“Thriving In South Florida With Bobby Blair” is my new weekly publisher’s column, one designed to empower and inspire readers. Each week, I will be featuring members of our community who share their real stories of bravery, tenacity and a strong will to survive. Their dilemmas and hardships are ones to which we can all relate. Yet, in the end, these leaders came out on top. Combining our print edition with our strong online presence, I will be bringing the community inspirational stories in a whole new way. In addition to the print version of the column, we will also feature an Internet talk show segment through guymag.net and floridaagenda.com. You’ll be able to see episodes of the talk show “Thriving In South Florida With Bobby Blair,” exclusively through our sites. This week’s incredible success story follows LGBT activist Michael Rajner. I hope that you enjoy both the talk show and the feature below.
Michael Rajner has appeared on CNN, he’s met President Obama and has even set foot in the White House. A fundamental piece in the South Florida LGBT community, he is working hard to provide the a better environment for both our youth and adults alike.
Born in Brooklyn NY, Michael moved to New Jersey at an early age. He was raised in an environment where he was surrounded by conservative values – his father was a transplant from Warsaw, Poland – but that didn’t stop him from becoming the proud, gay activist that he is today. He’s been heavily involved in politics since he was 13, when he testified before a New Jersey Senate committee to lobby for the passing of a bill that he favored. After college, he joined a seminary where he was sexually abused and harassed. Following the experience, his faith was shaken. Even recently, he refused to attend his nephew’s christening, which was to take place in a Catholic church. Not only because of his own experience, but because they don’t affirm gay men for who they really are. Fortunately, Michael found a way for the experience to fuel his inner fire, turning it into a positive experience.
Though Michael has had HIV for years, he has found a way to turn the experience into a platform for reaching out to others and advocating safe-sex. Since 2007, Michael has been involved with the School Board, working with the Diversity Committee. Over the years, Rajner made sure that the LGBT youth were included in non-discrimination policies, and also helped to put together a critical resource guide for schools to utilize in order to better support their LGBT students. Michael says that he provided the “political muscle” that the school board needed in order to address these issues, making noise for those that could not speak for themselves (he says that he “tends to be loud in [his] advocacy, not shy”). Fortunately, that’s just what the community needs, especially when the LGBT youth is concerned.
Michael Rajner is an extraordinary role model for our community. When complimented on his advocacy, Rajner says, “I compare our community to a bicycle with many spokes. I’m one spoke.” He says that the real heroes are the proud, brave LGBT youth that live their lives freely. “They are the ones that provide the role model and the image. Those are the real heroes.” While Rajner is humble, he defends issues that he believes in with an unwavering confidence. He’s the guy you want on your side, and luckily, we have him. He’s fighting for our rights behind closed doors, which is sometimes easy to take for granted. He’s just one of the many local heroes who are thriving to make our community a better place for everyone.
You can follow Michael Rajner’s efforts through his official Facebook page at facebook.com/michael.rajner
