Guy magazine announces Central Florida edition

Guy magazine, South Florida’s best gay entertainment and nightlife guide, is expanding to Central Florida with the launch of a separate edition covering Orlando, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

The first edition will hit the streets on December 3 and will be celebrated with a launch party in Orlando, said Peter Jackson, president and executive group publisher of Multimedia Platforms Worldwide, parent company of Guy and five other print and digital brands in New York, Florida, California and 37 more North American cities.

“The gay community, LGBTQ business owners and civic organizations in Central Florida have been very vocal to us in expressing the need for their own quality entertainment magazine,” said Jackson. “It’s an important market with a growing consumer base that has been underserved.”

Jackson announced the appointment of Florida LGBTQ media veteran Scott Spar as publisher of Guy Central Florida.

“Scott is well-known and respected in Central Florida and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team,” he said. “Scott shares our commitment to produce a quality publication which illustrates the very best of Central Florida in words and photographs. We will be working closely with the Gay and Lesbian Community Center among a host of community groups to make sure we reflect, represent and promote the people, organizations and businesses of Central Florida most positively.”

Jackson said an advisory board comprising seven business and community leaders would be announced shortly.

“We could not be more excited about Scott’s appointment and the launch of Guy Central Florida,” said Founder and CEO Bobby Blair. “We’ve known Scott for years both personally and professionally and could not imagine finding someone better to partner with. We love Central Florida, are thrilled to be establishing deep roots there and welcome the support of the community.”

Guy Central Florida will initially be published monthly. A business office is being opened and will be manned by Spar and advertising manager Fred Birks, also a well-known and respected businessman in the area. Both Spar and Birks will also represent the Florida Agenda, the statewide LGBTQ newspaper of record which enjoys a large readership in Orlando, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Publisher Scott Spar can be reached via e-mail at ScottSpar@MMPLGBT.com

The post ANOTHER GUY IS COMING DEC. 3RD appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy.  They make up 99.7 percent of all businesses and 64 percent of new private sector jobs  – or 11.8 million of the 18.5 million net new jobs created since 1993.

Almost three-quarters of small businesses (73%) are sole proprietorships with no employees and 52% are home-based businesses.

The explosion of the number of small businesses in the last two decades is testament enough that the American Dream of personal freedom and financial independence is still very much alive. We Americans love rags to riches stories and we celebrate personalities who have built wealth on a single, sometimes far-fetched, idea or talent.

But the realities of starting and running a small business can be sobering if not downright harsh.

Applying for, and complying with, state and city licenses and regulations can be an exercise in frustration. Securing commercial business financing is, at best, difficult without lots of collateral. Credit card and credit card processing companies make fortunes off the fees charged to small business owners. And while there might nice people working at the state revenue collections department, be forewarned they aren’t very nice if you miss the deadline to file your quarterly sales taxes. Penalties are severe.

Quite frankly, being a small business owner requires enterprise, determination, and multiple business management skills – including a solid understanding of marketing in today’s fragmented marketplace where social media has changed the rules of business.

As the state-wide LGBT newspaper of record in Florida, the Agenda recognizes the struggles and needs of small business owners who make up the vast majority of our customers.

We take pride in the successes of business owners like Joe Pallant of Pallant Insurance in Fort Lauderdale who has faced stiff competition over the years from much bigger competitors in the insurance industry to build a prosperous business.

We take pride, too, in business owners like Leor Barak of New York Grilled Cheese on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors, who struggled with a frozen yogurt business and lost tens of thousands of dollars until he found the right formula with his now-famous grilled cheese sandwiches. Mr. Barak has just announced his expansion with a second location in Boca Raton – and is pursuing franchising opportunities.

Another outstanding example is young entrepreneur Casey Koslowski who travels the world promoting Fort Lauderdale and his Grand Resort and Spa.  Mr. Koslowski is also a top producer at the new Auberge Beach Residences, a property which promises to set new standards for luxury real estate in Fort Lauderdale.

We salute business owners like Rick Kowalczyk of Southern Nights nightclub in Orlando who took over the defunct Revolution nightclub and faced his own struggles before finding success. Mr. Kowalczyk, we are happy to say, just opened a second location in Tampa. Also in Central Florida, we recognize people like Ben Johnasen and Tim Vargas, owners of Embellish FX, who turned a failing business into what is today one of the biggest and best costume stores in the state. And the list goes on.

But for every successful small business owner, there are several more who failed to make it. Insufficient capital and poor marketing are two of the common culprits.

That’s why we are proud to announce The Florida Agenda Business Network, an exciting new program being launched by this newspaper to help small business owners and their supporters connect, network and thrive.

Through a combination of monthly networking events, free business seminars, as well as marketing and promotional opportunities, we want to recognize and support our LGBT entrepreneurs all over the state. We are kicking off events immediately in South Florida as well as Central Florida.

We plan to join forces with chambers of commerce, small business associations, and resource providers to help build stronger LGBT-owned businesses.

We are also delighted to announce that our first annual LGBT Small Business Recognition Awards and Banquet, which will pay tribute to the unsung heroes of enterprise in Florida, is being planned for early 2016.

The fact is small business owners need all the help they can get. The Florida Agenda Business Network will be a good start.

It’s free to join. Visit www.FloridaAgenda.com for more information.

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These are the best of times for LGBTQ Americans.

A little more than half a century after a drag queen in the West Village, New York City hurled a high-heel shoe in protest at a police officer, instantly igniting the Stonewall Riot and this nation’s historic fight for equality:

Gay Americans serve openly and proudly in the highest ranks of elected government, public office, military, law, education and the private sector.
Same-sex marriage is now legal and recognized in every state. A pleasant consequence is that loving gay families with children are springing up everywhere.
The majority of the nation, at long last supports, if not applauds, LGBTQ equality and non-discrimination in housing and the workplace.

These are also the worst of times for gay Americans.

In 29 states, you still can be fired from your job just for being homosexual. Transgender individuals have no protections whatsoever in 32 states. Discrimination still exists everywhere, from metropolitan America to small town USA.
Ignorance, religion and hypocrisy have united in small but very vocal pockets of the nation and acts of hatred and violence against the LGBTQ community are at an unprecedented high.
Incidents of teen suicide, bullying in schools and youth homelessness are alarmingly common if not near epidemic levels.

Dalton Maldonado, 19, has already felt the pain of society’s arrows of hate and discrimination.
Dalton came out to a select few friends during this senior year at Betsy Layne High School in Beaver, Kentucky but remained largely closeted. For most of them, his sexuality was no big deal. But for the opposing team at a school basketball game in Lexington, in which Dalton played a starting position, the fact that he was gay was a big deal.
After the game last December, it is understood Dalton was called a “faggot” by an opposing team player who suspected or heard he was gay.
“Yeah, baby, can I have your number?” Dalton responded, trying to put on a brave face and diffuse the moment.
Words were exchanged and the situation escalated to the point where Dalton and his supportive teammates were essentially chased back to their hotel under the threat of violence by members of the opposing team. Police were called. The hotel was put on lockdown.
Reports appear to indicate that school officials minimized the story and pretty much came close to denying it even happened, despite evidence and eyewitness accounts to the contrary.
Recently, just a few months after that incident, the school yearbook was published. Individual photos of the basketball team were published – but not the one of their starter.
Photographs of Dalton appear elsewhere in the yearbook, but the most important one, proof in years to come of his youthful basketball prowess and athleticism, the one of which he would be most proud, was missing.
According to the young man, school officials were unapologetic about the incident until the media, led by the website Outsports.com, started calling the school board.
Only then, under the glare of the national news spotlight, did Floyd County School Board Superintendent Dr. Henry L. Webb acknowledge the omission and offer an apology. He insists that the one missing photo from the school basketball team lineup was the result of human error. [See sidebar for the full statement.] “If no one ever steps up and says something about the way this stuff is happening, then nothing will ever change,” Dalton told the Florida Agenda this week in an exclusive interview.
“One in four LGBT teens self-harm,” he pointed out. “LGBT teens are four to six times more likely to commit suicide, and nine out of every 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied in school. These numbers will never change if people don’t stand up and use their voice. That’s what I am doing.”

New support for LGBT homeless youth is coming now from an unlikely source. Singer Miley Cyrus, who raised eyebrows when she took a homeless runaway young man to the MTV Video Music Awards last year and had him accept her VMA for Video of the Year, has put her money where her mouth is by launching a foundation for LGBTQ homeless youth called the Happy Hippie Foundation. (www.HappyHippies.org). Founded late last year, the nonprofit organization is slowly gaining support.
That support is badly needed. Some 40% of America’s 1.6 million homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and the suicide rate is reportedly as high as 50%. They are often turned away from homeless shelters because of their gender identity or sexuality. They have no where to go.
These homeless LGBTQ youth are the product of societal unacceptance and cruel bullying in their early years of life. They are the product of cruel parents who praise the Bible but deny love to their gay children. And they are the product of school boards like the one in Floyd County, Kentucky that fail to support, protect and embrace young, gay Americans.

The post What Happened To Dalton appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Bruce Jenner made every American proud when he won gold in track, set a world record in the decathlon, and left no doubt he was a champion.

Almost four decades later, in front of a packed auditorium in Los Angeles and a television audience of millions for the ESPYs last week, a ravishing 65-year-old transgender Caitlyn Jenner left no doubt she was, indeed, still a champion.

Jenner’s journey from All American Boy, track star and heartthrob of the nation to a radiant woman appearing stunning on stage in a white Versace gown is one that has since had American talking.

For Caitlyn, it must have felt like another Olympic moment. She turned the spotlight squarely and purposefully on a subject not previously discussed at the nation’s dinner table: the until-now silent ‘T’ for transgender in LGBT.

Caitlyn had the attention of millions – and the standing ovation she received on conclusion proved she opened minds, provoked new thought and earned a measure of respect.

“All across this country, right now, all across the world, at this very moment, there are young people coming to terms with being transgender,” she said. “They’re learning that they’re different, and they are trying to figure out how to handle that, on top of every other problem that a teenager has.

“They’re getting bullied, they’re getting beaten up, they’re getting murdered and they’re committing suicide. The numbers that you just heard before are staggering, but they are the reality of what it is like to be trans today.”

She’s right.

The plight of trans men and women in America is one that has been invisible for too long. The stories of young transgendered men and women choosing to commit suicide rather than deal with a cruel, unaccepting world – or being murdered through ignorance and intolerance – are too often met with inaction if not apathy.

That is unacceptable.

Whether or not you think Caitlyn deserved the Arthur Ashe Courage ESPY Award (named for the African-American tennis star who died of AIDS in 1993), the fact is she hit the ball out of the park by using the opportunity to call attention to a previously taboo subject – at the same time giving hope and inspiration to tens of thousands of trans and trans-questioning youth and adults.

I didn’t know the man, of course, but I have a feeling Arthur Ashe would have liked the idea of that.

Kudos to Caitlyn Jenner for using her notoriety to forge social change, but closer to home, in Tampa, Fla., there is an outstanding transgendered woman who is also earning a staggering level of respect and support for herself and the trans community.

Ashley Brundage, who transitioned in 2010, is climbing the corporate ladder at PNC Bank where she has been showered by her employer with well-deserved awards for excellence. (Not incidentally, PNC Bank scores a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Index.)

She is the president of the Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, serves on numerous boards including the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Ybor Youth Clinic and TransAction Florida, and in 2013 was named one of Tampa Bay’s “Community Leaders Under 35” in the LGBT community.

That’s just the beginning. Ashley was nominated for the 2014 and 2015 Tampa Bay Business Journal “Woman of the Year” award and was named 1 of 14 “Most Remarkable People of 2014” by Watermark magazine, the well-respected LGBT publication of Central Florida.

This young transgendered woman is involved in countless other boards and organizations and is a tireless advocate, educator and national speaker on transsexual issues and workplace equality and diversity.

She has been has been married to Whitney for 12 years. Together they have two sons ages 9 and 7.

Ashley Brundage’s story as a transgendered woman, business professional, community leader, activist and parent isn’t typical, but it is inspiring. Ashley is living her life in her own truth — with pride, devotion, selflessness and, yes, courage.

Just like Caitlyn Jenner.

Peter Jackson is the President and Group Executive Publisher of Multimedia Platforms Worldwide, parent company of the Florida Agenda.

The post What Caitlin Did appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

For decades, the face most people have associated with the LGBTQ community has been Caucasian—an Aryan archetype reinforced by all forms of media from films to Facebook. Close your eyes and think about it for proof positive of the previous statement.

With any number of high profile individuals coming out of the closet every year, all of the associated letters in the rainbow-sprinkled acronym seemed to have been covered when it came to boasting a celebrity mascot, except for the ’T.” Enter Caitlyn Jenner.

Caitlyn Jenner’s internet-breaking Vanity Fair cover and her accompanying coming out story signaled a great many things, including open and honest conversation about gender identity and what it means to be transgender in today’s society, as well as what it’s like to come to terms with one’s gender identity later in life. The outpour of support and backlash from Jenner’s introduction to the world helped land each of these topics on the tips of collective tongues throughout the world. As such, many received their first introduction to a trans-identified individual in the form of Jenner, who just so happens to be an Olympian and reality star to boot.

Jenner’s meteoric ascension into the spotlight left a number of individuals in the dark—namely transgender individuals of color who have limited resources, seemingly insurmountable barriers to accessing healthcare, and a number of associated social anxieties related to the unique array of cultural constructs they face daily. Indeed, it was a giant leap for Caitlyn Jenner, and one small step for transgender individuals around the world.

In an open letter, Orange is New Black star Selenis Leyva, who has a sister who identifies as transgender and stars alongside actress Lavern Cox in the hit Netflix series, reacted to Jenner’s triumphant coming out tale. In the honest piece originally published by Huffington Post, Leyva addressed the very real issue of race and access as it relates to the transgender community.

“I feel sadness today because the majority of the trans community cannot afford the numerous surgeries needed in order to somehow be accepted by society,” Leyva wrote. “In fact, many struggle to simply get decent health care. So yes…I, like millions, celebrated the Vanity Fair cover. Today I hope we don’t lose sight that this is not the norm for your average Transgender person.”

Leyva echoes the sentiments of many individuals who identify with the LGBTQ community and live far outside of the blinding glare of Hollywood lights and the unyielding gaze of the entire world. In many ways Jenner’s revelation was an indirect attempt to reassure us all that we are not alone, but she managed to alienate some individuals in the process.

Jenner is the tip of the iceberg, shining just above the surface. For those who are unfamiliar, she is all there is to see. Underneath, however, is a massive structure that is often overlooked. And it is strong and resilient. Jenner stands on the shoulders of many, including Janet Mock, Chaz Bono, Candis Cayne, and Renée Richards among innumerable others, who have paved the way for Jenner’s breakthrough story by upping the visibility of trans-identified individuals in media. More importantly, however, Jenner is reaping the benefits earned through the struggles of so many nameless transgender individuals who came before her (and continue to do great work today) and blazed pathways without any recognition let alone a magazine cover.

On the heels of the July 26 debut of her E! reality series, I Am Cait, many are already touting Jenner as the latest, greatest and most recognizable face within the transgender community. With such an attribution comes a great deal of responsibility, the weight of which fell squarely on the shoulders of Jenner as mentioned in her inspiring ESPY Awards acceptance speech.

“If there is one thing I do know about my life, it is the power of the spotlight,” said Jenner as she accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. “Sometimes it gets overwhelming, but with attention comes responsibility. As a group, as athletes, how you conduct your lives, what you say, what you do, is absorbed and observed by millions of people, especially young people. I know I’m clear with my responsibility going forward, to tell my story the right way — for me, to keep learning, to do whatever I can to reshape the landscape of how trans issues are viewed, how trans people are treated. And then more broadly to promote a very simple idea: accepting people for who they are. Accepting people’s differences.”

Jenner went on to mention a pair of transgender youth, Mercedes Williamson, 17, and Sam Taub, 15, whose lives were cut short by violence and suicide, respectively. In doing so, Jenner illuminated the fact that the work does not stop here. Her story is not reflective of the majority, and there is still so much more work to do. But it’s a start.

“So for the people out there wondering what this is all about — whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity — well, I’ll tell you what it’s all about,” Jenner said. “It’s about what happens from here. It’s not just about one person, it’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me, it’s about all of us accepting one another. We are all different. That’s not a bad thing, that’s a good thing. And while it may not be easy to get past the things you always don’t understand, I want to prove that it is absolutely possible if we only do it together.”

Jenner’s journey has been nothing but inspiring and she has handled the public scrutiny masterfully, but let us not forget about all of our trans-identified brothers, sisters, and gender non-conforming family members (of color and otherwise) who don’t enjoy the privilege, the access, or the primetime coverage that Caitlyn enjoys. All of our stories are important, and none of us has reached equality until we all have.

Diego Wyatt is the new managing editor of Guy magazine.

Photo Credit: usmagazine.com

The post Out Of The Darkness: The Shadow Cast By Caitlyn Jenner appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

We got it wrong.

The next fight for the LGBTQ community isn’t the one to end discrimination in housing and the workplace. Rather, our priority needs to be getting ignorant but powerful bigots like Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, Judge James R. DePiazza of Denton, Texas, and several others like them removed from the bench.

Despite their positions in the judicial system, both men have shown they are incapable of being impartial. Indeed, their words and actions this week in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage violated four of the five canons governing the code of conduct they swore to uphold.

If you happen to live in Judge DePiazza’s jurisdiction in Texas and would like to get married, you must first sign a document he created to acknowledge his LGBTQ bigotry and opposition to same-sex marriage.

It reads, “While we may not necessarily agree with, we accept Judge DePiazza’s position on same sex marriage, accept the conditions expressed above and understand there will be no discussion regarding his position before, during or after the ceremony.”

You will then receive, as the judge himself put it, “a brief formal declaration of civil marriage ceremony” that meets the absolute minimum standards required by law. Oh, and the judge doesn’t allow photography – his way of spitefully suffocating any memory of the occasion.

How would you, as an LGBTQ individual, like to appear in front of this guy on any judicial matter? Think you could get a fair, impartial trial?
Then there’s Alabama’s notorious Bad Boy Chief Justice Moore who has been somewhat of a celebrity this week delivering anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to large crowds and publicly defying the June 26th ruling.

Moore told a congregation at Magnolia Springs Baptist Church in Theodore that the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage violates the freedom to practice religion. He stirred up ignorance and hate, then sold and autographed (for $20 a copy) his book with more of the same.

Moore also addressed a hate group, Operation Save America (OSA). This radically conservative Christian group is anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ and anti-any religion other than its own. There, the chief justice of the state of Alabama warned the crowd in a 30-minute diatribe of intolerance that the United States was “under attack” and religious liberty and freedom were at stake. As one would expect at a gathering like this, he spoke to cheers and applause.

The fact of the matter is that same-sex marriage is legal, but it may take years for resistance to it by some segments of our society to subside. This is a tense and stressful time for the LGBTQ community in this nation because ignorance and hate can bubble up and explode into violence. We’ve got to be mindful of that.

What we don’t need, especially now, are judicial leaders like Chief Justice Moore and Judge DePiazza fanning the flames.

They need to go.

Photo Credit: www.boxturtlebulletin.com

The post They Need To Go! appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.