daytOna beach • OrlandO • tampa • st. petersburg • sarasOta • issue 22.22 • Oct. 22 - nOv. 4, 2015 • watermarKOnline.cOm
Your lgbt life.
CLARK
MAKES HER MARK: sOngWriter brandy clark emerges frOm the shadOWs tO grab her sPOtlight
AMANDA BEARSE
ALL:
Original WATERMARK cOver star returns tO talk tO Old friend tOm dyer
FIVE FOR FIGHTING OrlandO city cOmmissiOner Patty sheehan isn’t gOing anywhere.
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
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RE-ELECT
Patty Sheehan for Orlando City Council District 4 SERVICE When you call Commissioner Sheehan’s office, you will receive prompt attention and superior customer service. Your call is important to us!
SIMPLY THE BEST Nothing else will do! When a constituent in District 4 has a problem, she wants to help. Public service is an honor and a responsibility. Patty Sheehan attends all neighborhood association meetings, neighborhood watches, and community events. Sheehan serves her community full time. She is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and work hard for you.
Patty Sheehan A senior and respected member of the Orlando City Council, who is dedicated to the residents of the City of Orlando. Her goal is to do the best job possible for the tax paying citizens of our community.
VOTE NOVEMBER 3, 2015 WWW.VOTEFORPATTY.COM Political advertisement paid for and approved by Patty Sheehan Campaign, nonpartisan, for Orlando City Council District 4.
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It was a very emotional time for [the board members]. they all cried like babies.
It was so overwhelming to know you were a big part of this, and seeing [the festival] from on a float is a whole different perspective than just watching it to go by.
departments 6 // mail 7 // editor’s desk 13 // orlando news 16 // tampa bay news 20 // state 23 // nation & world news 31 // in-deptH 37 // arts & entertainment 47 // community calendar 49 // tampa bay out+about 51 // orlando out+about 53 // transitions/wedding bells 56 // tampa bay marketplace 58 // orlando marketplace 62 // uprisings
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—COme Out witH pride finanCe direCtOr miCHael tHOmaS
on tHe cover
PAGE you can’t Have one witHout tHe otHer:
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PAGE FIVE FOR FIGHTING:
31
LGBT activist and District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan opens up about why it is that she thinks she should serve a fifth term leading the downtown area, how the breakdown of her romantic relationship played out in the public arena and how that led her to get sober.
Former (and first!) Watermark cover girl Amanda Bearse, ostensibly the first out woman on primetime television, returns to town for Spooky Empire for a Halloween Fright Night reunion. She also spends some time with Watermark owner Tom Dyer. Old friends, then!
watermark i ssue 22.22 //oct ober 22 - november 4 , 2015
coming out again
axes and taxes and trees country cool
tHe politics oF cHancing
PAGE Orlando’s Come Out With
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PAGE Columnist Jason Leclerc
Our political column Uprisings has a bit of a head explosion at the notion that there is a municipal election in Orlando on Nov. 3, and at least one candidate is buying his way through it. Also, Charlie Crist is resurrecting himself again.
Photo by Jake Stevens
scan Qr code For
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read it Online! 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
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Pride parade and rally prove to be a huge success following a year of controversy and calamity. There were beads. There was music. There were memories. We survived!
ponders the balance between the utilities local taxes afford us and the conservative mantra of keeping taxes low. This could get ugly.
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Singer-songwriter Brandy Clark brings her personal storytelling to life in Clearwater and Melbourne following a string of high-profile songwriting credits. She wrote for Reba!
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checK watermarKOnline.cOm fOr updates On the OngOing saga Of OrlandO’s city electiOns watermark Your lgbt life.
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WatermarkOnline.com On Watermark owner refuting East Orlando Post story:
“Engels’ friend sounds suspiciously like a pacemaker. I realize we’re all getting up there, but I wasn’t aware of any heartbeat issues or revenue challenges you might be having, Tom. Your loyal fans wish America’s best and one of its longestrunning regional LGBT media outlets all continued growth and success.” —Todd Simmons
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“It is always good to see LGBT support activist movements from all states. Most educational organizations are at the heart of teaching straight Americans that we live just like they do and we are not a threat to them. My lifetime partner of 53 years, married over 11 years, have found that some people are shocked to know that we have had our relationship this long. More and more people understand and are supporting marriage equality as it is now the law of the land.” —GayEVO
On the anti-gay Pastor Protection Act advancing:
“I know a wedding is an important and happy day for people. No couple will go where they are not welcome unless they are trying to prove a point. This is another Republican maneuver to win votes from people as bigoted as they are.” —Rev Anothony
Watermark’s Facebook:
On more than 6 million Americans having come out on Facebook:
“Is anyone really gay unless it’s ‘Facebook Official’?”
—Michael E. Moriarty On Santa Fe closing its only gay bar:
“This is basic economics - for too long gay bars didn’t have to compete or care much. “We” had no alternatives. Sell a better product; we will be out with wallets open if what you offer is relevant and authentic. Step 1, make a guy over 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 feel accepted, welcomed, wanted (we do have a bit of cash to spend).” —Zachary Barr
“We are equal. We are mainstream. The more we show our affection in public, the more we will be accepted. I don’t see any in 5 years or less.” —Blake Williamson
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On the Pope begging forgiveness for scandals hitting Roma and the Vatican:
“Religion... the biggest EVIL of all time.” —Eddie Nickell
On the Florida Pastor Protection Act going up for a vote:
“I wouldn’t want to get married by someone who didn’t want to perform the ceremony.” —Chris Murphy
On the closing of Georgie’s Alibi in St. Pete signaling potential hard times for the LGBT neighborhood:
“One bar closes and it’s hard times? Enigma opened a little over a year ago, a new place will be opening soon thanks to Brian. But it’s pretty sad if bars are what define a community. Let’s not forget St. Pete still has LGBT dominate neighborhoods, such as Kenwood; gay owned restaurants such as Queens Head, Bella Brava, et al.; the highest ranked city in Tampa Bay on the HRC Municipal Index; three of eight out LGBT council members; and the film festival relocated this year to hold its main events in St. Pete. This doesn’t scream ‘potential hard times.’” —Eric Skains
“I’ll miss our ‘special’ places. But doesn’t this ultimately indicate a better and more accepting integration into the community in general. I’ll always call that spot Georgie’s.” —Joan E Hepsworth
contributors
Photo by Robert Bartlett
editor’s
Billy Manes EDITOR
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
“I
Desk
t takes no compromise to
give people their rights... it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” —Harvey Milk
From this vantage point, high atop an ivory tower bedazzled with mellifluous ideas and glorious non-functionality, we can clearly say that we are pleasantly exhausted. (We’d like to say, “Elegantly Wasted,” but Michael Hutchence would stare us down for the sky and tell us that sometimes we kick, sometimes we get kicked.) Minus some excess—or INXS, if you will (enough already)—it was an amazing Come Out With Pride celebration in Orlando on Oct. 10, a fabulous Sarasota Pride on Oct. 17 and a ridiculous Headdress Ball benefitting Hope and Help
on that very same Saturday. All of this and more could be yours if you rifle through the pages of what is now staring back at your face. We had fun! So did you, apparently! But fun is fun, and work is work, so we spent some time on the backend figuring out exactly what it was that was making our community thrive over the last two weeks. Guess what! The world isn’t always a party, but, increasingly, it’s a good time, and we’re celebrating it. Though this issue hangs a heavy bleeding heart on the Orlando municipal elections
watermark staff
coming up on Nov. 3 (vote, please!), it’s basically all over the map from there. Sure, that’s Lady Patty Sheehan gleaming on our cover again and running for her fifth term as Orlando city commissioner. Yes we do throw in a couple of whatnots and wherefores about the suddenly nasty tones drowning out our pearl-clutching arena of political noisemaking; no, some people will not be angered by all of that; yes, we take risks sometimes and have them blow up in our faces. Yay, life! But there are other amazing things, too. More than two decades ago, Watermark owner and founder Tom Dyer sat down with Married with Children outand-proud star Amanda Bearse for what would be the paper’s first cover. Bearse has evolved from her laugh-track days as the first lesbian on prime-time television and into her rightful place in the LGBT pantheon. Also, she’s a vampire, so watch out. In this amazingly lady-laden issue, we also speak with upand-coming (OK, she’s been winning at this for a while) singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, famous for her work with The Band Perry and Miranda Lambert (and Reba!). Clark’s coming out from behind the curtain with a new record, some of which she’ll hopefully be performing in Clearwater and Melbourne when she makes her late-October Florida trek. We swish and swash through various parties and galas, because life is hard; we make a little bit of noise here and there about the Democratic presidential debate; our conservative columnist Jason Leclerc takes us on a leafy pastoral ride through taxation and what it means to our
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communities (it’s fun! Seriously!); and Watermark publisher Rick Claggett takes his eyes off the fireworks and sequins for a minute to remind us what it is that we’re fighting for in the shadow of National Coming Out Day and the horrifying reality that was Matthew Shepard’s hateful, public murder in October 1998. In truth, none of these things are as disparate as their names and dates imply. Politics make rights, people need help, parties are great sometimes, acting can be revolutionary, songwriting can make lives better and build
Guess what! The world isn’t always a party, but, increasingly, it’s a good time, and we’re celebrating it.
bridges. We’re all in this together. Even with the noise filling up the current sphere of local politics—and its adjacent echoes banging along with the drum leading up to next year’s political primaries and general election—there remains a song to be sung, a smile to be felt and some work to be done. None of us are perfect, but, cough, some of us should try harder. We’re watching as progress happens. We’re a little worried about some of the things we’re hearing whispered in back rooms. We hope you don’t give up the fight; we won’t. There’s too much at stake, so much that even an elected figurehead cannot fix. It takes no political deal to give people freedom.
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
Jason Leclerc
is a near lifelong resident of the I-4 corridor, currently in South Tampa. He publishes poetry online at PoetEconomist.blogspot.com. His first book, Momentitiousness, was published in 2014. His new book, Black Kettle, will be published in 2016. Page 25
Samantha Rosenthal
attended University of Central Florida and the former Watermark editorial assistant. She is currently a freelance writer and regularly covers Wedding Bells. Page 53
ciara varone
has been interning with Watermark for the fall semester. She is a student at the University of Central Florida studying journalism. Page 20 Scottie Campbell, Krista DiTucci, Kirk Hartlage, Joseph Kissel, Jason Leclerc, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Gregg ShApiro, Greg Stemm, Dr. Steve yacovelli, , Michael wanzie
photography Brian Becnel, Nick Cardello, Angie Folks, Bruce Hardin, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift, Tinkerfluff
distribution RJ Publishing, Lisa Jordan, Ken Caraway, David Krauss 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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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
central florida news
4tH annual volusia pride set to be biggest yet Ciara Varone
rainBOw riBBOn:
The traditional rainbow-striped banner snakes through the streets of downtown Orlando during Come Out With Pride 2015. Photo by BRIAn BECnEl
united we stand Come Out With Pride organizers celebrate a smooth event Jamie Hyman
O
rlandO | They put in the time, the sweat and the effort year after year, but for many Come Out With Pride board members, 2015 marked the first time they ever had a chance to ride in the parade, getting an expansive view of the results of a year of hard work. “It was a very emotional time for [the board members],” says Michael Thomas, COWP’s finance director. “They all cried like babies. It was so overwhelming to know you were a big part of this, and seeing [the festival] from on a float is a whole different perspective than just watching it to go by.” It may have been especially poignant because in November of 2014, it looked like COWP 2015 might not happen at all. The Board was suspended, its executive director fired amid fraud accusations and the finances were a mess. Since then, COWP - with the support of the Metropolitan Business Association, COWP’s umbrella organization regrouped and pitched in to make
sure COWP 2015 would not only exist, but that it would be a quality, fun event with a focus on giving back to the community. Andrew Gilette, COWP executive producer of operations, has been on the board for three years and says this year’s event was “one of our best years we’ve ever had.”
sum Of its parts
COWP closed out the 2014 event about $50,000 in debt, according to Thomas, but the opposite is the case for 2015. “We paid all the vendors for the event [ahead of time] and we paid the $50,000 debt we started the event with, from 2014,” Thomas says. “We’re still finalizing all the books and numbers. We’re definitely in the black.” As of press time, Thomas wasn’t able to give a final figure of funds raised since a few financial matters were still being reconciled, but he confirms that they cleared “a minimum of $20,000.” One big moneymaker for 2015 was a classic element - the parade. “I think last year almost 30 percent
of the parade was comped,” Thomas says. “This year, zero percent.” With one exception – Thomas says they gave a free slot to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, but not his campaign for reelection. That group paid. In fact, Thomas says tightening the reins on giveaways event-wide helped them stay in the black. “One of the reasons we did really well this year is in past, show management gave away a lot of comps,” he says. “This year, we just tightened down the hatches. We gave away very little; we stuck to our guns. It worked.” Thomas says other profitable aspects were the Club H2O dance party, with $13,000 in revenue from cover charges and bar sales, and the VIP area by the Lake Eola band shell, which charged about 100 people $75 each for access. Their dinner and fireworks event was also a moneymaker, with about 85 guests paying $75 each for their meal and preferred seating.
hOnOr sOciety
Three LGBT youth received $1,000 scholarships courtesy of COWP. Michael Morrison, Adam Manno, and Haley Zilberberg accepted the scholarships during the rally. The scholarships were COWP’s way of giving new life to Pride Gives Back, a grants and scholarship program that had become neglected in recent years. Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan jumpstarted the return of cOntinued On pg. 14 | uu |
watermark Your lgbt life.
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ew Smyrna BeaCH | East Central Florida’s LGBT community will gather Oct. 24 at shade-covered Old Fort Park in New Smyrna Beach for the fourth annual Volusia Pride. “It gets bigger and better every year,” says Cindy Casey, who has volunteered at Volusia Pride since its inception and is serving as the 2015 chairperson. “There’s a lot to celebrate as we continue to grow.” Casey says all married couples are invited to participate in a group blessing performed by Rev. Dr. Diane Langworthy, a United Church of Christ pastor. As for growth, Casey said that this marks the first year that vendor space has sold out, so visitors can expect a wide variety of offerings, featuring craft home furnishing and political booths. Volusia Pride is a free event, but participants are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items, which will be donated to the Gifts of Love Food Pantry, Casey says. Contributors will receive a raffle ticket for each item they bring with no limit on quantity. These tickets will be entered in giveaways for hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates and paintings donated by local artists. The New Smyrna Beach community has always been supportive of Volusia Pride, Casey says. “From the mayor right on down, everyone has been very accommodating and helpful in putting this on,” Casey said. “We get a huge cross-section of people coming. This is for the LGBT community as well as its allies.”
orange county commissioners repeal domestic partner beneFits Staff report
OrlandO | In a unanimous, consent agenda vote, the Orange County Commissioners on Oct. 20 voted to repeal the domestic partner benefits program for Orange County employees. The program was instituted in 2011, with benefits starting in January of 2012. It will be officially cancelled as of January 1, 2016. Eleven employees are currently enrolled in the program, and they’ll have a grace period until the end of 2016 to continue their coverage. “The intent of the program was to ensure Orange County employees parity for same sex couples who did not have the option to marry in the State of Florida,” reads the agenda item repealing the benefits. “Domestic partners had to satisfy eligibility requirements established by the County... This program was not available to opposite sex couples because they have always had the option to marry in the State of Florida.” The agenda lists a number of developments over the past three years that have “nullified the need” for the program, including same-sex marriage becoming legal in Florida in January and nationwide in June of 2015.
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central florida news | uu | Come Out With Pride from pg.13
Pride Gives Back with a city grant for $5,000, with $3,000 of that earmarked for the scholarships, which Sheehan presented. All three of the recipients study at UCF. COWP also recognized Hamburger Mary’s Bar and Grille with the Debbie Simmons Community Service Award. “[The Pride Board] wanted to recognize folks in the community who have done a lot around community engagement, around the theme of uniting people,” says Gillette. “We thought the recipient did a nice job being visible and positive in the community and always being a force for good.” Mary Meeks, Orlando attorney and LGBT activist, hosted the rally which included speeches by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, City Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell and gay state representative David Richardson. “All of these elected officials on stage here today are allies who don’t just talk the talk, they walk
the walk,” Meeks said to the COWP crowd. “Politicians who just spout empty platitudes are not our allies. We deserve officials who believe in equality and are willing to stand up and fight with us and for us.” The rally also featured representatives from Equality Florida and Joan Rodriguez, an activist who fought for marriage equality.
Flow chart
Gillette and Thomas report that when it came to how smoothly the event ran, they received positive feedback from their city partners. “I think some of the new things we tried worked really well. I thought the marketplace setup with all the vendors in the corner of the park was really nice, helped balance the flow in that part of the park,” Gillette says. “[The Orlando Police Department] said [COWP] should be the standard for how events should be done, in terms of our relationship with the police and fire departments.” Thomas says the GLBT Center of Central Florida provided more than
Proud: Revelers celebrate Come Out With Pride in Orlando. Photo by Brian Becnel 100 volunteers, the first time event organizers had an excess of help. “It, by far, was the smoothest, best event ever,” he says. “There was a point at about 11:30 a.m. where most of the directors were together, and we were looking at each other, like, shouldn’t there be a crisis right now? It just ran smoothly. The city submitted their summary and said,
in their opinion, that it was the smoothest event COWP ever had.” Thomas agrees that the vendor marketplace layout helped keep the festival flowing. “[The new layout] made guests easier to see vendors, and they got better exposure,” he says. “Some people thought we had fewer guests, but we just
opened the flow better. The park flowed better.” So far, there is no attendance estimate number from Orlando police, as they’ve done in years past, but Gillette says police told him COWP 2015 “felt busier.” “They felt there were more people in the park and on the parade route than there have been in prior years,” Gillette says. “It tends to grow every year.” He adds that he plans to continue to volunteer for COWP. “This year was a lot of changes, so we’re going to meet later this month and reevaluate how we’re going to structure the roles,” Gillette says. “And that’s typically something we do after every event, look at the roles, what each person was responsible for, try to rebalance, even out the workload, make sure it makes sense.” The COWP Board has already announced the date for next year’s Orlando Pride: October 8, 2016. To see galleries of the 2015 Pride parade, launch party, block party and more, visit WatermarkOnline.com.
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tampa bay news
nortH port set to Have Final vote on Hro Jeremy Williams
N
OrtH pOrt, fla. | The North Port City Commission will hold the final discussion and vote for a citywide Human Rights Ordinance Oct. 26. The HRO, which would ban discrimination against employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, held its first vote Oct. 13 when the commission unanimously voted 5-0 to move it to a final discussion. “Today we had a number of people show up in red shirts to visibly tell the commissioners that there is significant support in the community for this,” says Ken Shelin, an Equality Florida board member. “These people should show up again at the next meeting to make sure no one backslides on the city commission and that they continue to support it; unanimously by the way, that’s unbelievable.” Shelin, who is also a former Vice-Mayor of Sarasota, brought the issue of an HRO up to North Port mayor Rhonda DiFranco, who then brought it before the City Commission. Shelin spoke to the City Commission before they voted on the HRO, giving an empowering speech on the importance of bringing this ordinance to North Port right away, an urgency that is severely lacking in higher government. “We have failed at both the national and state levels to provide anti-discrimination protections,” Shelin said to the City Commission. “Introduction of a bill in the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature doesn’t mean it will pass. It hasn’t gotten out of committee for six years. We’re talking about human rights; we’re not talking about the zoning code or the land development rules. LGBT people are being denied of their constitutionally guaranteed rights now and need relief now.” The City Commission also heard from SunCoast MCC’s new interim pastor, Rev. Gina Durbin. “We are citizens of the United States, we pay are taxes, we work, we support your businesses in North Port. We should have the same rights and not be discriminated against in any way, in any form, anymore,” Durbin said. As it is currently written, the HRO would affect any business with five or more employees. Commissioner Cheryl Cook asked if the number of employees on the ordinance could be changed from five to 10. “Why is it even a number?” Vice-Mayor Jacqueline Moore questioned. “Whether it’s a one-person business that would be treating a customer a certain way or an employer with one to however many why would we want to put a limit?” Mayor DiFranco noted that further discussion will be had on the HRO and the businesses it will and will not affect at the final reading of the ordinance. Commissioner Tom Jones asked if he could say something addressing those in attendance. “We’ve been working on this for a long time,” Jones said. “And it has finally come.”
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tHe name game:
The Tampa Bay chapter of The Students for a Democratic Society protest the USF ROTC building being named after the late congressman.
PHOTO COuRTESy OF THE TBSDS
Young Objections USF student group petitions to have C.W. Bill Young building renamed Jeremy Williams
a
University of South Florida political organization is calling for a change in the name of the CW Bill Young building on campus because of the namesake’s association with an anti-gay, state-sanctioned committee from the 1950s and 60s. The Tampa Bay chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society (TBSDS), which only has around 14 regular members, has a petition on the website Change.org asking that the building named after Rep. Bill Young which houses the ROTC program at USF be renamed. The petition currently has more than 400 signatures. Young began his political career as a member of the Florida Senate in 1960. From 1962-1965, Young served on The Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, also known as “The Johns Committee,” named so because the committee was led by Florida State Senator Charley Eugene Johns. The Johns Committee
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was created to investigate all organizations that may have Communist ties, and specifically looked to prove communist links to the NAACP. The investigation into the NAACP failed and in 1961, The Johns Committee turned their attention to removing homosexuals from state colleges and universities. “When [Bill Young] was in the State Senate, and part of the Johns Committee, he was partly responsible for interrogation of LGBTQAI+ folk and people who were supposedly accused of being Communist for it being subversive,” says TBSDS member Jack Ling. “These investigations led to some really awful things happening to the people who were investigated.” As part of The Johns Committee’s witch hunt of the gay community they published and distributed the notorious report titled, Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida, which was widely known as the “Purple Pamphlet.” “It described LGBTQAI+ people as being disgusting and claiming they had diseases and
Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
describing them as subversive in general,” Ling says. The “Purple Pamphlet” is full of homophobic language and graphic photos of young men and boys in scantily clad clothing. It was actually declared pornographic by the Miami Police Department shortly after its release. Photographic evidence of the report is still in circulation and available online. Young, who died in 2013, was the last surviving member of the group. The USF building named for Young opened in 2007. The members of TBSDS say that even though The Johns Committee came at the beginning of Young’s political career that it is not an excuse to explain his involvement away. “There was a defense that both he and his wife used saying he came in at the tail end of the committee and that nothing much happened,” says TBSDS member Elizabeth Kramer. “I’m pretty certain that there was a vast increase in persecutions in both leftists and LGBTQIA+ people during his time. Whether or not it was directly because of him is irrelevant. The fact is that the committee was still going very strong during his time in it.” Young never denied his involvement in the committee and he, nor any member of The Johns
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Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
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tampa bay news | uu | The SDS from pg.16 Committee, has ever apologized for the group’s purge of FSU, USF, UF and other state organizations of what they called “dangerous homosexuals.” “It just saddens me that Bill can’t be here to defend himself, but anyone that knows Bill knows that this is not the issue to attack Bill Young on,” said Young’s widow, Beverly Young, in an interview with The Tampa Tribune. “He loved the men and women of the U.S. armed services and the many, many gay members of our military who are American heroes. He loved them all, and they have every right to be who they want and love who they want.” While Young has a strong voting record supporting the military’s financial endeavors of his district, he has an equally strong record against LGBT issues, including those affecting LGBT service members.
During his time in the House of Representatives, Young voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and openly opposed a federal hate crime law that would include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “The fact is, Young was an active, vocal and unabashed member of the John’s Committee and their persecution of homosexuals in the 1960s,” said Jessica Ehrlich in a Watermark interview in 2012. Ehrlich was running against Young for his House seat at the time. Young won that election securing his 22nd term as the district’s representative. “Their investigation and purge of Florida’s state universities was a very dark time in Florida’s history. Unapologetic and abysmal on LGBT issues, Bill Young does not represent the St Petersburg values I grew up with,” Ehrlich said at the time. The online petition is specifically addressed to USF
President Dr. Judy Genshaft but the group has yet to hear from her. They were given a meeting with USF Provost Ralph Wilcox. “He didn’t address our demands directly,” Kramer says. “Instead he decided to lecture us about how what we were doing is wrong.” Watermark reached out to USF for an interview with Dr. Genshaft, and we received a written statement from Adam Freeman, USF Media and Public Affairs Manager. “As one of the most diverse and inclusive public universities in the country, the University of South Florida values respectful and equal treatment of all members of our community while encouraging the free exchange of ideas,” Freeman said in a statement. “We are committed to assuring our students, faculty and staff are provided an environment free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs or political viewpoints.
As such, we recognize and are saddened by the actions taken by the Florida Legislative Investigative Committee, also known as the Johns Committee, and other individuals during a dark chapter in Florida’s history a half-century ago. These actions, while reflective of a different era, are not to be defended, excused or forgotten. In particular as an institution of higher education, it’s essential that we learn from our past in order to better the future.” Freeman went on in the statement about Young’s contributions to the Tampa Bay area saying why the ROTC building, as well as a science building, carried the late state senator’s name. “During the course of his 43-year tenure in the United States Congress, C.W. Bill Young made a transformative impact on USF’s development as a world-class public research university. It’s because of Young’s tireless advocacy to support veterans’ education and marine
research programs at USF that two facilities – our Joint Military Leadership Center and the complex that houses our College of Marine Science – bear his name. If not for his support for these initiatives – in addition to healthcare, biological defense, cancer clinical trials and Gulf of Mexico restoration following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – the Tampa Bay region, state of Florida and our nation would not be as strong as they are today. As a testament to this, many other facilities and programs across the country are named after Young in honor of his work in Congress,” Freeman said. At this time there are no plans to change the name of either USF facility named for Congressman Young. The TBSDS say that they will continue to push this issue until the university renames the building. They plan on holding a rally within the next few weeks most likely in front of the ROTC building.
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state news
Florida couples ask Judge For immediate birtH certiFicates Jamie Hyman
T
allaHaSSee | The same-sex couples fighting Florida’s refusal to add both parents’ names to their children’s birth certificates are asking the court to immediately move forward and issue the proper paperwork. Attorneys for Debbie and Kari Chin of St. Petersburg and Yadira Arenas and Alma Vazquez of Winter Haven filed a request for temporary injunction Oct. 16. “Defendants’ discriminatory denial of equal birth certificates to Plaintiffs and their children... violates Plaintiffs’ fundamental right to marry and to have their marriages treated equally and denies these families the privacy, dignity, legitimacy, security, support, and protections available to similarlysituated married different-sex parents and their children. There is no justification, let alone a constitutionally adequate one, for imposing these irreparable harms on the Plaintiffs’ families,” the filing reads. The lawsuit was filed in August by the two couples mentioned, plus Cathy Pareto and Karla Arguello, who were lead plaintiffs in Florida’s marriage equality lawsuit, and the Equality Florida Institute. They’re represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Florida attorneys Mary Meeks and Elizabeth Schwartz. Attorneys on behalf of the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics filed a motion for clarification Aug. 13, essentially asking whether the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage applies to vital statistics records, and whether the existing gender-specific language somehow exempts the state from birth certificates. “We are confident that the court will issue a ruling to protect our clients and all same-sex parents throughout Florida by requiring the State to issue birth certificates to both parents, but we implore the State to do the right thing, immediately, to prevent further unnecessary harm to these families,” Meeks says. Shannon Minter, NCLR’s legal director, says they’d been asking the Bureau of Vital Statistics to comply with the law for months before finally taking it to court. According to Equality Florida, inaccurate birth certificates cause a host of problems for children by hindering their parents’ ability to take care of needs such as obtaining healthcare, making medical decisions, signing up for daycare, and enrolling in government programs and benefits. The lawsuit simply asks the Bureau of Vital Statistics to list both parents on birth certificates when the parents are a married same-sex couple, just as they do when the parents are a married heterosexual couple. Meeks says the Judge entered a notation to the file that he would take the motion under advisement on Nov. 3 if the State had not filed a response by then.
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leon county scHools superintendent responds to aclu letter regarding treatment oF agender student Ciara Varone
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allaHaSSee | Leon County Schools Superintendent is responding to the American Civil Liberties Union after one of their attorneys asked for insurance that it will permit students to “wear clothing regardless whether it is consistent with gender stereotypes,” in a letter released Oct. 16. The ACLU dress code letter to the Tallahassee school was in response to an incident on Oct. 13 where a Fairview Middle School student, who was born male but identifies as agender, was told by Principal Scott Hansen that they needed to change out of their dress, because “dresses are not for boys.” The parents withdrew the eighth-grader from the school the same day. The ACLU says
the principal’s actions violated the student’s rights established under the Equal Protection Clause and the First Amendment. “Schools may impose a genderneutral requirement of proper, even formal, attire for school events (provided it does not create an undue financial burden for students). But schools cannot rely on sex stereotypes that require, for example, that boys wear tuxedos or suits and that girls wear dresses,” ACLU attorney Daniel B. Tilley said in a media release. Jackie Pons, superintendent of Leon County Schools, responded saying, “Our district takes issues like these very seriously and I regret that an incident occurred.” “I have met with the mother of the student and have apologized to her and her child on behalf of our
school district,” Pons continued. “I have reviewed Board Policy 5511 regarding dress codes and the dress code for Fairview Middle School and find no language that requires a student to dress a certain way based on gender. I can confirm to you that the Leon County School District’s policies do not contain or allow student clothing restrictions based on gender.” The ACLU applauded Pon’s commitment and actions to ensure appropriate treatment of transgender and gender nonconforming students. “We hope that other school districts take note and will ensure that their administrators, teachers and staff enforce dress codes within the bounds of the law and provide for the safe and respectful treatment of all students,” they said in a statement.
rights ordinance was proposed by the PBCHRC as part of the organization’s “Palm Beach County: You’re Welcome!” campaign. PBCHRC is a local nonprofit organization which is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. “The ‘Palm Beach County: You’re Welcome!’ campaign encourages municipalities to enact LGBT-inclusive civil rights laws,” Hoch said in a statement released by the PBCHRC after the victory in Wellington. “These laws will educate local residents and business owners of their civil rights and responsibilities. Moreover, the laws will help attract more jobs, revenue and resources to Palm Beach County.” “In contrast to many other states, Florida has no statewide law providing equal rights to gay, lesbian and gender nonconforming individuals,” said Hoch. “Therefore, until Congress or the Florida Legislature takes action, local LGBT advocacy rights organizations such as PBCHRC must continue to work with county and municipal leaders to protect our community form discrimination.”
“Voting to enact this ordinance was an easy decision,” said Village Council Member John T. McGovern. “Any time I can vote to further ensure all Village residents are treated equally, and that their rights and personal dignity will be protected, I will do so.” Although Florida has 67 counties, only 11—Alachua, Broward, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Volusia Counties—have LGBTinclusive civil rights ordinances. Wellington joins 19 other Florida municipalities—Atlantic Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Dunedin, Gainesville, Greenacres, Gulfport, Key West, Lake Worth, Leesburg, Miami, Miami Beach, Oakland Park, Orlando, St. Augustine Beach, Tampa, Venice, West Palm Beach and Wilton Manors—which have enacted LGBT-inclusive municipal civil rights ordinances. “Currently fifty-six counties and 392 municipalities in Florida have yet to take steps to prohibit discrimination against the LGBT community,” said Hoch. “Much work remains to be done in our state.”
all’s well in wellington: civil rigHts ordinance passes Staff Report wellingtOn, fla. | The Wellington Village Council voted unanimously on Sept. 10 to enact a civil rights ordinance for the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County. The ordinance prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, pregnancy, familial status or age. A draft of the civil rights ordinance was presented to the council Aug. 11 by the Palm Beach Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) president and founder Rand Hoch. The Village Council, with a vote of 4-1, directed a version of the ordinance to be prepared that was LGBT-inclusive and brought back for their consideration. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig was the sole “no” in the Aug. 11 vote. Hoch met with Gerwig after the Council’s meeting and persuaded her to support the civil rights ordinance, according to New Times Broward-Palm Beach. The LGBT-inclusive civil
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Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
nation+world news
Men who beat gay couple are banned from downtown Philadelphia, avoid jail time Wire Report
P
HILADELPHIA | Two men accused of beating a gay couple in a case solved with the help of social media sleuths will avoid prison time under a plea agreement announced Oct. 15 that outraged members of the gay community. Instead, prosecutors said, Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan must stay away from downtown Philadelphia for several years, pay just under $1,000 in restitution and perform 200 hours of service at a facility serving the LGBT community.
In a tweet, gay writer and activist Dan Savage called the sentence “appalling.” Williams, 24, and Harrigan, 26, apologized to the victims and the judge as they pleaded guilty to assault and conspiracy charges in the attack last year that left one victim with a broken jaw and cheekbones. They said the beating wasn’t motivated by the couple’s sexual orientation. Prosecutors said the victims, Zachary Hesse and Andy Haught, had encouraged a resolution that avoided excessive punishment while sending a positive message about tolerance
and understanding. Pennsylvania’s hate crime law does not cover sexual orientation. A third defendant, Kathryn Knott, will go to trial. Prosecutors say Williams and Harrigan, from the suburban communities of Warminster and Warrington, were part of a group that hurled gay slurs and profanity and beat Hesse and Haught near Philadelphia’s ritzy Rittenhouse Square Sept. 11, 2014. The case gained attention when police posted a video of the suspects, and online followers used social media sites to help identify them.
for not opting to wear a particular piece of clothing … that he or she does not feel comfortable with,” he told reporters. Girls at public schools in Puerto Rico traditionally wear skirts as part of their uniforms and the boys wear pants. Gay rights activists and some school officials praised the measure, which comes months after Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order prohibiting bullying in public schools based on someone’s sexual orientation. “It’s a bit late, but it was approved, which is important,” said Cristina Torres, director of a high school in Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second-largest city. “Changing people’s mentality from one day to another will be hard…
The most incredible thing is that young people can accept this with an open mind, but it’s the adults who discriminate.” Torres is familiar with the issue. Teachers filed a complaint against her two years ago for appearing in a picture with a student who wore women’s clothing at his graduation. The student was a victim of bullying and had received an award for overcoming difficult circumstances, she said. Garcia’s administration previously approved several measures in favor of the gay community, including one that allows transgender and transsexual people to change their gender on their driver’s license and another that protects their rights when seeking medical services.
Puerto Rican schools relax dress code rules to include LGBT students Wire Report SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico | Students at public schools across Puerto Rico for the first time can choose to wear pants or skirts as part of their uniform regardless of their gender without being punished, a move that has unleashed a debate on this socially conservative island. Education Secretary Rafael Roman said Oct. 12 that the new regulation he recently signed is meant to be inclusive of gay, lesbian and transgender students. He added that teachers will no longer be allowed to discipline students who prefer to wear pants instead of skirts or vice versa. “No student can be sanctioned
Pope begs forgiveness for scandals hitting Rome, the Vatican Wire Report VATICAN CITY | Pope Francis asked forgiveness Oct. 14 for recent scandals that have hit Rome and the Vatican, showing again he doesn’t much care about making waves if it’s for the sake of reassuring his flock. Francis didn’t cite examples in his off-the-cuff request for pardon at the start of his general audience. It was met with subdued applause afterward. However, the past week has seen its fair share of headlinemaking news that has involved the
church in one way or another. On the eve of Francis’ big and contentious meeting on family issues, a Vatican monsignor came out as gay and, with his boyfriend by his side, denounced homophobia in the Catholic Church. He was summarily fired from his job in the Vatican’s doctrine office. A few days later, Rome’s mayor resigned amid scandal of his own doing. But Mayor Ignazio Marino’s downfall followed widespread criticism within the church that the city was ill-prepared to handle the millions of pilgrims expected for
Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy, which starts in December. And finally, Francis’ synod has been rocked by revelations that a dozen conservative cardinals wrote to the pope with serious concerns about the way the meeting was being run. “Before I begin the catechesis, I would like in the name of the church to ask your forgiveness for the scandals which have recently fallen on Rome and the Vatican,” Francis said to thousands of people gathered under damp but warm skies in St. Peter’s Square. “I ask your forgiveness.”
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in other news Suspect arrested in Maryland transgender murder Maryland police have arrested a suspect in the killing of a transgender woman near a shopping mall in Montgomery Village. Police say 20-yearold Rico Leblond was arrested for the fatal shooting of Zella Ziona, a transgender woman. Ziona was fatally shot on Oct. 15 in a service alley near the Montgomery Village shopping center and police say Ziona and Leblond knew each other. Leblond has been charged with firstdegree murder and is being held without bond.
montana: professor sues university claiming he was fired because he’s gay A former assistant professor has filed a lawsuit against Montana State University, saying he was denied tenure and fired because he is gay. David Agruss filed the lawsuit Oct. 15 in Gallatin County District Court. Agruss taught English at MSU from 2008 to 2015. His lawsuit contends that he was “subject to homophobic discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract.” MSU says they have not seen the filing, and don’t comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit asks for a jury trial and unspecified damages.
michigan Same-sex couple set to adopt kids after lawsuit The same-sex couple who challenged Michigan’s ban on gay marriage will finally be able to adopt their children in Oakland County Circuit Court. Attorney Dana Nessel, who represented Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer, says in an email that the formal adoption hearing is scheduled for Nov. 5 in Pontiac. The couple is raising four children at their Hazel Park home. They sued the state in 2012, challenging Michigan’s ban on gay marriage and restrictions on joint adoption because same-sex couples couldn’t marry in Michigan. Rowse and DeBoer married in August after the U.S. Supreme Court said same-sex couples have a right to marry in June.
Gay US ambassador to Denmark marries partner The U.S. ambassador to Denmark has married his partner in the Scandinavian country that became the first nation to allow gay couples to formalize their unions in 1989. Rufus Gifford, the U.S. envoy since September 2013, is a strong gay rights advocate and often appears with Stephen DeVincent, a 56-year-old veterinarian, at his side. The two were married Oct. 10 at the Copenhagen City Hall. Gifford, a 41-yearold Boston native, wrote on Twitter: “26 yrs ago the site of 1st legal gay unions in the world. Humbled and emotional.” Later in the day, he posted a smiling photo of the two, showing off their rings: “In the land that created fairy tales, we just started our own.”
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B
viewpoint
Jason Leclerc
The other side
of life
I
Property axes
’ve discovered a patch
of invasive, non-indigenous flowering weeds on my little patch of American soil. While I wait for the herbicide to kick in, I’m going break out a hatchet to keep it from spreading to my neighbors’ lawns. I’m going to do my duty as a good citizen, destroy an otherwise pretty bed on my own property, and protect the fragile native ecosystem. This process may look selfdestructive, but it must be done. Stand back, friends, Election Day is coming.
The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution declares,“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” Many conservative arguments for states’ rights are rooted in this simple yet powerful clause. Strict constructionists have used this to justify local control over such important institutions as education; it’s invoked in arguments about abortion and gay marriage. Let’s not forget that little squabble about local hegemony in the 1860s. On many of these issues, as they relate to the Tenth, we conservatives proclaim that the nearer our elections are to our address, the more valid they are. Let the feds protect our borders, endorse basic freedoms, and guarantee our contracts. We’ll handle education, infrastructure, and policing locally. We know our communities, we know our neighbors, we know our children’s teachers, the cashiers at Publix
and the complexities around which utilities should service which neighborhoods. Just as we claim the supremacy of the local in how we spend—budgets are little more than an expression of values and priorities—we also prefer that the funds we contribute remain close at hand in their allocations. Fundamentally, the idea of being taxed so that our hardearned dollars are spent in others’ communities flies in the face of what we consider good government practice. We want our neighborhoods policed according to our own standards. We want school curricula to reflect our local value sets. There are real and legitimate roles for municipal government and they require funding. In Jeffersonian terms, we want to cultivate our own fields. A wholesale anti-tax approach to governance does not jibe with our needs. More importantly, it does not jibe with the responsibilities of citizenship. It is one thing to argue that our federal taxes are an imposition. If that argument is followed up with an argument against local taxes that would fill that gap, then we have neglected our duties as they apply to the legitimate needs that government must provide. We conservatives cannot proclaim that the federal government should be out of the education business (or the healthcare business, or the infrastructure business) and then complain when a municipality makes a claim upon our wealth. Scorched earth leaves us all, eventually, starved. Do we want A-rated schools where our neighbors’ children learn a spirit of acceptance? Do we want a world class performing arts center? A venue for New Years’ bowl games? Professional basketball, soccer, football, hockey? Do we want a thriving and bustling downtown? Do we want to attract medical elite? Do we want our home values to increase and the quality of life in an everexpanding periphery to rise?
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Do we want neighborhoods that welcome us and value our lives? These are not free! It’s one thing to proclaim that the federal government hasn’t a place in these issues. It’s an abandonment of our responsibilities as citizens
swing our rhetorical machetes. We cannot not be taxed at all. Government and institutions have their places in modern America. If we want them controlled locally, we need to fund them locally. We, especially those of who are most affected by local
Those powers, “Not delegated to the United States… are reserved… to the people.” We make our pacts with our communities to meet the needs that we don’t entrust to the federal government. Incumbent upon us is to give our neighbors, our councilmen
to also proclaim that local government doesn’t deserve funding. It’s a disingenuous position rooted in greed. Certainly arguments about accountability and the proper allocation of resources raised through taxation—in our case, sales and property—are valid. Consider that such arguments lose credibility in the sunlight of the Tenth Amendment from behind which we prefer to
taxation on consumption and property, have the most ability to vote with our feet. If we are displeased with the amount of local taxation, we can move to another jurisdiction where we are less imposed upon. And yet, we spread our roots. We are invested and our investments pay off; if they didn’t we would move. Instead, we seek equilibrium based on valid market forces.
and mayors, our governors and legislators, and our water and soil commissioners, the resources they need to fulfill their responsibilities. If we do not, then we have no solid ground upon which to stand when the federal government attempts to fill that empty ground with more non-native greenery.
A wholesale anti-tax approach to governance does not jibe with our needs. More importantly, it does not jibe with the responsibilities of citizenship.
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viewpoint
Rick Claggett, Publisher
wo r d s
to live by History
O
ctober is a full month
of celebration and awareness. It’s LGBT History Month, Headdress Ball, Come Out With Pride, Tampa Bay Internal Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Coming Out Day, Sarasota Pride and Volusia County Pride, to name a few.
Amid the parties and fundraisers it is easy to lose sight of another yearly happening: the anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard. On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard entered the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming where he met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The two men planned to rob Matthew and pretended to be gay in order to win over his confidence. McKinney and Henderson offered to drive Matthew home, but instead took him to a remote location. Once there, they beat Matthew with a pistol, tied him to a fence and left him for dead. Eighteen hours later Matthew Shepard was found bloodied and in a coma, save where the trails of tears had washed his blood away. His injuries were too severe and ultimately took his life on Oct. 12 at the young age of 21. Matthew’s death has always hit close to home for me. Just two years before his attack, I was a 21-year-old student at a small, private, Southern Baptist college in North Carolina. Although I was able to find pockets of acceptance, it was clear LGBTs were not on equal footing. My attempt
to start an LGBT youth group was met with great resistance and threats. Wanting so badly to have that gay connection, I can easily see myself falling for the same trap Matthew did. It didn’t take long for my sadness over Matthew Shepard to turn to anger. I blamed two entities: politics and religion. On the political spectrum, we start with the federal policies Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (1994) and the Defense of Marriage Act (1996), signed into law by then President Clinton. Although DADT was designed to improve the situation for LGBT soldiers, it became a weapon for witch hunts in the military. DOMA sought to protect marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. Both policies sent a clear message to citizens that LGBT persons were not accepted by the federal government. Congress was led by ultra-conservatives who helped paint an immoral picture of LGBTs. When President Clinton nominated what would’ve been America’s first gay Ambassador (James C. Hormel to Luxembourg), Right-wing leadership was quick to discredit him. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms called LGBTs degenerates and morally sick wretches. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott compared being gay to being an alcoholic, and Senator Chuck Hagel argued that a gay person could not represent the values of America. The political climate of 1998 facilitated the notion that LGBTs are bad, and it’s OK if bad things happen to them. Religion’s obsession with LGBTs also played a role in LGBT hatred. I’m not speaking of all religious views, just the ultra-conservative religious views that are treated as if they are the only interpretations.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Aside from the normal rhetoric, in 1998, 15 conservative Christian organizations took out ads in major publications promoting reparative therapy in an attempt to shame LGBTs into heterosexual conversion. I’m not suggesting that the murderers of Matthew Shepard saw these ads and then felt it was OK to
then wouldn’t it logically be OK to fire an employee for lying to their kids about the existence of the tooth fairy?If a florist doesn’t have to provide flowers for an LGBT wedding, then can they refuse to provide flowers to wedding with shrimp on the menu? It sounds silly, right? It’s difficult to take religion seriously when it’s used
Anti-gay discrimination and hate crimes still exist. New laws are being written to allow further discrimination against the LGBT community. Politicians are giving credit to Kim Davis. They are promoting the same bigotry towards LGBTs that was present in 1998, and they need to be called out on it. Although we have
beat him. I am, however, suggesting that unlike economics, hatred will trickle down. Why do conservative zealots spend so much energy on LGBTs? Let’s assume that God exists. Let’s assume homosexuality is a sin. It is my understanding that all sins are equal, so why is so much time spent on hating LGBTs? If LGBTs can lose their jobs for being LGBT
against LGBTs because the arguments seem to have more holes in them then vintage issues of Playboy. It’s important to look back on this 17th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard because we must use our past to gauge our future. Politics and religion have made some positive ground for LGBTs since the murder of Matthew Shepard, but have we gained enough? No.
marriage equality, we are not fully equal. Our community has had a great deal of celebrating to do this month, and I encourage it. I also encourage you to reflect on where we came from to make these celebrations possible. Get involved. Know your history to shape your future.
Although we have marriage equality, we are not fully equal.
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
talking points Heterosexual actors and actresses do not have to go to great lengths to hide their sexuality. Yes, of course, keep your private life private. But if it’s in relation to sexuality, then no—that’s an unfair double standard.
MORE THAN
6 MILLION
AMERICANS have
COME
OUT
—aCtreSS ellen page reSpOnding in METRO WEEKLY tO matt damOn’S COmmentS tHat an aCtOr’S Sexuality SHOuld Be a myStery tO Better Serve perfOrmanCe.
hbO’s lOOKing set tO film finale
w
Hen tHe HBO SerieS LOOKING waS CanCelled after only two seasons, it left fans without a proper finale and many unanswered questions. HBO promised a two-hour movie special to tie up the loose ends and it now looks like they are delivering on that promise. Filming starts Nov. 2, and series star Jonathan Groff will be stepping away from his current role on Broadway in Hamilton to shoot the film. Book of Mormon and Girls’ actor Andrew Rannells will temporarily replace Groff in the musical during the month of November. Details of the film have not been released but the working title for the film is Looking for an Ending and will air on HBO sometime in 2016.
On
FACEBOOK since it Was fOunded in 2004,
INCLUDING
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Oscar push fOr trans actresses Of TAngERinE
F
Or tHe firSt time in tHe 88 yearS the Academy has handed out Oscars, a movie distributer is pushing for nominations for transgender actresses. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor star in Tangerine, a Sundance hit about two transgender prostitutes on a Christmas Eve adventure through Los Angeles. The campaign, from Duplass Brothers Production who produced the film and Magnolia Pictures who distributed it, will push for Rodriguez for Best Actress and Taylor for Best Supporting Actress. Until now, actors who have garnered nominations—and in some cases a win—for transgender characters were cisgender actors portraying them.
watermark Your lgbt life.
stePhen cOlbert defends camPbell’s gay dads cOmmercial
O
N THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, the show’s host defended Campbell’s soup commercial featuring two gay dads after it was attacked by online hate group One Million Moms. The commercial features an actual family of two gay dads feeding their son Star Warsthemed Campbell soup. Campbell’s tagline for the commercial is “made for real, real life.” OMM went on the attack saying “This gayinclusive commercial is attempting to desensitize viewers.” Colbert responded, “One Million Moms is furious that Campbell’s Soup is being associated with gay men. Psssst. Nobody tell them about Andy Warhol.”
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ellen cOming Out named tOP mOment in pOp culture
E
llen degenereS’ COming Out epiSOde on the ABC series Ellen is one of the most influential pop culture moments of the last 25 years, according to Entertainment Weekly. The magazine turns 25 this year, and to celebrate this milestone, EW released the 10 most influential pop culture moments since 1990. “It was a watershed moment,” EW Deputy Editor Meeta Agrawal said on the Today Show. “To have this major leading character of a primetime sitcom say on the show ‘Yes, I’m gay’ really paved the way for shows like Will & Grace and The L Word afterward. The magazine also placed the release of Brokeback Mountain in 2005 on the list.
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Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
in-depth: pOlitics
PHOTO By JAKE STEvEnS
I
Billy Manes
t’S getting ugly Out tHere.
FIVE FIGHTING for
OrlandO city cOmmissiOner
Patty sheehan isn’t gOing anywhere.
watermark Your lgbt life.
As this article was coming to fruition, scant weeks before the Nov. 3 municipal election, you could taste the mud, even if you weren’t within slinging distance.
Between the District 4 election, featuring likely victor Patty Sheehan (who is seeking her fifth term), and the mayoral election starring purported victor Buddy Dyer (a race which seems to be overcome with bad political hacks and the shoes they pranced in on), Orlando’s great race has taken on an ugly hue. Talk of smearing the blood of certain candidates’ parents along the road aside, the tone is worse that we’ve ever seen, and we tend to look at a lot of smears and laugh. We sat down with Sheehan, the city’s first LGBT commissioner, elected in 2000, as a means of hearing her out, good and bad (though even she can’t explain the “hyperbolic” display of local-politics animosity being played out here). Sheehan isn’t a figurehead to be grandfathered into anything, mind. She’s been painted as an opportunist, a former activist, a perpetual “yes” vote to Mayor Buddy Dyer’s Tomorrowland of expensive projects and the bonds they rode in on. She’s taken her punches, but she remains accessible. Also, as one of the key movers in the fight to make LGBT rights matter in Central Florida, she is, without a doubt, an ally. yOu’ve been dOing this fOrever. a fifth term?
But the thing is, people don’t think I’ve been with them for that long because I moved around so much. I mean, I’ve literally had the most change in my district. I’ve been through two redistrictings, so people aren’t tired of me… to them I’m new, especially in Wadeview and Delaney (both in South Orlando). I just picked them up in the last redistricting. I keep joking. I’m like, I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, and my constituents tell me, “Don’t grow up.” So the bottom line is, they’re happy with me, but there are difficult moments: They’re called elections.
cOntinued On pg. 33 | uu |
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
| uu | Patty Sheehan frOm pg.31
but why Keep trying? sure, the “career POlitician” flag is being flOWn at the mOment in yOur directiOn, but what Keeps yOu gOing internally?
I still love what I do, though. And the thing is, I think I had to use up so much political capital, to be honest, with my first part of my career—all of the gay stuff. And I’ve pretty much gotten, I’d say, 90 percent of the gay stuff is accomplished. I’d like to start working on some art stuff that I’ve been doing and working with the small businesses. You know, doing the city commissioner stuff. Like I said, I did have to put a lot of political capital, time, effort and energy into that. yOu were OrlandO’s pOster child fOr it.
Right. And now I’m hitting my stride. I’m on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. I’m working on school issues. I’m working on other issues that I really love, and I don’t think I’ve lost my passion. You know, if I really felt that I didn’t have anything to offer, of course I would go do something else for a lot more money and use a lot less energy, to be honest. I mean it’s not like I’m getting rich doing this.
yOu’ve develOped a thicK sKin Over the years, then.
I have, you know? I mean, people have been saying, when I first got elected, they said it was a fluke. Now they say, I’ve been here. Now they say I’ve been here too long. So it’s always something with the people who don’t like you. If it’s legitimate criticism, I’ll take it to heart, and I’ll make changes. God knows I’ve made enough changes in my personal life when I’ve needed to. I’m not so thick-skinned that I can’t change. But, there are some people, no matter what you do, they don’t like you, and that’s OK.
it’s been such a gangbusters periOd fOr OrlandO, with OrlandO city sOccer club and the new venues and all Of it. where dO we mOve fOrward frOm here?
It has. It’s been an amazing time. Everybody says, “What’s the next big thing?” and it’s hard to predict. Could we have predicted all of this success with all of these venues four years ago even? Probably not. They were visions. But it makes a difference who your representation is, because [former Mayor] Glenda Hood tried to accomplish a lot of the same things and was unsuccessful. And she had a divided council, and people weren’t on board. It’s exciting to be on a council that’s not fractured, and there’s not any fighting. That’s one of the things I like about local government is that there’s no such thing as a Democratic or Republican pothole. But at the end of the day, we’re all human beings, and I think that’s something that I wish media and politicians would remember instead of vilifying each other. At the end of the day, we do go home to our families. We do hurt. We do have horrible things happen to us. We are human. I think people forget that I’m human sometimes. They’ve come up and said crazy stuff to me and, while I’m thick-skinned, sometimes it really does hurt my feelings. But at least I don’t get comments about my hair anymore, because my hair is fabulous. dO yOu want tO talK abOut yOur sObriety, and hOw much that has meant tO yOur reputatiOn Or public criticism in general?
Yeah, of course I do. I think that’s important, because that used to be the thing everybody criticized me for. I was a jerk. I was a drunk … but I was drunk. But here’s the thing: I also went through my own personal hell. It wasn’t as dramatic and public as a lot of people’s. I was going through a horrible divorce that I tried to do everything to not make tabloid-fodder. … I was still
drinking at the time, but it made me look at everything in my life. And they say, when someone kicks you off the cliff, you either fall or you grasp on for something, and I think it forced me to grasp on and take a look at what was going on with me. I’ve always been the rescuer; I always wanted to fix things for other people. And while that makes me a good politician, it did not make me a good partner.
yOu weren’t On facebOOK fOr a while. yOu came late.
At first I wasn’t because … sOmeOne made a fake accOunt fOr yOu.
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It was a fake account. There were all of the issues that came with that, and I was frightened of it. And then I said, you know, I’ll try it. And I’ll do it on my terms. I don’t air my dirty laundry. I mean you can’t be airing your laundry out there, you know, every bad thing that happens to you… and expect that people are going to be leaving you alone. If you put it out there for people, it’s fair play. But I try to use it to inform. I don’t engage in this Facebook fighting… you can’t.
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When we lit Lake Eola, the fountain, again for the first time after it had been off for almost two years, that was really cool. Of course the wedding day [Jan. 6] was just amazing. It was just incredible. Domestic partnership day for me was lovely, even though it didn’t last long. My relationship didn’t last long at all. They still play us on the B-roll on CNN. Oh my god, it’s so
cOntinued On pg. 35 | uu |
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
all should be beaten and kept in the dark and not paid any money. You know, we have a very good group of people in City Hall, and I’m proud of them. They do a good job. What have been your biggest challenges?
Swan swan hummingbird: Patty Sheehan feeds her pet project. Photo by Jake Stevens
| uu | Patty Sheehan from pg.33
embarrassing. And, like you, I had to go through that publicly, and at the same time I was just dying inside. Are you seeing someone now?
I’m not. It was horrible for me, because I was heartbroken. I mean, I was absolutely devastated and heartbroken. I didn’t see it coming at all. I had no idea. I mean, literally it went from one day to the next and it was over. I didn’t have any idea it was coming. Different subject! Are you proud of the venues projects downtown?
I’m incredibly proud of the venues. You know, to be able to do all those in the worst budget years, but to be able to do it with Tourist Development Tax and using our partnerships and some of the community redevelopment agency, has been great. What people don’t understand is, “Why are you using our tax money?” Well, TDT is the hotel beds’ tax. … And the hotel industry people have been wonderful partners to say they want to help us build these venues downtown. They’ve been great. I’ll be the first one to thank them. And they appreciate that out of me. It would have never been possible
without their support. I think it’s a great thing. We have a performing arts center that’s amazing, the Amway Center. This is the thing: People naysay what they don’t understand. They don’t think we deserve nice things. And we do. I do believe that we deserve nice things. But even you had a bit of an issue with the Amway situation, as far as naming
things while trying to work it out? Yep. I don’t just blather it out to the media, unless I feel like I’m not being heard.
In terms of living-wage issues…
Well there was the Tinker Field thing, but we got it worked out. I don’t go to the media unless I feel like I’m just being severely
This is the interesting thing. We were very supportive the last time the unions brought us the living-wage ordinances, made the adjustments. Well now they’re back, and I fully support it. But the thing is, they always seem to wait until election time. Don’t wait until election time. You guys, I’m here every day. Why don’t you bring
ignored. I thought the Princeton [development] thing was ridiculous. The legal people told us we weren’t commissioners anymore. I’m like, “nonsense.” We’re city commissioners, and we can vote on this, and if you tell me that we’re going to get sued: That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. So sometimes people will try to take advantage of my colleagues’ lack of experience. That’s what you get with experience. You know what the code is. You know what your rights are. I mean I’m a senior member of council now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
some of the other legislation that has been passed in other cities that has worked? We’ll have to look at the budget implications. And you know, we’ll see. I’m certainly supportive. I think if someone works 40 hours a week, they should be making at least $30,000 a year. Absolutely. So of course I support that. But I also have to do a study, and then once we raise the lowest people, then we’ve got to figure out the whole implication in the budget. But yeah, I support it. Because I think that people who work hard, and people who cast aspersions upon government workers, think we
Have you had any problems with Buddy that you would want to speak about?
You know, if I really felt that I didn’t have anything to offer, of course I would go do something else for a lot more money and use a lot less energy, to be honest. —Patty Sheehan rights and the corporation’s notoriously anti-gay leadership.
There were just a couple scrapes here and there. I didn’t know if we were going to get enough money. I still don’t know. … Either your colleagues are going to agree with you or not. … I can disagree with the mayor from time to time. I can still like him. I can still work with him. I still support the man. Sometimes we have a disagreement. That’s OK. Now, do I go to people, do I go to him, do I go to his desk and say I have a problem with the following
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Being gay. At first I said it was a fluke. And the funny thing was that they wanted to ask me right away, the conservative folk. And the other funny thing was that they didn’t come after me for being gay. They went after me for sidewalks, which was hilarious … I’m still the queen of sidewalks. There’s a reason we’re the No. 1 pedestrian fatality city in America: because we don’t have sidewalks. So we thought, we get federal funding every time we ask for it because we’re the No. 1 pedestrian fatality place in America. So we always get funding for it. We go through and do it. I hired a a fulltime person to deal with it, because people are cuckoo with the city about sidewalks. They say we don’t want sidewalks and nobody has ever been hit walking on our street. I was actually in a neighborhood talking with someone who was very upset about sidewalks, and I spent two hours getting yelled at—tried to work it out, explain it and I did. I thought we came to a meeting of the minds. Does it get exhausting?
You asked me what’s hard. I gave a speech to the National League of Cities about sidewalks, and people laughed, because they thought I was kidding. I had to have a police officer. I had 24-hour police protection, because the threats got so bad. It’s the hardest thing we do. But, you know, one of my friends got killed walking to school in second grade. I’ll never forget that. You know, I mean, that’s the thing. If you’re a public servant, which I feel I am, I think there are two reasons people get into politics: You either want to be somebody or you want to help somebody. And I come from the ‘trying to help somebody’ thing. I mean if I’m not willing to take a stand on something as elementary as children walking to school safely, or people walking safely—if I’m going to sit there and warm a chair and not do anything controversial, even though it seems like it should be considered silly, then I don’t belong there. You know, it’s not about warming the chair. People who want this job think it’s about parading and getting attention. You don’t get the attention unless you put in the time.
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NewsiesTheMusical.com Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
arts and entertainment
a
Tom Dyer
manda BearSe waS
the cover girl on the very first issue of Watermark back in August 1994. But the actress, famous for her role as ditzy Marcy D’Arcy on the hit television series Married… with Children (1987-1997), played a far more significant role in LGBT history. A year before she graced our cover, Bearse became the first actor on a primetime network show to come out. The Advocate cover story was big news and broke ground for Ellen, Rosie and a cavalcade of entertainers.
Bearse is also hometown hero. At Winter Park High School, legendary theater teacher Ann Derflinger encouraged her acting talent. In 1981, Bearse went to New York and landed a role on the soap opera All My Children that lasted for three years. In 1985, director Tom Holland cast Bearse in his horror classic Fright Night. As Amy Peterson, Bearse transitioned from girl-next-door to bloodsucker and joined Kirsten Dunst (Interview With the Vampire) as one of the most memorable female vampires in film history. Bearse will join fellow cast members and other horror stars (Neve Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, Burt Reynolds, Barry Bostwick) at Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Halloween Weekend at the Hyatt Regency Orlando from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Bearse directed more than 30 episodes of Married… with Children. She’s spent the bulk of her career since behind the camera, directing episodes of Reba, Mad TV, The Jamie Foxx Show, Dharma & Greg, and Veronica’s Closet. In 2006 she teamed with Rosie O’Donnell to direct The Big Gay Sketch Show on Logo. I spoke with Bearse by telephone from her home on Vashon Island, Washington, a picturesque island in the middle of Puget Sound where she lives with her wife, Carrie Schenken. “We were living in Seattle and when I discovered
loCal leGend
cOntinued On pg. 38 | uu |
winter park’s amanda bearse was an lgbt groundbreaker. sHe returns Home to celebrate FrigHt nigHt at spooky empire.
watermark Your lgbt life.
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| uu | Amanda Bearse from pg.37
Vashon I was like, ‘Why are we not living here?’ she said. “You have to take a ferry to get here, but we’re making it work.” Bearse has a daughter, Zoe, now 21 and in college, and two children with Schenken. WATERMARK: You have a
special place in my heart, Amanda. You were on our first cover 21 years ago, and I have that issue framed in my office. I look at it—and you—several times a day.
AMANDA BEARSE: I know, Tom. Congratulations. I spent some time on your web site before I called. It’s fantastic.
To me you’ll always be our first cover girl. But I forget sometimes that back in 1994, you were the only actor on a primetime television series that had come out. Did you get recognition from your peers back then? Are you acknowledged by them today?
In a word, no. Nor would I expect them to. I’m acquaintances with Ellen and Rosie. I shot a show called The Big Gay Sketch Show for three years under Rosie’s banner, and we worked together to launch the LOGO television network in a more expansive direction—a valiant effort. But no. It was just my time. It was my journey to make that choice back in 1993. It was around the birth of my daughter, Zoe, and wanting to hold that event sacred and not have it bastardized in the press. You’re sweet to remember and acknowledge me. There are people that I meet—often at conventions like Spooky Empire in Orlando—who come up to me and say really wonderful words about how my coming out impacted their lives. It means a great deal to me. It was a big deal, Amanda. You were on a hit TV show. And you were the first! It was an Advocate cover, wasn’t it?
Yes, I was on the cover of The Advocate twice: first when I came out, and then when Zoe was around a year old for a story about gay adoption and gay parenting. I’m very proud of those. In a way, I think I stepped off the activism wave when Ellen
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What I like about vampires, as opposed to other monsters, is that they have such humanity. —Amanda Bearse
decided to come out. I continued to do some work for HRC—I was actually their poster child for National Coming Out Day. I have fond memories and I’m proud of the work that I did. But once Ellen stepped out on the cover of Time, it became much easier to garner press around LGBT issues. So I sort of purposefully took a back seat. I just went and, you know, raised my family and lived my life. Believe it or not, I’m not one to seek the limelight. I’ve had a much longer career behind the camera than I ever did in front of it.
But you were a pretty outspoken activist in the ‘90s, back when it wasn’t easy to get celebrities and elected officials to ride in our parades. You spoke at rallies, at a Stonewall
commemoration, at the Gay Games. You helped raise the profile of Orlando’s Headdress Ball when you attended back in 1996. It’s like you carried the baton for a while and then handed it off.
Well, exactly. With HRC’s National Coming Out Day campaign, I posed for a poster with Mitchell Anderson, Dan Butler and Chastity, now Chaz, Bono. We were pretty much it back then. You’re right. I take great pride in being part of that history. I love that I got to be a part of it, and I love how people have taken that and run with it. We just celebrated National Coming Out Day. I think it’s still an important day to recognize. A lot of people are still in the closet, especially globally, but in our nation as well. Many with good reason, and that’s unfortunate.
watermark Your lgbt life.
It was an incredible day when the Supreme Court announced its decision on marriage equality. Did you take a moment and say to yourself, “I played a part in this.” I hope you did.
Well, I appreciate your framing it that way, Tom. I’m gay. We all played a part. I was already married when the Supreme Court made their decision. My wife and I were married in Vermont in 2010, before it was legal in our home state of Washington or across the country. So the battle for marriage equality is part of my personal history as well as our nation’s history. I’m proud of that. When you came out in 1993, did you think we’d be able to marry in a couple decades? I know I didn’t.
I don’t recall making predictions,
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but I’m not surprised. As a species, we’re evolving. There was a lot of fear and hatred surrounding homosexuality back then. Year by year, little by little, state by state, face to face, that’s falling away. People still have disagreements, but it’s no longer okay to spread that kind of hatred. There are many more watchdogs, gay and straight. Most importantly, people are living out and proud, and because of that the fear and hatred are falling away.
When we started Watermark back in 1994, lots of people wouldn’t talk to us or advertise with us or even pick up the paper (laughs)— even with you on the cover. Our mission back then was clear. But now our priorities and our sense of identity are more complex. Do you ever think about what it will mean being gay in the future?
That’s really quite a question.
Like it or not, for a long time we were defined by our oppression. Do you think we’ll always feel different?
I think it’s become more of a global issue, Tom. We still have issues in the United States. There is still anti-discrimination legislation that needs to be enacted, including protection for our transgender brothers and sisters. And there’s work to do in smaller and rural communities, and cities between the coasts. I feel more comfortable in certain cities than I do in others. When I walk down the street with my arm around my wife, the energy is different from place to place. So I think there is still work to do here. But the discrimination that takes place around the globe is far more pressing. Fortunately, because of social media, there’s far more awareness. When it comes right down to it, Tom, we all are one—and as human beings more and more of us are beginning to see that clearly. No matter what country you’re living in, no matter what your economic or educational opportunities, we are one in terms of being part of the human race. And it’s about looking at homophobia and addressing it on that level. My buddy Stuart Milk is passionate about battling
Continued on pg. 40 | uu |
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39
| uu | Amanda Bearse from pg.38
homophobia in places like Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where people can be executed for being gay. The United States is unique. We’re so big, with so many regional and ethnic differences.
Yes, but I think that will make it easier to carry our message of equality to the global community.
GOT YOU COVERED:
Bearse came out publicly in this 1993 issue of The Advocate.
Let’s talk about show business. On one episode of Married... with Children you played Marcy’s gay cousin, Mandy. What a riot. What, if anything, did you do internally to differentiate between those two characters?
[Laughs] I was probably a little more relaxed when I was playing Mandy, just as kind of me. Marcy was pretty uptight. I loved Marcy, of course. I have great affection for that character. But playing involved a different sort of communication with my body— smaller steps, a more staccato way of speaking. Mandy was more relaxed. I threw the idea out to the writers that it would be fun to do, and I was tickled that I got to do it. Unfortunately, it was at the end when the series was kind of imploding. It was sort of an homage to the Samantha/Serena characters on Bewitched. It was fun, but it was not fun being on the series by that time. We’d cancelled the studio audience, so it didn’t have the same life as earlier episodes. That last season was tumultuous. We’ve met several times. You’re not like Marcy at all.
There are some qualities… I can raise my voice just like her. But she was an archetypal heterosexual, and I’m not.
You’re also so articulate, self-assured and have a very different energy. It’s a tribute to your skills as an actress.
Thank you. But actually, of the characters on the show—not the actors, but the characters— Marcy was written a little more articulately I think.
With your character in Fright Night, you were recognized for creating one of the best female vampires in film history. There’s that
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LOVE AND MARRIAGE: Bearse
played nosey neighbor Marcy D’Arcy for 11 seasons on Married… With Children.
DRINKING AGE: Bearse, pictured with Watermark founder Tom Dyer, appeared on the first cover of the news magazine’s first cover 21 years ago.
SHOW ME YOUR TEETH: Bearse, along with her film co-stars, will appear at Spooky Empire 2015 for the 30th anniversary of the cult classic Fright Night.
whole idea that vampires are a useful metaphor for exploring misconceptions about the gay experience: that we have evil impulses that must be resisted; that we prey on innocent victims; that we’re forced to live in the shadows… all that stuff. Did that ever come up on the set of Fright Night?
and he regaled us with the most amazing stories about people like Elizabeth Taylor—never in an arrogant or pretentious way. But she was one of his oldest and dearest friends. It was remarkable to be around somebody who had been part of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
You know, Tom… I don’t know that I knew that. If I did, I haven’t thought about it in a long time. But I’m flattered that people responded to my portrayal of Amy in Fright Night. What I like about vampires, as opposed to other monsters, is that they have such humanity. Growing up, vampires were the only monsters I was afraid of because they seemed so real—not like Frankenstein or the Mummy. Tom Holland, who wrote and directed Fright Night, has such affection for the genre. I think that infused this little movie, and
it’s why Fright Night still finds an audience today.
It’s a little like Rocky Horror.
It is. It’s very cult. I’m so fortunate that the two things I’m most known for as an actor—Married... with Children and Fright Night— have become classics with large cult followings. Because I essentially left acting after Married... with Children. But I still get trotted out for these conventions. I get to meet Fright Night fans that span into several generations. It’s a hoot. Speaking of cult followings, Roddy McDowall was in Fright Night with you. Were you and he friends?
We did not get well-acquainted, but he was lovely to me. I remember being on the set, standing on our marks and waiting for lighting to be set before the cameras rolled. He was a walking film industry archive,
watermark Your lgbt life.
He was a gay actor from a different generation than you. He never came out, which makes me a little sad. What was your sense of that?
Fright Night was made in 1985, and I was still very much in the closet professionally. It was never discussed. I never really thought about it, but you’re right. It would have been wonderful to connect with him on that level. I wonder if someone from his generation could’ve done that. I guess it’s all ridiculously hypothetical…
I didn’t know Roddy on a
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personal level. He was not out professionally, but he may have been very integrated in his personal life. I hope so. I know that the character he created in Fright Night was very close to him: The humility, the vulnerability, the pathos were very real to him. His character gave an unexpected depth and resonance to this little vampire movie. It was a magical time making that film, so it’s kind of wondrous that we get to experience that together again and again when we attend these conventions together. And Spooky Empire means I get to come back to my hometown.
more information
What: Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Halloween Weekend Where: Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Dr. When: Oct. 30-Nov. 1 How: SpookyEmpire.com
VP15 WM ad_Layout 1 9/23/15 6:43 AM Page 1
4th Annual
Volusia Pride
Festival
Spooky Empire
brings out scares and stars for 13th year of Ultimate Halloween Weekend
I
Jeremy Williams
t’s that time of year again,
when the Cineplexes will be filled with scary movies, the Burger King’s will be overrun by black bun Whoppers and, for Central Florida, Spooky Empire will roll in with a fright-filled weekend of all things horror, sci-fi and fantasy with the Ultimate Halloween Weekend.
Spooky’s Ultimate Halloween Weekend will be at the Hyatt Regency on I-Drive Oct. 30- Nov. 1 and in proper scary fashion, is celebrating its 13th year of horror conventioning with the biggest stars yet. Making an appearance will be transgender author Zac Brewer. Brewer is best known for the young adult vampire novel series The Chronicle of Vladimir Tod and The Slayer Chronicles. Brewer came out as transgender in an interview with Publishers Weekly in June of this year. “I am so big on authenticity,” Brewer told Publishers Weekly. “I always say to my Minions (Brewer’s fans are referred to as Minions), ‘Own your weird. Embrace who you are, and whoever you are, you are special.’ It’s been weighing on me that I’m not taking my own advice. How can you tell the world to do it and not do it yourself?” Other notable celebrities in attendance include Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard from director Wes Craven’s 1996 hit slasher film Scream. Legendary horror director Craven passed away not two months ago from brain cancer and will be honored at Spooky with a tribute movie marathon Oct. 29. Part of the proceeds from the ticket sales will go to Compassionate Hands & Hearts Breast Cancer Outreach. Spooky will reunite the child actors (now all adults) from the 1971 Gene Wilder classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be represented with appearances by stars Nell Campbell and Barry Bostwick. Making his debut to Spooky Empire is Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds. While Reynolds is best known for non-horror films like Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and Boogie Nights, he did appear in an episode of The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1960s. Reynolds also starred in the 1972 film Deliverance in which he had to listen to Ned Beatty squeal like a pig for toothless backcountry men. Weeeee! That is terrifying.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Saturday Oct. 24 Noon-5pm
Old Fort Park • New Smyrna Beach Under the old oaks with 40+ vendors
Celebrating Marriage Equality
Group Blessing for ALL marriages 1:45 pm • performed by UCC Pastor Rev. Dr. Diane Langworthy
Davey Leatherwood Singer/Songwriter • 1 pm
Community Art
Leave your handprint or special message on a giant canvas
Drawings
Lots of prizes to win! hotel stays, art, dining gift certificates and more!
Shawn Thomas
Christian Singer/Songwriter • 2 pm
Donation
Admission is FREE but we’re asking your help in stocking Gifts of Love Food Pantry. For every non-perishable, non-expired food item you bring, we’ll give you a FREE drawing ticket!
For up-to-date info visit volusiapride.com
RAJE Kings
Male impressionists • 3 pm
Dewey Rose Band
Back by popular demand • 4 pm
Volusia Flagler
Rainbow Alliance
Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
41
Free for Members $20 non-members
Network every first Wednesday with Orlando’s leading LGBT businesses and allies
networking
6:00
PM
Wednesday, November 4th Cash Bar Light hors d’oeuvres
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watermark Your lgbt life.
Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
music
Country approved
Lesbian singer-songwriter Brandy Clark is on the verge of becoming country music’s next superstar
(ABOVE)
High Life: Brandy Clark brings her raw and honest sound to the Florida coasts at the end of this month.
Photos courtesy Shore Fire Media
C
Jeremy Williams
ountry music, along with rap and
hip hop, are genres that have long held an image of exclusiveness when it came to women and gay artists. The music’s male dominated landscape leads some to label it misogynist and homophobic, but that seems to be changing.
In the last few years, several country artists have stepped out of the closet and onto the Grand Ole stage. One of those is the up-andcoming country talent Brandy Clark. Clark is a rarity in the land of country music; she’s a female artist who writes her own songs. Clark actually got her start writing songs
for other country artists. “It’s amazing when you hear a song you have written and someone has taken it and really made it their own,” Clark says. Clark penned some of the biggest hits on country radio over the last several years. Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Kacey
watermark Your lgbt life.
Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,” and The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” were all critical and commercial successes that came out of the head of Clark. “When I first heard [“Better Dig Two”] performed by The Band Perry on the CMA Award show, it was their rollout for that song. I was there with Trevor Rosen, who is one of the writers on it, and that was a pretty amazing moment,” Clark says. Clark’s success as a songwriter was not enough to stop her from wanting to be on stage herself. “I had sort of let go of the dream of being an artist myself, or so I thought, but really I never completely let go of that. Being able to stand on stage every night and sing my
Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
own songs and get that immediate response from a crowd, that’s a pretty big gift,” Clark says. Clark put together her first album, 12 Stories, with producer Dave Brainard. The album was first envisioned as a concept record which chronicled a couple’s relationship. While the concept was abandoned, that idea can still be heard in choices and layout of the album’s tracks. “I think I had a concept in my head of 12 Stories,” Clark says. “Dave and I, we sat down and we talked about a couple of the concepts I had, neither of which we used ultimately, but I think it helped shape what songs fit on the record.” The record is 12 songs that
Continued on pg. 45 | uu |
43
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| uu | Brandy Clark from pg.43
deal with heavy subjects, including religion and drug use, and carry a bit of dark humor. “A lot of the songs from 12 Stories came from the fact that nobody else would touch those songs,” Clark says. “The subject matter was just too much for a lot of artists, but those songs mattered to me. When I would play out, I would play those songs, and I saw what they did to an audience, so that has a lot to do with why those songs ended up on my record. And it’s funny, because once I started recording them, then other people wanted them, and I wouldn’t let them go.” 12 Stories was released in October 2013 and was a critical success, earning Clark two Grammy nominations: one for Best Country Album and one as Best New Artist. “That was one of those things in my life, I’m going to be honest, and if anybody who tells you any different is probably just trying to play it cool, but it felt like supreme validation,” Clark says. “That record had a long road, and it was hard to get labels to bite on it and to bite on me, so for it to end up getting two Grammy nominations felt like the biggest validation.” Even with Clark’s critical accomplishments and the success of other female country artists, the radio is still very much a male-dominated field right now. “I feel like it’s coming into a season where we are going to hear a lot more female voices on the radio, and I think it’s on us females,” Clark says. “A lot of women in country music are making really great music, whether it’s on the radio or not, but it’s on us to make music that matters. I look at times when there were a lot of
women on the radio, and one artist that really struck a chord with me was Patty Loveless. When I look back on the music she was making in the ‘90s, it was for women. She was telling stories for women and about women, and at some point we lost sight of that, and I think we need to get back to that.” One person who agrees with Clark is country music legend Reba McEntire. In an interview that ran in Watermark last May, McEntire said, “We’ve gotta promote these younger females coming on,” and when asked which ones came to mind, she singled out Clark. “My gosh, that girl! I’ve got three or four songs of hers on my new album. She’s got great material. I mean, Miranda’s [Lambert] recorded them. All the girls have recorded her songs,” McEntire said. Compliments from giants in country music are still something that Clark is trying to get used to. “When I hear that, I instantly think back to standing in line, buying her records,” Clark says. “At this point, I still haven’t met Reba, but that she would be talking about me in an interview like that is mind-blowing. She made a lot of music that made me want to make music, that made me decide to leave everything I knew and move out of Nashville and chase this. She has made records that people will be listening to a hundred years from now.” Clark is currently on tour with Jennifer Nettles and working on having her new album out by March 2016. Clark, along with Nettles, will be performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Oct. 24 and at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne Oct. 25.
watermark Your lgbt life.
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100 South Eola Drive, Orlando, FL
You’re Invited
Friday, November 6, 2015 8pm - 11pm We hope you will join us for this fabulous evening featuring live music, exciting entertainment, delicious hors d’oeuvre, open bars, and a State of the State address by Equality Florida co-founder and CEO, Nadine Smith.
Tickets $100 or $50 with valid student ID. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $500. To RSVP and for more information on sponsorship visit eqfl.org/orlandogala. For questions, call 407-376-4801. PRESENTED BY PO BOX 20786, TAMPA, FL 33622-0786
Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. All net proceeds directly benefit Equality Florida Institute, a tax exempt 501c3 non-profit organization. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE EQUALIT Y FLORIDA INSTITUTE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN FLORIDA (1.800.435.7352). REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION #CH7992.
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watermark Your lgbt life.
Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
event planner
community calendar OrlandO
Zombie ball 2015
dance, dance
evOlutiOn So You Think You Can Dance season 12 top finalists go on tour to show off their moves at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando Oct. 24, Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Oct. 27, and the Van Wezel in Sarasota Oct. 29. PHOTO COuRTESy OF FOX.COM
OrlandO Bad Girl Zuly Ramos, Oct. 22, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com Diva Tommie Ross, Oct. 23, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Tour, Oct. 24, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com The vampire’s Ball, Oct. 24, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-452-7571; ParliamentHouse.com
Hallows Eve, Oct. 30, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com Spooky Empire, Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando. 888-690-4695; SpookyEmpire.com Celtic Woman, Oct. 31, Bob Carr Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org #GirlTheParty Halloween Daylight Savings Dance of the Dead, Oct. 31, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SoutherNightsOrl.com
Cheap Trick, October 24, City Hall, downtown Orlando. CheapTrick.com
Halloween Extravaganza, Oct. 31, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com
Streetlight Manifesto, Oct. 25, House of Blues, Orlando. 407-934-2583; HouseOfBlues.com
America’s Got Talent live, Nov. 3, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com
Ricky Martin, Oct. 25, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; AmwayCenter.com Phi Phi O’ara Halloween House Party, Oct. 28, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com Blood Bath 9, Oct. 29, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsOrl.com Orlando Ballet: Giselle, Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, Walt Disney Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org
tamPa bay Tampa Bay Balance October Social, Oct. 22, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Tampa. 813-877-7290; BalanceTampaBay.org Halloween Pride Skate, Oct. 22, United Skates, Tampa. 813-876-5826; UnitedSkates.com/Tampa 19th Annual Top o’ the Bay Oktoberfest, Oct. 23-25, Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa. 813-855-4233; VisitStPeteClearwater.com
Cheap Trick, Oct.23, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com Halloween House Party, Oct. 24, Metro Wellness, St. Petersburg. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org GlOW Masquerade Ball, Oct. 24, Enigma, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0867; EnigmaStPete.com TBAC: The SMART Ride 12, Oct. 25, Hamburger Mary’s, Clearwater. 727-400-6996; HamburgerMarys.com/ Clearwater Jennifer nettles with Brandy Clark, Oct. 24, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Tour, Oct. 27, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com G2H2 St. Pete October Happy Hour, Oct. 28, Alvin’s Lounge, St. Petersburg. 727-777-7777; TheNewg2h2StPete.com Next to Normal, Oct. 29 – Nov. 15, Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
#GirlTheParty Halloween Eve- The night Before The nightmare, Oct. 30, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com Steam Fridays’ Blood Brothers, Oct. 30, Honey Pot, Tampa. 813-919-3712; Facebook.com/ SteamFridays
A scary good time will be had by all when Orlando Weekly’s Zombie Ball 2015 comes to Venue 578, now on a Saturday. The epic blowout will have live performances by Phantasmagoria, Cirque USA, Power Infiniti and more. Entertainment provided by DJ BUZA, Wolfe, CULTR, KYRO, D-Day, EVO Raptor Attack and many more. Open bar on select brands, haunted scare zones and a $1,000 costume contest. Dress up and get creative. You must be 21+ to attend.
mbA November Networking mixer wedneSday, nOv. 4, 6:00- 8:00 p.m. pet allianCe Of greater OrlandO, OrlandO The first Wednesday of every month the Metropolitan Business Association brings a networking mixer to a local business, this month come discover the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. There will be hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and, as always, Speed Networking. Come out and get to know your chamber, its members and make some new connections. The event is free to all members, guests are $20. You can pre-register at Business.MBAOrlando.org.
tamPa bay
Taylor Swift, Oct. 31, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa. 813-350-6500; RaymondJamesStadium.com Halloween Bash, Oct. 31, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900. QuenchLounge.com America’s Got Talent live, Nov. 4, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
sarasOta 21st Annual Downtown Sarasota Art & Craft Festival, Oct. 24, 25, Main Street, Sarasota So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Tour, Oct. 29, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 800-826-9303; VanWezel.org All Hands on Deck, Nov. 4, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 800-826-9303; VanWezel.org
To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Saturday, OCt. 24, 7:00 p.m.- 12:00 a.m. venue 578, OrlandO
tbGLcc October mentorship mixer tHurSday, OCt. 29, 4:00- 7:00 p.m. uSf marSHall Student Center, tampa Join the Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as they pair up with the University of Southern Florida for the October Mentorship Mixer. This month they will be introducing Networking Bingo for the students and mentors and will have raffle prizes for those participating. There will be light bites, refreshments and a cash bar. Make sure to RSVP through the TBGLCC’s Facebook event page.
st. petersburg
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 40th Anniversary Party friday, OCt. 30, 8:00 p.m. JannuS live, St. peterSBurg The cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show is celebrating its 40th anniversary and Jannius Live wants you to come see the film on the big screen. All ages are welcome and this is a free event, no ticket needed, but seats are available on a first come basis so get there early. Prop bags will be available for purchase and include free Bud Light.
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THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA UPCOMING FALL CONCERTS Raymond James Pops
Halloween Pops on Broadway So many treats – Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll & Hyde, Sweeney Todd, Dracula – for a bewitching night of music. Costumes welcome!
Oct 30 - Nov 1
Raymond James Pops
Curtis Stigers Celebrates Sinatra
Featuring
TRAVIS WALL
2015 Emmy® Winner for Outstanding Choreography And joining the cast
Come fly with the orchestra to celebrate a century of Frank Sinatra, with hits like I’ve Got You Under My Skin and Fly Me to the Moon.
WED • NOV 18 8PM
RICK UBEDA
@
2014 SYTYCD Winner
Nov 20 - 22
MORSANI HALL
STRAZ CENTER IT’S MORE THAN JUST A SHOW.
Listen Local • Concerts in Tampa • St. Pete • Clearwater 727.892.3337 or 1.800.662.7286 | www.FloridaOrchestra.org
813.229.STAR (7827) • STRAZCENTER.ORG Group Sales (10+ get a discount): 813.222.1016 or 1047
Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice. Handling fees will apply.
2015 CREATIVE TIME SUMMIT SCREENING: THE CURRICULUM Three museums host three days of live presentations by artists, educators, designers and cultural producers from within and beyond the Tampa Bay area, combined with video screenings from the 2015 Creative Time Summits in both Venice and New York. FRI., NOV. 13, 12-4pm Translate: Exchanging Knowledge through Collaborative Dance, Theatre and the Visual Arts USF School of Music Conference Center, Tampa; Presented by USF Contemporary Art Museum
Free, but limited seating. Light lunch provided. RSVP to amyallison@usf.edu by Nov. 10. For more info: http://cam.usf.edu/creativetime/
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SAT., NOV. 14, 12-5pm Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Training Workshop Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Marly Room
Free with admission ($17 for adults; $15 for seniors; $10 for students with current ID; free for members), includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day. RSVP to kpill@fine-arts.org by Nov. 10. For more info: http://www.fine-arts.org/ event/creative-time-summit-2/
watermark Your lgbt life.
SUN., NOV. 15, 11am-5pm We are Tampa: the Curriculum of Collective Identity and Heritage in Tampa Tampa Museum of Art, Dickey Family Lecture Hall
Admission: $15 for members and students, $20 for not-yet members. Admission includes lunch and admission to the galleries. Advance registration at www. tampamuseum.org required by Nov. 10. For more info: http://tampamuseum.org/ museum-events/event-list/?ee=598
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Event sponsors
overheard
tamPa bay Out+abOut
let’s dO the time WarP right meOw!
F
ew tHingS SCream HallOween mOre tHan a puBliC SHOwing of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show and it’s made even better when it’s done for charity. The Burns Court Cinema in Downtown Sarasota will have an all-out, costumed viewing over at the Frankenstein place on Halloween night. Admission will be a $25 donation and includes the Rocky Horror bag-o-goodies for the enhanced cinematic experience. Proceeds will go to the CAT DEPOT; a rescue, adoption, education and resource center for homeless cats and kittens. Hot Patootie, bless their souls. The donation also gets you a free raffle ticket and a free drink at the Starlite Room after party. Dammit Janet, if you’re a Rocky Horror virgin and don’t know the words don’t worry they’ll have subtitles and plenty of people will be there to help you touch-a, touch-a, touch your inner Rocky.
shOW me the meaning Of being elderly
F
Ormer BaCkStreet BOyBander niCk Carter took a break from his dancing shoes on the ABC hit-show Dancing with the Stars to speak with “The Miguel Show” on Hot 101.5 Oct. 16, where he offered up some advice to Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback, Jameis Winston. The Tampa native said he doesn’t want Mr. Winston to make the same mistakes he did living in “one of the best strip club cities in the world.” The advice: stay out of strip clubs, ditch all your dummy friends, keep your nose in the books and get a girlfriend, marry her and settle down. The advice even got picked up nationally by TMZ where they stated after offering up the advice, “Cater then ate dinner at 5 p.m., filled his candy bowl with butterscotch disks and fell asleep watching Jeopardy.”
dr. ben carsOn wants yOur vOte… and fOr yOu tO buy his bOOK
G
aining in tHe pOllS fOr tHe repuBliCan preSidential nOminatiOn, Dr. Ben Carson is taking a break from saying stupid things on the campaign trail to pay a visit to the Carrollwood neighborhood Barnes & Noble on Dale Mabry Nov. 3. He will be meeting the everyday people while he signs copies of his book A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties. Well, that is quite a mouthful of a title. For those unfamiliar with Dr. Carson or just wanting some conversation starters when you meet him, Dr. Carson is the Republican presidential hopeful that compared same-sex marriage to pedophilia, compared Democrats to Nazis and said Obamacare is worse on America then the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Did we mention he is surging in the polls.
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SinS, SinS everywHere: Lust was only one of the sins overflowing at the All Hallows’ Masquerade Ball, whose theme was Seven Deadly Sins, at District 3 Oct. 17. PHOTO By BRuCE HARDIn
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at tHe mOvieS: Stu Maddux, writer, director and producer of the documentary Reel in the Closet was at the film’s TIGLFF screening and panel discussion Oct. 10. PHOTO By nICK CARDEllO
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wHO needS a Selfie StiCk: luke Miller gets a selfie in with a local at BIG Gay Busch Gardens Annual Event in Tampa Oct. 17. Photo COuRTESy OF luKE MIllER
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werk it gurl: Sarasota realtor’s Chandler South and Mary Shannon Moore kick up their heels at Sarasota Pride in J.D. Hamel Park Oct. 17.
PHOTO By JEREMy WIllIAMS
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a Big gay gOOd-Bye: Ty Maxey (L) and TIGLFF interim executive director Scott Skyberg at the final day of festival’s 26th annual event Oct. 10. Great festival, see you all next year! PHOTO By nICK CARDEllO
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Omigawd SHOeS: (L-R) Jason Fields, Sonny Hotchkiss, James M Kelley, John laveck, Jeremy Wade neiman and ty Maxey get into character at Metro Wellness in St. Petersburg for the Kick Up Your Heels SMART ride fundraiser Oct. 11. Photo
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COuRTESy OF MARC RETZlAFF
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tHe nunS Have it: The clergy were out in force at the 39th Annual All Hallows’ Masquerade Ball held at District 3 Oct. 17. PHOTO By BRuCE HARDIn
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ZOmBie ClaSS: Anthony Citrola and Jeremy Wade neiman take in a showing of The Importance of Being Earnest with Zombies at freeFall Theatre Company Oct. 7. PHOTO COuRTESy
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OF JEREMy WADE nEIMAn
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Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
overheard
OrlandO Out+abOut
fire aWay
a
S yOu drive On millS and lOOk tOwardS tHe Center, you see what appears to be a complete renovation. We were told the grand opening would be sometime in September but now as we approach the end of October, the doors remain closed and the Center still operates next door. So, what gives? According to Terry Decarlo, he said the team at TrueScope has been on schedule, but the delay is due to the city and recent permitting issues. With the exterior complete and 75% of the interior nearing completion, DeCarlo said they were recently told a fire escape for the second level of the Center needed to be added (not required until the construction was nearly complete). Disguised as a blessing, this will allow the Center to complete everything as needed and still add those extra touches. DeCarlo said he plans to have a ribbon cutting ceremony on World’s AIDS Day (December 1st). Once the original Center has been occupied, the temporary Center will start a new refurbishment to be a continued for use as an add-on to the Center.
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fur & feathers
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He fur waS flying and apparently SO were tHe featHerS wHen pat O’rOurke (also known as Cubby Pat from the Bears in the City) joined the ranks of Joe McGill and Tim Calandrino, as he was named an “Angel” by the Orlando Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Saturday night at Bear Bust. The honor came during a brief ceremony at the courtyard of the Parliament House Orlando. To be an official Angel for the Sisters you have to have made contributions to the group; this doesn’t have to be just a monetary contribution but also can include other services. This also includes an official nomination that’s required to be approved by at least 50 percent of the order plus one. Congratulations to Angel Pat, the Cubbiest Angel!
the art Of hOrrOr:
F
rOm HELLRAISER TO NIGHTBREED, openly gay horror maven Clive Barker was rumored to be making an appearance at Gods and Monsters for the opening of the Necromancy art show. Due to some health issues, Clive isn’t able to attend. But his original artwork will be there as well as the work of many acclaimed artists of the horror genre. This free art show will run from October 24 – November 20, Gods and Monsters is located inside the Artegon Marketplace.
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PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
i Heart media: Sabrina Ambra, Real Radio News Junkie, snaps a selfie with Team Watermark aboard the Watermark float at Come Out With Pride. PHOTO By AMBRA
wyndS Of CHange: Gina Duncan, Equality Florida’s Transgender Inclusion Director, speaks at the Wyndham WynPride Coming Out Luncheon Oct. 7. She’s pictured with Jay Davenport from Wyndham Worldwide. PHOTO COuRTESy DunCAn
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nO StringS attaCHed: Michelle Jones with Fretless Rock electrifies the crowd with her musical performance Oct. 15 at Artegon Marketplace, for Watermark’s Third Thursday social. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
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Sneak peek: Ricky Cona and Jennafer newberry perform a preview of “Bat Boy: The Musical,” before Movies Out Loud: Leprechaun in the Hood, Oct. 14 at The Abbey. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
Cake time: Tatiana Quiroga (center), Southern Regional Manager for the Family Equality Council, celebrates her son Lukas’ 4th birthday at home Oct. 17. Quiroga’s wife, Jen West, is pictured in the background.
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engliSH CHannel: Chelsea Daley and Steven Kuba (center) rub elbows with The British Revolution, the four-piece band that rocks guests at the Epcot World Showcase near the UK Pavilion. PHOTO COuRTESy KuBA
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SHipS aHOy: (L to R) Chris Castanza, Mike van Dyke, Heather Barbour, Ed Dobski and Steven James enjoy cocktails and sunset aboard the Barbara Lee for the Rainbow River Cruise Oct. 11. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
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nO air: American Idol winner Jordin Sparks gives it up for the gays during her Pride Weekend performance at Parliament House. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
8 watermark Your lgbt life.
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Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
announcements
Wedding bells
rudy Wright and mike Van Der Leest from DeBary, Florida
congratulations
Barry Miller and the Closing Agent Inc. were named one of the Inner City 100’s fastest growing companies in the United States by Fortune Magazine.
years togetHer:
Ronnie Fox and William Moss of Tampa celebrate 19 years together on Oct. 24.
23 years
Ocoee’s Raul Salinas and Scott Stinson celebrate 27 years together this month.
engagement date:
Bach Festival Society of Winter Park’s Zac Alfson and Bryan Henley were engaged on Oct. 4.
No actual date, but they had talked about it for a while.
Happy second anniversary to St. Petersburg couple luanne Walters and Sharon Saraga. The women were legally married in Washington D.C. on Oct. 5, 2013.
wedding date:
Karaoke legend nick Rogers, sexy Orlando maintenance specialist Joe Arlotta, America-lover Jaime DeFrancesco, Orlando Hamburger Mary’s drinkmeister Juan Torres, G. Bar and Honey Pot co-owner Steven Donahue, Sprinkles Custom Cakes owner Richard Gregory (Oct. 23); Equality Florida Trans hero Gina Duncan (Oct. 24); Tampa vocalist David valentine, Tako Cheena proprietor Edgardo Guzman, Orlando MyOptics sotballer and occupational therapist Sarah Bapst (Oct. 28); Orlando accounting whiz norm Gentry, Democratic operative and LGBT activist Elizabeth McCarthy, Orlando attorney Michael Morris (Oct. 29); Lakeland leather man Jerry Miller (Oct. 30); Orlando stealth artist and green leader Brendan O’Connor, Sarasota HIV/ AIDS activist Michael Kehoe, State Farm agent John Psomas, Tampa Bay Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Shelita Cra-k, Tampa boating enthusiast Jamie Paul, Mercedes of Orlando’s Brian Fenn, Watermark’s former editorial assistant Samantha Rosenthal (Oct. 31); St. Pete bear Wendell Wilson (Nov. 1); Tampa organizing coach and personal assistant Tracy Miller, USF grad student and retired political activist Rand Snell (Nov. 2); Winter Garden Library manager August Calabrese, St. Pete Canaan Band singer and pianist Melanie Wilkinson (Nov. 3); Gulfport everyman Daniel Hodge, massage therapist and framer at Framing of Central Florida Kirk Johnston, St. Pete Pride volunteer Rich Runyan, St. Petersburg cowboy Winston Haws (Nov. 4); Orlando realtor Cindy Gregory, Orlando Verizon Wireless employee and super dad Ryan lopez, Paradise Orlando and Savoy co-owner Randall lambright (Nov. 5).
October 1, 2015
wedding venue:
The couple was married at their shop—Framing of Central Florida. They had a simple ceremony with two witnesses and a notary.
our song:
“Welcome to My World” by Jim Reeves
interesting Fact:
Rudy and Mike opened Framing of Central Florida in 1993, just months after meeting each other.
local birtHdays
PHOTO COuRTESy RuDy WRIGHT AnD MIKE vAn DER lEEST
“w
ell, i tHink tHe BuSineSS
is one of the things that held us together because we both had that same goal in mind—to make it successful. Our relationship just fell into place with that,” Rudy says. “He’s a big part of my life.”
Twenty-three years ago, Rudy Wright and Mike Van Der Leest, co-owners of Framing of Central Florida, first met at Full Moon Saloon, which was located right next to the Parliament House. Mike previously noticed Rudy at Parliament House the week before, but wasn’t sure if he should approach him. “When I turned around to look at him, I noticed he turned around to look at me at the same time, but we didn’t stop [to say hi],” Mike says. “He was walking next to someone, so I didn’t want to approach him. I did not know if they were just walking next to each other or if they were walking together, so I left that alone.” They both returned to the venue the next week. Sure enough, they ran into each other and this time exchanged names and numbers. Mike called and asked Rudy to go out and have dinner. They started to spend more time together and quickly grew fond
and started to care for each other. Mike has been in the framing business for more than 30 years now. Before he met Rudy and they started Framing of Central Florida, he helped manage a frame shop. “We then started talking within a few weeks after we met, if not days, about opening up frame shop,” Rudy says. “At the time, I was working as a stage hand at the union and my hours were unstable, and I wanted to get out of that and back into a 9-to-5 job. I ended up telling him ‘If we’re going to do this, open up a frame shop, I want to do it as soon as possible.’ It was a few months after we met, on May 1, 1993, that we opened up on the corner of Mills and Colonial.” “When we heard that we were able to get married, we made a decision that we were going to do it,” Mike says. “At first, it was legal in Illinois, so I thought we would do that when we went up to visit my family sometime.”
But Rudy stalled because he wanted to wait until October when the couple could get married on their anniversary. “After the Supreme Court ruling, we knew eventually it would probably happen, but I didn’t want to do it right away,” Rudy says. “Since we weren’t allowed to get married when we met, I thought after it did become a reality that we would just wait until October and do it on our 23rd anniversary.” They had a very simple ceremony, where there was only two witnesses and a good friend of theirs served as a notary. They were married in their frame shop. “Rudy is the most honest and sincere person that I’ve ever met in my life, and you don’t find that in a lot of gay people,” Mike says. “I know that probably sounds rough on the rest of the gay community, but there’s a lot of phony people out there. I never expected to want to be married to another, and when I met Rudy I was so surprised that there was somebody that was so honest and sincere and that was actually queer. He stole my heart—I never thought that would happen at my age.”
do you Have an announcement? Having a birtHday or anniversary? did you get a new Job or promotion? See your news in Watermark! Send your announcement to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com or go to WatermarkOnline.com/Submit-a-Transition.
it’s tHat easy!
—Samantha Rosenthal
Do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? If so, email the details to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
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DYER&BLAISDELL, P .L. DYER&BLAISDELL, P .L. Attorneys at Law Attorneys at Law
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watermark Your lgbt life.
Oc tob er 22 - Nov emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
photography
galleryw Go see more photos at
watermarkonline.com
T
He HOpe and Help Center Held tHe 26tH annual HeaddreSS Ball at the Hilton Orlando off I-Drive Oct. 17. The evening, themed Colors of the World, brought lots of dancing, drinking and spectacle, and none more glamourous and cha-cha than So You Think You Can Dance’s Mary Murphy. The annual charity event benefits the H&H Center who works to treat, prevent and educate Central Florida on HIV/AIDS.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Headdress Ball saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
Photography by Jake Stevens
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T A M P A
B A Y
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Read It Online!
Head to WatermarkOnline.com and click on the Digital Publications link to a read a digital version of the printed newspaper! 56
watermark Your lgbt life.
Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
Suncoast 2015
CELEBRATION You’re Invited
Under the stars atop the Palm Avenue Parking garage.
1289 N Palm Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 5pm - 7:30pm PRESENTED BY
We hope you will join us for this fabulous evening supporting LGBT equality featuring musical entertainment, delicious hors d’oeuvres, open bars, and an exciting State of the State address by Equality Florida co-founder and Deputy Director, Stratton Pollitzer. Visit www.tableseide.com to make your dinner reservations with our catering sponsors The Seidensticker Group of Restaurants following the Suncoast Celebration.
Tickets $125 in advance and $150 at the door. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $500.
To RSVP and for more information on sponsorship visit eqfl.org/suncoastcelebration. For questions, call 407-376-4801. PO BOX 20786, TAMPA, FL 33622-0786
Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. All net proceeds directly benefit Equality Florida Institute, a tax exempt 501c3 non-profit organization. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE EQUALIT Y FLORIDA INSTITUTE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN FLORIDA (1.800.435.7352). REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION #CH7992.
watermark Your lgbt life.
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uprisings “Let me say— let me say something that may not be great politics,” he said. “But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.” “Thank you,” Clinton responded. “Me, too. Me, too.”
crist On a baker
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eCauSe we JuSt Can’t get enOugH Of fOrmer gOvernOr, former Republican, former independent and former candidate for everything Charlie Crist, the white tuft of political opportunism announced on Oct. 20 that he would indeed be running for Congress, for real this time. It’s like when you hear the ocean in a seashell, but somehow a little less pleasant. Crist, who now wears a tie that says, “Hey, I’m a Democrat,” won’t be alone in the Crock-Pot, though. It looks like former St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker will be diving in, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. “I am intrigued by the idea,” Baker told the Times the night before Crist’s not-at-allchoreographed political lap dance. “A number of people I have great respect for have encouraged me to consider it and I will. I’ll decide by early next year.”
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T
rubiOnOmics
HOugH SenatOr and preSidential HOpeful Head Of Hair marCO ruBiO is currently denying the claim, similarly hopeful (at least in the presidential sense) former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is taking to the airwaves and claiming that his former political boyfriend/mentee is doctoring his campaign finance books. Gasp! Bush talked to CNN, which much mean everything he’s saying is true. Claiming that “I’m not into all that,” Bush went on to say that Rubio “kind of misled people” when he pulled out his giant fundraising ledger. The Rubio camp, to be fair, is frat-boying back, calling Bush’s accusations (which are on his Twitter account) an “epic freakout” that reeks of bitterness. Rubio’s got more money, his camp says, which basically means Rubio’s is bigger. With Rubio polling at 13 percent and Bush at 8 percent, they should both probably pipe down a bit.
sPecial secessiOn
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n OCt. 19, during itS SpeCial SeSSiOn, the Florida Senate actually did something smart. Wait, what? For years, the Senate has included a Confederate battle flag among its numerous other flags that make up what appears to be a Boy Scout patch. Out of nowhere, in advance of the redistricting fracas that we won’t even go into here, Orlando’s own Senate President Andy Gardiner, a Republican, pushed the motion forward. Of course, there was a back and forth, and not everybody was happy, because slavery is what brought that old family money, the teet from which so many in our state still suck. Once completed, the transition will include the Florida flag in lieu of the Confederate one. Does this mean Gov. Rick Scott will have the Confederate flag removed from his cowboy boots?
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OrlandO and its terrible electiOn
“w
Billy Manes
hat a dump!” is effectively the only thought that comes to mind when we think of this year’s municipal election follies and their requisite dusty bad apples. To be clear, it’s not the city itself that we’re baffled by—with all its tall buildings lining one downtown street and the millions in bonds holding them up. But politics in Orlando—which is holding its municipal pageant on Nov. 3—have grown a bit sour in the past few weeks. You’ll note that our cover star Commissioner Patty Sheehan, queen of downtown’s core and longtime LGBT advocate, is trying to stay above the fray, but not everyone else is playing nice in the political sandbox. This column is comfortable endorsing Sheehan. Over in the mayoral race, the stench is starting to rise in advance of the election. We spoke with all three candidates, read their platforms, laughed at their jokes and held onto our wits and our concerns. We also watched the hilarious Orlando Sentinel editorial board meeting with the three, and there is certainly a drinking game in there somewhere. Prop comedy! “I feel like equality and fairness are a huge piece of [Orlando advancing], because we’re trying to attract the young, smart entrepreneurs and millennials, and they expect a progressive city,” Dyer says when asked about his history on LGBT issues. But beyond the platitudes, the horse race that is a mayoral election is bringing out the worst in everyone. His opponents, Paul Paulson (who is basically funding his own campaign to the explosive tune of $610,000; Dyer is at $373,00) and Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund ($3,500 raised) have, understandably, called foul on Dyer’s inaccessibility as he cakewalks back into office, most recently holding a joint press conference on Oct. 19. Those pulling the strings behind Paulson’s campaign have been quick to pull out the old mug shot of Dyer from his 2005 dropped indictment on the issue of absentee ballots, even though the main person pulling said strings, Tea Party operative Doug Guetzloe, spent time in federal prison. On the equality front, Paulson is allegedly supportive of human rights. “I embrace everybody,” he says. “This stems from my faith in Jesus Christ. It stems from my perspective as a military officer. I support the recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.” As for Grund, she’s seemingly caught in the middle. A citizen politician with no party affiliation Grund leans toward environmental issues and feeding the homeless. But unlike Paulson, she’s not particularly keen on rolling back property taxes that have been raised over the past year, nor does she believe that we can unbuild the venues that have already been erected. “He’s building nice temples,” she says, sarcastically, about Dyer. When the carnival is over, Dyer wins. But does anybody, really?
Oc tOb er 22 - NOv emb er 4 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 2
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