When it comes to volunteering, Kevin Clevenger is always ready to lend a hand.
Out & Proud 50 - 2023
Welcome to OutSFL’s first OUT & PROUD 50 list. Those are so many individuals in our LGBTQ community that are deserving of recognition, it’s hard to choose just 50.
Actually we might have a few more than 50 this year’s, but I won’t tell if you don’t. OutSFL is proud to tell these stories and honor them in this year’s OUT & PROUD list.
Stories of gay men like Jimmy Cunningham, a noted realtor; lesbians like Faywhat, an online television show host; a mental health coordinator like Ryan Papciak, who also happens to be transgender; and Kevin Tisdol, a local LGBTQ faith leader. Those are just four people in this issue. Make sure to read through them all.
These folks aren’t important because they are LGBTQ, they’re important because of their accomplishments and the work they do. But because they are LGBTQ, they serve as role models for our community — and future generations. These individuals prove that we are no longer a sideshow, but nowadays, the main show.
I hope these people inspire you – as they have inspired me.
So welcome to the 2023 South Florida OUT & PROUD, a list of activists, business leaders, organizers, and others who are out and proud members of our local LGBTQ community.
- Jason Parsley, Publisher
Larry Davanzo has been volunteering with the Smart Ride, an annual two-day bike ride in South Florida that raises funds for local HIV-related non-profits, for the last 17 years.
As a Broward House care navigator, Derald Robertson sees people living with HIV/AIDS who are often at their most vulnerable stages of life.
A family law attorney, Nora Rotella represents clients who are going through divorce proceedings, paternity cases and adoptions, but is most proud of her work advocating for children’s best interests before judges.
Artist Najja Moon came to Miami in 2009 and has developed a creative practice that uplifts and holds space for her community.
Chris McNulty arrived in Key West from Cleveland and was surprised to find that such an inclusive island was lacking basic support services for the LGBT community.
Ryan Papciak is Director of Mental Health services at SunServe, a nonprofit that provides mental health services to the LGBT community in South Florida. He is also an out transgender man.
Michael Riordan is a trailblazing trans woman and Director of Marketing at Compass Community Center in Lake Worth Beach.
What started as an once month community gathering has blossomed into a sought-after entertainment destination for travelers near and far. Chef Rocco Carulli said he never envisioned the effect R House’s drag brunch would have.
As a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Horacio Sierra is tasked with advising President Biden on cultural policy.
Nicholas Coppola is a retired electrical contractor who has 35 years of experience in the construction industry.
FayWhat?! is here to be seen and heard. An outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, she is constantly moving up and down I-95 in South Florida to represent and rile up.
Allan Hendricks is a resident of Boynton Beach and has been active and involved in LGBTQ advocacy and culture for decades.
A Reiki Master. An entrepreneur. A certified Holistic Life Coach, Franchesca D’Amore does everything she can to leave an impact on the community.
Poet, curator, activist, and philanthropist, Tom Healy’s accomplishments are many, but it is his lifetime of service that warrants his inclusion in the OUT50.
Joseph Kolb and Michael Hoagland met in Washington DC in the Fall of 1976, as two of the founders of the Washington Gay Hotline.
Rob Eldredge is a noted figure in his own right, not just for his partner of 21 years Kris Fegenbush, who is a well known commodity in the LGBT community having worked at the Pride Center in Wilton Manors for many years.