
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.
Jameer Baptiste is busy. As an activist he’s known for his work in the HIV, Black, and LGBT communities.
Described by her colleague as a “Powerhouse,” Janiece Rodriguez arrived in Key West looking for a new start.
Doors are opening for DJ Citizen Jane and the Miami recording artist wants to keep them that way for future generations.
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.
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.
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 fierce advocate for his clients, colleagues and the LGBT community, Dave Gervase is constantly working toward a goal.
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.
Ed Sparan works as HIV educator in charge of The PrEP Program at Broward Health. He also does HIV advocacy for the homeless population.
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."
“I am a feminist artist, nonprofit leader, educator, researcher, author, and grant writer,” Thinking Cap Theatre Co.’s Artistic Director Nicole Stodard stated unapologetically.
May Reign is a poet, author, International Spoken Word artist, and entrepreneur. She's also a proud Black woman, lesbian, wife, mother, and grandmother.
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.”
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.
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 Broward House care navigator, Derald Robertson sees people living with HIV/AIDS who are often at their most vulnerable stages of life.
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