Miami Herald - Thursday, November 8, 2001
Carol Marbin Miller

But this week, as the AIDS virus ravaged his body and his mind, Steinsmith was turned away by some of the same social service agencies to which he once steered money.

Destitute, sick and mentally ill, Steinsmith spent much of this week in the Fort Lauderdale city jail on trespassing charges.

Broward General Hospital's psychiatric unit would not keep him because he was not sufficiently mentally ill. Broward House, a private nonprofit AIDS support program, would not take him because he was too mentally ill and did not have enough money.

On Wednesday morning, an enraged County Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren ordered both programs to treat Steinsmith, calling Broward House's actions "absolutely unacceptable" and "inexcusable."

"Just help him," Lerner-Wren told representatives of Broward House. "Treat him. I am ordering you to treat this man."

In the courtroom, Broward House officials all but refused to accept Steinsmith, whom they insisted was too psychiatrically "unstable" to receive treatment at their residential program. Hours later, officials struck a more compromising tone, saying they would "work together with the court system" to provide care for Steinsmith.

"We hope we can get Gary stabilized as quickly as possible and move on to an appropriate treatment plan," said Joanne Hendee, the agency's director of clinical services. "Our goal is to work together with [hospital staff] to get him back on track. We are motivated and committed to do that."

In his prime, Steinsmith, 44, was the leading voice for gay people in Broward County, serving as president and a board member of the Dolphin Democratic Club in the early 1990s. He also served on the Broward County Democratic Executive Committee, the county HIV Health Services Planning Council and the Advisory Board for Persons with Disabilities. He started pulling back five years ago as his health deteriorated.

But his work on behalf of others with the virus did not end, and as recently as 1998 Steinsmith wrote to the governor, volunteering to work with youngsters with HIV.

"Everybody in the gay community knows Gary Steinsmith," said Shane Gunderson, who replaced Steinsmith as president of the Dolphin Club. "He's the most well-known gay activist in Broward County."

In recent months, Steinsmith's physical and mental health worsened. On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, he was arrested on charges of trespassing at the Marriott Hotel marina in Fort Lauderdale. Lerner-Wren had him transported to Broward General on Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning he was back in jail after hospital officials would not keep him for treatment.

County Commissioner Lori Parrish was awakened at 1:23 a.m. Wednesday by a collect call from Steinsmith, who begged her to help him get out of the jail.

"You don't know how many hours I spent on the phone today," Parrish said. "I feel so bad. We owe Gary this. This community owes Gary respect and appropriate treatment."

In one of her calls, Parrish said she contacted an official at Broward House. "I told him he wouldn't have his job, and his damn place wouldn't exist if it weren't for Gary Steinsmith and his good work."

Calling an emergency hearing after learning Steinsmith was back in jail, Lerner-Wren, who presides over mental health court, summoned Broward House officials to her courtroom Wednesday morning demanding to know why they would not treat him. She became angry when calls to the service agency went unreturned, she said.

"I have major concerns about his mental health stability," Hendee told the judge. "He is too psychiatrically impaired to be in our facility."

"Would you like for him to be stabilized at the jail?" the judge retorted. "Forget the fact he's been a tremendous community leader. If you can't [get him help], find someone who will . . . and move him out of the jail."

When another Broward House official told the judge Steinsmith also was turned away because he lacked money to pay for his care, Lerner-Wren said: "You mean to tell me somebody who is not blessed with money can't get help at Broward House?"

Dressed in a jail-issued orange jumpsuit, Steinsmith remained every bit the activist Wednesday as he leaned over to a mentally ill man sitting next to him, seeking to calm him and to help him during his hearing. During his own hearing, Steinsmith told the judge he was more concerned about the care given to other jail inmates than he was for his own situation.

"I don't ask for much," Steinsmith said, fighting back tears.

"But the last few days are more than I can handle."

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