Michael C. Gongora was the first openly gay Hispanic commissioner in Florida to be elected to any public office. In addition, Gongora was the first openly gay person to win an election to public office in the City of Miami Beach, despite a negative campaign against him. Currently, he is an attorney with the Coral Gables law firm, Becker & Poliakoff.  He’s a Miami native and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School Law.  

Michael McKeever is truly the renaissance man of South Florida theater. His plays, filled with “wit, insight and a healthy dose of his quirky sense of humor,” have been performed across the United States, Europe and Russia.

Michael Murphy is a second generation native South Floridian. Born in Miami, he moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1969.

Michael Emanuel Rajner’s coming out process began in Los Angeles as a twenty-something conservative.

As a detective assigned to the Special Victims Unit of the Pembroke Pines Police Department, Officer Mike Silver’s passion for investigating crimes against the vulnerable and defenseless means working long hours and being on call and able to respond at any time of the day and night.

Mimi Planas is a native daughter of Miami. She is of Cuban descent and works full time at Dolphin Products, a company devoted to manufacturing apparel designed to protect workers in the hazardous pharmaceutical, industrial and food industries. It’s an important responsibility but, according to Planas, the most important position she holds, by far, is mom to her 9-year-old son Aidan. In addition to Aiden Planas lives with her wife and her 88 year old mother.

When Miriam Richter first became (2011) an LGBT advocate — a title she prefers to activist — she was known as a trademark attorney who concentrated her practice on intellectual property matters.

When life happens every parent faces the question of how a child may respond to this event/situation.

In five years, Nate Klarfeld hopes to spend more time with his husband and two grandchildren. But for now, he’s helping raise awareness about the LGBT community in Broward County.

(WB) The government of Nicaragua has sought to shut down the country’s oldest LGBT rights group.

Meld together a business owner, leader, and philanthropist and you have Nick Berry. Perhaps best known for being the co-owner of Wilton Manors Courtyard Cafe and owner of Rumors.

Nicole Waters has been in South Florida for 18 years. She’s basically a native, and one that has helped the local LGBT community tremendously.

Nikki Adams has been entertaining for the last 37 years. Many of her performances have been to charities that directly support AIDS.

It’s been 40 years since Etz Chaim opened its doors as a welcoming place to both the Jewish and LGBT community. As the Executive Director, Rabbi Noah Kitty has seen first-hand the support and friendship of the community.

The entire WWNN Radio network, which consists of 5 FM and AM radio stations, and the Internet, went offline Monday morning, and they are reliant upon Comcast for their signal, which says they will not have the station back online before 2:30 p.m.

Blake Lynch is a young man on a mission — make that several missions — and he doesn’t have plans to stop any time soon.

OnlyFans built its brand on the backs of independent creators of adult content.

I am just a columnist and I have no mysterious insight into the anniversary of the attack on America 20 years ago this Saturday.

This year, I should have expected nothing different. There is an old Jewish saying, "Man Plans, God Laughs.”

In this issue of SFGN we honor 50 important people in South Florida’s LGBT community. Missing from the list is SFGN publisher Norm Kent. This is understandable; as it would not be proper for Norm to “honor” himself in his own paper.

My mom used to say, “as long as you can open your eyes, there is beauty in this world to see.”

A somewhat outdated phrase from days gone by, used to express surprise and astonishment.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown turned criticism of her sexuality from a conservative television personality into an opportunity to offer support and encouragement.

As the manager of the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando Castellano sometimes comes across groups he politically disagrees with. But unlike most members of the LGBT community, when those groups decide to rent the War Memorial, it’s his job to work with them and make sure their needs are met.

When Chris Caputo was diagnosed with HIV five years ago, he “cried it out.” Then, he sought out the help and support he needed. “I thought the world was over,” he said. 

If you flip through the channels on your television, you’re likely to run across a performance by the thrilling keyboard duo of David Dunlap and Wesley Pennington. They can usually be found on one of the local PBS affiliates during the important membership drives with their popular program of classic and pop songs performed on piano and a custom Wersi computer organ.

Strong communities are made of great, supportive people. Denise Spivak is one of them. You may know her from Women in Network (she’s a past board president); or perhaps seen her during an AIDSWalk, or supporting another South Florida pride event. 

Dr. Myron Davidson is an internal medicine doctor in Wilton Manors. On any given Saturday morning, the Rowan Tree Medical office is buzzing with patients—men, women, young, old, straight or gay.

The Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins lets the sun shine in at Sunshine Cathedral. Watkins, the Reverend of the Sunshine Cathedral boasts that it is a ‘different kind of church’ where all are welcome. The church is a vibrant, thriving, progressive congregation that features blended worship, liberal theology, biblical exposition (likely in new ways than many are used to), and a lot of unapologetic fun.

When Emery Grant organizes discussions dealing with culture, sexual orientation and other issues, he tries to be as inclusive as possible. But there’s one thing he always attempts to exclude: preconceived notions.