Some organizations change lives through speeches. Others do it through advocacy. Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale does it one mile, one friendship, and one encouraging step at a time.
Bobby Blair Unfiltered
Bobby Blair is a former professional tennis player in the 1980s. Blair is a LGBTQ media pioneer, Executive Director of the Community Media Advocacy Network, and Publisher of Hotspots Magazine and Perks Plus VIP community mobile APP. He lives in Fort Lauderdale with his partner, Brian Neal. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida native.
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Every successful publication has familiar faces—the publisher, the writers, photographers, and personalities whose names readers know. Yet behind every issue is someone whose work often goes unnoticed, even though it shapes every page readers hold in their hands.
Henry Ford is widely credited with saying, “A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.” Whether you are a small neighborhood restaurant, a real estate professional, a retailer, a healthcare provider or a major corporation, the principle remains the same: If your customers do not see you, hear from you, and remember you, someone else will earn their attention.
There are certain people whose names become synonymous with a community. For me, Tony Nazzaro and Gloria McMichael are two of those people.
For decades, our LGBTQ community has fought for equality, visibility, and respect. We have made extraordinary progress because courageous people stood up, spoke out, and demanded to be seen. Today, however, we find ourselves facing a different challenge. Across America, many Pride celebrations, Stonewall events, nonprofit organizations, and LGBTQ community initiatives are experiencing reduced corporate sponsorships and financial support. While disappointing, I believe this moment also presents us with an opportunity to rethink how we tell our story.
There are people who build businesses, and there are people who build communities. Scott Holland has spent his life doing both.
This Saturday, as tens of thousands of people gather along Wilton Drive to celebrate Stonewall Pride, I find myself reflecting on what Stonewall truly means to me.
Every June, corporations across America unveil rainbow logos, Pride-themed merchandise, and carefully crafted statements celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Some efforts are meaningful. Others feel more like seasonal marketing campaigns than genuine commitments.
In every great community, there are people who become part of its heartbeat. Entrepreneurs who do more than operate businesses — they create gathering places, preserve culture, and help shape the identity of a neighborhood over decades. In Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Wings & Pizza owner Gary Bouvier has become one of those people.
It is truly an honor to become the Executive Director and publisher of the nonprofit organization that publishes Hotspots Happening Out Magazine — a publication that has been a staple of our community for more than 40 years.
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