DECEMBER 2025VOL. 4 • ISSUE 4Who Took Home the Crown?See Page 3PRISMFL.ORGSPONSORED BYVISIT US ONLINE AT: OUTFAU.COM | INSTAGRAM: @OUTFAUPRESENTED BYFort Lauderdale
2 OUTFAU | THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025OutFAU 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 © 2025 J&J Media Group.Executive EditorCHRISTIAN “CJ” WALDENDesignerJULIE PALMERContributorsCHRISTIAN “CJ” WALDEN • MARY RASURA KY WALKER • I. ROQUE • CHEYENNE E. BODDIEAdvisorsMICHAEL KORETZKY • JASON PARSLEYBRENDON LIES • AURORA DOMINGUEZSales & MarketingFOR AD PLACEMENT, CALL 954-514-7095OR EMAIL [email protected] RASURAFIRST COPY IS FREE, EACH ADDITIONAL IS 50 CENTSOUTFAUDECEMBER 2025 | VOL. 4 • ISSUE 4Spot an error? Let us know at [email protected] 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.As 2025 comes to a close and 2026 blossoms, I’m proud (and honestly a little emotional) to say I’ve officially served as OutFAU’s Executive Editor since October 2024, and now for another full semester. This year has been busy in the best way: loud, queer, creative, occasionally chaotic, and always community-powered. OutFAU is not just a newspaper. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ students and allies can feel seen, informed, and reminded that we belong here — on this campus, in this community, and in every conversation that tries to forget us.So before we do anything else: thank you. Thank you to our parent org, OutSFL, for keeping the lights on and the mission sharp. Thank you to our advisors for the steady guidance (and the gentle “hey… maybe this story needs a lede and nutgraf” moments). Thank you to our writers who showed up with curiosity and courage. Thank you to our sponsor, PRISM, and ad buyers for believing student media is worth investing in. And most importantly, thank you to our readers. Every issue you pick up, every story you click, every post you share, every time you tell a friend “you HAVE to read this” — that’s what keeps us alive. That’s what keeps this movement going.Looking back on 2025 (not including December), we published eight issues, created 64 Instagram posts, and shared 122 Instagram stories. We had eight different writers, 15 different print advertisements, two designers, and four advisors supporting the work behind the scenes. We secured one new sponsorship, distributed print issues at two distribution points, held three in-person meetings, and still managed to win 10 different awards. That’s not just a list of stats — it’s proof of consistency. Proof that even in a semester full of deadlines, stress, classes, jobs, and life happening at full volume, OutFAU kept showing up.And now, as campus slows down and the walkways get quiet, we’re finally doing something we’ve been excited about for months: bringing you our long-awaited, firstever Your Choice Awards. Over the summer, OutFAU launched a reader-driven celebration of the people, places, and organizations that make our campus life brighter, funnier, safer, and more connected. We took nominations, opened voting early in the semester, and then waited (patiently… mostly) to see who would take home the crown. Now they’re finally here. Flip to Page 2 to read about the awards, why we made them, and how your voices shaped what made the list.Because that’s the whole point, right? OutFAU isn’t something we make for you in a vacuum — we make it withyou. Your attention is a vote. Your engagement is a signal. Your joy is a headline. And in a world that constantly tries CHRISTIAN “CJ” WALDEN EXECUTIVE EDITOROutFAU WrappedCOVER: Photo via Adobe Firefly.LETTER FROM THE EDITORto shrink queer stories down to stereotypes, footnotes, or “hot takes,” it matters that we’re still here telling the truth — campus-sized, community-centered, and unapologetically ourselves.In this issue, you’ll read:• YCA Winner: Best Campus Club (Page 4)• YCA Winner: Best Student Activist (Page 4)• YCA Winner: Best Place To Workout (Page 5)• YCA Winner: Best Kept Campus Secret (Page 5)• YCA Winner: Best LGBTQ-Friendly Non-Profit (Page 6)• This Season, Queer Joy Isn’t Up for Debate (Page 6)• Not So Wonderful: The Wiz, Black Joy, And The Laughter That Didn’t Sit Right (Page 7)So take this issue with you into winter break. Read it slowly. Read it with your favorite snack. Read it between naps, road trips, work shifts, and whatever else December throws your way. Let it remind you that there is so much good happening here, so much talent, humor, heart, and resilience in our community.From all of us at OutFAU: have a safe, restful, joy-filled winter break and early January. And we’ll see you in February with our first issue of 2026 — ready to keep building, keep reporting, and keep making space for queer stories that deserve the front page. Photo by Sophie Messmer.Thank You For Supporting OutFAU
THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025 | OUTFAU 3Your Choice Awards WinnersSTAFFYCA WINNERSOutFAU is unveiling the winners of its inaugural Your Choice Awards, a reader-driven project aimed at capturing who and what defines life at Florida Atlantic.Across categories spanning student leadership, campus culture, academics, nightlife, food, and local favorites, readers elevated the people, places, and organizations they believe are setting the standard on and off campus. Together, the results offer a snapshot of how students see their university—and who they believe is the best. Are you satisfied with who has taken the crown?Editor’s Note: Campus-related award winners and categories were given space to be featured, including the winner of Best LGBTQ-Friendly Nonprofit. PRISM, which BEST RESTAURANTEl Camino Boca RatonBEST ON CAMPUS DININGPanda ExpressBreezeway Food CourtBEST PLACE FOR BREAKFASTKeke’s Breakfast Cafe Boca RatonBEST LATE NIGHT DININGIHOP Boca RatonBEST PLACE FOR COFFEECarmela Coffee East Boca RatonBEST VAPE STOREThe HookupBoca RatonBEST HANGOUT SPOT ON THE AVEDelray BeachBEST PLACE FOR PIZZAManhattan Joe’s Pizzeria Boca RatonBEST PLACE FOR BURGERSFive Guys Boca RatonBEST KEPT CAMPUS SECRETThe Tunnels Learn more on Page 5BEST STUDENT ACTIVISTNicholas Ostheimer Learn more on Page 4BEST PROFESSORDr. Kaila Witkowski Public AdministrationBEST BAR/NIGHTCLUBThe ManorBEST LGBTQ-FRIENDLY NON-PROFITPRISM Learn more on Page 6BEST CAMPUS CLUBCollege Democrats Learn more on Page 4BEST PLACE TO WORKOUTCampus Recreation Learn more on Page 5Photo via Adobe Firefly.earned that title and later became OutFAU’s sponsor, did not receive preferential treatment; the organization was voted as a Your Choice Awards winner before sponsoring OutFAU in late September.
4 OUTFAU | THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025YCA WINNER: BEST CAMPUS CLUBThe College Democrats Method to the MadnessFrom Debate Wins To Campus WinsIf you’ve walked the Breezeway this semester, you’ve probably seen them — clipboards in hand, tempting you with a free donut, stopping everybody and their mother to ask the same question: “Are you registered to vote?” What might appear to be chaos from afar is anything but. Behind every QR code, protest sign, and Instagram story, the Florida Atlantic University College Democrats are running one of the most disciplined, high-energy operations on campus.In a year marked by a heated gubernatorial race and high-profile mayoral elections reinvigorating the party, the FAU Dems have harnessed national momentum into a local movement — and, in the process, transformed themselves into one of the most visible and talked-about clubs at FAU. Their rapid growth, loud presence, and unrelenting push to get students politically engaged have made them less of a niche political org and more of a campus force. This is the method behind the madness.Whether you’re a passive follower of politics or attended one of their many electrifying protests, there’s little mystique surrounding their success. According to Alexander “Alexi” Lambridis, Vice President of FAU’s College Democrats, the organization hasn’t just doubled in size — it’s quadrupled.“We went from having about 300 followers on Instagram to — what — 1,200 this semester?” Lambridis said in disbelief.That explosive growth doesn’t happen overnight. Outreach has reached an alltime high thanks to grassroots efforts, including collaborative social media posts and an exclusive special appearance by Florida House of Representatives candidate Oliver Larkin at a General Body Meeting in late October, which directly connected local races and policies to FAU students.With a successful semester in the books, Lambridis emphasizes that the newly invigorated organization has no intention of slowing down in the spring. When prompted for where the College Democrats might be headed in terms of outreach next semester, he expressed that a “soap-box” style strategy was front-of-mind. “Change Photo courtesy of FAU College Democrats, WhatsApp. I. ROQUEmy mind” challenges could inspire meaningful dialogue on the Breezeway.The efforts of the Florida Atlantic community to be politically active and aware are certainly not lost on them. It is that sustained effort and contagious spirit that is defining the greater political moment in history for Democrats — and Florida Atlantic University has its own little piece of that right on our Boca campus. Nicholas “Nick” Ostheimer didn’t win Best Student Activist by being the loudest voice in the room. He won by being the one who keeps organizing after the crowd goes home, stacking wins that are hard to ignore and even harder to replicate.A Florida Atlantic University senior majoring in Political Science and Government, Ostheimer’s résumé reads like a highlight reel that starts early and never really slows down. From his years at A.D. Henderson and FAU High School, where he dual-enrolled at FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, to his current work on campus, his activism has been built on the same core skills: persuasion, strategy, and follow-through.YCA WINNER: BEST STUDENT ACTIVISTNicholas OstheimerCHRISTIAN “CJ” WALDEN EXECUTIVE EDITOREditor’s Note: Ostheimer was contacted for an interview, but did not respond in time for publication.Before he was rallying students in Boca, he was dominating the speech and debate world. In high school, Ostheimer helped lead his team to NSDA Charter Chapter status, served on the inaugural NSDA Student Leadership Council, and climbed as high as No. 1 in the nation across all speech and debate events.Then he scaled that passion into something massive. As the founding Executive Director of Equality in Forensics, Ostheimer grew the organization from a group of four students with a mission into the nation’s largest student-run speech and debate organization. The numbers speak for themselves: over 800 volunteers, operations spanning 25 states plus Canada and Mexico, more than 17,000 students reached, 13,000+ hours of free coaching delivered, and a conservative estimate of $508,540 saved for debaters. On top of that, the organization has produced $400,000 worth of resources and built a model focused on one simple idea: speech and debate for all. Today, he continues giving back as Chair of the Board of Directors, advising the Executive Board, and helping guide the organization forward.At FAU, Ostheimer has revitalized the College Democrats, led voter registration efforts, partnered with People Power FL and ACLU FL, and helped drive turnout in precincts overlapping with campus to more than 100% during the November 2024 election. He has also been a visible leader in protests against FAU’s 287(g) agreement with ICE and against the selection of FAU President Adam Hasner.More recently, he was elected to FAU Student Government’s Boca House of Representatives, serving on the Campus Action Committee and bringing student concerns directly to the table.Ostheimer’s activism isn’t a moment. It’s a system, and it’s working. Photo courtesy of Equality in Forensics.
THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025 | OUTFAU 5YCA WINNER: BEST PLACE TO WORKOUTYCA WINNER: BEST KEPT CAMPUS SECRETWhy FAU’s Crowning Glory as “Best Place to Work Out” Makes SenseFAU’s Best Kept Campus Secret Has Been Under Us All AlongMARY RASURACampus RecThe TunnelsIf you’re not already practically living in Campus Rec’s cardio room, their win as our reader-voted “Best Place To Workout” should be your hint that you’re missing out. Good news, though. You can still join the party.Campus Rec isn’t just a gym; it’s the heartbeat of student energy on campus, which is exactly why the title fits. It’s where stress goes to die, friendships get formed, and “I’ll work out tomorrow” finally turns into actually showing up.Inside the facility, you’ll find a stateof-the-art fitness center, multiple indoor courts, a lap and leisure pool, and light-filled lounging spaces that make group classes and solo workouts feel more like hangouts rather than workouts.There’s the climbing center for the adventurous, complete with a 30-foot rock wall and all gear provided. Maybe you just feel like moving, or squeezing in a quick sweat between classes. Campus Rec’s group fitness program throws around hours of classes each week. Between yoga, Zumba, cycling, strength training, and more, there’s rarely a time you can’t find something you dig.Prefer to push yourself more? The staff includes certified personal trainers ready to help you shape your goals, whether you’re a weekend warrior or training for something bigger.For a school environment where time and money are both tight, Campus Rec hits the sweet spot between convenience and quality. So whether you’re hauling textbooks or just trying to say sane between exams, Campus Rec turns working out into a campus-wide hangout. The “Best Place to Work Out” trophy isn’t just hype. It’s well earned. Courtesy of fau.edu/campusrec.You may have been shocked, or maybe just confused, to see “The Tunnels” nominated and then win Best Kept Campus Secret. But when barely anyone can explain what they actually are, it only feels right that The Tunnels take home the crown.Beneath Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus sits a hidden system that has fueled rumors for years, partly because of where this campus came from and partly because bored students just love a mystery. FAU opened in September 1964, just two decades after World War II, on land that once served as the Boca Raton Army Air Field base. That history is real, and it has helped keep the tunnel legend alive ever since.Over the years, it has been reported that the mysterious, hidden tunnels were created on the Army Air Field base during World War II. It is an easy story to buy. It sounds like something you would hear at 1 a.m. after a long night, delivered with total confidence by someone who “knows a guy” who “totally went down there once.” And honestly, it would be cool to think there is a secret wartime relic running under campus, a leftover piece of history hiding in plain sight.Unfortunately, that is not the case.The truth is less cinematic, but it is still fascinating in its own way. The Tunnels were built to connect services when the university first opened in 1964 because buildings were far apart, according to FAU’s University Press. In other words, they exist because the campus needed to work. They were made for the unglamorous basics that keep everything running, the behind-the-scenes infrastructure most people never think about until something stops working.Still, the tunnels do not stay “just infrastructure” for long. With several entry points existing on campus, it is only natural that rumors emerge as students come and go. Add a little time, a lot of curiosity, and the CHRISTIAN “CJ” WALDEN EXECUTIVE EDITORfact that many have illegally trespassed over the years, and suddenly, The Tunnels become more than a route for services. They become a campus rite of passage people whisper about, argue over, and swear they have seen.That is the real reason The Tunnels won Best Kept Campus Secret. Not because they are a war story, but because they are an FAU story: hidden, hyped, and still underground. Photo courtesy of FAU Alumni, Facebook.
6 OUTFAU | THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025Director, summed up why this matters right now: “PRISM is the resource my younger self needed — one that empowers, informs, and amplifies youth, exactly when it matters most!” In a moment when so many of us feel like we’re being silenced, PRISM is doing what it’s always done: making sure young people are heard. Chosen family, real boundaries, and refusing to perform at the holiday tableThis Season, Queer Joy Isn’t Up for DebatePhoto via Pexels.EDITORIALThe holiday season comes wrapped in nostalgia and emotional landmines. Hallmark sells us warmth and togetherness. Reality hands us one long group text about who’s bringing what, and who’s bringing baggage. For queer people, that baggage isn’t metaphorical. It’s personal, political, and perennial. Family dinner for many LGBTQ+ people isn’t a celebration. It’s a high-stakes performance where your pronouns are questioned more than your pie recipe. You’re expected to sit there smiling while someone makes a “joke” about gender, or asks whether you’re “still doing that they/them thing,” or insists they just don’t get your lifestyle. That’s why more and more queer people are choosing something else entirely: peace. And it’s not just about avoiding discomfort, it’s about defending joy. Julie Seaver, CEO of Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center, says she gets more calls from community members and DMs from friends around the holiday season asking for help dealing with families who voted against them. “It’s really divided the country, and it’s really hard, and some of us don’t look forward to the holidays with our family because you can only talk about the weather for so long,” Seaver said. Many queer people are expected to sit at a table with people who love us conditionally. People who cast votes that erode our rights and then expect a hug at dessert. People who think they can separate the “politics” from the “person,” as if those things haven’t always been intertwined in queer life. So here’s the truth: You don’t owe anyone your presence. You don’t need to “be the bigger person.” You don’t need to educate anyone over mashed potatoes. You’re not required to keep the peace when your peace is what’s being chipped away. You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to leave early. You’re allowed to choose a gathering with friends, a solo movie night, or MARY RASURAKY WALKERa group of queers eating Chinese takeout in someone’s apartment while talking shit and playing Uno. That counts as family. Maybe more than what you were born into. “Chosen family” isn’t a euphemism; it’s a lifeline. It’s who shows up when your blood relatives stop showing up for you. It’s who knows your name, not just your deadname. It’s who makes space for your joy, not just tolerates your existence. And this year? That joy isn’t up for debate. PRISM isn’t just posting rainbow graphics and calling it a day. It’s youth-led, youth-run, and built to ensure LGBTQ+ young people across South Florida have what they need: real information, real support, and real ways to make an impact in the world.Winner of “Best LGBTQ-Friendly NonProfit,” PRISM has become a local staple for queer youth by doing the work with young people, not just for them. Designed by and led by youth, PRISM focuses on expanding LGBTQ+ inclusive education and sexual health resources — especially in a time when that kind of information is being challenged, censored, or flat-out erased.A lot of PRISM’s impact lives online. Through social media and digital resources, they break down queer history, sexual health and wellness, and the political updates that directly affect young people’s lives. Since 2022, PRISM has also been amplifying youth voices in political spaces at both the local and state levels — from school boards to the state legislature. They encourage young people to vote, stay educated, and stay involved in grassroots organizing, because visibility without action isn’t enough.At the heart of it all is PRISM’s “by/for” model: anything they put out is created with input BY people who identify with the communities it was made FOR. That’s what makes their resources feel less like a lecture and more like someone actually speaking to you.For FAU students specifically, PRISM offers the P-SAP program (PRISM Student Ambassador Program), which supports students by building leadership skills through mentorship and connection. They also offer the P-SLC (PRISM Student Leadership Cohort) for students involved in GSAs or similar organizations, with a focus on individual leadership development and resources that strengthen student orgs.Avion Goordeen, PRISM’s Outreach YCA WINNER: BEST LGBTQ-FRIENDLY NON-PROFITWhy South Florida’s “By/For” LGBTQ+ Youth PRISMResource Matters Now More Than EverLearn more about PRISM here:Photo by JR Davis.
THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025 | OUTFAU 7Out of all of the retellings of The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz is the best one to me. And yes — while the 1939 movie is a cinematic marvel, I’ll always reach for the 1978 movie starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson first. That “super soulful” take on the classic story incorporates Black culture into the tale, transforming Dorothy into a timid kindergarten teacher from New York who gets caught in a snowstorm and is transported into a vibrant, genuinely terrifying new world. I watched that movie on repeat as a kid, even though the puppet master (a minion of Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West) terrified me.My love for the way The Wiz transforms a story we all know into something new — and equally brilliant — turned me into the kind of person who tries to read or watch every Oz adaptation I can get my hands on. The original book, Wicked (book, movie, play), you name it. A few years ago, I even saw an original production from FAU’s Black Undergraduate Theater Collection that seamlessly intertwined elements from both the 1939 film and The Wiz into something so beautiful that it brought me to tears. And somehow, with all of the Oz I’ve seen, I was never lucky enough to see the stage show that the 1978 movie was based on, so when I heard about the revival last year, I was delighted.The stage play diverges from the movie in many ways (no puppet master — yay!), but it still had the infectiously joyful soul that made me fall in love with it all those years ago. Being in the audience full of people feeling the same kind of Black joy I was feeling took me to church. People shouted back at lines, clapped and sang along, laughed loudly — fully present, fully in it.But at times, that laughter felt pointed. Specifically at two characters: the Scarecrow and the Lion.I’ll admit it: the Cowardly Lion has always been my favorite character in every Oz iteration. I’m a sucker for cowardly characters who overcome their fears. In every iteration, the Lion is a bit effeminate — getting his hair coiffed at the Emerald City spa in the original film, paying attention to his looks in the 1978 movie. The stage version kept that energy, but turned it up to ten.The Scarecrow, though, was the real outlier. Usually, he’s dimwitted, but wise. Here, he could only be described as a himbo, less “dumb” and more airheaded (think post-lobotomy Cat Valentine from Victorious). It was entertaining, sure. But between the Lion and the Scarecrow, the performances leaned hard into gay-coded stereotypes.And I couldn’t stop wondering: was the audience laughing because the characters were goofy… or because the characters were gay?I also couldn’t help but wonder how that same laughing audience would react if my girlfriend and I walked into a real church with them, rather than sitting next to them in a theater.Being Black and queer often leaves me with a discordant feeling. This isn’t to say that Black people, as a whole, are any more homophobic than any other demographic — but Black homophobia has its own flavor. A lot of Black folks have an almost instinctive respect for people who are true to themselves, so the hatred isn’t always loud or explicit. But there’s often a lack of acceptance for effeminate men and masculine women, and even less understanding for people who stray further from the binary. It leaves gay Black people stuck in this weird Schrödinger’s PERSONAL ESSAYWhen the room is laughing, it matters why — especially when you’re watching as a queer Black personNot So Wonderful: The Wiz, Black Joy, and the Laughter That Didn’t Sit RightCHEYENNE E. BODDIEBottom left photo by Jeremy Daniel. All others are fair use.acceptance: respected for self-acceptance, but still mocked for not performing sex and gender the way the culture expects.Which is what kept circling in my mind as I watched the show and listened to the laughter.Who, in that audience, is really a Friend of Dorothy? JOIN OUR TEAMSCAN TO APPLY NOW Get paid to build your portfolio and tell the stories that matter to you—publish your work to thousands of OutSFL and OutFAU readers. We’re Hiring Contributors & Designers!
8 OUTFAU | THIS ISSUE IS SPONSORED BY PRISM | DECEMBER 2025