watermark Your LGBT Life.
ISSue 23.14 • JulY 14 - JulY 27, 2016 • waTeRMaRKonlIne.CoM
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Florida group helps LGBT Ugandans travel from hatred to hope
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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In the mIdst of our grIef, we must find patience, as the tectonic plates of society move ever-so-slowly toward equality. and look forward to victories to come, if we work together: complete equality in the raising of children. anti-bullying and anti-discrimination laws. Full health coverage for all lGBtq health needs. equality in social, government and employment benefits. and finally, freedom from fear that you will be hurt or punished because of whom you love. it won’t be easy, but together we can get it done.
watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
Departments 6 // mail 7 // eDitor’s Desk 8 // orlanDo news 10 // tampa bay news 13 // state, nation & worlD news 21 // in-Depth 27 // arts & entertainment 33 // community calenDar 35 // tampa bay out+about 37 // orlanDo out+about 39 // transitions/weDDinG bells 40 // tampa bay marketplace 42 // orlanDo marketplace
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23
All my life I had lived in the same small town, where I sold clothes and knew everybody. Now all these people would rip me apart. —“Jane,” lesBian ugandan reFugee.
on the cover
PAGE
27
PAGE UNDER THE
21
RAINBOW: Florida
group helps transport LGBT Ugandans to safety, away from a country that wants them dead. illustration by Jake Stevens
scan Qr coDe For
watermarkonline.com
tarZan boy:
“Tarzan” actor Alexander Skarsgård talks to Watermark about gay sex scenes, loincloths and much more.
watermark i ssue 23 .14 //J uly 14 - J uly 27, 2016
pulse FunD Distribution hail mary
broaDway beneFit
uprisinGs
PAGE A month after the tragedy, funds are beginning to be distributed for the victims and families.
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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
08
PAGE Kurt King is bringing Hamburger Mary’s exciting drag-infused delicacies to St. Petersburg.
10
The original cast of the Broadway show Fun Home comes to the Dr. Phillips Center for a fundraising concert.
31
Billy Manes talks politics, including Bernie Sanders’ support of Hillary, a sit-in at Rubio’s Orlando office and Corrine Brown’s “persecution.”
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cHeck Out tHe latest lgbt news at watermarkOnline.cOm and sign uP Of Our weekly enewsletter. watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
5
top web comments We have to as a community stop the discrimination amongst ourselves or else we will never be a truly unified community willing to be reckoned with. —James F Profirio-Bond
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watermark Your LGBT life.
WatermarkOnline.com On a New Hamburger Mary’s Sashaying into St. Pete:
“The owners, managers, performers and staff of the Tampa and Clearwater units have proven over and over again... that their hard work and dedication to our community deserves this accomplishment and success.” —Todd Kachinski Kottmeier
On how we move forward after the incident at Pulse Orlando:
“Thank you David. You hit the nail right on the head. You stated some of what I used in my sermon this past Sunday at the Memorial Mass for the 49 Martyrs. We have to as a community stop the discrimination amongst ourselves or else we will never be a truly unified community willing to be reckoned with. I will still have those cries and screams and wailing in my head from spending the time with the victims families that June 12 but yes as you stated the magenta is raw now and will ease with time. You know St. Dorothy’s is there to help anyone of any faith. Bless you many times over David!” —James F Profirio-Bond
On Hillary Clinton’s exclusive Watermark op-ed:
“This. She is the leader our community has been waiting for. #ImWithHer, because she’s with me.” —JBriton
“What a beautiful contribution. I know people have very strong views Hillary Clinton, but she nailed this. I love that this community, state, country and world has come together on such a tragic event. It is never too late to sway a mind to not be fearful, but to allow everyone to live their lives freely and openly as they choose.” —MOVIEBRAINROT
“Beautiful Letter. #ImWithHer... since 2008.” —Villager
Watermark’s Facebook On protesters staging a sit-in at Sen. Marco Rubio’s office:
“He rarely shows up for work. So what is the purpose? He will never know.”
—Robie Hampton-Pruitt
On major Pulse funds joining forces:
“Question: Is the attorney donating his time? If not, how much he he cutting off the top of the funds? That should be published.” —Jason Anthony
“All work on behalf of the OneOrlando Fund is pro bono, so that 100 percent of the donated funds will be distributed to victims and their families.” —Paul Bryan
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
On George Takei calling it unfotunate that his Star Trek character is now gay:
“Takei just wants attention, like Shatner.” —Christopher Purallo
On John Cho’s Mr. Sulu in the new Star Trek film being revealed as gay:
“Really? The ‘MILF! MILF!! MILF!!!!’ yelling guy?” —Sheba AJ
“What difference does it make?” —Kathy B. Munson
On Philadelphia archbishop saying no Communion for sexually active gay couples:
“Pedophile priests still get communion and he says we are ‘morally confused’?” —Henry Mays
On Kentucky attorney general saying Kim Davis is in violation of Open Records Act:
“And we are surprised by this, why? They all believe they are above the law.” —Tim Stahl
On Canada’s Justin Trudeau becoming the first sitting prime minister to march in Pride parade:
“I want to move to Canada.” —Jesse Prentice-Bryant
On Florida reinstating the LGBTQ protections for foster youth:
“This is amazing to hear! We are becoming a better tomorrow!” —Andrea Parra
editor’s
billy manes editOr
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
O
Desk
ne month in, one tiny month
of racing around inside of our minds and outside of our offices, trying to make sense of a senseless tragedy that killed 49 people, and you would think that the callouses would be maturing. They aren’t.
Our resolve is getting stronger, but our lives – and those lives of the revelers left in the aftermath of one night’s insanity – are still numbingly drifting in the theoretical ether, thereafter. June 12 stopped the clock in many ways. June 12 smacked us into action. June 12 made us angry. June 12 made us cry. The victims of the Pulse massacre will never be forgotten, nor will the indelible and shadowing trauma of that very early Sunday morning in which our friends were trapped and killed and maimed. We’re not here to harp on things or to bathe in misery. We’re here to
watermark staFF
make a difference. Myself, I spent some time with my husband and a couple of friends from Washington, D.C., this weekend trying to put our best feet forward and climb out from the morass of tears and regrets. But even still – even still – the two trips that I took this weekend to Pulse, the scene of the crime, have been riddled with tears and uncertainty and flowers and pictures and the faint sound of nothingness. We have been violated as a community. We don’t stand for that around here. America won’t stand for it either. In the ensuing weeks beyond the massacre, we have witnessed
other violent explosions that have cost the lives – at least those publicly reported – of seven people caught in a racial divide. We have seen protests, sit-ins, petitions, love, outreach and an almost maniacal perseverance in Central Florida. This will never be forgotten. We are all one people: black, white, brown, gay, straight, Asian, Indian, American, bisexual, transgender – warm blooded people. We’ve also seen the memorials set up around the community wither in Florida’s summer heat where the tears almost evaporate on their own accord, just waiting for the next wake-up call to make something, anything, happen. I was just asked by a sister LGBT newspaper, “How are you guys holding up?” The fact is, we haven’t had much time to even look up, much less hold ourselves in any vertical position. Watermark isn’t a large paper, but it is a group of strong, talented, empathetic individuals. There have been tugs and fights and rancor, but that’s because we’re a family living on a shoestring to try to keep the message clear: We are not going anywhere. Two things I want to note at the prelude to this week’s issue. One, our beloved Jamie Hyman who has served Watermark as an ally, editor and electronic media guru for more than seven years is embarking on a new journey with her family to the U.K. Jamie’s been an asset to this company in so many ways, a rock on which we’ve leaned when solid rocks were most needed, even before I joined one year ago in the haze of marriage equality. We hope we can make it without her. We know she can make it without us! So, cheers to a bright future and a bright woman. I also would like to encourage you to read through writer Greg Stemm’s cover piece on the turmoil happening in Uganda against LGBT individuals and the efforts being
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We have seen protests, sit-ins, petitions, love, outreach and an almost maniacal perseverance in Central Florida. coming weeks, we’ll be delving deeper into the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy and its subsequent unrest nationwide. We’ll be talking to law enforcement about ways forward that include the LGBT community, even celebrate the LGBT community. For now, though, let’s all take a minute to breathe, figure out how to help people who need us the most and shine so bright that it hurts. Thank you, Orlando, for holding it together so well through the vigils and parades and protests and tears. This community, if anything, is creating a shining legacy to the 49 people who died and the 53 who were injured in our own downtown. It’s been a whole month? That’s what we keep saying to ourselves as we scrape the ink from our fingernails. We’re not done yet. Not even close.
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made by Floridians to create a sort of “underground railroad” to free people from the fetid devices of their cruel government. This story has been a long time in the making, and we figured that a little hope might temper down some of the horror in your – and our – hearts. It’s about individual people and the coalitions they form making a difference. We’re more than happy to be party to that kind of selflessness. Throughout the issue you’ll find beautiful distractions and angular issues that relate directly to the plight at hand. You’ll find political commentary on planks in platforms and the curing of the great Sanders-Clinton wound. In
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
contributors AARON DRAKE is a
freelance travel correspondent for Out Traveler among other publications. Page 10
Jason leClerC
is a near lifelong resident of the I-4 corridor, currently in South Tampa. He publishes poetry online at PoetEconomist. blogspot.com. His first book, Momentitiousness, was published in 2014. His new book, Black Kettle, will be published in 2016. Page 15
greg stemm
lives in Gulfport, Fla., and has worked as a freelance writer for several local publications. He is a founding member of St. Pete Pride and active politically in Tampa Bay. Page 21
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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7
central florida news
MBA’s PRIDE GALA Business Awards changes date to accommodate Orlando Strong charity concert Jeremy Williams
O
rlando | The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) announced a date change for the 2016 Pride Gala Business Awards to accommodate the recently announced Orlando Strong charity concert being held at the Camping World Stadium August 20. The Awards Gala will remain at the Sheraton Orlando North and will host a day earlier on August 19. “The Sheraton Orlando North was so wonderful about us changing the date.,” says Deb Ofsowitz, a volunteer committee chair for the Pride Awards. “They told us whatever you need to make this work just let us know.” Ofsowitz is also the executive secretary for Come Out With Pride, a subsidiary of the MBA. The concert is a way to help benefit the non-profits that stepped up after the shooting at Pulse to provide funds and services to the victims before any money was raised through the fundraisers. Among the list of those organizations are the MBA and Come Out With Pride. “There’s a lot of money coming in to benefit Pulse and the victims and the community, but with the money not readily available to those who needed it, the community non-profits were stepping up to use their own funds to get services to the victims immediately,” Ofsowitz says. “This was a way to help those non-profits recover.” The Pride in Business Awards Gala will be bringing back some of the things that have made this event a hit in the past, but will also be adding in some new touches. “As we have had in the past, we will have a VIP reception before the dinner for the sponsors,” Ofsowitz says. “But we will also have a pre-reception for all the attending guests. That is something new this year.” Another Gala favorite returning this year will be the dynamic duo of television news start Jorge Estevez and all-around superstar Miss Sammy hosting. Edge Factory will also be producing the evening’s entertainment that will include the comedic styling of Jeff Jones, a performance from the Orlando Gay Chorus and show stopping number from Blue Star and Tim Kimbro. Another new add-on to the Gala celebration is an official after party and, for those staying at the hotel, a poolside brunch the next morning. “After the event, we have exclusive use of the Sheraton’s AnTobar Irish Pub until 2:00a.m. for an official Pride Gala after party,” Ofsowitz says. “We also have private use of the pool for three hours in the morning so that we can host a poolside brunch party.” The nomination process for the awards is currently underway and nominations may be made online at MBAOrlando.org/2016nominations. “For the first time at the Pride in Business Awards, the voting is opened to all businesses , not just members of the MBA,” Ofsowitz says. “There are certain criteria to meet in order to be considered and the list of requirements are available at the website as well.” The deadline for nominations is July 22.
8
by the numbers: Fundraising groups joining forces to aid victims of Pulse tragedy.
Major Pulse funds join forces In the aftermath of the terror attacks, distribution of donations becomes the new focus Jamie Hyman
O
rlando | The GLBT Center, National Compassion Fund and Equality Florida are teaming up with the city of Orlando to distribute funds raised for Pulse shooting victims, survivors and their families. The city’s fund is called OneOrlando and its total is not publicly published, but as of June 30, OneOrlando, EQFL and The Center combined had raised more than $17 million. As of July 6, EQFL’s fund stood at nearly $7 million and The Center’s total was $545,022. “The distribution will be handled all as one coordinated effort,” says Christopher McCullion, Orlando’s deputy chief financial officer. “The idea is that it all comes together in one pot and is distributed according to unified protocol, either by a claims process or unified distribution all at the same time. So technically, the money’s all going to be together and administered as one source of funding.”
watermark Your LGBT life.
The strategy to do so is inspired by how funds were distributed in the wake of the Boston marathon bombing in 2013. In fact, the fund’s administrator is Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney who helped distribute funding to Boston victims. The rough schedule for distribution involves Feinberg meeting with the OneOrlando Fund board of directors during July to outline a process, followed by two town hall meetings Aug. 4. Feedback at those meetings will shape the final distribution plan, followed by a 30-day claims period. “Claimants can file claims directly to the administrator and then once the claims window ends, there’s a review period where the administrator, Ken Feinberg, will meet face to face for questions with any claimants,” McCullion says. Next, Feinberg will give his opinions about distribution, with final approval going to the OneOrlando Board. “We will move very quickly once
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
they adopt that and start cutting checks,” McCullion says. “It’s definitely a complicated challenge, but it worked really well for Boston, so we’re really hopeful that it’s going to work for our community here as well.” The goal is to distribute funds Oct. 1. As far as what the verification process will be like for applicants, McCullion says that’s still being finalized. “Those [processes] have not been published yet, but Boston protocol was fairly straightforward,” he says. “If you look at Boston, there’s some basic contact information, some basic confirmation that shows that you were injured in the Boston bombing, and I think we’ll have something similar here.” What about unexpected expenses for survivors, down the road? Cassandra Lafser, Mayor Buddy Dyer’s press secretary, says those decisions will be part of the final framework, still to be determined. “We’re using the Boston model; we also acknowledge that Orlando’s not Boston. There are unique things and that’s why we have a board that has acknowledged the uniqueness of Orlando, the uniqueness of our victims and making sure that needs are being met,” says Matt Broffman, the city’s director of innovation. The members of the OneOrlando Board of Directors are Rena Langley, Diane O’Dell, Stephanie Ghertner, Mark Meyer, Paul F. Bryan, Jennifer Foster, Diana Bolivar, Carlos Carbonell, Ken Robinson, Mark Shamley, Michael Farmer, Tim Vargas, Chris McCullion and Walter G. Hawkins.
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
9
tampa bay news
New Hamburger Mary’s Sashays into St. Pete Aaron Drake
S
t. Petersburg | Hamburger Mary’s, known as a bastion for fun and deep-fried debauchery, is an instantly recognizable staple for the LGBT community in cities across the nation. Aside from the two Bay Area locations in Clearwater and Ybor City, there is now a new location that will be opening up next month in St. Petersburg. The new establishment will set up shop at 2901 Tyrone Blvd., across from Tyrone Square Mall. Though at first a seemingly odd choice for a third location, owner Kurt King, also the owner of the other two locations in Tampa Bay and a longtime resident who hails from Michigan, says he loves the Tyrone Square Mall area and wants to move there. “[Tampa Bay] has been my home for 25 years now, and I feel this is the greatest place to live and own a business.” No date is set yet, but King is aiming for a grand opening in the next 30 to 60 days. The feedback from the local LGBT community and even the city has already been positive. The mayor and a few other familiar names are expected to be among those coming out for the event. “Everyone seems to be happy and excited we’re coming,” King says. The new location in St. Pete has been five years in the making, with King scouting the area all this time but unable to find the right location. So what will set this spot apart from the other two? “The big patio, great parking and lots of wood!” King says with a laugh. He says the impetus for originally bringing this saucy persona to the Tampa Bay area was to help others who were searching for jobs with no luck. “In 2009, the economy was bad and I had a lot of family and friends out of work, so I thought the right thing to do was to open and give them jobs. I took a big chance and it worked out.” Worked out, indeed! Hamburger Mary’s two current locations are definitely to credit for many fabulous times, successfully living up to its slogan as the place to “eat, drink and be … Mary!” And there’s good news for those currently on the job hunt: Get your resume ready, as the new location will begin hiring in the next two weeks. For the many patrons who are looking forward to dining at the new location, they can expect a few new special menu items, including more seafood and, of course, familiar favorites from the other two locations. Weekly themed nights at Hamburger Mary’s in Clearwater and Ybor City are ongoing community favorites, like Monday Night Drag Bingo, Team Trivia Tuesdays and Drag Diva Brunch Sundays – and this location will be no different. King teases that there are a few additional events up his sleeve for this location. “We are planning new things for St. Pete that are different, including a drag queen bingo show. My big thing is making our community better. St. Pete already has the best Pride, now it has Hamburger Mary’s, too!”
10
SKIES THE LIMIT: The
Chamber’s new logo is of the Skyway bridge and the rainbow colors in DIVERSITY to show the bridging of all members of the community.
Chamber made TBGLCC president Ashley Brundage is stepping down as the Chamber announces diversified name change Jeremy Williams
T
AMPA | Changes are a necessity for any organization’s growth and adapting to changing social climates, and the Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is no different. Earlier this year, the executive board started a discussion to make changes to the Chamber’s name and shake up the leadership’s rankings. “We explored for about 10 months the process of changing the name to be more inclusive for the whole community,” says Ashley Brundage, the current president of the Chamber. “We didn’t want it to be one of those names that kept getting longer and longer and longer with more letters.” The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce was picked. The Chamber is a collection of 180 businesses, corporate partners, affiliate partners and social members from Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and the surrounding areas. While many of the businesses involved with the Chamber are gay-owned, most of them are not. “The name change reflects the
watermark Your LGBT life.
businesses that are involved in the chamber,” says Eric Mathis, the Chamber’s vice president. “Now we do have a lot of gay and lesbian-owned businesses, but we also have transgender-owned businesses, bisexual-owned businesses and allied-partnered businesses.” The organization’s name is not the only thing that is changing for the Chamber. After spending five years with the Chamber, the last three as the board president, Brundage is stepping down from the position. “We just think that as an organization that we need fresh ideas and fresh people at the helm,” Brundage says.“I think it’s important for growth and leadership to have other people involved in the community.” Brundage plans to finish out the year as Chamber president before turning it over to Mathis. “We felt that a really long transition time – I know a little bit about that – would be great,” Brundage joked. “I see Eric as a really phenomenal speaker, very professional, but he also understands the community, all members of the community, including allies.” Mathis sees this transition as an
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
opportunity to build upon Brundage’s successes. “My hope is to continue to build upon what Ashley and the Chamber started – the Diamonds (now called the Diamonds in Diversity Awards), the mentorship program that she has put in place – but I have realized that I am not and will not be Ashley Brundage,” he says. “I am honored that I had the opportunity to work under her as vice president. She is someone I look up to and had become friends with before joining the Chamber.” Mathis was born and raised in Sarasota and currently lives in St. Petersburg with his fiancé, so he feels well prepared to connect the LGBT communities of Tampa, St. Pete and Sarasota. “As you see in our new logo, the Skyway Bridge, it’s not only the gateway to Tampa Bay, but to me bridges the distance between where we were and where we are going in all of our communities,” Mathis says. Mathis is currently working on a Chamber dinner for November 15 that will be a celebration of the name change and of Brundage’s work while Chamber president. “It’ll be an evening where we celebrate, but also recognize the diverse community we live in,” Mathis says. “I’ve asked Ashley and another board member to join me in speaking more personally on what diversity has meant to us along our journey, to give our members and guests an opportunity to better understand not only the chamber and who we represent and where we are going, but who some of the people who run the Chamber of Commerce are.”
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
state, nation+world news
DCF’s reinstated guidelines offer much needed protections for LGBT foster youth Anna M. Johnson
A
fter two months of fighting over the Department of Children and Families’ retraction of an amendment created to protect LGBTQ youth in group homes, the amendment was reinstated July 5. Robert Latham, LGBT Child Welfare Work Group chair and supervising attorney for the Children & Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law, has fought for the protections since DCF backtracked on the rules in April. “This is wonderful. This is definitely an important step forward,” Latham says. The protections detail specifically how to place transgender youth while preventing harassment, discrimination and conversion therapy, and training requirements for staff and other youth with the goal of making group homes safer for LGBT children. “We are being very cautious, though – it is just a step forward,” Latham says. Since April, many more community members spoke in favor of the LGBT youth protections than those
opposed to them. Latham credits the reestablishment to these outspoken supporters. Specific issues that the new ruling seeks to fix include not only discrimination, harassment and mistreatment, but also what Latham calls “disparate treatment.” Foster children who raised complaints would often hear from officials that there was no rule preventing them from being treated differently, Latham says. “Before, treating these kids differently because of their sexual orientations and gender identities wasn’t against any set rules,” he says. These new rules create what Latham calls “a completely different landscape.” LGBTQ youth in group homes can now not only expect caretakers to treat them appropriately, they can demand it. The rules establish guidelines in the job descriptions of group home employees that specifically address how to be inclusive of and equitable to LGBTQ youth. If those counseling youth abide by what the DCF has now made official, stricter regulations on specific agencies may not be necessary. “There’s a third piece to all of this,
which is foster parents,” Latham says. “Foster parents are volunteers that come in out of the goodness of their hearts, and they’re also licensed. There are a lot of rules about what it means to be a foster parent, and we need to have a conversation about the expectations for them.” Licensed foster parents have legally committed to working with all types of children, and Latham says that group homes often see a disparity in who foster parents are willing to adopt. According to a July 5 press release, DCF also intends to “develop long-term training for care providers and other professionals in the system to implement nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ youth, as well as hiring an ombudsman to specifically address discrimination in the child welfare system.” Latham describes the additional measures as “completing the picture, and working toward keeping families together, which is DCF’s ultimate goal.” The new rules only apply to group homes, which Latham calls “a great beginning, because [the rules] are tackling what these kids have reported to us as being the biggest problem.”
be withheld from public schools that refuse to comply with the federal directive. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said in a news release that the U.S. Education Department and Justice Department have circumvented established law and the process for changing existing laws. “It also supersedes local school districts’ authority to address student issues on an individualized, professional and private basis,” the release said. The battle began to take shape when officials in Charlotte, N.C., passed a sweeping anti-discrimination ordinance that included a provision allowing transgender people to use restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. North Carolina lawmakers passed a law nullifying that
ordinance and banning others like it. Soon after, the Justice Department said the law violated the federal Civil Rights Act and said it couldn’t be enforced. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has said North Carolina’s law requiring transgender people to use public restrooms and showers corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate amounts to “state-sponsored discrimination” and is aimed at “a problem that doesn’t exist.” The Nebraska lawsuit hinges on the terms “sex” and “gender identity,” saying federal law uses only the term “sex.” “Neither the text nor the legislative history of Title IX supports an interpretation of the term “sex” as meaning anything other than one’s sex as determined by anatomy and genetics,” the lawsuit says.
10 states sue the federal government over transgender bathroom policy Wire Report
L
INCOLN, Neb. | Ten states sued the federal government July 8 over rules requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms conforming to their gender identity, joining a dozen other states in the latest fight over LGBT rights. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Nebraska and included nine other states: Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. The filing comes after 11 states sued in May over the same Obama administration directive. North Carolina officials also sued the federal government in May over the same issue. Vast sums of federal funding are at stake: money could
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Pentagon ends ban on transgender troops in military Wire Report
W
ASHINGTON | Transgender people will be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military, the Pentagon announced June 30, ending one of the last bans on service in the armed forces. Saying it’s the right thing to do, Defense Secretary Ash Carter laid out a yearlong implementation plan declaring that “Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so.” “Our mission is to defend this country, and we don’t want barriers unrelated to a person’s qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine who can best accomplish the mission,” Carter said at a Pentagon news conference. Under the new policy, by Oct. 1, transgender troops already serving should be able to receive medical care and begin formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon’s personnel system. A year from now, he said, the military services will begin allowing transgender individuals to enlist, as long as they meet required standards and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. Carter’s announcement comes despite concerns from senior military leaders that the department is moving too fast and that more time is needed to work through the changes. He said he discussed the plans extensively with his military leaders and that, based on their recommendations, he made adjustments to the timeline. He said he has been told that the services now support the timeline. Under the new policy, transgender troops would receive any medically necessary care including surgery, Carter said. The new rules also give military commanders flexibility, noting that not all transition cases are the same. Commanders will have the discretion to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, including on job placement, deployments, training delays and other accommodations, based on the needs of the military mission and whether the service members can perform their duties. For people coming into the military, the plan says that those with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who have had reconstruction surgery may be disqualified as military recruits unless a medical provider certifies that they have been clinically stable in the preferred gender for 18 months, and are free of significant impairment. Transgender troops receiving hormone therapy must have been stable on their medications for 18 months. The policy provides broad guidelines for transgender service members currently in the military. They will be able to use the bathrooms, housing, uniforms and fitness standards of their preferred gender only after they have legally transitioned to that identity, according to officials. Over the next year, the military services will develop and distribute training guidelines, medical protocols and other guidance to help commanders deal with any issues or questions about transgender troops.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
viewpoint
Jason Leclerc
The other side
of life
I
Bumps
n 2001, I may or may not
have done my first bump of ketamine. We called it “kitty” back then. Since 2003, I have no idea what they call it. Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, when taken by humans in just the right amount, made a night at The Club just memorable enough.
Whatever happened of note, we accepted, could be recounted as necessary by the people whose bumps were less potent. Generally, kitty purred in the shadow of what we called “X.” The combination of these two, ecstasy and anesthesia, made for an evening in which reality could be cloaked behind alternate states, the 10th Amendment to the Constitution notwithstanding. Oh, for the days when meth was just for losers. Oh, for the days when we could be judgmental – our personal, self–reflective and internalized SCOTUS. A decade and a half has changed a lot of the ways we deal. For a group whose oscillation between euphoria and stupefication could once be best managed by illicit drugs, a rapid–fire series of cultural shifts most recently captured by Obergefell and Pulse has transformed us. In that time, presidents – past, present, and future – have embraced us with words and actions. The first Clinton presidency had just come to a close and the second Bush presidency was already being tested by al–Qaida. As a nation, we were mastering the balance between euphoria and numbness: coalitions of the willing toppling stateless enemies within bordered, sovereign state sponsors. Hillary Clinton immigrated from Washington to New York and squatted in the Senate, officially kicking off the sesquicentennial celebration of a presidential campaign.
And then Afghanistan and then Iraq and then the Great Recession and then the Arab Spring and then the rise of ISIL and then Trayvon and then Occupy movement and then the Baltimore Riots and then the decimation of the GOP by Trump and then Pulse. We came to view crisis as the normal state; we interspersed our tragedies with mindlessness: Facebook, Kardashians, Kanye West, Prince Harry, “strategery,” “leading from behind.” All the while, Hillary lurked below deck with her hands on the rudder. And then I wrote my most brilliant essay ever: about President Obama’s use of language in the days following LGBT America’s 9/11. Quoting myself from the unpublished – bumped – manifesto: “…As a governing reality, Obama’s rhetoric may not have always matched his actions – constrained by an uncooperative Congress and the stark realities necessitating pragmatic management of the economic and diplomatic business of government – but he has always chosen his words carefully: professorially...” I gushed on: “… POTUS, true to form, argued unapologetically that it [The Pulse Massacre] was both, ‘We know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate. As Americans we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to defend our people.’ In so doing, he reaffirmed his command of language. In nuance, he understands, we find the strength of language. He could have chosen an ‘ish’ and lessened the wrath of the politicos on both sides whose posturing required the singularity of the hard ‘c’ at the end of ‘Islamic’ or the hard ‘t” that punctuates ‘hate.’ He made the calculated decision to acknowledge both in his hard–wrought statement – in his choice of words …” Then I identified Secretary Clinton as the heir apparent to that legacy: “… And here’s the difference between being
Barack Obama and being Hillary Clinton in 2016. One knows words like a pro and one uses them like a pro. One, the current POTUS, exudes optimism in his words: We are great enough to debate and still live side by side. The other, the next POTUS, reflects conciliation: We are similar in our shared Americanness and should drive toward the middle ground. … “I have little doubt that
“Divided, but whole, one divides us with a chasm, the other with a dotted line…” I was about to send my essay, “Bull–ish on America,” off to my editor at Watermark when that editor called and informed me that I’d been bumped: My column inches had been commandeered. Our little paper, under the brave leadership of Billy Manes, had scored an exclusive policy piece written by none other
across America – know this: I see you. I hear you. I’m with you. And I will do everything in my power to prevent future tragedies like this act of terror and hate…” These words, her words in our paper, the words of our next president, the words that pre–empted – bumped – mine, are apocalyptic. Seismic in their effect, she has shifted the landscape of discourse of and about visibility, of and about
Hillary, when president, will finally be able to stop campaigning and start growing the discourse like her predecessor. I also believe she will help, with the friends Obama has not been so eloquent about, grow us fiscally to match that rhetorical two–hundred percent worth of stifled American economic potential.
than the next POTUS. Her dotted line, in light of Pulse, instantly became a bold proclamation of support for our place in America and of America’s place in the world. She wrote: “…Our hearts are broken, and our thoughts are with the survivors still fighting for their lives. And to the LGBT community – in Orlando and
pride – of and about the power of discourse itself. I could not be more ecstatic for the bump. Numb no more, this bump – more than a nudge – calls us to action as a community of overlapping communities. This bump calls us together as Americans in a world where love must ultimately conquer hate.
And we came to view crisis as the normal state; we interspersed our tragedies with mindlessness.
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
viewpoint
mediA Jamie Hyman online director
ally agenda Orlando forever
P
lease don’t take this the wrong way, but I moved to Orlando reluctantly.
We were living in Ft. Lauderdale. My career was going nowhere, the economy was terrible, and my fiancé (now husband) Matt landed his dream job making video games at Electronic Arts. Like many other outsiders, I thought Orlando was solely made up of theme parks and that we’d have to live on International Drive. But without a compelling reason not to go, I packed up our things, grumbling the entire time about how my willingness to live next door to that crooked Ripley’s building was a testament to my love for Matt, and boy, would he owe me. That was eight years ago, and since then Orlando has done nothing but surprise and delight me, over and over. The beautiful downtown with charming neighborhoods orbiting Lake Eola, a skyline glistening in the sun and cobblestone streets tented in tree branches dripping with Spanish moss. We bought our first house here, an adorable bungalow in the Milk District which we painted and scrubbed and filled with art created by our friends. Eventually, we hefted a white wooden crib inside, hung a mobile and it became the first home we shared with our son. Orlando’s real hidden treasure, though, is its people. My husband’s EA colleagues were the first to extend their hands in friendship, and then my job at Watermark opened
lifted us up, every day, making sure we survived. When life’s pendulum swung the other way and we welcomed our son Dexter, Orlando celebrated and supported us, loving and caring for Dex like he’s their own. Our kid has a wealth of gay uncles and roller derby aunties. They stayed up all night in the hospital while I was in labor, showered him with gifts at his first birthday party and took him to Disney World for his first haircut in the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street. Dexter is the luckiest 1-year-old boy in the world. A couple of months ago, when Matt was offered a plum new role at a video-game studio in London, I immediately dismissed the idea. Sure, it was our dream to live overseas and explore more of the world. It was even in our wedding vows. But when we had Dexter, I mentally shut the gate on that path. We’d assembled our adopted Orlando Family and were looking for bigger houses in the best school districts. Besides, they were only offering a pittance for the move. No, we’d stay here as planned. But then they offered more, and more, and it was clear that not only was this financially viable, but they really wanted Matt as part of their team and it would be a wonderful boost to his career. So every day for a week, we discussed. My pros and cons lists became complicated, with items weighted differently, copious footnotes and hourly edits. Make no mistake: The only reason the decision was so difficult is because of Orlando, its people and its charm. It is our home, and I couldn’t
A few days after we made our decision, the Pulse shootings happened. I’m not sure most people are aware of how unusual Watermark is, but independently owned niche publications are incredibly rare, and it’s a testament to the dedication of the staff that Watermark has grown and thrived for nearly 25 years. After the shootings, Team Watermark achieved the
impossible and pulled together to create content that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. The experience was horrible, transcendent, and a great, great privilege. After that, handing over the resignation letter was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I know, everyone says this as they’re leaving, but I mean it: I hope this is not goodbye,
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the doors to the LGBT and arts communities. We found people who made us laugh till we cried then astonished us with their generosity of spirit. I joined the Orlando roller derby league and met the best friends I’ve ever had, brave and fierce women who hit hard and love harder. Those friendship circles expanded until they overlapped like a Venn diagram, then eventually became one giant circle we think of as our Orlando Family. Neither my husband nor I have relatives who live nearby, and in 2013, when we suffered a sudden, terrible loss, our Orlando Family huddled in and sheltered us and
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watermark Your LGBT life.
but instead, see you later. I’ve already pitched several stories to Watermark and I hope to continue to write for this community, because Orlando isn’t just generous and brave and loving – it’s inspiring. You’ve inspired me for eight years and will continue to do so from afar. Thank you. I’ll miss you. I love you.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
1.4
talking points
Our mission is to defend this country,
and we don’t want barriers unrelated to a person’s qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine who can best accomplish the mission. —ash Carter, united states seCretary oF deFense, on the u.s. military alloWing transgender soldiers to serVe oPenly
PuertO ricO unveils lgbt mOnument,
memOrial tO Pulse victims
P
uerto riCo has its First lgBt monument in the island’s history, which now is also a memorial to the victims of the Pulse shooting. The monument is seven concrete pillars, each covered in colorful mosaics, and sits at the entrance of Sixto Escobar Stadium in San Juan’s Third Millennium Park. A section of the monument lists the names of the 49 people who lost their lives at the Pulse shooting, highlighting the names of the 23 Puerto Rican victims. Next to the names, written in Spanish, is the quote, “This tribute to life strengthens our commitment to fight hate – the product of homophobia – with love and respect. Our slogan resounds in all our hearts: Love is love, is love, is love…” The sculpture, designed artist Alberto de la Cruz, is meant to commemorate the one year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
MILLION
PEOPLE
IN THE U.S. currently identify as
TRANSGENDER,
nearly DOUBLE THE number Of PeOPle rePOrted in 2006. tHe states witH tHe HigHest Percentage Of trans PeOPle are
HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, GEORGIA AND NEW MEXICO. —Williams Institute at UCLA
canada’s justin trudeau becOmes first sitting Prime minister tO marcH in Pride Parade
J
ustin trudeau BeCame the First sitting Canadian prime minister to march in the Toronto Pride parade on July 3. Trudeau walked the colorful parade route of Canada’s largest Pride celebration dressed casually in a salmon-color button down and white pants waving the Canadian flag with a rainbow border. The swarm of rainbow covered floats came to a halt for one minute of silence to honor the 49 victims of the Pulse shooting. “We can’t let hate go by,” Trudeau said just before the parade kicked off. “We have to speak up anytime there is intolerance or discrimination.” Trudeau commemorated the event on his Twitter page with a collage of pictures of him from the parade with the word Proud.
watermark Your LGBT life.
Prince Harry cOntinues diana’s figHt against aids
P
rinCe harry is set to FolloW his mother’s examPle and use part of his princely time in the fight against AIDS. Harry plans to speak at an international AIDS conference in South Africa next month and to meet with doctors and nurses who are caring for HIV-positive patients in London. His mother Princess Diana helped publicize the plight of AIDS victims in the late 1980s and also carried out many private visits to AIDS-stricken countries before her passing in 1997. Harry helped to create The Invictus Games, an international Paralympic-style multi-sport event in which wounded armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in sports competition.
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cHristianmingle.cOm must nOw allOw same-sex Pairings
A
CaliFornia Court has ORDERED the dating website ChristianMingle.com to allow same-sex couples the option to be matched on their site designed to match singles with similar Christian beliefs or face charges for violation of the state’s civil rights law. The California law states that companies may not deny services to people based on sexual orientation. Two gay men filed the lawsuit against ChristianMingle’s parent company, Spark, in 2013. The company’s other dating sites – CatholicMingle, BlackSingles and AdventistSinglesConnection – will also be required to offer same-sex options. Spark’s Jewish singles site JDate already offers same-sex matching. The company has three years to comply with the court order.
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
in-dePtH: rainbOw railrOad
UNDER THE
RAINBOW Florida group helps LGBT Ugandans travel from hatred to hope
cOntinued On Pg. 23 | uu |
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| uu | Rainbow Railroad frOm Pg.21
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH A REFUGEE:
A PERSONAL STORY OF PERSECUTION AND DRAMATIC ESCAPE “J ane” is 34 years old and
grew up gay in her native Uganda, enveloped by an atmosphere of hatred towards homosexuality. After years of persecution, she was smuggled out of Africa and resettled in Europe where she is making a new life for herself. Watermark is unable to use her real name or the country to which she has relocated. Revealing too much information could place her and those who helped her at risk. Working together closely with Olympia Quaker Meeting, Watermark was able to secure an exclusive interview with “Jane.” What follows is her story in her own words: “What was it like to grow up gay in Uganda? I was always fighting agianst it, because I knew it was something bad in me. It was the devil in me. I was always fighting against it ... “My mom found out when I was around 14. We have this cultural ‘thing’ in Uganda – you know... (Editor’s note: there is widely accepted beauty treatment in East African countries where young girls stretch each others labia to make them longer.) My mother had a maid to help her and we did this thing together – I felt in love with her. I reacted so much that the girl told my mother then she knew I was a lesbian. “She took me everywhere to get this out of me; she took me to churches. Then one day someone told her to find a bush-doctor. He gave me lots of medication but told my mother that that would only control it for a short time and that she needed to find a man for me.
“So one morning my mother and my auntie just told me that that day I was going to be married. They had found me a much older man that had been married before and was way bigger than me. In my culture you cannot talk back when elder people speak. It was horrible. “From that day I shut many of my feelings down. “Years and years later I had become a widow and was running a small business selling clothes. One of the customers became a really good friend and when I watched her trying things on and chatting, all my feelings started to come back to me. Then one evening we went out and at end of the evening she kissed me goodnight. Suddenly I was very sure; I knew that she had the same feelings as me. From that point onwards started our relationship. “For a year we kept it secret and were very happy together. Then one day disaster happened. The landlord, who used to come during the week, decided to come on the weekend. It was daytime, but we were still together. He burst into the room and almost
immediately started to scream at me and beat me up. In the turmoil, my friend managed to run away. The noise of the landlord had alerted the neighbours who now all wanted to kill me. They started to beat me and scream at me. “I was lucky because somehow the police found out, pulled me from the angry crowd and took me into custody. I don’t know who alerted the organization that rescued me nor how they were able to set me free. But they got me free from the police and it was clear that I could not stay in Uganda. “All my life I had lived in the same small town, where I sold clothes and knew everybody. Now all these people would rip me apart. I have not managed to hear from my friend since I fled, but I believe she escaped the crowd. I am still upset how I lost her. “Since my escape I have not communicated with anyone in Uganda. I arrived in this country totally alone and very, very scared. It was months later that I heard that being gay is allowed here. Then my life improved and I made friends. “I can never return to Uganda. Even if the government changes and wants to improve the situation for LGBTI, the people in my village will still find a way to kill me. I have not much hope for LGBTI rights in my country. The only thing other countries can do at the moment is to help people who need it to escape. “I did not have very good experiences with church in Uganda. But now I know that I am born gay and that God made me like this, just like he makes other people straight.”
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response to the anti-gay bill proposal passed in Ugandan parliament in 2009. It is aimed at proving that same sex relationships existed throughout Africa, including the territories that now form Uganda, before the colonization. According to the report, a commonly cited reason for maintaining or expanding criminalization of homosexuality nowadays, is that homosexuality is “un-African” or, in other words, a foreign phenomenon. The research, however, shows that throughout Africa’s history, homosexuality has been a “consistent and logical feature of African societies and belief systems,” and that Uganda’s laws criminalizing homosexuality originate entirely from legislation introduced by the British colonial administration in 1902 and 1950. “This was not only an attempt to modify what the colonialists saw as unacceptable behavior in the ‘native’ populations, but to stop ‘moral infection’ of colonialists themselves from the ‘native’ environment,” the report explains. This historical evidence supports the theory that homosexuality existed before the colonization and it is not a foreign phenomenon. It was homophobia, not homosexuality, that was introduced with the British invasion. The report warns against the criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct as a consequence of increasing risks of HIV infection, not just among homosexuals, but in the wider society. Raymond Byaruhanga, a doctor who runs the AIDS Information Centre in Kampala, said that a general climate of repression against homosexuals is among several reasons that HIV rates in Uganda are rising again for the first time in two decades.
HOw we gOt Here
The Human Rights Campaign has published an extensive report detailing exactly what has transpired in Uganda in the past several years, what’s been done to help and where Ugandans are today. The report is entitled LGBT Uganda Today: Continuing Danger Despite Nullification of Anti-Homosexuality Act September 2015 By Saurav Jung Thapa, Associate Director of Research, HRC Global. Some
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extracts from that report can help clarify what contributed to the climate of fear and hate that exists in Uganda today: “The repression of LGBT Ugandans has steadily intensified since the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) bill was introduced in Parliament in October 2009. It peaked in February 2014 when President Yoweri Museveni signed the AHA into law, defying heavy international pressure not to do so. The law was infamously dubbed the ‘Kill the Gays’ bill and gained global notoriety as its original version called for the death penalty for homosexuality. “The AHA went well above and beyond the previous criminalization of homosexuality. Consensual adult same-sex relations were already criminalized for male and female same-sex couples by Section 145 of the Penal Code Act of 1950, which was instituted during British colonial rule. The AHA criminalized and provided additional sentences of up to life in prison for consensual adult same-sex relationships, for ‘promoting’ homosexuality and for ‘aiding and abetting’ homosexual acts. “The sponsor of the AHA was David Bahati, an ambitious young populist Member of Parliament who was eventually rewarded with an appointment to President Museveni’s cabinet in March 2015. “Prominent African leaders, such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu of South Africa and an Ethiopian government minister, condemned the promulgation of the AHA. The World Bank suspended a planned $90 million loan to strengthen the Ugandan healthcare system. The United States, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden suspended aid programs, including a $4 million cooperative agreement between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Ugandan Ministry of Health. Richard Lusimbo, a research and documentation manager at Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), praised African and Western leaders who spoke out against the law and credited that criticism with the increased global attention to the plight of LGBT Ugandans. “The passage of AHA can partially be attributed to the actions of American Christian fundamentalists such as Scott Lively. These religious extremists have fanned the flames of a virulently homophobic charismatic evangelism in Uganda. A cOntinued On Pg. 24 | uu |
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| uu | Rainbow Railroad from pg.23
leading activist noted that this fundamentalist hate-mongering takes advantage of the deep religiosity and widespread lack of awareness on issues of sexual and gender diversity. Many of these preachers have whipped up fear by claiming same-sex marriage might be forced upon Uganda by Western powers and that LGBT people, especially ‘predatory’ gay men, will ‘recruit children into homosexuality.’ Nikilas Mawanda, a transgender activist and board secretary of SMUG, pointed out that ‘activists have not advocated for same-sex marriage, but have simply called for basic human rights protections for LGBTIQ people.’ “American Christian fundamentalists active in Uganda often hide their involvement by working through local front groups and individuals such as the Family Life Network and Martin Ssempa, a pastor. Many activists have identified Lively as having the most malignant influence. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s The Export of Hate report from September 2014, ‘(Lively) first traveled to Uganda in 2002 to warn about the LGBT menace to that country. …Many Ugandans believe he was one of the instigators of the harsh anti-homosexuality bill that was enacted in 2014, which punishes same-sex intimacy with penalties that can include life in prison.’ “A diverse coalition of individuals and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) challenged the constitutionality of the Act for violating the human rights of LGBT people. However, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ended up ruling on a technicality instead of the substance of the petition and on Aug. 1, 2014, invalidated the AHA on procedural grounds, noting that the National Assembly had passed the law without a necessary quorum. This ruling ‘left a window for Parliament or government to table an Anti-Homosexuality Bill in (the) future,’ Lusimbo noted. Other observers attributed the swift nullification of the AHA to international pressure as most cases generally languish in the Court for many years before being resolved. “A blanket prohibition on LGBT organizing or gatherings was imposed when the AHA was in force. Following its nullification, LGBT activism slowly resumed. Hundreds of people attended
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We are appalled at hearing about those who have already been kicked out of their homes, denied basic rights, abandoned, beaten, imprisoned, or killed, or who live in constant fear. —Olympia (Washington) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in a meeting minut
low-key gatherings for Pride in August 2014 and August 2015 and the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) in May 2015. Police raids of LGBT venues have slowed down since the nullification of AHA. Ugandan LGBT activists continue to push for awareness and respect of their human rights despite seemingly insurmountable political and social hurdle.”
Friends to the Rescue
Sometimes even small groups can make a big difference. The Olympia (Washington) Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) consists of about 150 members and attendees. On April 13, 2014, the Meeting approved the following minute: “Olympia Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends [Quakers] noted with deep concern the Ugandan Government’s passage of a law targeting the LGBTQ population. This law has created a climate where the life, health, and freedom of all LGBTQ Ugandans and those who help them are at immediate risk. We are appalled
at hearing about those who have already been kicked out of their homes, denied basic rights, abandoned, beaten, imprisoned, or killed, or who live in constant fear. “Olympia Monthly Meeting has been called to create the ‘Friends Ugandan Safe Transport (FUST) Fund’ to aid LGBTQ Ugandans who are fleeing their homeland for their lives and safety. We have been given an opportunity to provide direct assistance that will save lives.” In the first year of this effort the group helped 1004 Ugandans get to safety and freedom. To date, nearly 1400 individuals have escaped because of the program, according to its website. Many others remain at risk and are trying to escape. “Joe” is one of the two coordinators for the FUST. In the past he worked for an organization that afforded him extensive contacts in Africa. We cannot use his real name or the name of that organization because some of his contacts still in Africa could be at jeopardy of persecution themselves if they were associated with a group like FUST. Joe explains what the organization does, what they can do to help and what their limitations are:
watermark Your LGBT life.
“This project came into existence because of the request of Ugandans themselves and is set up by Africans for Africans. We (Olympia Friends Meeting – Quakers) assist them by raising money to cover the costs of the amazing work they do. “Systems are set up by the conductors (conductor is the term used for those who serve on the ground in Uganda to physically get LGBT people out of the country. It is extraordinarily dangerous work) and those they work with for transportation, medical, psychosocial, housing, food, legal, and visa support for those who choose to leave. Donations that come to the Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund cover transportation, food, temporary housing while in transit, and sometimes fees for visas. We have covered some emergency medical costs for two conductors who were assaulted based on their real or perceived sexual orientation and this work they do which made them targets. We do not pay for airfare to new home countries – others cover that and other expenses. “The conductors don’t encourage anyone to leave and neither do we. Those who leave
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usually have very significant threats to the lives and safety. They find the conductors – we do not refer people to them. “None of the passengers are in the capitol Kampala where the human rights activists seem to be congregated. None of the people helped with funds from us have gone, or will be going, to the refugee camps in Kenya. We are not able to assist LGBTQ people who are in the camps. We are a small project with a limited focus and limited funds. “Those we have funded out of Uganda have gone to Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Southern Sudan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, France, Germany, Ontario Canada, Turkey, Dubai, and Australia. Some have permanent resident status and some are still working on that as refugees. Other more recent passengers are being processed in interim countries for asylum status in new home countries around the world. One of the activists in Uganda working with these passengers wrote, ‘I wish to also note that the US Embassy hasn’t been so helpful in this cause.’” Joe says he believes that the United States has not been more cooperative because the U.S. has a military installation in Uganda. He suspects the U.S. government is willing to look the other way on human rights violations to maintain that presence in this African country. Gabi Clayton, the other co-manager of the FUST program, has had a deeply personal experience here in the United States with LGBT violence and persecution. She writes on her website: “As the mother of Bill, a son who at 17 was assaulted on the basis of his sexual orientation 19 years ago, who committed suicide a month later because, despite being completely loved and celebrated by his family and many friends, believed that he was doomed to live in a world that would always hate him – and held in trauma beyond the help we were able to get for him, chose death and committed suicide on May 8, 1995. And so my concern is also very much for those living in such pain and fear that feel they must flee to build a life for themselves. I don’t think this is the complete answer by any means, but it is part of one.”
How You Can Help
Visit friendsugandansafetransport.org Its site accepts checks and Pay Pal payments. All donations are tax
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Photo couRtesy WaRneR BRos.
arts and entertainment
HE TARZAN,
WE GAY! True Blood alum on coaching gay sex scenes, his outsider perspective, and Tarzan vs. Farrah Fawcett
cOntinued On Pg. 28 | uu |
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the show and would still come up (to me) and be super excited about it. They would love Lafayette – I mean, a black, gay man. What (creator) Alan (Ball) did was beautiful and it was groundbreaking because, for myself, since I was a toddler, I’ve had someone very close to me that I admire who was gay, which made that lifestyle as normal as any other lifestyle. In this instance, a lot of people who didn’t have anyone close to them in the LGBT community suddenly had someone in their living room every Sunday night that they loved.
| uu | Alexander Skarsgård from pg.27
godfather, was gay, and he was the coolest guy I knew. I just couldn’t understand how that could be an insult. That kind of personal relationship can change everything for somebody.
I agree. And I think a lot of the xenophobia and fear comes from that, from not having a personal connection. People that know someone close that they love who is homosexual or bisexual are more likely to sympathize with people in the LGBT community.
What tips do you have for other straight men who are doing gay sex scenes?
The Legend of Tarzan is, in part, about making your own family. How might that resonate with the LGBT community?
In a way, he’s lost between two worlds, he doesn’t fit in. He’s adopted by these apes, and even though emotionally he’s an equal and he’s loved, he can feel that he’s different. Then he goes to London and it’s kind of the same. He looks like people around him, but he also doesn’t fit in there either. That sense of being an outsider and trying to fit in or finding your home and your place in the world – it’s interesting to explore that. He’s a character who, on the surface, has it all – this gorgeous, wonderful wife, incredible wealth, beautiful mansion – but people don’t understand him, really, and his heart is still in the jungle. What do you think starring alongside Lady Gaga in her “Paparazzi” video did for your gay following?
I have no idea – I wasn’t famous at all. I wore a wig in the first season of True Blood, so no one ever recognized me. But my friend Jonas Åkerlund is a tremendous music video director and called me and said, “Hey, I’m directing this video for an artist. Her name is Lady Gaga.” I’d heard her name but didn’t know much about her. He just basically pitched me the idea: “You throw her off the balcony and then she comes back and she poisons you.” (Laughs) It sounded like a fun love story, so of course I said yes. I had a super fun day. How did portraying someone who is pansexual on True Blood, a show rife with queer characters and storylines, influence the way you view sexuality?
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into the woods: Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie find human nature. Photo courtesy Warner Bros.
I was sitting there with my grey suit and I just felt like, ‘Fucking hell, this is so boring; can I play as well?’ I said,
‘I wanna look like Farrah Fawcett.’ —Alexander Skarsgård
It was just one of the most profound experiences ever. Just liberating. Even though there’s shit loads of nudity on the show, it never felt gratuitous. I think that’s when, as an actor, you feel uncomfortable, if you’re standing there with your clothes off and you’re not quite sure why. Like if you’d been wearing that loincloth in Tarzan.
That’s why I wear nothing in all the flashbacks... because that would make sense! If it makes sense, it’s not an issue; you just have to do it. In 2006’s Kill Your Darlings, you played a transvestite. Then, during the premiere of Diary of a Teenage Girl last year, you went in full-on drag as Farrah Fawcett. How would you describe the feeling of putting on women’s clothing?
I loved it. It was so much fun. On that movie, Diary of a Teenage Girl, our first A.D. was a drag queen by the name of Cousin Wonderlette, who’s on the San Francisco scene, and there was also Lady Bear, another drag queen who was the
casting director for extras on the movie. Marielle (Heller), our director, wanted to do a big premiere at the Castro Theatre because she’s from San Francisco, a lot of her friends live there and she has a lot of friends in the gay community. So, Cousin Wonderlette and Lady Bear were gonna host the premiere and do a number from Rocky Horror Picture Show and then throw the afterparty at a gay club. Everyone was planning their outfits and talking about these crazy drag outfits they were gonna come in with. I was sitting there with my grey suit and I just felt like, “Fucking hell, this is so boring; can I play as well?” I said, “I wanna look like Farrah Fawcett.” I showed them that iconic image from the early ’80s in that golden dress with the blonde hair, so that’s what we went for. I can’t quite say that we nailed it. I mean, they did an incredible job, but I think it’s tough with a dude who’s 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. (Laughs) And with those heels, I was like seven feet tall. As physically demanding as shooting The Legend of Tarzan was, it was nothing compared to that night
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in drag. Oh my god; walking around in those heels, in that super itchy, hot wig and the fake nails, I felt like Edward Scissorhands. I couldn’t even grab a drink. Once we got to the after party at the gay club, I just kicked my heels off and walked around barefoot because I was just dying. So, I have tremendous respect for all the drag queens out there. I got a little taste of what it takes to look that fabulous.
True Blood was groundbreaking for pushing the envelope when it came to LGBT issues and sexuality. How does it feel knowing that you were a part of a show that some deemed “too gay?”
Well, that’s ridiculous. What was so interesting about the show was that it wasn’t on the nose. It’s obviously a cultural reference and a metaphor. A lot of the storylines are metaphors for the strife people in the LGBT community experience, but it’s done in a very subtle way where people who have never met anyone who’s gay or who have prejudice toward that community would still embrace
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You just have to embrace it. I had two gay sex scenes on the show. They’re incredible scenes. I loved this scene and I remember talking to Theo (Alexander), who played the Greek lover of Russell Edgington (portrayed by Denis O’Hare), and that was the first gay sex scene I had on True Blood. He’s also a straight guy and he was nervous; he had never kissed a guy before. I just said, “Look at the scene. It’s this nemesis and he comes in and then it gets seductive. You think they’re gonna make love and it gets into that and then suddenly my character stabs him in the back and he explodes. In two minutes, look at this emotional rollercoaster we’re taking the audience on. If we commit to this, it’s going to be an amazing scene and we’re going to be very happy with it forever. If we hold back, that’s when it gets awkward.” Same thing shooting the other scene with Ryan (Kwanten) – we knew that it was coming because we shot a scene the previous year where I hypnotize him and say, like, “When you dream, dream sweet dreams of me.” Because we did it in a very seductive way, when they said “Wrap” and I turned around and I saw the writers, I could just see in their eyes that they were like, “We’re definitely gonna see this dream later on in the show.” We knew it was coming. You have to think of the scene and how it fits in and hopefully be excited about the scene. Then, just dive in. When can we expect you to do something as gay as True Blood again?
(Laughs) Well, I mean, next time I get drunk probably.
Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. He’s also the proud recipient of an “I adore you, daaahhhling!” from Mariah Carey. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).
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theater
Bringing fun back
Broadway’s Fun Home comes to Orlando for some healing
(above)
ALL GROWN UP:
Tony nominee Beth Malone plays adult Alison in Broadway’s Fun Home.
Photo courtesy of FunHomeBroadway.com
T
Nicole Dudenhoefer
he musical Fun Home has touched
the lives of many as an honest, emotional representation of sexual identity issues through nearly 600 shows on its Broadway stage, but the cast of the production is bringing an extra special version of the show to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts stage to touch a community that is in great need of healing and hope. Fun Home is a Tony-Award-winning musical based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same title by Alison Bechdel. The story centers on Alison, a lesbian cartoonist, who is writing a graphic memoir about her life, as she tries to make sense of and connect with her father’s life, homosexuality and suicide. Even the show’s title touches on the dark aspects of Alison’s childhood, as her father was the town’s mortician, and she was raised in a funeral home that was referred to as the “Fun Home.” When the Fun Home actors and
production team members learned about what took place at Pulse during the early hours of June 12 they, like the Orlando community and the rest of the world, were heartbroken and devastated. “We feel like we were making progress (for the LGBT community) with Fun Home and we were making the world a small light and then this horrible, evil, violent act takes us out at the knees,” says Beth Malone, the Tony Award nominee who plays Alison. As the cast came together to preform that evening, everyone
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developed a desire to do something more, causing Michael Cerveris, the Tony Award winning actor who plays Bruce, Alison’s father, to reach out to the Dr. Phillips Center to organize a benefit for the Pulse victims. The event will be held on at 7 p.m. on July 24 in the Walt Disney Theater of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The production will take place as a concert reading instead of a traditional, full production as seen on Broadway, with half of the net proceeds raised from the benefit will be directly distributed to the victims and their families. The other half will go to Equality Florida to support their work to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “The mission of the arts center was always for people to come together and experience something – each other, the performance, everything. The company of Fun Home are being so generous in donating their time, on their day off, to give this to Orlando and benefit Equality Florida. It’s an extraordinary gesture,” Kathy Ramsberger, president and CEO of
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
the Dr. Phillips Center, says. The Dr. Phillips Center will host another Pulse benefit, From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando on June 25, featuring many members of Broadway and Orlando theater communities. However, this separate performance of Fun Home has a deliberate purpose in reaching the Orlando LGBT community. “There’s a huge need for this kind of message to be resonating outward from somewhere because there is an endless supply of misunderstanding and hatred, in the least sort of abuse it’s just tolerance,” says Malone. Being the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian, the musical provides a great service to the LGBT community by spotlighting lesbians in the large media. Making this production accessible to the Orlando community strengthens the story’s ability to spread hope and light as well. “It’s about homophobia and it’s about hatred and it’s about love and acceptance and healing through compassion that is the whole take-away of Fun Home,” says Malone. “We hear these stories and we sign autographs every single night. We hear these stories from kids, these young kids thanking us for existing.” The pressure to perform such a real and raw story not only comes from knowing the story’s impact on audience members, but also the original creator. Malone says that the real Alison Bechdel is very much an enormous part of the Fun Home community, as she has become friends with her as Bechdel came to see the show. “The reality would hit you that ‘Oh my God, all this preparation I’ve done with creating a character, but really she’s just a real flesh and blood human being,” says Malone. “It really lends itself to naturalism and honesty and no bullshit, it really allows you to take out all the ‘actory’ stuff that you were thinking to be a good idea. All that stuff goes away because all the heavy lifting was done with just the material and the truth of what she was saying. That’s all you have to do is kind of get out of the way of the piece itself. It’s really quite a beautiful piece of theater.” Aside from Malone and Cerveris, the production will include the other seven current Fun Home Broadway members, including four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn, 2015 Tony Award nominee Emily Skeggs, Gabriella Pizzolo, Roberta Colindrez, Cole Grey, Zell Steele Morrow, and Joel Perez, along with the show’s Tony Award-winning creators Lisa Kron (Book & Lyrics), Jeanine Tesori (Music) and Sam Gold (Director). Tickets start at $30.00. To purchase tickets visit DrPhillipsCenter,org or call 844-513-2014.
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LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS WeISinvite entire LGBTIS community our allies LOVE IS LOVE LOVE the IS LOVE IS LOVE LOVE IS LOVEand IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE ISto LOVE LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE LOVE LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS joinIStogether and unite ourIScity likeIS never before. LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS presented ORL ANDO Y SOCCER CLUB LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE ISbyLOVE ISCIT LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS parade • entertainment fireworks marketplace family-friendly activitiesIS LOVE LOVE ISpride LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE• IS LOVE•ISfestival LOVE IS LOVE• IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS ISO LOVE ISU LOVE LOVE IS E LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE WLOVE W W.C MEO T W I IS TH PRID .C O IS M LOVE /J O I N IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS
OCTOBER 8 WE CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY WE HONOR LOST FRIENDS WE HEAL ORLANDO
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watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
community calendar
event Planner
arts+entertainment
OrlandO
OrlandO
Osceola County equality Connection
Zakk Wylde at Plaza LIVe orlando, July 15, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 877-435-9849; PlazaLiveOrlando.com
Wednesday, July 20, 6:30- 8:30 P.m. 3 sisters sPeaKeasy, Kissimmee
departure - tribute to Journey, July 15, House of Blues, Orlando. 407-934-2583; HouseofBlues.com Broadway cares/equity fights aIds, July 15-16, Moonlight Players Theater, Clermont. 352-319-1116; MoonlightPlayers.com BoB the dRaG Queen at the Parliament house!, July 16, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com #GirltheParty: Miss tiger Lily Birthday!, July 16, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com Pearl Jamz, July 16, House of Blues. Orlando, 407-934-2583; HouseofBlues.com Watermark’s third thursday, July 21, The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando. 407-246-4278; MennelloMuseum.com
DanCInG
Queen This is your night to see amber, live in concert, singing her biggest hits at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg July 16. Photo couRtesy of aMBeR’s faceBooK PaGe
drag Bingo, July 21, Flamingo Resort, St.Pete. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com
Gwen stefani, July 26, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa. 813-740-2446; LiveNation.com
tamPa bay
Latin nights, July 21, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
Beres hammond and tarrus Riley, July 22, Hard Rock, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com
The Wizard of Oz, July 12- 17, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
the social, July 22, Metro Wellness and Community Center, Tampa. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org
tIGLff’s July movie: Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, July 27, freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg. 727-498-5205; freeFallTheatre.com
Rocket Man - elton John tribute, July 22, House of Blues. Orlando, 407-934-2583; HouseofBlues.com
oddities, July 15, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SoutherNightsTPA.com
shakespeare With heart: Two Gentlemen of Verona, July 22, Shakespeare Theater, Orlando. 407- 447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org
amber, July 16, Flamingo Resort, St.Pete. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com
tops vs. Bottoms, July 23, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813- 559-8625; SoutherNightsTPA.com
dc comics’ Suicide Squad release party, July 21, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsOrlando.com
Fun Home - a Benefit concert for orlando, July 24, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Bring It! Live, July 27, Hard Rock, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com
art night out: exercises in alternative comic and Zines, July 27, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando. 407- 896-4231; OMArt.com
the Pitmen Painters, July 20 – August 14, American Stage Theater, St.Pete, 727 -823-7529; AmericanStage.org Balance tampa Bay’s July social, July 21, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Tampa. 813-874-9463; BalanceTampaBay.org
summer erotica, July 23, Flamingo Resort, St.Pete. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com tIGLff’s social scent, July 24, Uncommon Finds, Tampa. 813-215-3218; UncommonFinds.com todrick hall presents Straight Outta Oz, July 25, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; AtTheCap.com
sarasOta The Wiz, July 23, Manatee Performing Arts Center, Sarasota. 941-748-5875; ManateePerforming ArtsCenter.com Jah Movement, July 25, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 941-953-3368; VanWezel.org summer Book club: aristotle and dante (Part 2), July 26, ALSO Youth, Sarasota. 941-951-2576; ALSOYouth.org Vegan Ice cream Party!, July 27, ALSO Youth, Sarasota. 941-951-2576; ALSOYouth.org
To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
Join Equality Florida members, supporters and those new to the fight for LGBT equality at 3 Sisters Speakeasy to mingle and learn how to get engaged and involved in the mission for full LGBT equality. Lite bites by 3 Sisters and a cash bar will be provided. Meet the Equality Florida staff and the local Greater Orlando leadership team. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP visit EQFL.org/EqualityConnection.
Parliament House 41st Anniversary with lance Bass saturday, July 23, 8:00 P.m.- 3:00 a.m. Parliament house, orlando The world famous Parliament House is celebrating 41 years as a top LGBT entertainment destination and want you to join them as well as their very special guest, NSYNC’s Lance Bass. Tickets at the door are $10. The Footlight Players will take the stage at 10:00 p.m. and midnight. VIP tickets are available for $50 and include a meet & greet reception with Lance Bass as well as a complimentary glass of champagne. More information can be found at ParliamentHouse.com.
tamPa bay
Fuego Friday Friday, July 22, 9:00 P.m.- 3:00 a.m. southern nights, tamPa Chhoy Sutimek presents Ybor City’s hottest Latin Night, Fuego Friday, at Southern Nights Tampa. Doors open at 9:00 p.m. with the show starting at midnight. Performers include Dulce Andrews, Lisa Lane and Amanda D’rhod. Enjoy $1 wells until 11:00 p.m., $3 Coronas and Long Islands all night. Music pumping all night by DJ Mike ElBori. The first 100 guests get DJ Mike El Bori’s newest CD. Find out more about Tampa’s biggest Latin Night at SouthernNightsTPA.com.
scott and Patti: On Broadway! saturday, July 23, 8-9 P.m. FreeFall theatre ComPany, st. PetersBurg Scott and Patti are bringing a salute to Broadway to you. Tampa Bay’s most beloved mother/son cabaret act will be joined by a live trio playing Broadway hits from yesterday and today. This summer, get a taste of Broadway way, way, WAY Off Broadway. New songs! New costumes! Live Band! Order NOW!! Get your tickets by calling the box office at 727-498-5205 or visiting freeFallTheatre.com.
event planner anD community calenDar is brouGht to you by curtis protective services • 1-800-551-8368 • curtissecurity.com watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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watermark Your LGBT life.
813.229.STAR (7827) • STRAZCENTER.ORG Group Sales: 813.222.1016 or 1047 Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice. Handling fees will apply.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
overheard
tamPa bay Out+abOut
jOHn cena Can see yOu
W
hile eVeryone Was grilling hamBurgers in the backyard and setting off fireworks in their neighborhoods this Fourth of July, WWE superstar John Cena was walking through the streets of Ybor City with a message: We are ALL America. A video, released on Cena’s Facebook July 4 and produced by The Ad Council as a part of their “Love Has No Labels” campaign, shows the wrestling great strolling down 7th Avenue as he talks about what the “average” American citizen looks like. “Almost half the country belongs to minority groups,” Cena says in the video. “People who are lesbian, African American, bi, transgender and Native American, and proud of it. After all, what’s more American than freedom to celebrate the things that makes us us?” Throughout the video people of all genders, races and backgrounds are seen passing in and out of the video, shopping, dining and going about their day. Cena even passes under the giant U.S. flag hanging from Hamburger Mary’s. “This year, patriotism shouldn’t just be about pride of country,” Cena continues. “It should be about love. Love beyond age, disability, sexuality, race, religion, and any other labels. Because the second any of us judge people based on those labels, we’re not really being patriotic, are we?”
amber waves Of dayum
A
mBer BeCame a gloBal suPerstar in the late 1990s with her infectious dance club hits including “This is Your Night,” “Sexual (Li Da Di)” and “If You Could Read My Mind.” Since then the Dutch-born German singer/songwriter has toured the world using music to open minds and bring people together, choosing since 2009 to focus on celebrating the love and diversity of the LGBT community by playing Pride events all over the world. Before she takes the stage July 16, at the Flamingo Resort she had a few things to say about the way certain people in U.S. political offices handle basic human rights. Speaking with Watermark about the recent string of violent acts, including the mass shooting at Pulse Orlando, Amber says, “There are many issues in the U.S. connected to this kind of hatred and violence. Poverty, homelessness – there is ongoing massive corruption with no justice on many levels. There is a failing educational system, no good mental-health care system, an entire nation that makes their biggest income by waging wars, and a booming number one worldwide weapon industry [that acts] like it is patriotic to kill many innocent people overseas. A privatized incarceration system. A medical industry that is drugging out masses and legally getting away with it.” Amber went on to say the only way the U.S. is going to get the fundamental change we need to “collectively unite and run politicians, lobbyists and corporations out of their offices and take back the control.” Preach, girl!
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Founding Fathers: (L-R) dan Mason (John Adams), Ben Taylor (Benjamin Franklin) and William Masuck (Thomas Jefferson) on stage starring in 1776 at the Eight O’Clock Theatre in Largo July 11. Photo couRtesy of WILLIaM MasucK
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College CluBBer: UCF student Mikey Reichert and Brycie Gauthier enjoying the weekend at Ybor City in Tampa on July 9. Photo couRtesy of
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MIKey ReIcheRt
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hot nights: Southern Nights bartender Ibrahim ferraz is slinging drinks for Swank Saturdays in Ybor City July 9. Photo couRtesy of southeRn
nIGhts taMPa
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Cultured CluB: dez shaw (L) and Lourdes cornejo-shaw pose with Boy George after the July 6 Culture Club concert at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Shaw won a private meet-and-greet with the band through the Mahaffey’s OneOrlando benefit contest. Photo couRtesy of the Mahaffey theateR
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Just KeeP danCing: The glow-in-the-dark underwater decorations adorn at Honey Pot Tampa on the July 3 at Finding Glory: Underwater Glow Party.
Photo couRtesy of honey Pot
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UNDER THE BoardWalK: Balance tampa Bay after cleaning up St. Pete Beach as a part of their July Service of giving back to the community July 9 in St. Petersburg.
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Photo couRtesy of JeReMy Wade neIMan
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lemon and honey: Bearonce Bear (anthony chiocchi) receives tips from club goers during her performance at “Proud to be an ABEARican” at Southern Nights in Tampa July 1. Photo couRtesy of
neIBeaRhood taKeoVeR
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real talent: cindy tendler Bonsignori and Melissa Romanaux see the one and only Jennifer Real at Spinnakers in Gulfport July 8.
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Photo couRtesy of toRe GaZZILLo
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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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. 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.™
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Through JULY 31, 2016
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Call the box office @ 407.297.8788 or online at madcowtheatre.com Mad Cow Theatre | 54 West Church Street | Downtown Orlando 32801 36
watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
overheard
OrlandO Out+abOut
terry is Here tO stay
O
n may 27, aFter a year-and-a-halF long stint as the executive director of the Center, Terry DeCarlo announced he was departing for greener pastures: the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in South Florida. And the hunt for a new executive director began as the time approached for Terry’s departure at the end of June. Of course, June 12 came, resulting in the biggest mass shooting in the United States and also an attack on the LGBT community. Early that morning, Terry was there with community leaders mourning the tragic loss. Becoming the face of the Center, Terry and his husband were invited to march in New York’s Gay Pride parade representing Orlando. On July 8, Terry announced he will remain as the executive director for the Center. Board President Tim Vargas said in a statement, “As we continue to assist victims and families in large numbers, we all collectively determined that Terry was a critical leader to retain for the organization. Under Terry’s leadership, the Center has expanded greatly, and we expect many more successful years under his continued leadership.”
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rubiO didn’t sit On it
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n July 11, a ClassiC sit-in against sen. marCo ruBio was held in his Orlando offices on Orange Avenue. The sit in was to protest gun violence and hatred across the spectrum. With the hash tag #sitinforthe49, the protest was supposed to last for 49 hours. Despite the Orlando Police Department handling the protest with kid gloves, the demonstration resulted in 10 arrests as the officers had peacefully asked the protestors to vacate the building after 7pm (their closing time) and to remain outside until the offices reopened in the morning. The protesters were released late July 11 on $250 bond. They face misdemeanor trespass charges after a sit-in during the one-month anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The protesters said they were targeting Rubio because of the Florida Republican’s opposition to same-sex marriage and the support he has gotten from the National Rifle Association.
#waHlburgerstrOng
O
rlando’s WahlBurgers loCation is CeleBrating the airing of their grand opening via reality show, which will play on A&E this week (and we’re sure several times afterwards). To commemorate the occasion, the Downtown Orlando location will offer day drink specials as well as special Wahlburgers-created #OrlandoStrong t-shirts, from the sale of which 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the One Orlando fund. The press release says that the proceeds will be personally matched against the total overall amount the restaurant raises by Donnie Wahlberg himself. You remember him. He endorsed Marco Rubio earlier this year. Hangin’ tough.
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couRtesy of andReW sPeaR
mix it uP: (L-R) Alex Wilfand, Jeff Prystajko, david Wyzynski, Adam feinsein and Bob azzarito talk shop at the MBA mixer at The Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando July 6. Photo By JeReMy WILLIaMs
doVes oF loVe: (L-R) andrew spear, Karen stephenson and charles Richardson pose in front of their artwork dedicated to victims of the Pulse shooting. The tribute appears on the side of a building in the Mills 50 District. Photo
musiC oF the heart: cazwell (L) and Mya sing out at the Pulse benefit concert at the Parliament House, but first they got a selfie in Orlando July 9. Photo couRtesy
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couRtesy of saRah cuLVeR
of caZWeLL’s InstaGRaM
a.C. BooKends: Gina duncan (L), Director of Transgender Inclusion for Equality Florida and Watermark’s founder Tom Dyer share personal space with anderson cooper and andy cohen at their show at the Dr. Phillips Center on June 30. Photo couRtesy of toM dyeR
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Proud Patty: Commissioner Patty sheehan celebrates a win from Orlando City Soccer (and her birthday week) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando July 10. Photo
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Winning time: Watermark contest winners sarah culver (L) and Jonathan Allen at the Dr. Phillips Center for Ragtime the Musical: In Concert July 9. Photo
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#sitinForthe49: Protesters stage a sit-in for gun control and equality at the office of Sen. Marco Rubio in Orlando July 11. Photo By deanndRa Meno
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Caring CamPus: UCF’s PRIDE Faculty & Staff Association board (L-R) hank Lewis, david Benjamin, carrie Moran and Justin Andrade with the UCF police department’s new cruiser July 8. Photo By edWanna andReWs
couRtesy of Patty sheehan
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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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Got Mustard? We’ve got more weiner than we can handle.
www.DareToRescue.com
I-DRIVE OPEN DAILY 11AM-2AM
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7653 INTERNATIONAL DR, ORLANDO, FL 32819 (407) 226-6886 GM135 @ TILTEDKILT.COM
watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
announcements
wedding bells
Marc Retzlaff, 45, and Don Kiceina Jr., 46 from Tampa & Jacksonville, Florida
years toGether:
9 years
enGaGement Date:
may 5, 2012
local birthDays
weDDinG Date:
may 5, 2017
weDDinG venue:
tampa Garden club
weDDinG planners:
the couple
weDDinG caterer:
metrochefs
interestinG Fact:
they will be sharing a special toast at 11:15 p.m. during their reception to mark 10 years since they first bumped into each other.
bon voyaGe
Online media director and longtime Watermark professional and personal rock Jamie hyman is running off to London following her last day on July 6. We wish her, husband Matt and adorable baby Dexter nothing but cucumber sandwiches, bottomless Guinesses and all the happiness available in the world. Great work, Jamie. You will be dearly missed.
“i
t’s really Just going to Be a
day to celebrate love and celebrate our love, especially with our family and friends,” Don says about their upcoming nuptials in spring 2017. Marc Retzlaff, who is a hair stylist at Marc Retzlaff at Enso Hair Studio, and Don Kiceina Jr., a general manager for Outfront Media, met while Marc was down visiting friends in Tampa. Don lived in Tampa at the time and both men had decided to go out with friends for Cinco de Mayo. “As I was walking off the dance floor around 11:15, I literally walked into Marc,” Don recalls. “And Marc being six-foot-three with a great smile and very good hair, he said ‘hello’ and I said ‘hello’ back, and honestly – it was pretty much instant chemistry.” Marc was visiting from Buffalo, New York, at the time with some friends, but they ended up spending most of the rest of the weekend hanging out together. Don took off that Monday from work and Marc even pushed his flight back to spend more time with him; both of them could tell this was the beginning of something great. They had a long-distance relationship for about nine months where they would see each other
every three weeks, whether that be Marc flying from Buffalo or Don going to see him up North. Marc described the first time he met Don as Marc being very personable, along with being good looking and outgoing. After about nine months, Marc moved down to Tampa with Don. “It [the long distance] really did strengthen our relationship,” Marc says. “It gave us a deeper understanding of each other and what we’re willing to do. It helped with, I believe, honesty. After a few years, they both realized they would be married, whether they would have to go somewhere where it was legal or just have a ceremony with a party for their friends. As they approached their five-year mark, they both realized they didn’t think they should wait and figured that they should get engaged. In addition to celebrating the milestone, they ordered matching engagement rings to wear. At the time, Don was out of work for a bit due to being sick, so he was
home when the rings arrived. When Marc came home from work that day, Don greeted him at the door with their dog Dexter and told him the rings arrived. He handed him a box and Marc, thinking it was his ring, opened it. At that moment, Don dropped to his knee and said “So do you wanna get married?” He realized the ring he was holding was actually Don’s and Don had his. It was emotional for both of them. They like how there’s a lot of symbolism and symmetry behind their wedding date – it’ll be their 10th anniversary, five years since they were engaged and they will have a toast at the exact (or as close to it) time they bumped into each other on the dancefloor that one night in Ybor City. As the couple continues to plan for their big day, they have decided on aspects of their wedding that would fit them both – Don wanting a more traditional ceremony and Marc desired to have it a bit nontraditional. “No matter how hard he tries to be tough, his honesty redirects that into being a very open and caring individual,” Marc says about Don. “His genuineness, that quality of him just being who he is at all times.”
Hope and Help community development director Russell Walker (July 16); St. Petersburg artist James Michael Mccracken, St. Petersburg IT wiz frank Meekins (July 17); Seminole business owner david Verdi and St. Petersburg LGBT liaison Robert danielson (July 18); St. Pete Pride board member Robert shaffer die-hard theater lover deborah simpson and Tampa Bay bear Mike tobias (July 19); Orlando entertainer, comedian, actor and representative of all things fabulous sam singhaus, Orlando physician dr. Jerry horton, Footlight Theater dancer steven Johnson and Karmic Tattoo guitarist and vocalist Pam Green (July 20); Tampa Bay performer and singer Jennifer Real, freeFall community director and “Patti Melt” Matthew McGee, beloved activist Rachel Gardiner (July 21); St. Pete bear and Air Canada employee Bob thayer, Orlando tech wizard carlos carbonell, Watermark columnist and renowned poet-economist with a publishing deal Jason Leclerc, ACLU communications manager Baylor Johnson (July 23); wonderful human being pursuing his dreams and former Zebra director dexter foxworth, performer and choreographer William Merchante, former Watermark intern Andrew Ramos (July 24); graphic designer andres duputel, Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel Associate Executive Director sammy Goldstein and Orlando lawyer Michael sheridan (July 26)
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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July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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45
uPrisings cOnventiOnal wisdOm
T [Hillary Clinton] will be the Democratic nominee for President, and I intend to do everything I can to make sure she will be the next President of the united states … I have come here to make it as clear as —Bernie sanders possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton.
transPHObia remains
R
ememBer BaCK in may when President Barack Obama shut up the haters by going all-in on the transgender bathroom issue, working his magic pen through the departments of education and justice to direct their institutions to allow for trans-diversity and to stop policing the body parts of individuals? It felt like a rainbow, really. What president in history would have ever charted that territory? Naturally, there’s been a huge backlash. Last week, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson widened the sociopolitical fray by introducing a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its “attempt to change the meaning of established law.” What’s more, the suit is joined by nine other states: Arkansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming.
46
O
OH, sit dOwn
n July 11, a Coalition oF nearly 100 orlando Protesters gathered together outside of U.S. Sen Marco Rubio’s office downtown for a “#sitinforthe49,” old-school act of civil disobedience. Singing songs like “We Shall Overcome” and “This Little Light of Mine” (with a reference to the “49” in the rhyme), the group peacefully assembled in the air conditioned lobby of 201 S. Orange Avenue with the intent of spending 49 hours there. Rubio flacks mingled around with law enforcement. Rubio’s office issued a whitewashed (straight-washed) statement about the June 12 Pulse massacre. “Over the past month, Senator Rubio has supported common sense compromises to make it easier to track individuals who have been on the terror watch list and later try to buy firearms, all while improving due process protections for law abiding Americans. He will keep working to make sure the Orlando community has the resources they need in the aftermath of this terrorist attack …,” the statement reads. By the end of the day, 10 of the protesters were arrested (and soon released) amid a SWAT-like atmosphere including automatic rifles. Which is incredibly sad, if you think about it.
T
brOwn nOte
alK aBout False eQuiValenCies. Earlier this month, U.S. Rep Corrine Brown, D-anywhere down the gerrymandered middle of Florida (including Orlando), clung to her pearls and shouted something to the effect of “persecution.” Brown garnered a 24-count federal indictment for fleecing the public to the tune of $800,000, allegedly used for personal items. What? Well, the reason for the press-cycle confluence of “persecution” naturally was attached to the racial violence that has been permeating the country’s collective consciousness for a seemingly endless month. Fair enough, but did Brown have to invoke the racial violence in what appears to be a white-collar crime (accusation). Answer: No. “Two black men were needlessly gunned down by police; Five Dallas police officers were slain by a demented man, and on Friday I had to appear in federal court,” her statement reads. Oh, poor dear.
watermark Your LGBT life.
Billy Manes
he time For PolitiCal WalK-and-talKs around cubicle boxes and D.C. streets is nearing its preliminary end, Aaron Sorkin, and that momentary pause couldn’t come any sooner. Despite all of the cage-rattling that has been portrayed in the Men-Seeking-Men – er, “mainstream media” – print presses and b-rolls, Democrats have managed to hold it together as best as they can, it would seem. Pragmatism isn’t sexy, but nor is losing. On July 12, Sanders finally crossed the breach into the wild world of endorsing the Democratic Party’s most electable candidate, Clinton. It didn’t come easy. Our electronic transoms and our friendships have been littered with email/ Benghazi/genocide nuances originating from websites that didn’t exist until there was a bone to pick. And for those of us who initially supported Clinton in the 2008 stakes, it’s not an unfamiliar feeling. Things, however, are not as ugly as they may appear in your rearview mirror, though. In fact, level heads have mostly prevailed, give or take a few stand-up-back-turned protests as the Orlando Platform Committee gathered last week to rub sticks together (to make fire, of course) and get the balance right. Politics, especially interparty politics, is not a game of absolutes, after all, and even though there were shouts about Clinton’s vague support of global trade via the Trans-Pacific Partnership, there are too many things that progressives agree on to let negotiable planks end up shattered. Other issues brought to the table tilted largely to the progressive side, even if by accident. According to NBC News, a “reasoned pathway for future legalization” of marijuana passed muster because of technical difficulties. The Clinton camp kept the language in, though, even if Hillary doesn’t necessarily support full legalization, just the medical sort. It’s important to note that platforms are just that – platforms – and that there is no real challengeable set of dentures to hold a candidate to the positions. And though there were big gulfs between Bernie supporters and Hillary supporters on the conflict between Israel and Palestine overall, the sense was one of bridging the gulf between the two campaigns. Even Sanders policy director Warren Gunnels claimed an 80 percent victory for Sanders’ policies. The less said the better about Trump’s virtually uncontested platform drafted over the same weekend in Cleveland. Trump is playing, characteristically, on the trade argument. “We need better negotiated trade agreements that put America first,” he wrote in the platform draft. However, on LGBT issues – specifically marriage – Trump and co. played a dirty shell game. Republicans softened their message a bit (barely) by trying to bring the issue back to the courts and, ultimately, into state’s rights territory again. Oh, also, Republicans are still fighting abortion. Surprise! The conventions should be a hoot, if you’re a C-Span drinker. Democrats converge on Philadelphia on July 25. Republicans hit up Cleveland on July 18. Lock up your hookers.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
watermark Your LGBT life.
July 14 - July 27, 2016 // Issue 2 3.14
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