Our gay community has become so frighteningly mainstream, we are on the verge of losing our own identity.

Four weeks from now, we will salvage what is left of us by having some 10,000 men and women parade up and down Wilton Drive in Batman capes and Wonder Woman costumes.

Years ago, the gay community celebrated Halloween with depraved acts of indulgence and debauchery in the public square.  Now that we have grown up, we must settle for a casual walk up the Drive with drinks in our hands. If you want decadence, just go see a show at Ronnie Larsen’s Foundry Theater.

The point of this short column is simply to say that the Fall theatrical season is upon us, and our community is out and about again. Last week, Broadway opened, theaters began welcoming patrons, and restaurants started seating more and more guests.

Still, wherever you go, jobs seem available everywhere. Head down East Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale and the sign in front of Big Louie’s does not say “Pepperoni Pizza.” It reads “Help Wanted.”

Go the other way, and the advertising bench for J. Mark’s does not showcase their great Hawaiian Rib Eye. It promotes the fact that they need servers and jobs are available. There is no excuse for not working.

The common denominator for employers this past year as we try to emerge from the pandemic is they need help. So do we at the paper. SFGN is still looking for another full-time salesperson for the newspaper and our magazine. You can even show up in your Superman costume that you plan to wear on the Drive for Halloween. Just show up.

This week SFGN is sending to press this month’s Mirror Magazine, featuring the Fall Arts and Entertainment Issue. It is always my favorite every year. September and October welcome the return of our nightlife. The breadth of arts in our community is unmatched.

Our magazine is populated with ads celebrating the return of theater. But we are more than advertising.  The Mirror delivers credible content, serious articles which illuminate our community, its lives, and its energies. Like our paper, it needs your support and sponsorship. We share information and ideas, not just 2 for 1 specials.

Not just theater, but many non-profits are hosting annual events in the next few months. Diversity Honors will be showcased this weekend at the Hard Rock. Outshine will be hosting its movie festival. Next month, Equality Florida will be holding its annual gala. The Pet Project will be showcasing its annual benefit at the Wilton Manors Shoppes. And Pride Fort Lauderdale will return to the beach.

Last week, Jimmy Cunningham, the realtor, held a wonderful outdoors party at Richardson Park. It left a venue for a wealth of nonprofits, from Flock Fest to the Symphony Orchestra, to talk about their own projects.

Cruises are leaving from South Florida ports, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida is preparing for Christmas concerts. The Florida Grand Opera has a program. The Smart Ride is gathering riders, and houses of worship are filling their pews again.

Slowly, we rise. In the face of so much death we should not have experienced, we are alive again. Let’s keep it that way. It’s still a jungle out there, and I am not talking about your bedroom. Stay cautious. Stay careful.

It was only a few weeks ago that Roderick Hagwood, the Sun Sentinel writer, was sadly reflecting about the temporary mortuaries being set up outside the Broward Medical Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Let’s live our lives so he can return to the fashion, arts and entertainment beat.

There are more events being planned than those I just summarized. Your stories get life here at SFGN. Tell them to us, so we can tell them to your friends.  SFGN gives ALL these gatherings a platform. You live them. We write about them.

You can grab our paper or at our online site, share them with your friends, or the moms and dads you left in Fargo, North Dakota. They are not being showcased in the Miami Herald or Wall Street Journal. Your voice, and your vices, are here weekly.

Now, back on the radio, as I am, you can listen daily to see who will be showcased next. Looking forward to Misty Eyes and John Castelli with me on WWNN next week. Tune in to wwnnradio.com.

For too long, the gay community had no place on Main Street. In South Florida, it is now ours to share. In many places across the world, it still is not.

While celebrating on the shore, let’s never forget those still drowning at sea. Fight the good fight, in dress or in drag. Make your voice heard.