MARCH 2024 VOL. 1 • ISSUE 3 VISIT US ONLINE AT: OUTFAU.COM INSTAGRAM: @OUTFAU Queer Historian Refects on Career and LGBTQ+ Rights Fred Fejes: a Trailblazing FAU Professor PAGE 4
2 OUTFAU | MARCH 2024 OutFAU newspaper is a part of J&J Media Group. You should not presume the sexual orientation or gender identity of any featured individuals solely based on their names, appearance, or inclusion within this publication. Any opinions shared within stories, columns, graphics, or letters to the editor should not be assumed to represent the opinions of OutFAU or its publisher. Any stories or content, either in print or online, and also including any articles that are featured in conjunction with any media partners, are protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and this ownership is carefully and jealously guarded by this media group. Nothing that is published may be reprinted, either in whole or in part, without first receiving written consent from Publisher, Jason Parsley. OutFAU is owned by Jason Parsley and Justin Wyse, and is represented legally by Russell Cormican. As a private corporation, J&J Media Group reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations, and photographs. Copyright © 2024 J&J Media Group. Palm Beach Pride March 23-24 This Year’s Headliner is Out Country Singer Brooke Eden Subscribe to our newsletter! Executive Editor MARY RASURA Assistant Editor KENNY RUFF Designer CRAIG TUGGLE Contributors KAYLA BARNES • KY WALKER XIMENA DIPIETRO Advisors MICHAEL KORETZKY • JASON PARSLEY BRENDON LIES • AURORA DOMINGUEZ Sales & Marketing FOR AD PLACEMENT, CALL 954-514-7095 OR EMAIL [email protected] FIRST COPY IS FREE, EACH ADDITIONAL IS 50 CENTS OUT FAU MARCH 2024 VOL. 1 • ISSUE 3 This publication is solely the expression of the author and/or publisher and it is not an official publication of Florida Atlantic University, nor is it in any way intended to express any policies or opinions of Florida Atlantic University, or its personnel. Cover: Photo by Carina Mask. Spot an error? Let us know at [email protected] One of the biggest events of the year for the LGBTQ+ community in Palm Beach County is fast approaching. Palm Beach Pride, run by Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center, will be taking place Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, at Bryant Park in Lake Worth Beach. With everything currently going on concerning LGBTQ+ rights, especially down here in Florida, there are several reasons why Pride events like these are so important. “The first is that it lets the LGBTQ+ community and its allies gather together to celebrate the advances we’ve made over the years and the joy we find in being our authentic selves!” said Michael Riordan, Director of Media and Communication at Compass. Several major local LGBTQ+ events, such as Pride Fort Lauderdale and the Smart Ride, have been canceled this year. According to Riordan, it’s vital, now more than ever, that the community celebrates together, loudly and proudly. Pride is a family and pet friendly festival that will feature numerous performances throughout the weekend by South Florida legends such as Velvet Lenore, Kiowa, The Mushroots, and many more! One of the entertainment highlights will be Daniel Franzese of “Mean Girls. While the headliner will be Country star Brooke Eden, who is queer and a champion for LGBTQ+ rights in the music industry. Eden is from West Palm Beach but now lives in Nashville with her wife. She also briefly appeared on two different seasons of “American Idol.” Performance schedules can be found on the Compass website: www.CompassLGBTQ.com. The main event, the Pride Parade, will take place March 24, at 11 a.m. on Lake Avenue in Downtown Lake Worth Beach, west of Dixie Highway. Over 30,000 people come to participate in the parade, community events, and the festival, according to the Cultural Council for PBC. With countless local organizations, retail and food venders, and businesses participating in the festivities, there is something for everyone. Tickets are for sale now on the Compass website. They are $10 pre-sale and $12 at the gate. Anyone 18 and under is offered free admission to the park. Volunteers are always welcome and needed for a variety of tasks. Volunteer applications are located on the Compass website, and volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and free admission to Pride the day of their shift. “We’re open to anyone who wants to peacefully celebrate with us,” said Riordan. Headliner Brooke Eden. Photo by Ford Fairchild. BY KY WALKER
MARCH 2024 | OUTFAU 3 BY KAYLA BARNES Diving into The Radical Politics of Broadway E VERY TIME Teddy Valentine hears the song “God Draws Straight” from the musical “Here Lies Love,” he bawls. As a Filipino-American, he feels connected to the “ordinary people who participated in the People Power Revolution and freed themselves from the Marcos regime together.” However, Valentine has major critiques regarding how “Here Lies Love” and other Broadway musicals portray radical politics and revolutions. “I think there’s something to be said about how Broadway is made with an elite audience in mind, that likely isn’t very interested in changing the status quo,” he said. “Because of that, I think that consumers of Broadway musicals should think critically about their political messaging.” This is the basis for Valentine’s presentation, “Broadway and Radical Politics,” where he asked two main questions of the audience: How do Broadway musicals choose to portray revolution, and how do these narrative choices shape our understanding of revolution in popular culture? Valentine, an English major and public history minor, defines revolution as “a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a different political system and often using the violence of war.” He critiqued various Broadway musicals — “Les Misérables,” “Newsies,” “Hamilton,” “Here Lies Love,” “Miss Saigon,” and “Hadestown”— for their portrayal of revolution and radical politics. He repeatedly cited the following PBS, NYT, New Socialist, and CNN articles and urged the audience to explore the topic further. One example he highlighted was Fantine’s characterization in “Les Misérables.” He argued that Fantine is depicted as being preyed upon and lured into sex work in the song “Lovely Ladies.” In “Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo, the book that inspired the musical, Fantine becomes more complex. “[Fantine] seeks them out and makes difficult choices. It is the act of choosing that both show a complex sense of agency and self-worth while highlighting the genuine and systemic evils of poverty,” said Valentine. Once the presentation ended, the roughly 30 people in attendance applauded and began discussing the presentation’s points. Most seemed to be longtime members of Solidarity and had no problem speaking on friendly terms with each other. Attendees shared their favorite musicals and expressed frustrations with how certain events or groups of people were portrayed on Broadway, and overall they seemed receptive to Valentine’s presentation. Teddy Valentine before the “Broadway and Radical Politics” presentation at Solidarity’s Feb. 6 meeting. Photo courtesy of Kayla Barnes. ‘Cunts for Communism’ Free Plan B and Condoms “CUNTS FOR Communism.” That tagline, for many passersby, warranted a double take. The tabling event, hosted by Solidarity, provided free condoms and Plan B to bring awareness and education to safer sex. “Wrap that before you tap that!” one member advertised. Earlier in the semester, Advocates for Youth advertised on their Instagram that they would provide contraceptive products to college organizations, so Solidarity cochair Logan McGraw decided to sign up. Since “Cunts for Communism” landed on the day before Valentine’s Day, other organizations had flowers, chocolates, and other love-themed items while Solidarity members waved around their safe-sex products, trying to grab people’s attention. Some Solidarity members strategically moved from their table and distributed contraceptives near a pro-life organization handing out flyers on the Breezeway. By the end of the tabling session, Solidarity had given away all the Plan B. The organizers were ecstatic. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that should be taken immediately after unprotected sex and before a fertilized egg implants in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. It works by delaying ovulation or potentially blocking fertilization if ovulation has already happened. “I like that we are able to do things like this, especially with how expensive everything is,” McGraw said. Solidarity is a student organization that “builds socialism and anarchy through direct action, mutual aid, and education at FAU.” When asked about how this event aligns with the goals of Solidarity, McGraw stated that Solidarity is against capitalism and the for-profit system that makes people pay so much money to practice safe sex. Planned Parenthood reports that Plan B One-Step typically costs $40-$50, while generic brands tend to be cheaper. Condom prices vary depending on brand, store, and package. “[‘Cunts for Communism’] was a form of mutual aid,” McGraw said. “If more people see that we are just normal people handing out condoms and Plan B and start to think about why that cannot be the norm, I think we’ve done a good job.” Visit @sol.fau on Instagram for more information about their upcoming events. Members of Solidarity teamed up with Advocates for Youth to provide free contraceptive options. Photo courtesy of Solidarity. BY KAYLA BARNES Solidarity Makes Waves on Campus
4 OUTFAU | MARCH 2024 An Interview with Fred Fejes F RED FEJES has seen it all before. The longtime FAU queer studies professor sat down with OutFAU for an in depth interview about his career, time in academia and how the past has become the present again in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. Fejes, 73, is a well-known queer historian in Florida. He’s the author of several books including “Gay Rights and Moral Panic: The Origins of America's Debate on Homosexuality” published in 2008. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Roy F. Aarons Award for contributions to education and research on issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. He also directed the oral history project "Generations: An Oral History of the South Florida Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community.” “He just is a storehouse of knowledge. Just incredible. And I've learned so much from him, working with him,” said Rick Karlin, who is working on a book with Fejes about the history of gay bars in South Florida. “He's kind of like your quintessential college professor, where he's so focused on his history stuff, human rights. He's like the Indiana Jones of queer history.” Fejes may not carry a whip or wear a fedora but in the realm of queer history he’s just as adventurous and captivating. One former student Derek Vaugn fondly remembers taking Fejes’ class. “I felt like Fejes worked hard to make our classroom feel like a learning community. He was really great with using pop culture and hitting LGBTQ studies from different angles to cover as much ground as possible,” he said. Fejes is no longer teaching classes but remains a part of the faculty as a professor emeritus. He describes his childhood growing up in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s as shaping his approach to education and activism. “A lot of it about the War and Vietnam and a lot of it about civil rights and, and I got involved in a lot of stuff,” he said. “And I wanted to sort of carry through that kind of activism into being a professor. In fact, one of the reasons why I chose being a professor was that, that was a venue, I thought that I could carry force. You know, this kind of political activism.” Fejes didn’t start out wanting to specialize in queer history. Fejes was working on his Ph.D. in Communications Research at the University of Illinois, with his dissertation focusing on Latin America. “It was at a time when the whole field of communication research was just being developed and it was very interdisciplinary,” Fejes said. “What I did was cultural studies, but that has a very heavy sociological kind of component and also has a very strong historical component, and it also has a very strong literary component. I would say I got an incredibly good interdisciplinary education.” His first book was about the use of shortwave radio broadcasting in American foreign policy. “My interest was looking at the United States acting as an imperial power, sort of like shaping the communications media in Latin America,” he said. But then he came out as a gay man in 1982. “I began to change my focus. And it was really at a time when there was a lot more interest in queer stuff, but really, the early 1980s was a period when gay studies first became a kind of area of interest and activity. Because prior to that, if you were openly gay, and you taught at a university, you would have gotten fired.” Fejes reminisces on when he first began teaching about queer studies at FAU. He offered his first class in queer studies called “Sexuality in the Media” in 1987. “It was an interesting class. I had maybe about seven, eight people taking the class. And all of the people were people who were lesbian and gay themselves, or who were just coming out,” Fejes said. Fejes said that due to the climate of LGBTQ+ acceptance in the ‘80s, his students took steps to keep their participation in the class under the radar. “And some of the people said that they wanted to take the class, but they wanted to take it as an independent study, because they didn't want that class listed in their transcript. They wanted to stay in the closet, and that was a common experience for many of the students Pioneering Queer History at FAU BY MARY RASURA Photo via Fred Fejes, Facebook.
MARCH 2024 | OUTFAU 5 WE’RE LOOKING FOR WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND DESIGNERS! EMAIL [email protected] VISIT US ONLINE OUTFAU.COM FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @OUTFAU who took my classes in the mid ‘80s.” His FAU colleagues describe him as a trailblazer. Barclay Barrios, a Professor of English and the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, worked in the same department as Fejes. “For FAU he was really a trailblazer,” Barrios said. “Fred was one of the first queer faculty members I met or one of the first I realized was queer. His outness made a difference. He was an important figure for queerness at FAU from as far back as I can remember.” But Barrios’ admiration for Fejes goes deeper than just professional. “Fred was personally inspirational and aspirational,” he said, “He showed me the kind of career I could have.” Nicole Morse, an assistant professor of multimedia studies and the former Director of the Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, echoed those sentiments. “He’s wonderful! Fred is an incredible trailblazer at FAU and really made it possible for scholarship and teaching in LGBTQ studies to be taken seriously,” Morse said. “Students describe him as transformative.” Later, after Fejes stopped teaching the class, Vaugn actually taught it as a teacher’s assistant. “I didn’t realize I would be teaching that same class later in graduate school,” he said. Vaugn, who has a masters in women, gender, and sexuality studies, is now working towards becoming a psychotherapist. “We certainly covered a lot of ground in class. And while I’m now taking the route of becoming a psychotherapist, that systemic foundation I learned started to cultivate in his class will only help me better address LGBTQ+ persons with different life experiences than my own,” he said. “Having that systems background is starting to become in vogue in the therapy world and it’s certainly given me an edge in my program.” The push for LGBTQ+ equality may have famously started with the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969 but Fejes noted one of the first major battles occurred in South Florida in 1977. That battle started when MiamiDade County passed an ordinance that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Anita Bryant, a singer and spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission at the time, opposed the ordinance and launched a campaign, "Save Our Children," to repeal it – and won. “That was really the first major national debate we had in this country about gay rights,” he said. “This was the first kind of debate that appeared in newspapers and on television across the country, about gay rights.” That visibility, he said, helped other cities pass LGBTQ+ rights laws. While some people in Florida today may be shocked at Gov. Ron DeSantis’s culture wars and attack on the queer community, Fejes explained the state has a long history of LGBTQ+ discrimination. Decades before the Bryant campaign, Fejes said, Miami attempted to close down gay bars in 1954. “It was just a really classic kind of moral panic where they got everybody really upset,” he said. “There was a lot of publicity. The end result is they didn't close down the bars because those bars just kept on opening up. But it was an important event in terms of South Florida gay history.” Fejes says that he moved to Florida from Illinois to begin teaching at FAU when he was 35. “And so I came down here and okay, I'll teach and do research, but also go to the bars and live my life as a gay man down here,” Fejes said. Fejes said as a man in his early 70s he’s dealt with growing older and the ways that society treats him differently in both positive and negative ways. “As an older man, I'd really like to sort of explore the whole notion of how our sense of sexuality and gender changes as we get older, and to understand how our position as a sexual person and as a gendered person changes as we get older, and how that fits into society,” Fejes said. As an older man, I'd really like to sort of explore the whole notion of how our sense of sexuality and gender changes as we get older, and to understand how our position as a sexual person and as a gendered person changes as we get older, and how that fits into society.
6 OUTFAU | MARCH 2024 I visited Israel, here’s why as a trans queer person I identify with the Palestinian struggle L AST SEPTEMBER, 24 prominent members of the FAU student body and myself participated in a trip visiting Israel-Palestine to learn about the conflict. I was the only transgender (MtF, for context) individual and one of a handful of queer participants. In preparation for the trip, the organizers advised me that I ought not to dress femininely, particularly while visiting places of religious significance. They specifically mentioned that the Western Wall was explicitly segregated by gender, and that I would likely have to visit the men-only section of the Wall, or perhaps visit the egalitarian/co-ed section of the Wall, provided enough people would go with me. When the day came for us to visit the Temple Mount, I decided to suck it up and put on a shirt and jeans and visit the men’s section of the Wall. While walking with a friend to the Wall, I had forgotten to put on a yarmulke (it is customary that all men, even those who are non-Jewish, to wear a yarmulke while worshiping at the Wall). An Orthodox Jewish man ran up to me and spoke to me in broken English, and told me where the woman’s section was; I had shaved that morning and I’ve always grown my hair out, so it is understandable that he perceived me as a woman in that moment. This was not an uncommon experience for me, even before I realized I was transgender: men letting me know I was in the wrong restroom, boys telling me I was cute before recoiling once I told them I was a boy as well. When the man at the Wall directed me to the women’s section, for a moment I thought about going along with it. But then I remembered another thing the organizers had told me: the women who maintained the women-only space were “vicious,” that they would shame and turn away women they thought to be too immodest or improper, I could only imagine their reaction to an openly transgender Photos courtesy of Ximena Dipietro. For Trans Liberation, For Palestinian Liberation BY XIMENA DIPIETRO woman attempting to enter the women’s section. In the end, I put on the yarmulke and prayed at the men’s section. Several days later we visited Tel-Aviv, and we went out drinking and partying; I wore a simple skirt, with flats and a purse. Nothing terrible happened, people stared but people always stared, I had a good time that night. Tel-Aviv is a strange cross between Wilton Manors and South Beach, a lively night scene on the beach with pride flags hanging in front of various establishments. I only mention this because I want to show Israel/Palestine is both a place of deep religious significance (and conservatism) but has its own queer spaces where we can exist. Perhaps after reading this, you are probably wondering about my thoughts or feelings about the ongoing conflict. You might expect me, a trans woman, to be thankful for the State of Israel’s existence, for being a place where I could exist in a region that is not known for its acceptance of queer and trans people. I am thankful, but that thankfulness pales in comparison to the rage I have for the Israeli state, for its historic and ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. At its core, the Palestinian cause and the struggle for queer and trans liberation are about one thing: autonomy. We, as queer and trans people, are fighting for our autonomy, to love who we want, to exist as who we are, without the fear of being harmed or murdered by religiously motivated bigots and an increasingly fascistic Republican Party. The Palestinians are facing a similar fight and their goals are similar to ours as well: autonomy to move and live where they choose, to decide their own fate without being killed or dispossessed by religiously motivated settlers or the increasingly farright Israeli government. “Ximena,” you might say, “how can you support Palestine when it is such a hostile place for trans and queer people? Don’t you know you would be killed if you went to Palestine as an openly trans woman?” My answer is this: Palestine is a society, just like the US and Israel, which will come to terms with its queer/transphobia. My support for the liberation of Palestine is not a contractual or conditional agreement; it is something that I believe in for its own sake, because it is the right thing to do. Thus, I write this in solidarity with the Palestinian people, not in spite of, but because of my identity as a transgender woman. The views and opinions expressed in this personal essay are solely those of the author and do not represent the official viewpoint of OutFAU. PERSONAL ESSAY
MARCH 2024 | OUTFAU 7 MEMORY WORK is resistance, and that is what makes history for the LGBTQ+ community so important. Throughout history, the narrative of queer women has often been overshadowed, erased, or marginalized. Yet, their journeys and contributions have left a permanent mark on society. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate six queer women whose bravery, ingenuity, and resilience have shaped history and inspired generations. Marsha P. Johnson, A Trailblazer of LGBTQ+ Rights Marsha P. Johnson, an African American transgender woman, stands as a symbol of resistance and activism in the LGBTQ+ community. She was a key figure in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, as well as an advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, HIV/AIDS awareness, and LGBTQ+ rights. Her founding role in the Gay Liberation Front and the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) paved the way for greater visibility and acceptance of transgender people. Johnson’s legacy transcends her activism, resonating as a beacon of hope and empowerment for queer communities worldwide. Billie Holiday, Jazz Icon and Defiant Spirit Billie Holiday, renowned for her soulful voice and poignant lyrics, navigated a tumultuous life marked by discrimination and hardship. Behind the jazz legend’s captivating performances lay a complex identity that defied societal norms. Bisexual and unapologetically herself, Holiday’s music served as a channel for personal expression and social commentary. Through songs like “Strange Fruit,” she confronted issues of racism and injustice, leaving an enduring impact on the fight for civil rights and queer visibility. Sappho, Poet of Love and Desire In ancient Greece, Sappho’s lyrical works captured the essence of love and desire, transcended gender and convention, and revolutionized poetry. Revered as the “Tenth Muse” and “The Poetess,” Sappho celebrated female beauty and passion in verses that reverberate across millennia. One of her most famous works, “Ode to Aphrodite,” is written in her own poetic form of seven Sapphic stanzas. Her profound influence on literature and culture endures, affirming the beauty and validity of queer love in all its forms. Roberta Cowell, Pioneering Transgender Advocate Roberta Cowell, a British racing driver and World War II pilot, made history as one of the first known transgender women to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Despite societal prejudice and personal struggles, Cowell courageously embraced her true identity, challenging prevailing attitudes towards gender and sexuality. Her autobiography, “Robert to Roberta,” candidly chronicled her journey, offering insight into the complexities of transgender experience and paving the way for greater understanding and acceptance. Frida Kahlo, Artist of Authenticity and Resilience Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter and openly queer woman whose vibrant art and unapologetic self-expression continue to captivate audiences worldwide. Beyond her iconic self-portraits, Kahlo’s work embodies themes of identity, pain, and passion, reflecting her bisexual identity. She would often wear men’s clothing and defied cultural norms. Despite enduring physical and emotional hardships, Kahlo’s art serves as a testament to resilience and the power of embracing one’s true self. Eleanor Roosevelt, Champion of Equality and Justice Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, left an indelible legacy as a tireless advocate for human rights and social justice. While her romantic relationship with journalist Lorena Hickok remains a subject of historical debate, Roosevelt’s unwavering commitment to equality and inclusion transcends labels and categories. As a driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she championed the rights of women, minorities, and marginalized communities, leaving an enduring impact on the quest for equality and dignity for all. The lives of these queer women remind us of the richness and diversity of the human experience, inspiring us to embrace our own identities and strive for a more inclusive and equitable world. As we continue to commemorate LGBTQ+ history, let us amplify the voices of those who have paved the way and allow it to inspire us to continue our work towards a future of queer joy. This story is in collaboration with PRISM, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ-inclusive education and sexual health resources for youth in South Florida. Queer Women as Pioneers of Identity, Resilience, and Influence BY FABIANA UNGARO wikimedia.org womenshistory.org womenshistory.org