RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — An Israeli soccer referee has come out as transgender and is living — and enforcing the rules of the game — as the only woman in the country’s top-shelf league.
Sapir Berman announced Tuesday she has received the support of her family, the local referees’ union and Israeli and international soccer officials. She said players and fans have begun to address her as a woman, even when they gripe about her calls on the field. On Sunday, Berman will be the head referee for a playoff match between heavyweight teams Hapoel Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem.
It will be a marquee event on Berman’s life-long road to living, as she said Tuesday, as herself.
“I always saw myself as a woman, from a young age,” Berman, whose birth name was “Sagi,” told reporters at Ramat Gan Stadium, headquarters of the Israel Football Association.
“I realized society will not accept me, will not be on my side, so I continued like this for nearly 26 years,” she said.
Berman said that being involved in such a male-dominated profession made her hesitate to go public. But about six months ago, “I decided to come out and to show who I am, first of all to myself, for my soul,” she said with a smile.
Fans and players quickly took notice, she said, addressing her with the feminine form of Hebrew words — a change Berman chooses to see as a sign of respect for her decision to transition.
Israeli soccer officials stood behind Berman at Tuesday’s news conference in a room above the stadium’s playing field.
“We have a new referee, Sapir Berman,” the Israel Football Association tweeted. “We are so proud.”
Berman’s decision to come out, and stay on at the Israeli Premiere League, comes at a time when gay and transgender people are achieving higher profiles and acceptance in some parts of the world.
Last week, Caitlyn Jenner — an Olympic hero, reality TV personality and transgender rights activist — joined a growing list of candidates seeking to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom from office.
And a British soccer referee came out as transgender in 2018. Lucy Clark, formerly known as Nick, has said she hopes to become a “game-changer.”
“Look, it hasn’t been all roses and tinsel,” the 49-year-old Clark said in a telephone interview from her home in London. Once in awhile, she’ll get hecklers who might have had something to drink. And recently, Clark corrected someone who had wrongly identified her gender during a game, which didn’t go over smoothly.
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But “overwhelmingly, it’s been a positive experience,” because most people accept the change and focus on the soccer, she said.
“You tell Sapir for me, they will” accept her transformation, Clark said. “When she sees her name on the program, and when Sapir goes out on to the pitch and the announcer announces that today’s men’s referee is Sapir, she’ll do brilliantly.”
There’s also troubling, or at least inconclusive, news around the world for transgender people, particularly on the legal front.
In the U.S., five states have passed laws or put in force other policies limiting the ability of transgender youths to play sports or receive certain medical treatment. There’s been a vehement outcry from supporters of transgender rights — but little in the way of tangible repercussions for those states.
Israel is generally progressive on LGBTQ rights, but some soccer matches are played in conservative communities. The match on Sunday that Bergman will lead is scheduled at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, one of the most tolerant areas of the country.
So far, Berman said, there have been no problems from fans. That’s notable, said one expert, because transgender people are generally socially accepted by Israelis. But the lack of heckling also can be credited to the early and unequivocal support of the IFA and other Israeli soccer institutions.
“It’s a good thing; it was a pre-emptive move on their part to send the signal of acceptance,” said Eran Globus, policy adviser and former chairperson of Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. He said no men’s soccer players have come out as gay. “I think Sapir will be a beacon on that frontier.”
Israel is one of the world’s most progressive countries on LGBTQ rights, despite its image as a society struggling with religious coercion. Gay and transgender people can serve openly in Israel’s military and the Knesset, for example.
But Israel still has a way to go, Globus said. No transgender person has been elected to public office. And in several respects, the law trails behind the social inclusion of transgender Israelis. On several issues where gay rights are recognized, there have been no decisions on whether those rights apply to transgender people.
For Berman, the soccer world has been largely supportive. There are already players who address her as a woman, and at a recent youth match an angry parent used Hebrew’s feminine version of “Wake up, ref!” when complaining about a call.
“It shows me there’s change in society,” she said.
___
Follow Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.Twitter.com/APLaurieKellman
Twitter activist Tariq Nasheed describes himself as the “world’s #1 Race Baiter” but his latest claims of racism has Twitter lashing back after he posted video of a mentally ill gay man having a breakdown at work.
The Holiday Inn Express employee is obviously in distress as the customer, who had reportedly hurled anti-gay slurs at the young man, films and harasses him. In a post to Reddit, the man said he is now suicidal after the humiliation both at work and online.
“I basically went viral because of my schizo-affective disorder documented by a rude customer at an establishment which I was employed,” he wrote in a post in the “helpme” subreddit. He also said he had been drinking nonstop since the incident and hadn’t slept.
“Why can’t people have basic human kindness and compassion for one someone obviously not sound?” he added.
The customer was reportedly upset about a mix-up with the hotel’s reservation system. While the employee is meek and obviously distressed, the customer continues to harangue him until the young employee starts hitting himself with the computer monitor. He eventually breaks down in tears and leaves the desk.
The customer moves to a window to continue filming the young man as he sobs, mocking him and continuing to complain about his issue.
A white Holiday Inn Express worker has a nervous breakdown after he got scolded by a Black customer because of a mistake in the reservation system. pic.twitter.com/KUEyqUSgsM
After finding the video posted on the subreddit “Publicfreakout,” the man responded to say it was him.
“That’s me,” he wrote. “Literally on the edge of my rope and contemplating a lot of things as I view this. Doesnt’ anyone have a bad day anymore?”
“What the guy recording DIDN’T record was him calling me a FAGGOT for ‘taking his money’ which is my job. as well as threatening my job security. While that depiction is correct, because I am a giant homosexual, that was that. I was done.”
“Right before he started his recording,” he added, “I TOLD him ‘I have a mental illness I need a moment to think’ before he just kept going and going and going and going before it became too much.”
Nasheed continued to defend his decision to post the video and his implication that the young man is a racist after facing blowback from both progressives and conservatives.
“The Holiday Inn employee video I posted that went viral, has a lot of white supremacists using the man’s disorder as a way to project their anti-Black racism,” he tweeted after his grotesque post drew the internet’s ire.
He also claimed the employee was drunk on the job without any proof.
Blatantly misreporting info dude Incident happened at 3AM
Went home, got drunk at 6 AM
Drunk driving was a bad move BUT DUDE HOW DO YOU LOOK UP HIS RESPONSE TO THIS AND LITERALLY IGNORE THE FACTS pic.twitter.com/xQDa1L7uHp
“I’m pretty sure most of the people calling you out for this aren’t white supremacists,” one user replied.
“Yes they are,” Nasheed responded.
“What was your purpose in posting this? What are you trying to gain?” one user asked.
“It’s called Twitter,” Nasheed replied.
“Since when has standing up for a low paid key worker who is being bullied to the extent that they self harm, suffer a breakdown on video for people’s amusement an act of racism?” a different user responded. “I know twitter can seem strange at times; but that is an entire new level of narcissistic logic.”
“I don’t want to give up. I don’t. I have to live for my boyfriend, who I really want to be my husband someday,” the employee wrote on Reddit. “I need to live for my dogs, Ellie and Joel, because I love them with all my heart and I couldn’t bear parting with them early and have them wonder why I didn’t come home.”
“What do I do?”
If you need to talk to someone now, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386.
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)
1. KEY INFORMATION
(a) Full name of discloser:
Pentwater Capital Management LP
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
Aggreko Plc
(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:
(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure
26 April 2021
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”
YES / NO / N/A If YES, specify which:
NO
2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
Ordinary 4 329/395 p
Interests
Short positions
Number
%
Number
%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:
(2) Cash-settled derivatives:
3,093,629
1.21%
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:
3,093,629
1.21%
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a) Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security
Purchase/sale
Number of securities
Price per unit
(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security
Product description e.g. CFD
Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position
(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
Class of relevant security
Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion
Details
Price per unit (if applicable)
4. OTHER INFORMATION
(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
None
(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives
Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
None
(c) Attachments
Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?
NO
Date of disclosure:
27/4/2021
Contact name:
Neal Nenadovic
Telephone number*:
312 589-6405
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
*If the discloser is a natural person, a telephone number does not need to be included, provided contact information has been provided to the Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit.
This report gives a clear idea about the global Goat milk market is a thorough, detailed and accurate analysis of what will help new and existing entrants travel in this highly competitive market and what will hinder their growth. This report details all the macro and micro factors that influence market growth. This research report provides recent trends affecting the market and potential opportunities to drive growth prospects for the global Goat milk market.
Find out how COVID-19 has affected the growth of the industry. Get a free sample report with detailed analysis @
Emmi Group Goat Partners International, Inc. Ausnutria Dairy Corporation Ltd. Summerhill Goat Dairy Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. Granarolo Group Delamere Dairy Stickney Hill Dairy, Inc. Kavli Hay Dairies Pte Ltd.
Regional Analysis
Furthermore, the major market regions provide an in-depth analysis of their rise, challenges, key innovations & strategies, and key trends influencing the global Goat milk market’s growth. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa are key regions considered in this research
North America
Latin America
Europe
Asia-Pacific
Middle East, and Africa
Key Players Analysis:
Emmi Group Goat Partners International, Inc. Ausnutria Dairy Corporation Ltd. Summerhill Goat Dairy Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. Granarolo Group Delamere Dairy Stickney Hill Dairy, Inc. Kavli Hay Dairies Pte Ltd.
Market Segments Analysis:
Application Analysis:
Hypermarkets & Supermarket Convenience Store Specialty Store Medical & Pharmacy Store Online
Therefore, comprehensive studies based on key segments, growth trends, revenue and volume forecasts, and market size estimates are shown in this report.
In conclusion, the Goat milk market provides a detailed and clear view of the industry between 2020 and 2025, helping players make the right choices for profitability and business development.
Raised in poverty in Mexico, Hector Aguilar-Carreno overcame obstacles as a first-generation student coming to the U.S. for graduate school and coming out as gay. He learned to work and live in English; navigate a new culture, and collaborate with peers who shared little of his background and formative experiences.
Now an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Aguilar-Carreno credits his success to his persistence, his mentors and modeling best practices in research laboratory compliance. As a Hispanic principal investigator, he knows he is more likely to be targeted for errors.
Aguilar-Carreno participated in a panel discussion April 19, following the screening of the film, “Picture a Scientist,” which was available to the Cornell community April 16-18. “Picture a Scientist” chronicles three women scientists, Nancy Hopkins, Raychelle Burks and Jane Willenbring, who navigated harassment and slights as scientists in academia.
In the film, the women described getting passed over for promotion, being subjected to vulgar name-calling and profane comments about their bodies, exclusion from a scientific collaboration, and inequity in laboratory space – and while not all constitute sexual harassment, the experiences were challenging, persistent and isolating.
Willenbring’s Title IX complaint against Boston University professor David Marchant for how he treated her while doing field work in Antarctica ultimately resulted in his termination in 2019.
Willenbring’s experiences occurred two decades ago, but diversity inequities in STEM remain, said panelist Corrie Moreau, the Martha N. and John C. Moser Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity, in the Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Moreau referenced the “leaky pipeline” in academia – nationally, about 50% of graduates in STEM disciplines are women, but the number drops to 37% for doctoral students and declines even further to 12% when accounting for full professors in universities across the United States. At Cornell, about 30% of professors in STEM are women.
“Everyone must work to advance diversity equity and inclusion,” Moreau said. She suggested several ways to do this, including nominating women and underrepresented faculty for scholarly awards and starting a diversity in science organization.
Moderated by Cynthia Leifer, professor of immunology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (CVM), the panel also included Marjolein van der Meulen, the James M. and Marsha McCormick Director of Biomedical Engineering and Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering; Christopher Lujan, associate dean of students and director of the LGBT Resource Center; Lauren Branchini, deputy Title IX coordinator for investigations and assistant director for institutional equity; and Kelly Kryc, director of ocean policy, New England Aquarium, whose journal writings corroborated Willenbring’s experience and were useful in the investigation of Marchant.
“Change does not come without discomfort,” Leifer said.
“It’s really hard to make decisions on your own. It is a lot easier to navigate the situation if you have someone on your side, rooting for you both informally and formally,” Lujan said.
Cornell’s Policy 6.4 prohibits bias, discrimination, harassment, and sexual and related misconduct. Those who believe they have experienced any of these situations may file a report with the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX, or someone may file a report on their behalf.
“When we receive a report, we reach out to the affected individual and offer them information about support and resources on campus,” Branchini said.
Conversations with the Cornell Victim Advocacy Program are confidential; a formal investigation through the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX is more complex.
Van der Meulen said statistics can be used to affect change. From 2006-13, she was a principal investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded ADVANCE Institutional Transformation award to increase the proportion of female faculty in engineering and the sciences.
When the grant was awarded, about half of Cornell’s 34 science and engineering departments had fewer than 20% women on the faculty, and some departments had far fewer or none. Cornell’s ADVANCE grant set a goal of achieving 20% female faculty across all STEM units through hiring and retention. Today, nearly 30% of STEM faculty at Cornell are women and only five departments have fewer than 20% women on their faculty.
The panelists recommended other tools researchers can use. Leifer stressed the importance of broad networks so trainees are not solely dependent on their primary adviser for a letter of recommendation. Kryc advised researchers to keep journals documenting their experiences.
Written by Wilkinson, creator of the “Big Gay Italian” franchise of shows, “Housewives of Secaucus” is the first production at the West 47th Street theater since March 2020, when “Black Angels Over Tuskegee,” along with the rest of live theater in the city, was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This show is perfect for the beginning of a renaissance, a rebirth, for New York City theater,” said Wilkinson. “Because it’s a small company, there’s only five of them, and most of all it’s a comedy and it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy. It’s a very diverse comedy, and I just think it’s exactly what people are aching for right now.”
Conceived by Nancy Levine, directed by Hank Fitzgerald Kiraly and originally based on characters created by Sean Patterson, the show’s cast features Philip McLeod, Ryan Stutz, Cammerron Baits, Jacob P.S. Lemmenes and Sam Brackley.
For Wilkinson, who wrote “Housewives” in 2018, the show is arriving amid an increasing acceptance of drag from both audiences and performers.
“I feel like we’re just approaching a very open-minded and optimistic time,” said Wilkinson, whose “My Big Gay Italian Wedding” has had one drag performer in its cast since its 2003 premiere.
“To shop for a drag queen — even though I used to know a lot of them from Cherry Grove and Fire Island (and) I think it was definitely an artistic outlet and they were entertainers — it was a little more difficult (back then),” Wilkinson said. “To get an actor to commit to doing drag seemed a little difficult. It was always hard to cast that role.”
When, years later, Levine suggested the idea of a drag show to him, Wilkinson started thinking of the rise in popularity of events like drag brunches.
“It’s a huge acceptance coming our way, and I think it’s beautiful to see,” said Wilkinson. “And sure enough, when she cast the show a lot of men were open, whether they were drag queens or not, to performing like that. It’s great.”
Wilkinson lives in Colonia and works as the executive and artistic director for the Avenel Performing Arts Center. He worked on the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live” for 15 years, serving in roles including associate director and editor, earning three Emmy awards during his time on the series.
These days, he knows that reality shows serve a very similar function to that of soap operas — meaning his years of television experience made him particularly well-suited to lampoon the real “Real Housewives.”
“This show, ‘The Housewives of Secaucus,’ is my interpretation and kind of like a spoof on all of that because I do think the ‘Housewives’ shows, especially as they have progressed, have become very formulaic,” he said. “It’s just very predictable, (with) who’s going to fight with who and then eventually somebody’s going to be the peace-maker and then in the end everybody’s going to sing ‘Kumbaya’ and it’s all going to be good.”
“Housewives of Secaucus: What a Drag!” opens 8 p.m. Saturday, May 1 at Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th St., New York City, with performances 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets, $59.50 and $79, are available via Telecharge.
Audience members will be required to wear masks, submit to temperature checks and adhere to social distancing within the theatre, which is currently operating at 33% capacity.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
There will be a bevy of notable visitors to the river towns of Lambertville and New Hope this May. You just may have to stroll around a bit to find them.
The Greater Lambertville Chamber of Commerce and New Hope Celebrates History will host “Queer Icons: Pioneers,” an art installation of life-sized plywood portraits by artist Silky Shoemaker to be displayed in storefront windows throughout both communities through May.
The Flemington-based ArtYard commissioned Shoemaker to construct 10 portraits of monumental figures from the LGBTQ community for a spring 2019 exhibit, 10 more LGBTQ icons added last year.
The roster includes many lesser known personalities.
“The Icons I picked out are from a nearly endless lineage of incredible contenderst,” Shoemaker said. “Those I picked stand out to me for their contributions to society and culture as artists, activists, writers and visionaries. They were pioneers in their respective fields — civil rights activists, drag performers, dancers, arbiters of rock and roll, baseball players, floral designers, writers, film directors and producers.”
The “Queer Icons: Pioneers “ exhibition will be shown in its entirety in Lambertville and New Hope during May as part of the communities’ joint Pride Celebration. Icons will be displayed in store windows on both sides of the river.
Here are some of the personalities that have portraits included in “Queer Icons: Pioneers.”lambertvillechamber.com
The Icons include women’s rights activist Pauli Murray, transgender author and activist Lou Sullivan, drag queen Flawless Sabrina, gospel and rock and roll singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, educator, florist and Cordon Bleu cooking school founder Constance Spry, film director Dorothy Arzner, gay professional baseball player Glenn Burke, TV host and theater producer Ellis Haizlip, dancer and choreographer Willi Ninja, founder of the West Coast LGBT movement Jeanne Cordóva, cross-dressing blues musician Gladys Bentley, writer Langston Hughes, poet Essex Hemphill, minimalist painter Agnes Martin, drag performer and fashion designer Dorian Corey, “Stone Butch Blues” author Leslie Feinberg, politician Barbara Jordan, civil rights Freedom Riders organizer Bayard Rustin, flamboyant R&B singer Esquerita and poet and feminist Pat Parker.
Biographies in English and Spanish of each personality will be displayed with the portraits. The link to a map of locations can be found online.
Fed up with his soulless corporate job, a young man moves to the farm he inherited from his grandfather, where he joins a quaint community and meets his future husband. That’s not the plot of a new gay Hallmark movie — it’s the story of my pixelated alter ego in the video game Stardew Valley.
In February 2016, Eric Barone, known online by his alias ConcernedApe, released Stardew Valley for PC. The simulation role-playing game quickly became a hit. In the pandemic, Stardew Valley fever is back with a vengeance. Thanks to the popularity of the Nintendo Switch and a massive game update released in December, it recently sold its 10 millionth copy.
Since its debut, Stardew Valley has been lauded for its relaxing, immersive gameplay, a Harvest Moon-inspired simulator sure to delight lovers of Animal Crossing. Players create their own farmer avatars, who then leave the city for Stardew Valley. There, they manage their farms while honing skills, completing quests and, if the player desires, romancing an eligible villager. The game’s wholesomeness is universally appealing, but its particular blend of same-sex romance options, anti-corporate sentiment and pastoral Zen makes it even more tailored to escapists like me — gay millennial urbanites stuck in an endless pandemic slog. I grew up thinking any adult could easily have access to the simple life. Now I’m pretty sure I can only get it from a computer game.
In real life, I’m a single lesbian in Brooklyn trudging through my second year working from home. My most productive days involve a move from Office A (the desk in my bedroom) to Office B (my coffee table). On Thursdays, I wake up excited to water my houseplants. I cope with stir craziness by watching TikToks of mushroom foragers, expert hikers and cottagecore lesbians. These people all seem to live in a universe sans Gmail, Zoom or masks, their rents paid by birdsong and dried lavender.
In Stardew Valley, life can also be that simple. My farmer’s days usually go like this: He wakes up and gets coffee for his husband, then kisses said husband and their two toddlers before setting about his agrarian duties — collecting eggs, making goat cheese, planting sunflowers. His biggest problem right now is a voluntary quest to ship 500 fruits by the month’s end. There are no consequences for failure. I can redo any bad day with the click of a button.
Though inclusive romance has increasingly become an option in open-ended, role-playing games like Stardew Valley, it is rarely the default in video games. Players take on straight male personas by rote in blowout franchises like Halo, Zelda, Grand Theft Auto and Mario. And same-sex romance — much less same-sex domesticity — is already scarce in media of all kinds. When depicted, that romance is often necessarily fraught with real-world problems: coming out, finding a community, combating prejudice. In Stardew Valley, my farmer’s gayness is a nonissue. I had him woo his husband, the town doctor, by bringing him fruits and vegetables.
Yet gayness is not so embraced as to become invisible. If you have your farmer pursue a younger villager of the same sex, cut scenes sometimes show the young person shyly acknowledging their first gay crush. During same-sex weddings, the officiant charmingly stumbles through pronouncements of “husband and husband” or “wife and wife.”
This balance between inclusivity and acknowledgment can feel especially heartwarming given the game’s small-town setting. A 2019 report by the think tank Movement Advancement Project found that, although between 3 and 5 percent of rural Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, their environments come with significant challenges. “On average, public opinion in rural areas is relatively less supportive of L.G.B.T. people and issues,” the report states, citing discriminatory legislation and political representation as additional barriers.
There is one notable blind spot in the game’s sunny outlook: You can customize your avatar to have a darker skin tone, but your farmer would join a minority in Stardew Valley. There are only three characters in the game’s preset, 41-person world with dark skin, making this pixelated paradise more alienating for people of color.
Even if I did want to change my career, overcome those obstacles and live out my gay farm fantasy, homeownership feels even less realistic to me, at 26. According to a recent survey, most millennials reported they do not have enough saved up to make the average U.S. down payment. Even if I could get a mortgage, it’s difficult to imagine I could pay it off with fresh dairy and organic parsnips.
In Stardew Valley, corporate greed is a far more oppressive force than homophobia. JojaMart, the Amazon-meets-Walmart conglomerate from which your farmer escapes, hopes to take over the town by replacing the community center with a warehouse. Competition drives prices up at the local seed shop, and two villagers struggle with poverty and alcoholism. In order to rebuild the community, players must grow, craft and forage a series of goods. From there, it’s practically impossible to spend your hard-earned Stardew Valley cash maliciously. After exhausting your options for farm buildings and house expansions, all that remain are ways to uplift the town, like upgrading a fellow villager’s trailer home to a house.
As I scroll social media, I see my peers indulging their own fantasies with mood boards and TikTok videos of beautiful weddings, humble woodland cottages and biodiverse lawns. These things are attainable in theory, but to many young gay people today, they can feel more like daydreams. I don’t think my farmer avatar will be able to harvest his 500 crops before the clock runs out, but at least he comes by those simple pleasures easily.
Five states have passed laws or implemented executive orders this year limiting the ability of transgender youths to play sports or receive certain medical treatment. There’s been a vehement outcry from supporters of transgender rights – but little in the way of tangible repercussions for those states.
It’s a striking contrast to the fate of North Carolina a few years ago. When its Legislature passed a bill in March 2016 limiting which public restrooms transgender people could use, there was a swift and powerful backlash. The NBA and NCAA relocated events; some companies scrapped expansion plans. By March 2017, the bill’s bathroom provisions were repealed.
So far this year, there’s been nothing comparable. Not even lawsuits, although activists predict some of the measures eventually will be challenged in court.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, says he’s surprised by the lack of backlash, but believes it will materialize as more people learn details about the legislation being approved.
“A lot of Americans are still getting to know trans people and they’re learning about these issues for the first time,” he said. “Over time, they get to know their trans neighbors, they get outraged by these bans, and corporations respond … It’s just a matter of time.”
The president of a major national LGBTQ-rights organizations, Alphonso David of the Human Rights Campaign, attributed the lack of backlash to lack of awareness about the potential harm that these laws could cause to transgender young people.
“Some people in this country have not come to terms with treating trans people like human beings,” David said. “It’s now coming to a head.”
One batch of bills seeks to ban transgender girls from competing on girls’ sports teams in public schools. Such measures have been enacted in Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, and implemented by an executive order from Gov. Kristi Noem in South Dakota.
Another batch of bills seeks to ban gender-affirming medical treatments for trans minors – including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Arkansas legislators approved such a measure over the veto of Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and similar measures are pending in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
Echoing concerns of major medical associations, Dr. Michele Hutchison – who runs a transgender medicine clinic at Arkansas Children’s hospital — says the ban in her state is raising the risk of suicide among some of her patients and forcing some families to wonder if they should move to another state.
More than 400 companies __ including Tesla, Pfizer, Delta Air Lines and Amazon __ have signed on to support civil rights legislation for LGBTQ people that is moving through Congress, advocates said Tuesday.
And last week, the Human Rights Campaign took out a full-page ad in the New York Times appealing to corporations to denounce the anti-trans bills that have proliferated in Republican-controlled legislatures.
The letter, signed by David, urged corporate leaders “to take action now by publicly denouncing state legislation that discriminates against people, refusing to advance new business in states that are hostile to corporate values and refusing to support sporting events where transgender athletes are banned.”
More than 85 companies have signed a statement drafted by the HRC — including Amazon, American Airlines, Apple, AT&T, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Union Pacific. In polite language, the statement implies a threat: “As we make complex decisions about where to invest and grow, these issues can influence our decisions.”
Overall, the corporate response remains “insufficient,” David said. “But I think we are seeing a turning of the tide as we put more pressure on companies.”
One of the companies signing the HRC statement is the technology giant Oracle Corp., which is planning to bring 8,500 jobs and a $1.2 billion investment to Nashville, Tennessee, over the coming decade. Joe Woolley, who heads the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, has expressed hope that Oracle — which has not threatened to cancel its plans — might use its leverage to prompt reconsideration of Tennessee’s anti-transgender legislation.
Woolley also says organizers of at least three conventions are considering pulling those events out of Nashville because of the bills, though he has declined to identify them.
Thus far, Tennessee Gov, Bill Lee has signaled that any criticism from the business community won’t sway him.
“Organizations have opportunities to weigh in on the legislative process but ultimately, Tennesseans, through their elected representatives, determine the law in our state,” said Casey Black, a spokesperson for Lee.
In Texas, a coalition called Texas Competes released a letter April 19 signed by more than 40 businesses and chambers of commerce in the state denouncing a batch of pending bills as “divisive, unnecessary and economically dangerous.”
Specifically, the letter denounced “efforts to exclude transgender youth from full participation in their communities.”
In Montana, where a transgender sports ban has won initial approval in the Republican-controlled House and Senate, lawmakers added an amendment stipulating that the measure would be nullified if the federal government withheld education funding from the state because of the policy.
The concern stems from an executive order signed by President Joe Biden banning discrimination based on gender. Montana universities receive around $350 million annually in federal funding, of which $250 million goes towards student loans and grants to cover tuition costs — money that university officials say could be at risk if the administration deemed the sports ban to be unacceptable discrimination.
The extent of any emerging backlash to the anti-trans laws will hinge in part on the NCAA, which played a pivotal role in the North Carolina case.
The NCAA’s Board of Governors issued a statement April 12 expressing strong support for the inclusion of transgender athletes.
“When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected,” the statement said. “We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants.”
Alphonso David said the Human Rights Campaign welcomed the statement, but wanted an even tougher stance from the NCAA, with explicit warnings that events would not be held in states with anti-trans laws.
“The time for concrete actions is now,” David said Monday in a letter to NCCA leaders. “This is a national crisis, and one that necessitates united action, including from the NCAA.”
___
Associated Press reporters Iris Samuels in Helena, Montana, and Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
“With the 10th pick in the 2017 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Patrick Mahomes II, quarterback.
“Wow. It is Patrick Mahomes II, not Deshaun Watson, that was the apple of the Reid-Dorsey eye in Kansas City. That’s the quarterback of the future, that they’re putting the eggs in the Mahomes basket — in the heartland for the Chiefs.”
A new posting to the AIDS Memorial’s social media has gone viral and prompted lots of comments and shares on Instagram and Facebook.
The photo was submitted by Noel Arce (@elevatormusiiic), who is gay and lives in New York. It shows him and his two brothers in the early 1990s, along with the two men who parented them for around six years of their childhood.
“These are my dads, Louis Arce (left) (November 1, 1946 – June 23, 1994) and Steven J. Koceja (right) (August 21, 1962 – June 18, 1994), who both died of AIDS.
“I am pictured far right, my brother Joey is on the left and Angel, center. We came to them in 1988 after being in a foster home. And while we weren’t legally theirs until 1993, they were still our dads. We were theirs and they were ours.
“We weren’t with Louis and Steven very long before they passed. They never got a chance to see the men we are today but they cared for us very much and gave us a life that we wouldn’t have known otherwise. It’s incredible even now, after all these years, I can still feel what it felt like to be loved that much.
“My father, Louis, was a social worker, activist and manager for Manhattan Valley apartments. He was responsible for making sure that new developments going up would provide a certain percentage of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. In 1994, he received a Gold Key Award from NYC @bailey_house for his activism and work in the HIV/AIDS community.
“Little is known about my father, Steven. Sometimes, I swear my memories are like a train. It gets smaller as it pulls away. But I can say this: It’s hard to imagine what our life would have been like without them.
“I think of them often. And as a gay man myself, I wonder what it must of been like for them. What it felt like. To be strong like that. But mostly I wonder if they ever look down on me, my brothers and the world and think, Wow, I’m proud!”
Hundreds commented on the posting, thanking Noel for sharing his memories.
“What a beautiful tribute to your Dads, no doubt they are proud! You honor them well,” said @profgayman on Instagram.
“Thank you for sharing this beautiful photo and the story of your dads,” said Natalie Hook on Facebook. “The love is so very visible in the image, and so palpable in your words. I’m sure they are both immensely proud of you.”
Some have commented to say they remembered Noel’s dads. On Instagram, @timmydeanlee commented, “Noel, thanks for answering what I often thought about. Whatever happened to Louis and Steven’s three boys? I remember them fighting through the paperwork to get you three boys. They were so elated when they did. What a beautiful picture of all of you. Ten minutes later and I’m still crying reading your tribute.”
Noel told Queerty that he resides in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY. He’s worked for 13 years as the drag artist, Violet Storm, but is currently on hiatus and working as a Cosmetics Manager.
He says having two gay role models at a young age had a big impact on his own coming out.
“I think having two fathers played a huge role in my life as a gay man. I hear a lot of people’s stories about their growing up gay and how rough they had it. Parents not accepting them or them having to edit themselves. Ya know, the ‘be yourself but do it like this’. That was never my story. I was blessed having two dads who let me be authentically myself.
“I had everything I ever desired. I was able to play with Barbie dolls and dress as female characters for Halloween and feel really lucky about that because I understand now what a unique situation that was. Because the world can be a cruel place.
“I don’t think a lot of parents understand that the greatest gift you can give a child is the freedom to be themselves.”
Noel said the photo was from a shoot for a project called Living Proof: Courage in the Face of AIDS, by photographer Carolyn Jones (published in book format in 1997).
“I had the privilege of taking that photo,” Jones confirmed to Queerty by email.
“This exact image is not the one that appeared in the book – I ended up using a photo of the three children alone, but I loved this photo and it was a difficult choice! The three boys had such an enormous amount of energy and joy and sheer love of life – I couldn’t resist the photo.
“The year that I worked on that project was one of the richest of my life, having the chance to be with people who, because of what they were going through and the need to face their own mortality, had an understanding of what makes life worth living. What an education,” recalls Jones.
“I remember the day well, those boys were funny together. There was an enormous amount of love in that photo. I was just lucky enough to be a witness.”
The Health Ministry on Tuesday recommended new travel restrictions for Israelis, which would ban travel to seven high-risk countries including India, and force even vaccinated travelers to enter quarantine upon their return to Israel.
The ministry was also seeking to delay the launch of Israel’s tourism program by another month and force non-citizens entering Israel from the specified highly infected countries to self-isolate in quarantine hotels.
In the face of an insidious new COVID variant devastating India, the Health Ministry has recommended the government divide countries into two groups: Level 1 and high-risk Level 2.
In his proposal, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein asked the government to ban travel to Level 2 countries, and to require all travelers returning to Israel from those countries to quarantine for two weeks, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19.
Furthermore, foreigners permitted to travel from Level 2 countries to Israel will be forced to isolate at government-run COVID hotels, according to the ministry’s recommendations.
The government will debate the ministry’s proposal in a cabinet meeting, the date of which was not announced.
A patient breathes with the help of oxygen provided by a Gurdwara, Sikh place of worship, inside a car in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2021. (Altaf Qadri/AP)
So far, Israel has issued a travel warning for seven countries: India, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Turkey.
All seven will be considered Level 2 countries if the ministry’s recommendations come into effect. And all travelers who have visited Level 2 countries in the 14 days prior to entering Israel will be subjected to new isolation rules.
The ministry said it will determine which countries receive a Level 2 designation based on criteria established by its Information and Knowledge Center. Criteria will take into account variables such as the number of Israelis arriving from countries considered high risk, and evidence of the presence of coronavirus variants there.
This list will be updated every two weeks, and the ministry will announce which countries they are considering adding ahead of time, so travelers can prepare accordingly.
For Level 1 countries — most of the world — there will be no change in policy.
Orit Farkash-Hacohen. (Yanai Yechiel)
These proposed travel restrictions come as Israel plans to reopen its borders to tourists in a program starting late May. The Health Ministry has recommended delaying the launch of the program by another month.
But on Tuesday, the same day the ministry issued its recommendations, Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen broadcasted that steps were in place to welcome organized tourist groups and open Israel’s tourism economy, according to Channel 12 News.
Vaccinated tourist groups are set to be allowed into Israel starting May 23, as long as they provide a negative PCR test before travel and a serological test upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport shows they have antibodies.
Israelis take part in a gay pride rally after the annual parade was canceled due to the coronavirus, at Independence Park in Jerusalem on June 28, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Farkash-Hacohen said the ministry was set to launch a campaign in Dubai, New York, and London to encourage tourism to Israel, according to Channel 12. Several events have been arranged to attract tourists, too, such as a bicycle race held in the UAE and Israel titled the “Abraham Accord Cup,” named after the normalization deal between the two countries, and Tel Aviv’s Pride Parade.
According to the network, Farkash-Hacohen is not worried about the Indian variant: “If we work in a managed and supervised way, it should not affect anything. It shouldn’t prevent the opening of the tourism industry because we can make a plan for the long term — and if we are not on the field we lose a relative advantage,” she said.
India recorded more than 320,000 new cases of coronavirus infections Tuesday. The health ministry also reported another 2,771 deaths in the past 24 hours, with roughly 115 Indians succumbing to the disease every hour. The latest fatalities pushed India’s official death toll to 197,894, though the actual number is likely to be greater.
Multiple funeral pyres of victims of COVID-19 burn at a ground that has been converted into a crematorium for mass cremation in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2021. (Altaf Qadri/AP)
Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital said in a statement Sunday that it had approached the health and foreign ministries asking for approval to immediately send a consignment of aid equipment and manpower to India to assist with the crisis.
“In my opinion, this is the correct and moral thing to do at this time,” said Ichilov Hospital director Ronni Gamzu, Israel’s former coronavirus czar.
Former coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
“We cannot have the time of our lives while, on the other side of the world, they are burning bodies,” Gamzu said, referring to Israel’s success at bringing down its own infection rates and moves to roll back restrictions on public life as it returns to normalcy.
Talks on the matter were held at the Foreign Ministry, as well as with Indian officials, but so far no decision has been made, the Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday.
Giving back to our community through the Ali Forney Center is the icing on the cake!
NEW YORK (PRWEB)April 27, 2021
BakeMeAWish.com, the leading national online gourmet gifting company, is thrilled to celebrate Pride Month with a special Happy Pride Cake ($58), bursting with the traditional rainbow colors of the LGBTQ+ flag. The Happy Pride Cake is a funfetti base with delicious vanilla frosting with colorful rainbow decoration around the side.
$10 of every purchase of the BMAW Happy Pride Cake will go toward the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ teen and young adult homeless shelter and services organization.
“As a gay American, I couldn’t be prouder to launch this delicious, celebratory treat for our LGBTQ+ family and friends,” said Joseph Dornoff, President of Bake Me A Wish! “Giving back to our community through the Ali Forney Center is the icing on the cake!”
Additional celebratory Bake Me A Wish! treats perfect for Gay Pride Month, include such favorites as:
Rainbow Cake ($55)
JUMBO Diva Cupcakes ($45)
Strawberry Funfetti Cake ($52)
Mini Rainbows and Unicorns Cupcakes ($48)
Solid Gold Flower Tower ($59)
The Gay Pride Rainbow flag first flew at the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco in 1978. Each of the original colors were designed to represent the spirit of Gay Pride:
Bake Me A Wish! was founded in 2005 with the mission to deliver divinely crafted birthday cakes and gourmet baked goods to anyone across the United States, wherever they are. BakeMeAWish.com features delicious gourmet dessert options including sumptuous recipes, personalized greeting cards and elegant packaging. 15 years later, Bake Me A Wish! offers a magnificent lineup of other mouthwatering bakery treats including cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and pies. They have expanded their offering even further with gorgeous snack baskets. Bake Me A Wish! has become the go-to source for people in need of high-quality baked goods, and is excited to help make your gifting dreams come true. Bake Me A Wish! is located in New York, New York and delivers throughout the country.
About The Ali Forney Center
The Ali Forney Center’s mission is to protect LGBTQ+ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. In 2002, Carl Siciliano founded the Ali Forney Center (AFC) in memory of, and after, a gender-nonconforming youth who was tragically murdered in 1997.
The organization has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LGBTQ+ homeless youths in the country—assisting more than 2,000 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center, which provides over 70,000 meals annually, medical and mental health services through an on-site clinic, and a scattered-site housing program.
Please send your events, meetings, etc., to pgriffin@thedestinlog.com at least 2 weeks in advance.
Destin City Hall
All city meetings are being held at the City Hall Annex, 4100 Indian Bayou Trail, until further notice. All meetings are subject to change or cancellation. To virtually view the meeting, https://www.cityofdestin.com/. To view/stream is www.youtube.com/CityofDestin.
Harbor Capacity Steering Committee, 5:30 p.m. April 29
City Council, 6 p.m. May 3
Okaloosa Arts Art Show
The Okaloosa School District and Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation host the Okaloosa Arts sixth through 12th grade art show from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 28 and 29 at C. H “Bull” Rigdon Fairgrounds in Fort Walton Beach. Award winners will be displayed, but there will be no reception or ceremony.
Wednesday Night Concert Series
Sit back and relax, and enjoy free live entertainment with the Emerald Coast Blues Brothers from 7-9 p.m. April 28 on the Events Plaza stage at The Village of Baytowne Wharf.
• May 5: Sainte Jane
• May 12: Shenanigans
• May 19: Chris Alvarado
• May 26: The Shakedown
Concerts in the Village
Duchess performs at 7 p.m. April 29 at Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s Dugas Stage. Admission is $15/adults, $10/active-duty military, and children (12 and under) and MKAF members are free.Purchase tickets online at Eventbrite. Gates open 6 p.m.
• May 6: Shania Twin, Shania Twain Tribute
• May 13: M80s
• May 20: A Brother’ Revival, an Allman Brother Tribute
• May 27: Deana Carter
• June 3: The Tams
• June 10: Kara Grainger
• June 17: Petty Hearts, Tom Petty Tribute
• June 24: Air National Guard Band of the South
Arbor Day Celebration
The City of Destin will hold its Annual Arbor Day celebration at the Nancy Weidenhammer Dog Park, 4100 Indian Bayou Trail, at 10 a.m. April 29. The event will include remarks from Mayor Gary Jarvis and special guest speaker Aubrey Santucci with Coastline Tree Service. Members of the Destin City Council, the Destin Parks and Recreation Committee, Destin Chamber of Commerce Destin Forward Class of 2021 and Noah’s Ark Pre-School will participate in the tree dedication.
Tequila & Taco Fest
Hosted at The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Miramar Beach, local restaurants and food trucks will be competing for the Best Taco on The Emerald Coast with a first-place prize of $2,500, from 6-9 p.m. April 30, 1-5 p.m. May 1 and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 2. Sample many types of Tequilas and Margaritas from Blancos, Resposados, Anjieos, and even Mezcals while indulging on some of the area’s best tacos. Purchase tickets at bigtickets.com.
Sinfonia’s Crescendo!
Sinfonia Gulf Coast hosts its annual fundraiser Crescendo! A Cultural and Culinary extravaganza, April 30-May 2. On April 30 at 6 p.m. Crescendo! weekend will begin with a series of carefully curated vintner dinners hosted in elegant venues throughout the Emerald Coast. Vintner Dinner tickets are $295 per person and include all food, wine and gratuities.
This year’s main event is themed, “Moulin {vin} Rouge” and is set for May 2 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Miramar Beach. Tickets to Crescendo! 2021 are $150/person. To purchase tickets, visit www.sinfoniagulfcoast.org or call 460-8800.
Kentucky Derby Crazy Hat Contest
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 296 will host a Kentucky Derby Crazy Hat Contest from 2-6 p.m. May 1 at American Legion Post 296, 311 Main street in Destin. Prizes include a $25 bar tab for first place; Bingo ticket for second place; and breakfast for two at the Legion for third place. Bring your favorite dish for a potluck.
Derby Bourbon Tasting
The Courtyard at Pescado will hold a Derby Bourbon Tasting from 4:3-=6:30 p.m. May 1. Watch the Derby while enjoying a Maker’s Mark Mint Julep accompanied by Chef Ken’s Signature Kentucky Dishes. Dress in your finest Derby hat. Tickets are $85 + tax and gratuity. Book at events@thelcrg.com.
Derby Party on the Waterfront
Dust off your bowties and big hats because the Kentucky Derby is right around the corner and North Beach Social is the place to watch May 1. Relax at the water’s edge, as you sip mint juleps and devour hot brown sandwiches. Will and Linda Pleasants will be playing from 12-3 p.m. that day and the race is at 5:50 p.m. sharp. And they’re off!
Yard Sale Rescheduled
A Community Yard Sale will be held in the parking lot of Immanuel Anglican Church, 250 Indian Bayou Trail, in Destin, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 1 in conjunction with the second Immanuel Art & Music Fest. Art vendors will also be set up. Bayou Breaux’s Food Truck will be on site for purchase. Free funnel cakes.
Plant Sale
The Destin Garden Club will have its annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to noon May 1 at the Destin Library.
A Family Night Out
North Beach Social will welcome friends and families for a community event benefiting 30A Trails from 5-8 p.m. May 2. The event, sponsored by Citadel Roofing and Restoration, will feature live music by Wildlife Specials from 5-8 p.m Bring the whole family to dine, enjoy drinks and play on the beach while giving back to a great cause.
Reading
The Destin Library will host a reading by Bev Freeman, author of The Madison McKenzie Files, a trilogy of Appalachian mysteries, at 2 p.m. May 4. She will also be available for a question and answer session afterward.
Sew Spring Crafts
Celebrate spring and learn a useful skill with the Sew Springs Crafts Beanstack Challenge presented by the Destin Library. Through May 23, have fun learning basic sewing stitches while creating a new spring-themed craft each week. You can earn badges by completing the challenges or by reading sewing books and logging your reading minutes. Beanstack is available as a free app for your mobile device or through the web at www.cityofdestin.beanstack.org. If you need information, contact Sandee Kelly at 837-8572 or email skelly@cityofdestin.com.
Tequila Tasting
Pescado has partnered with BreakThru Beverage Group to host a tasting led by Marc Engel from 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 6 at The Courtyard at Pescado.. Chef Ken Duenas will be preparing Cinco de Mayo style appetizers and guests will also receive a welcome cocktail in addition to the food and tasting. Tickets are $90 plus tax and gratuity. Email events@thelcrg.com to book your place. Limited spaces available
Spring Showcase – A Night to Remember
Alissa Steffens Vocal Academy/Studios presents its Spring Showcase – A Night to Remember from 6-8 p.m. May 6 on the Events Plaza Stage at Baytowne Wharf. Singer/songwriter students age 12 to adult will present an evening filled with various solos and duets in a variety of music styles.
Booksigning
Gail Pallotta, award winning author and longtime visitor to Destin, will hold a book signing for her latest book, “Cooking Up a Mystery,” at Sundog Books, 89 Central Square in Santa Rosa Beach in Seaside, at 11 a.m. May 7. Recipes from Destin’s Mission Love Seeds are in the book.
Cajun Crawfish Bash
The Rotary Club of Destin’s Annual Cajun Crawfish Bash Charity Fundraiser will return this year to The Towne Centre at Seascape with co-host, Mezcal Mexican Grill, from 5:30-9 p.m. May 7.
Proceeds benefit young families in need through Food For Thought, Harvest House, Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast, Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s community outreach initiatives and The Rotary Club of Destin Scholarship Fund. The Fais Do-Do Band performs their unique genre of zydeco music. Tickets are now on sale for $30 per person for a large flat of crawfish and fixings, $50 for All-You-Can-Eat (AYCE) crawfish and fixings, and $15 for children or a non-crawfish meal (grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and rotisserie chicken). It is free for kids age three and under. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Newman-Dailey Resort Properties (850-837-1071), from any Destin Rotarian, the Rotary Club of Destin Facebook page or online at www.DestinRotary.com.
Sip N’ Stroll Gallery Night
Enjoy an evening of art from 5-7 p.m. May 7 at J.Leon Gallery and Studio, 13370 U.S. Highway 98 in Miramar Beach, with wine, champagne, and eats.
Music on Main
The Anthony Peebles Trio performs from 7-9 p.m. May 7 at “Music on Main” concert series in DeFuniak Springs. Guests are invited to enjoy a listening room experience at the historic Florida Chautauqua Theatre, 840 Baldwin Avenue. Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktail hour. Guests can grab a bite to eat before the concert at one of the downtown restaurants or from the food truck setup in front of the theatre. Tickets purchased in advance are $15/adults and $5/children and are available at fcweb.org/musiconmain. Ticket prices increase $5 on the day of the show.
May 14: West Hine
May 21: Longleaf Drive
May 28: The Wortheys
Embroiderers’ Guild
The Sand Dunes Chapter of Embroiderers’ Guild of America will meet for a stitch-in from 12-3 p.m. May 8 in the Religious Education building, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 1200 Valparaiso Blvd. in Niceville. Call 496-3466.
Toast to the Coast: A Cocktail & Culinary Celebration
Join in at HarborWalk Village for Toast to the Coast: A Cocktail and Culinary Celebration featuring local cuisine, signature beverages, and live entertainment at 2 p.m. May 8. Area restaurants will showcase matched samplings — a light bite with a complimentary cocktail. Purchase tickets at https://www.eventliveus.com/purchase/event/2204688.
Blessing of the Fleet
Destin’s 64 th Annual Blessing of the Fleet will be held May 13 at the docks behind Brotula’s Seafood House and Steamer Restaurant on the Destin harbor. The event begins at 4 p.m. with a Captains’ Worship and Prayer Service to be held under a large tent. The public is encouraged to attend. Then local clergy will process to the dock to begin blessing vessels. A community fish fry will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a suggested meal donation.
Grief Class
Beginning at 1 p.m. May 13, Destin United Methodist Church will have grief classses discussing different stages of grief and how they apply to loss. Loss which include life, relationships, health, careers and self worth. For more information and registration, contact Ken Gay at 582 2548 or email kengay.kg@ gmail.com.
Bubbly Baytowne
Enjoy an evening full of free champagne (21+) and shopping during Bubbly Baytowne from 5-7 p.m. May 13 at The Village of Baytowne Wharf.
Nothin’ Funner Than Summer
Spend a day exploring exhibits before hiking to Camp Longleaf at E.O Wilson Biophilia Center’s Nothin’ Funner Than Summer from 9 am. to 2 p.m. May 15 in Freeport. Free for members-use; code in email. Adults $8 and children 3-12 $5. Pre-registration required at eowilsoncenter.org or call 835-1824. Food will be available for purchase.
Lionfish Festival
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced the seventh annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Festival is scheduled for May 15 and 16 at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin. Come out and celebrate the fight against invasive lionfish with the FWC and Destin–Fort Walton Beach. Activities will include fillet demonstrations; family-friendly games and activities; art, diving and conservation booths; and the world’s largest lionfish spearfishing tournament, the Emerald Coast Open. Satisfy your taste buds by visiting any of the participating locations of Lionfish Restaurant Week May 10-14 for your chance to try this delicious invasive.
Sunday Cinema
Grab a lawn chair or blanket and cozy up at 8 p.m. May 16 on the Events Plaza Lawn at Baytowne Wharf for the free movie “Coco,”:a featured film on the big screen.
May 23: Ralph Breaks the Internet
May 30: Incredibles 2
June 6: Maleficent
June 13: Croods A New Age
June 20: Secret Life of Pets 2
June 27: Moana
Hydroflight Monday
Enjoy shows from fly-board extraordinaire Ben Merrell over the lagoon at The Village of Baytowne Wharf at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Mondays, May 17-Aug. 2.
Boomin’ Tuesday
Turn your eyes on the sky at Baytowne Wharf and watch as the sky lights up with a fireworks show over the Lagoon at 9:15 p.m. Tuesdays, May 18-Aug. 3. Also, a DJ Dance Party with DJ Mike Whitty begins at 7 p.m. in the Events Plaza.
Magical Thursday
Magic, music, and mayhem with Baytowne Wharf’s featured pirate Captain Davy takes you on an adventure with two magic shows at 7 and 8 p.m. Thursdays May 20-Aug. 5.
Memorial Day Celebration
Kick off your summer with a free Memorial Day Celebration at The Village of Baytowne Wharf from 7-9 p.m. May 29 and 6-9 p.m. May 30. Enjoy music with Forrest Williams Band on Saturday and TBD on Sunday. Enjoy kids activities and a patriotic fireworks show on Sunday evening.
Memorial Day Program
The Village of Baytowne Wharf will hold a free Memorial Day Program at 5 p.m. May 31. The Sandestin Veterans present a program in honor of our veterans.
Tailgates Down Concerts
The Emerald Coast Parrothead Club will host “Tailgates Down” Phriends All Around on June 12 at Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village, 4323 Commons Drive W in Destin. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. for tailgating and music from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The concert series benefits Fresh Start for Children & Families. Local musicians Jeff and the Camaros, Brent Burns, trop rock artist Mike Nash and nationally renowned Buffett tribute band Gary Roland and the Landsharks will play. Tickets available thru Eventbrite are $25 in advance, $30 day of show at the gate.
Smoke on the Coast
Destin Commons will host 15 local non-profit organizations at the 10th annual Smoke on the Coast BBQ & Fireworks Festival from 5-10 p. m. July 3. Each non-profit organization teams up with a restaurant or BBQ aficionado. Cast your vote for $1 for your favorite BBQ team, support their mission, and enjoy a day of family fun.
Destin Woman’s Club
The Annual Fashion Show held by the Destin Woman’s Club has been cancelled this year due to the Covid virus. The Fashion Show for 2021 has been scheduled for Nov. 5. As their major fundraiser, net proceeds go toward the Club’s Family Assistance Fund designed to help local families and a local charity.
RECURRING EVENTS
Destin Community Center
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 or email recreation@cityofdestin.comfor information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
Pickleball: Sessions are Mondays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Fee is $3/session. Racquets and balls are available, just bring your gym shoes.
Table Tennis: Play from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Paddles and balls provided. Fee is $2/resident and $3/non-resident.
Senior Programs
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 or email recreation@cityofdestin.com for information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
— Destin Senior Membership: Join the Destin Seniors to enjoy multiple festivities including the senior lunch bunch, potluck, casino trips, cruises, bingo, chair exercise, knitting, scrabble, and Mexican dominoes. Members must be a Destin resident.
— Senior Book Club: The Destin Senior Members meet at 10 a.m. the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Destin Library, 150 Sibert Ave.
— Senior Drop-In Hours: The Destin Senior Center at Buck Destin Park, 724 Legion Drive, offers senior drop-in hours from 9 a.m. to noon every Tuesday and Thursday for Seniors (50 years and older) to meet and enjoy each other’s company, participate in games such as Mexican Train Dominoes, Scrabble, cards, etc.
— Senior Walking Club: The Destin Senior Members walk around the Destin Community Center’s gymnasium from 8-9 a.m. Monday-Friday. All of the miles that you walk will be added to the “team map” as we travel from one region to the next. The team’s miles are reported on the 4th Friday of each month at the Destin Senior Membership’s Potluck.
— Destin Senior Chair Exercise 50+ years: Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10-10:45 a.m. at Buck Destin Park consists of performing light exercises to help improve balance, flexibility, strength, and circulation. Free/residents.
Book Club
The Destin Library’s Novel Idea Book Club is open to adults and meets every fourth Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. Club members can submit book recommendations – primarily fiction with the occasional non-fiction title – and the club will vote on which ones to read. Membership is open to everyone; however, you will need an Okaloosa County Public Library card to check-out materials. Members will need an email address and internet access to join the discussion.
City of Destin Annual Passes
Full-time residents (within the incorporated city limits) are encouraged to submit their request for a 2021 Annual Pass at https://www.cityofdestin.com/342/Annual-Passes. For those who do not have internet access, beach parking passes are only available at City Hall. Henderson Beach State Park and Joe’s Bayou Boat Ramp passes are available at both City Hall and the Destin Community Center. For questions, call 837-4242.
Adopt-A-Street
The City of Destin’s Adopt-A-Street Program allows local families, businesses and community groups to perform a valuable community service by adopting sections of a street to keep clear of litter and debris. Groups who participate in this program will have their name listed on the City’s website and signage installed on their adopted street. For more information, call 837-6869 or email adoptastreet@cityofdestin.com.
Grand Boulevard Farmers Market
Grand Boulevard Farmers Market takes place every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Grand Park in the heart of Grand Boulevard in South Walton. Bring your shopping bag and load up on local produce, eggs, jams and pies. Homemade soap, good olive oil, and pickled things are all there for the taking.
Rosemary Beach Farmers Market
Come browse the 30A Farmers Market in Rosemary Beach on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The local farmers market takes place on Sundays year round, and Thursdays throughout the summer months, in North Barrett Square along Scenic 30A.
It’s time to rediscover that timeless wisdom: Bread makes you fat.
I speak of course about one of the best lines from Edgar Wright’s 2010 movie “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” spoken in shock by Michael Cera, who stars with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and a who’s who of bright young comedy talents. The film is based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular “Scott Pilgrim” graphic novels, and on Friday, it’s getting a remastered anniversary re-release in AMC theaters, including in Austin.
If you’ve never gotten a chance to watch it, this incredibly Canadian tale finds Toronto townie Scott Pilgrim (Cera), a self-involved loser in a not-great band, become fixated on the mysterious Ramona Flowers (Winstead). But in order to date her, he must first defeat her seven “evil exes,” battles that Wright films as visually delightful crosses between video game punch-ups and comic book pow-bang-zooms.
I remember seeing the movie when it came out — maybe at Barton Creek Square, but memory is slippery — and quoting it nonstop for the rest of college. (And though I surely can be annoying, it was not just me flinging around lines like “He punched the highlights out of her hair.”) It’s the kind of film that was a cult classic pretty much as soon as it left theaters. I remember seeing it again at the Texas Union the next year, in fact, and it’s been a repertory stalwart at places like Alamo Drafthouse since.
For the re-release, the sound’s been remixed in Dolby Atmos and the picture’s been remastered in 4K. Wright told Entertainment Weekly that “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” looks and sounds better than ever before. “We had done this Dolby version for the 10th anniversary last August but obviously, everything was shut,” the director told the outlet. “Dolby and AMC and Universal suggested bringing it out now because the cinemas need support and need product and I’m happy to help with that.”
If you’re a fan, you don’t need convincing. If you’re not, it’s a great slice of early-millennium pop culture. Spot all your faves who would go on to conquer film and TV: Chris Evans (Captain America himself), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel herself), Aubrey Plaza (“Ingrid Goes West”), Anna Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect”), Ellen Wong (“G.L.O.W.”), Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), Mae Whitman (“Good Girls”), Alison Pill (“Snowpiercer”), Brandon Routh (“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) and Jason Schwartzman (Jason Schwartzman), etc.
The film is jam-packed with eye-popping visuals and fun-as-hell set pieces. Consider Larson’s perfect performance of “Black Sheep,” a song from her character Envy Adams, frontwoman of the Clash at Demonhead and breaker of Scott Pilgrim’s heart. (Canadian alt-rockers Metric perform the song on the soundtrack.) And every moment Evans rides a skateboard in this movie is a gift from Canadian god.
Like most things that were made in one era and were not immediately destroyed, there are parts of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” that benefit from reassessment with better minds in later years. For one, Scott’s not supposed to be an aspirational character, and some (most) of his behavior is pure dirt-bag stuff. For example: dating a high-schooler, Knives Chau (Wong). And the film’s handling of racial diversity and gender politics can be clumsy, full stop. (Oddly, the movie’s handling of sexual orientation might be its best, especially Culkin’s chill gay roommate, Wallace.)
And, I’ll say it: The thing might be a hair long, upon reflection.
Nevertheless! If you’re vaccinated and looking to get back out into the theaters, a souped-up “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is a fine toe back in the water. B.Y.O. bread. In Austin, it’s playing at Barton Creek Square and Tech Ridge.
Eric Webb is the Austin360 entertainment editor for the American-Statesman. Email him at ewebb@statesman.com and follow him on Twitter, @webbeditor.
About this story
We Love This So Much is Austin360’s recurring series of pop culture recommendations.
