watermark ORLANDO EDITION
Your LGBT Life.
ISSUE 23.05 • MARCH 10 - MARCH 23, 2016 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM
The next
wave
looking forward to the future with some of orlando’s best and brightest. You chose them. we counted the votes. now we celebrate!
daytona beaCh • orlando • tampa • st. petersburg • Clearwater • sarasota
This issue features two covers! In this issue we feature some of our WaVe winners from both Orlando and Tampa Bay.
ISSUE 23.05 • MARCH 10 - MARCH 23, 2016 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM TAMPA BAY EDITION
The next
wave
looking forward to the future with some of Tampa Bay’s best and brightest. You chose them. we counted the votes. now we celebrate! daytona beaCh • orlando • tampa • st. petersburg • Clearwater • sarasota
:
e d si ide in l pr 16 ia eC pa e 20 sp tamguid
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watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
deparTmenTs 6 // maiL
PAGE
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7 // ediTor’s desk 13 // orLando news
I have been writing about this for a long time. some of my earliest columns were about this issue. One of the things that I find inspiring is that in the early years, I would get a shitstorm of criticism every time I mentioned the [LGBT] issue. Today, I hardly get any. —OrLAndO SEnTinEL ColuMNIST SCoTT MaxwEll
16 // Tampa BaY news 20 // sTaTe news 21 // naTion & worLd news 29 // in-depTh wave awards 45 // arTs & enTerTainmenT 51 // communiTY caLendar 53 // Tampa BaY ouT+aBouT 55 // orLando ouT+aBouT 56 // Tampa BaY markeTpLace 58 // orLando markeTpLace 62 // TransiTions/weddinG BeLLs
on The cover
PAGE
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PAGE The next WAVE: Looking
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forward to the future with some of Orlando’s and Tampa Bay’s best and brightest. You chose them. We counted the votes. Now we celebrate!
scan Qr code for
waTermarkonLine.com
Burden sonG: Orlando folk hero Terri Binion comes full
circle with her personal tragedy on new release
waTermark i ssue 23 .05 // march 10 - march 23 , 2016
don’T come a-knockinG more poTTY LanGuaGe dear God
These BooTs
PAGE Cocoa’s Rocking L Ranch
PAGE
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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turns away same-sex couples for weddings; couples complain.
PAGE Sarasota County School
16
board continues debate on trans-inclusive bathrooms. Some nod off.
PAGE
The Wonderful World of Wanzie ponders atheism and how religion ignores science. There will be comments.
23
Local LGBT teens learn about theater during backstage Kinky Boots experience. Nobody breaks a heel!
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you Can win a divas of drag vip prize paCKage, diva! go to watermarKonline.Com to find out how. watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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Top weB commenTs “When I read comments from gay people (of course, mostly men) trashing hillary clinton, I have to ask them: Where were you in the many battles for our civil rights over the years?” —ViCki NaNtZ
waTermarkonLine.com: on watermarK endorsing hillary Clinton
“Thank you for an insightful article. We need evolution, not a revolution, and that begins at home. #StPeteArtisan” —JAMES MICAHEL MCCRACKEN
“How soon we forget. Back in the ‘90s, Bill and Hillary put forward DADT and DOMA, while Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against those loathsome bills. Back in 2008, when the anti-gay marriage amendment was on the Florida ballot, both Hillary and Obama stayed silent, so afraid of offending conservative pastors, especially in the black community. A few speeches by either of them might have turned the vote by 3 or 4 percentage points and killed that amendment. It’s nice she spoke up for gay people in Uganda, too bad she and Obama didn’t “evolve” faster in the U.S. and do something to advance ENDA, which Bernie has supported for years.” —BEACHCOMBERT
on sCottie Campbell’s Column endorsing bernie sanders
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watermark Your LGBT life.
“I was supporting Hillary despite my emotional tug toward Bernie. I believed she was the better candidate, the better politician, and the one whose voice would most resonate with my thoughts and beliefs. I don’t feel that any longer. I have lost trust and faith in her and will be supporting Bernie from here
on. What has become very clear is that my tug toward Bernie is not just emotional; it’s ethical, moral and correct.” —VICTORIA RAWLINSON
“My brother is gay. About the same time Hillary stood for marriage being between a man and a woman, was about the time that he learned to numb his shame and rejection in drugs. Senator Sanders will take the rights of gays and anyone else who is judged or suppressed, and through compassion and a lifelong focus, bring them truly to acceptance and equal rights.” —LENKA
on lesbian settling lawsuit after being fired from job at Kansas City ChurCh
“Of course the Catholic Church hid the amount they paid Colleen Simon, they have and are having many embarrassing lawsuits because of their hypocrisy.” —GAYEGO
waTermark’s faceBook:
on watermarK endorsing hillary Clinton
“When I read comments from gay people (of course, mostly men) trashing Hillary Clinton, I have to ask them: Where were you in the many battles for our civil rights over the years? Where were you when we needed gay people to stand up at county, city and school board hearings? Where were you when we needed gay people to speak in Tallahassee to a room of
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
anti-LGBT legislators? It is indisputable that Hillary Clinton has been out there fighting for our rights for years - ALL AROUND THE WORLD. Yet most of her gay critics have never been out there fighting AT ALL.” —VICKI NANTZ
“I’m supporting the only candidate to vote against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the first to come out in favor of full marriage equality! #FeelTheBern” —DAVE CUTLER
“I was puzzled by this endorsement until I thought about it and realized that she has supported marriage equality for nearly 36 months now. Once you take that into consideration, it becomes sort of obvious to support her back after ALL she has done for the cause.” —JOHN BABSHAW
“Puzzling endorsement. I mean, I’m happy it wasn’t Cruz or Trump - but this is hardly the candidate that genuinely supports not only our community, but other minorities as well. Only one candidate was in the trenches fighting for us when it wasn’t “expedient”, and that’s Sanders. #FeelTheBern” —BRIAN SMITH
“And that is the crux of the debate foreign policy vs domestic policy. We’ll see who wins. Good article, though.” —BOBBY ELIZABETH MARIE TAYLOR BRACKER
Photo by RobERt bARtLEtt
editor’s
billy manes editor
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
“I,
desk
i wiLL be kiNG. aNd YOU, YOU
will be queen,” hero David Bowie once hollered at a generation of people who felt like they were nothing. It’s an interesting quagmire in these times, obviously, as we watch presidential debates with no clear winners and witness election events stacked with confederacies of dunces. We’re not trying to be too bleak here – though if you bore sacred witness to the nonsense of Donald Trump’s Florida pantomimes in the last week or witnessed the intellectual dissertations on tiny hands by his peers on television, you’re certainly forgiven for rolling your eyes at democracy in cheap denim cut-off shorts. The circus came to town – and will remain here on some level until Florida’s March 15 presidential preference primary – so the gloves are off, the din of futility is rising in decibels, the game is, apparently, an actual game that is on.
waTermark sTaff
Find your nearest conspiracy website for all the latest. But we’re not going to let that interfere with our good time. Each year, Watermark presents its WAVE Awards as a means of letting our communities know how important they are to us and to each other. Want to talk about democracy? Well, we counted thousands of votes for the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas in order to crown our winners, and not one of them talked about tiny penises or Benghazi. We win. (Maybe we should have debates?) At any rate, this is our most
fabulous issue of the year, as most regular readers know. In addition to its implied pageantry and the calculations beneath that, it’s a celebration of an LGBT community that has grown by leaps and bounds in standing up for itself and making its presence known. But the WAVE Awards aren’t really a competition or an election, as it were. They’re merely decorated nods to all the amazing things that we have to offer as a culture, one that still lives in the afterglow of marriage equality and still strives to achieve full equality. We don’t talk about hand size or Wall Street. We talk about people making life better. And what an amazing group of people we have to feature this year! Politicians, allies, entertainers, entrepreneurs, personalities and everyone else we can fit on this magic bus. Progress is the name of the game, and that’s why we are coining this issue, “The Next WAVE.” The movement didn’t stop with marriage, nor do our businesses, our social lives or our personal concerns. We are moving forward briskly. And we’re breaking heels just for the fun of it! Consider for a moment Michael Wanzie’s scathing take on atheism and the religious denial of science as proof. Think for a minute about a couple of the news pieces herein which deal with the issues of our time: the Pastor Protection Act passing, marriage discrimination at a wedding ranch, shifts within our own ranks in the St. Pete Pride shuffle, even the lunge for the gay dollar in the political races clouding our transoms. There’s a lot going on. A lot has gone on already, too. Please take a second to read the story of singer/songwriter Terri Binion, who releases her album The Day After the Night Before this week. Binion, whose partner was killed in a tragic accident that clearly involved employer negligence, is a portrait of grace and healing. She deserves your time. And the time after that. Grab a heel and run to the piece
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watermark Your LGBT life.
about the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and its philanthropy around Cyndi Lauper’s Kinky Boots Orlando arrival. But mostly, just relish the times we live in now in the areas we share. There are so many truly amazing people and businesses carrying our flag through to the next chapter, so many wonderful things you might not yet know about. Our WAVE Awards are here as a guide to those entities, those souls, that are looking out for you.
This is our most fabulous issue of the year, as most regular readers know. In addition to its implied pageantry and the calculations beneath that, it’s a celebration of an LGBT community that has grown by leaps and bounds in standing up for itself and making its presence known. Politics can and will get ugly. The WAVE Awards never will. Please be sure to drop by one of our celebrations on March 10 at Southern Nights in Tampa or on March 11 at the Abbey in Orlando. There is more information on those inside these pages, and more debauchery – ahem, celebration – than you can afford to miss. As always, thanks for reading Watermark. We couldn’t do this without you, and, going by the numbers of people who participated in our polling, there are many of you we cannot do without. Thank you, thank you, thank you. “We can be heroes. Forever and ever.”
orLando office 414 N. Ferncreek Ave. Orlando, FL 32803 TEL: 407-481-2243 FAX: 407-481-2246
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
conTriBuTors aarON drake is a
freelance travel correspondent for Out Traveler among other publications. Page 16
kriSta ditUCCi
is a freelance writer and family advocate for Manatee Children’s Services. She lives in Sarasota with her husband and children. Page 16
MIChaEl waNZie is an
Orlando-based playwright, actor and ordained minister. He is most recognized for his direction of productions at the Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House. 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 LvnLif2 disTriBuTinG, Lisa Jordan, JiLL BaTes, ken carrawaY 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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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
central florida news
LGBT protections stall before Brevard School Board, activists regroup Jamie Hyman UNLESS YOU’RE GAY: An archway at the start of Rocking L Ranch’s wedding aisle depicts the words: “What God has joined together, let no man separate,” biblical verse Matthew 19:6. The wedding venue does not allow same-sex couples to marry there.
Photo via Rocking L Ranch’s Yelp page
Don’t come a-knocking Rocking L Ranch turns away samesex couples for weddings Jamie Hyman
C
ocoa | A Space Coast wedding venue is openly, blatantly discriminating against samesex couples. Rocking L Ranch, a picturesque, working horse ranch located in Cocoa, has turned away at least two same-sex couples who were interested in the venue for their weddings. Not only does Susan Landfried, the owner of Rocking L Ranch, discriminate against samesex couples, but in both cases she further antagonized the women, sending emails lecturing about her Christian beliefs and why she refused to marry them. Terri Moccio, 42, is a doctor of physical therapy. She met her nowwife, Nikki, through friends. Nikki,
43, is a victim advocate for the state attorney’s office and the couple has been together for four years. Moccio says she found Rocking L Ranch via WeddingWire. com, a popular resource for wedding vendors. “I showed it to Nikki and she fell in love with it,” Terri says. “She emailed venue to find out when could take a look at it and discuss planning a wedding. We didn’t hear anything back.” She says they filled out the ranch’s application online then didn’t hear anything for a month. “I started investigating the ranch to find out why we hadn’t heard anything and that’s when I found their disclaimer,” Terri says. “I wondered if [the non-response] could be because we’re gay.” This is the disclaimer
Terri is referring to, and as of press time, it’s still visible at RockingLRanchWeddings.com: “Any individual(s) or organization(s) that is believed to have intentions to use this property to participate in any illegal activity, ritual or ceremonial activities that is not consistent with the inherent religious beliefs of The Rocking L Ranch & Riding Center LLC it’s [sic] members and managing members of the above listed properties in accordance with the RFA of Florida may be subject to denial.” RFA refers to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a state law passed in 1998 that states that government may not “substantially burden the exercise of religion.” While it’s unclear whether the RFA specifically shields Rocking L Ranch in this case, according to Orlando attorney and LGBT activist Mary Meeks, it appears that Landfried is not breaking any laws by barring same-sex couples. “Of course, at the moment [Rocking L doesn’t] need any special protection, because it is currently perfectly legal in Florida for businesses to deny such services to LGBTs, except, arguably, in municipalities that have LGBTinclusive HROs that apply to public
Continued on pg. 14 | uu |
watermark Your LGBT life.
V
iera | LGBT activists are getting prepared for another round before the Brevard County School Board following a setback Feb. 23. “A group of us that have been attempting to update the nondiscrimination policy for the school board to include sexual orientation and gender identity for about a year and a half now were attending that meeting under the belief that it was a formal step that has to be taken, and that the board would, during that meeting, move the policy change along,” president of Space Coast Pride Lexi Wright says. Instead, they faced a large, organized group of antigay speakers, much like the group that helped derail adding LGBT protections to Palm Bay’s Human Rights Ordinance last month. “We had a very good group of stakeholders that had been signing up to speak, attending every board meeting since 2014, urging them to update policy, not only for employees but also for students, inclusion and the ability to learn and work authentically and free from discrimination,” Wright says, so it was very disappointing when the Board voted to move the policy changes to a workshop, effectively killing the proposal. “In the past when they’ve moved items to workshop, there’s been no action taken on them after that,” she says. Wright called the meeting room a “circus.” About 90 anti-gay people signed up to speak before the school board, the “same group of people we saw in Palm Bay that is headed by the Liberty Counsel.” The Liberty Counsel is an Orlando-based legal organization “that advocates for anti-LGBT discrimination under the guise of religious liberty,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which classifies Liberty Counsel as a hate group. Wright says speakers in favor of adding the LGBT protections included students, former students, teachers and parents. Some testified about their own bullying and discrimination, one even stating that it led to a suicide attempt. “During the meeting there were several courses of ‘amen’s and a speaker didn’t speak to the board but read entire biblical passages for his three minutes,” Wright says. “It was incredibly disrespectful to the board and to us.” She says the good news is that since the meeting, they’ve received “an overwhelming outpouring of support and encouragement” from other areas of the community, and they’re getting organized to again bring the issue before the Brevard School Board. “I hope there are enough people who have seen this and are outraged that it happened again,” Wright says. They plan to speak to the board at their March 15 meeting and at an April 12 workshop.
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central florida news | uu | Rocking L Ranch from pg.13
accommodations,” Meeks says. “As we are painfully aware after the fiasco in Palm Bay, Brevard County does not have an HRO. So I am not aware of any legal prohibition against a Brevard business discriminating against LGBTs.” Meeks is referring to the February decision by Palm Bay City Council not to approve a Human Right Ordinance that is LGBTinclusive. The council vote came after a barrage of testimony from anti-gay activists claiming that the protections would violate their religious beliefs. As far as the RFA, Meeks says the Florida law only applies to government actions, usually zoning or prisoner issues. “It has historically been applied very narrowly, and to my knowledge it has never been applied to ‘protect’ a private business from having to perform a service for LGBT or any other allegedly objectionable people,” Meeks says.
Should the RFA be tested in court, she says the concern is that it could be used to invalidate local HRO protections by arguing that the LGBT protections burden the businesses’ free exercise of religion. “Of course, the counter argument is that protecting LGBT citizens from discrimination is a ‘compelling state interest’ that justifies the HRO,” Meeks says. “No such case has ever been brought so we don’t know how a court might rule.” Meeks adds that it’s sad that lack of protections not only allow businesses to discriminate, but means “they’re legally allowed to flaunt their bigotry,” which it seems Rocking L Ranch is happy to do. When Terri posted a negative review to Rocking L’s Facebook page telling other couples, “Don’t even bother if you want a same-sex wedding. It’s forbidden,” Rocking L responded that Terri should “spread the word” and pasted their disclaimer. “I was angry. Nikki was hurt. This is Nikki’s first samesex relationship. She’s never
had to deal with that kind of discrimination before,” Terri says.“I don’t want to go to a venue that doesn’t want me there, especially on my wedding day. But don’t open yourself up and say that you’re a public entity then turn around and say you can’t have a wedding there.” The Moccios aren’t the only couple turned away by Landfried. Amanda Nye, 29, is an office manager who is now married to Beth, 28, a kitchen manager. They live in Melbourne, have been together for four and a half years and are raising a son together. In January 2015, they inquired about a wedding at Rocking L Ranch. They filled out the form online, and then Amanda says she called Landfried, who set them up with an appointment to tour the ranch for the next day. “Then, not five minutes after, she called me back and said I couldn’t help but notice in the ‘husband’ field of the form you put ‘Beth,’” Amanda says. According to Amanda, Landfried asked if they are gay, and when she said yes, Landfried informed Amanda that
they don’t host gay weddings at Rocking L Ranch. “She said, ‘And not only do we not do gay weddings, but that’s against God’s word. I don’t even want you stepping foot on my property,’ and she hung up on me,” Amanda says. Landfried then emailed Amanda and told her she was wrong to get married to a woman and that she would go to hell for it. “I was really pissed and I was really hurt,” Amanda says, and then Landfried continued to email her. Here’s an excerpt from a Jan. 8, 2015, email: “We are happy to host dinners, birthday parties, or just about any other kind of event regardless of a client’s sexual orientation, but not a same-sex wedding. I don’t want to discriminate against anyone, but my conscience will not allow me to use my business to facilitate an event that contradicts God’s design for marriage.” Amanda says she was extremely upset and had never faced discrimination like that before. “It made me second guess me
as a person,” she says. “Eventually I came to and said, ‘Screw this, I love my wife, I love Beth, I’m not going to let [Landfried] get the best of me.’” Amanda says she’s surprised to hear that Landfried’s discrimination is legal. “It happens, and sadly enough it happens every day,” she says. “It was really, really hurtful.” Both couples ended up with their dream wedding days at venues that are open and accepting of gay couples. The Moccios wed at Danville Inn in Geneva, where the owner had done commitment ceremonies but was excited to host his first legal same-sex wedding, Terri says. The Nyes wed at Sterling Stables. But their happy endings were derailed by discrimination during what is supposed to be the happiest time in a couple’s life, and legally so. Landfried did not respond toWatermark’s request for an interview, so it appears she’s continuing to discriminate against same-sex couples at Rocking L Ranch.
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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tampa bay news
sarasoTa counTY schooL Board conTinues deBaTe on Trans-incLusive BaThrooms Jeremy Williams
S
araSOta | The Sarasota County School Board heard public opinion yet again on whether to implement new trans-inclusive bathroom policies countywide at the March 1 board meeting. The community has been divided on the issue since the school board first heard public debate on the subject at the Feb. 2 board meeting. A Feb. 16 workshop left the board divided on whether to implement the policy leading to a request from them to hear more public discussion. The school board meeting was attended by more than 200 people, divided by clothing color: those in black shirts fought for trans-inclusive bathroom rights and those in white shirts adamantly against. Dozens of speakers, mostly students, spoke about discrimination and the dangers of not recognizing the diversity within their schools. “Why are we uncomfortable? What are we protecting are children from? It’s an unfounded fear that sexual assault will occur,” Jack Fitzgerald, a Sarasota County student, said. The pressure built on both sides as Equality Florida co-chair Ken Shelin stepped to the microphone to speak to the board and addressed board member Frank Kovach’s lack of attention during the meeting. “Am I boring you Mr. Kovach?” Shelin said, which sparked applause from the black shirts in the crowd. The board continued hearing public opinion from both sides. Many who oppose adding a trans-inclusive policy stated they were speaking out for children’s safety and because that’s what God would want, comparing the trans students to people with anorexia, sexual predators and, in one case, confused children who think they are dinosaurs. “These kids saying they are trans is [sic] just like my child telling me he thinks he’s a dinosaur and wants to go around biting people,” the parent said to the board. One of the final speakers to the board was Michael Barfield from ACLU of Florida who advised the board that by implementing a trans-inclusive bathroom policy would not only make them a more open and accepting county, but would also put them in line with federal law. “Allowing transgender students to access bathrooms and other sex-segregated facilities is not just in the students’ best interest, it’s in compliance with federal law,” Barfield said. “We’ve waited three weeks for you to adopt a policy district-wide that would allow for transgender students to access bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.” “We are not going to stand for the rights of students to be bullied. We ask you to move quickly to adopt a district-wide policy consistent with federal law,” he added. “You’re not going out on a limb here.”
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Street SideS:
While a parade route has not been solidified, a suggested route would start at Tropicana and bring it down Central. Photo BY nick caRDeLLo
Pride position What changes are coming to St. Pete Pride? Aaron Drake
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t. peterSbUrG | The tumult in the community over big changes happening to the St. Petersburg Pride Festival and Parade can simmer down a bit: It appears St. Pete Pride isn’t going anywhere in 2016. There is no doubt a shift on the horizon, with chatter that Pride is moving the parade and festival to downtown or possibly the new pier once it is completed, which is estimated for fall 2018. And there’s a possibility St. Pete might be building to become a candidate to host World Pride in the near future, which will take a literal village (or city) to make happen. According to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman’s office, when he took office he offered city funding for St. Pete Pride for the first time, totaling $35,000 in 2014 and again in 2015. Also what many in the community don’t know is that Pride has a two-year contract with the city for the festival to remain in Grand Central through this year in order to keep those funds. “To that end, the mayor has said that Pride can hold its celebration wherever it wishes,
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including downtown,” says Robert Danielson, LGBT liaison to the mayor. “But if it wants to receive city funding as spelled out in the contract with the city, it would need to remain in Grand Central and Kenwood this year.” At a recent St. Pete Pride planning meeting, an adjusted parade route was discussed, but it is still pending approval. The suggested route is Tropicana to Central, west to 28th Street. The festival will still be held on Central Avenue in Grand Central District as it has in past years. “All of that is still being planned out, so there’s no map for the parade,” executive director of St. Pete Pride Eric Skains says. “The festival will essentially stay the same, but again, it’s still being worked on for a few changes. Some aspects, such as the staging area, are in question until the end of March – which is new for us as we’ve never had to wait this long for verification. We won’t be staging at the Trop right now. We submitted a plan to the city to block off five streets within the Kenwood neighborhood to stage the parade.” Interestingly enough, the original deal to sell Georgie’s Alibi, where the parade staging area was held prior to the bar closing late last
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
year, fell through and has not been resold. Georgie’s did not respond for comment. As the largest Pride celebration in Florida with more than 250,000 people attending last year, there’s a reason there has been such heated arguments coming from both sides of the community. There’s a ringing din about the importance of Pride staying a community event in the neighborhood where it started—while others are simply worried that there are those who want to capitalize off of its success, potentially at the detriment to the event itself. “The mayor and city staff met with Pride on a few occasions this year and listened to their concerns about moving the parade Downtown,” Danielson says. “Mayor Kriseman has been one of Pride’s most ardent and longtime supporters. When the festival began in the early 2000s, then Councilmember Rick Kriseman was the first one to sign the Pride Proclamation when the city’s mayor refused to do so. When he was elected, one of his pledges was to spread city investments into all corners of the city, and not just focus on downtown. “The mayor sees Pride as a key economic development driver for the businesses in Grand Central and heard from many of them about their desire to have Pride remain in the neighborhood,” Danielson adds. Some in the community seem to be placated Pride isn’t relocating for now, but no doubt the wind of change Continued on pg. 18 | uu |
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tampa bay news
BradenTon riverwaLk To hoLd Third annuaL manaTee pride
| uu | St. Pete Pride from pg.16 is there, along with what appears to resemble growing pains. St. Pete is no longer the hidden gem of Florida’s west coast that it once was. The city announced earlier this year that it would host the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association’s global conference in 2017, bringing travel professionals from all over the world to experience the city. “I’m happy that it is staying in the district at least another year,” says Brian Longstreth, a founder of St. Pete Pride and owner of Gay St. Pete House, Punky’s and Your Neighborhood Realty, the latter two located in the Grand Central District. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea to totally change a successful event for a one-time conference, and I don’t think it will fit well downtown.” “We’re working with Pride to ensure the festival is a success as it has been in previous years,” Danielson continues. “We love and treasure St. Pete Pride, and look forward to its future growth and hopefully hosting a World Pride Celebration in the years ahead “The Grand Central District has been proud to be a partner with St. Pete Pride since its inception,” Grand Central District Association President Jeff Danner says in a statement. “We are happy they are staying in the district. We believe this is their home and look forward to many more years of hosting this great event.” St. Pete Pride remains tight-lipped on any further developments for now. Skains says, “We’ll have details at [St. Pete Pride’s] kick-off event, which is the first part of April.”
“A HILARIOUS
MUSICAL WHODUNIT!”
@
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
Krista DiTucci
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radeNtON | The third annual Manatee Pride will take place on Saturday, March 19, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Bradenton Riverwalk. Guests can take a stroll down the Riverwalk, watch daredevils at the skate park, and take their children to the park’s playground and splash pad all while enjoying fun, food and live entertainment. Manatee Pride is a fundraiser benefiting LGBT organization Prism Youth Initiative. This year will include music from The Hatley Band, Jess Lynn Soul and Moxie Moxie. Guests will enjoy live entertainment by local drag queens such as Ashlee T. Bangks, Lady Liemont, Lindsay Carlton and Kiki Butter Mischief. The Players Theatre of Sarasota will also feature child and adult performances including selections from Annie and Les Miserables.
Deviating from last year’s fine dining food selections, this year’s event will include food trucks, ice cream and fair-themed eats. Guests will also be able to take photos with a manatee prop, an idea that stemmed from some of Prism youths’ flashback retro ideas. Melissa Rhodes, Prism Outreach coordinator and Manatee Pride board member, says Prism youth involvement is especially important to Manatee Pride. Youth are invited to pride meetings and encouraged to voice their opinions on issues such as merchandise and lineups because the fundraiser is solely for their benefit. “We are really fortunate that Prism is finally catching on in the community,” Rhodes says. “It would be great to get the community to see how much effort goes into creating this one particular day and all the other days at Prism throughout the year. The alliances they (the youth) have built with each other is amazing. They need all of us and each other.” Valerie Fisher, Manatee Pride
FINAL WEEKS! “INGENIOUS! MUST END MAY 1. A SNAZZY DOUBLE-ACT.” JAEB THEATER
THE NEW YORK TIMES
STRAZ CENTER IT’S BROADWAY AT ITS BEST.
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813.229.STAR (7827) • STRAZCENTER.ORG Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice. Handling fees will apply.
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
committee chair and Prism Youth Initiative board president, says about 2000 people attended last year’s Manatee Pride, and she is hoping to double the number this year. She feels optimistic that the festival will continue to grow considering its success over the last two years. Fisher says she has had to request vendors in the past, but now vendors are knocking on the door. “We do Manatee Pride because of the kids, and that’s the bottom line,” Fisher says. “So that they have a safe place to come and be who they are and experience themselves in a warm, welcoming, nonjudgmental place.” “I’m really happy that the city of Bradenton is embracing us and is happy to work with us to bring the community together to celebrate LGBT people,” she adds. “We want to make Manatee Pride broadly appealing to the whole community and show that there is something there for everyone.”
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state news
GeTTinG invoLved: puTTinG The “ouT” in poLiTicaL cLouT Stephen J. Miller
a
arlene goldberg (left) and deceased wife, carol goldwasser
fLorida marriaGe eQuaLiTY pLainTiff finaLLY receives LaTe wife’s sociaL securiTY BenefiTs Staff report
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er wife passed away in 2014, and now, a Ft. Myers woman will finally receive the Social Security survivor’s benefits to which she is entitled. Arlene Goldberg was one of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage. She and her wife, Carol Goldwasser, married in New York in 2011. Goldwasser died in 2014, on the same day the ACLU of Florida announced it would challenge the marriage ban in court. Although the couple had been together for 47 years, Goldberg was not able to receive Goldwasser’s Social Security benefits because Florida did not recognize their marriage. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle struck down the ban in late 2014, and marriage equality went into effect for Florida in January 2015. Still, according to the ACLU, Goldberg fought for years to receive the benefits to which she was entitled. The ACLU assisted Goldberg to petition the Social Security Administration and now, she will receive the full benefits going forward. The SSA has also awarded her the back benefits she was denied after Goldwasser’s death. Daniel Tilley, LGBT rights staff attorney at the ACLU of Florida, says they’re happy it was resolved but this is just one of many cases. “Social Security survivors’ benefits are just one of the many federal protections and responsibilities that come with marriage that most people take for granted,” Tilly says in a media release. “Now that the Supreme Court has held that states banning loving same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional, we look forward to future guidance from the Social Security Administration making clear that all surviving spouses whose marriages were wrongfully not recognized by their home state should be treated the same as anyone else.”
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t a time when political influence may seem out of citizens’ hands, LGBT people are making their voices heard on state and local issues. On March 1, local LGBT people helped stop a state bill that would’ve erased local bans and resolutions against fracking, a controversial mining technique that many say has caused earthquakes and land damage, but has proven damages to drinkable water in eight other states. “If anyone doubts we can make a difference, today proved them wrong!” Chairman of Orange Soil and Water Conservation District Eric Rollings says. House Bill 318, sponsored by Senator Garrett Richter, R-Naples, had the support of the American Petroleum Institute. It called for a two-year moratorium on fracking with $1 million being dedicated to a yearlong study. However, it also stripped counties and municipalities from home rule. After prolonged hearing and discussion in subcommittee – with public attention on social media and in Tallahassee growing – Senator Richter withdrew the bill. “The opposition got drummed up against it,” Richter told reporters. Last September, Orlando resident Jesse Collin Yeager – a hairstylist at Stella Lucca Salon in Winter Park –got involved in that opposition. “We went to a town hall meeting in Winter Park [where both pro- and anti-fracking experts provided data] and we immediately thought,
‘Hell, no!’ I got involved because I found how detrimental it could be to our environment and I didn’t want big petroleum fucking up my home state.” Yeager and his neighbors organized an Oct. 10 yard sale to raise fund to fight what Yeager calls “all the money big oil was dumping into politicians’ campaigns.” “We raised nearly $900,” reports Yeager of the yard sale, after getting a major donation from a local distributor for Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, to donate. “We used that money to pay for a bus to Tallahassee,” Yeager says. “We went in groups. We met with senators and their aides to talk about blocking the bill, as well as a longterm ban on fracking.” Besides that, Yeager talked to his friends and clients. “Our world is much bigger than just LGBT issues; we’re talking about our drinking water and land here.” Rollings also created social media campaigns to put pressure on legislators. Others organized “calling trees” to senators’ offices. It’s a stark contrast to the national powerlessness many voters may feel. Citizens United allows corporations and super-PACs to funnels millions into elections. Primary rules vary not just between parties, but also from state to state. Delegates, superdelegates and the Electoral College further remove politics from “one voter - one vote.” Yet, recent activity can point to the power people – including LGBT activists – still have. In Dec. 2015, Rollings and local citizens helped Orange County unanimously pass a
resolution opposing fracking, sending a clear message to Tallahassee. “Over 72 percent of the state has said they don’t want fracking,” Rollings states. Yet, a Florida House bill passed in 2015. A Senate bill – identical in language – would have permanently taken the ability to ban or oppose fracking away from local governments. “It was a misleading bill,” Rollings said. “A million dollars…there’s no way to do a thorough study in a year with that little amount.” If they had passed the bill, the Florida legislature would have ignored the most likely cause for polluted groundwater in Oklahoma and the seismic activity in that state and Kansas – over five times as many earthquakes as five years ago. Arkansas, Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming have all had proven problems with fracking and water. Fracking techniques also include acid stimulation where 300 to 600 different chemicals are pumped into underlying rock to extract oil. “I don’t want that going into our aquifer,” Yeager says. “The battle isn’t over,” Rollings states. Senator Richter can’t seek reelection because of term limits. All others will be up for re-election because of redistricting. “Someone could still sponsor a pro-fracking bill,” Rollings says. “However, I think there’s enough support for a statewide ban on fracking, too. We have to remain diligent and see what next year’s session brings.”
sex weddings, even though under current laws protecting religious beliefs, clergy can already opt out of marrying any couple they choose, gay or straight. On March 1, Florida’s Senate approved amendments that narrowed the scope of the bill by defining which religious organizations the bill covers and removing vague language that may have conflicted with Florida’s Civil Rights Act. “The most important agreement in these negotiations has been the firm commitment of the bill sponsors
and legislative leadership that this bill will not be expanded to legalize discrimination in the ways we’ve seen unfold in other states,” says Carlos Guillermo Smith, Equality Florida’s government affairs manager, in a media release. Gov. Scott is expected to sign the bill into law. Several pro- and anti-gay bills were introduced in the Florida legislative session this year, but the Pastor Protection Act is the only one to make it out of committee hearings.
fLorida senaTe approves pasTor proTecTion acT Jamie Hyman The anti-gay and unnecessary Pastor Protection Act is headed to Governor Rick Scott. Florida’s Senate voted in favor of HB43 23-15 on March 3, as the end of the 2016 legislative session nears. Sen. Rene Garcia (R-Miami) is the only senator to cross party lines, voting against the bill. The Pastor Protection Act purports to prevent religious leaders from being forced to perform same-
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nation+world news
New York City enacts anti-discrimination rules for city facilities Wire Report
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EW YORK | A regulation that ensures people visiting New York City facilities can use restrooms or locker rooms aligned with their gender identity was enacted March 7. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Monday that guarantees people access to single-sex facilities consistent with their gender identity at city facilities, including offices, pools and recreation centers, without the need to show identification or any other proof of gender. The move comes amid a continuing national debate over anti-discrimination laws. “Access to bathrooms and other single-sex facilities is a fundamental human right that should not be restricted or denied to any individual,” de Blasio said. “Every New Yorker should feel safe in our city – and this
starts with our city’s buildings.” “We have very clear New York values and we’re going to stand up for them,” said de Blasio, in a clear rebuttal to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s recent criticism of the city’s liberal politics. “Here, we respect the rights of all.” The order says the regulations apply to all city-owned buildings, including city offices, public parks, playgrounds, pools, recreation centers and certain museums. It doesn’t require agencies to build new single-stall restroom or locker room facilities, but instead enforces that all individuals, including those who are transgender or gender nonconforming, are free to use single-sex facilities consistent with their gender identity, city officials said. The order does not apply to New York City’s public schools because there already is a policy that students must be allowed to use locker rooms or restrooms consistent with their
gender identity. A bill currently pending before the city council would require publicly available, singleoccupancy restrooms in both public and private buildings to be designated as gender-neutral. An estimated 25,000 transgender or gender non-conforming people live in New York City, officials said. De Blasio’s executive order immediately went into effect. “This city is the birthplace of the nation’s LGBT movement,” the mayor said at a news conference in Chelsea, the Manhattan neighborhood often considered at the heart of New York’s gay community. “That work doesn’t have an end point.” Nearly all of the nation’s 20 largest cities, including New York City, have local or state nondiscrimination laws that allow transgender people to use whatever bathroom they identify with, though a debate has raged around the topic nationwide. Houston voters defeated an ordinance in the fall that would have established nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people. Last week, South Dakota’s governor vetoed a bill that would have made the state the first in the U.S. to approve a law requiring transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth.
in other news California school officials reverse decision, ask students to remove anti-gay stickers The Desert Sands Unified School District in California sent a letter Feb. 29 to staff saying it will ask a dozen students wearing anti-gay stickers to remove them while at school. Administrators had previously said they couldn’t ask students at Shadow Hills High School to stop donning the image of a small rainbow inside a circle with a line through it, citing free speech rights. It was not immediately clear what prompted the change at the school near Palm Springs. The students began using the stickers last month and classmates and teachers complained, saying gay and lesbian students felt targeted.
Arkansas judge upholds discrimination ban despite law blocking local LGBT protections A state judge upheld a northwest Arkansas city’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity March 1, ruling that it doesn’t conflict with a law aimed at blocking local protections for gays and lesbians. Washington County Circuit Judge Doug Martin ruled that the Fayetteville ordinance ratified by voters last year doesn’t run afoul of a state measure barring cities and counties from prohibiting discrimination on a basis not contained in state law. Arkansas’ civil rights law doesn’t include sexual orientation or gender identity. His ruling did not address whether the state law was unconstitutional.
South Dakota’s Republican governor vetoes anti-transgender law
U.s. ambassador takes U.N. delegates to LGBT-Themed Broadway play
lawmakers, including Republican Sen. David Omdahl. “I’m sorry if you’re so twisted you don’t know who you are,” Omdahl said when asked about the bill last month. “I’m telling you right now, it’s about protecting the kids, and I don’t even understand where our society is these days.” Under the plan, schools would have been required to provide a “reasonable accommodation” for transgender students, such as a single-occupancy bathroom or the “controlled use” of a staff-designated restroom, locker room or shower room. Supporters said the proposal was a response to changes in President Barack Obama administration’s interpretation of the federal Title IX anti-discrimination law related to education. Federal officials have said barring students from restrooms that match their gender identity is prohibited under Title IX. Deutsch had said the plan pushed back “against federal overreach and intrusion into our lives.”
Over 70 countries have anti-gay laws which is one reason why Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, decided to take 17 U.N. ambassadors to the theater March 1 to see the Tony Award-winning play “Fun Home” whose main character is a lesbian with a closeted gay dad. Power, a strong advocate for the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals, got a standing ovation at the end of the play, led by Tony nominee Beth Malone who thanked her and President Barack Obama for doing “so much for LGBT rights.” Power said she invited a diverse group of ambassadors to see the stories of real lives to bring home “the challenges that LGBT people face every day around the world.”
Wire Report Pierre, S.D. | South Dakota’s governor vetoed a bill that would have made the state the first in the U.S. to approve a law requiring transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth. Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who initially reacted positively to the proposal but said he needed to research the issue, rejected the bill after groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign insisted it was discriminatory. In his veto message, Daugaard said the bill “does not address any pressing issue” and that such decisions were best left to local school officials. He also noted that signing the bill could create costly liability issues for schools and the state. The ACLU had promised to encourage legal action if the bill became law. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch, said he would ask lawmakers not to override the veto, saying more focus on the issue
would detract from the Legislature’s other accomplishments this year. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the bill last month, with supporters saying it would protect student privacy. Transgender rights have become a new flashpoint in the nation’s cultural clashes following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage last year. The high court victory encouraged advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights to push harder, prompting backlash from conservatives. Daugaard initially offered a positive reaction to South Dakota’s proposal, but said he wanted to listen to testimony before making a decision. Last week, he met with three transgender individuals and heard their personal stories. Prior to the meeting, the governor said he had never knowingly met a transgender person. Opponents said the legislation was an attack on vulnerable transgender students that would further marginalize them at school. They also criticized comments made by some
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Israel’s first transgender beauty pageant struts its way to Tel Aviv Nearly 30 transgender women are competing to become the first “Miss Trans Israel.” Contestants strutted down the catwalk at a Tel Aviv club wearing skinny jeans, crop tops and stiletto heels. Tel Aviv has emerged as one of the world’s most gay-friendly travel destinations. The Israeli city stands in sharp contrast to most of the rest of the Middle East, where gays are persecuted or even killed in some places. Finalists will compete at a pageant in May, and the winner will represent Israel at the Miss Trans Star International pageant to be held in Spain in August.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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viewpoint
Michael Wanzie
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WANZIE Thank God for the godless!
O
n Thursday, January
Now, I ask you: What do Albert Einstein, Elton John, John Lennon, Emma Thompson, Billy Joel, James Cameron, Sir Ian McKellen, Kathy Griffin, Woody Allen, Warren Buffet, George Carlin, Carl Sagan, Richard Strauss, Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher, Mark Zukerberg, Steven Wozniak, Steven Hawking and Michael Wanzie all have in common? Before you attempt to answer that question, consider the astonishing accomplishments of the following people who all share a common trait with those listed above: Andrew Carnegie was not only the American industrialist who founded Carnegie Steel and eventually U.S. Steel, but he was a most noble and decent fellow. Considered by many to be the second richest American to have ever lived, Carnegie limited his personal income to $50,000 per year and gave up his fortune to establish libraries, schools and universities all over America. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first and longest serving Prime Minister of an independent India, where he made social opportunities and a better life available to any person regardless of their class in the caste system. He was a noted promoter of Peace. Chemist Linus Pauling, arguably one of the most important scientists of the 20th century whose discoveries have saved millions upon millions of human lives, has been
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degrees and prizes and intellect and common sense. It seems to me that far too often a belief in God turns otherwise intelligent people into simpletons. I have never heard of an atheist throwing their teenage child out of their family home and disowning them because they are gay, but I personally know of hundreds of good
I know of no atheists who are white supremacists, Neo-Nazi’s, or members of the KKK, yet virtually every person I have encountered both personally and through media reports who belong to any such organizations adamantly proclaim themselves to be Christian. I know of no atheist who
pigeonholed into this category, I know many decent Christians. And to be fair; counted among atheists are the likes of Hitler and Castro. But my point here is that blindly adhering to a belief in something that ultimately cannot be proved and then holding that blind faith to a higher standard than hard scientific fact, good common
Christian parents who have done so for no other reason than they believe their God disapproves of what their child has become. I know of no atheists who bomb clinics or kill doctors because the medical procedures they perform don’t align with their personal beliefs, but Christians seems to make sport of this murderous practice.
denies science or pickets the funerals of gays and veterans. I know of no atheist who has disowned their child for marrying a person of faith but I personally am aware of hundreds of parents who have absolutely no contact with their adult children because they married outside their faith. And before angered believers write in to point out that not all Christians can be
sense and common decency is a danger to our society. What I am striving to point out here was best said in two simple sentences by Nobel Prize-winning atheist Steven Weinberg, who famously noted, “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
I have never heard of an atheist throwing their teenage child out of their family home and disowning them because they are gay.
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11, 2016, scientists announced they had finally discovered “Gravity Waves,” which Albert Einstein insisted existed exactly 100 years ago when, in 1916, he formally presented his Theory of Relativity. It took a full century for the science to catch up to the vision and brilliance of Einstein’s magnificent mind, but as of mere weeks ago, his hundred-year-old “theory” is no longer that. It has been proven. It is fact.
hailed by Science Journal as “One of the greatest thinkers and visionaries of the last thousand years.” Pauling is one of only four individuals to have ever won solo Nobel Prizes in separate and unrelated fields - for chemistry in 1954, and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize for his unyielding work against nuclear bomb testing. Jacques Lucien Monod is the French biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965. His discoveries are credited with saving millions upon millions of human lives. Francis Harry Compton Crick is likely directly responsible for the most righteous convictions of actual murderers in this country as well as the much overdue release from prisons of the wrongly convicted. This guy is the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA! Oh, and he won a Nobel Prize. David Takayoshi Suzuki is a world renowned zoologist, geneticist, science broadcaster and environmental activist. He is the man behind the groundbreaking children’s TV series, Suzuki on Science. He hosted CBC’s The Nature of Things and the acclaimed PBS series A Planet for the Taking. Q: What do all these truly amazing people, from Einstein to Suzuki, have in common? A: Atheism! Might it not then be true that a belief in God and a blind adherence to a religious doctrine is quite simply counterproductive to freeing the mind to achieve its fullest potential? When asked if he believed in God, James Dewey Watson answered “Oh…no! The biggest advantage to believing in God is you don’t have to understand anything, no physics, no biology. I wanted to understand.” Every great scientific mind in the world today has joined in a deafening chorus with regard to the ways in which we are rapidly killing our planet. But God-fearing capitalists, evangelical preachers and the largely Christian right of the Republican Party feel they know better than these learned people who are dripping with
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
talking points
1-in-2
Of all the girl-on-girl movies I saw this year, Carol was the third-best.
aFrican american msm
—OSCar hOSt ChriS rOCk, COmpariNG the Same-Sex LOVe StOrY tO LeSbiaN pOrN, aS he iNtrOdUCed CArOL Star Cate bLaNChett at the 88th aCademY awardS
Canadian prime minister stands with lgbt Community
AND
1-in-4
G
O CaNada! Dreamy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to make sure the LGBT community knows that he is with them. Trudeau will become the first Canadian prime minister to march in Toronto’s annual gay pride parade. Trudeau tweeted: “Very much look forward to being there again, this time as PM.” Trudeau also announced he will issue a posthumous pardon to a man who was sent to prison in the 1960s because he was gay. George Klippert spent six years in prison before being released in 1971. “The prime minister intends to recommend that a pardon under the authority of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy be granted posthumously to Mr. Klippert,” Trudeau’s office said in a media release.
hispanic msm
HIV IN THEIR will Be diagnosed with
LIFETIME, Compared with
1-in-11 WHITE MSM —CdC StUdY
Caitlyn jenner inKs deal with maC CosmetiCs to benefit transgender people
C
aitLYN jeNNer iS partNeriNG with maC CoSMETICS on a limitededition lipstick she helped create to benefit the company’s effort to improve the lives of transgender people. The rosy nude shade, Finally Free, will retail for $17. It will be available starting April 7 at maccosmetics.com, with all proceeds going to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative. The project will expand support for grants to organizations and programs working with trans people, the company said in a statement. “I wanted a name that I use, and which represents the community,” Jenner said. “This is who I am: Finally Free.”
watermark Your LGBT life.
j.j. abrams Confirms gay CharaCters Coming to STAR WARS
T
he biGGeSt differeNCe BETwEEN ThE NEw lINE of Star Wars films and the Lucas-driven originals has been the diversity in the cast of characters and, according to Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ director J.J. Abrams, it’s about to get more diverse. In an interview with website The Daily Beast, Abrams confirmed that there will be gay characters in the upcoming Star Wars sequels. “To me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility,” Abrams said. “So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world.” The next installment of Star Wars hits theaters December 2017.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
sam smith upsets MILK sCreenwriter
S
am Smith made a SNafU after wiNNiNG hiS OSCar for Best Original Song by misquoting actor Ian McKellen. Smith stated he thinks McKellen said no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar. “If this is the case,” Smith said, "even if it isn’t the case, I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community.” It wasn’t the case, as McKellan was referring to openly gay actors not winning Oscars. The comments seemed to upset screenwriter Dustin Lance Black who won an Oscar for the screenplay Milk in 2009. Black tweeted, “If you have no idea who I am, it may be time to stop texting my fiancé [Olympic diver Tom Daley].” Black later tweeted that he was joking.
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
The next
wave
looking forward to the future with some of orlando and Tampa Bay’s best and brightest. You chose them.
we counted the votes. now we celebrate!
l
aSt Year, WATErMArK tOOk a fLYiNG
leap and bumped its Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence (otherwise known as that cool WAVE crashing over you right now) up to spring. Spring is a time of optimism and growth, superlatives and cooler heads. It was obviously the right thing to do. Our voter response was huge this year.
Thousands of readers from sea to shining gulf chimed in with their picks for the best things they know in their regions and routines, and we listened. We listened twice, even: The first time was the glorious study of iterations in proper name spelling via a nomination cycle; the second was the finals. And though you may see some of the old favorites of the old guard (we love the
old guard and the new guard equally, friends), there are some surprises littering the pages and web portals before you. We also reached out to some of our favorite friends of the community, citizens who we thought you should probably know, for a mixed bag (in the best sense) of profiles in courage and commerce. The Tampa Bay Area and
watermark Your LGBT life.
Orlando and beyond have been shining their Sunday bests and it shows. We couldn’t be a better community in a better state; everything is amazing. (Well the state part, at least in terms of government, could use some help, maybe.) So, as these things go, this is the part where we get to the awards. There have been a lot of changes at Watermark, this editor coming on board included, but there is so much foundation, so much grit, so much work to be celebrated. Thanks for caring about your community. And we look forward to serving you for many more years. Wait, here comes a WAVE. See you in a bit. Continued on pg. 31 | uu | Continued on pg. 31 | uu |
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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Third Annual
Third Annual Third Annual
fdjk
Third Annual
Saturday March 19th, Saturday 19th, fromMarch 12-5 at the 2016
A fund raiser for Prism Youth Initiative, A fund raiser for and providing a safe Prism Youth Initiative, supportive center for
12-5 atRiverwalk the 2016 from beautiful Bradenton
providing a safe and LGBT+ youth in supportive center for
beautifulThe Bradenton Riverwalk Featuring Hatley Band, Featuring TheMarch Hatley Band, Jess Lynn Soul, Moxie19th, Moxie, Saturday Jessdrag Lynn queens, Soul, great local vendors, from Moxie 12-5 at Moxie, the 2016 great drag local fun food andqueens, draft beer . vendors, beautiful Bradenton Riverwalk fun food andThe draft beer . Featuring Hatley Band,
turday March for details 19th, please visit please visit www.manateepride.com www.manateepride.com 12-5 at the 016 from Jess Lynn Soul, Moxie Moxie,
forgreat details drag queens, local vendors, fun food and draft beer.
for details
please visit www.manateepride.com
fdjkaljjioean;ejoa
Manatee County + youth in LGBT Manatee County
A fund raiser for Prism Youth Initiative, providing a safe and supportive center for LGBT+ youth in Manatee County
A fund raiser for Riverside Rollin' Smoke, Prism Youth Initiativ Riverside Rollin' Smoke, TK Kitchen, Croz's Surf Shak, TK Croz'sproviding Surf Shak, B'sKitchen, Cool Treats, Kona Ice a safe and B's Cool Treats, Kona Ice Bigger and Better! supportive center for
autiful Bradenton Riverwalk
turing The Hatley Band, s Lynn Soul, Moxie Moxie, at drag queens, local vendors, 30 food and draft beer. watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
LGBT+ youth in Manatee County
| uu | WAVE Awards 2016 from pg.31
TamPa Bay Favorite local politician/activist First: st. Petersburg Mayor rick Kriseman Second: Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner Third: St. Petersburg Councilwoman Darden Rice
greatest straight ally to the local lgBt community First: st. Petersburg Mayor rick Kriseman Second: St. Pete Pride President Scion Provenzano Third: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn
most eFFective local lgBt organization First: st. Pete Pride Second: Metro Wellness & Community Center Third: Equality Florida
Favorite local lgBt-aFFirming Faith community First: Mcc Tampa Second: King of Peace MCC Third: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Favorite local lgBt sports league/ organization First: suncoast softball League Second: Gay Bowling Night Dunedin Lanes Third: Pride Bowling League
FavoriTe new lgBT BuSineSS FavoriTe local lgBT (Friendly) cheF
PunkY’s anD frank cosTelli Jr.
w
heN GeOrGie’S aLibi CLOSed itS dOOrS IN 2015, many people worried about the viability of the Grand Central area. Was it still going to be seen as the unofficial LGBT area of St. Pete? What did this mean for St. Pete Pride and other events that utilized the space and area as the hub of LGBT activity? Enter Punky’s. Punky’s, to an extent, came in to fill the void Georgie’s left, but it wasn’t a place cut from the same cloth. Would people embrace it as much as they had done with Georgie’s in the past? It seems they have. Punky’s, which has been open less than a year, landed on seven WAVE Award categories, even placing first in two of them. First place came as favorite new LGBT business and favorite local LGBT (friendly) chef with Frank Costelli, Jr. Punky’s also ranked in the top three for favorite casual restaurant, favorite brunch and favorite late night dining, as well as favorite local DJ’s for Bruce Devery and Bill Kody. Punky’s was opened only a few months ago by Brian Longstreth, Lynn Deibert and John Burt, and since then it has become one of the go to businesses for LGBT organizations to stage events and get sponsored. “I always try to give back to the community,” Longstreth said to Watermark during his “Most Remarkable” interview recently. “Very early on, I realized that the LGBT market was a niche market that people weren’t serving, and I wanted to try and make that a reality for a lot of people.” 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 intent. —Jeremy Williams
FavoriTe local PerFormer – muSician
Jennifer real
M
aNY wOrdS are USed tO deSCribe the mUSiCaL StYLiNGS Of jeNNifer reaL: powerful, soulful, sultry. But the most accurate may be the one given to her at birth: Real. Where most singers stay within on genre of music, Real’s four octave range has allowed her to flow in and out of whatever genre she wants to, easily singing soul, R&B and jazz, then switching up into rock, contempory and pop. Her voice seems to have no boundaries. “In high school I would walk down the hallways and kids would yell out, ‘that’s the white girl who can sing like a black girl,’” Real says laughing. “I was just always that crazy girl with the headphones on singing my heart out.” Real has been singing in the Tampa Bay area for years. Well known throughout the community, she has been awarded numerous accolades, including as a WAVE winner in previous years, but it still gets her excited and happy when she wins. “I’m just overwhelmed with joy,” Real says. “It’s nice to be recognized by the community. It brings me more confidence to do what I do and brings comfort to my heart.” Tampa Bay cannot seem to get enough of Jennifer Real. Besides playing to packed houses at Queen’s Head, Spinnakers and NautiNancy’s, Real was the featured performer at the TBGLCC’s Diamond Awards and will be singing at this year’s WAVE Award celebration. On top of that, Real has recently been hired on at Central Ave.’s newest hot spot, Punky’s, for a regular gig. The crowds aren’t just turning out for that voice, they are also coming out to see the person that is Jennifer Real. “I put myself out there,” Real says. “I think as a performer, doing what you love to do shows through, and people feel and feed off that energy.” Real also makes sure to know the people who come out to see and support her. “I love to talk to my audience and talk with my fans,” she says. “It isn’t just singing song after song, I commune with them. —Jeremy Williams
Favorite local lgBt (Friendly) writer/Journalist
Favorite place For a date night
First: st. Pete Pride
Favorite local health care proFessional
First: Mark & carrie
First: The Queens head
Second: Tampa Pride
First: Dr. Michael Dunn
Second: David Borman
Second: Hamburger Mary’s Tampa
Third: TIGLFF
Second: Wm Cory Jeffries
Third: Billy Manes
Favorite local lgBt (Friendly) weBsite First: WatermarkOnline.com Second: Rainbow411.com Third: MCFilm.co
Third: Pro Shop Pub
Favorite charitaBle event First: aIDs Walk Tampa Bay Second: Taste of Pride Third: Red and Green Party
watermark Your LGBT life.
gayest local event
Favorite new lgBt Business less than one year old
Third: Dr. Kush Patel
Favorite local hair salon First: salon swank
First: Punky’s Bar & Grill
Second: Sandy’s Hair Studio
Second: Tyler’z Barbershop
Third: Bambu the Eco Salon
Third: Mary’s Pub
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
Continued on pg. 33 | uu |
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
Favorite local attorney
Favorite late night restaurant
Morgan & Morgan
Taco Bus
T
here is no escaping John Morgan, but there is John Morgan escaping. The billboard and television advertising caricature of Morgan is much like the actual character of the man: He is for the people, he is a liberal, he does play with the big dogs. When we caught up with him to talk about his WAVE, though, he was in Maui having the time of his life. “I don’t spend that much time in court these days,” he’ll admit. But his third son just passed the Bar Exam, so he has plenty of backup. These days, Morgan is pushing for a personal cause – specifically medical marijuana – and making quite a bit of noise in Florida’s relatively conservative voting base. In 2014, Morgan and his associated advocacy group United for Care barely missed passage of Amendment 2, a measure that would have made cannabis available by prescription for those suffering with debilitating diseases. He received substantial criticism from naysayers when the measure first crossed the transom, not the least of which came from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. “I effectively lost by a point,” he says, speaking of that contentious midterm election. “Last time, she opposed me. This time, they’ve all said ‘don’t bother.’” Morgan’s advocacy on this issue stretches back to family issues with his brother and with his father; he’s been very open on the subject, and his wallet has dropped millions into it. But there was too much vagueness in the wording last time, critics complained, and so it is that we are faced with Amendment 2 (mach two) in a presidential year. You don’t get the sense that Morgan is worried about his chances. “I think I have to do a better job
| uu | WAVE Awards 2016 from pg.31
Favorite local spa
educating seniors about why this is really for them and their loved ones,” he said in January. “The problem with seniors is they’re so scared of drugs. They don’t know the difference between marijuana and heroin.” It’s a tough argument, one that Morgan is willing to admit went afoul in the midterms. The drawing board was brought out and Morgan returned to it. “This time, I tweaked my language,” he says. “I think we’re starting to see the tipping point.” (Amendment 2 returns to the ballot in November). But the weed isn’t the only concern bothering Morgan’s doorjam. He’s been a friend to the LGBT community for as long as he can remember. “We represent a lot of the gay community,” he says. “The thing that I’m proudest of is that when you come to my law firm, it is truly a diverse group. I’m most proud not of the legal work we’ve done, but of our open mindedness, our tolerance.” —Billy Manes
Favorite place to pamper your pet
First: Safety Harbor Resort & Spa
First: Love My Dog Resort & Playground
Second: Ybor Resort & Spa
Second: Dandy’s Pet Grooming
Third: The Massage Spa
Third: Doggie Doos Pet Salon
Favorite local veterinarian
Favorite local realtor
First: Dr. Taylor Ohman –
Smith & Associates
Gulfport Veterinarian
Second: Park Animal Hospital Third: Haines Road Animal Hospital
I
First: Nick Janovsky -
t’s 2 a.m. and you and your squad have just stepped out of the most epic night of your lives: dancing, drinking, getting some hottie’s digits. Where do you go from there? If you know what’s good, you get to Taco Bus. Taco Bus was voted the best late night restaurant in the Tampa Bay area, and if you have ever bitten into one of those tacos, then you know why. The story of Taco Bus goes back to the 1980s, a time when a small boy named Ted Cruz was singing “Oh, Canada” with something tangling out of his mouth and before dictator wannabe Donald Drumpf wanted to build a wall. A bright, up-andcoming businessman of 13 by the name of Rene Valenzuela was slinging his first tacos in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. Elliott Ramsdell, president of marketing company Social Faucet, runs Taco Bus’ social media and is friends with Chef Rene. “Taco Bus is a true rags-to-riches story,” Ramsdell says. “It all started with Chef Rene and a dream.” Chef Rene brought his knowledge of south of the border cuisine to Tampa after sometime in Chicago’s restaurant scene and for 20 years now has shared his love of Mexican street fare with the Bay area. “Taco Bus started with one guy dishing out tacos on Hillsborough Ave. to a business that employs 400 people at eight different locations,” Ramsdell says. “As Chef Rene likes to say ‘[Taco Bus] is an overnight success that was 30 years in the making.’” The expansion of Taco Bus has allowed Chef Rene to be able to be as mobile as the name and bring tacos (along with his full
menu of Mexican dishes) outside of Tampa to St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Sarasota. Taco Bus’ popularity has even put them in the national spotlight being featured on the Food Network, the Travel Channel and the Cooking Channel. Chef Rene not only prepares the traditional Mexican foods, but he also recognizes the ever expanding tastes and appetites of the Tampa Bay area. “Taco Bus not only offers up vegetarian and gluten-free items, but Chef Rene is going to be introducing some new things you may not have thought about putting on your taco,” Ramsdell says. “Have you ever had hummus on a taco?” Even though Taco Bus has been featured on numerous shows and is known throughout the country, the vision of Chef Rene has never changed. “We never forget whose passion for flavor made us famous. That would be you, our loyal fans,” Chef Rene says.
—Jeremy Williams
Favorite local auto salesperson
First: International Mall
First: Sonny Gonzales -
Second: Tyrone Square Mall
Tyrone Square Mazda
Second: John Crapper - MINI of Tampa Bay Third: Stephen Bender
Favorite local attorney
Second: Brian Longstreth Your Neighborhood Realty
First: Morgan & Morgan
Third: Victor Tomlinson - Edge Real Estate
Third: Jim Jenkins
Second: Timothy Martin
Favorite local mall Third: Westfield Countryside Mall
Favorite local wedding venue First: Sunken Gardens Second: Hotel Zamora Third: Sheraton Riverwalk
Favorite local florist First: Artistic Flowers St. Pete Second: Bay Bouquet Floral Studio Third: Carter’s
Favorite area museum or gallery First: The Dali Museum Second: St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts Third: Museum of Science & Industry Continued on pg. 35 | uu |
watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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Thank you for voting us your Favorite Local Wedding Venue
Call today to book your 727.551.3106 • www.sunkengardens.org
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watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
Garden Wedding
| uu | WAVE Awards 2016 from pg.33
Favorite local framing shop First: Michael’s Second: Tyrone Frame and Mirror Third: Gallery Barbas
Favorite LGBTfriendly spot to take family and kids
First: Kori Stevens
First: Busch Gardens
Second: Alexis De La Mar
Second: St. Pete Pride
Third: Joey Brooks
Third: Ybor City
Favorite local performer: Drag
Favorite local performer: Stage
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) artist
Favorite local hotel/B&B
First: Judy B. Goode
First: Hollander Hotel
Second: Matthew McGee
First: James Michael McCracken
Second: Flamingo Resort
Third: Jay R. Goldberg
Third: Gay St. Pete House
Second: Ray Villegas Third: Eunice Fisher
Favorite restaurant: Upscale First: Bern’s Steakhouse Second: Bella Brava Third: Cassis American Brasserie
Favorite restaurant: Casual First: Hamburger Mary’s Second: Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria Third: Punky’s Bar & Grill
Favorite restaurant: Breakfast/brunch First: First Watch Second: Punky’s Bar & Grill
Favorite LGBT club/bar First: Enigma Bar & Lounge
First: Jennifer Real
Second: Bradley’s on 7th
Third: Jami Gee
Third: Flamingo Resort
Favorite LGBT happy hour First: Enigma Bar & Lounge Second: Flamingo Resort Third: Pro Shop Pub
Favorite host for karaoke, trivia or bingo First: Amy DeMilo – Hamburger Mary’s
Second: Alexis De La Mar - Flamingo Resort
Third: The Queens Head
Third: Traila Parks - Blur Nightclub
Favorite restaurant: Late night dining
Bar with the hottest eye candy
First: Taco Bus Second: Punky’s Bar & Grill Third: The Queens Head
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) chef or caterer
First: Bradley’s on 7th Second: Enigma Bar & Lounge Third: Flamingo Resort
Favorite local bartender/server
First: Frank Costelli, Jr.-
First: Tyler Cochran -
Second: Darlene Herrick La Septima Cafe
Second: Steven Pearson – The Pro Shop Pub
Punky’s Bar & Grill
Third: Jeffery Jew Stillwaters Tavern
Favorite local performer: Musician
Flamingo Resort
Third: Jamayal Douglas The Pro Shop Pub
Second: Lisa Noe
Favorite local performer: DJ First: DJ L Mo Flamingo Resort
Second: Bruce Devery Punky’s Bar & Grill and Quench Lounge Third: Bill Kody Punky’s Bar & Grill
Favorite local photographer First: Jeff Klein Second: Robert Castelli Third: Laurie Ross
Favorite local radio personality First: Miguel Fuller Hot 101.5
Second: Busta - Wild 94.1 Third: Greg Henchar - GSH Radio
Favorite local TV news anchor First: Chuck Henson Bay News 9
Second: Veronica Citron Bay News 9 Third: Trevor Pettiford Bay News 9 Continued on pg. 37 | uu |
watermark Your LGBT life.
Favorite Local Politician/Activist Greatest Straight Ally to the LGBT Community
Rick Kriseman
A
dvocates for LGBT rights are important regardless of where they are or what field they work in, but they are needed even more in positions of political office, especially in a time when the legislative year brings dozens of anti-gay bills offered up on the state and local levels. In the Bay area, one of the most vocal advocates we have is St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. Kriseman was elected mayor to St. Petersburg in 2013 and has shown that he is a mayor for all the residents in the city, but he is especially concerned with the needs and concerns of those groups who are traditionally disenfranchised because of sex, race, sexual orientation and gender identity. “My philosophy has always been try and do the right thing and treat all people with respect, and hopefully they like what you’re doing,” Kriseman says during a break from our Watermark photo shoot. The voters of St. Petersburg seem to like the way Kriseman represents them just fine. Before being elected to the most powerful seat in St. Pete, Kriseman had a successful stint as a St. Petersburg city council member and a member of the Florida House of Representatives. When Kriseman ran to become mayor he won with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Kriseman has won WAVE Awards in the past, and this year placed first in two categories: Favorite Local Politician/Activist and Greatest Straight Ally to the LGBT Community. Kriseman carried that commitment to the LGBT community into the mayor’s office being the first to hoist a rainbow flag over city hall during Pride weekend in 2014, his first year in office, and in 2015, he welcomed same-sex couples into City Hall so they could exchange vows. Kriseman even officiated a same-sex wedding on the steps of City Hall’s interior foyer. At the end of 2015, our mayor showed us just how much he stands for equality, diversity and inclusion when he made national headlines standing against Donald Trump. After Trump called for a total and complete ban on Muslims into the United States, Kriseman tweeted out, “I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps.” Kriseman’s tweet went viral and was retweeted almost 20,000 times. While he later told the Tampa Bay Times that it was in jest, he did say to anyone wanting to come to the Tampa Bay area that we do not tolerate hate. “What I think makes St. Petersburg a great city and truly a city of opportunity is that we’re truly a diverse, tolerant community. There really isn’t a place for narrow mindedness and those kinds of positions,” Kriseman said. —Jeremy Williams
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THANK YOU WATERMARK READERS
FOR VOTING
FAVORITE PLACE TO
PAMPER YOUR PET
2016 WINNER
RANGERSPETOUTPOST.COM 36
watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
| uu | WAVE Awards 2016 from pg.35
Favorite local performing arts venue First: Straz Center for the Performing Arts Second: Ruth Eckerd Hall Third: Mahaffey Theater
Favorite adult novelty store First: XTC Adult Supercenter Second: The Todd Third: Frisky Business
Favorite place to pick up a Watermark First: Flamingo Resort Second: Metro Wellness & Community Center Third: Pro Shop Pub
Best place to propose, or be proposed to First: Sunset Beach Second: Honeymoon Island Third: Clearwater BeachOrlando
Orlando Favorite local politician/activist First: City Commissioner Patty Sheehan Second: Mayor Buddy Dyer Third: Eric Rollings Orange County Soil and Water Conservation
Greatest straight ally to the local LGBT community First: Mayor Buddy Dyer Second: Jim Philips Third: Margo Dixon
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) writer/journalist
Favorite local radio personality
Scott Maxwell
Jim Philips
ven in the Andy Griffith Show lexicon of Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell’s “malarkey” thesaurus – just kidding, Scott! – the day Watermark caught up with your favorite Orlando columnist wasn’t a great one. Tribune Company, which owns the Sentinel, had just announced another restructuring, this time blurring the lines between editors and publishers. He’s been a consistent ally for the Central Florida LGBT community. “I have been writing about this for a long time,” he says. “Some of my earliest columns were about this issue. One of the things that I find inspiring is that in the early years, I would get a shitstorm of criticism every time I mentioned the [LGBT] issue. Today, I hardly get any.” Much of Maxwell’s appeal, apart from the fact that he’s everywhere all the time in a black (or pink) tie, comes from his relatable stance on issues large and small. When there were scandals at the blood bank or at the expressway authority, Maxwell fermented the common reporting into columns that told the real story in spite of the spinning flacks. And, as previously noted, he’s not afraid to go to bat for the gay community. “It comes back to the quote that we always talk about: If you’re silent when they come for others, who’s going to speak up for you? I’m happy to see the strides in equality,” he says. As for his future with the Sentinel and in Orlando. Well, he’s not going anywhere. His time miraculously stands still. “I am cursed with still loving what I do,” he says. “I guess I was born two generations late.” —Billy Manes
s the astute ringleader of a band of loud talkers on Real Radio 104.1 FM’s Philips Phile, Jim Philips comes off as a nononsense, truth-seeking advocate and political observer. He knows of what he speaks in most cases – the man has been doing radio in Orlando since 1972 – but he also knows how to engage an audience without that Howard Stern condescension so common on talk radio. Better still, he knows and loves the LGBT community. When confronted with his WAVE victory, Philips doesn’t take it likely. “It’s a big deal,” he says. “Because I say and I believe it that I was the first person in this town media-wise – electronic and print, mainstream – that was in support of the LGBT community for years and years and years and years and years. I made no bones about it, and I took a lot of grief for it on the air." “I just went on the air did my thing,” he says. “My thing was a lot different from what normal talk radio was at that time. It was political for the most part. Everybody had their own political agenda. I figured, ‘I can’t do that; I’m not smart enough to do that.’ So, I just do my own thing and it works.” It works across the board, really: conservative to liberal; gay to straight. Philips, who may be retiring soon if his contract isn’t renewed, is a bit of an unlikely gay icon. Well, likely in that he’s dashing, but likely because he sees beyond the divisiveness of inequality. “One in 10: One, you’re super straight; 10, you’re super gay, all the way. But most people are somewhere in between. Whether they act it out, I don’t know. But I know their thought processes, and they’re all over the place. If they say they’re not, I believe they’re lying.” —Billy Manes
E
Most effective local LGBT organization First: The LGBT Center of Central Florida Second: Hope and Help of Central Florida, Inc. Third: The Zebra Coalition
Favorite local LGBT-affirming faith community First: Joy MCC Second: First Unitarian Church of Orlando Third: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
A
Favorite local LGBT sports league/ organization
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) website
First: Central Florida Softball League
First: Watermarkonline.com
Second: Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls Third: Gay and Lesbian Bowling League
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) writer/ journalist
Second: TheCenterOrlando.org Third: Bungalower.com
Favorite place for a date night
Favorite charitable event First: Come Out With Pride Second: Headdress Ball Third: The Amazing Race Orlando
Gayest local event
First: Hillstone
First: Come Out With Pride
First: Scott Maxwell
Second: The Hammered Lamb
Third: Orlando Fringe
Second: Billy Manes
Third: Orlando Roller Derby
Third: Jamie Hyman
watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
Second: Gay Days
Continued on pg. 40 | uu |
37
EAT, DRINK, AND
1972
2016
BE MARY
Some of us believe in God Some of us are athiests Some of us follow Buddha Some of us explore other paths
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER
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102 Oxford Road, Casselberry, FL ● (407) 831-5205 watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
39
Favorite Drag Performer
Darcel Stevens
D
arcel Stevens didn’t even know he was nominated for a WAVE Award. That might be because our readers’ pick for 2016 Favorite Drag Performer is too busy, between his full-time job as entertainment director for Parliament House and his dedication to donating his time and talents to local fundraising events. “I work four days a week as Darcel, and as entertainment director, I work seven days a week,” says Stevens, who can go from zero to drag in as little as 45 minutes but says it takes two hours to really get it right. Darcel is a darling among the local nonprofit community, frequently tapped to host events including the lavish Headdress Ball and, more recently, Dancing With the Queens. Both events benefit Hope and Help of Central Florida Inc., where Stevens serves on the board of directors. He’s also the driving force behind Babes and Bonnets for Orlando Youth Alliance and Employee Turnabout at Parliament House which benefits Joy MCC. “Pretty much if it’s a worthwhile charity, I’ll lend my name to it,” Stevens says. In addition to charitable work, Stevens, who has performed in drag since a friend dared him to in the mid-‘80s, is dedicated to maintaining the high standards and
Favorite Performance Venue
I
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from pg.37
been embraced by heterosexual audience members. “I think the lines are falling down,” she says. “People see a play because it’s great, not because of the subject matter.” Ramsberger says their values of openness and inclusion are even reflected in the building’s design and architecture, which are also “transparent and open.” On average, theatres have five points of sale. “Ours has 30 points of sale,” she says. “Not because of revenue, but because we want people to talk to each other.” DPCPA is entering its final phase of construction, venue space meant to sound spectacular and meant to entertain audiences with the finer arts: orchestra, opera. “You’re going to see one of the greatest halls ever designed globally,” she promises. —Jamie Hyman
watermark Your LGBT life.
—Jamie Hyman
| uu | WAVE Awards 2016
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
t’s a cliché, that gay people and theater are BFFs. But it’s one of those clichés that tends to be based in truth, so Central Florida’s Watermark readers voted Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts their Favorite Performance Venue for the second year in a row. Our readers love DPCPA (and acronyms!), and DPCPA loves them right back. Kathy Ramsberger, president and CEO, has been with DPCPA since its inception and said openness and inclusiveness were key goals from the start. “We started this a long time ago, saying it had to be for everybody,” she says. “As many different areas that we can extend the invitation for people to participate, the better. I have to say this [LGBT] community is one that has really embraced the Center. It’s an audience that is very relevant and participative.” DPCPA consistently features LGBT-themed programming. Book of Mormon was a highlight and big seller of their first season, they just wrapped a run of Kinky Boots, Dixie’s Tupperware Party opens this month and its 2016-2017 season announcement event unveiled upcoming runs of Wicked and Matilda, which while not specifically about gay characters, explore plots about outsiders who don’t quite fit in and are very popular among the LGBT community. Ramsberger says the theater’s gay-themed performances have
professionalism of the art of female impersonation. “This is not a hobby, not a fad,” he says. “This is a professional job. All of the people who work at Parliament House are professional entertainers. We are at the top of our craft and get paid for a professional job. There is a difference from dressing up in drag and doing a talent show. We are professional entertainers.” He says key tenets of that level of professionalism include keeping up with trends while also keeping “the art form in its true form,” regardless of fads. “There are certain foundations that run through all professional female impersonators,” Stevens says. “Hair, makeup, clothing style, knowing your words, dance. It’s a visual art and you can’t skimp,” he says. “Even if you evolve, those things are underlying factors of your craft and you have to adhere to those.” Quality over quantity, the saying goes, but between Stevens’ punishing work schedule and dedication to excellence, his fans get both in spades. His career may have started on a dare, but Central Florida is lucky to have Darcel Stevens, and that’s the truth.
Favorite new LGBT business less than one year old First: Full Moon at Woodstock Second: Smith & Adams Third: Revere at The M Hotel
Favorite local health care professional First: Dr. Edwin DeJesus Orlando Immunology Center
Second: Dr. Rafael Pinero Pinero Preventative Medical Care Third: Dr. Roberto Ortiz Bliss Healthcare Services
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Favorite local hair salon First: Gary Lambert Salon Second: Nube Nove Third: Vamp Hair Studio
Favorite local spa First: Club Orlando Second: Nube Nove Third: Balance Orlando
Favorite local veterinarian First: Dr. Jim Martin
Loch Haven Veterinary Hospital
Second: Kimberly Lee - Animal Medical Clinic of Orlando Third: Dr. Caterine Tonks South Seminole Animal Hospital
Favorite place to pamper your pet
Favorite area museum or gallery
First: Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
First: Orlando Science Center
Second: Winter Park Pet Villa
Second: Orlando Museum of Art
Third: Preppy Pet
Third: The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art ?
Favorite local realtor
• Portrait Sittings
Favorite local framing shop
• Models
Century 21
First: Sam Flax
Second: Brett Winters Olde Town Brokers
Second: Framing of Central Florida
• Dancers
Third: Lydia Pisano - The Team Real Estate Group
Third: Great Escape
First: David Dorman
Favorite local auto salesperson
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) artist First: Patty Sheehan Second: Lee Vandergift
First: Fred Berliner
Third: Brendan O’Connor
Second: Arie Morales Fields BMW South
Favorite restaurant: Upscale
Don Reid Ford
Third: Brian Fenn - Mercedes
Favorite local attorney First: Tom Dyer
The Law Offices of Dyer & Blaisdell
Second: Barry Miller The Closing Agent Third: Tom Malone - The Malone Law Firm
Favorite restaurant: Casual First: Hamburger Mary’s Second: The Hammered Lamb
Favorite restaurant: Breakfast/brunch
First: The Venue Second: The Mezz Third: Celebration Gardens
407-704-2122 | cell: 407-288-6512 | MikeIvan3@yahoo.com
Second: Luma on Park
First: Mall at Millenia
Favorite local wedding venue
Phone or Email for prices
Third: Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
Third: RusTeak
Third: Artegon Marketplace
Sessions from $150.00. By appointment only
First: Santiago’s Bodega
Favorite local mall Second: Florida Mall
• Female Impersonators
First: Hamburger Mary’s Second: The Egg & I Third: The Hammered Lamb
Favorite restaurant: Late night dining
Favorite local florist
First: Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria
First: Lee James Floral Designs
Third: IHOP
Second: Tako Cheena
Second: Publix Third: Winter Park Florist
Continued on pg. 43 | uu |
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41
ORLANDO MELTDOWN
thank you for voting us: 2nd Place Winner for your FAVORITE LGBT Club / Bar 3rd Place Winner for Bar with the Hottest Eye Candy 2nd Place Winner Taylor Bulloch for Favorite Bartender 3rd Place Winner Timi Hedrich for Favorite Bartender
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| uu | WAVE Awards 2016 from pg.41
Favorite local LGBT (friendly) chef or caterer First: John Michael Exquisite Weddings & Catering Second: Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria Third: Little Lamb Catering
Favorite LGBTfriendly spot to take family and kids First: Lake Eola Second: Walt Disney World Third: Orlando Roller Derby
Favorite local hotel/B&B First: Parliament House Second: Alfond Inn Third: EO Inn
Favorite LGBT club/bar First: Parliament House Second: Stonewall Bar Orlando Third: Barley & Vine
Favorite LGBT happy hour First: The Hammered Lamb Second: Savoy Orlando Third: Parliament House
Favorite host for karaoke, trivia or bingo First: Miss Sammy & Carol Lee Hamburger Mary’s Second: Doug Ba’aser - Hamburger Mary’s Third: Chris Pfister - Lil Indies
Bar with the hottest eye candy First: Parliament House Second: Savoy Orlando
Favorite local radio personality First: Jim Philips Real Radio 104.1
Third: Stonewall Bar Orlando
Second: Sondra Rae - XL 106.7
Favorite local bartender/server
Third: Moira - Real Radio 104.1
First: Derek Keister - Bear Den at Parliament House
Favorite local TV news anchor
Second: Taylor Bulloch Stonewall Bar Orlando Third: Timi Hedrich Stonewall Bar Orlando
Favorite local performer: Drag First: Darcel Stevens Second: Miss Sammy Third: Carol Lee
Favorite local performer: Stage First: Blue Star Second: Doug Ba’aser Third: Matthew Arter
Favorite local performer: Musician First: Orlando Gay Chorus Second: Classern String Quartet Third: Sunshine Matthews
Favorite local performer: DJ First: DJ Skinner Second: DJ Brianna Lee Third: JB Burgos
Favorite local photographer
First: Jorge Estevez - WFTV Second: Matt Austin - WKMG Third: Martie Salt - WFTV
Favorite local performing arts venue First: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Second: The Venue Third: The Abbey
Favorite adult novelty store First: Fairvilla Megastore Second: MojoMan Swimwear Third: Barcodes
Favorite place to pick up a Watermark First: Parliament House Second: The LGBT Center of Central Florida Third: Se7en Bites
The best place to propose, or be proposed to
First: Lee Vandergrift
First: Lake Eola
Second: Chris Bishop
Second: Walt Disney World
Third: James Bennett
Third: Azalea Park
watermark Your LGBT life.
Favorite local LGBT club/bar; bar with the hottest eye candy
The Parliament House
F
rom the carnival-like atmosphere of Sunday T-Dance bacchanalia and deep into the fuzzy navels back in the Bear Den, the Parliament house has been an excursion, a home, a habit, a place to find merriment day and night for more than four decades, and, despite a year of wildly varying expectations, it isn’t going anywhere. Whether functioning as a resort for visiting LGBT folks or as a venue for huge productions aimed at the local glee club, the compound rarely disappoints. Part of the reason for that, coowner Susan Unger says, is that there aren’t any lines in the sand, not even in that sand which sits out back on Rock Lake. “I think it’s the inclusiveness of everybody,” she says. “Doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, bi or trans, you’re welcome here.” In the past couple of years, there has been much ado about the business’ finances: some true, some not. Late last year, Parliament restructured and refinanced to the tune of $3.9 million. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a financial market like this,” co-owner, and husband to Unger, Don Granatstein says.” This thing is way different than everything. The biggest thing financing and. I want to say we’re right there. … and we’re still getting there.” Granatstein is optimistic, however, that much ballyhooed renovations for the hotel and bars are still on the nearest horizons and that vacation sales – the adjacent Gardens project has been in limbo for some time – are picking up. The transitions in the backroom aren’t really changing the way the iconic LGBT gathering place operates, however, certainly not on the surface. On any given Saturday night, you can find an entire range of flamboyant types and misshapes and models and moms. You won’t find much complaining. “We work crazy hard to put on a different party every Saturday night. I don’t think anybody realizes what that takes. We plan ahead for months and months. It takes so much planning,” he says. “It’s actually very rewarding, because we get to be known as the best entertainment in town.” “I think what’s happening is straight people come here and say, ‘Why was I afraid to come here?’” he adds. What’s also happening is a family affair, Granatstein emphasizes. Though he can’t make it to every event on campus, he tries. Everybody in his brood chips in, from daughter to wife. And it’s all for the good of the community, he adds, noting all of the charitable events held at the P. “This is my home, man,” he says. “My whole family lives this place. There are lots of clichés about the Parliament House, but this is truly one big group of people running their home.” “We’re not on autopilot, of course,” he laughs. “We plan everything.” —Billy Manes
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Mar. 18-20
On Sale Now TICKETS S TA RT I N G AT
Photography by Michael Cairns 2016
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84 4.513.2014 Ford W. Kiene Family & City Beverages
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
OrlandoBallet.org Frahm Family
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arts and entertainment
Burd e n
song orLando foLk hero Terri Binion comes fuLL circLe wiTh her personaL TraGedY on new reLease
T
Billy Manes
erri biNiON iS SmiLiNG a LOt
more these days. Some of it comes from staying busy, downsizing, songwriting and performing. Some of it, though, is just spiritual self-preservation.
“Sometimes I forget events that have happened over the last four years,” she says, driving to her photo shoot for this story. Her spiritual adviser has told her that this is normal in cases
watermark Your LGBT life.
of trauma, that sometimes things don’t stick or that, maybe, just maybe, your mind and heart are full at a certain
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Continued on pg. 47 | uu |
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“Not your grandmother’s Tupperware Party!” - NBC Today Show
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| uu | Terri Binion from pg.45
point, a breaking point, a tipping point. Maybe you just remember the things you need to remember in order to keep moving forward. Or maybe it’s a clean slate and a new beginning. If it sounds flaky, it isn’t. There is nothing more reassuring than Terri Binion’s voice, on stage or in a car. If you’re not familiar with the sweet-as-honey dulcet tones of the veteran Orlando songwriter, they’ve effectively been ubiquitous in Central Florida (and everywhere, really; she speaks of making a trek to Berlin in the near future) for decades. Her last album, Fool, was released in 2002. Much has transpired since then. It has been, as her new album The Day After the Night Before’s lead track suggests, a “Long Way Back.” “I think that, first of all, being the studio with people that you love is truly rewarding,” she says. “It was the one place where I could drop all of my worries for a while; all of my pains just sort of slipped away.” Binion’s story is a terrifying one, but also one of absolute love in an area where love has long been denied. It’s in that dynamic that her musical truth resides. When her wife Tracy Irwin – the couple married in California in 2008 – left for contract work on a Cirque de Soleil production at the soon-to-be-demolished Amway Arena in Orlando on May 3, 2011, everything seemed up to par for a married couple: a cheek was raised, the bed was a mess, cleaning was considered, niceties were exchanged. But, in an incredibly unfortunate series of events, an unlicensed, untrained worker made a mistake and Tracy was killed that day. She was crushed by a stack of lighting trusses, police reports say. The way back from that tragedy has been fraught with legal battles and family squabbles, all set against the backdrop of marriage equality, which, for those who never had it in the state of Florida (at least until 2015), still carries a sting. After some time set aside for grieving, Binion took her baby steps back to the craft she loves. She released a song and a video called “Goin’ to California” (which is intentionally not included on her album) as a sort of celebration for her web of support within the
It was the one place where I could drop all of my worries for a while; all of my pains just sort of slipped away. —terri biNiON
Orlando community. That song, naturally, is about the optimism of marrying the woman she loved, Irwin, and was always intended to stand alone. “Long Way Back,” which leads the album, sets a darker tone. “Everyone I know has something to say/ And it goes in one ear and out the other/ While I appreciate that, the no good reason why/ Someone killed my baby and it’s just all wrong,” Binion sings. The Day After the Night Before doesn’t weigh as heavily throughout, though, and for good reason. Many of its songs were in process before the tragedy, some dating back to 2004. It just made sense to create a veritable pastiche of the journey leaving interpretation to the listener, Binion says. "I’m not saying that it’s not
seamless,” she says. “This is what I want to do when I make a record. I do want to take people on a journey.” That journey travels from “Tiny Little Landmines” to “Grace in Mid City” (a nod to New Orleans) to a “Green Velvet Coat,” finally ending on “My Satellite.” It is, apparently, a long way back. But it isn’t all tears; some is just sweetness. “I don’t think of it as dark,” she says. “I don’t know if I’ve ever considered that. I think that I’ve wished that, ‘Boy, why can’t I write a pop song?’ I don’t tend to think of the songs as dark, and I look at them detached from me. They are about losing someone; being detached and losing someone.” They’re also about staying stable and appreciating life,
watermark Your LGBT life.
though. On this record, Binion worked with longtime co-producer David Schweizer (another Orlando legend) and other notables like Jeff Nolan, Anthony Cole, Justin Beckler and Jessy Lynn Martens. Her manager and dear friend Steven Foxbury is running the show; you may remember him from pop hits of yore like the Charmed theme (which he performed with his Atlantic Records act My Friend Steve) many moons ago. All of these people she “truly loves.” But this is a nod to her true love, Irwin, without a doubt. And that kind of love is always in question politically, even in these days of full marriage equality. “Absolutely it is. I expect that there’s going to be times along the way where there is still just as
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much hate being thrust toward one another,” she says. “There will be loopholes, and people will suffer and people will feel like they’re being treated unfairly. … As a whole consciousness, I think that there is a shift more toward love, though. I know that that is hard for some people to see and to feel. I think that you have to create the world around you, you have to create the world that you want.”
more informaTion
WHAT: Terri Binion’s The Day After the Night Before CD release party and performance WHEN: Friday, March 18, 8 p.m. WHERE: Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave.
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theater
Raise You Up
Local LGBT teens learn about theater during backstage Kinky Boots experience
careers they may not have thought of. There are a lot of positions and jobs in theater and not just as a performer, but business and technical.” Hannah Kapuschinsky, 15, calls the show “beautiful” and says she’s interested in the tech side of theater. “It was super awesome to go backstage, to see the costumes and lighting and sound,” Kapuschinsky said. “It’s so beautiful that people are helping LGBT kids feel accepted.” “This experience was important for our youth, because it provided a handson approach to learning about careers in the arts industry,” Wilkie says. “Youth were able to meet with professionals
“Kinky Boots teaches themes that resonate with our youth, such as acceptance of diversity and following your dreams.” —Heather Wilkie, executive director of Zebra Coalition
(above)
BACKSTAGE PASS: About 20 students, three teachers and Dr. Phillips staff members take a break from talking about career options in theatre before enjoying dinner and a performance of Kinky Boots.
Photo by Deanndra Meno.
O
Jamie Hyman
rlando | Theater has long been
a safe refuge for LGBT kids. Dana Brazil, director of education for Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, says theater is an “open door for people find a home” where there is “a lot less judgment, a lot more acceptance, “ especially for young people who might be discovering they are gay or transgender.
“People who are different, haven’t found a place, gravitate to the theater,” Brazil says. “It’s like an instant family.” That’s why it makes perfect sense for Dr. Phillips to team up with the Zebra Coalition, which supports Central Florida’s LGBT youth. On Feb. 25, Dr. Phillips and Zebra (in partnership with Kinky Boots and the True Colors Foundation) gave about 20 students a full day of behind-thescenes access to theater, starting with a backstage tour of the performing arts center, followed by roundtable discussions with Dr. Phillips executives, dinner and a show, then finally, a Q&A
with Kinky Boots cast members. During the tour, the students got to briefly observe a Kinky Boots rehearsal, just a few minutes before the cast went on break. “Hey, guys, how do you like the show? I wish we had more for you, but the union says we have to take three,” a cast member shouted to the delighted, giggling group of students. After the tour, company manager Matthew Sherr spoke to the teenagers about the business side of Broadway then opened up for questions. The students asked about everything from how to get a theater internship
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and how the company keeps the cast costumes clean on the road to how the risqué performance is received in more conservative areas of the country. “We always say if you leave Kinky Boots in a bad mood, there’s no help for you,” Sherr says, reporting that the show is almost universally well received and, sometimes, the more conservative the area, the more enthusiastic the audience. “It’s not a show,” he adds. “They are bringing a message to the people.” Heather Wilkie, executive director of Zebra Coalition, says the youth she works with need that message. “The show Kinky Boots teaches themes that resonate with our youth, such as acceptance of diversity and following your dreams,” Wilkie says. After talking with Sherr, the students broke into groups for roundtables covering topics such as marketing, fundraising, education and programming. Brazil says the focus on theater as a career option is deliberate. “I hope we’re able to show students some opportunities they could have as a profession,” she says. “It’s okay to be who they are, and we want to expose them to
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from all aspects of the field—ranging from technical assistants to operations managers and performers.” Myala Rood, 14, says she would never be able to see Kinky Boots without the help of Zebra. “I love musical theater, so I’m pretty excited to see this,” Rood says. “It’s nice to see the trans community represented.” Sam Zeller, Kinky Boots cast member, participated in the Q&A following the show. He says they’ve done about ten similar events in cities around the country and the cast “never realized how important this show has been to the transgender community.” Zeller tells the story of a young girl transitioning into a boy in Detroit, who started to cry while Zeller spoke. His character is not very accepting to Lola, the show’s female impersonator who steals all the scenes. Zeller says the boy told him he hated him in the show, because when he laughs at Lola it’s “the same laugh I hear every day of my life,” but when Zeller talked about being gay and the show’s theme of acceptance, the teenager understood the show’s message. “We hugged each other,” Zeller says. “It was a really lovely moment. Sometimes you don’t know that you’re making an impression on people.”
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
event planner
arTs+enTerTainmenT
communiTY caLendar
orlando
orlando
Naked Boys Singing, Feb. 5-March 13, Footlight Theatre at Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com
Watermark’s WaVe award Party: central Florida fridaY, marCh 11, 7:00- 10:00 p.m. the abbeY, OrLaNdO
The Tempest, Feb. 10-March 27, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org Winter Park Playh\ouse cabaret series: Maria olivia Bryant, March 9- 10, Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park. 407-645-0145; WinterParkPlayhouse.org stand Up comedy: Brad Loekle, March 10, Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com nerd nite three-Year anniversary, March 10, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com gLBt health Fair, March 11, The Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; GLBCC.org author talk: The Essential Bernie Sanders, March 12, East End Market, Orlando. 321-236-3316; EastEndMkt.com orlando Roller Derby: sunnyland slammers vs. serial thrillers, March 13, Semoran Skateway. 407-834-9106; SemoranSkateway.com adam Lambert, March 13, Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando. 407-363-8000; UniversalOrlando.com Monday night cabaret presents: Taffy! All By Myself, March 14, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com terri Binion’s The Day After The Night Before Release Party, March 18, Will’s Pub, Orlando. 407-748-8256; WillsPub.org The Whale, March 18-31, Garden Theatre, Winter Garden. 407-877-4736; GardenTheatre.org a night among the stars, March 19, The Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando. 407-313-9000; GrandBohemianHotel.com
You picked the winners, now come celebrate with us at the 2016 WAVE Awards party at The Abbey March 11. Join your hosts WFTV-9 Eyewitness News’ Jorge Estevez and Orlando legend Miss Sammy for live entertainment, cash bar and light bites provided by WAVE Award winning John Michael Catering. The event is free and open to the public, so come celebrate with the winners.
QUEEN GLAMBERT
tampa bay
Watermark’s WaVe award Party: Tampa Bay thUrSdaY, marCh 10, 7:00- 10:00 p.m. SOUtherN NiGhtS, tampa Time to party with the winners of the 2016 WAVE Awards as chosen by you, the readers. Hosts Miguel Fuller from Hot 101.5’s “The Miguel Show” and the one and only Miss Kori Stevens will keep the evening hopping at Southern Nights as you get the best in live entertainment from Jennifer Real, Scott and Patti, Judy B. Goode and more. Enjoy cash bar from some of the finest bartenders in Tampa Bay and complimentary light bites from Puff ‘n Stuff. The event is free and open to the public.
American Idol season eight runner-up adam Lambert brings his glam rock to Universal Studio’s Mardi Gras concert series in Orlando March 13 and to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater March 14.
tampa bay Florida strawberry Festival, March 3- 13, Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City. 813-752-9194; FLStrawberryFestival.com Balance tampa Bay’s March social, March 10, Punky’s Bar & Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com Del shores’ SINgularly SORDID with scott & Patti, March 11, The Cuban Club, Tampa. 813-248-2954; TheCubaClub.org Painting at the space, March 11, The Space at 2106, Tampa. 813-575-0230; TheSpace2106.com Lakeland comic con, March 12-13, The Lakeland Center, Lakeland. 863-834-8100; TheLakelandCenter.com st. Patrick’s night Parade after-Party!, March 12, Honey Pot, Tampa. 813-247-4663; Facebook.com/Honey-Pot
adam Lambert, March 14, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
clearwater comic con 2016, March 19, Public Library, Clearwater. 727-562-4970; MyClearwater.com/CPL
Bingo4charity! benefiting equality Florida, March 16, Punky’s Bar & Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com
celebrate Dank’s Birthday so YoU think YoU can DRag, March 23, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com
Men’s night in, March 16, Metro Wellness & Community Center, St. Petersburg. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org
Don Rickles 90th Birthday celebration, March 23, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
g2h2 st. Pete’s March happy hour/networking event, March 18, Swah-rey, St. Petersburg. 727-767-0523; Swah-rey.com Party in the Park 2016 ft. hunter hayes, March 18, Plant Park, Tampa. 813-319-8445; UT.edu/events LgBt Parent’s Brown-Bag Lunch, March 19, LGBT Welcome Center, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4925; LGBTWelcomeCenter.com Project no Labels and tampa estuary volunteering event, March 19, McKay Bay Nature Park, Tampa. 813-274-5188; TampaGov.net
Bent tUeSdaY, marCh 15, 7:00 p.m. fLOrida hOLOCaUSt mUSeUm, St. peterSbUrG A Simple Theatre and the Florida Holocaust Museum perform Bent, a WWII story of a nightmare odyssey through Nazi Germany for a gay couple, for one night only at the Florida Holocaust Museum. A difficult story to tell and watch, see what life was like for the LGBT community as they attempted to blend in while falling in love, and what they went through once being branded with the pink triangle. Tickets are $20 and available at ASimpleTheatre.org.
sarasota All the Way, Jan. 14-April 9, Asolo Rep Theatre, Sarasota. 941-351-8000; AsoloRep.org shamrock smackdown: Bradentucky Bomber vs the Rolling valkyries, March 12, Astro Skate, Bradenton. 941-747-8602; AstroSkatingCenter.com Bye Bye Birdie, March 17- April 3, Manatee Performing Arts Center, Brandenton. 941-896-8131; ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com
sarasota
3rd annual Manatee Pride Festival SatUrdaY, marCh 19, 12:00- 5:00 p.m. the riVerwaLk, bradeNtON Head down to the Bradenton Riverwalk for the 3rd Annual Manatee Pride Festival. Joined by local vendors, food and beer trucks, Manatee Pride is a festival and a fundraiser for Prism Youth Initiative. Live entertainment throughout the day features The Hatley Band, Jess Lynn Soul, Moxie Moxie and drag queens Ashlee T. Bangks, Lady Liemont, Lindsay Carlton and Kiki Butter Mischief. More information available at ManateePride.com.
To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
watermark Your LGBT life.
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overheard
tampa bay out+about
poetry in motion
p
Oet SteVeN reiGNS made qUite the Name fOr himSeLf in the Tampa Bay area before heading to the west coast to expand his craft and activism. A product of the University of South Florida, Reigns was not only a well-known poet and artist, he was also a leading activist. He was the Literary Director for the GLBT Center of Tampa for two years, headed up an outreach program in Pinellas County offering up HIV testing and education for minorities in the inner city and was even named as “Someone to Watch” by the Advocate. Reigns didn’t slow down once he took up residence in Los Angeles as he is one of the nominees for West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board’s awards in recognizing those who have made a significant contribution to our community. Well done!
raising the bar
I
f YOU didN’t make it tO the 2016 tampa GaLa at the TPepin’s Hospitality Center, then you missed out on an amazing evening with 600 of your closest friends. I mean, they had artwork as a part of the silent auction that featured a painting of Ted Cruz almost as terrifying as the real thing and an array of penis portraits of varying shapes and sizes that would have sparked hours of conversation at any Republican debate. Aside from the art, guests heard from two of Tampa Bay’s most inspiring and motivating leaders: Voice for Equality award winner Ed Lally and EQFL’s Executive Director Nadine Smith. The best news, though, is that of the numbers EQFL’s Mark Puskarich announced that the Tampa Gala brought in $355,000, a gala record. Now that would buy a lot of penis portraits!
step up ’16: rally for a president
T
he daYS LeadiNG Up tO the marCh 15 fLOrida primarY are going to be filled with lots of robocalls and lots of Facebook posts, but the most talked about will be the events, and Tampa Bay has been singled out as the place to be March 10. First, Hillary Clinton will be at The Ritz Ybor asking Tampa to GET OUT THE VOTE! Then Bernie Sanders will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds letting young voters know that he wants A FUTURE TO BELIEVE IN! Is it a coincidence that both of the Democratic presidential nominees will be in Tampa at the same time… on the same day as the Tampa Bay WAVE Awards party?!?! Maybe we can get them to stop by Southern Nights and finish this primary season up with a good old fashion dance-off! BRING IT ON!
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makiNG ameriCa’S VOiCe whOLe aGaiN: America’s best voice Josh groban brings chills to the crowds at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota Feb. 28. Photo coURtesY oF
cLiFF RoLes PhotogRaPhY
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StrawberrY hiLL: carrie henriquez and kevin Beckner are on the hunt for the best strawberry shortcakes at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City March 7. Photo
coURtesY oF caRRie henRiQUeZ
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we’re with her: carrie West and Mark Bias commemorate the moment at the Hillary Clinton kickoff event at The Cuban Club in Tampa March 2. Photo coURtesY oF giL sainZ
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it takeS a ViLLaGe: Balance tampa Bay lends a helping hand at the Francis House for their February Service in Tampa Feb. 27. Photo coURtesY oF BaLance taMPa BaY
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hard ChOiCeS: WAVE Award winners (Top L-R) Miguel Fuller, Jennifer Real, tyler cochran, (Bottom L-R) Mayor Rick kriseman, kori stevens and nick Janovsky bask in the glory of being some of the best at the Taco Bus photo shoot in St. Petersburg March 3. Photo BY JeReMY WiLLiaMs
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wOmeN’S riGhtS are hUmaN riGhtS: the soURce theatre group performs at the Planned Parenthood dinner celebrating 50 years at the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota March 3. Photo
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coURtesY oF BaRBaRa Banks
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a GOOd trade deaL: Richard Barba (center) introduces the men of “The Trade,” a male auction to benefit Tampa Pride at Liquid Tampa March 5. Photo coURtesY oF
JaMie LaWRY PhotogRaPhY
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LiViNG hiS StOrY: Transgender student nate Quinn speaks to the Sarasota County School Board on trans-inclusive bathroom policies at a board meeting March 1. Photo
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coURtesY oF ansWeR sUncoast
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Your table is ready! Start your evening with dinner at Sixty South Restaurant and Bar, on the main floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton™ Orlando Downtown. You’ll find the same attention to detail and caring service that DoubleTree is known for, along with fresh ingredients and inventive dishes served in an inviting, modern setting. Whether you’re enjoying a pre-show meal or a gathering with friends, sharing a meal at the DoubleTree Orlando Downtown adds fun to any event. Our hotel is TAG Approved, a supporter of the LGBT community and known for our welcoming ambiance. DoubleTree by Hilton. Where the little things mean everything.™
60 S. Ivanhoe Boulevard, Orlando FL 3280 T 407 425 4455 DoubleTreeOrlandoDowntown.com Hilton HHonors membership, earning of Points & Miles and redemption of points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions. ©2015 Hilton Worldwide
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watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
overheard
orlando out+about
nooo, Queen
k
areN waLker waS a hiLariOUSLY fUNNY CharaCter in a LGBT show that was before its time. Gay men especially loved her luxurious lifestyle, booze guzzling and pill popping antics. So, it’s no surprise that some gay men flock to Jacqueline Siegel, the self-proclaimed Queen of Versailles, wife of David Siegel. I’m sure you’ve seen the parade of Jackie Siegel and her entourage she refers to as her glam squad, consisting of a handful of gay men often paraded around like Pomeranians no more than just a few short feet behind her. She’s made appearances at various charity events and sometimes benefiting the LGBT community. But despite her appearances and support (?) of the community, there’s a sense of a wolf in cheap, oops we mean sheep’s, clothing. Jackie Siegel has proven herself to be a fair weather fruit fly, especially when her ex-boyfriend Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was scheduled to appear at UCF on March 5. Jackie and the rest of the Siegels were very proudly showing their true colors, taking to social media letting her “followers” know Donald has their vote, despite his vow to overturn same-sex marriages in the U.S. Even, her husband David Siegel, who a few years ago threatened to fire his employees at Westgate should Obama get reelected (which Obama was, and David did nothing), was noted in being very proud to support the man that used to stick it to his wife. Images from the rally show Jackie and her husband a few feet behind Trump. No word if her glam squad was even allowed into the rally.
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divine intervention
T
he taLeNted aNd UNapOLOGetiC draG perfOrmer diViNe GraCe, who is also a hostess of Full of Grace, an online podcast, decided to push some Trump supporters buttons at the rally. She dressed up as Trump supporter in full face and hair as Donna T. Rump! On the Full of Grace Facebook page, Divine documented the process from makeup to appearance. Surprisingly enough, while at the rally, Divine was greeted by cheers from both supporters and those opposing Trump gathered outside of the UCF arena. The biggest stir seemed to stem from people trying to get a photo with Divine as Donna, just like a meet and greet at one of the local theme parks. When asked about the interactions, Divine said she was expecting to be kicked out, but was surprisingly welcomed although she never made it into the CFE Arena, just the outside area.
get well murff
B
eLOVed perfOrmer eLiZabeth mUrff, often seen in various local productions, the Orlando Fringe and local entertainment roles at various tourist attractions, suffered a heart attack while she was performing at Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner show. She credits the quick thinking of the cast and crew for contacting the EMTs that rushed her to a local hospital. And although the situation was touch and go, Murff has assured us that she’s well on her way to the path of recovery. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her strutting her stuff on stage soon.
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makiNG ameriCa draG aGaiN: (L to R) Jason Lambert and Pom Moongauklang buy Donna T. Rump, aka Divine grace, a much-deserved cocktail at Parliament House after Donna T. Rump spends the day at the Donald Trump Rally in Orlando. Photo BY DannY gaRcia hUmp daY: ed Dobski, who you may know better as Trixie Deluxxe, catches a ride at Out & About Night at the Central Florida Fair March 2. Photo BY DannY gaRcia
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wiZard Of art: (L to R) Artist Rock Demarco, Moira and Jack Bradshaw from the Philips Phile discuss the Wicked good painting that Demarco painted live in the lobby during the 2016-2017 Broadway lineup announcement at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 29. The artwork will be auctioned off later this year. Photo BY DannY gaRcia
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mOmS ON the mOVe: toni Lugo (left) and Joan Rodriguez wheel their two tuckered-out toddlers around Out & About Night at Central Florida Fair. Photo BY DannY gaRcia
pOe aNd CO.: Congressional candidate Bob Poe and MBA executive director nayte carrick rub elbows at an LGBT community and allies reception supporting Poe’s campaign Feb. 29 at The Mezz. Photo BY BiLLY Manes kiNkY!: the Minx channels her freshest Audrey while performing for the cast of Kinky Boots and VIPS during the show’s opening night after party, Feb. 23 at Hamburger Mary’s.
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Photo BY JaMie hYMan
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pLaY baLL: Central Florida Softball League’s Board gears up for opening ceremonies during the first game day of their spring season. Photo BY Rick cLaggett
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New arriVaL: tatiana Quiroga and Jen West welcome gabriel Duke West-Quiroga March 1 at Winnie Palmer. Photo coURtesY QUiRoga
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tampa
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chamber of commerce
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
-Est. 200
Benefiting Metro Charities HIV/AIDS programs one night only.
YOU!
THANK
We are honored to receive your vote of confidence by naming our 2015 AIDS Walk Tampa Bay as your Favorite Charitable Event of 2015
Monday March 21st at the Studio@620 | 620 1st Avenue S., St. Petersburg Suggested donation $10.00
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
head over to Watermarkonline.com and click on the Digital Publications link to read a digital version of the printed newspaper!
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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for 2 weeks
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
INCLUDES
• Bold Heading • Photo
61
announcements
wedding bells
Daniel Giaquinto, 51, and Blake McEntyre, 49 from Orlando, Florida
Years ToGeTher:
18 years on the day of their wedding
enGaGemenT daTe:
July 4, 2012
weddinG daTe:
March 17, 2016 (St. Patrick’s Day)
weddinG venue:
They will be married on the TECO line trolley car in Tampa, Fla. They will have a reception at Giovanni’s, a specialty restaurant onboard the Brilliance of the Seas by Royal Caribbean, which they bought out for the night.
weddinG coLors:
The wedding colors are white, light blue and green (for St. Patrick’s Day).
firsT sonG:
“The Colour of my Love” by Celine Dion
inTeresTinG facT:
Daniel was a Watermark “catch” in their first Valentine’s catch issue in Feb. 1998. Blake “caught” him very soon after on March 17, 1998.
“M
Y faVOrite thiNG abOUt
Dan is I’ve really learned so much more about what love is and about what a relationship is,” Blake says. “I often struggled with just being truthful and honest. Just saying what was on my shirt sleeve — I’ve always been guarded. But my love for Dan and his love for me, I’ve learned that being honest and communicating with each other is really the strength and the backbone of our relationship.”
Daniel Giaquinto, who is a chiropractor, and Blake McEntyre, a personal trainer, met through a mutual friend who always said they needed to meet. They finally crossed paths at a gay softball league party. The couple had their first date on March 17, 1998, and have been seeing each other ever since. “We liked each other, but there were some differences,” Daniel says. “I remember the first date I went back to work
and told myself ‘I’m not into him,’ because we actually almost had a little argument on our first date, so it wasn’t head-over-heels in love at first.” Blake says that their relationship has been a work in progress and being together for almost 18 years—that diligence— is what keeps them loving each other more and more each day. “We have a dog. He’s a cockapoo and his name is Baxter,” Blake says. “Baxter is 17-and-half years old, so
Baxter has also been a part of our lives and luckily still is with us.” A year and half into dating each other, Blake started working with Daniel. After working together for a while, they moved their business downtown and renamed it House of Health. “That is where our relationship continued to grow, not only in relationship with each other but also as business partners and associates,” Blake says. The couple took a trip to Costa Rica four years into their relationship, and Blake proposed to Daniel on Fourth of July. He presented Daniel a matching ring that they have always worn on their right hand. Both agreed they would switch it to their left hand and get married when it was finally legal everywhere in the U.S. That day has finally arrived, and they started planning the wedding in early June 2015. “We haven’t really agonized over the wedding things,” Daniel says. “We’ve more looked forward to the celebration part of it, not the logistics of the wedding, even though we have put time into it. We’re not concentrating on that area; we’re concentrating on stuff like our family and friends—worlds colliding basically.” Daniel says he didn’t want it to be traditional. They’re taking a bus from Orlando to Tampa—that’s the first mode of transportation everyone will be on together. Next, they’ll be on the trolley car and then their reception will be on a cruise. And when it has come to planning, Daniel has been in charge of a lot, if not most, of the planning as Blake explains. “He is always positive and uplifting,” Daniel says about Blake. “We have this joke between us that his whole life is rainbows, unicorns and leprechauns. I’m more type-A, a little more serious and things need to be planned; he’s kind of like ‘everything is going to be fine.’”
conGraTuLaTions
Orlando’s Metropolitan Business association turns 24 on March 12 and held its first general meeting in 1992. Orlando hero thearon scurlock announced his new position as general manager at Old Town USA on March 1. Our friends tatiana Quiroga and Jen West welcomed their second child, Gabe.
LocaL BirThdaYs
Halcyon singer/songwriter Deb hunseder, Tampa Bay licensed mental health counselor Blake Williamson, Lakeland owner of Club Main Street in Lakeland terry thompson (March 10); smooth-pated O-Town actor kevin kelly, straight-but-not-narrow Orlando WAVEwinning activist/arts supporter Margo Dixon, artist terry hummel, Orlando hubby to Ron Ellstrom-Oliver Jeff ellstrom-oliver, Advertising Account Executive for Outfront Media Don kiciena Jr., crafty lady by day, derby girl by night heather Ranier, muscular Dunedin Dentist Mike hopkins (March 11); The Florida/Georgia Gay Rodeo Association’s todd garrett (March 12); Tampa muscle man and Pensacola native Danny Watson, Parliament House showman tim evanicki, Orlando Hamburger Mary’s co-owner John Paonessa (March 13); Largo bartender Mitch Demmons, Tampa event planner tim thompson (March 14); Tampa nutritional biochemist Debra Roche, Orlando’s veritable center from the Center terry Decarlo, Brevard-based activist scott Wall-Desousa, St. Petersburg legal assistant and partner to St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell, Bobby Poth (March 15); Out and proud St. Petersburg City Councilman steve kornell, skincare genius tabor Winstead (March 17); Associate Director of Admissions for Stetson Law School in Gulfport Darren kettles (March 18); St. Petersburg massage therapist terrell Ray, skater and educator Manda Fernandez, King of the Cardboard Robots evan Miga, Tampa boot-scootin’ Florida Mavericks dancer and St. Pete Pride volunteer Dale crocker (March 19); former Tampa resident and exotic animal expert scott Lope, Sarasota County Health Department’s sue Westcott, The Philips Phile voice of voices Moira, JM Best Entertainment owner John Best, Tampa icon and “Hey Everybody!”-coining performer stephanie shippae, Hyde Park Antiques owner Randy strebing (March 20); derby girl and inspirational speaker emily “the emPaleher” easterly, Homosassa hotelier Robert Bruno (March 21)
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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watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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watermark Your LGBT life.
Ma rch 10 - M a rch 2 3, 2016 // Issue 2 3.05
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