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SFGN’S PICKS FOR THE TOP 50 PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO DESERVE RECOGNITION local name, global coverage

february 2014

Joe, George, Nikki, Lea, Mike, Lillian and 44 others inside!

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OUT 50 // 2/26/14

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SOUTH FLORIDA’S OUT 50 • 2014 2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305 PHONE: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943

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Editorial

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Contributors

Mike Anguille, Tony Adams, Donald Cavanaugh, Andrea Richard, J.W. Arnold, John McDonald, Dori Zinn, Christiana Lilly, Jesse Monteagudo

Cover

Featured (L to R): Joe Pallant, George Castrataro, Nikki Addams, Lea Brown, Michael Rajner, and Lillian Tamayo Photography by Steven Shires Photography www.StevenShires.com

Welcome to SFGN’s Out 50 Sometimes people ask me if there is still a need for gay media, with how mainstream the LGBT community has become. When you flip through these pages you’ll see why there’s still that need. I am a journalist, but more importantly I am storyteller, and in this issue we tell 50 stories of prominent LGBT individuals — many of whom you may never have heard of. The mainstream press is shrinking, their resources evaporating, so who will be around in the years to come to tell these folks’ stories? Who but the gay press will tell stories like that of Nikki Adams, a legendary South Florida entertainer; or an out and proud police officer like Mike Silver; or Father Bill, the founder of the Poverello Center and the list goes on and on. Who but the gay press will shine a bright spotlight on these amazing individuals? We will. That’s who. These folks aren’t important because they are gay, they’re important because of their accomplishments and the work they do. But because they are gay they serve as role models for our community — and for future generations. These individuals prove that we are no longer a sideshow, but nowadays, the main show. Editing these stories inspired me and I hope their stories will inspire you as well. It quickly became apparent that when putting together this OUT 50 list it could have easily been an OUT 100 list (or more) and so many cuts had to be made. We purposely kept celebrities off the list in order to highlight the everyday people who make a huge difference in their industries, gay rights or the community as a whole. So welcome to the SFGN South Florida OUT 50, a list of activists, business leaders, movers and shakers, spiritual leaders, and other out and proud members of the local LGBT community. So when someone asks me if there is still a need for gay media my is answer “hell yes.”

Thank You!

Associate Publisher, Jason Parsley (R), with his partner Aydin Koymen Photography by Steven Shires

I’ve wanted to do this issue for the past two years and it was only in December that I finally decided it was time to make my vision a reality, but I would like to thank those folks who helped me do it. We’re a small weekly newspaper so putting an issue like this together was a monumental task. So I need to especially thank my writers, Andrea Richard, Christiana

Lilly, Donald Cavanaugh, Dori Zinn, Jesse Monteagudo, John McDonald, J.W. Arnold, Mike Anguille and Tony Adams. If it weren’t for them this would not have been possible. I would like to also thank the photographers Steven Shires, JR Davis, and Pompano Bill who provided photos to us.

South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law ofﬁce, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright © 2014 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

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Meredith Ockman

William F. Collins

Leading the Way for Women As the Vice President of the Florida National Organization for Women (NOW), Meredith Ockman has not only helped the voice of the women’s movement, but also of the LGBT movement. “I helped produce PrideFest for eight years and Stonewall Ball for several years,” Ockman said. “Each year that I was president of Palm Beach County NOW, we partnered with Planned Parenthood to have the largest delegation of women’s groups to walk in the Pride Parade in Palm Beach County.” Ockman said her requirement for her involvement with NOW was that the organization supported the LGBT community. “We at NOW are some of the most supportive,” she said. One of the biggest struggles LGBT people face is the state legislature’s lack of equality. “We have a very conservative legislature in Florida. I believe there are conservatives who support us, but the leadership in the conservative legislature does not support equal treatment.” Over time, Ockman believes in continuing the fight for equal rights. “As long as there is an organization fighting against our rights, we need to fight for support,” she said. “From the municipalities to the Presidency, women need to be involved. When Women Win, We all do!” — Dori Zinn

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Playwright/Actor

Michael McKeever

Michael McKeever is truly the renaissance man of South Florida theater. His plays, filled with “wit, insight and a healthy dose of his quirky sense of humor,” have been performed across the United States, Europe and Russia. Just this season, his comedies, “37 Postcards” and “Suite Surrender,” were or will be mounted in Wisconsin, Tennessee, British Columbia, Ontario, Illinois and Ohio, and his new play, “Clark Gable Slept Here” will be premiere at Miami’s Arsht Center. “One of the things I enjoy most about being a playwright is that you get to create worlds from scratch,” he explained in the video, “A Playwright in One Act: Deconstructing Michael McKeever.” McKeever, winner of five Carbonell Awards and an accomplished actor and graphic designer, teamed up three years with his longtime partner, director Stuart Meltzer, and playwright Chris DemosBrown to found Zoetic Stage to push the boundaries of regional theater. “I would like to think that my work has and will continue to have an impact on the audience members. It’s important that plays not only entertain an audience… but that have a message, that the audience walks away with a new understanding or some questions they can ask each other and themselves.” — J.W. Arnold

Out & Proud ‘Father’ Father Bill Collins began ministering to people living with HIV/AIDS in 1985 when he was appointed Chaplain to Imperial Point Hospital where he began his local ministry of service to people living with the virus. Two years later he founded The Poverello Food Bank and Thrift Shop. It opened in Pompano in the summer of 1987 and was only 1,800 square feet big. It’s mission: to help provide unavailable necessities to the growing number of men, women and children testing positive for the virus. Now almost 27 years later, Father Bill is 83 and still working. You can see him writing in the Poverello newsletters. With 11 employees and more than 100 volunteers, Poverello CEO Thomas Smith said it’s those volunteers that has made the organization so successful. Today, Poverello serves more than 10,000 clients. Over time, Smith said he hopes services like Poverello aren’t needed anymore. “I hope that there will not be a need for [our] services due to the fact that there will be a cure for HIV/AIDS,” Smith said. But, “I’m sure that there are others that will be in need of our food pantry.” Currently, the demand is still high, and Smith said Poverello is looking to open an additional thrift store sometime this year. And it all started with this humble man who is affectionately known to the community as Father Bill. — Dori Zinn

Cindy Brown

Leader in Industry & Activism   A native Floridian and Miami-Dade resident nearly all her life, Cindy Brown holds bachelor degrees from the University of Miami in psychology and criminology and is the current executive director of the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. She’s also a highly accomplished executive and champion of the LGBT community. From 1992 through 1995 and again from 1997 to 1998, she worked with Health Crisis Network helping coordinate AIDS Walk Miami (1992 through 1995 and again in 1997) and White Party (1992 through 1995). She later became the program director for the United Foundation for AIDS staying almost two years, before becoming the president and CEO of Cenergy Productions in 2000. Here she organized and produced events for organizations including GLSEN and the Dade Human Rights Foundation per her resume. In late 2001 she began a near seven year run as the managing director of Miami Light Project, “a cultural forum to explore some of the issues that define contemporary society,” and supports performing artists and productions worldwide, per its website. In 2008 Brown moved back in to event production and “revived Cenergy as a private fundraising & event production Consultation Company,” where her clients, per her resume, included SAVE Dade, Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Alliance for Gay Youth and the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) — amongst others. Brown has also held numerous board positions: SAVE Dade, the Dade Human Rights Foundation and The Gay & Lesbian Foundation of South Florida among them. As of 2013 she is the treasurer/director of the MGLFF. With so much to her credit, and as a standout leader of the LGBT community, one can only ask, does Ms. Brown ever find time to sleep? Likely not. And if her career to this point is any indication, she’s likely just getting warmed up. — Mike Anguille

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OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Real Estate Mogul

Deidre Newton

For many, owning a business is a life in and of itself, but for Deidre Newton, owner of Huntington Trescott Properties, her work as a realtor intermingled with her activity in politics and LGBT activism makes her a catalyst for change. She’s a true worker for the people, and one who helps others achieve their goals through the use of her skills professionally and politically. A fourth generation Floridian whose family has a background in farming and ranching, Newton concedes she always knew she’d “be making a living off the land.” And with an estimated $750 million in sales over her career, she clearly had the right idea. After attaining her MBA from Nova Southeastern University, she worked for a telecom company before obtaining her real estate license. Working with a mentor for numerous years before buying his firm she has a knack for land sales, but has sold everything from commercial property to condos and million dollar homes.

She’s the current secretary of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, served for eight years on Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (several as the vice chair) and even combined her real estate and political/ activist based talents to sell the building for Compass when they moved from West Palm Beach to Lake Worth. Feeling so strongly for Compass’ mission, she donated much of her brokerage fee back to the gay and lesbian community center because of her commitment to giving back — a cause for which she has a deep affinity. Using her talents as a realtor, political party member, and activist — and managing to intermingle all of these skills in to a singular themed focus helps set Newton apart from the competition. But it also shows her to be motivated, not as much by financial gain, but as much as she is cognizant of the ultimately underlying purpose of all of these fields: public service. — Mike Anguille

Craig Stevens News Anchor — In the Spotlight Craig Stevens has impressive credentials. The anchorman for WSVN-Channel 7 in South Florida has reported on a wide range of memorable events, from the chase for fashion icon Gianni Versace’s killer to the hotly contested 2000 presidential election. “It’s an honor to have a front row seat on history,” said Stevens, 45, who grew up in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts and now calls Miami Beach home. An openly gay man and past grand marshal of the Stonewall Pride Parade, Stevens does not want to be viewed as a role model, although he is quite active in the community. He teaches news writing at Barry University in Miami Shores, where he said the demand for media is still high, but the way it is delivered has certainly changed. “Now it’s all about mobile devices,” Stevens said. “What I do on television is still relevant, but there are many other ways to receive your news.” Some of the big stories Stevens has told include the Oklahoma City bombing, a tragedy he called “gutwrenching” and the developing situation with Andrew Cunanan, Versace’s killer. “He was on my radar all summer,” Stevens said of the 1997 manhunt. “I always felt like I was a couple days behind him. It was creepy.” — John McDonald

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Tony Finstrom Playwright & Theater Expert South Florida audiences know Fort Lauderdale resident Tony Finstrom for his award-winning plays. His most recent works have headlined at Jan McArt’s New Play Reading Series at Lynn University in Boca Raton and the Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. But, despite his success as a playwright, even more theater fans around the world know Finstrom for his daily email missives and news reports on the theater community. Known as “Tony’s Latest,” his emails aggregate stories from leading newspapers, blogs, reviews, columns and a very detailed “Today in Theatre History” feature that is unrivaled. “Most (of my readers) I don’t even know,” explained Finstrom, who moved 25 years ago from New York to Fort Lauderdale. “They’re friends of friends of friends. It started with a group of snowbirds here in South Florida who liked to keep abreast of what’s going on in New York and London and L.A.” Now, each day, thousands of people get the latest theater news, thanks to “Tony’s Latest.” “It’s not enough to put it up on a website. But, when you serve it up to them, they read,” he said, amazed at the viral nature of his pet project. — J.W. Arnold

Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee Trans Activist Raised in a black Pentecostal home in New York, the bishop knows first hand the struggles of grappling with your sexuality and the teachings of the church. Today as a church leader and a transgender man, he teaches the LGBT community that they are loved. “God’s love is unconditional,” he said. Makalani-MaHee has worked in the Unity Fellowship and Metropolitan Community Church movements, both inclusive of the LGBT community. Currently, he is a staff member at the Pride Center in Wilton Manors

and works as an activist for the transgender community. One of the biggest challenges he says that trans people face is resources, as they face higher rates of poverty than other LGBT. Luckily, the bishop says that South Florida has a very active transgender and activist community, including the work that the Pride Center does. Every month, MakalaniMaHee hosts a potluck for transgender people and activists to get together. “We’re making sure the T [in LGBT] is loud and bold,” he said. — Christiana Lilly

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OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Real Estate Mogul A real estate agent since the mid 90’s, Castelli has built nothing short of a real estate empire and if there’s one word to describe his accomplishments it would be “mogul.” He undoubtedly has hundreds of millions of sales under his belt, yet most striking is his absolute lack of pretension. Anyone who interviews him will quickly observe that this man is humble, kind, warm, honest and open. A graduate of Marquette University specific to journalism, radio, TV and advertising, he also holds a Master’s Degree from Northwestern with an emphasis on marketing and advertising. Five years later, after working for a

major Chicago ad agency producing and directing TV and Radio spots for major brands, Castelli decided it was time for a change and came to Fort Lauderdale in 1970. In the early years, Castelli says, “I knew someone running the Marlin Beach Hotel and I painted it pink and turned it gay.” Tip of the iceberg. Ever heard of the Copa? Castelli owned it for nearly 20 years until selling in 1995. He had two other locations as well: Key West and Fire Island. The President Elect of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors, director of the Florida Association of Realtors (boasting 116,000 members) and the director of the national board of realtors are just a few of the titles he has held.

Castelli married his partner of 19 years in an October ceremony in Central Park with 24 of their closest friends and beams when speaking of his lover. There’s only one topic that “moves his bones” in conversation outside of his husband: the community and his support for all things LGBT. “I think I serve the gay community not just from being married, but when you drive down Wilton Drive and see places like Georgie’s Alibi and other landmarks, I know I had a hand in making this community what it is,” Castelli said. Visit CastelliHomes.com for more information. — Mike Anguille

John Castelli

Making Music & Progress

Sebrina Maria Alfonso

Photo courtesy of Steven Shires

As one of the few women leading a professional symphony orchestra in the United States, South Florida Symphony Music Director Sebrina Maria Alfonso knows a thing or two about the socalled “glass ceiling.” “It doesn’t help that this is a scary time for the arts,” Alfonso explained, noting the financial stress the Great Recession has placed on non-profit arts organizations. “There are more and more women conductors, but it doesn’t help that many orchestras are in trouble and tend to make safer bets….that makes the field smaller and doesn’t leave a lot of room for women.” And, for a female conductor who also happens to be a lesbian, the opportunities can be even fewer and far between. Faced with going back in the closet, Alfonso made a decision not to “live somewhere where I have to be closeted again,” she recalled. “Just as the current generation of children have only known a black president, in 10 or 15 years, if orchestras survive — like gay rights — our patrons will be more open minded and accepting.” Even if the South Florida Symphony is “the orchestra with a lesbian conductor,” Alfonso knows that ultimately it’s the music she makes that must speak to audiences and break down barriers. — J.W. Arnold

Serving Up Healthcare to the Disenfranchised

William Green 8

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William Green, Broward County Health Care Services Administrator, has been with the county for 13 years working with disenfranchised communities and ensuring that they have equitable access to healthcare. “Historically, the LGBT community has faced issues of access to affordable healthcare,” Green said. Green and staff focus on the delivery of care to minority populations, including working with more than a dozen communitybased providers. On top of that, they are also

working to help people enroll in the new Affordable Healthcare Act marketplace. Agencies throughout the county are available to help people navigate the website and answer any questions they may have about the new law. “We know that people who have resources have access, but there are certain communities that don’t have access,” Green said about healthcare. “That’s one of the things that I really want to work with providers and community-based organizations to make sure… that they provide outreach to the LGBT community.” — Christiana Lilly

Anthony Timiraos Bringing Home the Bacon Anthony Timiraos, president, CEO and co-founder of Our Fund, a foundation that encourages and nurtures philanthropy and support for the LGBT community of South Florida, says he has an exit strategy that will keep it strong even when he leaves it. He knows something about exit strategies, having come to the U.S. from Cuba in 1962 under Operation Peter Pan, a CIA intervention in which 14,000 Cuban children were sent to Miami by their parents for political asylum. In Connecticut, Timiraos became a Certified Public Accountant and had a financial management career that

took him to Boston and New York City. Today, Our Fund is three years old, with $2 million in assets, having received over $3.3 million in gifts and distributed over $1.2 million in grants. The foundation manages 33 charitable funds and has a significant list of Legacy Society members with over $30 million in promised future legacy gifts. Members of the Legacy Society are individuals who designate a portion or all of their estate to Our Fund. Timiraos does not have an exit strategy in mind though for Arthur Crispino whom he met in high school. Together since 1970, they were married two years ago in New York City. — Tony Adams

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OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Attorney & Activist

George Castrataro

Attorney George Castrataro, in private practice since 2008, has never stopped giving large amounts of time to pro bono work and community service. He reacts strongly to cases involving victimization, predatory lending and lack of protections for LGBT couples. He finds it hard to resist taking on clients who would otherwise be vulnerable without recourse, and becomes genuinely absorbed into the life of those clients. Castrataro names his parents as the source of his focus on personal integrity and he describes his upbringing in Amityville, New York, as “atypical Italian Catholic” in that his parents were unusually accepting of a son who was already out in high school. A family move to Florida meant getting an undergraduate degree and an MA in Public Health from the University of South Florida. Working in the public health field after college, Castrataro considered becoming a doctor before settling on law. His practice has grown rapidly in both the straight and gay communities with an equal number of both. He describes himself as a “shy techno geek who works long hours and doesn’t get out much.” Friends, admirers and clients who have been on the receiving end of his mischievous smile might disagree. Visit lawGC.com for information about his practice. — Tony Adams

Broward’s First Gay Mayor

Ken Keechl 10

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At a young-looking 51-years-old, Ken Keechl stands out. Proud of his success in business and politics, Keechl and his partner of 17 years, Ted Adcock, were married in New York in 2011. “I was out in all of my campaigns,” Keechl said. “There were photos of me and Ted together on my campaign literature. We were visibly a couple and, yes, we won.” “Besides,” he continued, “I’d been a 2-term president of the Dolphin Democrats, [the local LGBT Democratic group] so people knew who I was and what I stood for.” Keechl was elected to the Broward County Commission in 2006. He was appointed vice mayor of Broward County in 2008 and mayor in 2009; the appointments were made by vote of the commission members. He was the first openly gay politician to hold these seats although he is quick to mention that other elected positions in the state had been held by openly gay people as well. For a number of different reasons, Keechl lost his commission seat in 2010 but has announced his candidacy as an openly gay candidate for the 2014 election cycle. — Donald Cavanaugh

OUT 50 // 2/26/14

Victor Diaz-Herman Guiding Gay Youth For Victor Diaz-Herman, he’s been an equal rights activist since birth. “My mother’s favorite anecdote is that I marched for LGBTQ rights in Washington D.C. as an infant slung across her chest,” he said. And while he has seen great strides in his 32 years, he admits there is still work to be done. “Winning marriage equality at the state level and fighting to end discrimination in the work force are among so many important issues.” As the Executive Director of Pridelines Youth Services in Miami Shores, Diaz-Herman said many LGBTQ youth are dealing with neglect, abuse, homelessness and suicidal thoughts. In more than 31 years, Pridelines has been

able to support, educate, and empower LGBTQ young people across South Florida. Diaz-Herman, a Miami native, said it was when he served as a chaperone to an LGBTQ youth prom in 2005 hosted by Pridelines that motivated him to get involved in the organization. “I’ll never forget the sense of love, acceptance, and safety that filled the room as young people danced, held hands or simply enjoyed an evening that reflected who they are without fear of prejudice or harassment,” DiazHerman said. — Dori Zinn

Florida’s First Openly Gay State Court Judge Broward County Judge Robert Lee is certainly a man of distinction. As the first openly gay man to be appointed to the state court bench in Florida, Lee is a groundbreaking figure in the LGBT movement. Before being appointed to a judgeship by then Governor Lawton Chiles, Lee earned a reputation as an attorney who fought against discrimination. He fondly recalls the legal battles he took part in for the organization — Broward United Against Discrimination. It was Lee who researched the winning brief in a case that went all the way to the Florida Supreme Court. Lee said his “life changing” experience came in 1993 when he joined thousands in the Gay & Lesbian March on Washington. “That’s when I realized there were people like me,” he said. Lee grew up in Jacksonville, graduated from Trinity Christian and received his bachelor’s degree in education from Jacksonville University. He is a product of the University of Florida School of Law and has presided over 331 jury trails. Judge Lee is currently the only county judge who has served in every division from general civil to violent crime. Lee has 14 nieces and nephews. His mother is from Mexico, which prompted the Miami Herald to declare in a headline upon his appointment, “Governor appoints state’s first gay, Hispanic judge.” “I still have the paper,” Lee said. — John McDonald

Out & Proud in Uniform As a detective assigned to the Special Victims Unit of the Pembroke Pines Police Department, Officer Mike Silver’s passion for investigating crimes against the vulnerable and defenseless means working long hours and being on call and able to respond at any time of the day and night. After work, community volunteering takes up his free time. No wonder this handsome, dedicated, 40 year-old and award-winning cop is single. Silver began his career at the age of 19 as a police officer for the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians in 2002. When he transferred two years later to Pembroke Pines, he worked as a road patrol officer and field-training officer for eight years before receiving his current assignment.

He investigates sexual assaults, domestic violence, elderly and child abuse, human trafficking, missing persons, and abductions. He is also assigned to the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which investigates online predators who seek out children. Silver volunteers as a law enforcement liaison for the Broward County School Board’s Safe School Program, and at SunServe. Silver says he came out to his co-workers before family and friends, and is grateful for their constant support and acceptance. Silver received the Valor Award in 2011, and the Officer of the 1st Quarter award in 2013. — Tony Adams

Putting ‘Angel’ in Tuesday’s Angels

Mike Silver

Chuck Nicholls Bringing Gay Families Together

Richard Alalouf

Richard Alalouf is uniquely out in one particular way. He’s a co-parent with his husband, Tom Mulroy, of a 3-and-a-half-year-old boy. “That gets you visibility,” Alalouf said. “There are the doctors, the day care people, the grocery store staff who see you buying diapers,and soon the schools, and you just have to let them know who you are and what your child’s family looks like.” Alalouf is a flight attendant with Jet Blue and the volunteer executive director for South Florida Family Pride, a loosely knit organization of more than 200 families that provides massive play dates for children and their gay parents.

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Chuck Nicholls was born in Chicago and moved to Washington D.C. to pursue his career. He’s a Michigan State University graduate and did his graduate studies at The University of Florida. For him, one of his career highlights was being a founding member of The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There, he enjoyed the teamwork involved in developing safety standards for consumer products. Eventually, he retired in South Florida and became a member of the nonprofit Tuesday’s Angels where he served as president for many years. This Fort Lauderdale organization serves men, women and children with HIV/ AIDS. “I will probably best be remembered for my work with Tuesday’s Angels and the over two million dollars that I helped raised while president of the organization,” he said. – Andrea Richard

“We’re normalizing our children’s experiences of having gay parents,” Alalouf said. “They get to socialize with other kids like themselves so it reinforces that they’re OK and their families are OK.” Alalouf is from Montreal, Canada; his husband hails from Chicago. They live here for the weather. Mulroy is the general manger of a local resort hotel. They’ve been together for eight years and were married in Provincetown five years ago. “Maybe we won’t need an Out50 when our kids’ kids are growing up,” he said. “That’s a worthy goal to aim for.” — Donald Cavanaugh

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

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Michael C. Gongora was the first openly gay Hispanic commissioner in Florida to be elected to any public office. In addition, Gongora was the first openly gay person to win an election to public office in the City of Miami Beach, despite a negative campaign against him. Currently, he is an attorney with the Coral Gables law firm, Becker & Poliakoff. He’s a Miami native and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School Law. “I chose my career as a lawyer because I always wanted to be an effective communicator and be in a position to help people and remedy wrongs,” he said. He attributes running for public office and leadership to his upbringing. His Cuban grandfather was a commissioner, and the grandfather on his mother side was an Assembly of God Preacher. He also cares deeply about green issues. Having created the City of Miami Beach Sustainability Committee, he effectuated change and got the city to do an audit on how it spends money on water, energy and waste. As a result, a sustainability plan for the city was adopted which was recognized by local media to Rolling Stone, NPR and President Obama. — Andrea Richard

Ralph Wolfe Cowan

“Who haven’t I painted,” painter Ralph Wolfe Cowan always responds with a chuckle. Such a statement would seem pretentious coming from nearly any other artist, but Cowan is acclaimed as the greatest American portrait painter of the 20th century. Cowan has painted the crowned heads of Europe, the legends of stage and screen, and three U.S. Presidents, but traces his long career back to his earliest years in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he first picked up a brush at the age of four. By the time he turned 16, Cowan moved to New York to make his mark as an artist. After a stint in the Army, he wound up in California, determined to paint the movie stars he adored as a child at Saturday matinees. Soon, Hollywood starlets lined up, including Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds and Grace Kelly. He would go on to paint a landmark portrait of Princess Grace of Monaco that is considered a national treasure, and later immortalized Princess Diana, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and even Madonna. For the past 30 years, Cowan has called West Palm Beach home, but he still travels the world when the rich and famous beckon. — J.W. Arnold

Miriam Richter Attorney & Activist

When Miriam Richter first became (2011) an LGBT advocate — a title she prefers to activist — she was known as a trademark attorney who concentrated her practice on intellectual property matters. “It started from a need to get health insurance,” she recalled. “My partner of 20 years worked for the City of Fort Lauderdale and I could not get coverage on her policy at the time. So I kept calling Mayor Jack Seiler until I got him on the phone. He asked me what was involved and what it would cost the City. I spent the next six months gathering information. I sent the report to the Mayor and he put it on the agenda for the next meeting.

City Commissioners and the City Manager were in favor so they made it happen. It was very exciting to see how local government can be so responsive.” This impressed Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk’s nephew, and soon Richter became Education Director and Trademark Counsel for the Harvey Milk Foundation. “I realized that no one is doing the work that the Harvey Milk Foundation is doing. If we do not look at discrimination from a global perspective, it will never get better. Harvey’s message of hope and collaboration is still relevant and it’s huge honor to be able to continue that message.” — Jesse Monteagudo

daniel.pye

2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Noah Kitty

Steve Stagon

‘Saving’ Dade

The Survivor Steve Stagon was given two years to live. That was 1988. “Back then it was a death sentence,” said Stagon, speaking about his AIDS diagnosis. Stagon, a Pennsylvania native, moved to South Florida shortly after his diagnosis and began an amazing recovery. Today, the President of the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, hails the community contacts he has made as a life saver. “When I moved to South Florida, I joined support groups,” he said. “It was much easier to come out here than Pennsylvania. The groups provided a safe place to meet people like me and make friends.” Since 2006, Stagon has led a support group, Pozitive Attitudes, which meets monthly at the Pride Center in Wilton Manors. He got the idea for a World AIDS Museum after doing ample research and finding nothing that tells the story of this deadly disease that has claimed the lives of more than 25 million people globally. “We want to increase awareness and decrease stigma,” said Stagon, on the museum’s mission. In his spare time, Stagon enjoys gardening, working out at Steel Gym and going to the movies. He is a proud owner of two Griffon Bruxellois dogs. — John McDonald

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OUT 50 // 2/26/14

Tony Lima

When Tony Lima was hired last summer to be the Executive Director of SAVE Dade, Board Chairman Brian Adler declared that “he brings talent, enthusiasm and passion to his new role and will represent the LGBT community in Miami with distinction.” Lima came to SAVE Dade with a rich background as a marketing professional, with six years’ experience as Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and Sales for the Miami Science Museum. Since he took the helm at SAVE Dade on September 3, Lima told SFGN, he and his staff “developed an ambitious political roadmap for 2014 that will help elect the right leaders to ultimately achieve a proequality state [of Florida]. Locally, we will focus on pushing forward to amend the Human Rights Ordinance in Miami-Dade County to add protections on the basis of gender identity and expression.” Lima also added to his team “a field director with national prominence that will help us achieve even greater strides for human rights and equality.“ Looking forward, Lima vows to continue SAVE Dade’s “legacy of hard work to create positive change as leaders of the organization have done before me.” Visit SaveDade.org for more information about SAVE Dade. — Jesse Monteagudo

Out & Proud Rabbi It’s been 40 years since Etz Chaim opened its doors as a welcoming place to both the Jewish and LGBT community. As the Executive Director, Rabbi Noah Kitty has seen first-hand the support and friendship of the community. “I’ve been in South Florida since 2002, when I left my pulpit in Vermont to take care of my mother, after my father passed suddenly,” Kitty said. “I’ve stayed because of the community, the support and friendship I’ve received personally from the LGBT community, and from the general Jewish community.” Along with weekly services, High Holiday services, and Passover services, Kitty said the new Temple Beth Torah in Tamarac has instituted a special monthly speaker series that has featured Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz, former Senator Nan Rich, and judge Lisa Porter. Kitty said religious organizations are much more welcoming in recent years. “For LGBT Jews, the question is not how to locate a welcoming synagogue, but which of the many local synagogues to join.” While there is still work to be done, Kitty believes the many battles have been won. “I believe the LGBT community has won the war of social and legal acceptance,” Kitty said. “I am confident that our work for marriage equality will soon succeed in Florida.” — Dori Zinn

Real Estate Giant She wasn’t a little girl with a dream to go in to realty, but it’s a safe bet to say buyers and sellers alike should be glad she did! Burnside has 25 years of experience as a realtor in South Florida, and while she specializes in commercial real estate properties, you should listen up because her job is actually more important to most of our social lives than many of us realize. One of our other Real Estate Honorees called her, “unequivocally, the queen of bars and liquor licenses.” Burnside herself even freely admits, “I LOVE [emphasizes] what I do. I like bars, I like club people.” Unlike some of our other honorees, Burnside distinguishes herself from the rest of the pack as freely admitting that she didn’t choose real estate, real estate chose her (at least in the beginning). She credits much of her getting started in realty to her boss at the time — she was a paralegal — and worked for Henry Amoon who was a general practice attorney but did a lot of work around liquor licenses. Obviously noting Burnside’s propensity for success, he, “suggested I’d never want to work for anyone else,” she says. And that’s when she decided to get her real estate license. Twenty years later, Amoon retired, but at that point, Burnside was already a commercial real estate force with 5 years experience to be reckoned with. Drinkers, calm down, though… she does take a residential listing as long as it’s worth it. So be careful to box her in — while she does deal with commercial properties, bars, liquor stores and nightclubs (in addition to brokering liquor licenses), there’s nothing Burnside’s confidence exudes that says she won’t see every deal through from beginning to end with perfection. Visit PatBurnsideRealty.com for more information. — Mike Anguille

Pat Burnside

2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Dean J. Trantalis Having a ‘BLAST’

Toni Armstrong, Jr. 16

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With her lifelong work as a special education teacher, her success establishing Gay-Straight Alliances in K-12 Chicago schools from 1995-2003, and her laundry list of accolades, you’d think Toni Armstrong Jr. would come to Palm Beach to take a break. But with the success of BLAST, you probably understand why she hasn’t stopped. Armstrong successfully runs Bi, Lesbian, and Straight Together, or BLAST, a 1,400 member community group that’s aimed to serve the women of Palm Beach County. In a little more than five years since its creation, BLAST hosts everything from dance lessons to snorkeling to discussion groups. “Prior to BLAST, it was very difficult for women to meet women for the purpose of doing things together based on shared interests,” Armstrong said. “BLAST is about creating an interesting and supportive community for women to be part of.” BLAST is truly community-driven: there is no board of directors or elected officers. Armstrong said the calendar has 3-6 events every week, and there’s no membership fee. Armstrong sees much growth in the next five years. “BLAST will be empowering women to try new things and giving free publicity to woman-centric events,” Armstrong said. “Every month some BLAST member suggests a great new idea, and as a community, we figure out how to make as many of them happen as we can.” — Dori Zinn

Out & Proud Politician Dean Trantalis was born and raised in Norwich, Connecticut. He graduated cum laude from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. In 1979, he completed his legal studies at the Stetson University School of Law. He took his studies aboard and studied international law in London, Eastern Europe and Russia. He’s been practicing law in Broward County since 1992. Currently, he maintains a general practice that handles real estate, probate, and corporate matters. When Broward County was amidst a referendum to pass a human rights ordinance in 1990, Trantalis decided to enter politics. Three years later, he became chair of Broward United Against Discrimination, a local chapter with a statewide effort. The aim was to defeat American Family Association’s petition drive to prevent any city or county from enacting gay-rights laws. In 1995, he served as co-chair of Americans For Equality. His leadership experience is extensive. “As time passed, I became drawn to issues affecting human rights and anti-discrimination causes,” he wrote. His charity work includes being on the board for the Broward House, a nonprofit that serves individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Currently Trantalis is a City Commissioner for Fort Lauderdale. — Andrea Richard

Insurance Mogul Joe Pallant is a business savvy Miami Beach native who thought the fax machine was a brilliant idea. He obtained his MBA from the University of Miami. He’s a real estate broker and licensed property and casualty insurance agent for the state of Florida. How did he get into this field? “As with many things in life, it was accident and timing,” Pallant wrote. “After graduating with my MBA, I tried to get a job in New York during a time of economic downturn. No one was hiring and I ended up back in Florida where a friend offered me an entry-level job in insurance.” In 1992, he opened South Beach Insurance on Miami Beach and sold it in 2005 to move to Fort Lauderdale. He opened Pallant Insurance Agency in 2005 with only two employees and since then his company has grown into one of the largest insurance agencies in the region. He supports the local LGBT community through working with organizations that help protect rights of gays and lesbians. — Andrea Richard

Joe Pallant CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Florida

Lillian Tamayo

As the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, Lillian Tamayo has spent the last 15 years not only advocating for women’s health issues, but also for people’s health issues. “Discrimination towards LGBTQ people still occurs regularly in health care systems, especially towards transgender persons,” Tamayo said. “There is insufficient training or education to build provider LGBTQ competencies.” With partnerships that include the Safe to Be Me Coalition, SunServe, and the Pride Center, Planned Parenthood is committed to safe and reliable access to health care. “As advocates, we work with partner groups to fight for access to health care and equal rights,” Tamayo said. “At our health centers, our doctors and nurses provide nonjudgmental, confidential care to any patient that comes through our doors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.” While Planned Parenthood and other groups believe so much progress has been made, there is still work to be done. “For me, protecting women’s health care and advocating for marriage equality are inextricably connected as both issues are grounded in core human values,” Tamayo said. “Sometimes, we view our respective organizational missions from a narrow lens, diminishing our potential for stronger coalition and partnership.” – Dori Zinn

A Big Role; A Modest Man

Kristofer Fegenbush 2/26/14

When you ask Kris Fegenbush what makes The Pride Center successful, you may want to sit down. It could take awhile. He may go on about his full day — visiting with more than 150 LGBT seniors; meeting with nearly 60 people living with HIV/AIDS; talking with LGBT parents who are looking for �inancial and legal planning — before admitting to what it’s all about: the diversity of The Pride Center. “Every day, the groups, events and programs may look different, but I hope the message to people in the community remains: you are embraced, you are accepted, you are appreciated, you are worthy, you are loved,” he said. Fegenbush, Chief Operating Of�icer of The Pride Center, can gush for hours about how the 20-year-old organization has made its impact in the community. He will say it is because the “perseverance, commitment and generosity of many.” But he may not like to admit that he is a big part of it. “I wake up most mornings and try to do something to positively impact those I encounter,” he said. “I’ve been showered with love. I try to invest that love in those around me.” — Dori Zinn

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Store Owner & Politician

Emilio Benitez

Protecting Our Children

Emilio Benitez grew up in Miami and is native to Havana, Cuba. The past 27 years, Benitez has resided in Hollywood, Florida. He’s a Tulane University graduate and received his Juris Doctorate at the University of Florida. In 2007, he took the reigns as president and CEO of ChildNet, a not-for-profit community-based child welfare agency, where he’s served on the board for many years prior to taking on this role. ChildNet is nationally recognized and awarded for its innovative child welfare efforts. It has offices in Broward and Palm Beach Counties and serves abused, abandoned and neglected children. In addition, his career background includes service as an assistant public defender in juvenile and felony trial divisions with the Broward County Public Defender’s Office. Also, he has practiced criminal, personal injury and real estate law. He was attracted to children’s advocacy because his grandmother was adopted, and his father had been in foster care. Benitez is known among his peers for his unwavering compassion for the children ChildNet serves. He believes that all children, especially those involved in the foster care system, through no fault of their own,need and deserve to be loved. — Andrea Richard

Out & Proud Pastor Pastor Leslie Tipton was born in Woodland Hills, California. She got her bachelor’s degree in behavioral psychology at San Diego State University. She attended SpiritSong Institute, obtained a certi�icate of ordination and was ordained a reverend in the Christian faith. She serves as senior pastor at SpiritSong in Wilton Manors. “I don’t believe I chose my career, but that God chose me for a life of service,” she wrote.

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Andy Amoroso

“After serving in the U.S. Marines for ten years, I very clearly heard the voice of God calling me out from serving my country and into a life of loving and serving my neighbor. Each and every one is awesome and deserves to know that God loves them just the way they are and that He values them.” Pastor Tipton is known for her warmth, open mindedness and fairness to those she meets. She lives in Sunrise with her wife, mother and nine pets. — Andrea Richard

OUT 50 // 2/26/14

Leslie Tipton

Openly gay Lake Worth City Commissioner, Andy Amoroso, says he has never come out. “I never had to,” he said,” “My parents were cool with it from the beginning. “And I was never bothered in school.” The Florida native was born in Broward and raised in Lake Worth. He attended Lake Worth High and Palm Beach Community College (now Palm Beach State College), and majored in travel. Amoroso opened the first gay travel agency in the county and had tremendous success. He sold the business and opened Studio 205 at 205 N. Federal Highway, the first and only gay emporium in Palm Beach County. He moved to his current location at 600 Lake Ave. and has added a juice bar on L Street. He also owns a vintage goods store at 619 N. Dixie Highway called Atomic Living. Amoroso entered politics “to make a difference” – for both gay and straight residents. “When the city is healthy, you can do so much more for everyone,” he said. “Just getting elected started that process,” he continued. “I’m the first elected gay city commissioner in Lake Worth and all of Palm Beach.” And he still runs the only gay store in the county. — Donald Cavanaugh

Nikki Adams South Florida Legend Nikki Adams has been entertaining for the last 37 years. Many of her performances have been to charities that directly support AIDS. “I knew that my role as an entertainer and a member of the LBGT community was to be someone who could lend a voice to raise awareness and also help raise funds that were so very desperately needed,” Adams said. So she had dedicated her work to doing just that. Adams is the former Community Liaison for the development department of Broward House — a role she had for nearly four years. During that time, she produced many successful events, including Moulin

Rouge, Mad Hatter's and Great Gatsby Galas, Broward Bares It and more. One of the biggest struggles Adams recognizes in the LGBT community is the leadership. “I find too often that the lack of willingness to work together in this community could become the downfall of it,” she said. “We could be so much stronger if we lifted ONE voice. In short, [there are] too many chiefs.” While there may be a race to lead, Adams believes that one day there may not need to be a fight. “Soon, perhaps more than 5 years, perhaps sooner, who knows, but acceptance, true acceptance, will be obtained.” — Dori Zinn 2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Charlie Fredrickson

Photo Historian Charlie Fredrickson is a photo chronicler extraordinaire, active churchman and consistent supporter of the gay community in Palm Beach County. With tens of thousands of photographs going back to the early 80s, many of them online, Fredrickson’s opus is an invaluable resource for LGBT history in Palm Beach as well as counties further south. Fredrickson came to Palm Beach in 1981 and immediately engaged with the newly founded MCC church, having been involved with that organization both in Philadelphia and Tacoma, WA. “My pictures show a timeline of gay life and events in the county,” he said. “I’ve been taking photos for years and was actually able to find some pictures from the founding of the church. “I try to support all the gay groups in Palm Beach with my presence, my pictures and often, with donations,” he said. “I belong to Compass, the Pride Business Alliance, HRC {Palm Beach County Human Rights Council] and more.” Fredrickson recently became vice president of the Palm Beach County Prime Timers and he coordinates a monthly gay gathering at a variety of non-gay venues like the Chesterfield Hotel, the Colony and others. — Donald Cavanaugh

Out & Proud Judge

Steve Rothaus America’s LGBT Issues Reporter “It was a struggle from week to week to get people to go on the record,” recalled Steve Rothaus during the early days of reporting on the LGBT community in South Florida. Rothaus began writing his Gay South Florida Blog in 2006 and it is now the blog of authority for the Miami metropolitan area. He started with the Miami Herald in the mid 1980s and gradually worked his way up through the organization’s ranks. What began as a one day a week assignment to monitor the police radio in Miami Beach has blossomed into Rothaus’ full-time role as the LGBT issues reporter at the Herald. “I don’t know of any other mainstream newspapers with that as a full time beat,” Rothaus said. “I love what I’m doing. It’s giving voice to the public and learning along the way. It’s a great time to be covering the marriage story.” Marriage is on many minds these days with the recent court challenge to Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage — a story that earned Rothaus a front-page byline. He met his partner, Ric Katz, an influential political consultant, while working retail for the department store, Lord & Taylor. The couple of 29 years recently tied the knot in New York. — John McDonald

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OUT 50 // 2/26/14

Judge Lisa Porter has been a part of the Florida Justice System for over 20 years and was previously profiled by SFGN in 2012 for her marriage to her partner of 25 years, Patricia Windowmaker, deputy general counsel to Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. Starting her career as a felony prosecutor, Porter advanced rapidly through the ranks of the state’s prosecutorial hierarchy holding both local and statewide positions across Florida before being appointed to the 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward County) in 2008 by then Governor Charlie Crist. With boatloads of judicial achievements, it’s difficult to sum up Porter’s work in such a short space. However, there are certain standout aspects of her career, which are more than noteworthy: as a prosecutor she developed a specialty in environmental crimes like wetlands violations and commercial dumping. She successfully prosecuted the director of the City of Crystal River’s waste water plant in Citrus County for failing to report to state authorities that his facility couldn’t handle the influx of wastewater, resulting in its discharge to King’s Bay and contributing to harmful algal blooms endangering the bay’s dense population of manatee and other wildlife. The necessary new plant, not surprisingly, was quickly built after the director’s conviction. As a judge she’s made it a matter of priority to ensure the justice system operates with “surgical” efficiency. She actively manages hundreds of cases at any given time (741 at the time of interview) pushing prosecutors and defense attorneys to reach agreement when a case has an imminent outcome (like those with confessions or, conversely, a lack of evidence) and moving along cases with less clarity to trial for a jury to determine the outcome. Ensuring fairness for all parties involved is paramount to Porter and her approach to her work on the bench. — Mike Anguille

Lisa Porter

A Lifetime of Firsts

Robin Bodiford

Robin Bodiford has been gay for as long as she can remember and she has been first out in many ways for many years. “I was one of the first three openly gay attorneys in Broward County,” Bodiford said. “It was me, Dean Trantalis [featured in Out50] and Alan Terl [deceased].” She was the first attorney to advertise in the Broward gay media with a photograph of herself, and the first attorney to advertise services for LGBT people on bus stop kiosks. “And I never received any hate mail or threats or anything of that nature,” she said. “All-in-all things have gone pretty smoothly.” She had her first position as an attorney with one of the largest law firms in San Francisco. She asked a senior executive if she could bring her partner to company events. “He nearly lost it,” she said. “He told me the conversation hadn’t taken place and the topic was off-limits for the future. “They’re now major supporters of rights for their gay employees,” she said. “Go figure.” “Come out as soon as you can is my best advice,” she concluded. “It’s fantastic and the best thing you can do for yourself — personally and professionally.” — Donald Cavanaugh

Playwright/Founder, Kutumba Theatre Project

Kim Ehly

Playwright Kim Ehly is the leading voice in theater for South Florida’s lesbian community. Ehly first grabbed the attention of critics and audiences alike with the premiere of her loosely autobiographical play, “Baby GirL,” which premiered at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage in 2012 and earned her a Carbonell Award for Best New Work. Ehly initially penned the show as a monologue for a writing workshop in New York, then guided it through a version at Women’s Theatre Project, then worked it up as a screenplay. Her dream is to eventually produce and direct the movie version. Through Kutumba Theatre Project, the professional company she founded, Ehly brings critically acclaimed productions of lesbian-themed plays to a South Florida LGBT theater community that has largely been dominated by gay men. “I’m inspired by women who are able to pave the way for other women, particularly in the theater and film worlds, where gender parity is a big challenge,” she said. “My goal in life is to inspire others. I know of a few women who wrote their stories, after seeing my play…. Winning awards and nominations was yummy icing on the cake.” — J.W. Arnold 2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Palm Beach Power Couple It was through activism and work at Compass that brought together Tony Plakas and Jamie Foreman, who have been together since November 1997 and married since 2011. Plakas, the CEO, first started working there that year and Foreman had moved down to South Florida and was looking for volunteer work. Together, they’ve garnered their strengths to make the community center what it is today. Originally, the center was almost solely focused on HIV/AIDS, but now has also branched out to what Plakas calls a “fullfledged community center” with events like PrideFest and the Stonewall Ball. “Our kids still need a safe place to go to be themselves and hang out,” he said. Foreman, an attorney, volunteers with the center as well as the Human Rights Council and also helped expand PrideFest from a 500-person gathering to a two-day extravaganza drawing 15,000 attendees, including local leaders, businesses and other parts of the Palm Beach community. “It’s a testament to not only what we do but the amount of volunteers we have,” he said. — Christiana Lilly

Tony Plakas (R) & Jamie Foreman Activist Extraordinaire

Michael Rajner 22

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Michael Emanuel Rajner’s coming out process began in Los Angeles as a twenty-something conservative. “I was an aide to a Republican state senator and an insurance underwriter,” Rajner recalled. “I was a Catholic then and dealing with a lot of shame. It was an evolving process.” Rajner, now 43, is a leading social justice activist, who calls Wilton Manors home. The tall Brooklyn, N.Y. native admits to struggling with his role as an agent of change. “As an activist, I don’t think you are ever satis�ied or happy because there is always something next,” he said. Rajner wears many hats in the LGBT community and serves on the United States PLHIV (People Living With HIV) Caucus, a national strategy network of individuals, groups and organizations brought together to �ight the disease. He is also active in Florida politics and was one of the �irst Democrats from the LGBT community to receive a sit down interview with gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. Speaking from the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s “Creating Change” Conference in Houston, Texas, Rajner said he felt like a senior advisor. “It’s great to see so many young people here all engaging and learning for their communities,” he said. — John McDonald

Elizabeth Schwartz Attorney & Activist Attorney Elizabeth Schwartz says, “Sometimes, when I come out to friends who knew me way back when, their reaction is ‘We always knew you were a lesbian, but we never dreamed you’d become a lawyer!’” The double L-worded Schwartz, who is from Miami Beach and grew up in Hollywood, went to college thinking she would become a journalist, but a passion for activism and advocacy, and an epiphany during a jazz concert in New Orleans, showed her that becoming a lawyer would mean she could fuse the social work she loved with making a living. In private practice for sixteen years, her efforts and achievements on behalf of the LGBT community of south Florida and her expertise in the areas of family law, surrogacy, estate planning, probate, adoption, insemination and marriage dissolution, have brought her numerous awards and honors. Schwartz is also a certiﬁed family mediator who treats the law as a therapeutic profession. Currently Schwartz is representing six couples who are suing the State of Florida to overturn its ban on gay marriage. She is a founding member of the Aqua Foundation for Women, raising funds by and for south Florida’s lesbian community. She may not have become the journalist she once envisioned, but she chose to live with one, Lydia Martin, who has been her partner for twelve years. They live in downtown Miami. – Tony Adams

Jowharah Sanders Protecting Our Youth In October 2009 Jowharah Sanders founded National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE), a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent bullying, violence, and suicide among youth, families and communities through direct service, mentoring and prevention education. As she told SFGN, NVEEE “came out of my desire to help prevent bullying and suicide among our young people. After two suicide attempts of my own (as a teenager) I knew all too well that it could be prevented, and that perhaps by sharing my experiences it may help someone else.” NVEEE’s goal “is providing signature programs to schools and establishing bonds

with youth and families in need of support dealing with bullying and suicide ideation.” NVEEE’s work has been rightly recognized by the national media, most notably by the ABC TV Network’s “Secret Millionaire.” On January 29, The Creative Coalition and World Wrestling Entertainment, co-founders of the Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) anti-bullying initiative, chose NVEEE as one of five winners of the first-ever Be a STAR grant program. “The grant will provide funding for NVEEE’s signature ‘Not on My Watch’ School-wide Bullying Prevention Program and the Peace Ambassador Program, which will serve over 7,000 students in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties throughout the school-year.” — Jesse Monteagudo

2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

A Leading Lady of Miami-Dade

Robin Schwartz

Robin Schwartz is one of the South Florida women who founded the Aqua Foundation for Women in 2004. Three years ago she became executive director and leads the mission of the foundation, which is “…to serve as the funding catalyst for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender wellness and equality in South Florida through grants, scholarships and initiatives.” You can’t do that from the closet and as a member of the South Florida Out 50, Schwartz is way out of the closet. During her career, Schwartz has held a number of highly visible positions in various organizations including work with SAVE Dade, Miami Beach Gay Pride, and the City of Miami Beach LGBT Business Enhancement Committee. She has also been a volunteer for the Task Force, and Pridelines, “I started coming out in college,” said the Miami native. “I’ve been pretty much out since then.” “Being out is the most important thing we can do,” she continued. “It sets you free and it allows allies and non-allies to get to know us better. Of course, some people have unfortunate situations that keep them closeted but whoever can come out, should do it.” — Donald Cavanaugh

Glen Weinzimer 24

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Pompano Bill South Florida Legend Pompano Bill remembers when he arrived in South Florida. “There was no animosity,” Bill recalled, describing the attitudes at the time. “I gave people a kiss on the cheek and nobody cared. I gave my straight friends kisses too.” Bill, whose real name is John William Calcaterra, retired to Broward County after 36 years with IBM. He quickly became a familiar face among the paparazzi. “I never walk out the door without the camera by my side,” said Bill, who at 88, continues to work the crowds for just the right glamour shot. Bill’s photos have been published in

SMART Ride Founder When Glen Weinzimer, founder of the SMART Ride, was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 1993, he did not expect to be one of the lucky few who managed to survive. Weinzimer converted his situation into a compulsion to support South Florida agencies that help people living with HIV/ AIDS. He never dreamed that his creation, a 165 mile fund-raising bicycle ride from Miami to Key West would grow from its humble beginning— Weinzimer and a friend with a banner begging for contributions at the doors of gay bars—into an 11 year old annual event involving several hundred bike riders and an equally large support crew.

magazines such as Scoop, Outlook, 411, Buzz and, currently, Hotspots (as well as SFGN). “When one magazine would end, I’d jump on another,” says Bill, always eager to provide content. Bill, a native of Norway, Michigan in the state’s upper peninsula, says he owns many pictures of celebrities, preferring to name former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno as his most prized possession. He fondly recalled shooting the models at Fort Lauderdale Beach’s Club Caribbean during the 1990s. “There would be 1,500 guys there on Sunday afternoon … almost all with their shirts off,” Bill says. “That’s when I bought a zoom lens.” — John McDonald

Weinzimer is justifiably proud of the fact that 100 percent of the funds raised by the SMART Ride go to the recipient organizations. In 2013, the tenth year of Smart Ride, that meant $1,070,101. Among the organizations supported is the Pride Center, in Wilton Manors, receiving $148,000 of the total raised in 2013. Weinzimer gets emotional when he speaks of the overwhelming generosity of his supporters, and promises to continue with the annual SMART Ride until there is a cure for HIV/AIDS. SMART Ride 11 is scheduled for November 14-15, 2014. To register as a rider or crew, visit TheSmartRide.org — Tony Adams

2/26/14

OUT 50 // SFGN.COM

Political Hopeful

John Paul Alvarez

He’s young, battle tested and confident. Meet John Paul Alvarez, candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 100. Not yet 30, Alvarez has already run once for the House — coming up just short in his bid for District 53 in Brevard County. “They character assassinated me,” said Alvarez, as he talked about the painful mailers sent out to voters during the general election campaign of 2012. Alvarez, a Miami native, came out to his first generation Hispanic-American family during high school. He graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando with a B.A. in History and currently teaches third grade for the Broward School District. Alvarez is a strong advocate for the Teacher’s Union and serves as the Communications Director for the Florida Democratic Party’s GLBT Caucus. Together with his partner, Ben McAfee, Alvarez lives in Hollywood and they are proud fathers of two dogs. He calls his eight-year relationship with McAfee a “Gone With the Wind” type of romance. On coming out to his parents, Alvarez says, “It was tough on my mom at first, but my family has accepted me and opened their hearts to us.” — John McDonald

Building a Relationship with God

Palm Beach County Gay Rights Activist Rand Hoch, Florida’s first openly gay judicial appointee (by Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1992), never understood why the law firm that offered him a job shortly out of law school, rescinded the offer when they learned he was gay. “I never made much of being gay,” Hoch said. “I assumed they knew who I was and that they were ok with it.” The injustice left him sad and angry: sad that people could discriminate against gay people and angry that they could get away with it. “I knew something had to be done,” he said. “But no one was doing it so it was up to me.” Hoch founded the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council PBCHRC in 1988. The goal of the organization is civil equality for everyone. Hoch’s methodology is to knock on doors, self-identify as a gay man and ask elected and appointed officials to protect people like himself from discrimination in employment, in housing and wherever else it appears. It works. Hoch and the PBCHRC have made Palm Beach County one of the most progressive in the country in providing human rights and civil protections for all. — Donald Cavanaugh

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OUT 50 // 2/26/14

Lea Brown

Rand Hoch

As many churches around the country face devastating declines in membership, Rev. Dr. Lea Brown believes that the success of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches is one vital thing: relationship. “A relationship with God, with others and with ourselves,” Brown said. “So that is what we are about: giving God’s love and our love away as abundantly and in as many ways as we can.” With nearly 140 members, MCCPB not only serves the LGBT community, but also straight allies — all members of the church. Anyone can visit and all are welcome. But while there has been so much progress for equal rights, Brown said there is still work to be done. “No matter how long we have been out, shame can hold an unconscious and insidious power over us,” Brown said. “It’s a power that we cannot overcome by ourselves, which is why supportive community is so important.” — Dori Zinn

2/26/14

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OUT 50 // 2/26/14