Mirror January 2019

Vol. 8 Issue 1 • January 2019

s o u t h

f l o r i d a

g a y

n e w s

POWER and

Pride

Our 2019 Arts &

Entertainment

Issue

Begins on Page 42

WHY HAMILTON MATTERS Page 20

themirrormag.com

PRIDE ON.

JM Lexus is proud to be a part of one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ communities, and we salute and support the pioneers who stand for equality. For a quarter of a century, we’ve put people first, and have always been proud to serve anyone who walks through our doors. And as the first and only Lexus Plus dealership in the Southeast, we’re providing an experience as thoughtfully crafted as our vehicles themselves. Where there’s just one fair, transparent price on everything. And one point of contact to assist you from start to finish. On your terms and your timeline.

Welcome to a simpler, better way.

5350 W. Sample Road, Margate, FL 33073 JMLEXUS.COM

THE MUSICAL EVENT OF THE SEASON

JAN 16 MIAMI KNIGHT CONCERT HALL

JAN 19 KEY WEST TENNESSEE WILLIAMS THEATRE

JAN 23 BROWARD AU-RENE THEATER

F O R T IC KET S A N D V ENUE IN FORMATION SO UTH FL O R IDASYMPHONY.ORG | 954-522-8445

2019 Season VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR

FEBRUARY 17 6:00 PM PARKER PLAYHOUSE

MASTERWORKS SERIES SHOWS START AT 7:30

MIAMI TEMPLE ISRAEL CHAMBER SERIES

FEB RUARY 20 - 22 20 1 9

FEB RUARY 2 4TH 2 019

MASTERWORKS II

MUSSORGSKY

MONCAYO Huapango RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Natasha Paremski, piano NIELSEN Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable

Pictures at an Exhibition with Natasha Paremski, piano Brunch 11:30am Recital at 1:00 pm

M ARCH 1 0 - 1 4 20 1 9

M ARCH 1 7T H 2 019

MASTERWORKS III

CHOPIN / RACHMANINOV

RAVEL Alborada del Gracioso TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat Minor Svetlana Smolina RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio Espagnol DEBUSSY La Mer

Svetlana Smolina, piano Brunch 11:30am Recital at 1:00 pm

AP RIL 1 3 - 1 6 20 1 9

AP RIL 1 4 T H 2 019

MASTERWORKS IV

SHOSTAKOVICH

HOLST The Perfect Fool: Ballet Music LIBERMANN Concerto for Cello and Orchestra Julian Schwarz, cello SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

Julian Schwarz, cello Brunch 11:30am Recital at 1:00 pm

Travel 5 Reasons To Visit Tampa ● Page 90

Technology Clean Up Your Act With the Moen’s Engage Hand Shower Camping Corner Entertaining Campers ● Page 30 Feature Joe Biden’s ‘As You Are’ Campaign Maps Hundreds of LGBT Acceptance Stories ● Page 34 Fashion Style and Fashion for The New Year ● Page 40

Table of contents NOTE From The CEO Mirror Introduction ● Page 14

News Feature Smart Ride Crosses $10 Million Mark ● Page 72

Fashion Gays and their Undies ● Page 92 News Amendment 4 Restored the Right to Vote to Felons, But There’s a Catch ● Page 96 History The Rainbow Lounge Raid ● Page 100 Interior Design Developing Design Trends of 2019 and Beyond ● Page 106 News Feature PReP Priority: Miami-Area Latinos ● Page 108 Trending Locally Because They Are Worth It ● Page 110

Author Spotlight The Sexual Liberation of Thom Bierdz ● Page 78

Publisher’s Page Hamilton Hits Home Because it is Our Own Story ● Page 20

News Feature 19 Men Were Arrested For Public Sex In An Adult Theater ● Page 80

Trans Talk Experiencing the Breadth of the Gender Spectrum ● Page 24

Cars Hybrids Can Be Handsome ● Page 86

Special Report A Public Health Crisis ● Page 112 ‘Praying For Syphilis’ ● Page 114 Can Syphilis Be Prevented? ● Page 120 Broward County on the Frontlines of STD Prevention and Treatment ● Page 124

WI NTER CL ASSES BEGIN FEBRUARY 9

UNLEASH YOUR INNER PERFORMER! Enroll today at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for adult classes in

ACTING, SINGING, BROADWAY DANCE & COMEDY IMPROV

OPEN HOUSE—SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 • 10 AM TO 3:30 PM

Sample classes • Meet the teaching artists • Tour the Education Center • Register to win a FREE class

BrowardCenter.org/classes 954.414.6904 10 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

New name Same commitment HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sunrise has been committed to a higher level of rehabilitative care for our patients and their families. Under our new name, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sunrise, we continue to provide the same inpatient rehabilitative care you have come to expect, connecting patients to superior outcomes and a better way of life.

The Joint Commission DiseaseSpecific Care Certification in Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Hip Fracture Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and Stroke Rehabilitation

4399 Nob Hill Road Sunrise, FL 33351 954.749.0300 encompasshealth.com/sunriserehab Š2019:Encompass Health Corporation:1371893-02

Arts

A&E WINTER Preview Begins on Page 42

Dance Page ● 44 Regional Theater ● Page 46 Classical Music ● Page 48 On Exhibit ● Page 50 Broadway ● Page 52

FEATURES Film

LGBT Film

Profile

Profile

9 Florida-Based Movies Every LGBT Person Must See ● Page 56 Matt Farber: Logo TV Creator Reminisces about Career, New Ventures ● Page 60

LGBT Critics Make their Picks as Awards Season Approaches ● Page 66

&

entertainment

Latrice Royale Comes Home ● Page 70

Featured on the covers: Latrice Royale. Photo credit: Latrice Royale. // Elijah Malcomb, Joseph Morales, Kyle Scatliffe, Fergie L. Philippe and Company in the Hamilton National Tour. Credit: Joan Marcus, 2018.

Featured below: Elijah Malcomb strikes a pose with other cast members during the Hamilton National Tour. Credit: Joan Marcus, 2018.

12 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

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

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

Note from the

CEO

No matter what form it takes, art feeds the soul.

In this A&E issue we dive once again into our vibrant arts community to explore the local scene from plays and musicals, to movies and galleries and everything in between. Art influences many aspects of our lives from the style of our clothes to the heart of our homes. Great art elicits involvement. It enlarges the value of freedom of speech and the glory of self expression. Art should also shock sometimes; it should make you feel uncomfortable.

The only way we grow is when critical thinking is provoked and we are challenged as individuals to step outside our comfort zone.

It should stir up the feeling, not that our boundaries have been violated, but that we have just witnessed something so true, so real, so known to us – that we didn't even know we knew.

In closing I take this opportunity to thank our readers and advertisers for their loyalty and support. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Happy New Year.

And as we take our first steps into 2019 we must keep in mind that we should be grateful for what we have. The true gift is the one we are given each day, that our country, despite its many challenges and drawbacks, continues to offer the hope of a better tomorrow for all.

PIER ANGELO

“The wall should be built on the Northern border.

It would keep the frigid air in Canada.”

SENNHEISER HEADPHONES $129 x • Amazon.com

Kanpeki Knife Set

$1,295 x • Kamikoto.com

This system features a lightweight on-ear headphone that receives sound from a transmitter base when connected to an analog output of any audio source (like a TV, sound system or computer). The sound quality is classic Sennheiser; detailed and balanced with good clarity and bass response. These lightweight headphones, featuring a padded headband for comfort, are ideal for long listening or TV watching sessions.

Meticulously handcrafted, each blade features high-quality steel from Honshu, Japan – a steel with high corrosion resistance and durability. The Kanpeki Knife Set is rigorously quality tested to ensure that it meets the distinction and caliber of Kamikoto.

Diptyque Hourglass Diffuser $60 x • Nordstrom

Driven by a spirit of innovation, diptyque has reinvented the concept of home fragrance with the hourglass diffuser. Just turn it over to begin a new diffusion cycle lasting approximately one hour and enjoy a delightful sensory experience: the diptyque hour.

14 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

South Florida’s

on ly p lace to

ROCK!

HARD ROCK EVENT CENTER January 25

SMOKEY ROBINSON

february 13

DANCING WITH THE STARS LIVE!

January 29

TONI BRAXTON

WITH SPECIAL GUEST SWV

february 14 & 15 FRANKIE VALLI

AND THE FOUR SEASONS

february 20

february 23

HYMN IN CONCERT

LIVE! THE EXPERIENCE

SARAH BRIGHTMAN

THERESA CAPUTO

february 27

may 25

NOW & THEN

KRISTIN CHENOWETH

THE BEACH BOYS

GET TICKETS! Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone:

1-800-745-3000

M Y H R L . C O M • H A R D R O C K H O L L Y. C O M

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH

January 2019 | Vol 8 | Issue 1 2520 N. Dixie Highway | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954.530.4970 Fax: 954.530.7943

Publisher

NORM KENT norm.kent@sfgn.com

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

EDITORIAL

A Publication of south florida gay news

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

SALES & MARKETING For ad placement in the Mirror Magazine, contact 954-530-4970 Sales Manager JUSTIN WYSE justin@sfgn.comm Senior Advertising Assoc. EDWIN NEIMANN edwin@sfgn.com Senior Advertising Assoc. CLARK ROGERS clark@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Assoc. Anthony Pennetti anthony@sfgn.com Sales Consultant Charles Reid Distribution Services Rocky Bowell LEE CURTIS Printing THE PRINTER’S PRINTER National Advertising RIVENDELL MEDIA Accounting Services CG BOOKKEEPING

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

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

Associated Press Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association

16 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

WMG

Wilton Manors Gazette FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE

COMMUNITY

Your source for local news in Wilton Manors.

NEWS HOLIDAY BUSINESS PARKING POLICE PHOTOS POLITICS OPINION REAL ESTATE

Ready to join the discussion?

Check out the Facebook group, and participate in local discussions about news in Wilton Manors happening NOW!

• • • • • • • • • • • www.WMGAZETTE.com • • • • • • • • • • •

CARBONELL AWARD -WINNING

S LOW B U R N T H E AT R E C O. 2018–2019 SEASON

M A R K CO R TA L E P R E S E N T S S E T H R U D E T S KY ’ S

BROADWAY CONCERT SERIES SIERRA BOGGESS

JANUARY 31–FEBRUARY 17 • Amaturo Theater

& RAMIN KARIMLOO FEBRUARY 8 • 8PM

FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 10 Abdo New River Room

ADAM PASCAL MARCH 24 • 7PM

MARCH 28–APRIL 14 • Amaturo Theater

the musical

JUNE 13–30 • Amaturo Theater

TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org

Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office Group Sales | 954.660.6307

HOST SETH RUDETSKY

Seth Rudetsky is back! This year the Sirius/XM Radio star, whom the New York Times dubbed “The Mayor of Broadway,” is hosting two intimate evenings of incredible music and hilarious conversations with powerhouse talents Sierra Boggess with Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera/Love Never Dies) and Adam Pascal (Rent/Something Rotten)!

TICKETS at ParkerPlayhouse.com Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Group Sales | 954.660.6307

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

Hamilton Hits Home Because it is

Our Own Story

Joseph Morales (front) and Nik Walker in the Hamilton National Tour. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

// Norm Kent

I can’t think of a better show that mirrors America more than ‘Hamilton.’

You see, Hamilton is a show about an immigrant.

Yes, one of our Founding Fathers, the primary author of The Federalist Papers, a constitutional doctrine for the ages, and the nation’s First Secretary of the Treasury, would be deported if he tried to cross the border today.

History is not sure whether Alexander Hamilton was born in 1755 or 1757, but we know it was on the Caribbean island of Nevis, and that he was orphaned shortly thereafter.

But nothing held him back. He got his shot.

By the time Alexander Hamilton arrived in Manhattan in 1773, he was a young man with a bold purpose. The show bearing his name captures a glimpse of the earliest days of America while it magically and marvelously tells his story.

If you go though, hold on to your seat.

Don’t be surprised. This is not your mother’s musical. This is no “Hello, Dolly.” Don’t expect dancing waiters or Auntie Mame.

This is a fast moving and stunning production which from the very first number integrates hip hop, R & B, pop, soul, and show tunes into its script.

It uses expressive, color-conscious casting of non-white actors to play the protagonists, our Founding Fathers, along with related historical figures. It is off the charts.

You just don’t expect to see Thomas Jefferson as a 6’6” black man, but damn, it works, and here is why. America is a melting pot of diversity. We ARE a nation of immigrants.

The show is riveting because of its intense and driving score which captures the spirit of rebellion in all of us. It is a story of young lives carving out their own tomorrows, boundaries tossed aside, lives motivated, dreams energized.

20 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Very subtly, this is a show which raps out truth to power, mocks monarchy, promotes democracy, speaks up for equality and against slavery, and advocates for justice.

Hamilton’s multi-racial cast represents theater at its best. It exemplifies the truth that there is no limit to what any of us can achieve, what roles we can play given the opportunity to do so. Hamilton pushes the envelope at every corner. It’s a ground-breaking, breathtaking musical. It has correctly been called ‘a cultural phenomenon.’

History, not Hollywood, wrote the book for ‘Hamilton’. It is a telling glimpse of America’s emergence as a nation. Ron Chernow did a great job scripting it.

Alexander Hamilton was a rebellious young man when he arrived in New York in 1773. He became a Kings College student who actively spoke out against The King (George) that young America rebelled against. Alexander Hamilton became a revolutionary. King George went mad.

By the age of 24, he would rise to stand by the side of General George Washington and command armies of his own. He fought the British Empire. He did not claim a draft deferment for bone spurs.

After the war, Alexander Hamilton took part in the Constitutional Convention and the discussions and debates leading to our constitution. He was a smart man, but not known to claim to all that he “had a great brain.”

A prolific writer, Hamilton would eventually author most of the treatises in the “Federalist Papers.” He used no ghost writers.

A dedicated constitutionalist, he advocated for a strong central government. He published thoughtful doctrines, not daily tweets.

Alexander Hamilton would become the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, laying out the case for a national banking system under a unified system of currency.

He did not use the system as a tool to declare bankruptcy five times.

Alexander Hamilton would also become a renowned statesman, and when one of the first votes for the presidency of the United States resulted in a tie in the electoral college in 1800, historians tell us he crossed party lines to support Thomas Jefferson, because he was a candidate of principle not expedience; honor, not politics.

Alexander Hamilton was as human as all of us. His own political career came to a crashing end when he was caught in a sex scandal, revealed to have engaged in an all too embarrassing and adulterous affair. He admitted to paying blackmail to keep the story quiet, but it became public anyway.

How did Hamilton get through his humiliation? Oh, he just became a lawyer, helped start the Coast Guard and the New York Post. He was a journalist, too.

Unfortunately, his story took an irreversible course in July of 1804, by a New Jersey lake. Alexander Hamilton would die in a duel with the man he blocked from becoming president, Aaron Burr, who just happened to be at the time the sitting vice president of the United States.

Burr lived only to be forever remembered as a villain - the man who killed Hamilton.

The location of this deadly duel was less than a mile away from where Hamilton’s eldest son, Phillip, had been killed in a similar duel three years before, at the age of only 19. He left behind 7 other children.

It is almost as if Shakespeare himself wrote Hamilton’s story. All of this happened 214 years ago. Just the stuff a 21st century musical is made of, right? Lin-Manuel Miranda apparently thought so.

Miranda saw mystery and magic in Alexander Hamilton’s life and death. His ingenuity and spark converted it into the hottest and hippest Broadway production in decades. It has crossed generational lines and ethnic boundaries. Like the stage it is set upon, the show spins us round and round.

Excitement and anticipation blanket every city on the national tour. The Broadway productions still have lines. Tickets are impossible to come by. Touring shows have public lotteries to get them. From students to seniors, everybody wants in.

Since its debut in 2015, Hamilton followed up the Tony Awards wins with a series of Drama Desk Awards and Grammy Awards.

Damn, those immigrants are good.

Hamilton has become an American history lesson, wrought with high energy, human drama, and heartfelt pain. It touches all of us because it is about all of us.

Theater is all about capturing dreams and destinations, aspirations and ideas. Hamilton does. This is the reason this production has stolen the hearts and minds of Americans everywhere, young and old, theatergoers or not. Hamilton’s story is our story. The revolution, the revolt, and the rebellion continue still today.

History, not Hollywood, wrote the script for the Hamilton book.

It is a

telling glimpse of America’s emergence

as a nation.

Each day our own story unfolds. We don’t always know where the road is going to take us or what obstacles may get in our way.

We find many of our own dreams defeated, some deferred, and others denied. No matter. We rise. We try again. We are, after all, the product of a revolution. That is what this show is about.

In our own lives, we all come of age hoping to make our mark. As the lyrics in Hamilton shout out, we all want “to be in the room where it happens.”

We want our lives to count for something.

Like the cast of Hamilton, no matter our station or color, we all pray for the day when we too “get our shot.”

None of us ever know how long we have, or how many chances we will get. We may not make it onto the ten-dollar bill, but Alexander Hamilton’s story is like our own: that of a decent citizen who performed his duties boldly and honorably.

The message to all of us is that we too, can be Alexander Hamilton. His journey may have ended, but this show reminds us that ours goes on.

“Give me a place to stand,” wrote Archimedes, “and I will move the world.” As long as you are still here, you can take your shot. That is the message of Hamilton.

Joseph Morales and Company in the Hamilton National Tour. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 21

NEW YEAR, NEW TIME, SAME GREAT ENTERTAINMENT. FIRST FRIDAY PIANO BAR EVERY FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH | 6PM-9PM

22 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

TRANS TALK

Experiencing the Breadth of the

Gender Spectrum People react to us based on our gender whether we like it or not

// Atticus Ranck

I

think I’m in a relatively unique position when it comes to noticing and experiencing the way gender plays out in our society. I’ve been in both female and male public restrooms. I played sports on female teams. I’ve listened in on all-male conversations about the women in their lives. I’ve straightened my curly hair and put on mascara yet I’ve also shaved my ginger beard. When you’ve experienced both sides of this gender spectrum, you notice more than the average person.

When I started being seen as a male there were a few societal differences I didn’t expect. I found that as a male, I seemed to be perceived as a threatening figure and as less trustworthy. For example, when I would see a baby out in public, I would say hi or tell the parents that their baby was cute. The first time I interacted with a baby in public after transitioning, the mother looked at me really strangely and escorted the baby away. Now I can interact with babies but only if I’m with my wife. Having her presence makes me seem like more of a “father-figure” type rather than a creepy guy talking to random babies.

I’ve also changed the way I interact with women. As a female and a lesbian, I could hug my female friends or even flirt with them and it was seen as being playful or all in good fun. When I tried to interact with my female friends in the same way, even with the same friends who knew me before transitioning, it was not perceived as playful or fun, but as threatening.

When I flirted with women as a woman, even if I knew they were straight, women would usually flirt back or simply brush me off.

When I tried to flirt the same way, I literally had one woman give me a disgusted face and walk away from me. I once hugged a female 24 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

friend in what I thought was the same way I always did and she said, “You can’t hug me like that. I don’t let my guy friends hug me that way.” I quickly realized that I was being perceived quite differently in the world and I was genuinely thrown off by it.

Since then, I’ve changed the way I interacted with the world and the world has changed the way it interacted with me. The fact that I couldn’t interact with babies or women in the same way, even though I was the same person, says a lot about what our society thinks of men. The only way I could see to change the threatening nature and mistrust I felt I was getting was to be a different type of guy. I thought that if I could be the type of guy who women would feel safe around and who could be trusted with children, then maybe it would help change the perception of all male-presenting people, even if just a little bit.

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

adventures

FOR EVERY FAMILY

LGBTQ TRAVEL, DESTINATION WEDDINGS & HONEYMOONS, FAMILY TRAVEL, MILESTONE EVENTS, FESTIVALS AND MORE!

Barbara Jacobson and Allison Jacobson EVERYONE LOVES CRUISE PLANNERS!

561 278 3311 | 561 306 2876 c r u i s i n g w i t h b a r b a ra . c o m b j a c o b s o n @ c r u i s e p l a n n e r s .c o m | a l l i s o n . j a c o b s o n @ c r u i s e p l a n n e r s .c o m FLST# 39068 • CST# 2034468-50 • HST# TAR-7058 • WAST# 603-399-504

TECHNOLOGY

Clean up your act with the

Moen’s Engage Hand Shower A

nyone who’s ever gotten a spray to the face while putting a hand-held shower in its cradle will relish the magnetic dock of the Moen’s Engage Hand Shower.

Covered under the Moen’s limited lifetime warranty, it has a premier finishing process that will resist corrosion and tarnishing caused by everyday use. You can choose to use the hand shower and rain showerhead separately or combined. The kit includes a rain showerhead, hand shower, kink-free flexible metal hose and connector. The six-function hand shower has a smoothing massage, downpour, wide coverage, rinse, two massage functions and a pause ability.

It’s easy to install with any standard ½” shower arm.

/ / Pier Angelo

Cost: starting at $116.65 More info: www.moen.com Specifications: Pause Buttons: Moen’s patented pause button allows the homeowner to interrupt the water flow while moving the spout outside the sink. The functionality makes these faucets ideal for watering plants, filling large pots and cleaning up.

Magnetix: Magnetix allows you to easily release and return your showerhead securely without any extra effort (or soap in your eyes).

Spot Resist Finish: Spot Resist™ finishes resist stubborn fingerprints and water spots.

Moen 26009 Specifications: Rain Shower Head Diameter: 6-1/2" Hand Shower Settings: 6 Hose Length: 60" Flow Rate: 2.5 gallons-per-minute 3-way diverter

26 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

PrEP has become one of our most powerful tools in the fight PrEP hasbecome become one of our PrEP has one of our our against HIV/AIDS. PrEP has become one of most powerful tools in the fight most powerful tools fight most powerful tools in in the the fight against HIV/AIDS. We are HIV/AIDS. dedicated health care providers against HIV/AIDS. against are dedicated health care providers forWe Infectious Diseases, HIV, Hepatitis C, for Infectious Diseases, HIV, Hepatitis C, We are dedicated health care providers illnesses, and HRT. Chronic illnesses, health and HRT. care WeChronic are dedicated providers for Infectious Diseases, HIV, Hepatitis C, for Infectious Diseases, HIV, Hepatitis C, Chronic illnesses, and HRT. Chronic illnesses, andHoward HRT. A.

Grossman, MD Howard

A. NOW Grossman, MD Howard A. ACCEPTING Howard A. MD Grossman, NEW PATIENTS. NOW CALL TODAY! Grossman, MD NOW ACCEPTING

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS. NOW NEW PATIENTS. ACCEPTING CALL TODAY! 954-530-8357 CALL TODAY! 2500 NE 15th Ave | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 NEW PATIENTS. CALL TODAY!

954-530-8357 954-530-8357 2500 NE NE 15th Manors, FL 33305 2500 15thAve Ave| |Wilton Wilton Manors, FL 33305 5 954-530-8357

CAMPING CORNER

Entertaining

Campers / / Ric Reily

O

n one of my first gay camping trips I made a point of reserving a site as far from the activity center as possible. My preconceived notion of camping was one of quiet in the woods. I found that, and also found myself quickly drawn away from my quiet spot to the real fun.

A mainstay amenity of major gay campgrounds is entertainment. Stage performances, drag shows, and musical presentations to participatory activities like pool games, scavenger hunts, survivor recreations, bingo, euchre tournaments and any number of other activities keep guests involved and occupied.

Swimming pools are often the center of social life and the pool is where activity and entertainment settle in for the day. Though some close their pools around sunset, Sawmill in Central Florida takes the party to Splash Bar for a Friday night pool party complete with lasers and a DJ, the place to be before Woody's opens for shows and late night dancing.

At Oz in Central Georgia, the spa adjacent to the poolside bar heats up after dark.

During a visit to a gay campground your chances of coming in contact with a drag show are high.

Typically one name reigns supreme at each property and usually for good reason. She draws the crowd or the crowd demands her. Styles vary with the culture of the local demographic and not finding one drag queen particularly appealing in no way means the next won't strike you as wonderful. After all, drag is an art form, though some will argue that point, and each performer expresses their art in a different style. Aggy Dune at Jones Pond in Western New York produces full length one person shows including spectacular costumes, convincing impersonations and live comedy.

In the mid Atlantic states music and dance can take center stage. The Woods Campground in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, and Hillside Campgrounds in New Milford, Pennsylvania, draw their visitors from the

30 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

During a visit to a gay campground your chances of coming in contact with a drag show are high.

major metropolitan areas along the Eastern Seaboard and what does a professional signer or dancer do on a Saturday night in the woods? Why they put on a show! You will likely be treated to a high quality performance by trained voice professionals and Broadway dancers. A Cabaret in the tiny recreation hall at Hillside Campgrounds transforms the space into a concert hall and shows at The Woods are dominated by a professional light show you would pay a great deal to see on a New York City stage or in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Off peak periods and midweek days also churn out entertainment for smaller groups. Potluck dinners, local group field trips and hiking keep campers socializing. Movie nights make for intimate evenings in small venues across many gay campgrounds as most have at least some indoor common space that transforms for the activity of the moment. Joe's Hideaway in New Hampshire rounds up campers for an evening hay ride to view the sunset over a nearby lake.

Some gay campgrounds are more traditional camps, leaving campers to entertain themselves with camping activities like campfires, reading or relaxing in a hammock. Camp David in North Central Florida goes quiet at dark. Camp Mars near Florida's Lake Okeechobee hosts its Saturday evening pot luck dinner. Vitambi Springs Resort and Campground near Clewiston, Florida provides a cozy television room to keep up with your favoriteshows.

Choosing your gay camping destination will be driven by many options. Where your friends want to visit, a proximate location, amenities or entertainment options all come into consideration.

All gay campgrounds have their own cultures and knowing whether the days and nights are filled with quiet solitude or constant and even raucous activity will certainly make your visit more complete and fulfilling.

Camp David 2000 South Bishop's Point Road Inverness, Florida 34450 campdavidflorida.com

Vitambi Springs

The only clothing optional men's campground in Florida

vitambi.com

28280 Etumakee Way Clewiston, Florida 33440 Camping in the real Florida wilderness

Resort on Carefree Boulevard esortoncb.com

3000 Carefree Boulevard Fort Meyers, Florida 33917

Sawmill Camping Resort

Carefree is a lifestyle community where you can be you

flsawmill.com

21710 US Hwy 98 Dade City, Florida 33523 Where camping meets nightlife

Camp Mars campmars.com

326 Goff Road Venus, Florida 33960

Southern Comfort Campgrounds

The boardwalk is beautiful through a true Florida swamp

southerncomfortcampground.net

50 SE 74th Ave Cross City, FL 32628 Open everyday to everyone

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 31

Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre TO SURVIVE ON THIS SHORE Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults Artist Lecture with Jess T. Dugan | Saturday, February 9 at 3pm Exhibition Opening | Saturday, February 9 from 4-7pm

Caprice, 55, Chicago, IL [detail], 2015, Image courtesy of projects+gallery and Jess T. Dugan.

10975 SW 17th St., Miami, FL 33199 | frost.fiu.edu | 305.348.2890

CAN COMMUNITY HEALTH IS DEDICATED TO THE TREATMENT, CARE AND CONTINUAL WELLNESS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV, HEPATITIS C AND OTHER STDS.

(954) 568-7373

X7373

(305) 571-9601

(844) 922-2777

TO FIND THE NEAREST CLINIC IN YOUR AREA VISIT: CANCOMMUNITYHEALTH.ORG/LOCATIONS

FEATURE

Joe Biden’s As ‘ You Are’ Campaign Maps

Hundreds of LGBT Acceptance Stories The interactive map showcases stories from affected persons across the country / / Jacob Long

Joe Biden.

34 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

FEATURE

T

he Biden Foundation’s As You Are awareness campaign released its first set of collected personal stories Dec. 4—in map format.

With more than 500 stories spread across the northern continent (with a few in Mexico), it’s clear most stories came from the coastal U.S. Small pink dots notate the location of a story’s author (optionally anonymous), likely determined by the zip code entrants are forced to submit.

The Midwest shows some stories, mostly bunched together around cities like Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Notably, while the map lists names of cities after several zooms into it, it doesn’t show state names.

It does, however, show the names of Native American reservations.

“We’re all just learning as we go."

- Steve Bennet Parent

Davie

Justin, 28, He, him, his In 2015, at the age of 25, I decided to make the decision to come out to my mom. For years, I knew that I was different and that my difference was dangerous to those who did not understand it. My decision to come out was and still is met with a harsh reality that being who you are and living your authentic self is not always supported, understood, and loved. As a black gay man, I have to not only combat the homophobia within the black community, but the racism that exists amongst the gay community.

All while trying to exist in a world dominated by what it means to be a man based on societal expectations. However, the rejection I have experienced from my family has strengthened me to continue to support and help others become the best versions of themselves. It’s the light that shines within me that has enabled others to find their own light and ignite the fire of their being.

The Hammocks (Miami-Dade)

Jaime, She/her

My youngest child is six and has been gender nonconforming since being able to articulate at 18 months old. [My child] was born biologically male and initially indicated that he was “a boy who liked all girl things.” This past year, [she] has socially transitioned and now prefers the pronouns she/her and will be starting first grade soon as her authentic self. As Miami is deeply religious and conservative, my husband and I have been loud and proud advocates in our community and our school district. We are active members of PFLAG and offer our support and resources to other LGBTQ parents in their journey.

We believe that visibility is key to show others that there is absolutely nothing wrong with LGBTQ youth and that the elementary school system needs to be not only inclusive, they must be affirming as well.

Along with the map comes a video interview with the parents of Rio, whose last name and age aren’t provided and who transitioned while her dad Steve Bennet was away on a rugby trip.

When she was exhibiting what he considered female-like behaviors, Bennet tells us he “tried to persuade her to dress like a boy, behave like a boy.” A former rugby player, he wanted to have a “rugby playing son."

Rio’s mother Robin Bacsfalvi says that despite telling her the two supported her, “I think she didn’t necessarily trust that in her dad, and she waited until he was away to actually transition.”

“It was time to change my attitude,” Bennet concludes. “We’re all just learning as we go."

Despite excluding names, state borders are clear. We compiled all 11 Florida As You Are stories below, listed by the nearest municipality to the story’s geotag (the only exception is two entries we left undefined— considering privacy concerns for their underage-identifying authors).

The entries themselves have not been edited at all.

Continued on next page 

Pinecrest

Jennifer, 46, she/her I am a parent to four amazing children ranging from 24 years old to 7 years old. My oldest daughter came out as gay in her Senior year of high school and we just celebrated her marriage to her wife this past January. My youngest child is a fabulous gender nonconforming boy who loves ballet and the RuPaul Drag Race show… At age 7 he is a powerful advocate for himself and other children just like him.

We’ve traveled to Washington to march in protest along with various Pride parades to celebrate love.

FEATURE

 The interactive map showing where each story has been submitted so far. Photo via Bidenfoundation.org.

Fort Lauderdale

Randall,

60, He/

his I came out to my family at the age of 32. I was living overseas and had my first same-sex lover who I wanted to share my life with. I could not see doing that without my family being part of it. There was no internet or email back then so I wrote them a letter explaining to them who I am and how happy I was. When I got home for my next visit all of my family expressed strong support for me and understanding. They welcomed my partner as a member of the family. My family is very religious and spiritual and each proved to me that their beliefs were as God meant “all inclusive.”

36 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

You can share your own story with the foundation at bidenfoundation.org/pillars/equality/asyouare Hours before the foundation released the map and video, former Vice President Joe Biden told a Montana crowd he’s the “most qualified person” to be president.

As CNN reported: “I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden said to applause at the University of Montana. “The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I’ve worked on my whole life.” The As You Are map shows two entries. While sparse compared to nearby California and Washington, those two are more than Montana’s blank states show on the map.

Launched in August, the goal of the As You Are campaign is to showcase what a family’s acceptance means to LGBT youth directly through first-hand accounts.

The foundation encouraged people to submit stories online. After asking about preferred pronouns and five words you feel describe you, the campaign has two main questions:  Tell us about an experience you’ve had with family and community acceptance and/or rejection. How has this experience impacted your life?  Why is family and community acceptance important to you?

To read the rest of the Florida-based stories visit SFGN.com/AsYouAre

Hair You Can Live In Specializing in high quality, hand made, custom hair solutions that service any need from thinning hair to full hair replacement, and non surgical needs.

Schedule a Complimentary Consultation at any of our Florida locations

WIGS

EXTENSIONS

HAIRPIECES & TOUPEES

INFO & RESOURCES

Professional Hair Enhancement

FORT LAUDERDALE • POMPANO BEACH • PEMBROKE PINES • CAPE CORAL • TAMPA

Call 877-470-3211 or visit us at www.mychoicehair.com

DEAR HIV, ’ WE DIDN T GIVE UP. XOXO, SCIENCE There is no cure, but science is still in the battle against HIV. Today’s HIV treatments may help you get to undetectable. That means the amount of virus is so low it can’t be measured in lab tests. Ask your healthcare provider about HIV and treatment options.

Learn about an HIV-1 treatment option at

XOXOSCIENCE.COM

XOXOSCIENCE.COM, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2018 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC5531 05/18

TM

FASHION

Style and Fashion for

INC Men’s black & gold sequin shoe $99.99 Nothing evokes elegance like sparkle.

The New Year / / Kewan Smith

T

he new year is upon us. With it will come more opportunities for festive gatherings, cocktail receptions and dinner parties. This winter there are a myriad of fashion options to keep you properly attired for every event. Whether your style is luxe glam or simple chic, it’s easy to find great pieces that work for you. Here are just a few examples to inspire your looks for the new year, along with the top 3 must haves for winter fashionistas.

INC Men’s purple velvet blazer $89.50 The color of royalty is the perfect choice for this lush fabric.

INC Men’s floral sequin velvet blazer $149.50 Intricate gold details create an opulent finish.

INC Men’s red lightning bolt blazer $149.50 This daring showstopper will set you apart from the crowd.

INC Men’s black velvet skull shoe $99.99 Step out in style with these smooth velvet slippers.

Photos courtesy of Macy’s. Item’s are available for purchase on macys.com

INC ombre sparkle evening clutch $79.50 Light up the evening with this glittering accessory.

Deepa Gurnani earrings $50.00 (all) You'll be dripping with glamour in these chandelier earrings.

Steve Madden daisie rhinestone pump $99.98 Sleek & shiny pumps add sass to your look.

INC kenjay d'orsay pump $99.50 Show your pride with these rainbow stilettos.

Men’s winter Fashion

It List

Velvet Blazer Embroidered Jacket Embellished Shoes

Women’s winter Fashion

It List

Sparkle Clutch Chandelier Earrings Shimmering Pumps

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 41

Winter Arts & Entertainment

PREVIEW The bad news: The holidays are over, the snowbirds have arrived and traffic across South Florida is more than likely snarled on any given day. The good news: Like the highways, the calendar is jammed with recitals, concerts and shows and, if you can get to one of the region’s performing arts centers or fine regional theaters, you’re almost guaranteed an afternoon or evening of world-class entertainment.

Here is Mirror’s seasonal preview of the best in dance, theater and more, all headed your way! / / J.W. Arnold

42 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Supported by

Russian National Ballet Theatre Swan Lake February 24

MOMIX Viva MOMIX February 27 & 28

Paul Taylor Dance Company March 19 & 20

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo April 7

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE NOW WITH OUR DESIGN-YOUR-OWN SERIES! SINGLE TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE & ON-SALE NOW

TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org • Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office • Group Sales | 954.660.6307

The Broward Center 2018-2019 season is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

Dance

Pictured: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Photo via the Arsht Center.

/ / J.W. Arnold

F

or dance fans, winter is an exciting season. Not only are excellent local companies like Miami City Ballet and Arts Ballet Theatre of South Florida presenting exciting programs, but many other internationally-acclaimed companies escape the winter weather with residencies and tours to the region.

“Dances at a Gathering” Miami City Ballet Jan. 18 – 20, Kravis Center Jan. 26 – 27, Broward Center Set to the ultra-romantic piano music of Chopin, “Dances at a Gathering” is a celebration of dance, in all of its athleticism, grace and sheer joy. The program also includes “Brahms/Handel,” a spirited collaboration between two choreographic giants, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp. MiamiCityBallet.org Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Feb. 1 – 2, Duncan Theatre Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, among the world’s top contemporary dance companies and a global cultural ambassador, demonstrates fluency in a wide range of techniques and forms, and deep comprehension of abstract artistry and emotional nuance. Coming to the Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth. DuncanTheatre.org

“Le Papillon” Arts Ballet Theatre March 2 – 3, Aventura Center March 9 – 10, Broward Center Arts Ballet Theatre presents the world premiere of the Jacques Offenbach’s ballet "Le Papillon," with original choreography by Vladimir Issaev, captivating sets and colorful costumes. Will the kidnapped princess Farfalla, transformed into a butterfly, ever find love and return to her original form? ArtsBalletTheatre.org Dein Perry’s “Tap Dogs” March 12, Broward Center This is not just tap. Experience high voltage, rugged, raw talent in the tap dance phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. It’s part dance, part rock concert and part construction site! BrowardCenter.org

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Feb. 14 – 17, Arsht Center Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, celebrates its 60th anniversary with the company’s biggest season ever. Each program will offer a mix of these season premieres and culminate with Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece, “Revelations,” still the most popular modern dance work in the world. ArshtCenter.org

Paul Taylor Dance Co. March 22 – 23, Duncan Theatre Founded in 1954 and led until his death in 2018 by choreographer Paul Taylor, this groundbreaking modern dance company performs Taylor’s repertoire, comprising 147 dances, as well as those by other choreographers, and has toured to more than 500 cities in 64 countries around the globe.

DuncanTheatre.org

“Heatscape” Miami City Ballet Feb. 22 – 24, Arsht Center March 9 – 10, Broward Center March 15 – 17, Kravis Center Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck and celebrate visual artist Shepard Fairey beautifully merge ballet and guerilla street art in “Heatscape,” a stunning collaboration created for Miami City Ballet and inspired by the colorful Wynwood neighborhood.

MiamiCityBallet.org

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Miami City Ballet March 29 – 31, Arsht Center April 5 – 7, Kravis Center April 13 – 14, Broward Center The season grand finale features Miami City Ballet’s extraordinary reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s captivating story ballet based on Shakespeare’s play with magical fairies and entangled lovers and set to Felix Mendelssohn’s score.

MiamiCityBallet.org

44 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Pictured: "Le Papillon" by Arts Ballet Theatre.

Photo by Patricia Laine Photography.

Derek Hough: Live! The Tour April 10, Kravis Center From the Emmy award winning mind of Derek Hough (“Dancing with the Stars”) comes the first-ever solo live-dance tour for the dynamo. The show features brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Hough’s magnetic stage presence.

Kravis.org

MARCH 26  APRIL 14 SPONSORED SPONSORED BY: BY:

SUZANNE SUZANNE NIEDLAND NIEDLAND IN IN LOVING LOVING MEMORY MEMORY OF OF ART ART & & MEG MEG NIEDLAND NIEDLAND AND AND

THE THE CORNELIA CORNELIA T. T. BAILEY BAILEY FOUNDATION FOUNDATION AND AND

JOHN JOHN OSHER OSHER

BOX OFFICE: (561) 5752223

JUPITERTHEATRE.ORG 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, FL 33477

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

REGIONAL THEATER / / J.W. Arnold

S

outh Florida boasts one of the most vibrant regional theater scenes in the country.

This winter, audiences can enjoy classic American plays, edgy new dramas and comedies, hit musicals, LGBT-themed fare and much more—all without booking a ticket to Broadway.

“Bette & Barry: From Bathhouse to Broadway” Island City Stage Jan. 10 – Feb. 10, Wilton Theater Factory Bette Midler and Barry Manilow have decided to do a concert together…or rather, Tony Award nominee and Island City Stage associate director Michael Leeds imagines what it would be like if they did. Picture all those memorable songs sung by the musical legends and backed by the legendary Harlettes.

IslandCityStage.org “Mamma Mia!” Maltz Jupiter Theatre Jan. 15 – Feb. 10 A daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings back three men from her mother’s past. Nominated for five Tony Awards, “Mamma Mia!” is a feel-good musical that features ABBA’s greatest hits! JupiterTheatre.org “Funny Girl” The Wick Theatre Jan. 17 – Feb. 24 The musical biography of the legendary Fanny Brice and her tempestuous love affair with gambler Nicky Arnstein features a stellar score by Jules Styne, including “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star” and the timeless ballad, “People.” TheWick.org “A Doll’s House, Part 2” Maltz Jupiter Theatre Feb. 24 – March 10 When Henrik Ibsen’s Nora slammed the door shut on her marriage in “A Doll’s House,” it was said to be the slam heard

46 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

around the world. Fifteen years since closing the door and 138 years since Henrik penned the story, Nora returns to her beloved husband and children in Lucas Hnath’s sequel. JupiterTheatre.org “Jekyll & Hyde” Slow Burn Theatre Co. Jan. 31 – Feb. 17, Broward Center The epic struggle between good and evil comes to life on stage in this musical phenomenon. A devoted man of science, the kind and passionate Dr. Henry Jekyll makes himself the subject of his own experiments, accidentally unleashing his own inner demons in the form of Mr. Hyde. SlowBurnTheatre.org “The Boys Upstairs” Empire Stage Jan. 31 – Feb. 24 “The Boys Upstairs” invites audiences into the Hell’s Kitchen living room of Josh, Seth and Ashley. These three gay Millennials encounter all of the challenges, thrills, disappointments, tops and bottoms that young adult New York life has to offer.

EmpireStage.com “The Spitfire Grill” Palm Beach Dramaworks Feb. 1 – 24 In James Valcq and Fred Alley’s spirited and uplifting folk musical, a young parolee starts her life anew in Gilead, Wisconsin, and the moribund town begins to awaken with her. The all-star cast includes Elizabeth Dimon, Patti Gardner and Amy Miller Brennan.

PalmBeachDramaworks.org

“Every Brilliant Thing” Zoetic Stage Feb. 14 – March 3, Arsht Center A man attempts to cure his mother's depression by creating a list of the best things in the world. The list grows as he progresses from childhood ("Ice Cream") to college ("Surprises") and marriage ("Falling in Love"). But when life deals a bitter blow, the list proves to be more helpful to the son. ZoeticStage.org “Afterglow” Ronnie Larsen Presents Feb. 14 – March 10, Wilton Theater Factory After a 14-month run Off Broadway, S. Asher Gelman’s his play, “Afterglow,” comes to South Florida. “Afterglow” is a complex look at monogamy and the risks involved when a young couple opens up their marriage to another man.

RonnieLarsen.com “Memphis” Actors Playhouse March 13 – April 7 Inspired by actual events, “Memphis” tells the story of Huey Calhoun, a fictitious white radio DJ who is one of the first to play black music in 1950s Memphis, and Felicia, a black club singer who is hoping for her big break. ActorsPlayhouse.org “Crazy for You” The Wick Theatre March 14 – April 14 The 1992 Tony Award-winner for best musical, “Crazy for You” and its pleasing

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

Behind the Curtain

Designer is Also a Star Behind Sewing Machine

score by the Gershwin brothers, is one of the most entertaining shows of all time.

“Who could ask for anything more?”

TheWick.org “From White Plains” Island City Stage March 21 – April 21, Wilton Theater Factory Watch the emotional sparks fly when Dennis Sullivan—while accepting his Oscar for best film—accuses a former schoolmate of bullying him and driving his best friend to suicide. Who’s the bully now? It’s a difficult question to answer.

IslandCityStage.org “Sweeney Todd” Zoetic Stage March 14 – April 7, Arsht Center This modern musical masterpiece tells the story of the obsessively vengeful barber Benjamin Barker and his twisted partnership with the outrageous Mrs. Lovett, who together devise a devilish plot to add a special ingredient to a recipe that has all of London dying for their pies.

ZoeticStage.org “9 to 5: The Musical” Slow Burn Theatre Co. March 28 – April 14, Broward Center Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with their sexist, egotistical, lying boss. Violet, Judy and Doralee give their workplace a dream makeover and take control of the company that had always kept them down. SlowBurnTheatre.org

Rick Pena poses with some of the puppets he created for and starred with in a Slow Burn Theatre Co. production of “Avenue Q.” Credit: Facebook.

Rick Pena has always loved costumes. As a young boy growing up in Miami, he spent afternoons with his live-in grandmother, who taught him to sew.

“I would dream up these costumes and she would help me make them while my parents were at work,” he recalled.

But, it wasn’t until Pena enrolled at Florida International University that he channeled his eye for costume design to the theater. During high school, he was active in the band, but had few opportunities to take the stage other than some community theater productions. After he finally settled on a theater major, Pena naturally found himself spending much of his free time in the costume shop.

A few years later, he was cast by Patrick Fitzwater and Matthew Korinko as the lead in “Batboy,” the first production of the fledgling Slow Burn Theatre Co. “Patrick needed help with costumes and I told him I do costumes,” Pena said.

“The next show, I was hired as costume designer and it’s never stopped.”

If Pena isn’t tapped to design and sew original costumes for a show, he still may be required to work with rental houses to select the appropriate costumes and make alterations for the cast. And, in a few cases—“Avenue Q” and “Little Shop of Horrors”—Pena recreated the signature puppets for the productions.

As Slow Burn has grown, so have the demands of their productions. The most recent show, “Legally Blonde” at the Broward Center, boasted a cast of 25 with the average actor requiring up to eight complete costume changes.

Pena quipped, “You do the math!”

Generally, he has up to two years to plan and construct the thousands of garments that big Broadway musicals require. Slow Burn just announced their 2019-20 season in early January and more challenges will certainly abound.

“There are pros and cons. I tend to get started working over the summer because that’s our downtime, but because it’s still so far in advance, actors do tend to drop to take contracts with other shows. That can send me back to the drawing board,” he said.

The biggest downside to his success, Pena says, is he rarely gets to perform on stage anymore. He starred in MNM Productions’ “Avenue Q” at the Kravis Center last season and will have an ensemble role in Slow Burn’s “Jekyll & Hyde,” opening this month at the Broward Center.

“I do miss the ability to lead a show and showcase what I can do,” he sighed.

But, whether audiences realize it or not, they’re applauding the multiple Carbonell Award-nominee’s performance behind the curtain at every show.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 47

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

Music Director and Conductor of South Florida Symphony Orchestra Sebrina María Alfonso. Photo via Facebook.

Classical music / / J.W. Arnold

S

ymphonies and Stonewall are prominent themes for the region’s classical music groups, as orchestras focus on the masterworks and the area’s many LGBT musical ensembles plan to highlight the fight for civil rights 50 years after the historic Stonewall Riots in New York City.

“Magico” Visual Concerto Symphony of the Americas Jan. 22, Broward Center The Symphony of the Americas showcases familiar classics accentuated with symphonic “photochoreography” by photographer and multimedia artist Nicolas Bardonnay, who has premiered works with more than 180 orchestras worldwide. SymphonyOfTheAmericas.org

“Music for Art” Symphony of the Americas Feb. 19, Broward Center Internationally-acclaimed visual artist DUAVIV will paint an original work live on the Broward Center stage and projected above while the orchestra performs music of Claude Debussy. This will truly be a unique artistic experience.

SymphonyOfTheAmericas.org

“Porgy and Bess” South Florida Symphony Jan. 23, Broward Center A star-studded cast joins the South Florida Symphony in a staged production of George Gershwin’s “American” opera, presenting a bold mix of modernist classics, ragtime, blues, jazz and spirituals. Richard Jay-Alexander directs and Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso conducts. SouthFloridaSymphony.org

“An Evening with Robert Sheldon” Pride Youth Band and South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble Feb. 24, Broward Center Internationally-acclaimed composer and conductor leaders the eighth annual Youth Pride Band, an ensemble of outstanding high school musicians from across South Florida that seeks to promote understanding and fight bulling through music. PrideWindEnsemble.org

“The Marriage of Figaro” Florida Grand Opera Jan. 26 – Feb. 3, Arsht Center Feb. 7 – 9, Broward Center The servants turn the tables on the masters in Mozart’s biting and sexually charged comedy about the established social order being tossed on its head. Today, “The Marriage of Figaro” rocks with the same revolutionary spirit that made it such a popular success at its 1786 premiere.

FGO.org

Masterworks II South Florida Symphony Feb. 20, Key West Feb. 21, Broward Center Feb. 22, Boca Raton Norwegian composer Karl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable” is the centerpiece of this classical program that includes works by Moncayo and Rachmaninov. Natasha Paremski is the featured piano soloist.

SouthFloridaSymphony.org

48 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Masterworks III South Florida Symphony March 10, Key West March 12, Broward Center March 14, Boca Raton Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso conducts Debussy’s lush symphonic poem, “La Mer,” along with Ravel’s “Alborada del Gracioso,” RimskyKorsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring fan favorite Svetlana Smolina.

SouthFloridaSymphony.org “Frida” Florida Grand Opera March 16 – 30, Arsht Center Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s colorful score is a perfect match for the passionate art of the legendary painter Frida Kahlo. Although the artist was wracked by agonizing physical pain and caught up in a stormy marriage to Diego Rivera, the flame that fueled Kahlo’s art just kept burning and never turned to ash. FGO.org “From the Heavenly to the Divine” Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida March 29 – 30, Sunshine Cathedral “UpRiseSing” is the theme for the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida’s 2019 season, remembering the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Under the direction of artistic director Harold Dioquino, this classical concert explores the polar extremes of human faith and the spirit with alternately uplifting and dark musical selections. GMCSF.org

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

Behind the Curtain Symphony Tackles Great American Opera

The set design for the South Florida Symphony’s upcoming staged production of George Gershwin’s opera, “Porgy and Bess.” Credit: South Florida Symphony.

The artistic and administrative team at the South Florida Symphony is definitely not afraid of a challenge. Case in point: Last season, the symphony collaborated with the famed Martha Graham Dance Co. on a world premiere, critically-acclaimed ballet by South Florida composer Tom Hormel, “The Legend of Bird Mountain.”

This season, Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso, symphony president Jacqueline Lorber and their board of directors have set their sights even higher—George Gershwin’s quintessential American opera, “Porgy and Bess”—and assembled a dream team to guide the production.

While Lorber was faced with perhaps the biggest challenge, raising the nearly $500,000 necessary to stage the production at a time when federal and state support for the arts is shrinking, the creative team set about reimagining Gershwin’s drama, set in a seaside slum in Charleston, South Carolina, for the stage of the Au Rene Theater at the Broward Center.

Richard Jay-Alexander, the Broadway impresario who stages Barbra Streisand’s concerts, is directing the folk opera.

“Porgy and Bess” is one of the musical world’s greatest pieces ever created. Gershwin and all those fantastic characters, in a heartbreaking and thrilling story. It’s not done very often because, quite honestly, it is a daunting task,” the director explained.

“I want to tell that story and break everyone’s heart with the humanity of these people. I love this piece and have some history with it, so it’s a bit of a dream come true. We are doing a unique presentation, with the full orchestra on stage,” he added. “That will be very interesting, showing off the ‘pure Gershwin’ of it in all its raw power. The staging will also be unique because, unlike most operas, this one moves at a very rapid pace and I want to engage every single ‘moment’ I possibly can. I can see it in my mind already, but am very excited to get into rehearsal and up onto the stage!”

Alfonso is overjoyed with the opportunity to conduct Gershwin’s rich and rhythmic score: She said, “Gershwin's music makes my soul dance. There is a rhythm that is just human and whoever hears it cannot ignore its power.

Gershwin dared to write an opera that did not represent European opera. He represented American music and especially music which has definitely influenced American music and that is music of AfricanAmerican heritage.”

The South Florida Symphony presents George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” on Jan. 23 at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are available at SouthFloridaSymphony.org.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 49

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

A photography exhibit chronicling the history of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence opens in January at the Stonewall National Museum Wilton Manors Gallery. Credit: Meg Birnbaum.

ON EXHIBIT Brush Up on Your History / / J.W. Arnold

T

he Stonewall National Museum and Archives Wilton Manors Gallery features a number of permanent and traveling exhibits. The Winter 2019 schedule includes several exhibits, film screenings and readings chronicling the diverse experiences of LGBT people across the country and around the world.

Filmmaker Ruth Goldman, In Person Sunday, Jan. 20, 4 p.m.

Buffalo, NY-based queer filmmaker Ruth Goldman will present and discuss a trilogy of original short films that playfully challenge gender binaries. The films are “Do I Look Like Your Husband” (2006), “Framing Her” (2009), and “Bending the Line” (2016). The films have screened widely in the U.S. and internationally. Most recently, “Bending the Line” screened at the 2018 London Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Festival, the 2018 Cinema Systers Film Festival, and the 40th annual Big Muddy Film Festival. Free, $5 suggested donation.

“Sisters of the Commonwealth: Photographs by Meg Birnbaum” Opening Reception, Friday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence artfully manifest into “avatars” of social activism with the goal of inspiring acceptance, compassion, and the desire to shift intolerant perspectives, while supporting and raising money for LGBT charities. Photographer Meg Birnbaum has photographed The Sisters of the Commonwealth through Pride Parades, at the annual AIDS Walk, at fundraising dinners, in their homes, and on fundraisers aboard Boston Harbor cruises. The exhibition will also feature materials documenting the national history of the organization, founded in San Francisco on Easter Sunday in 1979. Free, $5 suggested donation. On exhibit through April 28, 2019.

“More Poems About Buildings and Food” by Gregg Shapiro Thursday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.

In gay writer Gregg Shapiro’s third poetry chapbook, “More Poems About Buildings and Food” (Souvenir Spook Books, 2019), readers will find spiders, grandparents, Nancy and Rollo, apples, cupcakes, donuts and Twinkies, a red-shouldered hawk, the D.C. Eagle, Swan Boats in the Public Garden, a revolving door, a pink kitchen, a crawlspace and a hospital room. And did we mention spiders? The poet, a Fort Lauderdale resident, will discuss his latest works at the Wilton Manors Gallery. Free, $5 suggested donation. Signed copies will be available for sale.

The Stonewall National Museum and Archives Wilton Manors Gallery is located at 2157 N. Wilton Dr. in Wilton Manors. For more information, go to Stonewall-Museum.org.

50 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Ruth Goldman.

Requiem Dan Forrest’s

For The Living CHUCK STANLEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ANTHONY CIOTTI, ACCOMPANIST With Orchestral Ensemble Additional choral favorites from contemporary composers René Clausen, Randall Stroope, Mark Hayes and selections from Jerry Bock’s

“Fiddler On The Roof ”

P R E S E N T E D

MARCH 13, 2019 • FRIDAY 8:00 pm VENUE TO BE ANNOUNCED Watch Website for Location www.nova.edu/novasingers

B Y

MARCH 15, 2019 • SUNDAY 4:00 pm FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2331 NE 26th Avenue Pompano Beach 33062

MARCH 17, 2019 • TUESDAY 7:30 pm CHRIST CHURCH 4845 NE 25th Avenue Fort Lauderdale 33308

NOVASINGERS@NOVA.EDU • NOVA.EDU/NOVASINGERS (954) 683-8866 • (561) 212-2112 ALL PERFORMANCES: $5/STUDENTS; $15/ADVANCE TICKETS • $20/PERSON AT THE DOOR • CHILDREN 12 & UNDER FREE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PREVIEW

“Les Misérables” Broadway cast.

Photo via @LesMizUS, Twitter.

Broadway / / J.W. Arnold

“H

amilton” may been the hottest ticket in South Florida this season, but audiences still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the best of Broadway this season at the state-of-the-art Arsht, Broward and Kravis Centers for the Performing Arts.

“Les Misérables” Feb. 5 – 10, Arsht Center Feb. 12 – 17, Kravis Center Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon returns to South Florida in a reimagined new production, but retains the powerful anthems and passion of the original production.

ArshtCenter.org, Kravis.org “Fiddler on the Roof” Feb. 20 – March 3, Broward Center Director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific” and “The King and I” bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved musical classic about the residents of a small Jewish community in the steppes of Russia.

BrowardCenter.org “Waitress” Feb. 26 – March 3, Arsht Center March 5 – 10, Kravis Center Inspired by Adrienne Shelly's beloved film and featuring a

score by Sara Bareilles, “Waitress” tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. ArshtCenter. org, Kravis.org “Dear Evan Hansen” March 26 – April 7, Broward Center A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted—a chance to finally fit in. BrowardCenter. org “School of Rock: The Musical” March 27 – March 31, Kravis Center April 9 – 14, Arsht Center This Broadway musical features14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Phantom of the Opera”), all the original hits from the Jack Black movie and musical theater’s firstever live kids rock band. ArshtCenter.org.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The Story Behind “Dear Evan Hansen” Here’s everything you need to know about “Dear Evan Hansen” before its South Florida debut at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, March 26 – April 7: The rock musical, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book by Steven Levenson, tells the story of a young man with social difficulties that inhibit his ability to connect with other people and make friends. He yearns to make a connection with his peers and fabricates a relationship with a deceased student to become closer to the boy’s family.

While Hansen isn’t portrayed as gay, his struggles and the complex themes of the show have resonated with LGBT audiences. For book writer Levenson, part of the conversation centers around how the show grapples with mental

52 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

“Anastasia” April 23 – May 5, Broward Center From the creators of the hit musical “Ragtime,” this dazzling show transports audiences from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. BrowardCenter.org.

The Lion King April 24 – May 5, Kravis Center May 8 – 26, Arsht Center Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap and the entire savannah comes to life as the Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist in Julie Taymor’s magical stage adaptation of the classic Disney animated film with music by Elton John.

Kravis.org, ArshtCenter.org.

The Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen” makes its South Florida premiere at the Broward Center in March. (or “Hamilton”) Credit: Joan Marcus. 

health, an issue that affects many queer people, he told HuffPost in an interview last year.

“Emotional disorders, like depression and anxiety are so staggeringly high right now. And suicide among especially trans youth is scarily high,” Levenson, who is straight, observed. “And so, I do think that that has something to do with it.

“It’s a show that really goes to that place where you see what would drive someone into just that place, where they think that they want to give up and they don’t,” he continued. “So, I think that it definitely speaks to that struggle, and struggling with the voice in your head─I don’t mean that literally, but the voices of negativity, and the voices of exclusion, and ostracism. I think that’s something that queer youth especially can identify with and recognize.”

The musical opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016 and at the 71st Tony Awards, won six trophies, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Actor and Best Featured Actress for South Florida native Rachel Bay Jones.

Fort Lauderdale is the first stop for the South Florida tour.

For tickets and more information, go to BrowardCenter.org.

A Broward County Designated Major Cultural Institution

Sponsored by Lesleen Bolt & Stephen A. Keller (in memoriam)

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 7:45 pm Music for Art

DUAIV, INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED VISUAL ARTIST DIMITRI ASHKENAZY, CLARINET

Sunday, March 3, 2019 3:00 pm Matinee A Musical Bond

James Bond Concerto, Andrew Lloyd Webber & more THOMAS PANDOLFI, PIANO

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 7:45 pm Classics Reborn GLENN DICTEROW, VIOLIN KAREN DREYFUS, VIOLA

www.BrowardCenter.org 954-462-0222

Join us for Music to Stimulate Your Senses atop the Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina!

The Haller Foundation

ymphony erenades @

of the Americas

Sunset

BEST

Wines, Champagnes, Hors d’oeuvres & Music with a View in the Pier Top’s Magnificent Setting — Music in the Round surrounded by Magnificent Vistas and Golden Sunsets All Performances at 5:30 pm

by Fort Lauderdale Magazine

For tickets & information: www.SOTA.org 954-335-7002 info@sota.org

Sunday, March 24, 2019 Con Brio String Quartet

Sunday, April 7, 2019 Jazz it Up!

54 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

FILM

9 Florida-Based Movies

Every LGBT Person

Must See

From the good and great, to the utterly ridiculous, most of these will be sure to please / / Daniel Villarreal

F

lorida has long been a destination for vacationers and retirees alike. But a handful of directors have also chosen The Sunshine State as the setting for their gay and lesbian-tinged films. It’s hardly surprising, given the state’s sultry climate, that many of these films revolve around passionate romances and murder. But each one also shows off unique aspects of the state, helping shape it in the gay cinematic imagination.

Some Like It Hot (1959) Although this cross-dressing comedy classic takes place at the fictional Seminole Ritz Hotel in 1929 Miami, the film was actually shot at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, both for its proximity to Hollywood and its older architectural style. In fact, none of the film was actually shot in Florida.

In the film, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon masquerade as members of an all-female band after witnessing a mafia murder. But its main romance heats up on the beachside as Curtis pretends to be a yacht-owning oilman to woo Sugar, a chanteuse played by Marilyn Monroe.

The Motion Picture Production Code refused to approve the film’s depictions of drinking, criminal life and homoeroticism. But the film’s financial success helped end the restrictive code, ushering in a new era of more liberal cinema as well as the MPAA’s current rating system.

Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise (1987) While we can’t really call this film “a gay film,” this sequel to the 1984 comedy features the first film’s openly gay character, Lamar Latrell. Latrell is irrepressibly stylish and treated kindly by his fellow nerds, though the film tamely plays his effeminacy and sexuality for laughs.

“Nerds in Paradise” focuses on a national fraternity convention in Fort Lauderdale where the Alpha Betas, a group of competitive jocks, schemes to get the geeky Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity disbanded forever.

The convention takes place at the fictional Royal Flamingo Hotel, but it was shot at the Galt Ocean Mile Hotel, a company that went bankrupt shortly after its filming. The film’s additional scenes played in front of the old Lauderdale Hotel (where producers emptied 72 truckloads of sand to shoot beach scenes on the street) and the John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, which served as a cannabis-filled desert island.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In “Some Like it hot,” Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon masquerade as members of an all-female band after witnessing a mafia murder.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 57

FILM

The Birdcage (1996) This 1996 remake of "La Cage aux Folles" features Robin Williams as the owner of a fictional Miami drag bar called The Birdcage. Openly gay actor Nathan Lane plays his irrepressibly flamboyant partner and star performer.

Eagle-eyed viewers will see some of South Beach’s pastel-colored Art Deco architecture (preserved largely during the ‘70s and ‘80s by gay industrial designer Leonard Horowitz). Viewers can also see Williams and Lane strolling around Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach in several scenes.

However, the nightclub scenes were actually filmed at The Carlyle Hotel in South Beach. When Williams took his own life in August 2014, the hotel commemorated him with a portrait of his surprised expression taken from the film.

Wild Things (1998) In this delightfully trashy and twisty erotic thriller, Denise Richards and Neve Campbell play two high school teens who accuse their hunky guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) of rape. Naturally, there’s more than meets the eye and the high-profile case eventually boils over into lesbian make-outs and murder.

The film’s opening shots pan over the Everglades, Coopertown and Brickell Key before settling on the fictional Blue Bay High School (shot at the Ransom Everglades School).

Richard’s mansion in the film sits in Star Island. Coral Gables City Hall appears as the police station, and the Dade County Courthouse and Coral Reef Yacht Club both show up too. One character also gets murdered at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park.

Interestingly, the film’s financiers refused to include a make-out scene between Dillon and his co-star Kevin Bacon.

“Unfortunately, the financiers didn’t like the idea of men making out,” Bacon told Total Film in 2005. “They felt it went too far.”

Bully (2001) Gate ©Lions Co e r ve tt urtesy E

Co

Not many people realize this film is based on the real-life 1993 murder of Bobby Kent in Weston. Kent, a 20-year-old, was accused of bullying the young friends who’d later kill him.

Though the sexuality of its characters remains ambiguous, in one of the film’s scenes, Kent pimps out his friend Marty to a couple at a gay bar before forcing him to dance in an amateur stripping competition. The film also stars gay actor Daniel Franzese of "Mean Girls" fame (though he wasn’t publicly out at the time).

To depict the murder without glamorizing or eroticizing it, the director primarily shot the film in the suburbs and strip malls of Florida: in southern cities like Lauderhill, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, Miramar and Hollywood.

To depict the murder without

glamorizing or eroticizing it, the director [of "Bully"] primarily shot the film in the suburbs and strip malls of Florida.

58 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

FILM

Monster (2003) Unfortunately, “Bully” isn’t the only Florida-based film with gay content based on a real-life murder. Unlike “Bully,” “Monster“ takes a more sympathetic look at its main subject, Aileen Wuornos, a lesbian-identified sex worker who killed seven men after a lifetime brutalized by rape and poverty.

Actress Charlize Theron portrayed Wuornos and won an Academy Award. In the film, Theron and her co-star Christina Ricci have a romantic date at the Semoran Skateway in Seminole County, and a depressing outing at Fun Spot America in Orlando (though the film calls it “Fun World”).

True to life, the film shows Wuornos killing men in central Florida’s rural outposts. The filmmakers also shot a scene in the Last Resort Bar in Port Orange, the place Wuornos spent her last free night before her arrest.

Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild (2008) This raunchy parody of 1960s surf movies was shot almost entirely in Fort Lauderdale, a perfect setting for its hunky characters’ Spring Break sexcapades. It also boasted a very gay cast with bit roles by RuPaul, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, Perez Hilton, Scott Thompson, Lypsinka, Willam Belli, Colton Ford and more.

With numerous scenes set on sunny beaches, a starlit bar and a retrostyle hotel, the film has a decidedly Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello feel.

At one point, two of its stars even waterski in front of an obviously fake green screen.

Magic Mike (2012) Loosely based on the real-life experiences of actor Channing Tatum, “Magic Mike” follows a fledgling male stripper as he and his muscular co-workers strut their stuff at the fictional Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa. The film is more homoerotic than explicitly gay, but gay fans helped make it a financial success.

Xquisite’s exterior is actually Wilson's Sports Lounge in St. Petersburg.

The scenes inside of the club were shot in Los Angeles. However, the rest of the film was shot almost entirely in Florida.

If you watch closely, you’ll see a restaurant in Ybor City, a nightclub scene in Tampa’s Amphitheatre Event Facility, a Fourth of July “sandbar party” on Three Rooker Island in Anclote Key Preserve State Park and a final conversation between the male leads at Caddy's On The Beach bar in Treasure Island.

Moonlight (2016) The winner of the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture showed parts of Miami that movie-goers rarely see as it follows Chiron, a young gay black man coming to terms with his sexuality at three different points in his life.

The young Chiron, known as “Little,” learns to swim at Virginia Key beach. His adult self, called “Black,” reconnects with a childhood friend at Jimmy's East-Side Diner, a real eatery on Biscayne Boulevard.

But it’s during Chiron’s adolescent years that viewers see the most of Miami. Chiron shares a sexual moment with his friend at Miami Beach, attends school at Miramar High and lives with his drug-addicted mother at the Liberty Square Public housing complex. Both "Moonlight’s" screenwriter and director grew up around the complex.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PROFILE

Matt Farber Logo TV Creator Reminisces About Career, New Ventures / / J.W. Arnold Photos of Matt Farber by Carina Mask

L

ong before he founded the LGBT TV network Logo, Matt Farber dreamed of getting into the entertainment business.

Farber has vivid memories of his childhood. While he was still young, his family moved from Brooklyn to Monsey, in the outer New York City suburbs. At the time, the hamlet was also home to one of the largest enclaves of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews in the nation, perhaps second only to his birthplace.

His mother was a natural musician who played the piano by ear and could pound out nearly any request perfectly. Farber’s younger sister would go on to earn a master’s degree in music and practice music therapy.

His father, well, was probably most skilled at playing the radio, while young Matt was obsessed with music, television and pop culture. Like most young LGBT people, he knew he was different, but struggled with his sexual orientation.

“I had a tough time accepting it and fought it until I was 29,” he recalled. “Growing up a suburban Jew, there were cultural expectations of me. It was the ‘70s and ‘80s and that was a different time.”

Farber eventually left New York to study finance and accounting at the University of Pennsylvania’s elite Wharton School of Business, but never quite outgrew his love of 60 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

music. After graduating, he knew he would have to make a choice.

“I was still obsessed with music, so I was simultaneously interviewing at investment banks and knocking on the doors of record companies, looking for opportunities. On some level, I knew I was gay and Wall Street didn’t feel like a safe path at the time,” he said.

He landed his first job as the marketing director at a local Philadelphia radio station, the first of a whirlwind nine jobs in seven years. From there, he moved to a local television station before heading to a larger radio station in Atlanta.

“That job put me on the path to programming and developing content. The radio station in Atlanta wasn’t successful and I had ideas about how it could be,” Farber said. “I became the head of programming,

“Growing up a suburban Jew, there were cultural expectations of me.”

- Matt Farber

ratings doubled and that got me started on a content career in entertainment.”

A stint at one of the largest Top 40 radio stations in the country in Washington, D.C. then led to a job working for the legendary recording mogul Clive Davis at Arista Records in Manhattan.

“I was his ‘apprentice’ for lack of a better word,” Farber said. “That job was kind of like getting an M.B.A. in the music business at the height of the Whitney Houston era and the Milli Vanilli scandal.”

Farber discovered that the ability to seamlessly move from the business side to the creative side of his endeavors and back again would prove to be his greatest professional strength.

“Clive Davis taught me how valuable it was to understand every aspect of the business.

A successful executive must operate at 50 thousand feet in the big picture and also communicate in the weeds. If our creative side is left-brained and business is right, he moved comfortably left and right and up and down,” Farber explained. “That was a skill I admired.”

Then Farber landed his dream job as the head of music programming for MTV, responsible for the music videos and VJs. As a teen, he had spent every spare minute watching the groundbreaking cable network that was now beginning a transformation

Matt Farber at Island City Stage.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 61

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PROFILE

“My name is forever attached to Logo as founder, so I want it to be successful.”

- Matt Farber

from a music video channel to a youth lifestyle format. He described his role for the next seven years as an “intrapreneur,” charged with developing and operating complementary businesses that could sustain MTV’s music brand, including the launch of MTV2, MTV. com and an MTV radio network.

He admitted, “I was a workaholic.”

Eventually, Farber moved to the West Coast with his then-husband. He served as the CEO of a music industry dot com when the idea for Logo finally hit him. He decided to incubate it inside Viacom, the parent company of MTV, where he had worked for eight years. He spent the next three years as a consultant developing the business and creative plan while tirelessly pitching it to senior management.

“There were so many times that the plug was about to be pulled because it was deemed too risky or corporate politics got in the way.

If it were today, I don’t think I’d have the persistence and tenacity I did at the time,” Farber said.

Farber stepped aside shortly before launch when he realized it would be hard to be a “nanny” for something he felt he birthed, especially when he questioned the content plan his new parents at Viacom suggested.

“My name is forever attached to Logo as founder, so I want it to be successful,” he said with a slight tone of disappointment.

After nearly a decade as a media consultant, Farber is again producing entertainment, this time as the founder of the Outlandish performance series. A sold-out season in Fort Lauderdale two years ago led Farber to expand his series to Palm Springs last year and Provincetown this summer.

Outlandish returns January with eight shows, including the South Florida debut by Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and returning fan favorites Coco Peru, Pam Ann and Leslie Jordan (“Sordid Lives”). He’s also managing several acts including Miss Richfield 1981, sexy cirque troupe AirOTic and the cabaret duo Lee Squared, a Liberace and Peggy Lee tribute act.

“It’s hard for me to turn off, but a little bit of healthy anxiety keeps me motivated and on my toes. I think I’ve gone from being a type A+ to an A-,” Farber chuckled.

When he’s home in South Florida, he enjoys spending time with his husband, serving on the board of the Pride Center and running with the Frontrunners—at least until the next show.

62 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Matt Farber at Island City Stage.

2019 Outlandish Performance Series

LESLIE JORDAN MISS RICHFIELD 1981 "EXPOSED" "GENDER FLUIDS" Saturday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 9, 8 p.m.

Leslie Jordan ("Will & Grace," "Sordid Lives," "The Cool Kids") She's back! In her all-new show, "Gender Fluids," Miss Richfield invites audiences for a hilarious look back at his experiences 1981, a Fort Lauderdale favorite, will attempt to find nonas a flamboyant youth raised in the Bible Belt, and offers binary answers to our increasingly complex world and treasured anecdotes from his renowned stage and television celebrate all the genders—both old and new. performances.

COCO PERU FRAN DRESCHER "HAVE YOU HEARD?" "SCHMOOZING WITH FRAN DRESCHER" Saturday, March 23, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m.

Whether you’re a devoted fan or if you're a Coco virgin, come In her unique voice, funny girl Fran Drescher ("The Nanny") see why Lily Tomlin called Miss Coco Peru, "one of the last great shares both poignant and hilarious stories of her life. storytellers." Experience the trailblazing Queen who elevated An ordinary girl from Queens who ended up living an drag—all while wearing sensible heels. extraordinary life and “seeing it all,” Fran shares the insights and life lessons she learned the hard way.

LEE SQUARED: AN EVENING WITH LIBERACE & MISS PEGGY LEE PAM ANN Saturday, April 6, 2019, 8 p.m.

"FLIGHT ATTENDANT STAR" In this funny and touching tribute, to Liberace and Peggy Lee, Saturday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m.

New York City Bistro and MAC Award-winners David Maiocco Have you ever dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, and Chuck Sweeney reprise their iconic performances as the traveling the world and telling passengers to bugger off? Pam music legends who defined four decades of music and pop Ann is searching for the next "Flight Attendant Star" and will culture. select air hostie wannabes from the audience to see if they have what it takes.

AIROTIC Thursday - Sunday, Feb. 14 - 16 & Saturday - Sunday, Feb. 23 - 24, 8 p.m.

"AirOtic" is a sexy and sensual cirque-style show. Physique, strength, burlesque and high-level acrobatics all come together in this unique new concept that features six talented circus performers.

For more information and tickets for the 2019 Outlandish performance series at the Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 S.W. 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, go to OutlandishFL. com.

Heavenly Divine From The

To The

MARCH

29&30

8PM

Sunshine Cathedral

TICKETS & INFO

gmcsf.org 954-763-2266

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

LGBT FILM

Emma Stone and Olivia Colman star in the LGBT-themed biopic “The Favourite,” the most nominated film for the 2018 Dorian Award, presented by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Enertainment Critics.

Credit: FOX Searchlight.

LGBT Critics Make their Picks as

// J.W. Arnold

Awards Season Approaches G

et out your scorecards because Hollywood awards season is here! GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has named its nominees for its milestone 10th Dorian Awards for the best in film and television of 2018 and LGBT-themed flicks feature prominently among the nominees.

Leading in the movie categories with eight nominations is “The Favourite,” an unconventional biopic about England’s sexually fluid 18th-century monarch Queen Anne and the two women who competed for her affections.

“Can You Ever Forgive Me,” featuring Melissa McCarthy as a lesbian con artist, “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Roma” followed with six nods each. “A Star is Born,” another LGBT fan favorite scored four. The stars of the latest “Born” remake—Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga—are both up for film performance honors as well as the group’s special Wilde Artist of the Year award.

In TV categories, FX’s transgenderempowering drama “Pose” and BBC America’s biting cat-and-mouse thriller “Killing Eve” lead among drama series.

66 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Many of the nominations add some excitement to this year’s film awards season. On GALECA’s shortlist for best actor are “First Reformed” star Ethan Hawke and “BlacKkKlansman” lead John David Washington. Toni Collette from “Hereditary” and Yalitza Aparicio of “Roma” vie alongside Gaga for best actress. “Widows” upstart Elizabeth Debicki and “Black Panther” standout Michael B. Jordan up the ante in supporting performance races. And former YouTube star turned “Eighth Grade” writer-director Bo Burnham scored a nomination for Screenplay of the Year.

The spectacular, practically candy-coated Marvel adventure “Panther” is one of the titles up for Visually Striking Film of the Year, while the Diane Keaton comedy “Book Club” and “Aquaman” are in the running for the Campy Flick honor.

In TV categories, FX’s transgender-empowering drama “Pose” and BBC America’s biting cat-and-mouse thriller “Killing Eve” lead among drama series. “Eve” headliners Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, true to their hit’s storyline, vie against each other for TV Performance—Actress, while Hugh Grant and his “A Very English Scandal” paramour Ben Whishaw face each other on the gentlemen’s side.

Also making a fresh impression with GALECA, comprised of over 200 members in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. (including SFGN and Mirror arts and entertainment editor J.W.

Arnold): HBO’s hitman comedy “Barry,” Pop network’s richfamily satire “Schitt’s Creek,” and Julia Roberts and her cryptic new Amazon conspiracy tale “Homecoming.”

GALECA also recognizes several LGBTQ-specific categories, including best film (“Boy Erased,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “Disobedience,” “The Favourite,” “Love, Simon”), documentary (“The Gospel According to Andre,” “McQueen,” “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” “Studio 54,” “Whitney”) and TV series (“A Very English Scandal,” “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” “Killing Eve,” “Pose,” “Queer Eye”).

The society also recognizes the campiest film and TV series of the year. The campy flick category includes “Aquaman,” “Book Club,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” “A Simple Favor” and “Suspiria,” while TV nominees are “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” “Chilling Adventures of Sebrina,” “Queer Eye,” “Riverdale” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“We’re thrilled by the strong variety of films and TV performances our diverse group of members has chosen to praise,” said GALECA president Diane Anderson-Minshall, editorial director of The Advocate. "In a lovely compliment to the Time’s Up movement, several categories, including Wilde Artist of the Year, Wilde Wit of the Year and Rising Star, are dominated by women this year. And it’s inspiring that the majority of our Director of the Year nominees are persons of color, including Spike Lee, Barry Jenkins, and Alfonso Cuarón.”

“It’s hard to believe this is our tenth go-around of giving out our Dorian Awards,” added GALECA’s Executive Director John Griffiths. “In such oddly combative times, that’s really something to covfefe.”

And, if you’re handicapping the Oscars and Emmys races, just remember that the GALECA critics have a pretty solid track record when it comes to picking the big winners.

Since GALECA’s first film and TV favorites were named in 2010, over 200 artists and productions have received a Dorian Award, while over 1,000 have received nominations. Among its Film of the Year winners are “Argo” and “12 Years a Slave,” as well as two movies directed by Luca Guadagnino, “I Am Love” and “Call Me By Your Name.” With five Dorians each across various categories, “Moonlight” and “Carol” stand as the most awarded films in GALECA history, while “Transparent,” with six wins in best-series categories alone, reigns as the most honored TV title.

Jessica Lange, Cate Blanchett and Jeffrey Tambor rank as GALECA’s most honored performers so far, while MSNBC news personality Rachel Maddow and filmmaker Jordan Peele have each been recognized with three Dorian wins in nonperformance categories.

Along with its latest nominations, GALECA announced that comedian and radio personality Frank DeCaro (“The Daily Show”, Sirius XM’s “The Frank DeCaro Show”) will preside as Master of Ceremonies at its invitation-only 10th Dorian Awards Winners Toast in Hollywood later this month.

A full list of 2018 Dorian Awards nominees can be found at GALECA.org.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 67

68 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

FEBRUARY 14 I Parker Playhouse

MARCH 12 I Broward Center

MARCH 21 I Parker Playhouse TICKETS at BrowardCenter.org Ticketmaster | 954.462.0222 Group Sales | 954.660.6307 The Broward Center and Parker Playhouse 2018-2019 seasons are presented by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

Follow us:

BrowardCenter

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PROFILE

Latrice Royale

The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 contestant talks love, life and...

Comes Home I

drag!

/ / Michael Cook

t’s not often you see almost an entire workroom upset to see a fellow competitor go home on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, but that is exactly what you saw when the much beloved and den mother extraordinaire Latrice Royale was eliminated during the most recent episode of All Stars.

While others see this as one of their last chances to make an impact on Drag Race fans, Latrice has carved out a very special place in the hearts and minds of fans since her Season 4 appearance; this uber professional queen has business to tend to! I caught up with Latrice post-elimination and we talked about her time on All Stars, her intolerance for unprofessionalism; and the upcoming pivot in Latrice’s career.

Latrice, you are RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty, and as one of the twists of the season, returned to the workroom with your former All Stars 1 partner Manila Luzon. How did it feel to get to shock the whole workroom when you guys walked back in?

such as what happened with Gia Gunn during this year’s “Snatch Game of Love” challenge?

Twisted! [laughs]. It felt just like it looked.

It was good, I was excited about it and coming back and giving the girls a little bit of a scare, you know?

That is the part that people don’t understand. It is not as easy as it looks; if it’s not within your nature, for me it’s not within my mechanics to go “to the left.” I am not going to join you on your level, I can’t. The only way to be above it is to be above it and that is where I am at.

Do you think that you could have stood out more in the “Jersey Justice” challenge that ultimately sent you home?

When you came back into the workroom is there anyone that you were surprised not to see?

Sure. I wasn’t going to stoop to their level though; I just can’t do it, I cannot do it. I am used to working with professionals, and that is all tea and all shade. I am used to working with people who understand comedic timing and when it’s your turn to talk and when it’s time to let other people talk, you know what I mean? There is none of that; it is all “look at me AGGGH”[laughs]!

I definitely thought I would see Mariah Balenciaga, but she wasn’t there. There had been a lot of buzz about her, but she wasn’t there [laughs]!

As one of the most seasoned and professional queens to ever walk through that workroom, how do you stay composed when you have interactions with queens that are exceedingly unprofessional,

Now that one half of Season 1 All Stars team “Latrila” is out of the competition, please tell me that we may get a sequel to your amazing single “The Chop” that was done after your Season 1 All Stars elimination.

Ohhhh! Well look, that would depend on Manila, we would have to figure that out, maybe give you guys a follow up. A sequel!

“The only way to be above it is to be above it

and that is where I am at.”

- Latrice Royale

70 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

x

You come from South Florida, where the drag is legendary. So many girls would absolutely kill it on RuPaul’s Drag Race and each of them have their own unique flavor to offer the show. From Athena Dion to Daisy DeadPetals to Tiffany Fantasia to TP Lords, there are countless girls to choose from in the Sunshine State. Who do you think would absolutely kill it on Drag Race?

Right, all of them! I think TP would be amazing on the show, I think that Daisy would be great in all of those challenges, she is kooky like that. I think Athena would be good, and Tiffany Fantasia is a hoot! I keep wondering why more girls from there have not made it on, I don’t know if they aren’t sending their tapes in or what. I know they’re traveling internationally also; we just got Athena booked in London; she’s the Queen of Mykonos!

“Here’s To Life” was your one woman show that you traveled with and it was absolutely spectacular!

Now, I am going to continue and develop more of my one woman show. I have toured with “Here’s To Life” in Europe and the U.K., but I have not done to much here in the United States, a proper stateside tour, so that is on the horizon. I also want to do more television, more scripted movies, I am kind of transitioning out of the nightclub scene, so you won’t be seeing me there as much. I am too old for that, you know when you get close to a certain age and you’re still in the nightclub you need to reevaluate your life [laughs]. So now you get to come to the theater to see me honey, yes darling!

Latrice Royale.

Photo credit: Latrice Royale.

Your pictures from your wedding were glorious, and hearing you talk about you husband Christopher on the show was heartfelt and a great peek at the kind of love that can come when you are being your most authentic self. Is married life everything that you thought it would be and more?

And more. I never thought that it would be, so it definitely surpassed that, you know? It was never something that was on my radar, but now that it has happened it has made us better. We really try harder at being good for each other and the best that we can be. Even when we have gone through it, we have tried to bring it back home real quick. It’s healthy!

As a Drag Race superstar who travels the world now, it must be comforting to have that port in the storm who you can come home to and truly be yourself and not have to always be Latrice Royale.

It really does help to have someone who gets it. It takes my own angst away to know that I don’t have to put on airs and I can just relax and just chill and just “be.”

It’s the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall and World Pride is coming up. What gives you the most pride for yourself now?

What gives me the most pride is the fact that I can use my voice, which I thought I did not have, to make change happen. I can use it to inspire and motivate people. I am most proud of the fact that I do have that effect on people. The fact that my message is being heard makes me proud, and that is all the validation that I need. The fact that people are listening and they hear it and see it and they want better and that they want better for themselves. That is all that I want.

www.latriceroyale.com

Smart Ride Crosses

$10

Million Mark The annual 2-day bike ride celebrates 15 years

T

/ / Jason Parsley

en days. That’s how long doctors told Glen Weinzimer he had left to live in 1993 when he was diagnosed with AIDS. More than 9,000 days later Weinzimer is not only still alive, but has become a well know activist and fundraising machine for HIV-related non-profits.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE.

Glen Weinzimer (right) with Smart Ride participant Santiago Solano in 2011. Photo via Santiago Solano, Facebook. ď ľ

72 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 73

It’s safe to say HIV activism and awareness in South Florida would not be the same if the doctors had been right 25 years ago.

This past November Weinzimer celebrated 15 years of the Smart Ride, an annual twoday, 165-mile bicycle ride from Miami to Key West that raises awareness and money for HIV-related non-profits. He launched the ride in 2003.

“It feels incredible from the standpoint of how much money we’ve raised over the years,” he said.

To be exact the ride has raised about $10.5 million since 2003. This was their best year with almost $1.2 million brought in, an astonishing amount considering the last major AIDS ride in Florida

“This is a completely preventable disease, but people are still getting infected.

Miami and Broward are two of the top places in the country.”

- Glen Weinzimer Founder of The Smart Ride

74 | THE

actually lost money in its final year.

HIV healthcare has changed though in the 25 years since Weinzimer was first diagnosed, and it has even changed in the 15 years since he founded the Smart Ride. The diagnosis is no longer a death sentence and for the most part it’s a manageable disease.

Even so, Weinzimer said as long as there are people living with HIV, and new infections, there will be a need for the organizations that the Smart Ride helps fund. So he has no plans to slow down.

“This is a completely preventable disease, but people are still getting infected.

Miami and Broward are two of the top places in the country,” he said.

Florida is second in the nation when it comes to new HIV infections according to the 2016 Centers for Disease Control report, the latest available.

“How do you get to the younger generation? How do we get them to understand?

What will resonate with them?” Weinzimer asked.

“We’re in a transition. Those 45 and older remember the worst of the pandemic like Rock Hudson turning into a toothpick dying a horrific death. Today you don’t see that.”

Hudson is an iconic American actor who died from HIV-related complications in 1985. He was the first major celebrity to die from an HIVrelated illness.

Back then it was easier to scare people with the threat of an HIV infection, Weinzimer

| JANUARY 2019

 Glen Weinzimer, busy making a difference.

Photo via The Smart Ride, Facebook.

said. But now with so many more prevention options available, and the fact that HIV can be treated relatively easy, educating carefree youth has become more difficult.

But it’s the younger generation that is more at risk for HIV according to the CDC. The age group that leads the way in new infections is 20-24 year olds. Next is 25-29, then 30-34 year olds. Additionally, men who have sex with men are at more at risk for infection. Black and Hispanic communities are also more at risk.

“A new generation faces the same disease, but they see it different,” he said. “We need to figure out how to pass the torch along to the next generation and figure out what it looks like to them.”

Unlike other charitable bike rides the Smart Ride gives 100 percent of the donations raised

from the participants to other benefitting agencies.

“We don’t use any of that money to produce the event,” Weinzimer said. Or to pay any of the staffers, such as himself.

Smart Ride has given away a lot of money over of the years.

AIDS Help in Key West, Miracle of Love in Orlando, and Metro Wellness Community Center in Tampa have all received more than $1 million.

Some local recipients include Compass, South Beach AIDS Project, and the Children Diagnostic Treatment Center.

“Funds raised from The Smart Ride are crucial resources for our Care Coordinators and Support Workers. Every dollar raised can be quickly applied to help our families at the moment they need it most. Our patients never have to make the choice to forego medical care and set back their health,” said Dr. Ana

FEATURE

The SunServe team cruising towards victory.

Photo via The Smart Ride. 

Calderon, Executive Director of CDTC. “The Smart Ride is an amazing resource for the CDTC and the community we serve. The lives of our patients are forever changed and are so much better thanks to the participants’ devotion and dedication to helping those in need and to finding a cure to this devastating disease.”

Last year the ride only raised $830,000, well short of their goal, because Hurricane Irma forced organizers to reschedule the ride until January of this year.

But even that number is still amazing to Weinzimer, considering they only raised $169,000 in 2003.

“We’ve averaged a million a year for the last four years,” he said with pride.

This was Julie Seaver’s first year riding.

“I wanted to ride because I knew others couldn’t. I’ll admit I cried over a few of those bridges, and yes I did crash with bruises that are still healing,” the Executive Director of Compass said. “But that’s just it, bruises and road rash heal. We are still healing from the stigma and fight

“I wanted to ride because I knew others couldn’t.”

- Julie Seaver Executive Directer of Compass

against HIV/AIDS. I pedaled every single mile for friends and clients we have lost over the years, and they were truly with me the entire way.”

In November 416 riders took part with 280 crew members taking care of the logistics.

Weinzimer said next year’s event is already off to a good start with 200 riders and crewmembers already signed up. Normally only about 100 have registered at this point.

“That’s already a third of our goal,” he said. “Hopefully we can spend more time on fundraising and training and less time on recruitment.”

Seaver is one of those that has already signed up for the next ride.

“There's that indescribable feeling when you finally get to Key West High School and everyone is waiting to cheer you in, waiting together, so we can ride to the closing ceremonies together,” she said.

“The family we have built with the Smart Ride, other agencies, donors, crew and riders, and the overwhelming feeling of one team accomplishing something truly amazing together is why I signed up.”

Weinzimer notes that besides younger people still acquiring HIV in record numbers, long-term survivors need help as well.

“There are so many people that expected to die that never did,” he said. “For instance Key West has an aging population of people who gave up their careers thinking they would die. There are still people with great need.”

Each benefiting non-profit helps people living with HIV in a different way.

“Each agency has a different focus,” he said.

About 6 years ago though Weinzimer realized there were a lot of nonprofits that do

x

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 75

FEATURE HIV-related work that needed smaller grants for specific programs. In response they launched the 10% Lifeline, taking 10 percent of the monies raised off the top and setting it aside to give throughout the year to an organization that needed help.

For instance last year they granted $20,000 to Poverello for a generator so they’d be able to save their food in case they lost power. They also gave a grant to the World AIDS Museum so they could bring 800 school kids to the museum to learn about HIV. “We wanted to educate the kids so they could make a decision about sex and hear a message that didn’t come from their mother, but a third party,” he said.

“We wanted for the event to actually help people in need, and for the funds raised to not go to production and administration fees.”

- Mark Byrd The Smart Ride Board Member

How it all began It was 1995, two years after Weinzimer was told he had 10 days to live, when he participated in his first AIDS ride.

“I went along for the ride. I was really impressed,” he said.

“So I started volunteering for them. I have a background in marketing, so it was natural for me.”

Florida’s AIDS rides went through several iterations during those years, first as the Florida AIDS Ride, then the Walgreens Red Ribbon Ride and finally the Sunshine Ride for AIDS. The Sunshine Ride failed in 2002 because of the high costs of producing it.

“I was angry. Angry at the sponsors. Angry at the agencies,” he said. “It was crazy it wasn’t working.”

Weinzimer wasn’t the only one upset.

“I became pretty disenchanted after the abysmal failure of the Sunshine Ride, which actually lost money,” Annette Yuratovac said.

According to a Sun Sentinel article from 2002 that ride 76 | THE

lost about $175,000. But the first three rides, 1999, 2000 and 2001, raised $1.2 million.

Organizers at the time blamed it on the post-9/11 economy.

Only 87 riders took part that year. Compare that to this year’s Smart Ride where 500 riders are expected.

Weinzimer used his anger to fuel him to launch his own ride. He learned from the mistakes of other rides and was determined not to repeat them.

Some of the big changes he made included giving a degree of control to the participants for where their money goes; making sure 100 percent of the money raised goes to charity; and lastly not letting any of the agencies own the event.

Weinzimer wasn’t looking to make a career out of the first ride he produced, or even to continue it.

“I only did it to prove a point,” he said. “At the closing ceremonies that year we

| JANUARY 2019

 The banner announcing the total funds raised this year. Photo via The Smart Ride, Facebook.

didn’t even announce another event.”

Many of the people, who had been paid in the past to work previous rides, agreed to volunteer for Weinzimer’s first Smart Ride.

Yuratovac recalls Weinzimer asking “who was in?”

“I raised my hand without hesitation, and from that point forward have proudly been involved in every ride,” she said.

The ride continued. In year 2 they raised $279,000.

In year 4 Weinzimer was ready to give it up and move on. He decided to turn the ride over to the benefiting agencies.

“They really couldn’t agree on anything. Everyone had a conflict,” he said. “Eventually I realized we have to save this.

I couldn’t let this go up in flames. So we jumped back in.”

Mark Byrd remembers riding in the original Florida

AIDS Ride in 1995. He’s also now been involved with all 15 Smart Rides and serves on its board.

“We wanted for the event to actually help people in need, and for the funds raised to not go to production and administration fees,” Byrd said.

That first incarnation of the ride was called Bike It & B.E.A.R. (Because Education Achieves Results), which raised $169,000. The original benefitting agencies included Florida AIDS Action, Broward House, Sarasota CAN, South Beach AIDS Project and the Hug Me Program.

Today the Smart Ride is the second largest AIDS bike ride in the country with more than 500 riders expected to participate next time.

Producing the ride though is costly – about $300,000. Since the annual ride takes place over two days the biggest expense is

Top Fundraisers

“I don’t think they always grasp the magnitude of what they accomplished.

It’s more than just a celebration of two days, it’s the months of work, the training, the fundraising.”

- Glen Weinzimer Founder of The Smart Ride

the overnight housing for the crew and riders, costing about $80,000. Because every dollar raised goes to the benefiting agencies they have to find money elsewhere to cover the production costs.

“Our ride succeeds on sponsorships,” Weinzimer said.

One such sponsor is Macy’s.

“Macy’s is committed to Making Life Shine Brighter through service to our customers, our communities and our colleagues,” said Jacqueline King, Macy’s spokesperson.

“We [are] honored to be a partner with Smart Ride again this year to help raise awareness and make a difference in the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS.” Each rider also pays a $95 registration fee that is used to offset the cost of the event.

“Each benefitting agency has to also help find sponsors,” Weinzimer said.

For the past 4-5 years Weinzimer has taken a salary and has two paid part-timers working for him.

Turning 15, the ride may be aging, but for Weinzimer it doesn’t get old.

“On year one during the closing ceremony on the stage in Key West while watching those riders, riding toward me, it was beyond overwhelming especially to think about how these people put their trust me,” he said. “As the years progressed that feeling hasn’t faded. But now I just stand in awe as they approach watching the high fives, the smiles, the celebration. How pumped they are. I don’t think they always grasp the magnitude of what they accomplished. It’s more than just a celebration of two days, it’s the months of work, the training, the fundraising. But standing there is always my proudest moment.”

The Smart Ride takes place Nov. 16-17. To learn more about the annual bike ride

visit TheSmartRide.org.

Kevin Murdoch and Carlos Eduardo Prado lead a group towards victory. Photo via The Smart Ride, Facebook.

1. Donald Dotzauer $36,000 2. Joseph Locke $24,000 3. Eric Krause $19,360 4. Dale Hipsh $19,005 5. Kevin Taylor $17,330 6. Juan Benitez $12,570 7. John Labus $10,345 8. Ed Pascoe $10,300 9. Bobbie Cotton $10,136 10. Kevin O'Connor $9,963 Top Teams 1. Key West Mile Markers $170,326 2. Team Miracle of Love $73,736 3. Prideliners $69,604 4. Broward House Give A Shift $58,627 5. Love Always Wins $51,611 6. Tampa Bay Area Cyclists $39,569 7. Roosters Rollers $33,391 8. Bona Italian Restaurant $27,307 9. Agile Against AIDS $26,996 Current Beneficiaries Broward House Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Centers (CDTC) Metro Wellness & Community Centers Pridelines AIDS Help (AH) Miracle of Love Inc. Compass Community Center

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

The Sexual Liberation of

Thom Bierdz Soap hunk writes tell all sex memoir // David-Elijah Nahmod

F

rom 1986-89, Thom Bierdz was one of the biggest and most popular hunks on daytime TV when he played Phillip Chancellor III on the mega-hit soap opera "The Young And The Restless.”

Bierdz made many hearts swoon, but, unknown to his audience, he was a man with a secret. Bierdz is gay, a fact that he could not reveal during the more conservative 1980s. Now, three decades later, Bierdz comes clean about his sexual exploits—and the sexual shame he once felt—in his new memoir "Young, Gay And Restless: My Scandalous On-Screen and Off-Screen Sexual Liberations."

In the book Bierdz, now a successful artist living in the California woods, recalls every sexual encounter he ever had, both during his teen years in Wisconsin and during his Hollywood years. The book is raw and graphic – Bierdz holds nothing back.

Here is a snippet from a sexual encounter from his early days in Hollywood.

"He had the hairiest crack I had ever seen. That image was forever burned into my brain as one of the Seven Wonders of the World," he recalled. He also shares his experience with another soap opera actor: "Nevertheless, he said he wanted to see my dick, and I gladly obliged, unzipping and lowering my jeans. He felt me up a bit, then when I tried to feel him up, and asked to see his, he disappeared into his bedroom."

The book is also humorous. In an interview with SFGN, Bierdz describes the book as "Bold, Baby!"

"OMG! The things I say," he said. "Taboo shit no one else will say, no celeb for sure. I just realized an actor would not write that 78 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

“Very, very few people could be so open in a book because they have too much to lose.”

- Thom Bierdz Author

book, it would kill his career, only an artist would write that, an artist living by his own rules with rescue dogs in a forest hide-away who is no longer interested in trying to fit in."

Bierdz describes the book as "shocking and draw-dropping," but said that he never slept with anyone for a job in Hollywood.

"Probably because I did sleep with someone for a waiter job in Wisconsin," he said.

In the book Bierdz does name a few names.

"My biggest concern is hurting people, which is why I actually sought mental help at free clinics in Hollywood," he said.

"More on that in the book. So I changed the names of the people in the book I speak of negatively. But I name stars I had flings with, people like David Geffen, who romanced me at 22. I say nothing bad about Geffen. I know nothing bad about Geffen. He was a nice guy to me. He is in the book to show how many opportunities I encountered. I could have married a billionaire, or many millionaires, but I never went for guys with money."

Bierdz reveals that "Young Gay And Restless" came to be while he was researching a book on sexual assault.

"Two years ago when women accused Trump of sexual assault, I asked on Facebook what constituted assault, and shared of my own experiences," he recalled.

Thom Bierdz. Photo credit: Ron Morgan, via Facebook.

"Other men shared theirs, and I wanted to write a book, 'How Men REALLY Feel About Being Sexually Assaulted,' which is now set for release Dec. 1. So in writing out my accounts to be a forward to that book, geez, I just wrote nonstop on my own sexual history, 400 pages, maybe 200 men, and that became ‘Young, Gay and Restless.’"

The author addressed why he made the book so graphic.

"How can you not mention penis?" he asked. "Or balls? And each new body part and sexual act was a learning curve for me. I tried to make it as funny as possible though. Like in the beginning I share, as a kid in the 1960s, before computers, I thought everyone had penises, even my mom and grandmas."

Always busy, Bierdz has a third book being prepared for publication, a book of nudes, "100 Black And White Male Nude Prints & 100 Black And White Photos Of The Artist.”

"It's an easy book to assemble since I have painted over 100 male nudes in the past, and have tons of photos of me in online folders, some from my acting career, most selfies in the mountains here. It will make a great gift because readers can cut out pages of the male nude paintings and prints and frame them in small frames."

Bierdz's current projects are not his first time as an author. In 2009 he published "Forgiving Troy," a heartfelt memoir about

his mentally ill brother, who murdered their mother with a baseball bat. In the book Bierdz recounts his very personal journey from shock and fear to forgiveness – he now visits his brother in the prison where Troy currently lives.

"I had to write ‘Forgiving Troy’ because what I was living was bigger than life," he said. "To be brief, a psychic cowboy exboyfriend got a pleading message from my dead mother begging me to go to the prison which housed my schizophrenic brother who killed her. I had to put my life on the line because there was no dividing glass, and my schizo bro was a black belt and could finally kill me as he had threatened so many times. Essentially, though, he had rotted to near non-existence the five years he lay on his jail cell floor, and since a relative arrived, medication could be experimented on him. A relative was required to ask for medication on him, but we had all disowned him, so Mom sent me, with pills, Troy started to restore to infantile lucidity, and long story short, we had miraculous transformations."

These days, Bierdz lives a quiet and peaceful life.

"Seven years ago I left my social anxiety and $2,000-a-month apartment in Hollywood for a $1,000 two-story lodge home rental in the mountains of Lake Arrowhead," he said. "This is paradise. I make my living as an artist, usually painting

portraits from Facebook leads, I choose my hours, paint to YouTube lectures on consciousness and nutrition. My home looks over 10,000 evergreens and oaks and a lake."

He said he's perfectly comfortable with having written "Young, Gay And Restless."

"Very, very few people could be so open in a book because they have too much to lose," he said. "Most men have bosses that say, ‘you can't write that,’ or a husband or children or family members guilting them to silence. I am a freethinking, alternative independent artist finally comfortable in his own skin. What anyone else thinks of me is truly none of my business—so I can write the most embarrassing things— because they are honest, amusing, and pertinent to my journey. Is sex still naughty?

I ask several times in the book. Is it?"

"Young, Gay And Restless: My Scandalous On -Screen and Off-Screen Se xual Liberations" is no w available at Amazon, as ar e Bierdz's other books. Auto graphed copies can be pu rchased at his website: ThomBierdz.com

NEWS FEATURE

19 Men Were Arrested for

Public Sex in an Adult Theater

I

// Damon Scott

n October, a judge declared the theater private and dismissed two of the cases, but despite the ruling, the Broward State Attorney’s Office refuses to drop the charges against the other men.

It’s been months since two raids took place (in February and July) last year by the Hollywood Police Department at the Pleasure Emporium – resulting in almost two-dozen arrests.

The cases of the men who were arrested have taken different legal paths – some have fought the charges and others have seen charges dropped by prosecutors.

In October two of the cases were dismissed when a judge declared the adult theater a private space.

According to Paula McMahon, public information officer for the Broward State Attorney’s Office, the entity who ultimately decided to prosecute the men involved, here’s where things stand as of Dec. 20.

Of 19 cases that were filed in court: • One pleaded guilty at arraignment.

• A judge dismissed two.

• Prosecutors dropped two.

• Eight have entered the State’s Misdemeanor Diversion Program (MDP).

“Some defense attorneys have chosen to reject the state’s offer of diversion and eventual dismissal of the charges,” she said.

McMahon said, however, she expects several more men will enter the MDP. The MDP is designed for first time offenders to have their cases moved out of the criminal 80 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

“ I’d rather see them focus on real criminal activity and stop trying to govern the private sex lives of gay men.”

- Russel Cormican lawyer

court system and have their arrests sealed and expunged. However, in order to qualify for the program a defendant must “accept responsibility for their actions and seek rehabilitation.”

Most of the men who were arrested have said they are innocent and/or were involved in legal, consensual adult behavior.

“The Broward State Attorney’s Office reviewed the cases that were presented to us by Hollywood Police in the same way that prosecutors review allegations that individuals of any sexual orientation were exposing their genitals, masturbating or having sex in any public movie theater. Under current state law, this is considered illegal conduct,” read part of a statement sent to SFGN. “While not condoning sex acts in the public area of a movie theater, the Broward State Attorney’s Office believes the criminal justice system should have minimal involvement in cases involving allegations of this kind. That is why prosecutors have offered diversion programs, which would allow the individuals to move on with no criminal or arrest record,” the statement continued.

However according to one judge these men should never have been charged to begin with.

“I’m very disappointed to hear that the prosecutors are ignoring Judge Lerner-Wren’s very well-reasoned decision,” said Russell Cormican, who represented one of the men whose case was dismissed. “It’s an incredible waste of resources

Inside the Pleasure Emporium. Photo credit: Abbie Cuellar.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 81

NEWS FEATURE

to continue the prosecution of sexual encounters between consenting adults occurring in a place that a Judge has already found to be private. I’d rather see them focus on real criminal activity and stop trying to govern the private sex lives of gay men.”

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Police Department remains steadfast in their decision to conduct the raids and arrests.

“Detectives who worked this case are assigned to these types of cases on a routine basis. Reports of criminal activity taking place in a public venue will always warrant further investigation by HPD as a normal course of duty,” said spokeswoman Miranda Grossman in a statement to SFGN. Of the many criticisms directed toward the HPD in the Pleasure Emporium arrests is the speed at which mug shots of those arrested were sent to local news media. Many of the men were effectively outed and some lost their jobs or were disowned by family members.

Grossman said the HPD did not release the men’s booking photos to the media.

“Media outlets can choose to search for the photos on sherriff.org and post it themselves.

When requested, the Police Department will release PCs to media,” she said in the statement.

Another criticism is the rationale for the raids in the first place. The HPD cited anonymous letters detailing illegal sexual activity as the impetus for the raids and arrests. One of the complaints allegedly concerned an underage individual.

“The investigation occurred after receiving complaints in early 2018. An additional complaint resulted in the second investigation. After the operation, the Police Department met with the business owner and their legal representatives to discuss. To date, the Department has not received any additional complaints regarding this establishment,” Grossman continued in the statement to SFGN. Attorney Abbie B. Cuellar of Miami’s Amador & Cuellar, who represents four of the men who were arrested, had a scheduled deposition of the officers involved on Dec. 19. She said three of the “main officers” failed to appear for the deposition.

“One had called me to reschedule but the other two claimed they were never served and weren’t available on that day,” Cuellar said. “They claimed the office gave us the wrong information on their availability.”

Cuellar said that of the officers who did appear, 82 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

Inside the Pleasure Emporium.

Photo credit: Abbie Cuellar.

“The court finds that the Pleasure Emporium is not a public space under [Florida Statute] 800.03.”

- Ginger Lerner-Wren Broward County Judge

none seemed to recall the “huge neon sign” that says “Private Viewing Theaters” in the back of the adult business. The sign is a point of contention among legal counsel and ultimately a ruling by a judge.

In late October, Broward County Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren ruled that the locked rooms at the Pleasure Emporium are, in fact, private areas, and therefore charges of exposing genitals in public weren’t valid.

Lerner-Wren dismissed two of the cases brought by attorney Rhonda F. Gelfman of North Miami Beach.

"The court finds that the Pleasure Emporium is not a public space under [Florida Statute] 800.03," Lerner-Wren wrote in her ruling. "The patrons who access the private viewing theaters where consensual activity occurs in the presence of other consenting adults objectively and subjectively possess a reasonable expectation of privacy."

Of Cuellar’s four cases, two were dismissed by the State Attorney’s Office – the two who were in the private viewing area together.

The other two cases are still open and going forward, perhaps eventually to trial.

These two clients are said to have been in the theater area, but maintain they were never there, Cuellar said.

THURSDAYS AMATEUR STRIP CONTEST 300

$

PRIZE AT MIDNIGHT

FRIDAYS

+

WORLD FAMOUS

TOWEL NIGHT COCKTAIL SPECIALS

HOSTESS SASHA LORDS

COCKTAIL SPECIALS HOSTESS ERIS DELIGHT LORDS

COCKTAIL SPECIALS

SUN DAYS COCKTAIL SPECIALS

1243 NE 11 AVE FT LAUD, FL 33304 2P-2A TUES-SUN (3A WEEKENDS)

PATRICA BURNSIDE REALTY

Are you interested in buying a bar?

We have listings for nightclubs, lounges, sports bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and adult entertainment related businesses.

We help with hard to obtain business and liquor licenses throughout all of South Florida.

Call Direct: Pat Burnside 305.389.5800 Toni Barone 954.253.0499

Julie Negovan 215.431.9295

Tina DeSanctis 561.351.9196

Luis Hernandez 786.229.6200

305.595.9522 2455 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 311 Hollywood, FL 33020

PatBurnsideRealty.com Integrity. Passion. Professionalism.

CARS

Hybrids Can be

Handsome The 2019 Honda Insight proves it // Larry Printz

T

here seems to be a notion that cars boasting exotic technology have to be incurably ugly.

Certainly, the Toyota Prius is guilty of crimes against natural beauty; ditto the ungainly Honda Clarity. The latter is especially puzzling given the sublime styling of the 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid. ď‚„

86 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 87

CARS

Slipping between the Civic and Accord, the new Insight doesn’t resemble the dorky Insights of old. Surprisingly, its eloquent elegance renders it the best-looking Honda sedan at any price. After all, driving a fuelefficient car shouldn’t force drivers to pilot the automotive equivalent of sack cloth.

The handsome wrapper contains a driveline that’s sure to make an OPEC oil minister miserable.

Honda’s hybrid system uses a 1.5-liter Atkinsoncycle four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors. One motor drives the front wheels while another generates electricity.

The result produces 151 horsepower, returning an EPA-rated 55 mpg city and 49 mpg highway on base LX ($22,830) and middle EX ($24,060) models. On top-level Touring models ($28,090), it returns a 51 mpg city and 45 mpg highway.

Uniquely, the Insight doesn’t use a conventional transmission. Instead, a clutch connects the gas engine and electric

generator motor to the electric propulsion motor. This results in power being supplied directly to the front wheels without a conventional transmission, saving weight and space.

As with any electric vehicle, the Insight’s throttle response is strong off the line, but it doesn’t like being driven aggressively.

Instead, smooth, gradual inputs are rewarded. There is a selectable “Sport” driving mode that makes the vehicle more responsive by using more battery assist. But it doesn’t transform the Insight into a sports sedan.

This is a pleasant, well-mannered sedan with a spacious, quiet cabin with an interior ambience that belies its price. The roominess continues in the trunk, with 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space and a folding rear seat back.

That’s because unlike other hybrids, Honda’s engineers placed the Insight’s 60cell lithium ion battery pack under the rear seats rather than in the trunk.

As with any new car, there’s a mindnumbing pile of driver assistance features to make you a better driver than you really are, including Collision Mitigation Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Of course, the technology most drivers care about is infotainment.

The Insight’s system is similar to the Honda Accord’s. There’s a power/volume knob, but no tuning knob, although Bluetooth and USB ports are offered on all models. However, if you want the larger eight-inch touchscreen with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, they’re only available on the EX or Touring. And Honda’s infotainment software issues continue. Apple CarPlay froze on the test car. Worse, its Bluetooth system was unable to locate my iPhone 8.

Is this a deal breaker? It depends on your priorities.

Nevertheless, the 2019 Honda Insight proves to be the best one yet, with handsome styling, a beautiful interior and a quiet demeanor. It demonstrates that driving a fuel-efficient car doesn’t have to make you a style victim.

Larry Printz is an internationally published automotive journalist based in South Florida. He can be reached at TheDrivingPrintz@gmail.com.

88 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

5Visit Tampa TRAVEL

Reasons to

// Aaron Drake

1 The Epicurean The 137-room gem sits in Tampa’s trendy Hyde Park district of South Tampa, locally known as SoHo. The boutique property is in close proximity to the waterfront, surrounded by restaurants and the buzz of the city’s nightlife. The atmosphere at the hotel is carefully put together, creating unique flavors just for the hotel and a decidedly particular focus on wine, food, art and culture. As part of the Autograph Collection of Marriott International, guests here can expect complimentary wireless Internet, flat-screen HDTVs, heavenly rain showerheads and locally crafted reclaimed wooden doors.

1

Each room has a personal artisan pantry stocked with premium liquors, local craft beer, Perrier, a selection of San Pellegrino and five, halfbottle varietals with suggested pairings like prosciutto, chocolate or sea salt caramels. The hotel’s restaurant Élevage is helmed by James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Best Chef: South semi-finalist Chef Chad Johnson, and features a menu with a mix of Southern hospitality and French techniques. For a unique hangout filled with local art, lounge in the hotel’s cozy, casual neighborhood Lobby Bar and check out the lovely view at the rooftop bar Edge. An even bigger draw for foodie travelers is the hotel’s reputed neighbor across the street, Bern’s Steak House.

Online: EpicureanHotel.com

2 Riverwalk First on the list is one of the city’s most unique places, the Tampa Riverwalk. This 2.4-mile walk lines the Hillsborough River with museums, restaurants and sites to see. Sunrise and sunset are the best times to capture the beautiful views. Festivals and events take place here year round, like the notorious Gasparilla Pirate and Margarita Festivals.

Just a peek at what’s along the walk: The Florida Aquarium, Tampa History Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, Glazer Children’s Museum and Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. (Riverwalk is considered a “wet zone” with 10 locations that are permitted to sell adult beverages in specially designed cups to be enjoyed along the route!)

Stephanie Fred, Public Relations for Visit Tampa Bay, shared her favorite activity at the Riverwalk. “Taking an e-boat from the Tampa Convention Center Basin and boating up the Hillsborough River along The Tampa Riverwalk. This allows you to watch the people enjoying the Riverwalk while taking in all of the sites of the beautiful Tampa waterfront.”

Online: TheTampaRiverWalk.com

90 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

2

EDGE Social Drinkery The Riverwalk's blue canopy

The Epicurian pool

TRAVEL

There’s no better place to cure the wintertime blues than in Florida.

Making a visit to the state’s Bay Area on the Gulf Coast is just what you need for a change of pace, without a change in climate. Here we give our top 5 favorite reasons to visit the city of Tampa for a weekend getaway—it’s a short distance for a road trip, or even a quick flight if you don’t want the temptation of loading up on snacks from 711.

3 Osteria Bar + Kitchen

3 Florida Aquarium A highlight on the Tampa Riverwalk is the Florida Aquarium. Besides giving guests a chance to get a close up look at Florida’s (and the world’s) aquatic and terrestrial life, the aquarium also works to protect and conserve wildlife habitats. The Florida Aquarium spearheads research and rescue efforts focused on Florida’s sea turtles, coral populations and sharks. A favorite activity of guests to the Aquarium include a special shark swim—a snorkel-like experience swimming in one of the aquarium’s tanks with more than 1,000 fish, including stingrays, barracudas, a sea turtle, and of course, sand tiger sharks! The swim is appropriate for anyone over the age of 9 and no scuba certification is required. (The aquarium does offer a certification-required shark dive as well.)

Online: FLAquarium.org

The Florida Aquarium

Hall on Franklin

Crew sunrise

4

4 Osteria Bar + Kitchen Located right in the heart of downtown, this Tampa delight is described as “a rustic and refined approach, and Italian in spirit.”

As a collaborative creation by “Top Chef’s” Fabio Viviani and local Nocturnal Group, patrons can look forward to exquisite homemade dishes, an extensive wine list and handcrafted cocktails. A few menu staples are the 12 oz. Kobe Meatball, Rigatoni in a Jar and semiboneless roasted chicken. The restaurant recently debuted a new full lunch and weekend brunch menu, with delicious options like mustard crusted salmon; coccoli platter with puffed crispy dough, smoked prosciutto, stracchino cheese, truffled honey and herb oil; and burrata caprese panini with sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic glaze, basil and arugula.

Online: OsteriaTampa.com

5 5 Hall on Franklin Another exciting must-stop on your trip to Tampa is a visit to the city’s full-service collective eatery.

It’s Tampa’s first food hall and the first full-service one in the country. Housed in an 8,000-squarefoot Tampa Heights building from 1922, which has had previous turns as both a Plymouth car dealership and a gay club, the open concept of this friendly neighborhood joint offers up several restaurant options, along with coffee and liquor bars all in a shared space. So whether you’re craving a delectable spicy ahi tuna poke bowl, Mexican street food, pizza, pasta or good ol’ Southern fried chicken, you have your choice.

And no, it’s not weird to order a dish from each if you want a little bit of everything! Hall on Franklin serves brunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a long happy hour from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and it turns into a lounge-like atmosphere with a live DJ on Fridays and Saturday evenings until 2 a.m.

ONLINE: thehallonfranklin.com

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 91

FASHION

Photo via 5=10, Facebook.

GaYS UNDIES and their

5=10 makes you look and feel good / / Nick Adkins

F

eeling sexy isn’t about one ideal body type or person – just ask the five gay men behind 5=10, an underwear company fit for anyone.

“Our story is quite simple. We are comprised of five guys with different body types ranging from athletic to brawny,” 5=10 cofounder Doug Morris said.

For Morris and the others it’s not just about underwear though, it’s also about giving back. That’s why 10 percent of every purchase is given to charity.

The five men met participating in the gay sports leagues of NYC, playing softball together.

As gay men who love different underwear, they each had specific issues with the undergarment industry’s current state.

“We know we've created a stylistic solution in functional underwear for all men and for all body types,” Morris said.

Some of the partners have experience in the industry. “We get our inspiration by following current trends on the runways, then incorporate them into our designs while adding our own take on them,” Morris said.

But the real philanthropy happens off the runway. “[We] started this company with the sole purpose of making a difference in the men's underwear market and the world we live in by giving 10 percent of our profits to selected charities,” Morris said.

5=10 has partnered with several charitable causes, including THE CENTER, home to NYC’s LGBT community, Divabetic, an organization specializing in diabetes education, and the East African Center, which provides education for over 350 students, educational supplies, food and a safe space to learn in Eastern Kenya.

“We all had personal connections to the charities selected,” Morris said on how they picked causes. “[THE CENTER] was a logical choice since we are five gay men and felt strongly about the programs for health, wellness and community that they provide. [Divabetic,] because we have family members [with] diabetes and felt their message was important.

[Additionally] we felt strongly about [EAC’s] mission and the services they provide,” he went on to say.

“We chose these charities because we wanted to make an impact and start making a difference immediately,” Morris said.

This immediate difference recently came in the form of the last Giving Tuesday, when 5=10 was able to match the East African Center’s fundraising effort with $1,000.

92 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

se m. U f o c . of en alsT ercent u q p eE t Fiv get 20 a d 9.

0 to oun be f FGN2 /28/1 n a 0c de S efore 2 5=1 mo co b pro

Intoxicated AND Incarcerated?

Criminal

DefensE

Norm Kent & russelL cormican Attorneys at Law

954.763.1900 94 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

NEWS

Amendment 4 Restored the Right to Vote to Felons

But There’s a Catch Some LGBT ex-felons will never get to cast a ballot // Daniel Villarreal

L

atrice Royale, a beloved competitor from “RuPaul’s Drag Race“ implored her Instagram fans to vote three days before the midterm elections.

In a post, Royale wrote, “I made a mistake! I paid for my crime! I pay my taxes! … I don’t have my right to vote!

I urge all that have a voice, please vote!

Speak for people like me who can’t!”

Like 1.6 million people living in Florida, Royale (birth name Timothy Wilcots) had lost his right to vote because he’d once been convicted of a felony. He violated his probation on a 2002 drug arrest in Fort Lauderdale.

He’d been carrying cannabis and Klonopin without a prescription — a felony — and served about a year in prison.

After being released, Wilcots discovered he could no longer participate in elections thanks to an 1868 state constitutional amendment specifically designed to reduce the number of black voters. The amendment disproportionately

affected black Floridians as they make up 46 percent of the state’s prison population despite being only 16 percent of the general population.

However, on Nov. 6, nearly 65 percent of Floridian voters approved Amendment 4, a ballot measure restoring voting rights to felons who completed their sentences (and weren’t convicted of murder and sex offenses).

Amendment 4 seemed posed to benefit the estimated 5 percent of male prisoners and 33 percent of female prisoners who identify as LGBT, and to majorly overhaul the state’s old way of restoring convicts’ voting rights, a process that could take anywhere from 15 to 38 years with no guarantee of approval.

“Of course the passage of Amendment 4 is a subject that is near and dear to my heart,” Wilcots told SFGN. “For over a decade, I have been stripped of my right to vote. I was always under the assumption that once you pay for your crime and do your time, you can regain your life, rebuild and become a productive member of society. As it turns out ... not so much.”

But unbeknownst to Wilcots and

many supporters of Amendment 4, the newly passed law won’t immediately restore the voting rights of most felons.

In fact, poorer felons won’t ever get their rights back.

In a Dec. 8 Florida Sentinel editorial, Scott Greenberg — the executive director of the Freedom Fund, a nonprofit fighting the mass jailing of LGBT people — pointed out that ex-felons only have their voting rights restored after they pay court fees associated with their arrest, an amount that can range anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars.

This basically amounted to a debt trap and a poll tax, Greenberg wrote, especially considering that the average annual income of a formerly incarcerated American is $6,500. That poverty, combined with the fact that Florida also suspends driver’s licenses for nonpayment of court debt, ensures that only wealthier ex-convicts will ever regain their voting rights.

It’s unclear how many of Florida’s former felons owe court fees, but when Freedom Fund looked at 100 South Florida court records from 1998, they found that 92 still owed fees.

“I was always under the assumption that once you pay for your crime and do your time, you can regain your life, rebuild and become a productive member of society. As it turns out ... not so much.”

- Timothy Wilcots also known as Latrice Royale

96 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

A march in 2010 for voter's rights.

Photo Credit: Michael Fleshman

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 97

NEWS

Voting in 2018.

Photo via the League of Women Voters, Flickr.

“Votes shouldn't be held hostage to payment,” Greenberg wrote.

When asked by SFGN, Greenberg said he disagrees with an oft-stated online sentiment that those who violate laws shouldn’t have a hand in shaping them.

These comments ignore the law’s racist roots, he said, and maintain an outsized consequence for common felony offenses like drug possession, public fighting, stealing over $300 or sleeping in public, a felony charge that especially affects the 960,000 homeless LGBT youth currently living on the streets.

“I don’t understand how [breaking these laws] should preclude you from the civic fabric or ever having a say in government,” Greenberg said “If someone infringes upon the laws and the idea is to bring them back into the fold in a more ‘pro-social’ way, why would you want to exclude them from exercising a fundamental

98 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

right that makes people participate in how things work and have a stake in how government gets done?”

Because felons are regularly excluded from employment opportunities and public benefits, Greenberg said the current legal consequences for felons are punitive enough without adding extra penalties.

Research also shows that Florida felons who have their voting rights restored are much less likely to commit another crime.

In fact, he said that LGBT people should take a particular interest in this issue since they’re three times more likely to be incarcerated than the general public.

Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor, another Florida resident who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, agrees with Greenberg.

Taylor said, “If someone did something wrong and they do their time then they should be given a second chance. Obviously, not all

crimes to me are forgivable but the majority of people are good people and humans don’t always make the best decisions.”

“I do not understand the [court] fees being added [as a condition to restore voting.] If they have paid their time then it should be free like all of us!”

But the implementation of Amendment 4 faces other roadblocks apart from lingering court fees.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the legislature will have to pass “implementation language” before Amendment 4 can go into effect, but the new legislative term doesn’t start until March 5 and others worry that legislators will prolong the process or make it harder than necessary.

Some felons may not realize that they need to finish their probationary sentences or pay court fees before re-applying to vote.

As such, if they check the box on the voter registration forms that say, "I affirm that I am not a convicted felon, or if I am, my right to vote has been restored,” they could be found guilty of another felony.

In short, it seems like it’ll be a while before Amendment 4 will benefit anyone, let alone Florida’s LGBT former felons like Wilcots.

Nevertheless, he said that he’ll continue encouraging his fans to push for reform.

“Because I couldn’t vote,” Wilcot said, “it has been my mission to influence and inspire those who could to use their voice. I have not, nor will I ever, waver from my mission to make change happen.”

w o b n i a R e h T e Raid g n Lou HISTORY

na id o orth a r rt W 09 a In 20 ar in Fo city b gay ked the c sho

//

lly

na Li

tia Chris

I

t was the wee hours of June 28, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. Todd Camp was partying with his friends to celebrate his 43rd birthday at the Rainbow Lounge, a gay bar that had barely been open two weeks. The LGBT community was excited to see what the bar was like.

It was also Pride Month, and hours before the party, Camp had screened films commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots during the the city’s gay and lesbian film festival. With that, the significance of what was going to happen that night was not lost on Camp and his friends.

“I was standing in line to get a drink and a cop shoved me out of the way and grabbed a guy in front of me and spun him around and put him in zip ties and dragged him off, and I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’” Camp remembers. “And then I looked out and there were cops everywhere. They were all over the bar, they were slamming people on pool tables.”

It was what would later be known as the Rainbow Lounge Raid, a raid by members of the Fort Worth Police Department and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at a gay bar on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. What happened inside depends on who you ask, but at the end of the night multiple patrons were arrested and one, 26-year-old Chad Gibson, was hospitalized with a head and brain injury.

“We all went to my place because we were all pretty shaken and upset and that’s when the journalistic instinct kicked in,” said Camp, who was a reporter. He began calling his friends at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The New York Times, as well as Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns, who was the first openly gay councilman in the city.

Word soon spread throughout social media, and the LGBT community of Fort Worth was outraged. Robert Camina, a

100 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

filmmaker, saw his Facebook page flooded with stories of what happened at the Rainbow Room. He was supposed to be at the bar to celebrate Camp’s birthday as well, but stayed behind in Dallas to hang out with a friend who had returned from a Middle East deployment.

“There were a lot of questions and no answers, so I grabbed my camera,” he said. “It was charged up and I said whatever is going on, I want to capture the protests on video.”

Patrons in the bar said that cops were bullying patrons, including injuring Gibson and others. The police chief, on the other hand, claimed that the cops were [being] sexually harassed and even groped as they walked into the bar. In 2009, the instinct to take out your camera phone to document scenes was not there, but one man did take out a camera and managed to take a few photos of Gibson being thrown to the ground.

“I think the thing that was shocking and disappointing to me was that we had always had a great relationship with the Fort Worth Police Department,” Camp said. “This was not typical behavior. It’s not what Stonewall was, where they were used to be harassed on an almost daily basis...So I think that added to the fear because people had no idea what was going on because this wasn’t regular procedure in any rate.”

Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead, who had only been chief for six months, took his officers’ word and claimed the patrons’ inappropriate behavior led to the incident.

“Halstead goes on camera and perpetuates these claims of

sordid activity that was going on in the bar that night, and that just made people even more angry. It snowballed into this incredibly controversial event,” Camina said.

Camp and others joined forces to gather witness accounts, organize rallies, speak with news outlets, and communicate with public officials. At the next city council meeting, they presented a plan to the council and demanded an apology—the mayor gave one. However, the next day he walked it back and claimed the apology was for the injuries, not the actual raid.

But the community didn’t back down, and Fort Worth stepped up in ways that put the city on the map. The city investigated the departments, diversity training was organized for city employees, a diversity task force was created, resolutions were passed, and transgender people were added to the city’s antidiscrimination ordinance.

The police department suspended three of the officers who took part in the raid, and the TABC fired three people.

In 2012, Camina completed his film and premiered “Raid of the Rainbow Lounge.” By then, the city and the LGBT community were mending their relationship and the city is now known as one of the leaders in equality in the state of Texas.

“I think Fort Worth has learned a great deal from this incident,” Camp said. We had cities all over the country coming to Fort Worth to ask us what we did...we had the right people in place that knew what to do.”

102 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

INTERIOR DESIGN

Developing

design trends of

2019 and beyond... // Anthony Pennetti

Fresh shapes and fluid forms usher in the new design trends of 2019 as decors shift from the traditional to more sleek, dynamic and tonal qualities.

As our lifestyles become more eco-conscious (think paper straws), alternative resources are bursting onto the scene. Rattan, linens, jute and other natural materials create a cool aesthetic with clean lines and sustainability as brands look to build on their basics in 2019.

Metallics once reserved for holiday tableware HAVE SURGED into everyday living as they can make a muted room glow.

Standout pieces retire those classy boxy pieces in lieu of an alternative with a show stopping element that will elevate any interior.

In the coming year expect to see more homes bridge the gap between old and new, embracing classic backdrops with sleek, contemporary shapes and space shifting qualities. But most of all, make sure you’re comfortable and confident in your changing space.

106 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

a mid-century modern furniture and decorative arts showroom info@thefrug.online Our showroom offers a curated selection of furniture, lighting and decorative arts spanning the twentieth century with a strong focus on Scandanavian design.

now open!

4316 N Dixie Highway | Oakland Park, FL 33334

NEWS FEATURE

John Byrne. Photo courtesy of Prevention305.

PrEP Priority Miami-area Latinos N

Group uses gay dating apps to combat HIV

ew cases of HIV in the Miami area are the highest in the nation and the Latino population is one of the most at risk.

An effort has evolved to bring those numbers down through education and access to the HIV prevention drug PrEP in some unconventional ways.

Prevention305 has trained “peer navigators” to reach Latinos, primarily – many of whom are immigrants and/or don’t speak much if any English. The navigators use popular gay dating apps like Grindr and Tinder to introduce them to the drug.

Miami resident John Byrne started Prevention305 a few years ago and serves as its executive director. He’s also the founder and controlling partner of Raw Story Media and AlterNet Media – part of a group of LGBT-owned news sites in the U.S. It was a rare false-positive HIV test that spurred Byrne toward the nonprofit’s new work.

“If you’ve had a false-positive, you know it can take a week to get the confirmation back,” Byrne said. “I thought: oh my God, I’m that one in a million person, because I was taking PrEP. I thought: No one needs to go through this.”

The drug was solidly top of mind for Byrne and he didn’t think enough was being done to get the word out about it. PrEP reduces the risk of HIV transmission by more than 90 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For drug users the risk is lowered by more than 70 percent.

108 | THE

// Damon Scott

| JANUARY 2019

What is it?

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. The CDC says you’re considered very high risk if you’re a gay or bisexual man who has anal sex without a condom. It also considers as very high risk those who are HIV-negative, but are in an ongoing sexual relationship with someone who is HIV-positive.

PrEP is a combination of two HIV medicines sold under the name Truvada.

When used correctly, the CDC says PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading. Critics though point out that PrEP does not prevent other STIs such as syphilis.

From posters to peers Byrne’s early push for outreach consisted of a grassroots effort of making posters for health centers and fitness clubs – the “Swallow This” graphic that shows a blue PrEP pill on a man’s outstretched tongue. He had the poster done in both English and Spanish.

“I slowly realized as a white person in Miami what I was running up against,” Byrne said. “The translation of the poster

don’t o h w e s o h t rriving or ical situation a e r a o h w “Those ny polit a r o f r a e f r way to o speak English e [a health clinic]. The best ere.” id th will not go ins a [peer navigator] right ve do it is to ha a rrealb o To

- Marc

m Progra

r

Directo

in Spanish didn’t work. I realized I couldn’t do this on my own.”

On a whim he began doing PrEP education on Grindr. He created a profile with PrEP information and the line: “Contact me if you want info on how to get PrEP.” “I was blown away by the response,” Byrne said. “There was a demand. Some had heard about it, but didn’t know where to go.”

For a year he went to conferences, made connections and wrote grants (he got one each from Gilead Sciences and AIDS United). Byrne, 37, then hired a digitally savvy gay Venezuelan man to be his program director – Marco Torrealba.

Torrealba, 34, was tasked by Byrne this year to hire peer navigators and train them in customer service, marketing and technology to make the dating app connections with Latinos about PrEP. “People don’t have access because a lot of the information is in English,” Torrealba, who moved to South Florida three and a half years ago, said. “This is why Latinos are not having access to PrEP, the lack of information. When you are an immigrant, you can be in a bubble. Sometimes you get nervous.”

Torrealba said his training methods are heavy on the use of empathy and innovation.

Marco Torrealba. Photo courtesy of Prevention305.

HUMAN INTEREST

“In order to reach and communicate with a different culture you have to be very empathetic,” he said. “Those who are arriving or those who don’t speak English or fear for any political situation will not go inside [a health clinic]. The best way to do it is to have a [peer navigator] right there.”

His peer navigators create profiles on the sites and spread the word about PrEP. Torrealba said the format takes some of the initial nervousness away and he stresses that they are not creating fake or misleading profiles. All his peer navigators are younger and are people of color.

“Once they say hi to the person; how are you today; I am fine; I want to tell you I am here to offer PrEP,” Torrealba said. “People say yes or no. Peer navigators are trained and have to be aware to be straight with the message. That person will block you and report your profile otherwise.”

Byrne and Torrealba have found an audience with Instagram as well, hiring Instagram influencers, both because it’s effective and because not everyone uses gay dating sites or apps, he said.

“People go to Instagram to see if you’re for real, see a face, see a video, see who is working at Prevention305,” Torrealba said.

305 advantages Prevention305 is able to help a client receive the drug more quickly with wait times reduced from months to weeks. In most cases, the drug is available for free, either through insurance or if a client makes less than $58,000 a year and doesn’t have insurance.

Anyone can sign up on their website to book an appointment and to go over options.

“Clients know they aren’t alone in this process. Peer navigators are with clients during the appointment if they have questions or are nervous,” Torrealba said.

By the numbers In less than six months, Prevention305 has reached almost 300 people and has about 100 taking PrEP. “While it may not sound like a lot, there’s only about 1,500 people on PrEP in all of Miami-Dade, so I think our early success is a big number,” Byrne said.

Byrne said to look for Prevention305 at events and festivals around South Florida and said he’s also working toward opening a mobile PrEP clinic in collaboration with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine at The Gaythering hotel, sauna and bar in Miami Beach.

re

For mo

h is Spanis sh and . gli n rg E e in 305.o websit encion ’s v 5 e 0 3 pr n d tio at an ilable Preven 305.org P is ava ention v rE e P n pr o t a on ep. formati e CDC in /risk/pr t e hiv / v mpl o Co cdc.g

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 109

TRENDING LOCALLY

WHERE: The Book Cellar, palm Beach An Architectural Heritage: Stories in Preservation and Architecture Coffee Table Book Enjoy the view of Palm Beach houses and gardens resplendent with old grandeur yet wonderfully alive for today in this elegant hardback.

WHERE: To The Moon

KOHLER Dark Chocolate Hearts Give your sweetie some sweets! These heart-shaped shells of dark chocolate surround a soft, raspberry ganache center graced with delightfully subtle hints of champagne and cognac notes. Nine pieces.

$65 • BookCellarLW.com 2205 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 954-564-2987

$19.99 • ToTheMoonMarketplace.com

2205 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 954-564-2987

Because they are

WORTH

IT

// Clark Rogers

WHERE: Argenti Designer Jewelers

“Trillion Gemstone” Pendants These handsome necklaces for him are part of The Adonis Collection custom designed and produced by Mark Silver.

A popular style, these leather necklaces are made with sterling silver and natural trillion cut gemstones in a variety of colors – Amethyst, Blue Quartz, and Siberian Green Quartz.

$95 • ArgentiDesignerJewelers.com

218 Commercial Boulevard, Suite 103, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 954-772-6177

WHERE: Jim Threlkel Florist

3 Dozen Long Stemmed Roses Imagine your mate loving this amazing bouquet day after day. Three-dozen spectacularly gorgeous red roses delivered in a dazzling flared glass vase - positive proof that love is a manysplendored thing. Hero-worshipping time! Approximately 31-1/2"w x 32"h.

$219.95 • JimThrelkel.com

820 W. Oakland Park Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-566-7571

110 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

CA N

OR ST

WILT ON

M

RIGINAL

Y D

O N A

O RS

OM

E O

00

O

SE

0 7, R1

FR

OVE

: L L E S WE

D

IF

FE

RE

ly Monopo Clue suit r u P l a i Triv rds a C g n i y Pla k c e D e l Set Doub o g n i B s& Checker Magnets s Coaster Socks T-Shirts

NT IT

the Moon o T 2205 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954) 564-2987 ToTheMoonMarketplace.com

TO S EM

C

H

SPECIAL REPORT

A

Public Health

Crisis STD Rates Continue to Rise // Jason Parsley

Crisis. Emergency. Epidemic.

These are just some of the words public health advocates and officials are using to describe the rising rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the U.S. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control showed in 2017, about 2.3 million cases of STDs were diagnosed. It marks the highest number ever reported, by more than 200,000 (the record previously set in 2016).

In regards to syphilis public health officials went from “plans to eliminate [the STD] to a public health crisis,” said Adam Sukhija-Cohen, the Director of Advocacy and Policy Research for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “This is an insane resurgence.”

Sukhija-Cohen noted that at the turn of the century public health officials were preparing for the elimination of syphilis in the U.S. but then “the CDC budget has decreased by a third since early 2000s.”

While there are many factors involved in why STD rates are increasing all three of the public health advocates SFGN 112 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

spoke with cited the decrease in federal funding as a main cause.

“This is a public health emergency,” said Jeffrey D. Klausner, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA. “But most concerning is a lack of a federal response.

We’ve not seen any response from the secretary of health and human services’ office.”

Matthew Prior, Director of Communications for the National Coalition of STD Directors concurred that a federal response is needed to address the growing epidemic.

“We’re seeing STDs increase across the nation, every age group, every demographic… these national trends are very worrisome,” he said.

A more detailed report from the CDC is expected by the end of September that will include state level data.

While STD rates continue to increase, new HIV infections continue to decrease.

“We know that investing in prevention works because of the progress we’ve made in HIV prevention,” Prior said.

A young man receiving a free test courtesy of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Photo via AHF, Facebook. 

The Consequences

Obamacare

Sukhija-Cohen and Prior both were particularly concerned about mothers passing syphilis to their children which is called congenital syphilis. It’s life threatening and entirely preventable. Those rates have doubled over the past decade.

“Forty percent of babies born with syphilis are stillborn. It’s tragic,” Prior said. All it takes is to make sure to test pregnant women for the infection, which is fairly easy to do since most women receive regular checkups during their pregnancy.

“Ultimately we don’t have a healthcare infrastructure for our pregnant women,” Sukhija-Cohen said. Prior added: “It’s so easy to test for, in most places it’s just checking a box.”

Drug resistant gonorrhea is another major concern. Right now cases have been reported overseas. It’s only a matter of time before a strain appears in the U.S. If normal treatment of gonorrhea fails it may require an expensive hospital stay to rid a patient of the infection.

“Our public health system is ill prepared for this,” Prior said.

Some people might assume the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would have addressed this public health issue. It hasn’t. While it’s been a tremendous success in getting people covered by insurance and access to primary health care, it has not really impacted the STD rates.

“STDs are public health issue. They are not controlled with better primary care,” Klausner said. “That’s partly why Obamacare is not a solution. It takes special knowledge, special training, and special management.

Prior had similar thoughts.

“We fully support the ACA but unfortunately that network is ill-equipped. Many doctors have a severe lack in knowledge about STDs,” he said.

Prior noted that many areas of the U.S. do not have STD clinics like South Florida. In fact Klausner pointed to the Broward Wellness Center, a joint venture between the Florida Department of Health and AHF, as a very effective model.

“Broward has the newest and most advanced testing and treatment program in the United States,” Klausner said.

“That’s a breakthrough in terms of sexual health services.

There is no reason, other than funding, that this couldn’t be replicated in urban areas around the United States.”

“We are calling for a $70 million increase in STD prevention.”

- Matthew Prior Director of Communications for the National Coalition of STD Directors

What can be done?

“We are calling for a $70 million increase in STD prevention... this will kick start our response to rising STDs,” Prior said. “We need federal funding to support the public health infrastructure.

STD programs should be supplemented by state and local level, but we really need a national response to address

this. I will say in most states the federal STD funding line is the only funding stream for STD prevention.”

All three public health advocates are calling for an increase in federal funding.

Increased condom usage would also reduce the rates of STDs. Beyond those two items there are other things that can be done.

Sukhija-Cohen explained that currently the CDC recommends opt out testing for HIV, meaning all healthcare patients should be screened for HIV unless they specifically ask not to. There is no such recommendation for other STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.

Sukhija-Cohen also said that there needs to be anatomically site specific testing. For instance gonorrhea and chlamydia can occur in the genitals, and the mouth. Many healthcare providers only use a urine test, which will not pick up gonorrhea of the throat or rectum.

Lastly Sukhija-Cohen recommends more access to rapid result testing. Rapid testing for HIV has been around since the 1990s but only recently have rapid tests for STDs come onto the

market. This year in Florida AHF rolled out rapid testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, which takes about 90 minutes.

AHF is currently conducting a pilot test for rapid syphilis testing in some locations across the country. Those results take 10 minutes.

In regard to syphilis Klausner noted there may be some hope on the horizon in terms of prevention. Just like PrEP, the once a day pill to prevent HIV, has ushered in a new era of HIV prevention Klausner said one drug has shown promise in reducing the rates of syphilis, and chlamydia. According to the Lancet, a medical journal, using doxycycline, a common antibiotic, after a sexual encounter significantly reduced the rates of syphilis, and chlamydia. It had no effect on gonorrhea. That study was focused on men who have sex with men, a high risk group for STDs. “It’s been talked about in STD meetings. There have been whole debates on it. Journals have written about it,” Klausner said. “So it’s emerging from under the radar. But there is not a whole lot of awareness yet.

It’s definitely something people should know about.”

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 113

SPECIAL REPORT

‘praying for

Syphilis’

// Damon Scott

This rare form of syphilis can cause blindness and is hard to diagnose Edward Franklin never thought one day he’d be praying for syphilis.

But that’s exactly what he found himself doing one weekend in June after visiting an eye doctor and waiting for his test results to come back.

“The eye doctor was confident I had syphilis and that was the cause of my newfound problems with my vision. He stressed that I could go blind if I didn’t take it seriously,” Franklin recalled. “And he also told me that I had better hope it was syphilis since the other possibilities were worse and not easily treatable.”

So Franklin prayed.

Turns out the eye doctor was correct in his diagnosis.

Franklin had Ocular Syphilis.

Many people know what syphilis is, but ocular syphilis, is much rarer, and few people have ever heard of it.

The CDC released a warning in 2015 after a cluster of such cases had been reported in two major cities, San Francisco and Seattle.

Rates of ocular syphilis are climbing – one reason is that all rates of sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise.

“As we see the total number of syphilis cases go up we will see a rise in syphilitic eye disease as well,” said Jeffrey D. Klausner, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA. Klausner has seen a number of patients over the years with ocular syphilis but noted that it’s still rare.

114 | THE

Health officials are scrambling as rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia have increased for a fourth consecutive year in the U.S. Rates of STDs in South Florida mirror and sometimes exceed the national numbers.

In 2017, about 2.3 million cases of the three STDs were diagnosed. It marks the highest number ever reported. Officials said there’s no reason to think 2018 will buck the trend.

Gonorrhea is up 67 percent and primary and secondary syphilis increased more than 75 percent. Chlamydia rates continue to increase as well.

Officials want emergency access to federal public health funding, among other strategies, to help immediately stem the tide.

Concerning syphilis, there is also an emerging concern in the rise of the ocular variety – one that usually manifests in the later stages of the disease.

From red eyes to blindness The CDC said syphilis diagnoses rose from 27,814 cases in 2016 to 30,644 in 2017. Men who engage in sexual activity with men made up 17,736 of those cases. There doesn’t appear to be any data regarding ocular syphilis.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and the disease can affect the heart, nervous system and other organs if left untreated. Ocular syphilis is an inflammatory eye disease that can cause redness,

| JANUARY 2019

 Ocular syphilis is an inflammatory eye disease that can cause redness, blurry vision and partial or total vision loss. Photo courtesy of Edward Franklin.

blurry vision and partial or total vision loss.

In a recent study, a team of researchers observed that cases of ocular syphilis in just twoand-a-half years had increased more than eight times compared to the past decade within four medical centers in Brazil.

Out of 127 patients identified, 87 suffered inflammation in both eyes. Many had suffered complications including retinal detachment. More than half had lost vision to below levels that would be required to drive.

Officials say the syphilis infection often goes unnoticed because many of its symptoms, such as sore throat, headache and skin rash, resemble those of other common illnesses. The same goes for ocular syphilis—

likely explaining why many patients in the Brazil study often didn’t see a doctor for some months after developing the problem.

But when ocular syphilis goes untreated or is treated late, the damage is often already done to internal components inside the eye. The good news is symptoms often can be reversed entirely with early treatment, but the diagnosis isn’t always easy.

‘Crazy’ Ocular syphilis can occur at any stage of the infection and officials say if you’re a patient with syphilis and you’re having eye problems, see an ophthalmologist.

S E M A J R MOSE

Empathy. If you ask James Moser, a

Communications Training Instructor at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, it’s the most important quality an emergency dispatcher can possess.

“The great thing about Broward County is its diversity - different languages, backgrounds, and accents,” James says. “Yet, this diversity makes some callers harder to understand and some have different definitions about what an emergency is. As a dispatcher, you must be patient, prepared, calm and compassionate.”

James teaches a 13-week training course to prepare dispatchers for live calls. Many of the trainees come in fresh, without any previous experience. The course covers emergency lifesaving procedures, the specific roles of dispatchers in a large-scale incident, how to read maps, find specific addresses and how to direct calls. James also teaches them the second language dispatchers use to more effectively communicate with first responders – 10-codes and signals.

“We don’t say respond to a disturbance,” he says. “We say 10-65 signal 22,” As an instructor, James has the opportunity to both perfect the skills of those entering dispatch and show them what makes being a dispatcher great.

“The best part of our job is being able to help people in the community. Residents call us when they are experiencing the worst events imaginable and we have the opportunity to make a difference and potentially save a life. We give CPR instructions over the phone and bring loved ones back to life, we deliver babies, we deal with hostage situations, bank robberies and other incredible incidents. We hardly ever receive thanks, but that’s not what keeps us going; we come to work each day knowing that we change outcomes for the better. The firefighters put out the fires, the police serve and protect, but that all begins with the dispatchers. WE begin that lifesaving process.”

James lives in Boynton Beach with his fiancé, Ryan, and their dog, Yokas.

James Moser is BSO. You could be too.

Join the BSO team by visiting

jobs.sheriff.org.

SPECIAL REPORT Dr. Eduardo Uchiyama of the Retina Group of Florida said he’s one of the few eye doctors in the state who is trained to readily diagnose ocular syphilis.

“In February I diagnosed seven patients with ocular syphilis,” Uchiyama said. “It’s usually about one a month.

Crazy.”

In Florida primary and secondary rates of syphilis are higher than the national average, about 11.9 people per 100,000. Only Louisiana, Nevada, California, Georgia and New York have higher rates than the Sunshine State.

Miami-Dade County ranks No. 5 in the U.S. (19.9 per 100,000) and Broward County ranks No. 19. (15.6 per 100,000).

In addition, Uchiyama said when someone has active syphilis the risk of getting HIV goes up two to five times, because of common genital lesions.

“When you get syphilis, initially most patients get a lesion and they get diagnosed.

Some ignore the lesions and the lesions resolve on their own

116 | THE

but syphilis is still there. Over time it causes issues in other organs, the nervous system, the skin, the eye. Most patients have had syphilis for years and don’t know it. They may go to [the] doctor when they have eye problems and the doctor might now realize that’s the cause and test for it,” Uchiyama said.

He’s seen cases of ocular syphilis in patients as young as 20 and as old as 80.

Testing, treatment There are different blood tests for syphilis, but doctors usually order the RPR test (rapid plasma reagin) when they want to rule it out. However the test can show negative over time, even if a person is positive. When a postiive test shows up the result is often confirmed with the more specific treponemal test.

“Once we see the patient we send a battery of tests to try and figure out why [eye] inflammation is happening,” Uchiyama said. “Then we coordinate the treatment.”

Traditional treatment of

| JANUARY 2019

“In February I diagnosed seven patients with ocular syphilis.

It’s usually about one a month. Crazy.”

- Dr. Eduardo Uchiyama Retina Group of Florida syphilis includes a series of intramuscular injections of penicillin. For ocular syphilis, it’s more involved. Treatment includes a trip to the hospital, or emergency room, and two

weeks of intravenous (IV) penicillin. A special take home IV unit is given to the patient.

“It can be expensive. But it’s more expensive to lose vision in both eyes,” Uchiyama said.

‘I was shocked’ Franklin (not his real name) 40, lives in South Florida and works in Broward. Earlier this year he began experiencing “floaters” in one of his eyes and saw an ophthalmologist, which she told him is a normal condition with aging. But she also wanted him to get an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to rule out anything serious.

Franklin never got around to getting the MRI, but about a month later he realized his eyesight in his right eye had seriously deteriorated.

“Everything was blurry and I got freaked out so I made a follow up appointment the next day,” he said.

The same eye doctor said his right eye had gone from 20/20 vision to 20/80 and now there was a noticeable infection.

He was quickly referred to Uchiyama, who diagnosed him with ocular syphilis.

“It was shocking to me that I had syphilis,” Franklin said.

“I get tested and screened [for STDs] on a regular basis.

I know the normal symptoms and I don’t recall experiencing them,” Franklin said. “I honestly felt that maybe the doctor had simply came to the conclusion because I am gay.”

Uchiyama ordered two different syphilis tests for Franklin.

“He told me the standard test might come back negative and so ordered both tests,” Franklin said.

Uchiyama was correct. The standard RPR test did come back negative. A day later, the confirmatory FTA test, came back positive.

Franklin was forced to check into a hospital where the doctors ordered a spinal tap to

Walk-in Bathtubs by

1,500

$

140 Years of Experience

Be Safe & Independent!

S AV I N G S

18 MO NO IN NTH T FINAN EREST CING *

Five reasons why American Standard walk-in bathtubs are the best choice for you.

1 2

3 4 5

Experience You Can Trust!

Only American Standard has 140 years of experience and offers the Liberation Walk-In Bathtub.

Superior Design!

Ultra low easy entry and exit design, wide door, built-in safety bar with textured floor provide a safer bathing experience.

Patented Quick Drain®!

The only 2 minute, patented Quick Drain fast water removal system.

Lifetime Warranty!

The ONLY Lifetime Warranty on the bath AND installation, INCLUDING labor backed by American Standard.

44 Hydrotherapy Jets!

More jets than any other tub we’ve seen.

$1,500 in Savings INCLUDES a FREE American Standard Toilet Trusted Professional Installation with Best Lifetime Warranty!

®

Finance Options Available!

Low Monthly Payments!*

A+ RATED

Includes FREE American Standard Right Height Toilet

Limited Time Offer! Call Today!

855-389-4281

FREE IN-HOME EVALUATION!

Receive a free American Standard Cadet toilet with full installation of a Liberation Walk-In Bath, Liberation Shower, or Deluxe Shower. Offer valid only while supplies last. Limit one per household. Must be first time purchaser. See www.AmericanStandardBathtubs.com for other restrictions and for licensing, warranty, and company information. *Subject to 3rd party credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required. CSLB B982796; Suffolk NY:55431H; NYC:HIC#2022748-DCA. Safety Tubs Co. LLC does not sell in Nassau NY, Westchester NY, Putnam NY, Rockland NY.

SPECIAL REPORT Dr. Eduardo Uchiyama of the Retina Group of Florida.

make sure the infection hadn’t spread to his brain (it hadn’t), and then the penicillin IV was administered.

“The doctors in the hospital were surprised to learn that an eye doctor diagnosed me with this,” Franklin said. “I am very grateful to Dr. Uchiyama. He knows his shit.”

After four days he was sent home with an IV pump, which he had to use for almost two weeks.

“It was quite on ordeal,” Franklin said. “I had to mix the medicine each day and restart the pump.”

The doctors initially told Franklin it appeared he may have had the infection for years without knowing it. But later in the hospital the infectious disease specialist, after further evaluating additional tests, revised her conclusion saying it appeared he was in the first stage of syphilis.

Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner said ocular syphilis appears to just be a different manifestation of syphilis. But that’s difficult to say with certainty because “there is very little new money in syphilis research.”

Klausner doesn’t know for sure how or why someone might develop eye problems rather than the typical symptoms.

“That’s a great question.

118 | THE

Someone with ocular syphilis probably just caught syphilis the normal way through sex.

But we really don’t know,” he said.

And how do you catch syphilis?

According to Klausner syphilis is only infectious for about 1-2 months in total. In the first stage most people develop a painless sore for about 2 weeks that is highly infectious. While condoms will protect many people from catching the infection condoms do not work 100 percent of the time because it all depends on where the sore develops. For instance if the sore was in your mouth, it could theoretically be passed with deep kissing or oral sex. Klausner said contact with moist lesions and with the mucous membranes of genital skin, mouth, vagina or anus would increase the chances of transmission. During the secondary stage someone might develop moist lesions in the mouth, anus or vagina, which lasts for about four weeks. Those are also highly contagious.

“I never had the classic symptoms of syphilis,” Franklin said. “And I had never heard of ocular syphilis.”

Franklin sees it as a “blind spot” in STD education. “It was also terribly expensive. It

| JANUARY 2019

probably cost me about $5,000 out-of-pocket and I have insurance.”

Franklin considers himself well educated and informed on STDs compared to the average person.

“And this happened to me,” he said.

Klausner agrees that education about how syphilis is spread, how it shows up, and how it is detected and treated, are the keys to prevention.

Few people though really know about syphilis anymore, including in many cases primary care physicians.

“We learned with HIV that the best way to educate physicians was a well-informed community,” Klausner said.

“Community leaders and advocates played a critical role.”

What next?

Uchiyama agrees that the rise in syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia is partly because people are no longer afraid of contracting HIV/AIDS like they once were, and aren’t protecting themselves as much as they once did.

Indeed, half of patients diagnosed with syphilis also

“The reason why we see more cases now is high risk behavior – multiple partners, unprotected sex and people using [the] PrEP [drug] to decrease HIV chances.”

- Dr. Eduardo Uchiyama Retina Group of Florida

have HIV and many of them don’t know it, he said.

“The reason why we see more cases now is high risk behavior – multiple partners, unprotected sex and people using [the] PrEP [drug] to decrease HIV chances,” Uchiyama said.

He said another factor is the ease of travel across the globe and the appeal of South Florida as an international destination.

Officials also think part of the rise is thinking about STDs through a curative lens instead of a preventative one. Solutions include encouraging primary care providers and physicians to talk more about prevention and start very early on with sex education.

Part of the issue officials cite is less focus at the CDC on STDs because the budget has been slashed by a third since the turn of the century.

And the cost to treat STDs is not cheap.

Locally, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, for example, provides a variety of testing and treatment options, including outreach and education.

Klausner noted there may be some hope on the horizon in terms of prevention in regards to syphilis. Just like PrEP, the once a day pill to prevent HIV, ushered in a new era of HIV prevention Klausner said one drug has shown promise in reducing the rates of syphilis, and chlamydia. Using doxycycline, a common antibiotic, after a sexual encounter significantly reduced the rates of syphilis, and chlamydia, according to the results of a clinical trial detailed in the Lancet, a medical journal.

It had no affect on gonorrhea.

That study was focused on men who have sex with men, a highrisk group for STDs. “It’s been talked about in STD meetings. There have been whole debates on it. Journals have written about it,” Klausner said. “So it’s emerging from under the radar. But there is not a whole lot of awareness yet.

It’s definitely something people should know about.”

We’Re heRe foR All youR

financial needs Taxes IRS Issues Accounting

Bookkeeping Small Business Advising

954-667-9829

AccounTIng@STeRlIngAccounTIng.com 2435 north Dixie highway • Wilton manors, fl 33305

SPECIAL REPORT

CAN

Syphilis BE

PREVENTED?

A common antibiotic has been shown to dramatically reduce the rates of the STD // Jason Parsley

Syphilis rates have increased 76 percent since 2013 and without a dramatic increase in federal funding public health advocates fear the trend will continue.

But there is one common drug on the market right now that could turn the tide against syphilis – doxycycline.

“It’s been talked about in 120 | THE

STD meetings. There have been whole debates on it.

Journals have written about it,” said Jeffrey D. Klausner, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA. “So it’s emerging from under the radar. But there is not a whole lot of awareness yet. It’s definitely something people should know about.”

So far one clinical trial in France has shown promising results, according to one of the people who conducted the study, Jean-Michel Molina,

| JANUARY 2019

Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris.

Molina, while cautiously optimistic, warns against reading too much into the results of the study just yet.

He believes more studies need to be conducted before any conclusions are made.

“We were surprised by results,” he said. “They were quite dramatic.”

The trial only included men who have sex with men currently taking PrEP, the

once a day pill to prevent HIV. The results showed a 47 percent reduction in acquiring a bacterial STD while it showed an even greater protection against just syphilis.

Besides the clinical trail a survey was conducted in the UK in July that showed those taking doxycycline reduced the chances of acquiring a bacterial STD by 50 percent.

Molina explained that unlike PrEP for HIV, which uses antiviral drugs, doxycycline is an antibiotic.

“With antibiotics it’s really tricky, and you have to be careful,” he said.

Overuse or misuse of antibiotics can create drug resistant strains of bacterial infections. For instance, public health advocates have been concerned about gonorrhea since the STD has been showing resistance to antibiotics for many years now. They’ve been especially worried about a drug resistant “Super Gonorrhea” making its way to the U.S. Earlier this year the first case of this super bug was reported in the UK. Molina believes that’s why his clinical trial had no effect on gonorrhea, noting how quickly the STD can mutate.

Even without super bugs the U.S. still has a major problem with STDs. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control showed in 2017, about 2.3 million cases of STDs were diagnosed.

That number includes 30,644 cases of primary and secondary syphilis – a 76 percent increase since 2013.

Adam Sukhija-Cohen, the Director of Advocacy and

“This is a public health emergency.

But most concerning is a lack of a federal response.”

- Jeffrey D. Klausner

Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA

Policy Research for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said public health officials went from “plans to eliminate [the STD] to a public health crisis.

This is an insane resurgence.”

While there are many factors involved in why STD rates are increasing one of the major reasons is the decrease in federal funding to combat rising STD rates.

“This is a public health emergency,” said Klausner.

“But most concerning is a lack of a federal response. We’ve not seen any response from the secretary of health and human services’ office.”

Matthew Prior, Director of Communications for the National Coalition of STD Directors concurred that a federal response is needed to address the growing epidemic.

His organization is calling for a $70 million increase in STD prevention.

Despite the STD epidemic Molina doesn’t see doxycycline as the answer.

“This is not the strategy to take in the long term,” he said.

“We might use this strategy for a short period of time. For instance in an outbreak in a well defined population.”

Instead Molina said more money should be directed toward researching a vaccination for syphilis.

For now though Molina believes the benefits outweigh the risk of creating a resistant strain of syphilis. The main treatment for syphilis has always been penicillin and it is still highly effective, Monlina said. So far no penicillin resistant strains have emerged.

But some strains of syphilis have shown resistance to azithromycin, the second drug of choice when treating the STD. “We don’t want to jeopardize the second line of treatment,” he said. “The data was interesting, but the risk of resistance [is real].”

According to an article from the American Society of Microbiology azithromycin was once thought to be the most promising alternative to penicillin in treating syphilis.

But in some countries, namely China, syphilis resistance to macrolides (a class of antibiotics that include azithromycin) has become widespread.

The limited study Molina conducted did not show any resistance to doxycicline but he said more studies need to be conducted before any conclusions can be made. He said other researchers around the world are interested in conducting studies including some in the U.S. According to the national database of clinical trials there is one starting soon in Australia.

“I know people have already started to get these drugs,” he said. “I worry about the consequences.”

“This is not the strategy to take in the long term.”

- Jean-Michel Molina

Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris

 A survey was conducted in the UK in July that showed those taking doxycycline reduced the chances of acquiring a bacterial STD by 50 percent.

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 121

Advertising

Safe Guarding Your Future:

Challenges and Strategies Unique to Unmarried Couples and Singles

Individuals and unmarried couples facing the inevitable decline in health and independence associated with aging often face pitfalls that are far less likely happen to legally married couples. For the fact is that the common planning is geared towards the traditional “married with children” family life.

Planning ahead can avoid many, though not all, of the problems that those of us living a non-traditional life may face. Unlike married couples, the unmarried couple preparing for a debilitating long term illness of one or both of them has none of the protections built into the law for the married couple. The financial assistance that may be provided to the ill partner for home care, nursing home or assisted living care provided by Medicaid ( a federal and state program) does not allow for a portion of the couple’s jointly held assets to be set aside

Jointly held assets Many choose not to legally marry, seek to assure that their lifestyle and financial stability mirrors that of their married neighbors by choosing to title some, if not all, of their assets jointly. While this strategy works well to assure that the surviving partner has the sole right to joint assets in the event of death, in the event of disability this strategy can be devastating to the healthy partner’s financial situation. There are other less risky strategies to assure your partner has access to assets during your lifetime and receives them upon death.

Jointly held assets have a myriad of problems.

First, if your assets are held jointly, in the event that the ill partner needs care beyond that you as the care giver can provide, and his assets are inadequate to pay for them, any application for medical assistance will assume that all of the assets belong to the ill partner, without provisions to shelter a portion of the assets for the healthy care giver. If you have reached the point where the ill partner needs immediate assistance, this problem may be avoided to a degree by consultation with an attorney specializing in elder care whereby a portion of the assets may be sheltered.

Warning: In no event should you, as the care giver, or you, as the partner anticipating disability, attempt to rectify the situation by transferring a portion of your jointly held assets to your partner without legal guidance. For purposes of qualifying for public assistance an ill timed gift of your assets will disqualify you from receiving aid for a period of time commensurate with the amount of the gift. If you are both well and no disability appears imminent, you may consider dividing your jointly held assets well in advance of illness in proportion to your individual contributions.

Power of Attorney? Revocable Living Trust? Pre-need Guardian Designation?

Once you have disentangled your assets, or pro-actively, kept them separate in the first place, a

for the use of the healthy partner.

Moreover, as a single heterosexual or an LGBT individual, in or out of a relationship, you are less likely than most to have a child or children to care for you in the event of a disability. And if you do have blood relatives, your healthy partner may find them to be hostile to the care giver, and seek to have control over the ill partner’s care and assets transferred to the blood relatives by court order.

If you are the unprepared and unwary care giver to your unmarried partner, you may find yourself suffering unique problems ranging from financial disaster to being denied the right to care for, and ultimately, the simple right to carry out your partner’s wishes with regard to disposition of his or her remains.

revocable living trust is a very good way to achieve the same goals as jointly titled assets. When you place your assets in a trust, you are in control of the assets during your lifetime and so long as you have the mental capacity to handle them, and you can name your partner to be the successor trustee to take charge in the event of your death or disability. This allows you not only to be secure in the knowledge that your wishes will be carried out, but, also makes it highly unlikely that any of your blood relatives seeking to wrest control of you and your assets from your partner in the event of your disability will succeed.

Everyone should have a durable power of attorney for finances assuming that they have a spouse, domestic partner, friend, or relative on whom they can depend to manage their finances in the event that they should become unable to do so. That being said, the durable power of attorney can be voided by court order if you have motivated blood relatives who think they are more qualified than your chosen care giver to handle your finances if you become incapacitated. Florida and many other states have statutes on the books that deem any person “related to you by blood or marriage” to be preferred as your legal guardian over an “unrelated individual,” even if he or she has been your domestic partner for years. In Florida it is possible for you to name your partner as your pre-need guardian or conservator and in that manner make it more likely that in the event of an incapacity proceeding your partner will be named as your legal guardian. That being said, if you have significant assets, or relatives you fear would interfere, by far the safest way to avoid trouble is to place your assets in a revocable living trust. It is very difficult to “bust a trust,” and as a rule, pesky relatives are after your money, and really not all that concerned about who is doing the care giving.

What about the house?

While upon the disability of one partner jointly held financial and investment assets often pose

an immediate concern, a jointly held homestead residence will be treated differently in most states.

The healthy partner will likely be allowed to reside in the jointly owned home undisturbed, however, upon sale, or the death of the second partner, the state may seek to re-coup the financial assistance provided from the proceeds or estate of the second owner.

The jointly titled real property can become a real concern for the healthy partner in the event that someone other than himself has been named the legal guardian (or “conservator” in some states) of an incapacitated partner. In that event, the guardian may be required to force the sale of the home in order to fund the care of the incapacitated partner. This would be accomplished by a partition lawsuit wherein a co-owner, or in this case, one acting on his behalf, can force the sale of jointly owned property to gain control of his equity interest in the property. Besides the fact of being ousted from one’s home, in the event that the incapacitated individual contributed all or most of the cash to purchase the home, the healthy partner may end up with next to nothing.

Having a properly drawn and executed pre-need guardianship designation is insurance against this scenario, unless one of you are precluded from serving as guardian due to illness, or felony conviction, or lack of financial resources to fight the relatives legally. Again, if the ill partner’s assets are in a trust: first, the relatives will probably not choose to pursue a guardianship proceeding when it’s unlikely that they will be able to access the trust assets, and second, if they do, then, as trustee, you will have access to those assets to pay your lawyer.

Bits and pieces.

Everyone should have a health care surrogate designation (also called a medical power of attorney or medical directive.) However, in the case of the those unrelated by blood or marriage, it is crucial, because without it, you have no right

M.S.W., J.D.

to make medical decisions for your partner, or friend, if he is unable to act, and you may be denied access to him in health care facilities. (At this time, President Obama has, by administrative ruling, mandated that facilities receiving federal funds must provide unrelated persons, domestic partners, and same sex partners access to one another. ) Without a properly signed witnessed notarized writing a person unrelated by blood or marriage will have no right to dispose of another’s remains without a court order. The health care paperwork should include the authorization to dispose of your partner’s remains and act as otherwise necessary without further authorization of family or court.

In the event that you wish to have life support terminated in the event that your doctors have determined that you will not recover from your last illness, you should have a properly worded and executed document saying so. A living will, or advanced health care directive, is not necessarily a same sex issue, but, in the event that you wish your partner to be assured to have control of when each of the many levels of life support shall be terminated (e.g., cardiac resuscitation, ventilator care, tube feeding, chemotherapy, invasive procedures) your document should specifically put her or him in charge of decision making.

Everyone should do their best to seek legal advice from an attorney with specific knowledge

and experience dealing with the problems unique to those of us living a non traditional life, that is, not married with children. That being said, the knowledgeable attorney may be difficult to find.

The consumer is well advised to be armed with the foregoing simple facts that many attorneys unfamiliar with these unique problems all to often overlook.

Fort Lauderdale attorney Robin L. Bodiford has been providing estate planning services to the LGBT community in the tri-county area since 1993. She can be reached at (954) 630-2707, and www.LAWROBIN.com.

SPECIAL REPORT

Broward County on the Frontlines of STD

Prevention and Treatment The Wellness Center in Fort Lauderdale is a state of the art STD clinic // Jason Parsley

Broward County is home to one of the most advanced STD clinics in the U.S., according to at least one prominent public health advocate.

 View of Wilton Drive. Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.

124 | THE

| JANUARY 2019

“Broward has the newest and most advanced testing and treatment program in the United States,” said Jeffrey D. Klausner, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA. “That’s a breakthrough in terms of sexual health services. There is no reason, other than funding, that this couldn’t be replicated in urban areas around the United States.”

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control showed in 2017, about 2.3 million cases of STDs were diagnosed. It marks the highest number ever reported, by more than 200,000 (the record previously set in 2016).

The Broward Wellness Center opened in 2013 to much fanfare after the Florida Department of Health in Broward County handed over their STD clinical services to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Last year the clinic opened a larger location at 750 SE 3rd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.

“We encourage our

community to make HIV and STD testing a part of regular medical checkups.

The Broward Wellness Center […] will provide even greater access to sexual health services on a walk in basis at no cost,” Dr. Paula Thaqi, Director, Florida Department of Health in Broward County, said in a press release when the new location opened last year.

In order to make the facility a reality, AHF had to close down some of their other locations and consolidate their resources into the Wellness Center. By doing so they were able to increase the availability of services by 36 hours a week.

On its first day open they saw 68 patients.

“It was very overwhelming and we had to change our staff plan almost immediately,” said Mike McKany, National Director of Public Health Division for AHF. AHF has attempted to replicate this model elsewhere, but McKany said other places in the nation aren’t ready

for this type of model - or say they’re not interested.

“This is really a revolutionary idea,” he said. “This is completely different and out of the box from anybody else.”

Since opening in 2013 the center has provided services to more than 100,000 patients.

The center currently serves about 175 patients a day. Before 2013 AHF was able to serve only about 50 a day.

Some of the services offered at the clinic include chlamydia screening and treatment; gonorrhea screening and treatment; syphilis screening and treatment; and free HIV testing and linkage to HIV primary care – all of which are free.

The Wellness Center is also able to process patients’ gonorrhea and chlamydia tests onsite within 90 minutes. Most medical offices have to send the tests to outsides labs to get the results, which can take four to five days.

“From what I’ve heard we’re the only place doing this in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Once the results are in, the

“You can get tested in the morning… coming back in the evening to get treated.

The speed is unheard of.”

- Mike McKany National Director of Public Health Division for AHF

 Wilton Manors Mayor Justin Flippen with Michael Weinstein, president and CEO of AHF, and Paula Thaqi, director of Florida Dept. of Health in Broward, cutting the ribbon at the opening of the BrowardWellness Center. Photo courtesy of AHF.

patient is notified via email or text, and they can check an app where all of their lab work is listed.

“You can get tested in the morning…coming back in the evening to get treated,” McKany said. “The speed is unheard of.”

Another advantage of the rapid results is reducing the overuse of antibiotics in treating STDs. Oftentimes if a patient was exposed to an STD, or exhibited the classical symptoms of one, a doctor would treat them right away, without knowing the results of the test.

“That’s called empirical treatment,” McKany said.

“If someone is experiencing symptoms of gonorrhea [a doctor] might decide to treat them rather than wait. But many other things can mimic

gonorrhea and chlamydia.”

Additionally the Florida Dept. of Health – Broward provides three Disease Intervention Specialists who work closely with the staff at the Wellness Center to ensure patients receive high quality care.

McKany explained that these people are able to access the records from the state’s health department so they’re able to have a fuller picture of a person’s health history.

“It enables us to put together the pieces of a puzzle,” McKany said.

Imara Canady, AHF’s National Director of Communications & Community, added: “This is core to AHF’s mission – to provide really cutting edge medical care.”

But it’s not just the medical care that’s comprehensive –

the design of the center is also innovative and inviting.

“There are oversized labs, natural light, a large waiting room,” McKany said. “It’s really different.”

But Canady added to this when asked what makes the Broward Wellness Center so unique.

“AHF is the only non-profit agency in the area that is providing this type of service to the community. These are cutting edge things having a positive impact on the population we are serving,” Canady said. “This [Wellness Center] is an example of a public-public partnership.

We are a non-profit agency working in collaboration with the government.

We’re client focused and not looking to make a profit.”

JANUARY 2019 | THE

| 125

Currently starring on Broadway as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton; originated the role of Nina in In The Heights

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago February 1 & 2, 2019 @ 8PM

VIVA MOMIX the Greatest Hits tour

March 1 & 2, 2019 @ 8PM

Paul Taylor Dance Company

Tony ® Award nominee for Jesus Christ Superstar; Che in Toronto’s Stratford Festival’s Evita

March 22 & 23, 2019 @ 8PM

4200 Congress Ave (I-95 Exit #63, west 1 mile)