Norm Kent cared about you.. even tho you may never have heard his name. A memorial service was held for the SFGN Founder on Monday at the Venue in Wilton Manors. Many spoke about his accomplishments: fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, marijuana freedom, sticking up for the little guys.. and how much he was loved. But I’m here to say not everybody loved Norm. When you’re fighting against the tide, you’re gonna piss off a lot of people. And Norm did that. But that means he was doing it right. Journalists and Lawyers aren’t supposed to be loved by everyone. I only met Norm during the waning months of his battle with cancer. He told me: Journalism Still Matters. Even from a wheelchair, he walked the walk, allowing me to do negative stories about organizations that SFGN had partnered with and Norm advised legally. He believes in keeping people honest be they friends or foes. Thank you, Norm, the world is a lesser place without you.
And while I’m saying ‘thank you,’ I’d like to Queer Up Gratitude. I, along with other Queer News Tonight and It’s Happening Out crew and hosts, had a long night last Wednesday. By the time we finished the shows, we were trapped here. Feet of water rose and turned streets into rivers. I’d like to thank Sunshine Cathedral, for truly sheltering us in a storm. Steve for figuring out how to put Abbott Elementary on the monitors so we could binge away the time. Thank you to Financial Wellness Institute for letting me park my car there because my street was still flooded out. Thanks to my neighbor John who saw me walking and ferried me the last couple blocks to my home, and my neighbor Jeff who eventually took me back to my car. Co-workers helping co-workers, strangers helping strangers, neighbors helping neighbors. We were literally all in the same boat. People come together during crises. Let’s try to keep it going because It shouldn’t take two feet of rain to bring people together.
