By Alex Vaughn
Dean Trantalis knows that the gay community is an important part of every neighborhood and place of work. His new radio show, Out-Law will serve as a new voice, an alternative voice to the messages heard most often on the main-stream media. The show will provide an outlet for the unheard voices and, through the show, he aims to uncover new ways to put an end to injustice and inequality.
You have been an active member of the community for a long time, why have you decided to do the radio show now?
Because I feel that our message is being lost. We don’t have the same level of input because our political leaders have lost an election. We need to re-establish our voice in the community. The show will be a medium to recapture the audience.
How will the show work?
It will be a discussion show, so each week I will have a guest and have a dialogue between them and myself about issues affecting us. Of course at the end, there will be an opportunity for people to call into the station to ask questions, give opinions, and at the end of the show hopefully people who call in will be able to see things from a new perspective, or even offer up one that my guest or myself hadn’t thought of. I would like to get a wide range of attitudes towards the issues, and show all sides to the story.
Are you excited for the first show?
Yes I am. The first show, however, will run in a different format. I have four guests and it will be a round table discussions. I have invited two people who have been in the community for a long time (over 25 years) and who will talk to us a little bit about what Fort Lauderdale was like in the late 70s and early 80s. They are John Castelli and Norm Kent. They will also delve into how gay rights were discussed then, and how the GLBT community was viewed, compared to today. To that end, I have two other guests who are younger and can offer their perspective and views of our movement. They are George Castrataro and Elizabeth Schwartz. They will discuss where they have seen our progress and where they are working to take that to the next level. It is going to be very interesting to have past generational and current generational perspectives
Would you like to see the show syndicated nationally?
Ultimately, yes, I would like our voice to be spread around the country. We will be streaming live through mygayradio.com and will be prepared to go with any outlet that we can seek out as a broadcaster. I think talking about the LGBT issues in South Florida is significant because we are a bastion of the national community. Certainly we are on the cutting edge of the movement towards equality. It shouldn’t all be about New York or San Francisco, when in fact we have the highest concentration of gay people in the country. This is where things will germinate in the future.
Where do you most see the most misunderstanding towards our positions in the community?
I think most people get drawn into the “sloganism” of politics. For example, this strong emphasis on gay marriage which was not a front runner issue for the community in the 90s and was really brought up by the right wing. They forced it down our throats and we unwittingly fed right into that, and it actually worked against us, because gay marriage really affects a small percentage of our community. Even Congress believes that we think that gay marriage is the civil rights of our time. It’s not. The reality is non-discrimination in the work-place, housing, and public accommodation, which affects 99% of our population, is what we need to focus on. At a federal level, ENDA is the civil rights agenda of the new generation. Not marriage.
How do you feel the community in South Florida has changed in terms of activism and the fight for equality?
I think it has progressed remarkably. It has taken up the call for change. It has come together in so many ways that have now produced results. This has happened while many communities around the country have only just begun to discuss what has actually been achieved here. We have great organizations. I don’t see a division here. We have disagreements, but the reality is we have moved forward in a very positive and progressive way, and I think the results show it. We have far-reaching legislation in the county.
Now, in terms of the state, our powers can only go so far. We cannot expect a generally very, very conservative voter base to understand, in a short period of time, the necessity to share equal rights for gay families and communities. It takes some time for that education process to occur.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the community?
I feel fulfilled by seeing the change occur and the benefits that are spread across the thousands of people that live, work and visit here. It’s a great community and I feel good about being part of its growth. I meet a lot of new people and it’s fun working with them. The challenge of course is what we are up against. The impact of what we do here is so immediate.
We were the epicentre of the 2004 election. Now that we have Debbie Wasserman Shultz as our congresswoman and head of the party, there is only one degree of separation between us and the leader of the country. It is a great feeling knowing that what we are trying to accomplish is being heard by Washington and can be demonstrated with results that favor our community.
How do you feel your show is going to help people?
It will add to the voice and to the dialogue of what we are hoping to accomplish. This way, people will know what we are seeking and hopefully it will give a positive face, rather than allowing people to revel in the stereotypes that it is so easy to fall back on. I think that if people hear the words that we say and the messages that we carry, I think they will find it less disagreeable and as long as we continue to put a positive message out there, which it is, then hopefully people will say, “Maybe this isn’t so bad.” “Why are attitudes so negative towards people who are gay?” “What are we going to lose?” “How is it going to hurt us?” I like to think most people like to give others a fair shake and that’s all the gay community is asking for. We are not asking for special rights, just equal ones.
Would you consider going back into politics?
I would not consider going back into politics because I think my experience in politics will now allow me to do other things where I think I can accomplish more. At the time I was in politics, there was a certain glass ceiling in South Florida politics that needed to be broken. Being the first openly gay public official, in a high profile city was ground breaking, or glass breaking (laughs). I like to think that that was the door that opened to allow someone like Ken Keechl to win his election at the county level.
Out-Law, with Dean Trantalis will air on Sundays from 9 to 10 p.m. on 850WFTL and will also be streamed through MyGayRadio.com. Please visit the Website at Out-LawShow.com