Paris, an activist, and a superstar cabaret singer all came through South Florida over the weekend. You could dress up, rock out, and celebrate LGBTQ history all in one night.
Each event was spectacular in its own right and filled with people ready to let loose and have fun.
Standing On the Shoulders of Heroes
Stonewall Museum’s gala
Stonewall Museum held their Standing On the Shoulders of Heroes gala at The Venue in Wilton Manors. Hundreds packed into the Epic Ballroom for cocktails, dinner, and inspiring speakers.
Stacy Ritter, CEO of Visit Lauderdale, Broward County’s tourism arm, was presented with the Courage In Leadership Award for her tireless work towards inclusivity. Swimmer Diana Nyad won the Hero For Our Time Award, while the Fortitude & Resilience Award went to the stars of the HBO documentary “The Stroll.”
Opening the program was young LGBTQ activist Zander Moricz. He is known for standing up to anti-LGBTQ school board members in Sarasota. While it may seem different to see a young person at an event that celebrates and preserves history, he says that’s the most important part.
“If we forget our history, we repeat it. The Stonewall Archives works so intentionally to preserve LGBTQ+ history and stories, especially in a state that is working to make sure those stories aren’t told. Any way people can support organizations like Stonewall Museum, we need to be doing that.”
Bonjour!
The Center For Spiritual Living’s eighth annual gala
The Center For Spiritual Living (CSL) held its eighth annual gala, this year with the theme One Night In Paris.
Berét clad greeters, a tall Eiffel Tower replica, and a classic mime were on hand to set the mood. The congregation is small but dedicated. They all voted on the theme six months ago and brought the gala together.
Senior Minister Chris Michaels told OutSFL his favorite thing about Paris is the food. His favorite part about CSL? The people.
Steele The Show
Sunshine Cathedral presents ‘Where the Boys Are’
The boys, and the girls, were at Sunshine Cathedral for a rockin’ show that reconnected fans with the soundtracks of their lives.
New York City cabaret star Anne Steele brought her show, “Where the Boys Are,” to the South Florida stage. Every song was originally performed by male artists. She connected with the music but, as a lesbian growing up in Indiana in the 80s and nineties, didn’t understand why.
The crowd was filled with fans, including Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz. He knows Anne, who came to his birthday celebration last summer. For him, a show like this is more than a night out, it’s a community building event.
“It’s very important. It needs to be known that people in government have a connection to the community in different ways. I make a point of making my presence known at things like this because people like Anne Steel who are very philanthropic themselves.”
As for Anne, she’s working on a new show and hopes to bring it to Sunshine in the 2024-25 theater season.
