Congregation Etz Chaim (CEC) is one of South Florida’s LGBTQ success stories. On the surface it does not seem that way: In its 49-year history, CEC has had more ups and downs than a roller coaster.
Jesse's Journal
Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer, journalist, writer and activist who is a proud member of South Florida's LGBTQ+ community for almost half a century. His first regular column, "The Book Nook" (1977-2006) was syndicated in a dozen LGBT publications in the United States and Canada and was considered an authority on LGBT literature. Jesse also wrote extensively about LGBT history, plays, movies and (for Toronto's The Guide) a regular column about gay adult cinema. His current, personal opinion column, "Jesse's Journal," began its career in the 1980s and has been published or posted in numerous newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the United States. As an activist, Jesse has served on the Boards of a dozen LGBT organizations. He lives in Plantation, Florida.
Travel and tourism were hit hard by the COVID pandemic. Cruise ships, widely attacked as “floating petri dishes,” were the first to go, followed by air, rail, and road travel.
My friend Gloria Suzanne Stein passed away on June 14, after a struggle with cancer, but her death was sadly unrecorded by both the LGBT and mainstream media.
On May 19, country singer Jason Aldean released “Try This in a Small Town,” a song from his upcoming album. The song contrasts big city violence with small town law and order: “If you’re looking for a fight, try that in a small town.” The video was even more graphic, contrasting a performance clip of Aldean singing and playing in front of the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee with news footage of city slickers rioting, looting, and burning the American flag.
Recently my friend Fred Fejes, professor emeritus at Florida Atlantic University and an authority on Florida’s LGBTQ History (“Gay Rights and Moral Panic”), delivered a lecture titled “Queer by the Beach: The History of the Fort Lauderdale LGBT Community.”
Like many of you, I am hopelessly addicted to Facebook, the online social networking service created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard College friends. Though I have been a member for quite a while, I did not really get involved in the program until the pandemic hit us. Stranded at home with not much to do, I began to explore the social media that everyone was talking about. It was amazing, interesting, sometimes annoying, and now I can’t live without it.
First, I am happy to bring “Jesse’s Journal” to its new home, Out South Florida (OutSFL) and to do so on LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Though pride in one’s sexual orientation or gender identity should be year-round, it is good to set apart a month to showcase and celebrate our community and our culture.