SFGN 11/18/21 V12iss46

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 VOL. 12 // ISSUE 46

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NEWS HIGHLIGHT

SouthFloridaGayNews.com

FORMER OUT HAVERHILL COUNCILMAN HUMBLED BY PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT

@SFGN November 18, 2021 • Volume 12 • Issue 46 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

Publisher • Norm Kent Norm.Kent@sfgn.com

Associate Publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com

John McDonald

Editorial

D

aniel Sohn credits the Victory Institute for opening the door to a presidential appointment.

This month Sohn assumed the duties of representing the Selective Service System at the local level. His board appointment, set in motion by the executive branch, was initiated by the LGBTQ Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders.

“My involvement in Victory Institute’s training gave me access to valuable resources,” Sohn said. “I applied for the presidential appointments initiative not knowing it would follow me from Florida.”

Earlier this year, Sohn was hired to be the new chief executive officer of the Imperial Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The job required Sohn and his husband to move across the country to lead a new entity in the southern California desert. Before the big move, Sohn had served as a councilman in the tiny Palm Beach County town of Haverhill, where he lost reDaniel Sohn. Photo via Facebook. election in 2020 by one vote.

- Daniel Sohn His appointment to the eastern Europe, making services, aid and citizenship. local Selective Service Board SELECTIVE SERVICE BOARD him ineligible to run for Sohn said he is looking forward to comes at the nomination REPRESENTATIVE president, but still fit to learning more about how the independent of President Joe Biden serve as a presidential agency serves in peacetime operations. and California Gov. Gavin appointment. The Selective Service System “Our job is to promote military service Newsom.

“It’s an honor,” Sohn said. “I didn’t requires all men ages 18 to 25 to register as a career, path to citizenship and the next think I was worthy of being a presidential with the U.S. government as a contingency step in civic engagement and duty,” he said. program in the event the nation goes to “We also want to make sure we thank and appointment. I’m humbled.”

Sohn, 30, was born in Romania in war. Enrollment also provides a path for honor those in service to our country.”

“I DIDN’T THINK I WAS WORTHY OF BEING A PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT. I’M HUMBLED.”

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COVER: Supporters and leaders of Pride Fort Lauderdale — including Mayor Dean Trantalis, Richard Gray, and Miik Martorell — pose together at the new progressive Pride flag crosswalk at Sebastian Beach and A1A. Read more on page 16. Photo courtesy of Kevin Clevenger.

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

Copyright © 2021 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

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LGBTQIA BITES

BY KENNEDY MCKINNEY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE G Bisexual

LADY GAGA REVEALS ‘POKER FACE’ IS ABOUT THE BISEXUAL EXPERIENCE Lady Gaga brought back the conversation this week that her iconic song “Poker Face,” which was released in 2008, is an ode to bisexuality.

The Grammy Award winning star said the song is about “poker facing with your sexuality.” Back in 2009 she told Jonathan Ross that she wrote the song because she would often think about women while having sex with her boyfriend. Since then, Gaga has come out as bisexual.

“You know what? It’s not a lie that I am bisexual and I like women, and anyone that wants to twist this into ‘she says she’s bisexual for marketing,’ this is a f**king lie. This is who I am and who I have always been,” said Gaga at her album release party.

The pop star’s music has served as theme songs for the LGBT community and

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B

Lady Gaga. Photo via Facebook.

she continues to be an advocate for equal rights.

... HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING IN THE LGBTQIA COMMUNITY

T

Transgender

PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S ‘SEXIEST MEN’ LIST FEATURES TRANS MAN FOR THE FIRST TIME

People Magazine released their roster for this year’s sexiest men, and for the first time ever the list featured a transgender man.

Brian Michael Smith, star of “9-1-1: Lone Star,” graced this year’s list to the excitement of many fans.

“I’ve been called many things,” but “this is a first,” said Smith in an Instagram post.

He added that he was “incredibly honored” to have made the list.

Smith plays a transgender firefighter named Paul Strickland, making him the first out Black trans man in a recurring network TV role. He has also appeared on “Girls, Homeland,” and “The L Word: Generation Q.” Smith is a strong advocate for trans representation and continues to support the cause.

“I worked with young people at the LGBT

Brian Michael Smith. Photo via Twitter.

Center and I just saw how important it was for young LGBT people, no matter where they were in their experience, to see what is down the road for them,” Smith told NBC Out. “It’s really important to me to be visible in my work.”

LGBTQIA BITES

L

Lesbian

BETH ROBINSON BECOMES FIRST LESBIAN TO SERVE ON FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT Justice Beth Robinson was confirmed into the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit making her the first openly lesbian woman to be confirmed to a federal circuit court. In a 51-45 vote, the Senate voted to confirm Robinson.

“She would be the very first openly gay woman to serve not just in the Second Circuit, but in any federal circuit court in the country — another barrier torn down in the halls of justice. We are proud of tearing down those barriers and making the bench more inclusive and more like America,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

NPR reported that only 13 federal judgeships are currently held by gay or lesbian judges and there has never been an openly transgender or bisexual nominee.

Robinson is getting praise from all levels of government for this trailblazing accomplishment.

On Twitter, Bernie Sanders wrote, “I

Justice Beth Robinson. Photo via the Senate Judiciary Committee, live stream.

want to congratulate Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson for her momentous confirmation today to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Thank you for your continued service. I know you will make Vermont proud and will be an excellent addition to the federal bench.”

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From your life... into our pages! SFGN takes a weekly look at a community that has stood together through countless trials and victories in the past year alone.

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WEEK Photos by J.R. Davis

Dylan Davis and Steve Wetzler, real estate agents for LoKation Real Estate.

Jim Kolkana, former part owner of The Boardwalk, with Felipe Damasceno, salesman at Vision Solar.

Kathy Hubbard with her wife Mayor Annise Parker, Voice For Equality Award recipient at The Broward Equality Florida Gala.

Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins, senior minister at Sunshine Cathedral MCC, with Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin, executive minister at the Sunshine Cathedral.

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NEWS NATIONAL

BY GILLIAN MANNING

THE COUNTRY ACROSS

VIRGINIA

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS LGBT BOOKS SHOULD BE BANNED, BURNED

During a November school board meeting in Virginia’s Spotsylvania County, a mother stood up at the podium and expressed her concerns about the LGBT fiction available in the library and was later concerned by other “sexually explicit” materials, the Hill reported.

Board member Rabih Abuismail responded at the meeting and suggested that an audit of the library’s materials be conducted. He didn’t want the books kept in separate library sections; he said he “didn’t even want to see them … I think they should be thrown into a fire.”

He later said he would follow Twigg’s suggestion “for the sake of [the books] being out the schools.”

Darnela Sims, director of teaching and learning for the district, told the board that they had already been looking into

Photo via Pixabay.

the situation and requested more time for the staff to review books.

Abuismail said he would rather not have the books on the shelves another night because it would make it seem they “would rather have our kids reading gay pornography than about Christ.”

The school board voted 6-0 to have “sexually explicit” books removed from the library immediately.

COLORADO GAY VETERANS TO RECEIVE EQUAL ACCESS TO BENEFITS

Through the Restoration of Honor Act, gay Colorado veterans now have equal access to benefits. Veterans in the past had been dishonorably discharged due to their sexual orientation and were therefore barred from receiving benefits.

“With this law, we’re saying loud and clear that all members of our military, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation, deserve to receive the same benefits as their counterparts when they return home from duty,” said Sen. Dominick Moreno, who sponsored the act.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is what led to many veterans being discharged because of their sexual orientation, EIN Presswire reported.

“Ensuring that veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned regardless of their

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Sen. Dominick Moreno. Photo via the Government of Colorado.

gender identity or sexual orientation will go a long way toward guaranteeing that they can continue to feel pride in their service,” Representative David Ortiz said.

COVERING LGBT NEWS SWEEPING THE NATION

OREGON

SCHOOL BOARD BANNED LGBT SYMBOLS; FIRES SUPERINTENDENT

The Newberg School Board in Salem, Oregon, previously banned teachers and student organizations from displaying “political” imagery such as Pride or BLM posters, flags, and shirts.

The board voted to remove Superintendent Joe Morelock during a Zoom meeting on Nov. 9, according to PBS. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that while the members who voted to remove him have not publicly commented on their reasoning, Morelock said he has tried to enforce the school board’s ban on “political” imagery but thinks that others may be “frustrated” that the policy wasn’t being enforced quickly enough.

Locals have been critical of the school board and their conservative majority.

The teachers union said that Morelock’s firing was “yet another example of a

Joe Morelock. Photo via the Newberg Public Schools website.

board majority bringing instability to our schools.” The superintendent’s advisory cabinet said they were “shocked and dismayed that the board would take this disruptive action in the middle of the school year.”

The Newberg Education Association union has filed a lawsuit against the school board for its policy on political imagery.

VIRGINIA JUDGE FINDS MAN WHO SHOUTED SLURS AT GAY COUPLE NOT GUILTY

On Nov. 8, Judge Thomas Kelley Jr. ruled that 57-year-old Thomas Wood was not guilty on his misdemeanor simple assault charge.

Police and prosecutors had initially listed the incident as a hate crime, the Washington Blade reported. There were two video and audio recordings of Wood repeatedly shouting anti-gay slurs at his neighbors, Kyle Metz and his husband, Leo Liu Metz.

Judge Kelley said the recordings did not demonstrate that Wood had physically assaulted or committed simple assault against either of the men under Virginia law.

The lead prosecutor, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Cahoon, argued that Wood raised and swung his arms over the fence that separated the two

The July incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera.

parties’ homes and that if the Metz couple had not moved from the fence, they would have been struck by Wood.

For the same incident, Judge Kelley found Wood guilty of disorderly conduct.

With regard to the hate crime charge, Wood’s attorney argued that the dispute was only over a parking spot; Judge Kelly disagreed.

“There is nothing that is said about parking,” Kelley said, referring to the video that shows Wood shouting anti-gay insults.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BY EVERITT ROSEN

THE WORLD AROUND

EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

ASIA

EUROPE

LGBT K-POP BAND RELEASES ‘PRIDE’ VIDEO

ITALIAN POLITICIAN COMES OUT ON LIVE TV

With their colorful debut song video, a group claiming to be the “first openly LGBT+” K-pop boy band has debuted in South Korea.

Despite the fact that LGBT presence in South Korea is increasing, there are still just a few high-profile musicians who are openly gay, such as rapper Aquinas, trot singer Kwon Do Woon, K-pop sensation Holland, and trans girl group Lady.

According to Pink News, Lionesses, a new four-piece band, wants to change that by being outspoken about their sexuality, starting with their debut single, “Show Me Your Pride.”

The joyful song delves into the difficulties of being LGBT in South Korea, including bigotry, hostility, and loneliness before discovering your tribe.

Lionesses. Image via YouTube.

“When each LGBT+ person fights against the world, we can be strong.

Our music conveys the message: ‘When we are struggling, we will be your group. Together with the group, we can overcome,’” said the band’s leader Bae Dam-jun.

Vincenzo Spadafora, a renowned Italian politician, came out as homosexual on primetime television, claiming that it is his job as a public person.

Spadafora, 47, is a former Italian minister for youth, policies, and sport and one of the most powerful members of the populist, anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle (MS5) party.

According to Pink News, he came out on Rai3’s late-night discussion program Che Tempo Che Fa on Nov. 7, an uncommon event in a nation with few out LGBT politicians.

Spadafora appeared on the show to promote his new book, “Unreserved,” which promises to chronicle his experience “without reservations, in politics and in life.”

Vincenzo Spadafora. Photo via Facebook.

“I think that people’s private lives should remain that way, but I also think those with a public role, a political role like mine have some more responsibility,” said Spadafora.

AFRICA

AUSTRALIA

GHANA’S NEW ANTI-LGBT BILL GOES TO PARLIAMENT

‘AUSTRALIA’S MOST HOMOPHOBIC TOWN’ RAISES PRIDE FLAG

Supporters and opponents of Ghana’s new anti-LGBT law sparred in parliament on Wednesday during the first public hearings on the proposed legislation, which would make being gay, bisexual, or transgender a criminal.

According to Reuters, when Akoto Ampaw, a lawyer representing a group opposing the bill, informed the session that the Family Values bill would be “totalitarian” and “unconstitutional,” he was received with jeers.

On the other hand, Abraham OforiKuragu, a representative of Ghana’s Pentecostal council, told a heated meeting of MPs and reporters that the bill reflected the wishes of the majority of Ghanaians.

There have been no nationwide surveys on the law, which has been

Lawyer Akoto Ampaw. Photo via Facebook.

denounced by United Nations human rights experts. However, advocates claim that the measure has widespread support in the predominantly Christian West African country.

Daniel Howard, also known as “Daniel Kitty,” is a drag queen who grew up in what was previously known as “Australia’s most homophobic town.”

The 24-year-old is from Ulverstone, a tiny coastal town on Tasmania’s northwest coast with a population of almost 15,000 people.

According to ABC News, its local council was previously a hotbed of controversy over the decriminalization of homosexuality in Tasmania, the last state to do so, which was approved in 1994.

The rainbow flag was hoisted over council chambers this morning in Ulverstone, the second Tasmanian council to do so after Hobart, to commemorate pride in Tasmania’s northwest.

During the decriminalization

Photo credit: Sam Watson, via Facebook.

discussion in the 1980s and 1990s, the Central Coast Council — originally the Ulverstone Municipal Council — created a name for itself.

“I think that, if there is a Pride flag flying proudly in the town centre then it would change the minds and attitudes of a lot of people,” said Howard.

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NEWS LOCAL

PROGRESS & PARTIES PRIDE RETURNS TO FORT LAUDERDALE John Hayden

T

he parade, the flags, the drag queens keeping it real.

After a year away, Pride returns to Fort Lauderdale this weekend. Pride week is coming back bigger than ever, even renaming and redecorating well known streets.

Pride Fort Lauderdale in 2019. Photo credit: J.R. Davis.

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The two-day festival, themed Glitter & Under the Sun, and Gray believes Pride Gratitude, goes down Nov. 20-21 at Fort reflects that beautifully.

Lauderdale Beach along iconic A1A, which is “What I love the most is that it is a super being renamed Gay1A for the weekend. safe space where we can all be ourselves, “We are super excited to bring Pride Fort where we can all laugh with our loved ones Lauderdale back to the beach,” Executive and friends and we can all have a great time.

Director Kevin Clevenger said. “We were so It is such an up-lifting day and the feeling of ready to have Pride of the Americas in April love and unity move me to tears of joy.”

2020 then COVID canceled all of those plans Those joining Gray in Grand Marshal with less than 30 days out. The community duties include Barbara Sharief, Tiffany has been great, they’ve been purchasing Arieagus, Major William Schultz, and tickets and VIP passes for the past two Lorenzo Robertson. months. Our lineup really saw Three stages will host 150 acts, a huge increase in sales too.” including performances from “I NEVER Usually held in late winter Kimberly Venom, Jasmine Lords, or early spring, COVID pushed Trinity Beat, and more. The fun IMAGINED THAT the event to late November, will go well into the night, with I WOULD BE A which Clevenger says created DJs spinning well past sundown.

GRAND MARSHAL. unique logistical obstacles.

Pride’s more inclusive than IT IS MOST “Our biggest challenge is ever and will have areas for Afro CERTAINLY AN building our city in the sand Pride, Trans Pride, Bear Pride, HONOR THAT I as Tortuga Music Festival is and a Lesbian Sunset Stage.

Hunter’s Nightclub is moving out. Our team has WILL TREASURE sponsoring the VIP Village, been working closely with FOR THE REST OF which is set to be three times its them so we can start right MY LIFE.” usual size. They’re also hosting away. It normally takes four - Richard Gray a party at Hunters Nightclub days to build Pride and we VISIT LAUDERDALE’S in Wilton Manors on Saturday only have 2.5 days this year.”

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND night. Another sanctioned party INCLUSION will be at Eagle. Their Fetish Ball ENTERTAINMENT is Saturday night.

Saturday is a Pride Pool Party Takeover at The main event is the parade at 11 a.m.

Saturday down “Gay1A.” Richard Gray, Bahia Mar from 1-5 p.m. with DJ Cindel.

Visit Lauderdale’s senior vice president of PLAN EARLY & diversity, equity, and inclusion, is Grand BE PREPARED Marshal, an honor he says caught him off guard.

General admission to the festival is $5 per “I was extremely surprised. I never imagined that I would be a Grand Marshal. It day, with VIP packages available.

While parking is available on the beach, is most certainly an honor that I will treasure spaces are limited, and large crowds are for the rest of my life.”

Visit Lauderdale’s slogan is Everyone expected. Shuttle busses will be running

NEWS LOCAL to Pride from Wilton Manors. Free parking is available at the Galleria Mall, and Water Taxis will be running to Pride from stops five, six, and seven. You’re encouraged to use the $10 round trip using this link: https:// watertaxi.com/pride-2/ with promo code PRIDE21.

NEW SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR 2021: • Only one bag that is clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and does not exceed 12” x 16”. In addition to one of the clear bags noted above, you may also carry in a small clutch bag or purse approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap.

be screened and/or refuse to have their bags inspected will not be admitted.

• Illegal items will be turned over to law enforcement officers and may result in arrest and prosecution.

PRIDE’S MORE INCLUSIVE THAN EVER AND WILL HAVE AREAS FOR AFRO PRIDE, TRANS PRIDE, BEAR PRIDE, AND A LESBIAN SUNSET STAGE.

• To ensure the highest level of safety and security, all guests will be subject to a courteous screening upon entry by a third-party security company, which, on occasion, may include an enhanced screening. All bags will be subject to inspection upon entry. People who refuse to

• No outside alcohol, firearms, weapons, multi-tools, knives or cutting instruments will be allowed.

SHOWING OUR TRUE COLORS

Pride week started Monday with the unveiling of Broward County’s first rainbow crosswalk. The Progress Pride flag includes trans and people of color, and it is on the triangle between A1A and Sebastian on the beach.

Saturday is also Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR). The parade on Saturday will begin with a 100-foot-long x 40-foot-wide Trans flag that will have the photos of the 56+ Trans individuals that were murdered in the past year.

FOR MORE DETAILS, TICKETS, AND LATEST INFORMATION, VISIT PRIDEFORTLAUDERDALE.ORG.

Richard Gray, Visit Lauderdale’s senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion and this year’s Grand Marshal. Photo courtesy of Richard Gray.

11.18 . 20 21 •

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NEWS LOCAL

FRESH FACES JOIN PRIDE CENTER BOARD John Hayden

and

The Pride Center at Equality Park. Photo credit: Sandy DeWitt Photography.

T

hree new people are bringing their but the community at-large. Many of our leadership, community connections, programs work towards health and wellness and experience to The Pride Center education in the LGBTQ community, and I at Equality Park. Dr. Bryan Curry, Solimar wanted to be a part of that mission as health Rodriguez-Saez, Esq., and Alfredo Olvera are care disparities have been a focus of my joining the Board of Directors. career.”

“We are honored to welcome Rodriguez-Saez runs her these transformative leaders, own legal practice in Fort “THEIR respected trailblazers in their Lauderdale and received her law ServicesServices Offered: Offered: PASSION-BASED respective professions and degree from Pontifical Catholic servants inPrEP the community, University of Puerto Rico. She’s • HIV Care, • PrEP HIV Care, COMMITMENT to our Board of Directors,” a visible member of the South TO COMMUNITY Treatment • Hepatitis • C Hepatitis Testing & Treatment & Board ChairC ChristopherT Bates esting Florida community, serving T SERVICE IS SURELY said. “Their passion-based& T on Pride Center’s Governance ent • STD Testing • STD & Treatment Testing reatme NEEDED NOW AS commitment to community Community. She also co-hosts WE CONTINUE service is surely needed now as a show called Juntas y re Sueltas atment • Infectious • Disease Infectious Treatment Disease T we continue planning for a post (Together and Unleashed) PLANNING FOR • In-House • Pharmacy In-House Pharmacy COVID-19 world.” and works with Greater Fort A POST COVID-19 Lauderdale Chamber of Dr. Curry is a cardiologist WORLD.” Commerce Small Business in Aventura. In addition to his - Christopher Bates Council, Rising Leaders Council work preventing cardiovascular BOARD CHAIR ointment!

CallCall today for an appointment! today an appo and Fort Lauderdale Hispanic disease, hefor also prioritizes Alliance. health care disparities. A Originally from Ecuador, Olvera is now a graduate of Howard University Medical School, he already serves on the Pride real estate agent in Fort Lauderdale. He has FACP Lorraine Dowdy, DO, FACP Lorraine Dowdy, DO, Campaign Center Governance Committee and has been worked on the Human Rights South Florida’s Steering Committee and is involved in their BrothasSpeak FTL for four D, FACP Raj Uttamchandani, Raj MD, FACP Uttamchandani, MD president of the Dolphin Democrats. He’s years.

RN, Steven FNP-BC Steven Cardenas, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC Cardenas, MSN, APR “I learned about The Pride Center through spent the last four years working to connect RN, FNP-BC João Rodrigues, João MSN, APRN, Rodrigues, FNP-BC the people they my involvement with BrothasSpeak FTLMSN, and the elected officials with APR saw how The Center was committed to not serve and helping candidates win elections. only a safe space for the LGBTQ community, anors, 2608 2608 NE 16th FL Ave. | Wilton 33334 NE Manors, 16th FL 33334 Ave. | Wilton Ma

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NEWS LOCAL

Photo credit: John Hayden.

RAINBOW CROSSWALK TO BECOME PERMANENT IN FORT LAUDERDALE John Hayden

P

ride Week kicked off unveiling the progressive Pride flag crosswalk at Sebastian Beach and A1A (aka Gay1A for this week) in Fort Lauderdale. While this iteration is a temporary, thin, sticker-like installation, a permanent version is in the works.

At the unveiling ceremony on Nov. 15, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis told SFGN first that the rainbow will return.

“We’re now going to permanently paint it, that will be the next phase. But we needed to get something down here in time for Pride.”

This is the first rainbow crosswalk in Broward County, and many in the community groused that the installation is temporary.

“The reason why it’s temporary,” Trantalis says, “is because we couldn’t get the paint out here quick enough once we finally decided to do it. The quickest thing we could do was something like this.”

The goal is to finish the project by the time Pride of the Americas comes to Fort Lauderdale beach next November. Many

other elected officials and organizers at the unveiling were unaware of these developments. The location was chosen because it is, bureaucratically, the easiest spot near Sebastian Beach. Painting a section of A1A would require federal intervention, and Florida owns the other side of the road.

But this short stretch across from the beach is controlled by the city of Fort Lauderdale.

The cost will be about $21,000, and Trantalis says he’s working to raise the money from private individuals and businesses and is about halfway to the goal. Kevin Clevenger, Pride Fort Lauderdale’s executive director, believes it will pay dividends for years.

“If we can show the county and the community that this is something important, that it draws tourists to come to this destination, we can get it here.”

The flag on the street is the relatively new version of the Pride flag that reflects inclusion of the trans community and people of color.

“We want people to know we are focusing on awareness.”

WHILE THIS ITERATION IS A TEMPORARY, THIN, STICKER-LIKE INSTALLATION, A PERMANENT VERSION IS IN THE WORKS.

16

• 11.18.2021

11.18 . 20 21 •

17

NEWS MIAMI-DADE

GAY MAN CAMPAIGNS FOR A CLEANER, SAFER MIAMI BEACH John McDonald

T

he picture of a young gay man laying badly beaten in a hospital bed is not the image city leaders in Miami Beach would like to see circulated in the media.

Sadly, it is a reality this international tourist destination is grappling with as crime continues to shake the city.

“I’m a big believer that police presence can deter crime and we can de-escalate violent situations by having more police visibility,” said Alex Fernandez, a candidate for Miami Beach City Commission. “I’m a big proponent of having well-trained police be visible in our community, including in our entertainment district where we have many LGBTQ establishments like Twist, Palace, and Nathan’s Bar. We have to make sure that the area stays safe.”

Last month, Luis Carlos Herrera Quiroz, 26, was attacked and beaten on Collins Avenue in South Beach. Herrera said his attacker was homophobic and repeatedly punched him after the two men brushed against each other on the sidewalk. The attack left Herrera with a broken nose and fractured face.

As a gay man, the attack hits close to home for Fernandez.

“I did not personally know him, but it still

“I HAVE KNOWN ALEX FOR OVER 15 YEARS AND HE HAS BEEN A CONSTANT PRESENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY WORKING TO MAKE IT BETTER.” - Michael Góngora MIAMI BEACH CITY COMMISSIONER

18

• 11.18.2021

hurts,” Fernandez said. “The physical attacks don’t happen as often in our community as much as the emotional attacks that a lot of people still continue getting. The scars of the physical attack are horrible but we have so many people who carry emotional scars that we don’t see and who are suffering. It just reminds us how much more we have to do to achieve a truly inclusive, loving community where we really do away with the intolerance of tolerance and replace it with the true equality. Those physical scars remind us of so many people carrying emotional scars.”

Fernandez has been a public servant for 20 years, serving as an aide to former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera-Butlerand former Miami Beach Commissioner Deede Weithorn.

He met his husband, Robert Wolfarth, a real estate agent, 15 years ago. They were married in Washington, D.C., with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz officiating the ceremony.

“It was just a few weeks before the historic Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality,” Fernandez recalled. “It was almost fortuitous timing. I’m very fortunate to have a partner who loves Miami Beach. He’s a Miami native and a big part of this campaign. He’s like the glue and the boss of the campaign. He makes sure everything goes well.”

In the first round of voting, Fernandez topped the four-candidate field, receiving 4,457 votes for 36%. He now faces Stephen Cohen in the run-off election on Nov. 16.

Cohen, a realtor, got 3,192 votes for 26% in the first round. The two men are vying to replace Michael Góngora on the city dias for Group III. Góngora, who is term-limited, endorsed Fernandez, a fellow gay Hispanic activist.

“I have known Alex for over 15 years and he has been a constant presence in our community working to make it

Alex Fernandez. Photo via Facebook.

better,” Góngora said. “I had the pleasure of nominating Alex previously as my representative on the City of Miami Beach Police Citizen Relations Committee where he was elected by the board members to serve as the Chair of the Committee. Alex shows leadership and understands that public safety is the No. 1 priority of elected office. He is an effective leader who cares about people and wants to make a positive difference in their lives. While reviewing the qualifications of other candidates looking to be elected to my seat, it was clear that Alex is the most qualified to move our city forward and make it safer for everyone.”

In April of 2020 the U.S. Census Bureau reported Miami Beach had a population of 82,890. Its government is composed of a mayor and six commissioners. Group VI Commissioner David Richardson was the

first gay man elected to the Florida House of Representatives. The city has 414 sworn police officers, said Melissa Berthier, the communications director.

“I am so proud of the Miami Beach Police Department because we do have a great diversity in our MBPD,” Fernandez said.

“A good number of police officers are open members of the LGBTQ community and also of the broad strokes of our diverse community.

We have a large number of Black police officers, Hispanic police officers, of LGBTQ police officers. It’s not just well-trained police officers, but it’s also officers that represent the diversity of the community and a department that has good checks and balances in place to ensure that when situations happen that they are handled properly. It’s one of the things that our department works on very well.”

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• 11.18.2021

MR. GAY WORLD USA CROWNED IN FORT LAUDERDALE John Hayden

What can I do if I have been accused of a crime?

Russell Cormican

NEWS LOCAL

en in formalwear. Men in swimsuits.

Men with plans to make the LGBT community stronger. The Mr. Gay World USA pageant was replete with a diverse group of contestants determined to make an impact.

The competition was held at Sunshine Cathedral over the weekend of Nov. 12-14 with the finals Sunday night. Preliminary competitions cut the field of more than three dozen down to 12, including crowd favorites Mr. Nevada, Mr. Rhode Island, Mr. Massachusetts, and Mr. California. There was nothing but love on stage, because while everyone was competing for the crown, contestants didn’t feel like they were competing against each other.

Eventually it came down to Mr. Massachusetts and Mr. Maine, who became besties over the course of the pageant.

After months of preparation, a weekend packed with activities, and a nearly fourhour ceremony on Sunday, Mr. Maine, Tony Ardolino, was crowned.

“I felt like Cinderella,” he told SFGN just moments after winning. “I know that sounds so cliché but as a little gay boy from the east coast you never think that something like this is going to happen.”

Ardolino is an actor and activist who will prioritize mentorship during his reign.

“I want to do a Big Brother/Big Sister project with gay youth, and focus on LGBTQ media and representation. Representation is so important. Not just LGBTQ but diversity, body image.”

Making the night even more special were his two biggest supporters in the audience: his mom and dad.

“To see my parents with a crown, it’s magical. I feel like I’m living a fairy tale right now. Words can’t describe it. I’m over the moon.”

With his polished performance and stage presence, it’s hard to believe this was his first pageant, and he leaned heavily on his parents every step of the way.

“He’s been making all those costumes himself,” his mom, Rose Marie, told us. “He was running down to Michaels [craft store] and doing all that stuff.” She said that shows his dedication to authenticity. “He’s like, ‘Should I buy or should I make it?’ I said it’s better to make it, that way it came from you.”

The moment when Mr. Maine (Tony Ardolino) was crowned as Mr. Gay World USA 2022.

Photo via Tony Ardolino, Facebook.

“It’s been constantly building this,” the new Mr. Gay World USA said. “A lot of my costumes I made myself. My dad helped me, my mom helped me. I went to their house every day figuring out how we’re gonna do this.”

After being crowned he got a new sash for his new title, and his dad was wearing his Mr. Gay USA Maine 2021 sash.

“They put it on me!” His dad’s love was emanating. “We love each other. That’s what we have in this world: each other. I’m so happy for him, I’m happy for my son.”

He will represent the USA in Cape Town, South Africa, at next year’s Mr. Gay World pageant, and both his parents will be there to support him.

“If you would have told my 13-year-old self that this is happening one day I would have said you’re crazy. I have been so blessed to have my mom and my dad. I love these guys.”

Until then, he’ll use his boundless talents and killer smile to bring visibility to make lives better.

“Our community is so magical and something worth celebrating.”

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SW I M M I N G • TA N N I N G • S I N G I N G • PA I N T I N G

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DA N C I N G • J O G G I N G • S L E E P I N G • L AU G H I N G

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Submit photos taken on either Nov. 26 or Nov. 27 to Jason Parsley at Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com. Please include the DATE and TIME that the photo was taken, complete names of all people, city you live in and a short description of what’s taking place.

22

• 11.18.2021

Jenny De Leon. Photo courtesy of PFLAG Tampa.

J

enny De Leon, a 25-year-old transgender and Latinx trans women continue to be woman from the Tampa area, was disproportionately impacted by these fatal killed Nov. 2, and the police and the acts of violence,” Equality Florida shared community are asking for help identifying in a statement. “Our hearts are with Jenny’s her killer. family, friends, and the community that loved This would make her the 46th and knew her.” known trans or gender nonThe Tampa Police Department THIS WOULD conforming person killed in the did not have a police report to country this year, surpassing last share on the case with SFGN, MAKE HER THE year’s total. as it is an open homicide 46TH KNOWN “Jenny was an enigmatic, investigation. According to Fox TRANS OR bright soul with enough energy 13, De Leon’s body was found GENDER NONto fill any room,” PFLAG Tampa outside of a home in Sulphur wrote in a tribute to her on Springs, a neighborhood in CONFORMING Facebook Nov. 10.

Tampa, around 6 a.m. on Nov. 2.

PERSON KILLED They shared that De Leon The Human Rights Campaign IN THE COUNTRY had attended chapter meetings keeps track of the deaths of trans THIS YEAR, and was able to find a home by and gender non-conforming connecting with two members.

SURPASSING LAST people killed; De Leon’s name PFLAG also pointed out that has not been added yet, but YEAR’S TOTAL. news of her death came weeks Equality Florida notified the before the Transgender Day national advocacy organization of Remembrance on Nov. 20, a day the of the news. This year in Florida, Alexus community pays tribute to trans lives lost. Braxton was killed in a “violent and vicious The organization said they would pay tribute attack” Feb. 4 in Miami, Keri Washington was to De Leon during its annual vigil. killed May 1 in Clearwater, and Royal Poetical Her family has created a fundraiser on Starz was shot and killed in Miami Gardens Facebook to help pay for funeral costs. on Oct. 2. All were trans women of color.

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North Dakota Republican Rep. Jeff Hoverson. Photo via the North Dakota State Legislature.

GOP LAWMAKER MISSES ANTI-VAX RALLY AFTER CATCHING COVID Kim Swan

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t seems like irony is everywhere these Biden’s vaccine mandates, the Bismarck days. A Republican in North Dakota Tribune reported. missed his anti-vax rally because he They also encouraged state lawmakers caught COVID. to support certain bills to redraw legislative Jeff Hoverson, North Dakota’s state districts and spend federal COVID-19 aid. representative, was set to hold an anti-vax The protesters wore red, white and blue rally in Minot Nov. 8, but couldn’t attend T-shirts, carried American flags and held because he was too sick, signs with messages criticizing according to the Hill Reporter. vaccine mandates and Biden.

SINCE EARLY He wrote on his Facebook that Four Minot-area Republican he is “currently quarantining” District Chairs organized the AUGUST, SEVEN and that “each day is getting rally, according to the Bismarck ANTI-VACCINE better.”

Tribune. It featured speeches “Thank you, brave soul, for from legislators and district CONSERVATIVES getting me Ivermectin, which leaders, and a performance by HAVE DIED now with COVID, I am able to Blind Joe, a Fargo native who FROM COVID, stay out of the hospital. COVID promotes an anti-mandate song is real and like a really bad flu…” on social media. Conservative INCLUDING Instead of praising the use radio show host Chris Berg was A FLORIDA of vaccines, Hoverson praised the emcee.

REPUBLICAN the use of Ivermectin, an District 40 GOP Chairman Jay anti-parasitic that is generally Lundeen, the rally’s organizer, OFFICIAL. administered to animals. said the rally’s purpose was Although Ivermectin is “simply to express that we the approved for both humans and animals, the people feel like we’re not being heard,” the FDA has no data on the drug’s use as a COVID Bismarck Tribune reported. It was described treatment, according to the New York Post. as a peaceful protest.

In fact, the FDA says that animal drugs are Since early August, seven anti-vaccine “concentrated at levels that can be highly conservative pundits and politicians have died from COVID, including a Florida Republican toxic for humans.”

Hoverson helped organize the “We the official: Marc Bernier, Phil Valentine, Jimmy People” rally that took place at North Dakota’s DeYoung, Dick Farrel, Tod Tucker, Jimmy capital building to protest President Joe DeYoung, Sr., and Gregg Prentice.

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• 11.18.2021

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Board of Directors President Miik Martorell Treasurer Ashley Mayfaire Director Morgan Mayfaire Entertainment Director Shawn Palacious Associate Board Members Marc Di Maria, Melani Yerpe, Shawn Manning, Melba De Leon

Pride Fort Lauderdale Staff

Executive Director Kevin J. Clevenger

Logistics Director Erin Stacey Visslailli Director of Operations Merika Palmiste Volunteer Director Robyn Ludy Parade Director Rory Cooksey Main Stage Talent Director Gary Santis Community Stage Director Nicole Halliwell Guest Relations Matthew Thomas

754-222-2234 PO Box 23686, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307

Marketplace Coordinator Justin Wyse Afro Pride Stage Donald Gunderj Public Relations Nick Betancourt Social Media Michael Torres Bar Manager Rob Legere Assistant Bar Manager Nate Sabo Covid Compliance Officer Natalie Franqui

Special Thanks to South Florida Gay News Publisher - Norm Kent Sales Director - Justin Wyse Senior Sales - Edwin Neimann Printer - Stuart Web Inc.

www.PrideFortLauderdale.org Greater Fort Lauderdale Pride, Inc. (GFLP) is a pride festival, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ community of Fort Lauderdale. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, donations to the GFLP are tax-exempt, and GFLP complies with all 501(c)(3) rules and regulations.

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With a vibrant collection of cultures and activities, Greater Fort Lauderdale is the destination where everyone comes together, under the warm embrace of the sun. All are welcome to fly your flag high, make an impact and radiate life – because who you are is worth celebrating.

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Vol. 10 Issue 4 • OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2021 • READ IT ONLINE AT THEMIRRORMAG.COM 11.18 . 20 21 •

25

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

BBC NEWS RECEIVES BACKLASH AFTER

ANTI-TRANS ARTICLE Everitt Rosen

B

BC News recently published a piece titled “We’re being pressured into sex by some trans women.” Since its publication, the article has been condemned for claiming trans lesbians habitually pressurize cis lesbians into sex based on a survey of 80 participants.

The BBC responded to the criticism previously cited by BBC News, that hijacked by saying the item was about a “complex Pride in London in 2018 with signs reading subject” that it “went through our rigorous “trans activists erase lesbians,” flyers editorial process” before being published, opposing trans-friendly gender recognition adding that the article provides appropriate revisions, and calls for trans women to be context, according to PinkNews. barred from women’s areas.

But, this isn’t the first instance of the In response to the open letter, a BBC BBC being criticized for its coverage of spokesperson stated that the article takes a transgender people, as media outlets is being complex subject and looks at it from another condemned for giving anti-trans groups a perspective, acknowledging that it is difficult platform. to assess the full extent of the After this controversial issue. article was published Oct. “It includes testimony from 26, more than 10,000 people a range of different sources have signed an open letter and provides appropriate to BBC upper management context. It went through our and editorial staff, criticizing rigorous editorial processes,” the piece for implying that the spokesperson stated. trans women generally pose Trans Media Watch, a risk to cisgender lesbians a charity dedicated to in sufficient numbers to be improving the media newsworthy, but instead coverage of trans and these are incredibly rare intersex issues, stated it was occurrences. “shocked” by the BBC report.

This letter was organized “We are shocked, too, to by the grassroots group Trans note the incredibly poor Activism UK and went on to standard of BBC journalism criticize BBC, saying that the in this piece,” the TMW group the article was based statement stated.” on was a self-selected survey Unfortunately, this of individuals from “Get The BBC article is not the only L Out,” which is a group that instance of anti-transgender is united by anti-trans views. media. Similarly, FOX News “The article uses a deeply has featured a record- Helen Belcher flawed study that doesn’t breaking number of antiTRANS MEDIA WATCH meet BBC guidelines, and trans segments, according to anecdotal accounts from Dame Magazine. known transphobic hate groups who actively Media leaders who act as a conduit to campaign for transgender people to lose the violent extreme right, such as Tucker their legal recognition as their gender,” the Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Charlie Kirk, have letter states. increasingly warned their viewers that trans Get The L Out is an anti-trans organization, persons pose an existential threat to U.S.

“IRRESPONSIBLE REPORTING LIKE THIS IS DANGEROUS. IT SIGNIFICANTLY AND ADVERSELY IMPACTS TRANS PEOPLE’S DAYTO-DAY LIVES.”

26

• 11.18.2021

BBC New Broadcasting House in London, U.K. Photo via Adobe.

national security, Western civilization, and the species’ survival.

Groups such as “Get The L Out” are often self-proclaimed “gender critical” and are a part of the “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist” (TERF) movement.

The religious right and the neo-fascist extreme right are closely intertwined in the TERF movement. They all believe that the ideal number of transgender persons is zero, and they’re ready to employ government authority as well as crowd-sourced persecution to get there.

According to Dame, this year has seen a record amount of anti-trans measures proposed, with more passing than in the previous 10 years combined.

One current legal battle is that the religious right and gender critics claim that they have a protected right to misgender their students and coworkers.

“Irresponsible reporting like this is dangerous. It significantly and adversely impacts trans people’s day-to-day lives,” stated Helen Belcher, a trustee of Trans Media Watch.

CONVICTIONS

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• 11.18.2021

THE

GAZETTE VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 23 NOVEMBER 18, 2021

FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

You’ve Got ‘Friends’ at Art Gallery 21’s New Exhibit

By Marc Gave “Friends” is the title of the exhibit that opened Nov. 13 at Art Gallery 21, 600 NE 21st Court, in Wilton Manors. While it shares its name with the nostalgic TV series in perpetual reruns, it is a totally contemporary show.

Organized by photographer Steven Shires and impeccably curated by Matthew Dreger, “Friends” comprises works of Shires and those of photographers who are friends of his: Wilton Manors resident Sharron Demarest and the Hallandale Beach–based triumvirate known as MarcMartin Publishing: cousins Albert Barg, Jeff Weisberg, and Brandon Quarters.

Gallery owner Constance Ruppender remarked, “We are honored to have been chosen to exhibit this show. This is the first of its kind for us. It was originally timed to coincide with the Wilton Manors Art Walk on Nov. 20. When that event was moved up a week so as not to conflict with Fort Lauderdale Pride on the Beach, we revised our opening schedule.”

Shires’s work reflects an eclectic approach to photography. While he has taken thousands of shots for community events and continues to work as a commercial photographer, it is his

fine-art side that is highlighted in this exhibit.

He says, “I shoot what captures my eye. I want my audience to see what I see through the camera, and as a result, I’m a big fan of cropping.” Because he prints his fine-art photos on watercolor paper, people often mistake them for paintings. Shires’s portfolio can be viewed at www.stevenshires. com.

Demarest combines masterful, colorful still-life and urban scenes with poignant color and black-and-white portraits.

She says, “I owe my photography career to Steven Shires, whom I met while I was shooting an assignment for SAGE of South Florida, where I was editor and photographer of the newsletter.

Steve encouraged me to enter gallery shows.

“I expand the boundaries of traditional photography with Photoshop. The three pillars of my work are observing people, getting close-up to nature, and doodling on the computer.” You can see more of Sharron Demarest’s work online at scd-photographics. com.

The Marc-Martin artists, Albert Barg, Jeff Weisberg, and Brandon Quarters, are wellknown individually and collectively for their

Organized by photographer Steven Shires and impeccably curated

by Matthew Dreger, “Friends” comprises works of Shires and those of photographers who are friends of his.

All five photographers in the show, headlined by Steven Shires (right).

Photo via Art Gallery 21, Facebook.

photos of National Parks. At Art Gallery 21, they selected a few images from those sites along with scenes of Miami Beach.

Weisberg says, “This barely scratches the surface of what all three of us do. We wanted to sample what we do around the country but also show our local stuff. Close to home, we love taking photos of the beach, the Everglades, and other natural areas like the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and

www.WMGAZETTE.com

Green Cay Wetlands.” You can see more of their work at www.marcmartinpublishing. com.

If you are a lover of fine photography, watch the show at Art Gallery 21 through Dec. 11. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. and by appointment: 954-2255488. Include a visit in your dinner plans and enjoy another aspect of what the Wilton Manors community is all about.

11.18 . 20 21 •

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WILTON MANORS

OPINION

Tear Down the Walls…

Working together may be harder in the short term but better for us all in the long term

2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305

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Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com Oakland Park Editor • Christiana Lilly Wilton Manors Editor • John McDonald

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Sal Torre • James Oaksun

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secure their future political domination from being eroded by hordes of non-white, nonChristian, non-heterosexuals seeking equality and justice.

Republican led redistricting is essentially building walls to encircle safe havens that will secure a Republican dominated political system. Those on the other side of the wall will be successfully disenfranchised and kept from a seat at the table.

To be fair, Democrats also have dirty hands when it comes to redistricting, but the recent moves by Republicans to limit voting rights, to prevent fair elections, and to so blatantly redistrict in their favor stoops to never before seen levels of anti-democratic, un-American, and possible criminal behavior.

Have we given up on cooperation, on building consensus, on working with others to build a better world?

The knee jerk reaction of building walls is currently an easier road to take, rather than one that requires much more work, commitment, sacrifice, and effort to successfully lay a path on which we can all move ahead together rather than separate. Not sure where all this

will lead, but by the look of things, we are in for much more troubling times ahead. Not the most optimistic news but perhaps the most realistic.

Looking closer to home and to the upcoming holiday season, there will be plenty of activities to divert our attention to happier times.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Chanukah comes early this year, beginning shortly after Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s Eve, which will bring us joyfully into the New Year.

Thanks to the work of a few elves over the past few months who have been hard at work serving on the Deck the Drive Committee, Islanders will have plenty to enjoy this holiday season. Much has been done by this group of volunteers that will lay the groundwork for better and better Deck the Drive campaigns for many years to come. Thanks to the Wilton Drive Improvement District for creating this committee, for city staff’s support and the committee members themselves for making this holiday season shine a bit brighter for all residents to enjoy. Festivities start on December 2 with the Holiday Lighting Ceremony which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Justin Flippen Park.

Tearing down the walls that divide us, respecting differences, working together, doing our best, and striving to make our community a better place for all is what makes life just better here…

www.WMGAZETTE.com • 11.18.2021

November 18, 2021 • Volume 8 • Issue 23

Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Associate Publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com

Have we given up on cooperation, on building consensus, on working with others to build a better world?

30

GAZETTE Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre There seems to be plenty of calls for building walls lately, but not many for bridging what divides us as a community. A Soviet era leader once said, “If the East would tear down the Berlin Wall tomorrow, the West would rush to rebuild it very quickly.”

Seems that might be the case some 30 years later as we see thousands stranded along the Polish–Belarus border freezing in the early winter weather. Calls by many in the EU to build border walls are rising. Perhaps the governments now bracing for the worst in Europe should have thought about such realities as they let Syrian President Assad so brutally destroy his own country over the last decade or the United States failure to secure a thriving Kurdish region after the invasion of Iraq. Actions have consequences, unfortunate so does inaction.

Europe is not the only area seeking walls as a solution. Israel has walled off Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. India seeks to cut-off Bangladesh.

Here at home the call to finish walling off our southern border with Mexico is loudly chanted by many. At the end of World War Two there were about seven border walls, that number gradually grew to about 15 at the time the Berlin Wall came down, now there are over 70 border walls and structures in place and growing. We know from the past that isolation is not a good solution, but yet in a globally connected world, we still see the barriers being erected, the walls going up, and calls to isolate and protect the home front from the dangerous hordes all around us.

Rather than make the tough choices in dealing with issues around the world, it has become easier for our leaders to ignore the humanitarian disasters taken place around the globe, to demonize families looking to escape those disasters and to build barriers to isolate from the turmoil created. Not a good long term strategy for the global community.

We currently see this wall building mentality play out in local politics across the nation.

Republican controlled state houses are passing new redistricting maps to secure Republican election success. By creating districts whose lines act as walls, this new minority looks to

THE

2 •

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com.

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Photo via the City of Oakland Park, Facebook.

NEWS

OAKLAND PARK

WILTON MANORS

COMMUNITY

Tax Cuts for Seniors; Wicked Manors Blasted; Car Show Returns & More From the Commission

By John McDonald

Vice Mayor of Oakland Park Michael Carn. Photo by Carina Mask.

Oakland Park’s Vice Mayor Drops Out of Election

By Christiana Lilly Michael Carn, who is currently serving as vice mayor of Oakland Park, has dropped out of the January 2022 special election for Florida House Seat 94.

In an announcement shared to Facebook Sunday, Carn explained that in order to stay in the election, he would have to resign from the Oakland Park City Commission one day after being sworn in as the city’s mayor. Oakland Park’s commissioners rotate their mayors each year; Mayor Jane Bolin will be stepping down from her seat.

“Completing this Current Season of Service honors and reimburses the gracious endowments of love, encouragement, and guidance from my village and the Oakland Park electorate,” Carn said in a statement. “I owe them this.”

Carn has not completely stepped out of the race, though — he plans to return in August

2022 for House Seat 94 and asked the public to continue with their support of his run for the Florida House of Representatives.

In October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order for a special election to be held Jan. 11, 2022 due to a vacancy for House Seats 8 and 94. In the case of House Seat 94, Rep. Bobby B. DuBose resigned in his efforts for a seat in the U.S. Congress. The executive order came after Elijah Manley, a candidate for the seat, sued the governor for delaying the election process and leaving residents in the district unrepresented in Tallahassee.

In May, Carn, Manley and Roderick Kemp sent a letter to DuBose calling for his resignation after he announced his run for Congress District 20.

The current candidates for House 94 are Daryl Campbell, Josephus Eggelletion III and Manley. All three are running as Democrats.

Carn explained that in order to stay in the election, he would have to resign from the Oakland Park City Commission one day after being sworn in as the city’s mayor.

Wilton Manors commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance granting two homestead exemptions to low-income seniors. Passed on first reading, the city’s finance department proposal provides tax relief for seniors over the age of 65 who have lived in their homes for more than 25 years.

To be eligible for the exemptions, a homeowner’s property must be under $250,000 in market value as determined by the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office.

The ordinance moves on to a second and final reading scheduled for the next regular commission meeting on Nov. 23.

Other notes from the Nov. 9 meeting include: Police Chief Gary Blocker announced the promotion of Michael Littleton to sergeant.

Littleton, a Hollywood native, joined the department in 2018 as a patrol officer.

Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to continue exploring redevelopment possibilities for the city hall complex. Commissioner Gary Resnick voted no, asking that more time be given for the private sector to digest changes to the city’s comprehensive land use code.

Chef Nate Horner addressed the commission with complaints about the Wicked Manors street festival. Horner said the Halloween event was the biggest disaster he’d seen in 30 years of business on the Drive, complaining about not being allowed to have sidewalk seating at his restaurant and receiving a parking ticket.

Resident Michael Rajner thanked Mayor Scott Newton for his leadership during the recent controversy over students at Wilton Manors Elementary School taking a field trip to Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Rajner said Newton’s presence in the meeting with the state investigator and the principal was described by those in the room as like “a gift from God” to stop a politically motivated witch hunt by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary.

Resident Jake Valentine said public officials who use Zoom to attend meetings are gaming the system. He challenged commissioners who work remotely to disclose their location.

“Heck, I’d be just happy to know what zip code you’re in,” he said. Valentine also took issue with Commissioner Mike Bracchi’s description of “antagonists” in the recent debate over term limits. “If you can’t stand the heat Commissioner Bracchi, I suggest you get

Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.

out of politics,” Valentine said.

Michael Sansevero, Chair of the Community Affairs Advisory Board, gave a report about the board’s efforts to develop criteria for honorees for Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Sansevero said another Wilton Manors Car Show, supported by the new Three Bridges Neighborhood Association, will return to the city on Nov. 20.

Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to approve a contract with Redevelopment Management Associates for business marketing and branding analysis. The one-year deal pays the Pompano Beach based firm $74,500. Resnick voted no, primarily, citing the firm’s high cost.

Resnick questioned if RMA had any conflictof-interest issues with Pompano Beach, referencing a 2017 allegation involving the firm’s role in the Old Town redevelopment.

Sharon McCormick, RMA director of marketing, said there was no conflict.

Community Development Services Director Roberta Moore gave an update on the Broward County Safety Inspection program. For 2021, Moore said 12 properties are due for the 40year inspection and 15 properties are due for the 50-year inspection. As of Nov. 9, only three of the 27 properties have submitted building permits. The rest of the list has been referred to code enforcement, Moore said, to begin issuing notices of violation.

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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COMMUNITY

WILTON MANORS

Race To Succeed Alcee Hastings Decided By 5 Votes

By John McDonald

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

Photo via Facebook.

With a recount completed, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has declared victory in the Democratic primary of the Congressional District 20 special election.

Upon final tabulations from the Broward and Palm Beach counties supervisor of elections offices, Cherfilus-McCormick finished with 11,662 votes to squeak past Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, who finished with 11,657 votes. Both counties will now send their totals to the Florida Secretary of State’s office for certification.

In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick called the electoral process democracy’s “bedrock” and although lengthy, it was “necessary to ensure the integrity of every vote to strengthen the public’s trust in the democratic process.”

Cherfilus-McCormick, 42, a businesswoman and home healthcare executive, outlasted 10 other Democrats, including five elected officials, to win the nomination. She campaigned as an unapologetic progressive, championing issues such as universal basic income, Black Lives Matter, Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. In Palm Beach County, she ran up the greatest margin, getting 30% of the vote to 7% for Holness.

CherfilusHolness won the bulk of the votes in Broward County – McCormick general election.

29% – and held a 12-vote lead campaigned as Florida Senator Shevrin before the machine recount. an unapologetic Jones, an at-large member State law called for a recount of the Democratic National because the margin was less progressive, than .5%. After the recount, Committee, congratulated championing issues Cherfilus-McCormick on her Cherfilus-McCormick came out five votes ahead. breakthrough victory. such as universal “I have been pursuing “I am wishing Sheila all the basic income, this dream for quite some best as she gets prepared to go Black Lives Matter, into one of the most important time,” tweeted CherfilusMcCormick, who ran twice times in our nation’s history,” Medicare for All unsuccessfully for the Jones said. “She ran an amazing and the Green seat held by the late Alcee campaign, and I’m sure she will Hastings, who died in office in represent the people well.”

New Deal.

April from a long battle with Rep. Bobby DuBose, whose prostate cancer. Cherfilusstate house district includes McCormick said she intended to follow Wilton Manors, came in fifth place with 3,457 Hastings’ “legacy of fighting for the rights and votes. In order to run DuBose had to resign. welfare of the common person.”

The resignation takes effect Jan. 11, the same Cherfilus-McCormick moves on to face day a special election for his seat will be held.

Republican Jason Mariner in the Jan. 11

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• 11.18.2021

4 •

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAPA DUKE’S DELI

Check out our interview with Chip Meeker, the owner of Papa Duke’s Deli.

By Kim Swan WHAT ARE SOME MENU ITEMS SOMEONE ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE WHEN THEY EAT AT PAPA DUKE’S DELI? We have a great reputation for The Druken Brisket sandwich. It’s a slow-cooked brisket with pepper tapenade, pickled veggies, BBQ sauce, and provolone.

My second best is Italian.

ANY DAILY/WEEKLY, SPECIALS/DEALS YOU CAN SHARE? We have warm pastrami each Wednesday and most Fridays an off-menu sandwich.

THE

ISLANDER

Q: WHAT MADE YOU JUMP INTO THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS? I jumped in when I was 20, lest when I was 30 for the corporate world. After 20 years in corporate I missed it.

Good can be my creative outlet.

HOW DID PAPA DUKE’S SURVIVE COVID? IS BUSINESS BACK TO NORMAL? We just opened this September so we were not impacted like many other amazing places.

A WILTON MANORS NEWSLETTER

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE OWNER OF CARVELLE BIKES Check out our interview with Carvelle Estriplet, the owner of Carvelle Bikes in Wilton Manors.

By Kim Swan CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF? I am an unapologetic proud Black trans woman who really loves bicycles ever since I received my first BMX bike GT Performer when I was a 10-year-child growing up originally in Cambridge, Massachusetts but I’m a Floridian.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS FOR US? Carvelle Bikes is a full-service bike shop. We offer Rentals Repair service and Sales of new and used bicycles. Our product lines extend to Electric bikes, electric scooters and any bicycle-related items such as helmets, lights and locks.

WHAT KIND OF BIKE DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR A NEWBIE TO BUY? I tell all my customers all the time the right bike is comfortable and the one that you want to ride all the time that applies if you want to be a beach cruiser or mountain

THURSDAY ARIANNA’S 8TH ANNIVERSARY Arianna’s Center is throwing an event at Sunshine Studios at The Sunshine Cathedral for its supporters and offering food and drinks to celebrate six years of working to empower the trans community of South Florida from 6-8 p.m.

FRIDAY VINTAGE SALE Fashion through the periods is eclectic, unique, and coming back in style at the Vintage Sale at 800 W Oakland Park Blvd from 7-8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY PANDORA PRIDE Celebrate Fort Lauderdale Pride with us with Pandora Pride at Kubs from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

SUNDAY NEON JUNGLE TOUR Clozee brings her Neon Jungle Tour to The Venue along with Of The Trees and Tripp St. at 7 p.m.

biker or a weekend park rider or road racer. Whatever you like, just get out there and ride!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE WILTON MANORS FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

ON THE HORIZON

The reason I picked Wilton Manors is I’ve been a resident for over 10 years and historically Wilton Manors never had a bike shop. All the bike shops have been historically on the east side of town. Most of my bicycle experience has been working in those shops at the Eastside of Fort Lauderdale.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? The bike shop is located inside Wilton Collective 2365, Wilton Dr. It’s open Monday-Saturday from 12-7 p.m. You can call at 954-406-1568 or go on Instagram @carvellebike.

You can also shop for your next bike on carvellebikes.com and email at Info@carvellebikes.com.

CALENDAR

NOV. 24: KONPA PARTY Join the hottest Konpa Party with Enposib, Vayb, and DJ Bullet at the Venue from 10 p.m.-5 a.m.

Tell us about upcoming events we should know about!

Carvelle Estriplet. Photo via Facebook.

THE NEWSLETTER YOU NEED NEED. WILTON MANORS NEWS... RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX. From events to local announcements, fun facts and so much more, the Islander is everything you need to wake up ready for a beautiful day in the Island City.

visit sfgn.com/islanderwm to sign up!

5 •

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

11.18 . 20 21 •

33

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

WILTON MANORS

GRAB THE POPCORN...

THIS FILM IS FOR YOU.

Shining The Light On Trans Issues

Want to know all the latest LGBT films?

News, interviews, reviews, and so much more...

SFGN.COM/SCREENSAVOR

At a recent dinner with my friend Steve Rothaus, we both discussed over how the face of activism and advocacy has changed postmarriage equality. While Trump’s election served as temporary reuniting force — for most of our community — not much else has been able to generate the community unity and engagement required to drive real social change on issues affecting the LGBT community.

Both Steve and I share a common concern for the health and safety of our trans brothers and sisters and would like to see our local LGBT community more actively involved and invested in all of our causes and concerns.

The very same people who are fighting to limit the rights and protections in our legislatures and court systems are the same people who fought against our right to marry.

The very same kinds of people who assault trans people in our streets are the same people commit gay bashings.

Make no mistake, the people that fought against the LGB didn’t go away, they are just more intensely focused on the T. To be clear, there are organizations and individuals in our community that are stepping up in support of the trans community. Here are a few examples of action and advocacy happening in our community: •Just in time for Pride Fort Lauderdale this weekend, the City of Fort Lauderdale commissioned a rainbow crosswalk near Sebastian Beach utilizing the new “Progress” flag, which brings awareness to marginalized communities including trans individuals.

•Pride Fort Lauderdale & Trans Pride are sponsoring the Trans Day of Remembrance at Pride Center in Fort Lauderdale. Trans Pride is shutting down early on Saturday to ensure people have time to get to the Pride Center in time for the event which begins at 6 p.m. and includes a march to the mural honoring Black Trans live at Wilton Collective and concluding with the TDoR remembrance ceremony begins at 7pm.

•The City of Wilton Manors began lighting up city hall on Wednesday, Nov. 17 with trans colors, and they run for a full week, in honor of Trans Day of Remembrance.

MEDICARE AND PRIVATE INSURANCE ACCEPTED

•Arianna’s Center is celebrating their 6th Anniversary and raising money for their new Wilton Manors space with a dinner/open bar

Photo via Adobe.

reception at Sunshine Cathedral concluding with a live-streamed program with a speaker roundtable (including myself) on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. (Tickets are only $25 and available at https://bit.ly/3oxWPkz. If you missed the live event, go online to watch the livestream.)

This is certainly not a conclusive list of what’s happening in our community in support of our trans community, but I might suggest as a community we can and must do even more than what we are doing today to amplify the voices of the trans community, protect their rights, and promote their human dignity.

Are you doing something to support trans rights or are you interested in learning how you can get more involved? I welcome your email at ccaputo@wiltonmanors.com or via text at 954.557.2801.

www.WMGAZETTE.com 34

• 11.18.2021

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021

— Chris Caputo

WILTON MANORS CITY COMMISSIONER

JOIN THE TEAM JOIN THE TEAM OPENING SOON OPENING SOON JOIN THE TEAM OPENING SOON JOIN JOIN JOIN THE THE THE TEAM TEAM TEAM OPENING OPENING OPENING SOON SOON SOON

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NEW ANNUAL SALARY NEW ANNUAL NON-CERTIFIED $63,440SALARY - $97,926* NEW NEW NEW ANNUAL ANNUAL ANNUAL SALARY SALARY SALARY NON-CERTIFIED $63,440 - $97,926* CERTIFIED $66,684 - $97,926

N ANNUAL SALARY NEW CERTIFIED $66,684 - $97,926 NN N

NON-CERTIFIED NON-CERTIFIED NON-CERTIFIED $63,440 $63,440 $63,440 - $97,926* - $97,926* - $97,926* *AS OF 10/2020 CERTIFIED CERTIFIED CERTIFIED $66,684 $66,684 $66,684 - $97,926 - $97,926 - $97,926

NON-CERTIFIED $63,440 - $97,926* *AS OF 10/2020 I 954-828- FLPD (3573) CERTIFIEDwww.FLPDJOBS.com $66,684 $97,926 www.FLPDJOBS.com FLPD (3573) www.FLPDJOBS.com www.FLPDJOBS.com www.FLPDJOBS.com I 954-828I I954-828I 954-828954-828FLPD FLPD (3573) FLPD (3573) (3573) *AS*AS OF 10/2020 OF *AS 10/2020 OF 10/2020

Sworn totoserve Iserve Live to Protect I Be FLPD Sworn Sworn Sworn serve to serve to I Live I Live to IProtect to Live Protect to IProtect BeI FLPD Be FLPD I Be FLPD

Sworn to serve *AS OF 10/2020

I Live to Protect I Be FLPD

FORT LAUDERDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT FORT LAUDERDALE FORT LAUDERDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORT LAUDERDALE DEPARTMENT FORT LAUDERDALEPOLICE POLICE DEPARTMENT

www.FLPDJOBS.com I 954-828- FLPD (3573)

THE THE CITYCITY OF THE FORT OFCITY FORT LAUDERDALE OFLAUDERDALE FORT LAUDERDALE IS ANISEQUAL AN EQUAL IS AN OPPORTUNITY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER EMPLOYER EMPLOYER

THE CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER THE CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALEISISAN AN EQUAL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Sworn serve18, 2021 I Live to Protect I Be FLPD 7 •toNOVEMBER

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35

Jesse’s Journal

CONVICTIONS

THE DEATH OF THE BEAT GENERATION Jesse Monteagudo

T

he death of writer Herbert Huncke in 1996, and of his colleagues William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg in 1997, ended one of the most influential literary movements in American history: the Beat Generation. Burroughs was the Beats’ father figure and literary innovator; Ginsberg its publicist and poet laureate; and Huncke the flamboyant figure who inspired the Beat writers and introduced the word “beat” to our vocabulary. Though several minor writers and personalities remained alive, to all extent and purposes the Beat Generation was dead.

To Huncke, who took the word from show business and carnival slang, “beat” meant “exhausted, at the bottom of the world, looking up or out, sleepless, wide-eyed, perceptive, rejected by society, on your own, streetwise.” Jack Kerouac took Huncke’s word and expanded on it in 1948 when, according to John Clellon Holmes, he referred to theirs as “a beat generation.” Holmes’s 1952 article, “This Is the Beat Generation,” used Kerouac’s creation and launched it upon an unsuspecting world.

In 1957, after Kerouac’s On the Road became a bestseller, Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle coined the term “beatnik” to refer to the unorthodox youngsters who gathered in the bars and coffee houses of San Francisco’s North Beach.

Alfred Kazin called the Beat Generation “a family of friends,” a term not unknown to most LGBT people. It was also a “community of outlaws,” one united by their members’ taste for unorthodox (and illegal) sexuality and drug use. It began in New York City in 1944, when the newly acquainted Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Lucien Carr began their quest for a “New Vision” in literature. It flourished through the influence of enigmatic figures like Huncke and Neal Cassady, who arrived in New York in 1946 to become Kerouac’s friend and Ginsberg’s lover. And it became a nationwide movement in the 1950’s, when it joined forces with the poets

of the so-called “San Francisco Renaissance:” Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Duncan, Jack Spicer, Lew Welch and others. It was a San Francisco poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who published and popularized the Beat writers via his City Lights Books and City Lights Bookstore.

Burroughs was the Beat Generation’s most innovative writer. The scion of a wealthy family — his grandfather invented the Burroughs adding machine — Burroughs was born in 1914, a decade before his Beat contemporaries. Burroughs personal life can be summarized by the titles of two of his novels: “Junky” and “Queer.” Burroughs was arrested for heroin and marijuana possession in 1949 and fled to Mexico with his wife, Joan.

There, Burroughs caused a bigger sensation when he accidentally killed Joan (1951) in a drunken game of William Tell. Burroughs spent much of the 50s and 60s in Europe and North Africa, where he wrote a series of classic and controversial books, including “Naked Lunch” (1959), which was tried for obscenity in Boston.

Burroughs was as original in his thinking as in his writing. He was a thorough libertarian, who opposed gun control as well as laws against drug use and sexual practices. Burroughs, said Ginsberg, “is one of the very few gay liberation minds who is thinking in ultimate philosophical terms about sexuality, about the nature of ‘apparent sensory phenomena’ .... He’s one of the few that has actually questioned sex at the root — not merely rebelled from heterosexual conditioning or heterosexual, social/moral fixed formations — to explore love between men as he has experienced it.”

Irwin Allen Ginsberg, wrote Steven Watson in The Birth of the Beat Generation, was “one of poetry’s frankest celebrators of homosexuality.” Born in 1926, Ginsberg went to Columbia University in 1943, where he met and loved Kerouac and Cassady. A series of legal and personal problems landed Ginsberg at the Columbia Presbyterian

ALFRED KAZIN CALLED THE BEAT GENERATION “A FAMILY OF FRIENDS,” A TERM NOT UNKNOWN TO MOST LGBT PEOPLE.

36

• 11.18.2021

Writer Herbert Huncke. Fair use, via Wikipedia.

Psychiatric Institute (1949-50). It wasn’t until 1954, after he moved to San Francisco and met his longtime partner Peter Orlovsky, that Ginsberg learned to accept himself, thanks to the efforts of a friendly psychiatrist.

“I was being psychoanalyzed at Langley Porter Clinic, an elite extension of U.C. Berkeley Medical School. He was a very good doctor, and I said, ‘You know, I’m very hesitant to get into a deep thing with Peter, because where can it ever lead. Maybe I’ll grow old and then Peter probably won’t love me — just a transient relationship. Besides, shouldn’t I be heterosexual?’ He said, ‘Why don’t you just do what you want. What would you like to do?’ And I answered, ‘Well, I really would just love to get an apartment on Montgomery

Street, stop working and live with Peter and write poems!’ He said, ‘Why don’t you do that?’ So, I said, ‘What happens if I get old or something?’ And he replied, ‘Oh, you’re a nice person; there’s always people who will like you’ — which really amazed me. So, in a sense he gave me permission to be free, not to worry about [the] consequences.”

Ginsberg’s move to San Francisco landed him smack in the middle of the San Francisco Renaissance, a group of poets who gathered in the coffee shops and bars of that City’s North Beach. Now considered by many to be part of the Beat Generation, the San Francisco Poets preceded the Beats by at least a decade. Many of them, like Duncan, Spicer, and Robin Blaser, were openly gay at a time when Ginsberg was

Jesse’s Journal

CONVICTIONS still struggling with his sexuality. Stan Persky, who knew Duncan, Spicer and Blaser, told John D’Emilio how these writers influenced him and other young gay men. Duncan, Spicer and Blaser, Persky said, “not only kept alive a public homosexual presence in their own work, but kept alive a tradition, teaching us about Rimbaud, Crane, and Lorca ... They carried into the contemporary culture the tradition of homosexual art and were sensitive to the work of European homosexual contemporaries. There was a conscious searching out, in fraternity, of homosexual writers. Thus, in my ‘training’ as a poet, homoerotic novels would be recommended to me ... This was at a time when the English departments of the country told us that Walt Whitman wasn’t gay.” The San Francisco poets, Persky concluded, helped to create “a social milieu in which it was possible to be gay.”

Though the San Francisco poets were the first to write about their homosexuality — Duncan’s “The Homosexual in Society” was published in 1944 — it was Allen Ginsberg who made queer sex a major component of Beat literature. Part of “the homosexual tradition in American poetry” that began with Walt Whitman, Ginsberg was connected to Whitman as only menloving men could. In his Gay Sunshine Interview Ginsberg told Allen Young that Cassady, a former lover, “slept with Gavin Arthur, who slept with Edward Carpenter, who slept with Whitman,” thus establishing a sexual link between the two poets.

In any day can be selected as the pivotal moment in the history of the Beat Generation, it was October 13, 1955, the day that Ginsberg organized a poetry reading at the Six Gallery in San Francisco. The reading was organized, Ginsberg recalled in his Journals, “to defy the system of academic poetry, official reviews, New York publishing machinery, national sobriety and generally accepted standards of good taste.” Rexroth served as master of ceremonies in a program that included readings by Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Philip Lamantia. “The crowd of over 100,” wrote Steven Watson, “included anarchists, college professors, poets, carpenters, and social leaders. Some wore fur coats, others suits and ties, others jeans and sweaters.”

In the audience were Cassady, Ferlinghetti,

Orlovsky and Kerouac, who collected money to buy bottles of wine that he distributed among the increasingly intoxicated (in more sense than one) audience. The evening was a success, Ginsberg recalled, and “ended with everybody absolutely radiant and happy, with talk and kissing and later big happy orgies of poets. It was an ideal evening, and I felt so proud and pleased and happy with the sense of — the sense of ‘at last a community.’”

Ginsberg’s contribution to the Six Gallery reading was “a very wild, funny, tearful reading of the first part of ‘Howl.’” Accompanied by off-stage cheers from the increasingly drunk Kerouac, “Howl” was Ginsberg’s “crucial moment of breakthrough in terms of statement.” “Howl,” recalled Ginsberg, “was an acknowledgment of the basic reality of homosexual joy. That was a breakthrough in the sense of a public statement of feelings and emotions and attitudes that I would not have wanted my father or my family to see, and I even hesitated to make public. So that much was a breakthrough: literally coming out of the closet.”

The poets and artists present at the Six Gallery reading could not agree more. To McClure, “Howl” was “Allen’s metamorphosis from a quiet brilliant burning bohemian scholar, trapped by his flames and repressions, to epic vocal bard.” Rexroth called “Howl” “probably the most remarkable single poem published by a young man since the second world war.”

Ferlinghetti, who recognized a masterpiece when he heard one, immediately wired an offer to publish “Howl,” “I GREET YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT CAREER. WHEN DO I GET THE MANUSCRIPT?” “Howl and Other Poems” were published, in August 1956, as part of City Lights’ famous Pocket Poets series.

Unfortunately for Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti, the San Francisco poets’ enthusiastic reception for “Howl” was not shared by the public at large. To them, “Howl” was simply a dirty poem. Certainly, the poem’s celebration of “the best minds of my generation ... who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy, ... [and] who blew and were blown by those human seraphim, the sailors, caresses of Atlantic and Caribbean Love” contributed to the book’s censorship problems. On May 21, 1957, Captain William Hanrahan of the San Francisco Juvenile

THE SAN FRANCISCO POETS’ ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION FOR “HOWL” WAS NOT SHARED BY THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.

Ginsberg with his partner, poet Peter Orlovsky. Credit: Herbert Rusche, via Wikipedia.

Bureau arrested Ferlinghetti and City Lights Bookstore manager Shigeyoshi Murao for selling an obscene book. As it turned out, Judge Clayton W. Horn’s decision, on October 3, 1957, that Howl and Other Poems was not obscene made it City Lights’ all-time bestseller and Ginsberg a household name.

Captain Hanrahan was not the only one to view the Beat Generation as a threat to public morals. To Bruce Bliven, writing in Harper’s, the Beats were “young hedonists who don’t really care whether something is good or evil, as long as it is enjoyable” while Herbert Gold, writing in the Nation, they were “a pack of unleashed zazous who like to describe themselves as Zen Hipsters — poets, pushers, and panhandlers, musicians, male hustlers, and a few marginal esthetes seeking new marginal directions.” But it was Bernard Wolfe who best expressed the public’s fears when he wrote that the Beat scene was “overrun with homosexuals.” The Beat Generation, wrote Ann Charters in The Portable Beat Reader, “became the spokesmen for people rejected by the mainstream, whether drug addicts, homosexuals, the emotionally dispossessed, or the mentally ill.”

More than any other work, it was Ginsberg’s “Howl” that made homosexuality,

both overt and sublimated, the hallmark of the Beat Generation. Its “description of gay male sexuality as joyous, delightful, and indeed even holy turned contemporary stereotypes of homosexuality upside down,” wrote John D’Emilio in Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities. “’Howl,’ along with other poems in Ginsberg’s first collection, offered gay male readers a self-affirming image of their sexual preference. And, as the San Francisco writer most clearly identified as ‘beat,’ Ginsberg served as a bridge between a literary avant-garde tolerant of homosexuality and an emerging form of social protest indelibly stamped by the media as sexually deviant.”

More than anything else, the Beat Generation gave homosexuality legitimacy, at least in literary and intellectual circles. “[I] n a decade when homosexuality generally made its way into print through concern over national security or in stories about vice squad arrests, its discussion within the context of a major social phenomenon guaranteed a receptive, and attentive, ear among gays.”

“Through the beats’ example,” concluded D’Emilio, “gays could perceive themselves as nonconformists rather than deviates, as rebels against stultifying norms rather than immature, unstable personalities.”

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and journalist. He has been an active member of South Florida's LGBT community for more than four decades and has served in various community organizations.

11.18 . 20 21 •

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FLIPPING THE BIRD LIFESTYLE FOOD

Rick Karlin

F

or many of us, Thanksgiving will be the first time in a year and a half that we’ll be able to gather with family and friends for a traditional holiday. AAA forecasts a strong rebound in holiday travelers this Thanksgiving. Many of us, of course, gather in our homes for the holiday, but others may flip the concept and choose to dine out and leave the cooking (and clean-up) to restaurants. As safe as we feel, there don’t seem to be as many places offering the all-you-can-eat banquets that rely on big crowds to be profitable.

Instead, many restaurants are offering special menus or seasonal dishes alongside their regular fare. Here’s what a few local eateries are putting forth.

RIVIERA BY FABIO VIVIANI, in the Hotel Maren on Fort Lauderdale Beach, invites you to come together and give thanks with a delicious prix fixe menu. The fare includes traditional holiday dishes with innovative twists. Cider brined roasted turkey with giblet gravy will be accompanied by such sides as Italian sausage stuffing, green beans almondine, cranberry sauce, and a special dessert of pumpkin stuffed bomboloni.

The prix fixe menu is $49 pp + tax and service. Reservations are required. For more information, check out rivierabyfabioviviani. com.

At LONA COCINA & TEQUILERIA in the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, a Mexican feast will be served Thursday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 28. The menu showcases a pumpkin tamale, pulled turkey with tomatillo and green apple sauce, turkey enchiladas, and pavo asado, the chef’s specialty, featuring roast turkey and plantain puree. Lona’s full dinner menu will also be available. More information can be found at LonaRestaurant.com.

THE RAY HOTEL in Delray Beach will host its first Thanksgiving with four-course prix fixe menu for $75 per person from 2-8 p.m.

The meal starts with squash soup and a beet

THERE’S MORE ONLINE! 38

• 11.18.2021

salad. The entrée offering is a turkey platter including buttermilk breast, confit turkey leg, mashed potatoes, orange cranberry sauce, brioche stuffing, salsify, and gravy. The meal concludes with a choice of bourbon pecan pie or apple crostata with maple ice cream. Info at therayhotel.com.

ESCARGOT BISTRO has a special prix fixe menu. Seating starts at 4 p.m. and is limited, so reservations are required. The two-course meal (choice of appetizer or dessert and entrée) is $54 per person or $69 for all three courses. Appetizer choices include escargot, gravlax, vegetable quiche, or pumpkin velouté.

The main course options are steak, lamb stew, coq au vin and trout almondine. The madefrom-scratch desserts include meringue surprise, crêpe tartan and crème brûlée. Make reservations at EscargotBistro.com.

One of the few places going old school and offering the traditional buffet is NAKED CRAB at the B Ocean Resort. It will have a lunch and dinner buffet with traditional dishes with a little flavor twist. Seating for adults is $65 and children, $30. Three stations will focus on side dishes and starters, entrées, and desserts. Reservations are not required but are recommended at BOceanfortlauderdale.com.

If you’d feel more comfortable gathering at home, but don’t want to be bothered with cooking, several area restaurants and food purveyors are offering to make all, or at least part, of the feast for you.

BRIO ITALIAN GRILLE has added a Thanksgiving dinner to its catering menu, including reheating instructions. The small feeds three people and costs $78.99; the large feeds six people for $148. A catered dinner half-pan feeds 10 people and costs $229 while a full-pan feeds 20 people and costs $419. The menu includes turkey, stuffing, broccolini,

Photo courtesy of the Bahama Breeze website. mashed potatoes, orange cranberry sauce, and pumpkin-spiced bread pudding. Order at brioitalian.com/thanksgiving.

DORIS ITALIAN MARKET’s Thanksgiving packages include cooked turkey or spiral ham, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes or candied yams, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and a fresh-baked apple or pumpkin pie. Packages range from $129.95 to $199.95 and feed a family of eight. Visit Doris Italian Market’s website at dorismarket.com.

Although TRADER JOE’S doesn’t have a fully prepared Thanksgiving meal, it does a pretty good job with its 40-ounce turkey and stuffing en croute (turkey breast and cornbread stuffing wrapped in puff pastry). It also comes with gravy and cranberry sauce, so you end up getting a pretty good deal for $13.

And, if you’re having vegans or vegetarians

HUNGRY FOR MORE? 

over, check out Trader Joe’s breaded turkeyless stuffed roast with gravy.

BAHAMA BREEZE ISLAND GRILLE is offering a Caribbean-flavored Thanksgiving with an island-inspired dinner for $19.99 that includes sliced jerk turkey, green beans, cornbread stuffing, cranberry-pineapple chutney, and choice of mashed potatoes or cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes. For dessert, there is pumpkin praline cheesecake.

The island dinner is available for dine-in or takeout on Thanksgiving Day. Prices may vary by location. Check out BahamaBreeze.com/ events/thanksgiving-dinner.

WHOLE FOODS offers a Thanksgiving feast that can feed a dozen for $299.99. The package includes a whole roasted turkey, spiral-sliced ham, seven side dishes, brioche rolls, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.

VISIT SFGN.COM/FOOD!

Rick Karlin is SFGN’s food editor.

Visit SFGN.com/Food to read his previous reviews. Have a culinary tip to share? Email Rick at RickKarlinFL@gmail.com.

ACLU SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER BATHROOM DENIAL FOR TRANS STUDENTS Visit SFGN.com to find out more.

CHECK WEBSITES AND FACEBOOK PAGES FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION REGARDING IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE OF SERVICES, AS WELL AS VIRTUAL VIEWING OPTIONS.

Return Again To The Place For Your Soul

Join us!

In person or online at our FB page

Join our Shabbat service every Friday night at 8pm

Congregation Etz Chaim

2038 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305, on the Pride Center campus www.EtzChaimFlorida.org / RSVP HERE: info@etzchaimflorida.org Join us for masked, socially distanced in person worship.

11 AM Sundays. Services also LIVE-streamed on Facebook and posted on website for safe at home viewing.

“Love without judgement” Holy Angels National Catholic Church 1436 NE 26th Street Wilton Manors. 33305 Facebook.com/HolyAngelsFL www.HolyAngelsFL.org

SPIRITUALITY

In Person Worship Resumes Join us November 7th at 10 AM for services in our beautifully updated sanctuary. We will also continue streaming the service on Facebook!

954-633-2987

A home for your spirit.

Mass Schedule: Sabado 6:00 PM misa en español • Sunday Mass at 11 AM in English • All are welcome!

SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNEWS.COM

LISTINGS CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM 2038 N. Dixie Hwy (Pride Center Building B), Wilton Manors 954-564-9232 - etzchaimflorida.org RabbiNoahKitty@etzchaimflorida.org Friday Night Shabbat Service 8p.m.

HOLY ANGELS CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 1436 NE 26th St Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-633-2987 - HolyAngelsFL.net Sunday Mass at 11AM

Church of Our Savior MCC 2011 South Federal Hwy. Boynton Beach, FL 561-733-4000 www.churchofoursaviormcc.org

https://www.facebook.com/ ChurchofOurSaviorMCC. Visit our web site for more details & updates.

A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH AND

PRIDE

SFGN is here for you, no matter who — or what — keeps you going. Read our Spirituality Section to stay in touch with your local religious LGBT community. The only requirement? Be yourself.

SEE MORE ONLINE AT SFGN.COM/TABLE/NEWS/RELIGION

CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOR, MCC Church of Our Savior, MCC 2011 S. Federal Hwy. Boynton Beach. churchofoursaviormcc.org | 561-733-4000 Sunday Service 10AM TEMPLE BAT YAM 5151 NE 14th Ter Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 954-928-0410 Friday Night & Saturday Morning Streaming Online at templebatyam.org

11.18 . 20 21 •

39

A&E APPOINTMENTS

Following the success of an immersive Vincent van Gogh exhibition, the works of Claude Monet will be projected inside the Ice Palace Studios in Miami beginning in January. Credit: Paquin Entertainment.

ARTSBEAT IMMERSE YOURSELF IN MONET AND MORE J.W. Arnold FOLLOW THE MONEY TO IMMERSIVE EXHIBIT IN MIAMI There’s obviously money to be made from Monet. Over the past year, at least three different immersive exhibits of the Dutch master Vincent van Gogh’s signature paintings made stops at locations across Miami, using cutting-edge projection mapping technology to enlarge and wrap his landscapes around the walls, pillars and ceiling of theaters and warehouses.

Building on the success of their own “Beyond Van Gogh” tour, which sold more than 2 million tickets in just six months, the teams at Paquin Entertainment and Normal Studios are taking 400 of French impressionist Claude Monet’s works, including the beloved water lilies series, and giving them the same treatment. According to promotional materials, the exhibit boasts four trillion content pixels of swirling water lilies, dancing poppies and stunning sunrises.

“Beyond Monet” opens in Miami at Ice Palace Studios, 1400 N. Miami Ave., on Friday, Jan. 7.

Tickets start at $42.99 for adults at MiamiMonet.com. Save 10% with discount code GARDEN.

‘THANK YULE FOR BEING A FRIEND’ AT ISLAND CITY While it’s arguable the world — or at the very least, Miami — could benefit from another immersive art exhibit, the Golden Gays of New York City are convinced we need yet another drag sendup of the sassy sitcom that has been running in reruns ad nauseum on cable since 1992.

The dedicated thespians who have hitched their careers to the beloved septuagenarian characters of “The Golden Girls” present “Thank Yule for Being a Friend,” Dec. 8 – 19 at Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. “‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the store, each department was dripping with Yuletide decor. Sophia was nestled all snug in her bed, while visions of sugar prunes danced in her head. Before traveling to spend the Holidays with their families, Dorothy, Blanche and Rose participate in a golden gift exchange full of hilarious surprises. Just as they get to the airport a winter storm blows in, leaving them trapped!

In an unexpected Charles Dickens twist of events, the three grannies must visit their past, present, and future to save Christmas … just in time for Turkey Lurkey.”

Norm.Kent@sfgn.com•954-530-4970 40

• 11.18.2021

Tickets are $35 – 45 at TheGoldenGaysNYC.com.

Featuring Soloist,

Alexander Zenoz

Sunday, Dec. 5

A HOLIDAY CONCERT ‘Tis the season to come together and enjoy a selection of popular holiday classics and other musical treasures.

7 PM UCC Ft. Lauderdale 2501 NE 30th Street Ft. Lauderdale For Tickets:

FTLGMC.ORG or 954-832-0060

Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council

11.18 . 20 21 •

41

A&E DANCE

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATES MEN WHO DANCE J.W. Arnold

“M

Dec. 1

Dec. 4

The Parker Ft. Lauderdale

Barry University Miami Shores

HALLELUJAH! South Florida Symphony Orchestra presents the company premiere of Handel’s glorious holiday tradition, Messiah. Kick off the holiday season as dazzling vocal soloists Neil Nelson, bass baritone; Martin Nusspaumer, tenor; Brittany Graham, soprano; Rehanna Thelwell, mezzo-soprano along with the South Florida Symphony Chorus, perform Part I (Christmas portion), culminating in the iconic “Hallelujah” Chorus.

Maestra Sebrina Alfonso, Music Director

Neil Nelson, bass-baritone

Dr. Giselle Elgarresta Rios, Chorus Director and Conductor

Martin Nusspaumer, tenor

Brittany Graham, soprano

Rehanna Thelwell, mezzo-soprano

Tickets on sale now from $15 southfloridasymphony.org | 954.522.8445

en Who Dance,” a project of the South Florida-based InterAmerican Choreographic Institute and its founder Rafi Maldonado López, aims to smash the strict gender roles that dominate traditional dance.

Maldonado described “Men Who Dance” as “an explosion of artistic expression meant to explore, deconstruct and redefine some of the concepts and notions of masculinity.”

Last year, the inaugural festival made history, the first live indoor dance performance at a major theater after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered venues around the world, and it was a sellout.

Dancers from the region’s largest companies, including Miami City Ballet, Dimensions Dance Theater, Dance NOW! Miami, Cuban Classical Ballet and Tango Out, joined together on the same stage in “a show of force and camaraderie” to both their artists and community.

For this second edition, “Men Who Dance” has truly gone global, attracting an even more diverse line-up, including Florida Grand Opera, Arts Ballet Theatre of South Florida, RTW Dance and Danish Dance Theater. The cast will include gay and straight, cisgender and transgender dancers from the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Denmark and Paraguay.

“All of the artistic directors are doing something that was thought to be impossible — working together on a single show,” Maldonado said. “The people who are coming are world champions, attracted to this idea that we want to do something different in Miami, to be inclusive of everyone.”

One of the featured performers is Pontus Lidberg, artistic director of the Danish Dance Theater in Copenhagen, who will premiere part of a larger work, “Wings and Ash.” Lidberg, recipient of a prestigious 2019 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, has created work for New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Paris Opera Ballet and many other leading companies.

“When I talked to Rafi, the title ‘Men Who Dance’ reflected my trajectory through my whole career,” explained Lidberg. “In certain kinds of dance, especially classical ballet, male interactions are limited in how often and how they happen … It’s not just men who

“Men Who Dance,” at the Broward Center Nov. 27 – 28, is a festival that organizers hope will redefine masculinity and typical gender roles in dance.

Credit: Alvar Fanez.

dance, but men who dance with each other, and that’s something I’ve been working on for years.”

But Lidberg was quick to point out that his work is “quite subtle and lyrical and soft and tender. It’s not so much about gender as connection. Gender is irrelevant. In my work, there are no pre-assigned roles, just people connecting with each other … Anything other than that wouldn’t be true.”

Since the first performance, Maldonado has received invitations to take the “Men Who Dance” to Key West, Orlando and New York, with hopes to bring the concept to Mexico, Spain and Italy in 2022.

“Everywhere it goes, [‘Men Who Dance’] becomes a little more international and takes on the local flavor, too,” he emphasized.

“There are many things that came out of the pandemic, but the most important is that human connection is not optional, not realistic. Isolation is against our nature as human beings. And performing arts need to be experienced in person.”

Presented by The Estate of Rosemary Duffy Larson and:

“Men Who Dance” will be presented on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 27 – 28 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets start at $25 at BrowardCenter.org.

42

• 11.18.2021

GMCSF

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA with Gabe Salazar, Artistic Director presents

Featuring multi-platinum recording artist & actress

DEBORAH COX

Featuring multi-platinum recording artist & actress

DEBORAH COX

DECEMBER 19, 2021 at 7pm

DECEMBER 19, 2021 at 7pm COVID-19 protocols required.

Tickets and information: GMCSF.ORG COVID-19 See our website for details. protocols required.

Tickets and information: GMCSF.ORG Hosted by

Hosted by

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

See our website for details.

Our 2021-2022 Season made possible in part by

Our 2021-2022 Season made possible in part by

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2022 FORD MUSTANG MACH-E

2022 FORD MUSTANG

2022 FORD F-150

Fort Lauderdale

1333 N. Federal Hwy, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304

954-390-6400 GRIECOFORDFTL.COM See dealer for complete details and eligibility.

Expires 11/30/21.