
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.
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
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.
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.
With the type of historic win Penserga had, it was only a matter of time before the Boynton Beach Mayor received our OUT 50 award.
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.
A Reiki Master. An entrepreneur. A certified Holistic Life Coach, Franchesca D’Amore does everything she can to leave an impact on the community.
As a critical care nurse practitioner on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin Cho Tipton fulfilled what he called, "an overwhelming desire to find purpose."
Joseph Kolb and Michael Hoagland met in Washington DC in the Fall of 1976, as two of the founders of the Washington Gay Hotline.
Jameer Baptiste is busy. As an activist he’s known for his work in the HIV, Black, and LGBT communities.
As Executive Director of Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE), Orlando Gonzales has the difficult assignment of countering an increasingly hostile political climate.
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.
Tedd Davis is an artist and philanthropist. He is best known for his collages and mixed media assemblage art.
As a fierce advocate for his clients, colleagues and the LGBT community, Dave Gervase is constantly working toward a goal.
Unlike most of the retirees who find their way to South Florida, Steven Some has not slowed down one bit. He’s just getting started.
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.
Nic Zantop is a South Florida native who works to make a difference in the community. “I believe in advocacy,” they said. “I’m really proud to work with an amazing team that’s doing really impactful work.”
Steven Crawford is an organizer, planner, and fundraiser. He's the Founder and President of FlockFest events, a non-profit event planning and promoting organization.
Michael Riordan is a trailblazing trans woman and Director of Marketing at Compass Community Center in Lake Worth Beach.
Nicole Alvarez found her passion for the law as a 16-year-old driver. “It was a speeding ticket … I took it to court and I won.”
Bella Dunbar grew up in Vero Beach — a town she describes as less than inclusive for LGBT and Latinx people — where she and her brother struggled in finding their identity, community, and acceptance.
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.
Artist Najja Moon came to Miami in 2009 and has developed a creative practice that uplifts and holds space for her community.
Nicholas Coppola is a retired electrical contractor who has 35 years of experience in the construction industry.
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