Watermark Issue 21.24: Mission:Undetectable by Watermark Publishing Group

daytona Beach • orlando • tampa • St. peterSBurg • SaraSota • iSSue 21.24 • nov. 20 - dec. 3, 2014 • watermarKonline.com

Your lgbt life.

WANZIE,GYPSY PRODUCTIONS tacKle holidaythemed ShowS

alSo:

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hiv STATISTICS

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UNDETECTABLE

Achieving an ‘undetectable’ viral load is as close to cured an hiv-positive person can get—at least for now

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

Ask for the

To give approval to what the bible PAGE clearly states is sin...leaves them in 19 danger of God’s judgment.

depaRtMentS 6 // Mail 13 // oRlando newS 17 // taMpa Bay newS

—greg faulls, souThern bapTisT conVenTion

20 // State 23 // nation & woRld newS 55 // CoMMunity CalendaR 62 // taMpa Bay MaRKetplaCe 63 // tRanSitionS 64 // oRlando MaRKetplaCe 70 // SpoRtS

PAGE

on the CoveR

preview

PAGE Aaron Sanford, right,

45 yultide yaRn: In Wanzie’s Orange Blossom Trail ‘Living Nativity’ Christmas Spectacular, Mrs. Henderson, played by Rich Kuntz (on left), is on an Immaculate journey to create a living nativity along the historic Orlando roadway. The show runs through Dec. 22 at the Footlight Theatre inside the Parliament House.

wateRMaRK iSSue 21.24 //noveMBeR 20 - deCeMBeR 3 , 2014

HIV positive and 31 isundetectable. He says

he told his fiancé, Jack Wetherell, of his status early on in their relationship. The Orlando couple hope to be married in 2015.

oRlando newS

taMpa Bay

fRanCiS houSe

PAGE Orlando is one of four

PAGE Metro Wellness and

PAGE The Francis House recently

one hell of a holiday

Photo by Jake Stevens

Read it online!

SCan QR Code foR

wateRMaRKonline.CoM

In addition to a Web site with daily LGBT updates, a digital version of each issue of the publication is made available on WatermarkOnline.com

cities in the state to receive a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Municipality Equality Index; Florida tells a Central Florida gay couple they continue using their married names they will lose their licenses; more.

Community Centers hosts a very successful inaugural Transgender Pride celebration; St. Petersburg edges out Tampa on HRC equality index; The Santa Speedo Run is back, and this time incorporates Mrs. Claus in Bras.

expanded its home, and its services, with the addition of a brand new annex. We take a look inside the new facility and learn of the programs helping HIV patients throughout Tampa Bay.

PAGE Gypsy Productions is back

a new show at the 48 with Flamingo Resort’s Blu Room

Theater. Trevor Keller tells us that in Who Took the Last Ketchup? One Hell of a Holiday Vacation, there’s plenty of comedy, holiday spirit and gay references to make your yuletide bright.

Know wheRe to Be to CoMMeMoRate woRld aidS day at wateRMaRKonline.CoM watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

top weB CoMMentS

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IWANTAMINI.COM *Offer not valid in Puerto Rico. Lease financing available on new 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop models, from participating MINI Dealers through MINI Financial Services through 12/01/14. Monthly lease payments of $209 per month for 41 months based on MSRP of $22,800 which includes Automatic Transmission and destination & handling fee of $850. $2,939 cash due at signing is based on $2,005 down payment, $209 first month payment, $725 acquisition fee, and $0 security deposit (not all customers will qualify for security deposit waiver). Tax, title, license, registration and dealer fees are additional fees due at signing. Program available from participating MINI Dealers to eligible, qualified customers with excellent credit history who meet MINI Financial Services credit requirements. Payments do not include applicable taxes. All figures presented are examples only. Actual MSRP may vary. Lessee responsible for insurance during the lease term and any excess wear and tear as defined in the lease contract, $.20/mile over 34,167 miles per lease term and a disposition fee of $350 at lease end. Purchase option at lease end (excluding tax, title and government fees) is $13,452. Must take delivery by 12/01/14. $250 You-ification Credit offsets MSRP. $300 Dealer Contribution (if applicable) offsets MSRP. Dealer contribution may affect terms. Offer and credits valid through 12/01/14 and may be combined with other offers unless otherwise stated. Models pictured may be shown with metallic paint and/or additional accessories. Upgraded Boot to Bonnet No Cost Maintenance available on new 2015 MINI models, excluding 2015 MINI Hardtop 4 Door, with a 41 month lease through MINI Financial Services for an additional 5 months or 5,000 miles on top of the standard 3 year or 36,000 miles for a total of 41 months or 41,000 miles, whichever comes first and begins on the original in-service date. Offer valid through 12/1/14. Refer to the MINI Service and Warranty Information booklet for complete terms, conditions and limitations. Stop in for complete details.

Keeping My pledge

rom my firsT day in office in 2003, I pledged to preserve a democratic and inclusive government that serves and represents our diverse community. I am honored to share with you the City has obtained the highest score of 100 on the 2014 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a nationwide evaluation on how inclusive the city’s laws and policies are for the LGBT community. Orlando is one of the few major cities in the country to obtain the top score of the MEI. In the past few years, we have established policies and ordinances that foster inclusiveness and benefit everyone equally from the adoption of the domestic partnership registry with more than 1,321 registered couples, to the support of marriage equality in court briefs, to gender identity being added in our antidiscrimination City Code. Our perfect score demonstrates the progress our community has made and validates our commitment to an inclusive government that promotes diversity and benefits all sectors of society. I am proud of this accomplishment as Orlando continues attracting talented people from all

“He’s an excellent snake oil salesman, so if he fooled any of you outsiders, don’t feel bad.” —John smiTh

over the world. I encourage you to join me in celebrating this accomplishment. There is no denying this human rights movement will generate a positive result and pave the way to have a better future as we enhance the quality of life of all. Buddy dyer mayor, city of orlando

SnaKe oil SaleSMan

ow many of you ThaT defend mikael [audeberT] were actually on the COWP board? I’d wager not many of you. If you were, you would have seen firsthand his shady dealings. I was on the board and was appalled at how he took advantage of the organization and the LGBT community. But he’s an excellent snake oil salesman, so if he fooled any of you outsiders, don’t feel bad. I’m so thankful MBA uncovered his schemes and fraud and took the

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

actions they did. john Smith orlando

oRlando’S laCK of leadeRShip

haTe To say we Told you so buT so many saw This coming when Mikael Audebert first started politics to move into these positions years ago. A lot of people distanced themselves from the MBA and COWP. I agree that the “old” board was (and is) out of touch with the pulse of our community. I also think Mr. Audebert’s vision of what was needed was somewhat “rose colored” and off the mark as well. There is clearly a lack of true leadership all around to have these kinds of oversights and misdirection going on. I for one, am glad he is out. metroman

via WatermarkOnline.com

ContRiButoRS

editor’s

Steve blanchard eDitor

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

desk

hen i came ouT i was in my

very early 20s and it was the late 1990s. I was terrified of drag queens, knew nothing of LGBT history and was convinced no one I knew had HIV. I’m not sure why I believed that, because I didn’t really know what it was or what the acronym stood for.

What I did know is that some gay men had it, it was transmitted sexually and it had something to do with blood. While I’m sure the information was out there, nothing really motivated me to go find it for myself. That was until I attended my first HIV fundraiser and drag show. I expected a night of entertainment and heavy drinking. But in reality, it turned out to be a night of education. During the show I learned

some of the people near to me were battling a medical issue I had seen as completely foreign. It was an eye-opener that made HIV/AIDS very real. The first HIV-positive person I ever knew happened to be a drag queen. I knew her casually through an ex-boyfriend and never thought much more about her outside of her fabulous persona. When she stood on the dance floor that night and told the crowd of her HIV status, I was stunned. In my mind,

HIV suddenly had a face—a personality. This disease was no longer a scare-tactic dreamed up by a church, school or awful madefor-television movie. It was a real-life health issue facing real people and it motivated me to not only protect myself, but to learn more about it and its history. I came out at a time where it was rare to hear of AIDS-related deaths, and I have never lost someone close to me in that way. For that I am grateful, but it also made me less aware of HIV for a long time. I look back and realize how naive I was then. I never could have imagined I’d have the vast library of LGBT knowledge— both useful and not-so-useful— filed away in my head like I do today. I’m fortunate with the journey on which my career has taken me. I sometimes forget what it’s like to not have friends and colleagues directly involved in the fight against HIV. It’s easy to lose perspective when you see HIV in some form every single day or chat with someone who is actively trying to defeat it once or twice a week. These are the reasons events corresponding with World AIDS Day are so important and why fundraisers and candlelight vigils are needed in 2014. It’s the conversation that keeps the hope and the drive alive to help those living with HIV/AIDS and to ultimately send this disease the way of polio or smallpox. Things don’t disappear simply because we stop talking about them. In fact, silence often makes things worse. If the dialogue sounds too familiar, or repetitive, remember that

someone next to you may be hearing the message for the first time. — During a recent meeting with Watermark’s editorial team, I found myself in a discussion about our year-end issue. Our topic of conversation: Who are the most remarkable people of 2014, and who should be on the cover of our last issue of 2014? It’s a conversation we have every November. A number of names were tossed around. We discussed transgender advocates and activists, successful playwrights

It was an eyeopener that made HIv/AIDs very real.

and people directly involved with Florida’s slow yet substantial marriage equality movement. We finally came to one conclusion: This decision shouldn’t be made solely by a team of a few. We want our readers to help us out this year. At the end of 2012, we came up with the idea to honor and highlight local heroes who are an inspiration to the LGBT community, whether it’s through philanthropy, the political process or a sheer willingness to survive despite all odds. We’ve been pleased with our selections so far, but in 2014, there are simply too many candidates from which to choose. So this year, we’re seeking nominations. Let us know who you want to see featured on the cover. Email your nominee and a short explanation as to why to editor@ watermarkonline.com.

wateRMaRK Staff Founder and Senior Contributor: tom Dyer • ext. 305 • tom@Watermarkonline.com Publisher: rick Claggett • ext. 108 • rick@Watermarkonline.com Admin. Assistant: kathleen harper • ext. 100 • kathleen@Watermarkonline.com Editor-in-Chief: Steve blanchard • 813-470-0899 • Steveb@Watermarkonline.com Reporter: Samantha rosenthal • 104 • Samantha@Watermarkonline.com Online Media Director: Jamie hyman • ext. 106 • Jamie@Watermarkonline.com Proofreading: ed blaisdell Art Director: Jake Stevens • ext. 109 • Jake@Watermarkonline.com Creative Assistant: Patrick o’Connor • ext. 109 • adProduction@Watermarkonline.com

Sales Manager: Mark Cady ext. 102 [orlando] • mark@Watermarkonline.com Tampa Bay Sales: Bill Jeffries ext. 301 • 813-454-9064 • bill@Watermarkonline.com Orlando Advertising Sales: Sam Rennels ext. 103 • Sam@Watermarkonline.com Orlando Advertising Sales: Danny Garcia ext. 107 • Danny@Watermarkonline.com Nat’l Ad Representative: rivendell media inc. • 212-242-6863

oRlando offiCe P. O. Box 533655 Orlando, FL 32853-3655 TEL: 407-481-2243 FAX: 407-481-2246

taMpa Bay offiCe TEL: 813-655-9890 FAX: 813-849-2986

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

Zach caruso

is a musician and journalist from New Jersey who now lives in St. Petersburg. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an M.A. in writing. Page 18

daniel lancasTer

is a freelance journalist and an HIV/AIDS activist and educator. He lives in Tampa. Page 36

aaron alper is a

photographer and writer in St. Petersburg. He holds a master’s in English education from the University of South Florida. Page 48

greg Burton, Scottie Campbell, Zach Caruso, Susan Clary, amy dees, Kirk hartlage, Rev. phyllis hunt, Joseph Kissel, Ken Kundis, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, david Moran, gregg Shipiro, greg Stemm, Brett Stout, Jim walker

photogRaphy nick Cardello, angie folks, tom eckert, Julie Milford, travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, lee vandergrift, tinkerfluff, lonnie thompson

diStRiBution debbie oliver, phil garris, Ken Caraway CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations. WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail). The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

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For your HIV viral load,

The POWER to help you go from

• ATRIPLA® (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) has been proven TO LOWER VIRAL LOAD to undetectable* in approximately 7 out of every 10 adult patients new to therapy through 3 years† • The most common (at least 5%) moderate to severe side effects in patients on ATRIPLA were diarrhea, nausea, tiredness, depression, dizziness, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infections, rash, headache, trouble sleeping, anxiety, and common cold. Each of these was reported in less than 10% of patients

Real ATRIPLA patient. INDICATION ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is a prescription medication used alone as a complete regimen, or with other anti-HIV-1 medicines, to treat HIV-1 infection in adults and children at least 12 years old who weigh at least 40 kg (88 lbs). ATRIPLA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS and you may continue to experience illnesses associated with HIV-1 infection, including opportunistic infections. See your healthcare provider regularly while taking ATRIPLA. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA can cause serious side effects: • Some people who have taken medicine like ATRIPLA (which contains nucleoside analogs) have developed lactic acidosis (build up of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis can be a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of lactic acidosis: - feel cold, especially in your - feel very weak or tired arms and legs - have unusual (not normal) - feel dizzy or lightheaded muscle pain - have a fast or irregular - have trouble breathing heartbeat - have stomach pain with nausea and vomiting • Some people who have taken medicines like ATRIPLA have developed serious liver problems (hepatotoxicity), with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. *Undetectable was defined as a viral load of fewer than 400 copies/mL. † In this study, 511 adult patients new to therapy received either the meds in ATRIPLA each taken once daily or Combivir® (lamivudine/zidovudine) twice daily + SUSTIVA® (efavirenz) once daily. ‡ Source Healthcare Analytics, Source® PHAST Prescription Monthly, July 2006 – March 2013.

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Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: - skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) - urine turns dark - bowel movements (stools) turn light in color - don’t feel like eating food for several days or longer - feel sick to your stomach (nausea) - have lower stomach area (abdominal) pain • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking nucleoside analog-containing medicines, like ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), for a long time. • If you also have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and you stop taking ATRIPLA, you may get a “flare-up” of your hepatitis. A “flare-up” is when the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Patients with HBV who stop taking ATRIPLA need close medical follow-up for several months to check for hepatitis that could be getting worse. ATRIPLA is not approved for the treatment of HBV, so you need to discuss your HBV therapy with your healthcare provider. Who should not take ATRIPLA? You and your healthcare provider should decide if ATRIPLA is right for you. Do not take ATRIPLA if you are allergic to ATRIPLA or any of its ingredients. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ATRIPLA? Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant: Women should not become pregnant while taking ATRIPLA and for 12 weeks after stopping ATRIPLA. Serious birth defects have been seen in children of women treated during pregnancy with one of the medicines in ATRIPLA. Women must use a reliable form of barrier contraception, such as a condom or diaphragm, even if they also use other methods of birth control, while on ATRIPLA and for 12 weeks after stopping ATRIPLA. Women should not rely only on hormone-based birth control, such as pills,

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With over 7 years of prescribing experience, ATRIPLA is the #1 prescribed one pill, once-daily HIV treatment‡ SELECTED IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION • Some people who have taken medicine like ATRIPLA have developed build up of lactic acid in the blood, which can be a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. • Some people who have taken medicines like ATRIPLA have developed serious liver problems, with liver enlargement and fat in the liver, which can lead to death. • If you also have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and you stop taking ATRIPLA, your hepatitis may suddenly get worse. ATRIPLA is not approved for the treatment of HBV. Please see below for more information about these warnings, including signs and symptoms, and other Important Safety Information. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Ask your doctor about ATRIPLA today. injections, or implants, because ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) may make these contraceptives ineffective. • Are breastfeeding: Women with HIV should not breastfeed because they can pass HIV and some of the medicines in ATRIPLA through their milk to the baby. We do not know if ATRIPLA could harm your baby. • Have kidney problems or are undergoing kidney dialysis treatment • Have bone problems • Have liver problems, including hepatitis B or C virus infection. Your healthcare provider may want to do tests to check your liver while you take ATRIPLA or may switch you to another medicine. • Have ever had mental illness or are using drugs or alcohol • Have ever had seizures or are taking medicine for seizures. Seizures have occurred in patients taking efavirenz, a component of ATRIPLA, generally in those with a history of seizures. If you have ever had seizures, or take medicine for seizures, your healthcare provider may want to switch you to another medicine or monitor you. What important information should I know about taking other medicines with ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA may change the effect of other medicines, including the ones for HIV-1, and may cause serious side effects. Your healthcare provider may change your other medicines or change their doses. MEDICINES YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE WITH ATRIPLA • Do not take ATRIPLA if you are taking the following medicines because serious and life-threatening side effects may occur when taken together: Vascor® (bepridil), Propulsid® (cisapride), Versed® (midazolam), Orap® (pimozide), Halcion® (triazolam), or ergot medications (for example, Wigraine® and Cafergot®). • ATRIPLA should not be taken with: Combivir® (lamivudine/zidovudine), COMPLERA® (emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), EMTRIVA® (emtricitabine), Epivir® or Epivir-HBV® (lamivudine),

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Epzicom® (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine), STRIBILD® (elvitegravir/cobicistat/ emtricitabine/tenofovir DF), Trizivir® (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine/zidovudine), TRUVADA® (emtricitabine/tenofovir DF), or VIREAD® (tenofovir DF), because they contain the same or similar active ingredients as ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). ATRIPLA should not be used with SUSTIVA® (efavirenz) unless recommended by your healthcare provider. • Vfend® (voriconazole) should not be taken with ATRIPLA since it may lose its effect or may increase the chance of having side effects from ATRIPLA. • Do not take St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), or products containing St. John’s wort with ATRIPLA. Taking St. John’s wort may decrease ATRIPLA levels and lead to increased viral load, and possible resistance to ATRIPLA or cross-resistance to other anti-HIV-1 drugs. • ATRIPLA should not be used with HEPSERA® (adefovir dipivoxil). These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take ATRIPLA. Tell your healthcare provider about all prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements you are taking or plan to take. Important Safety Information is continued on the following page. Please see Patient Information on the following pages.

POWER TO HELP YOU BE UNDETECTABLE

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ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) Important Safety Information (continued) What are the possible side effects of ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA may cause the following additional serious side effects: • Serious psychiatric problems. Severe depression, strange thoughts, or angry behavior have been reported by a small number of patients. Some patients have had thoughts of suicide, and a few have actually committed suicide. These problems may occur more often in patients who have had mental illness. • Kidney problems (including decline or failure of kidney function). If you have had kidney problems, or take other medicines that may cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider should do regular blood tests. Symptoms that may be related to kidney problems include a high volume of urine, thirst, muscle pain, and muscle weakness. • Other serious liver problems. Some patients have experienced serious liver problems, including liver failure resulting in transplantation or death. Most of these serious side effects occurred in patients with a chronic liver disease such as hepatitis infection, but there have also been a few reports in patients without any existing liver disease. • Changes in bone mineral density (thinning bones). Lab tests show changes in the bones of patients treated with tenofovir DF, a component of ATRIPLA. Some HIV patients treated with tenofovir DF developed thinning of the bones (osteopenia), which could lead to fractures. Also, bone pain and softening of the bone (which may lead to fractures) may occur as a consequence of kidney problems. If you have had bone problems in the past, your healthcare provider may want to do tests to check your bones or may prescribe medicines to help your bones. Also, bone pain and bone softening may occur because of kidney problems. Common side effects: • Patients may have dizziness, headache, trouble sleeping, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, and/or unusual dreams during treatment with ATRIPLA. These side effects may be reduced if you take ATRIPLA at bedtime on an empty stomach; they tend to go away after taking ATRIPLA for a few weeks. Tell your healthcare provider right away if any of these side effects continue or if they bother you. These symptoms may be more severe if ATRIPLA is used with alcohol and/or mood-altering (street) drugs. • If you are dizzy, have trouble concentrating, and/or are drowsy, avoid activities that may be dangerous, such as driving or operating machinery. • Rash is a common side effect with ATRIPLA that usually goes away without any change in treatment. Rash may be serious in a small number of patients. Rash occurs more commonly in children and may be a serious problem. If a rash develops, call your healthcare provider right away. • Other common side effects include: tiredness, upset stomach, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea. Other possible side effects: • Changes in body fat have been seen in some people taking anti-HIV-1 medicines. Increase of fat in the upper back and neck, breasts, and around the trunk may happen. Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also happen. The cause and long-term health effects of these changes in body fat are not known. • Skin discoloration (small spots or freckles) may also happen. • In some patients with advanced HIV infection (AIDS), signs and symptoms of inflammation from previous infections may occur soon after anti-HIV treatment is started. If you notice any symptoms of infection, contact your healthcare provider right away. • Additional side effects are inflammation of the pancreas, allergic reaction (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat), shortness of breath, pain, stomach pain, weakness, and indigestion. This is not a complete list of side effects. Tell your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you notice any side effects while taking ATRIPLA. You should take ATRIPLA once daily on an empty stomach. Taking ATRIPLA at bedtime may make some side effects less bothersome. Please see Patient Information on adjacent and following pages.

© 2014 Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. ATRIPLA is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC. SUSTIVA is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. 697US14BR02441-02-01

11/14

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Patient Information ATRIPLA® (uh TRIP luh) Tablets ALERT: Find out about medicines that should NOT be taken with ATRIPLA (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). Please also read the section “MEDICINES YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE WITH ATRIPLA.” Generic name: efavirenz, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (eh FAH vih renz, em tri SIT u`h bean and te NOE’ fo veer dye soe PROX il FYOU mar ate) Read the Patient Information that comes with ATRIPLA before you start taking it and each time you get a refill since there may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. You should stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking ATRIPLA. Do not change or stop your medicine without first talking with your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you have any questions about ATRIPLA. What is the most important information I should know about ATRIPLA? • Some people who have taken medicine like ATRIPLA (which contains nucleoside analogs) have developed a serious condition called lactic acidosis (build up of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis can be a medical emergency and may need to be treated in the hospital. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of lactic acidosis: • You feel very weak or tired. • You have unusual (not normal) muscle pain. • You have trouble breathing. • You have stomach pain with nausea and vomiting. • You feel cold, especially in your arms and legs. • You feel dizzy or lightheaded. • You have a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Some people who have taken medicines like ATRIPLA have developed serious liver problems called hepatotoxicity, with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: • Your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice). • Your urine turns dark. • Your bowel movements (stools) turn light in color. • You don’t feel like eating food for several days or longer. • You feel sick to your stomach (nausea). • You have lower stomach area (abdominal) pain. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking nucleoside analog-containing medicines, like ATRIPLA, for a long time. • If you also have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and you stop taking ATRIPLA, you may get a “flare-up” of your hepatitis. A “flare-up” is when the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Patients with HBV who stop taking ATRIPLA need close medical follow-up for several months, including medical exams and blood tests to check for hepatitis that could be getting worse. ATRIPLA is not approved for the treatment of HBV, so you must discuss your HBV therapy with your healthcare provider. What is ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA contains 3 medicines, SUSTIVA® (efavirenz), EMTRIVA® (emtricitabine) and VIREAD® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate also called tenofovir DF) combined in one pill. EMTRIVA and VIREAD are HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and SUSTIVA is an HIV-1 non-nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). VIREAD and EMTRIVA are the components of TRUVADA®. ATRIPLA can be used alone as a complete regimen, or in combination with other anti-HIV-1 medicines to treat people with HIV-1 infection. ATRIPLA is for adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kg (at least 88 lbs). ATRIPLA is not recommended for children younger than 12 years of age. ATRIPLA has not been studied in adults over 65 years of age. HIV infection destroys CD4+ T cells, which are important to the immune system. The immune system helps fight infection. After a large number of T cells are destroyed, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) develops. ATRIPLA helps block HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, a viral chemical in your body (enzyme) that is needed for HIV-1 to multiply. ATRIPLA lowers the amount of HIV-1 in the blood (viral load). ATRIPLA may also help to increase the number of T cells (CD4+ cells), allowing your immune system to improve. Lowering

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ATRIPLA® (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) the amount of HIV-1 in the blood lowers the chance of death or infections that happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections). Does ATRIPLA cure HIV-1 or AIDS? ATRIPLA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS and you may continue to experience illnesses associated with HIV-1 infection, including opportunistic infections. You should remain under the care of a doctor when using ATRIPLA. Who should not take ATRIPLA? Together with your healthcare provider, you need to decide whether ATRIPLA is right for you. Do not take ATRIPLA if you are allergic to ATRIPLA or any of its ingredients. The active ingredients of ATRIPLA are efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir DF. See the end of this leaflet for a complete list of ingredients. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ATRIPLA? Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant (see “What should I avoid while taking ATRIPLA?”). • Are breastfeeding (see “What should I avoid while taking ATRIPLA?”). • Have kidney problems or are undergoing kidney dialysis treatment. • Have bone problems. • Have liver problems, including hepatitis B virus infection. Your healthcare provider may want to do tests to check your liver while you take ATRIPLA or may switch you to another medicine. • Have ever had mental illness or are using drugs or alcohol. • Have ever had seizures or are taking medicine for seizures. What important information should I know about taking other medicines with ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA may change the effect of other medicines, including the ones for HIV-1, and may cause serious side effects. Your healthcare provider may change your other medicines or change their doses. Other medicines, including herbal products, may affect ATRIPLA. For this reason, it is very important to let all your healthcare providers and pharmacists know what medications, herbal supplements, or vitamins you are taking. MEDICINES YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE WITH ATRIPLA • The following medicines may cause serious and life-threatening side effects when taken with ATRIPLA. You should not take any of these medicines while taking ATRIPLA: Vascor (bepridil), Propulsid (cisapride), Versed (midazolam), Orap (pimozide), Halcion (triazolam), ergot medications (for example, Wigraine and Cafergot). • ATRIPLA also should not be used with Combivir (lamivudine/zidovudine), COMPLERA®, EMTRIVA, Epivir, Epivir-HBV (lamivudine), Epzicom (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine), STRIBILD®, Trizivir (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine/ zidovudine), TRUVADA, or VIREAD. ATRIPLA also should not be used with SUSTIVA unless recommended by your healthcare provider. • Vfend (voriconazole) should not be taken with ATRIPLA since it may lose its effect or may increase the chance of having side effects from ATRIPLA. • Do not take St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), or products containing St. John’s wort with ATRIPLA. St. John’s wort is an herbal product sold as a dietary supplement. Talk with your healthcare provider if you are taking or are planning to take St. John’s wort. Taking St. John’s wort may decrease ATRIPLA levels and lead to increased viral load and possible resistance to ATRIPLA or cross-resistance to other anti-HIV-1 drugs. • ATRIPLA should not be used with HEPSERA® (adefovir dipivoxil). It is also important to tell your healthcare provider if you are taking any of the following: • Fortovase, Invirase (saquinavir), Biaxin (clarithromycin), Noxafil (posaconazole), Sporanox (itraconazole), or Victrelis (boceprevir); these medicines may need to be replaced with another medicine when taken with ATRIPLA. • Calcium channel blockers such as Cardizem or Tiazac (diltiazem), Covera HS or Isoptin (verapamil) and others; Crixivan (indinavir), Selzentry (maraviroc); the immunosuppressant medicines cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune, and others), Prograf (tacrolimus), or Rapamune (sirolimus); Methadone; Mycobutin (rifabutin); Rifampin; cholesterollowering medicines such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin sodium), and Zocor (simvastatin); or the anti-depressant medications bupropion (Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL, and Zyban) or Zoloft (sertraline); dose changes may be needed when these drugs are taken with ATRIPLA.

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ATRIPLA® (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) •

Videx, Videx EC (didanosine); tenofovir DF (a component of ATRIPLA) may increase the amount of didanosine in your blood, which could result in more side effects. You may need to be monitored more carefully if you are taking ATRIPLA and didanosine together. Also, the dose of didanosine may need to be changed. • Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate), Prezista (darunavir) with Norvir (ritonavir), or Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir); these medicines may increase the amount of tenofovir DF (a component of ATRIPLA) in your blood, which could result in more side effects. Reyataz is not recommended with ATRIPLA. You may need to be monitored more carefully if you are taking ATRIPLA, Prezista, and Norvir together, or if you are taking ATRIPLA and Kaletra together. Also, the dose of Kaletra may need to be changed. • Medicine for seizures [for example, Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine), or phenobarbital]; your healthcare provider may want to switch you to another medicine or check drug levels in your blood from time to time. These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take ATRIPLA. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about all medicines that you take. Keep a complete list of all the prescription and nonprescription medicines as well as any herbal remedies that you are taking, how much you take, and how often you take them. Make a new list when medicines or herbal remedies are added or stopped, or if the dose changes. Give copies of this list to all of your healthcare providers and pharmacists every time you visit your healthcare provider or fill a prescription. This will give your healthcare provider a complete picture of the medicines you use. Then he or she can decide the best approach for your situation. How should I take ATRIPLA? • Take the exact amount of ATRIPLA your healthcare provider prescribes. Never change the dose on your own. Do not stop this medicine unless your healthcare provider tells you to stop. • You should take ATRIPLA on an empty stomach. • Swallow ATRIPLA with water. • Taking ATRIPLA at bedtime may make some side effects less bothersome. • Do not miss a dose of ATRIPLA. If you forget to take ATRIPLA, take the missed dose right away, unless it is almost time for your next dose. Do not double the next dose. Carry on with your regular dosing schedule. If you need help in planning the best times to take your medicine, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • If you believe you took more than the prescribed amount of ATRIPLA, contact your local poison control center or emergency room right away. • Tell your healthcare provider if you start any new medicine or change how you take old ones. Your doses may need adjustment. • When your ATRIPLA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to ATRIPLA and become harder to treat. • Your healthcare provider may want to do blood tests to check for certain side effects while you take ATRIPLA. What should I avoid while taking ATRIPLA? • Women should not become pregnant while taking ATRIPLA and for 12 weeks after stopping it. Serious birth defects have been seen in the babies of animals and women treated with efavirenz (a component of ATRIPLA) during pregnancy. It is not known whether efavirenz caused these defects. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are pregnant. Also talk with your healthcare provider if you want to become pregnant. • Women should not rely only on hormone-based birth control, such as pills, injections, or implants, because ATRIPLA may make these contraceptives ineffective. Women must use a reliable form of barrier contraception, such as a condom or diaphragm, even if they also use other methods of birth control. Efavirenz, a component of ATRIPLA, may remain in your blood for a time after therapy is stopped. Therefore, you should continue to use contraceptive measures for 12 weeks after you stop taking ATRIPLA. • Do not breastfeed if you are taking ATRIPLA. Some of the medicines in ATRIPLA can be passed to your baby in your breast milk. We do not know whether it could harm your baby. Also, mothers with HIV-1 should not breastfeed because HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in the breast milk. Talk with your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding. You should stop breastfeeding or may need to use a different medicine. • Taking ATRIPLA with alcohol or other medicines causing similar side effects as ATRIPLA, such as drowsiness, may increase those side effects.

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ATRIPLA® (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

Do not take any other medicines, including prescription and nonprescription medicines and herbal products, without checking with your healthcare provider. • Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 to others. • Do not share needles or other injection equipment. • Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades. • Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safe sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood. What are the possible side effects of ATRIPLA? ATRIPLA may cause the following serious side effects: • Lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis can be a medical emergency and may need to be treated in the hospital. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get signs of lactic acidosis. (See “What is the most important information I should know about ATRIPLA?”) • Serious liver problems (hepatotoxicity), with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any signs of liver problems. (See “What is the most important information I should know about ATRIPLA?”) • “Flare-ups” of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, in which the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before, can occur if you have HBV and you stop taking ATRIPLA. Your healthcare provider will monitor your condition for several months after stopping ATRIPLA if you have both HIV-1 and HBV infection and may recommend treatment for your HBV. ATRIPLA is not approved for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection. If you have advanced liver disease and stop treatment with ATRIPLA, the “flare-up” of hepatitis B may cause your liver function to decline. • Serious psychiatric problems. A small number of patients may experience severe depression, strange thoughts, or angry behavior while taking ATRIPLA. Some patients have thoughts of suicide and a few have actually committed suicide. These problems may occur more often in patients who have had mental illness. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you think you are having these psychiatric symptoms, so your healthcare provider can decide if you should continue to take ATRIPLA. • Kidney problems (including decline or failure of kidney function). If you have had kidney problems in the past or take other medicines that can cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider should do regular blood tests to check your kidneys. Symptoms that may be related to kidney problems include a high volume of urine, thirst, muscle pain, and muscle weakness. • Other serious liver problems. Some patients have experienced serious liver problems including liver failure resulting in transplantation or death. Most of these serious side effects occurred in patients with a chronic liver disease such as hepatitis infection, but there have also been a few reports in patients without any existing liver disease. • Changes in bone mineral density (thinning bones). Laboratory tests show changes in the bones of patients treated with tenofovir DF, a component of ATRIPLA. Some HIV patients treated with tenofovir DF developed thinning of the bones (osteopenia) which could lead to fractures. If you have had bone problems in the past, your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bone mineral density or may prescribe medicines to help your bone mineral density. Additionally, bone pain and softening of the bone (which may contribute to fractures) may occur as a consequence of kidney problems. Common side effects: Patients may have dizziness, headache, trouble sleeping, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, and/or unusual dreams during treatment with ATRIPLA. These side effects may be reduced if you take ATRIPLA at bedtime on an empty stomach. They also tend to go away after you have taken the medicine for a few weeks. If you have these common side effects, such as dizziness, it does not mean that you will also have serious psychiatric problems, such as severe depression, strange thoughts, or angry behavior. Tell your healthcare provider right away if any of these side effects continue or if they bother you. It is possible that these symptoms may be more severe if ATRIPLA is used with alcohol or mood altering (street) drugs. If you are dizzy, have trouble concentrating, or are drowsy, avoid activities that may be dangerous, such as driving or operating machinery. Rash may be common. Rashes usually go away without any change in treatment. In a small number of patients, rash may be serious. If you develop a rash, call your healthcare provider right away. Rash may be a serious problem in some children. Tell your child’s healthcare provider right away if you notice rash or any other side effects while your child is taking ATRIPLA.

Other common side effects include tiredness, upset stomach, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea. Other possible side effects with ATRIPLA: • Changes in body fat. Changes in body fat develop in some patients taking anti-HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include an increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), in the breasts, and around the trunk. Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also happen. The cause and long-term health effects of these fat changes are not known. • Skin discoloration (small spots or freckles) may also happen with ATRIPLA. • In some patients with advanced HIV infection (AIDS), signs and symptoms of inflammation from previous infections may occur soon after anti-HIV treatment is started. It is believed that these symptoms are due to an improvement in the body’s immune response, enabling the body to fight infections that may have been present with no obvious symptoms. If you notice any symptoms of infection, please inform your doctor immediately. • Additional side effects are inflammation of the pancreas, allergic reaction (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat), shortness of breath, pain, stomach pain, weakness and indigestion. Tell your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you notice any side effects while taking ATRIPLA. Contact your healthcare provider before stopping ATRIPLA because of side effects or for any other reason. This is not a complete list of side effects possible with ATRIPLA. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a more complete list of side effects of ATRIPLA and all the medicines you will take. How do I store ATRIPLA? • Keep ATRIPLA and all other medicines out of reach of children. • Store ATRIPLA at room temperature 77 °F (25 °C). • Keep ATRIPLA in its original container and keep the container tightly closed. • Do not keep medicine that is out of date or that you no longer need. If you throw any medicines away make sure that children will not find them. General information about ATRIPLA: Medicines are sometimes prescribed for conditions that are not mentioned in patient information leaflets. Do not use ATRIPLA for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give ATRIPLA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them. This leaflet summarizes the most important information about ATRIPLA. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about ATRIPLA that is written for health professionals. Do not use ATRIPLA if the seal over bottle opening is broken or missing. What are the ingredients of ATRIPLA? Active Ingredients: efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate Inactive Ingredients: croscarmellose sodium, hydroxypropyl cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate. The film coating contains black iron oxide, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, red iron oxide, talc, and titanium dioxide.

•

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October 2013 ATRIPLA is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC. COMPLERA, EMTRIVA, HEPSERA, STRIBILD, TRUVADA, and VIREAD are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. SUSTIVA is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company. Reyataz and Videx are trademarks of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Pravachol is a trademark of ER Squibb & Sons, LLC. Other brands listed are the trademarks of their respective owners. 21-937-GS-013 Revised October 2013

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orlando news

hRC giveS oRlando a peRfeCt SCoRe Staff Report

o idenTiTy sTruggle:

(L-R) Scott and Daniel Wall-DeSousa fight for their right to keep their married names on their Florida drivers licenses. Photo CourteSy the Wall-DeSouSaS

Driving Deadline A couple may lose driving rights as they fight to keep licenses issued with married name Samantha Lena Rosenthal

elbourne | A Central Florida couple may have their drivers’ licenses cancelled because they legally changed their names with their outof-state marriage licenses. “Florida is a federal REAL ID compliant state, which means the Department can only accept specific documentation as proof of identity and legal name when issuing a driver license,” said Fla. DMV Press Secretary John Lucas in a statement. “While marriage certificates are acceptable documents, same-sex marriages are not recognized by the state and, therefore, a same-sex marriage certificate is not considered as a legal basis for a name change on a Florida driver license.”

Scott and Daniel Wall-DeSousa said they received a letter from the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles on Nov. 8, notifying them of the indefinite cancellation of their licenses. The couple was married in New York City in December 2013. Upon returning to Florida, Daniel checked the statues, and they said the couple had 10 days to change their names on any legal documents. Daniel went to the social security office and changed his name. He then took that social security card and marriage certificate from New York to the tax collector’s office in Brevard County and was printed a new license. Once his license was changed, he changed all other legal documents to reflect his new legal name. Scott went about the same process, but at a different office close to his job. It was at this DMV

where he was told his marriage certificate wasn’t considered a legal document in the State of Florida. WFTV Channel 9 aired a story on the men and soon after, the DMV sent the couple letters informing them they had until Nov. 25 to comply or have their licenses indefinitely cancelled. The letter said they could present passports with their names on it or summon a petition to get a court order—but both ways would exceed the 20day window the Florida DMV gave them to comply. “When it is brought to the Department’s attention that a credential has been issued using documents not legally recognized by the state, the agency is obligated to recall that credential,” Lucas said. “The individual can go to any driver license or Tax Collector’s office and obtain a valid driver license at no cost.” Both have had their last names changed on other documents, including their social security cards, bank statements and work identification badges. “To be quite honest, I don’t know if I’m willing to give up my last name,” Daniel said. Incidentally, both letters were addressed using the hyphenated last name. The couple plans to meet with a constitutional attorney.

rlando | The City of Orlando scored a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2014 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), making it only one of three cities in the state to obtain a perfect score. This places Orlando as one of the top 38 LGBT-friendly cities in the nation. The MEI is an annually conducted survey that examines cities—including city capitals and the 150 largest cities—across the nation and scores them based on nondiscrimination laws, relationship recognition (domestic partnership registries), LGBT equality in employment laws, LGBT services and programs, and the city’s relationship with LGBT community. “This perfect score demonstrates the progress our community has made and validates our commitment to have an inclusive government that promotes diversity throughout the establishment of policies and procedures that benefit all sectors of society, including the LGBT community,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer in a press release. In December 2011, a domestic partnership registry was created, and has since then been used as a model for other cities throughout the state. Mayor Dyer and the City Council filed an amicus brief in June 2014 in support of marriage equality to be attached to several Florida cases that were fighting to overturn the 2008 state ban on same-sex marriage. On Aug. 11, the City of Orlando unanimously approved an amendment to include gender identity and expression in Chapter 57, the city’s nondiscrimination law. “I am delighted that the City of Orlando is so committed to equality,” said openly gay District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan in a press release. “This year’s index is a reflection of that commitment.”

inveStigationS Continue into alleged MiSManageMent of oRlando pRide Jamie Hyman

rlando | It seems it will take a long time to get to the bottom of what exactly what happened during the tenure of Mikael Audebert, the recently-fired executive director of Come Out With Pride. The Metropolitan Business Association, Central Florida’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the parent

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continued on pg. 14 | uu |

orlando news | uu | MBA/COWP from pg.13

organization to COWP, released a statement Nov. 18 indicating the organizations are making progress on repairing alleged damage caused by Audebert—but they still have a way to go before even fully understanding what damage has been done. The statement says MBA Orlando wished to directly address the firing of Audebert. “MBA Orlando also wishes to directly address the “gross mismanagement, serious violations of his COWP contract, and making unauthorized changes to COWP bylaws in an unsuccessful attempt to illegally separate the organizations,” the statement reads. Those unauthorized changes to bylaws refer to Oct. 28, when the COWP board voted to sever itself entirely from the MBA, a move MBA founder Debbie Simmons called “totally illegal.” “I don’t think any bylaw

changes were done in a manner that was inappropriate or breaking rules,” Audebert said on the day of his termination. On the same day, Nayte Carrick, who is now MBA president, said: “COWP bylaws required any changes be approved by the MBA board. We were never presented those [changes] nor did we approve them. That was what prompted [Audebert’s firing]. We hadn’t planned on doing anything this big, but we were forced to by [the COWP vote to split from the MBA].” However, neither the COWP nor the MBA bylaws state that. It was revealed at an emergency MBA board meeting Nov. 6 that when turning in some standard, redlined edits to the bylaws in November of 2013, Audebert submitted a draft where the rules about changing bylaws had been altered but did not redline those changes. Therefore, several MBA board members said the changes slipped through unnoticed and were

made illegally. Carrick, who was previously the MBA vice president, put in place at the helm of the organization, said the MBA and COWP will now focus on untangling the organizations’ finances. “The boards will continue investigating irregularities in the financial records and working towards an audit, as well as correcting the numerous attempts to disrupt COWP and MBA regular operations,” MBA’s statement reads. When asked about those attempts to disrupt, Carrick said, “attempts have been made, some temporarily successful, to take control of MBA / pride business accounts post-termination.” Carrick added that all critical accounts have been recovered. When asked whether the organizations treasurers would be held responsible for the financial mess, Carrick had the same response as he did when asked whether criminal or civil charges would be filed against

Audebert: “We are diligently continuing to investigate the actions and irregularities, and will reserve comment for when we have more answers to the questions we are asking. As a member organization, all of our findings will be made available.” When the MBA announced Audebert’s termination, they also announced that the COWP board was temporarily suspended. In the statement, the MBA “apologizes for any negative connotation this protective action may have unintentionally implied,” and Carrick told Watermark the board has been reinstated. When contacted about the MBA’s statement and its accusations, Audebert told Watermark he is “not interested in adding fuel to the fire because it only further damages these organizations.” He opted to release a statement to the media, stating that he is “stunned” to see the “misinformation and assumptions” and that he’s

requested several times to meet with the MBA and COWP boards, but those requests have been ignored. “I would be very pleased to sit down and answer any questions or concerns either board have. However, I was not given this opportunity to date,” Audebert stated. “If indeed both boards (which have, let’s not forget, oversight and full responsibility of any and all operations) are really interested in getting answers, I am at their disposal. By doing so, they might finally be able to move on to serving the members and sponsors without creating more damage to the reputation of these fine organizations. Until then, I have no further comments on what continues to be a series of unfounded allegations.” When asked about Audebert’s requests to meet, Carrick replied, “I’ll clarify that we are not experiencing difficulty, but are thoroughly working through the irregularities and should soon be able to release our findings.”

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

On view now through January 11, 2015

James Rosenquist (American, born 1933), Welcome to the Water Planet, 1987 Aquatint on paper, Gift of Iris and E. Stan Salzer Published by GraphicStudio, University of South Florida, Tampa

Join us for our annual holiday sale! Everything in the Museum Store is 10% OFF and MFA members get 20% OFF. Browse our great selection of unique gifts, including jewelry, handcrafted objects, books and more. Find that special gift and enjoy the savings!

Thursday, November 20 through Sunday, November 23 16

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

tampa bay news

honoring her work:

Tristan Byrnes, right, and Kathleen Farrell hold a mirror honoring Farrell’s 30 years as a therapist working with the transgender community of Tampa Bay during the first Transgender Pride held at Metro Wellness and Community Centers in St. Petersburg Nov. 8. Photo by Steve blanCharD

A strong showing

for Pride

Transgender Pride brings out 60 to celebrate victories in the community Steve Blanchard

T. peTersburg | Tristan Byrnes was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who supported the first-ever Transgender Pride event held at the Metro Wellness and Community Centers in St. Petersburg Nov. 8. He had hoped for 20-30 attendees. Instead, an estimated 60 people participated in the celebration. “It definitely exceeded my expectations because it’s not always easy getting the T-community out to events,” said Byrnes, who is a gender therapist and transgender himself. “Working with the Metro Centers’ Chris Rudisill was really nice and he and the center were very supportive.” The night was free to attend and several local entertainers—mostly musicians—donated their time and talents from the stage. It also gave the community a chance to thank the retiring Dr. Kathleen Farrell, a therapist who has helped countless

transgender people over her 30 year career. “We wanted to recognize her and the work she has done while promoting the additional transgender support programs and services we have here at Metro,” Rudisill said. “It was a success and we were thrilled with the turnout.” While Byrnes was happy that Farrell was honored, he said that the day was planned even before the well-respected doctor announced her plans to retire. “November is Transgender Awareness month, and Chris and I knew we wanted to do something to recognize that separately from Transgender Day of Remembrance,” Byrnes said. “TDOR is very important and solemn. We wanted to do something that was also a celebration of the victories in the transgender community.” Adding Dr. Farrell’s retirement to the mix just made for an even more festive atmosphere, Byrnes added. While a majority of those in

attendance were transgender, there was also a strong showing by allies of the community, Rudisill pointed out. “I expected some allies to be there and was happy with who I saw,” Rudisill said. “I’m hopeful that next year even more allies will show up to support and celebrate with the transgender community.” Byrnes is hopeful too, now that Transgender Pride has developed into an annual event. “I never really thought about this as an annual thing,” he laughed. “But feedback afterward was overwhelmingly positive and people immediately asked about next year’s event. I want the whole community to know they are welcome. We’re open to everyone, transgender and allies alike.” November, of course, is almost over, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a reason to celebrate and help the transgender members of our community, Rudisill pointed out. He encourages allies to visit Metro’s website and to volunteer at the main campus and the new LGBT Welcome Center on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. “Check our calendar and get involved with some of our programs that occur on a weekly or monthly basis,” Rudisill suggests. “I recommend that people get involved, take a class and go to events. The more we come together as a community the better.” For more information, visit MetroTampaBay.org.

reason To celebraTe: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman holds a press conference in front of City Hall Nov. 12 to celebrate the city’s 100% score on the HRC Municipal Equality Index. Photo CourteSy SuSan mCgrath

St. pete SCoReS peRfeCt on hRC’S 2014 MuniCipal eQuality index Staff Report

T. peTersburg | For the first time, St. Petersburg outranked the City of Tampa on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI). St. Petersburg earned a 100% rating, up more than 50 points from a year ago. Tampa earned a respectable 97%. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman told Watermark over the summer that one of his goals was to boost St. Petersburg’s ranking on the annual index, which consistently ranked St. Petersburg low in previous years. Tampa has had consistently higher rankings even before Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn took office. His predecessor, Mayor Pam Iorio, was an advocate for LGBT rights and pushed for domestic partnership benefits for city employees in the early 2000s. THE HRC’s MEI is an annual index that assesses cities on their level of equality for the LGBT community based on nondiscrimination laws set in place, creation of domestic partnership registries, employment policies and inclusiveness of city services, among other things. Several changes over the past year could be credited with the boosted score in St. Petersburg. The new LGBT Welcome Center created by Metro Wellness and Community Centers has specific outreach to LGBT youth, and the number of openly gay city council members jumped to three in 2013 with the elections of Darden Rice and Amy Foster. This summer, Kriseman appointed two positions in City Hall to deal directly with the LGBT community. Kriseman held a press conference Nov. 12 at City Hall, joined by other city officials and leaders from the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, to praise the city for its perfect score. “Diversity, inclusion and opportunity is good for business,” Kriseman said at the news conference. Orlando and Wilton Manors are the other two cities in Florida that scored 100s.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

tampa bay news

Speedo Run adds Mrs. Claus in Bras Zach Caruso

ampa | Santa Claus is coming to town. And so is Mrs. Claus—in a bra. The 2014 Santa Speedo Run will return on Dec. 14 to Centennial Park in Ybor City, and this year it will be host to a brand new co-event dubbed “Mrs. Claus in Bras”. “Last year we had some volunteers come to us and say, ‘We’d really like to have some girls participate in this,’” said Jay Aller, AIDS Service Association of Pinellas resource development manager. “So some of the volunteers came up with ‘Mrs. Claus in Bras.’ It shows the community everyone is welcome to participate.” The City of Tampa is on board with the change—although it took some work. “It took a while for us to talk

to the City of Tampa and for them to give us the ok to have girls run around in their bras,” he explained. “As long as the areolas are covered, we’re good. We don’t have any written guidelines on the website yet other than ‘no thongs.’ We hold this event in Ybor for a reason.” Aller explains that the inclusion of the new Mrs. Claus in Bras portion of the run is a great addition that will see donations go to ASAP’s women’s group, as well as sticking to the run’s tradition of helping its children’s organization. The original Santa Speedo Run began in Boston 15 years ago and has since been recreated in major cities across the country. Five years ago, ASAP started its own version in Tampa Bay. “We have Brighter Season for Children, which is a program to help kids of parents who are infected with HIV,” Aller said. “We

give them Christmas gifts, back to school supplies, we throw parties for Christmas, Easter, and a lot of things throughout the year.” Aller says that the cost of living for the average Pinellas County resident coupled with the high cost of HIV treatment is staggering, and ASAP’s Brighter Season for Children aims to offset some of those costs. “The average yearly income of the typical single family household in Pinellas County is $25,000, and once you factor in rent, electric, water, groceries— those types of things—then factor in a year’s worth of HIV medication, that money doesn’t cover it all,” said Aller. “A mother who is living with HIV is going to buy something for her children before she goes to pay for her medication. So we try to give them that little extra boost, give them the Christmas gifts that their kids want so that they can

still take care of their own health.” Aller and the ASAP team are no strangers to meeting and exceeding goals. September saw the 11th annual AIDS Walk Tampa Bay event surpass previous years’ by raising a record $222,000, a feat Aller said contributed to this year’s ambitious addition of Mrs. Claus in Bras. “The success of that event really relit a fire under not only in the fundraising department, but also the staff of ASAP,” he said. “It was encouraging to see just how much of the community does support us. HIV and AIDS aren’t front page stories anymore, you see things online now about fighting Ebola, or the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—there are more people infected by HIV in the state of Florida than there are people affected by ALS in the entire United States. “In fact, it’s triple—somewhere in the 90,000 range of people infected with HIV in Florida, and around 30,000 affected by ALS in the United States.” Aller credits the success of

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

AIDS Walk Tampa Bay with the momentum behind the Santa Speedo Run. “We have commitments from Bright House Networks, Clear Channel Outdoor, so we have two weeks of TV air-time, four weeks of billboard space, Clear Channel Radio, iHeart Radio FLZ,” he said. “I feel with the success of AIDS Walk this year is helping get media outlets on board talking about the cause.” And with that local media attention comes attention from the rest of the country, as Mrs. Claus in Bras seems to be catching on already. “I got an email from the director of the Charleston [South Carolina] Santa Speedo Run asking if they could use the ‘Mrs. Claus in Bras’ name because they loved the idea,” he said. For more information on this year’s Santa Speedo Run, and to find out how to register and donate, visit ASAPServices.org/ SantaSpeedoRun.

Talk to your doctor about a treatment option for adults with HIV-1. Visit hivoption.com to learn more.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

state news

Bondi appealS MaRRiage eQuality RulingS Jamie Hyman

allahassee | Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is asking a circuit court to keep the stay on same-sex marriage until the appeals process has run its course. The state’s motion applies to U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle’s August ruling that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Hinkle made the ruling on two lawsuits fighting for marriage recognition for gay couples legally married out-of-state. With no action, the stay would be lifted and same-sex marriages would be allowed in Florida Jan. 6, 2015. “This Court should extend the stay because, on balance, it is in the public’s best interest to wait for an appellate decision before implementing an order of this significance,” the Nov. 18 motion filed with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reads. Bondi argues that keeping the stay in place is a matter of public interest. “If Florida’s law is going to change in the substantial manner plaintiffs seek, it should be only after the plaintiffs’ legal claims undergo appellate review. The public interest is not served by on-again, off-again marriage laws,” the motion reads. The filing also argues that the state has a chance of success in the case and therefore, the stay should remain. Read the full motion at WatermarkOnline.com. Equality Florida disagrees and in a statement, references a south Florida man who lost his partner of 15 years earlier this year. He is now raising two children without the benefits of marriage protection. “Their story stands as a powerful example of why the 11th Circuit must deny Florida’s request for a stay in the marriage ruling and allow the freedom to marry to become law in January even as this appeal proceeds,” the statement reads. The ACLU is also unhappy with the motion. “As if it wasn’t clear already, Attorney General Bondi and Governor Scott are putting up every possible legal obstacle they can think of to try to postpone the inevitable: loving couples being able to have the commitments they’ve made to one another respected by the state they call home,” said Daniel Tilley, ACLU of Florida LGBT rights staff attorney, in a media release. “The State has plenty of time to prepare for marriages to begin in January, as Judge Hinkle’s latest order required, and every day that our clients go without the protections and responsibilities of marriage, they are being harmed.” Tilley said the ACLU is preparing a response explaining why this motion should be denied, which will be filed soon.

MaRK’S liSt foundeR Killed CRoSSing BuSy StReet Staff Report

araThon | Gay activist and founder of the gay travel and entertainment website JumpOnMarksList. com, Mark Haines, died Nov. 14 after he was hit crossing a busy street. Haines, of Fort Lauderdale, was struck by a pickup truck and two other vehicles on U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys near Marathon. He was 54. Haines had just completed the first leg of the SMART Ride, a twoday, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West that raises money for organizations working with those

affected by HIV/AIDS. After dinner at Hawk’s Cay resort, where the first day’s ride ended, Haines was walking alone to his hotel room when he was struck at 7:15 p.m. by three vehicles as he crossed U.S. 1 at mile marker 59, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. All three drivers waited for police to arrive. Haines died at the scene. Jim Haines said his brother recently lost 70 pounds in a rigorous training program. “He was really motivated for this ride,” Jim Haines told the Sun Sentinel. Born in Jackson, Mich., Mark Haines moved to South Florida

an uneXpecTed loss:

Mark Haines, founder of JumpOnMarksList.com, was killed while crossing a busy street on Nov. 14.

in 2003, and started Mark’s List soon after. Mark Haines is survived by his brother, a sister and a nephew.

MiaMi-dade tRanSgendeR pRoteCtion MoveS towaRd final vote Samantha Lena Rosenthal miami | With a 3-1 vote, the Miami-Dade County Commission Public Safety and Animal Services Committee passed an amendment Nov. 12 that would add gender identity and expression to the existing human rights ordinance. Commissioners Audrey

Edmonson and Bruno Barreiro, both sponsors of the ordinance changes, voted in favor, along with Commissioner Sally Heyman. Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo voted against the amendment. “There hasn’t been any demonstration, up to this point, of a grand scheme of transgender discrimination that would warrant us to take action to amend it at this point,” Bovo said at the meeting.

Gina Duncan, transgender inclusion director for Equality Florida, spoke at the meeting. “Never in history has there been a more visible transgender community, and that is increasing with every day and every month and every year,” Duncan said. Public comment for the agenda item lasted almost four hours. A final vote will be Dec. 16.

legislative session. Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce has hired a bipartisan group of political campaigners to lead this initiative. Ashley Walker, a top Florida strategist for President Obama, will head the initiative as campaign

manager, along with Republican lobbyist Towson Fraser and Republican former adviser to Gov. Jeb Bush, Ann Herberger. The Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce, a nonprofit organization, was formed in March.

months after two national health organizations filed a complaint stating the company violated the Affordable Healthcare Act. The complaint alleged Cigna placed HIV and AIDS medications in the highest tier of its drug formulary, requiring HIV and AIDS patients to pay a high percentage instead of a flat co-pay. Now, Cigna said generic

drugs currently included in the higher cost specialty tiers will be transferred to a lower cost tier. The insurer is also capping customers’ costs on the drugs Atripla, Complera, Stribild, and Fuzeon to $200 per month. Cigna removed the 30-day supply limit per prescription for HIV drugs, the company said in a statement.

gRoup foRMed to help paSS woRKfoRCe anti-diSCRiMination Ban Staff Report Tallahassee | Efforts are being taken to finally push through a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity during the 2015 Florida

Cigna MaKeS poliCieS MoRe fRiendly to hiv/aidS patientS Wire report forT lauderdale | The health insurance company Cigna has agreed to change its prescription drug policy to ensure that Florida consumers with HIV can access medications, Florida insurance officials said. The Nov. 7 decision comes

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

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nation+world news

Kentucky Baptists kick out gay-friendly church Wire Report

ouisville, Ky. | Kentucky Baptists chose to sever ties with a Louisville church that is open to performing same-sex marriages. Baptist leaders from around the state gathering in Bowling Green earlier this month for the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s annual meeting voted overwhelmingly to end their longstanding relationship with Crescent Hill Baptist Church. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Jason Crosby, has said the church is open to performing same-sex marriages and ordaining LGBT members. Greg Faulls, vice chairman of

the convention’s Committee on Credentials, said Kentucky Baptist churches consider same-sex relationships a sin. The committee voted last month to recommend the action against Crescent Hill. ``To give approval to what the Bible clearly states is sin is not only an offense to the scripture, it is an unloving act toward sinners, an act that leaves them in danger of God’s judgment,’’ Faulls said. Crosby spoke out against the motion to sever ties with his church. ``We are Bible-led, Kentucky Baptists to whom God has revealed a different perspective on (gay and lesbian) individuals to us, rather than to you I suspect, yet we still

want to be with you,’’ he told the gathering of church leaders. The 106-year-old Louisville church’s 800-member congregation voted in 2013 to open its hiring, ordination and wedding services to LGBT people. Only a few hands went up in support of Crescent Hill during the vote. The move came a year after convention members issued a no confidence vote in the leadership of the president of Sunrise Children’s Services, who had asked to open the center’s hiring to gays. Bill Smithwick later resigned after 16 years at the helm of Sunrise, which is the state’s largest privatelyowned child care provider.

equal protection, due process and right to travel. Both sides argued their case on the motion to dismiss in Sioux Falls in October before Schreier, and the judge released her opinion late Friday. Newville said he considered the ruling ``fantastic’’ and said the plaintiffs ``wouldn’t lose sleep’’ over the fact that the judge dismissed a portion of the lawsuit. ``Obviously we would’ve liked the right to travel claim to stay in,’’ he said, ``but at its core this case was really about equal protection and due process.’’ In a statement, Jackley said the ruling does not change the state’s view of the case. ``It remains the state’s position that the institution of marriage should be defined by the voters of South Dakota, and not by the federal courts,’’ he said. Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme

Court denied a request from Kansas to prevent gay and lesbian couples from marrying while the state fights the issue in court. Separately on Wednesday, a federal judge also struck down South Carolina’s ban on samesex marriage as unconstitutional. The high court’s ruling on Kansas was closely watched for whether justices would change their practice following last week’s appellate ruling that upheld same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Those cases now are headed to the high court, meaning the same-sex marriage issue nationwide could be heard and decided by late June. In South Dakota, Newville said the state now has 10 days to reply to the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. After that, he said a timetable for when Schreier could rule is unclear.

prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married violate “our nation’s most cherished and essential guarantees.” The appeal filed by hospital nurses April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse calls on the court to overturn an appeals court ruling that upheld anti-gay marriage laws in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio

and Tennessee. Michigan officials have said they would not oppose Supreme Court review, but would vigorously defend a provision of the state constitution that prohibits same-sex marriage. The justices also will consider appeals from gay and lesbian plaintiffs in the other three states.

Judge rejects motion to dismiss South Dakota marriage case Wire Report PieRre, S.D. | A federal judge on Friday allowed a lawsuit challenging South Dakota’s ban on same-sex marriage to move forward, rejecting the state’s request to dismiss the case. However, U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier did dismiss the plaintiffs’ claim that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage violated the couple’s constitutional right to travel. Minneapolis attorney Josh Newville filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of six same-sex couples from South Dakota in May. It challenges a 1996 state law passed by the legislature and a voter-approved 2006 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. It claims three violations that are guaranteed in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: deprivation of

Michigan nurses take same-sex marriage plea to Supreme Court Wire Report Detroit | A same-sex couple from Michigan is putting the question of the right to marry nationwide squarely before the Supreme Court. The couple’s plea to be allowed to marry was filed Nov. 17. It asks the justices to hold that state laws

in other news gay Veteran dies after vicious attack by man he met at n.c. bar A gay veteran who was brutally beaten and severely burned following an alleged attack in a Greensboro, N.C., hotel room by a man he met earlier that evening at a gay bar, has died. Stephen Patrick White, 46, died Nov. 15 from injuries sustained in the Nov. 9 attack. He had been in critical condition, having suffered severe burns on more than 50 percent of his body. Garry Joseph Gupton, 26, a Greensboro city employee, has been charged with first degree murder in connection with the early morning attack.

Michigan GOP bill to prohibit gay bias under fire Republicans on Nov. 12 proposed a long-awaited bill to prohibit discrimination against gays, though chances dimmed for legislative approval of the measure because of concerns that transgender people would not be protected. Sponsored by Rep. Frank Foster of Petoskey and backed by House Speaker Jase Bolger, the bill would update Michigan’s civil rights law to include sexual orientation but not—as gay rights advocates and Democrats want—gender identity.

Arkansas cities rank below average for gay rights A report ranks five Arkansas cities below the national average for supporting LGBT rights. The third annual report from the Human Rights Campaign ranks more than 350 cities nationwide, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, Fayetteville, Springdale and Fort Smith. The 2014 Municipal Equality Index’s national average score was 59 out of 100. Fayetteville scored 42, tops in Arkansas. North Little Rock, Fort Smith and Springdale each scored a 16 while Little Rock scored a 13.

arkansas Police to release new transgender policy The Little Rock Police Department released a new policy governing how officers should treat members of the city’s transgender community. Lt. Sidney Allen says the department has been working with the Arkansas Transgender Equality Coalition in drafting the new policy for officers to follow. Allen says the new policy will reflect the department’s goal of protecting the rights of all citizens.

ohio Justice says gay daughter prompted ban reflection An Ohio state Supreme Court justice says language on gay marriage, pro or con, doesn’t belong in the state constitution, but he’d like to see that and the legal rights of same-sex couples addressed by the Legislature. Justice Paul Pfeifer, who’s daughter is a lesbian and is raising two children with her partner, says the ban means legal-rights for same-sex couples, their children and their extended families aren’t spelled out.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

viewpoint

Yes, Congressman Alan Grayson, Tiffany Moore Russell, Sen. Geraldine Thompson, Sen. Darren Soto, Cheryl Greib, Viviana Janer and Eric Rollings provided us some shards of light in the darkness of the Nov. 4 election. But make no mistake about it, as a community, the losses we suffered were major losses with significant and long-term impacts. After losses like that, there’s always a tendency for some to play the shoulda, coulda, woulda game. I’ll leave that to others. As for me, I have no regrets about what was

his campaign for governor. Charlie asked me to be the Chairman of the Political Committee that ultimately raised more than $30 million for his campaign. While that was quite an honor, it was also a long, hard two-year battle. I was fortunate to meet and work with a lot of smart and dedicated people who worked tirelessly and survived on a diet consisting mainly of caffeine, nicotine, pizza and beer. Other than election night, I had a great time. So, why do I do this? It’s not for the money. I don’t get paid. I’m strictly a volunteer. In fact, it costs me money—and lots of it. I wasn’t looking for a job either. I’m 60 years old and comfortably retired. I’ve got everything I need in life. I do it because I believe in fighting for equality, fairness and justice for the people who don’t have it. I also strongly believe in removing the barriers to prosperity that prevent others from having the kind of success that I’ve been fortunate enough—as a college drop-out from Pine Hills—to have. And while I wasn’t successful this election, I don’t regret a dime or a day I’ve spent working to achieve those goals. To everyone who joined me in the fight—and there were many: Thank you! Your hard work was not in vain. Let’s keep things in

done and there’s really nothing for me to second-guess. In the cold light of day, we did the best we could with the circumstances we faced and the resources we had. Having moved here in 1969, I’ve lived nearly all my adult life in Central Florida and have always been involved in politics at one level or another. In 2007, my company assigned me to Los Angeles and I was living there pretty much full-time through 2010. In 2011, I came back to Orlando to work on President Obama’s re-election campaign and was named Central Florida Finance Chair and specifically tasked with increasing the engagement of the LGBT community— which I did successfully. Originally, my plan was to go back to California after that election and enjoy an early retirement. Instead, I decided to stick around to help Charlie Crist put together

perspective. We suffered a setback—a major setback— not a defeat. In that march towards justice, we can only be delayed. Unless we give up, we will never be defeated. On the bright side, compared to other civil rights and social justice movements, the LGBT community has achieved a lot in a relatively short period of time. But, there’s still a lot of work left for us to do. The most obvious is

bob Poe

gueSt ColuMn Election losses will have long-term impacts

e losT. and ThaT sucks.

Not only did we lose the allimportant races for governor and attorney general on a statewide basis, but locally we lost LGBT family member Joe Saunders and staunch allies Linda Stewart, Karen Castor Dentel and Mike Clelland in the state legislature.

marriage equality. While I believe that this issue is a foregone conclusion and it is only a matter of time before we achieve marriage equality on a national basis, we need to remain passionately and vocally impatient to keep the pressure on the courts of law, the court of public opinion and all public officials at the local, state and federal level. The same is true for comprehensive anti-

discrimination legislation that includes gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. Less obvious, but equally important, are the issues relating to pay equity and universal access to affordable health care. The list goes on. Right now I’m a little tired and not quite sure how we get from here to there. But I know we’ll figure it out. We have to. We have no other choice.

These issues are not about simple creature comforts or life’s minor inconveniences. For far too many of us, these issues mean the difference between life and death. So, let’s take a little time off and get some rest. Then, let’s pull ourselves together and get it done! Bob Poe was the Financial Chairman at Charlie Crist for Florida during the 2014 election cycle.

other than election night, I had a great time.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

viewpoint

Ken Kundis

pReaChing to the converted Fighting the Stroke

hen i was JusT

dipping my toe into gay life as a senior in college in New Orleans, there was a man who frequented the triumvirate of the most popular gay bars in the French Quarter. He was inevitably fall-down drunk, often inappropriately flirtatious to an embarrassing degree, and clearly too old and feeble to be anywhere but somewhere warm, having a nice nap and an early bird dinner.

We called him ‘Fighting the Stroke.’ He was a talisman, a cautionary tale. From age 22 on (as he

became exhausting to even think about. By that point in my life, I had built a strong and diverse network within my community but outside the gay bar. Gay tennis, bowling and softball leagues had helped, but I also had just met enough people by then to have cultivated meaningful and pertinent friendships that existed beyond the boys and the booze that lie at the center of gay bar life. But there are still many people my age and older for whom weekends in the club are an integral part of their social life. Recently a 20-something named Dalton Heinrich stirred up massive controversy on GayGuys.com (and other sites where the blog appeared) by saying that gay men over the age of 30 should stay out of the club. While there was ample snark and snap to his comments, there was also a clear-eyed and genuine observation asking for the whereabouts of his role models. “This portion of grown men clinging to the wild nights and serial dating of their twenties seem to live in a secret Neverland,” he wrote. “It is this category of men that I have personally diagnosed with Peter Pan Syndrome. These Lost Boys that are terrified of actually looking their age and are always fighting off time instead of

and arrested development on display reinforces what has been laid at the feet of gay men for as long as my memory can scan: that gay men are sex-obsessed and shallow. There was a very popular business book a dozen years ago called Who Moved My Cheese? The basic tenant was that a problem many businesses have is continuing

to return to the same pool of prospects once the prospects have up and left the room. This is how I feel when I hear about someone my age or older hanging out at the club: someone moved your cheese. What you’re looking for doesn’t exist anymore. I’m not suggesting that life is over after 30 for gay men. Far from it. For me, it had only just begun when I stopped

going to the bar so damned much. As opposed to looking at it as being “too old” for the bar, I’ve long looked at it that I simply outgrew it. There came that time, as it should, to put away childish things. But it’s okay, honey. Come on. We’ll go have a nice dinner or a quick tropical vacation. Unlike the 20-somethings, we can afford it.

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As opposed to looking at it as being ‘too old’ for the bar, I’ve long looked at it that I simply outgrew it.

remained a fixture on the scene for many years after I graduated and would see him during my many visits to New Orleans in my 20s), he represented to me exactly what I did not want to become. Some sad old desperate queen trolling gay bars, ignorant of how depressing he looked. Thinking back on it now, ‘FTS’ may have been 60 when I first met him. (Or more accurately when I first got hit on by him. “Do you play for the Saints? You could with that physique!”) When I was in my 20s that seemed a universe away, but now at 48, it’s right around the corner. But the truth for me is that I haven’t been in a gay bar five times in the last five years, and not 15 in the last 10. There reached a point in my late 30s where the idea of going to the bar and listening to the same people have the same conversations about the same other people

aging gracefully and being something helpful for the young gay man to idolize?” Now it’s no one’s obligation to be someone else’s idol, but I do think that everyone—gay, straight, black, white, Team-Jay or Team-Solange—has an obligation to be respectful to their life stage. Because, yes, 40-something, roidedup muscle bear in daisy dukes, doing poppers on the dance floor at 3 a.m., you do look foolish and sad. The perpetualized adolescence

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

talking points

I kissed all of them, yes.

women around the world

are more than

1.5

I got my tongue pierced and I wanted to try out my tongue piercing and so I kissed them all. —mel b, referring To her fellow spice girls

oitnB Star taKeS on SuBway preacher

TIMES MORE LIKELY

Video showing ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK sTar lea delaria taking on a preacher riding a subway has gone viral, thanks to TMZ. The video shows DeLaria, who plays “Big Boo” in the Netflix series, out-yelling a preacher discussing the “sins” of homosexuality. “Don’t come at me because I went to fucking Catholic school for 12 years and I know every line, [of the Bible]” DeLaria told the preacher. “You have no right! Go to another train.” DeLaria made it clear that she supports differences of opinions, but she promised to talk as much and as loud as the preacher did until he finished his impromptu anti-gay sermon.

to be accepting of gays and lesbians than men.

91%

european countrieS have become more accepting of LGbTs over the past 20 years.

—According to a worldwide study released by NORC at the University of Chicago and the Williams Institute.

four cover StarS for out’S 100

he end of The year musT be fasT approaching because lists are starting to pop up everywhere. But one of the most anticipated, Out Magazine’s 100 List, has finally debuted—and with it, four covers. Samira Wiley, Zachary Quinto, Sam Smith and Ellen Page each have their own, beautiful black and white images on the front of the magazine. Wiley was named “Ingenue of the Year” while Smith was given the appropriate recognition as “Breakout of the Year.” Page was named “Entertainer of the Year” while Quinto was labeled “Artist of the Year.” The OUT100 is on magazine racks now.

he don’t liKe ‘menS,’ juSt women

n inTerneT sensaTion was born This monTh when a video from the Church of God in Christ’s 107th Holy Convocation Convention surfaced. In it, an unidentified attendee grabs a microphone and confesses that he “don’t like mens no more” and that he will never wear women’s clothing or make up again—as if the two are directly related. He goes onto say he loves “women, women, women.” The video ends with the church goer dancing with fellow male congregants. Comments on the viral video have mostly called the practice of “praying the gay away” a hoax and a sham.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

gay vetS finally march in BoSton

or The firsT Time eVer, LGBT military veterans walked in the Boston Veterans Day Parade Nov. 11. OutVets, which is based in Boston, estimated 30 people marched with the group while wearing matching polo shirts and baseball caps identifying themselves as members of the organization. The parade covered most of downtown Boston and passed City Hall and the historic Faneuil Hall. OutVets seeks to promote awareness about the contributions of LGBT armed service members and their families. There are also plans to build a memorial honoring that service.

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

posiTiVe ouTlook:

IN-DEPTH:

St. Petersburg artist and retired nurse James McCracken stands in front of some of his work at his gallery within the Flamingo Resort. He has kept his HIV-status “undetectable” for more than 10 years.

hiv/aidS

Photo by Steve blanCharD

POSITIVELY UNDETECTABLE an undeteCtaBle hiv StatuS iS good newS, But Still a Step away fRoM ‘CuRed’

“u

Steve Blanchard

ndeTecTable” is appearing

more often when a person describes his or her HIV status. Whether it’s in medical labs, in person or on social apps, “positive” and “negative” are no longer the only options when it comes to disclosing one’s HIV status.

According to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), two recent international studies spanning two years found that none

of the positive participants with undetectable viral loads passed along the virus to their partners. The studies included both opposite-gender and gay

male couples. The original study, which began in 2011, found that transmission of the disease dropped by at least 96%. The partnership study, which had more same-sex couples participate, found an even lower risk of transmission through both vaginal and anal sex. What that means statistically is that the maximum likely chance of transmission via anal sex from someone on successful HIV treatment that remains “undetectable” is 1%. Transmission chances

increase slightly to 4% if there is ejaculation when the receptive partner is HIV negative. However, there were no instances of HIV transmission in any of the couples in the study who strictly adhered to medical regimens. At the CROI conference in March, presenter Alison Rodger said the likelihood of someone with an undetectable viral load transmitting HIV is so low that her “best estimate is it’s zero.”

continued on pg. 42 | uu |

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

COMMEMORATING WORLD AIDS DAY a weeKend of eventS put the foCuS on hiv/aidS

Staff Report

orld aids day falls on

a Monday this year, meaning some events will happen the previous weekend. We’ve looked at local events and offer this roundup to help commemorate the annual day of remembrance, which is Dec. 1. The 2014 theme for World AIDS Day is “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation.” orlando

St. peterSBurg

WORLD AIDS DAY ORLANDO 2014

MEMORIAL LUNCHEON

sunday, noV. 30 walk deparTs from The cenTer aT 6:30 p.m. A candlelight walk and rally to remember those we have lost to HIV/AIDS, and to look towards the future for hope. WFTV Channel 9 anchor Jorge Estevez will be the grand marshal for the event.

10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., monday, dec. 1 aids serVice associaTion of pinellas Clients of AIDS Service Association of Pinellas will gather for the annual World AIDS Day Breakfast/ Luncheon to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS. Donations greatly appreciated.

WORLD AIDS DAY AT LAKE EOLA 6-8 p.m., monday, dec. 1 lake eola park Take advantage of free HIV testing and entertainment, and remember those infected with and affected by HIV/ AIDS. The event is put on by Central Florida AIDS Planning Consortium, Miracle of Love, Place of Comfort, The Center and Hope and Help.

WINTER WHITE, BLACK AS NIGHT 8:30 p.m., sunday, noV. 30 10 p.m., show Time parliamenT house resorT

Parliament House and MAC Cosmetics present this fundraiser to beneﬁt Hope and Help. Rafﬂes for prizes and a 50/50 as well as a silent auction will also be held alongside fantastic entertainment. Tickets are $10.00.

ROCK IT RED! 10 a.m.-3 p.m. sunday, noV. 31 all day, dec. 1 6:30 p.m., candlelighT Vigil 2200 block of grand cenTral disTricT To honor those who have died from AIDS and to remind the public of the ongoing search for a cure, 70 trees between 19th and 31st streets will be wrapped in red to create a mile-long red ribbon. A candlelight vigil and remembrance program begins at 6:30 p.m. outside the LGBT Welcome Center, 2227 Central Ave.

AS IS 8 p.m., sunday, dec. 1 american sTage This year the Suncoast AIDS Theatre Project will present the very ﬁrst AIDS play ever produced in New York by William Hoffman: As Is. Winner of the Obie and Drama Desk

Awards, this powerful, deeply affecting play was originally presented Off-Broadway by the Circle Repertory Company, then transferred to Broadway where it was nominated for a Tony Award. The play details the bravery and compassion with which two young men face the shattering revelation that one of them is affected with the dreaded and then-fatal disease, HIV/ AIDS. All monies raised will beneﬁt Metro Wellness and Community Center. Tickets are “pay-what-you-can” or $15 advance ticket purchase at AmericanStage.org. Suggested donation $10-$20 at the door.

SaraSota REFLECT: WORLD AIDS DAY SERVICE monday, dec. 1 6:30 p.m., reading of The names 7 p.m., inTerfaiTh serVice Temple sinai 4631 souTh lockwood ridge road Join the Gulf Coast Afﬁrming Interfaith Network for the interfaith World AIDS Day remembrance and reading of the names.

SARASOTA/MANATEE AIDS WALK 8 a.m., saTurday, dec. 6 J.d. hamel park, downTown sarasoTa The annual two-mile walk returns to Sarasota on Saturday, Dec. 6, but this year’s route is different. The walk starts at 8 a.m. at J.D. Hamel Park and participants will walk the entire Ringling Bridge. Proceeds beneﬁt Trinity Charities and sponsors include Macy’s, Walgreens, Interior Design Society, Wells Fargo, Comprehensive Care Center, SATP and more. Food and music will kick off the festivities as walkers sign in at 7 a.m. For more information, visit TrinityCharities.org.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

benefits Women’s Empowerment Group, Brighter Seasons For Children and ASAP

SANTA

SPEEDO RUN Mrs Claus in Bras & introducing

Wearing so little means so much. Dec 14th Centennial Park Check-in 1pm Run Starts 2pm 1 Mile Fun Run Registration: $35 SantaSpeedoRun.org (no thongs) Sponsored By:

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH3696) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL - FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. AIDS SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF PINELLAS, INC.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

• Are you HIV positive? • Know your coverage options? • Do you qualify for Medicare, Medicaid, ACA Marketplace, Employer-based Insurance?

AIDS Service Association of Pinellas, Inc. honors those lost to and living with HIV/AIDS Join us for a

ASAP’s Certified Application Counselors can walk you through the maze and help you identify the options that best support your needs.

Monday, December 1, 2014 11:30am – 1:00pm 3050 1st Ave South (Suncoast Hospice building) St. Petersburg, FL

World AIDS Day Luncheon

Lunch sponsored by 100 Hearts, 1 Mission Foundation, Inc. 2014 - Getting to Zero Program including: Prayers, Inspirational Music by Anthony Murphy, Fellowship, HIV Update -Also featuring-

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

IN-DEPTH:

hiv/aidS

FINDING HOPE

fRanCiS houSe addS SpaCe, expandS SeRviCeS in taMpa

room To grow:

The new annex at Francis House in Tampa has helped the AIDS-service organization expand its services.

Photo by bruCe harDin

Daniel Lancaster

oberT shelley counTs his

blessings. As a 44-year-old active member of the LGBT community, the Tampa resident spends a lot of time in the garb of a Tampa Bay Sister of Perpetual Indulgence as Tootie Truly Humble. Out of habit however, he is no less an advocate for human rights and the rights of the HIV-positive community, and speaks freely of his 20-year, passionate fight against the virus and the stigma that comes along with it.

But Shelley did not have any such support system in place when he arrived in Tampa five years ago, and it is easy to see why he is so thankful. “In the beginning, after I first moved to Florida,” he explained, “I had a difficult time with my finances.” The limited resources made available to Shelley all pointed in the direction of a big purple heart on Florida Avenue overlooking The Francis House Charities.

Keeping the faith

Nestled in the heart of Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood, Francis House was founded in 1990 under

the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi to provide HIV supportive services, both to the infected and affected. It offers an environment designed to empower clients to become self-sufficient members of the community. Although plenty of faith is needed to operate with this mission in mind, no particular faith is required to receive services. Under the executive direction of Joy Winheim for the past nine years, the organization is soaring to new heights. However, none of this success was easy to achieve. There are some exciting new programs, a new Francis House annex, and a food pantry program in desperate

need of a boost. Winheim says 30-50 clients spend a large portion of their time at the facility daily, and among the many facets of this organization are opportunities for clients’ self development and growth. Along with providing its clients with a daily hot breakfast and lunch, Francis House facilitates individual and group therapy sessions, like relapse prevention, life skills, nutrition, and a spirituality group. “Our spirituality group does not push religion. It’s more about hope,” Winheim explains. “We’ve taught what Buddhists practice during one group and how to prepare a Seder meal during the next. We ask things like ‘How do you pray?’ We try to cover it all but that’s, of course, hard.” Because praying isn’t really specific to a religion, a universal method is key to touching on each individual’s spirituality. “It’s more about something a client can take hold of and leave with,” she says. In a reality where the opportunity to give is frequent, there are many in the LGBT community wary of contributing to religious organizations. That stigma may have left a mark on agencies like Francis House, often confused with ones whose missions and finances are tied to a church or organized religion. But as an interfaith agency, Francis House offers a unique message of hope through community. “Even when the founder, Sister Anne Dougherty, was here, we were considered an interfaith agency because it doesn’t matter what faith you are,” Winheim says. Victoria Fortugno-Oliver, a five-year veteran and director of client services, believes lessons can be gleaned from the parables of many faiths, and no one teaching owns the right to prayer. Still, in some cases, an interfaith agency can receive more funding by casting a wide net. “If the grant we are writing accommodates faith based organizations, we include that,” Fortugno-Oliver explains. “If not, we take it out. Both shoes fit.” Shelley shared the crisis of his own faith during his time of struggle. He sought out the help of Francis House’s individual counseling sessions with Teresa Pappas, Francis House’s on-site social worker and counselor. “It has brought me closure and healing,” offers Shelley, adding that mental well-being is a key element to his treatment plan. “Because of the love, friendship and support from Francis House, I was able to be whole again. I can genuinely say that my faith has been renewed because of this agency.”

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

wiSheS granted When it comes to grant writing and case management, Oliver is quite an asset to the agency. Case managers and counselors work hand-in-hand to identify and assist clients who might otherwise fall through the gaps in the community’s safety net. “Tampa AIDS Network (TAN) was no longer going to be in existence and there was a lot of transition and flux in the community at the time” says Oliver, who found a home at Francis House shortly after TAN closed and helped steer the group towards case management. As a transplant, Shelley and many others in dire need of medication were lost in the shuffle of candidates. “Without assistance, HIV treatment and the other programs we offer would cost an individual thousands of dollars a month,” Oliver says. “Nobody can do that alone.” The number of patients that fall behind on medications or regular doctor visits is staggering. Shelley observed that it is specifically against medical advice to interrupt medication cycles, particularly in HIV medication regimes which could be rendered ineffective with just a few lapses. Individual attention to clients is paramount to Oliver, who passionately works to obtain whatever resources Francis House cannot assist with in-house. “You never know what a client will need: a client has a dog, and that dog is their support system, so we call around town to find a vet because it lends to the health and well being of the client,” Oliver says. “It really is tailored to each situation. The client has to engage in it.” Most case management agencies in Florida have waiting lists, and Oliver encourages those whose needs are not being met to sign up now. “I think Vicky [Fortugno-Oliver] coming back into the field gave me the confidence to go to the board in pursuit of case management dollars,” Winheim says. “It changed our momentum of growth quite significantly.” That physical growth comes in the form of the new annex. Before the annex, the Francis House was a single-building entity residing in a re-purposed auto mechanic garage that was last remodeled in 2004. Land was bought for the approval of the annex when it became clear the agency was bursting at its seams. “As we started to write grants and get money for the building,” explains Winheim, “we were thrilled to have room to grow. Then, since the building

continued on pg. 39 | uu |

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IN-DEPTH:

| uu | St. Francis House

hiv/aidS

from pg.36

took as long as it did, we were full and the new building became a necessity for the growth we had already achieved.” All of which came at no small cost on its own—the cost of time, mostly. It took six years to complete the project because of permitting and building delays. More private space for case managers became very important, with usable space overlapped by increasing need for client privacy. Now, with the arrival of the annex, everyone has his or her own office and no one is doubled-up, although Winheim acknowledges they do not disallow that possibility again should their anticipated growth continue. Currently, with this new space comes another usable conference and event room, available to any group by donation for evening use. Growing pains go beyond just the echoing hallway of this sizable two-story complex. “This is the first time in our history that we’ve had a mortgage,” Winheim says. “This building consumed several years of my life. This building could have been done in half the time with more resources.” Programs for fundraising are gaining momentum. Strike Out for AIDS had a successful showing in its eighth year in August and Go Eat, Tampa Bay! is a yearly event that raises money to help offset the mortgage as well. This holiday season, there are other fundraisers scheduled, including the Tampa Sisters’ Holiday Ham-It-Up, which benefits the food pantry at Francis House. Winheim points out that the earmarking for each project within the fund raising efforts are adhered to, and transparently so. “Global Giving is a worldwide network with a goal of $50,000 with donations anonymously coming in every day and exclusively benefitting our food pantry,” Winheim explains. Go Fund Me is a program specifically for the annex. We get $10 here and there, and it’s still coming in.” But the goal itself is exponentially higher. Links to these donation efforts, along with the facility’s wish list, can be found at FrancisHouse.org. Among the items on Francis House’s wish list are basic office supplies like paper and binders, and food and hygiene items for the pantry. “It’s a supplemental

sTaying sTocked: Medical case manager Katie Roders stands in the Francis House pantry. The organization relies on community donations to keep the shelves stocked all year long.

meeT here: The Francis House’s recent expansion gives more space for community gatherings and activities.

Photo by bruCe harDin

food pantry,” Winheim says, “and it is not meant for your weekly food shopping. That being said, of course every item makes a difference.” Even pricing each item at only $1 (items are provided free to participating clients, who then earn Francis House dollars), these expenses add up quickly. Francis House receives a mere $500 per month budget for the supplies, making quick use of any surpluses. “Realistically, if you tried to put a retail value to what we give out monthly, it’s probably closer to

I received, and now I strive to donate back at least once a month. If someone gives you something in your time of need, you become family. I love to hold dinners during Go Eat! Tampa Bay and with the Sisters, Francis House is my favored charity. “

Beyond the holidayS

The Francis House sees an influx of donations to its food pantry every holiday season, which is appreciated, Winheim explains, but only covers a part of the

and giving trees from a few local churches have been helpful in that regard, and Winheim is grateful for those efforts. “So many people think that Christmas is just for kids,” she says. “But plenty of our clients haven’t celebrated Christmas or received a gift in years.” And each client is appreciative, Winheim adds.

new ServiceS

As Francis House grows, so do its services. On Nov. 1, it branched into

We were full and the new building became a necessity for the growth we had already achieved. — Joy winheim

$6,000,” Winheim says. Oliver agrees, and says that supply is currently not keeping up with demand. In its history, Francis House has distributed 100,000 pounds of food to more than 400 people. Shelley is among those who has benefitted and offers a “Pay-itForward” philosophy. “The Francis House was so helpful with the food pantry items

organization’s needs. “Christmas is easy,” says Winheim. “Thanksgiving is easy. But January through October, we struggle like everyone else.” Francis House feeds 80 clients at both its Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Winheim said the organization also tries to get gifts for those clients as well. Local grassroots organizations like the Tampa Leather Club

housing services. “Short-Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility Assistance (STRMU) is designed to provide up to 21 weeks of assistance with home bills,” says Oliver. “It’s a homeless prevention program. If you are in danger of being homeless, this is a proactive measure to keep that from happening.” Each case will be handled differently, she says, so funds can be

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

stretched as far as possible. STRMU differs from the privately funded one-time-only program currently resourced through Francis House, where the monthly budget only allowed assistance to four or five people in need a month. “The wait list is quite long due to this,” Oliver says. “We’re expecting a very large flood of requests for this program.” But even with expansion, the true mission of Francis House remains the same—and that relates back to the purple heart. “We have a great group of people that care about the clients here and take pride in their work,” Winheim says. “We’re just an organization that still wants to change lives, even if it’s some soup, a Christmas gift or a ‘hello’ every morning. All those little things make a difference. There’s only so much we can do on our own—and you can only do so much in a day.” Those “little things” have a special place in Shelly’s memory, and he gladly recounts the impact Francis House had on his life. “I love Joy and Vicky so much for what they do, and for what is in their hearts,” he says. “When people read this, I hope they really consider making a donation, attending a fund raiser or at least recommending [this agency] to a friend in need. Tell ‘em Sister Tootie sent you.”

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRUVADA:  Truvada can be used as a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

 Those taking Truvada must get tested every three months.

 It is a once-a-day pill recommended for HIV-negative men who have sex with men and heterosexual couples where one is positive and the other is not.

 Condoms are still a must. Truvada is considered part of a comprehensive HIV prevention plan.

 Take only one dose a day.

 Side effects include a build-up of acid in the blood and serious liver problems.

THE PRICE OF PrEP: A 30-DAY SUPPLY OF TRUVADA CAN START AT $1,600, BUT MOST MAJOR INSURANCE CARRIERS COVER THE DRUG, AT LEAST IN PART.

NEW INFECTIONS:

IN-DEPTH:

hiv/aidS

Centers for Disease Control estimates that in 2011 (the most recent year that data are available), there were 49,273 new HIV infections in the United States.

2.5 MILLION NEW CASES OF HIV WORLDWIDE WERE REPORTED IN 2011.

1,144,500

DIAGNOSES TOP FIVE BY AGE, STATES HIV U.S, 2011: PERSONS WITH DIAGNOSES AGED 13 YEARS IN 2011: AND OLDER 8,054 ARE LIVING WITH CALIFORNIA: HIV INFECTION IN 5,965 7,484 FLORIDA: THE U.S. MOST COMMON–

AGES 20-24:

AGES 25-29:

HIV DIAGNOSES: In 2012, the estimated number of diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States was 47,989.

38,160 of those new diagnoses were in adult and adolescent males and 9,586 in adult and adolescent females.

There were an estimated 242 diagnoses of HIV infection among children aged less than 13 years at diagnosis.

2/3 OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS WERE FOUND IN GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN.

AIDS DEATHS In 2010, the last year the information was available, the estimated number of deaths of persons ever receiving a diagnosis of AIDS in the United States was

15,529.

The cumulative estimated number of deaths of persons with an AIDS diagnosis in the United States, through 2010, was

636,048.

30 MILLION PEOPLE WITH AIDS have died worldwide since the epidemic began.

16%

NEARLY OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE

POSITIVE.

5,394 TEXAS:

5,044 NEW YORK:

AGES 30-34:

6,209

AGES 35-39:

5,285

AGES 40-44:

4,944

5,753

GEORGIA:

AGES 45-49:

2,520

5,564

IN 2011, THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DIAGNOSES OF HIV INFECTION IN THE UNITED STATES WAS AS FOLLOWS:

AFRICAN AMERICANS

MADE UP THE LARGEST GROUP OF NEW INFECTIONS AT 23,168. NEW INFECTIONS IN CAUCASIANS WAS 13,846. HISPANICS SHOWED 10,159 NEW INFECTIONS.

IN 2011,

30,573 HIV TRANSMISSIONS OCCURRED THROUGH MALE-TO-MALE CONTACT. 13,402 HIV TRANSMISSIONS WERE THROUGH HETEROSEXUAL CONTACT.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

AT THE END OF 2010, AN ESTIMATED

180,900 PERSONS

IN THE UNITED STATES WERE UNAWARE THEY WERE INFECTED WITH HIV.

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

| uu | Undetectable from pg.31

It’s a huge milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS. But by sheer definition, undetectable means “unseen” or “invisible.” What it does not mean, however, is “cured.”

not yet cured

For seven years, James McCracken lived with his HIV-positive partner. Throughout their relationship, McCracken remained negative, despite foregoing the use of condoms in their sexual relationship. “He was on medications and was undetectable,” McCracken recalls. “During that seven years, we had sexual relations almost every day, and I was very active in his health care.” McCracken, who is now retired from nursing, was aware of the risks of unprotected sex with an HIV-positive man. He got tested every three months and remembers each agonizing wait for results—all of which came back negative. “[Medical professionals] had already suspected that for someone with an undetectable viral load, it was nearly impossible to pass along the virus,” McCracken says. “I was aware of the risks and I was one of the first people to get the vaccination that came out in Atlanta, which was later proven ineffective.” Despite that failed early vaccination and his lax condom use, McCracken stayed negative throughout the tenure of the relationship. But when he and his partner broke up, McCracken relocated to Tampa Bay and soon came down with “the worst flu” of his life. “It’s not like me to be sick,” McCracken says. “It was boneshaking and I honestly felt like a part of my soul died. It was horrible.” With his medical background and familiarity with HIV, McCracken knew he had to get tested again. That’s when he learned he was HIV-positive. “After getting checked every three months and expecting a positive test, I guess I was desensitized,” McCracken says. “But I was still shocked at the positive test.” McCracken, who is now 52 and learned he was positive at 40, says the man who infected him was a casual acquaintance. He also says he made some bad decisions following his breakup.

“I was at a low point in my life and didn’t take the necessary precautions,” he says. Today, McCracken is now undetectable, and he’s upfront about his HIV status with friends and potential partners. He explains that being undetectable isn’t the same as being HIV-negative, but that the chances of him passing along

a year of her initial diagnosis at age 30, Hope received treatment, kept to her prescribed regimen and became undetectable. “I had a very rough life before my diagnosis, so the diagnosis really didn’t have a big impact on me,” Hope recalls. “I just looked at it as another thing I needed to overcome.”

“They believe they have carte blanche,” she says of some clients. “I try to explain to them that they have to invest in their life and keep themselves healthy. If you are promiscuous, you have to use protection. You have to use a condom and use every safety measure, like PrEP.” PrEP, or Pre-Exposure

I always explain that while we use the term ‘undetectable,’ there are still hiv antibodies in your blood and other ﬂuids. —aaron sanford

the virus are very, very slim.

a woman’S perSpective

When “Hope” learned she was HIV positive in the mid 1990s, the heterosexual mother wasn’t surprised. She spent most of her teen years as a crack addict and remembers plenty of instances where she could have contracted HIV. She asked that her real name not be used for this story because her family is unaware of her medical situation. In 1997, Hope was tested and had a viral load so high that she was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS. According to the Center for Disease Control, a patient diagnosed with full-blown AIDS will always be classified as such. However, within

Fortunately, she was willing to follow the advice of the medical community. “I worked a lot with my doctor and he and his staff showed me I wasn’t just a case file or another number,” she says. “He became a part of my life and he took the time to sit with me, explain what we were going to do and reassured me that I was going to be okay.” Today, “Hope” works as an HIV counselor in Central Florida and helps newly diagnosed HIV clients learn how to manage their healthcare. She says that too many clients think that being “undetectable” gives them a free pass to practice unsafe sex. That is a misconception, she argues.

Prophylaxis, is an HIV medication that is often used as preventative measure in those with a negative HIV status as well. The most common version of PrEP is Truvada, which is effective, but expensive. Too many young people are getting infected with HIV, Hope says, and many may not know what preventative measures to take. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 1.1 million people aged 13-years and older live with HIV in our country. Of that number, 190,000— or 15%— aren’t even aware they are positive. There are 50,000 new HIV infections reported each year in the United States, and a majority of those new infections are in

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

young, gay men. “With youthful exuberance comes a low literacy rate of really understanding the ramifications of their actions,” Hope says. “Sometimes they think they are like Superman and that nothing will happen to them. They have to be honest with themselves, even if they are undetectable, in order to protect themselves and anyone they have sex with.”

undetectaBle then doeSn’t mean undetectaBle now

Learning that one is undetectable is reason to celebrate. It’s an achievement thought impossible three decades ago when AIDS-related deaths occurred weekly, if not daily, among circles of friends. It’s a status that is as close to “cured” as we can get in 2014, but it’s also a status that can change. According to Aaron Sanford, an HIV counselor and prevention specialist at Hope and Help in Central Florida, reaching “undetectable” is a benchmark for HIV-positive people. “I always explain that while we use the term ‘undetectable,’ there are still HIV antibodies in your blood and other fluids,” Sanford says. “I also tell them that just because you were undetectable when you were last tested, that doesn’t mean you’re undetectable at

(aBove left)

arTisTic design:

James McCracken works on a painting in his gallery at the Flamingo Resort. He says his HIV status has not affected his day-to-day life, but he does make it his mission to educate those around him about the disease. Photo by Steve blanCharD

(aBove right)

magneTically safe: Aaron

Sanford, right, said he told his fiance, Jack Wetherell, that he was HIV-positive and undetectable early on in their relationship. Sanford and Wetherell, who is negative, plan to marry next year in Illinois. Photo by Jake StevenS

this very moment in time.” Sanford knows what he’s talking about. He has lived with HIV since 2007, is currently undetectable and plans to marry his HIV-negative partner next year. “When you are undetectable, you still have the disease—but it’s controlled,” he explains. “It’s your responsibility to share your status with the people you date or sleep with.” Sanford, now 32, did exactly that soon after meeting his fiancé. “Bringing up HIV status is a personal decision,” Sanford believes. “I brought it up early because if I was rejected, I knew I wasn’t really attached yet. So I texted back and forth with him and told him I wanted to talk, have a conversation in person. Eventually he asked me if I was HIV positive, to which I said, ‘Yes.’ He told me that was perfectly okay.” Sanford has assumptions as to who infected him with HIV, but decided long ago to not carry a grudge toward that individual. “When you add stress, it hurts you and it hurts your immune system,” Sanford says. “That can make your undetectable status go away. Plus, I don’t want to go through life angry.” Fortunately for Sanford, he had—and still has—a strong support network. He was able to get advice and treatment from family and friends and confided in them. “If you don’t have that, go to any local HIV service organization,” he suggests. “People living with HIV understand what you’re going through. Once you have that support, begin your regimen and follow the rules. The faster you do that, the quicker you get to undetectable.”

a new era

More than three decades have passed since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. What was once a terminal illness is now manageable and less-likely to make headlines. It’s a much less terrifying time, especially for those who are newly diagnosed. But it’s important to not lose respect for the disease, according to Hope. “This is not the disease that we knew 30 years ago—this is a new day,” she says. “You won’t die of HIV or AIDS. The CDC and other health organizations say that if you are diagnosed with AIDS around the age of 20, you will live until you’re 80! So you won’t perish from AIDS.”

Those who do perish, Hope adds, are those who do not adhere to their medicinal regimen. “It’s like diabetes,” she says. “Take care of yourself the same way a diabetic would. It’s managed care and investing in your life and health. You have to take the wheel of your life.” Since first becoming undetectable 10 years ago, McCracken has managed to maintain that HIV status. It’s an accomplishment of which he is proud and shares that his tests are sometimes better than those who are HIV negative. “But I would never say that undetectable is the new negative,” he says. “When you’re negative, you stay negative unless you get infected. When you’re undetectable there’s the chance you can become resistant to your medication or if you forget to take a dose your levels can change back to detectable. You’re playing with percentages and it takes diligence.” It also means respecting the disease and those who may be at risk. That’s why McCracken is quick to share his status—to potential love interests and in a public forum like Watermark. “There have only been a few times I’ve been rejected for being positive,” McCracken says. “But most of the time people say they appreciate the honesty and make their decisions from there. People are becoming more educated about it.” Sanford reminds us that too many HIV positive people don’t even know they’re infected, which only contributes to the spread of the disease. Testing, he says, is the most important thing a person can do to fight against and, maybe eventually, eradicate the disease. “It’s getting better, but there is still room for education,” Sanford says. “There was a recent study done on people living with HIV in major cities, and half didn’t know they had it and weren’t on medications. My doctor said to me that he would rather have an undetectable individual go out and have sex as opposed to a person who gets tested every three months and hopes for a negative test. “And there are still some who think that if they are undetectable, they don’t have to disclose,” he continues. “You have to take responsibility. There is still room for education for people living with HIV and those who are HIV negative. It’s all of our responsibility.”

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arts and entertainment

AN INAPPROPRIATE

CHRISTMAS wanZie’S ChRiStMaS SpeCtaCulaR inJeCtS loCal ColoR, CoMedy into the holidayS

Chris Muscardin

rlando | iT’s probably a safe beT

that most who go to the Parliament House aren’t looking to find Jesus—at least not the Biblical Jesus. But that’s exactly where locally renowned playwright Michael Wanzie has decided to feature his annual holiday production this year.

go forTh: In the video sequence screened at the start of Wanzie’s all new

Christmas Spectacular, a Ceramic head of Jesus speaks to Mrs. Henderson (Rich (Rich Kuntz)) while on the porch of the abandoned Full Moon Saloon where she has become Kuntz a squatter. Jesus tells the self-appointed president of the Orange Blossom Trail Beautification Society to “Go forth and produce a “Living Nativity.” And so she does. Photo CourteSy miChael WanZie

Entitled Wanzie’s Orange Blossom Trail ‘Living Nativity’ Christmas Spectacular, the play opens Nov. 29 at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre and will play the following three Saturdays in December. Billed as “a twisted musical parody of biblical proportions,” the production is intended as a spoof of the old Disney living nativity scene. Wanzie played a shepherd in the original Disney nativity, which launched in 1974. “I think [I decided on this production] because I missed the nativity at Disney,” says Wanzie. “They

don’t do it anymore. In this play, we call our nativity ‘The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas’ because that’s the exact title that Disney called their nativity. The nativity portion of our show is a parody of that production.” His parody is split into two parts. In the first act, we meet the lead of the show, Mrs. Henderson. Played by Rich Kuntz (better known as local drag star Gidget Galore), Mrs. Henderson is a snowbird who, appalled at what her old vacation spot on Orange Blossom

continued on pg. 52 | uu |

watermark Your lgbt life. N Nov ov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

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watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

theater

Hell of a holiday

A strained relationship and a drag queen make for campy holiday humor in Who Took the Last Ketchup

(aBove)

blocking:

The cast of Who Took the Last Ketchup? One Hell of a Holiday rehearses under the watchful eye of Trevor Keller in the Blu Room Theater at the Flamingo Resort. Photo by Steve blanCharD

Aaron Alper

T. peTersburg | in a season where

saccharine holiday smarm floods the cultural landscape, Gypsy Productions’ release of Who Took The Last Ketchup? One Hell of a Holiday Vacation may be the incendiary, albeit heartfelt, itch you need to scratch.

Directed by noted local Renaissance man Trevor Kellor and featuring an original script by local playwright Michael Matteo (An Evening with Mr. Johnson: It’s Hard Being A Dick!), Who Took the Last Ketchup takes place on the last night of Max (Peter Konowicz) and Lena’s (Skyla Luckey) annual holiday vacation to Florida. It’s also the same night Walter (Eddy Ganim), a homeless drag queen, enters their world. Their strained relationship and

vacation already has Lena on edge and her only hope is that Walter’s involvement can salvage this one last night in Paradise. Of course, her dilemma is hilarity for the audience, Keller says. “It’s funny and really good,” says Keller, who admits that he considered transforming the married couple into a same-sex couple for this showing. “But when we did that, the poignancy of it just wasn’t there. In the story line, Max, the husband, has issues with

having a gay son.” Keller is convinced keeping the couple heterosexual was the right call, because a gay drag queen and the constant reference to a gay son make it a very LGBT-friendly play. “There’s a transformative part in the show that brings Skyla Luckey, who plays Lena, to tears in rehearsals,” Keller says. “That’s all I’ll say, though, I don’t want to give away too much.” Who Took the Last Ketchup isn’t a typical holiday show—in that it never really directly mentions the season. However, Keller is quick to point out that the setting and the stage will make it obvious that this vacation is taking place during the December holidays. “So in that way, yes, it’s geared toward a holiday theme,” Keller says. “But there are so many holidays, I wouldn’t say this is a

watermark Your lgbt life. Nov emb er 20 - Decemb er 3, 2014 // Issue 21. 24

Christmas show.” This is the first time Keller has worked with the three local actors, and he’s incredibly pleased with his choices. Keller met Luckey after learning of her at Watermark’s 20th anniversary celebration at Crumb & Cork during a casual conversation with Liza Miller, who is part of Gypsy Stage Repertoire. “She referred me to several female actresses and Skyla was one of them,” Keller says. “We laughed about how all gypsies have to stick together.” Konowicz became involved after Keller put a call for actors on social media. Keller was aware of his work on FreeFall Theatre’s recent production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The role of Walter was a bit more difficult to cast, and Keller had to search to find the right fit. When he discovered Ganim’s bio on a site dedicated to theater and producers, he immediately felt a connection. “Eddie brings so much more to this role—they all do,” Keller says. “They bring an organic quality. That’s why I love doing original pieces so much. The characters aren’t established and we’re developing them ourselves through rehearsals.” This is Gypsy’s first re-entrance into the arts world with a fullscale play since it shut down after a stumbling re-launch in 2011. Trevor and Gypsy Productions gained notoriety at the now-closed Suncoast Resort, which shuttered its doors in 2009. Once the resort closed, Gypsy—much like its namesake—roamed Tampa Bay with performances in different venues until it finally went on hiatus. Keller had all but given up on Gypsy’s renaissance and kept himself busy with other side projects. But fate and determination allowed him to return to his passion as director. When the Flamingo resort decided to open up its own theater section in the revamped Blu Room, which is off the main bar of the popular resort, Keller was approached by management who wanted to purchase some of his equipment. “They purchased my lights and some other Gypsy property and we developed a relationship,” Keller says. “I asked if I could help bring in some shows and I was the producer of the recent LipSchtick show starring David ‘Scarbie’ Mitchell. It

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specializing was a huge success.” Now Gypsy and Keller are flourishing. His mailbox is flooded with notices from Equity actors and directors requesting roles and scripts readings, including an offer from Del Shores, the creator of Sordid Lives. Keller had a chance to form a close bond with the author after Shores performed at the Flamingo in early October. Expect something from that new relationship to appear at the Blu Room Theater in the spring, Keller hints. Things for Gypsy, Keller and the Flamingo are coming up roses. And rightfully so, even to the point where Keller had the triumph mapped out on

his own body. “Since leaving Suncoast, I just had a tattoo down which I have dreamed of having done. I had a side piece down that comes up to a chest piece which is a phoenix rising. I think it says exactly everything Gypsy, as a company and a group of people, says to me. We have been down, we have been inactive but we will rise again.”

MoRe infoRMation

whaT: Who Took The Last Ketchup? One Hell of a Holiday Vacation where: Blu Room Theater, Flamingo Resort when: Dec. 3-21 TickeTs: $20-$25 at 727-321-5000

(aBove)

mismaTched in heaVen: Gypsy Productions’ Trevor Keller, in back, directs the cast of Who Took the Last Ketchup? One Hell of a Holiday at the Flamingo Resort’s Blu Room. The show stars, left to right, Skyla Luckey, eddie Ganim and Peter Knowicz. Photo by Steve blanCharD

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