LOCAL NAME GLOBAL COVERAGE FEBRUARY 11, 2021 VOL. 12 // ISSUE 6 SCOTT TRAVIS A JOURNALIST’S STORY — FROM PARKLAND TO PULITZER PAGES 10 LGBT Rights Expanded PAGE 26 McNaught On ‘Saying Less’ PAGE 30 Chief On ‘Giving More’ GAZETTE, PAGE 4 SOUTHFLORIDAGAYNEWS @SFGN SFGN.COM | DONATE TO OUR JOURNALISM! SFGN.COM/DONATE NEWS HIGHLIGHT SouthFloridaGayNews.com @SFGN February 11, 2021 • Volume 12 • Issue 6 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 QUEER TEACHER BEHIND BERNIE SANDERS’ Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943 Publisher • Norm Kent [email protected] Associate Publisher / NOW FAMOUS MITTENS Executive Editor • Jason Parsley [email protected] Editorial Kim Swan Art Director • Brendon Lies [email protected] Webmaster • Kimberly Swan emember Bernie Sanders’ now famous [email protected] mittens from inauguration day? Turns Social Media Director • Christiana Lilly Arts/Entertainment Editor • J.W. Arnold Rout a queer school teacher from [email protected] Vermont is behind them. And now she’s Food/Travel Editor • Rick Karlin using her newfound fame to raise money for Gazette News Editor • John McDonald HIV Editor • Sean McShee summer camp for LGBT youth. Senior Photographer • J.R. Davis With the Bernie Sanders’ mitten meme [email protected] growing popular each day, Camp Outright Senior Feature Columnists came up with a way to earn money for LGBT Brian McNaught • Jesse Monteagudo youth to attend camp. Correspondents Perhaps one of the reasons why the meme Dori Zinn • Donald Cavanaugh is so popular is because rather than wear Christiana Lilly • John McDonald formal attire, Sanders wore a parka and a large Denise Royal • David-Elijah Nahmod pair of fluffy mittens. Contributing Columnists Pier Angelo • Terri Schlichenmeyer Sanders reacted to the memes by defending Dana Rudolph • Ric Reily his choice of clothing: “In Vermont we dress Associate Photographers warm. We know something about the cold, Carina Mask • Steven Shires and we’re not so concerned about good fashion. We want to keep warm, and that’s Sales & Marketing what I did [on that day],” he told CBS 8. For ad placement in SFGN, Another reason why the contact 954-530-4970 mittens went viral is because of Sales Manager • Justin Wyse the queer teacher who created ELLIS ADMITTED [email protected] them in the first place: Jen Ellis. Jen Ellis. Photo courtesy of Jen Ellis. Senior Advertising Associate • Edwin Neimann Ellis admitted to The TO THE [email protected] Advocate that she gave Sanders ADVOCATE Camp Outright is a place across the country in just six days, according Distribution Services • Noah Lebel the mittens when he lost the for LGBT youth to find a to the press release. Sales Consultant • Charles A. Reid election to Hillary Clinton in THAT SHE GAVE sense of belonging since they On Jan. 29, Outright held an auction National Advertising 2016. SANDERS THE face rejection and isolation with John Canning being the top bidder for Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 “I was just sad because even worldwide, therefore they mittens at $7,650. Being a longtime supporter [email protected] though I like Hillary, I’m also MITTENS WHEN are always looking for ways to of Outright, he donated the mittens back, Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping super pro-Bernie, and as a HE LOST THE make the youth feel like they causing a second bidder to win them and Printing by Stuart Web Inc. public school teacher, I can ELECTION TO belong, according to the press raising a total of $14,850 that day, according to see every day how families release. the press release. are struggling. People are just HILLARY CLINTON The organization also Because of the success of the auction, trying to make ends meet and IN 2016. provides other programs such Canning came up with a challenge that if SFGN WINNER of they need things like student as Friday Night Group, which Outright could raise an additional $10,000 & 5 FLORIDA PRESS CLUB Awards loan forgiveness and free is a support group for self- by Feb. 5, Physician’s Computer Company will And runner-up for education and a lot of the things that Bernie identified queer, trans, and questioning youth match those gifts dollar for dollar. NLGJA Journalist of the Year is fighting for,” Ellis told The Advocate. “I ages 13-22, and another social group for kids To help support LGBT youth attend camp, sent him these mittens kind of as a shout- under 13 who their parents/caregivers can join you can donate to Mitten Magic Continues on SOUTH FLORIDA GAY NEWS.COM, INC. out to who he is, and I put a note in that said as well. the Outright website. — — something to the effect of ‘I hope you run By using the mittens to her advantage, Ellis In the wake of the pandemic, the camp will FOUNDED, DECEMBER, 2009 again.’” helped raise nearly $20,000 by people from be held virtually this year. BY PIER GUIDUGLI AND NORM KENT South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names SEE OUR COVER: Scott Travis posing with the Pulitzer Prize. Photo courtesy of Scott Travis. or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including NEWS IN articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded VIDEO! by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at [email protected]. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the Online now! suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Associated Press Copyright © 2021 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc. 2 • 2.11.2021 2.11.2021 • 3 NEWS INTERNATIONAL BY AVRAHAM FORREST AROUND EXPLORING LGBT NEWS EVENTS ACROSS THE WORLD THE GLOBE CENTRAL EUROPE AFRICA THREE COUNTRIES LEAVE PROJECT AFTER FOUR LGBT SHELTERS POLISH ANTI-LGBT RESOLUTION OPEN IN CAMEROON In Cameroon, four organizations have Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein Carpathian Mountains, Poland. Credit: kallerna, via Wikipedia. A ribbon-cutting ceremony at the shelter run by Camfaids in opened shelters in response to violence, pulled out of a $2.25 million culture Yaoundé, Cameroon. Photo courtesy of Camfaids. and natural heritage project in Poland human rights abuses and family after the country passed an anti-LGBT rejections LGBT people have faced, resolution, Reuters reported. Erasing 76 Crimes reported. The decision became known on Feb. LGBT advocacy organizations 2, Reuters reported. The three nations Camfaids, 2HRC, Alcondoms and Colibri canceled a grant to Poland’s Carpathian run the shelters. Mountains in September. Shelters provide medical and Letters between Poland and Norway psychological assistance as well as officials posted by a Polish LGBT activist employment training, 76 Crimes reported. on his website revealed the decision, The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan Reuters reported. for AIDS Relief is funding the project, the Poland’s minister of funds and regional passed a resolution in 2019 which United States Agency for International policy said in a letter that the nation’s expressed opposition to the promotion Development is supervising and Care around 15 residents. LGBT-free zones, the subject of much of and affirmation of LGBT ideology, Cameroon’s Human Rights Grant Residents can stay in shelters between the uproar, are not discriminatory. The Reuters reported. In September, Norway program is supporting it. one and three months based on their letter was also published on the activist’s said it would not fund the Polish The shelters also provide bunk beds, circumstance. Each shelter comes with website. municipalities that have passed LGBT- bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms, a manager who monitors security, in Podkarpackie, a region in Poland, free resolutions, almost a 100 now. 76 Crimes reported. Each shelter can fit addition to other duties. EASTERN EUROPE NORTH AMERICA GAY CHECHENS QUEBEC RULINGS MARK PROGRESS FACE DANGER FOR TRANS COMMUNITY A LGBT rights group said two gay men Photo via PxHere. A Quebec Superior Court judge Photo via Adobe. face danger in Chechnya after they were invalidated several Civil Code articles seized by near Moscow last week, the on Jan. 29, which included articles Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. preventing the change of the legal sex The two men were detained for listed on individuals’ “act of birth” unknown reasons and sent back to documents, the CBC reported. Chechnya. A spokesman for the LGBT Also invalidated was a provision Network, a rights group, said the Federal requiring someone be an identified as Security Service domestic intelligence mother or father in birth documents, agency detained and sent back the two excluding non-binary options. The CBC men, AFP reported. reported Justice Gregory Moore gave the The two Chechen men attempted to province of Quebec until the end of 2021 flee to a region East of Moscow in June to make the amendments. of last year after they were tortured by Sophia D’Aoust, president of Gender Chechen special police in April, AFP Mosaic, a transgender social and reported. support group, told the CBC changing Spokesman Tim Bestsvet said the hearts or minds of society is another two men were initially arrested due to hurdle. their sexual orientation, AFP reported. operating an opposition Telegram, an “Society needs to be changed comprehension, support, acceptance Officially, the men were arrested for instant messaging service, channel.