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DayTOna BEach • ORlanDO • TaMpa • sT. pETERsBuRg • saRasOTa • IssuE 22.24 • nOv. 19 - DEc. 2, 2015 • WaTERMaRKOnlInE.cOM
E l D a E! sI u D In l n I Ia n gu Ec a sp R ay u D O lI O h
Your lgbt life.
PreventIon=ComPlACenCe? As World AIDS Day approaches, philanthropic organizations adjust to changing times and perceptions in the world of HIV A
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
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TEAM
Patty
69% of the Vote! Thanks to all the members of my amazing team who made this victory possible! Fundraising - Joanne Grant, Graphics - Patrick O’Connor, Database - Phil Howe, Treasurer - Elliott Barber. Party hosts - Jennifer Quigley, Jill Ramsier, David Forrester, Rick Walsh, Kelly Cohen, Candy Crawford, John Ruffier, Dick Batchelor, Thearon Scurlock, Sara Brady, Earl Crittenden, Ted Maines, Jeff Miller, Cherie Rivett, Dr. Rick Hartker, Jim Willard, Patrick and Holly Kahn, Jorge and Magdelena Boone, Eric Rollings, Sean Frank, Dr. Kenneth Pyle, Justyn Lim, Jeff Thompson, Raymond Cox, Joanie LeBlanc, David and Dianne Martens, Byron Price, David Staub, Dennis and Meredy Jenkins, Lee and Jeanette Dixon, Sarah Kelly, Thomas Allen, Katerina Fedetova, Chuck and Linda Beverly, Davis Schillhammer and John Starks, Kirt and Maxine Earhart, Lisa Cuatt, SueBee Laginess, Sharlie Reynolds, Cynthia Fleming, Paul Hughes,
Greg Lee, VIP Valet, John Michael Catering, Char Don Catering, Fretless Rock. Telephone team Eric Rollings, Dana Rutledge, Linda Parvin Hutchinson, Patti Boyle, Hannah Burger, Rhonda Childers, Shirley Coleman, Bill Stevens, Kim Newton. Streetwalkers - Daniel Van Horn, Jason Lowe, Eric Rollings, Bill Stevens, Bob Brings. Mail Madness Riggie Ehstar, Hannah Burger, Brett Chambers, Jason Lowe. Endorsements - Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, Central Florida AFL-CIO, Greater Orlando Association of Realtors, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25, International Association of Firefighters Local 1365, Florida Apartment Association, Orlando Weekly, Watermark. Sign Team - Orlando Professional Firefighters, Eric Rollings, Evan and Monica Cantrell, Bill Gridley, Kyle Shepard.
Thanks to anyone who donated to my campaign, and most importantly, to all the District 4 residents who voted for me at the polls –
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Political advertisement paid for and approved by Patty Sheehan Campaign, nonpartisan, for Orlando City Council District 4.
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
In a way they were right. It kept me from getting as far as I might have been able to get if I had waited, but I don’t care.
deparTmenTs 6 // mail 7 // ediTOr’s desk 13 // OrlandO news 16 // Tampa Bay news 20 // sTaTe 23 // naTiOn & wOrld news 31 // in-depTH 39 // arTs & enTerTainmenT 49 // cOmmuniTy calendar 51 // Tampa Bay OuT+aBOuT 53 // OrlandO OuT+aBOuT 55 // TransiTiOns/wedding Bells 56 // Tampa Bay markeTplace 58 // OrlandO markeTplace 62 // uprisings
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that’s not the point of my life. That’s not my journey. I got to go to bed with me every night and be proud of what I was doing. —comeDian suZanne WestenhoeFer
On THe cOver
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PAGE PreVeNTION =
31
cOMPLAceNce?:
As World AIDS Day comes together on Dec. 1, local HIV/AIDS groups struggle to keep up with the changing tides – and pills – that punctuate the current battle for treatment and prevention. Also, Hope and Help’s Russell Walker sits down to talk about how the Orlando agency is weathering the changes.
scan qr cOde fOr
waTermarkOnline.cOm
relearning Our HisTOry: Author Jerome Pohlen simplifies an oft ignored part of children’s historical curriculum: the
standard bearers among the LGBT movement. “It’s sort of, I think, doing [children] a disservice not to talk about [LGBT] history,” he says.
waTermark i ssue 22.24 //nOvemBer 19 - decemBer 2, 2015
THe gays are cOming
frOm russia wiTH lOve walker-ing THe walk frencH kissin’ in THe usa
PAGE After a few failed attempts,
PAGE What if the whole battle over
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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the LGBT bar movement is now making its way to International Drive in order to serve tourists and hospitality workers alike! Some of them are gay, you know.
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LGBT rights in Russia and Ukraine – and the resultant brutality – is actually part of a larger diplomatic battle in which no hands are clean, including our own? It’s true.
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Hope and Help’s community development director talks about finding solutions in the face of adversity, especially when faced with defunding from the Centers for Disease Control.
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Our political column Uprisings braced itself for a foreign policy nightmare during the latest Democratic presidential debates. What it got, however, was bumper stickers.
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chEcK WaTERMaRKOnlInE.cOM fOR upDaTEs On EvERyThIng affEcTIng yOuR lgBT lIfE. watermark Your lgbt life.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
5
OBiTuary
brett Lawrence chambers
11/8/1969—11/8/2015
b
rett laWrence chambers, 46, oF orlanDo FloriDa, left this life peacefully on his birthday, Sunday, November 8, with his last hours surrounded by the love of his immediate family and dear friends at his bedside. Brett was born and raised in St. Augustine Florida, the youngest of four brothers, and graduated from St. Augustine High School. Brett then left home for Gainesville to attend the University of Florida, where he graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Parks and Recreation. After graduation, Brett moved to Orlando where he chose to settle permanently. Since 2004, Brett worked for Travelers Insurance Company as a senior adjustor in the Work Comp/Claims division. Brett loved the arts, travel, fashion, cooking, spending time with his friends and visits to St. Augustine to catch up with his mother, with whom he held an especially deep relationship. Brett was known by friends and coworkers alike for his big heart and broad smile—and even bigger bear hugs—to all who needed one. All who knew Brett regarded him as a genuinely caring person who offered encouragement to others as well as his time to a number of local organizations and community interests. These community achievements included: the founding Orlando charter for City of Hope and many related fundraising events; a long-time board membership on the Colonialtown Neighborhood Association where he lived; campaign fundraisers for City of Orlando District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan; and perhaps most passionately, his contributions the Orlando chapter of Human Rights Campaign (HRC). John Ruffier, partner at Lowndes, Drosdick,
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TOp weB cOmmenTs
Doster Canton & Reed, and former HRC Orlando Executive Committee Chairman, says, “Brett was one of the founding members of HRC in Orlando as member of our initial Steering Committee. Brett helped build HRC from the ground up, and our success was in no small part to Brett’s friendly and welcoming nature. He made our volunteers and members, as well as his fellow steering committee members, feel special and welcome— and not just anyone can do that with such genuine warmth. It’s a huge loss to HRC, but even more so to his family and the Orlando community as a whole. He is really going to be missed.” Equality Florida Director of Transgender Inclusion Gina Duncan echoes this and adds, “Soon after I had transitioned and was feeling very alone, I received a call from this guy named Brett with an organization I had not heard of. He invited me to join him for lunch with some friends. We talked about everything going on at HRC, and I was hooked. I finally felt included and a part of creating change. After that, Brett and I became dear friends. We always joked that if we never found our true love, we would get married so we wouldn’t be alone. He was so warm, giving, compassionate and kind. My heart is broken and I will miss him so.” As a longtime friend, Sheehan offers this sentiment: “Brett Chambers was a great friend. He was the first person to volunteer to help, whether it was a campaign, HRC, or neighborhood event. He was a hard worker and did even the most mundane task with enthusiasm. He gave of himself to the extreme, and we are all richer for having known him. His friends and family will always carry a piece of his heart in ours forever.” Brett is survived by his parents, David and Dianne Chambers, brothers Scott Chambers and Glenn Chambers, and many extended family all in the St. Augustine area, as well as in Charlotte, N.C.—and by his beloved dog Xander, a Shiba Inu. Memorial services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Parish located at 215 St. George St., St. Augustine, FL 32084, in the downtown square of St. Augustine at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. Reception will be held at the Church immediately following services. In lieu of flowers the family requests that you consider a donation to the Florida Hospital Foundation, 550 Rollins Street, 6th Floor, Orlando, FL 32803, 407-303-2784. Make checks payable to Florida Hospital Foundation in memory of Brett Chambers in the memo box.
watermark Your lgbt life.
On punKy’s pREpaRIng TO OpEn In sT. pETE:
“Welcome to the neighborhood.” —bill heyen
frOm faceBOOk:
On hIllsBOROugh cOunTy vOTERs gETTIng TO vOTE On lgBT DIscRIMInaTIOn In 2016:
“We live in our own echo chambers filled with carefully curated friend lists and progressive RL friends. It is very easy to forget just how bigoted and hateful the average Floridian is.” —MIChAEL DAVIS
On ThE MORMOn chuRch gETTIng pushBacK fOR asKIng chIlDREn TO DIsOWn gay paREnTs:
“Typical organized religion is such shit. The only good church is one on fire I will bring the marshmallows.” —tODD SUREttE
“The last line of the article... ‘the new policies are designed to protect children from conflict.’ Really?!?!” —LyNN BRADBURy
On nEW RulEs In ThE MORMOn chuRch pushIng chIlDREn TO DIsOWn ThEIR gay paREnTs:
“So much for them accepting gay people. Knew it was too good to be true. Just another religion that persecutes people in the name of love.” —DON ShEttERLy
“Why even comment on religion anymore. I prefer to just stay away from it.” —RON hOLMES
“Any religion that would ask a child to make that choice is a false idol. Shameful. Did they learn nothing when they were kicked out to SLC? Redundant.” —JOAN E hEPSWORth
On ThE ORlanDO pOlIcE DEpaRTMEnT InTRODucIng TRansgEnDER pERsOn pOlIcy anD pROcEDuREs:
“Thank you for your Service!” —hANNALORE BURGER
On BEn caRsOn hOppIng On ThE BaThROOM BIgOT BanDWagOn:
“I saw an Infiniti in Ocala today with a Ben Carson 2016 bumper sticker with the slogan “Heal – Inspire – Revive” Notice that nowhere does it say ‘Think.’” —BILL hIRSChI
“The pyramids are full of grain, put there by Jesus.” —KEN KUNDIS
On a chIcK-fIl-a REsTauRanT spOnsORIng an lgBT fIlM fEsT:
“It’s all a ploy to get lost customers back.” —SCOtt MANNINGREDMOND
“Last time I ate at a Chikwhatever-they-are, I got sick. Never been back since and have no desire to go back ever again, even if they have somehow ‘hidden’ their hatred and saw the light.” —DON ShEttERLy
waTermarkOnline.cOm: On a gay pRIEsT fIRED By ThE vaTIcan DEscRIBIng a “spEcIal KInD Of hOMOphOBIa” In ThE chuRch:
“This is a very good statement which supports the homophobic tests performed by a Maryland university. The tests were based on hypnotizing homophobic and gay individuals to find out
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
how attracted to the same gender they were. The results showed that homophobic individuals were more attracted to the same gender than gays were. Evidently the religions that teach false, negative, hoopla against LGBTs can cause some gays stressful feelings that make them fear themselves and hate other gays. I knew one who even tried a gay relationship and became violent with his partner, breaking up, moving home, putting his mother out of the house and burning himself up in it. He made the statement that a homosexual was worse than a murderer. So many church leaders are stressed out by suppressing or hiding their natural feelings, often causing them to do sexual molestation to others or to children.” —GAyEGO
On MaRRIagE EQualITy sIgnalIng ThE DEaTh Of DpR:
“This article reflects our recent experience. My partner who works for a regional bank received a letter that effective Dec. 31, same-sex domestic partners (me) will no longer have health benefits. So before the end of the year, we have to marry. Our civil ceremony and family reception sixth anniversary is mid-January. So now we have two wedding dates – just for benefits. My issue is the short notice and the control corporate America again exercises over our lives. I am calling this wedding our ‘health care shot-gun wedding.’” —COMBAt
On hOusTOn vOTIng nO TO hRO anD KEnTucKy ElEcTIng an anTI-gay gOvERnOR:
“And when on average only 30 percent of the people showed up to vote, this is what you get. Sorry, but don’t want to hear any complaining in the coming years.” —DEAN C.
Photo by Robert Bartlett
editor’s
Billy Manes EDITOR
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
I
Desk
can still remember the scents,
the sounds, the television movies and the intentional distractions associated with my first encounters with the HIV virus: its full-blown AIDS inevitability (at the time) replete with lesions forming volcanic country masses across innocent chests and arms, the crushed ego of acting legend Rock Hudson as his strong jaw turned sadly and vulnerably into a fading vibration, the tacit reconciliation that swallowed the fluttering falsetto of Queen’s regal Freddie Mercury as he sat before the clicks and clacks of prying press cameras to speak to the fact that he, too, had fallen, would fall, and, in fact, was dead shortly thereafter. I remember it all, because this is largely my history. We watched, we felt punished, my closet doors were glued shut, and this would never, ever happen to me. But mostly I remember a
watermark staff
telephone call to my landline in my Florida State University dorm room, one where the absence of air conditioning made everything feel like a sweaty inquisition, a drip pan for shame or humility. “Welcome to the club,” my stepbrother Michael called to tell me having heard of my recent peek outside of closet doors and the requisite parental clenching that came after. “It’s not as bad as it seems,” Michael said. It was better than my mother’s “Don’t burn any bridges” advice, but nonetheless
weighted down with anchors of societal doubt and the fear of a rising plague. Michael had AIDS. I came out to my parents after numerous suicide attempts. I came out to my parents after meeting a guy with whom I slept, though he was dating a girl who would become pregnant shortly thereafter and then forever resent me. I came out in hair colors and prissy rants, music choices and fashion flourishes; I also came out because I belonged out. I was gay, regardless of this new seemingly senseless war devouring everyone in New York and San Francisco. I came out because I was having gay sex from a very young age thanks to suburban standards that turned tract houses in to silent Berlin black-box groping rooms. Silence wasn’t death yet. I also came out to Michael on the phone that day. And his kindness will never be forgotten. He died shortly thereafter in 1991 from complications related to his HIV/AIDS status. As his health was decaying, though said decay was never mentioned, Michael moved into our house. His bottom drawer next to his bed housed a collection of International Male Undergear jewels and a colossus of stickier media propositions; they opened a door for me, though it wasn’t an easy door to hold. In the end, Michael would be quarantined in the Caribbean by my family—as families often did at the time because of “drier air”—and that’s where he would die—his father, my stepfather, on a rush in the air to catch Michael’s final terrestrial breath. He didn’t make it. It’s a sad story, but it’s one that’s changed in so many ways since. I have continued to lose friends to the scourge of HIV/AIDS as most of you have, though these days, the sentences are longer, full of more lively flourish, coated in pills and warned by minor side effects. We’ve gone from cocktail handfuls to onepill-a-day safety mechanisms, from Madonna mourning Keith Haring
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to less publicized mourning of our other forgotten soldiers. Times have changed, but feelings for those we lose have not. Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day—also, my mother’s birthday, so I never forget—and we’re dedicating much of this issue to the developments within and without our community that have led us to our current medical plateau. Recent tests have shown that drugs like PrEP (or Truvada) can play a preventative role in the acquisition of HIV; its sister nPEP (also including Truvada) can serve as a morning-after pill. These are huge steps along the
“We, as responsible stewards of our global society, can stop a train with a pill in our hand and resolve in our hearts. Looks like we’ve made it, right?
path to understanding how we, as responsible stewards of our global society, can stop a train with a pill in our hand and resolve in our hearts. Looks like we’ve made it, right? Well, I can’t tell that to Bob, my first boyfriend, to Skotty, one of my best friends ever to save my life, to Skotty’s partner who fixed my flipped car to make it run for three more years, or, more importantly, to Alan, my alleged husband of 11 years who took his own life for many reasons, not the least of which being a viral load and some damaged organs. But I can whisper it into the wind that we are making it, slowly but surely, rightly and responsibly. We are making it. Just please take a minute to remember. There are still so many doors to hold open.
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
contributors Krista DiTucci
is a freelance writer and family advocate for Manatee Children’s Services. She lives in Sarasota with her husband and children. Page 18
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
Rachel Wilson
is a civil rights activist who now runs immigration law practices in both Tucson and Moscow. She went to prom with Watermark editor Billy Manes. Page 27 Aaron Alper, Scottie Campbell, Susan Clary, Krista DiTucci, Kirk Hartlage, Joseph Kissel, Jason Leclerc, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Gregg Shipiro, 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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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
Lake Nona 407-730-6909 10727 Narcoosee Road, Suite #B6 Orlando, FL 32832
central florida news
HOpe and Help Hires new evenTs lead Jamie Hyman
O TIe ONe ON: Revere’s
bar staff is set to sling drinks at the new I-Drive LGBT club.
Photo by DANNY GARCIA
The gays are coming! Revere rides onto International Drive Jamie Hyman
O
rlanDo | For the first time in a while, International Drive will boast a gay bar. Revere, a new LGBT club at The M Resort, will host its grand opening Dec. 4. The club’s soft opening was Nov. 13-15, and continues through the last two weekends in November. During the soft opening, Revere is open 8 p.m. - 2 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. After the grand opening, the club’s hours will be 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. seven days a week. It’s for ages 21 and up. Barry Miller, an Orlando attorney who is providing legal counsel to Revere’s owner, Micah Bass, says Revere is the only LGBT club in the tourist district. “Micah’s been looking for the right property to do something like this for a few years,” Miller says. “He found this property right in the heart of the tourist district and thought there was a need for an LGBT club
down there.” Miller notes that there are 62 million tourists who visit Orlando each year, and if 10 percent of them are LGBT, that’s 6.2 million potential customers for Revere. He says they’re working with Visit Florida to market the club and letting concierges know Revere exists. They’ll also market through social media, and make sure that they’re listed in LGBT travel guides. Miller says they also expect Revere to be a hot spot for locals, especially those who work in Orlando’s huge tourist industry. “There’s a lot of people who live in the Metro West area, Kissimmee area, and [Revere is] going to attract a lot of people in the service industry who work at Disney, Universal and the hotels who don’t want to go downtown,” Miller says. “They’ll have a place closer to home.” Bass, who says he’s been friendly with and worked with members of the LGBT community through his entire career, says it took just a few
months to renovate and ready the club for customers. It used to be a cafeteria-style restaurant, but now the 7,500 square foot space features a 2,500 square foot dance floor, a VIP room with male dancers and showers, a purple theatre room with plans for a stage that will hold drag performers and a walk-out to a pool bar and beach area, with a tiki bar in the works. DJ Wayne is their resident DJ, Bass says, for the soft opening and grand opening weekends, he’s bringing in guest DJs and “entertainment Orlando has not seen yet,” but would not give specifics because “I want everybody to be surprised.” Miller says the soft opening went well. They put out a suggestion box and are looking through the ideas now. “Someone had a great suggestion of instead of doing just karaoke, doing a Broadway karaoke night, so I think we’re going to do that,” he says. There’s no cover for the soft opening and for events beyond that, Bass says it’s up to Revere’s entertainment director. The club provides valet parking and Bass strongly recommends patrons coming from the north use the Universal exit, which says “takes less than five minutes” to get from I-4 to the club, “otherwise, it takes a while to get through the tourist traffic.”
watermark Your lgbt life.
rlanDo | Hope and Help of Central Florida’s signature fundraising events, such as the AIDS Walk and Headdress Ball, raise more than a half a million dollars for the HIV/AIDS services organization each year. Now, there’s a new man in charge. Michael Morman, Hope and Help’s new community events manager, steps into the role Nov. 23. He has an extensive events background, with 20 years at Universal where he was Senior Director of Entertainment, plus he’s worked in the HIV field for the past six years at The GLBT Center and the Florida Department of Health. “I was an HIV coordinator, so I’d work with the agencies in coordinating events, provide education to community groups and schools, churches, outreach activities, plus train people on how to be HIV testers and counselors,” Morman says. “I’m excited to join the team,” he says, adding that he’s donated to the organization over the years. “Michael’s knowledge and experience not only in the HIV field but his entertainment and event background is a huge addition to our new Community Development Department and the agency,” says Lisa Barr, Hope and Help’s executive director. Fundraising events make up about 20 percent of Hope and Help’s total budget, according to Russell Walker, the agency’s community development director.
THrill ride invenTOr HOsTs clinTOn fundraiser Tom Dyer
O
rlanDo | A local thrill ride inventor will host a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton that is expected to draw numerous supporters from the LGBT community. Bill Kitchen, founder of US Thrill Rides, will open his impressive Windermere residence to Clinton supporters on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 2. Kitchen shares the waterfront home with his partner, CamiloEspinel. Kitchen is the founder of U.S. Thrill Rides, and one of the visionaries behind The Skyscraper at SKYPLEX, the proposed “worlds’ tallest skyscraper” (with a rollercoaster) envisioned for International Dr. “With the challenges we currently face, I firmly believe that Hillary Clinton is the best and most qualified person to be our next president,” Kitchen said of the former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State
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cOnTInuED On pg. 14 | uu |
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central florida news
BIG NIGHT
Reform Jews approve supportive transgender resolution
(L to R) Brennan McNell, Annais Oquendo, Earl Johnson and Wuilmark Salcedo raise a glass to Equality Florida at their Greater Orlando Gala Nov. 6 at the Mezz. The 2015 Gala raised $211,000 toward EQFL’s mission to advocate for LGBT rights.
Wire Report
O
rlando (AP) | The largest movement of Judaism in the U.S. passed the most far-reaching resolution in support of transgender rights of any major religious organization, saying it’s a continuation of a tradition of inclusion in the Reform Jewish movement. Members of the Union for Reform Judaism attending its biennial meeting in Orlando Nov. 5 approved on a voice vote the resolution, which calls for congregations and camps to have gender-neutral bathrooms and encourages gender-neutral language at Reform Jewish institutions. It also suggests training on gender issues for religious school staff and encourages advocating on behalf of the transgender community. There was no opposition. Other religious bodies, such as the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, previously approved resolutions affirming equality for transgender and non-gender-conforming people. None, however, go as far as the one offered by the Reform Jewish movement, which counts 1.5 million members. The Union for Reform Judaism is offering a onepage pamphlet to help congregations adopt the goals of the resolution. It suggests dividing kids by birth month rather than gender in youth programming and avoiding using gender titles such as ``Mr.’’ or ``Mrs.’’ on nametags or in emails. It also to ask congregants by which pronouns they would prefer to be called. The resolution doesn’t mandate congregations to do anything, so it will be up to individual synagogues to implement policies to meet the goals of the resolution. The resolution was approved in a year when transgender issues have never been more visible, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner and others, but Union for Reform Judaism officials said it has been in the works for some time and is part of a tradition of inclusion that dates back decades. The Union of Reform Judaism in 1977 passed a resolution affirming the rights of gays and lesbians. More than 6 million Jews live in the United States, less than 2 percent of the nation’s population, and more than a third of all Jews in the U.S. identify with the Reform movement, according to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center. Less than a fifth of them identify with Conservative Judaism - sort of a middle-ground ideologically between the more liberal Reform movement and traditional Orthodox Judaism. Orthodox Jews account for 10 percent of U.S. Jews, and Reconstructionist and other smaller movements make up 6 percent.
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Photo by J.D. Casto
Orlando Police adopt new transgender policies Staff report Orlando | The Orlando Police Department is adopting new Transgender Persons procedures to ensure that all officers are in line with the agencies policy “to treat all people with dignity and respect.” “Orlando is a city that embraces diversity and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions and sexual orientations,” OPD Media Relations
stated in an email. “Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioner Patty Sheehan, in particular, have worked diligently to have an inclusive government that fosters diversity by establishing programs, ordinances and initiatives that benefit the LGBT community.” The course will help officers to understand common issues LGBT individuals face, assist agencies in improving workplace support of LGBT employees and creating policies that address LGBT issues.
The new policy also explains proper terminology to use with a member of the transgender community and details proper transgender handling and searches. The new procedure comes nearly six weeks after a transgender woman live-tweeted her mistreatment by TSA agents at Orlando International Airport. The full policy and procedure can be viewed at WatermarkOnline.com.
Council unanimously approved a human rights ordinance with LGBT protections. The ordinance prevents discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. The ordinance does have exemptions for religious and nonprofit organizations.
Lake County is historically a conservative area of Florida. Right now, the Lake County School Board is involved in a lawsuit after they prevented a Carver Middle School student from forming a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school.
currently favor Donald Trump (27 percent) over Ben Carson (19 percent), Sen. Marco Rubio (14 percent), Sen. Ted Cruz (10 percent) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (9 percent). In a general election, current polling indicates a tight race in Florida between Clinton and any Republican candidate but Trump. “The Republican alternatives are frightening,” Kitchen says. “This is a
good time for swing voters in Florida to make a decision to support Hillary.” Contribution levels for the fundraiser start at $500. According to Democratic insider Bob Poe, the upcoming fundraiser will be a rare opportunity to meet Clinton in an intimate setting. For tickets contact Greg Goddard at ggoddard@ hillaryclinton.com.
Mascotte approves anti-discrimination protections Staff report Mascotte | It is now illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender in Mascotte, a small city with fewer than 5,000 people in Lake County. On Nov. 2, the Mascotte City
| uu | Clinton Fundraiser from pg.13
Clinton. “I want people to have the opportunity to meet her and hear what she has to say.” In recent polling, Clinton appears to be a lock among Florida Democrats, leading Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 54 percent to 23 percent. Florida Republicans
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
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tampa bay news
HillsBOrOugH cOunTy vOTers may geT TO vOTe On lgBT discriminaTiOn in 2016 Jeremy Williams the longsreth home:
T
amPa | Hillsborough’s Charter Review Board discussed adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the charter’s anti-discrimination section at their most recent meeting Nov. 3. The review board, a 14-member group selected and appointed by the county’s seven commissioners, meets every five years to review and recommend changes to the county charter. Hillsborough County already has a Human Right Ordinance passed by the County Commission in 2014; however, this would make a permanent change to the county charter and allow the people of Hillsborough County to have a vote in saying whether they welcome equality. The review board discussed the referendum, and while no one openly spoke out against it, some ignorant to LGBT issues questioned what it meant. “I don’t understand what gender identity is,” said board member Joe Affronti. “Does that mean like in some areas where if a boy says he is really a female, he can go into the female bathroom?” Affronti, who is the former mayor of Temple Terrace continued, “My point is not whether this should pass or not. The point is I need to know what I’m going to vote on.” In order to have the referendum placed on the 2016 ballot and go to the voters it must first be approved by a super majority, or 10 members, of the board. Some who attend the meeting felt it wasn’t necessary to adjust the county charter. “I’m questioning why this is being brought up as a charter change. It is already in effect law,” said Amber Kelly, a field director for Florida Family Action, at the meeting. “It makes it much more difficult to change things should they need to be changed later on.” Hillsborough County passed LGBT protections in 1991 only to have them removed in 1995; something Commissioner Kevin Beckner, the county’s first openly gay commissioner, told the Tampa Bay Times could be prevented from happening again by adding those protections to the charter. It’s very personally moving for myself,” Beckner said to the Times. “Not only for me personally but for the future of our community and our children so that by the letter of the law they can embrace themselves and live their version of the American dream without fear of discrimination from government.” Hillsborough County has traditionally been behind other Tampa Bay counties when it comes to LGBT rights. Pinellas County added sexual orientation to its HRO in 2008 and gender identity in 2013, and Sarasota County enacted an HRO which included sexual orientation in 2003. The board is expected to vote when they meet again Dec. 1.
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Punky’s Bar & Grill is located on Central Ave. and 31st St. N in St. Pete and looks to have a grand opening in December after its soft opening just before Thanksgiving.
Punky’s Brewskies St. Pete Welcomes Punky’s Bar & Grill into the Grand Central District Aaron Drake
s
t. Petersburg | St. Pete has a new face in town. From the looks of it, she’s sassy, wacky and eager for her guests to enjoy a night out. Punky’s Bar & Grill, 3063 Central Ave. at 31st St. N, is the city’s newest gay bar, set for a soft opening before Thanksgiving and a larger celebration in December. “We’re excited to be in the Grand Central District,” says co-owner Brian Longstreth, owner of Gay St. Pete House and a longtime activist in St. Pete’s LGBT community. “In addition to several bars and restaurants, there are realtors, CPAs, attorneys, home décor, antiques – it’s still one of the largest concentrations of LGBT-owned businesses in the country.” He joins co-owners Lynn Deibert and John Burt, who are also local residents and proud members of the LGBT community, in starting Punky’s. The 3,200-square-foot, 150-person maximum capacity establishment was formerly home to Jimbo’s Joint.
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The name comes from the nickname of Longstreth’s close friend’s late mother – and the Punky depicted as a matronly but fun Doris Day-meets-Dame Edna figure on the bar’s signage should give future patrons some insight into the bar’s persona. The restaurant’s new menu will feature an extensive choice of sandwiches, burgers, salads, appetizers, and potentially nightly dinner specials like prime rib, steak and seafood. Patrons will find Punky’s open for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. till 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights. The kitchen will be open late nights and the interior dining area will turn into a dance floor with a live DJ after hours on weekends. Guests can look forward to jazz brunch Saturdays and drag diva brunch on Sundays. The bar will have approximately eight beers on draft and 18 varieties of wine, while serving up house specials Punky’s Punch, Punky’s Pink Lemonade and at least one
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other rotating cocktail, along with the usual bar favorites, 2-for-1 specials and frozen drinks, once the establishment has its full liquor license come December. With some LGBTs crying that the closing of neighborhood staple Georgie’s Alibi in September was the death knell for gay bars in the city – and social media apps to become the new norm – Punky’s is a muchanticipated new gathering spot for the city’s LGBT community. Though it will be “welcoming to all,” as Longstreth says, it is very much a gay bar. “I think there are still a lot of people that enjoy being in a ‘gay bar’ that is a little more welcoming than they used to be and not as scary for non-gay people,” Longstreth says, which piggybacks on Georgie’s reputation as a joint where any and all on the Kinsey scale were welcome and many straight folks even thoroughly enjoyed. “Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about it. I don’t think the gay bar is dead. When Georgie’s opened back in 1999, that was a pretty big evolution for a gay bar to have windows, a patio and food to begin with, so hopefully we’re taking it to the next level with a little more effort on the food and live music.” As opening day approaches, the hubbub from the community continues to be positive, with two people stopping to interject how anxious they were for the bar’s opening during Longstreth’s sitdown with Watermark – one guy cOnTInuED On pg. 18 | uu |
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tampa bay news | uu | Punky’s Bar and Grill from pg.16
even voicing his excitement while stopped at a red light in front of the building. Longstreth noted that Grand Central District Association and City Council have also been supportive, even enthusiastic, about the bar’s opening. “Everybody kind of hopes that it will become an anchor like Georgie’s used to be, and it will help Central Avenue continue to grow.” When asked if it was his intent to replace Georgie’s as the neighborhood favorite, Longstreth responded that he does intend to carry the torch – but with a few changes. “Obviously there’s going to be some comparisons, similar menu, several employees, but I think we’re going to try to do things a little differently, focus more on the food, a little more focus on live music and bring back lunch every day of course being on Central Avenue will help.” Longstreth, who started a GoFundMe for Georgie’s Alibi employees who had a nine-day notice before the restaurant shut its doors, welcomes aboard many familiar faces among the 35 workers on the bar and kitchen staff, including Punky’s chef Frank Costilli Jr., who was previously a chef and manager at Georgie’s. “I think nightclubs are starting to struggle more and more, and I think that’s one of the reasons we wanted to put a little more focus back on food,” Longstreth continues. “The layout of the building will allow us more efficient food service than Georgie’s could, and a larger patio will be more inclusive for outdoor dining.” The expansive awningcovered outdoor patio with purple picnic seating where guests can play Cornhole is sure to be a crowdpleaser. A sizable parking lot and ample street parking are a bonus, as is not being in close proximity to a residential area which proved to be another challenge for Georgie’s. But most importantly, Longstreth assures that Punky’s will continue its involvement in the community with the ability to do catering and host special events, community fundraisers, drag shows and charity Bingo. “And we’re looking forward to starting some new neighborhood traditions in the area,” Longstreth adds.
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Equality Florida honors Voices for Equality at annual Sarasota celebration Krista DiTucci
S
ARASOTA | Join Equality Florida under the stars for a night of awards, music, friendship, and food at the 2015 Suncoast Celebration. The celebration will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 5-7:30 p.m. atop the Palm Ave. parking garage, 1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Guests will be greeted by live, upbeat music designed to create a fun cocktail party ambiance. Upon arrival, guests can also partake in an open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Louie’s Modern by Tableside. Servers will also be making the rounds to deliver glasses of wine and champagne. Once guests have had a chance to mingle and satisfy their taste buds, the celebration will kick off with an introduction and welcome by Jarred Wilson and Kimberly Bleach, co-chairs of the Equality Florida Suncoast steering committee. Next, Bleach will announce the 2015 Voice for Equality Award recipient, Michael Donald Edwards, producing artistic director of the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Michael Farmer, Equality Florida statewide deputy director of development, says the Voice for Equality Award is granted to a local person who has stood out throughout the year as a consistent voice for equality, “someone who, whenever they can, raises their voice and uses their position to advance equality.” Edwards says he believes his use of theater as a connection to social capital is the main reason Equality Florida chose to honor him. Edwards has been a voice for the LGBT community through the American Character project, in which he selects shows directly connected to the LGBT experience, and the OUT@Asolo series, in which the LGBT community can network and socialize while enjoying live theater. “I’ve been very much an urban gay man and I was nervous about coming to Sarasota,” Edwards
says. “I was nervous I would be isolated from my friends in big cities, but it turns out the opposite has happened. I’m more engaged in the community and I have a wonderful set of friends and supporters. Getting this award is a way to acknowledge how happy this community has made me.” Wilson says no other organization in Sarasota has brought LGBT groups together and given them a platform for discussion quite like Asolo has. “One of the things I admire most about Michael (Edwards) is when he first came to Sarasota, he didn’t hesitate to jump right in and come up with novel ideas about how to engage the community,” Wilson says. “When he did The Laramie Project
granted often and is reserved as a special recognition for those who have dedicated their entire lives to LGBT equality. Bonauto’s contributions to the LGBT community include winning the case that brought marriage equality to Massachusetts in 2004 and, in turn, making it the first state in the U.S. to legalize marriage equality. This year, Bonauto fought on behalf of the case that won marriage equality nationwide. “I’ve read about her for years and she has been involved in almost every major marriage equality decision,” Eskamani says. “She’s a rock star and a national symbol, and she will go into the history books as a national champion.”
I’m thrilled that it’s going to be a record-breaking event. The reality is that a lot of LGBT organizations have always worried about what would happen after we won the big fight. —EQFL deputy director of development Michael Farmer
shortly after he came to Sarasota, he didn’t hesitate or question whether it would be a good or bad move for the theater. He just did it, and I thought that was really spectacular.” Ida Eskamani, Equality Florida development officer, says Edwards is unique because he builds connections between nonprofits and donors. “He has been a trailblazer but also an advocate for social justice and supporter for the local community,” Eskamani says. “Folks adore him and want to celebrate him.” After Edwards receives the award and takes the stage to present his achievements, Wilson will introduce nationally renowned civil rights attorney Mary Bonauto as the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Farmer says the Lifetime Achievement Award is not
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Wilson says Bonauto’s national work has been evident even in the local LGBT community. “One of the things people love about Equality Florida is that we are local and statewide,” Wilson says. “You can see our work happening right here at home, but we also want to acknowledge national works that make it happen. I’m pleased that Mary can spend time with us in Sarasota so we can acknowledge the work she’s doing.” Once both awards are announced, Farmer will introduce Stratton Pollitzer, Equality Florida co-founder and deputy director. Pollitzer will then give a State of the State address to recap what Equality Florida has been doing over the last year and what they have achieved. The celebration will conclude at 7:30, but Wilson says he hopes people will stay in the area to enjoy downtown Sarasota. He
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
is encouraging guests to make dinner reservations at Louie’s Modern as it is conveniently located on the parking garage’s ground level. Most importantly, Wilson says he wants to send as much business as possible to Louie’s since the family affiliated with the restaurant provides continued support and services to Equality Florida. “I’m thrilled that it’s going to be a record-breaking event,” Farmer says. “The reality is that a lot of LGBT organizations have always worried about what would happen after we won the big fight. Some have done really well and some haven’t. The amazing number of ticket sales and sponsorships so far shows that people understand there is still so much work to be done. It’s incredibly exciting and inspiring.” Wilson says he sees the night as an opportunity to thank those who have supported Equality Florida’s work this year and to educate new people about the organization. “Since we’ve started in the Suncoast region, we have built this incredible family,” Eskamani says. “We are always growing and always passionate. For me, the night is about having the opportunity for everyone to come together to celebrate our victories and mobilize the community to move forward.” Community members can show support for Equality Florida and the LGBT movement by attending the 2015 Suncoast Celebration and also by making a donation. Tickets to the event are $125 in advance and $150 at the door. Sponsorships range from $500 to $50,000 and beyond. Sponsors may choose to pay for a donation up front or through monthly payments. Those who choose to sponsor at the Florida Council level and above are invited to attend a bonus event – at 4 p.m. before the celebration kickoff, Equality Florida will host a reception for these sponsors and give them an opportunity to spend time one-on-one with Mary Bonauto. Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased online at eqfl.org/suncoastcelebration. To learn more about available sponsorships, visiteqfl.org/ sponsorbenefits.
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19
state news
in OTHer news laWyers in FloriDa’s same-seX marriage case seeK legal Fees From state The lawyers who won Florida’s same-sex marriage battle want the state to pay their legal fees accrued from the case. One legal team out of Jacksonville is asking for more than $450,000. Another legal team is filing soon. They have yet to say how much they will be seeking. Under Florida law, both legal teams are entitled to fees since they won a federal civil rights case.Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who defended the same-sex marriage ban, has not decided whether to challenge the fee request, according to her spokesperson. Last year, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage violated the constitution.
hro in the WorKs For Pensacola It looks like Pensacola is headed toward adding a human rights ordinance that would protect its citizens against discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. More than 100 people packed a Nov. 9 workshop discussing the proposed HRO—so many that it had to be moved
smarT ride 2015 raises nearly $1 milliOn fOr Hiv/aids OrganizaTiOns
from a conference room to City Council chambers. “It has been handed over to the City Attorney for review, and then it will be brought back. There is no date set yet,” says Pensacola public information officer Vernon Stewart. According to The Pulse, a Pensacola news website, all but one of the council members is in favor of the HRO.
Ciara Varone
M
iami | 383 bicyclists from 24 states and one from Ottawa, Canada pedaled 165 miles from Miami to Key West Nov. 13 and 14 for The SMART Ride, the annual Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride, raising almost $1 million for those affected by HIV and AIDS. Now in its 12th year, the event has collected over $7.3 million total, donating every cent of that to the cause. “That gives me goosebumps, just knowing that what we do is unique and that we attract so many different people from so many different places,” says Glen Weinzimer, The SMART Ride’s founder, adding that as of press time, he’s still receiving donations from the 2015 event. Broward House, the Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, METRO Wellness & Community Centers, Pridelines, AIDS Help,
gay man Who Fell oFF oF cruise shiP still missing The Coast Guard is calling off the search for a gay man who fell off the side of a cruise ship early the morning of Nov. 6. 35-year-old Bernardo Albaz and his husband Eric were vacationing aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship when they were harassed by security crew members who taunted the couple with anti-gay remarks, according to NBC Miami. Albaz became increasingly angry with the crew members, according to NBC Miami, and ended up in a confrontation with them inside his cabin, where he later fell overboard. There are conflicting reports about what happened. Albaz’s family attorney says it wasn’t a suicide, and Albaz didn’t jump, but a Royal Caribbean statement says their security staff tried to keep him from jumping.
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FoundCare and Miracles of Love, Inc. are the seven principal agencies that receive funds. TSR’s 10% Lifeline program disburses 10 percent of funds raised to additional agencies throughout the year. These organizations use the money raised to send children and adults to camp, give bus passes to people who need access to medication and health care and offer education on prevention. This year, the riders and about 300 crew members dealt with record-high temperatures. A medical team was assembled to help those pedaling through the intense heat stay hydrated. But sweltering weather didn’t stop participants. “It’s almost indescribable and it’s extremely rewarding to see so many unique individuals come together with one passion in mind,” Weinzimer says. Visit TheSmartRide.org to donate or sign up for the 2016 ride.
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
B
nation+world news
Charlie Sheen is HIV-positive, has been blackmailed Wire Report
N
EW YORK | Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen has HIV. In an interview Nov. 17 on NBC’s Today, the 50-year-old actor said he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS about four years ago, but that, thanks to a rigorous drug regimen, he’s healthy. When asked by co-host Matt Lauer if he had transmitted the disease to others, he declared, “Impossible. Impossible,” and insisted he had informed every sexual partner of his condition beforehand. Since his diagnosis he has had unprotected sex with only two
partners, he said, adding, with no further clarification, “They were under the care of my doctor and they were completely warned ahead of time.” He said one reason for going public with his condition was to put a stop to shakedowns from prostitutes and others who threatened to out him. He said one prostitute took a photo of the HIV-related drugs in his medicine cabinet and threatened to sell that photo to the tabloids. He said he had paid “enough to bring it into the millions” – perhaps as much as $10 million – to buy their silence and now was seeking to “put a stop to this barrage of attacks and sub-truths.” “Are you still paying these people?” Lauer asked him.
“Not after today I’m not,” said Sheen, who during his appearance appeared jumpy and spoke in stammering bursts. He did not address when, and by whom, he may have been infected. In the U.S., AIDS is spread mainly through having sex or sharing injection-drug equipment with someone who has HIV. About 1.2 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have HIV, with many of them unaware. For part of the interview, Sheen was joined by his physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, who said strong anti-viral drugs have suppressed the virus. The HIV level in Sheen’s blood is “undetectable,” Huizenga said, and flatly stated that he does not have AIDS.
church years ago. But they said the new policy that bans baptisms for children of gay parents until the kids turn 18 and disavow same-sex relationships spurred them to come and formally cut ties and have their names removed from the faith’s membership rolls. “We’re supposed to love our children like God loves us,” said Teresa Schofield, a former Mormon who stopped attending more than a decade ago. “To ask someone to turn their back on their own child or for a child to turn their back on a parent, that’s unnecessary.”
The rally came one day after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stood behind the policies issued on Nov. 5, while providing more explanation and clarifications. Officials said the rules are intended to prevent children from being caught in a tug-of-war between teachings at home and church. They clarified that the rules apply only to children living primarily with a same-sex couple. They also said that while the children of gay parents won’t be given the full spectrum of ordinances, they aren’t barred from attending worship services.
must wait a further three months to schedule their services. Ireland’s first couple to sign on the dotted line was lawyer Cormac Gollogly and bank official Richard Dowling, both 35. The senior registrar for South Tipperary, Mary Claire Heffernan, helped them to be wed before 9 a.m. in a spartan waiting room inside a registration center for births, deaths and marriages inside the hospital in Clonmel, southwest Ireland. She also oversaw their much grander civil partnership in September, when the couple donned top hats and tails and spent two weeks honeymooning in the Maldives. This time, Gollogly and Dowling sat in office chairs as they took turns
presenting rings and exchanging vows “to love and comfort him in sickness and in health,” followed by a kiss and embrace. “It was great to get it done so early... to be the first in Ireland,” said Gollogly, who has been with Dowling for 12 years. “There’s something very surreal about it, because obviously we’ve done the civil partnership already,” Dowling said. More than 62 percent of voters approved gay marriage in a May referendum, making Ireland the first nation worldwide to approve the measure by popular vote. Twenty-two other countries have legalized gay marriage through legislation or court judgments.
“Mass resignation” of Mormons over anti-gay policies Wire Report SALT LAKE CITY | Several hundred people with roots in the Mormon faith gathered in Salt Lake City to renounce the church’s new policies targeting gays and their children in an event that marked the latest illustration of the fervor the rule changes have caused. Billed as a mass resignation by Mormons, people filled out paperwork and dropped off the resignation letters at a church building Nov. 14. The large majority had stopped attending
Ireland celebrates first same-sex marriages Wire Report DUBLIN | Ireland celebrated its first gay marriages on Nov. 17, six months after voters overwhelmingly chose to legalize the practice in the traditionally conservative Catholic nation. Dozens of couples nationwide converted their existing civil partnerships into full marriages in brief ceremonies in often less-thanromantic settings, such as antiseptic hospital offices where births and deaths also are recorded. Gay marriage became officially legal Nov. 16 but the legislation required a minimum 24-hour notice to upgrade civil partnerships, while those seeking a legal union for the first time
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in other news Utah judge steps down from case involving foster child of lesbian couple A Utah judge who last week ordered a foster child be taken away from a lesbian couple stepped down from the case Nov. 16. Seventh District Juvenile Judge Scott Johansen referred the case to another judge after he had received heavy criticism for his order Nov. 10, which he later reversed. Johansen ordered that a 9-month-old girl be removed from the home of Beckie Peirce, 34, and her wife, April Hoagland, 38. The judge cited research saying the child would be better off in a home with heterosexual parents.
Government opposes Chelsea Manning’s request to grow hair long in prison Government officials are opposing imprisoned national security leaker Chelsea Manning’s request to grow out her hair. The transgender former Army intelligence made the request as part of a lawsuit in federal court in Washington. The lawsuit says that gender-appropriate grooming is part of the recognized treatment for gender dysphoria, Manning’s sense of being a woman in a man’s body. The Kansas military prison where Manning is being held began giving her hormone therapy in February, but officials have refused to allow her to wear her hair longer than 2 inches. Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, is serving 35 years for sending classified documents to the WikiLeaks website.
Cleveland VA opens transgender clinic The Cleveland VA Medical Center says it is opening a clinic specifically dedicated to the health care needs of transgender veterans. The clinic will provide transgender veterans with primary care, hormonal therapy, mental health care and other services. All of the providers in the new clinic have a special interest in transgender care and say they will create a welcoming environment for those veterans. The Cleveland VA currently treats about 20 transgender patients. The hospital serves more than 112,000 veterans annually with its inpatient and outpatient services.
Ukrainian lawmakers approve gay rights bill Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a bill that bans discrimination of gays, key legislation intended to help pave the way for visa-free travel between Ukraine and the European Union. The 450-seat parliament on Nov. 12 approved the bill with 234 votes. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed parliament’s action as a “historic” move that brought the nation close to its longtime goal of winning the visa-free regime. Ukrainian authorities have sought to forge closer ties with the EU amid a conflict with Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and supported pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
viewpoint
Jason Leclerc
The other side
of life
F
Fantasy ull disclosure:
I’ve been a contributor to the Jeb Bush campaign for president since before he announced. Since 2000—when he was in his political prime—I have hopefully chomped at my Republican bit for his turn in the White House.
I’m a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan. I have had dreams about Rob Gronkowski that have nothing to do with football. By all rights, Jeb should have been the Bush to beat Gore in 2000, the man to guide us through 9-11, the man to reform education and administer a “No Child Left Behind” that actually lived up to its name, the man to prescribe answers to Social Security and national healthcare, the man to combat al-Qaida and prevent a two-front Middle-East quagmire, the man to reshape the Supreme Court, and the man to rein in the Fed’s decade of easy money. He was smart enough, conservative enough, and just wonkish enough to make things like procurement reform (how the government buys stuff) and trust-fund solvency sexy—or at least relevant. But he wasn’t that Bush at that time. In the 15 intervening years, America and the world have changed considerably. Technology, Occupy, Iraq, the Great Recession, and the Tea Party have reshaped American politics in ways that make the simple “common sense” solutions that worked in 1996 seem juvenile. And then there’s fantasy football. In the most telling moment from the third GOP debate, Jeb was asked about his fantasy football team, to which he answered, “I’m 7-0 in my fantasy football league. Gronkowski is still going strong.” In fairness, he followed this up with a tepid warning about the lack of
regulation over the new form of online gambling, but what he obviously considered an applause line overshadowed the serious response that he was obligated to make. This is where he lost me, when I came to recognize that he is not necessarily the man for these times. How can a selfrespecting Floridian (former governor and citizen of Miami!) cheer against the Dolphins? Because that’s what fantasy football does, it bets on the dismantling into disparate and unaccountable constituencies of the realworld cohesion inherent in what is arguably the ultimate team sport. He chose Gronk’s stats over the Fins on the eve of the Thursday showdown between the Patriots and the hometown boys from Miami. While I applaud Jeb’s recognition of modern pop culture and of its intersection with the complexities of technology, his response more resembles demagoguery than deep understanding. Of course, this is all metaphor for something much more troubling. First of all, he hinted that there was a space for government to ensure the fairness of the billion-dollar betting industry that has grown up around fantasy football. We have to flag this one! Conservative ideology eschews bigger government protections for people that are irresponsible enough to gamble online. Secondly, if we consider the logic behind the “fantasy” mentality, we find bubbles around the constituents of a team. In fantasyland, a tight end operates independent of his quarterback, both of whom succeed or fail in a vacuum that discounts a carefully constructed corpus which also requires defense and special teams and coaching. The United States economy does not operate in a bubble independent of foreign relations. The value of our dollar is tied to the success of China’s middle class, oil fields in Central Africa, and to
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navigable channels exploited by trade partners as ice sheets melt and re-form in the Arctic. The permeability of America’s borders remains tied to the availability of promising jobs to our north and south. The wealth of the most successful Americans is protected only
is not simply quintiles and test scores. America is not simply debt ceilings and unemployment rates. Rather, America is a complex set of interdependent citizens: everyone from teachers and plumbers to professional athletes and wealthy, quasi-
So, chiming in from the straight-talking end of the stage during the same debate, New Jersey’s Chris Christie— far from a sure bet to win the GOP nomination—responded in a way that I wish Jeb had: “Are we really talking about getting the government
to the degree that the other 90 percent is able to maintain their own standard of living. Civil rights and education and the arts can only thrive in a nation where the most basic human rights are protected. None of these constituent realities can be taken in isolation. Finally, fantasy football turns people into stats and dollars and wagers. It dismantles the hard work of team-building and the value of the collective “we.” America
royal families. America is a team made up of great players, middling players, and third stringers. We have to figure out how to make the team we have—not some fantasy—continue to win. There is nothing ideologically conservative about imagining away the complexities of American society. Fantasy is not a solution. As fantastic (!) as a nation of Gronks might be, a tight end does not a nation make.
involved in fantasy football? We have—wait a second—we have 19 trillion dollars in debt, we have people out of work, we have ISIS and alQaida attacking us, and we’re talking about fantasy football. Can we stop?” Yes, Governor Christie. I think we can, because we have much better and consequential—truly fantastic—work to do.
Fantasy football turns people into stats and dollars and wagers. It dismantles the hard work of team-building and the value of the collective ‘we.’
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
viewpoint
Rachel Wilson
a ro u n d
the world
I
Superpower failures
’ve spent twenty-five
years traveling to Russia. But I’ve never met a gay person there.
watermark Your lgbt life.
the scenes, the United States and the European Union backed opposition politicians, eventually maneuvering them into power. The final blow came in February 2014, while Putin was at the Sochi Olympics: Ukraine’s government was overthrown. But Ukraine’s new government did not usher
bit better face for the West than we had before...But unfortunately, if we will look to the condition of the LGBT community in general, I think we will not see a big difference between the Russian situation and Ukraine.” Karasiichuk has recently sought asylum in the U.S. because his life is in danger in Ukraine.
On the flip side, the E.U. recently succeeded in twisting Ukraine’s arm into accepting some weak proLGBT legislation, but the parliament’s speaker followed it up with an emphatic promise to “never, God forbid” allow gay marriage in Ukraine. Meanwhile, gay Russians and Ukrainians fight for their lives.
in a new day for LGBT rights. These leaders didn’t universally lean toward the West, just away from Russia. A sizable contingent were rightwing nationalists that want to execute gay people. As Taras Karasiichuk, an activist from Ukraine recently reported at a New York forum, “We have a little bit of a strange situation, because we now have a little
Russia’s perception that LGBT rights were just a smokescreen for a coup no longer sounds like a paranoid delusion. The United States spent two decades ignoring the growing danger to the gay community in Russia, only choosing to speak out at a moment when Russia was in a critical showdown with the West over Ukraine.
As I keep not meeting gay people in Russia, I have to ask: what are we doing? The U.S. either can’t or won’t be consistent in its push for LGBT rights abroad. Socalled “larger” geopolitical goals always rule the day. But human beings are not plastic Risk pieces and gay people should not be mere pawns in superpower games.
In June, Russia’s federal ban on “gay propaganda” went into effect and Americans exploded in justified anger. But because of the timing, Russia sensed that the uproar wasn’t actually about gay rights, but about Ukraine.
WHEN YOU THINK HEALTH CARE THINK
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Through college, graduate school, and work, I’ve roamed across this vast country—one larger than the surface area of Pluto—meeting hundreds of people in varied contexts and in myriad places. I’ve made friends— close ones—but no gay people. Statistics show that of course I’ve met gay people, I just don’t know it. But homosexuality is anything but invisible in Russia—it’s denounced everywhere. And it seems the West’s focus on Russia’s homophobia is what has made it such a central topic of conversation. Sadly, what began as an earnest strategy to increase rights for LGBTs has morphed into a grotesque charade to push the West’s real agenda: NATO expansion. The result is that gay lives are at more risk than ever before, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. It all started innocently enough. In 1993, fresh from the implosion of Communism and desperate for Western cash, Boris Yeltsin decriminalized homosexuality in legal jargon so obtuse that no one actually noticed. The change did comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, however, and Russia was later rewarded with Council of Europe membership. Over the years, Western cultural products became increasingly common in Russia, so homosexuality occasionally surfaced in the mainstream. But whatever tolerance was slowly developing was met with virulent backlash. When Moscow activists attempted to hold the first Pride parade in 2006, they were attacked by skinheads and police. The parade and the attacks have now become a sort of ritual repeated every year. Also in 2006, a new legislative idea took hold: the banning of “gay propaganda.” Homophobic rage bubbled along on the country’s back burner for seven more years, while the West responded with crickets. Meanwhile, gay Ukrainians weren’t faring much better. In 2012, Ukraine’s parliament drafted its own
“gay propaganda” law. Unlike Russia’s regional laws, this one was federal. Soon after, Ukraine’s first Pride parade was canceled because of vicious attacks on activists. None of this attracted any attention from the West, with the notable exception of Elton John, who condemned the violence and pledged help to gay Ukrainians. And then, in 2013, the West suddenly started caring about gay Russians. At that moment, Eastern Europe was facing one of the most important issues since the end of the Cold War: the fate of Ukraine. It was the center of a tug-of-war between the East (Russia and the Eurasian Customs Union) on one side and the West (the U.S., the European Union, and NATO) on the other. Each side was pressuring Ukraine to sign an economic agreement. Notably, one European sticking point was Ukraine’s resistance to adopting pro-LGBT antidiscrimination laws. Western diplomats pressed ahead anyway, urging Ukraine to reject Russia’s influence. It is hard to overstate the significance of this moment. If Ukraine sided with Europe, eventually NATO would have weapons right on Russia’s border. The thin wire that held Eastern Europe together was pulled taut and it hummed with tension. And then it snapped. In June, Russia’s federal ban on “gay propaganda” went into effect and Americans exploded in justified anger. But because of the timing, Russia sensed that the uproar wasn’t actually about gay rights, but about Ukraine. After all, the West had forced Russia to decriminalize homosexuality in 1993 and was currently pressuring Ukraine to change its laws relating to gay people. With NATO breathing down Russia’s neck, LGBT rights looked like a coup in disguise. In time, it may have been possible to change this perception, but things didn’t go that way. Instead, Ukraine signed with Moscow. The West lost; Russia won. But a month later, mass protests broke out in Ukraine. Behind
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talking points For as many negative responses, there were just as many, if not more, fans who were coming to the defense of not only Aaron but the LGBt community in general, general which is really lovely to see.
In 2015
sTREaMIng
sERvIcEs
(NETFLIX, HULU AND AMAZON PRIME)
43 REGULAR LGBT fEaTuRED
CHARACTERS
—ross marQuanD eXPlaining to ibtimes uK the Public resPonse to his role as aaron, his gay character, on the tv shoW the WALKING DEAD
TOM hanKs hOnORED By OuTfEsT ucla as a TRaIlBlaZER
T
om hanKs Was PresenteD With the 2015 trailblaZer aWarD from Outfest UCLA Legacy Project in recognition for his Oscar-winning performance in Philadelphia 22 years ago. “How appropriate that this event is being held in a church, ‘cause I’m now going to preach to the choir,” Hanks said in a speech that focused on the importance of preserving movies as a way for future generations to hear our stories. “As filmmakers, we want to each tell the compelling story, but what is the point if we don’t also tell the truth?” Hanks said. “Perhaps seeing [Philadelphia] through the eyes of 2015 reveals a truth about those times; about our history, about our nation and about ourselves.” The Outfest Legacy project is the only program in the world exclusively dedicated to saving and protecting LGBT moving images.
IN
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BaRacK OBaMa: lgBT cOvER MODEl
b
aracK obama has become the First sitting u.s. PresiDent to be photographed for the cover of an LGBT publication. Obama was named by Out magazine as the LGBT “Ally of the Year” for the annual Out100 list. He appears on the cover with the headline, “Our President. Ally. Hero. Icon.” The annual list names the 100 most influential and/or compelling people in the LGBT community every year. Out chose Caitlyn Jenner as “Newsmaker of the Year,” Portlandia creator Carrie Brownstein as “Artist of the Year” and singer-songwriter Olly Alexander as “Breakout of the Year.” Others on the list include soccer star Robbie Rogers, the View’s Raven-Symone and Hollywood legend Lily Tomlin.
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DEADPOOL fIlM TO fEaTuRE pansEXual lEaD chaRacTER
T
he Director oF the soonto-be-releaseD DEADPOOL Film has confirmed that the “merc with a mouth” will indeed be pansexual. Tim Miller was asked in an interview with Collider.com whether the film would feature a “hypersexualized” version of Deadpool like the one seen in the comics. Miller responded, “Pansexual! I want that quoted. Pansexual Deadpool.” Comic book writer Gerry Duggan confirmed Deadpool identifies as someone other than straight on Twitter in 2013 when he posted “I consider [Deadpool] ready and willing to do anything with a pulse.” Ryan Reynolds, who portrays the title character in the R-rated film, confirmed that Deadpool will be sexualized. Deadpool hits theaters February 2016.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
sEaTTlE sTaRBucKs JOIns lgBT haTE cRIME safE havEn pROgRaM
s
tarbucKs anD seattle Police are teaming uP to make sure LGBT hate crime victims have a safe place to go. The coffee chain announced the Safe Place Program is rolling out to all 97 Seattle Starbucks locations right now and their 2,000 area employees completed training Nov. 9. The partnership began when Seattle police officer Jim Ritter became LGBTQ liaison for the department and learned many hate crimes go unreported. He created the Safe Place Program to try to encourage victims to seek out police help. Participating businesses display a rainbow window sticker, which indicates the employees inside have received training and will help hate crime victims, allowing them to stay on the premises while help arrives.
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In-DEpTh: WORlD aIDs Day
PreventIon = ComPlACenCe? As World AIDS Day approaches, philanthropic organizations adjust to changing times and perceptions in the world of HIV
A
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little over a year ago, orlanDo
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“I got my annual physical done, and for my first time, even though I’ve been tested for HIV over and over again throughout my life. I finally got tested for [sexually transmitted diseases] and I got tested for HIV,” he says. “I got a little STD scare when the health department called me and gave me the scary news. Even though I knew that was within the realm of possibility, and I knew about partner notification, finally getting that phone call and
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knowing what that feels like made it hit home. So, I was like, ‘OK, if I can never have this happen again, and I can know that it’s something non-life threatening, then I will.’ Finally, he opened up with his doctor. “The only other time I think I’ve ever talked about sexuality with a doctor, they asked if I was sexually active, 10 years ago, maybe,” Donahoo says. “And I told them, ‘yeah.’ And they asked if I used a condom every time, and I said, ‘Yeah, most of the time; there are lapses in judgment,’ and all he had to say was, ‘Never have those lapses again.’ And that was it. … It was just blunt and sex-negative and ugly.” That’s when Donahoo, who was referred by his physician to the Orlando Immunology Center, began taking sexual preparations and personal care beyond the typical condom prevention methods: He started pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP (or Truvada). It was a decision neither he nor his doctors took lightly. “Finally getting to talk face to face to a medical professional who knows what they’re talking about was really impactful. I personally didn’t get any of the side effects,” he says, adding that any stomach discomfort was comparable to “eating bad food,” and, regardless, it went away within weeks. A $45 copay and his prescription for Truvada was effectively free. (There are patient assistance programs offered through most HIV organizations.) “I’ve been on it for over a year and never even missed one dose,” Donahoo says. “You have to go to a lab and do your tests every three months, then you come back a week or two later to talk about your results. The three-month test is for all STDs including HIV, and then they check your kidney function; it’s the full battery of tests.” The PrEP phenomenon is relatively new science in a three-decade health battle that has seen many within the LGBT community die instantly in horrific immune system failure or seemingly manage their way into undetectable viral loads through the course of what was once referred to as the “gay cancer” or the “gay plague.” We’ve seen Philadelphia, we’ve seen the AZT and the cocktails, we’ve seen the black markets, we’ve seen Dallas
you remember bACk In the lAte ‘80S And eArly ‘90S, We hAd ACt uP. It WAS In every neWSPAPer, on every neWSCASt. you Could not get hIv out of your mInd. PeoPle Are doWn to one PIll A dAy. there IS A good treAtment. for lACk of A better Word, It IS A mAnAgeAble dISeASe. they fIgure, ‘oh, It’S no bIg deAl.’ my bIg thIng IS It’S A dISeASe. Why In the hell Would Anybody WAnt A dISeASe? —glbt center eXecutive Director terry Decarlo
Buyer’s Club. And yet we seem to be forgetting. “Hearing and seeing these early people that were training me, I’m like, ‘No, no. I saw the face of it.’” Donahoo says, saying he’s been training people about HIV since he was a teenager. It’s a peculiar predicament facing Florida’s HIV-supportive network of agencies as the state’s reactive numbers of HIV infections is spiking. Earlier this year, it was reported that Orange County jumped up 47 percent in HIV-positive diagnoses. Similarly, Hillsborough County
leapt 63 percent between 2012 and 2014; Pinellas jumped 32 percent, the Florida Department of Health reported. At the same time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control yanked its annual funding from the Greater Orlando area. The CDC chose to concentrate Florida’s portion of a $216 million national campaign to redress the AIDS crisis elsewhere, limiting its funding to three organizations that are located in St. Petersburg and in South Florida. Central Florida organizations are clearly feeling the pain of this, but they also seem more focused than
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ever on pooling their resources and facing down misconceptions in the AIDS fight. It’s World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Does anybody care anymore?
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t a nov. 9 lunchtime event-Planning meeting of the Central Florida AIDS Planning Consortium in the offices of Heart of Florida United Way, the answers come quietly as to how to beef up the network in the region. The word “frustrating” appears more than once, as does “complacency.” In
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fairness, the group—or those who were able to make it to this meeting—is actually gathering to work out the logistics of its annual World AIDS Day celebration at the Walt Disney Bandshell on Lake Eola in Orlando. There will be testing starting at noon, a performance featuring local notables like entertainer Doug Ba’aser. Testimonials are expected including one from the Orlando mayor’s office, as are speeches from the likes of Florida Health Department director Kevin Sherin and Orange County Health Department HIV/ AIDS program manager Debbie Tucci, among others. Calls have been made to the mayors’ offices, arrangements are in the works for AIDS quilt panels being on display, but the excitement is clearly quiet. Everyone seems to know that there is some element of going through the bureaucratic motions here. At one point, Watermark was promised email responses to broad-stroke questions about services and redundancies. They didn’t arrive by press time. “Last year, there were a few more people than there were before,” says Tucci, who we spoke to after the meeting as she was unavailable for that particular gathering. “I think bringing it back to Lake Eola was imperative. Lake Eola, if nothing else, brings out the diehards like me. It also brings around the people who are just walking around the park. And they stopped. You’ll get a message out to a lot of people who would never think to be tested.” “Talk to the younger gay men in this community, and they don’t know about it. They don’t know what the panels mean [on the AIDS quilt]. That’s the double-edged sword,” Tucci says. “I don’t think it’s awful. I think we can turn it around… and find a way to make PrEP in our toolkit for prevention to where we have that available, that everyone understands how it’s to be used.” “On the other hand,” she adds, “I can talk to my nieces and nephews, but you know, there’s no fear. Which is really what we strove for. We strove to have one pill a day. It’s a case of be careful what you wish for.” Apparently, 60-70 people showed up for the Orlando event last year, group leaders say. That’s a far cry from those counted in Orange County’s 47 percent leap in cases, a huge leap from Florida’s status at the top of new reactives (most of the region is in the top 20). Though at this year’s Come Out cOnTInuED On pg. 37 | uu |
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on Dec. 1. “Early intervention” is crucial, he says, but so is “adherence” to prescriptions in a world of immediate gratification. Otherwise, we all lose.
neW
TEll ME WhaT yOu caME InTO WhEn yOu WalKED InTO ThE DOORs fROM ThE cEnTER anD InTO hOpE anD hElp.
hoPe
(And helP)
Hope and Help Center of Central Florida community development director Russell Walker on the changing face of HIV/AIDS awareness
I
Billy Manes
n February 2015, Former orlanDo
GLBT Center vice president (and interim executive director) Russell Walker left one shifting Central Florida philanthropic agency for another. Walker assumed the helm at Hope and Help Center of Central Florida as events manager, but now finds himself in the position of community development director, one who is pushing for more outreach and greater transparency. If this year’s Headdress Ball, Hope and Help’s signature fundraising event of plumage and responsibility, is anything to go by, Walker is succeeding. The Oct. 17 affair raised $325,000 for the HIV/AIDS support organization, all told, which might seem like a disappointment compared to the reported numbers from previous years, but is likely more a reflection of net profits versus gross profits. Along with the celebrity flourishes and black-tie beverage stains came a sense of responsibility, of community, that
may have faded in the spotlight during the years prior. Walker is working to right the ship, he says, even after the $4 million agency lost a large sum of funding when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued its grants this summer. These are changing times for the HIV community. On one hand, complacency seems to be the keyword; younger people unaware of the deadly scourge of AIDS in the ‘80s and the ‘90s are looking away from standard prophylactics and popping Pre-Exposure
Prophylaxis pills (Truvada) to ensure their security. Meanwhile, organizations that support the local HIV population are fighting for funding—and relevancy—in a perpetually confusing wave of epidemiology and circumstance. “There’s obviously a demographic of 13- to 24-year-olds [with HIV] that is exploding. Around 13, ‘on the rise’ I guess would be a better description of that demographic. But there’s no specific programming for that age group right now to offer them support,” Walker says. “So we’re going to try to really focus on those groups, and from that, we’ll then talk about whether we’ll be even more diverse. As of right now we’re just looking to have a youth program, and as that takes off, we’ll start doing a youth male-seeking-male (MSM) program, youth African-American and youth Hispanic populations and explore our options to start tackling them more specifically.” We sat down with Walker to discuss his recent career hop and the challenges facing Florida in the new age of AIDS, especially as we recognize World AIDS Day
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I mean, my job was fairly portable as the events manager, which is one of the reasons I moved to Hope and Help, because it was more event-focused, which I felt was my strength, really. Seven months later, I was taking over community development, so the agency had already gone through a lot of changes with their board and things like that. And again, I don’t really know what happened with their board or what happened before that, and I don’t really ask, because I don’t really care about that. There’s no point in looking back to what we did before. I was more focused on really starting to get a grasp of what Headdress was and the monster it has become. Which I think I did fairly well. We lowered the budgets this year. We cut a lot of expenses, which we needed to do. And so, because of that, we brought in a higher return on investment. WERE ThERE any BIg challEngEs ThaT caME up ThIs yEaR?
For me, my biggest challenge was making [Headdress] financially viable as an event. You know, making expenses lower, making the donations higher. Also, my biggest thing that was kind of self-imposed was using it to raise awareness, because I know people I had spoken to who knew of Hope and Help and knew of Headdress Ball, but didn’t know they worked together. I’m embarrassed how long they didn’t know. … They had no idea that it was for HIV or AIDS-care clients. Was ThaT a cOnscIOus DEcIsIOn TO IncluDE ThE lInEup On ThE sTagE TO havE pEOplE TEll ThEIR InDIvIDual sTORIEs?
Yes. I mean, that was in the production side of it. I don’t have a lot to do with it. You know, it was very much the production team who did it. But that was definitely something I was pushing for that had to be this link to awareness and why we were there.
BuT ThEn TElEvIsIOn pERsOnalITIEs shOWED up On sTagE.
[So You Think You Can Dance judge] Mary Murphy was great. She has been very active in the LGBT community. I was very surprised at
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how knowledgeable she was on the subject. She actually wanted to give money and wanted to push that kind of thing. But yeah we’re consciously trying to increase that, because in previous years we have had one person give their testimonial. We were really trying to make something that wasn’t a downer on the night. That kind of thing really is the overall vibe of what we’re going for: knowledge of HIV.
WhaT can hOpE anD hElp DO TO fuRThER EXpanD ITs BRanD OR ITs REsOnancE In ThE cOMMunITy?
I mean what we’re looking at is, you know, we are one of few agencies that are funded in the multiple counties: Osceola, Seminole, Orange and Brevard. So we are moving more into these communities, because, yes, it’s easier to talk about Orlando as a big city, but we need to work out what’s going to happen to these actual demographics. You know, it’s clearly metropolitan. I mean, it’s obviously not New York, but I think we’re fairly visible, so there’s that kind of security. People over in Daytona, they don’t have that quite as clear. So part of what we are looking at is how to implement prevention services so there will actually be testing. DO yOu ThInK ThaT pREp changEs ThE MIssIOn Of hOpE anD hElp nOW In TERMs Of pREvEnTaTIvE MEDIcInE?
No, I don’t think so. We tell people that it’s not necessarily something you should do, but it could be a great tool in prevention.
MOvIng fORWaRD, afTER all Of ThE changEs, WhaT Is ThE BEsT ThIng ThaT hOpE anD hElp can DO TO RE-EsTaBlIsh ITsElf In ThE cOMMunITy RIghT nOW?
I think we need to be more focused. We have to be seen in the community. We have to be seen in the Pride parade as part of the community. We can’t just be in the bathroom and say we’re there. Should it be seen as a gay disease anymore? No. Especially now as we’re seen more kids coming out as gender fluid, there are all of these loose definitions. Kids are much more willing try things now.
If yOu’RE gOIng TO TRy, yOu nEED TO fInD MORE avEnuEs fOR safETy.
Yes, and even as we advocate PrEP, we still think that people have to use condoms. It only protects you from HIV; it doesn’t protect you from any other sexually transmitted diseases.
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watermark Your lgbt life.
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| uu | World AIDS Day from pg.33
With Pride, only one new positive case was reported at a mobile testing facility, the GLBT Center is seeing a new case once a day on average as of November, according to Center Executive Director Terry DeCarlo. The disconnect is disconcerting to DeCarlo. “Today is Nov. 11 and we already have 9 reactives,” he says over the phone. “There’s been a large uptick in HIV reactive cases. We’ve got to get the word back out. There are alternatives with PrEP and nPEP [a similar treatment used after exposure], but people are confused about PrEP and nPEP.” “You remember back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, we had ACT UP. It was in every newspaper, on every newscast,” he says. “You could not get HIV out of your mind. People are down to one pill a day. There is a good treatment. For lack of a better word, it is a manageable disease. They figure, ‘oh, it’s no big deal.’ My big thing is it’s a disease. Why in the hell would anybody want a disease?” So what’s stopping the message from resonating among the gay population? For one, many are living under the misguided notion that the disease is merely a manageable disease, one that has bypassed the LGBT community through the active communication of medical options and through the stories of our past; now it’s someone else’s problem. Another, most agree, is the continued stigma attached to HIV/ AIDS cases. And, surprisingly, many with the infection are choosing to just give up on their care. “I think the biggest thing is getting people back into care—to find people who have fallen out of care, and get their viral loads suppressed. That way they’re not spreading it,” says Earl Hunt III, Florida Department of Health of Orange County patient care contract manager. “It’s being swept under the rug still. I just don’t think the prevention stuff is working, really. I mean, I hate to say it. But we’ve had plenty of effective interventions in the area. … it just doesn’t seem like it’s working. I think that’s another reason why the CDC didn’t fund us this year.” Additional root causes run the gamut from politics to media to poverty. At the Nov. 9 meeting, Orange Blossom Family Health special projects coordinator Alelia Munroe directly addressed the
Carry that weight Here is a smattering of the events going on locally to honor World AIDS Day, many involving chances for you to know your HIV status, most involving fun with a splash of historical context and remembrance. Please check with the individual HIV agencies for more events.
2nd Annual World AIDS Day Candlelight Walk & Rally Monday, Nov. 30, 6:30 P.M. GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, Orlando
Join the GLBT Center of Central Florida and their partners for the second annual World AIDS Day Candlelight Walk and Rally. This event is to remember those lost to the disease, stand with those living with it and look towards the future. This is not a fundraising event, and there is no cost to attend and walk. Candles will be provided. The walk will begin at the Center at 6:30 p.m., and the Rally will begin at 7:15 p.m.. For more information on featured speakers and grand marshals visit TheCenterOrlando.org.
ASAP’s AIDS Prayer Luncheon
Sex-Ed Trivia with Planned Parenthood
A Night of Remembrance
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 11:30 A.M. Empath Health Community Service Center, St. Petersburg
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 6:00 P.M. The Falcon, Orlando
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 12:00- 7:30 P.M. Lake Eola Amphitheater, Orlando
Each year AIDS Services Association of Pinellas (ASAP) sponsors a luncheon for the community to come together and remember those lost to and those living with HIV/AIDS. The theme of World AIDS Day 2015 is “Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.” A complimentary lunch will be served beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the program will begin at noon. It will have a remembrance time with prayers and music and culminate with the traditional ringing of the AIDS Memorial Bells. The luncheon is free and open to the public; however, for planning purposes ASAP is requesting RSVP by Wednesday, November 25, to David Maier at 727-328-3263 or email at davidmair@asapservices.org.
indigent populations in Orlando, as her organization deals directly with homeless care. “It is the last thing on their minds,” she says. “The first thing is to find shelter. But we have not really been able to quantify the number and/or percentage of homeless individuals who are HIV infected.” Similarly, though jail populations are offered tests, the interest in maintaining care after release, and the seeming indifference of the jails themselves, has put some of the most threatened populations in the path of danger. But even the most vulnerable of demographics, at least as far as wages go—another reason Orange is so high on the list, members of CFAP agree, is because of wandering populations and people looking for lows costs of living (meaning, low paying jobs)—is likely the most obvious. “It’s so much instant gratification now through Scruff and Grindr,”
Think you’re a sexpert? Then prove it. Join Planned Parenthood for a night of trivia with a special focus on commemorating World AIDS Day and the importance of getting tested. A $5 donation is suggested per person participating, and groups can be formed with 4-6 people. Teams can be arranged at the door and do not need to be formed prior to the event. Doors open at 6:00 P.M. and trivia will start at 6:30 P.M. Cash bar will be available and all proceeds raised will go to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
Hunt says. “MSM [men-seekingmen] make up the majority;18-29 year-olds who were not around for all of the death.” “I’ve seen studies on that and we’re definitely seeing increases in those younger populations,” Raymond adds. “We’re seeing it in older populations as well, but they’re more managed. Where we’re seeing the most increases in infection rates are in 18- to 24-yearold MSMs, black and Hispanic heterosexuals and MSMs.” Also, it’s a complex philanthropic world of government and grants to right the ship in the ongoing AIDS crisis. There’s a relatively new playbook. “The result of the researchers’ work was the HIV care continuum (or “cascade”), which they defined as having the following stages: diagnosis of HIV infection, linkage to care, retention in care, receipt of antiretroviral therapy, and achievement of viral suppression. Many in the HIV field at the federal,
watermark Your lgbt life.
The Hope & Help Center will be at Lake Eola starting at noon on World AIDS Day for a night of remembrance, celebration and education. They will have free HIV testing beginning at noon outside the Lake Eola Amphitheater. The celebration will begin at 6:00 P.M. and will be hosted by Monica May and Doug Bowser. Additional testing will take place at the Orlando Public Library from 12:00- 4:00 P.M. For more information visit TestOrlando.org.
state, and local levels have since used or adapted this HIV care continuum to better identify gaps in HIV services and develop strategies to improve engagement in care and outcomes for people living with HIV,” the federal website aids.gov reports. “In 2013, President Obama established the HIV Care Continuum Initiative, directing federal departments to prioritize addressing the HIV care continuum as they continue to implement the National HIV/ AIDS Strategy, accelerating efforts to better address drop-offs along the continuum, and increasing the proportion of individuals in each stage along the continuum.” The president’s goals for HIV, which include a rate of 85 percent with undetectable viral loads, are currently unrealistic in Central Florida. Two Orlando organizations, Hope & Help and Miracle of Love, have cut their services and staffs after key funding grants were quashed.
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In July, at the same time that Orlando-area organizations were losing their funding, St. Petersburgbased Metro Wellness and Community Centers, a “one-stop shop” that raises and spends more than $5 million a year in donations and grants according to tax documents, was granted $350,000 over five years from the CDC to help with prevention. Metro Vice President Priya Rajkumar reports that the organization is currently monitoring 28 people on PrEP. Some, she says, are taking it because they have HIV-positive partners, others because they are “tired of hearing the message.” “We have our PrEP navigator,” says Rajkumar. “That’s part of the process that we go through: to make sure that you’re not just handed the pill. There’s definitely a lot of controversy around PrEP,” including other STDs, she adds. “I’ve been working in the HIV field for 16 years now. There’s more complacency than there ever has been,” Rajkumar says. “In fact, we’re seeing young adults being infected more than any other group. For us, more media, World AIDS Day, through continuing to keep working, talking to the youth in schools” is the plan to counteract the rise. (Metro, she says, has about 10 new diagnoses a month). “Some traditional prevention still works,” Orange County Health Department’s Tucci says. “We still need to talk to people.There’s some fear and there’s still complacency. There are kids who come in and say, ‘I’m gay and of course I’m going to get it.’ You just need to take the time to explain everything.”
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or Orlando’s Donahoo, who is willing to share his experiences with everyone through all media, social or traditional, helplessness isn’t an option. PrEP has actually made him more proactive in his life decisions, he says. “I’ve heard some people think that taking a pill every day is being complacent, but actually, taking a pill every day is a constant reminder to stay safe, for me at least it is,” he says. “At the same time, if the threat of death is the only thing that we have to keep us feeling safe about ourselves, that shouldn’t be the way. Vice-versa, I’ve seen guys pass up on PrEP because they don’t want to talk about it with all of the weird stigma behind it. They think that people taking PrEP implies certain stuff about them.” “It’s a new era,” he says.
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FEBRUARY 23 - 28 DRPHILLIPSCENTER.ORG 38
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aRTs anD EnTERTaInMEnT
LOOKING BACK ON MOVING FORWARD NeW cHILDreN’s booK Focuses oN LGbT HIsTorY
A
Ciara Varone
leXanDer the great, leonarDo
da Vinci and Walt Whitman are historical figures whose accomplishments have long secured their places in classroom curricula. They were all also either openly or likely gay or bisexual—but those details often get left out of history books. Author Jerome Pohlen is working to change this with his newest book, released in October, Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Pohlen says he was inspired to write the book after noticing the lack of LGBT representation in children’s nonfiction. “I realized that there was no book out there for this particular age group, which is ages nine and up,” Pohlen says. “When you turn on the news every day, you see one story after another about gay, lesbian, bi, transgender Americans, but there is really no context, you know? Where
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haring voices: Artist Kieth Harings’ iconic Act Up artwork. PHOTO COURTESY ACT UP NEW YORK
| uu | Gay History for Kids fROM pg.39
did marriage equality come from? Where did these religious freedom issues originate? All of these are explained in the book from when they first sort of became an issue.” As Pohlen’s book highlights, LGBT individuals have always played a part in American history; students just have not been told about them. “They’re lies of omission rather than lies of commission,” Pohlen says. For example, the book’s first chapter includes the story of Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the poem “America,” which would later be set to music and become the song “America the Beautiful.” This lyrical tribute to America,
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which some think should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the U.S. national anthem, was written by a lesbian. “The images that [Bates] uses in that poem were from her trip out to Colorado with her partner,” Pohlen says. “They were together when they were going through Kansas seeing amber waves of grain. They were together when they went to the ‘White City’ in Chicago, the World’s Fair, which she refers to as alabaster cities, and she was with her when she went to the top of Pikes Peak. These were things that were never referenced in the stories, and I think that it needs to be discussed.” Pohlen is a former elementary school teacher. His background in education has helped him in writing this Gay & Lesbian history for a juvenile audience by showing
him that kids like to be told things as they actually happened, he says. “Children want to be told the truth. They appreciate just leveling with them about a variety of subjects and they’re perfectly capable of handling it,” Pohlen says. With media coverage incorporating gay, lesbian and transgender people into the mainstream, children are most likely already aware—sorry, homophobes—of their existence. “It’s sort of doing [children] a disservice not to talk about [LGBT] history, because it’s impacted their lives,” Pohlen says. “Gay and lesbian individuals have contributed to our society, and they deserve to be included in our history.” Despite this, LGBT stories have remained segregated, when not left
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out entirely, he says. “The story all along has been, you know, LGBT people are over here and the people that aren’t are over there. Their lives don’t cross; their stories don’t cross. And that’s just simply not true,” Pohlen says. Gay & Lesbian History serves as a comprehensive reminder that LGBT figures have not simply made a difference in the gay community, but in world history as a whole. Pohlen points to Alan Turing as a prime example. “A gay man led the effort to solve the Enigma code in World War II and shortened the war by two years. I think that’s a significant accomplishment, and he did it with a team. He was known to be gay by many of the people on that team,” Pohlen says. “[That] didn’t stop them from completing their mission.”
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Besides providing brief histories of historical figures who were gay, Pohlen gives an overall timeline of the gay-rights movement. Though kid-friendly, he says there is a lot for adults to learn as well. Many of his overwhelmingly positive reviews come from adults who were surprised by how little they knew about the movement. “Most people have a vague idea of some of the major points. You know, they’ve heard of the Oscar Wilde trials and they’ve heard of Harvey Milk and, you know, they’ve certainly heard of the AIDS crisis,” Pohlen says. “But [gay rights activism] really got going in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, before Stonewall even happened.” Beyond the facts, there are lessons of courage children and
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watermark Your lgbt life.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
| uu | Gay History for Kids fROM pg.40
adults can learn from the history of the gay rights movement. “This is the ultimate underdog story,” Pohlen says. “These first groups were just, you know, a dozen people getting together. And they ended up starting a revolution that has resulted in our present day, near-full acceptance within American society. There was no indication when they started that that would ever be happening in their lifetime.” Pohlen said that having a book like this when he was growing up in Colorado and serving as an altar boy in church, oblivious to the fact that there were people throughout time who felt just like he did, would have meant a lot to him. “It certainly would have made me feel less alone at times,” Pohlen said. Pohlen did not come out until he was in his 20s, but he says his family has been completely supportive ever since. “They have been wonderful from the very first time that I spoke to them about it,” Pohlen says. “It’s been a nice ride.” Pohlen dedicates the book to his mother, who he says taught him empathy and compassion. When Pohlen was a kindergartener, she gave him a lesson in kindness that he says he has never forgotten. Pohlen’s mother, Barbara Jean Standiford Pohlen, had heard that there were neighbors telling their children to stay away from Charlie, an older man who lived across the street and had a mental disability. “She explained in no uncertain terms that Charlie was a great guy and not to listen to anybody who told me otherwise,” Pohlen says. Pohlen spent three years researching and writing the book. Though he said he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to include the ruling on marriage equality in the final copy, he had a hunch. He wrote a different ending in December 2014, but knowing that the book wouldn’t be printed until August, he contacted his publisher when the Supreme Court agreed to hear Obergefell v. Hodges in January 2015. “I talked to the publisher and said, ‘Can we just leave some space on the last page of the last chapter?’” Pohlen says. “When the ruling came down, we were able to include the final outcome of that case.” The back cover shows
children want to be told the truth. They appreciate just leveling with them about a variety of subjects and they’re perfectly capable of handling it.
triangulation: A badge of courage. PHOTO COURTESY JEROM POHLEN.
— Jerome Pohlen
not DeaD, not silence: Act Up Protests PHOTO COURTESY ONE NATION GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVES
King Kramer: Key Act Up activist Larry Kramer. PHOTO BY ROBERT GIARD
a picture from the night the White House was lit up like a rainbow in celebration of the decision. Now that the book is out, he says he hopes that it can become widely used in classrooms. He says it has been especially wellreceived by librarians. “Information is information. History is history,” Pohlen says. “They’re not judging one way or another, but they’re offering it up to their students and their patrons as something that if that’s what they’re looking for, then it should be available.” California, the only state that requires by law that school
curriculum be LGBT-inclusive, may be his best shot of getting the book brought into classrooms, Pohlen says. A few weeks ago, he sent a copy of the book to a high school in San Francisco which is the first in the country that offers an LGBT history course. He says that he hopes to hear back from them soon. In the meantime, Pohlen says he thinks Gay & Lesbian History for Kids can inspire more people to write LGBT nonfiction for the upper elementary audience that, up to this point, has been neglected. “I don’t want anybody to think that I have all of the answers on
watermark Your lgbt life.
Michael McConnel and Jack Baker. PHOTO BY KAY TOBIN
this, because I certainly know I don’t.” Pohlen says. “I think that there’s room for all kinds of material for children to help them better understand the world that they live in, and I hope more people write for this audience.” There is also plenty of history yet to be made. Pohlen says the next big step toward equality will be improving the treatment of transgender individuals, in light of the defeat of the Houston Equal Rights ordinance. “There’s a lot of catching up to do, even within the gay and lesbian circle,” Pohlen says. “I don’t think that there’s not a
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
desire to embrace the trans community, but there’s a lack of understanding, or of a full, active understanding of just how difficult it is for transgender Americans.” But Pohlen says equality is on the horizon, and he looks forward to seeing the effect of better education on future generations. Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: The Century Long Struggle can be purchased at ChicagoReviewPress. com or ordered through your local bookstore.
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Also on view through January 3, 2016 Fashionable Portraits in Europe Enduring Documents Selected Photographs from the Permanent Collection Conversations Selections from the Permanent Collection
Jess T. Dugan Every breath we drew
Free Admission Courtesy of Dale Montgomery ‘60 Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday–Sunday noon–5 p.m. Closed Mondays
JESS T. DUGAN, Jillian, 2014 Pigment print, ©Jess T. Dugan
rollins.edu/cfam
Silver Bells Saturday, December 12, 2015 7:30 pm Sunday, December 13, 2015 4:30 pm
sponsored by
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
cOMEDy
Queer Pioneer
Lesbian stand-up comic Suzanne Westenhoefer was out and funny before it was trendy
(aBOvE)
in the beginning: Suzanne Westenhoefer, one of standup comedy’s first openly gay comics, will perform at The Palladium in St. Petersburg Dec. 13.
Photo by ELLIE PEREZ
T
Jeremy Williams
he olD aDage goes “Dying is easy,
comedy is hard,” but in 1990, being an out and proud gay stand-up comedian was impossible. Enter Suzanne Westenhoefer.
Westenhoefer got into stand-up on a dare and since then has been a pioneer in LGBT comedy. She was the first openly gay comic to appear on television in a 1991 episode of the talk show Sally Jessy Raphael entitled “Lesbians who don’t look like lesbians.” She was also the first
to have her own stand-up comedy specials on HBO and Comedy Central, and the first out comic to appear on David Letterman. Westenhoefer is now coming to St. Petersburg to perform her not-so-subtle brand of stand-up at The Palladium December 13.
watermark Your lgbt life.
But before heading to the Bay Area, Westenhoefer spoke with Watermark about those early days and where comedy is today.
WhEn pEOplE TalK WITh yOu aBOuT ThE EaRly Days anD say cOMEDIans lIKE yOu anD lEa DElaRIa hElpED TO lay ThE gROunD WORK fOR lgBT cOMEDy, WhaT KInD Of fEElIngs DOEs ThaT BRIng up In yOu?
I think the weirdest part, and I don’t want this to sound like sour grapes, but everybody in our culture, whether they’re gay or straight, think gay comedy started with Ellen
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
DeGeneres. Meanwhile, I had been out and professional and doing it for six years by the time she did that, and Lea for like 10 years. So you say, “How does it feel to lay the ground work?” but we don’t feel it because we are not acknowledged in that way. That’s not how it works. Is IT haRD TO BE asKED ThOsE KInDs Of QuEsTIOns?
I mean the truth is Ellen was enormously famous, which means that her soapbox, her voice, was so much bigger than I could have
cOnTInuED On pg. 47 | uu |
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
I just flood myself with what’s going on. I do that all the time, and I read Vanity Fair and I read Entertainment Weekly and I read the New York Times magazine. Then I have my own stuff and I talk about my life or my cat or my girlfriend. I mean there’s so much.
| uu | Suzanne Westenhoefer fROM pg.45
ever had. She was a movie star. She was a television star. She had her own show. She had all that, so when she came out, everybody heard it. When I came out doing stand-up in 1990 in New York City, 20 people heard it each time [laughs]. So it didn’t have the same exciting effect.
IT sEEMs lIKE EvERyOnE TODay has gOTTEn vERy sEnsITIvE anD pOlITIcally cORREcT. WhaT’s yOuR TaKE On ThaT?
EVEN thOUGh ELLEN WAS thE MOSt RECOGNIZED, yOU AND LEA hAD A LOt OF thE FIRStS FOR AN OUt, LGBt COMEDIAN. LEA WAS thE FIRSt OPENLy GAy COMEDIAN tO APPEAR ON A LAtE NIGht ShOW WhEN ShE WAS ON THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW.
Yeah, and I was the first openly gay comedian on Letterman, and let me tell you something: There’s time between Lea doing Arsenio [in 1993] and me doing Letterman [in 2003]. It wasn’t like Lea got to do Arsenio, and then everybody got to do it, and P.S., there was no openly gay comic on Letterman after I did it. lETTERMan REally DIDn’T havE any On afTER yOu?
I mean he had Rosie O’Donnell and he had Sandra Bernhard, but he never brought out some unknown, openly gay comic. At least with Arsenio, after Lea he had Kate [Clinton] on and few of the guys on, and that was a big deal. It’s not like me and Kate and Lea got to do these things and the gates were just cut open and everyone got to run through. That didn’t happen until Ellen and Rosie, when the famous people did it. That’s just how society works; we want to see the famous people do it first.
I ThInK IT gOEs BacK TO ThE facT ThaT pEOplE aRE MORE accEpTIng Of IT If ThEy KnOW sOMEOnE WhO Is gay, anD EllEn anD ROsIE WERE In ThEIR lIvIng ROOMs EvERy WEEK, anD pEOplE fElT ThEy KnEW ThEM.
Yeah, and it counted more for them. Here’s the thing: I don’t want to speak for Lea and Kate, but I’m sure they feel this way. We had a job to do and ours was about activism. For me it was about activism; I wanted the world to be different. So I stepped up and said I’m queer, in 1990, and everybody got all scared and weirded out. I WanTED TO asK yOu aBOuT
oh suZanne: After 25 years, Westenhoefer continues to do comedy her way, on her own terms PHOTO BY ELLIE PEREZ sOMEThIng I REaD. DID yOu REally gET sTaRTED In cOMEDy On a DaRE?
[Laughs] It’s true. I moved to New Jersey, just outside of Manhattan, after college to be an actor. After 10 years, I was a bartender, I
hOW DID ThE auDIEncE REspOnD?
They were great. I guess I was funny, because I won
sTanD-up hIsTORIcally has BEEn a DIffIculT aREna fOR fEMalE cOMIcs TO BREaK InTO. Is IT sTIll sEEn as a “Man’s gaME,” OR has IT gOTTEn BETTER?
the competition. I won $25. Afterwards, even comics who were gay would come to me and say you need to stop doing that. It’s gonna ruin your career, you’ll never be able to get work and you’ll never be able to get ahead;
it again. And if they’re still funny, I’ll add to them. I don’t write it ever; I do it all up on stage. I may say something, a small joke while I’m in St. Pete, and six months from now it will become this huge thing that takes up 30 minutes
you’ll never get on TV. Everyone told me that: gay comics, straight comics, managers at clubs, agents, all of them. In a way they were right. It kept me from getting as far as I might have been able to get if I had waited, but I don’t care. That’s not the point of my life. That’s not my journey. I got to go to bed with me every night and be proud of what I was doing. I’m not lying about who I am.
of a show. I see that the audience likes something, and my brain just goes to work on it. I don’t know how to write my own stuff.
It hasn’t gotten better, but I’ll tell you that people like Amy Schumer are forcing it to get better. She’s going out there and saying, “I’m gonna talk about being a slut, and I’m not gonna let you mock me about it. Men can go out there and talk about being with a different girl every night, and you love it. I’m gonna talk about having sex with a different guy every night and I’m gonna make you love it and you’re gonna be fine.” That’s what you have to do. I’m really proud of her, and I’m really into what she’s doing.
You can’t plan. What might seem funny to you and me right now is gonna seem old and lame by the time the show comes around. Rubio, again? [laughs] Ugh, Ben Carson, isn’t he dead? So what I do, when I get to the hotel I turn on CNN, I open a newspaper and
The audience. I get up there, and I’m talking for 90 to 120 minutes, and they are listening and laughing. I can’t even begin to explain how that feels. It’s the most extraordinary feeling. Every comic, no matter what they move on to, always comes back to it. Well, except one, and comics still talk about it today, and that was Steve Martin. Every other one, no matter how big they get, always come back to stand-up. It’s just such a fucking drug.
When [ellen] came out, everybody heard it. When I came out doing stand-up in 1990 in New York city, 20 people heard it. — suZanne WestenhoeFer was a damn good bartender too, and this guy said to me, he was a comic in New York, he and my girlfriend at the time dared me to get up in front of a straight audience for a competition and to comedy just like every other comic, only say girlfriend. Say my lover, talk about my girl, and at that time no one had done that, so I did. At that time there were a handful of gay comics, but none of them were working the straight clubs. They were doing it for Pride or doing it at drag shows, so it was like a big deal that I got up there and did it.
As a comic, and I think a lot of comics would agree with this, we cannot pay too much attention too much to political correctness because we’re the court jesters. We’re supposed to say that thing you’re not supposed to say. I mean, you can’t be an idiot about it, but I think it’s the comics’ job to push that anyway. It’s my job to get up there and say so and so is a dick. I also don’t walk myself into a lot, because if I don’t believe in it, then I’m not gonna talk about it. You can’t say something just to be edgy. There are comics who do that, and it’s boring.
anOThER ThIng I REaD aBOuT yOuR cOMEDy Is ThaT yOu DOn’T scRIpT yOuR acT OuT aT all.
Well, yes. What happens is I go out there and I say something, and if it’s funny and I hear the audience laugh, I try to make a note of it after the show and then the next few shows I’ll say
watermark Your lgbt life.
ThaT EXplaIns Why yOuR cOMEDy Is sO BROaD as OppOsED TO Many cOMIcs WhO fOcus On OnE TypE Of cOMEDy; EIThER pOlITIcal OR pOp culTuRE OR pERsOnal sTORIEs. DO yOu havE a BluEpRInT Of WhaT KInD Of ThIngs WE can EXpEcT WhEn yOu’RE hERE In sT. pETE?
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
WhaT Is ThaT KEEps yOu gETTIng up On ThaT sTagE, Each nIghT, afTER all ThEsE yEaRs?
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WINNER! 2 0 1 3 T O N Y AWA R D
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NOW PLAYING THRU DEC. 27
Based on a Conception of JEROME ROBBINS Book by ARTHUR LAURENTS Music by LEONARD BERNSTEIN Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM Directed by JOEY McKNEELY Choreography reproduced by JOEY McKNEELY Sarasota’s Premier LGBT Events
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DECEMBER 5 , 2015 48
watermark Your lgbt life.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
EvEnT plannER
arTs+enTerTainmenT
cOmmuniTy calendar
ORlanDO
ORlanDO
Fringe Year Round Presents: Nashville Hurricane, Nov. 19, the Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com
orlando’s LGbT Prom saturDay, Dec. 5, 7:00- 11:00 P.m. sorosis club, orlanDo
Skylar Spence, Nov. 19, the Social, Orlando. 407-246-1419; TheSocial.org
Join the GLBT Center of Central Florida, the Zebra Coalition and OWL as they dust off their tuxedos and prom dresses for the 2015 LGBT Prom entitled Winter Wonderland. Baby it’s cold outside, so come inside and dance the night away with DJ Alex Howell, get your prom portrait taken and see who’s crowned Prom King and Queen. Dinner will be provided by Olive Garden. Tickets are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP. All tickets include food and VIP includes open bar.
Winter in the Park – Holiday Ice Skating Rink, Nov. 20 – Jan. 10. 407-599-3203; CityOfWinterPark.org To Wong Foo & The Strawberry Social, Nov. 21, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Mamma Mia! SingAlong, Nov. 21, the Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com Monica, Nov. 21, Walt Disney Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Sublime with Rome, Nov. 21, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com The Wizards of Winter, Nov. 21, the Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.com Parkway Drive, Nov. 23, House of Blues, Orlando. 407-934-2583; HouseOfBlues.com The Front Bottoms, Nov. 24, the Beacham, Orlando. 407-246-1419; TheSocial.org Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Nov. 24, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com Orlando Philharmonic: Home For The Holidays, Nov. 28, Bob Carr Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Emeril Lagasse, Dec. 1, Walt Disney Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Eddie Izzard – Force Majeure, Dec. 2, Walt Disney Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Peter and the Starcatcher, Dec. 2 – Jan. 3, Margeson Theater, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings, Dec. 3 – 19, Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park. 407-645-0145; WinterParkPlayhouse.com
a WEE BIT O’ sTanD-up Scottish-born comedian Craig Ferguson tells you what’s funny as he visits the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota Dec. 1, Hard Rock Live in Orlando Dec. 2 and the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater Dec. 4.
The Leu House Holiday Lecture & Night Tour, Dec. 2, Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando. 407-246-2620; LeuGardens.org
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Three Works in Progress, Nov. 20, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa. 813-421-8380; TampaMuseum.org
Craig Ferguson, Dec. 2, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com
Straight No Chaser, Nov. 21, Carol Morsani Hall, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
TaMpa Bay
Pinkalicious Party, Nov. 21, Flamingo, St. Petersburg. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com
Pride Skate, Nov. 19, United Skates, Tampa. 813-876-5826; UnitedSkates.com/Tampa Latin Nights, Nov. 19, Maestro’s Restaurant, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Birthday Bash: Lady Liemont Nov. 19, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com G2H2: Gay Guys’ Happy Hour, Nov. 20, Reno Downtown Joint. 727-895-4909; TheNewG2H2StPete.com The Florida Orchestra: Curtis Stigers Celebrates Sinatra, Nov. 20, Ferguson Hall, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
Wild Wednesday, Nov. 25, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Nov. 27, Ferguson Hall, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Kinky Boots, Dec. 1-6, Carol Morsani Hall, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
saRasOTa Straight No Chaser, Nov. 19, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org
Sarasota Fine Arts Festival, Nov. 21, 22, Gulfstrean Avenue, Downtown Sarasota. 941-487-8061; ParagonArtEvents.com
Transgender Day of rememberance FriDay, november 20, 3:00- 10:00 P.m. valencia college east camPus, orlanDo Gender Identity in Florida Today (GIFT) will be presenting a Transgender Day of Remembrance at the mall area of Valencia College’s East Campus. The event will consist of a poetry reading, candlelight vigil and guest speakers. Attendance is free and open to the public. Dr. David Baker Hargrove, Cameron Parker and Alexandria Guitierez are scheduled to speak. The evening will feature the reading of the names and a benediction. For more information contact GIFT at PublicRelations@giftorlando.com or call 321-430-5590.
Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Nov. 21, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org
TaMpa Bay
Rock for a Cause, Nov. 21, Payne Park, Sarasota. 941-256-7983. SrqRocks.org
TbGLcc November mentorship monday
Craig Ferguson, Dec. 1, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org Daryl Hall & John Oates, Dec. 2, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org A Motown Christmas, Dec. 2-31, West Coast Black Theatre Troupe, Sarasota. 941-366-1505; WestCoastBlackTheatre.org
monDay, nov. 30, 6:30- 8:30 P.m. university oF tamPa, tamPa Join the Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for their monthly mentorship mixer. For the month of November it will be held on the campus of the University of Tampa. Beverages and light bites will be provided. Attendees will be able to participate in Mentorship Bingo for prizes. For more information on attending or volunteering visit TBGLCC.org.
She Loves Me, Dec. 2-20, The Players Theatre, Sarasota. 941-365-2494; ThePlayersTheater.org
To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
watermark Your lgbt life.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
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Presents
F CO
HO M E With Guest Artists
WoodWorks
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11th 8:00 PM The Palladium
253 5th Ave. N., St Petersburg 33701
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13th 4:00 PM F
S
GEL N
Tickets: $25 & $40 available at www.Una-Voce.org $5 Student Tickets available on our Website, requires valid Student ID at the door.
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watermark Your lgbt life.
Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
A
2112 N. 15th St., Tampa 33605
TE OS
R
HCC Ybor Campus, Mainstage Theatre
overheard
TaMpa Bay OuT+aBOuT
ThEy’RE BluE, Da Ba DEE Da Ba DIE
h
ave you longeD to see the giant, blue nature-loving na’vi tribe tangling tails since seeing them in James Cameron’s 2009 smash hit AVATAR? If so, you are not alone. The high flying acrobats of Cirque du Soleil are joining Cameron to bring the alien race to life with their new show TORUK—The First Flight, and they just announced they are coming to the Amalie Arena in Tampa March 17-20, 2016. TORUK—The First Flight is a mythical tale of two male friends on the brink of adulthood set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film AVATAR. Make sure to get your tickets to what is sure to be the best show this side of Pandora.
pRIDE On ThE OpEn WaTERs
A
Fter enJoying the celebration oF tamPa PriDe 2016, you can continue the party on a six-day cruise hosted by Pride organizers Mark & Carrie and Hamburger Mary’s owner Kurt King. Set sail aboard the Carnival Paradise from the Port of Tampa and head to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The cruise will be filled with meals, parties and shows, as well as private events planned just for the Pride attendees. What better way to relax after the busy Pride weekend then to set sail.
IT’s BEgInnIng TO lOOK lIKE chRIsTMas In yBOR
e
ven beFore you have haD a chance to throW the turKey in the oven and welcome the cornucopia of relatives who will all give thanks that they don’t have to clean up after Thanksgiving dinner, the Bay area is bringing you the winter wonderland of the Christmas season. Ybor City will have one of Tampa’s tallest Christmas trees erected by the time you read this. You can also expect to see snow on 7th, when the holiday parade marches through Ybor in the next few weeks and what would the holidays be without alcohol which will be in abundance before you know it with Ybor’s Christmas Pub Crawl. Heads down y’all, Christmas is coming!
usf caTalOgs spEcIal lgBT lIBRaRy cOllEcTIOn
r
eX maniscalco Was a legenDary PhotograPher in the Tampa Bay area who had documented the emergence of a visible LGBT community in Tampa. From the early Pride festivals to the beginnings of Equality Florida, Rex was there with his camera to create a visual history of photographs and videos of the people who created the community and culture of LGBT life. Rex passed away in 2009 at the age of 57. After his death, Mark Bias and Carrie West donated 16 boxes of photos, VHS videos and memorabilia from Rex’s estate to the Special Library Collections at the University of South Florida. USF spent several years organizing, scanning and cataloging the materials to create a special LGBT library collection and now has a portion of the collection is available online.
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Where’s all my soul sistas?: Brandi Wyne (L) and Sister Muffy mark the occasion of Tampa Bay’s Trans Pride 2015 with a selfie at METRO in St. Petersburg Nov. 14. Photo
COURTESY OF SISTER MUFFY
2
anD the aWarD goes TO…: Ashley T. Brundage accepted her 2015 Performance Award from PNC Bank, the company’s highest employee achievement, at the PNC Corporate Headquarters in Pittsburgh Nov. 10. Photo
COURTESY OF ASHLEY BRUNDAGE
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siZe Doesn’t matter: Equality Florida’s Mark Puskarich (L) and Samira Obeid show that an advocate can come in all shapes and sizes while attending the 2015 Broward Gala in Fort Lauderdale Nov. 15. Photo COURTESY OF MARK PUSKARICH
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high sPirits: (L-R) Greg Whitleigh, Cameron Williams and Charlotte Neilson enjoy fine wine and company at Balance Tampa Bay’s social at The Birchwood in St. Petersburg Nov. 13. Photo
COURTESY OF BALANCE TAMPA BAY
5
eQuality For all: Suzy Martin (L) and Melissa Judge support equal rights at Equality Florida’s Equality Connection at the Red Star Rock Bar in Tampa Nov. 13.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK PUSKARICH
6
all about steve: (L-R) Steve Smith, Steve Blanchard, Brian Longstreth and Mark Mann celebrate Blanchard’s awarding of the Spirit of Service Excellence Award during the METRO Tampa Bay Gala at the Historic Train Station in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District Nov. 7. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS
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a veteran’s aFFair: Commissioner Kevin Beckner (L) and Captain Susan Bradford support the troops at the Veteran’s Day event Operation: Reveille, a part of Hillsborough County’s fight to end veteran homelessness, at Port Tampa Bay in Tampa Nov. 11.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GIL SAINZ
8
she Was a total Doll: Bianca Del Rio (L) and Daved Tabin take a moment with mini-Marilyn Monroe at the Straz Center for Performing Arts in Tampa where Del Rio performed her show Rolodex of Hate Nov. 15. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID TABIN
watermark Your lgbt life.
8 7 Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
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Fresh. Local. Modern American Cuisine. 407-250-6763 | 5180 Conway Rd. Orlando, FL 32812 (Located in the Conway / Belle Isle area) www.CorkandForkOrlando.com Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
overheard
ORlanDO OuT+aBOuT
MEET ThE BEaRDED laDy!
W
ho says a Drag Queens can’t ParticiPate in movember? Local entertainer and bartender Addison Taylor is foregoing the typical hairless paintedface look of most drag entertainers, and she’s been sporting a full beard since the start of November. Movember, also known as No-Shave November, was conceived in 2004 in Australia and New Zealand as a way to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, such as testicular and prostate cancer. It quickly grew fame over the years making No-Shave November an annual event where most men don a beard or mustache. These men’s health concerns haven’t directly affected Addison, but Addison wanted to participate in this month’s Movember, because it promotes men to get regular health screenings. According to Addison, this is the first time she’s stopped shaving in the last 13yrs. So far the response has been quite positive. Big, bald, bearded and serving up full on Bearded Lady Fish Realness—Addison is halfway to her $500 goal to raise money for Movember. If you wish to assist Addison, visit MoBro.co/AddisonTaylor.
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MaD aBOuT BluE
A
t the Drag Pageant miss glamorous neWcomer, hosted at Pulse Orlando, dancing lady of the night BlueStar was honored as the humanitarian of the year. And rightfully so! Blue is a total package of business woman and talent (dancer, singer, actor, choreographer) neatly backed in her energetic dancer’s frame. Despite being one of the hardest working local performers, Blue often donates her time and fame to many causes. The honor came with a special surprise from Chicago, as Blue’s drag-mother, transgender entertainer and model Mimi Marks made an appearance to celebrate the night.
ThERE’s nO cRyIng In sOfTBall
A
Fter Five years on base as commissioner oF the central FloriDa soFtball league, Richard Harem is leaving his position. “While a little sad, I also feel a sense of pride and relief. In looking back over my term I am extremely proud of what all was accomplished,” Harem said in a Facebook post on Nov. 16. Among other hits, the league has won championships in both the NAGAAA and ASANA World Series and hosted the ASANA in Altamonte Springs in October. It’s also won the Watermark WAVE award for best LGBT sports organization every year. But Harem’s departure shouldn’t be too much of a curveball for the league, which he says is in great shape financially. His leadership was a home run, but it’s time for a new face to be on deck. Long-term CFSL member Wes Hodges will fill Harem’s place. This change allows for some well-deserved time off for Harem. “Please remember to remove me from your complaint emails to the board!” he said.
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serve anD succeeD: Zebra Coalition executive director Heather Wilkie (in black) marches with Zebra partner The Mission Continues in Orlando’s Veteran’s Day Parade Nov. 14. PHOTO COURTESY ZEBRA COALITION
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FeliZ boDa: Isabella Lopez-Almeyda and her husband L’Hemir Almeyda wed in Puerto Rico in front of friends and family Nov. 13. LopezAlmeyda performs as Shantell DMarco at Parliament House, so many Orlando friends were in attendance. PHOTO VIA LOPEZ-
heart oF golD: Neema Bahrami, manager of Pulse Nightclub, and Mimi Marks present Blue Star with the Miss Glamorous Newcomer 2015 Humanitarian Award Nov. 9 at Pulse. Marks is Star’s drag mom and flew in from Chicago as a surprise.
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PHOTO BY STEPHANIE HUDGENS
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PHOTO BY NANCI BOETTO
iF the shoe Fits: Carlos Carbonell (left), CEO of Echo Interaction Group, and Watermark’s own Jamie Hyman (right) flank Andy Huntington Jones, who played Prince Topher in Rodgers + Hammerstien’s Cinderella, at an afterparty with the cast on the show’s opening night at Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center Nov. 10.
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not a QuacK: Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan helps shepherd the swans at Lake Eola for their annual veterinary exam Nov. 14. PHOTO BY JIM BRONZO
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ALMEYDA’S FACEBOOK PAGE
election night: Newlyreelected Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer speaks at his victory party Nov. 3 at The Abbey, while his wife Karen and son trey look on. PHOTO BY BILLY MANES
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the emPire invaDes: A battalion of Stormtroopers marches through Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom Nov. 13. It wasn’t an invasion— they were walking away after taping a segment of the Christmas Day Parade. PHOTO BY MELANIE PAIGE
eat your heart out Kim Davis: Orange County Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell (front center) speaks to the GLBT Center’s Older Wiser Learning group during their Lunch & Learn event Nov. 13. PHOTO BY ONTARIO PATRICK
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Nov emb er 19 - Decemb er 2, 2015 // Issue 2 2. 24
(321) 800-3946
announcements
WEDDIng BElls
russel hiett, age 69, and rob Ackerman, 62 from Orlando, Florida
cOngraTulaTiOns
Happy belated birthday to Hotspots Magazine editor Mike Halterman, who celebrated his birthday Nov. 11. Sarasota husbands Dan Smith and Steve Warren will celebrate the 27th anniversary of their engagement on Thanksgiving Day. They were married officially at a small wedding on Jan. 15. Dan is vice president of Prime Timers Sarasota. Steve is an actor/writer and vice president of the Southeastern Film Critics Association.
years TOgeTHer
Three and a half years
engagemenT daTe
Tampa couple Santiago Echeverry and Michael Snyder celebrate their two-year wedding anniversary on Nov. 26. The couple married in New York City on Nov. 26, 2013.
Russel asked Rob to marry him in January 2015.
BirTHdays
wedding daTe
November 28, 2015
wedding venue
The Capen-Showalter House at the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
wedding planner
They planned the wedding themselves.
wedding flOwers
Lee Forrest Design
wedding caTerer Arthur’s
wedding THeme/cOlOrs Fall
inTeresTing facT
They were both in straight marriages— Russel for 31 years and Rob for 35 years. They both have adult children and grandchildren, too.
r
ob acKerman, Who is a
retired interior architectural designer and remodeler, and Russel Hiett, a retired family and marriage therapist, both have many things in common: They’re both family oriented, lovers of art, and have been previously married to women with whom they had children.
“When my wife and I married in the early ‘70s, we had talked about the fact that I was gay, but at that time they had nothing written about it, and she was a professor at UCF,” Russel says. “Since there had been literally nothing written about the subject, we thought, ‘Well, maybe we really were attracted to each other, and maybe that was just a passing fancy.’” While Russel knew about his sexuality since an early age, Rob didn’t come out until after his divorce to his previous wife. After Russel’s wife passed away and Rob divorced his wife, they decided to explore their newfound sexuality, both coming out to their children and getting involved and trying to meet people within the gay community. It was when Rob’s friend Doug, who was crucial in his coming out process, was at Gay Days years back that he ran into one of his
female friends, who happened to be friends with Russel. They ended up setting up Russel and Rob on a date. After the initial date where Doug was with them, they decided to go on another date. This time just the two of them had dinner together. “He said, ‘I have this letter I’d like you to read’, which he wrote to his sons about coming out and explaining to them the whole process,” Rob says. “I think from that point on, after hearing his letter and how it touched me very deeply, it was almost an instant connection.” Over the years, their relationship grew. One day the two were talking about marriage, and Russel asked Rob if they could take their relationship to the next step—so he asked Rob to marry him. “Rob not only notices things
and comments on them, but is supportive in his comments,” Russel says. “I’ve always loved that, as a marriage therapist, to be able to comment on a partner’s strengths is so important. It is one of the things I love about him. In addition to that, he has a very fine artistic eye.” The couple plan on getting married at the Capen-Showalter House, and they will be one of the first couples to get married there. “In a way, it kind of is a metaphor for our lives—piecing our lives back together in a way that would make sense for us,” Russel says. They planned the entire wedding from start to finish. Russel also plays flute and piccolo, and four of his friends, with whom he is in a flute choir, are going to play at their wedding. “He’s a Renaissance man. I mean when you talk about a Renaissance man, he is it,” Rob says. “He is knowledgeable about so many different things and everything he does, he does so well. And I think that is a big love of mine that I see through him, that he does all these things.”
Orlando Gay Chorus belter Pattie Noah, local photographer Brian Becnel, the Venue’s Jackie Lewin, real estate agent Neil Payne (Nov. 19); Orlando hair artist Dale Dees, St. Petersburg Equality Florida spokesperson Todd Richardson, make-up artist Timothy Spivey, Honey Pot show director Toby Brees (Nov. 20); Orlando activist Nicki Drumb, KellerWilliams realtor Steve Glose, Clearwater entertainer and Tampa Bay performer Natasha Richards, Tampa swimwear designer La’Daska Mechelle, charity-driven Ybor resident Mike Hammonds, Tampa Hospice’s admissions manager Peter Shute (Nov. 22); Tampa actress Lauren Clark, Tampa Bay sisters member John Miller, State Rep. Linda Stewart (Nov. 23). Watermark proofreader and Orlando lawyer Ed Blaisdell, drag legend Gidget Galore (Nov. 24); St. Petersburg nurse Ed Briggs, Pandora Events CEO Alison Burgos (Nov. 26); St. Petersburg actor and die-hard Rays fan Ken Basque (Nov. 27); former HRC president Joe Solmonese, Tampa Bay chef Paege Chafin (Nov. 28); St. Petersburg actor and former Grand Central Station owner Kris Doubles, sexy Tampa softball bear Bubba De, Tupperware queen Dixie Longate (Nov. 29); founding member of Orlando Gay Chorus David Schuler (Nov. 30); Orlando-based writer and blogger Jim Crescitelli, former Sarasota Pride board member Mary Hoch, MyQmunity.com founder Mariruth Kennedy (Dec. 1); derby zebra Shane Scare, derby volunteer wrangler Cynthia “Cynfully Vicious” West (Dec. 2); City of Sarasota Human Rights Board member Michael Shelton, former Tampa bowler and current Texan Dave Bauer, Watermark contributor and Orlando DJ Kirk Hartlage (Dec. 3).
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.
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upRIsIngs
DEBaTIng REasOnaBly
I’m not that much of a socialist compared to eisenhower. —sen. bernie sanDers at the nov. 14 Democratic PresiDential Debate
I
chuRch Of ThE pOIsOn MInD
n this Post-Fairness anD eQuality age (well, partially), it’s nice to see that some of the more mainstream characters littering the political playing field are accepting LGBT laws that have been unequivocally passed by the Supreme Court. Oh, wait! No, they aren’t. On Nov. 16, the New York Times finally laid into what is fast becoming the Republican Hate Convention in the Name of Jesus (aka the New Brotherhood of I’m Scared of the Gays). By all measures, the GOP’s once reasonable message of fiscal conservatism has been blotted out by a strong network of blowhards preaching in favor of a big gay genocide. Specifically, pastor Kevin Swanson, who earlier this month in Iowa called for the extermination of gays in the U.S. The choir he was preaching to? Presidential hopefuls like Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, and most unashamedly, Ted Cruz. Ain’t no log cabin that doesn’t burn easily, people. Watch yourselves.
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sunshInE, sunsET
I
n case you Were living unDer a rocK that was shaped like a stone meant to be rolled away in ancient times, then you probably know that Orlando hosted thousands of Republican truthers last weekend for the Republican Party of Florida’s Sunshine Summit. The tone, at least as reported in the Tampa Bay Times, was one of fissures and canyons growing within the ridiculously large roster of conservative presidential hopefuls and their loyal ilk. When a former head of the state GOP says, “I don’t think the Republican Party as a brand and our long-term structure for the future can be successful, given what I’m watching,” and says it to the media, you know things are falling apart. “There’s going to be a Trump Wall!” Donald Trump reportedly said, outlining his enlightened immigration platform. Oh, dear.
N
KIll ‘EM all
ot to be too DePressing on the Death anD taXes bit or too heavy on what should just be a policy battle (not a gunfight), but it remains and shall remain disturbing to witness the reactions of the National Rifle Association and its members in the face of national and international tragedies. Politico reports that just one day after the terror in Paris, Florida’s NRA nice people emailed its lunatic fringe and asked it—or ordered it—to take action on a bill filed by Florida nice guy Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala. The bill is likely to pass (because guns, right?) and seeks to wash the bloodied hands clean of those joyously partaking in the Stand Your Ground doctrine passed in 2005. The Florida Supreme Court has put the onus of proving that you’ve been threatened on the defendant (or shooter). “Not fair!” former NRA bulldog president Marion Hammer. “Make no mistake—a committee member who votes against this bill will be voting against you and your constitutional right of self-defense,” Hammer seethes. She seems nice.
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In ThE WaKE Of TERROR
A
Billy Manes
s the WinDbag chorus oF conservative War haWKs circled the Eiffel Tower with misguided visions of cultural superiority after the Nov. 13 attack on innocents in the Paris city center, and those of us who still drape our tear ducts with compassion were rattled at best (sobbing at worst), this column was anxiously awaiting some serious clarification from the foreign policy pockets making up this year’s My Three Democrats for their second official debate on CBS. Humor, we thought; maybe that will help. While we had planned on digesting the Nov. 14 debate on CBS between the Democratic triumvirate bench in the typical bathroom manner with which we digest small bits of food, today has fallen beneath the pall of Friday night’s coordinated attacks on Paris and on Beirut. There’s still talk that this plays into the Russian plane crash and any other act of terror that might be bothering the temples on either side of your eyes. In response, CBS told the New York Times that it was realigning its question path to match the timbre of the times (the Bernie Sanders campaign apparently threw a tantrum at the last minute content redirection, according to report; in response, Clinton likely put on her best foreignpolicy acumen dress). The O’Malley situation seems less relevant by the minute, but he’s eye candy, so there’s that. Once again, when weighed against the tilt-a-whirl of Republican rhetorical acrimony and potshots, the triumvirate of sane people at the table came through on the issues, even if Sanders immediately dodged the Paris/ISIS question by running face first into his windowless van increasingly covered with bumper sticker sloganeering before morphing into your enjoyable but sometimes mouthy uncle. After Hillary righted to messaging to the question at hand, calling ISIS and its terrorists a “barbaric, ruthless, jihadist terrorist group”—(note that the Paris government promised a “ruthless” response, and indeed followed up with airstrikes on Nov. 15; yikes)—Sanders attempted to throw the hot potato at Hillary’s voting record. That resulted in Clinton having to drag back that well-documented yarn that she voted for the Iraq invasion under Bush in hopes that it would somehow deter said invasion, because no Bush has ever lied. Hey Jeb! Martin O’Malley called himself “new.” Things got heated on a couple of occasions— Hillary played cheerleader for Black Lives Matter, Bernie burned a joint on marijuana legalization, O’Malley tried to pretend that Maryland was sort of like a nation. Bernie wants to rewrite Obamacare, Hillary wants to improve it, Martin is still “new,” thank you. But probably the most jarring moment of the evening belonged to Sanders. His call for a “revolution” had all of the bad optics of screaming fire in a theater or preaching peace in front of a “Mission Accomplished.” Our humor unofficially lost.
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