Florida Agenda

STONEWALL STREET FESTIVAL

Sunday, June 24, on Wilton Drive,

Wilton Manors’ main thoroughfare.

The 13th annual Stonewall Street

Festival, from 12 to 10 p.m. This

year will feature a parade, over 125

exhibitors, activities, and A-List main

stage entertainment, all through the

day—including Andy Bell from 1980s

pop group Erasure, who takes the

stage immediately after the Summer

Pride Twilight Parade, performing such

hits as “A Little Respect” and “Chains

of Love.”

The street festival will highlight

local businesses, and include

merchants and sponsors from

the fields of health and wellness,

recreation and entertainment, travel,

community resources, and others.

At 7 p.m., the parade kicks off on

Northeast 20th Street and will follow

Wilton Drive north to its Five Points

finale. For more information, visit

stonewallsummerpride.org.

In response to the Editor’s Column “Cheater Cheater”, Agenda, June 16th.

DEAR EDITOR,

Wanted to congratulate & thank you for the article “Cheater, Cheater”. Summing all up, you nailed the subject.

Thanks again & keep writing good articles. Blessings.

Sincerely,
Jorge A. Rodriguez
Ft. Lauderdale

In response to the Home editorial by Michael French, “Less Is More”, Agenda, June 16th.

DEAR MR. FRENCH:
I really enjoyed reading your article “Less Is More”. There’s so much I would like to say/comment, but I can sum it all up by quoting one of your sentences: “It is more accurate for our worth as a human being to be measured NOT by what we possess but how we behave.”  The timing when reading your article was somewhat spooky, but perfect and appropriate for me, because I really needed to read it. It touched my mind and soul.
Thanks so much again for such an insightful and wonderful piece; we need more human beings like you. Keep writing great articles, I am automatically a fan. Blessings, good health to you & all your loved ones.
Sincerely,
Jorge A. Rodriguez
Ft. Lauderdale

In response to the Cover News story “Stonewall Street Festival and Parade, Agenda, June 16th, by James Michaels.

TO THE EDITOR,

Thanks James for the historical reflection of how the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade began.  I was pleased to be at a number of the Alibi luncheon group gatherings with Karl Clark and Terry Norman and when Karl suddenly passed a few years later we lost one of the anchors of the organization, an activist who had a history of honesty, credibility, and accountability.

Yes, as you noted, there were problems the first year but we all worked together to overcome many obstacles. One dealt with parking at the high school. Log Cabin Club went to school board member Judy Budnick (R), who was a friend, asked for help, and she  managed to alleviate the resistance. We secured access and parking in the lot was  successfully arranged. The Sunshine Athletic Association took on the responsibility of the Stonewall Picnic at John Lloyd State Park and there was lots of excitement and camaraderie with challenging games and fun awards. We experienced a wide range of team spirit and outreach early on and as bumpy as the road may have appeared  miracles did happen and a legacy lives on come rain or shine.

SINCERELY,
ANDY EDDY

Please send all your comments and letters to Editor@FloridaAgenda.com

Gay Pride Lives On In Wilton Manors

By James Michaels

For the first time, the City of Wilton Manors is sponsoring the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade which will be held this Sunday, June 19th. This move followed the collapse of Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale, which organized the annual festival and parade for the previous 11 years.

Up until 1998, Pride South Florida held their annual PrideFest in June; however, that year, citing cooler temperatures and dryer weather plus the possibility of taking advantage of the annual South Florida tourist season, Pride South Florida decided to move the annual PrideFest to the month of February.

Upon Pride South Florida’s announcement, a group of people got together for lunch at Georgie’s Alibi and decided to form a second gay pride organization, Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale, and to hold their own gay pride festival and parade in the month of June. They also decided that, instead of holding their festival in the convention center or a park, they would hold the festival on Wilton Drive with the parade itself going through the festival. Finally, in order to better honor the Stonewall Riots, they decided to name their event the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade.

Several other people joined the group, and soon John Boteler, Rocky Bowell, Karl Clark, Terry DeCarlo, Joel Geary, Gretchen Hasselkoff, Bill Huelsman, Bob Kecskemety, Dale Madison, Terry Norman and Tony Ramos started to plan the first Stonewall Street Festival and Parade, scheduled for Sunday, June 25, 2000, hoping to attract 5,000 participants.

Planning for the first festival did not go off without a hitch. For one thing, none of the people involved had any experience in holding an event the size and scope of a gay pride parade and festival. Second, all the paperwork required to create a non-profit organization had yet to be approved, so the first festival operated under the cooperation of the Poverello Center. Also, there was some resistance from the Wilton Manors City Commission about holding a gay pride event on Wilton Drive, which was, itself, under construction with widening, repaving and putting in center median strips and the State of Florida’s Department of Transportation had to give their final approval for totally opening Wilton Drive for both the festival and  regular car traffic.

Tensions ran high, but the state ultimately gave their approval the week before the festival. Finally, there was some community resistance and some organizations that had normally participated in gay pride events rejected the idea of a second gay pride event being held in the area and refused to participate.

Making fun of South Florida’s notorious afternoon rain storms and heat, Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale provided “rain insurance” to participants in the form of rainbow-painted umbrellas which were for sale.

The parade ran from Fort Lauderdale High School north to Dixie Highway. The festival, which had a carnival theme, ran only from NE 6th Avenue

to NE 9th Avenue. The Wilton Manors Police Department estimated that 7,500 people attended the first Stonewall and the afternoon June rains held out until right after the festival ended.

The second year (2001), the festival expanded from NE 21st Court to NE 9th Avenue. Police estimated 10,000 people attended that year despite the rain which started about 1 hour before the scheduled end of the festival.

Each year, attendance in the festival grew and the crowds got used to – and even expected – the afternoon rains and the high temperatures. In 2002, the festival was all but totally rained out and in 2009 the temperature in the parking lot at the Shoppes of Wilton Manors was recorded at 104 degrees.

Last year, 2010, an estimated 20,000 people attended Stonewall. Though the attendance was the largest ever, the festival lost $30,000. The Stonewall organizers faced last minute expenses and an early morning lightning storm kept the tent company from setting up the festival in time. The overnight weather delay meant that the street bars and ticket booths weren’t completed – only two of the eight bars were complete before the festival and parade started. (The bars are the single largest income producer for the festival.)

Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale attempted to pay the entire debt they owed, but were only able to garner another $10,000 to pay their creditors. Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale officially closed their doors on October 31, 2010, being one of four gay pride organizations in the U.S. to shut down last year.

The City of Wilton Manors was determined to keep the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade alive. In late 2010, the city put out a notice to private promoters to take over the festival. The contract was awarded to Miami-based Wedner & Friends Special Events Management and Marketing, which has an extensive track record in producing GLBT festivals and parties. The combination festival and parade, which has free admission, takes place this Sunday, June 19th, from 4 to 9 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale

Kylie Minogue
Kylie – Aphrodite Live 2011 Tour in Fort Lauderdale. Saturday, May 7, from 7 to 11:00 p.m. at the Bank Atlantic Center, 1 Panther Pkwy in Fort Lauderdale.

IGLTA’s ANNUAL GLOBAL CONFERENCE
Unleash your hidden talents at IGLTA’s Annual Global Convention. Professionals from around the world will unite in Fort Lauderdale May 10-15, 2011, to network, educate, brainstorm and take LGBT tourism to unprecedented levels. Educational programming, Unleashed 2.0, will serve as the cornerstone of future business development. Sessions will cater to all experience levels in social media, internet marketing and new travel technology trends to help you reach customers in a more efficient way. Mark your calendars now! This will be the must-attend event of 2011. Don’t let your competitors leave you behind.

GLBX AFTER HOURS
Thursday May 12, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., at The Manor, 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Attend the GLBX as they launch their new interactive website, which will feature news items submitted from the members, tips submitted by members, Member Spotlight (which highlights a member/business twice a month), a blog for members, calendar for all GLBX members to post events, business bios for each After Hours host, links to your website and Facebook, directory of all GLBX members, GLBX member discounts/deals available to highlight your specials.

THE RICHARD CORTEZ SHOW
Wollenberg Records and the Manor Entertainment Complex proudly present The Richard Cortez Show on Thursday, May 19, from 9 p.m. to midnight. The Manor is located at 2345 Wilton Dr. in Wilton Manors. No cover. Join award-winning singer, songwriter and recording artist, Richard Cortez for a vaudeville-inspired variety show. Introducing the mean girl of Wilton Manors, comedian and master of ceremonies, Robert Marks. Returning: the star of “Blood Brothers” at Slow Burn Theatre Company, Lisa Braun, and the winner of the 2011 Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest, Eric Jaffe, plus special guest as seen on Logo, award-winning and critically acclaimed Washington, D.C.-based singer-songwriter and gay activist, Tom Goss.

STONEWALL STREET FESTIVAL AND PARADE
Sunday Jun 19, 2011, in Wilton Manors from 3 to 8 p.m. The festival stretches from 5 Points to NE 20th Street on Wilton Drive. For more info check out www.stonewallwiltonmanors.com.

Miami

Healthy 2011
The Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce proudly presents another in their series of luncheons to help you create a healthy 2011. The series is held the first Thursday of every month at the LGBT Visitor Center (sponsored by MetLife) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The May 5th luncheon is free. Fit2Go will be providing a very healthy lunch; Equinox fitness will have a personal trainer to help you keep your fitness goals for 2011. Jaime Yordan-Frau will provide business coaching tips, Bill Warren will discuss health insurance options and Gregory Stott will provide advice for your financial health.

Nina Flowers returns to Club Sugar
Friday, May 20, from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., at Club Sugar, 2301 SW 32nd Ave in Coral Gables. Back by popular demand after her electrifying performance last time, she’ll set the stage on fire. House Music in the Main Room with D.J. Jarell. Hip Hop & Latin in the Spice Lounge with D.J. Dave. Shows by resident divas resident divas TP and Sasha Lords. Hosted by Alex Infiniti. $5 house drinks and $4 domestic beer all night long, 2 for 1 drinks ‘til 11:30 p.m.

House Music Cruise 2011
The Sistah Sojourn Travel Club Presents the second annual Old School House Music Cruise sailing from Saturday, May 21 to Thursday, May 26, and cruising from Miami, to Jamaica, to Grand Cayman  back to Miami. Featured deejays will include: Farely Jackmaster Funk, Gene Hunt, Melvin Gentry, Omar Abdullah and more.

If you haven’t already booked your spot, do so today at www.housemusiccruise.com or call (708) 374-7824. Use promo code “JACKIE” for special prices. This will sell out so reserve your spot today. Just $50 holds your spot.

SIZZLE MIAMI
May 26 – 29, 2011, in Miami. Party-seekers from around the world convene in sunny Miami, Florida, celebrating life, pride and liberty. Originally a one-day occurrence, Sizzle Miami has evolved into a 5-day smorgasbord of captivating day-time events and pulsating nightlife. Although Sizzle participants are mostly comprised of African-Americans and Latinos, all races are welcomed and encouraged to participate. For more info, visit www.sizzlemiami.com.

Bay Area

“ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN”
Spectacular staging, lighting and special effects add to the excitement as Gay and The Works offer rousing renditions of “Radio Ga Ga”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “We Will Rock You” and more. Thursday, May 5th, at 8 p.m., at the Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland Street in Clearwater.

TAMPA BAY BUSINESS GUILD
The next Tampa Bay Business Guild Dinner Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at the Wyndham Tampa Westshore Hotel, 700 Westshore Blvd. in Tampa. The program is “Show and Tell Speed Networking”. Learn more about your fellow Guild members and their businesses. Come do Speed Networking with a twist. Bring a product or a visual for what you do in your business. Work your way around the room with Speed Networking you will get to see an example of each other’s products or a visual aid of what they do. Cocktails 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., dinner and program 7:15 to 9 p.m. Prices: (with reservations, which must be made before 4 p.m., Friday, May 6th): $25 for Guild members, $35 for guests; without reservations (if space is available) $45.

Bear soup mix
Saturday, May 12, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the Flamingo Resort, 4601 34 Street in St. Petersburg. Special daily rate of $59.99. For reservations use code #1013. Make your reservations soon. All bears are welcome invite your friends and their friends.

THE SUNDAY BBQ IS BACK
Ybor Resort and Spa, 1512 8th Ave. (15th Street) in Ybor City. Every Sunday at 5 p.m. Lots of hot flavorful guys here lining up for some buns, wieners and other tasty items. Come on down and put some sun on those buns in our open-air tropical Asian-themed patio with Jacuzzi. Remember: what happens at the resort stays at the resort.

FLAMINGO BINGO
Thursdays hosted by Kevin Johnson. Win free drinks and prizes from 8 to 10 p.m. Code Bar opens at 7 p.m., the Video Bar opens at 10 p.m. and don’t miss Girl’s Night in the Blu Room, which opens at 11 p.m., with $3 Miller Lite longnecks. The Flamingo Resort is located at 4601 34th St. S in St. Petersburg. For more information, visit www.flamingofla.com.

GAY BOWLING
First Thursday of each month from
10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Dunedin Bowling Lanes, 405 Patricia Avenue in Dunedin. For more information, call (727) 736-1282.

Central Florida

nina vs. raja
RuPaul’s Drag Race girls at the Parliament House (410 N Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando), Saturday May 7, 2011 in Orlando from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. 1st runner up of season one, Nina Flowers and top 5 (as it stands right now), Raja of season three will be joining the award winning Footlight Players: Darcel Stevens, V, Armani, Sassy Devine and the Men of the Footlight Theater. Three rooms of music – D.J. Brianna Lee of Gayinternet-radiolive.com in the disco, Pop 40 mix in the video bar and hip-hop/pop in the piano bar.

KYLIE minogue
Kylie – Aphrodite Live 2011 Tour in Orlando. Sunday, May 8, from 7 to 11:00 p.m. at the Hard Rock Live Orlando, 6050 Universal Boulevard in Orlando.

CUCA LA RACHA @ CAMP DRAG
Wednesday, May 25, from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Parliament House, 410 N Orange Blossom Trail (W Livingston St) in downtown Orlando.

Come see Cuca drag it up at Camp Drag. You never know what this crazy girl is going to end up doing so come out to be surprised and entertained.

ORLANDO BLACK PRIDE
May 31 to June 5, 2011; Orlando Black Pride brings thousands of LGBTers together for a long weekend of events and entertainment. There are parties for the fellas, the ladies and everything in between and you can find all the great events on the official website. So head out to Orlando and get ready to party… www.orlandoblackpride.com.

BACK DOOR BUMBY
Revolution Nightclub (375 S. Bumby Ave (408) in Downtown Orlando) along with GRINDR and MyFlexRadio presents: “Back Door Bumby: Enter Through the Back” every 3rd Thursday of the month. This is Orlando’s premier college night as you’ve never seen it before. No cover when you show your GRINDR or MyFlexRadio App. No cover ‘til 11pm for those 21+ (18+ welcome) and no cover ‘til 12 midnight with college or theme park ID. Free drinks 11 to 11:30 p.m. Drinks specials throughout the night. Performances by: Shantell D’Marco and Macaviti. D.J. Joanie on the decks in the disco area and V.J. J.B. Burgos in the Hydrate Video Bar.

Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale to Host Fundraisers to Help Pay Off Debt

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

More than a month after thousands of people celebrated Gay Pride Month at the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade in Wilton Manors , the event organizers are struggling to pay off vendors from the highly successful affair.

Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale (PGFL) still owes about $30,000 to organizations that did work at the one-day affair, including Wilton Manors Police Department, EMS and the dumpster rental and trash hauling services company.

PGFL Chairman Bob Kecskemety said that the organization wishes they could get everyone paid today, but they have a plan in place to make sure all vendors receive the funds that are required per their contracts.

“The situation is not as glim as it appears,” Kesckemety said. “My goal is everyone will get paid back, just not tomorrow. We ask that everyone please be patient, because we are doing our best.”

Kecskemety said that Stonewall did not bring in as much money in food and drink sales as they had intended. The group had estimated that they would be able to sell $30,000-$40,000 in food and beverages but dropped significantly below that amount due to issues in setting up the bars and ticket sale tents.

Kecskemety said there were supposed to be eight tents set up for ticket and drink sales but by the time the crowds starting showing up, only four partial tents were able to be erected. Also, the parade started 45 minutes late due to the last minute issues, and the group never got the chance to get all the tents up, which in the end hurt ticket sales.

“The entire board spent the day dealing with issues all up and down Wilton Drive,” Kecskemety said. “Given everything that happened, the event was still a great success with a record turnout and a lot of happy people.”

Kecskemety said that the board still has money coming in, which will go to paying back the vendors.

They have at least $6,000 coming back from unsold beer, which should be back in their coiffures in the next 90 days.

“We are trying to make them understand the importance of the situation and get the money back as soon as possible,” Kecskemety said.

In addition, PGFL is also planning several fundraisers to help get the funds. They are working with several of their partners to put together low cost fundraisers so they do not have to have any upfront money. They will throw parties, participate in a swimsuit fashion show and auction and sell stuff at the next Pride Center at Equality Park swap meet.

Kecskemety was planning on stepping down as chairman after the Stonewall Festival, but said he is staying on until the money issue is resolved. He said he has been getting non-stop emails, phone calls and visits to his house from disgruntled vendors.

“Some of them have been very understanding of the situation, like the police,” Kecskemety said. “We are going to pull out of this hole. We are going to get these bills paid.

Kecskemety said the downturn in the economy is one of the reasons the group had to rely more on alcohol sales instead of sponsorship donation.

The largest donation was $7,500 in cash and came from Jackson Padgett and Mark Negrete on behalf of Georgie’s Alibi and Bill’s Filling Station. The next largest amount was $2,500.

Kecskemety said they learned a lot of valuable lessons and plan on incorporating them into the budgets to make sure this problem does not occur again.

By Troy Maillis

After schedule changes and some “diva” behavior, Jennifer Holliday, the headline performer at this year’s annual Stonewall Street Festival, wowed the excited crowds with hit songs such as “One Night Only” and “I Am Changing” from the Broadway smash-hit “Dreamgirls”.  A seasoned performer for 30 years, Holliday kept the Wilton Manors crowds anxiously awaiting her performance, and some fans were not very pleased with Holliday’s “diva” behavior leading up to the performance.

Read more after the Jump, Jennifer Holliday Exclusive Interview

(Photo: South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble marching in last year’s Stonewall Festival Parade. Photo by Dennis Dean)

By James Michaels

This Sunday, June 20, 2010 is the eleventh annual Stonewall Street Festival and Parade produced by Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale. This is the second of the two annual gay pride celebrations held in Fort Lauderdale each year. After two-years of holding the parade on a Saturday night and the festival during the daytime on the following Sunday, PGFL has returned to a one-day format with the parade stepping off at 11 a.m. followed by the festival beginning at noon.

Grand Marshals for this year’s parade are photographer Adam Bouska and his partner, Jeff Parshley. Bouska and Parshley inadvertently started a national phenomenon when, after California passed the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8, took photographs of themselves of themselves wearing white t-shirts, standing in front of white background, had silver duct tape across their face and on the cheeks had written “NO H8”. Having seen the photos, their friends wanted their photos taken also. Soon the couple formed a non-profit organization to inform the public on gay marriage equality and charge for their official photos. Bouska and Parshley have now shot the photos over 5,000 photos, mostly in California. Having only shot in New York and Washington, D.C. in the eastern United States, they arrive in Wilton Manors to shoot at CopyThis on Wilton Drive on Monday.

The parade will be announced from the main stage located at the intersection of Wilton Drive and N.E. 6 Avenue by Eugene Ramirez and Kristin Anderson, hosts of “The Morning Show” on WSFL, channel 39.

The festival will include a main stage located on the corner of Wilton Drive and N.E. 6 Avenue and two dance venues, one in front of Sidelines Sports Bar and they are working in cooperation with the dance tent at Rosie’s Bar and Grille. There will also be additional entertainment at The Manor.

Jennifer Holliday leads the entertainment located on the main stage. Holliday is a well-known respected Broadway star and recording artist who appeared in the original version “Dream Girls”.

Also headlining are JuJuBe and Jessica Wild from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, Kevin Aviance and Kitty Meow. Local favorites include Tiffany Arieagus, Electra , Nikki Adams and Debra Hampton. Other entertainers include Gio, Eryn Woods, Philip Alexander, Ray Boltz, Barry Brandon and Leah Driscoll. There are also other local entertainers and bands scheduled to perform. Misty Eyez, Shane Phoenix and “The Rickster” are emceeing the main stage.

Deejays spinning at the Sidelines Pride Dance Arena are headlined by deejays Wendy Hunt and deejays Miik and Marc Scott. Other deejays that day are deejays Sayho, Stu, DaddyO and Maximus 3000.

Additional events are being held at the “Pride Triangle” of Rosie’s New Moon and Matty’s on the Drive. This includes the traditional dance tent at Rosie’s. Throughout the festival will be additional amusements including dunk tanks and water slides and a “Family Friendly” is also on schedule with performances by the Rainbow Circus.

A VIP Party is being held during the festival at CopyThis starting at 6 pm which includes a meet-and-greet with the entertainers including Jennifer Holliday and Grand Marshals Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley.

The entire parade and the entertainment on the main stage will be streamed live world-wide over the internet by the Fabb Vision Network.

Broward House Comes to the Aid of Local Entertainer

The community is coming to the assistance of legendary local entertainer, Ray Fetcho (a.k.a. Tiny Tina) who was recently hospitalized with an infection of the leg due to diabetes. Fetcho’s condition got worse and doctors were forced last week to amputate the leg.

Broward House, in conjunction with WFOR CBS-4, will be collecting money to help pay Fetcho’s hospital bills that he had recently accrued and purchase a prosthetic leg. Broward House and CBS-4 will be asking for donations at the Broward House booth at the upcoming Stonewall Street Festival and Parade being held this Sunday, June 20, 2010 from 11a.m. to 9 p.m. Broward House will be located in exhibition booth “B”.

“Tiny Tina has done so much for the community for around 40 years,” said Terry DeCarlo, Director of Marketing for Broward House. “At one time, there was hardly ever a charitable benefit in our community that she hadn’t either assisted in or organized herself and she goes back to the pre-AIDS days. The community now has a chance to thank her for many, many years of dedication to our area.” DeCarlo also stated that Broward House will be organizing a former benefit to assist her.

Earlier this year, Fetcho had been fired from his regular nursing job after her employers found out that he had been arrested in 1976 and accused of promoting a lewd and lascivious performance as she hosted the weekly wet jockey shorts contest at the Copa. In April of this year, the nursing home where he worked conducted a state-mandated screening of all employees. Under state law, the criminal conviction prohibited him from working with the elderly, infirm or children and disqualified him from continuing employment at the facility where he had worked for 16 years.

Fetcho’s attorney’s filed an appeal with the state’s Nursing Bo ard which decl

ared that he was not a threat and could return to work in the nursing field. Fetcho then lined up new job but had lost health insurance benefits.

(Photo Courtesy: Project Publicity)

By Phil Bessimer

According to club diva Leah Driscoll, there are several stages after a break-up.  There’s the sad, weepy stage when you re-read every text message and think back on all the good times. There’s the self-loathing stage when you blame yourself for the split.  Then there’s the angry stage when you tear up all the pictures and toss out every remnant of the jerk.  Leah calls it the “Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale” stage, where the jilted lover gets all pyro.

That’s what her latest track, “If This Is Love”, is about. It’s a girl-done-wrong-who-now-seeks-revenge track.  Gay men, of course, are eating it up.  After all, who’s more vengeful than a dumped bitter queen?

It also helps that the track comes from the same artist who lit up dance floors last summer with her celebratory anthem “Pride”, a song seemingly made for gay dance floors.  The track was so rainbow, it solidified her status as gay clubland’s biggest fag hag.  It even led some to wonder if Leah Driscoll was in fact a gay man in a hot wig.  Or – more likely- if she is a gay man trapped in a woman’s body.

Did you expect “Pride” would make you gay clubland’s biggest fag hag?

(Laughing) I knew the song would touch more gay fans than straight.   It’s a powerful track and I always get the same reaction: “this is totally a gay club anthem!”

Have you always has a lot of gay friends?

I can’t answer this with a more emphatic YES!  As early as my teens, I always had gay friends. Of course, they were closeted at the time.

What’s drawn you to the queens?

It’s not that I ever intentionally went out looking for gay guys to be my friends, it just somehow always turned out that way.  If I walk into a room with 100 people and there’s one gay man, he’s coming over to talk to me.  Even my gay friends joke about it.

You’ve said in interviews that you can relate to the gay mans’ plight.  How so?

I’ve always had a huge capacity for empathy, which is good and bad.  Sometimes it leads me to get sucked up in other people’s drama, especially my gay friends’ drama!

There is no drama like a gay mans’ drama!

But on the good side, it’s allowed me to understand how difficult life can be for some people.  I’ve always had a soft spot for anyone who’s an “underdog” because I am one too.  I guess that’s the main connection I feel with gay men.  We also seem to cope with life’s difficulties in similar ways, like watching Golden Girls.  There is much to be learned from Sicilian fables and St. Olaf stories.

Why is a self-described wall flower seeking the spotlight?

I ask myself that a lot!  I love my private time.  I love solitude.  But I also know that good ideas, good messages, and good music don’t mean very much if no one hears them.

Do you break out of your shell when you perform in front of crowds?

Oh yeah, for sure.  I’m definitely a magnified version of myself on stage.   I’m able to get over any shyness because I really feel its part of my purpose to be out in front of people, delivering something meaningful.  I feel empowered on stage.

What’s the inspiration behind your new single, If This Is Love?

I think there are different stages of ending a relationship.  There’s the sad, weepy stage where you re-read every text message and think back on the good times.  Then there’s the angry stage where you’ve had enough.  I call this the “Angela Bassett in ‘Waiting to Exhale’” stage, where she gets all pyro.  That’s what the song is about.

There’s not a woman or a gay man in the world who hasn’t felt the need to go pyro.

(laughs) I certainly have!

What’s your take on love?

I am getting ready to read four different books on love, so I may have a different answer in a few weeks.  For now, though, I think love is great as long as it’s an unselfish love.   The problem is most people can’t recognize that what they think is love is not love at all.

The gays love their kiss-off songs.  Is that why you’re promoting the song so heavily to gay fans?

The single is similar to the ultimate gay anthem, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”.  So yeah, I’m hoping gay fans will embrace it.

What’s something your fans might be surprised to learn about you?

When I’m feeling stressed out, I like to do my hair.   It’s the best therapy.

Many of your gay fans can probably relate to that!

(Laughs) You’re probably right!  Another thing that might surprise fans is I once won a geography bee.  Also, I like crossword puzzles.  I guess I’m a bit of a closet nerd.

Come out of the closet, girl!

OK, I’m a nerd!

What’ s next for you

I used to think about the future a lot.  I use to try to plan how everything was going to turn out but you know what?  It never turned out that way.

So are you now living for the day?

Exactly.  My focus right now is on promoting the record and performing.

And in between, you can find me watching Glee and re-runs of The Golden Girls.

You are a gay man.

(Laughs) I guess I am.

Check Leah out at the Stonewall Street Festival on Sunday June 20^th.  For more info, visit www.leahdriscoll.com.

Singer and Tony-award winning actress, Jennifer Holliday will be headlining the Main Stage at this year’s Stonewall Street Festival and Parade to be held on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Holliday started her career on Broadway in musicals such as “Dreamgirls” and later became a successful recording artist. She is best known for her debut single, the “Dreamgirls” showstopper and Grammy-winning R&B/Pop hit, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” This is believed to be Jennifer’s first appearance in a South Florida LGBT pride celebration.

Some of the deejays that will be performing on the Main Stage and the dance arena which will be located in front of Sidelines Sports Bar are Deejays Wendy Hunt and Marc Scott.

D.J. Wendy Hunt is one of the longest spinning deejays today. She has a solid reputation for presenting the fresh and happy tunes to dance floors for thirtyfive years.

D.J. Marc Scott has spun at over 26 clubs and now appears at Atomic/Boom. He has also appeared at many major events around the country such as The Coming Out Ball (Chicago), The Halloween Ball (Denver), White Party and Winter Party (SoBe), and most recently as the headlining deejay for Pridefest in Long Beach, California.

—FA