OutClique Magazine November 2025 Edition 2

World AIDS Day Benefit Concerts

Adam Pascal Anthony Rapp

Leadership Team

Connie Evans (Chief Copy Editor / Mother of the Publisher)

Sach Advertising Group (Senior Director of Graphic Design & Information Technology)

Megan Fitzgerald, PhD (Associate Editor, Senior Writer; Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences)

Chandler Scott (Director of Social Media, Writer)

Nicole Ackerman, MA (Sr. Sales Response)

Writers

Tony Adams

Charles Baran

John M. Hayden (Senior South Florida News Journalist)

Denny Patterson (Senior Lifestyle Writer)

Bishop Rev. Robert Griffin, DMin (Senior Associate Pastor, SunShine Cathedral)

Savannah Whaley (Senior Writer)

Distribution

Jason Eakin

Photography & Editorial Consultant

Stephen Lang (Director)

Brand Ambassadors

Joe Akin

Doug Ames

Charles Baran

Arnie Cuarenta

Clayton de Oliveira

Luka Gotsiridze

Rafi Maldonado

Jorge Perez

Richard Rodríguez-Pérez

Legal Oversight

Richter Trademarks, T.L. Trantalis & Associates

National Advertising Rivendell Media 1

A Conversation with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis

By Savannah Whaley

Dean Trantalis is a bodybuilder – a body politic builder creating coalitions and partnerships. After serving on the Fort Lauderdale Commission for eight years, he won election as mayor in 2018 with the largest victory for a first-term mayoral candidate in the city’s history. That was followed by the largest turnout in a city race for his reelection in 2020. Elected for his third and final four-year term in 2024, he continues to build community in actions that reverberate far beyond the city limits such as his longstanding advocacy for LGBTQA+ rights.

“Fort Lauderdale is branded as being a city of diversity where people, no matter who you are, where you come from, what you believe in, the color of your skin, or whatever your interest in life is, there's a place for you here,” Mayor Trantalis said. “That's the kind of city that we seek to nurture and the decisions that we make will always focus on hoping to achieve that result.”

The mayor was preparing for the State of the City address he would give in September when he sat down to discuss what’s ahead for the city.

“This past year we had seen quite a bit of change as part of the renaissance that we're experiencing here in Fort Lauderdale,” Trantalis noted. “Since I became mayor

almost eight years ago, we've seen dramatic developments in terms of new housing, new affordable housing, and wonderful new amenities to improve the urban experience here in our downtown. We've seen a significant amount of investment in our infrastructure. Our mandate has been to manage growth without destroying the quality of life that people have already come here to experience.”

Accomplishments Trantalis can point to since becoming mayor include the transformation of now a thriving downtown, the safeguarding of the city’s neighborhoods, creation of major public amenities, and upgrades to the city infrastructure.

“This next year we have a couple of things that are front burner items,” the mayor detailed. “We had already been contemplating building a new city hall and Mother Nature kind of made that decision for us by destroying the electrical, HVAC, and computer systems so that everything was inactivated as a result of the flood. We tore down the old city hall and the commission now has to decide two things. One, where it wants to locate the future city hall. Two, we now have six proposals that have been submitted to the city as what we call unsolicited proposals. Hopefully in October, we will make a decision to go forward with one of them.”

The coming year will see the completion of a water treatment plant to furnish abundant, clear water and the new public safety building for the police. The city will be building underground storm water systems to help drain neighborhoods of excessive rain and rebuilding sewer pipelines. While infrastructure is important, other enhancements to life in the city will be more visible.

“The Orange Bowl committee has contributed and collaborated with the City of Fort Lauderdale to enhance the tennis facilities at Holiday Park. The Jimmy Everett Tennis Center will now have stadium seating for competition play and also improve many of the clay and hard courts that are there. The school board and the city have agreed to collaborate on certain projects such as sports facilities, playgrounds, and athletic fields that are located on school property. The city is going to work with the school board to enhance those properties and make them more available to the communities where they are located.”

The city also must confront challenges from outside forces such as the state legislature’s Live Local Act that overrides neighborhood zoning ordinances and the Governor’s controversial order to destroy any street art.

“That whole issue regarding traffic control devices and using that to destroy the representation of the LGBT community in various cities is a signal to the rest of us that this is just the beginning of trying to take away home rule,” Trantalis said. “It's an egregious overstepping of governmental authority. This idea of painting over rainbow sidewalks is more symbolic than real, yet they continue to use it with a vengeance as a political ploy.”

The mayor and the city are fighting to keep Fort Lauderdale’s rainbow street crossings and he encourages others to get and stay engaged.

“I'm proud of the people that go out and demonstrate on weekends to have their voices heard, but in addition to that, they can vote,” Trantalis stressed. “They have to be aware that city government has more of an impact on their day-today life than congress or senators or the President. We have a Neighbor Leadership Academy that we invite residents to participate in and get to know the various departments and the workings of the city. We have approximately two dozen advisory boards in everything from community appearance, to planning and zoning, to parks and rec. It’s a platform on which they can have a voice in the decision-making of the city.”

Trantalis’ career is itself a case study. Admitted to the Connecticut and Florida Bar Associations in 1980, he has practiced law in Broward County since 1982 and became involved in a 1990 county-wide referendum to add sexual orientation as a protected class.

“I participated sort of as a minor volunteer at that time,” the mayor recalled. “Unfortunately, the measure was defeated 60 - 40 but the committee itself did not disperse. Between 1990 and '95, I became more active in that effort and, in fact, I helped lead the effort. In June of 1995, the Broward County Commission voted six to one to add sexual orientation as a protected class. In 1999, we were able to get a domestic partnership ordinance passed. We were the first in 1995 and we were the first in 1999 of any county to be able to secure those rights.”

That experience fueled Trantalis’ interest in politics and after serving two terms as president of the Dolphin Democrats club he ran for the Fort Lauderdale City Commission. Among his many honors are being an inaugural honoree of the Diversity Honors award presented by the Harvey Milk Foundation and, later, being recognized by that Foundation and the Pride Center at Equality Park with a lifetime achievement award.

“The LGBT community has evolved over the years from a bunch of fractious cohorts to where we've matured and we find ourselves working together,” Trantalis said. “We see today a community that has come together and is strong together. Other communities should look to Fort Lauderdale as an example of how to achieve social change, political change, and economic changes through collaboration and partnership. We're a great success story in that regard.”

Photos Courtesy of the City of Fort Lauderdale

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment. (bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

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

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

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

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

LATINOS SALUD

Count on Us Your Questions Answered

Latinos Salud’s healthcare providers answer some of the community’s most pressing concerns. This month, Latinos Salud’s provider in its Miami SW location, Daikel Martinez, DNP, APRN, shares the real-world challenges some patients may face staying on their PrEP to prevent HIV.

OutClique: We’d like to talk about the real stories behind PrEP use. Can you share a case that really stayed with you?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: One recent story stands out, about a patient in his early 30s who came in very motivated to start PrEP. He was in a stable relationship but also very aware of the risks and wanted to protect himself.

OutClique: How did his experience with PrEP go at first?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: At the beginning, it went really well. He showed up to his appointments, got his labs done, and took his medication every day. He was very committed. But over time, life started to get more complicated. He worked rotating shifts, was the primary caregiver for his sick mother, and his partner began to express jealousy and mistrust about him being on PrEP.

OutClique: How did all of that affect his ability to stay on PrEP?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: He started missing appointments,

forgetting doses. When we spoke, he told me he was overwhelmed and didn’t have the mental space for everything. Even though he knew how important it was to stay on PrEP, it started to slip through the cracks.

OutClique: What happened next?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: A few months later, he came back to the clinic. He had experienced a potential HIV exposure. Thankfully, we were able to act quickly with emergency protocols, but it was a very difficult moment for him. He was shaken—not just afraid, but also disappointed in himself. I reminded him of something I always say: this isn’t about failure. It’s about learning and knowing when to ask for help.

OutClique: What did you learn from that experience, as a provider?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: That adherence isn’t just about motivation or discipline. Every patient has a full life behind them—pressure, emotions, responsibilities, fears. If we don’t take that into account, we’re not offering true care.

I always try to ask more than just, “Are you taking your meds?” I ask how they’re doing, what’s going on in their life, what’s making it harder or easier to stay on track.

OutClique: What options do your patients have to overcome these real-world barriers to consistent PrEP for protection?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: There are several options, and it starts with understanding that everyone’s life circumstances are different. For some, taking a daily pill is simple and manageable. For others, it's a challenge due to work schedules, housing instability, or mental health concerns. That’s why we educate our patients on all available PrEP options, including the long-acting injectable option that replaces daily pills. This has been a game-changer for individuals who prefer fewer medical visits or struggle with daily adherence. We also make sure patients are aware of assistance programs to cover medication costs, and we collaborate with community organizations to address issues like transportation, stigma, and access to care.

OutClique: Stigma is often a barrier—how do you address that in your practice?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: Stigma is still one of the biggest obstacles, unfortunately. Whether it's fear of being judged for taking PrEP or concerns about how it might be perceived by partners, family, or employers, it can deter people from starting or continuing PrEP. In our practice, we make it a priority to create a safe, affirming space. We normalize conversations around sexual health and HIV prevention, and we remind our patients that taking control of their health is something to be proud of.

OutClique: How important is flexibility when it comes to helping patients stay on PrEP?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: Flexibility is essential. Life isn’t static— people move, change jobs, lose insurance, or experience personal challenges. We try to build a relationship with our patients, so they feel comfortable coming to us when something changes. That way, we can adjust their care plan accordingly—whether it's switching to a different PrEP option, helping them re-enroll in insurance or patient assistance programs, or offering one of our clinic locations closer to their new home.

OutClique: What role does technology play in improving PrEP access and adherence?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: Technology has been a huge asset. Our website allows patients to make their next appointment without having to phone. Our patients can also see all their prior lab results directly on our app. There are also mobile apps that remind patients to take their medication and track doses. And with electronic prescriptions, we can make sure medication gets delivered to their home or a nearby pharmacy, often eliminating the need to take time off work or travel far. It’s all about making it as easy and accessible as possible. Lastly, if one of our patients cannot make it into the clinic, we can offer a Telehealth, appointment.

OutClique: For someone considering PrEP but unsure where to start, what advice would you give?

Daikel Martinez, DNP: Just take the first step, and make an appointment to talk to us. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Our job as healthcare providers is to listen, provide information without judgment, and work with you to find a plan that fits your life.

Time to Celebrate at Genesis Health Institute

Chatting with Dimitri Bakoulis about Genesis’ Dec. 11th Holiday Party.

Baxter Martin: I am chatting today with Dimitri Bakoulis, Chief Operating Officer, at Genesis Health Institute about their upcoming holiday party on December 11th. Dimitri, the upcoming holiday party sounds truly special. Can you tell us what inspired this celebration?

Dimitri Bakoulis: Absolutely! At Genesis, we’ve always believed in fostering a sense of community and gratitude. This holiday season, we wanted to create an evening that embodies giving back, appreciation, and the spirit of togetherness. It’s our way of saying thank you to our clients and friends while supporting meaningful causes.

Baxter Martin: That is wonderful to hear. What can guests expect during the event?

Dimitri Bakoulis: Guests will enjoy an elegant evening filled with music, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and refreshing libations. We’ve arranged valet parking for added convenience and have planned raffles with exciting prizes. It’s not just a celebration; it’s a moment to connect, reflect, and spread cheer.

Baxter Martin: I see you have a special holiday offer. It seems intriguing. Can you share more about it?

Dimitri Bakoulis: Yes, we’re offering a $100 bonus on account with the purchase of every $500 gift certificate. The best part is that Genesis will donate 10% of all net sales from these certificates to Sun Serve, Abandoned Pet Rescue, and the SFAAA (South Florida Amateur Athletic Association). All three remarkable organizations are making a difference in our community. And, even if guests can’t attend, they can still take advantage of this offer by purchasing before December 11.

Baxter Martin: That’s fantastic. Any final words for those considering joining?

Dimitri Bakoulis: We’d love everyone to come and experience the evening’s warmth and joy. Please don’t forget to RSVP using the QR Code below. Let’s celebrate together, share gratitude, and contribute to causes that matter.

Baxter Martin: I look forward to seeing you, Dr. Cabrera, and your team on December 11th.

Dimitri Bakoulis: Likewise!

and photo by Baxter Martin, courtesy of Genesis Health

• Free STD Screening & Treatment • HIV Testing & Linkage to HIV care • PrEP Services

How Your Diet Affects Your Dental Health

Dental Health – What You Eat Matters More Than You Think

We all know the drill when it comes to brushing and flossing. But when it comes to keeping your teeth and gums healthy, what’s on your plate can be just as important. The foods we eat every day play a major role in our dental health.

Why It Matters

Every time we eat or drink, especially sugary or acidic items, our mouths go through a cycle. Bacteria in plaque feed on sugar and release acids that attack tooth enamel. Over time, this can lead to cavities. Acidic foods and drinks, such as citrus juices or sodas, can directly wear down enamel, exposing the sensitive layer underneath. And it’s not just about cavities. A diet low in essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin D can weaken teeth and gums, making them more prone to problems. Gum health also suffers when we don’t get enough vitamin C, which helps keep tissues strong and resilient.

Who’s Affected?

The American Dental Hygienists Association notes that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in both children and adults in the U.S., even though it’s largely preventable. Whether you’re a teen who loves energy drinks or a senior enjoying sweet treats, your diet plays a role. Everyone, regardless of age, can benefit from making smarter food choices.

What to Watch Out For

Some everyday foods and habits can quietly cause trouble for your teeth. Sugary snacks and drinks, like candy, soda, and fruit juices, feed the bacteria in your mouth that lead to tooth decay. Sticky sweets, such as caramel or dried fruit, tend to cling to your teeth longer, giving acids more time to do damage. Acidic items like citrus fruits and soft drinks can wear down enamel, the protective outer layer of

your teeth. Processed foods, which often contain hidden sugars and starches, can also increase plaque buildup.

What we eat every day doesn’t just affect our overall health; it plays a big role in the health of our teeth and gums, too. Making smart food choices is one of the simplest ways to protect your smile for years to come. — Manuel Casas, Dental Clinical Director at Care Resource

What Helps

There are plenty of foods that support dental health:

● Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt provide calcium and phosphates to strengthen enamel.

● Fresh fruits and vegetables offer vitamins and fiber that support gum health.

● Water helps rinse away food particles and dilute acids.

● Sugar-free gum stimulates saliva, which naturally protects teeth.

Simple Tips You Can Use

● Limit snacking: Give your teeth time to recover between meals.

● Rinse your mouth with water after eating something sugary or acidic.

● Choose whole foods over processed ones.

● Brush and floss daily to keep plaque in check.

Let’s Keep Smiles Healthy Together

Your health center is here to support your dental wellness. If you have questions about your diet or need help with oral care, reach out. Small changes can make a big difference, and you don’t have to do it alone.

Learn more about our Dental Services. Whether you have questions about your diet or need support with oral hygiene, Care Resource is here to help, because a healthy smile starts with informed choices and trusted care.

“Do you want to spend the Memorial Day weekend in an unairconditioned warehouse making red ribbons?”

The voice on the landline phone belonged to my friend Patrick O’Connell, a blindingly brilliant and funny man whom I had met through our mutual friend, theatrical company manager Brian Dunbar.

It was 1991 and Patrick worked in New York City’s visual arts community which, like the theater industry, was being devastated by AIDS. While ACT UP activists were focused on the politics of ending the epidemic, Patrick had recently created VISUAL AIDS to raise awareness of the crisis outside the gay community.

“We had a meeting and we need something like the yellow ribbon,” Patrick explained.

I was beginning to understand. Across the nation, people inspired by a pop music hit by Tony Orlando and Dawn had tied yellow ribbons on trees in support of troops in the first Gulf War.

“Of course, our ribbon has to be RED,” Patrick said, raising his voice two octaves on the last word.

Over the years, I’ve read accounts of the red ribbon’s origin and most report the color was chosen to represent such things as blood and passion. Good enough for the historical record. However, the impression I got that day was it was the obvious choice for any gay fashion accessory.

“They said we should launch it at Pride but I said, ‘There’s a gay holiday before then — the Tony Awards®,’” he laughed.

The annual ceremony for Broadway’s best was in a few days and weeks before the Pride march.

My Memory Of The First Red Ribbon

By Savannah Whaley

“I’m going to call Brian and see if Manny will get them to the people in his shows to wear,” Patrick said, formulating his masterplan.

Brian was working for producer Emanuel Azenberg who had several nominated productions that year. Brian was one of the most charming, loveable men I’ve ever known and, sure enough, red ribbons held together with tiny safety pins went out to those in Azenberg’s shows.

VISUAL AIDS was also able to place ribbons on all the seats in the Minskoff Theater where the awards would be held. As viewers across the country tuned in, Jeremy Irons walked onstage wearing a red ribbon. More ribbon clad celebrities came before the cameras as the night wore on.

Although the show’s producers had allowed the ribbons, they forbade anyone to mention them on air as they had seen too many award shows derailed by political speeches. That vow of silence was heard around the world. The curious media immediately began reporting about the mysterious ribbons and an iconic symbol was born.

I confess that I did not show up that weekend 34 years ago, but I have witnessed the red ribbon grace a postage stamp and be added to the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection as its powerful message lives on. On a personal note, Brian would pass away before the end of that year of AIDS-related pneumonia while Patrick lived with HIV for decades until his death in 2021.

As we prepare to mark World AIDS Day 2025, we once again live in dangerous times. But there is hope in remembering that a few people can come together to force change, even when they only have some ribbon and safety pins.

Photos Courtesy of Savannah Whaley

Island House Managers Jeff Smead and James Braun Unveil New Accommodations

By Charles Baran

Next year, Island House, that gay men’s, fun-in-thesun, clothing optional resort at the east end of Fleming Street in Old Town Key West, will turn fifty. When Jim Camp, the original owner, opened for business in 1976, little did he know that a half a century later the venerated guesthouse would still be going strong and be bigger and better than ever. Back in the mid-seventies, gay Key West was just beginning its meteoric rise to becoming the number one gay and lesbian travel destination in the world. Designers Angelo Donghia and Calvin Klein had just arrived. Tennessee Williams and Leonard Bernstein were already there. Divine would soon become a resident.

While the frenetic heydays of the 80s and 90s have subsided, Key West still offers a great deal of sparkle

and fun for the LGBTQ traveler. And whether you’re sipping a relaxing poolside cocktail or watching the New Year’s Eve Shoe Drop on Duval Street, you won’t be sorry you picked Island House as your base for your Key West getaway.

Throughout the decades, Island House has maintained a consistently high level of quality; 24-hour service, poolside café, daily happy hour, and stylishly appointed rooms and suites. It boasts an extremely loyal clientele and enjoys fantastic employee retainage—several front desk staff members have worked there over twenty years.

Obviously, Island House is doing something right. And, if truth be told, it’s in large part to General

Manager Jeff Smead. Jeff is all in on Key West—“I’m basically borderline obsessed!”—and happily shares his unbridled enthusiasm with everyone, converting skeptics into believers in a matter of minutes.

“I came to Key West in 1997 on a Boy Scout trip to the Florida Sea Base. I was thirteen. I remember being completely enamored and in disbelief that this cool place was a place you could actually move to and bring your stuff.” Jeff was so taken by Key West’s charms that as a student at California State Polytechnic University, he did his senior project on “the phenomenon of gay and lesbian resorts in Key West in the 80s and 90s.”

In 2006, the same year he graduated Cal Poly, Jeff packed his “stuff,” found an apartment on Craigslist, and made Key West his home. “I moved here because of gay Key West. It absolutely picked me.”

When he arrived, he worked at several of the local gay bars. Soon after, Jeff landed a gig with Fantasy Fest, Key West’s number one annual attraction. Then, in 2011, while stopping by Island House for the afternoon happy hour, Steve Silva, general manager at time, asked Jeff to come in for an interview. Steve didn’t even have a particular job in mind, he just knew there was something about the 26-year-old that would be an ideal fit with the Island House brand. And he wasn’t wrong. Fourteen years later, Jeff, and his husband James Braun, who, by the way, he met at Island House— “Table 3 at the pool café. Next to the towels!”—are running the place through their company, Island Mates Management LLC. Bobi Lore, Island House’s current owner, couldn’t be happier. On top of that, this October, Jeff and James opened the doors on two luxurious and newly constructed villas which they privately own. The units, located at 1117 Fleming Street share the only contiguous property line with Island House. They are calling their new venture “Island Mates Manor.” Each villa has 2 full bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, and can sleep up to six. The units are available for long term stays of thirty days or more. A brand-new private pool is shared by the two villas; however, all the services and amenities of Island House are available to the guests of Island Mates Manor, literally just steps away.

And if something needs attending, help is not far as Jeff and James, along with their pooch Dewey, live in the main house, a lovely fully-restored Princess Anne Victorian, which front faces Fleming Street. “The house looked like the Munster’s home when we bought it!”

Jeff pointed out that the villas at Island Mates Manor are the first new gay specific accommodations in Key West in over 25-years. Jeff and his husband hope their venture will inspire others to follow suit. Key West offers a timely respite from the day-to-day noise and might just be ripe for an LGBTQ renaissance. In any event, the couple, along with Dewey, are not going anywhere.

“I am inspired by what was handed down to me by the gay men who came before me. I am fascinated by this community and what happened here and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to be a part of it.”

Tryst Hospitality and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Expand Partnership with Launch of The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini

Tryst Hospitality is proud to unveil The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini, a rich, indulgent signature cocktail available now at select venues across its portfolio. This new iteration of The Elizabeth Taylor Martini was inspired by a cocktail Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson created while filming the movie “Giant” in 1955 after long days on set, a nod to her iconic Hollywood legacy. The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini is made with Tito’s Vodka, Kahlua and chocolate syrup, shaken over ice and served up.

In partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), $1 from every cocktail sold will go directly to support ETAF’s mission to achieve an AIDS-free world.

The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood, where Elizabeth Taylor would visit, has long served as the foundation of Tryst’s relationship with ETAF. The partnership has supported annual events including The Abbey’s World AIDS Day Tree Lighting and other community fundraisers. Today, Tryst Hospitality is expanding that commitment to include all of its venues:

● The Abbey and The Chapel at The Abbey (West Hollywood)

● The Tryst Puerto Vallarta

● The Tryst Fire Island (opening next year)

● The Tryst San Juan (currently under renovation)

● Circo San Juan (opening Fall 2025)

● The Blue Whale and Pavilion (Open now in Fire Island Pines)

Each participating venue guarantees a minimum annual donation to ETAF, regardless of cocktail sales, with matching support from featured spirit brands encouraged where possible.

“This cocktail is more than just a toast, it’s a tribute,” said Tristan Schukraft, Founder of Tryst Hospitality.

“Elizabeth Taylor talked about AIDS publicly before anyone else would. She hosted the first fundraisers, stood beside our community when others wouldn’t, and used her voice when it mattered most. In life, she was our champion, and in death, she continues to be. This is our way of honoring her legacy and continuing the fight to end HIV in America.”

“We’re honored to continue Elizabeth’s legacy through this meaningful partnership with The Abbey and Tryst Hospitality,” said Cathy Brown, Executive Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. “Elizabeth believed in using every platform to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV. This initiative brings her spirit into spaces where community thrives, and we’re grateful to Tryst Hospitality for helping us carry her mission forward.”

The Elizabeth Taylor Chocolate Martini is available now. Guests are encouraged to ask their bartenders for details.

To learn more about The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and their mission, visit www.etaf.org.

Celebrated, Not Just Accepted The Grand Velas Riviera Maya LGBTQA Experience

By Joshua Estrin

There’s a moment—usually around the second mezcal tasting or after the howler monkeys finish their morning concert—when it hits you. This isn’t just another luxury resort making promises and delivering corporate hospitality. At Grand Velas Riviera Maya, the welcome feels as genuine as its Forbes Five-Star distinction. Here, pronouns are remembered as naturally as poolside drink preferences, and every celebration feels authentically yours.

Arrival That Actually Delivers

Personal concierges guide guests from arrival to their sanctuary with attention that feels less like service protocol and more like genuine care. Choose your backdrop: jungle-immersed Zen Grand suites or oceanfront Grand Class accommodations where private plunge pools set the stage for long conversations and longer sunsets.

Credentials Worth Mentioning

SE Spa holds the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award for six consecutive years, making it Mexico’s most celebrated spa destination. When LGBTQA travelers want proof

a resort is genuinely welcoming, Grand Velas delivers: officially recognized as LGBTQA-friendly.

Wellness With Purpose

The 2025 Wellnessing Getaway Series transforms the entire property into a wellness playground. From sound healing to ice bath therapy, cacao ceremonies to highenergy fitness sessions, there’s something for everyone.

Culinary Excellence, Naturally

Eight restaurants, including MICHELIN-starred Cocina de Autor, turn each meal into a show. Local ingredients meet global techniques in multi-course experiences that feed both appetite and conversation. Cooking classes and chef-led tastings become natural gathering points.

What This Means for Us

At Grand Velas Riviera Maya, queerness isn’t something to be managed or accommodated—it’s part of what makes celebrations uniquely beautiful. Whether toasting an anniversary, marking a milestone, or simply existing proudly under the Mexican sun, this resort gets it.

Photos Courtesy of Velas Resort

Florida Leather Week returns this fall with a reimagined celebration of leather and kink culture, featuring a full lineup of events across Wilton Manors. The nine-day festival blends community, education, and artistry, uniting leather enthusiasts from across the state.

The week kicks off Saturday, November 8, 2025, with the annual Leather Pride Walk and Flag Raising at 5:30 p.m. from Richardson Park, followed by a Leather Week Flag Raising Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. The evening continues with the B.L.U.F. Social and a high-energy 6th Anniversary Celebration at Eagle Wilton Manors.

FLORIDA LEATHER WEEK 2025 Celebrates Community, Art, and Kink Culture

On Sunday, November 9, festivities heat up with the Chili Cook-Off at Eagle (6 p.m.) and a Welcome Party at Ramrod (9 p.m.). The Onyx Social takes place Monday, November 10 at Eagle, setting the stage for a week of events celebrating diversity and connection.

Running November 11–16, the Unveiled Visions Erotic Art Show highlights creativity within the leather and fetish community. On Wednesday, November 12, guests can enjoy the Leather Family Dinner at Café Monarca, followed by a screening of Tom of Finland and a talkback at the Wilton Collective.

From November 13–14, the spotlight turns to the Mr. Eagle Wilton Manors 2026 Contest, while themed dance parties take over Eagle and Ramrod through the weekend. Saturday, November 15, brings an expanded Unveiled Visions Festival featuring artists, vendors, entertainment, and food trucks, plus a full slate of Kink Education Classes on consent, technique, and exploration.

The celebration concludes Sunday, November 16, with the Unveiled Visions Closing Reception, offering a relaxed space to connect and reflect on the week’s events — and start looking ahead to Florida Leather Week 2026.

OUTshine Film Festival Fall 2025

New Exhibits Running at the Hollywood Art & Culture Center through January

Hollywood Art and Culture Center, celebrating its 50th anniversary, has announced three new art exhibitions for the fall/winter season. Dennis Scholl: A Day of Four Sunsets and Felice Grodin: Where Do I Go From Here? will be on display from Saturday, October 18, through Sunday, January 4, 2026 in the main gallery space.

“We’re thrilled to close out our golden anniversary season with the thought-provoking, evocative art from top South Florida-based multimedia creators,” said Jennifer Homan, executive director of the Hollywood Art and Culture Center. “The Center is committed to providing a dynamic space that brings art to life. These exhibitions offer three distinct visionary interpretations through form, style and approach. We hope audiences of all ages will find something inspiring that resonates with them and sparks conversation.”

A Day of Four Sunsets presents a new body of work by Miamibased artist Dennis Scholl, exploring the poetics of space exploration through assemblages of NASA memorabilia. The exhibition takes its title from astronaut John Glenn’s experience of witnessing four sunsets as he orbited Earth in 1962, evoking themes of time, memory, and the sublime vastness of the cosmos.

humanity’s relationship with the unknown. Scholl’s work gives us an insight into his keen collector’s eye and his skill at design and storytelling. In Untitled (Viking Orbiter II), photographs of Mars captured using surface imaging are arranged in thoughtful compositions. Visitors will find themselves viewing a piece of history transported back to 1969 with the work Untitled (Man on Moon). This exhibition contains more than 14 works of art that immerse the viewer into the history and collective memory of outer space, the universe, and astronauts. From real space food to sculptures created using space gloves, to viewfinders with images of the universe, this exhibition will fascinate science, history and modern art enthusiasts alike.

Scholl’s work, rooted in the language of historical artifacts and collective memory, arranges space exploration ephemera into compositions structured by the dodecagon — a recurring motif in his practice that represents cyclical time and cosmic order. Over the past decade, he has meticulously gathered NASA-related materials, including mission patches, declassified documents, photographs, and newspaper clippings, integrating them into intricate assemblages that reframe our understanding of

Felice Grodin's architectural training informs her drawings, intricately weaving together elements of imagination, the future, and the past. Where Do I Go From Here? features more than 10 new works, some of which were created during Grodin’s time as a Center 2025 Spring Artist in Residence. With meticulous care and references to ancient civilizations, Grodin renders lines into complex arrangements of circles and curves, creating dynamic three-dimensional forms and exploring the concept of mental boundaries. Her art transports viewers to a psychological realm reminiscent of maps, cities, landscapes, and speculative future worlds. These ink drawings on mylar can sometimes rely on chance, or automatism, liberating not only the creative process, but inviting viewers into the surreal.

A guided tour of the exhibition will take place on Thursday, December 4, at 7 p.m. An artist talk will take place on Saturday, December 13, at 1 p.m. On Saturdays, November 15 and December 20, at 6 p.m., a free curator tour/Downtown Hollywood Art Walk will be conducted.

Content Courtesy of Fran Folic, Goodman PR

Photo Credit: Dennis Scholl, Untitled

Latinos Salud 13th Annual

Hispanic Heritage Food Bazaar

Tides Between Shores

Jonathan Welsh’s Debut Collection of Five Queer Stories

From Humarock Beach in Massachusetts, where he spent boyhood summers gathering sea glass and flying handmade kites with his grandfather, to the tropical coastline of Miami where he built his career, LGBTQ+ author Jonathan Welsh has lived a life shaped by the sea. A graduate of the University of Miami and Barry University, where he earned his Master of Public Administration, Welsh now serves as Director of Marketing and Communications at Care Resource, a Miami-based community health center. Sunshine and salty air have surrounded him all his life.

It is no surprise, then, that his debut book Tides Between Shores moves seamlessly between the windy shores of Nantucket and the warm coasts of South Florida. The five interwoven novellas span more than a century, exploring queer love across eras when it was forbidden, dangerous, or hidden in plain sight.

The opening tale, “The Quiet Tide”, transports readers aboard a 19th-century whaling vessel and into the life of young Julius, son of a mercurial sea captain. Yearning for freedom from the brutality of the trade, Julius finds refuge in Nantucket, where in a small cottage in Siasconset he discovers love with Thomas, a tender young man from Barnstable. Like each story in the collection, it is vivid with detail - the colors of houses, the textures of fabric, the scent of salt air and native flowers.

“The earlier stories unfold in a time when love between

men was condemned, even dangerous,” Welsh says. “I’ve always been drawn to the lives in the margins — those who love without permission. I wanted to write them not as victims or martyrs, but as people — flawed, tender, resilient. Their love is not spectacle. It’s quiet defiance. A kind of grace.”

Later stories, including “Tracing Roots” and “Tides of Longing”, bring the themes into the present. They capture wanderlust, longing, and the search for belonging that resonate across generations of LGBTQ+ lives. Welsh’s prose balances history and romance, weaving tenderness into landscapes from Madaket to Coral Gables.

When asked what he hopes queer readers will carry from the book, Welsh explains: “I hope they feel seen. These stories are for anyone who has ever loved in the dark, who has ever waited for the world to catch up. If the book offers even a moment of recognition, then it has done what it was meant to do.”

At a time when LGBTQ+ voices are being pushed out of classrooms and libraries, Tides Between Shores stands as both celebration and preservation — a reminder that queer love has always existed, across centuries and shores. As Welsh himself notes: “Because they’ve always been there.”

Tides Between Shores is available now in print and digital formats through major booksellers. Content Courtesy of OutClique Staff | Photos Courtesy of Jonathan Welsh

Bowling with the Bears

By Charles Baran

There’s a buzz happening on the streets of Wilton Manors and it’s not from the smooth double-shot lattes coming out of Java Joe’s. It’s over at the Island City Plaza across the street from Wilton Station where the new Gray Box Theater recently opened its doors. This exciting new 240-seat performance venue is the brainchild of Gary Van Horn, who was handed the seeds of inspiration from comedian and writer Bruce Vilanch.

Charles Baran: What was your impetus to open a new performance space?

Gary Van Horn: In the spring of 2023, my friend Bruce Vilanch came down to visit and stayed with me for about a week. One morning, over coffee, he looked at me and said, “You’re miserable. All you do is go out on your boat.” I laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. A few days later, Bruce was on a Zoom call with Gavin Creel. In the middle of their conversation, he turned his laptop toward me and said, “Say hello to Gavin.” So, I did. Bruce added, “Gary’s lost and needs a purpose.” Gavin smiled and said something that stopped me in my tracks. “You need to get back to doing something creative—something that brings people together.” Fast forward a few years, Wilton Manors Commissioners (and friends) Chris Caputo and Don D’Arminio were talking about the old theater building in the Island City Plaza on NE 26 Street and how the landlord wanted to tear it down. I remember thinking what a loss that would be.I remembered what Gavin had said and that Bruce told me to find my spark again. And that’s how the Gray Box Theater was born!

The Gray Box Theater Building Community Through Performance and Art GrayBox.theater

Charles Baran: Why did you call it the Gray Box?

Gary Van Horn: The name Gray Box came from the idea that life—and art—rarely exists in black and white. The magic happens in the gray area: the space in between, where contrast meets connection, and where stories, identities, and experiences blend together. At the Gray Box, we are anything but black and white.

Charles Baran: Tell me about the flexibility of the space. Gary Van Horn: It’s one of the most exciting things about the Gray Box. We designed it as a truly transformative space—a blank canvas that can shift and adapt to whatever story needs to be told. One night it’s a cabaret club with intimate tables and chairs, the next, it’s a concert hall, or a comedy club, a black-tie gala, or a full theatrical performance.

Charles Baran: Amazing. What’s coming up next at the Gray Box?

Gary Van Horn: Lots of exciting things! November 8, 2025, we have Ry Rivers, November 13, an evening with Andrew Keenan-Bolger presented by OUR Fund, November 22 and 23, a Bette Midler tribute show called Bathhouse to Broadway with Shelley Keelor and friends. December 5 brings KAYKO featuring Lost Stars – Manic Pixie Dream Girl Tour, then, on December 11, the Benjamin Jackson Comedy Hypnotist Show. January 20 we have Cameron Cody – Praise, Playbills and the Grand Piano.

Photo Courtesy of Michael Murphy Photographic

Queer Saints Preserve Us Loneliness: The Silent Epidemic

By Bishop Durrell

Third century Roman martyrs, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, are believed to have been lovers martyred for their faith.

Likewise, Joan of Arc, who famously and consistently adopted men’s clothing, is frequently discussed in contemporary scholarship through the lens of gender expansiveness.

Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos y de Sena in the 13th century had a vision of Jesus visiting him and calling Bernardo his husband!

St. Brigid, a nun, eventually became Ireland's most famous female saint. She took a nun, Darlughdach, as a “soul friend.” The two grew so close they shared a bed and they are today revered in parts of the world as lesbian saints.

A 17th-century Ethiopian saint, Walatta Petros, described her longtime relationship with noblewoman turned nun Eheta Kristos. The two lived together, and while both had taken vows of celibacy, they openly proclaimed a romantic love for each other.

These modern identifications of ancient church figures serve to acknowledge the fluidity of pre-modern identity and foster greater inclusivity within faith traditions. The stories of these re-contextualized saints provide historical affirmation, demonstrating that spiritual devotion and holiness have always manifested across the full, complex spectrum of human identity.

November 1st is All Saints Day. Remember that “All” in All Saints means “all” and includes LGBTQ people of faith.

Bishop Dr. Durrell Watkins is the Senior Minister of Fort Lauderdale’s Sunshine Cathedral

By Father Rich Vitale

Loneliness is not merely being by ourselves. It is the sense that we are unseen. It sits quietly in the corners of many lives, seldom named, but felt in the hollow of the chest. Among LGBTQ people, especially our elders, it has become one of the great unspoken epidemics of our time.

We often assume that having a partner, a wide circle of friends, or a busy social calendar will protect us. Yet many discover they can be in a full room, even a long marriage, and still feel alone. Loneliness is not about numbers, but the depth of connection.

For some elders the ache is sharpened by guilt and shame placed upon them by family, church, or culture. Those old voices whisper still, keeping the heart at a distance from those who love them.

Chronic loneliness harms not only the spirit, but the body. It wears us down as surely as smoking or obesity. The first step in healing is to bring it to light—to say to a friend, a counselor, or even in prayer, “I feel alone.”

The work of reconnection is often small and hidden: a phone call, an invitation, returning to a faith community, or finding one that receives us as we are. These gestures open the door for grace to do its slow work.

There is also the inner journey. Prayer, meditation, or a simple gratitude list can remind us we are already held in a larger love. For those who do not pray, even a few minutes of true silence can awaken the same truth: our worth is not measured by our social calendar, but by the image of God within us.

Loneliness tells us our presence makes no difference, yet the world is hungry for our stories, our laughter, our kindness. Often the way back to belonging is found as we reach out to someone else.

The way out of loneliness is slow, gentle, and holy. Each honest word, each shared meal, each quiet prayer is a small step back into the great belonging that has held us all along.

Fr. Rich Vitale is Parish Administrator at Holy Angels National Catholic Church and founder of Message From the Margins.

Photo Courtesy of Bishop Durrell Watkins, D.Min.

Photo Courtesy of Andy Armano

Watkins, D.Min.

REVEL IN THE JOY OF DRIVING THE 2026 LEXUS GX

3.4-L Twin Turbo V6, available in six grades

By Savannah Whaley

Photo by Basil Lewis

These are challenging days for gay men, first generation Americans and those on the front lines of healthcare.

CAN Community Health

Senior

Vice President

and Chief Marketing

Officer Kal Gajraj, Ph.D. checks all three of those boxes.

So, what can a man with a doctorate in ethical leadership from St. Thomas University, a certification in social and behavioral research, and who is a certified global human rights consultant through the U.S. Institute of Diplomacy & Human Rights do when faced with federal and state policies undermining LGBTQA+ rights and public health? Quite a lot.

“We are living in unprecedented times and I want people to know that we are fighting for them,” Gajraj stressed. “CAN has taken a proactive approach and our leadership team is meeting with legislators, going to the Capitol and going to D.C. to fight for health equity.”

CAN has the right geographic footprint to act in the advocacy mantra of think globally, act locally with 32 locations in Florida and clinics in Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia serving those affected by HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections.

Through an integrated clinical practice and more than 40 programs, CAN offers testing, medical care, psychiatric services and counseling, dental care, pharmacy services, case management, patient education and community outreach.

Gajraj joined CAN in August 2024 to lead the marketing and communications strategy supporting national initiatives, brand development, and public engagement.

“Some of the challenges that we face with the current administration is how they have decided to either define or support epidemics in general,” Gajraj explained. “In the beginning of the administration, there was just a clean swipe of the CDC website and all of a sudden information about HIV, STIs and things of that nature went away. Just because they're not on the CDC website doesn't mean they've gone away.”

Current policies have hampered the global campaign to reduce new HIV infections by 75% in 2025 and by 90% in 2030.

“Some folks say that it's put us back 30 years,” Gajraj estimated. “When you take away funding, you take away a lot of these free services that are made accessible to communities that are uninsured creating a barrier to healthcare. To us, they're not numbers on a spreadsheet. We're saving people's lives.”

The lack of governmental support aside, Gajraj said there are steps everyone can and should be taking to protect their own health and those of others.

“If you’re having sexual intercourse with anyone, you should be on PrEP,” Gajraj recommended. “We understand that people will have sex but we want people to be safe and we want people to put their

health first. People think that only the LGBT community needs to go on PrEP and that's probably one of the biggest misconceptions. PrEP is one of those getting us to that 90% because it prevents the spread of HIV for homosexuals, heterosexuals, and everyone in between.”

Gajraj also pointed to advances in PrEP such as daily pills, monthly injections and a new option for a twice-yearly injection in addition to PEP* (post-exposure prophylaxis) that he compared to the morning after pill.

“There are scientific advances that are putting us on track to 2030,” Gajraj detailed. “CAN participates in the 340B drug pricing program in which we purchase drugs at cost from the manufacturer and then resell it to our patients for a minimum cost or sometimes free depending on their financial situation. We accept both insured and uninsured patients. Anyone that walks into our doors for care gets treated at any one of our clinics.”

Earlier this year, CAN launched the Susan Terry Foundation to serve those living with HIV with essential resources, education, and support. It is funded by such initiatives as the World Aids Day Concerts that will be held in Las Olas Oceanside Park on Sunday, November 30, 2025 and at the CAN Community Event Center in Tampa on Monday, December 1, 2025. The concerts are headlined by Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, the original stars of the Tony Award®-winning Broadway blockbuster Rent.

“Rent was such a huge part of our pop culture at a time when we had a President of the United States that couldn't say the word AIDS,” Gajraj recalled. “It helped change the conversation around HIV. I think what's so special about this concert with Adam and Anthony is that it showcases their friendship and history together.”

The concerts are something of a career homecoming for Gajraj, who served as the executive director of the contemporary dance ensemble Peter London Global Dance Company and the chief marketing officer of Florida Grand Opera.

“I've had the great pleasure of working across different industries: in retail, entertainment, non-profit, education, and now healthcare,” Gajraj recalled. “Studies have shown the intersectionality between music, the arts and health leads to healthier lives, so that's something that brings me great joy.”

Gajraj’s unconventional career path isn’t the only thing that makes him appreciate diversity. He is a first-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Guyana and is his family’s first high school and college graduate.

“I’m living my grandparents’ American dream,” Gajraj stated. “I will be the first to admit that most organizations got DEI wrong. If your hiring practices are diverse, if your merit pay and salaries are equitable, and your policies and procedures are inclusive, then you don't have to say it. You do it, right?”

Gajraj’s dissertation for his Ph.D. was on today’s leadership perspective of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a multigenerational workplace. That interest and expertise help fuel CAN’s many community initiatives such as a speakers’ bureau, courses, online prevention programs, and mobile and tele-testing.

with Alexander Zenoz performing the song Brave by Sara Bareilles and featuring local LGBTQA+ individuals, advocates, and healthcare professionals. At the same time, CAN rolled out Empower for Juneteenth to reach its Black and African American communities. This year, CAN launches the Unidos campaign during Hispanic Heritage Month and is finalizing the Spirited campaign for Native American members of the community.

“Something that I'm extremely proud of as the chief marketing officer is to develop campaigns that speak to our population,” Gajraj shared. “As CAN grew from primarily focusing on HIV and AIDS, we have expanded to now include STIs and Hep C. We are helping so many people not just live but thrive. People aren't coming to us because they're dying. They're coming to us to live.”

by Carina Mask

Kal Gajraj's cover photo Courtesy of Basil Lewis | Michael Murphy

Photo

Amplify Arts Brings South Florida’s Local Artists to the Broward Center Stages

South Florida’s homegrown talent takes center stage as the Broward Center for the Performing Arts launches Amplify Arts, a new initiative presenting performances that reflect the voices, rhythms and artistic excellence of the region. From violin-driven reggae to immersive theater and Afro-Brazilian dance, the inaugural lineup showcases the diversity and creativity that make South Florida’s arts community so vibrant.

“Amplify Arts invests in the creativity that thrives in South Florida and invites local artists to perform on the Broward Center stages,” said Jan Goodheart, Vice President of External Affairs at the Broward Center. “Through this initiative we are providing professional resources that support artists at every stage of their careers while giving our patrons access to outstanding performances from both celebrated and emerging talent.”

Made possible by the support of Wayne and Lucretia Weiner, Baptist Health and TD Charitable Foundation, Amplify Arts will present a multidisciplinary lineup of music, theater, dance and more, offering audiences performances that span genres and reflect the breadth of South Florida talent.

The Amplify Arts initiative launches in November with performances continuing throughout the season. The performance series kicks off Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 8 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater with Sons of Mystro and Alexander Star & the Golden People. Raised in South Florida and mentored by Black Violin, brothers Malcom and Umoja of Sons of Mystro fuse reggae classics, American pop hits and original works with the sound of their violins. Winners of the International Reggae and World Music Award for Emerging Artist Under 21, the duo

is building international recognition with their debut album Reggae Strings. Alexander Star, an Emmy-nominated songwriter, performs with his five-piece band, The Golden People. Known for blending originals with inventive takes on global hits, the group has shared stages with Earth, Wind & Fire, Koffee and Black Violin.

Performances continue November 8–15 in the Abdo New River Room when Art Prevails Project and founder Darius V. Daughtry return to the Broward Center with The Happening: A Theatrical Mixtape, Volume VII: Love and Hate (and Everything in Between). This multidisciplinary experience combines drama, music and poetry to explore relationships, identity and connection, followed by postshow conversations with the artists.

As part of the initiative's programming, audiences can also look forward to the fourth annual Rhythm by the River Celebration on February 22, 2026 — a free, open-to-thepublic showcase of local artists returning to downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park. This year’s performances feature The Ladies of Simone paying tribute to Nina Simone, the rock ‘n’ roll and Motown energy of The Swayzees, the jazz, Latin, funk and contemporary sounds of the Luigi Arredondo Sextet and reggae icons Inner Circle, known as the Bad Boys of Reggae. The event is presented by Baptist Health and JM Family Enterprises, Inc., with additional support from Funding Arts Broward and TD Charitable Foundation.

Tickets and details on performances in the Amplify Arts lineup are available at BrowardCenter.org/AmplifyArts. Information about the River by the River Celebration can be found at BrowardCenter.org. For more information contact amplifyarts@browardcenter.org.

The Happening

Rhythm by the River

Black Nativity

Gafieira Rio Miami

Season Guide

Tickets available at SunshineCathedral.org/arts

*Be sure to get your add on ticket for the Cathedral Pub

2025

October

Saturday, 25 - 7PM*

Golden Ghouls presented by Golden Girls

November

Friday, 7 - 8PM*

FUCQ This Shit with Miss Coco Peru (18+)

Friday, 14 - 8PM*

A Musical Night with Gabe Salazar - 8PM Sponsored by the Sunshine Cathedral Foundation

December

Saturday, 6 - 7PM*

Sunshine Cathedral Holiday Concert

Sunday, 7 - 5PM

Holiday Fantasia hosted by Matthew Darren

Friday, 12 - 8PM

Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida Holiday Concert

Saturday, 13 - 7PM

Girls Choir of South Florida Holiday Concert

Sunday, 14 - 7PM

Broward Women’s Chorus Concert

Friday, 19 - 8PM*

Treble In Paradise Acapella Concert

Saturday, 20 - 8PM*

Holiday Concert Anthony Nunziata & Community Choir

Wednesday, 24 - 7PM & 9PM

Sunshine Cathedral Christmas Eve Services

January

Flamny Grant - DTBA

Saturday, 24 - 7:30PM* Varla Jean is THE DROWSY CHAPPELL ROAN With Todd Alsup on piano (18+)

Friday, 30 - 7:30PM*

“There’s a Pill for That!” with Miss Richfield, 1981 (18+)

Saturday, 31- 8PM* Singer Anne Steele

February

Saturday, 7 - 8PM*

Selections from the musical Purlie by Sunshine Cathedral Center for the Performing Arts

Saturday, 28 - 8PM* A Flutist Journey with Adrian McGrady

March

Saturday, 7 - 8PM*

As If!! It’s the 90s starring Paige Turner (18+)

Wednesday, 11 - 8PM* Musical Group, Trio Gaia

Friday, 13 - 8PM NOVA Singers - 50th Anniversary

Saturday, 21 - 8PM* Amy Armstrong

April

Saturday, 11 - 8PM*

Musical Concert with Dr Jihong Adams-Park (Piano) & Ms Laura Gonzalez (Violinist)

Tips to Amplify Your Impact with Year-end Giving

By Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D. Community Foundation of Broward President/CEO

Year-end giving is a powerful way to show your love for your community.

Many nonprofits rely on end-of-year gifts to sustain their critical work and determine what efforts to pursue next year. This is your opportunity to fuel ongoing support for people in need, the arts, student achievement, the environment, LGBTQ+ advocacy, health care and other charitable passions.

The Community Foundation of Broward champions local philanthropy by partnering with visionaries who want to be more strategic and impactful with their giving. We shepherd more than 500 charitable funds created by individuals, families and organizations to fuel their philanthropy for years to come. We help their funds grow through careful investment and our experts ensure their support is used as intended to transform lives and shape a brighter future.

Here are asset options to consider, in addition to cash, that can maximize your impact and tax benefits:

● Give stock: Appreciated stock can be donated and then sold by a charity for 100 cents on the dollar – no capital gains tax applies.

● IRA distribution: A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA is an easy way to donate to a nonprofit, potentially reducing your taxable income and satisfying a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

● Gift bundling: You can bundle several years’ worth of support for your favorite causes through a single gift to a donor-advised fund. You ensure future support for long-term charitable goals and get the full tax benefit this year.

● Donate real estate and other “complex gifts”: Real estate, “closely-held stock” and valuable collections can fuel your charitable support.

● Gift planning: If donating now isn’t an option, consider naming a nonprofit as one of the beneficiaries in your will.

Check with your professional advisor about how tax law changes affect your giving strategies, and visit cfbroward. org to learn more about local philanthropy.

CFBroward.org

Photo: Dania Beach Lead with Love Mural Aurelio Fernandez, Kirk Englehardt, Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., Cey Adams, Mayor Joyce L. Davis, Mona Pittenger, Sheri Brown Grosvenor and Amanda Kah | Photo Credit: Vibrant Visions

Join South Florida Symphony Orchestra, as we explore beauty in contrasts –where the bold and the sublime intersect, the familiar meets the new, and music becomes a portal to a world of wonder.

Brahms’ First Symphony & Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1

With Massenet | Beethoven

Wed., Nov., 5, 2025 • The Parker

Handel’s Messiah & Holiday Pops

Sat., Dec. 6, 2025 • The Parker Sun., Dec. 7, 2025 • Barry University

Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 & Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major

With Vaughan Williams

Wed, Jan. 21, 2026 • The Parker

Thurs. Jan. 22, 2026 • New World Center

Sat., Jan. 24, 2026 • Tennessee Williams Theatre

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol & Mozart’s “Ha ner” With orchestra premieres by Joachim | Simon

Tues., Feb. 17, 2026 • New World Center

Wed., Feb. 18, 2026 • The Parker

Sat., Feb. 21, 2026 • Tennessee Williams Theatre

Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 & Sibelius’ Violin Concerto With Schubert

Tues., March 10, 2026 • New World Center

Wed., March 11, 2026 • The Parker

Sat., March 14, 2026 • Tennessee Williams Theatre

Mendelssohn’s “Italian” & Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4

Wed., April 8, 2026 • The Parker

Photo: Nick Donner

Island City Stage Kicks Off Its Season with RUTHLESS! The Musical, the Killer Off-Broadway Cult Classic

Buckle up for Ruthless! The Musical, the hilariously twisted comedy where the spotlight can be deadly, launching Island City Stage’s 14th South Florida Season on November 6. Meet eight-year-old Tina Denmark—a pint-sized diva who knows she was destined to play Pippi Longstocking in her school musical, and if she has to knock off the competition to get the part? Well, that’s showbiz! This Off-Broadway cult favorite is a deliciously campy satire packed with sharp wit, outrageous twists, and over-the-top characters. The show will run November 6 through December 7, 2025.

The book and lyrics of Ruthless! The Musical are by Joel Paley, music by Marvin Laird, and the production is directed by Island City Stage’s Artistic Director, Andy Rogow.

“When people ask me about Ruthless! The Musical, I say, ‘Imagine a mash up of The Bad Seed, All About Eve and Gypsy,’ and they immediately start laughing,” said Rogow. “Every time Ruthless! The Musical has been produced in South Florida it has won Carbonell Awards because the roles in it are gold mines for musical theatre performers.

Island City Stage has been fortunate to assemble a truly gifted cast chock full of award-winning South Florida musical theatre stars.”

Ruthless! The Musical opened at the Players Theatre in New York City’s Greenwich Village on March 13, 1992 and ran for 342 performances. The lead role of Tina was originally played by nine-year-old Laura Bell Bundy, best known today as a highly successful country music artist and TV, stage and screen actress. A bit of trivia: two other stars of tomorrow, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears, served as understudies for the original production. The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The show opened in Los Angeles in 1993, in Miami in 1995 and in London in 2002, among many other venues since then.

Island City Stage’s production of Ruthless! The Musical stars nine-year-old child actress Daisy Tanner (Tina Denmark), Lindsey Corey (Judy/Ginger), Leah Sessa (Louise/Eve), Maribeth Graham (Miss Thorn/Reporter), Michael Ursua (Sylvia St. Croix) and Aaron Bower (Lita).

There’s No Limit For This Skye From Jupiter to Broadway and Back

By Savannah Whaley

When 24-year-old Skye Alyssa Friedman performs as Teresa in the first National Tour of Kimberly Akimbo at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach this November it won’t be her South Florida stage debut. That was when she starred as Mary Poppins in her preschool in Jupiter.

“This is it,” she recalled of her first taste of the footlights. “This is all I'm going to do for the rest of my life.”

Friedman was on Broadway in Annie at age 11 and in 2021 she was cast in the world premiere of Kimberly Akimbo at Manhattan’s Atlantic Theater Company. She transferred with the musical to Broadway a year later and she’s still enjoying the gig she initially thought would only last three months.

What The New Yorker called a “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show,” and the New York Times dubbed “the season’s most moving new musical,” has no flying monkeys or rapping founding fathers. But it does have the Best Musical trophies from the Tony Awards®, New York Drama Critics Circle, The Drama Desk Awards, The Lucille Lortel Awards and The Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Relocating to a new home in New Jersey and being the new kid at high school isn’t the only challenge the show’s heroine faces as Kimberly is about to turn sweet 16 in a body that thinks it’s 72 due to a rare genetic condition. If that wasn’t enough, she’s dealing with her dysfunctional family, facing the butterflies of her first crush, and deciding if she should help her aunt commit a crime.

“It's really exciting for audiences to see this kind of musical,” Friedman said. “It's such a life-affirming musical showing us how precious life is and that we should cherish it. We have to love the people we love while we can, do the things that we've always wanted to do, be with our friends, celebrate, and just enjoy our lives.”

Friedman plays one of Kimberly’s new classmates and

one of the nerds who hang out at the local skating rink because they aren’t invited to be anywhere else on a Friday night.

“She's 16, she’s a sophomore in high school and she has a big crush on Martin,” she said. “She's a little anxious, a little unhinged and chaotic, especially when she's around Martin. You see all these super unique characters on stage just kind of trying to figure out who they are.”

Kimberly Akimbo also took home four other Tony Awards and Friedman was at the Tony watch party that was held for the cast.

“God, that was the most magical night,” Friedman remembered. “The energy in the room was something like I've never felt. There was just so much love and hard work in that room. It's definitely one of my favorite nights of my life. I didn't go to bed until 7 AM because we were all so happy and revved up.”

While Friedman now lives in New York, her parents are still in Jupiter looking after her dog Downton, named after her one-time TV obsession.

Friedman is currently getting rave reviews for her role in the coming-of-age film Lemonade Blessing that premiered in the Tribeca Film Festival this past June and was named one of the festival’s “5 Standouts” by Vogue Magazine.

That’s a lot of accomplishments for someone so young and Friedman takes a moment when reminded she’s in an industry where overnight success usually comes after decades of paying your dues.

“I need to take this moment and feel that gratitude and excitement,” Friedman said. “I’ve gotten very lucky in life. I started young, I had luck, I put in the time and effort into it. I'm very glad to be where I am now and I'm excited for the future. Kimberly is amazing to me. It’s been this wild ride that I never even imagined.”

November 11–16, 2025

Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts | kravis.org

Carbonell Awards 2025

South Florida’s Version of the Tony Awards ® Returns on November 17

By Gary Schweikhart

The 48th annual Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors, is hosting a glittery ceremony at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm. Awards will be presented in 20 competitive categories for the 2024-2025 theater season. Collectively, 129 nominations are distributed among 36 professional productions at 19 different theaters in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.

Maltz Jupiter Theatre earned 24 nominations, Slow Burn Theatre Company grabbed 23, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre and GableStage garnered 11 each, Arca Images and Miami New Drama both won nine, and getting seven each are Broadway at LPAC, New City Players, and Theatre Lab.

Appropriate at GableStage is the show that earned the most individual nominations (10), followed by Lincoln Road Hustle by Miami New Drama (9), with Anastasia at Slow Burn Theatre Company, Jersey Boys at the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, and The Lehman Trilogy at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, each garnering eight.

Four productions are represented by seven finalists each: All My Sons (New City Players), Once (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Bodyguard (Slow Burn Theatre Company), and Tres Veces Cruz/Three Times Cruz (Arca Images). Frozen at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre earned 6 nominations, and The Pillowman at Zoetic Stage picked up five.

In addition to the competitive categories, the 48th annual Carbonell Awards will also present eight Special Awards selected by the nonprofit organization’s board of directors, including the prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts to William Hayes & Sue Ellen Beryl, co-founders of Palm Beach Dramaworks, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary of producing Theatre to Think About.

Hundreds of actors, musicians, performers, writers, directors, back-stage technicians, producers, reviewers, designers, specialty artists, and diehard theater fans are expected to attend South Florida’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards® under the leadership of Executive Producer and Director Andrew Kato, Coordinating Producer Eloisa Ferrer, and Associate Producer and Musical Director Caryl Fantel. Tickets for the ceremony and after party are $45 and may be purchased online at FAUevents.com, or by contacting the FAU Box Office at 561-297-6124.

Midler In The Manor!

Award-Winning Singer Shelley Keelor Brings Bette Midler Tribute Show To Wilton Manors

By Charles Baran

Do you want to dance? Shelley Keelor sure does. Come November 22 and 23 2025, South Florida’s awardwinning multi-talented singer and actress, Shelley Keelor, will be doing just that at the Gray Box Theater in her brand-new Bette Midler tribute show entitled Bette Midler Tribute: Bathhouse to Broadway. Produced by Upstage Productions, Bathhouse to Broadway promises to be an exciting musical journey through Midler’s extraordinary career; from the early days at the Continental Baths to her 2017 record-breaking run on Broadway in Hello Dolly Janice Hamilton, founder of Upstage Productions, is thrilled to bring Shelley’s tribute show to the recently opened Gray Box Theater, Wilton Manors’ new performance space located in the Island City Plaza on NE 26 Street. Shelley’s super excited as well. “Wilton Manors’ audiences are my favorite! The crowds are so loving and appreciative.”

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Shelley was only three when she decided she wanted a career in show business. While her formative years were spent listening to Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, the incredible Whitney Houston, and Dolly Parton, Bette Midler’s music and career were, and remain, a big inspiration. “Bette’s a quadruple threat. She can do it all. Singer, actress, comedienne, dancer. Plus, she’s an amazing human being and mother.”

Shelley, one of South Florida’s leading cabaret performers, has written and performed in many sold-out solo shows,

several of which have toured across Florida. The Midler one, however, feels extra special. “She’s had such a terrific life. I wanted to highlight her journey. One of the things I most admire about her is her tenacity. She’s a force to be reckoned with!”

When asked what songs the audience can expect to hear, Shelley exclaims excitedly, “I love them all! It was so hard deciding what to put in an eighty-minute show. We have songs from the Divine Miss M, Beaches, stories, jokes and great videos.”

By “we,” Shelley means her amazing co-performers, Kristi Rose Mills (Something Rotten – Slow Burn Theatre Co.) and Sabrina Lynn Gore (A Delicate Balance – Island City Stage). “I am so lucky to have Kristi and Sabrina in the show with me. Sabrina actually played an integral part in developing it. She’s my co-writer, co-director and helped with the choreography. Plus, we have the terrific Phil Hinton as our musical director for the Gray Box shows.”

Shelley wants it to be clearly known that audiences should not expect an impersonation of the great Bette Midler. “This is a tribute show, an homage if you will. It’s done with a great deal of respect and love for Midler and the material. We run the gamut, ballads to bawdy numbers and of course, lots of jokes!”

There are two performances, Saturday, November 22 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, November 23 at 3 pm. Tickets start at $49 with select VIP seating and group rates available. For more information visit the Upstage Productions website at www.upstageproductions.net

Photos courtesy of Amy Pasquantonio

Men Who Dance Returns to the Broward Center for Its Sixth Year

By Sara Menco Arenas, Nova Southeastern University

Men Who Dance, the largest all-male dance festival in the United States, returns to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Nov. 29–30, 2025, for its sixth year of boundary-breaking performances.. The two-day event will feature dancers from around the world, showcasing diversity, expression and artistry.

This year’s lineup includes dancers from renowned companies such as Miami City Ballet and Repertorio Español, and for the first time, the Jon Lehrer Dance Company. It will also feature tango champions, Argentinian gaucho dancers and a variety of international dance companies.

“You could say that for Men Who Dance, the stage becomes the meeting place where boundaries are broken down,” said Rafi Maldonado-Lopez, artistic director of Men Who Dance and principal managing director of Sanctuary of the Arts. “From when it started, the purpose was to normalize the idea of seeing men dance.”

For Maldonado-Lopez, the festival is also part of a bigger vision. Presented under the Inter-American Choreographic Institute (ICI) with Maldonado-Lopez as artistic director, Men Who Dance is one of several productions that connect international dancers while fostering new opportunities for male dancers.

Born during COVID-19, Maldonado-Lopez credits the Broward Center as the first organization to take the risk, securing CDC approval to host the festival in its theater in the middle of the pandemic.

“It was the first major dance show back in theaters after all of them had been closed, so it actually made history back then,” said Maldonado-Lopez. “Because of travel restrictions, we only had dancers from the U.S., 15 dancers representing eight countries.”

Now in its sixth year, Men Who Dance has grown into a twonight event featuring more than 40 performers from over 20 countries. Each program blends styles from ballet and contemporary to tango, tap and folk dance.

“What we want to show is that South Florida does have artistic excellence and Men Who Dance really, really pushes that,” said Maldonado-Lopez.

Beyond the show, Men Who Dance also challenges traditional ideas of masculinity in performance. The festival offers audiences a chance to see men not only as the “frame figure” of women in ballet or contemporary works but as the central storytellers and protagonists on stage. That vision extends to inclusivity, welcoming dancers from around the world as well as LGBTQ+ performers and artists working in drag. Maldonado-Lopez said the festival opens space for self-expression across identities and styles, reflecting the diversity of male dancers today.

“We do global auditions, and somebody said to me, ‘Rafi, what about trans men?’ And I said, the festival is for anyone who identifies as male, period. I hold no judgement on that,” Maldonado-Lopez said.

He added that the stage ultimately serves as a place to challenge society’s assumptions.

“We create a safe space for exploration about what is masculinity? Who defines that?” he said.

That mission also extends beyond the stage into schools and classrooms, where Men Who Dance hopes to inspire young dancers by showing the artistry, athleticism and the power of breaking down stereotypes.

Maldonado-Lopez is currently working with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to develop a dance and movement curriculum that shows students dance can be both athletic and expressive. He notes that inspiring young audiences remains one of the festival’s most important goals.

“I think of those kids in 10 years, 12 years — what are they going to bring to Men Who Dance when they’ve grown up with dance being part of their school?” he said.

After years of building recognition, companies and organizations are now coming to them first, rather than the other way around.

“Every year we put out the word — at first we used to have to go and kind of knock on people’s doors,” said Maldonado-Lopez. “Now they knock on our doors. The only qualifier is it has to be at a professional level.”

With that growing recognition, Maldonado-Lopez’ vision now extends beyond the stage itself — towards redefining how major venues engage with locally produced work.

“Over here, we have men from all over the world doing spectacular things, but they think of us as the presenter,” he said. “You see, Broadway shows are presented here. What if we started doing it the other way around—if we start becoming the producers and they start becoming the presenters?”

With this goal in mind, Men Who Dance continues to use each performance to foster an inclusive environment, serving as a unifying force for dancers from around the world.

“Of course, the dancers' repertoires are different and their backgrounds and cultural identities come through in their pieces,” said Luka Gotsiridze, multimedia communications and engagement specialist at Sanctuary of the Arts. “But it all comes together in a way that you understand we have so much in common rather than differences—that this is the shared humanity that we see on stage.”

That shared humanity, expressed through daring choreography and a mix of styles, gives this year’s festival its energy and purpose.

“I would say it’s eclectic and yet cohesive. Spectacular and boundary-pushing,” Maldonado-Lopez remarked.

November 29–30, 2025

Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Sara Menco Arenas is a student reporter in a journalism course taught by Dr. Megan Fitzgerald in NSU’s Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts.

Photos Courtesy of Simon Soong

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Photo by Israel Zavaleta Escobedo

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Ralphie Ruiz

" ... Men Who Dance continues challenging stereotypes about male dancers»

Christine DiMattei - WLRN

"Men Who Dance takes on gender roles amid Florida's Political Landscape"

Sean Erwin - Artburst

" Men Who Dance combines dance with Philosophical Musings on Masculinity"

Miami Artzine

No Day But Today To Get Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp Tickets

“Rent” Stars Reunite for World AIDS Day Benefit Concerts

By Savannah Whaley

The year was 1991. Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson announced he was HIV-positive and abruptly retired. Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDSrelated bronchial pneumonia. And in Sarasota, community volunteer Susan Terry helped establish one of the first comprehensive care clinics dedicated to treating those with HIV.

Five years later, the rock musical Rent opened on Broadway after transferring from the off-Broadway run of which The New York Times reported that this updated version of Puccini’s La bohème featuring “characters living in the shadow of AIDS” was “…blessed with voices

of remarkable flexibility and strength. The unflaggingly focused Mr. Rapp gives the show its energetic motor; the golden-voiced Mr. Pascal its meditative soul.”

Thirty years later, Adam Pascal who portrayed Roger and Anthony Rapp who originated the role of Mark in that Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning cultural landmark will reunite for World Aids Day Concerts in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa that will benefit the Susan Terry Foundation and the organization that grew out of her passionate commitment: CAN Community Health.

Borrowing a song title from Rent’s score, the concert is

courtesy

Photo

of Michael Allan Galvez

themed “No Day But Today” and is produced by CAN in partnership with HarmonyWaves and Gray Box Theatre.

While HIV is no longer the death sentence it was in 1991, recent political attacks on LGBTQA+ rights and health equity give lyrics from the pair’s poignant Rent duet “You Are What You Own,” renewed relevance: “You're living in America, where it's like the Twilight Zone.”

The two Broadway leading men promise to bring their friendship and history together for an unforgettable and celebratory night of music in honor of lives affected by HIV and AIDS and inspire the continued fight toward ending the epidemic. In addition to a few songs from Rent, the duo will perform songs from various projects throughout their careers and music that has influenced their lives.

Acting professionally since he was nine years old, Rapp performed in Rent both off-Broadway and Broadway as well as in Chicago and London. In fact, he literally wrote the book on the musical penning Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent. In addition to his stage appearances in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, If/ Then and his original show, Without You, Rapp boldly went where no man had gone before as the first gay character in the Star Trek universe as Paul Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery

As Rapp told NBC News in 2017, “I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of Star Trek TV’s first gay couple. I can’t say how much that means to me personally as a fan of the series and as a member of the LGBT community. I’m proud of the fact that none of that really matters in the show.”

where he was last seen starring in the tour of Pretty Woman after entertaining audiences in a 2017 tour of Something Rotten! which prompted Florida Theater On Stage to report, “With matinee idol good looks, Pascal selflessly lampoons the preening Shakespeare… It’s a masterful hoot of acting and writing.”

The two friends recently teamed up last year in “Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp: Celebrating Friendship & History,” at Manhattan’s fabled cabaret Feinstein’s/54 Below.

Speaking to the show business trade paper Variety at that time, Pascal said “I would venture to say there’s no male duo from

Pascal, whose other leading roles on Broadway include Aida, Memphis, Something Rotten! and Disaster!, is making a return to South Florida

Photo courtesy of Adam Pascal

Broadway more recognizable than he and I — other than Nathan [Lane] and Matthew [Broderick of The Producers]. A number of years ago, I approached Anthony and said, ‘We should do some concerts together. We’ll draw more people if it’s both of us.’ We started doing stuff together, and lo and behold, we drew more people.”

They also draw critical acclaim.

Of a 2016 engagement they performed at the same venue, the New York Times wrote, “Vocally Mr. Pascal’s style, with its oratorical flourishes and art-rock grandiosity, evokes early David Bowie and Queen, while Mr. Rapp’s steady, impassioned delivery has unadorned folkrock simplicity and sincerity.”

Fans can now catch them in two concerts that help kick off the Susan Terry Foundation, which CAN established in July 2025.

“We launched a foundation specifically to focus on the fight for HIV because, even though CAN has a broader mission now, we still felt like there was a need for that identity and to continue Susan's mission,” said CAN Community Health Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kal Gajraj.

Terry died in 2009 and the foundation that bears her name funds CAN’s patients’ assistance program that empowers CAN to never turn anyone away that lacks insurance. The fund has already made grants for a PrEP access program in Tampa and the restoration of a stormdamaged AIDS memorial at the Church of the Trinity in Sarasota.

“Originally, it was Susan Terry who founded CAN in Sarasota as the Comprehensive Care Center,” Gajraj explained. “Susan wanted to help patients who were diagnosed with AIDS to get their treatment and medication in a stigma-free zone. The first location was actually in an abandoned laundromat where patients would come and Susan would treat them. She and Dr. Jeffrey Stall, our first medical director, joined together to issue the medication and treatment and to give patients a welcoming home.”

While there have been medical advances

Photo

in the past 35 years, HIV has not been eradicated. Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV including an estimated 13% who are unaware of their status. Florida ranks third in the U.S. in the rate of newly diagnosed HIV cases and is home to 120,000 people living with HIV.

This raises the question: Is the time ripe for a Rent revival? In speaking to Variety, Rapp said, “It’s a period piece. The face of AIDS and HIV has changed tremendously. So in that sense, it’s a time capsule of those moments before

protease inhibitors or PrEP. At the same time, we’re still talking about some of these things: inequities, health care.…So, if there is a revival, I don’t think it should just be a carbon copy.”

There are no carbon copies of talents such as Rapp and Pascal. The World AIDS Day concerts offer the rare opportunity to see them together and recalls the lyrics from “Seasons of Love,” perhaps the most popular song from Rent: “It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends.”

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Las Olas Oceanside Park, Fort Lauderdale

Monday, December 1, 2025

CAN Community Event Center, Tampa

www.nodaybuttoday.org

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp's cover photo courtesy of Michael Allan Galvez

Susan Terry , Photo courtesy of CAN Community Health

Photos courtesy of Michael Allan Galvez

Gay Men’s Chorus Of South Florida Announces Season 16 “Invincible” Concert Series

A Celebration Of Community, Partnership, And Pride

The Gay Men's Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF) proudly announces its Season 16 Mainstage Concert Series, titled “INVINCIBLE: A Season of Strength, Sizzle & Song.” Spanning December 2025 through June 2026, the season features three vibrant productions that blend holiday joy, pop nostalgia, and powerful remembrance. With more than 180 singers, GMCSF remains the largest gay men’s chorus in the Southeast, continuing to inspire tens of thousands through music that unites and uplifts.

Season 16 is presented with generous support from key partners, including the Broward County Cultural Division, Community Foundation of Broward, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, The Warten Foundation, The Our Fund Foundation, and CAN Community Health, all sharing a commitment to diversity, arts, and inclusion.

“This season celebrates our community’s spirit—from the joy of the holidays to the resilience that defines us,” said Artistic Director Gabe Salazar. “We’re joining forces with our supporters, sponsors, and fellow artists to create meaningful moments of harmony, hope, and pride.”

The season begins Tuesday, December 9, 2025, with Holiday Slay Ride, a bold, camp-filled celebration at Hard Rock Live. This high-energy concert puts a fresh twist on holiday favorites, including three hilarious new parodies: “Pink Christmas” (a makeover of Irving Berlin’s classic), “Hey Big Santa” (adapted from Broadway’s Sweet Charity), and a festive reimagining of “Holding Out for a Hero.” Also featured are a stirring rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy” and the pop sparkle of Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree.” VIP ticket holders will enjoy an exclusive pre-show reception in Salon West with cocktails, bites, and a chance to win a Hard Rock gift basket, along with complimentary access to Seminole Hard Rock’s private Holiday Extravaganza at the Guitar Pool following the concert.

On Friday, December 12, 2025, GMCSF presents Carols

by Candlelight at Sunshine Cathedral, offering a serene and reflective holiday experience. Set in an intimate, candlelit atmosphere, the concert features reimagined classics such as “Silent Night,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” and “The First Noel.” This performance complements the sparkle of Slay Ride with warmth and tradition, supported by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, CAN Community Health, Amazon, PNC Bank, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Spring brings the disco magic of ABBA: Thank You For the Music, taking place Friday, March 20, 2026, at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. This glittering tribute to the legendary Swedish supergroup will transport audiences to a 1970s nightclub, with more than 100 voices performing beloved hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Waterloo,” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” Guests are encouraged to sing along and dress in disco flair—sequins welcome, platform shoes optional—as the chorus celebrates the music that continues to inspire joy and pride across generations.

The season concludes on Friday, June 19, 2026, at the Au-René Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, with Invincible, the Season 16 Pride concert. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy and honoring Juneteenth, this landmark performance brings together over 200 voices from GMCSF, the Orlando Gay Chorus, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay, and Master Chorale of South Florida, with musicians from Symphony of the Americas. The centerpiece of the concert is the world premiere of a commissioned work by acclaimed composer Saunder Choi, known for his emotionally powerful choral compositions. Blending music, dance, and spoken word, Invincible is more than a concert—it’s a moving tribute to remembrance, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of the LGBTQ+ community. This production is made possible with additional funding from The Warten Foundation and Funding Arts Broward.

Tickets for Holiday Slay Ride, ABBA: Thank You For the Music, and Invincible are available via Ticketmaster. Carols by Candlelight tickets can be purchased through OvationTix. For full details, including showtimes, venues, and VIP experiences, visit gmcsf.org or call (954) 763-2266.

Content Courtesy of Eward Otto Zielke

By Lillian Hellman

By Ted Malawer

By Dave Osmundsen

Book and Lyrics by Joel Paley Music by Marvin Laird

By Jonathan Spector

AN OFFBEAT SERIES FOR THECURIOUS.WILDLY

An electrifying fusion of Japanese game show chaos and American improv comedy— where only one champion survives and the rest face hilarious humiliation! FEBRUARY 11–22

Part wine tasting, part stand-up comedy— sip, snack, and laugh your way through an unfiltered evening of grape expectations. JANUARY 8–25

The hit TV show gets a tuneful twist—all the awkward laughs, now with songs! APRIL 16–MAY 3

Calendar of Events

Gray Box Theater Grand Opening with Tituss Burgess

Photos Courtesy of Michael Murphy Photographic

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• Free STI and HIV testing

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