Message of inclusion
Pines photo display spotlights LGBT community
Joe Grant and Eli Santiago moved from New York to Century Village in Pembroke Pines four years ago.
The couple of 47 years married two years ago in New York after the state legalized gay marriage. Today, a black-and-white portrait of the couple, along with other members of the LGBT community, decorates the facade of the Pines Recreation Center.
The 36-by-54-inch photographs are part of Inside Out, a worldwide photographic collage project that showcases black-andwhite portraits to share a collective message.
“It’s such a great concept. It lights up the whole building,” said City Commissioner Carl Shechter. “We aim for being a very inclusive city. We don’t just say it; we mean it.”
One of the goals is to let young people who identify as LGBT know that life gets better.
“They’re going to have difficult times, but if they hold to it, they’ll get through it,” Santiago said.
“We’re hoping to mitigate the stigma for identifying as LGBT,” said Jill Slaughter, chief curator for Pembroke Pines and the driving force behind the project. “We want to start a conversation.”
That conversation has already begun in the Pembroke Pines Police Department, which had two detectives and Capt. Al Xiques participate in the project.
“The city has been so supportive of all our collective efforts in the LGBT community, particularly Q (questioning) youth,” Xiques said, referring to the city’s recently established anti-bullying campaigns and trainings.
Xiques was photographed in his police uniform, the only participant whose profession is discernible.
“I could have done it in plainclothes, but it sends a clearer message of support from our local government to our community,” he said. “It’s significant.”
The project is also part of Broward 100, the yearlong celebration of the county’s centennial anniversary. The county hopes to have 100 Inside Out projects by October, said Dawn Robinson-Patrick, the Broward Cultural Division’s Broward 100 coordinator.