rock steady.”

The latter — being strong — Clinton said she got from her mother.

“Although she wouldn’t say it, she was an early feminist. She was a strong woman. She was always writing letters to editors,” Clinton said. “She was always very proud of me, and what I did — both when I was a teacher and when I traveled.”

Clinton realized she was different as early as her adolescence. But she said that, at the time, there were no words to describe the kinds of feelings she had. She maintains, however, that even though kids today have the language and the exposure to LGBT issues, it’s still hard to come out and face society. She kept her identity hidden for a long time.

“I was really different. I knew that I loved my girlfriend. But there was no language — at the time, there was no overt language against or pro-homosexuality,” she said.

“In this really lovely childhood, I was already feeling that I had a secret. That I was being loved by my parents unconditionally, but thought that if they knew this, they wouldn’t love me — it was the classic story of a gay child.”

Regardless of this, Clinton still

had her eye on women and girls at an early age. One of her first crushes was Mrs. Hartigan, the next-door neighbor and a friend’s mother.

“At the time, most of the kids were worried about ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ but I was worried about ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,’” Clinton said. ”When I look back on my childhood delineations — I just thought she was so glamorous.”

Clinton went to a Catholic high school in Syracuse, where by that time the family had moved.

She would become prom queen, crowned homecoming queen, played on the basketball team, was involved in pep rallies and in the Catholic Youth Organization, and enjoyed studying.

“Honey, if you’re an early lesbian, you’re a total people pleaser,” she said.

Clinton had two boyfriends throughout high school. One was a “wonderful, kooky, guy who was very, very smart.” The other boyfriend came from a family of seven and was also very nice, she said.

“We didn’t drink or smoke or anything like that,” Clinton said of both her athletic boyfriends. She said both relationships involved some kissing, but it never went further. “It was never a struggle — it was very Catholic. Like my mother said to me: Sex is messy, save it for

a lot — instead of each other, we someone you love.” ate peach pie.” The lines between Clinton wouldn’t come out until poetry, the artistry that pulled her after college, during which she also into accepting herself, and comedy had a few relationships with boys began to blur, Clinton finding that that never materialized into anythey complemented each other. thing. All the while, throughout high The next step in her process school and college, she would have involved informing her family of her eyes on girls, always keeping her newfound self, a feat easier her thoughts to herself, trying to said than done. undo some invisible wrong that she “I never came out to my mother didn’t want to accept. because she was debilitated with These desires, both for women Parkinson’s. She was physically unand of keeping herself hidden, are able to do it,” Clinton said, musing hard to remember for Clinton. Not that that may just be a rationalizabecause the memories slip away, tion. “By the time I felt strong but because she’s blacked out some enough to have that conversation of them, in what she calls emotional with her, it would have been cruel. blackouts. So what she really wantI came out to my father after I ed remained unfulfilled, unrequited. got sober — part of sobriety says It remained as “just sadness,” Clinyou’re as sick as your secrets — I ton knowing she couldn’t do it and had to be clear with him. I had not it couldn’t happen — thinking she’d said the word. He knew I was an end up an “old, lonely woman.” entertainer and involved with the Clinton got her degree in educafeminist movement tion, and would end — he said he knew up teaching high “At the time, most I was a liberal, but school English for of the kids were not that I was a eight years in two worried about lesbian.” different schools.

Her siblings’ reacThe light at the end ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ tions were mixed. of the tunnel came but I was worried when feminism about ‘Thou shalt Her oldest brother wasn’t happy — he emboldened lesbians not covet thy was a Christian funto come out of the neighbor’s wife.” damentalist. He told closet in the late 70s.

– Kate Clinton her she wouldn’t be She met, through able to see his three an old friend, some kids. He would later come around. women who were political, social Another brother was very happy activists. She grew fascinated with for her. Another brother was more them, and, through them, she or less accepting. Her younger sisbegan thinking about coming out, ter — who always called her a “big, which she did in 1978. She was fat queer,” but not in a gay tone 31-years-old.

— would start calling her a “big, fat Then she started smiling during millionaire.” the classes she taught. She went to But Clinton takes it all with a a meeting of lesbian writers, part of smile, forcing you to smile back. a workshop, and it changed her life.

“When family shuns you, enjoy She started writing. It was during it. They’ll come around. Enjoy the this time that a friend suggested she break,” she advised young people start doing stand-up, sick of hearing considering coming out. “Of course, Clinton pine about her longing for it was excruciatingly painful, but it the stage. worked out. You are not alone. The “It was good exercise,” she said Catholic God loves you. God loves about the poetry she used to write. you. Coming out is the healthiest “A good comedic one-liner is like a thing you can do.” really great line of poetry.”

Clinton is the author of three She gave a few examples: “She books and continues to work wouldn’t say lesbian if her mouth around the country in her role was full of one.” While doing a rouas humorist, a label she said she tine on being a counselor at a camp prefers over lesbian or LGBT — and how much they all loved one because that’s just the thing Clinton another but couldn’t do anything, would say.

Clinton wrote: “Except we all ate SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 15

PROFILE

By TONY ADAMS

courtesy of seymour Lemler

When Your Lover Comes Back – to a Nude Beach as a Bird

S

y (Seymour) Lemler, who lives in Hollywood, Fla., loves the nearby nude beach at Haulover where he has been a regular for many years. In 2008, when Bobby, his partner, died, Sy, who is now 80 years old, forced himself to return to that beach alone, continuing the almost daily ritual he had shared with Bobby during their years together. On that day, Bobby came back to Sy. At the nude beach. As a pigeon. With rare exception, Bobby

has perched on Sy’s knee every day at Haulover for almost four years.

Sy Lemler is not crazy, nor is he a man unhinged with grief over the loss of a lover, nor is he a man addled by age. Sy is lively and engaging, with eyes that follow you while you speak. An accomplished designer and shrewd collector of paintings, Tiffany glass, pâte de verre and majolica, Sy loved the hunt for a bargain and the overlooked treasure. He will tour you through the dazzling vitrines that house his prizes without once becoming lost in his past.

His stories are never tedious. His opinions are very much of the moment, but take second place to his avid interest in what you have to say. He moves with the fluidity and quickness of a much younger man. He is fit, attractive and the sharpest kind of octogenarian any gay man should hope to become; but he is sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the pigeon who daily keeps him company at the nude beach is Bobby come back to him.

Sy has had a remarkable life beginning in Brooklyn, NY, where he was born to strict and Kosher Orthodox Jewish parents who were displeased with a son who seemed bent on bad behavior. Sy says, “I was a rotten kid. I wanted bacon and had my first taste of it at 13. In a BLT. I thought I would be struck dead with that sandwich in my mouth, but no.” His parents banished Sy to a military academy in Florida where he developed an appreciation for sunshine but a disregard for the discipline intended. He ran away from that school and returned to New York where he asked his parents to sign permission for him to join the Navy. A deal was struck. If he graduated from Far Rockaway High School, they would then allow him to enlist.

Sy spent four years in the Navy on a destroyer. He says he did what his fellow sailors did, “I went to every cat house in the Orient. I thought I was straight. There was one guy on the destroyer who was known to give blowjobs. He got caught going down on a young officer who was fresh out of Annapolis. He got a Section 8.

16 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

He got kicked out of the Navy, but the officer got only a “Captain’s mast”, a minor reprimand, because he was the receiver, not the giver, of the blowjob.” Sy had not yet figured himself out, despite having had what, in retrospect, was a significant crush on his high school math teacher, Mr. Meltzer, a very large man.

Sy explains the events that made him realize he was gay in terms of the appearance of the three men who became his lovers; and he frames the story of his gay life in chapters headed with the names of those three lovers, Al, Benny and Bobby.

He says, “I have a very short checklist of desire. I’m a chubby chaser. The man has to be big.

That’s how Al caught my eye. On the GI Bill, I’m studying art and architecture at Cooper Union in Manhattan but still living with my parents in the Rockaways when I stop to get a roast beef and gravy sandwich at a shop in the city, and I’m sitting in the window of that shop when a man walks by. I dropped that sandwich, ran out of the shop and started to follow him. I have no idea where I am headed and I’m shaking like a leaf. Finally he turns around and asks me who I am and where I am from.

He’s British and he tells me his name is Al and he is a first-class waiter on the Queen Mary and that he is in New York every two weeks. He took me to his hotel room on 8th Avenue and 46th Street. We were together whenever the Queen Mary docked. Then, Al tells me he wants to emigrate and live with me, and I say, ‘I barely know your name. I don’t even know what you eat!’ but I was getting $130 a month on the GI Bill, and I got an apartment in the city for us that cost exactly that much.

I told my parents I needed the apartment because the daily train ride from the Rockaways into Manhattan for my classes was taking time away from my homework. I was so young. My juices were flowing and we had crazy mad sex every two weeks when Al came in on the ship. He was with me for 26 years. He died in 1984. You know it was not easy to be gay in those days in New York. You had to be very careful to keep your personal life hidden, but I had no tolerance for the closet. Everyone knew we were a couple, but we never had any problems. Everyone at St. Vincent’s Hospital where Al spent the end of his life treated us very well. I was lucky. I have always been very lucky.”

Benny came into Sy’s life while Al was hospitalized. Al was happy that Sy had met someone new who would love him after he was gone. Sy and Benny were together for 16 years and living

and now he is like a son to me, and through him I have grandchildren.

“In 2001, Bobby and I decided to become a couple when I said to him, ‘My goal in life is to make you the happiest man in the world.’

When Bobby was on his deathbed in the hospice, he said to me, ‘You did a good job.’”

During the few years that Sy and Bobby were together, they became regulars at the nude beach in Haulover. After Bobby passed, Sy went back to Haulover and sat alone at the water’s edge. A pigeon came up to him and demanded his attention. Sy says, “The birds don’t usually behave that way. This one kept coming back to me every day.

He was there earlier today and he visited for a while until he got “Bobby has been distracted by another pigeon. And did the puff-up thing towards her— coming to me on which incidentally he does to me sometimes and I say ‘Bobby, I don’t the beach for do pigeons.’ I feed him peanuts and three years, and gouda cheese which he loves. He prunes and sometimes he perches, he’s still screwing. and he will settle onto my knee and stay there for an hour. Everyone on I know, because the beach knows him and they will say ‘Hi Bobby’ after which they will he did it right in say hi to me. Bobby is more wellliked and better known. Bobby has front of me.” been coming to me on the beach for –Seymour Lemler three years, and he’s still screwing.

I know, because he did it right in front of me. Once he even wanted a ménage-a-trois because he jumped ly, there are violins playing and the a male pigeon who was on top of bells and whistles went off. The guy goes into the back where the booths a female. That is another reason I know it is Bobby.” are and I followed him back there.

When Sy Lemler tells his story, he I go into a booth and I motion for frequently stops in mid-sentence to him to follow but instead he walks out the back door! He starts driving express his gratitude for the life he has had. He has known great good back and forth in front of that place fortune and wonderful men who until I stopped him. His name was loved him well and long. Sy today Mike and he was married with kids. does not lack for human companionI knew he wasn’t husband material but we had a sexual relationship. He ship, having graduated into that elite is still in my life. Meeting him showed internationally networked club of “Silver Daddies” who are both desirme that my life was not over.

“Meanwhile, I met Bobby at a din- able and eligible. Love and its violins ner party in 2000. Again, the violins may come to him again. Meanwhile, what does he say to anyone who started! But he had a partner and I may wonder about his relationship wouldn’t do anything with him until with the bird? he was free. Bobby had been mar“I don’t believe in god but I am ried to a woman who caught him in not a disbeliever. I’m an agnostic. bed with a man and outed him to the kids and to everyone they knew. Tell me. Show me. I do believe that Bobby is back in the form of a piShe could not stand the fact that geon, and that I am the luckiest man her husband was gay, but Bobby’s in the world.” son, Justin, was very understanding in Florida when Benny had a stroke and died. Sy describes the pain he felt at that time. “Benny passed on Dec. 14, 1998. I still light candles for him. Because my relationship with Al and Benny overlapped, this was the first time I had ever been alone in my whole gay life. It was terrible.

I went north to our country home in the Poconos. The house was so empty and I cried like a baby. Finally I had to go shopping because I had no food, so I went into town and I decided to stop at the local adult book and video store which was really a kind of gay social center for us. I’m in there chatting with the manager when this man walks in and sudden-

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 17

CUISINE

By Chef Marci Boland

L’Hermitage Catering

The Art of T

he tag- line for my catering business has always been “Experience the Art of Food” because in the food business, presentation is every bit as important and the quality and taste of the food itself. My catering business has won several awards for presentation over the years – so I know the importance of creating the art of food from a chef’s view. But then I thought about how often food is represented in art. In this article I hope to show you various artists form a variety of genres and centuries that do just that. While the easily recognizable works of Botero and Warhol take an almost comic view of food, Archimboldo presents us with a piece that is surprisingly creative and even just a tad bit creepy. That takes us to the French impressionist style of Pierre – Auguste Renoir, who uses a simple subject and saturates the piece with richness of color and light. I hope you enjoy the recipes that I have created to accompany each painting. Bon Appétit!

Andy Warhol

(August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) We all know him as the pop artist of the 60s & 70s. Originally he was a commercial illustrator whose detailed elegant renderings were particularly popular. Warhol was so successful, however, that his profile as an illustrator seemed to undermine his efforts to be taken seriously as an artist. Warhol also became famous worldwide for his work as an avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author and member of highly diverse social circles that included Bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy patrons. He is also known for his statement, “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

The famed line of Campbell Soup painting began with this one Campbell Soup I - 1968 18 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

Tomato-Basil Veloutè

25 Italian tomatoes 4 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil Fresh ground sea salt and pepper – to your taste 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups chicken stock 20 fresh basil leaves Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Toss tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. S pread in one layer on two baking sheets and roast for

45 minutes.

Remove peel form tomatoes and reserve.

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 4 minutes.

Add oven-roasted tomatoes, including liquid left from cooking and the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 40 minutes. At the end, add the basil leaves .

Purée in a blender or food processor.

Serve with croutons, enjoy. for

Food Giuseppe Arcimboldo

(1527 – July 11, 1593) was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books – that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of objects formed a recognizable likeness of the portrait subject.

Summer, 1573, oil on canvas, Louvre Museum, Paris Risotto with Fresh Vegetables

1 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths 2 c ups whole baby carrots cut in lengthwise quarters 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces 3m edium assorted peppers (yellow, red, green), cut into 1- inch strips

2m edium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into diagonal slices

1 c up halved fresh medium mushrooms 2 t easpoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 17x11-inch roasting pan with cooking spray.

Mix asparagus , carrots , onions , peppers , squash , mushrooms , rosemary and 1/4 cup broth in prepared pan .

Roast 20 minutes or until done, stirring once.

Prepare risotto while the vegetables are roasting.

Heat oil in saucepot. Add rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes . Add 1/2 cup broth and cook until broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth , 1/2 cup at a time , stirring until all broth is absorbed before adding more. (Total cooking time: 25 minutes) Add vegetables and cheese. Heat through. Top with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Watermelon Margarita lime wedges

(b. 1932) I became infatuated with the art of Botero while working as a chef on some of the world’s largest yachts – including one that had several originals and a sculpture of this funky chicken – so whimsical and light hearted. He is primarily known for his portraits and for the exaggerated proportions of his subjects. His ‘large people’, deemed obese by critics, are very round and seem to be composed of several bulbous spheres

(1841- 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. I saw this painting for the first time I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC – on loan from a private collection. As with most of the master’s works, the original is simply stunning. So much so that I have a copy of it hanging in my kitchen at home. His paintings are notable for their vibrant light and saturated color. A prolific artist, he made several thousand paintings. The works of Renoir are some of the most well-known and frequently reproduced works in the history of art. Two of Renoir’s paintings have sold for more than $70 million. Bal au Moulin de la Galette sold for $78.1 million in 1990.

Onions, 1881, oil on canvas, Private Collection

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/3 cups uncooked Arborio rice 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ chopped parsley

stacked upon one another. In this painting consisting of oranges, a watermelon and a kettle all assume a similar bulging appearance. I would think it would be hard to make an orange look fat but by slicing it near the top -- it appears the symmetry is off kilter and the fruit looks like it is bursting with juice.

Still Life with Watermelon, 1992, Private Collection

Fernando Botero

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

2 tablespoons of sugar ½ cup fresh squeezed OJ ½ cup good quality tequila 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon triple sec lime wedges or watermelon balls for garnish

Directions: Place 2 teaspoons sugar in a saucer. Rub the rims of 6 glasses with 1 lime wedge; spin rim of each glass in sugar to coat. Set prepared glasses aside.

Vidalia Onion & Cheese Tart

1 package frozen puff pastry shells 1 Vidalia onion, sliced 3 strips bacon, coarsely chopped 6 ounces mushrooms (or seasonal wild mushrooms), sliced 4 ounces Swiss chard 4o unces Rembrandt, Aged Gouda Cheese*, shredded (plus additional to garnish) 4 eggs 2 1⁄2 cups heavy cream 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground Salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste Directions: Prepare puff pastry shells according to package directions , but undercook with approximately 5

minutes less baking time than called for on the package.

Do not allow shells to brown. Remove

pastry shells from oven and allow to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 325° F. In a skillet, sauté onion and bacon over medium heat; cook until onion starts to caramelize.

Add mushrooms, cook for 3 - 5 minutes.

Add Swiss chard, cook for 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and allow mixture to cool.

Stir in Rembrandt, Aged Gouda Cheese* and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, cream, thyme, nutmeg , salt, pepper and Tabasco ® sauce.

Add egg mixture to onion mixture and stir until well combined.

Evenly divide egg mixture between pastry shells and bake for approximately 20 minutes .

For service, garnish with additional Rembrandt, Aged Gouda Cheese * *Rembrandt, Aged Gouda Cheese is available at L’Hermitage Gourmet Emporium

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 19

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FITNESS

By PETER JACKSON, CPT

Exercise on the go!

How to get a full body workout using resistance bands

Photos by toby BLADES (TobysPhotos.com)

W

hile most iron-pumping, muscledriven guys wouldn’t be caught dead using resistance bands in their training, the fact is these rubber-like bands are increasingly earning respect by the fitness industry. Bands are now widely used by coaches, personal trainers and physical therapists in applications ranging from rehabilitation of injured muscles and joints to prepping athletes in high performance sports.

For the average Joe, resistance or stretch bands are extremely handy for a quick workout at home, office or when traveling. The colored bands, each of which has a different level of tension, are light and easy to store or pack. They are affordable, too, and can be purchased for about $12 each.

Don’t underestimate their power. Even the fittest individual can work up a sweat, get pumped and enjoy the benefit of good workout using resistance bands.

Dozens of exercises mimic traditional ones using free weights. Attach one end of the band to a door knob, railing or a secure piece of furniture to execute exercises or simply stand on the middle of the band and you are ready to go.

Here, Fort Lauderdale diving instructor Adam Nardelli demonstrates some key exercises you can try.

Fort Lauderdale-based nationally-syndicated fitness writer Peter Jackson is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Push Fitness (www.PushFitnessFTL.com), a private training gym in Oakland Park, Fla. He welcomes your comments and questions via e-mail at Peter@PushFitnessFTL.com.

22 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

SHOULDERS

BACK

Military Presses Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on the middle of a resistance band. Grasp the handles with your palms facing out and raise the handles 1 to just above your shoulders. Extend (press) your arms overhead. Return to the starting position.

Perform three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

2

Bent Over Rear Raises Standing on a band with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend over while holding the handles with your palms in.

There should be a natural arch to your back. Now raise your arms laterally, just slightly behind you. Pause.

Return to starting position. Perform three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

1

ARMS Bicep Curls Grab the handles of the band with your elbows close to your torso at a 90-degree position, your palms facing up and the middle of the band under your feet.

Curl your forearms toward your biceps.

Pause, then return to the starting position.

Pump out three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

2 1

2

UPPER BACK Upright Rows With the middle of the band under your feet, grasp the handles with an overhand grip (palms facing your torso). Pull the handles up towards your chin, extending your elbows at the same time. Pause. Return to starting position. Perform three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

1

CHEST Straight Arm Raises Standing on a band with your feet shoulder-width apart, grab the handles at your sides with your palms facing up.

Without bending your elbows, raise your arms straight up until they are parallel to the floor.

Pause. Return to starting position.

Perform three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

1

2

2 SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 23

MOMBIAN

By DANA RUDOLPH

ABC, LGBT: Why Elementary Schools Must Teach About LGBT Families

O

nly two out of ten elementary school students have learned about same-sex-headed families, according to a new study commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Combine this with the fact that same-sex families with children live in 96 percent of counties in the United States, and we clearly have a failure to teach children about the world and people around them.

In its study, “Playgrounds and Prejudice: Elementary School Climate in the United States,” GLSEN found that during classroom discussions of families, nearly 90 percent of elementary school teachers said they taught students about different types of families—but less than a quarter included representations of LGBT parents, and less than 10 percent included transgender parents.

Only a quarter reported “having personally engaged in efforts to create a safe and supportive classroom environment for families with LGBT parents.”

That might be because less than one quarter of teachers received training on families with LGBT parents, and just over a third on gender issues—even though 85 percent said they received training on other diversity or multicultural matters.

The study was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of GLSEN, using online surveys of 1,065 U.S. school students in third to sixth grade and 1,099 U.S. teachers of kindergarten to 6th grade.

On the positive side, eight in 10 teachers said they would feel comfortable addressing name-calling, bullying, or harassment of students who were perceived to be LGBT or gender nonconforming. That is a vital step. But less than half of the teachers said they felt comfortable responding to questions from students about LGBT people, and even less to questions about transgender people.

If teachers don’t have the ability to answer questions about LGBT people, however, their ability to “address” anti-LGBT bullying will never rise much above, “stop because I said so”—and while that is sometimes a necessary approach (as every parent knows), it only goes so far. Unless 24 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

schools also promote a better understanding of diverse people and communities, they will never address one of the root causes of bullying.

One resource that may help is GLSEN’s new Ready, Set, Respect! GLSEN’s Elementary School Toolkit. But that is not the first LGBT-inclusive educational resource aimed at elementary schools.

The HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools initiative piloted in 2007, and has offered its materials online for several years—including, most recently, What Do You Know? Six to twelve year olds talk about gays and lesbians, a short professional development film for school staff and parents. And educational film company Groundspark has produced numerous LGBTinclusive diversity education films since 1996, when It’s Elementary showed elementary school teachers and their experiences talking about LGB families. The company’s award-winning 2005 film, That’s a Family! features elementary school children who are being raised by parents of different races or religions, adoptive parents, single parents, divorced parents, gay or lesbian parents and grandparents serving as guardians.

The problem has not been a lack of resources, therefore—although more are always welcome. It would seem, rather, to be a lack of desire, or the misperception that we don’t need to use them with children so young.

We do need to use them, however. GLSEN’s survey found that homophobic slurs start early.

Almost half of the elementary school teachers and students surveyed reported regularly hearing comments like use of the word “gay” in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”), “spaz” or “retard.” About one quarter reported regularly

hearing students use homophobic slurs, such as “fag” or “lesbo,” as well as negative comments about race or ethnicity.

Three-fourths of the students reported that “students at their school are called names, made fun of or bullied with at least some regularity.” Twentyone percent said this was because the targeted students were thought to be gay, and 23 percent said it was because the students didn’t conform to traditional gender norms/roles. (Other reasons— just as important, but which I don’t have room to explore further here—include students’ looks or body size (67 percent), not being good at sports (37 percent), and how well they do academically (26 percent)).

To the people who say elementary students are too young to learn about LGBT people, I say: They already know about them—but many know only based on slurs and misconceptions.

Teachers might seem to bear the brunt of blame for this—but that is a misleading and overly simplistic explanation. Schools are dynamic and interconnected systems. Administrators, district officials and even state officials are also responsible for setting curricula, choosing materials and creating an inclusive environment.

The main drivers of change, however, must be parents. We can inform teachers and school administrators about the above resources, and recommend they be included in teacher training and student diversity programs. We can talk with school board officials and let them know such inclusion matters to us—and impacts our voting.

More critically, we parents can educate ourselves and make sure our own children know that families come in many different forms, and that people express gender in different ways.

LGBT parents can also help our neighbors and friends understand the importance of LGBT inclusion—and help them find the language to discuss it with their families.

Life may “get better” as teens get older, as the well-known awareness project says. But there’s no reason we can’t try to make it good right from the start.

Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian (mombian.com), a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 25

‘Out’ Inns

TRAVEL: GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

26 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE GUEST HOUSES

COMPILED By Brian Swinford

I

f you plan on traveling to South Florida there’s no better place to stay than a gay guest house. Skip the Hilton or Marriot and choose something more LGBT friendly, relaxed, comfortable and in many cases naked.

In this issue of The Mirror we wanted to showcase our very own backyard with almost 30 gay guesthouses just in the greater Fort Lauderdale area. One of those, the Royal Palm Resort, is not only the largest gay male clothing optional resort in the area, but also in the whole United States.

Other highlighted guesthouses you’ll find listed on the next several pages include those near the beach and in South Florida’s gayborhood of Wilton Manors. Some are completely unique such as Inn Leather, focused on the gay leather community, and the Sea Grape Inn, whose building has been designated as a historical landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

*Clothing Optional

1. 15 FTL Guesthouse 908 NE 15th Ave., Fort Lauderdale 888-234-5494 • 954-523-7829 www.15ftl.com

Amidst the bustle of tourism and sightseeing, 15FTL is nestled in Victoria Park, a quiet upscale residential neighborhood set conveniently between Fort Lauderdale’s pristine beaches, vibrant downtown and the gay mecca of Wilton Manors. Within minutes, you will find world class shopping, great dining, activities and culture. Each room features comfortable new beds, luxurious linens, plush towels, body spray showers, complimentary wireless and luxury bath products that are eco-friendly and never tested on animals. 15FTL is the most relaxing hideaway located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale.

*2. Alcazar Resort 555 N. Birch Rd., Fort Lauderdale 800-445-7036 • 954-567-2525 www.alcazarresort.com

The Alcazar Resort is the premier resort for all gay males visiting Fort Lauderdale. This beautiful resort is located only 500 feet from the white sands of the Atlantic Ocean, and only a short walk to the every popular gay beach. The Alcazar is a clothing optional resort for men with a large courtyard to offer the perfect setting for meeting new friends and fellow guests. This resort has complimentary Wi-Fi and a state of the art fitness center for you to stay buff while you’re on vacation. The resort features manicured tropical palm trees and exotic foliage making for the perfect setting to enjoy your poolside continental breakfast.

3. Alhambra Beach Resort 3021 Alhambra St., Fort Lauderdale 877-309-4014 • 954-525-7601 www.alhambrabeachresort.com

Photo of Mary’s resort by Victor Cody

For premier gay lodging, come to the Alhambra Beach Resort located off Fort Lauderdale’s beautiful beaches. This resort is very clean with a friendly atmosphere and offers free Internet access, beach towels and chairs, continental breakfast, a heated pool and parking. When you are taking your vacation here stay in the executive apartment. This room has it all, from a full size marble kitchen to an elegant living room, with a romantically set bedroom.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 27

‘Out’Inns

GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

Evening poolside at Coral Reef Guest House *4. Aragon Inn 2520 NE 6th Ave., Wilton Manors 954-566-2900 www.Aragoninn.com

The Aragon Inn is located in Wilton Manors surrounded by the popular Wilton Manors “gayborhood.” The Aragon Inn offers you the ideal location with excellent amenities.

When staying at the resort you’ll be treated to boutique amenities to ensure an unforgettable stay.

Relax by two pools, one kept hot like a spa and the other designed for water volleyball, and plain old fun. Enjoy the fun in the sun at this clothing optional resort.

5. Blue Lagoon Resort 3801 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale (954) 565-6666 www.Bluelagoonlauderdale.com

The Blue Lagoon Resort is located on Fort Lauderdale’s famous Galt Ocean Mile, centrally located on A1A, and just steps away from beautiful Fort Lauderdale beach. The resort just completed a renovation of all of the rooms; each of the 16 units has been designed and equipped with all the amenities the beach traveler is looking for with affordable room prices. The Blue Lagoon Resort offers a heated swimming pool open 24 hours, wireless highspeed Internet hotspot, fishing on nearby piers, on property soda vending, barbeque grills for guest use, off street parking and on-site laundry facilities.

28 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

*6. Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa 2209 NE 26th St., Fort Lauderdale 866-564-7764 • 954-564-7764 www.thecabanasguesthouse.com

Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa is one of the only all-male, clothing optional gay resorts in Wilton Manors. This beautiful gay resort has a luscious tropical landscape filled with palm trees, beautiful flowers and lush foliage reminiscent of your own personal tropical paradise. It also features some great amenities for everyone with breathtaking waterfront views, a 10-man hot tub, an aromatherapy steam room, kayaks and bicycles.

Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa was voted “Best Guesthouse” at the 2011 Bestie’s Awards.

*7. Cheston House Resort 520 N. Birch Rd., Fort Lauderdale 866-566-7950 • 954-566-7950 www.chestonhouse.com/

The Cheston House is a gay, all-male, clothing optional resort that strives to make you feel like a guest in the house of a good friend. This is one of the only gay guesthouses that will allow you to bring your four-legged friend with you on vacation. Cheston House is in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s gay lodging district and is committed to providing unparalleled service in an immaculate, warm, gay exclusive, friendly atmosphere at reasonable rates.

*8. Coconut Cove GuestHouse

*9. Coral Reef GuestHouse

3012 Granada St., Fort Lauderdale 888-414-3226 • 954-523-3226 www.coconutcoveguesthouse.com

2609 NE 13th Court Fort Lauderdale 888-ENJOY-IT • 954-568-0292 www.coralreefguesthouse.com

Coconut Cove Guesthouse was built in 1939 but has been renovated to give the gay man everything he’s looking for in a gay guest house. The three-story structure embraces a lush courtyard tiered with “Key West” influenced plantation-style wooden verandas and louvered doors opening from the spacious guest quarters. Nonsmoking, air-conditioned, Wi-Fi enabled guest rooms with custommade king and queen beds, 16-inch pillow top mattresses, full bathrooms, efficiencies or full kitchens, along with daily maid service, remote color cable TV with DVD, and a clothing optional pool round out this gay vacation hotspot.

Coral Reef Guesthouse is a tropical property that consists of three, white-roofed pavilions: an office/kitchen structure and two, single-story guestroom buildings with covered front porches. All buildings cloister around a sunny, paver-brick courtyard with a roomy free-form pool and twelveman hot tub. This gay hot spot is also clothing optional throughout the entire guesthouse property except the office and breakfast room. This is a great place if you’re a snow-bird that is looking for a piece of paradise before your trek back home.

Fun in the water at Cheston House

‘Out’Inns 10. Ed Lugo Resort 2404 NE 8th Ave., Wilton Manors 954-275-8299 www.edlugoresort.com

When you’re looking for a great gay friendly resort, or a small get together with friends, a celebration or a meeting with clients; Ed Lugo Resort will be the most centrally located and accommodating stay. Ed Lugo Resort is located in the heart of beautiful Wilton Manors, just steps away from dinning, shopping, and nightlife. If you have a specific need, call on the expert chef and waiters or the massage therapist for a relaxing and invigorating massage. This resort has something for everyone: straight, gay, and everyone in between.

*11. Elysium Resort 552 N. Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale 800-533-4744 • 954-564-9601 www.elysiumresort.net

If Fort Lauderdale is your dream destination for vacation come to the Elysium Resort. This is one resort that has some legendary

GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

accommodations. The Elysium Resort, Fort Lauderdale’s largest and friendliest clothing-optional resort for men is located just one block from the tropical shores of Fort Lauderdale Beach. The Elysium Resort is gay owned and operated and offers spacious studios and suites, detailed amenities, and a relaxed Florida atmosphere set amongst lush tropical paradise.

continental breakfast is served every morning, complimentary happy hour is served every evening with a full liquor bar, and free parking is available for all guests.

12. Flamingo – Inn

Gigi’s Resort by the Beach is a unique Art Deco Florida hotel in Fort Lauderdale. Nestled in a tropical oasis, this bed and breakfast is less than a minute’s walk to the Fort Lauderdale beach. This charming and quaint hotel has been awarded the “Superior Small Lodging” distinction following a rigorous review process conducted by hospitality industry experts. Enjoy bed and breakfast surrounded by lush bougainvillea, palm trees and orchids. Gigi’s has facilities for vacation accommodations and lodging, family reunions, small weddings, commitment ceremonies and birthday parties.

2727 Terramar Street, Ft. Lauderdale 800-283-4786 • 954-561-4658 www.theflamingoresort.com

The Flamingo – Inn is proud of its reputation as one of the leading luxury gay hotels and is often referred to as Florida’s first “boutique hotel” serving the gay community. From the moment you arrive until the time you depart, the goal is to make the days you spend at The Flamingo as relaxed and comfortable as possible. At the resort, the entire complex is wired for complimentary high-speed wireless access. Beds are turned down every evening,

13. Gigi’s Resort

By The Beach 3005 Alhambra St., Fort Lauderdale 954-463-4827 E-mail: reservations@gigisresort.com www.gigisresort.com

14. Granada Inn 3011 Granada St., Fort Lauderdale 954-463-2032 • 1-877-800-5552 www.granadainn.net

Relax as you open the gate and enter your secluded paradise seductively nestled around a lush tropical courtyard and swimming pool. The Granada invites you with warm European hospitality and personalized service that make guests return time after time.

Watch the sun rise or sleep in and watch the sun set... listen to your favorite music on the CD player... take an early morning or evening swim... take a late afternoon nap under a coconut palm... or sip a cool drink as you lounge on a chaise and enjoy the Granada’s European continental breakfast by the pool every morning.

15. The Grand Resort and Spa 539 N. Birch Rd., Ft. Lauderdale 954.630.3000 www.grandresort.net

The Grand Resort and Spa is Fort Lauderdale Beach’s largest and finest gay owned and operated men’s resort hotel, located just steps from the beach and convenient to all the attractions and nightlife for which Fort Lauderdale is now world renowned. As Fort Lauderdale’s first gay resort with its own full-service day spa and hair studio, The Grand Resort can offer their guests an experience that is unique and wonderfully indulgent. From a relaxing Swedish massage to a haircut before your night on the town, The Grand Resort and Spa can accommodate all your needs.

*16. Inn Leather 610 SE 19th St., Fort Lauderdale 954-467-1444 Email:InnLeather610@aol.com www.innleather.com

Lighting at Ed Lugo Resort 30 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

Its all about the leather at Inn Leather located right off SE 19 St. This clothing optional all male hotel has kink in every room. Whips, chains and a whole lot of leather are what you can expect to see at this leather hideaway. Inn Leather has great activities for everyone, just ask the front desk.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 31

‘Out’Inns 17. La Casa Del Mar 3003 Granada St., Fort Lauderdale 954-467-2037 www.lacasadelmar.com

La Casa Del Mar is the sister resort of The Granada Inn and is located on the same street. This resort has one of the few roof top patios from which you can view beautiful Fort Lauderdale. La Casa Del Mar is just a block from the beach and the Fort Lauderdale nightlife. When you walk into this amazing resort you’ll be embraced by lush foliage throughout the resort.

GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

Interior view and exterior view (inset of sunrise at the beach) at Liberty Suites

*18. Liberty Suites 1500 S.W. Second Avenue, Dania Beach 954-927-0090 • 877-927-0090 www.libertysuites.com

Liberty Suites has been awarded Fort Lauderdale’s top-rated affordable clothing-optional gay men’s hotel for 4 years by PinkChoice. com. They are the closest gay hotel to Haulover Nude Beach and only a 10 minute drive to Wilton Manors.

The property includes 18 intimate units, with beautifully furnished, immaculately clean, spacious and fully equipped studio, one & two bedroom Self Catering Apartments

with full kitchens.

Liberty emphasizes their affordable daily, weekly and extended stay rates. Other features include a huge clothing optional heated pool and lushprivate sundecks, off-street parking, laundry, flat screen TV, DVD, i-Pod/CD Stereo, voicemail telephone and Wi-Fi. Pets Welcome.

19. Manor Inn 2408 NE 6th Ave., Wilton Manors 954-566-8223 www.wiltonmanorsinn.com/

The Manor Inn is Wilton Manors’ first and foremost gay guesthouse.

You will be pleased to find the shops, restaurants and nightlife of Wilton Manors just an easy walk from the resort front door. Manor Inn is a gay-owned, smoke-free establishment dedicated to making your Fort Lauderdale visit enjoyable and memorable. You may choose from a variety of private rooms with bath and kitchenette.

The facility is immaculate; the landscaping is lush; the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.

20. Mary’s Resort 1115 Tequesta St., Fort Lauderdale 954-523-3500 www.marysresort.com

Mary’s Resort is where “old Florida” meets modern luxury! When you walk through the gates, you’ll 32 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

feel as though you’re in a completely secluded oasis. In reality, Mary’s Resort is within one block of the new river and several blocks from downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Mary’s Resort features four unique, Key West-style structures, each separated by tropical gardens with a central heated swimming pool and hot tub. This extraordinary property has been completely renovated/restored to become a first class, luxurious vacation rental resort.

21. Ocean Inn 3405 N. Ocean Drive, Hollywood (954) 923-0313 www.oceaninnhollywood.com/

The Ocean Inn is a unique boutique Bed & Breakfast lodging experience. Just steps from the sand, surf and historic Hollywood boardwalk. Relax, renew and unwind with The Ocean Inn while they celebrate the diversity and power of people, ideas and cultures. The Ocean Inn will do their very best to serve each guest according to their individual needs and lifestyles.

The ocean Inn has a reputation to maintain and an obligation to ensure your stay is as hospitable as possible while exceeding your highest quality standards.

‘Out’Inns

GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

22. Pineapple Point 315 NE 16th Terr., Fort Lauderdale 954-527-0094 www.pineapplepoint.com

Pineapple Point combines luxurious South Florida charm and splendor with unmatched care and service for its gay male clientele. Since 1999, this approach has influenced every aspect of the Pineapple Point guest experience thanks to owners and founders Judd Chapman and Phil Quattrone, who are truly hands on. Pineapple Point’s service draws from traditions of yesteryear, yet their exquisite accommodations boast the modern conveniences expected by today’s sophisticated gay traveler. Guests will find High Speed Wireless Internet, voicemail, refrigerators, custom designed robes, AM/FM/CD players, TV/ DVD’s and in-room safes standard in all of their rooms.

Gym overlooking pool, and orchid collection at Worthington *23. Palm Plaza Resort 2801 Riomar St., Fort Lauderdale 954-260-6568 www.palmplazaresort.com

Presents

Palm Plaza Resort is a clothing optional resort that is an all-male gay hotel. The Palm Plaza Resort just a hop skip and a jump to Sebastian Beach, which is the gay beach in Fort Lauderdale. Palm Plaza Resort has a lush tropical garden with outdoor tables and a clothing optional pool area, complete with lounge chairs and outdoor gazebo, which make it the perfect place to relax or socialize while basking in the tropical sun and listening to our wide selection of outdoor music.

The heated swimming pool is a natural focus of a lot of activities.

*24. Riverside Hotel

SouthFloridaFun.com Affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) • nglcc.org 34 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

620 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 800-325-3280 • 954-467-0671 www. riversidehotel.com

The Riverside Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale on trendy Las Olas Boulevard. The Riverside Hotel is the only hotel on Las Olas Boulevard that features Indigo Restaurant, Golden Lyon Vintage Pub, and Preston’s Wine & Martini Lounge.

This is one the more luxurious gay friendly hotels even though this hotel is not clothing optional.

*25. Royal Palms Resort 2901 Terramar St., Fort Lauderdale 800-237-7256 • 954-564-6444 www.royalpalms.com

The Royal Palms has been the global leader in the gay accommodations industry since opening in 1991. With its 2011 expansion, the Royal Palms is now the largest full service luxury gay male clothing optional resort, not only in Fort Lauderdale, but in the U.S., which means there are accommodations to suit every personality. Nestled in the seaside neighborhood of North Beach, the sleek, stylish and sexy 50-room luxury gay male hotel unites two completely renovated buildings creating an intimate oasis that is just one very short block from Fort Lauderdale Beach.

26. Sea Grape House Bed & Breakfast 1109 NE 16th Pl., Fort Lauderdale 954-525-6586 www.seagrape.com

Not just another Fort Lauderdale hotel, the Sea Grape House Inn,

‘Out’Inns combines past and present in a historical setting and offers a unique lifestyle for your enjoyment. The first mid-century house designated as a historical landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale, the Sea Grape is currently being operated as a bed & breakfast inn. Located only four blocks from gay Fort Lauderdale’s trendy new epicenter, Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. The inn is just seconds from the hottest gay clubs, the best gay restaurants and shops in all of South Florida.

*27. Schubert Resort 855 NE 20th Ave., Fort Lauderdale 866-763-7435 • 954-763-7434 www.schubertresort.com

The Schubert was built in 1953, and maintains its signature retro look, charm and style today. 2012 celebrates nine years that the resort has been under the new direction of being Fort Lauderdale’s third largest all male clothing optional gay men’s private resort.

GUEST HOUSES OF FORT LAUDERDALE

The resort has received numerous awards like the “Five Star Out and About Award,” the “Superior Small Lodging White Glove Award” just to name a couple.

*28. Villa Venice

e-mails in its business center or elsewhere: complimentary Internet access is available throughout the resort. Spend your afternoon in or around the waterfall fed tropical pool or the 15-man Roman spa – where clothing is always optional.

2900 Terramar St., Fort Lauderdale 954-564-7855 www.villavenice.com/

*29. Windamar Beach Resort

Villa Venice Men’s Resort, a gayowned resort located just 2 short blocks from the beach, and convenient to all points of interest, is Fort Lauderdale’s premiere clothing-optional gay men’s travel destination. Featuring 23 rooms and suites on three levels, you’ll discover stylish accommodations, exacting attention to detail, the ultimate in guest services and a relaxing, unpretentious, tropical atmosphere awaiting you at Villa Venice. Begin your day in Villa Venice’s own Café Torino with a continental breakfast, check your

543 Breakers Ave., Fort Lauderdale 866-554-6816 • 954-561-0039 www.windamar.com

The Windamar Beach Resort is the friendliest gay resort on Fort Lauderdale beach. Located just one block away from the beach in the heart of the gay hotel district they offer completely clothing-optional surroundings for guests. Their heated pool, hot tub and video room are open 24 hours a day. At The Windamar Beach Resort, you will enjoy the best gay vacation destination on Fort Lauderdale Beach. This Florida gay resort is a slice of

heaven in Fort Lauderdale and they are the only all-male gay resort that is clothing optional in gay Fort Lauderdale within walking distance of the beach, shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife.

*30. Worthington GuestHouse 543 N. Birch Rd., Fort Lauderdale 800-445-7036 • 954-563-6819 www.theworthington.com

Since 2000 The Worthington has been providing quality gay accommodations to travelers from around the globe, making The Worthington the longest running gay men’s resort in Fort Lauderdale with the same management and owner. The Worthington Guest House has a total of 38 rooms, two 24-hour clothing optional pools and a large hot tub. Their exclusively gay clientele draws a nice mix of ages, couples and singles. No matter what type of personality you are you will find The Worthington Resort warm, welcoming and fun.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 35

PRIDE AND FAITH

Singers Embrace Sexual Justin Ryan: Artist Hopes to Spread “It Does Get Better” with Music and Faith

By Donald Cavanaugh

J

COURTESY OF JUSTIN RYAN

ustin Ryan’s message is simple: it gets better.

And when he says it, believe it.

Thrown out at 17 when his father learned he was gay, Ryan dropped his last name, “Vaughn,” so as not to “bring shame” on the family when he started singing in a local MCC church in his home town, Paducah, Kentucky.

In October Ryan brought his “I’ve been there” concert tour to MCC of the Palm Beaches.

The tour launched in 2011 and offers a special program to honor and remember all the youth who took their lives last year after being bullied for their actual or perceived sexuality.

“It’s to let kids know that we’ve been there too and they need to hang on,” Ryan said. “For every six people who say bad things about us there are 10 who want to help us. We have to get that message out there.”

And Ryan should know. On the street at 17, he managed to survive and finish high school by living with friends and generous families in the area.

He fell into a relationship with an older man and lived with him for about 3 years until he cheated. That was the last straw for Ryan who had been physically, mentally and emotionally abused by his partner.

36 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

“I attempted suicide,” he said, matter of factly. “He came home and found me.

It’s been a real journey. But I didn’t know any better,” he continued. “He was the only openly gay person I knew and I had no role models.

Paducah isn’t exactly a gay Mecca.”

Nor might one expect it to be. Located on the Ohio River in the far western end of the state, Paducah has a population of about 25,000. The city’s website brags “31.1 percent of the population 25 years of age and older in Paducah have obtained their high school degreee [sic].”

About the time his abusive relationship was ending, a co-worker in a local retail store suggested that Ryan attend the MCC church in Paducah. After horrible rejection by his childhood faith community, Ryan wasn’t sure about another church until his friend told him it was gay. “And even then…,” he said, his voice trailing away.

“What a moving experience I had,” he said.

“After people in my world telling me God hated me I realized this was not the case. Church and society may reinforce bad feelings but it doesn’t have to be that way and it’s not God’s way.”

Through the church Ryan met Marsha Stevens,

a long time member of the gay Christian music movement who invited him to Nashville to work on an album with her. He subsequently moved to Sarasota to continue to work with her.

He’s done a lot of recording with a wide range of performers both secular and religious. He’s worked with Porter Wagner, host of the Grand Ole Opry and the man who discovered Dolly Parton. He even has featured songs on an Opry Christmas album.

He spent a year on the road touring the continental United States, Mexico and Canada.

Now he lives in Nashville with Cody, his partner of two years.

“Justin’s I’ve Been There concert works perfectly with our new “Generation i” campaign to reach out to LGBT people ages 18 to 35,” said Jeremiah Cummings, music minister at MCC of the Palm Beaches. In addition to his concert he’s playing for Sunday service, a guest speaker, Rev. Brian Hutchinson, from the Sunshine Cathedral, will also be featured.

Visit JustinRyanOnline.com for more on Justin Ryan.

Orientation and Faith Shawn Thomas: Facing Hostility from LGBT Community

By J.W. Arnold

O

by Brian Ladd

ne of the biggest struggles many LGBT people face is the reconciliation of their sexuality with their Christian faith.

Can someone be gay and a Christian? Can a Christian be gay? Depending on who you ask, and what translation of the Bible you read, you might get a wide variety of answers.

No one knows the answer better than Shawn Thomas, a Boynton Beach gay man who grew up the son of a minister in conservative Indiana.

Thomas wrestled with these questions and has turned to contemporary Christian music to share the message of love and inclusion that can be found in the church.

“One of the things I’m most grateful for is that my father is a graceful pastor,” Thomas explains.

“I never heard condemnation from the pulpit, just God’s love and grace.”

As a teen in a small town, he didn’t really understand what being “gay” or “homosexual” really meant, he just knew he was attracted to men and that he didn’t fit the common stereotypes of the time of gay men as child molesters and social deviants.

“At the time, I wasn’t praying to God to change me or save me from going to Hell, but just for someone to be sent to me and explain

[my feelings] to me,” he recalls.

Music was a natural outlet for the outgoing Thomas. His mother was a musician and he grew up singing, later starring in school productions. He completed a recording sciences and music industry degree at Middle Tennessee State University and immersed himself in secular projects.

He chuckles, “I was doing pop and rock music and didn’t really know what contemporary Christian music was. I thought it was just hymns and didn’t want to do it.”

Fortunately, Thomas did discover contemporary Christian music and was sharing his music with audiences around the country. Eight years ago, he was called to lead the music ministry at Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches part time, allowing him to continue traveling and performing.

In August he returned to MCC of the Palm Beaches in a special homecoming concert to celebrate the release of his latest CD, Covered and Created. The two-disc set includes a disc of covers of both secular and sacred artists, including Cher, Faith Hill and Richard Marx, and a disc of original Christian songs he wrote.

“I had always wanted to do a cover CD, but

I wrote so many of my own songs, I never had a chance,” he explains. “I’m especially happy to be able to share songs by other artists that have some meaning to me. The songs all have spiritual themes and speak to me.”

Surprisingly, now that Thomas has reconciled his faith and found an active music ministry, he often faces the most hostility from other gays and lesbians.

“One of the obstacles I’ve come up against was criticism not from the straight community, but from the gay community. They would tell me ‘you can’t be gay and say God loves you.’

It’s not true that there’s a place for faith in the gay community. I struggled with that as I tried to find my niche,” he says. “Being an openly gay Christian is kind of like coming out of the ‘second closet.’”

He adds, “Being gay is only a part of who God made me to be. My purpose is to glorify God and share the gospel of Christ. The rest is incidental to the cause….”

Visit ShawnThomasOnline.com to learn more about Thomas.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 37

PRIDE AND FAITH

Equality Ride Travels Country, Changes School Policies Soulforce hopes to open minds one college at a time

By Gideon Grudo COURTESY OF SOULFORCE

S

he wasn’t pleased. The administrators at the Moody Bible Institute were hearing her, but she saw they weren’t listening, nor did they seem to care.

“As we asked questions, they refused to answer, but smiled the whole time,” Crystal Cheatham said. “The whole idea of the Bible is to be authentic, and they were completely inauthentic.”

Cheatham is a community developer with Soulforce’s 2012 Equality Ride, whose purpose is laid out simply enough on the national event’s site.

“We aim to visit the hundreds of schools in the United States that openly discriminate against [the LGBTQA community] through their policies and practices,” the site reads. “On these campuses, LGBTQA students and faculty are forced to suffer in silence.”

As community developer, Cheatham helps add cities to the route between those that the “riders” choose, among other duties. Each of the 18 riders on this year’s journey get to pick a school, which the group tries to visit several times in a two or three day stop. Over the span of two months, Equality Ride will hit 12 cities and visit between 15 and 20 schools.

The idea is to have a conversation with administrators and students, and to find out what resources the school does or does not offer to LGBT students on campus. All of the schools that Equality Ride hits are religious. Those schools, Cheatham explained, are the only ones who still have policies against homosexuality.

“Most of the problems come from religious concepts. Part of what we do is have deep theological conversation with administrators about why we feel that we, as LGBTQA people, have God’s love,” Cheatham said. ”[Jesus’s] love is given to each of us. No stipulations.”

Cheatham said the Equality Ride is an effort to revise the schools’ policies or even add new ones. The organization has succeeded in doing so in eight of the more than 80 schools it’s vis-

ited to date. Cheatham believes it’s an important struggle for the LGBT community.

“It hurts the LGBT community because religion is the final frontier when it comes to achieving equal rights.

People intrinsically believe that being gay is wrong,” she said. “It’s important to have this discussion because there are students who don’t have safety. There’s no policy that will protect them.”

Religious schools’ oppression of LGBT students breaks both religious and nationalistic ideals, said Jason Conner, Soulforce’s director of programs and co-director of the 2012 Equality Ride.

“They were called by Christ to accept everyone,” he said. “And while it’s legal to discriminate, it’s not right. It’s about human life and it’s about human dignity.”

To be part of the Equality Ride, hopeful riders had to be apply by September of last year and whoever was chosen began training in January.

The training involves Soulforce’s motto and overall mission. That is, to make change through “relentless nonviolent resistance,” according to their site. The first week of training was in Miami, but the Ride won’t be stopping in South Florida this year.

Conner explained that before taking off, the group contacts a long list of schools. Of those who bite and accept the riders to come visit and talk, a map is made to create the most efficient round trip. That’s where people like Cheatham come in. This year’s cities include Philadelphia; Atlanta; Nashville, Tenn.; Chicago; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; New Orleans; Dallas; Denver; Salt Lake City; Portland, Ore.; and San Francisco.

Of those schools that do not wish to have a conversation the riders will sometimes stage

non-violent protests. In 2008, for instance, they traveled to Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), a religious school in West Palm Beach, Fla., with more than 3,200 students. Administrators at PBA first refused to meet with the riders, but later agreed under staunch conditions.

The Equality Ride did not accept the restrictions that would have been placed on them, so they refused and showed up to a worship service.

Officials at PBA warned them that they would call the police if came onto the property. Six of them did so and were arrested.

Before ever joining Soulforce, Cheatham was raised in church, and was groomed to one day become a church leader, on the basis of her singing talent. But when she came out, her grooming was put on hold and told her progress would be halted because of her sexual orientation. She would quickly find herself working on independent projects for the sake of the LGBT community and eventually found Soulforce.

Conner, who joined the organization in 2006 (after a pact to come out to his family if his application was accepted, which it was) sees the work that they do as a way to keep similar stories from happening. It all boils down to the schooling, he said.

These students are the future of this country, and one day they will be anything from political leaders to church leaders. By getting through to them now, Conner hopes, Soulforce is getting the country to a brighter future.

For more information and a schedule of Equality Ride’s upcoming stops, go to www.soulforce.org.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 39

40 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

PRIDE AND FAITH

Meet the People Who Fight the Anti-Gay LGBT Extremists National organization affects public policy and opinion to protect against anti-gay religious misinformation

By Gideon Grudo

Photos submitted / Wayne Besen (L); john becker (R)

J

ohn Becker had to get himself into character — a gay man who didn’t want to be gay. That’s how he walked into the first of five ex-gay sessions undercover, where he would hear the ex-gay myth, and be promised salvation.

Like others with a background in performing, Becker drew on personal experience, going back to when he attempted suicide at 16-years-old.

His mother had found him before he could cause too much harm to himself, and he survived. As a teenager, he stayed in the closet and in fact tried to stop being gay. He prayed and hoped, even going so far to perform corporal mortification, the act of inflicting pain on oneself to be forgiven of sin.

Becker’s performance was in response to learning that former presidential hopeful Michelle Bachmann’s husband Marcus was running a clinic that advocated conversion therapy. Truth Wins Out sent Becker to attend some sessions, posing undercover. Armed with a camera in his wristwatch and another in his messenger bag he caught the clinic propagating the ex-gay myth, during five $73.44 sessions.

“The reason that we did it that way was to give them the opportunity to respond ethically,” he said about why he went undercover to the clinic in the summer of 2011. “The right thing would have been to say that there is no basis to this therapy and it tends to harm people.” But the right thing is not what happened.

Truth Wins Out (TWO), an organization that fights the ex-gay myth and other anti-LGBT religious extremism, was founded by Wayne Besen in 2006.

The ex-gay myth, according to Becker, “is the lie that’s been propagated by religious extremists saying that homosexuality can be cured.”

“There’s no basis for it in scientific research,” he said, adding that many mental health organizations have come out against it. “It can increase a patient’s risk of stress and depression. “It’s very pervasive. The myth is still out there and it’s still dangerous.”

Religious organizations propagate the myth to fit the model of human sexuality to their theologies, Becker explained.

“If homosexuality is a sin, it can’t be something that happens in nature,” he said. “If it’s a choice and can be changed, then it legitimizes their homophobia and reinforces their bigotry.”

This is only part of the mission of TWO. On a more broad level, the organization tries to combat what it terms LGBT misinformation in the political and social realm. Besen, longtime activist, started TWO after he witnessed former President Bush inviting ex-gay activists from Exodus International to the White House to consult them.

Besen wanted to do something about it, so he launched the organization to challenge the religious right for the first time, he claimed.

“I realized there was a lot of education to be done — but also to combat misinformation,” he said.

Besen said that, in terms of a small organization, TWO’s been incredibly overachieving.

“There’s no other organization in the country that would do that,” he said about the Bachmann affair. “We set up an entire operation and we succeeded — I’m very proud of that.”

Then there was the time TWO petitioned to have Apple remove an iPhone app from its market, one run by Exodus International and laced with homophobia.

“A lot of young people didn’t have to face that wrath,” Besen said about the app that would be removed from iTunes as a result of TWO’s petition.

“If you’re gonna lie, we’re gonna take you on,” Besen warned.

Besen, whose entire family lives in Florida, said that the state holds a special place in his heart, and is critical for his success with TWO. “Florida’s in my blood — I’m very saddened by the state, looking at the political leadership.

It makes my heart sink — it makes you want to cry,” he said, adding that he always expected the state to be progressive, rather than end up with “backward politicians that make it look like Alabama or Mississippi.”

Visit TruthWinsOut.org for more information.

Fight the lies, win the truth!

Here’s what you can do to help Truth Wins Out, according to Executive Founding Director Wayne Besen 1. Contact Rev. Jerry Stevenson, the TWO rep. of South Florida 2. Gather intelligence for the organizations — it doesn’t have eyes everywhere 3. Keep an eye out for local extremists and let TWO know 4. Donate and spread the word SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 41

PRIDE AND FAITH

New Options for LGBT Jews

By Jesse Monteagudo photo of 2009 Westboro Baptist Church members picket Beth Chayim Chadashim courtesy of wikimedia / k763

I

n the early 1970s, lesbian and gay Jews (bisexuals and transgender folk were not yet on our collective radar) founded the first gay synagogues: Beth Chaym Chadashim in Los Angeles (1972) and Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in New York City (1973). At a time when traditional Judaism was still very homophobic, LGBT congregations provided queer Jews with safe places to practice our religion and celebrate our community.

The L.A. and New York shuls were soon followed by similar congregations in South Florida (Etz Chaim, 1974), Washington, D.C. (Beth Mishpachah, 1975), San Francisco (Sha’ar Zahav, 1977), Seattle (Tikvah Chadashah, 1980) and other cities. Together, LGBT synagogues form the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews (WCGLBTJ) (www. glbtjews.org).

Unfortunately for queer synagogues, the growing acceptance of LGBT Jews on the part of the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements (though not yet the Orthodox) have made uniquely gay temples less necessary. Writing for the venerable Jewish Forward (2008), Anthony Weiss noted the change as gay shuls like Atlanta’s Beth Haverim began to attract straight members: “As the mainstream Jewish world has increasingly accepted gay and lesbian Jews, gay-and-lesbian-founded synagogues like Beth Haverim have grappled with questions that go to the core of their identity. Now, as more and more straight members join Bet Haverim and other synagogues like it, a large question arises. Should there ideally be such things as distinctive gay and lesbian synagogues, or would the need for such a separate space disappear?”

There is no easy answer to this question.

Weiss quoted Rabbi Eric Yoffe, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, who said that eventually most LGBT congregations would disappear, if only “because gay men and lesbians 42 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

would be at ease in reform congregations.”

On the other hand, as Jewish gay activist and scholar Jay Michaelson (God vs. Gay?) recently told me, “there are different models in different places. In many places, LGBT congregations are being replaced. In other cities, such as L.A., New York, and San Francisco LGBT synagogues are continuing to grow and change.” According to the Forward, in 2005 Cleveland’s Chebrei Tikvah merged with the local Fairmount Temple, though it still meets twice a month as an LGBT minyan (quorum).

As LGBT Jews became more active in the lives of “mainstream” synagogues, they began to form specifically-LGBT havurot (fellowship groups) within those temples. One of those is the Ru’ach (“spirit”) founded in 2000 as part of Temple Israel of Greater Miami (templeisrael. net/community/gay-lesbian). Ru’ach describes itself as “a havurah serving the Jewish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in South Florida. We are committed to fostering a joyous, open and accepting environment for sharing spiritual, religious and social programming.”

Among a growing list of Ru’ach- sponsored events are the annual Pride Seder; semi-monthly Havdalah services that bring the Jewish Sabbath to a close; and educational programs featuring gay and Jewish scholars like Michaelson.

Members of Ru’ach also work together with Next@19th (Nextat19th.org), a Jewish cultural group housed at Temple Israel, which, though not necessarily gay, is definitely LGBT-friendly.

On a national level, LGBT Jews have created

community organizations that supplement the more synagogue-oriented WCGLBTJ. Nehirim (Lights) (Nehirim.org), founded by Michaelson in 2004, is (according to Michaelson) “the largest national community organization of LGBT Jews, partners, and allies. We have run retreats and other programs for thousands of folks across the country. We also partner with local groups already doing great work in the area.”

Future Nehirim-sponsored events include a woman’s retreat (Falls Village, CT, March 23-25); a men’s retreat (Falls Village, CT, March 30-April 1), a co-ed nehirim east retreat (Falls Village, CT, June 15-17) and a week-long camp nehirim for Men (Easton Mountain, NY, August 22-26).

Another national LGBT group is Keshet (keshetonline.org), which takes its name from the Hebrew word for “rainbow” and “bow.” Keshet is a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion of LGBT Jews in Jewish life.

Having merged with Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity in 2010, Keshet sponsors social and cultural events in the greater Boston area, ranging from Jewish text study to an annual LGBT Jewish speeddating gala, Keshet Quick Dates. On a national level, Keshet offers LGBT Jews support, training and resources.

As individuals and as a group, LGBT Jews will continue to exist, to flourish, and to leave our mark on the Jewish, LGBT, and mainstream communities. As we continue to evolve, our community organizations will follow suit, in order to reflect our ever-changing realities.

PRIDE AND FAITH

God Loves Poetry Transforming Messages of Hate

By J.W. Arnold

E

nglish playwright Edward BulwerLytton wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” in 1839, and in 2011, this old adage continues to ring true thanks to the efforts of two Fort Lauderdale men.

Since the development of language, words have been used to uplift and celebrate, but also to denigrate and hurt. In response to the hateful language of the fervently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, Kevin Cobb and Andres Almeida are using the fundamentalist sect’s own words against them to celebrate love and diversity.

The couple created the God Loves Poetry project, an art installation that features press releases from the church with most of the text blacked out, leaving affirming poems and messages. The title is also a play on the very words the Church writes on picket signs – “God Hates Fags,” “God Hates America,” etc.

“Every time they send out those press releases, it’s just blabbing,” explains Cobb, a graphic designer.

“They announce they’re going to picket the funeral of a little girl who was shot in Arizona because ‘she deserved it’ because of America’s changing views towards gays. Well, it hurts people.”

After years of picketing AIDS victims’ funerals, members of the church turned their attention to the funerals of fallen soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Black out poetry” — poems begin as newspaper clippings, then ‘unnecessary’ words are blacked out.

When courts upheld local laws to prevent the rabid churchgoers from disrupting funerals, the church took its case to the Supreme Court, which finally weighed in last spring. The court ruled that Westboro’s right to free speech outweighed the feelings of family members.

As Mother’s Day approaches, the couple’s project can provide some sense of solace for parents, family members and loved ones who have suffered from the church members’ hateful speech.

“By doing this,” adds Almeida, 24, a self-described advocate for equality, “we make them look even less powerful.”

While the duo lived in gayfriendly South Florida for years (they now live in Washington D.C.)

they both come from conservative roots. Almeida is a native of Ecuador who grew up in the United States while Cobb was raised in conservative Indiana.

While several God Loves Poetry works have been displayed around South Florida, the project really took off on the Internet.

“We really started as an online project and quickly built support from our family and friends, as well as on Twitter and Facebook,” Cobb explains. “You can start something like this anywhere and connect with likeminded people very quickly.”

The project has attracted fans from across the cultural, religious and political spectrum, Cobb says, including atheists, ministers, priests, families, seniors and children.

“Everyone seems to unify. Many of our fans have submitted their own blackout poems.”

The project has also been adopted by several universities, including American University, in response to Westboro protests near the Washington, D.C. campus.

Almedia and Cobb’s project caught the attention of National Public Radio, which featured the project two years ago. The reporter contacted members of Westboro Baptist Church, but so far the project has not attracted much ire from minister Fred Phelps’ clan.

“Meghan Phelps retweeted us on Twitter once,” Cobb recalls. “We don’t engage with them either.”

Adds Almeida, “We’re not looking to vilify them. They do that already.”

Instead, Cobb says, “It’s creative and therapeutic, taking interesting words and creating something that completely changes their message.”

Currently God Loves Poetry is on hiatus, but they are always accepting new submissions. Visit GodLovesPoetry.com for more information.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 43

GAY RIGHTS

By Gideon Grudo

photo of kate kendell courtesy of wikimedia

Three Decades of Success National Center for Lesbian Rights celebrates 35th year

T

he National Center for Lesbian Rights celebrated its 35th anniversary in May. The San Francisco organization advocates on behalf of the LGBT community, in all areas, ranging from immigration to marriage to transgender law.

While the organization’s name may focus on lesbians the breadth of their work isn’t.

“Even though we’re called the NCLR, we have, from the very beginning, worked on behalf of the entire community,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the NCLR. She explained that a case won on behalf of a transgender person will have repercussions on gay men and women, too. “Our name at this point is more about lesbian leadership, and not really at all about the breadth of our work.”

Kendell is a mother to three and said that today, this time, is a special time for the LGBT community — as special as they come, in fact.

“I feel very lucky to be in this place, and in some ways be a witness and participant to our liberation as it’s happening,” she said. ”This isn’t something that’s happening to someone else. As a lesbian, as a partner, as a parent, as an activist, as an attorney, every part of me is invested in winning full acceptance, equality, and really a celebration for my community.”

44 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

The progress that the NCLR and LGBT community has made over the last three decades is still hard for Kendell to believe.

“I think [the progress] has been remarkable and breathtaking. When I grew up in Utah and came out as a lesbian in 1980-81, it would have never occurred to me that just 30 years forward we would be seeing a president that was talking

about our issues, a secretary of state speaking to the UN General Assembly about the importance of creating safety for LGBT people worldwide, openly gay elected officials, superstars in Hollywood, kids coming out, marriage becoming a reality for thousands of people,” she said, catching her breath. “How far we’ve come in such a short time is breathtaking — certainly, there’s more to do, people still fall through the cracks. But we have a lot to celebrate.”

Kendell has a 30-year-old daughter, a 16-yearold son and a 10-year-old daughter. Part of her fight, part of NCLR’s fight, she said, is for them.

“I want my kids, regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity, to grow up in a country where there is not stigma, there is no shame, there is no harassment or discrimination against LGBT people,” she said. “If we were to have that kind of a country, it would be a more humane and safer place for everyone. That is the ultimate reason that I do this work.”

NCLR was founded in 1977 with a focus on fighting on behalf of the LGBT community from a courtroom setting. Today, the organization has spanned its wings over litigation, public policy advocacy and public education. It’s seen its efforts result in new and changed policies.

Visit www.nclrights.org for more information.

SPRING 2012 THE MIRROR 45

COFFEE TABLE

By JASON PARSLEY

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SPORTS

By TONY ADAMS

by COMPETE MAGAZINE AND JOEY AMATO

Matt Fish: NBA Legend and Straight Ally

M

att Fish had a 10-year career as a professional basketball player, including a stint with the Miami Heat. Now, at the age of 42, he is getting back to fundamentals, including his belief that all people—gay or straight—play for the same human team.

He is the latest in the growing ranks of prominent sportsmen who are “straight allies.” Like rugby player Ben Cohen who founded I Stand Up [against bullying] and wrestling star Hudson Taylor who started Athlete Ally, Matt Fish has created a foundation, Team Human Race, to combat homophobia in sports.

He has also written a soon-to-

50 THE MIRROR SPRING 2012

be-released book by the same name that offers young people lessons he has acquired in the course of his life as a vagabond professional sportsman. In addition to the foundation and the book, Fish’s advocacy for equality and fair play is evident in his new role as “Ally Editor” at Compete Magazine, a popular gay sports magazine.

While talking about his past, Fish’s natural ease with diversity infuses his secure sexuality with magnetic warmth and good humor. He is one of those straight guys for whom “gay” is a non-issue.

When he talks about the fundamentals that shaped him, he

includes his parents who raised him with two black siblings. He adds the facts that he was a band geek who played piano for ten years before first touching a basketball as a high school junior, and has since lived in a variety of cultures including Japan, Italy, China, Argentina, Poland, France and Portugal. He has two children, including a 22-year-old bi-racial son.

Fish is driven by the strong desire to “give back and make a difference.” As he moves into his new career as an ally to the LGBT community, he expresses sadness at leaving his post-basketball career working with kids as an educator (he has an MA in education, as well as an MBA). He is certain that he is the right person for the role of LGBT ally, given his experience as a teacher, communicator and retired professional athlete.

Not all of the fundamental lessons of Matt Fish were easily acquired by him. In his first year of college, alcohol almost permanently derailed his sports career. He showed extraordinary determination in getting himself back on track. As a professional, he discovered that while fans may think that ball players are all instant millionaires, wealth is not simply handed over to a player and personal financial management is a skill that is sometimes learned

the hard way. He is concerned about the sense of entitlement he often sees in young people, and he is convinced that parents and teachers should emphasize the connection between work and reward.

When Fish answers a direct question about homophobia in the NBA and what will be required to erase it, he displays the unrehearsed honesty that seems to be his trademark.

He soundbitelessly responds, “I don’t know if anyone can answer that question.” He responds with a shrug to questions about NBA players who are gay and closeted, saying that there were always some men who were the subject of gossip among their teammates, but he had no specific friendships with other players who came out to him secretly.

He is confident that he can partner with Ben Cohen and Hudson Taylor to improve diversity in professional sports and create a safer environment for gay athletes. He smiled with unexpected modesty and gentility when I suggested that in order to catch up to Cohen and Taylor he should start taking his shirt off for photographers more often.

Through his easy laughter, he thanked me for the suggestion and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

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